Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4
Debris-covered glaciers and dead ice are common in the Transantarctic Mountains. We investigated the origin and structure of a 0.1 km2 buried dead ice mass in Taylor Valley near the terminus of Taylor Glacier, an outlet from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The dead ice occupies a lobate landform on th...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2025.2478696 |
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| author | Kate M. Swanger Esther Babcock Kelsey Winsor Jennifer L. Lamp Gisela Winckler |
| author_facet | Kate M. Swanger Esther Babcock Kelsey Winsor Jennifer L. Lamp Gisela Winckler |
| author_sort | Kate M. Swanger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Debris-covered glaciers and dead ice are common in the Transantarctic Mountains. We investigated the origin and structure of a 0.1 km2 buried dead ice mass in Taylor Valley near the terminus of Taylor Glacier, an outlet from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The dead ice occupies a lobate landform on the northern valley wall with a 10-m-high, 25° terminus, indicative of previous or modern creep. We investigated the ice via ground-penetrating radar, stable isotopic analyses, and sedimentology of overlying debris. We also investigated stratigraphic relationships between the dead ice, moraines deposited by local alpine Rhone Glacier, and deposits associated with Taylor Glacier. The dead ice is 3 to 9+ m thick, with north-dipping sediment layers, opposite of slope direction. Stable isotopes from the ice are similar to those from modern Rhone Glacier. Based on cosmogenic 3He from dolerite boulders on two lateral moraines, Rhone Glacier was larger than present ~81 to 94 ka. The dead ice separated from Rhone Glacier during or after deposition of these moraines. We conclude that Taylor Glacier retreated from its Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e (~125 ka) maximum (~250 m above present) to its present level or lower by ~62 ka but possibly as early as ~81 to 94 ka. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-35d7c098a3fb4b2babe0cbc5b9dd63f6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1523-0430 1938-4246 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
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| series | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-35d7c098a3fb4b2babe0cbc5b9dd63f62025-08-20T03:15:08ZengTaylor & Francis GroupArctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research1523-04301938-42462025-12-0157110.1080/15230430.2025.2478696Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4Kate M. Swanger0Esther Babcock1Kelsey Winsor2Jennifer L. Lamp3Gisela Winckler4Department of Environmental Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USALogic Geophysics & Analytics LCC, Anchorage, Alaska, USADepartment of Environmental Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory The Earth Institute, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory The Earth Institute, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USADebris-covered glaciers and dead ice are common in the Transantarctic Mountains. We investigated the origin and structure of a 0.1 km2 buried dead ice mass in Taylor Valley near the terminus of Taylor Glacier, an outlet from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The dead ice occupies a lobate landform on the northern valley wall with a 10-m-high, 25° terminus, indicative of previous or modern creep. We investigated the ice via ground-penetrating radar, stable isotopic analyses, and sedimentology of overlying debris. We also investigated stratigraphic relationships between the dead ice, moraines deposited by local alpine Rhone Glacier, and deposits associated with Taylor Glacier. The dead ice is 3 to 9+ m thick, with north-dipping sediment layers, opposite of slope direction. Stable isotopes from the ice are similar to those from modern Rhone Glacier. Based on cosmogenic 3He from dolerite boulders on two lateral moraines, Rhone Glacier was larger than present ~81 to 94 ka. The dead ice separated from Rhone Glacier during or after deposition of these moraines. We conclude that Taylor Glacier retreated from its Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e (~125 ka) maximum (~250 m above present) to its present level or lower by ~62 ka but possibly as early as ~81 to 94 ka.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2025.2478696Ground-penetrating radarcosmogenic exposure datingpermafroststable isotopesMcMurdo Dry Valleys |
| spellingShingle | Kate M. Swanger Esther Babcock Kelsey Winsor Jennifer L. Lamp Gisela Winckler Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4 Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research Ground-penetrating radar cosmogenic exposure dating permafrost stable isotopes McMurdo Dry Valleys |
| title | Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4 |
| title_full | Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4 |
| title_fullStr | Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4 |
| title_short | Moraines and dead ice in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4 |
| title_sort | moraines and dead ice in taylor valley antarctica record retreat of alpine and outlet glaciers from marine isotope stage 5 to 4 |
| topic | Ground-penetrating radar cosmogenic exposure dating permafrost stable isotopes McMurdo Dry Valleys |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2025.2478696 |
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