Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/11681/11606| Title: | Coring of frozen ground, Barrow, Alaska, spring 1964 |
| Authors: | Sellmann, P. V. (Paul V.) Brown, Jerry, 1936- |
| Keywords: | Permafrost Frozen ground Core drilling Coring Barrow, Alaska |
| Publisher: | Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Special report (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.)) ; 81. |
| Description: | Special Report Object of Investigation: The triangular-shaped land mass of the Barrow peninsula constitutes the northern extremity of the Arctic Coastal Plain. The near-surface sediments of the Gubik formation are a reflection of late Pleistocene events and therefore contain a valuable record of sea-level fluctuations and climatic changes. Continued investigations in Pleistocene stratigraphy along the northern coast of Alaska will provide additional information for regional and world-wide correlation of Pleistocene and recent events. Cliff exposures in the immediate Barrow area do not provide adequate sections for detailed sampling. Consequently, a coring program was chosen as an appropriate means of acquiring the desired data. Although the major objective of the coring program is to provide additional detailed sampling and analyses for late Pleistocene stratigraphy, several other objectives are considered important: (1) To ascertain the boundary between the reworked sediment and the underlying undisturbed sediments. The near-surface sediments are reworked by migrating lakes and by cryopedologic processes including frost churning and growth of ice wedges. It is essential to know at any one location the depth to which these surface disturbances of sediment have occurred for geological, pedological and engineering purposes. Sampling of the near-surface material in the upper 6 meters had been accomplished earlier by use of auger holes. (2) To ascertain moisture-depth relationships on representative geomorphic units. Distribution of ground ice varies from one type of surface to another, as well as within discrete terrain units. It is important for engineering criteria to determine this vertical and areal variation in ground ice. The data are also essential for calculation of ground volume and sea level changes. This subsurface information will be applied to aerial photographs and extrapolated to other nearby coastal areas. |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/11606 |
| Appears in Collections: | Special Report |
