The role of glacitectonic rafting and comminution in the production of subglacial tills: examples from southwest Ireland and Antarctica

Abstract

Sedimentological and structural geological data from two sites in southwest Ireland and Antarctica provide evidence for the formation of subglacial till by the brecciation and crushing of bedrock rafts. Up‐sequence transitions, from undisturbed bedrock, to deformed bedrock, to crushed and brecciated bedrock, to massive matrix‐supported till with far‐travelled erratics, represent a process‐form continuum of till production. Initially, bedrock fragments and rafts up to several metres in length are liberated from the substrate by glacitectonic thrusting and plucking. These rafts are then crushed to produce the matrix of a till. Such products are commonly referred to as comminution tills, although the original definition focused primarily on the second phase of the process (crushing of bedrock rafts and fragments) as well as abrasion of bedrock. Data from Ireland and Antarctica indicate that rafting of bedrock is an essential part of the process of till formation. This process is facilitated by weak sedimentary bedrock, which can be displaced along joints and bedding planes to form rafts that are then incorporated into the ‘proto‐till’ prior to being crushed subglacially. Our field data suggest that bedrock failure and displacement of such rafts can occur to depths of 3 m. The occurrence of erratics in the uppermost part of the till demonstrates that the glacier effectively mixes far‐travelled and local materials.