Diapiric dike of red till piercing the carapace of a mudboil
Location:
Victory–Townsend
Lakes area, Kivalliq, Nunavut, Canada;
NTS
55L Kaminak Lake
This is an example of the diapirism that forms and maintains mudboils in the thaw season in the low arctic tundra. The white color of the red till where it is dried at the surface can be seen clearly in this image—for reference see images 0090, 0099 and 0212, which show these telltale white traces of active mudoils before excavation of the features reveals structures such as the one shown here. This process is more fully explained in Shilts, 1978 and image 0240, and further discussion of red till diapirs can be found under image 0055.
Updated 08/28/2009 CAB