Temperatures at the base of the Laurentide Ice Sheet inferred from borehole temperature data

Frédérique Rolandone (1) , J.C. Mareschal , C. Jaupart

1 LT - Laboratoire de tectonique

We use temperature profiles from 4 deep (>1600 m) boreholes across Canada to determine ground surface temperature histories (GSTH's) through and after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Inversion yields the temperature history at the base of the glacier and the surface temperature evolution after the glacial retreat. The results indicate geographic differences in basal temperature history across the Ice Sheet. During the Last Glacial Maximum, temperatures at the base of the Ice Sheet were lower in eastern Canada, at the southeastern edge of the glacier, than in central Canada, southwest of the glacier center. At all sites, basal temperatures were above the melting point of ice during and after the LGM, which may explain the highly unstable character of the Ice Sheet. The GSTH's are consistent with information on the history of the Laurentide ice sheet and provide quantitative constraints on glacier flow dynamics.

Domaines: Tectonique

Frédérique Rolandone, J.C. Mareschal, C. Jaupart. Temperatures at the base of the Laurentide Ice Sheet inferred from borehole temperature data. Geophysical Research Letters, 2003, 30 (18), pp.1944. ⟨10.1029/2003GL018046⟩. ⟨hal-00067834⟩