CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Campbell, J.E.
Date : 2005.
Title : SRTM DEM imagery: previously unrecognized regional-scale ice streams, ice flows indicators and glacial landforms in Saskatchewan
Publication : Water, Ice, Land, And Life: The Quaternary Interface. Canadian Quaternary Association 2005 Conference June 5-8, 2005, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Issue : Abstract Volume:
Page(s) : A12.
Abstract
A preliminary visual examination of SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Imagery Mission) DEM imagery for the province of Saskatchewan has revealed numerous, previously unrecognized landform features related to the LGM and subsequent deglaciation. The preserved ice flow features record ice flow both during the advance and retreat of the Late-Wisconsinan Ice Sheet. Streamlined uplands record the regional ice advance to the southwest. Diverging ice directions, particularly over the southern half of the province relate to ice flow direction changes during deglaciation. The streamline features evident on the DEM reflect changes in flow direction of the thinning ice margin due to topographic controls, flow separation from the body of the ice sheet, and the development of lobes along the ice margin. Evidence of ice streams, such as on the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan and east of Prince Albert, are clearly visible on the DEM. The ice streams are interpreted as late stage surges as the ice front retreated north-northeastward. Ice streams have long been suspected to have occurred in Saskatchewan but had not identified north of the ice terminus. South of the Precambrian Shield, features such as glaciotectonic thrust moraine, end and interlobate moraines, hummocky moraine, meltwater channels and spillways, and lake plains are discernable on the DEM. The origin of several landforms evident on the DEM remain an enigma. Over the Precambrian Shield, where the drift cover is thin and discontinuous, the regional structural trends of the bedrock strongly influence the topography and geomorphic expression of the present day landscape. This relatively new dataset is a valuable tool for regional surficial geological investigations. When combine with other datasets, it will provide valuable insight with respect to glacial dynamics, the effects of topography and substrate composition on ice flow and meltwater drainage. This, in turn will improve our understanding of the glacial history of the region and the processes which formed our present landscape.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology