Relict cryogenic structures in the landscapes of Orenburg region, Russia

Abstract The evidence of Neo-Pleistocene and possibly Holocene paleopermafrost was found in Orenburg region, Russia. Large polygons are clearly visible in relief, which indicate the existence of continuous low-temperature frozen rocks in the past. We found and studied the structure of the ground wed...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
Main Authors: Ryabukha, A G, Streletskaya, I D, Polyakov, D G, Kovda, I V, Yakovlev, I G
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: IOP Publishing 2021
Subjects:
Ice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/817/1/012093
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/817/1/012093
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/817/1/012093/pdf
Description
Summary:Abstract The evidence of Neo-Pleistocene and possibly Holocene paleopermafrost was found in Orenburg region, Russia. Large polygons are clearly visible in relief, which indicate the existence of continuous low-temperature frozen rocks in the past. We found and studied the structure of the ground wedges formed in sediments of different composition and genesis. Ground wedges in loess-soil formations indicate several stages of permafrost expansion at the end of the Neo-Pleistocene. Freezing of ground was accompanied by the formation of polygonal-wedge ice and initially-ground wedges. During the warming periods the permafrost melted and pedogenesis restarted together with active thermokarst processes and formation of pseudomorphs along the wedge ice.