The objectives of this project were to establish the geometry and internal structure of open system pingos in Adventdalen, Svalbard using electrical resistivity tomography. A clear distinction can be made between the electrical properties of the pingos investigated, depending upon whether they are located either above (Innerhytte pingo) or below (Hytte and Longyear pingos) the maximum Holocene marine limit. The resistivity profile at Innerhytte pingo was characterised by high values of resistivity , indicating either ice-rich frozen bedrock or a lens of massive ground ice. The electrical resistivity of Hytte and Longyear pingos, both developed within fine-grained, saline marine clays, is exceptionally low (predominantly ) for permanently frozen ground. This is inconsistent with the presence of a body of massive ground ice, and suggests that the internal structures of Longyear and Hytte pingos do not follow the classic model of a plano-convex pingo-core of massive injection ice. Instead, the internal structure of these landforms may be dominated by segregation ice and localised pockets of massive ice within a matrix of partially frozen, fine-grained marine muds. The high salinity of the pore waters and the fine-grained nature of the sediment cause high unfrozen pore water contents, even at temperatures well below , enabling electrolytic conduction and resulting in apparently anomalously low resistivity measurements. It is therefore concluded that electrical resistivity tomography must be interpreted with care when applied to the characterisation of permafrost in areas of saline marine sediments. Future field monitoring of permafrost landforms and laboratory testing of ice-rich sediments are recommended to improve geophysical interpretation of permanently frozen materials.
References
- , 1973, Studier av pingos I Adventdalen och Reindalen på Spetsbergen: Lund Universitets Natur-geografiska Institution, Rapporter och Notiser, 15, 27–44.
- , 1976, The structure and morphology of minerogenic palsas in northern Norway: Biuletyn Peryglacjalny, 26, 25–31.
- , 1987, Periglacial forms of Svalbard, a review: in
Periglacial Processes and Landforms in Britain and Ireland , Boardman, J. (ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 9–25. - , 1999, The internal structure of a palsa and a peat plateau in the river Boniface region, Quebéc: inferences on the formation of ice segregation mounds: Géographie physique et Quaternaire, 53, 373–387.
- , , and , 1987, Palsas and mineral permafrost mounds in northern Québec: in
International Geomorphology , Gardiner, V., (ed.), PartII ., J. Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester, 285–309. - , 1988, Shoreline permafrost in Kangiqsualujjuag Bay, Ungava, Québec: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.),Trondheim, Norway , Tapir Publishers,Trondheim , 113–118. - , 1973, Physics, chemistry, and mechanics of frozen ground, a review:
Permafrost: North American Contribution, 2nd International Permafrost Conference ,Yakutsk, USSR , National Academy of Science, Washington, DC., 257–288. - , 1966, Pingos in north-west Spitsbergen: Norsk Polarinstitutt, Årbok 1965, 75–80.
- , 2002, Nature and distribution of frozen saline sediments on the Russian Arctic Coast: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 13, 83–90.
- , 1997, Circum-Arctic map of permafrost and ground-ice conditions:
Circum-Pacific map series-45 , U.S. Geological Survey, 1∕10 000 000. - , 1995, Observations of open system pingos in a marsh environment, Mellemfjord, Disko, central west Greenland: Danish Journal of Geography, 95, 42–48.
- , 2005, Permafrost in the Gruve-7 mine, Adventdalen, Svalbard: Norwegian Journal of Geography, 59, 109–115.
- , 2003, Palsa dynamics in a subarctic mountainous environment, Wolf Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada: in
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Permafrost , Phillips, M.Springman, S. H. Arenson, L. U. (eds.),Zurich , Swets and Zeitlinger, Lisse, 163–168. - , 1965, Observations on pingos and other landforms in Schuchertdal, northeast Greenland: Geografiska Annaler, 47, 224–236.
- , 1988, Seasonal variations in resistivity and temperature in discontinuous permafrost: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.), Tapir Publishers, Trondheim, 927–932. - , 2003, Umiujag, northern Quebéc: innovative techniques to monitor the decay of a lithalsa in response to climate change: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 14, 375–385.
- , 2006, Mountain permafrost distribution modelling using a multi-criteria approach in the Hövsgöl area, Northern Mongolia: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 17, 91–104.
- , 2005, Permafrost boreholes in Iceland:
Second European Conference on Permafrost ,Potsdam, Germany , 12–16 June. 123. - , 1973, Mapping and predicting permafrost in North America, a review 1963–1973:
Permafrost: North American Contribution, 2nd International Permafrost Conference ,Yakutsk, USSR , National Academy of Science, Washington, DC., 479–498. - , 1988, Mechanical properties of frozen saline soils: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.), Tapir Publishers, Trondheim 1,078–1,084. - , 1988, Measurements of active layer and permafrost parameters with electrical resistivity, self-potential and induced polarisation: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.), Tapir Publishers, Trondheim, 148–153. - , 1983, Engineering properties and foundation design alternatives in marine Svea clay, Svalbard:
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Permafrost ,Fairbanks, Alaska , National Academy Press, Washington, DC., 384–388. - , 1988, Permafrost conditions in the shore area at Svalbard: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.), Tapir Publishers, Trondheim, 933–936. - , 1996, On the characteristics and possible origins of ice in rock glacier permafrost: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie Supplement, 104, 43–57.
- , 1982, Pingos in the Brooks Range, northern Alaska, USA: Arctic and Alpine Research, 14, 13–20.
- , 2000, Permafrost mapping by transient electromagnetic method: Permafrost and Perigiacial Processes, 11, 71–84.
- , 2006, Resistivity structures in alas areas in Central Yakutia, Siberia, and the interpretation of permafrost history: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 17, 105–118.
- , 1996, Permafrost age and thickness near Adventfjorden, Spitsbergen: Polar Record, 20, 267–281.
- , 2007, Pingos and Pingo Scars: in
Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science , Elias, S. (ed.), Elsevier, 2200–2207. - , 2001, Geophysical methods for detecting permafrost in high mountains: Ph.D. thesis ETH Zurich, VAW-Mitteilung, 171, 204 pp.
- , 2003a, Evaluation of geophysical techniques for application in mountain permafrost studies: in
Geophysical Methods in Geomorphology , Schrott, L.Hoerdt, A.Dikau, R. (eds.), Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie Supplement, 132, 161–190. - , 2003b, Inversion and interpretation of two-dimensional geoelectrical measurements for detecting permafrost in mountainous regions: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 14, 305–318.
- , 2003c, Permafrost monitoring using time-lapse resistivity tomography: in
Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Permafrost , Phillips, S.Springman, S. M. Arenson, L. U. (eds.), 21–25th July 2003,Zurich, Switzerland , Swets and Zeitlinger, Lisse, 361–366. - , 1975, Ground and airborne resistivity surveys of permafrost near Fairbanks, Alaska: Geophysics, 40, 641–656.
- , 2003, Permafrost in Svalbard: a review of research history, climatic background and engineering challenges: Polar Research, 22, 191–215.
- , 2001, Three deep alpine-permafrost boreholes in Svalbard and Scandinavia: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 12, 13–25.
- , 1988, Seismic and electrical properties of unconsolidated permafrost: Geophysical Prospecting, 36, 349–364.
- , 1985, Impulse radar sounding of frozen ground: in
Workshop in Permafrost Geophysics , Brown, J.Metz, M. C. Hoekstra, P. (eds.),Golden, Colorado , 23–24 October 1984. U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Special Report85-5 . 28–40. - , 2006, Surprisingly low resistivity values in an ice-cored moraine in continuous permafrost, Svalbard: Geophysical Research Abstracts, 8, 01252.
- , 1988, Glacial history and permafrost in the Svalbard area: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.), Tapir Publishers, Trondheim, 194–198. - , 1977, Pingos, springs, and permafrost in Spitsbergen: Norsk Polarinstitutt, Årbok 1975, 7–29.
- , 2004, Res2dinv ver. 3.54. Rapid 2-D resistivity and IP inversion using the least-squares method: Geoelectrical Imaging 2-D & 3-D, Geotomo Software, March 2004. www.geoelectrical.com, 124 p.
- , 1995, Least-squares deconvolution of apparent resistivity pseudosections: Geophysics, 60, 1,682–1,690.
- , 1996, Rapid least-squares inversion of apparent resistivity pseudosections by a quasi-Newton method: Geophysical Prospecting, 44, 131–152.
- , 2004, High-arctic fan delta recording deglaciation and environment disequilibrium: Sedimentology, 51, 553–589.
- , 1973, The growth of pingos, Western Arctic coast, Canada: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 10, 979–1,004.
- , 1998, Pingo growth and collapse, Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula area, Western Arctic Coast, Canada: A long term field study: Geographique physique et Quaternaire, 52, 271–323.
- , 2000, Geological map of Svalbard 1:100,000 sheet C9G Adventdalen (revised after Major 1964): Norsk Polar-institutt Temakart nr. 31.
- , 1959, Beobachtungen über Pingos: Meddelelser om Gronland, 153, 1–127.
- , 1944, Litt om kilder på Svalbard: Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift, 10, 1–26.
- , 2004, Pingos in the South Bellsund Region (Spitsbergen): in Polish Polar Studies,
XXX International Polar Symposium , Styszyńska, A.Marsz, A. A. (eds.),Gydnia 2004, 293–305. - , 1966, Some pingos in Spitsbergen: Norsk Polarinstitutt, Årbok 1965, 80–84.
- , 1967, Les pingos de L’Ile Prince Patrick (76°N, 120°W): Geographical Bulletin, 9, 189–217.
- , 2002, Palsas, lithalsas and remnants of these periglacial mounds. A progress report: Progress in Physical Geography, 26, 605–621.
- , 1976, Pingo investigations, north-central Banks Island, Canadian Arctic: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 13, 937–946.
- , 2005, Ground penetrating radar investigation of open system pingos, Adventdalen, Svalbard: Norwegian Journal of Geography, 59, 129–138.
- , 1990, Geophysics in the study of permafrost: in
Geotechnical and Environmental Geophysics , Ward, S. H. (ed.), Investigations in Geophysics no. 5, Vol. 1 Review and Tutorial, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Tulsa, 355–384. - , 1988, D.C. resistivity along the coast at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska: in
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Permafrost , Senneset, K. (ed.), Tapir Publishers, Trondheim, 988–993. - , 1988, Palsas and related forms: in
Advances in Periglacial Geomorphology , Clark, M. J. (ed.), John Wiley, Chichester, 247–278. - , 1971, Pingos i ytre delen av Adventdalen: Norsk Polarinstitutt Årbok 1969, 168–174.
- , 2001, New geophysical methods of investigating the nature and distribution of mountain permafrost with special reference to radiometry techniques: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 12, 27–38.
- , 1995, Late Holocene ‘mineral palsas’ and associated vegetation patterns, a case study from Lac Hendry, northern Québec, Canada and significance for European Pleistocene thermokarst: Quaternary Science Reviews, 14, 179–192.
- , 1991, Age of growth of two pingos, Sarqaq Dalen, west central Greenland: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2, 245–252.
- , 1993, Notes on open-system pingo ice, Adventdalen, Spitsbergen: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 4, 327–334.
- , 1995, Observations on nearshore pingo growth, Adventdalen, Spitsbergen: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 6, 361–372.
- , 2006, Comparison of geophysical investigations for detection of massive ground ice (pingo ice): Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, E06S19.
- , 1996, Pingo growth ages in the delta area, Adventdalen, Spitsbergen: Polar Record, 32, 347–352.
- , 1996, Growth and collapse history of pingos, Kuganquaq, Disko Island, Greenland: Polarforshung, 64, 109–113.
