The Pingos of Prince Patrick Island (76 degrees N - 120 degrees W)

• Main Authors: Pissart, A., National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: National Research Council of Canada 1970
• Subjects: permafrost; pergélisol; soils; sol; arctic regions; arctique; landforms; relief géographique; liquification; liquéfaction; Arctic; Prince Patrick Island; Arctique*; Ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4224/20375776; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/ft/?id=5f797150-382a-41ad-907c-1f00996061cf; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=5f797150-382a-41ad-907c-1f00996061cf; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=5f797150-382a-41ad-907c-1f00996061cf

More than 150 pingos have been observed on Prince Patrick Island. The majority of these domes of injected ice may be divided into two distinct groups: The first group is made up of more than 100 pingos located on the surface of the island's summit at an altitude of about 100 metres. They are aligned in two parallel rows of domes, circular in ground plan, whose height and diameter do not exceed 13 metres and 250 metres respectively. Presenting no positive trace of present day evolution and showing no relationship with the topography, these forms exist in the valleys as well as on the summits. They are possibly related to some deep geological structure. The second group of pingos is made up of mounds at an altitude close to sea level and situated at the head of two bays more than 90 km distant from each other. In this group particularly are elongated pingos resembling eskers as well as those with the characteristic circular shape. Observed cuts have shown the arrangement of layers in the sides of the pingos as well as the core of injected ice. They appear to have developed following a definite change of sea level which drowned the bay and resulted in the melting of the upper permafrost. The later re-establishment of the permafrost may have begun with the appearance of this injected ice. On a observé plus de 150 pingos sur l'Ile du Prince- Patrick. La plupart de ces dômes de glace intrusive peuvent se diviser en deux catégories bien distinctes. La première comprend plus de 100 pingos situés à la surface du sommet de l'île, à une altitude d'environ 100 mètres. Ils forment deux rangées de dômes parallèles, de forme circulaire dans le plan du terrain; leur hauteur et leur diamètre ne dé passent pas 13 et 250 mètres respectivement. Les pingos ne présentent aucune trace positive d'évolution récente et ne ré vèlent aucun rapport avec la topographie. En outre, ces formations existent aussi bien dans les vallées que sur les sommets, et sont probablement liées à une structure gé ologique très profonde. Le second groupe de ...