Dating the Moraines and Recession of Athabasca and Dome Glaciers, Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Little Ice Age moraines at Athabasca and Dome glaciers, Alberta, Canada, were dated using dendrogeomorphic techniques and old photographs. Ice-scarred or tilted trees provide precise dates for the Little Ice Age maximum advance of 1843/44 (Athabasca) and 1846 (Dome). Moraine fragments from an earlier advance of the Athabasca Glacier were formed in 1714. Ecesis periods on these moraines are between 40 and 60 yr. Most trees colonizing these moraines date from periods of warmer summers in the present century. Dated ice-front positions and landform development between 1906 and 1981 are presented and discussed. Maximum recession rates for both glaciers occurred between ca. 1940 and 1960 but have decreased markedly in the last two decades.