A slope failure caused by drainage cutoff through the advancement of seasonal frost, Hudson Bay Lowland

Abstract

A failure occurred between December 14 and 17, 2008 in the upper part of a 45-m high, northwest facing bank of the Nelson River in northern Manitoba (56.687°N, 93.777°W). The slope failure occurred at a spring site in a bay associated with a buried valley. The sediment input to the river from this event is roughly 20,000 to 25,000 m3. The source zone is made up of 25 m of water-bearing sand and gravel confined between ice-rich silty clay at the top of the bank and laminated to rhythmically bedded silt and clay at the base of the section. The collapse was confined to the material above the basal silts and clays and was associated with a perched groundwater flow system. A strong argument for drainage cutoff by the advancement of seasonal frost has been demonstrated through the correlation of the bank collapse with the timing of a significant cold snap recorded at two nearby weather stations. The failure illustrates the importance of stratigraphy in controlling bank erosion in this area. Previously, fluvial erosion was seen as an important control on mass wasting in Horseshoe Bay. However, surface information suggests that no toe erosion except to remove the slide deposit has occurred at this site since 2004.