Intertidal forms produced by floating ice in Vestfirdir, Iceland

• Published in: Marine Geology
• Main Author: Hansom, James D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier 1986
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/99630/; https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(86)90074-5

Forms produced by the action of intertidal ice in the fjord of Kaldalon, Vestfirdir, Iceland, are described and interpreted in terms of their morphogenetic environment. Isolated boulders resting on top of undisturbed fine sediments are interpreted as dropstones from floating intertidal ice following rockfall events. Boulder pavements and ridges which occur in the upper intertidal zone are related to the onshore movement of ice packing and bulldozing boulders together. The occurrence of such ice-formed features in Kaldalon is attributed to their preservation within a low-energy environment in spite of a limited ice-climate. The paucity of such forms preserved in the sedimentary record suggests that opportunities for burial and preservation are limited except where local infill is rapid.