Swift, D.A. orcid.org/0000-0001-5320-5104, Sanderson, D.C.W., Nienow, P.W. et al. (2 more authors) (2011) Anomalous luminescence of subglacial sediment at Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland - a consequence of resetting at the glacier bed? Boreas, 40 (3). pp. 446-458. ISSN 0300-9483
Abstract
Luminescence has the potential to elucidate glacial geomorphic processes because primary glacial sediment sources and transport pathways are associated with contrasting degrees of exposure to light. Most notably, sediment entrained from extraglacial sources should be at least partially reset, whereas sediment produced by glacial erosion of subglacial bedrock should retain substantial luminescence commensurate with a geological irradiation history. We set out to test the validity of this assumption at Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland using sediment sampled extraglacially and from the glacier bed. Contrary to our expectations, the subglacial samples exhibited natural signals that were substantially lower than those of other sample groups, and further (albeit limited) analyses have indicated no obvious differences in sample‐group luminescence characteristics or behaviour that could account for this observation. For glaciological reasons, we can eliminate the possibilities that the subglacial sediment has been extraglacially reset or exposed in situ to heat or light. We therefore advocate investigation of possible resetting processes related to subglacial crushing and grinding, and speculate that such processes, if more generally present, may enable the dating of subglacially deposited tills using luminescence‐based techniques.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2011 The Authors. Boreas © 2010 The Boreas Collegium. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Boreas. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
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: | 14 Nov 2019 16:52 |
Last Modified: | 14 Nov 2019 16:52 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00196.x |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:152455 |