Textural parameters and classification of deposits in the modern glaciomarine environment, Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen

Abstract

Two statistical methods (cluster analysis and discriminant function) based on twenty textural and mass physical parameters of the surficial sediments deposited in the modern glaciomarine sedimentary environment of the NW BrepoIlen Bay, Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen, have resulted in the recognition of the three major lithofacies. According to the origin, type of transport, and depositional pattern they were identified as: (i) glacial till, (ii) ice rafted sediments, (iii) water transported sediments. This classification system enabled the facies identification of older subsurficial deposits from core samples. The areal distribution of analyzed textural and physical properties and their interrelations, against a background of the rapid retreat of the tidewater glaciers (43 to 100 m annually), varied sedimentation rate (4 to 110 mm a year), and presence of dead ice blocks on the bay floor preserved by salt (34‰) and cold (-1 to + 0,5°C) bottom water, have allowed to gain insight into sedimentary processes of a glaciomarine environment.