Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream.
Most discharge from large ice sheets takes place through fast-flowing ice streams and their speed is strongly modulated by interactions between the ice and the underlying sediments. Seismic surveys and investigations through boreholes have revealed a spatial association between fast ice flow and sat...
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Online Access: | http://dro.dur.ac.uk/6041/ https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 |
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ftunivdurham:oai:dro.dur.ac.uk.OAI2:6041 2023-05-15T14:04:18+02:00 Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. King, E.C. Hindmarsh, R.C.A. Stokes, C.R. 2009-08-01 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/6041/ https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 unknown Nature Publishing Group dro:6041 issn:1752-0894 issn: 1752-0908 doi:10.1038/ngeo581 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/6041/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 Nature geoscience, 2009, Vol.2(8), pp.585-596 [Peer Reviewed Journal] Article PeerReviewed 2009 ftunivdurham https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 2020-05-28T22:27:28Z Most discharge from large ice sheets takes place through fast-flowing ice streams and their speed is strongly modulated by interactions between the ice and the underlying sediments. Seismic surveys and investigations through boreholes have revealed a spatial association between fast ice flow and saturated deformable sediments. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the morphology of the interface between ice and sediments is still limited, resulting in only rudimentary understanding of the basal boundary conditions beneath ice streams and the generation of subglacial bedforms. Here we present radar data from the bed of a West Antarctic ice stream that reveal the presence of mega-scale glacial lineations. We combine these data with previously published seismic data and show that these lineations develop in areas of dilatant deforming till and are part of a dynamic sedimentary system that undergoes significant change by erosion and deposition on decadal timescales. We find that the mega-scale glacial lineations are indistinguishable from those found on beds of palaeo-ice streams, providing conclusive evidence for the hypothesis that highly elongate bedforms are a characteristic of fast-flow regions in ice sheets. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Durham University: Durham Research Online Antarctic Nature Geoscience 2 8 585 588 |
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Durham University: Durham Research Online |
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ftunivdurham |
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description |
Most discharge from large ice sheets takes place through fast-flowing ice streams and their speed is strongly modulated by interactions between the ice and the underlying sediments. Seismic surveys and investigations through boreholes have revealed a spatial association between fast ice flow and saturated deformable sediments. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the morphology of the interface between ice and sediments is still limited, resulting in only rudimentary understanding of the basal boundary conditions beneath ice streams and the generation of subglacial bedforms. Here we present radar data from the bed of a West Antarctic ice stream that reveal the presence of mega-scale glacial lineations. We combine these data with previously published seismic data and show that these lineations develop in areas of dilatant deforming till and are part of a dynamic sedimentary system that undergoes significant change by erosion and deposition on decadal timescales. We find that the mega-scale glacial lineations are indistinguishable from those found on beds of palaeo-ice streams, providing conclusive evidence for the hypothesis that highly elongate bedforms are a characteristic of fast-flow regions in ice sheets. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
King, E.C. Hindmarsh, R.C.A. Stokes, C.R. |
spellingShingle |
King, E.C. Hindmarsh, R.C.A. Stokes, C.R. Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. |
author_facet |
King, E.C. Hindmarsh, R.C.A. Stokes, C.R. |
author_sort |
King, E.C. |
title |
Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. |
title_short |
Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. |
title_full |
Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. |
title_fullStr |
Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream. |
title_sort |
formation of mega-scale glacial lineations observed beneath a west antarctic ice stream. |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/6041/ https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic |
op_source |
Nature geoscience, 2009, Vol.2(8), pp.585-596 [Peer Reviewed Journal] |
op_relation |
dro:6041 issn:1752-0894 issn: 1752-0908 doi:10.1038/ngeo581 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/6041/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo581 |
container_title |
Nature Geoscience |
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2 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
585 |
op_container_end_page |
588 |
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1766275328583401472 |