Magnetic anisotropy and debris-dependent rheological heterogeneity within stratified basal ice

Basal ice of glaciers and ice sheets frequently contains a well-developed stratification of distinct, semi-continuous, alternating layers of debris-poor and debris-rich ice. Here, the nature and distribution of shear within stratified basal ice are assessed through the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of samples collected from Matanuska Glacier, Alaska. Generally, the AMS reveals consistent moderate-to-strong fabrics reflecting simple shear in the direction of ice flow; however, AMS is also dependent upon debris content and morphology. While sample anisotropy is statistically similar throughout the sampled section, debris-rich basal ice composed of semi-continuous mm-scale layers (the stratified facies) possesses well-defined triaxial to oblate fabrics reflecting shear in the direction of ice flow, whereas debris-poor ice containing mm-scale star-shaped silt aggregates (the suspended facies) possesses nearly isotropic fabrics. Thus, deformation within the stratified basal ice appears concentrated in debris-rich layers, likely the result of decreased crystal size and greater availability of unfrozen water associated with high debris content. These results suggest that variations in debris-content over small spatial scales influence ice rheology and deformation in the basal zone.

A simple 3-D numerical model of thermal convection in Earth's growing inner core: on the possibility of the formation of the degree-one structure with lateral viscosity variations

An east-west hemispherically asymmetric structure for Earth's inner core has been suggested by various seismological evidence, but its origin is not clearly understood. Here, to investigate the possibility of an "endogenic origin" for the degree-one thermal/mechanical structure of the inner core, I performed new numerical simulations of thermal convection in the growing inner core. A setup value that controls the viscosity contrast between the inner core boundary and the interior of the inner core, ΔηT, was taken as a free parameter. Results show that the degree-one structure only appeared for a limited range of ΔηT; such a scenario may be possible but is not considered probable for the real Earth. The degree-one structure may have been realized by an "exogenous factor" due to the planetary-scale thermal coupling among the lower mantle, the outer core, and the inner core, not by an endogenic factor due to the internal rheological heterogeneity.