In situ measurements of till deformation and water pressure

Authors: Truffer, Martin; Harrison, William D.

Source: Journal of Glaciology, Volume 52, Number 177, March 2006 , pp. 175-182(8)

Publisher: International Glaciological Society

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Abstract:

A newly developed hammer was used to insert two autonomous probes 0.8 m and 2.1 m into clast-rich subglacial till under Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska, USA. Both probes were instrumented with a dual-axis tilt sensor and a pore-water pressure transducer. The data are compared to a 75 day record of surface velocities. Till deformation at depth was found to be highly seasonal: it is significant during an early-season speed-up event, but during long periods thereafter measured till deformation rates are negligible. Both tilt records show rotation around the probe axis, which indicates a change in tilt direction of about 30°. The tilt records are very similar, suggesting spatial homogeneity on the scale of the probe separation (4 m horizontal and 3.3 m vertical). There is evidence that during much of the year sliding of ice over till or deformation of a thin till layer (<20 cm) accounts for at least two-thirds of total basal motion. Basal motion accounts for 50-70% of the total surface motion. The inferred amount of ice-till sliding is larger than that found at the same location in a previous study, when surface velocities were about 10% lower. We suggest that variations in ice-till coupling account for the observed variations in mean annual speed.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828700

Publication date: 2006-03-01

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The Journal of Glaciology is published six times per year. It accepts submissions from any discipline related to the study of snow and ice. All articles are peer reviewed. The Journal is included in the ISI Science Citation Index.
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