Ice Core Colle Gnifetti KCC ...

• Main Authors: Kerch, Johanna, Eisen, Olaf, Eichler, Jan, Binder, Tobias, Freitag, Johannes, Bohleber, Pascal, Weikusat, Ilka
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2018
• Subjects: Glaciology @ AWI AWI_Glac; ice core
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.887838; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.887838

We analysed crystal-preferred orientation of c-axis and microstructure data from the Alpine ice core KCC at an unprecedented resolution and coverage of any Alpine ice core. We find that an anisotropic single-maximum fabric develops as early as 25 m depth in firn under vertical compression and strengthens under simple shear conditions towards the bedrock at 72 m depth. The analysis of continuously measured intervals with subsequent thin section samples from several depths of the ice core reveals a high spatial variability in the crystal orientation and crystal size on the 10 cm-scale as well as within a few centimeters. We quantify the variability and investigate the possible causes and links to other microstructural properties. Our findings support the hypothesis that the observed variability is a consequence of strain localisation on small spatial scales with influence on fabric and microstructure. From a methodological perspective, the results of this study lead us to challenge whether single thin sections ... : Supplement to: Kerch, Johanna; Eisen, Olaf; Eichler, Jan; Binder, Tobias; Freitag, Johannes; Bohleber, Pascal; Bons, Paul D; Weikusat, Ilka (2020): Short-scale variations in high-resolution crystal-preferred orientation data in an alpine ice core - do we need a new statistical approach? Earth and Space Science Open Archive (ESSOAr) ...