Clark, C.D. orcid.org/0000-0002-1021-6679 and Livingstone, S.J. orcid.org/0000-0002-7240-5037 (2018) Glacial curvilineations found along the southern sector of the Laurentide Ice sheet and a hypothesis of formation involving subglacial slope failure in tunnel valleys and subglacial lakes. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43 (7). pp. 1518-1528. ISSN 0197-9337
Abstract
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. First discovered in Poland, glacial curvilineations (GCLs) are enigmatic landforms comprising parallel sets of sinuous ridges and troughs of metres amplitude and around 150m wavelength, found within kilometres-wide valleys interpreted as being produced by meltwater flowing subglacially. Their morphological and sedimentary characteristics and association with tunnel valleys has been described for some prominent Polish examples. From these observations the existing hypothesis is that they form as a consequence of erosion by longitudinal vortices that develop in subglacial floods. Here we report, for the first time, GCLs found along the southern sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in three northern states of the USA. Using mapping and topographic analysis from high resolution digital elevation models we report observations on their morphological properties and landform associations. We find aspects of their context and morphology difficult to explain using the existing hypothesis. We instead suggest that these glacial curvilineations are produced by subglacial bank and slope failures that locally widen tunnel valleys, or that occur near subglacial lake shorelines. Further investigation is required to test this hypothesis and to ascertain the mechanisms of proposed mass movements, which may have occurred by rotational or translational slope failure or by creep deformation. Our preferred mechanism is that such movements occurred where subglacial water was emplaced over previously perma-frozen ground. Under such circumstances, sediment blocks thawed by the water may then easily glide over a frozen décollement at low slope angles; analogous to subaerial active-layer glides in permafrost environments. Permafrost spring sapping may have provided lines of weakness for slope failure. If the requirement for permafrost is found to hold, then GCLs may become an important indicator of the palaeo-distribution of permafrost.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | glacial curvilineations; tunnel valleys; permafrost; subglacial lakes; slope failure |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Geography (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 23 Feb 2018 12:32 |
Last Modified: | 08 Sep 2020 11:01 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/esp.4324 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:127604 |