Cryogenic features of the permafrost ice caves of Grottedal, northeast Greenland

• Main Authors: Barton, Hazel A, Breley, George J, Töchterle, Paul, Moseley, Gina E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Grottedal caves; permafrost; hoar frost; kutnohorite; cryogenic frostwork; Arctic; Greenland; Kronprins Christian Land; Ice; Kronprins Christian land
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/6815478; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6815478

The caves of Grottedal, Kronprins Christian Land, northeast Greenland, are found within the continuous Arctic permafrost zone. The caves contain several cryogenic features, including minerals and ice deposits. Convection loops within the air of the caves appear to create a sublimation horizon, above which increasing humidity leads to hoar frost formation. Below this sublimation horizon, dry and desiccating conditions lead to the leaching of CaCO3 and the formation of magnesian calcite and kutnohorite. Evidence of condensation corrosion in these caves may also be responsible for the formation of a new type of cryogenic speleothem (called cryogenic frostwork), which may form from freezing of this condensate on surfaces. Cave-air dynamics, driven by the cold temperatures (measured as low as −17.1°C) and climatic conditions of