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Many Neoproterozoic diamictites are glacial in origin (Young, G.M. 2018. Precambrian glacial deposits: their origin, tectonic setting, and key role in Earth evolution. In Past glacial environments. 2nd ed. Edited by J. Menzies, and J.J.M. van der Meer. Elsevier. Chapter 2, pp. 17–45. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-100524-8.00001-4). However, many are thought to be nonglacial mass movement deposits. Discussion on the nature of Neoproterozoic climate change focuses on the controversial origin of diamictite-bearing strata and the criteria to determine the extent and nature, or not, of glacial influence on their deposition. At the macroscale, sediments (diamictites) deposited beneath palaeo-ice masses or debris flows are massive, lack few visible signs of stratification, or deformation signatures. Microscopic investigations have resulted in specific sedimentary structures being identified, indicative of stress during glacial deposition, or developed in transit within mass movements. Case examples derived from the Neoproterozoic in Varanger, Norway have been investigated that provide strain signatures of "unique sequences" of microstructures. Micromorphology, relatively new to Precambrian research, can deliver far greater detail on the depositional and deformation histories recorded by these diamictites than obtained from macroscale studies alone. The technique provides evidence of composite deformation histories of potential glacigenic and nonglacigenic sequences. Many microstructures can be observed in most diamictites. It can be demonstrated that diamictites, both glacigenic and non-glacigenic, contain most of these microstructures in varying levels of abundancy and can be separated on specific "sets" of summative structures present. At Varanger, 12 samples were analyzed for thin sectioning. As illustrative of the thin sections as a whole, 6 are presented here that offer a microscale perspective on the diamictites from this area and establish that both the Smalfjord and Mortensnes Formation diamictites are of glacial terrestrial or subaqueous origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacial sediment research using thin sections began post-1945. Microsedimentology examines sediments at the microscopic level deriving insights into the processes of glacial erosion, transport, and deposition. Two issues exist (1) the difficulty by some in recognizing microstructures in thin section and (2) the absence of quantitative data making data reproduction difficult. The latter is hard to resolve but more image capture and software methodologies are now becoming available at reasonable costs. Thin sections are two-dimensional sections of three-dimensional objects, and this must be considered when measurements, fabrics and other data are assessed. Research into the microaspects of glacial sediments followed a typical scientific trajectory: thin sections description with little uniformity or common "language" for observed microstructures: standardization allowed comparison between different sediments; with standardization, came an open-ended classification; and with cross-comparison with multiple thin sections—a quantitative means of study needs developed. It has become apparent that the basic principles of structural geology had to be applied. Thus, micromorphology has subsumed into a microsedimentological study of glacial sediments where stress parameters, structural fabrics and the mapping of deformation structures and contextual integration allows an understanding of how these sediments have been formed. Examples of the development stages of glacial micromorphology/sedimentology are presented here as well as discussion of future avenues of study. In addition, multiple thin sections are used to illustrate the many aspects of glacial micromorphology and the parameters necessary to understand glacial sedimentology and the processes of glacial sedimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past-producing Pine Point lead–zinc mining district, Northwest Territories, Canada, provides a unique opportunity to study the role of glacial dynamics in a thick, continuous till succession that has not been influenced by the underlying bedrock topography. Parts of the Pine Point mining district are covered by >20 m of subglacial Quaternary sediments (till) associated with the former Laurentide Ice Sheet. Till facies exposed in unreclaimed open-pit K-62 have been classified into four separate units. Micro- and macrosedimentological analyses were undertaken to identify the change in subglacial stress during sediment deposition and across till unit boundaries. An analysis of high- and low-angle microshears (lineations) in thin sections produced from these till units indicate that there is a noticeable decrease in the abundance of low-angle shear features immediately below till unit boundaries. The deformation of low-angle shears in the underlying tills was likely caused by remobilization of the overlying till unit. This remobilization is consistent with aggradation-constant entrainment decay mechanisms for subglacial till emplacement and accretion and subglacial dispersion models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Tills from an exposure in Wildschönau Valley, northern Austria were examined using microsedimentological techniques. The tills exhibit a range of microstructures indicative of soft sediment deformation within temperate subglacial bed conditions. The tills can be subdivided at the macroscale into a lower grey and upper red till both of which exhibit some sedimentological variations; however, at the micro-level the tills appear essentially identical. The microstructures in the tills are illustrative of structures developed during deformation both during and following their emplacement. Of note are the microshears within these tills that are demonstrative of changes in applied stress. Both low (<25°) and high angle (>25°) microshears were mapped and their fabric data analyzed. The microshears show a change in stress levels ascending through successive till units. The changes in stress are demonstrative of spatially and temporally changing rheological conditions undergone by the subglacial tills during deformation, ongoing deposition/ emplacement and stress localization. These findings indicate that microstructures reveal local deformation conditions in tills and a more detailed micro-history of paleo-stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of tills from the Eastern Alps, Austria, illustrates the insights obtained using microsedimentology on subglacial tills in the context of palaeogeographical reconstructions of glacier advances. Investigations of several sites with tills derived from both local glaciers and the ice-sheet streaming of the Inn Glacier during the Last Glacial Maximum and its termination reveal a detailed picture of subglacial sedimentology that provides evidence of soft sediment subglacial deformation under polythermal conditions. All the tills exhibit microstructures that are proxy evidence of significant changes in till rheology. The tills originate from multiple sources, incorporating older tills and other deposits picked up by the subglacial deformation within a polythermal but dominantly warm temperate subglacial thermal regime. The analyses of till microstructures reveal a direct relationship between basal ice strain conditions and their development. A hypothesis is derived, from the various microstructures observed in these Austrian tills formed under soft sediment deforming basal ice conditions, that suggests that with basal thermal changes and fluctuations in clay content, pore-water content and pressure, microstructures form in a non-random manner. It is postulated that in clay-deficient sediments, edge-to-edge events are most likely to occur first; and where clay content increases, grain stacks, rotation structures, deformation bands and, finally, shear zones are likely to evolve in an approximate sequential manner. After repeated transport, emplacement, reworking and, probably, further shearing and deformation events, an emplaced 'till', as observed in these Austrian tills, will form that carries most, if not all of these microstructures, in varying percentages. Finally, the impact of the Inn Glacier Ice Stream on these tills is not easily detected and/or differentiated, but indications of high pore water and probable dilatant events leading to reductions in the number of edge-to-edge events point to the impact of fast or thick ice upon these subglacial tills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of drumlins remains a major enigma. It is accepted that drumlins form under active temperate ice most likely within a soft sediment deforming bed at ephemeral ‘sticky points’. These ‘sticky points’ likely lead to the causative mechanism around which sediment nucleation occurs. The critical question is under what conditions and where and how do ‘sticky spots’ form. A comparative investigation of a drumlin and mega-flute in the New York Drumlin Field, as a case study, demonstrates that rheological and sedimentological tills from these different forms are similar. It is not, therefore, rheological change alone that must account for drumlin shape and form but likely the advective subglacial basal sediment flux rate at the ice bed. The rate of sediment motion between the upper interface at the ice–sediment bed boundary, and the lower immobile sediment at depth is crucial. At the lower décollement between the mobile and immobile sediment units, within the deforming sediment package, proto-drumlin nucleation is likely to occur and develop into a streamlined form. The trigger mechanism for such a perturbation is a derivative of sediment rheology and sediment flux rate driven by the overlying ice stresses. Recent evidence from Antarctica lends credence to this new hypothesis that can be related to all drumlins formed under temperate, soft sediment deforming bed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macro- and micro-sedimentology of a supraglacial melt-out till forming at the Matanuska Glacier was examined in relationship to the properties of the stratified basal zone ice and debris from which it is originating. In situ melting of the basal ice has produced a laminated to bedded diamicton consisting mainly of silt. Macroscopic properties include: discontinuous laminae and beds; lenses of sand, silt aggregates and open-work gravel; deformed and elongate clasts of clay; widely dispersed pebbles and cobbles, those that are prolate usually with their long axes subparallel to parallel to the bedding. Evidence for deformation is absent except for localized bending of beds over or under rock clasts. Microscopic properties are a unique element of this work and include: discontinuous lineations; silt to granule size laminae; prolate coarse sand and rock fragments commonly with their long axis subparallel to bedding; subangular to subrounded irregular shaped clay clasts often appearing as bands; sorted and unsorted silt to granule size horizons, sometimes disrupted by pore-water pathways. Limited deformation occurs around rock clasts and thicker parts of lamina. This study shows that in situ melting of debris-rich basal ice can produce a laminated and bedded diamicton that inherits and thereby preserves stratified basal ice properties. Production and preservation of supraglacial melt-out till require in situ melting of a stagnant, debris-rich basal ice source with a low relief surface that becomes buried by a thick, stable, insulating cover of ice-marginal sediment. Also required are a slow melt rate and adequate drainage to minimize pore-water pressures in the till and overlying sediment cover to maintain stability and uninterrupted deposition. Many modern and ancient hummocky moraines down glacier of subglacial overdeepenings probably meet these process criteria and their common occurrence suggests that both modern and pre-modern supraglacial melt-out tills may be more common than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pit located near Ballyhorsey, 28 km south of Dublin (eastern Ireland), displays subglacially deposited glaciofluvial sediments passing upwards into proglacial subaqueous ice-contact fan deposits. The coexistence of these two different depositional environments at the same location will help with differentiation between two very similar and easily confused glacial lithofacies. The lowermost sediments show aggrading subglacial deposits indicating a constrained accommodation space, mainly controlled by the position of an overlying ice roof during ice-bed decoupling. These sediments are characterized by vertically stacked tills with large lenses of tabular to channelized sorted sediments. The sorted sediments consist of fine-grained laminated facies, cross-laminated sand and channelized gravels, and are interpreted as subglaciofluvial sediments deposited within a subglacial de-coupled space. The subglaciofluvial sequence is characterized by glaciotectonic deformation structures within discrete beds, triggered by fluid overpressure and shear stress during episodes of ice/bed recoupling (clastic dykes and folds). The upper deposits correspond to the deposition of successive hyperpycnal flows in a proximal proglacial lake, forming a thick sedimentary wedge erosively overlying the subglacial deposits. Gravel facies and large-scale trough bedding sand are observed within this proximal wedge, while normally graded sand beds with developed bedforms are observed further downflow. The building of the prograding ice-contact subaqueous fan implies an unrestricted accommodation space and is associated with deformation structures related to gravity destabilization during fan spreading (normal faults). This study facilitates the recognition of subglacial/submarginal depositional environments formed, in part, during localized ice/bed coupling episodes in the sedimentary record. The sedimentary sequence exposed in Ballyhorsey permits characterization of the temporal framework of meltwater production during deglaciation, the impact on the subglacial drainage system and the consequences on the Irish Sea Ice Stream flow mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A kinematic model of strain pathways for till formation is developed. This model is linked to microstructures found within tills indicative of multiple styles of deformational regimes and polyrheological conditions during formation. Tills are subdivided into three types. Type A tills are found under high strain rates and a pervasive deformation regime and may be regarded as lodgement tills and are relatively rare. Type B tills are the dominant group formed under variable strain deformation conditions of pervasive and non-pervasive deformation containing evidence of brittle and ductile failure and can be classified as tectomicts (or glacial mélange). Type C tills are found under limited to zero deformation regimes and are melt-out tills of limited preservation potential. Examples of till forming under various strain pathways conditions are presented with photomicrographs of thin sections of such tills. A new till classification scheme is offered that accounts for the deformation regimes till undergo under varying strain pathways. This new model should help to place microstructures obtained from micromorphological analyses within the context of till genesis and subsequent development. This kinematic model is a first attempt to integrate the fields of glacial micromorphology, structural geology and glacial sedimentology into a coherent ‘blueprint’ for till development leading to deposition and/or emplacement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to describe the use of thin sections/micromorphology in the sedimentology of unconsolidated sediments. It provides examples of the use of thin sections in a variety of sedimentary environments, from fault gouge, through caves and volcanics to aeolian, fluviatile, marine, periglacial and glacial. It demonstrates that in the latter three fields the use of micromorphology is relatively widespread and that in glacial sedimentology it has revolutionised our way of thinking about subglacial sediments. Although micromorphology has been mainly descriptive so far, methods of quantification observations are demonstrated. Some of the important aspects of micromorphology are its use for microstratigraphy and the possibility of relating observations to documented processes thereby allowing a more robust sedimentological interpretation of modern and ancient sediments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Menzies, J. & Ellwanger, D. 2010: Insights into subglacial processes inferred from the micromorphological analyses of complex diamicton stratigraphy near Illmensee-Lichtenegg, Höchsten, Germany. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00194.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Investigations of a 30-m-high section of Pleistocene sediments at Illmensee-Lichtenegg, Höchsten in Baden-Württemberg provide detailed information on subglacial conditions beneath the Rhine Glacier outlet of the Alpine ice sheet in southern Germany. The sediment exposure extends from an upper cemented sand and gravel (Deckenschotter) into diamictic units that extend down to weathered Molasse bedrock. The exposure reveals sediments symptomatic of active syndepositional stress/strain processes ongoing beneath the ice sheet. Macrosedimentology reveals diamicton subfacies units and a strong uni-direction of ice motion based on clast fabric analyses. At the microscale level, thin-section analyses provide a substantially clearer picture of the dynamics of subglacial sediment deformation and till emplacement. Evidence based on detailed micromorphological analyses reveals microstructural strain and depositional markers that indicate a subglacial environment of ongoing soft bed deformation in which the diamictons can be readily identified as subglacial tills. Within this subglacial environment, distinct changes in pore-water pressure and sediment rheology can be detected. These changes reveal fluctuating conditions of progressive, non-pervasive deformation associated with rapid changes in effective stress and shear strain leading to till emplacement. This site, through the application of micromorphology, increases our understanding of localized subglacial conditions and till formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]