v~.~ ~f53 U.S. (lrganiz-mg Committee T.L. Pdw&, Chairman G.E. Weller, Vice-Chairmm A.J. Alter J. Barton J. &OWO b 0.3. Ferrians, Jr. H.O. Jahns J.R. Kiely A.H. Lachenbruch R. D. Miller R.D. Reger PERMAFROST A.L, Washburn J.H. Zumberge L. DeGoes FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Program committee Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A. July 18-22, 1983 W.D. Harrison , Chairman University of Alaska Paper Review Committee Abetmcts and Program R. D. M!ller, Chairman Field Trips Committee O.J. Ferrians,Jr.,Chairman H Arrangements Committee W.M. Sackinger, Chsirma,z organized by: State of Alaaka National Academy of Sciences University of Alaska CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS (as of 15 June 1983] State of Alaska Alaska Council on Science and Technology Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Alaska State Legislature Federal Agencies Army Researeh Office Department of Energy National Aeronautics and Space Ahinistration National Science Foundation Office of the Federal Inspector, ANGTS Office of Naval Research Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory L’S Bureau of Land Management US Foresti Service US Geological Survey Industry and Private SOHIO Atlantic Richfield Foundation EXXON P~oduction Research John Kiely Bechte Z Dames and Moore Chevron USA, Inc. Ebasco Services, Inc. Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. Getty Oil Company Mapeo/North Pole Refining Nerco Minerals (Resource Associates Associated General Contractors of Alaska) British Petroleum Ott Engineering Morrison-Knudson Company Rocky Mountain Energy Kodiak-@aboxw (AngZo-Energy) Sehhmberger Marathon Oil Foundation Tesoro Petroleum Corporation Northwest Pipeline Service Co. Conrad Topp Shell Oil Company Tryck, Nyman, Hayes Union Oil of Califowzia Foundation Alaska International Constructors Cameron Iron Works Doyon Ltd. Alaska Industrial Resources, Inc. Shannon and Wilson Phillips Pe+?olewn R. A. Kreig & Associates 3-M Company DOWL Engineers Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Fryer, Pressley, Elliott Law Engineering Testing Peter Kieuit and Sons R & M Consultant William J. King Anacondiz Copper Company Stutzman Engineering Associates Brow and Root (Ealiburton) Univen Scheben Kmynta Huettl Colrocil, InC?. {UN(H) .# PREFACE Perennially frozen ground, or permafrost, is estimated to underlie 20% of the land surface of the earth and affects many of man’s activities and causes problems not experienced elsewhere. Agriculture, mining, water supply, sewage disposal, and construction of air fields, roads, railroads, urban areas, and recently,” oil and gas pipelines, require extensive knowledge of the distribution, properties, and engineering performance of perennially frozen ground. Although the existence of permafrost was known to the inhabitants of Siberia for centuries, not until 1836 did scientists of the Western world take seriously reports of thick, frozen ground existing under northern forests and grasslands. At that time, Alexander Theodor von Middendorf measured temperatures to a depth of approximately 107 m of permafrost in the Shargin Shaft, an unsuccessful well dug for the governor of the Russian-Alaskan Trading Company at Yakutsk. It was estimated that the permafrost there was 215 m thick. For the last century, scientists and engineers in Siberia have been actively studying permafrost and applying the results of their research to the development of the region. Similarly, prospectors and explorers were aware of permafrost in the northern part of the North America for many years, but it was not until World war 11 that systematic studies of perennially frozen ground were undertaken by scientists and engineers in the United States and Canada. Because of the explosive increase in research concerning scientific and engineering aspects of frozen ground in several countries since the late 1940’s, it became apparent that it was necessary for scientists and engineers working in the field to exchange information on an international level. Since that time, work in Canada, the USA, the USSR, and more recently in Japan and China, among other countries, has created a vast amount of basic and applied information on permafrost. To exchange information on the subject of permafrost, the First International Conference on Permafrost was held in the USA at Purdue University in 1963. This relatively small conference was extremely successful and yielded a publication which is still used throughout the world. Ten years later, in 1973, the Second International Conference on Permafrost was held in Yakutsk, Siberia, USSR. Approximately 400 participants attended. In 1978, Canada hosted the Third International Conference on Permafrost in Edmonton, Alberta, with field trips to northern Canada. Approximately 500 participants from nine nations attended and Chinese scientists were present for the first time. In Edmonton, it was decided that the US would hold the Fourth International Conference on Permafrost, and a formal invitation was extended by the University of Alaska to hold the Conference on its campus in Fairbanks in 1983. The reasons for holding a conference every 5 years or so are: 1) to bring together scientific, engineering, and user communities to iii discuss the state-of-the-art in these respective fields; 2) to allow national and international participants to observe and discuss permafrost conditions and engineering problems; and 3) to relate permafrost conditions to other regions of the world, particularly to areas where only seasonally frozen soils currently exist. The Fourth International Conference on Permafrost is being held at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks from July 17 to 22, 1983. It is organized by the National Academy of Sciences’ Polar Research Board and the State of Alaska, with the University of Alaska in Fairbanks being the host and local organizer. Local and extended field trips to various parts of the State, to examine permafrost features, are an integral part of the Conference. Many engineering and scientific disciplines are represented, including civil and mechanical engineering, soil mechanics, glacial and periglacial geology, geophysics, marine science and technology, climatology, soils, hydrology, and ecology. The sessions start with panel discussions and are followed by oral and poster presentations. The panel reviews consider the following themes: pipelines, climatic change and geothermal regime, deep foundations and embankments, permafrost terrain, environmental protection, frost heave and ice segregation, and subsea permafrost. Approximately 350 papers and posters from 25 countries are to be presented. The Conference proceedings will be published by the National Academy of Sciencesr Academy Press. In addition a series of field trip guidebooks has been published by the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and a special bibliography of some 4,500 permafrost citations was published by World Data Center A for Glaciology in Boulder, Colorado, as Glaciological Data Report GD-14. This last publication covers much of the world literature on permafrost over the last five years. Troy L. P6w6, Chairman Organizing Committee iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page General Information . ...* ● ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 2 Maps. ..*. ..*. 5 Social Program . 7 Exhibits and Films . .**.. .*.* 8 Local Field Trips. ● . .*.. 9 Pre- and Post-Conference Field Trips. .13 Publication of Proceedings . ● . 15 Program of Events. ● *.* 16 Program of Technical Sessions. 17 Abstracts of Panel Sessions. ● . 41 Abstracts. ● . 61 Index of Authors . ● . .263 IMPORTANT INFORMATION How to Locate Any Abstract 1. If you know the author’s name... Turn to page 263 which list all authors in alphabetical order. The page number in the last column indicates where the abstract will be found, the second column indicates the session in which the paper will be given. Time and location of sessions are given in the program of technical sessions on pages 20-39. 2. if you want to read the abstracts of any particular session. Turn to pages 17-39 which give the authors, location and time of sessions. Then turn to page 263 which list all authors in alphabetical order. The page number in the last column indicates where the abstract will be found. Authors’ Briefing There will be brief meetings for all authors presenting formal papers and all panel members with their session chairmen. These meetings will be held in the Green Room (down the stairs from the Regents Great Hall; see map on page 6). For morning sessions, authors and chairmen will meet from 8:00-8:30am; for afternoon sessions from 1:00-l:30pm on Monday and 1:30-2:OOpm on Wednesday. 35mm slide trays will be available in the Green Room, as well as viewing equipment. 1 GENERAL INFORMATION Registration Registration is required for all attendees, including all field trip participants and guests. Name badges are required for admission to all events. Full payment must accompany registration. Only U.S. funds are accepted on-site. Visa and Mastercard will be accepted. Registration Fees: Full Registration - $225 Student Registration - $35 Daily Registration - $50 Accompanying Persons Registration - $50 Students, daily registrants and accompanying persons will not receive the pre- and post-conference proceedings or field trip guide books, but copies may be purchased. Registration Schedule Regents Great Hall, University of Alaska, Fairbanks Sunday, 17 July 10:OOam - 9: 00pm Monday, 18 July 8:OOam - 5: OOpm Tuesday, 19 July 8:OOam - 5: 00pm Wednesday, 20 July 8:OOam - 5: OOpm Thursday, 21 July 8:OOam - 5: OOpm Friday, 22 July 8:OOam - 12:OOnoon Ticket Sales Tickets will be needed