Basal Crevasses Research Articles

Morphology of basal crevasses at the grounding zone of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica

AbstractThe transition from limited-slip conditions at the base of grounded ice to free-slip conditions beneath floating ice occurs across the few-kilometers-wide grounding zone. This region involves either an elastic flexural transition from bedrock to hydrostatically supported elevations (often tidally influenced), a transition from thicker to thinner ice over a flat bed, or some combination of these two processes. In either case, ice must flow across a changing stress field, often resulting in brittle deformation, manifested as basal crevassing. Thus the position and morphology of basal crevasses reveal important information about the stress state across this transition. Our gridded ground-based radar surveys on Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica, indicate a complex pattern of basal crevasses, but most are associated with regions where the surface elevation gradient is steepest. Due to the high reflectivity of sea water, we image many off-nadir crevasses from a corner-reflector geometry involving reflections from the ice/sea-water interface and then from the crevasse, producing echoes with an inverted phase that could be misinterpreted as subglacial returns. Our results indicate that basal crevasses offer a rich dataset for diagnosing stress state and salient processes across grounding zones, and that special care is needed when interpreting subglacial returns in radar data.

A novel method for predicting fracture in floating ice

AbstractBasal crevasses may play an important precursory role in determining both the location and propagation of rifts and iceberg dimensions. For example, icebergs calved recently from Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica, have the same width as surface undulations, strengthening the connection between basal crevasses, rifting and calving. We explore a novel method for estimating the heights of basal crevasses formed at the grounding lines of ice shelves and ice streams. We employ a thin-elastic beam (TEB) formulation and tensional yielding criterion to capture the physics of flexed ice at grounding lines. Observations of basal crevasse heights compare well with model predictions in the Siple Coast region of the Ross Ice Shelf. We find that the TEB method is most accurate in areas of low strain rate. We also test the method in other areas of Antarctica to produce order-of-magnitude maps of grounding-line basal crevasses and find general agreement with reported observations assuming basal crevasses develop in spatio-temporal sequence and are advected downstream. This method is computationally cheap and could be relatively easy to implement into damage-oriented large-scale ice models which aim at physically simulating calving and fracture processes.

Compressional and EM wave velocity anisotropy in a temperate glacier due to basal crevasses, and implications for water content estimation

AbstractWe have conducted a series of experiments designed to investigate elastic and electromagnetic (EM) velocity anisotropy associated with a preferentially aligned fracture system on a temperate valley glacier in south-central Alaska, USA. Measurements include a three-dimensional compressional wave (P-wave) seismic reflection survey conducted over a 300 m x 300 m survey patch, with uniform source grid and static checkerboard receiver pattern. Additionally, we acquired a multi-azimuth, multi-offset, polarimetric ground-penetrating radar (GPR) reflection experiment in a wagon-wheel geometry with 94° of azimuthal coverage. Results show azimuthal variation in the P-wave normal-moveout velocity of >3% (3765 and 3630 m s–1 in the fast and slow directions respectively) and difference of nearly 5% between the fast (0.164 m ns–1) and slow (0.156 m ns–1) EM velocities. Fracture orientations estimated from the GPR and seismic velocity data are consistent and indicate a preferred fracture orientation that is 30-45° oblique to glacier flow; these measurements agree with borehole observations. Anisotropic analysis of the polarimetric data gives a single volumetric water content estimate of 0.73 ±0.11%. We conclude that meaningful estimates of physical properties in glaciers based on EM or seismic velocity measurements require collecting data such that the presence of anisotropy can be evaluated and an anisotropic analysis employed when necessary.

Large melt channels discovered underneath Antarctic ice shelves

New radar observations reveal melt channels 500 meters to 3 kilometers wide and up to 200 meters deep underneath the ice shelf buttressing the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica; researchers suggest that these subglacial channels could be a “prelude to eventual collapse” of the ice shelves, which cover about 10% of the areal extent of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). A complete collapse of WAIS could increase global sea level by at least 3–4 meters. Taking advantage of a dense network of radar lines designed to penetrate ice thicknesses of more than 2 kilometers, Vaughan et al. combine indirect satellite observations with direct echo‐sounding measurements from submersibles to show what scientists have suspected: Thinning ice shelves lead to crevassing of the ice shelves. Echo sounding reveals 50‐to 100‐meter‐wide crevasses aligned with the subglacial channels; the basal crevasses penetrate up to one third of the ice thickness in the shelves buttressing the Pine Island Glacier, even leaving their mark on the surface of the glacier. Melting at the base of floating ice shelves creates subglacial channels. Using stress models, the authors show that when the subglacial channels form sufficiently rapidly, they create crevasses, which the authors found on the surface and at the base of the ice shelf bordering the Pine Island Glacier.

Basal crevasses on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica: Implications for meltwater ponding and hydrofracture

A key mechanism for the rapid collapse of both the Larsen A and B Ice Shelves was meltwater‐driven crevasse propagation. Basal crevasses, large‐scale structural features within ice shelves, may have contributed to this mechanism in three important ways: i) the shelf surface deforms due to modified buoyancy and gravitational forces above the basal crevasse, creating >10 m deep compressional surface depressions where meltwater can collect, ii) bending stresses from the modified shape drive surface crevassing, with crevasses reaching 40 m in width, on the flanks of the basal‐crevasse‐induced trough and iii) the ice thickness is substantially reduced, thereby minimizing the propagation distance before a full‐thickness rift is created. We examine a basal crevasse (4.5 km in length, ∼230 m in height), and the corresponding surface features, in the Cabinet Inlet sector of the Larsen C Ice Shelf using a combination of high‐resolution (0.5 m) satellite imagery, kinematic GPS and in situ ground penetrating radar. We discuss how basal crevasses may have contributed to the breakup of the Larsen B Ice Shelf by directly controlling the location of meltwater ponding and highlight the presence of similar features on the Amery and Getz Ice Shelves with high‐resolution imagery.

Subglacial melt channels and fracture in the floating part of Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

A dense grid of ice‐penetrating radar sections acquired over Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica has revealed a network of sinuous subglacial channels, typically 500 m to 3 km wide, and up to 200 m high, in the ice‐shelf base. These subglacial channels develop while the ice is floating and result from melting at the base of the ice shelf. Above the apex of most channels, the radar shows isolated reflections from within the ice shelf. Comparison of the radar data with acoustic data obtained using an autonomous submersible, confirms that these echoes arise from open basal crevasses 50–100 m wide aligned with the subglacial channels and penetrating up to 1/3 of the ice thickness. Analogous sets of surface crevasses appear on the ridges between the basal channels. We suggest that both sets of crevasses were formed during the melting of the subglacial channels as a response to vertical flexing of the ice shelf toward the hydrostatic condition. Finite element modeling of stresses produced after the formation of idealized basal channels indicates that the stresses generated have the correct pattern and, if the channels were formed sufficiently rapidly, would have sufficient magnitude to explain the formation of the observed basal and surface crevasse sets. We conclude that ice‐shelf basal melting plays a role in determining patterns of surface and basal crevassing. Increased delivery of warm ocean water into the sub‐ice shelf cavity may therefore cause not only thinning but also structural weakening of the ice shelf, perhaps, as a prelude to eventual collapse.

Basal crevasses in Larsen C Ice Shelf and implications for their global abundance

Abstract. Basal crevasses extend upwards from the base of ice bodies and can penetrate more than halfway through the ice column under conditions found commonly on ice shelves. As a result, they may locally modify the exchange of mass and energy between ice shelf and ocean, and by altering the shelf's mechanical properties could play a fundamental role in ice shelf stability. Although early studies revealed that such features may be abundant on Antarctic ice shelves, their geometrical properties and spatial distribution has gained little attention. We investigate basal crevasses in Larsen C Ice Shelf using field radar survey, remote sensing and numerical modelling. We demonstrate that a group of features visible in MODIS imagery are the surface expressions of basal crevasses in the form of surface troughs, and find that basal crevasses can be generated as a result of stresses well downstream of the grounding line. We show that linear elastic fracture mechanics modelling is a good predictor of basal crevasse penetration height where stresses are predominantly tensile, and that measured surface trough depth does not always reflect this height, probably because of snow accumulation in the trough, marine ice accretion in the crevasse, or stress bridging from the surrounding ice. We conclude that all features visible in MODIS imagery of ice shelves and previously labelled simply as "crevasses", where they are not full thickness rifts, must be basal crevasse troughs, highlighting a fundamental structural property of many ice shelves that may have been previously overlooked.

Basal crevasses and associated surface crevassing on the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica, and their role in ice-shelf instability

AbstractWe identify a series of basal crevasses along a 31 km transect across the northern sector of the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica, using in situ ground-penetrating radar. The basal crevasses propagate from a region of multiple, shallow basal fractures to form widely spaced (0.5–2.0 km) but deeply incised (70–134 m) features. Surface troughs, observed in visible imagery, exist above the basal crevasses as the ice vertically shears to reach hydrostatic equilibrium, while widespread surface crevassing occurs along the crests and on the flanks of the undulations, primarily aligned with the topography. We suggest, based on the location of the surface crevasses and the along-flow evolution of the basal crevasses, that the former are induced by a bending stress created by gradients in hydrostatic forces. Using a linear elastic fracture mechanics model, we investigate the sensitivity of basal crevasse propagation to observed trends of ice-shelf thinning and acceleration. Basal crevasses are large-scale structural weaknesses that can both control meltwater ponding and induce surface crevassing. Together, these features may represent an important mechanism in both past and future ice-shelf disintegration events on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The evolution of the western rift area of the Fimbul Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Abstract. This paper studies the evolution of a zone in the Fimbul Ice Shelf that is characterised by large crevasses and rifts west of Jutulstraumen, an outlet glacier flowing into Fimbulisen. High-resolution radar imagery and radio echo sounding data were used to study the surface and internal structure of this rift area and to define zones of similar characteristics. The western rift area is dominated by two factors: a small ice rumple that leads to basal crevasses and disturbs the homogeneity of the ice, and a zone with fibre-like blocks. Downstream of the rumple we found down-welling of internal layers and local thinning, which we explain as a result of basal crevasses due to the basal drag at the ice rumple. North of Ahlmannryggen the ice loses its lateral constraint and forms individual blocks, which are deformed like fibres under shear, where the ice stream merges with slower moving ice masses of the western side. There, the ice loses its integrity, which initiates the western rift system. The velocity difference between the slow moving western part and the fast moving extension of Jutulstraumen produces shear stress that causes the rifts to form tails and expand them to the major rifts of up to 30 km length.

An assessment of surge-induced crevassing and the formation of crevasse squeeze ridges

[1] Evidence for extensive crevassing is preserved on the deglaciated forelands of many surging glaciers as crevasse squeeze ridges (CSRs). At some point these crevasses make direct connection with the bed in order to become sediment filled, and full-depth connections have been inferred from turbid water up-wellings in crevasses and the formation of concertina eskers. The dynamics of seven surging glaciers are assessed, using a linear elastic fracture mechanics approach, to determine the likely directions of fracture and controlling parameters for Mode I crevasses. Extensional surface strain rates are insufficient to promote top-down full-depth penetration. For small crevasse spacing (<5 m), surface strain rates are sufficient for top-down crevassing to depths of 4–12 m, explaining the extensive surface crevassing associated with glacier surging. As has been shown in other settings, top-down, full-depth crevassing is only possible when water is added and approaches 97% of the crevasse depth. The provision of sufficient meltwater to facilitate this is problematic due to the extensive surface crevassing, unless water can move along connected crevasses to a dominant water capturing crevasse. For ice thicknesses greater than ∼200 m, basal water pressures in excess of 80–90% of flotation are required for full-depth, bottom-up crevassing. Field evidence suggests that this is the default for surging glaciers and that, on occasion, water pressures may even become artesian. CSRs, found across many surging glacier forelands and ice margins, most likely result from the infilling of basal crevasses, driven for the most part, bottom-up, by high basal water pressures.

Vertical extension of the subglacial drainage system into basal crevasses

Water plays a first-order role in basal sliding of glaciers and ice sheets and is often a key constituent of accelerated glacier motion. Subglacial water is known to occupy systems of cavities and conduits at the interface between ice and the underlying bed surface, depending upon the history of water input and the characteristics of the substrate. Full understanding of the extent and configuration of basal water is lacking, however, because direct observation is difficult. This limits our ability to simulate ice dynamics and the subsequent impacts on sea-level rise realistically. Here we show that the subglacial hydrological system can have a large volume of water occupying basal crevasses that extend upward from the bed into the overlying ice. Radar and seismic imaging combined with in situ borehole measurements collected on Bench Glacier, Alaska, reveal numerous water-filled basal crevasses with highly transmissive connections to the bed. Some crevasses extend many tens of metres above the bed and together they hold a volume of water equivalent to at least a decimetre layer covering the bed. Our results demonstrate that the basal hydrologic system can extend high into the overlying ice mass, where basal crevasses increase water-storage capacity and could potentially modulate basal water pressure. Because basal crevasses can form under commonly observed glaciological conditions, our findings have implications for interpreting and modelling subglacial hydrologic processes and related sliding accelerations of glaciers and ice sheets.

A physically based calving model applied to marine outlet glaciers and implications for the glacier dynamics

AbstractWe present results from numerical ice-flow models that include calving criteria based on penetration of surface and basal crevasses, which in turn is a function of longitudinal strain rates near the glacier front. The position of the calving front is defined as the point where either (1) surface crevasses reach the waterline (model CDw), or (2) surface and basal crevasses penetrate the full thickness of the glacier (model CD). For comparison with previous studies, results are also presented for a height-above-buoyancy calving model. Qualitatively, both models CDw and CD produce similar behaviour. Unlike previous models for calving, the new calving criteria are applicable to both grounded termini and floating ice shelves and tongues. The numerical ice-flow model is applied to an idealized geometry characteristic of marine outlet glaciers. Results indicate that grounding-line dynamics are less sensitive to basal topography than previously suggested. Stable grounding-line positions can be obtained even on a reverse bed slope with or without floating termini. The proposed calving criteria also allow calving losses to be linked to surface melt and therefore climate. In contrast to previous studies in which calving rate or position of the terminus is linked to local water depth, the new calving criterion is able to produce seasonal cycles of retreat and advance as observed for Greenland marine outlet glaciers. The contrasting dynamical behaviour and stability found for different calving models suggests that a realistic parameterization for the process of calving is crucial for any predictions of marine outlet glacier change.

Structure and composition of a tidewater glacier push moraine, Svalbard, revealed by DC resistivity profiling

A push moraine deposited by the surging tidewater glacier Paulabreen (Svalbard) was investigated using 2D resistivity profiling. Six longitudinal and transverse profiles were obtained on the moraine and the resistivities were compared with data from three boreholes. Four profiles indicate that the inner part of the moraine is ice‐cored and that the buried glacier ice is more than 30 m thick. A transverse profile shows evidence of basal crevasses near the former glacier margin. Three profiles cross the former glacier margin and onto a proglacial plain which dips slightly away from the former glacier margin. Low resistivities were encountered where borehole and field observations indicate that the plain consists of marine muds with a high salt content. This landform has previously been interpreted as a slab of seabed pushed up in front of the surging glacier, possibly facilitated by permafrost in the seabed. We suggest, alternatively, that the landform originated from sediments extruded from below (or pushed in front of) the glacier at the surge terminus and deposited as a debrisflow. Ground penetrating radar can reveal small‐scale structures, but larger structures and overall composition are better imaged by resistivity measurements.

Radar signatures beneath a surface topographic lineation near the outlet of Kamb Ice Stream and Engelhardt Ice Ridge, West Antarctica

AbstractVisible and infrared satellite images reveal numerous lineations on the Siple Coast region of West Antarctica. We used 5 MHz ice-penetrating radar to probe the interior and the bed of the ice sheet beneath a lineation at the boundary between Engelhardt Ice Ridge and flat-ice terrain to the south of the Kamb Ice Stream (KIS) outlet. Results show curved reflectors that emerge from the bed beneath 600 m thick ice. The tops of the reflectors extend about 100m into the ice above the bed, where they become almost horizontal. Apparent reflectivity of the horizontal section is about 20 dB less than that of the bed. We conclude that the likely cause of such strong reflection is sea water that was accreted into basal crevasses when the flat-ice terrain was floating. Internal layers are warped downward just downslope from the basal reflectors. It is thought that the downwarping was caused by localized basal melting in the past. The spatial pattern of downwarping suggests that localized basal melting was stronger on the north side than on the south side of KIS; apparently ice/ocean interactions on the two sides of KIS were different.

Seismic observations of glaciogenic ocean waves (micro-tsunamis) on icebergs and ice shelves

AbstractSeismometers deployed over a 3 year period on icebergs in the Ross Sea and on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, reveal that impulsive sources of ocean surface waves are frequent (e.g. ∼200 events per year in the Ross Sea) in the ice-shelf and iceberg-covered environment of coastal Antarctica. The 368 events recorded by our field deployment suggest that these impulsive events are generated by glaciological mechanisms, such as (1) small-scale calving and edge wasting of icebergs and ice-shelf fronts, (2) edge-on-edge closing and opening associated with iceberg collisions and (3) possibly the impulsive opening of void space associated with ice-shelf rifting and basal crevasse formation. The observations described here provide a background of glaciogenic ocean-wave phenomena relevant to the Ross Sea and suggest that these phenomena may be exploited in the future (using more purposefully designed observation schemes) to understand iceberg calving and ice-shelf disintegration processes.

Submarine landforms characteristic of glacier surges in two Spitsbergen fjords

Well-preserved submarine landforms, all less than 100 years old, are imaged on high-resolution swath bathymetry obtained from Van Keulenfjorden and Rindersbukta (inner Van Mijenfjorden), Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Several tidewater glaciers in these fjords have surged in the last few hundred years. Streamlined landforms, found within the limits of known surges, are interpreted as mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGL) formed subglacially beneath actively surging ice. Large transverse ridges are terminal moraines formed by thrusting at the maximum position of glacier surges. Sediment lobes at the distal margins of terminal moraines are interpreted as glacigenic debris flows, formed either by failure of the frontal slopes of thrust moraines or from deforming sediment extruded from beneath the glacier. Sinuous ridges are eskers, formed after surge termination by the sedimentary infilling of subglacial conduits. Concordant ridges, parallel to former ice margins, are interpreted as minor push moraines, probably formed annually during winter glacier readvance. Discordant ridges, oblique to former ice margins, are interpreted as crevasse-squeeze ridges, forming when soft subglacial sediments are injected into basal crevasses. These submarine landforms have been deposited in the following sequence based on cross-cutting relationships between them, linked to stages of the surge cycle: (1) MSGL; (2a) terminal moraines and (2b) lobe-shaped debris flows; (3) isolated areas of crevasse-fill ridges; (4) eskers and (5) annual retreat ridges. A descriptive landsystem model for tidewater surge-type glaciers has been developed, whose wider applicability is emphasised by comparison with two areas in Isfjorden, Spitsbergen. The model also has a number of features in common with landsystem models for terrestrial surge-type glaciers, but is likely to be more complete since submarine landforms are particularly well preserved. The landforms discussed here may be produced and preserved in different proportions in the varied environmental settings where surging glaciers are found.

Evidence for floatation or near floatation in the mouth of Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica, prior to stagnation

Ice‐penetrating radar profiles reveal distinctive internal structure within the flat ice terrains that bound the lower reaches of the now stagnant Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica; slightly warped but continuous upper layers overlie extensive deep line diffractors located at a uniform depth several hundreds of meters above the bed. On the basis of their orientation and morphology we interpret the line diffractors to be the tips of basal crevasses. At the boundary between these terrains and the inter–ice stream ridges, internal layers are strongly downwarped, and the deepest layers are truncated at the bed. Results from simple kinematic ice flow modeling indicate that the observed layer pattern requires a cumulative basal melt of 120–350 m over a time period that is less than 300 years. Fields of basal crevasses are typically observed in ice shelves; however, isolated basal crevasses can also be found in grounded ice when the subglacial water pressure is close to overburden. On the basis of the presence of these crevasses we argue that these terrains were once floating or near floating in the past. We combine model results with estimates of recent ice thickness change to suggest that floatation was transitory and the region may have become fully grounded roughly 200 years prior to stagnation of Kamb Ice Stream.

Surface morphology and internal layer stratigraphy in the downstream end of Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica

AbstractSatellite images of Kamb Ice Stream (formerly Ice Stream C), West Antarctica, reveal several long, curved linear features (lineations) oriented sub-parallel to the ice-flow direction. We use ground-based radar to characterize the internal layer stratigraphy of these lineations and the terrains that they bound. Some lineations are relict ice-stream shear margins, identified by hyperbolic diffractors near the surface (interpreted to be buried crevasses) and highly disturbed internal layers at depth. Satellite images show another set of lineations outside the relict margins that wrap around the ends of the surrounding inter-ice-stream ridges. Internal layers beneath these lineations are downwarped strongly into a syncline shape. The internal stratigraphy of the terrain between these lineations and the relict margins is characterized by deep hyperbolic line diffractors. Our preferred hypothesis for the origin of this terrain is that it was floating sometime in the past; the deep hyperbolas are interpreted to be basal crevasses, and the strongly downwarped internal layers mark the position of a relict grounding line. Our study shows that lineations and intervening terrains have different internal layer characteristics implying different origins. Differentiation between these features is not possible using satellite images alone.

The interaction of a surging glacier with a seasonally frozen foreland: Hagafellsjökull-Eystri, Iceland

Abstract This paper describes aspects of the landform-sediment assemblage produced by a recent surge of Hagafellsjökull-Eystri. This surge occurred during the winter and early spring of 1998/1999 and consequently advanced into a partially frozen foreland. Two aspects of this landform-sediment assemblage are considered. First the evidence for a frozen subglacial sediment layer beneath a lateral piedmont lobe formed during the surge is reviewed. This sediment layer consists of blocks of glacier ice set within a matrix of frozen sediment and was injected into basal crevasses to form a network of crevasse-squeeze ridges prior to freezing. The sediment layer appears to provide evidence of subfreezing deformation at the termination of the surge. Secondly the paper examines the detailed tectonic facies within a push-moraine formed along the eastern latero-frontal margin of the glacier during the surge. Architecturally this push moraine consists of a multi-layered slab of glaciofluvial sediments with a monocline structure that has been displaced laterally by the advancing ice margin. The sediment slabs within this monocline are characterized by both brittle and ductile styles of deformation. The authors argue that the observed variation in deformation style may be explained by spatial variation in the extent to which the glacial foreland was frozen or unfrozen at the time of displacement. Areas of frozen foreland would have behaved in a brittle fashion, while unfrozen areas deformed in a more ductile manor. Both these aspects of the landform-sediment assemblage examined in this paper appear to be the product of the seasonal timing of the surge. Not only do they add to our understanding of surge-type landsystems, but they also illustrate the potential of winter advances around the margins of some temperate glaciers to explore the coupling between glaciers and frozen proglacial sediments.

Fracture of Antarctic shelf ice

We have investigated the fracture of Antarctic shelf ice core using two fracture mechanics test methods: the chevron‐notched short‐rod specimen loaded in tension and the chevron‐notched round‐bar specimen loaded in three‐point bending. These tests have been used to measure the fracture initiation toughness, Kinit, at which crack growth starts, on samples taken through the entire thickness of the Ronne Ice Shelf, from low‐density firn through consolidated meteoric ice to basal marine ice. The fracture data are presented together with depth profiles of relevant physical and mechanical properties derived from the test specimens: temperature, density, elastic modulus, and grain size. It is found that the trend in measured fracture toughness closely reflects changes in ice density and elastic modulus. We augment the experimental study by presenting a fracture mechanics analysis of ice shelf surface and basal crevassing which directly incorporates our measurements. For the examined ice shelf profiles, basal crevasses are found to be inherently unstable unless an external restraining force is imposed, which has important implications for overall ice shelf stability. On the other hand, surface crevassing is shown to be innately stable at depth. Our fracture mechanics model is used to predict local ice shelf back stresses in the vicinity of basal crevassing and is validated directly against field observations of crevasse penetration on the Ronne Ice Shelf.