Variable history of Quaternary ice-sheet advance across the Beaufort Sea margin, Arctic Ocean

Abstract

Research Article| February 01, 2013 Variable history of Quaternary ice-sheet advance across the Beaufort Sea margin, Arctic Ocean C.L. Batchelor; C.L. Batchelor 1Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J.A. Dowdeswell; J.A. Dowdeswell 1Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J.T. Pietras J.T. Pietras 2BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, 240 4th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2H8, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information C.L. Batchelor 1Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK J.A. Dowdeswell 1Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK J.T. Pietras 2BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, 240 4th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2H8, Canada Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 24 May 2012 Revision Received: 21 Aug 2012 Accepted: 22 Aug 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2013 Geological Society of America Geology (2013) 41 (2): 131–134. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33669.1 Article history Received: 24 May 2012 Revision Received: 21 Aug 2012 Accepted: 22 Aug 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation C.L. Batchelor, J.A. Dowdeswell, J.T. Pietras; Variable history of Quaternary ice-sheet advance across the Beaufort Sea margin, Arctic Ocean. Geology 2013;; 41 (2): 131–134. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33669.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The seismic stratigraphy and architecture of the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope are investigated using a comprehensive grid of high-resolution two-dimensional seismic reflection data. Three cross-shelf troughs, representing locations of former ice streams draining a 1000-km-long section of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) are examined: the Mackenzie, Amundsen Gulf, and M’Clure Strait systems. Dynamics of these paleo-ice streams influenced ice-sheet configuration and may have forced abrupt climatic change through delivery of ice and freshwater to the Arctic Ocean. A comprehensive understanding of their geometry and dynamics is crucial for constraining numerical models of the LIS. Evidence for two Quaternary ice advances to the shelf break is interpreted from the Mackenzie Trough. By contrast, seismic stratigraphy of the Amundsen Gulf Trough, 400 km east of the Mackenzie Trough, records at least nine Quaternary ice advances. Here, the outer shelf consists of stacked till sheets, extending to the shelf break and forming a trough-mouth fan. The contrasting glacial histories of these neighboring ice streams are explained by their positions within the LIS; the Mackenzie Trough ice stream was situated at the extreme northwest ice-sheet margin, whereas the Amundsen Gulf ice stream had a more central location and larger drainage basin, supplying significant quantities of ice and sediment to the Arctic Ocean through much of the Quaternary. The M’Clure Strait Trough probably possesses a similar architecture to the Amundsen Gulf Trough, and an even larger trough-mouth fan. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.