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14 C dating of trapped gases in massive ground ice, Western Canadian Arctic
Author(s) -
Moorman Brian J.,
Michel Frederick A.,
Wilson Alex
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
permafrost and periglacial processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-1530
pISSN - 1045-6740
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1530(199609)7:3<257::aid-ppp220>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - geology , permafrost , snow , arctic , arctic ice pack , freezing point , cryosphere , ice core , sea ice , physical geography , geomorphology , oceanography , geography , physics , thermodynamics
A recently developed technique of gas extraction enables dating of an ice body by measuring the 14 C of the CO 2 trapped in gas bubbles within the ice. The gaseous component of the ice is extracted by sublimating the ice within a vacuum chamber. This enables the total gas volume, CO 2 concentration, 14 C/ 12 C ratio, and δ 13 C values to be determined. This technique was applied to dating massive ground‐ice bodies in the western Canadian Arctic. Ground‐ice samples from North Point, Peninsula Point, and Herschel Island yielded ages of 10,500 ± 120 BP, 13, 860 ± 100 BP, and 17,570 ± 300 BP, respectively. These ages are younger than previously speculated for the massive ground ice in this region. The gas and CO 2 contents and δ 13 C values indicate the ice bodies were not formed directly from the compaction of snow.