Dendroglaciological Evidence For A Neoglacial Advance Of the Saskatchewan Glacier, Banff National Park, Canadian Rocky Mountains

Abstract

Seventeen glacially sheared stumps in growth position and abundant detrital wood fragments were exposed by stream avulsion at the terminus of the Saskatchewan Glacier in 1999. The stumps lay buried beneath the glacier and over 5 m of glacial sediment until historical recession and stream incision exposed the 225-to 262-year-old stand of subalpine fir, Englemann spruce and whitebark pine trees. Crossdating and construction of two radiocarbon-controlled floating tree-ring chronologies showed that all the subfossil stumps and boles exposed at this location were killed during a Neoglacial advance of the Saskatchewan Glacier 2,910 Ϯ 60 to 2,730 Ϯ 60 14 C years B.P. These findings support the Peyto Advance as a regional glaciological response to changing mass balance conditions.

The emergence of status inequality in intermediate scale societies: A demographic and socio-economic history of the Keatley Creek site, British Columbia

“…and after 500 B.P. (Clague and Mathewes, 1992;Luckman et al, 1993;Wood and Smith, 2004). At a minimum, these data imply increased winter moisture in the range of 1600-1400 cal.…”

Neoglacial history of Robson Glacier, British Columbia

“…2.90-3.4 ka). This evidence is best seen at Saskatchewan Glacier where in situ stumps and abundant detrital wood have been dated between 2940 ± 60 and 2760 ± 60 14 C years BP (3.32-2.78 ka; Wood and Smith 2004). Recently, two large logs (ca.…”

“…Increasingly, studies of this wood and buried, glacially overridden, forests are being used to define earlier periods of glacier advance and link them to global-scale climatic controls (e.g., Le Roy et al 2015;Solomina et al 2016). Although increasing numbers of such forefield records are becoming available, including many from British Columbia (e.g., Koch et al 2007;Menounos et al 2009;Mood and Smith 2015;St-Hillaire and Smith 2017), few such records are available for the Canadian Rockies (Osborn et al 2001;Wood and Smith 2004;Luckman 2006). These sites are relatively rare and, individually, only provide a partial record of local glacier histories: regional history must be compiled by the assembly, analysis, and correlation of records from many sites.…”

Late Holocene Glacier fluctuations in southernmost Patagonia.

“…Comparison of records must also consider the nature of the chronological control; that is, Gardner and Jones, 1985;Luckman, 1995;Wood and Smith, 2004;Menounos et al, , 2009Barclay et al, 2009). The peak of the 4.2 ka Advance in western Canada is centered on the period 4400-4000 cal yr BP.…”

“…The same problem exists when comparing glacier fluctuations within northwestern North America during the Tiedemann -Peyto Advance interval . Uncertainties exist in the number, ages and durations of the advances Ryder and Thomson, 1986;Wood and Smith, 2004;Osbom et al, 2007;Barclay et al, 2009;Menounos et al, 2009). Ryder and Thomson, 1986;Reyes and Clague, 2004;Osbom et al, 2007;Menounos et al, 2009).…”