Water migration and ice segregation in the transition zone between thawed and frozen soil

Samples of silty clay were kept under constant boundary temperature conditions of +1°C (top) and −1°C (bottom) in a series of cold room laboratory experiments. Water migration and ice enrichment near the permafrost table were observed in all samples. Cryogenic layering was observed in soil layers wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
Main Authors: V. I. Solomatin, Xiaozu Xu
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Subjects:
Ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.3430050307
Description
Summary:Samples of silty clay were kept under constant boundary temperature conditions of +1°C (top) and −1°C (bottom) in a series of cold room laboratory experiments. Water migration and ice enrichment near the permafrost table were observed in all samples. Cryogenic layering was observed in soil layers with boundary temperature conditions of −0.5 to −1.0°C. These results confirm earlier observations which explain the occurrence of an ice‐rich layer near the permafrost table, and they may be used to explain the influence of snow cover on isotopic composition of near‐surface ground water and ice. Des échantillons d'argile silteuse ont été maintenus à des températures constantes de +1°C (au sommet) et de −1°C (à la base) dans une série d'expériences effectuées en laboratoire. Des migrations d'eau et un enrichissement en glace prés du plafond du pergélisol ont été observés dans tous les échantillons. Un litage cryogénique s'est formé dans des couches de sol où les conditions de température ont varié de −0,5 à −1°C. Ces résultats confirment les observations antérieures qui expliquent l'existence d'une couche riche en glace près du plafond du pergélisol, et peuvent servir à expliquer l'influence de la couverture neigeuse sur la composition isotopique de l'eau du sol et de la glace proche de la surface.