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Using noble gas ratios to determine the origin of ground ice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Nicholas Utting ,
Bernard Lauriol ,
Denis Lacelle  and
Ian Clark
Nicholas Utting*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Science, University of Ottawa, 25 Templeton Street, Ottawa, ON K2N 1N5, Canada Faculty of Science, Concordia University of Edmonton, 7128 Ada Boulevard, Edmonton AB T5B 4E4, Canada
Bernard Lauriol
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, 60 University, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Denis Lacelle
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, 60 University, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Ian Clark
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Science, University of Ottawa, 25 Templeton Street, Ottawa, ON K2N 1N5, Canada
*
⁎Corresponding author at: Faculty of Science, Concordia University of Edmonton, 7128 Ada Boulevard, Edmonton Alberta T5B 4E4, Canada. E-mail address:[email protected] (N. Utting).
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Abstract

Argon, krypton and xenon have different solubilities in water, meaning their ratios in water are different from those in atmospheric air. This characteristic is used in a novel method to distinguish between ice bodies which originate from the compaction of snow (i.e. buried snow banks, glacial ice) vs. ice which forms from the freezing of groundwater (i.e. pingo ice). Ice which forms from the compaction of snow has gas ratios similar to atmospheric air, while ice which forms from the freezing of liquid water is expected to have gas ratios similar to air-equilibrated water. This analysis has been conducted using a spike dilution noble gas line with gas extraction conducted on-line. Samples were mixed with an aliquot of rare noble gases while being melted, then extracted gases are purified and cryogenically separated. Samples have been analysed from glacial ice, buried snow bank ice, intrusive ice, wedge ice, cave ice and two unknown ice bodies. Ice bodies which have formed from different processes have different gas ratios relative to their formation processes.

Keywords

Noble gasGlacier iceMassive ground icePermafrostCanadian Arctic
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 85 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 177 - 184
Copyright
University of Washington

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