Massive ground ice body of glacial origin at Yugorski Peninsula, arctic Russia

Abstract

AbstractA massive ground ice body at Cape Shpindler on Yugorski Peninsula, southern Kara Sea coast, Russia, was studied with regard to large‐scale internal structures, its stratigraphic context and contacts to surrounding sediments, in order to highlight its origin. The massive ground ice contains deformation structures and deformed sediment rafts that show a consistent direction of deforming force. It is bounded upwards with a sharp and unconformable thaw contact to overlying till. The stratigraphical and structural evidence suggests that the massive ground ice body is relict glacier ice. Examination of data from a separate study on ice crystallography and isotopic composition of the massive ice body does not contradict this conclusion. The isotope composition and profiles conform with what can be expected for deformed basal ice. The chronology for the Shpindler Cape sequence implies that the glacier ice might be older than 250 ka years. Consequently, permafrost has preserved the relict glacier ice for the duration of at least two interglacials (Eemian and Holocene), as well as several Saalian and Weichselian interstadials, illustrating the preservation potential of the permafrost. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.