Observations of postglacial uplift at Churchill, Manitoba

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Author: Tushingham, A. Mark
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1992
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Churchill; Churchill River; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e92-189; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e92-189

Churchill, Manitoba, is located near the centre of postglacial uplift caused by the Earth's recovery from the melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The value of present-day uplift at Churchill has important implications in the study of postglacial uplift in that it can aid in constraining the thickness of the ice sheet and the rheology of the Earth. The tide-gauge record at Churchill since 1940 is examined, along with nearby Holocene relative sea-level data, geodetic measurements, and recent absolute gravimetry measurements, and a present-day rate of uplift of 8–9 mm/a is estimated. Glacial isostatic adjustment models yield similar estimates for the rate of uplift at Churchill. The effects of the tide-gauge record of the diversion of the Churchill River during the mid-1970's are discussed.