| Title | Geohazard analysis of the Arctic Inter-island Channels |
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| Author | Bennett, R; Piper, D J W ; Hill, P R |
| Source | Arctic Change 2014, poster abstracts; 2014 p. 10-11 |
| Links | Online - En ligne
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| Image |  |
| Year | 2014 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20140377 |
| Publisher | ArcticNet |
| Meeting | Arctic Change 2014; Ottawa; CA; December 8-12, 2014 |
| Document | book |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Offshore region |
| Area | Arctic |
| Subjects | geophysics; marine geology; Health and Safety; health hazards; arctic geology; arctic expeditions; climate, arctic; channels |
| Program | Public Safety
Geoscience Marine Geohazards |
| Released | 2014 01 01 |
| Abstract | The Government of Canada's Northern Strategy envisions resource-driven development of the north, increased usage of transportation routes through the Canadian Arctic, and economic benefits flowing to
northern communities. The safe and secure development of marine areas in the North requires an assessment of the potential for hazardous geological events (geohazards) such as earthquakes, submarine landslides and tsunamis. Marine geohazards are
difficult to assess in the Arctic inter-island channels however due to the fundamental scarcity of data. Archived data at the Geological Survey of Canada and more recent data acquired during ArcticNet expeditions has resulted in a collection of
multibeam, sub-bottom profiler, high-resolution seismic and sediment cores that is widely scattered over the region.
The current understanding of the geologic framework is that the Arctic inter-island channels are comprised of bedrock overlain by
discontinuous till. Thin glaciomarine sediments drape the till and/or bedrock. Discontinuous localized accumulations of Holocene sediment infill depressions with thickness varying from <1 to 10 m.
Hydrocarbon venting features have been observed
using multibeam and sub-bottom imagery in Barrow Strait. Understanding these features is important to establishing a baseline of natural hydrocarbons present in the waters of the Arctic inter-island channels. Multibeam and sub-bottom data can be used
to determine the extent if the venting features on the seabed and their level of activity or inactivity.
Glacial lineations are present on the seafloor of several of the inter-island channels of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The high slope
angles associated with these features (which can be up to 60°) could pose a hazard to potential seabed infrastructure such as communication cables. Ice scours caused by icebergs or sea ice have been observed to water depth of 850m at the mouth of
Lancaster Sound. These scours are of interest as present day iceberg keels have been observed to have a maximum draft of 450 ¿ 500 m in the Arctic. Ice scours in 850 m water depth may have been caused during the last glaciation when sea level was
about 100 m lower and glacial ice up to 1000 m thick was present in the area. The study of these deep water scours is important in order to distinguish them from the scours that are being generated from the present ice conditions.
Slope failures
have been observed in Eclipse Sound in north eastern Nunavut but additional multibeam data is required in areas where high seabed slope angles are present in order to determine the distribution of sediment failure in the region. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The Government of Canada's Northern Strategy envisions resource-driven development of the north, increased usage of transportation routes through the
Canadian Arctic, and economic benefits flowing to northern communities. The safe and secure development of marine areas in the North requires an assessment of the potential for hazardous geological events (geohazards) such as earthquakes, submarine
landslides and tsunamis. Marine geohazards are difficult to assess in the Arctic inter-island channels however due to the fundamental scarcity of data. Geohazards observed in the study area based on the small amount of exsisting data are gas vents,
rough and uneven seafloor, ice scours, and submarine landslides. Additional data is required to better understand the distribution and magnitude of these hazards. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 295691 |
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