Zonal peculiarities of polygonal ice‐wedge relief in Western Siberia

Abstract

The polygonal ice‐wedge formations of Western Siberia have a marked zonality. This is manifest in the morphological characteristics of the ice‐wedge polygon relief, associated with various stages of development of the ice wedges, i.e., those of growth, preservation, melting, and, finally, a residual stage. Regional morphological variations in polygonal relief forms in different areas are controlled by permafrost conditions (genesis, composition, ice content, hydrologic regime, and sedimentation), by the age of the forms and by the rate of development of thermokarst processes. (The translation is by William Barr, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.)