Fox Glacier Thermal Drilling and Ice Temperature Measurements, 1969

Government of Yukon data documents a 1969 thermal drilling and ice-temperature measurement program on the Fox Glacier. The program resulted in seven instrumented holes at six locations, with three reaching bedrock. Measurements indicated the glacier was below the pressure-melting point throughout, and estimates of geothermal heat flow were determined.

Use Cases

• Model glacier thermal regimes using bedrock reach data and deep ice-temperature measurements.
• Analyze geothermal heat flow estimates, including the anomalous 4.73 µcal/cm² sec value, for subsurface studies.
• Develop bottom temperature models to assess the possibility of basal melting from the thermal drilling results.
• Study the memory of a disturbed thermal regime indicated by the temperature measurement data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a defined 1969 field program by the Government of Yukon.
• Includes specific quantitative findings like a geothermal heat flow estimate of 4.73 µcal/cm² sec.
• Covers seven instrumented holes drilled at six distinct locations on the glacier, with three reaching bedrock.

Limitations

• Dataset scope is limited to a single glacier and a single summer field season in 1969.
• Original data format (HTML) suggests the primary data may be embedded in a narrative report, requiring extraction.
• No columnar data or sample records are provided, limiting immediate machine-readability.

Provenance

Source

Government of Yukon.

Collection Method

Thermal drilling and deep ice-temperature measurement program conducted in summer 1969.

Time Range

Summer 1969.

Freshness

Metadata last updated March 2026, but underlying data is from 1969.

Geography

Fox Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada.