Geomorphology and Glacial of the Martin River Glacier, Geology

• Main Author: John R. Reid
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.535.1907; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic23-4-254.pdf

ABSTRACT. The terminal 17 km. of the Martin River Glacier, and its periphery offer a unique insight into a dynamic system involving land forms, water, plants and animals, all of which are directly dependent upon the glacier regimen. Of the four zones, the Active Ice, Intermediate, Terminal, and Glaciated, the fist is the most extensive. The second two are characterized by forest and brush-covered super-glacial drift, less than 1 m. to more than 3 m. in thickness. Ice sinkhole depressions and lakes are common and may drain suddenly via englacial and subglacial chan-nels. Occasional clear lakes are present in the Terminal Zone where ice may lie beneath only 1 to 2 m. of superglacial drift, which is sufficient to protect the lake water from the cold ice and allow successful propagation of aquatic fauna. Trees in the Terminal Zone indicate that this zone was glacially active about A.D. 1650. The outermost terminal moraine and the numerous moraine segments in the Glaciated Zone are probably of Late Wisconsin age. These can be traced to the upper 14 lateral moraines in the valley of the Charlotte Lobe. The soils in the lower 7 moraines are immature to azonal and are probably of Neoglacial age.