Yukon Geological Survey publication metadata (English, HTML)

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2026-09-09

Glacier surging is a flow instability characterized by short periods of rapid glacier flow separating longer periods of normal flow. It is accepted that sustained high sub-glacial water pressure causes glacier surging by decoupling the glacier from its bed, but how this high subglacial water pressure is developed and sustained is the subject of debate. The current focus of glaciological research is on the interaction of subglacial processes with the subglacial drainage system. We have developed new investigative techniques for exploring two subglacial processes: basal deformation and electrical phenomena. These techniques have been plied in research undertaken on Trapridge Glacier, a small surge-type glacier in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada; these are the first in situ measurements of deformation, electrical resistivity, and streaming potentials beneath a surge-type glacier. The development of a reliable theological description of subglacial material required field observations of its stress-strain response; this was the motivation for our subglacial deformation experiments. We have demonstrated that no clear relationship exists between values of shear stress and…

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