Late Quaternary glacial and sea-level events, Clements Markham Inlet, northern Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1343-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Bednarski
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Glacial Retreat ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Level Ice ◽  
Small Valley

Clements Markham Inlet cuts into the Grant Land Mountains of the northernmost coast of Ellesmere Island. The head of the inlet is bounded on three sides by mountain ice caps that surround lowlands mantled by extensive raised marine deposits. Fieldwork and mapping of late Quaternary sediments were used to determine the limits of past glaciations and the nature of ice retreat from the inlet head. Forty-five radiocarbon dates on driftwood and marine shells provide a deglacial chronology and document related sea-level adjustments.High-level ice-marginal meltwater channels and mountain summit erratics indicate that ice once inundated all of Clements Markham Inlet. During at least one of these undated glaciations, ice flowed unconstrained by the local topography. In contrast, the most recent glaciation involved confluent trunk glaciers, which terminated near the head of the inlet. Beyond this terminus, smaller glaciers entering the sides of the inlet debouched into a glacioisostatically depressed sea (full glacial sea). Retreat from the last glaciation is documented by moraines, kame terraces, and ice-contact deltas.Inside the ice limit at the head of the inlet, sections commonly show that a marine transgression occurred immediately after the retreat of the ice. Conversely, sections outside the last ice limit, along the sides of the inlet, show complex intercalations of marine and glacigenic sediments. These indicate proximal ice-front conditions where small valley glaciers locally contacted the sea.The oldest date on the last ice limit is 9845 BP. After this, slow retreat was in progress, and some glaciers were within 6 km of their current positions by ca. 9700 BP. At the head of the inlet, the mouths of the confluent valleys became ice free by 8000 BP. After 8000 BP, glacial retreat accelerated greatly, so that the entire lowland became ice free within 400 years.Relative sea-level curves from the inlet indicate ice-load changes that confirm this pattern of ice retreat. Outside the last ice limit, the full glacial sea reached 124 m asl by at least 10 000 BP. Emergence from this sea occurred slowly between at least 10 000 and 8000 BP (0.72 m 100 year−1). This period was followed by "normal" rapid postglacial emergence, which decelerated to the present.The marine limit of the full glacial sea rises from 92 m asl, at the outer coast, to 124 m asl near the last ice limit at the head of the inlet. Initial emergence from the full glacial sea occurred simultaneously throughout the inlet. On the proximal side of the last ice limit, the marine limit descends in the up-ice direction and becomes progressively younger. Individual strandlines tilt up in a southwesterly direction towards the central Grant Land Mountains, suggesting a former centre of glacio-isostatic loading in that area.

The late Quaternary history of Greely Fiord and its tributaries, west-central Ellesmere Island

1990 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
John England
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Last Glaciation ◽  
West Central ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Minimum Age

Moraines and meltwater channels mark the limit of the last glaciation that interfingered with the sea around the perimeter of Greely Fiord and its tributaries. The extent of this ice advance was dictated predominantly by its proximity to the sea. Consequently, the large tidewater glaciers at the fiord heads today were so constrained by calving that they advanced only 5–10 km. Similarly, grounding-line deposits from widespread plateau ice caps also terminate just below marine limit. The most extensive outlet glaciers, which advanced 20–35 km beyond present margins, are simply those that had access to the most extensive terrain above marine limit, i.e., the northwest margin of the Agassiz Ice Cap.Forty-one new 14C dates are presented. The onset of the last ice advance must predate marine shells collected from sediments overlying a former grounding line when sea level was 122 m higher than present. At this site, the lowermost shells collected from glaciomarine silts dated 38 070 ± 410 BP, whereas a surface sample 13 m above them dated 22 900 ± 190 BP. Although both dates may be minimum estimates, they are nonetheless associated with an ice margin that retreated only a few kilometres by 7850 BP, suggesting the maintenance of the glacioisostatic loading (and relative sea level) during the interim. Nearby, shells in growth position overlying bedrock confirm that relative sea level was > 83 m asl by 38 010 ± 410 BP (minimum age). These marine deposits lie outside the last ice limit and are not overlain by glacigenic sediments.Distal to the last ice limit, Greely Fiord was occupied by the full glacial sea, whose limit is marked by discontinuous beaches and wave-cut benches. The full glacial sea rises from 116 m north of Greely Fiord to a maximum elevation of 148 m bordering its south shore from which it descends to 112 m asl near the head of Cañon Fiord. Numerous 14C dates on shells collected within 8 m of marine limit show that the full glacial sea remained stable from at least 8400 to 7400 BP. Several other shell samples collected ~20 m below marine limit are much older (> 22 000 BP). The position of relative sea level between ca. 8000 and > 22 000 BP is uncertain; however, stratigraphic evidence for an intervening regression has not been found.The modest extent of the last ice limit encircling Greely Fiord, together with its occupancy by the full glacial sea, is fully compatible with the paleogeography previously reported from northeast Ellesmere Island and northwest Greenland. Furthermore, this data base provides a reinterpretation of a 500 km transect previously reported along west-central Ellesmere Island to the south and affirms that the Innuitian Ice Sheet, defined sensu stricto for the last glaciation, is supplanted by the full glacial Innuitian Sea, which penetrated the Queen Elizabeth Islands, constraining the last ice limit.

Late Quaternary glacial history of Lake Hazen Basin and eastern Hazen Plateau, northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1547-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Rod Smith
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Glacial History ◽  
Glacial Geomorphology ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Proglacial Lakes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

The glacial history of the broad interior of northeastern Ellesmere Island is first documented here. Studies of glacial geomorphology and marine and lacustrine sedimentology indicate that the region was inundated by cold-based ice emanating from the Grant Land Mountains sector of the Innuitian Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum. Retreat of coalescent, marine-based Ellesmere and Greenland ice from Robeson Channel had started by 10.1 ka BP and reached the mouths of many fiords along southeast Hazen Plateau by 8 ka BP. Proglacial meltwater channels emanating from plateau ice caps, crosscut lateral meltwater channels marking the retreat of Grant Land Mountain ice. The crosscutting is interpreted to reflect an early Holocene growth of plateau ice caps concurrent with the retreat of marine-based margins. This suggests that initial regional ice retreat was eustatically controlled. Stabilization of glacier margins at the heads of fiords occurred by 7.5-7 ka BP, after which land-based margins retreated as little as 10 km by 6 ka BP. Across much of northeastern Hazen Plateau, however, Grant Land Mountain ice retreated more rapidly. This more rapid retreat was accentuated by the impoundment of proglacial lakes against the plateau to the south and the subsequent breakup of ice by calving. Glaciers continued to occupy much of Lake Hazen Basin at 5.3 ka BP, after which they broke up rapidly in a proto-Lake Hazen, retreating to margins at, or behind, those of the present by 5 ka BP.

A new late-glacial sea-level record for St. George's Bay, Newfoundland

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1053-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Bell ◽  
Martin J Batterson ◽  
David GE Liverman ◽  
John Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Level Curve ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
Stratigraphic Framework ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Major River

A new relative sea-level curve is presented for St. George's Bay, southwest Newfoundland, based on (i) a revised stratigraphic framework and depositional model for glacial and marine deposits exposed in coastal sections and (ii) 19 new radiocarbon dates on shells from emerged and submerged marine deposits, including fossiliferous diamictons. The data produce a type B sea-level curve, falling steeply from an extrapolated marine limit of 105 m above sea level at 14.0 14C ka BP, passing below modern sea level at ~10.6 14C ka BP, to a lowstand of –25 m at ~9.4 14C ka BP, and rising again close to modern sea level by 5.0 14C ka BP. Marine limits in the northern part of the bay have lower elevations (27–65 m) due to delayed ice retreat of up to 1.2 ka. Between 12.8 and at least 12.3 14C ka BP, glaciofluvial outwash graded to falling sea levels between 27 and 17 m above present throughout the bay, whereas lowstand deltas were constructed in sheltered locations at the outlets of major river systems, when sea level was 25 m below present. Establishment of the sea-level lowstand at ~9.4 14C ka BP is supported by new seismic data and radiocarbon dates from St. George's Bay and also from White Bear Bay on the south coast of Newfoundland. Short-term fluctuations in emergence rates of 1–2 m/century between 12.5 and 9.5 14C ka BP are attributed to variable eustatic sea-level rise, superimposed on a declining local glacio-isostatic adjustment.

The last glaciation and sea level history of Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Canadian High Arctic

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1075-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Bell
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
Last Glaciation ◽  
Maximum Elevation ◽  
Glacier Runoff ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ice Conditions

The last glaciation of Fosheim Peninsula is reconstructed on the basis of landform and sediment mapping and associated radiocarbon dates. Ice growth involved the expansion of cirque glaciers and accumulation on upland surfaces that are now ice free. Limited ice buildup, despite lowering of the paleoglaciation level by 700–800 m, is attributed to the hyperaridity of the region during glacial conditions. Marine deposits in formerly submerged basins beyond the ice margins are interpreted to represent (i) sedimentation caused by local ice buildup and marine transgression by 10.6 ka BP, (ii) increased ablation and glacier runoff [Formula: see text]9.5 ka BP, and (iii) marine regression during the Holocene. Holocene marine limit reaches a maximum elevation of approximately 150 m asl along northern Eureka Sound and Greely Fiord and descends southeastwards to 139–142 m asl near the Sawtooth Mountains. A synchronous marine limit is implied where the last ice limit was inland of the sea. The magnitude and pattern of Holocene emergence cannot be fully explained by the glacioisostatic effects of the small ice load during the last glaciation of the region. Deglaciation of the peninsula was underway by 9.5 ka BP; however, local ice caps may have persisted through the wannest period of the Holocene until 6–5 ka BP. This was likely a function of reduced sea ice conditions and increased moisture availability which benefited low-lying coastal icefields, but had negligible effect on interior highland ice caps.

scholarly journals Late Quaternary Deglaciation, Glaciomarine Sedimentation and Glacioisostatic Recovery in the Rivière Nastapoka Area, Eastern Hudson Bay, Northern Québec

2005 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Lajeunesse ◽  
Michel Allard
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Fluvial Terraces

Abstract This study presents a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of deglaciation dynamics and chronology, glaciomarine and postglacial sedimentation, as well as glacioisostatic recovery in the Rivière Nastapoka area, eastern Hudson Bay. Results indicate that the retreat of Québec-Labrador ice was mainly controlled by topography and was marked by four phases. Radiocarbon dates indicate that deglaciation began about 8.3 ka cal. BP and was characterized by a stillstand of the ice margin in the Nastapoka Hills that lead to the deposition of a drift belt in a high relative sea-level (Phase 1). After this stabilisation, the ice margin retreated rapidly eastward in a region of low relief and deposited a drape of silty clay in a falling relative sea-level (Phase 2). A second phase of stabilization of the ice margin lasted until at least 7.2 ka cal.BP on the higher shield peneplaine east of the limit of the Tyrrell Sea (Phase 3). This lead to the deposition of a belt of glaciofluvial deltas in a lower relative sea-level. Following this stillstand, the eastward retreat and subsequent ablation of the ice in central Québec-Labrador generated meltwater that transported large volumes of glacial sediments by fluvial processes and downcutting of fluvial terraces in previously deposited glaciofluvial and marine sediments (Phase 4). Glacioisostatic rebound reached 0.07 m/yr during the early phase of deglaciation and decreased to 0.04 m/yr between 6 and 5 ka cal. BP and 0.016 m/yr in the last 1000 years.

The glacial geology of northeastern Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., Canada

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
John England
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Glacial Geology ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Previous Evidence ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
Last Glaciation ◽  
Distal Side ◽  
Stratigraphic Boundary

Thirty-five radiocarbon dates associated with former ice sheet margins and raised marine deposits are presented from northeastern Ellesmere Island. Along the southern margin of Hazen Plateau, and in inner Archer Fiord, a prominent morpho-stratigraphic boundary is marked by the Hazen Moraines. These moraines represent a restricted ice advance during the last glaciation and date ca. 8130 ± 200 BP. On the immediate distal side of the Hazen Moraines, eastward for 100 km towards northwestern Greenland, the majority of dates on marine limits show synchronous emergence beginning ca. 7500 BP. This zone of synchronous emergence is considered to represent an ice-free corridor isostatically unloaded between the margins of the receding Greenland and Ellesmere island ice sheets.A more widespread till, above and beyond the Hazen Moraines, extends out of Archer Fiord–Lady Franklin Bay to Robeson and Kennedy channels. This maximum ice advance is considered to predate the last glaciation on the basis of 14C and amino acid dates from ice-marginal deposits; however, alternative interpretations of the data are presented. Previous evidence suggesting an older advance of the Greenland Ice Sheet onto this coastline is confirmed. Several glaciers in the area are presently at their maximum postglacial positions.

Late Quaternary marine sediments at Chalk River, Ontario

1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1261-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Catto ◽  
R. J. Patterson ◽  
W. A. Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Late Phase ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Brackish Water Environment ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Marine Clays

The occurrence of marine clays and silts in the Chalk River area necessitates a revision of the previously accepted position of the northwestern extent of the Champlain Sea in the Ottawa Valley. The marine origin of these deposits is demonstrated by sedimentological, geochemical, and paleontological criteria. Boron and vanadium concentrations indicate a salinity for this part of the Champlain Sea of from 12 to 16 parts per thousand. Foraminifera present in the clays suggest a shallow brackish water environment. An evaluation of elevations of the marine limit indicates that the sea was present at Chalk River between about 11 300 and 11 100 years BP and thus was a relatively late phase of the Champlain Sea. It appears that ice cover in the area had prevented an earlier inundation by Champlain Sea waters.Till overlying the marine sediments is attributed to a minor readvance starting about 11 000 years ago. The timing and geographic location of this advance strongly indicate a correlation with the St. Narcisse event, well documented to the east of the Ottawa Valley. With the subsequent ice retreat, aeolian and lacustrine and, later, fluvial conditions prevailed, as isostatic recovery had elevated the area above the existing sea level.

scholarly journals Quaternary palaeoceanography and palaeogeography in northern Denmark: a review of results from the Skagen cores

1996 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
Karen Luise Knudsen ◽  
Keld Conradsen ◽  
, Susanne Heier Nielsen ◽  
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
North Atlantic Region ◽  
Atlantic Region ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
The North ◽  
Late Weichselian

Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from the Skagen record contribute to the understanding of Late Quatemary climatic changes and variations in the oceanographic circulation pattem in the entire North Atlantic region. The Skagen cores penetrated c. 192 m of Quatemary sediments comprising two marine Late Quaternary records: A 7 m marine unit (185.3-178.3 m) comprised the entire last interglacial, including its lower and upper transitions (Late Saalian-Eemian-Early Weichselian), while the upper 132 m of marine deposits covered the last about 15,000 years from the Late Weichselian through the Holocene, including the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Results from the study of lithology, foraminifera, stable isotope measurements and radiocarbon dates are reviewed while emphasizing the most important contributions to the general understanding of the North Atlantic Quatemary history

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