Pattern and Cause of Variability of Postglacial Uplift and Rate of Uplift in Arctic Canada

Maps of postglacial uplift for Arctic Canada (excluding the Queen Elizabeth Islands) portray a highly irregular surface. Analysis of sites where the elevation and age of marine limits are known indicates that the variability is explicable in terms of distance (D) from the former ice margin (a measure of ice thickness) and date of deglaciation. These two variables account for 80 per cent of the variation in postglacial uplift (Uₚ) at sixty-seven sites, whereas, if postglacial uplift is related solely to distance by Uₚ = CDⁿ, only 53 per cent of the variation is accounted for. Trend surfaces are presented for postglacial uplift in the last 6,000 years and the present rate of uplift. Models are developed that indicate the effect of different rates of glacial retreat on postglacial uplift, elevation of the marine limit, and strandline deformation.