Submarine Landforms and Past Ice Flow in the Krossfjorden System, Northwest Svalbard

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Submarine Landforms and Past Ice Flow in the Krossfjorden System, Northwest Svalbard Submarine landforms and past ice flow in the Krossfjorden system, northwest Svalbard David Burton Queens’ College 13th June 2013 Supervisor: Professor Julian Dowdeswell Scott Polar Research Institute Department of Geography University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1ER England This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Julian Dowdeswell for his excellent guidance over the course of the thesis. Dr. Kelly Hogan is also thanked for her assistance throughout the project; for assistance with the visualisation programmes and for the helpful discussions whilst she was on her way to tea. I thank both of you for sharing your knowledge and for being so patient with me. The Norwegian Hydrographic Service and Dr. Riko Noormets at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) are also acknowledged for collecting and providing the bathymetric data to the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI). I must thank Arnstein Osvik at the Norwegian Hydrographic Service, Anders Skoglund at the Norsk Polarinstitutt and Dr. Endre Før Gjermundsen and PhD student Heidi Sevestre at UNIS for their help, providing me with further information and data. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff at SPRI for an enjoyable year, particularly my classmates TJ Young, Mia Bennett, Grant Macdonald, Jonathan Ryan and Edward Pope. I thank TJ Young and Grant Macdonald for thier company on the late nights and TJ’s assistance with all things GIS. Special thanks is given to all my friends and family who listened to me discuss my project and proof-read drafts, namely being Robert Headland at SPRI, Olivia De Beukelaer, Samuel Lay and fellow Queens’ members Samantha Bates and William Thanhouser. i Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Location: northwest Spitsbergen ................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 Study area ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 Glaciers draining into the fjord system .................................................................................. 3 1.1.3 Local Geology ........................................................................................................................ 8 1.1.4 Oceanography ........................................................................................................................ 9 1.2 Glacial history: last glacial-interglacial cycle ............................................................................. 12 1.3 Regional bathymetry ................................................................................................................... 16 1.4 Structure of thesis ....................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 2 - Methods .............................................................................................................................. 19 2.1 Multi-beam swath bathymetry .................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Acoustic, seismic and sediment core datasets ............................................................................ 24 2.3 Background mosaic of land areas .............................................................................................. 25 Chapter 3 - Submarine landforms in Lilliehöökfjorden ........................................................................ 28 3.1: Inner Lilliehöökfjorden .............................................................................................................. 28 3.1.1 Large transverse ridges: terminal and overridden moraines ................................................ 28 3.1.2 Fjord-perpendicular ridge: medial moraine ......................................................................... 32 3.1.3 Streamlined bedforms: glacial lineations ............................................................................. 33 3.1.4 Small transverse ridges: recessional moraines ..................................................................... 35 3.2 Outer Lilliehöökfjorden .............................................................................................................. 36 3.2 .1 Smooth outer fjord: sediment-filled basin........................................................................... 36 3.2.2 Drumlinised bedrock outcrop ............................................................................................... 37 3.2.3 Depositional and erosional features: debris lobes and gullies.............................................. 39 3.3 Distribution and timing of submarine landforms in Lilliehöökfjorden ....................................... 42 3.3.1 Geographical distribution ..................................................................................................... 42 3.3.2 Timing .................................................................................................................................. 44 ii 4. Submarine landforms in the Möllerfjorden system ........................................................................... 46 4.1 Möllerfjorden .............................................................................................................................. 48 4.1.1 Smooth outer: sediment-filled basin .................................................................................... 48 4.1.2 Large transverse ridge: palaeo-stillstand .............................................................................. 48 4.1.3 Small transverse ridges: recessional moraines ..................................................................... 49 4.1.4 Curvilinear incisions and seabed depressions: iceberg ploughmarks and pitting ................ 52 4.1.5 Erosional and depositional features: mass wasting and gullies ............................................ 55 4.1.6: Sculpted mounds: modified bedrock................................................................................... 57 4.2 Mayerbukta ................................................................................................................................. 58 4.2.1 Large transverse ridges: terminal moraines ......................................................................... 58 4.2.2 Small transverse ridges: recessional moraines ..................................................................... 61 4.2.3 Streamlined features: glacial lineations ............................................................................... 62 4.2.4 Large mounds: glacially sculpted bedrock ........................................................................... 64 4.2.5 Medium sized transverse ridge and lobe: large recessional moraine ................................... 66 4.2.6 Lobe associated with transverse ridge: ice-contact fan ........................................................ 66 4.2.7 Erosional and depositional features: mass wasting and gullies ............................................ 67 4.3 Kollerfjorden ............................................................................................................................... 68 4.3.1 Outer Kollerfjorden .............................................................................................................. 69 4.3.2 Inner Kollerfjorden .............................................................................................................. 73 4.4 Tinayrebukta ............................................................................................................................... 78 4.5 Distribution and timing of submarine landforms in Möllerfjorden............................................. 83 4.5.1 Geographical Distribution .................................................................................................... 83 4.5.2 Timing .................................................................................................................................. 87 Chapter 5 – Krossfjorden and Fjortende Julibukta ............................................................................... 89 5.1 Krossfjorden ................................................................................................................................ 89 5.1.1 Transverse morphologies: bedrock outcrops ....................................................................... 90 5.1.2 Transverse ridges: recessional moraine ............................................................................... 92 5.1.3 Distribution and timing of submarine landforms in Krossfjorden ....................................... 93 5.2 Fjortende Julibukta ...................................................................................................................... 94 iii 5.2.1 Geographical distribution ..................................................................................................... 95 Chapter 6 – Acoustic, sediment cores and historical data from the Krossfjorden system .................... 97 6.1 Acoustics and sediment cores ..................................................................................................... 97 6.1.1 Acoustic data .......................................................................................................................
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