GENESIS OF THE SVEG TILLS AND ROGEN MORAINES OF CENTRAL SWEDEN - MODEL OF BASAL MELT OUT

Shaw, John 1979 1201: Genesis of the Sveg tills and Rogen moraines of central Sweden: a model of basal melt out. Boreas, Vol. 8, pp. 409–426. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483. Climatic amelioration in permafrozen regions causes basal melting of Polar glaciers. Supraglacial debris concentrated at the ice surface by ablation at first inhibits the ablation process. When the surface debris is equal in thickness to the active layer no further surface melting occurs. Till deposition processes in permafrozen areas are consequently dominated by melt out from a basal isothermal zone at melting point. The basal melt‐out process is influenced by englacial structures and forms which are also largely responsible for the resultant landforms and deposits. Such basal melt out may also occur in areas with less severe climate. A model for deposition largely by basal melt out is documented by field observations in central Sweden. Melt‐out tills in areas of former extending or uniform glacier flow show an upward facies change corresponding to poorly attenuated and highly attenuated englacial facies. The till facies are recognised in terms of stratigraphic position, surface form, internal structure, and clast lithology, size, shape, and long‐axis orientation and dip. Areas of former compressive flow are characterised by basal melt out of folded and dislocated englacial debris zones in which the stacking of debris produced transverse moraine ridges. The internal structure of the ridges includes folded till bodies dislocated by thrust planes, horizontal, stratified layers cross‐cutting the tectonic structures, and characteristic distributions of clast long‐axis orientation and dip. The morphology of the ridges at both the macro and micro scales is in accord with the proposed model of formation. The morphological and sedimentological associations produced largely by basal melt out are summarized. An additional implication of the proposed model is that gradual lowering of the supraglacial sediment surface by bottom melting of regionally stagnant ice may be the cause of widespread marine or lacustrine transgression. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved