The Journal of Geology, January-February 1893: A Semi-Quarterly Magazine of Geology and Related Sciences — John Shaqi
The Journal of Geology, January-February 1893: A Semi-Quarterly Magazine of Geology and Related SciencesVarious
Science
The Journal of Geology, January-February 1893: A Semi-Quarterly Magazine of Geology and Related Sciences
Various
Geology -- Periodicals
surface, blocks dislodged from it are borne away on the surface of the
glacier, and constitute superglacial drift. Blocks dislodged from near
the summit, but below the surface of the ice, are presumably carried
onward in the upper zone of the glacier; while other blocks detached
at various but sufficient heights on the side of the prominence are
doubtless borne around into the lee and carried forward in the same
vertical plane as the summit stream, so that there comes to be a
vertical zone set with boulders moving on from the lee side of the
nunatak.
Lofty ledges or plateaus, with vertical or undercut faces, furnish
similar means for the lodgment of debris within the body of the ice.
In these and doubtless in other ways it appears that there came to be
lodged directly within the body of the Pleistocene glaciers at some
considerable distances above their bases, blocks derived from rock
prominences that rose with sufficient steepness above the general
surface of the country over which the ice passed. The lodgment of
debris on the lateral borders of glaciers is neglected here because
it has little or no applicability to the phenomena of the upper
Mississippi basin. It is also doubtful whether any prominences
protruded through the ice except near the thin edge, when advancing and
retreating, and these are too inconsiderable to merit attention.
It is obvious, upon consideration, that blocks detached from summits
or from the sharp angles of out-jutting ledges or plateaus might
suffer some glacial abrasion in the process of their dislodgment and
transposition along the crest or projecting angle, but that in general
such abrasion would be small, and, in most cases, nearly or quite
absent. The debris so incorporated in the body of the ice would be,
for the most part, angular, and, as it was brought forward in the ice,
it would probably suffer very little abrasion. If it continued to move
forward in the plane in which it started, descending only so much as
the bottom wastage of the ice required, it would be brought out to
the terminal slope of the ice sheet by virtue of the melting away of
the ice above, and thence it would be carried on down the terminal
slope as superglacial debris, and dropped at the frontal edge. If this
be the true and full history, there would be no commingling of this
englacial matter with the subglacial debris. It is evident, that the
englacial matter brought forward from the crest of one prominence would
be intermingled with that brought forward from other prominences lying
in a line with it, or lying so near it that the lateral spreading of
the debris would lead to commingling. It is also clear that variations
in the direction of currents would tend to the same result, so that
englacial matter from different prominences of the same general region
might be commingled. So also englacial material, by crevassing and by
the descent of streams from the surface to the base, would be carried
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account