Pleistocene montane glaciations in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories

Abstract

During the Pleistocene the Mackenzie Mountains were affected by a series of glaciations. Through all the glaciations a single pattern seems to have been repeated: a Cordilleran ice sheet formed to the west of the continental divide and montane valley glaciers formed to the east. The montane glaciers in the Mackenzie Mountains emanated from two different sources: a) a glacial divide, lying generally along the topographic divide between Pacific and Arctic drainage, and dividing the westerly flowing Cordilleran Ice Sheet from easterly and northerly flowing montane glaciers, b) local peaks in the Canyon Ranges. There were two well defined glacial advances in this mountain region; Illinoian, Late Wisconsinan, and one or more less defined pre-Illinoian glaciation(s). Illinoian and Late Wisconsinan glaciations are herein named Mountain River and Gayna River glaciations respectively. -from Authors