Abstract
Facies variability displayed within basal ice has hitherto been widely interpreted as a reflection of spatial variation in the processes of ice formation, the basal boundary conditions, or a combination of both. Recent literature has consequently been characterised by attempts to derive a genetic classification of basal ice facies, applicable to different types of glacier. We present new observations made at the Russell Glacier (Greenland), which suggest that any such genetic classification must take account of post-formational deformation occurring within basal ice. All the ice sub-facies occurring within the stratified basal ice are explained in terms of two sets of processes: the initial entrainment of a debris-rich basal layer; and subsequent flow-related tectonic deformation of that layer to produce distinctive, tectonically derived sub-facies. The evolution, appearance, and composition of some elements of the basal ice layer are therefore argued to be controlled primarily by post-formational, flow-related deformation. Any useful genetic classification of basal ice facies must therefore include criteria able to distinguish between characteristics derived from the mechanism of ice formation, and those that are tectonically derived.
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