Satujökull glacial landsystem, Iceland

Abstract

A surficial geology and geomorphology map of the Satujökull foreland of the northern Hofsjökull ice cap in central Iceland provides a clear signature of spatial and temporal change in glacial landsystem signatures as a result of complex glacier behaviour in the historical period. Landsystem 1, indicative of polythermal conditions, comprises a wide arc of ice-cored moraine and controlled moraine ridges lying outside a fluted and drumlinized terrain and demarcates the historical Little Ice Age maximum limit. Landsystem 2 contains most of the diagnostic criteria for the surging glacier landsystem and records two separate surges by the western margin of Satujökull in the period since the attainment of the Little Ice Age maximum advance.

Glacial geomorphology of the terrestrial margins of the tidewater glacier, Nordenskiöldbreen, Svalbard

“…Fluted surfaces are visible in both the northern and southern part of the foreland, demonstrating that some areas of glacier bed were temperate at the time of fluting construction (Benn, 1994). A lateral transition from a controlled, ice-cored moraine complex at the outer fringe of the glacial foreland towards fluted surfaces in the inner parts indicates the general signature of former polythermal conditions (Evans, 2010(Evans, , 2011Evans et al, 2015a;Evans, Twigg, & Orton, 2010).…”

“…Benn, Kirkbride, Owen, & Brazier, 2003;Evans et al, 2009Evans et al, , 2015aEvans et al, , 2015bEvans & Rea, 2003;Evans & Twigg, 2002;O'Cofaigh, Evans, & England, 2003). However, in some cases, glacial forelands can contain overprinted landform-sediment assemblages representative of spatial and/or temporal change in glacier dynamics (Evans, 2011;Evans et al, 2010).…”

Snæfellsjökull volcano-centred ice cap landsystem, West Iceland

“…Both the bedrock erosional features and the well-developed flutings indicate that large areas of the outlet glacier beds were temperate and hence subglacial deformation and sliding was in operation at the Little Ice Age maximum (Benn, 1994;Evans, Ewertowski, & Orton, 2015b). The extension of the flutings to the Little Ice Age ice-cored moraine ridge complexes (see section 3.4) constitutes a landform assemblage typical of former polythermal glacier margins identified elsewhere in Icelandic mountain icefields (Evans, 2010(Evans, , 2011Evans, Twigg, & Orton, 2010, 2015a. Patches of non-fluted till veneer and occasional boulder spreads ('trimline moraines' sensu Ó Cofaigh, Evans, & England, 2003) exist on the distal sides of some ice-cored moraine belts, where they constitute the Little Ice Age maximum limit.…”

“…This association has now been widely documented across Iceland, especially in upland settings on the deglaciated forelands of plateau icefields, where it is regarded as a landsystem product of former polythermal snout conditions at the Little Ice Age maximum (e.g. Evans, 2010Evans, , 2011Evans et al, 2010Evans et al, , 2015a. The occurrence of proglacially thrust materials, in this case pumice sheets on the east flanks of the volcano, has been documented also in such polythermal settings, for example, at Eiríksjökull, Iceland (ice-contact fans/aprons; Evans, Ewertowski, & Orton, 2015a) and northwest Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada (proglacial lake sediments and outwash; Evans, 1989;Evans & England, 1991;Ó Cofaigh et al, 2003), where pre-existing deformable materials are susceptible to thrust block development.…”

Glacial landsystems of Satujökull, Iceland: A modern analogue for glacial landsystem overprinting by mountain icecaps

“…They identify arcuate zones of hummocky moraine lying between sequences of recessional push moraines and relate this pattern of landsystem assemblages to operation of a glacier margin that oscillated between polythermal and active temperate conditions during early deglaciation. Later surging activity is identified Evans et al, 2010; reproduced with permission of the Journal of Maps). A large format version of this map can be viewed and downloaded from Evans et al (2010) in the Journal of Maps.…”