Analysis of the paraglacial landscape in the Ny-Ålesund area and Blomstrandøya (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway)

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KONGSFJORDEN

12°0'0"E 12°0'0"E 11°54'0"E 11°54'0"E 11°48'0"E 11°48'0"E 78 °5 6' 0" N 78 °5 6' 0" N 78 °5 5' 0" N 78 °5 5' 0" N

A

B

Blomstrandoya

Hillshade image

Ossian

Ny -Ålesund

12°36'0"E 12°24'0"E 12°12'0"E 12°0'0"E 11°48'0"E 11°36'0"E 11°24'0"E 11°12'0"E 11°0'0"E 79 °0 '0 "N 79 °0 '0 "N 78 °5 7' 0" N 78 °5 7' 0" N 78 °5 4' 0" N 78 °5 4' 0" N E E EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE E E EE E E EE EE E E EE EEEE E E EE EEEE E E E E EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE EE E E E E E E E E EE EE E E EE E E EE EE EE E E EE EE EE EE EEEE EE E E EE EE EE EEEE

KONGSFJORDEN

12°12'0"E 12°12'0"E 12°6'0"E 12°6'0"E 12°0'0"E 12°0'0"E 79 °0 '0 "N 79 °0 '0 "N 78 °5 9' 0" N 78 °5 9' 0" N 78 °5 8' 0" N 78 °5 8' 0" N 11°57'0"E 11°57'0"E 11°54'0"E 11°54'0"E 11°51'0"E 11°51'0"E 78 °5 5' 0" N 78 °5 4' 0" N

KONGSFJORDEN

12°9'0"E 12°9'0"E 12°6'0"E 12°6'0"E 12°3'0"E 12°3'0"E 78 °5 9' 0" N 78 °5 9' 0" N

A) GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAP OF THE NY-ÅLESUND AREA

A

B

A1) FAN-SHAPED LANDFORM AND TALUS SLOPES OF THE ZEPPELINFJELLET

B1) FAN-SHAPED LANDFORM AND TALUS SLOPES OF THE BRATLIEKOLLEN

A1

B1

LEGEND

GEOLOGY

B) GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAP OF THE BLOMSTRANDØYA

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

R ock fall deposit

NY -ÅLES U ND

Gravel

fluvial deposit

Gravel

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

beach

deposit

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

R aised gravel beach deposit

Till deposit along a lateral moraine ridge

NY -ÅLES U ND

Exposed bedrock (well j

ointed)

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

Moraine ridge

NY -ÅLES U ND

Braided channel

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

R ock fall

NY -ÅLES U ND

R idges, structural scarps, talus cones and rock glaciers

Zeppelinfjellet

Ny -Ålesund

Bayelva

Vestre

Brøggerbreen

Austre

Brøggerbreen

_Lovénbreen

Vestre

Wexelva

Kolhamna

London

Blomstrandsalen

Bratliekollen

Irgensfjellet

Sorvågen

Grottenveggen

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

Exposed bedrock and weathered bedrock

Weathered bedrock Exposed bedrock

BLOMS TR ANDØY A

R aised beach

NY -ÅLES U ND

Coastal lak e and

lagoon

NY -ÅLES U ND

Fan-shaped landforms with debris flow

NY -ÅLES U ND

Debris slope deposit

A

B

Ny -Ålesund

Blomstrandoya

Ossian

Slope image

12°36'0"E 12°24'0"E 12°12'0"E 12°0'0"E 11°48'0"E 11°36'0"E 11°24'0"E 11°12'0"E 11°0'0"E 12°48'0"E 79 °0 '0 "N 79 °0 '0 "N 78 °5 7' 0" N 78 °5 7' 0" N 78 °5 4' 0" N 78 °5 4' 0" N Legend Slope (°) 0 - 5 5.1 - 10 10.1 - 25 25.1 - 40 >40

KONGSFJORDEN AREA

Periglacial landforms

Coastal landforms

Anthropogenic features

Coastal cliff

Coastal lak e and lagoon

Anthropic channel

R eservoir

SYMBOLS FOR A1 AND B1

Fan and talus slopes source area

Embank ment

R ock glacier

Alluvial fan

Talus cone

Talus slope

NY -ÅLES U ND

P atterned ground

K ilometers 0 1 K ilometers 0 0.5 K ilometers 0 0.2

LOCATION MAP

SE

NW

_{Blomstrandøy a}

_Conwaybreen

Panoramic view of the Kongsfjorden from Zeppelinfjellet

Ny -Ålesund

KONGSFJORDEN

K ilometers 0 1 K ilometers 0 0.5 K ilometers 0 0.2 K ilometers 0 0.2 K ilometers 0 0.2 K ilometers 0 5 K ilometers 0 5 30°0'0"E 30°0'0"E 20°0'0"E 20°0'0"E 10°0'0"E 10°0'0"E 80 °0 '0 "N 80 °0 '0 "N 78 °0 '0 "N 78 °0 '0 "N 76 °0 '0 "N

Prins

Karls

Forland

LONGYEARBYEN K ilometers 0 100 Iceland Greenland S valbard R ussia Norwa y S wed en Finlan d U K North Pole 30°0'0"E 30°0'0"E 20°0'0"E 20°0'0"E 10°0'0"E 10°0'0"E 80 °0 '0 "N 80 °0 '0 "N 78 °0 '0 "N 78 °0 '0 "N 76 °0 '0 "N K ilometers 0 100

Arctic Ocean

Greenland Sea

Barents Sea

Norwegian Sea

Kongsfjorden Isfjord en Bells unde t Sto rfjo rde n

Spitsbergen

Nordaustlandet

Edgeøya

Barentsøya

Kvitøya

Kong Karls

Land

STUDY AREA

GEOLOGIC SCHEME

Prins

Karls

Forland

LONGYEARBYEN

Arctic Ocean

Greenland Sea

Barents Sea

Norwegian Sea

Kongsfjorden Isfjord en Sto rfjo rde n

Spitsbergen

Nordaustlandet

Edgeøya

Barentsøya

Kvitøya

Kong Karls

Land

STUDY AREA Legend Main ice areas Sedimentary units Q - Quaternary T - Paleogene-Neogene K - Cretacic J - Jurassic Tr - Triassic C - Carboniferous D - Devonian P z - Paleozoic Igneous rock units

P zi - Paleozoic intrusive rock s CzMzv - Mesozoic-Cenozoic Volcanics Metamorphic rock units

Cm - Carboniferous metamorphic P zm - Paleozoic metamorphic rock s pCm - Precambrian metamorphic rock s

GEOMORPHOLOGY

Structural landforms

R idge

S tructural scarp

Slope landforms

Landslide scarp

Talus cone and talus slope

Fluvial landforms

Fluvial erosion scarp

Fluvial erosion channel

Glacial landforms

Flutes

Glacial lak e

R oche moutonnee

Moraine ridge

E E EE EE EE EE

Alluvial fan

Braided channel

Glacier boundary (2015)

Glacier boundary (2008)

Glacier boundary (1998)

P lanar bottom valley

V shape valley

Glacial cirque

Temporary quarry

Earth dam

R aised beach edge

P atterned ground

R ock glacier and protalus rampart

© Norwegian Polar Institute (https://geodata.npolar.no/)

Surficial deposits

Bedrock

N

NNW

SSE

Ny -Ålesund

Blomstrandøy a

Drei Kronen

Kongsbreen

Kronebreen

KONGSFJORDEN

Blomstrandbreen

Ossian Sarsfj

ellet

Conwaybreen

Panoramic view of the Kongsfjorden from Scheteligfjellet

N

Exposed bedrock

Bedrock composed of massive to bedded and jointed rock s of different nature.

Conglomerate, sandstone and shale with limestone, dolomite and marl; shale, chert,

lime-stone and sandlime-stone, unconformably overlain coal-rich sandstone, shales, conglomerates;

rock s are stratified and moderately to highly jointed (Ny -Ålesund area).

Medium to high-grade metamorphic marble, gray -whitish, from well to poorly consistent, from

massive to moderately or highly jointed, with moderate schistosity; scattered remnants of red

sandstone are present (Blomstrandøy a).

R ework ed till and diamicton deposit

Heterometric chaotic gravel to boulder deposits mostly matrix supported in a clay -sandy

matrix, rework ed form till and diamicton glacial deposits due to periglacial, fluvial and

slope/runoff processes in paraglacial environment. Occasionally, they include large (up to >10

m) erratic boulders.They compose the remnants of ancient moraines and glacial deposits.

R aised gravel beach deposit

W ell sorted, poly genic, unconsilidated sand and fine to medium gravel deposits (from

millimeters to centimeters in size), clast supported and very well rounded. They form beaches

raised up to >40 m in the Blomstrandøy a S W area.

Till and diamicton deposit

Heterometric chaotic gravel to boulder deposits (from centimeters to meters in size), mostly

matrix supported in a clay -sandy matrix. Occasionally, they include large (up to >10 m) erratic

boulders. They form the main moraines (frontal, lateral, median and ground) along the main

glaciers.

Gravel beach deposit

W ell sorted, polygenic fine to coarse unconsolitated gravel deposits (from millimeters to

decimetres in size), clast supported and from moderately to well rounded. They form the

beaches all along the coast of Ny -Ålesund and Blomstrandøy a.

Delta deposit

Heterometric sand, gravel (from submillimeters to decimetres in size) polygenic deposits, from

unconsolitated to moderately consistent, from moderately to well sorted, from matrix to clast

supported and moderately to well rounded.They are deposited at the outlet of the main rivers.

Gravel alluvial fan deposit

Heterometric sand and gravel deposits (from millimeters to decimeters and occasionally

meters in size), from unconsolitated to moderately consistent, poorly to well sorted, moderately

to poorly rounded, from clast supported to matrix supported with silty matrix.

They form alluvial fans at the outlet of minor valley s.

Gravel fluvial deposit

Heterometric sand and gravel deposits (from millimeters to decimeters), unconsolitated to

moderately consistent,poorly to well sorted, moderately to well rounded,clast-supported along

the main braided channels and clast- to matrix-supported along the fluvial plains, with silty

clay ey matrix.

Landslide deposit

Chaotic, heterometric, poly genic deposits, from unconsolitated to moderately consolitated.

They consist of complex, flow, and roto-translational slides, composed of chaotic block

deposits along the main rock slopes, of rework ed till deposits when affecting moraines, of mud

dominated deposits when affecting rework ed till deposits and patterned grounds.

R ock fall deposit

Heterometric block deposits (from decimeters to decameters in size), unconsolitated, angular,

clast supported. They form the main rock falls.

Debris slope deposit

Heterometric debris deposits (from centimeters to decimeters in size, occasionally meters),

unconsolitated, angular, clast supported. These deposits form talus cones, talus

slopes and debris flows.

Anthropogenic deposit

Heterometric chaotic poly genic assemblage of rework ed sand and gravel material from

unconsolitated to consistent, artificially compacted.

W eathered bedrock

Thin to moderate cover of highly jointed and in situ weathered rock s and debris, whose

nature is strictly consistent with the underly ing bedrock according to the variable distribution

of the bedrock units.

U TM P rojection, Zone 33N, ETR S 1989

WNW

ESE

Zeppelinfjellet

Austre Brøggerbreen

Panoramic view of the Ny-Ålesund area (Zeppelinfjellet and Bayelva)

Wexelva

Vestre Brøggerbreen

U TM P rojection, Zone 33N, ETR S 1989

ANALYSIS OF THE PARAGLACIAL

LANDSCAPE IN THE NY-ÅLESUND AREA

AND BLOMSTRANDØYA (KONGSFJORDEN,

SVALBARD, NORWAY)

Ivar

Thoralf

Berthling

1 _{, Claudio Berti}

2 _{, Vania Mancinelli}

3 _{, Laura}

S tendardi

4 _{, Tommaso Piacentini}

3 _{, Enrico Miccadei}

3*

1

_{Department of}

_{Geography , NTNU -Norwegian University of Science and Technology ,}

present address Research Council of Norway , Drammensveien 288, 0283 Oslo

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