We had the opportunity to revisit Slump E this summer and it was a thrill to see how much it has changed! In addition to appearing larger since our last visit, the quality of the material being released by the slump appears to have changed. While the material was quite thick last summer (although, runnier than what you see in the "thawed permafrost material" video below), this summer the material was less viscous and the sediments in our water samples settled out more completely. This might explain why the slump's "debris tonuge" - the lobe of desiccated permafrost material extending from the thaw slump (formed by the erosion of sediment and rocks from the thaw slump and its entrainment in the stream valley below) - was more solid this year. Despite this, the headwall is still quite active, as shown by the first video below. We were lucky enough to install a game camera on the hill opposite Slump E this summer. The camera served as our eyes on Slump E while we were away, recording photos every hour. We have yet to begin processing photos, but are excited to uncover the story they hold. Stay tuned!
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Author(s)Scott Zolkos Archives
August 2016
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