Permafrost conditions near shorelines of oriented lakes in Old Crow Flats, Yukon Territory
P. Roy-Léveillée, C.R. Burn
In the proceedings of: GEO2010 Calgary: 63rd Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 6th Canadian Permafrost ConferenceSession: T3-E
ABSTRACT: Old Crow Flats is a 4300 km2 plain in the continuous permafrost of Northern Yukon. It contains over 2500 thermokarst lakes, many of which have rectilinear shorelines and tend to be oriented either NE-SW or NW-SE. Previous explanations of the shape and orientation of the lakes focussed on the underlying geological structure and the propagation of faults through the sediments to cause the alignment of the lakeshores. Permafrost conditions and shore erosion mechanisms observed at forested and tundra sites suggest that wind and patterns of ice-wedge development may be contributing to the occurrence of rectilinear shorelines in the open tundra of Old Crow Flats.
RÉSUMÉ: La plaine de Old Crow est située dans la zone de pergélisol continu, au nord du Yukon. Le nombre de lacs thermokarstiques situés sur cette plaine excède 2500, et plusieurs de ceux-ci ont des berges rectilignes et ont tendance à être orientés soit nord-est-sud-ouest ou nord-ouest-sud-est. Jusqu'à maitenant, les explications avancées pour les lacs d'Old Crow misent sur la structure geologique sous-jacente et la propagation de failles à travers les sédiments forcant l'alignment des berges des lacs. Les conditions thermiques du pergélisol et les mecanismes d'érosion des berges observés dans la tundra et la forêt de la plaine de Old Crow suggèrent qu'en fait le vent et la distribution des coins de glace jouent un rôle important pour le dévelopment de berges rectilignes dans la tundra sur la plaine d'Old Crow.
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P. Roy-Léveillée; C.R. Burn (2010) Permafrost conditions near shorelines of oriented lakes in Old Crow Flats, Yukon Territory in GEO2010. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@article{GEO2010_201,
author = P. Roy-Léveillée; C.R. Burn,
title = Permafrost conditions near shorelines of oriented lakes in Old Crow Flats, Yukon Territory,
year = 2010
}
title = Permafrost conditions near shorelines of oriented lakes in Old Crow Flats, Yukon Territory,
year = 2010
}