A Geophysical Investigation of a Rock Glacier in the Canadian Rockies
Abstract
In this project a geophysical survey was conducted on the rock glacier in the Helen
Lake watershed (Ban National Park, Alberta, Canada) to investigate its internal
structure. Geophysical methods involved electrical resistivity tomography, seismic
refraction and ground penetrating radar. The main objectives were (1) to identify
the presence of ice, (2) determine the depth to bedrock and (3) trace the pathways
of ground water flow. The conceptual model of the rock glacier was built based on
the interpretation of geophysical data sets. It showed that the rock glacier represents
an important hydrological unit playing a significant role in storage and release of
water sustaining the late summer flow in the watershed. This research contributes to the understanding of how such hydrological units as rock glaciers function and what predictions could be made about the consequences of the climate warming for these natural water reservoirs.
Description
Keywords
Geophysics, Hydrology
Citation
Mozil, A. (2016). A Geophysical Investigation of a Rock Glacier in the Canadian Rockies (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24745