Periglacial Features Mapped in the Chukchi Borderland

Constraints on Glacial Extent and Motion

Presenter: Bradley Keith

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 21-22

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Owen Anfinson

Department: Geology

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1o4jLTuAzqNS-aj96Np7OkEhsVnll9YCg

Abstract:
Here we present newly acquired bathymetric data from the Chukchi Borderland region of the Amerasian Basin, Arctic Ocean. I personally collected the data while aboard the research vessel Sikuliaq from August 1st to September 30, 2021. The Sikuliaq is equipped with a hull mounted Kongsberg EM302 and EM710 multibeam echosounder, used to collect bathymetric data throughout the duration of the cruise north of the 75. Previous expeditions in the region have generated swath bathymetry data that indicates the presence of mega scale glacial lineations (MSGL) and ice berg plow marks. Our data set shows the wide scale occurrence of both MSGL and ice berg plow marks above the 650 m isobath, providing additional evidence of both the paleoclimate of the Arctic Ocean and the movement of the Corderillan Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). An unexpected find was a high concentration of pockmarks along the Northwind ridge, which may be indicative of rapidly thawing permafrost.