HOLOCENE GLACIER FI-UCTUATIONS in GARIBALDI PROVINCIAL PARK, Sotjthern COAST MOUNTAINS, BRITISH COLUMBIA
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HOLOCENE GLACIER FI-UCTUATIONS IN GARIBALDI PROVINCIAL PARK, SOtJTHERN COAST MOUNTAINS, BRITISH COLUMBIA Johannes Koch M.Sc. (Geography, Geology, Mineralogy), University Freiburg, 2001 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Department of Earth Sciences 0Joharmes Koch 2006 SIMON FkISER UNIVERSITY Spring 2006 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in wh'ole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Johannes Koch Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: Holocene glacier fluctuations in Garibaldi Provincial Park, southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia Examining Committee: Dr. Peter Mustard Chair Dr. John Clague Senior Supervisor Dr. Gerald Osborn Comrriittee Member Dr. Dan Smith Comrriittee Member Dr. Rolf Mathewes Committee Member Dr. Lionel Jackson Internal Examiner Dr. Brian Luckman External Examiner University of Western Ontario Date Approved: .fl,gIICNL+IC z JO~ SIMON FRASER &8Cl? "N~~mlibrary DECLARATION OF PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection, and, without changing the content, to translate the thesislproject or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Bumaby, BC, Canada ABSTRACT Glacier fluctuations of the last 10,000 years have been reconstructed in Garibaldi Provincial Park in the southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia, from historical documents, dendrochronologic and lichenometric dating of moraines, and radiocarbon dating of fossil wood in glacier forefields. Six major periods of glacier advance are recognized: 7700-7300,6400-5100,4300,4100-2900,1600-110014c years BP, and the last millennium. Evidence for each of these six periods was found in the forefield of Sphinx Glacier, the only glacier in western North America with so complete a record. Evidence for each period, except the 4300 14cyears BP event, was found at two or more sites, showing the regional sigmficance of the advances. The data demonstrate that the Little Ice Age in Garibaldi Park began as early as AD 1000. The earliest maximum was achieved in the lYh century, followed by recession until sometime in the 14'~century. Several glaciers advanced into forests in the 14'1~century, culminating with the construction of moraines in the late early lath,lgth, and early 2othcenturies. Helm Glacier provides a near complete record of fluctuations since the 14'~century. Glaciers receded between the 1930s and 1960s at average annual rates of about 30 m. Between the 1960s and 1980s, glaciers advanced up to 300 m, but since then they have receded at annual rates of 5-10 m. Ice cover has decreased by about 240 km2 since the Little Ice Age maximum, with most of this loss occurring after the 19;!0s. Some small glaciers in the park have already vanished, and more are likely to disappear if the current trend continues. The record from Garibaldi Park is broadly synchronous with records of glaciers throughout the wlorld, suggesting a global forcing mechanism. Hemispheric temperature change can explain glacier behaviour during the last millennium. The Garibaldi record shows a relation to reconstructed Holocene sunspot activity, suggesting that changes in solar activity probably play an important role in global climate change. Keywords: glacier fluctuations, dendrochronology, Holocene, Little Ice Age, Garibaldi Provincial Park, southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia To my parents Civilization exists by geological consent - subject to change without notice. (Wdliam Durant) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely thank the many people who have helped me during my time at Simon Fraser University. First and foremost, I thank my senior supervisor, Dr. John J. Clague, for his support in all aspects of this research. I thank the staff of the Department of Earth Sciences and Office of Graduate Stuhes. The support and friendship of my friends and fellow graduate students in the Quaternary Geoscience Research Centre, especially Jon, John, Lauren, Michelle, Tracy, Kenna, Berto, Brian, Greg, and Tom, are greatly appreciated. My supervisory committee members, Drs. Gerald Osborn, Dan Smith, and Rolf W. Mathewes, provided advice and. constructive criticism. I thank the external and internal examiners, Drs. Brian H. Luckman and Lionel Jackson, respectively, for their interest in ths work and their helpful comments. This work would not have been possible without the permission of B.C. Parks; I particularly thank Chns Platz for his support and flexibility. The Rangers in Garibaldi Park - Katy, Ed, Brad, Jenny, James, and Scott - helped me get to some of my study sites. I also thank the pilots of Glacier Air Tours and Whistler Air for transporting me to Snowcap Lakes and Stave Glacier, and Elerto, Jon, John, Jerry, Vanessa, Chanone, Kenna, and Brian for assistance in the field. Many others have helped me with my research. Dr. Gerald Osborn shared unpublished radiocarbon ages from several glaciers in Garibaldi Park and provided entertainment during fieldwork. British Columbia Archives allowed me to access the original glass negatives of the first geodetic survey of the park by A.J. Campbell in 1928- 1929. Michael Feller, President of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club, made available the club's collection of historical photos of Garibaldi Park. I thank Dr. Brian Menounos for producing the digital elevation model of the park, which he freely shared with me, and Dr. Sami Solarh for sharing hs Holocene sunspot reconstructions. Finally, support and encouragement from Drs. Brian H. Luckman, Greg C. Wiles, Lori Daniels, Olga Solomina, and Kurt Nicolussi are ac:knowledged. Financial support was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada through Research Grants to Dr. Clague, and by the Geological Society of America through a Research Grant to me. I was partially supported by Graduate Fellowships and the President's Ph.D. Research Stipend from Simon Fraser University. I want to extend my sincerest thanks to my family and friends for their unfinching moral support and encouragement. Last but not least, I want to thank my parents for their moral and financial support and their encouragement, which has allowed me to get where I am today. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .. Approval .............................................................................................................................................. -11 ... Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ m Dedication ........................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... vi ... Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vul List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. xiv Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Background ....................................................................................................................................2 Research Objectives .......................................................................................................................3 Thesis Overview ..............................................................................................................................3 Chapter 2 Environmental Change in Garibaldi Provincial Park. Southern Coast Mountains. British Columbia ............................................................................................ 6 Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................6