Research Article| July 01, 2008 Large subglacial lake beneath the Laurentide Ice Sheet inferred from sedimentary sequences Poul Christoffersen; Poul Christoffersen 1Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Slawek Tulaczyk; Slawek Tulaczyk 2Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nigel J. Wattrus; Nigel J. Wattrus 3Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Justin Peterson; Justin Peterson 4Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nadine Quintana-Krupinski; Nadine Quintana-Krupinski 4Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chris D. Clark; Chris D. Clark 5Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Charlotte Sjunneskog Charlotte Sjunneskog 6Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Poul Christoffersen 1Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK Slawek Tulaczyk 2Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Nigel J. Wattrus 3Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Justin Peterson 4Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Nadine Quintana-Krupinski 4Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA Chris D. Clark 5Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK Charlotte Sjunneskog 6Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 01 Dec 2007 Revision Received: 17 Mar 2008 Accepted: 22 Mar 2008 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2008 Geological Society of America Geology (2008) 36 (7): 563–566. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24628A.1 Article history Received: 01 Dec 2007 Revision Received: 17 Mar 2008 Accepted: 22 Mar 2008 First Online: 02 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 Poul Christoffersen, Slawek Tulaczyk, Nigel J. Wattrus, Justin Peterson, Nadine Quintana-Krupinski, Chris D. Clark, Charlotte Sjunneskog; Large subglacial lake beneath the Laurentide Ice Sheet inferred from sedimentary sequences. Geology 2008;; 36 (7): 563–566. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G24628A.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 Subglacial lakes identified beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet belong to a rare category of unexplored environments on Earth's surface. The key to understanding the origin and longevity of subglacial lakes is likely contained in their sedimentary sequences. Here we explore the nature of a sedimentary succession in a deep tectonic trough identified as a prime candidate for a large subglacial paleolake. The trough is the 100-km-long, 620-m-deep Christie Bay, located in the east arm of the Great Slave Lake, Canada. High-resolution seismic reflection data and short sediment cores collected in the deep trough show a 150-m-thick sequence of fine-grained sedimentary lake fill separating glacial ice-contact deposits from draped Holocene lake sediments. We interpret this sequence to consist of sediments that accumulated in a subglacial lake that covered an area larger than 130 km2. The inferred presence of a subglacial paleolake is supported by results from hydrologic modeling of drainage pathways beneath the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum. Our data point toward the existence of a dynamic subglacial lake environment where sediments were delivered by discharge of meltwater from a subglacial water system. A core sample of the sedimentary lake fill in Christie Bay may elucidate whether living organisms exist in subglacial lakes. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.