Erosion of the Geodetic Hills fossil forest, Axel Heiberg Island, Northwest Territories

Abstract

Studies on the erosion of the fossil forest have indicated that erosion by wind averaged a depth of 1.3 cm for the period 1988 to 1992. The fossil wood and leaf litter tend to dry on exposure, resulting in shrinkage and fragmentation - sometimes in less than a year. Frost, especially at the boundaries of polygons, repeatedly compresses and disrupts the fossil-bearing strata. Erosion by water takes place as rills on the sides of hills. Solifluction displaces surface sediment on the sides of the hills in the range of 6 to 45 cm per yr. In the last few years the physical disruption of stumps, tree trunks and forest mat has been caused mainly by people. In 1992, 62 stumps recorded in the 1988 survey (ca. 10% of the total) could not be relocated. There are problems in accounting for this discrepancy. Since preservation is important both for long-term scientific interpretation and for public access, the site should be better managed. -from Authors