scholarly journals Theory of glacial erosion, transport and deposition as a consequence of subglacial sediment deformation

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (140) ◽  
pp. 43-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.S. Boulton

AbstractA theory of erosion, transport and deposition of unlithified sediments by glaciers is presented. It predicts the large-scale areal distribution of zones and rates of erosion and deposition in time and space through a complete glacial cycle, together with the resultant intensity of large-scale lineations (drumlins) which will be incised in the landscape. The theory also predicts the dispersal patterns of subglacial lithologies, together with the form of dispersal trains derived from distinctive sources and the vertical and horizontal distribution of lithologies within a till. It predicts major erosional discontinuities within tills and the formation of boulder pavements. It suggests that the dominant proportion of the lowland tills produced by Pleistocene mid-latitude ice sheets was generated by subglacial deformation and explains why they are predominantly fine-grained.The theory is based on an analysis of glacier-dynamic processes and therefore can be used to infer the dynamic behaviour of former ice sheets from the distribution of tills and their lithologic composition.

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (140) ◽  
pp. 43-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.S. Boulton

AbstractA theory of erosion, transport and deposition of unlithified sediments by glaciers is presented. It predicts the large-scale areal distribution of zones and rates of erosion and deposition in time and space through a complete glacial cycle, together with the resultant intensity of large-scale lineations (drumlins) which will be incised in the landscape. The theory also predicts the dispersal patterns of subglacial lithologies, together with the form of dispersal trains derived from distinctive sources and the vertical and horizontal distribution of lithologies within a till. It predicts major erosional discontinuities within tills and the formation of boulder pavements. It suggests that the dominant proportion of the lowland tills produced by Pleistocene mid-latitude ice sheets was generated by subglacial deformation and explains why they are predominantly fine-grained.The theory is based on an analysis of glacier-dynamic processes and therefore can be used to infer the dynamic behaviour of former ice sheets from the distribution of tills and their lithologic composition.


1996 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Boulton

A theory of erosion and deposition as a consequence of subglacial sediment deformation over beds of unlithified sediment is reviewed and applied to large-scale till sequences formed on the southern flanks of the North American and British and European ice sheets during the last glacial cycle. The distribution of till thickness, till lithology in relation to source materials and intra-till erosion surfaces along a flowline in the Michigan lobe of the North American ice sheet are shown to be compatible with the deformational theory but not with other modes of till genesis. It is then demonstrated, in the case of the British ice sheet, how the assumption of a deformational origin for tills can be used to infer time-dependent patterns of ice-sheet dynamic behaviour. By reference to an example from the Netherlands, it is argued that many till sequences interpreted as melt-out tills are more likely to have formed by subglacial sediment deformation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Boulton

A theory of erosion and deposition as a consequence of subglacial sediment deformation over beds of unlithified sediment is reviewed and applied to large-scale till sequences formed on the southern flanks of the North American and British and European ice sheets during the last glacial cycle. The distribution of till thickness, till lithology in relation to source materials and intra-till erosion surfaces along a flowline in the Michigan lobe of the North American ice sheet are shown to be compatible with the deformational theory but not with other modes of till genesis. It is then demonstrated, in the case of the British ice sheet, how the assumption of a deformational origin for tills can be used to infer time-dependent patterns of ice-sheet dynamic behaviour. By reference to an example from the Netherlands, it is argued that many till sequences interpreted as melt-out tills are more likely to have formed by subglacial sediment deformation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1453-1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Löfverström ◽  
R. Caballero ◽  
J. Nilsson ◽  
J. Kleman

Abstract. We present modelling results of the atmospheric circulation at the cold periods of marine isotope stage 5b (MIS 5b), MIS 4 and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), as well as the interglacial. The palaeosimulations are forced by ice-sheet reconstructions consistent with geological evidence and by appropriate insolation and greenhouse gas concentrations. The results suggest that the large-scale atmospheric winter circulation remained largely similar to the interglacial for a significant part of the glacial cycle. The proposed explanation is that the ice sheets were located in areas where their interaction with the mean flow is limited. However, the LGM Laurentide Ice Sheet induces a much larger planetary wave that leads to a zonalisation of the Atlantic jet. In summer, the ice-sheet topography dynamically induces warm temperatures in Alaska and central Asia that inhibits the expansion of the ice sheets into these regions. The warm temperatures may also serve as an explanation for westward propagation of the Eurasian Ice Sheet from MIS 4 to the LGM.


1990 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Boulton ◽  
C. D. Clark

ABSTRACTStudy of satellite images from most of the area of the Canadian mainland once covered by the Laurentide ice sheet reveals a complex pattern of superimposed drift lineations. They are believed to have formed subglacially and parallel to ice flow. Aerial photographs reveal patterns of superimposition which permit the sequence of lineation patterns to be identified. The sequential lineation patterns are interpreted as evidence of shifting patterns of flow in an evolving ice sheet. Flow stages are recognised which reflect roughly synchronous integrated patterns of ice sheet flow. Comparison with stratigraphic sections in the Hudson Bay Lowlands suggests that all the principal stages may have formed during the last, Wisconsinan, glacial cycle. Analogy between Flow stage lineation patterns and the form and flow patterns of modern ice sheets permits reconstruction of patterns of ice divides and centres of mass which moved by 1000–2000 km during the glacial period. There is evidence that during the early Wisconsinan, ice sheet formation in Keewatin may have been independent of that in Labrador–Quebec, and that these two ice masses joined to form a major early Wisconsinan ice sheet. Subsequently the western dome decayed whilst the eastern dome remained relatively stable. A western dome then re-formed, and fused with the eastern dome to form the late Wisconsinan ice sheet before final decay.Because of strong coupling between three-dimensional ice sheet geometry and atmospheric circulation, it is suggested that the major changes of geometry must have been associated with large scale atmospheric circulation changes.Lineation patterns suggest very little erosional/depositional activity in ice divide regions, and can be used to reconstruct large scale patterns of erosion/deposition.The sequence of flow stages through time provides an integrative framework allowing sparse stratigraphic data to be used most efficiently in reconstructing ice sheet history in time and space.


2012 ◽  
Vol 91 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. van Loon ◽  
R. Mazumder ◽  
S. De

AbstractLarge conglomerate lenses occur in a fine-grained siliciclastic succession of the Singhbhum craton, eastern India. They overlie an Archaean orthogneiss, from which they are separated by a palaeosol. Neither the conglomerates nor the directly overlying rocks have been dated, but the conglomerate unit is assumed to have also an Archaean age. The conglomerate lenses occur within a succession of pelitic and mafic schists, and the depositional environment of this conglomerate/schist unit had not been clarified thus far. On the basis of a combination of the vertical and horizontal distribution of the conglomerates, their stratigraphic position and analysis of their sedimentological characteristics and the sedimentological context, it is concluded that the succession must have developed in a fluvial lowland environment where volcanic input contributed significantly to the sediment accumulation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1381-1420 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Löfverström ◽  
R. Caballero ◽  
J. Nilsson ◽  
J. Kleman

Abstract. We present modelling results of the atmospheric circulation at the cold periods of marine isotope stage 5b (MIS 5b), MIS 4 and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), as well as the interglacial. The paleo-simulations are forced by ice sheet reconstructions consistent with geological evidence and by appropriate insolation and greenhouse gas concentrations. The results suggest that the large-scale atmospheric winter circulation remained largely similar to the interglacial for a significant part of the glacial cycle. The proposed explanation is that the ice sheets were located in areas where their interaction with the mean flow is limited. However, the LGM Laurentide Ice Sheet induces a much larger planetary wave that leads to a zonalisation of the Atlantic jet. In summer, the ice sheet topography dynamically induces warm temperatures in Alaska and central Asia that inhibits the expansion of the ice sheets into these regions. The warm temperatures may also serve as an explanation for westward propagation of the Eurasian Ice Sheet from MIS 4 to the LGM.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Olthaar ◽  
Wilfred Dolfsma ◽  
Clemens Lutz ◽  
Florian Noseleit

In a competitive business environment at the Bottom of the Pyramid smallholders supplying global value chains may be thought to be at the whims of downstream large-scale players and local market forces, leaving no room for strategic entrepreneurial behavior. In such a context we test the relationship between the use of strategic resources and firm performance. We adopt the Resource Based Theory and show that seemingly homogenous smallholders deploy resources differently and, consequently, some do outperform others. We argue that the ‘resource-based theory’ results in a more fine-grained understanding of smallholder performance than approaches generally applied in agricultural economics. We develop a mixed-method approach that allows one to pinpoint relevant, industry-specific resources, and allows for empirical identification of the relative contribution of each resource to competitive advantage. The results show that proper use of quality labor, storage facilities, time of selling, and availability of animals are key capabilities.


Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Tim Jurisch ◽  
Stefan Cantré ◽  
Fokke Saathoff

A variety of studies recently proved the applicability of different dried, fine-grained dredged materials as replacement material for erosion-resistant sea dike covers. In Rostock, Germany, a large-scale field experiment was conducted, in which different dredged materials were tested with regard to installation technology, stability, turf development, infiltration, and erosion resistance. The infiltration experiments to study the development of a seepage line in the dike body showed unexpected measurement results. Due to the high complexity of the problem, standard geo-hydraulic models proved to be unable to analyze these results. Therefore, different methods of inverse infiltration modeling were applied, such as the parameter estimation tool (PEST) and the AMALGAM algorithm. In the paper, the two approaches are compared and discussed. A sensitivity analysis proved the presumption of a non-linear model behavior for the infiltration problem and the Eigenvalue ratio indicates that the dike infiltration is an ill-posed problem. Although this complicates the inverse modeling (e.g., termination in local minima), parameter sets close to an optimum were found with both the PEST and the AMALGAM algorithms. Together with the field measurement data, this information supports the rating of the effective material properties of the applied dredged materials used as dike cover material.


Author(s):  
Anil S. Baslamisli ◽  
Partha Das ◽  
Hoang-An Le ◽  
Sezer Karaoglu ◽  
Theo Gevers

AbstractIn general, intrinsic image decomposition algorithms interpret shading as one unified component including all photometric effects. As shading transitions are generally smoother than reflectance (albedo) changes, these methods may fail in distinguishing strong photometric effects from reflectance variations. Therefore, in this paper, we propose to decompose the shading component into direct (illumination) and indirect shading (ambient light and shadows) subcomponents. The aim is to distinguish strong photometric effects from reflectance variations. An end-to-end deep convolutional neural network (ShadingNet) is proposed that operates in a fine-to-coarse manner with a specialized fusion and refinement unit exploiting the fine-grained shading model. It is designed to learn specific reflectance cues separated from specific photometric effects to analyze the disentanglement capability. A large-scale dataset of scene-level synthetic images of outdoor natural environments is provided with fine-grained intrinsic image ground-truths. Large scale experiments show that our approach using fine-grained shading decompositions outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms utilizing unified shading on NED, MPI Sintel, GTA V, IIW, MIT Intrinsic Images, 3DRMS and SRD datasets.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document