Torngat Mountains Research Articles

The Altitudinal Limits of Vascular Plants

The Altitudinal Limits of Vascular Plants

Study of Glacial Geomorphology in the Northern Torngat Mountains, Labrador

This study was begun in 1959 and continued during the field season of 1960, when my wife Inger-Marie acted as assistant and we spent a little over 9 weeks in the field from early July to mid-September. Base camp was set up at the northern end of Eclipse Channel and from there several journeys of 3- to 8-day duration were made. North Aulatsivik Island and the area to the north toward Telliaosilk Fiord were studied. Lack of a canoe prevented the crossing of Eclipse River, and the area to the south of it could therefore not be visited. Study of the post-glacial emergence shows a discontinuous displacement of the strand-line. Three well-developed strand-lines were found at 40 to 56, 26 to 36, and 15.5 metres above sea-level. The two higher ones slope to N. 25° E. at a gradient of 1:1000 and 1:1650 respectively for the higher and lower. Isobase-directions for these two levels are found to be approximately 115-295°, and a map with contour lines showing the former sea-levels has been prepared. The lowest strand-line shows no tilt and is regarded as horizontal. An equal-distance diagram has been plotted and shows that a major transgression took place in northern Labrador prior to the formation of the lowest strand-line. At Port Burwell the sea level rose some 12 metres above the level it had during the formation of the next higher strand-line. Fossil marine molluscs were found in the base-camp area up to 32 metres above sea-level. A shell sample taken at 29 metres has been submitted for radio-carbon dating through the Geographical Branch, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. The result will provide the first absolute date for any late- or post-glacial event on the Labrador coast. ...

Geomorphological Investigations in the Torngat Mountains of Northeastern Labrador-Ungava

... The central area of study lay athwart the Labrador-Quebec boundary on the watershed between Nakvak Brook, which drains into Saglek Fiord, and the Koroksoak (Korok) River, which flows westwards into Ungava Bay. ... Attention was concentrated on an extensive system of lateral moraines and kame terraces which slope eastwards from the watershed towards the head of Saglek Fiord. Similar systems were examined in the through-troughs to the south. The whole complex represents the late-Pleistocene limits of trunk glaciers flowing through the mountains towards the east and supplied by an ice cap of continental proportions west of the height of land. At this stage the higher summits stood as nunataks well above the level of the ice, and an extensive series of ice-dammed lakes was held against the western slopes of the highland finding outlets over ice-free cols into the Atlantic. Detailed studies in the watershed area provide a chronology of the final emergence of the area from the last ice sheet, and the draining of the ice-dammed lakes. A final stage was represented by a mass of ice in the lower valley of the Koroksoak which dammed a lake to the level of the col, at 1,050 feet, whence it drained into Nakvak Brook and ultimately into the Atlantic. Glacial erratics, found on summits up to 4,000 feet above sea level, corroborate the conclusions of the previous summer's work suggesting that at some stage the highest summits were inundated by ice flowing from the west. The data compiled from the two summers' work prompt the conclusion that during late-Pleistocene times the Torngat Mountains were influenced by two distinct glaciations, separated by an interglacial period of considerable intensity. The final glaciation, during which large areas remained ice-free, is tentatively correlated with the "classical" Wisconsin of central North America whereas the date of the preceding glacial period is uncertain. It may be the equivalent of the Illinoian Glaciation, or even be of post-Sangamon age, and in this case be comparable with a cold phase tentatively identified in central North America, which is older than the "classical" Wisconsin Glaciation, and is separated from the latter by a warmer period. Reconnaissance from the air during flights along the Labrador coast and some distance inland suggests that these general conclusions might well be applicable to the entire coastal zone of Labrador. ...

Glaciation of the Torngat Mountains, Northern Labrador

Considers role of these mountains in glaciation of Labrador-Ungava, assessing particularly events in late-Wisconsin times with respect to final disappearance of both continental and local ice masses. Conflicting theories are discussed, and evidence presented, based on physiography and findings from summer 1956 field work, including unmistakable erratics on summits at 4,000-5,000 ft. The highest summits were completely submerged by eastward moving continental ice during the Wisconsin glaciation; local glaciers never reached significant dimensions; rapid melting in situ of thick masses of ice occurred during the final Wisconsin stages. Two or three separate glacial periods are recognized from the morphology of the area. Instantaneous glaciation of a large area of the Labrador-Ungava Plateau probably initiated a continental ice sheet in northeastern North America at the onset of each glacial period. Also pub. in International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, Association of Scientific Hydrology, 11th assembly report of proceedings 1958, v. 4, p. 372-86.

A study of the northern part of the Labrador Current

In the discussion of the Labrador Current which follows, the observation made last summer during the cruise of the schooner Chance will be used as a basis. A preliminary report of this trip will shortly appear in Science. During the cruise two profiles were run at right‐angles to the general trend of the Labrador coast, one just south of Hamilton Inlet and the other off Nachvak Bay which is about sixty miles south of Cape Chidley, the northeastern extremity of the Labrador Peninsula. Besides these physical observations on the Labrador Current, the Expedition made a collection of the flowers and plants from the Torngat Mountains and explored several of the fiords which indent the northern part of the coast. Plankton‐hauls and collections of the salmon, char, and cod were also made. Since very little oceanographic work had been done off the northern part of Labrador, the region proved most profitable for a short cruise.

Extent and thickness of the Labrador ice-sheet

Research Article| June 01, 1920 Extent and thickness of the Labrador ice-sheet A. P. COLEMAN A. P. COLEMAN Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1920) 31 (2): 319–328. https://doi.org/10.1130/GSAB-31-319 Article history received: 28 Feb 1919 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation A. P. COLEMAN; Extent and thickness of the Labrador ice-sheet. GSA Bulletin 1920;; 31 (2): 319–328. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/GSAB-31-319 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract IntroductionThe Labrador ice-sheet did not cover the whole of eastern America north of New York, since the Torngat region, in northeastern Labrador, and the Shickshock Mountains, in Gaspe, escaped and remained as driftless areas. On the other hand, in places the ice-sheet passed beyond the present eastern edge of the continent, covering part of the shallow sea bottom along the coast of Labrador and occupying most, if not all, of the present Gulf of Saint Lawrence. On the western side the ice-sheet at its greatest extent filled the basins of Hudson and James bays, thus meeting the Keewatin sheet. Just how far it extended southwest is not quite certain, its relations to the Patrician sheet described by Tyrrell being still only imperfectly known. The island of Newfoundland is believed to have been an independent glacial center, adjoining the Labrador sheet on the east.That the summits of the Torngat Mountains, . . . This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this article.