Dead-ice sinks and moats: Environments of stagnant ice deposition

Abstract

Research Article| January 01, 1986 Dead-ice sinks and moats: Environments of stagnant ice deposition P. Jay Fleisher P. Jay Fleisher 1Earth Science Department, State University College, Oneonta, New York 13820 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information P. Jay Fleisher 1Earth Science Department, State University College, Oneonta, New York 13820 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1986) 14 (1): 39–42. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1986)14<39:DSAMEO>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation P. Jay Fleisher; Dead-ice sinks and moats: Environments of stagnant ice deposition. Geology 1986;; 14 (1): 39–42. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1986)14<39:DSAMEO>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Glacier retreat from areas of moderate to high relief typically occurs along a lobate ice margin controlled by underlying topography, as was the situation on the Appalachian Plateau of central New York. Stagnation of entire valley ice lobes is attributed to restricted glacier flow across headward divides. Detachment of stagnant ice blocks is also related to limited flow through deeply incised valley meanders.Melting of a detached ice block, several thousand metres across and hundreds of metres thick, within a valley train creates a depression referred to as a dead-ice sink. Ice-lobe stagnation involving several closely spaced sinks results in a chain of depressions called a dead-ice moat.Topographic evidence of the dead-ice sink environment is an anomalously broad flood plain that spans most of the valley width and is bounded upvalley and downvalley by dissected valley-train outwash. Dead-ice sink sedimentation results in a stratigraphic sequence typical of an ice-contact environment and includes interstratified silt, sand, and gravel hundreds of metres thick. Juxtaposed water-well logs reveal stratigraphic units of highly variable texture and thickness that defy lateral correlation. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.