|
Home Camp I: Dragon Creek,
ï Expedition Fiord Region ï Agate Fiord Region Camp II: Blackwelder Mtns,
|
 |
We have tried to find the same fossil bed at other locations each expedition after the 1996 discovery. The outcrop has eluded us each year, but our reconnaissance trips throughout the region have afforded some great opportunities to see Arctic geology, especially the effects of the Late Cretaceous to Pliocene Eurekan Orogney.
A panoramic view our of surroundings as seen from the north slope of Dragon Mountain. From left (south) to right (north): Kanguk Peninsula, Expedition Fiord, Crest of Dragon Cliff (ridge line across center of photo), Strand Bay, Agate Fiord, Iceberg Bay, and Triangle Peninsula. The Kanguk Formation dominates the foreground.
| This is a view of Dragon Mountain see from the Kanguk Peninsula to the south. Expedition Fiord forms the foreground. Our camp rested in the northern shadow of Dragon Mountain. |
 |
| One of the most striking features of Expedition Fiord is Dragon Cliff, a basalt monolith that rises several hundred meters out of the fiord. The light-colored vertical markings are waterfalls. |  |
| A close-up of one of those waterfalls, also showing several distinct flows and some columnar jointing. |  |
| Split Mountain, on Kanguk Peninsula, is another stunning geological feature in the Expedition Fiord region. It is an eroded anticline with a lone peak occupying its core. Note the icebergs in the foreground. |  |
| A closer view of Split Mountain, with showing the basalt and sandstone ridges and shalely core. |  |
| The Strand Fiord Basalt support many of the prominent geomorphic features in this region. Here Baston Ridge towers over the surrounding terrain. The Thompson Glacier, slowly flowing off the icefields of central Axel Heiberg, can be seen in the background, along with the braided river it feeds. |  |
| Castle Mountain is held up, amazingly, by the Deer Bay shale and is capped by the Isachsen sandstones. It is a solitary feature in a wide valley, like a lone table in the middle of a room. Baston Ridge looms in the background. |  |
| Black Crow Mountain sits, covered by glaciers, at the foot of Expedition Fiord not far from the toe of the Thompson Glacier. It is one of the first features you see after landing in a Twin Otter in Expedition Fiord. |  |
| This is photograph is actually from eastern Axel Heiberg Island, across the sound from Eureka Weather Station. However, it provides a striking example why we come to the Arctic for field work: the entire landscape is an outcrop. To gauge this significance, compare it to forested slopes of the Appalachians, Coast Ranges, and foothills of the Himalayas. |
 |
| Another large outcrop showing Arctic structure: a mountainside of plunging recumbent folds. Strand Fiord is in the background to the right. |  |
Undeniably one of the best views in Expedition Fiord: the toe of the Thompson Glacier. Mountains extend in all directions, and the Princess Margaret icefield lies beyond the ridges to the left. The McGill University basecamp has been enjoying this view for several years.
| A remarkable view looking down Agate Fiord, its glacial construction evident from its U-shape. A choked and braided river empties into an iceberg filled fiord, with tall basalt cliffs rising in the east. |  |
| A rare and beautiful shot from north of Agate Fiord, showing Iceberg Lake. This region is usually cloaked in dense fog, thus precluding any helicopter transport up here. |  |
|
Prev | Next |