Late Quaternary megafloods from Glacial Lake Atna, Southcentral Alaska, U.S.A.
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24087828 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Wiedmer (University of Washington, corresponding author), David R Montgomery (0000-0002-9435-6803, University of Washington), Alan R Gillespie (University of Washington), Harvey Greenberg (0009-0006-9624-4692, University of Washington) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 413-424 |
| Publication date | 2010-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Quaternary Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-5894 • E-ISSN: 1096-0287 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.yqres.2010.02.005 |
| OpenAlex | W2013088459 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 34 |
Geomorphic, stratigraphic, geotechnical, and biogeographic evidence indicate that failure of a Pleistocene ice dam between 15.5 and 26 ka generated a megaflood from Glacial Lake Atna down the Matanuska Valley. While it has long been recognized that Lake Atna occupied ⩾9000 km 2 of south-central Alaska's Copper River Basin, little attention has focused on the lake's discharge locations and behaviors. Digital elevation model and geomorphic analyses suggest that progressive lowering of the lake level by decanting over spillways exposed during glacial retreat led to sequential discharges down the Matanuska, Susitna, Tok, and Copper river valleys. Lake Atna's size, ∽50 ka duration, and sequential connection to four major drainages likely made it a regionally important late Pleistocene freshwater refugium. We estimate a catastrophic Matanuska megaflood would have released 500–1400 km 3 at a maximum rate of ⩾3×10 6 m 3 s –1 . Volumes for the other outlets ranged from 200 to 2600 km 3 and estimated maximum discharges ranged from 0.8 to 11.3×10 6 m 3 s –1 , making Lake Atna a serial generator of some of the largest known freshwater megafloods.
Geography · Geomorphology · Glacial lake · Glacial period · Hydrology (agriculture) · Last Glacial Maximum · Physical geography · Pleistocene · Quaternary · Structural basin · Water level · Climate change and permafrost · Geology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena · Paleontology
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| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2026 (16) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |