Investigations of Quaternary geology on the west coast of Disko, central West Greenland

Abstract

During summer 1976 the coasts of Nordfjord, Mellemfjord and Disko Fjord were investigated. All three fjords were oulets or large valley glaciers moving towards the outer western coast of Disko. Some of the till matenal transported by the glaciers came from the inner parts of the island, as seen for instance in Nordfjord, where the matenal contains gneiss from the outcrops some way up in Stordal, the valley NW of the head of Nordfjord. However, the drift in the fjords consists mostly of the local basalt. During the retreat of the glaciers lateral moraines and kame terraces were deposited on the slopes. In Nordfjord they are at about 100 m above sea level and at about the same altitude in the inner parts of Disko Fjord. No clear end moraines connected with the lateral formations can be traced, but thick drift near the mouth of Mellemfjord, at Narssârssuk on the southern shore and at Kûggssuaq on the northern shore, may form remnants of an end moraine. Similar thick drift occurs also on the southern and northern shores ofthe innermost parts of Kangikerdlak in Disko Fjord and at the mouths of some smaller valleys.