Friction cracks as directional indicators of glacial flow on Mt. Desert Island, Maine
Slocum RD. 1978. Friction cracks as directional indicators of glacial flow on Mt. Desert Island, Maine. Ohio Journal of Science. 78(1):11-17
'A detailed study of frictional cracks from a Late Pleistocene glacial pavement on the southeastern corner of Mt. Desert Island, Maine, has shown that these small scale glacial erosion features may be used as reliable indicators of the direction of glacial flow. Directional information suggests that ice flows in response to micro- and macrotopography in a limited area. Direction of concavity for a given type of friction crack is constant, but concavity is a useful tool in determining the direction of ice flow only if one distinguishes between crescentic gouges (concave upstream with respect to glacial flow) and both lunate fractures and crescentic fractures (concave downstream). In non-schistose rock types, the most consistent friction crack parameter is primary fracture dip, which is downstream in the direction of ice movement.' /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Slocum, Robert
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Erosion, Geology, Glaciers, Ice, Mount Desert Island