Abstract
The perennial Arctic Ocean ice-cover consists of sea ice and glacial ice. Sea ice is most common today but at times during the Late Cenozoic, glacial ice has been extremely abundant. Both sea ice and glacial ice can transport a significant sediment load. The mode of incorporation of sediment into the two ice types is quite different. Sea ice can trap atmospheric dust that accumulates during times of precipitation. In addition, silt and clay mobilized by wave action during autumnal storms in shallow shelf areas, may be incorporated into sea ice as it begins to form. This fine-grained component can be transported from the shelf to the central Arctic Ocean. Coarser sediment may be plucked from beach areas by shore-fast ice but probably is dropped before significant transport.
In contrast, glacial ice enters the Arctic ice-pack carrying a significant sediment load of coarse and fine-grained material. Most of the coarse sediment accumulating in the central Arctic has been ice-rafted by glacial ice.
Sediment cores considered to represent the record of approximately the last 5 m.y., contain the record of ice transport into the central Arctic. A textural classification is useful in understanding important times of ice transport mechanisms. Transportation by glacial ice is primarily responsible for coarser (type IV) sediment, sea ice may be the major source of finer (type III) sediment, and a combination of both transport mechanisms may best explain type I (mixed coarse and fine) sediment. The sediment record suggests that neither giant Arctic Ocean ice-caps nor ice-free conditions have existed for at least 5 m.y.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Broecker, W.S., 1975, Floating glacial ice caps in the Arctic Ocean: Science, v. 188, p. 1116–1118.
Bushnell, Vivian, ed., 1960, Scientific Studies at Fletcher’s Island T-3, 1952–1955: 3 volumes, Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Bedford, Massachusetts (219, 117, and 114 p).
Clark, D.L., 1971, Arctic Ocean ice cover and its late Cenozoic history: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 82, p. 3313–3324.
Clark, D.L., 1977, Paleontologic response to post-Jurassic crustal plate movements in the Arctic Ocean, in Paleontology and Plate Tectonics, West, R.M., ed.: Milwaukee Public Museum, Special Publication in Biology and Geology, no. 2, p. 55–76.
Clark, D.L., Whitman, R.R., Morgan, K.A., and Mackey, S.D., 1980, Stratigraphy and glacial-marine sediments of the Amerasian Basin, central Arctic Ocean: Geological Society of America Special Paper 181, 57 p.
Darby, D.A., Burckle, L.H., and Clark, D.L., 1974, Airborne dust on the Arctic Pack ice: its composition and fallout rate: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 24, p. 166–172.
Ericson, D.B., Ewing, Maurice, and Wollin, Goesta, 1964, Sediment cores from the Arctic and subarctic seas: Science, v. 144, p. 1183–1192.
Fletcher, J.O., 1950, Floating ice islands in the Arctic Ocean: Tellus, v. 2, p. 323–324.
Gilbert, M.W., and Clark, D.L., 1983, Central Arctic Ocean paleoceanographic interpretations based on Late Cenozoic calcareous dinoflagellates: Marine Micropaleontology, v. 7, p. 385–401
Hattersley-Smith, G.F., 1963, The Ward Hunt ice shelf: Recent changes of the ice front: Journal of Glaciology, v. 4, p. 415–424.
Herman, Yvonne, and Hopkins, D.M., 1980, Arctic Ocean climate Late Cenozoic time: Science, v. 209, p. 557–562.
Hopkins, D.M., and Herman, Yvonne, 1981, Ice-rafting, an indication of glaciation?: Science, v. 214, p. 688.
Hughes, T., Denton, G.H., and Grosswald, M.G., 1977, Was there a late Wurm Arctic Ice Sheet?: Nature, v. 266, p. 596–602.
Hunkins, K.L., 1968, Geomorphic provinces of the Arctic Ocean, in Sater, J.E. ed., Arctic Drifting Stations: Arctic Insititute of North America, Washington, D.C., p. 365–376.
Hunkins, K.L., Ewing, Maurice, Heezen, B.C., and Menzies, R.J., 1960, Biological and geological observations on the first photographs of the Arctic Ocean deep-sea floor: Limnology and Oceanography, v. 5, p. 154–161.
Kitchell, J.A., 1979, Deep-sea traces from the central Arctic: an analysis of diversity: Deep-sea Research, v. 26A, p. 1185–1198.
Koenig, L.S., Greenaway, K.R., Dunbar, M.J., and Hattersley-Smith, G.F., 1952, Arctic ice islands: Arctic, v. 5, p. 66–103.
Lisitzin, A.P., 1972, Sedimentation in the world ocean: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Special Publication 17, 218 p.
Margolis, S.V., and Herman, Yvonne, 1980, Northern hemisphere sea-ice and glacial development in late Cenozoic: Nature, v. 286, p. 145–149.
Marshall, E.W., 1955, Structural and stratigraphic studies of the northern Ellesmere ice shelf: Arctic, v. 8, p. 109–114.
Martin, Pat, and Thorndike, Alan, 1974, Ice island report: AIDJEX Bulletin no. 27, p. 108–116.
Martin, Seelye, 1981, Frazil ice in rivers and oceans: Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics., v. 13, p. 379–397.
Montgomery, M., 1952, Further notes on ice islands in the Canadian Arctic: Arctic, v. 5, p. 183–187.
Mullen, R.E., Darby, D.A., and Clark, D.L., 1972, Significance of atmospheric dust and ice rafting for Arctic Ocean sediment: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 83, p. 205–212.
Nutt, D.C., 1966, The drift of ice island WH-5: Arctic, v. 19, p. 244–262.
O’Neill, B.J., 1981, Pliocene and Pleistocene benthic foraminifera from the central Arctic Ocean: Journal of Paleontology, v. 55, p. 1141–1170.
Schindler, J.F., 1968, The impact of ice-islands: the story of Arlis II and Fletcher’s ice-island T-3, since 1962, in Sater, J.E., ed., Arctic drifting stations: Washington, D.C., Arctic Institute of North America, p. 49–80.
Smith, D.D., 1964, Ice lithologies and structure of ice island Arlis II: Journal of Glaciology, v. 5, p. 17–38, with foldout map.
Spjeldnaes, Nils, 1981, Ice-rafting, an indication of glaciation?: Science, v. 214, p. 687–688.
Steuerwald, B.A., Clark, D.L., and Andrew, J.A., 1968, Magnetic stratigraphy and faunal patterns in Arctic Ocean sediments: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 5, p. 79–85.
Wendt, J., 1974, Encrusting organisms in deep-sea manganese nodules: Special Publication International Association of Sedimentology, v. 1, p. 437–447.
Worsley, T.R., and Herman, Yvonne, 1980, Episodic ice-free Arctic Ocean in Pliocene and Pleistocene time: calcareous nannofossil evidence: Science, v. 210, p. 323–325.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1983 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Clark, D.L., Hanson, A. (1983). Central Arctic Ocean Sediment Texture: A Key to Ice Transport Mechanisms. In: Molnia, B.F. (eds) Glacial-Marine Sedimentation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3793-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3793-5_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-3795-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-3793-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive