Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 08/18/2013 - 13:05
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Drumlin Formation in Iceland

Hey Mr. Esler,

I was curious to whether information could be extracted from the moraines. Do the moraines leave behind layers of deposited sediment that can be looked at like drumlins? What makes them different from the drumlins and can any information be collected from them to tell us more about the glacial surges? If so, is the expedition team collecting any samples from them?

Hope everything wraps up smoothly, -Anthony Colla

Mon, 08/19/2013 - 02:13

Jamie Esler

Anthony,Wow! These are great questions.
1.) Valuable information about glacial mechanics can certainly be
obtained from studying moraines and the till they are composed of. The
group of Nordic scientists that worked with us expressed interest in
helping to collect AMS samples from the most recent 2008 "mini surge"
moraine. The AMS samples could, again, help scientists figure out the
direction and orientation of the forces and stresses that the glacier
exerted to push or deposit the till in these particular locations.
2.) Moraines differ from drumlins in quite a few ways, but here are two
important ones:
- Moraines are formed by deposition of till in ridges/hill that run
PARALLEL to the ICE MARGIN of the glacier. Drumlins run PERPENDICULAR
to the ICE MARGIN of the glacier. When I get back to class with you in
a couple of weeks I will have a nice map of Mulajokull that shows the
various moraines/drumlins there; you'll be able to see right away this
main difference.
- There are many types of moraines that glaciers can create. They can
form on the surface of the glacier, on the sides of the glacier, at at
the very end of the glacier. As far as scientists know, there is only
one type of drumlin; which forms at the base or bottom of the glacier.
3.) From the sounds of the conversation in the cook tent on our last
night in camp on Friday, the team is intending to investigate the 2008
'mini surge' moraine in much greater depth next summer. The NSF funding
for this research is providing funds for two field seasons worth of data
collection: this summer and next summer. I will not be coming back
next summer, but the rest of the team is, and it seems that sampling and
investigation will be about both the drumlin field and the most recent
2008 moraine.
Thanks for the great questions Anthony. I'll have a GREAT map in class
upon return that will help further illustrate my answers.
See you in a few weeks!
Mr. Esler