Imaging frozen glacio-fluvial bedrock valley infill using Ground Penetrating Radar

A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey was conducted in April of 2008, in Sandflugtdalen, a permafrosted glaciofluvial bedrock valley in West Greenland. GPR has good depth penetration of permafrost, up to 80 m using low-frequency (50 MHz) antennae. Data has been processed to improve resolution and visibility of reflections from subsurface structures. Using the principles of radar stratigraphy, radar facies, surfaces and packages are identified in the dataset. Average bedrock depth in Sandflugtdalen is 50 meters. Bedrock barriers, overlaid by push moraines, divide Sandflugtdalen in 3 subbasins. Sediment volume in the mapped area is estimated as 0.37 km3. Modeling the bedrock and mapping the sedimentary architecture in a filled glacial valley generates a base-case for model validation of short-term climate changes and effects on glacier and sedimentary system.