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Ice-Fabric Study of the Mawson Region, East Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2017

K. Kizaki*
Affiliation:
Antarctic Division, Department of External Affairs, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Abstract

Attempts are made to test the relation predicted by Brace (1960) between strain-rates and the ice-fabric patterns obtained at Mawson station, east Antarctica. These orientation fabrics not only are hardly related to the prediction by Brace (1960) or Kamb (1959) but also change easily within a strain grid with 100m diagonals.

Stable patterns of two- and three-maximum fabrics are confirmed. The latter is common and stable in the coarse ice at the surface of the ice sheet. It is apparent that the fabric patterns are generally related to the grain-size. The single-maximum fabric always occurs in fine-grained ice, then more maxima are formed in the course of grain growth.

It appears that syntectonic-secondary recrystallization is effective in producing the orientation fabrics with two, three and multiple maxima. Also, the maxima always shift away from the pole of foliation as grain-size increases and there are several stable positions of maximum such as 0°, 17°, 23° and 30°. It is expected that further stable angles would occur with coarser crystals as found in temperate glaciers.

Résumé

Résumé

Des essais ont été réalisés pour tester la relation prévue par Brace (1960) entre la vitesse de déformation et les figures de fabrique de glace obtenues à la station Mawson, Antarctique orientale. Ces fabriques d’orientation ne sont pas seulement fortement liées aux prédictions de Brace (1960) et de Kamb (1959) mais changeent aussi dans une grille de déformation avec des diagonales de 100 m.

Des figures stables à deux ou trois maximum de fabrique ont été confirmées. Les dernières sont communes et stables dans la glace à gros grains à la surface de l’indlandsis. II apparaît que les figures de fabrique sont en général en relation avec la grandeur des grains. La fabrique à un seul maximum dc figure existe toujours dans la glace à grains fins, puis plus de maximum se forment au cours de la croissance des grains.

Il apparaît que la recristallisation secondaire syntectonic est effective en produisant les fabriques d’orientation avec deux, trois ou plus de maximum. De même, le maximum glisse toujours loin du pôle de foliation avec l’augmentation des dimensions des grains, et il y a plusieurs positions stables du maximum comme à 0°, 17°, 23° et 30°. On pense que d’autres angles stables pourraient apparaître avec des cristaux plus gros comme il s’en trouve dans les glaciers tempérés.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Es wurde versucht, die von Brace (1960) voraugesagte Beziehung zwischen Deformationsgeschwindigkeiten und den Mustern des Eisgefüges an Proben zu prüfen, die an der Mawson Station, Ost-Antarktika, gewonnen worden waren. Diese orientierten Gefüge zeigen nicht nur so gut wie keine Übereinstimmung mit der Vorhersage von Brace (1960) oder Kamb (1959), sondern sie verändern sich auch leicht innerhalb eines Spannungsgitters mit 100 m Diagonalenlänge.

Stabile Gefügemuster mit zwei- und dreifachen Extremwerten wurden festgestellt. Dic letzteren sind im grobkörnigen Eis an der Oberfläche des Inlandeises weitverbreitet und stabil. Offensichtlich sind die Gefügemuster allgemein von der Korngrösse abhängig. Gefüge mit einem Extremum treten immer in feinkörnigem Eis auf, mehr Extremwerte bilden sich dann mit dem Kornwachstutn.

Es scheint, dass sekundäre syntektonische. Rekristallisation eine Rolle bei der Bildung von orientierten Gefügen mit zwei-, drei- oder mehrfachen Extremwerten spielt. Ebenso entfernen sich mit zunehmender Korngrösse die Maxima immer vom Pol der Bänderung; dabei gibt es einige stabile Positionen der Maximalwerte, etwa 0°, 17°, 23° und 30°. In gröberen Kristallen, wie sic in temperierten Gletschern vorkommen, ist das Auftreten weiterer stabiler Winkel zu erwarten.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Glaciological Society 1969
Figure 0

Fig. 1.Glaciological map of west,Mawson, east Antarctica.

Figure 1

Table IMonthly Mean Temperature (°C)

Figure 2

Table IIMovement of Strain Grips

Figure 3

Table IIIMeasured Strains and Calculated Principal Strain-Rates (×10−3 year−1)

Figure 4

Table IVFabric Data from the Mawson Region

Figure 5

Fig. 2.a. 210 crystals of new ice (MA1), at grid A. Contours 1–2–3–4 < %; maximum 4% per 1% area. X, direction of the maximum compressive axis; direction of the maximum tensile axis.b. 200 crystals of new ice (MA2) at grid A. Contours 1–2–3–4–5–6 < %; maximum 7% per 1% area.c. 230 crystals of new ice (MA3) at grid A. Contours 1–2–3–4–5 < %; maximum 6% per 1% area.d. 172 crystals of new ice (MA4) at grid A. Contours 1–2–3–4–5 < %; maximum 6% per 1% area.e. 150 crystals of new ice (MB4b) near grid B. Contours 1–2–3–4–5–6 < %; maximum 7% per 1% area.f. 120 crystals of new ice (MB4a) near grid B. Contours 1–2–3–4–5–6 < %” maximum 8% per 1% area.

Figure 6

Fig. 3.a. 110 crystals of coarse ice (MB1a) at grid B. Contours 1–3–5–7–9 < %; maximum 17% per 1% area.b. 173 crystals of coarse ice (MB1b) at grid B. Contours 1–2–3–5–7—9 < %; maximum 12% per 1% area. The section it parallel to the adjacent layer.c. 193 crystals of coarse ice (MCI) at grid C. Contours 1–3–5–7–9 < %; maximum 10% per 1% area.d. 100 crystals of coarse ice (RM1); the surface ice of 10 km up-stream. Contours 1–3–5–7–9—11–13 < %; maximum 26% per 1% area.e. 125 crystals of coarse ice (MB3) east of grid B. Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 20% per 1% area.f. 142 crystals of medium ice (MB2) at the shear zone between grids A and B. Contours 1–3–4–5–7–9 < %; maximum 9% per 1% area

Figure 7

Fig. 4.a. Block diagram of coarse ice (MSD3) showing a superimposed deformation.b. 145 crystals of coarse ice (MSD3) of Figure 4a. Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13 < %; maximum 21% per 1% area. A pattern of superimposed fabrics.c. 160 crystals of fine ice (MSC1). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 12% per 1% area.d. 154 crystals of coarse ice (MD1) west of grid C. Contours 1–2–4–6–8 < %; maximum 10% per 1% area.e. 62 crystals of coarse ice (MSC2). Contours 1–3–5–7–9 < %; maximum 17% per 1% area.

Figure 8

Fig. 5.a. 130 crystals of fine ice (MSA1a). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 15% per 1% area.b. 150 crystals of fine ice (MSA1b), which is a clear band in MSA1a. Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 15% per 1% area.c. 232 crystals of fine ice (MSA2). Contours 1–2–4–6–8–10–12 < %; maximum 18% per 1% area.d. 140 crystals of fine ice (MSB1). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13 < %; maximum 34% per 1% area.e. 120 crystals of medium ice (MSB2). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13 < %; maximum 27% per 1% area. Open circles indicate the bigger crystals from the clear band.

Figure 9

Fig. 6.Overturned fold structure at Marble Rock.

Figure 10

Fig. 7.a. 170 crystals of fine ice (MSF3). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13–15 < %; maximum 27% per 1% area.b. 180 crystals of fine ice (MSF4). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13–15 < %; maximum 26% per 1% area.c. 170 crystals of medium ice (MSF5). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13 < %; maximum 18% per 1% area.d. 220 crystals of fine ice (MSF2). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13–15–17 < %; maximum 24% per 1% area.e. 210 crystals of fine ice (MSF6). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 17% per 1% area.f. 140 crystals of medium ice (MSF1). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 14% per 1% area.

Figure 11

Fig. 8.a. 132 crystals of medium ice (MSG1). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 20% per 1% area.b. 100 crystals of coarse ice (MSG2a). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 26% per 1% area. Bubble-free part of banded ice.c. 160 crystals of medium ice (MSG2b). Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 20% per 1% area. Bubbly part of banded ice.

Figure 12

Table VGrain-Size, Number of Maxima and Distance from the Pole of Controlling Plane

Figure 13

Fig. 9.a. Relation of grain-size (grain number/cm2) to number of maxima.b. Relation of grain-size to distance from pole of foliation.

Figure 14

Fig. 10.Frequency diagram of distances of maximum from pole of controlling plane; 63 maxima.

Figure 15

Fig. 11.a. Scatter diagram of MSF3, of which a contoured diagram is shown in Figure 7a. Recrystallized crystals and crystals of the clear band tend to have a different orientation from that of the original fine crystals. b and c. Axis-distribution of MSG2b, of which a contoured diagram is.down in Figure 8c. No spatial relationship is seen for groups with different orientations

Figure 16

Fig. 12.The shift of optic axes in strained crystals. Note the periodic bending.

Figure 17

Fig. 13.a. 170 crystals of coarse ice (FG3) from Forbes Glacier. Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11 < %; maximum 20% per 1°% area. Surface sample.b. 140 crystals of medium ice (FG1a) from Forbes Glacier. Contours 1–3–5–7–9–11–13 < %; maximum 20% per 1% area. 5 m below surface.c. 220 crystals of medium ice (FG1b) from Forbes Glacier. Contours 1–2–3–4–5–7–9 < %; maximum 10°/” per 1% area 5 m below surface. Clear lens from FG1a.d. 260 crystals of fine ice (FG2) from Forbes Glacier. Contours 1–3–5–7–9 < %; maximum 15%; per 1% area. 10 m below surface.