Seismic and electrical geophysical characterization of an incipient coastal open-system pingo: Lagoon Pingo, Svalbard
Whilst there has been a recent appreciation for the role of open-system pingos in providing a fluid-flow conduit through continuous permafrost that enables methane release, the formation and internal structure of these ubiquitous permafrost-diagnostic landforms remains unclear. Here, we combine acti...
| Published in: | Earth and Space Science |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2985863 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EA002093 |
| Summary: | Whilst there has been a recent appreciation for the role of open-system pingos in providing a fluid-flow conduit through continuous permafrost that enables methane release, the formation and internal structure of these ubiquitous permafrost-diagnostic landforms remains unclear. Here, we combine active-source seismic measurements with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to investigate the structural and subsurface characteristics of an incipient open-system pingo actively emitting methane within the glacio-isostatically uplifting fjord valley of Adventdalen, Svalbard. Wavefront inversion of seismic refractions delineate a spatially heterogenoeus active layer, whilst deeper reflections identify the lithological boundaries between marine sediments and underlying shales at ∼68 m depth (p-wave velocity of ∼1790 ms-1). Low geometric mean inverted resistivities of 40 – 150 Ωm highlight the dominance of saline permafrost, whilst elevated resistivities (∼2 kΩm) occur close to the groundwater spring and in heaved areas around the pingo. Based on our results, we speculate that segregation ice dominates the pingo structure, given the absence of a notable resistivity contrast characteristic of injection ice that is typically expected within early open-system pingo formation, and provides the most plausible geomorphic agent within the local fine-grained sedimentology. Our results thereby indicate that sediment grain size and moisture availability can provide important controls on pingo formation. This study shows that open-system pingos in coastal, saline permafrost environments may form differently, with implications for localized permafrost structure, its permeability to underlying gas reservoirs and consequent methane release. publishedVersion |
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