Compendium of Field Notes from Aklavik Townsites Studies 1954

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Access and use of this website and the material on it are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth at Compendium of Field Notes from Aklavik Townsites Studies 1954 Brown, R. J. E.; Johnston, G. H.; Pihlainen, J. A.

A

COMPE'\YDIUTVI

O F

FITLU

NOTES

FROM

AKLAVIK

TOln'PTS I 7 E STTJDIES

1954

h. J . E , Brown, G.H. J o h n s t o n and ,T.k, P i h l a i n e n

-

Report T>:o,

64

o? the

M I L E S

PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIAGRAM OF THE MACKENZIE

DELTA

AND

ADJACENT UPLAND

T h i s r e p o r t i s of a n u n u s u a l c h a r a c t e r b u t i s i n c l u d e d I n t h e D i v i s i o n of B u i l d i n g R e s e a r c h r e p o r t s e r i e s f o r c o n v e n i e n c e , It c o n s i s t s of a complete r e p r o d u c t i o n of t h o f i e l d n o t e s of t h e a u t h o r s made w h i l e t h e y p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e s u r v e y f o r t h e new s i t e f o r t h e town of A k l a v i k d u r i n g t h e summer of

1954.

The a u t h o r s a r e r e s e a r c h o f f i c e r s i n t h e P e r m a f r o s t S e c t i o n of t h e D i v i s i o n of B u i l d i n g R e s e a r c h . They s e r v e d a s members o f t h e A k l a v i k R e l o c a t i o n S u r v e y Team u n d e r t h e l e a d e r - s h i p of M r . C.L, X e r r i l l of t h e DeparCment of N o r t h e r n A f f a i r s and N a t i o n a l R e s o u r c e s . T h i s team c a r r i e d o u t a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y of a l l p o s s i b l e t o w n s i t e s f o r t h e new A k l a v i k i n t h e Mackenzie . d e l t a .

-

I t was n a t u r a l t h a t , i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e s p e c i f i c t e s t s i n hand, much u s e f u l s u p p l e m e n t a r y i n f o r m a t i o n s h o u l d have been o b t a i n e d . T h i s i s i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t h e f i e l d n o t e s which make up t h i s r e p o r t , S p e c i a l r e p o r t s have been p r e p a r e d

on s p e c i f i c a s p e c t s of t h e s t u d i e s o f t h e Mackenzie d e l t a b u t

it

has b e e n t h o u g h t w e l l t o p r e p a r e t h i s permanent r e c o r d of t h e f i e l d c a t e s a s a p a r t of t h e g e n ~ r a l c o m p i l a t i o n o f d a t a on t h e d e l t a which may p o s s i b l y be of s e r v i c e a t some f u t u r e d a t e .

Ottawa

G c t o b e r ,

1955.

R o b e r t I?. L e g g e t , D i r e c t o r

T A B U OF CONTENTS

,

TITLE

Campsite

-

Husky Channel Site

Snow Cover Observations

-

Husky Channel Site

Husky Channel Measurements

Husky Channel Soundings

Traverse

-

Husky Channel to Base of Alluvial Fan

-

Winter Conditions

Traverse

-

ABl7 to ABl8

Traverse West up Alluvial Fan

-

West of AB18

Traverse

-

ABl9 to Top of Alluvial Fan

Reconnaissance

-

Base Camp Fan Gully

Reconnaissance

-

Spruce Covered Alluvial Fan

Spruce Fan

-

Elevations

.

7 1

Traverse

-

Along Edge of Richardson Mountain Alluvial

Fans

Polygons

-

Top of Alluvial Fan

Red Mountain "Cirque"

The Ascent of Red Mountain

Test Pit AX-1

Test Pit AX-2

Test Pit AX-3

Test Pit AX-4

Frost Mounds

-

Vicinity of AB18

Test Pit AX-5

Test Pit AX-6

Reconnaissance

-

Willow Creek

Reconnaissance

-

Black Mountain

- 2 -

TITLE

Reconnaissance F l i g h t t o West ~ h a ' n n e l North S i t e West Channel S i t e

Reconnaissance

-

West Channel S i t e

Borehole Markers

-

Husky and West Channel S i t e s Reconnaissance

-

Husky S i t e t o Point Separation t o

East One

The Move of t h e Survey Camp from t h e Husky Channel $ 0 S i t e East Four

Preliminary Recqnnaissance

-

East Channel General Rock Outcrops

-

East C h a ~ e l

East One

-

East Channel East Two

-

East Channel

East Two ( A )

-

East Channel (Norriaf place) East Three

-

East Channel

East Four ( A )

-

E a s t Channel

Preliminary Reconnaissance

-

E a s t Channel

-

General 1

Rock Outcrops

-

East Channel East One

-

East Channel

East Two

-

East Channel

East Two ( A )

-

East Channel (Norrial Place) East Three

-

East Channel

East Four East Channel

Journey

-

East Four t o Aklavik V i a Point Separation Campsite

-

East Three S i t e

Reconnaissance

-

Boot Lake Reconnaissance

-

Twin Lake

TITLE

-

Reconnaissance

-

Boot Gully and Hidden Lake

131

Reconnaissance

-

Boot Creek

137

Air Reconnaissance

-

East Three Site

East Three

-

South End

Reconnaissance

-

Bore Hole Locations

-

East Four

149

Traverses on East Four

-

Benchmark to Lake

One

to

Lake Three

155

Reconnaissance

-

South End of East Four

160

Reconnaissance

-

North End of East Four

167

Reconnaissance

-

Caribou Hills

168

Iceworm Pingo

-

Recbnnaiasance

Maokenzie River Breakup

('1954)

-

Summary

of Information

From RoCo Signals

Mackenzie River Breakup

(1954)

-

Reconnaissance Flight

K o C o

Berry*

D O P O W , ,

2

June.

Mackenzie River Breakup

(1954)

-

Delta,

3

June

Mackenzie River Breakup

(1954)

-

Delta,

4

June

Mackenzie River Breakup

(1954)

-

Delta Reconnaissance

Flight,

4

June

1954

(

JAP)

Mackenzie River Breakup

(1954)

-

Delta,

5

June

F i g u r e 1 Hueky Channel S i t e

-

Photograph L o c a t i o n s

F i w e 2 Husky Channel S i t e ( F o r e s t e d Fan)

-

Photograph L o c a t i o n e F i w r e

3

F r o s t Mound (AX

-

4)

a t Husky Channel S i t e

F i g u r e

4

Husky Channel S i t e ( B l a c k Mountain)

-

Photograph Loc a t ionm F i g u r e

5

Weet Channel S i t e

-

T r a v e r s e and Photograrh T a c a t i o n a F i g u r e

6

A i r T r a v e r s e

-

Husky Channel t o P o i n t S e p a r a t i o n

F i a u r e

7

E a s t Three S i t e

-

T r a v e r s e and Photograph L o c a t i o n s F i g u r e

8

E a s t Four S i t e

-

T r a v e r s e s and Photograph L o c a t i o n s F i g u r e

2

E a s t Four S i t e

-

T r a v e r s e s and Photograph L o c a t i o n e

A i r . P h o t o ~ 1 2 8 6 1 - 1 8 2 Husky Channel S i t e

A i r Photo A12861-185 Husky Channel S i t e ( F o r e s t e d Fan)

p i r

Photo A128610189 Husky Channel S i t e (Black Mountain)

A i r Photo A12861-98 West Channel S i t e

A i r Photo A13406-282 E a s t Three S i t e A i r Photo A12857-283 E a s t Four S i t e

.

Aklavik, N. W. T. 5 t h A p r i l , 1954. CAMPSITE

-

HUSKY

CHANNEL

SITE

On

5 t h April, C. M e r r i l l &

J.

A. P i h l a i n e n went w i t h t h e RCN Bombardier d r i v e r by ( L i e u t . ) , " P a t u Johnson t o t h e H u k y Channel s i t e s t o look o v e r p o s s i b l e base camp s i t e s . We l e f t Aklavik a t 1020, a r r i v e d a t t h e Husky s i t e s a t 1110, s p e n t u n t i l 1630 looking o v e r t h e a r e a and r e t u r n e d t o Aklavik a t

1715. The day was sunny and c l e a r w i t h a temperature of about 10 below and a s l i g h t wind.

The t r a i l along the P e e l Channel t o Willow Creek i s used f r e q u e n t l y b y t h e l o c a l people and i s i n e x c e l l e n t shape. The

l a r g e s t d r i f t s , u s u a l l y hard, wind packed snow were o n l y about one f o o t high. Thus t h e v e h i c l e "raced" along a t a n e s t i m a t e d 30 mph, Off t h e "compactedn t r a i l , snow c o n d i t i o n s v a r i e d from small, hard and numerous dune l i k e d r i f t s t o

a r e a s blanketed with 1 t o 2 f e e t of "sugarm snow with a powdery 2 - t o

4

i n c h t o p ,

The t r a i l up

W i l l o w

Creek t o t h e base of t h e Richardson M t s . i s used by Fred Norris t o h a u l a g r e y s h a l e f i l l used

l o c a l l y ,

It

i s i n good shape f o r the whole l e n g t h . P o r t i o n s of t h e t r a i l which connect t h e c r e e k t o t h e l a k e and the l a k e t o t h e l a k e a r e " h i l l y t 1 and f u l l of t i g h t -turns. No s e r i o u s d r i f t i n g was noted a l t h o u g h a d e e p e r g e n e r a l snow cover was -

observed, I n t r a v e l l i n g over a l a r g e l a k e i t was noted t h a t dunes both old and new were p a r a l l e l , ( i . e . t h e p r e v a i l i n g winds must be g e n e r a l l y u n i d i r e c t i o n a l ) . Winter roads should t h e r e f o r e run p a r a l l e l t o dunes,

Generally the snow cover i n f o r e s t e d a r e a s a t t h e t o e s of the f a n s were d e e p e r than on t h e s l o p e . Average snow cover i n the s p a r s e f o r e s t of spruoe was

3

f e e t . There was

-

much d r i f t i n g , with t h e l a r g e s t d r i f t s estimated a t 1 0 f e e t . Snow i n f o r e s t e d p o r t i o n s was g e n e r a l l y and r e l a t i v e l y s o f t , i , e , sugar snow with a powdery top above a t h i n c r u s t .

S h e l t e r and water requirements of t h e base camp r e s t r i c t i t s l o c a t i o n i n a " f o r e s t e d " a r e a . S e v e r a l s u i t a b l e ( i . e . almost c l e a r e d ) a r e a s a r e a v a i l a b l e a d j a c e n t t o two l a k e s . The a v a i l a b i l i t y of w a t e r a s determined by i c e auger borings w i l l l a r g e l y determine t h e f i n a l camp s i t e .

The g r a d u a l s l o p e of t h e a l l u v i a l f a n s have s p a r s e v e g e t a t i o n e x c e p t i n some a r e a s where willow t h i c k e t i s very heavy. A s would be expected, where v e g e t a t i o n i s s c a r c e , snow cover i s n o t deep

-

maximum of 2 f e e t ( n o t i n c l u d i n g random d r i f t s ) . The snow i s hard & wind packed. Exploratory d r i l l i n g w i l l be c a r r i e d o u t i n t h i s t e r r a i n , It i s expected t h a t water w i l l c o n s t i t u t e t h e g r e a t e s t problem s o t h e f i r s t h o l e s w i l l be d r i l l e d i n t h e v i c i n i t y of base camp. A s t h e weather

warns

up, we w i l l move f u r t h e r and f u r t h e r from base camp.

In

no h o l e

w i l l

t h e d i s t a n c e from base camp exceed 2 m i l e s .

A k l a v i k ,

TT.

W e T e

5th Aprf 1,

l95&

Afr view of Husky Channel Camp from 100 f e e t l o o k i n g

n o r t h ,

View of l a k e at base camp

Buaky Charnel Site, M,W,T,

10th

&mil,

1954

On 9th AprfP

the drif

l

big crew

and

other? m e m b e ~ s of the

survey team went

to the lake

adjacent t o theebass camp t o

make

an attempt to obtain wa$er f o r the dgsilling operations with. khs

aid of

an

ice au er. The dPrwenaions of %he fake are sppasoxima-

tely 1 mile by 172 to

3 4

mile and it is oriented

in an

appro-

ximately north-ess % aou6h-west directisn,

There

is a

general

north

-

s o u t h

aPi

ent

to

the smaf

P

snow dirf ts

and dunes

i~dioatiwg

a

prevailing

wind

generally

from a

n o r ~ w e a % e ~ l y d i ~ e o % f ~ ~ $ ~ Pract%~aP%y

a l l

the shoapelinb

sf %he bake

support^

a p m c e tress,

the

highest of which are

25

ts

30

feet

high. Some obasrvat%om were made sf t h e snow cover

on the

l a k e .

The

time

was

2P00 and

the temperatara~e about

1~i/;'

Cargo ice wyst4j.1

I F ~ R O P o ~ d e SLPIBW

Where the answ has d~%%ted, the profile of %he anow

coves fs %he % m e as above

wf thsut

the tap

4

inches

of

fins

powder .@wow, The awow ~3.11 support a m a n f s weight with snow shoes BPQt f t j u t fails wi$hou% snow shoes, The snow drifta will support

a manfa

weight without

snow

shoes,

The p r o f i l e a taken of the snow cover on the lake both through a drift and in the lausd~ifted anow were both about

30

feet

f ~ m

$he 3488% side

of'

%he lake,

On

April l Q s

195b

a profile of the snow cover? was taken in a sheltered l o c a t f on in the bush about 200 yamis f r o m the

camp. The air temperatwe was

+ B 3 9

at 1100 when the obser- vations were made,

The

p~edom8nmt vegetation is spruce up

to

30

feet high, W e avefage diatance between trees 3.8

5

$0

18 feet with wiSLBow between the

trees,

The snow cover

at this

Xocatian was

38

inches deep which ~ o u P d be taken a a reasonably

oximting

c o n d i t i s m

in

the bwh

in

t b % e

o ~ e a

a m

t h e

Husky Channel S i t e , N,W.T.

l o t h April,

1954

The snow will s u p p o r t a maltsss w e i g h t on snow shoes but

fails in many places if no shoes are worn.

SkeLtered snow cover s a t e about 160 yards w e s t of Husky Channel,

Closeup of profile of snow cover in

BR

1630. $now is about

3-2

feet deep.

Husky Ci'umnel Site, %ST.W.T, ~ 8 t h A p r L l ,

1954

On d h p ~ i l 10 at 1700 a profile of the snow c o v e r w a s Wken in an exposed location on one of t h e alluvial fans below the Richardson Msuntafns. Under t h e p r e v a i l i n g n o r t h windp which w a s $louiaa& a t the $ h e of the obaervat$ona, %he snow had d r i f t e d i n t o o v a l shaped d r i f t s (like small d ~ m l i n a ) arf e n h d

in a n o r t h - s o u t h d i p a e c t i ~ n . BT88Fag8 drift Wr&BS SO

f e e t l o n g by

15

f e e t wide by 2 to

3

f e e t deep

i n

%he c e n t r e .

These d s f f ' t s formed mostly &ere there wepe w i l l o w bushes up

$0 2 or

3

f e e t h i g h t o hold the snow. Apart from t h e s e the

vegetation was g e n e r a l l y s c a t t e ~ e d grass and some r e i n d e e r

moss, The a i r t e m p e r a t u r e a t the time sf observation was +€30pe

T h e ppofile was actually taken through the leeward (south) end of a typical s n o w d r i f t about

1/J

of the way from the Kouth end and p e r p e n d i c u l a r t o t h e Bong a x i s of t h e d r i f t ,

The p r o f i l e i s a s foblows:

P ~ o f ' l l e of snow cover i n

exposed area on alluvial fan about

-$

mile west of

base camp, Wind blown

snow cover i s a b o u t two f e e t deep,

Exposed snow esver s i t e of

BR 1639,

B r f f t s on scrub

covered fan a m about

%h.

Husky Channel Site, N,W.T,

12th April,

1954

On A p ~ i l H2$h,

P95h,

G O E, M6rrfll and

R.

J.

E.

B P O ~

f l e w to the junction of the Eusky and Peel Channels a ~ r i v i n g at 1345. The weather was @$ear and sunny with a slight wind and the

ternpepatme m s about +10oP.

W e

m e a s ~ ~ r e d the w i d t h of the Bmky Channel

at

Its mouth

wfth a 200 fsot c h a i n and fa; is

367

fee% wnde, One-quarter mile up the

E m k g Channel, a small a t r e a m eriteps from the s o u t h . W e meaB94red

the $OW water width of the ?uskg Channel fmm t h e vest side 0%" the

mouth sf eke small creek to a point on the opposite bank of the

'Iusky Channel, The low water mark wfdth sf the Husky Channel 1s

35&

f e e t here and the bank to bank width bs 380 feet [a% the Bower extremity of the willow growth).

BR

1653

Mouth of Husky

A p i a 12,

1954

Charnel

Vfew up Husky Channel from mouth a t h R b ~ h a ~ d s o n Mountains fn background,

Husky Channel S i t e , N,W.T., A p r i l 12th,

1954

Husky Channel S i t e , N.W.T. 1 6 t h A p r i l ,

1954

HUSKY

CHANNEL SOUNDINGS

On A p r i l

15,

members of t h e survey team took some soundings on the Husky Channel t o o b t a i n a p r o f i l e ( c r o s s s e c t i o n ) t y p i c a l of t h e Husky Channel. Measurements were taken from t h e s o u t h t o t h e n o r t h bank (cutbank) about 600 f e e t e a s t of where t h e Husky Channel t u r n s t o t h e e a s t f o r i t s 2 mile run t o t h e P e e l Channel. A h o l e was chopped i n the i c e w i t h an axe. An i c e auger was used t o put a h o l e bhrough'the i c e and the sounding was made w i t h a t a p e f a s t e n e d t o a l e a d p i p e n i p p l e . There was no evidence of c u r r e n t and t h e

water was c l e a r , ' The r i v e r i s 240 f e e t wide h e r e and soundings were taken a t 20 o r 40 f o o t i n t e r v a l s ,

The measurements were taken from t h e s o u t h ( f i l l ban

_tf

'

t o t h e n o r t h ( c u t b a n k ) bank. The f i l l bank s l o p e s a t about 30

.

The snow on t h e channel i c e i s

9

inches d3ep. The top i n c h i s l i g h t powdery snow and the remaining

8

inches i s c o a r s e r e c r y s t a l l i z e d i o e p a r t i c l e s of s e v e r a l m i l l i m e t r e s dimension. The

snow

has d r i f t e d and i s d e e p e r on t h e n o r t h .a.ide of t h e channel where

i t

a t t a i n s

a

maximum

- depth of 26 inchea

.

The soundings were as f o l l o w s :

201 (from s o u t h bank)

-

7

12" 40 tr tt It I1 tl

-

1.018" 60 1 tt n II II

-

17'8"

80 1 It I t

-

1812" 100

'

I1 I1 11

-

181

120 1 "

-

1612" 160 1 ~t n I t II I I

-

1318'"

200 1 n

-

1 1 1 220

'

tI I t I1

-

7 '

( i - e , 201 from N bank)

These soundings are probably t y p i c a l of t h e

Husky

Channel a t low water.

Husky Channel S i t e ,

N.W.T.

28th A p r i l , 1954 TRAVERSE

-

HUSKY

CHANNEL TO BASE OF ALLUVIAL FAN

-

WINTER

CONDITIONS

.rr A l l co-ordinates r e f e r t o RCAF a e r i a l photograph A 12861-182. The approximate t r a v e r s e begins a t t h e Husky Channel a t 3-2,

5 ,

E-2.9,

continues i n a w e s t e r l y d i r e c t i o n between t h e two

l a k e s j u s t below t h e edge of t h e a l l u v i a l f a n , t o t h e d r i l l r i g t e n t , Ihe t e n t i s p r e s e n t l y on t h e edge of t h e a l l u v i a l f a n a t S-2.37,

E-je5.

From h e r e t h e t r a v e r s e w i l l f o l l o w a l i n e of willow t h i c k e t which goes up t h e approximate c e n t r e of t h e f a n t o S-2.0, E-0.8 which i s n e a r t h e base of t h e f a n . The t r a v e r s e w i l l be

completed with a ground and a i r examination of t h e g u l l e y , f u m e d by the atream which d e p o s i t e d t h e f a n , whose mouth i s a t 5-2, E-0.

There a r e s e v e r a l o b j e c t i v e s of t h i s t r a v e r s e :

1 ) I n t h e d r i l l i n g o p e r a t i o n s , i t i s planned t h a t h o l e s w i l l be d r i l l e d a t t h e edge h a l f way up, and a t t h e base of the a l l u v i a l f a n on t h i s t r a v e r s e l i n e .

Therefore, d e t a i l e d information of t h e ground f e a t u r e s w i l l be u s e f u l i n supplementing information g a t h e r e d on t h e s o i l s of t h e f a n from t h e d r i l l i n g o p e r a t i o n s . : 2) This t r a v e r s e c r o s s e s t y p i c a l d e l t a and a l l u v i a l

landf o m s . Therefore, d e t a i l e d ground i n f o r m a t i o n i s u s e f u l i n t h e a e r i a l photographic i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of these p a t t e r n s , This i n f o r m a t i o n w i l l be u s e f u l i n h e l p i n g t o i n t e r p r e t s i m i l a r p a t t e r n s on o t h e r a e r i a l photographs i n o t h e r a r e a s ,

Although the snow cover obscures many ground f e a t u r e s , a w i n t e r t r a v e r s e is valuable f o r o b t a i n i n g d e t a i l e d information on the snow cover. It i s hoped t h a t a s i m i l a r t r a v e r s e can be made i n t h e summer t o supplement w i t h information on f e a t u r e s which a r e obscured by t h e w i n t e r snow cover.

On A p r i l 26, JAP and R J E B snowshoed t o t h e Husky Channel from Base Camp a r r i v i n g a t 1430 hrs

.

The sky was c l e a r w i t h

b r i g h t sun and a s t i f f b r e e z e was blowing. The a i r temperature was about +25O~,

The depth of snow cover on the Husky Channel was taken from t h e f i l l b a n k t o t h e cutbank (1.e. S-2.2, E-2.9 t o S-2.L E 2.8).

On t h e day t h e snow depths were taken, a s o u t h wind was blowing t o which t h i s s e c t i o n of t h e channel i s exposed. However,

i t

i s

p r o t e c t e d from the p r e v a i l i n g n o r t h wind by the dense s t a n d s of s p r u c e t o the n o r t h ,

The snow cover

on

t h e f i l l b a n k v a r i e d from 0 t o 6 inches.

A p a r a l l e l s e r i e s of water marks shows very c l e a r l y on the s i l t y f i l l b a n k as r i d g e s oC sevslvrl inches i n h e i g h t , The snow s u r f a c e on t h e f i l l b a n k and .on t h e channel i s s l i g h t l y melted w i t h pock m a r k s .

Husky Channel S i t e , N.kJ.'l'. 2Uth A p r i l , 1354 Water l i n e s on f i l l b a n k on Husky Cha; n e l a t f i r s t s h a r p bend up from j u n c t i o n w i t h P e e l Channel. Note l i n e of w i l l o w on bank and h e a v y s p r u c e growth a t t o p of bank. A p r i l 2 6 t h , 1 9 5 4

S t a r t i n g from t h e C i l l b a n k , a s e r i e s of h o l e r were dug a c r o s s t h e c h a n n e l t o t h e c u t b a n k . The h o l e s were dug i n t h e $now t o t h e i c e a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y 6 f e e t i n t e r v a l s . G e n e r a l l y t h e sno$j p r o f i l e c o n s l a t s o f a t o p l a y e r of s e v e r a l i n c h e s of s u g a r y snow

(powdery, g r a n u l a r ) below which i s a t h i c k e r l a y e r of snow which h a s b e e n r e c r y s c a i l i z e d i n t o i c e columns up t o a b o u t

8

m i l l i m e t r e s

I i n l e n g t h . On t h e f i l l b a n k t h e r e i s a t h i n l a y e r of i c e a t t h e

bottom of t h e snow p r o f i l e ,

'Snow d e p t h s on Husky Channel ( f i l l ~ a n k t o c u t b a n k

-

3-2.2, E-2.9 t o 6-2.1, E2.0) D i s t a n c e from f i l l b a n k 61 1 2

'

1 8 ' 24 30

'

36 42

'

48

54

60 1 66 1

7 Z c

7 8 1

84

1 90 96 I 1 0 2 ' 1 0 8 I

114'

1 2 0

'

126 1 132 1

138

1

144

'

Snow Depth Remarks

Top 2"

-

S u g a r snow Bottom

7 "

-

I c e columns A s t h e snow c o v e r becomes t h i n n e r , t h e t o p l a y e r of s u g a r y snow r e n a i n s f a i r l y c o n s t a n t l y a t t h e sarne t h i c k n e s s and t h e l a y e r of i c e c r y s t a l columns below becomes t h i n n e r . No t o p l a y e r of s u g a r y snow

-

whole p r o f i l e o f i c e c r y s t a l columns.

Husky Channel S i t e , N.W.T. 28th A p r i l ,

1954.

Top i n c h

-

a u g a r snow No a u g a r snow

150

1

3~

156 1 1b21

42.

168,

3%"

_{3 "}

174

'

180 1

4"

186 1

3"

192 t

$t:

Very t h i n t o p l a y e r of s u g a r snow, 1981 From h e r e t o t h e cutbank t h e 204 1

'sin

p r o f i l e f s t o p i n c h was s u g a r

210 t snow. The n e x t i n c h below w a s

2161

91r"

c o l o u r e d a l i g h t yellow-brown.

222 t 12 S e v e r a l i n c h e s below was a n o t h e r

228 1

14"

*"

l a y e r of s i m i l a r l y d i s c o l o u r e d

234q 16" snow. Snow w e t enough f o r snow-

240 1 17 b a l l s ,

246 1 22hn T P ~ 1811

-

powdery s u g a r snow

4z

-

i c e c r y s t a l columns. 252 1

$iw

These p r o f i l e s had s e v e r a l

258 l a y e r s of d i s c o l o u r e d snow.

2641

The cutbank s i d e of t h e Husky Channel is more exposed t o t h e s o u t h wind t h a n t h e f i l l b a n k s i d e which may a c c o u n t f o r t h e d e e p e r snow c o v e r ( d r i f t s )

.

JAP

and

RJEB

walked up $ Bmall c r e e k bed (drew) t o a l a k e which is almost d r i e d upb The mouth of t h i s draw is S-1.9,

E-2.9.

Thia l a k e i s a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y S-1.5, E-2.5.

The bank of t h e draw a t i t s mouth c o n s i s t e d of about 2 i n c h e s of d r y f r o z e n s i l t o v e r t h e wet f r o z e n m a t e r i a l beneath

it.

The e l e v a t i o n of t h e almost d r y l a k e is a b o u t

18

f e e t above t h e Husky Channel (measured by a l t i m e t e r ) .

i

t r a v e r s e o u t l i n e d on page 1 0 On A p r i l

27,

RJEB c o n t i n u e d making o b s e r v a t i o n s a l o n g t h e

.

The s k y was c l e a r w i t h b r i g h t

i

s u n and a s t i f f b r e e z e was blowing. A i r t e m p e r a t u r e was a b o u t

1

+25*, D e t a i l e d snow c o v e r d e p t h s were made on a s m a l l l a k e

a d j a c e n t t o t h e t r a v e r s e . The f i r s t s e c t i o n of t h e t r a v e r s e from t h e Husky Channel t o t h e d r i l l r i g t e n t a t t h e edge of t h e a l l u v i a l f a n was accomplished.

The l a k e on which snow c o v e r depths were taken is t h e f i r s t one n o r t h of t h e l a k e on which t h e Base C a m i s s i t u a t e d . 'Ihe

approximate c o - o r d i n a t e s of t h e l a k e on A12

3

61-182 a r e 5-2.2,

E-2.6. This l a k e is o r i e n t e d g e n e r a l l y i n a southwes t - n o r t h e a s

t

d i r e c t i o n and i s a b o u t

a

m i l e l o n g by about 150 yards wide. It i s w e l l exposed t o t h e p r e v a i l i n g n o r t h wihd. The snow on t h e l a k e h a s d r i d t e d and packed and t h e r e a r e some 6,vidences of pock marking due t o m e l t i n g , as on t h e Husky Channel.

-

13

-

Hbsky Channel S i t e , N.WoTo A p r i l 2 8 t h , 1954.

The snow s u r f a c e on t h e west s i d e of t h e l a k e i s pock marked. The snow s u r f a c e on t h e e a s t s i d e of t h e l a k e h a s s e r i e s of r i p p l e marks on i t and i s more g l a z e d than t o t h e west.

A

s e r i e s of h o l e s was dug through t h e snow cover on t h e l a k e a t 30 f e e t i n t e r v a l s . l h e a e h o l e s were on a west t o e a s t l i n e from S-2.25, E-2.55; t o ' 5-2.25, E-2.7.

D i s t a n c e from west s h o r e Snow Depth Remarks

2"

-

s m a l l columnar i c e

ll;:

c r y s t a l s

-

s u g a r snow

-

l a r g e r columnar i c e c r y s t a l s

-

l a y e r n e a r bottom and f r o z e n t o g e t h e r . Large i c e c r y s t a l s make up whole p r o f i l e and snow is t i g h t l y packed.

270 1

3~

19 Top &n

-

s u g a r snow

300 330

41i

" 7 " Top 1''

-

s u g a r snow 360 d Top

-

s u g a r snow 390 TOP

33"

-

s u g a r snow 420' ( e a s t s h o r e )

4$"

-

packed s u g a r snow

7

-

s o f t e r s u g a r snow

3*"

-

packed s u g a r snow 12hU

-

i c e c r y s t a l columns A f t e r t h e d e p t h of t h e snow c o v e r on this l a k e w a s recorded, t h e t r a v e r s e from t h e Husky Channel was begun, The draw which b n t e r s t h e Husky Channel a t t h e beginning of t h e t r a v e r s e d r a i n s from t h e l a k e on which Base Canp i s l o c a t e d . It i s a V shaped g u l l e y a b o u t 1 0 t o

15

f e e t deep, It i s t h i c k l y grown o v e r w i t h willow and a l d e r varying i n h e i g h t up t o

15

o r 20 f e e t . Some of t h e s e t r e e s have . f a l l e n o v e r making passage v e r y d i f f i c u l t . These t n s e s Are s g w r a l y e a r s o l d and grow v e r y c l o s e t o t h e bottom of t h e g u l l e y , The f l o w of water from t h e l a k e cannot be v e r y g r e a t o r t h e r e would be no t r e e s n e a r t h e bottom of t h e g u l l e y . The Husky Channel backs up t h i s draw and i n t o t h e l a k e d u r i n g f l o o d time i n t h e s p r i n g b u t t h i s h i g h water does n o t p e r s i s t l o n g enough t o a f f e c t t r e e grawth, No water marks were d i s c e r n i b l e on t h e t r u n k s of t h e s e t r e e s . On each s i d e of t h i s g u l l e y , s p r u c e up t o 30 f e e t i n h e i g h t a r e growing i n t e r s p e r s e d w i t h growths of willow and a l d e r . The draw e n t e r s t h e Husky Channel i n

a

f i l l bank on whioh i s p o Q i n g s p a r 8 8 willow

Husky Channel S i t e , N.W.T. A p r i l 28th, 1954.

This bank, a t t h e beginning of t h e t r a v e r s e i s about 20 f e e t above t h e l e v e l of t h e i c e on the Husky Channel (low w a t e r ) . From t h e t o p of t h e bank t o about 40 f e e t Jnland, o n l y willow and a l d e r a r e growing, Behind t h i s f r i n g e , t h e r e a r e s p r u c e t r m a

up t o 401 and 501 high. One l a r g e s p r u c e t r e e had a t r u n k of 4 2 inches circumference a t b r e a s t h e i g h t . These h i g h s p r u c e a r e p r e v a l e n t along the Husky Channel i n t h i s v i c i n i t y and may be

picked o u t on t h e a e r i a l photograph ~ 1 2 8 6 1 - 1 8 2 a s

a

d a r k g r e y l i n e a l o n g the channel from the mouth of t h e draw d e s c r i b e d on page

13

almost t o t h e bend i n t h e channel, where

i t

d i e s o u t (1.e. S-2.5, E-2.8 t o 5-2.2, E-2.7).

I n t h i s a r e a of t a l l . s p r u c e a h o l e was dug i n t h e snow t o observe t h e p r o f i l e of t h i s s h e l t e r e d l o c a t i o n . The p r o f i l e of t h e snow cover i s a s follows:

-€

3"

-

s a l t

powdery snow

T o t a l d e ~ t h 10"

-

s u g a r snow ( a l i t t l e c o a r s e r t h a n t h e

i s

2 b l a y e r above)

13"

-

i c e columns

Ground v e g e t a t i o n i s moss and juniper.

This band of h i g h s p r u c e exkends t o t h e west f o r about

9

f e e t behind which t h e s p r u c e become s l i g h t l y s t u n t e d up t o 20 t o 30 f e e t high, Here t h e willow and a l d e r become a l i t t l e s p a r s e r .

This change i n t h e v e g e t a t i o n shows on West of t h e h i g h spruce, along the channel, t h e

photograph becomes a s f i g h t l y l i g h t e r grey.

t r e e s h e r e have branches which a r e p a r t i a l l y o r

of needles and appear t o be dead. !This may have t o f i r e o r d i s e a s e , There a r e dead s t i c k s s t i c k i n g o u t

may be evidence of burn o r d i s e a s e .

Within t h i s a r e a which extends west t o a between t h e l a k e s , mentioned before, t h e r e a r e two open

only a few s t u n t e d spruce and s c a t t e r e d willow and a r e a s show up on t h e photograph a s l i g h t

d a r k g r e y a r e a which has a predominant oo-ordinates of these' two a r e a s a r e S-2.45, E-2.65.

Two snow cover p r o f i l e s were examined h e r e :

~

1) Snow d e p t h 29"

4"

-

s o f t powdery s ow

12"

-

s u g a r snow

n

13"

L i c e b r y s t a l col-

-

15

-

Husky %ha,rmel Site, N.W.T.

April 28, l954.

% e s $ of the area j u s t descrioed on t h e t r a v e r s e and

between the l a k e s t h e vegetation is dense like i t is near t h e Husky Channel a t t h e beginning of t h e t r a v e r s e , 9 2 e spruce t r e e s a r e up t o 30 f e e t h i g h and h e a l t h y . There f s dense undergrowth of willow and alder, The snow i s 30 inches deep.

The v e g e t a t i o n west o f t h e narssw neck of l a n d between

the two lakes ( S - 2 0 4 , E-2.5) is t a l l spruce up t o

38

f e e t high a n d

averaging 20 t o 30 f e e t be'tweeaa t r e e s . There i s the szme willow

and alder urade%.'u~ush but i t is more s c a t t e r e d than between %he lakes. ?!he snow f a 27 inches deep.

k t 5 - 2 , 3 , L-2.4 there i s a n open area between two groves s f spsuce which extends out o n t o t h e alluvial fan. T h e v e g e t a t i o r here i s dwarf spruce and w f l l o w , a f e w f e e t high. I t i s d i f f i c u l t t o sar r ~ h e t h e ~ $:~-ris open area i s sf deltaic o r a l l u v i a l ibeposithsr altblough t h e v e g e t a t i o n m i g l l t fndf ca'ee psedornLaaantly m a t e r i a l

similar t o t h a t

In

t h e alluvial fan. The snow is 30 inches deep,

The d r i f t s a r e

5

f e e t high and o r i e n t e d In a n east-west

d f ~ e c t f s n , k t t h e edge sf the a l l u v i a l fan beyond t h e spruce v e g e t a t i o n t h e snow coves i s i n t h e p a t h ef t h e p s e v a i l i n g n o r t h wind and i s now about 92 inches deep. The top 2 inches i s sugas

, % snow and the % m e r bO inches c o n s f s % s sf c o % w a r ice

crystals,

S e r f e s of' phs%ogsaphs from north %o south sf

t r r n s f t i s n from delta t o a % l u v i a l fan, Base camp %an is on the lei'$,

W k Channel S i t s , N,W,T.

May {th,

1954.

On :lay

3

R J E B made a detailed %aeeonnaissa,nce alon, a t r a v e r s e

f~0~71 d r i l l h o l e AB-17' t o

AB-18.

T h i s i s a c o n t i m a t i o n o f t h e

traverse nade f r o n the Husky Channel to AB-17 on t h e toe of t h e

a l l u v i a l f a n on which the Husky Site d r i l l i n g i s b e i n g done,

AB-18

i s s i t u a t e d about o n e - t h i r d the d i s t a n c e up the f a n f r o m the t o e to the base.

The s u n was s h i n i n g from above i n a blue s k y

in

kJtsf@h were s t r f n g s of high a l t i t u d e c i ~ ~ u s c l s u d s i n an e a s t - w e s t d % r e e % i o n , A dense fog bank extended f r a m about 400 to I ~ ; O Q feet, and obscured

the s k y i n the north. There was a 2.5 ts 30 mph. north wind b P 6 ~ i ~ l g ~

The g m u n d air temperature was C ~ O F ,

General vf e w of borehol on t h e transf tion f porn

$6 t h e alluvial fan, V S e w

of

a l l u v i a l f a n e x t e n d f n g w e s t from camp-vfew t e w e s t from altitude sf P%6Q f e e t . June 20th,

1954

. e AB-17 the delta

From AB-17 the t r a v e r s e fo116md the P%ne sf willow % h i c k s t

from 3-2,25, 23-2.2 on ~12661-182 to t h e w e s t , These t r e e s are a b o u t 10 f e e t h i g h p r o t r u d i n g fl~orn a snow dlaif t $8 feet wide by a b o u t 300

y a d s bong and

5

feet hf& o r i e n t e d in an e a e l - w e s t d i ~ e c t i s n ,

p e s p e ~ d i c u l a s t o the n o r t h p ~ e v a i l l n g wind, T h e snow d r i f t has a g l a z e d CPUS t which w P ~ P S U P P O ~ $ a R B B P P ~ S ~ e f g h t wi%kEout smwskL0e8 e

-

1 4

-

Zusky Ghal?nel alte, lsJ.:..T'.

Kay k t h ,

3.954.

pl~oP_i.le of t h e dbsfft through I t s g y e a t e s t d e p t h showed t h e t o p 2

f e e t t o b e packed g ~ a n u l a r snow and t h e b o t t o m

3

f e e t t o c o n s i s t

of coluxnsar ice c r y s t a P s sf sevelaal m i l % i n a c : t ~ e s i n l e n g t h .

Snow d r i f t s now c o v e s &bout

5

t o l O i / ; of t h e s n r f a c e of the

aPPuviaP fa?. d l s e w h e r e t h e ground i d a k o u t SOYb e x p s e d b e c a u s e

of t h e p a p i d rnel%%nl?; &J r i n g t h e pas t few warm days, The s s e ~ o s ad

groand a r e a s a r e U? t o s e v e r a l s q u a r e yards i n apes. bdhe~e t l ~ c

ground is c o v e r e d , % h i s snow v a r i e s i n depth up t o 6 i n c h e s of which the * s p one i n c h is graa?uPar snow and t h e rernain%ng

5

i lches consists of c ~ l w a r I c e c r y s t a l s . There are many a i r s p a c e s i n

% h i s snow c o v e r ,

Snow d r U $ f o u r f e e t d e e p in e a s t - w e s t d i r e c t i s 3 on Base

Camp f a r . Dlaif t i n g snow

caused by p r e v a i l i n g n o r t h wind has been t r a p p e d i n eas %-wes t d i r e c t i o n sf w i l l o w thiek~~t;.

Apart fronz t h e w i l l o w t h e r e i s a wide v a r i e t y of _- p l a n t s

maicing up t h i s t y p i c a l tundaga g ~ o m d v e ~ ; e % a . t i o n ~ 'I'here a r e p a t c h e s of r e i n d e e p moss which i s l i g h t greer, i n c o l o u r and shows up as w h i t e with a suggestfon o f g r e y i n i t . This must not b e c o n f u s e d w i t h t h e s t a s k white a r e a on t h e same a l l u v i a l fan a t S-0.6,

ti-1.4.

T h i s i s an a r e a sf b ~ s r n e g r a s s , There i s c o a r s e hay-l%ke grass

which has been o e n t o v e r t o tine sa3t.h by t h e s t r o n g p ~ e v a i l i n g n o r t h wind f o r n i n g a c o n t i n u o u s mat, There is f%ner brsrne grass i n s m a l l clumps a t a n d i n t ; u p r i g h t r e a c h i n g t w o f e e t in hefsht. There ara s c a t t e r e d "'ni&;erheads o r g r a s s c o v e r e d t u s s o c k s

.

(ather p l a z - t s i n c l u d e j u n i p e r ,

wf

n t e r g r e e n , b r i g h t g r e e n sphagnum moss and t i n y w i l l o w and a b d e r - l i k e p l a n t s r e a c h i n g a f e w i n c h e s f n h e i g h t , The

. g a s 8 a p p e a r s ts g i v e a medium g r e y t o n e t o t h e a e r i a l p h o t o g r a p h

and t h e darker j u n i p e r 9 w i n t e r g r e e n and t i n y w i l l o k ~ and alder l i k e p l s n t s g i v e a dark g r e y t o n e t o t h e a e r f a l p h o t o g r a p h , G e n e r a l l y

s p e a k f n o Lhe t o n a l i t y sf an a e ~ i a l p h o t o g r a p h o f such ground

, - , v e g e t a t i o n would seen t o depend upon %he p r o p o r t i o n o f t h e v a r i o u s

$ P a n t s . The most p r e d o ~ l n a t e t o n e 1% medium g r e y produced from a n a s s o c i a t i o n of v e g e t a t i o n incl-ad'ing t h e t y p e s g i v i n g l i g h t ,;rey,

medium g r e y (or j u a t - g r e y ) and d a ~ k grey t o n e s . Theye a2e a r e a s of

Much of t h e grass is dead grass %porn la& year,

It

wciuld

give an aerial photograph a l i g h t e ~ tone than l f v l n g green grass, It will be interesting to compare t h e tonality of these p o m d

photographs with the tonality of the same areas on the R.C.A.F,

aerial photographa whlch were taken in the s-ere

Halfway be tween AB-1%

and kB-18 at 5-2,3,

E - l , 8 5

on A-12861-182 to show t w o different

tries

sf g ~ o m d vegetation* The foreground i s pre-

domfaaant1-y reindeer moss.

In

the b a c k g ~ o m d 1s grass,

F r o m S-2.4, E-2,0 to %-2,4, E-9,7 in an area about 108

yards wide ehere a r e polygonse This area extends to'%Ee east, halfway between

AB-18

and AS-17, and to the west for

an

approx%mte%g squab dfstanee,

On

the aerial photograph they are

barely d%s$ingu%skable but show up under the stereoscope as white

dots w i t h d a r k b o r d e r s s On the ground the are raised centre

polygons, The borderss are trenches up to

6

inshea *aide and

3

Lnehes deep, The diameters o f the polygons vary

from

about

8

&o

30 f e e t , The polygons are not all completely formed, The

vegetation is the same ltgeindeer moss and grass w Z t h o t h e r plants in v a r i o u s proportfons,

The vegetation ars%tnad AB-18 is the same as a b e a d y

d e s e s f b e d although there a r e more "nigge~heade" and

In

some ~ t h e r localities already tsaversed,

Vegetative cover sf

Husky C h a m e l S i t e , N.W.T,

Hay 4th,

1954,

View to south aPsrg

coalescin a%PuvPal fans f r o m AB-1

Q

View west up alluvia%

fan f r o m AB-lae August q%h, 1954.0 V i e w north t o edge of alluvial fan % ~ s m

m-n%,

August 7$h, 1954.

-

20

-

Musky Channel S f t e , N,?J,T.

W8y Tth,

1954.

TRAV'J3RSE

WEST UP

ALLUVIAL FAN

-

WEST

OF AB-18

This traverse % s the third l e g 0% a complete reconnaissance

from the Husky Channel to the guPPey at the tog 0% the a l l u v i a l fan

can which 3ase C a m p is located,

I$

extends from A B - 1 8 west to S-2,85,

E-8,75

sn ~ 1 2 8 6 % - 1 8 2 whlch is about three-quarters o f the way up the

fan from its toe,

The weather was cleap and sunny on Play- 5th when this traverse was m d e , The g ~ o u n d a f ~ temperature was +2SB?? and there

was a north wfnd sf about 28 mph. blow%ng,

Two hmdz.ed y a r d s w e a t of

AR-18

the ground is h v o c k y csnsistlng sf mounds s e v e r a l

fee$

in diameter and up to % foot in height, There

a r e a l s o

many

''nfggerheads", The tops sf the morrnds have ~ u p t w e d i n t o rmny syrxxl%er p o l y g o n a l asgas o f a few inches diameter, Areas

of" fine g r a i n e d s o i l up t o s e v e r a l square feet are exposed, This

soil i s d r y and friable down $ 0 a d e p t h of about

3

inches below

which L t i s f r o z e n ,

Frost bofP on ahluv%al f a n

208 yards west ef AB-18

in arsa of grass tussocks,

A

supi'fc%al exaqfnatfon sf one sf t h e s e mounds was m d e ,

Thf s mound is a p p r s x i m t e l y e f r c u b a s havhng a diarneker sf a b o u t

6

feet and f s about 1 2 inches high at the centre, The surface La

bssken by ekaeks ebout

4

inches wfde and

3

inches deep. One crack

is 8 inches w i d e and

6

Inches deep and extends for

3

feet, Fakt of' the mound i s covered w f t h s e f n d e e r moss, Other v e g e t a t i o n

includes juniper, wintesgreen, and grass %n clumps up $0

I8

Inches

2 , Thfs momd was the b t g g e s t one in

the

v%cBn%ty but there ., ape many o t h e r s n e a r l y a s Pasge,

Husky Channel S i t e , R.W.T,,

M ~ Y a e h ,

1954.

D f a ~ r a m of plan v i e w of mound d e s e r l b e d an page 20.

F s s s t mound on alluvial f a n a b o u t

6

feet in

d i a r n e t e ~ c o v e r e d w i t h r e i n d e e s moss and s

s u r r o u n d e d b p r a s s t u s s s c k s , Note f r o s t

Husky C h a r n e l S i t e , F?.',,.ci,

Clay Tth,

1954

A t ~ - 2 . Q 5 i - 1 . 2 t h e r e are two s t r i n g s sf willow t h i c k e t xkrich convesge. Here t h e ground is not as hummocky

as

t o t h e e a s t and %hese i d n o e v i d e n c e o f f r o s t c r a c : ; i n g .

View

t o e a s t fgaorn S - % , 0 5 9

d-1.2 on

~1286%-162

of r c s u b w i l l o w v e g e t a t i o n on m s e C a a p ,

Note dead ser.u3s i n forel;re.md.

The t r a v e r s e con%Pnued w e s t i n t o t h e s e w i % B o w s . The snow was s t i l l a v e s a ~ i n g 2 5 f e e t i n depth d e s p i t e t h e continued n ' e l a t i v e l y w a r n w e a t h e r , Wae t o p 10 i n c h e s f o r m a CP-t of ?lard packed s u _ ; a r y g ~ a n u l - a r snow, B e l o w i k i ~ are i c e c s y s t a l d i n t h e form o f rods an4 p l a t e s . The w i l l o w s p~;ol;rude a b o v e the snow t o a h e i g h t sf a b o u t

9

f e e t above t h e ground. Many sf t h e tpat39s h a v e dead branches and a few sf t 9 e trees a r e c o m p l e ~ e l y dead. On t h e a e r i a l p h o t o g r a p h t h e dense w%l%ots t h i c k e t s i ~ s w v d a r k grey tone, Tie t o n a l i t y of t h e

w i l l o w becomes lf,l;h;ea, as t h e n u q b e r of t r e e s p e r unit a s e a d e c r e a s e ,

West of t h e junction sf t h e l i n e s sf w i % E ~ w t h i c k e t ( d e s c r i b e d

a b o v e ) a t 5-2.05, 3-0.95 t h e r e a p e s m a l l c l e a r i n g s

in

t h e ~ i P P o w s

which g i v e a g r e y motCPing to the dark

grey

t o n e psodaced by t h e

w i l l o w s on t h e a e r i a l photor;raph, Theye are maqy dead s t i c k s l y i n g

on t h e groand I n t h e s e elenrings. The v e g e t a t i o n on tkae g ~ o u n d f a t h e sane as b e f o ~ e with pai,ehes sf r e $ n d e e r m a s s , grass, j u n i p e r

and large a r e a s sf t h e t j . 1 y willots and a l d e r - l i k e p l a n t s , There are

no mounds b u t "n$gge~l-~eadls I' make t h e ground a;!pear r a i h e r h u ~ i n o c k y .

The t r a v e r s e c o n t i n u e d west up t h e a l l u v i a l f s n te S - 2 , 1 s

T . .

E-0.7. Here the v e g e t a t i o n P s w i l l o w t h i c k e t w r t h snow-cover as

descmaibed a b o v e . ITowever t h e t r e e s a r e b e n t over 3CI0 fkow t h e vertical $0 t h e s o u t h by t h e p r e v a l l i ~ g n s r t i wind.

Husky Channel Yite, N,'d .i'. Yay 7th,

1954

Dense w i l l o w thicket bent over by

prevailing north wind at S-2,P,

E-0.7

on ~12851-162 j w t east of

AB-$9

V i e w to east d a m alluvfal fan from S - 2 , 1 p E-0.7 on ~12861-182

The route back to Base Camp was south of the route taken

west up the f a n ,

I%

followed a line approximately souteast from

S-2,1, E-0.7 t o S - 2 , 5 , E-1.5 a n d thence to Base C a m p ,

The first paagt of t h i s traverse weqt a l o n g a cleared area between S-2,l, E-0-6 and 25-2.35, E-%,2. A% the west end of thfs c l e a ~ area theke are a few scattered small willows up to

3

feet high, The walking is easy because there are no mounds olta

"ini,;gerheads

".

'%he ground vegetation is predominantly ~ F E ~ S S

There are a f e w s-nall c r a c k s in the ground, On the ground there are a few small patches

of

pebbles sf shale and sandstcne rap to

PQ

inches %n diameter.

F u r t h e y east in this same cleared area, the kgmund becomes broken up i n t o raised centre polygons aScut

40

feet fn diazeter. The edges ape t r e n c h e s filled with snow which makes then easily dis tinguishable at this time of year. The v e g e t a t i o n c o n s i s t s

of reindeer moss and p a s s with patekes of darker junipes, They a r e d i s t f n g u i s h a b l e on t h e photograph Al28bl-182 at S-2.3, E-1.0,

Husky Channel & i t s , N . W e Y ,

May ' 7 9

1954

'7ke t r a v e ~ s e corltfnued t o S - 2 , 5 ,

E-1,s

w h e ~ e fairly dense willow t h i c k e t , e a s t 0% the c l e a r i n g d e s c r i b e d above, p e t e r e d o u t

f oma t h e renainder sf the travesse to h s e Camp, A t 5 - 2 . 5 , & - L a b

t h e ~ e i s a flat lying ,,~.avel d e p o s i t about 50 f e e t in d i a a e t e r .

'fie surface is dry a.td c o n s i s t s of pebbles o f shale, s a n d s t o n e

and rnuds$one from a b ~ u t 2 r n i l l i m e t r e s t o nearly s n s inch in

dfameter, delow %he s x r f a c e tnere is wrcB.1 blacl: d e c o m p ~ s e d ~ r g a n f c q a t e s i a l mixed ti: w i t h this ;;ravel, silt and f i n e sand, k ~ o u n d

thf s a s e a %he v e g e t a t i o n c o n s i s t d sf brome grass up to 1 f 00% in

h e i g h t growing t h r s u & the ice on the glaomd. There i s no moss

OP nfggerheads P P ~ t h i s vicinity. 1% a~.,gGsrs t h a t t h i s g r a v e l was d e a d o s f t e d by m e l t w a ~ e r f r s m mountains, T h i s a r e a is Tlat i n c o n t r a s t t o the areas a b ~ v e and b e l o % j which ase g e n t l y s l o p i n g ,

Theref act, meltwater from t h e mounta%n snow-cover could be ponded on t h i s f l a t lying a s e a and d e p o s i t a load of gravel before

c o n t i n u i n g e a s t down t h e fan. This d e p o s i t d o e s no% a p p e a r t o be l a r g e o r w e l l graded enough t s b e used fss buflding m a t e r i a l s .

Xxpased s h a l e g r a v e l half' way

up Base Camp f a n a t S - 2 . 5 , E-1,b on ~ 1 2 8 6 1 - 1 8 2 ( w f n t e s ) B P Q ~ ~ g r a s s and exposed s h a l e g ~ a v e l halfway up Base C a m p f a n a t 5-2.5, E-1.b on 8126bl- $82 (summer)

Husky Channel S i t e , N,M,T, w y 'rth, %95i.&a

To $he e a s t the ground cover 1s the same coarse grass gssw%ng out of $he ice and blown over by $he north preva81ing wind $0 f o m a matting, making walking very d f f f f i ~ U l t e %Ie$f.8

a r e a l s o very f e u stunted wf l l o w s up $0

4

0%

5

f e e t hl&,

On

b12869-182

from 3-2,&, E-P,

6

t o 5-2,5, E-2,2 5 % a 1%ne between two dist%net types 0 % g ~ o w d ~868$8$fol'le

TO

the

south $as some d f s t a n c e is the same grass g r a w d cover as

described above,

To

the

north

i s the refltfdeeat moss and juniper

type of ground ~ d g f 3 $ ~ t L l % ~ e Them I s no d i f f e r e n c e

in

$ba%r

-

26

-

~ u s k y Channel S i t e , N , l v , T .

14th

M ~ Y ,

1954

TRAVER~E

-

AB-19 TO TOP OF ALLUVIAL

PAW

!Phis talaverse is t h e f o u r t h and l a s t l e g 0% a complete

r e e o m a i u s a n c e from t h e -?usky Channel t o t h e guHley a t the t o p

sf t h e a l l u v i a l f a n on which Base Carnp i s located, T h f s f o u r t h l e g csrnpletes t h e r e c o n n a i s s a n c e from tihe Husky Charnel t o t h e t o p of t h e a l l u v i a l fan.

The we at he^ on t h e day s f the recsnna$ssaxce (May

14)

was c l e a r and s u n n y with a l i g h t s o u t h b ~ e e z e * There were same h i g h a l t i t u d e clouds i n t h e ~ 0 2 t h . The ground a i r temperature

was +2S°Fo

A c t u a l l y t h e t h i r d l e g of t h e t r a v e r s e ends at S-2,05,

E-0.75 019 ~ 1 2 8 6 1 - 1 8 2 and the f o u r t h l e g begins at AB-19 a t

3-2,BS9 E-0.65.

On Hay 1 0 t h %he ground in the vf c i n i t y 0%' A B - 1 9 was

examined, The weather w a s partly cloudy with a s t r o n g n o r t h wind up t o 30 mph. The ground a i r temperature was ~ 3 2 " ~ .

The ground around AB-19 5s covered w i t h r a i s e d c e n t r e polygons a v e r a g i n g about 50 f e e t in d i a m e t e r . The edges ape

/ , _{t r e n c h e s a v e r a g i n g 6 inches i n width and one i n c h i n d e p t h ,}

The v e g e t a t i o n of t h e c e n t r e s i s predominantly reindeer moss w i t h d a r k areas 0% s p h a g v ~ m moss

,

dwarf willow, juniper., and g r a s s

up t o l f o o t h i g h . The v e g e t a t i o n on t h e t r e n c h e s is t h e d a r k j u n i p e r and w i n t e r g r e e n w i t h the t i n y dwarf willow and a l d e r - l i k e ple,?ts. There are a f e w w i l l o m u p t o

7

f e e t h i g h growing on the t r e n c h e s (edges

1.

'PPaease a r e no trees growing on t h e c e n t r e s of

%he polygons.

On

t h e c e n t r e s s f dome o f t h e polygons b u t always n e a r t h e i r edges a r e p a t c h e s s f e x g s s e d sol1 up t o 2 f e e t i n dfameter, The soil is a l i g h t brownish-grey s i l t w i t h s - ~ r f a c e p ~ l y g o n a l cracks

sf a few fnehes In dfarneter. The t o p few i n c h e s are thawed and m o s t l y d r y below which t h e ground i s f r o z e n . There are p a t c h e s

of grey l i c h e n on t h e exposed sofl, Some of t h e s e s o i l p a t c h e s are wet and t h e r e are s t o n e s v a r y i n g i n s i z e f r o m a few mi l l i n e t r e s

t o 1 2 i n c h e s od" saxdstcpne and s h a l e .

Polygonal c r a c k s a t AH-19

Husky C h a r n e l d i t e , N."ci,T. 14th ~ a ; y *

1954

P a t c h e s of b a ~ e s o l 1 and s h a l e and sands to n e p e b i ~ l e s a t j m c t i ~ n of p o l y g o n a l c r a c k s a t AB-19, May b Q t h ,

1954

A e ~ i a l view from 500 feet

of b o r e h o l e AB-19

-

V I ~ W

$0 n o r t h .

May 2 0 t h , a954

The snow conditions are much t h e sane as b e f o r e . The

d r i f t s i n t h e willow t l % c k e t s avera,;e about 30 i n c h e s i n d e p t h .

However, the d r i f t s have a h a r d ;;lazed c r u s t on which a r e about

4

inches of new poi,~des snow f ~ s m a b l f z z a r d and c o l d s p e l l . froan ..!ay 1 1 t h t o 13th.

'i'raves~ae c o n t i n u e d from Ad-19 to t o p of f a n at 3-2,1, ki-0.3 ( ~ l 2 U b l - P $ 2 ) , The v e g e t a t i o n is t h e characterfstie willow

t h i c k e t up t o 10 f e e t bent o v e r t o t h e south b y t h e p r e v a i l i n g n o s t h wind. ;-lariy of t h e trees a r e d e a d a p p a r e n t b y froin f l o o d i n &

from h e a v y r'moff from t h e msrar~tainu. The &;potand v e g e t a t i o n is

/ 3 ~ e i r l d e e r moss, brsrne and hay-lilce grass, j z n i p s ~ and other dark

eoHoured plants in v a r i o u s propostions to g i v e t h e v a r f o u s t o n e s

sf ,;naey on the a e ~ i a l p h o t o g r a p h ,

'he stream i s s - ~ i n g f a ~ c s r n the top sf t h e %an a t 5-2.1,

3-9,3 (Al2C61-162) h a s cut a t;uHleg a b o u t b f e e t d e e p , The stpaam

-

28

Husky Charnel S i t e , N,Ii,T,

aqth

w q ,

1954

suggesting anby fn&erm$t%ent f l o w , The sta~eam is f r a z e n and the f l o w o f w a t e r beneath the ice is small and v e r y slow.

BR

1709

View to north from AB-19 May

14thp

1954.

BR

1887

V f - e w e a s t f r o m

AB

19

Aeagus t

q t k ,

$954

Just above the sbrearn a r e two saidge-like r n a ~ k f n g s on the aerPal phstsgsaph (812861-182) Ln a nosthwes t-southeast d i r e c t i o n

from 3-2.bs

E-9,6

t o S-2.1a E - 0 - 3 .

On

the g ~ o u n d they resem'ale

tessaeea. T h e soil of %be 1 o w e ~ one varies f r o m b s o m silt and some

d

-

f bne sand to atones o f s e v e r a l inches in d i a m e t e r , The material

$3 sf a11 s l z e s between these two extremes consisting of' black and

re& s h a l e and ~ e s i a t a n k sandstone all f'mm the nksuntafns above,

There a r e m a n y bare patches f rozsn b e l o w a d e p t h sf'

3

fnehes,

The v e g e t a t i o n consists of sparse w i l l . 6 ~ thfcket up %a

4

T e e t hf& BE^ the ground vegetation c o n s i s t s 0%" reindeer moss, grass and