Modern & Ancient Ice-Marginal Landsystems
April 29th -31st, 2000

A joint meeting of the INQUA Commission on Glaciation Work Group 3 'Sedimentology of Glacial Deposits' and the 'Glacial Landsystems Working Group' (GLWG)

This symposium provided a specialised forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest research on both Modern and Ancient Glacier-marginal Landsystems and attracted participants from 6 nationalities. Over a two day period 29 talks and 12 posters were presented on ice-marginal processes at modern glaciers and the models accounting for the formation of distinctive landforms and deposits within former glacier marginal settings. Specific topics included: processes of moraine formation, esker genesis, glacier 'plumbing', glaciolacustrine sedimentation, and the impact of glacier fluctuations, including glacier surging. On May 1st Philip Marren led a party of 20 on a field excursion to the mid-Cheshire ridge and the Wirral.

The meeting was organised by: Andy Russell and Mike Edge (Keele University) and Dr David J.A. Evans (Glasgow University).

Papers presented

Russell, A.J., Knudsen, Ó.,Roberts, M.J., Fay, H., Tweed, F.S. & Marren, P.M. Jökulhlaup landsystems.

Fay, H. The role of ice blocks in the creation of distinctive proglacial landscapes during and following the November 1996 glacier-outburst flood (jökulhlaup), Skeiðarársandur,southern Iceland.

Krzyszkowski, D. End moraine sedimentary system and its relation to glacial hydrology.

Carling, P.A., Kirkbride, A.D. & Siegenthaler, C. Flood dynamics interpreted from rhythmic sedimentary sequences deposited by Late-Glacial superfloods: Altai mountains, south-central Siberia.

Knudsen, Ó. Formation of long eskers by surging glaciers: An example from Brúarjökull.

Knudsen Ó. Two generations of flutes formed by two successive surges of Brúarjökull.

Phillips, E. R., Evans, D.J.A. & Auton, C. Polyphase deformation at an unstable ice-margin of the Loch Lomond Readvance at Drymen Central Scotland.

Bradwell, T. Annual moraines at Lambatungnajökull, Iceland.

Evans, D.J.A & Twigg, D.R. Evolution of the ice-marginal land system of Breidamerkurjökull, Iceland.

Brennand, T.A. How and why were long Laurentide eskers formed?

Praeg, D. Mid-Pleistocene tunnel-valleys in the southern, North Sea basin: ice sheet margins interact with groundwater flow.

Cutler, Paul, Clayton, L., Mickelson, D.M., Colgan, P.M., & Attig, J.W. Tunnel Channels and associated fan deposits in Wisconsin, U.S.A.: insights into the plumbing of the Southern Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Guðmundsson A. Probable extent of the Icelandic Weichselian ice cap in SW Iceland.

Twigg, D.R. & Evans, D.J.A. Morphometry of glacial landforms of the ice marginal landsystem of Breidamerkurjokull and Kviarjokull, Iceland.

Brookfield, M.E. & Martini, I.P. Sedimentological and stratigraphic effects of forebulge migration and differential isostasy on large proglacial lakes.

Delaney, C. Sedimentology of Late Devensian Glaciolacustrine Ice Marginal Deposits, Lough Ree Area, Central Ireland.

Richards, A. Glacier fed deltas: sedimentary signatures of palaeoenvironmental change.

Bell, T., Liverman, D.G.E., Batterson, M.J., & Sheppard, K. The sedimentary record of tidewater glacier retreat in St. George?s Bay, Newfoundland Canada.

Knight, J. Ice oscillations in Ireland and their relationship to glacial landsystems.

Marren, P.M. Glacier margin fluctuations in eastern Scotland recorded in ice-marginal and proglacial sediments.

Williams, A. Reconstructing the Late Devensian glaciation of Anglesey, North Wales: combining mineral magnetic analysis with traditional sedimentological techniques.

Piotrowski, J.A & Hoffman, K. Glacial transport of soft-sediment blocks in the Elsterian ice-marginal environment at Halle, Germany.

Roberts, D.H. Deglacial moraine morphology and chronology in Sydotsbugten , West Greenland: Implications for marginal ice sheet dynamics.

Roberts, M.J., Russell, A.J., Tweed, F.S. & Knudsen, Ó. Rapid englacial debris entrainment during the November 1996 jökulhlaup, Skeiðarárjökull, Iceland: implications for landform genesis.

Spedding, N. & Evans, D.J.A. Sediments and landforms at Kvíárjökull, south-east Iceland: implications for debris transport pathways.

Tuffen , H., Gilbert, J., & Mcgarvie, D. Moulding of rhyolite lava bodies by subglacial cavities: an example from Bláhnúkur, Torfajökull.

Waller, R.I. & Knudsen, Ó. Subglacial bedforms associated with the 1991 surge of Skeiðarárjökull, Iceland.

Swift, D.A. & Nienow P.W. Subglacial drainage system evolution and basal sediment evacuation at a small Alpine valley glacier: implications for subglacial erosion and deforming beds.

Richardson, S.D. Mapping buried glacier ice as an aid to hazard assessment.

Posters

Auton, C., Phillips, E. R. & Evans, D.J.A. Polyphase deformation at an unstable ice-margin of the Loch Lomond Readvance at Drymen Central Scotland.

Fay H. Formation of ice block obstacle marks during the November 1996 glacier-outburst flood (jökulhlaup), Skeiðarársandur, southern Iceland.

Fredin, O. Relict marginal moraines in the Scandinavian mountains, indicative of a pre-late Weichselian ice sheet.

Olszewski, A. Morphology of the Zbojno glacial basin (Drumlin Field), North Poland.

Barber, J.M. Ice-marginal landforms of the southern and central Yorkshire Dales: terrestrial and subterranean evidence of Late Pleistocene environmental change.

Roberts, M.J., Russell, A.J., Tweed, F.S. & Knudsen, Ó. Controls on the Development of Supraglacial Floodwater Outlets during jökulhlaups.

Russell A.J., Tweed F. S., Knudsen Ó., Roberts M.J., Harris T.D. & Marren P.M. The geomorphic impact and sedimentary characteristics of the July 1999 jökulhlaup on the Jökulsá á Sólheimasandi, Mýrdalsjökull, southern Iceland.

Russell, A.J., Knudsen Ó, Maizels, J.K., Marren, P.M. & Fay, H. Controls on the geomorphological impact of the November 1996 jökulhlaup, Skeiðarársandur, Iceland.

Wilson, L.J. & Russell, A.J. Slackwater sedimentation during the November 1996 jökulhlaup, Skeiðarársandur, Iceland.

Conference Proceedings:

Special issue of Sedimentary Geology 'Modern & Ancient Ice-marginal Landsystems'

Edited by: David J.A. Evans & Andrew J. Russell

Background and rationale:

The Glacial Landsystems approach has been successfully used for many years to characterise process-form relationships within a range of glacial environments. The classic division into subglacial, supraglacial and glaciated valley landsystems has allowed greater understanding of the relationships between glacial processes and the often, complex morphology and sedimentology of formerly glaciated areas. More recently, recognition that the interaction of glacial and fluvial processes can combine to produce spectacular landform and sediment assemblages has resulted in the development of process, rather than environment specific landsystems models dealing with, for example, glacier surges and catastrophic glacier outburst floods. It is also clear that the findings of recent process studies need to be incorporated within studies of ancient glacial environments.

The volume is intended as a timely collection of research papers on both modern and ancient ice-marginal environments following the Keele symposium.

Papers will be grouped around the following themes:

(1) Specific examples of modern glacial landsystems which can be applied to the interpretation of former ice-marginal environments. For example, surge and jökulhlaup landsystems.
(2) Process studies within modern ice-marginal sedimentary environments, which may contribute to refinement of existing landsystems models.
(3) Studies of former ice-marginal environments where modern process analogues are used to interpret the morphological and sedimentological record.
(4) Recent applications of landsystems models. For example, groundwater hydrology and engineering geology.

Schedule:

• May 2000 Expression of interest - provisional paper titles
• Paper submission end of October 2000.
• Refereeing up to Christmas
• Publication 2001