High-resolution geophysical observations of the Yermak Plateau and northern Svalbard margin : Implications for ice-sheet grounding and deep-keeled icebergs
High-resolution geophysical evidence on the seafloor morphology and acoustic stratigraphy of the Yermak Plateau and northern Svalbard margin between 79°20′ and 81°30′N and 5° and 22°E is presented. Geophysical datasets are derived from swath bathymetry and sub-bottom acoustic profiling and are combi...
Published in: | Quaternary Science Reviews |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Institutionen för geologiska vetenskaper
2010
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-47298 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.002 |
Summary: | High-resolution geophysical evidence on the seafloor morphology and acoustic stratigraphy of the Yermak Plateau and northern Svalbard margin between 79°20′ and 81°30′N and 5° and 22°E is presented. Geophysical datasets are derived from swath bathymetry and sub-bottom acoustic profiling and are combined with existing cores to derive chronological control. Seafloor landforms, in the form of ice-produced lineations, iceberg ploughmarks of various dimensions (including features over 80 m deep and down to about 1000 m), and a moat indicating strong currents are found. The shallow stratigraphy of the Yermak Plateau shows three acoustic units: the first with well-developed stratification produced by hemipelagic sedimentation, often draped over a strong and undulating internal reflector; a second with an undulating upper surface and little acoustic penetration, indicative of the action of ice; a third unit of an acoustically transparent facies, resulting from debris flows. Core chronology suggests a MIS 6 age for the undulating seafloor above about 580 m. There are several possible explanations, including: (a) the flow of a major grounded ice sheet across the plateau crest from Svalbard (least likely given the consolidation state of the underlying sediments); (b) the more transient encroachment of relatively thin ice from Svalbard; or (c) the drift across the plateau of an ice-shelf remnant or megaberg from the Arctic Basin. The latter is our favoured explanation given the evidence currently at our disposal. |
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