Journal articles
Fjord network in Namibia: A snapshot into the dynamics of the late Paleozoic glaciation
Abstract : Fjords are glacially carved estuaries that profoundly influence ice-sheet stability by draining and ablating ice. Although abundant on modern high-latitude continental shelves, fjord-network morphologies have never been identified in Earth’s pre-Cenozoic glacial epochs, hindering our ability to constrain ancient ice-sheet dynamics. We show that U-shaped valleys in northwestern Namibia cut during the late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA, ca. 300 Ma), Earth’s penultimate icehouse, represent intact fjord-network morphologies. This preserved glacial morphology and its sedimentary fill permit a reconstruction of paleo-ice thicknesses, glacial dynamics, and resulting glacio-isostatic adjustment. Glaciation in this region was initially characterized by an acme phase, which saw an extensive ice sheet (1.7 km thick) covering the region, followed by a waning phase characterized by 100-m-thick, topographically constrained outlet glaciers that shrank, leading to glacial demise. Our findings demonstrate that both a large ice sheet and highland glaciers existed over northwestern Namibia at different times during the LPIA. The fjords likely played a pivotal role in glacier dynamics and climate regulation, serving as hotspots for organic carbon sequestration. Aside from the present-day arid climate, northwestern Namibia exhibits a geomorphology virtually unchanged since the LPIA, permitting unique insight into this icehouse.
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-03331205
Contributor : Isabelle Dubigeon Connect in order to contact the contributor
Submitted on : Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - 3:16:06 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, October 19, 2021 - 10:53:11 PM
Contributor : Isabelle Dubigeon Connect in order to contact the contributor
Submitted on : Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - 3:16:06 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, October 19, 2021 - 10:53:11 PM
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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License