Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime
Integrated studies of glacial geomorphology, sedimentology, marine-limit elevations, and radiocarbon dating in two adjacent fiords on southwestern Ellesmere Island indicate that early Holocene regional deglaciation was characterized by a two-step retreat pattern, where initial rapid breakup of marin...
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/e97-116 2024-04-28T08:11:09+00:00 Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime Cofaigh, Colm Ó 1998 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e97-116 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e97-116 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences volume 35, issue 4, page 437-452 ISSN 0008-4077 1480-3313 General Earth and Planetary Sciences journal-article 1998 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/e97-116 2024-04-09T06:56:28Z Integrated studies of glacial geomorphology, sedimentology, marine-limit elevations, and radiocarbon dating in two adjacent fiords on southwestern Ellesmere Island indicate that early Holocene regional deglaciation was characterized by a two-step retreat pattern, where initial rapid breakup of marine-based ice preceded slower, terrestrial retreat. These data also indicate interfiord variations in early Holocene deglacial thermal regime, and illustrate the role of fiord topography as a control on glacier retreat. In Starfish Bay, deglacial landform-sediment associations are preferentially located at fiord-side topographic irregularities, and record ice-proximal glaciomarine sedimentation during stillstands at pinning points. Abundant fine-grained subaquatic outwash indicates that the retreating trunk glacier was characterized by a warm-based thermal regime. The discrete location of these deposits and associated radiocarbon dates suggest rapid early Holocene deglaciation of the outer and middle fiord, interrupted by brief stillstands at pinning points, and subsequent stabilization and slower retreat in the inner fiord. Similar rapid early Holocene deglaciation occurred in Blind Fiord. However, the dominance of lateral meltwater channels and lack of fine-grained subaquatic outwash in this fiord suggest that trunk ice was predominantly cold-based during retreat. Initial rapid deglaciation was succeeded by stabilization and slower, terrestrial retreat when the trunk glacier reached the inner fiord. A prominent belt of glaciogenic landforms at the heads of both fiords is inferred to mark this stabilization. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Ellesmere Island glacier* Canadian Science Publishing Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 35 4 437 452 |
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Open Polar |
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Canadian Science Publishing |
op_collection_id |
crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Cofaigh, Colm Ó Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences |
description |
Integrated studies of glacial geomorphology, sedimentology, marine-limit elevations, and radiocarbon dating in two adjacent fiords on southwestern Ellesmere Island indicate that early Holocene regional deglaciation was characterized by a two-step retreat pattern, where initial rapid breakup of marine-based ice preceded slower, terrestrial retreat. These data also indicate interfiord variations in early Holocene deglacial thermal regime, and illustrate the role of fiord topography as a control on glacier retreat. In Starfish Bay, deglacial landform-sediment associations are preferentially located at fiord-side topographic irregularities, and record ice-proximal glaciomarine sedimentation during stillstands at pinning points. Abundant fine-grained subaquatic outwash indicates that the retreating trunk glacier was characterized by a warm-based thermal regime. The discrete location of these deposits and associated radiocarbon dates suggest rapid early Holocene deglaciation of the outer and middle fiord, interrupted by brief stillstands at pinning points, and subsequent stabilization and slower retreat in the inner fiord. Similar rapid early Holocene deglaciation occurred in Blind Fiord. However, the dominance of lateral meltwater channels and lack of fine-grained subaquatic outwash in this fiord suggest that trunk ice was predominantly cold-based during retreat. Initial rapid deglaciation was succeeded by stabilization and slower, terrestrial retreat when the trunk glacier reached the inner fiord. A prominent belt of glaciogenic landforms at the heads of both fiords is inferred to mark this stabilization. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cofaigh, Colm Ó |
author_facet |
Cofaigh, Colm Ó |
author_sort |
Cofaigh, Colm Ó |
title |
Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
title_short |
Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
title_full |
Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
title_fullStr |
Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
title_full_unstemmed |
Geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early Holocene deglaciation in High Arctic fiords, Ellesmere Island, Canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
title_sort |
geomorphic and sedimentary signatures of early holocene deglaciation in high arctic fiords, ellesmere island, canada: implications for deglacial ice dynamics and thermal regime |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
1998 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e97-116 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e97-116 |
genre |
Arctic Ellesmere Island glacier* |
genre_facet |
Arctic Ellesmere Island glacier* |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences volume 35, issue 4, page 437-452 ISSN 0008-4077 1480-3313 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/e97-116 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |
container_volume |
35 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
437 |
op_container_end_page |
452 |
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1797578694502383616 |