Open AccessSurficial geology, Amaruq deposit area, Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, NTS 66-H southeast
Author(s) -
N Boulianne-Verschelden,
Victor De Bronac de Vazelhes,
I McMartin,
Georges Beaudoin
Publication year - 2022
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.4095/329418
Subject(s) - geology , meltwater , outwash plain , deglaciation , moraine , geomorphology , glacial period , glacier , landform , drumlin , ice stream , sediment , geochemistry , oceanography , sea ice , cryosphere
The Amaruq deposit map area is a glacial landscape dominated by till deposits (72% of map area) forming transverse ridges, hummocky moraine, or plains of varying thickness, occasionally streamlined. Glacial lake sediments cover about 18% of the map areaand form thick to thin deposits covering the till. They occur predominantly in lowlands and below approximately 140 m a.s.l., which is the elevation of the highest raised beaches located in the western part of the map area. Some of the glacial lake sediments could have been deposited in a marineenvironment during high sea levels following deglaciation. Sand and gravel deposits occur in subglacial meltwater corridors forming terraces, esker ridges, and small hummocks, or in proglacial outwash plains. The effects of meltwater at the base of the glacier or by currents and waves in proglaciallake and/or marine basins have resulted in winnowing of fine particles, reworking of sediments, and surface boulder concentrations. Streamlined till landforms and striations indicate that ice flow was dominantly to the north-northwest. This predominant flow was locally succeeded by northwest andwest-northwest ice flows as indicated by crosscutting striations. A late deglacial ice-flow direction converging towards a major esker tunnel is observed east of the Amaruq deposit.