Massive ice in coarse-grained sediments, Western Canadian Arctic

• Main Author: De Pascale, Gregory P.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: McGill University 2005
• Subjects: Frozen ground > Mackenzie River Delta (N.W.T. and Yukon); Glaciers > Mackenzie River Delta (N.W.T. and Yukon); Glacial landforms > Mackenzie River Delta (N.W.T. and Yukon); Arctic; Mackenzie River; Yukon; Ice; Mackenzie river; permafrost; Thermokarst
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=82217

Destruction of ecosystems and infrastructure can be caused by melting of massive ice within permafrost. To predict potential melting caused by natural and human disturbance, we need to know the nature and origin of massive ice deposits. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the nature of massive ice in coarse-grained sediments that accepted theories suggest should not occur. Degradation of ice-rich granular resources is expensive and difficult to rehabilitate and can cause developmental thermokarst, overestimation of granular resources, disturbance of wildlife habitat and create conflicts with traditional land uses. To locate massive ice we used a resistivity geophysical technique and to characterize the ice we used geochemical, petrographic and stratigraphic techniques. The resistivity technique detected bodies of massive ice and ice-rich sediments and coarse-grained sediments at high resolutions and laboratory analysis reveal that the ice was of glacial origin. These findings indicate that massive ice of glacial origin occurs in coarse-grained sediments in permafrost. The techniques used in this study could form the basis of a predictive model of massive ice occurrence.