Engineering Properties of Subsea Permafrost in the Prudhoe Bay Region of the Beaufort Sea

• Main Authors: Chamberlain,Edwin J, Sellmann,Paul V, Blouin,Scott E, Hopkins,David M, Lewellen,Robert I
• Other Authors: ARCTIC INST OF NORTH AMERICA ARLINGTON VA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1977
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *CORE SAMPLING; CONTINENTAL SHELVES; SEDIMENTS; OCEAN BOTTOM; PERMAFROST; BEAUFORT SEA; OFFSHORE DRILLING; Prudhoe Bay; Beaufort Sea; Ice; permafrost; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA099774; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA099774

Recent investigations support earlier indications that permafrost is very extensive under the Beaufort Sea. During the spring of 1976, a drilling program was conducted along a transect from 1 to 17 km offshore of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to obtain data on the vertical and horizontal distribution and the engineering and chemical properties of subsea permafrost. Core samples were obtained for laboratory determinations of index, strength, and compressibility properties as well as for sediment chemistry. In addition, in-situ measurements of penetration resistance and temperature were obtained. Supporting geological, thermal, dating, and fossil studies were undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey to aid in interpreting the geologic history of this region.