Rupture of an ice mound near Cape Dorset, N.W.T.

• Published in: Canadian Geotechnical Journal
• Main Author: Frederking, R. M. W.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1979
• Subjects: Civil and Structural Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology; Cape Dorset; Frozen Lake
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/t79-064; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/t79-064

An ice feature comprising ice blocks ranging from football size to 0.6 m cubes to 1.2 m × 3.6 m × 0.6 m slabs was observed on the surface of a frozen lake. Site investigations revealed the source of the blocks to be an ice mound that had formed along the shore of the lake. A model, supported by local meteorological, geological, and hydrological information, is proposed to explain the formation of the ice mound and its subsequent rupture.