Middle Pleistocene Stratigraphy, Kotzebue Sound Region

Paleoenvironmental reconstructions before and during some phase of the Sagavanirktok Glaciation of the Brooks Range. In Huston et al., 1990 (see below), we thought that the deposits were of Anaktuvuk age, but we are now convinced that they are correlative to part of Hamilton's younger Sagavanirktok Glaciation. Views are drawn looking to the north.

(A) Kotzebue Sound and the southwest Brooks Range (De Long and Maird mountains) prior to glaciation and construction of Baldwin Peninsula. Cape Blossom Formation is being deposited by the Noatak, Kobuk and Selawik Rivers.

(B) The region during deposition of the Baldwin Silt, with glaciomarine mud being deposited in Kotzebue Sound. Glaciation has not reached its peak and sea level has not been significantly glacio-eustatically lowered.

(C) Glaciation has peakes, the Chukchi Sea has retreated, Kotzebue Sound is covered by outwash of the Selawik Member, and the Baldwin Peninsula is being construted as a push moraine.

Figures from Huston, M., Brigham-Grette, J. and Hopkins, A.M., 1990, Paleogeographic significance of middle Pleistocene glaciomarine deposits on Baldwin Peninsula, northwest Alaska. Annals of Glaciology, v. 1, p. 111-114.

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