Geologic Provinces Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet Constrained by Geophysical Data Synthesis

MacGregor, Joseph A.; Colgan, William T.; Paxman, Guy J. G.; Tinto, Kirsty J.; Csathó, Beáta; Darbyshire, Fiona A.; Fahnestock, Mark A.; Kokfelt, Thomas F.; MacKie, Emma J.; Morlighem, Mathieu; Sergienko, Olga V.

Abstract

Present understanding of Greenland's subglacial geology is derived mostly from interpolation of geologic mapping of its ice‐free margins and unconstrained by geophysical data. Here we refine the extent of its geologic provinces by synthesizing geophysical constraints on subglacial geology from seismic, gravity, magnetic and topographic data. North of 72°N, no province clearly extends across the whole island, leaving three distinct subglacial regions yet to be reconciled with margin geology. Geophysically coherent anomalies and apparent province boundaries are adjacent to the onset of faster ice flow at both Petermann Glacier and the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream. Separately, based on their subaerial expression, dozens of unusually long, straight and sub‐parallel subglacial valleys cross Greenland's interior and are not yet resolved by current syntheses of its subglacial topography.

Citation

MacGregor, J. A., Colgan, W. T., Paxman, G. J. G., Tinto, K. J., Csathó, B., Darbyshire, F. A., …Sergienko, O. V. (2024). Geologic Provinces Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet Constrained by Geophysical Data Synthesis. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(8), Article e2023GL107357. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl107357

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 4, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Apr 16, 2024
• Publication Date: Apr 28, 2024
• Deposit Date: Apr 22, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 22, 2024
• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Print ISSN: 0094-8276
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 51
• Issue: 8
• Article Number: e2023GL107357
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl107357
• Keywords: subglacial geology, Greenland Ice Sheet, remote sensing
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2392342