Flow pattern near Massif A in the Yamato bare ice field estimated from the structures and the mechanical properties of a shallow ice core

• Main Authors: Nobuhiko Azuma, Masayoshi Nakawo, Akira Higashi, Fumihiko Nishio
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University 1985
• Subjects: Yamato; Queen Maud Land; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=1843; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00001843/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=1843&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

A shallow ice core, 30m long, was collected at the Yamato bare ice field in East Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. From the uniaxial compression tests with the core, the flow law of the ice was obtained, which was different considerably from that obtained for the artificial polycrystalline ice with the random orientation fabric. Additional structural analyses (fabric, stratigraphy, etc.) of the core allowed estimation of the stress configuration and the flow field around the nunataks. As a result, a longitudinal stress of 0.15 MPa was obtained at the drilling site. Also, the variation of surface velocities, internal flow lines and isochrones upstream of Massif A were calculated. The results showed that the origin of the ice emerging near the nunataks is not far from its present position and the catchment area is rather small. The ice is considered nearly stagnant in the adjacent region of the nunataks.