meltwater channels, tunnel valleys, trimlines, limit of key glacigenic deposits, glaciolacustrine deposits, ice-dammed lakes, erratic dispersal patterns, shelf-edge fans, and the Loch LomondReadvance limit of the main ice cap. The GIS contains over 20000 features split into thematic layers (as above). Individual features are attributed such that they can be traced back to their published sources. Given that the published sources of information that underpin this work were derived by a piecemeal effort over 150 years then our main caveat is of data consistency and reliability. It is hoped that this compilation will stimulate greater scrutiny of published data, assist in palaeo-glaciological reconstructions, and facilitate use of field-evidence in numerical ice sheet modelling. It may also help direct field workers in their future investigations.
meltwater channels, tunnel valleys, trimlines, limit of key glacigenic deposits, glaciolacustrine deposits, ice-dammed lakes, erratic dispersal patterns, shelf-edge fans, and the Loch LomondReadvance limit of the main ice cap. The GIS contains over 20000 features split into thematic layers (as above). Individual features are attributed such that they can be traced back to their published sources. Given that the published sources of information that underpin this work were derived by a piecemeal effort over 150 years then our main caveat is of data consistency and reliability. It is hoped that this compilation will stimulate greater scrutiny of published data, assist in palaeo-glaciological reconstructions, and facilitate use of field-evidence in numerical ice sheet modelling. It may also help direct field workers in their future investigations.
Khatwa, A. and Tulaczyk, S. 2001. Microstructural interpretations of modern and Pleistocene subglacially deformed sediments: the relative role of parent material and subglacial processes.ABSTRACT: Analysis of till micromorphology represents a relatively new technique that has been used most frequently to infer the importance of subglacial shear in till genesis. This study aims to calibrate the technique by comparing Pleistocene tills from United Kingdom with a modern till (the UpB till) from beneath Ice Stream B, West Antarctica. Despite the fact that all of the tills examined have been interpreted as deforming-bed deposits, the modern till has significantly less abundant and diverse microstructures than those found in the Pleistocene tills. Seventeen examined thin-sections of the UpB till contain recognisable microstructures over only 0-30% of individual thin-section area. The most common microstructures are: (i) birefringent clay patterns that are interpreted as shear zones and (ii) adherent matrix structures, which we interpret as uncomminuted remnants of the parent glacial/glaciomarine diamictons. Fourteen thin-sections of the Pleistocene tills were covered by microstructures in 10-95% of their area. The Pleistocene microstructures include birefringent clays and adherent matrix structures, as in the UpB till, but also laminations and deformed pods made of chalk and sorted sediments. We conclude that the same till-forming process, i.e. subglacial deformation, may result in distinctly different till micromorphology. This is a consequence of the fact that microstructural characteristics are strongly influenced by factors other than shear deformation. We identify three controls that may be important for forming contrasting microstructural assemblages: (i) strain magnitude, (ii) the degree of heterogeneity of parent material, and (iii) relative importance of sediment sorting by flowing water in the subglacial environment. Thus till micromorphology is sensitive to multiple factors, which with proper calibration may enhance the existing capability to interpret past subglacial conditions from microstructures.
ABSTRACT. A technique proposed by Hooke and Iverson (1995) to identify deformed subglacial sediments is reviewed and tested, based on two main objectives. First, an investigation of whether the fractal dimension can distinguish between non-deformed and deformed facies; for which we compare supraglacial and subglacial facies explicitly. Second, an evaluation of whether the fractal dimension can be used as a diagnostic criteria to discriminate between different styles and degrees of basal deformation. This is tested using a range of sediments from the deformation continuum suggested by Hart and Boulton (1991b). Sixteen subglacial samples were selected from Quaternary sites in England and three supraglacial samples from the modern Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland. The mean fractal dimension for the subglacial diamicton matrix facies was 2.92, similar to findings of 2.90 by Hooke and Iverson (1995) for their basal tills. The supraglacial facies displayed a mean fractal dimension of 2.83, which is unusually high for facies which are assumed to be undeformed. A Mann^Whitney U test showed that fractal dimensions of supraglacial and subglacial diamicton matrix facies were not significantly different. No significant difference was found between the fractal dimensions of the different tectonic facies within the subglacial group. It may be impossible to separate the subglacial and supraglacial facies because of complex debris paths within the glacier. Grain fracture or parent lithology may affect the particle-size distribution of subglacial facies.
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