Mapping c-axis fabrics to study physical processes in ice

Abstract

Abstract Mapping the spatial distribution of c -axis orientations in ice thin sections is not much more difficult than preparing c -axis scatter plots but can reveal additional information about processes responsible for the observed fabric and texture of the ice. Distributions of angles between c axes of neighboring grains from the Byrd Station (West Antarctica) ice core suggest that polygonization causes average grain-size to stabilize below 400 m depth.