Toward the Significance of Crevasse Orientation in Low and High Crevassed Regions on the Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, USA

Authors

• Claire A. Sturm, DePaul UniversityFollow

Faculty Advisor

Dr. James Montgomery

Abstract

Supraglacial landforms serve as potential indicators of underlying bedrock morphology and glacier dynamics. The distribution and morphology of crevasses are closely associated with stress fields and ice-flow regimes, representing processes of stable glaciers, in contrast to their reduced occurrence in stagnant or receding ice masses. The orientation and density of crevasses influence a glacier’s ability to absorb solar energy, as they facilitate movement of meltwater down to subglacial rivers. Beyond the meltwater acting as a lubricant for basal sliding, the slope of the bedrock further impacts the local velocity and ice deformation of a glacier. The study of ice-fracturing mechanics are critical for refining predictive models of glacier motion and assessing their response to climate perturbations. Two study areas of the Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, USA differentiated by low and high crevassing present in the region were compared using bedrock topography measurements, crevasse heading, and crevasse wall angles. In this study, I hypothesize that (H_a¹) a higher bedrock slope will yield a more highly crevassed area, and a lower bedrock slope will yield a lower crevassed area, (H_a²) a low crevassed area will yield crevasses with a more uniform direction, and a high crevassed area will yield crevasses with a less uniform direction, and (H_a³) a higher bedrock slope will yield higher, more vertical crevasse wall angles, and a lower bedrock slope will yield lower, more horizontal crevasse wall angles. The median wall angle was 78° ± 16 and 77° ± 16 for the low and high crevassed areas, respectively; no statistically significant difference was found despite an 8° bedrock slope difference. High directional uniformity was found among the crevasses in the low crevassed areas, parallel to glacial flow at an average heading of 205° ± 25, with high statistical significance. Conversely, more directional variability was present among the crevasses in the high crevassed area, yielding an average heading of 146° ± 97. The data support H_a¹ and H_a², but not H_a³, justifying a connection between crevasse orientation and bedrock slope. A highly crevassed area tended to have unpredictably multitudinal supraglacial features with a steeper bedrock.

Recommended Citation

Sturm, Claire A. (2026) "Toward the Significance of Crevasse Orientation in Low and High Crevassed Regions on the Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, USA," DePaul Discoveries: Volume 15, Article 11.
Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/depaul-disc/vol15/iss1/11