Martin Ross

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Waterloo

The entire GSC Open File 9210 is freely available here: https://doi.org/10.4095/pbmy2d03m0

The stratigraphic principle of superposition assumes that sediments at surface are youngest. And yet, patches of older preserved landscapes continue to be identified in the regions formerly covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Two gravel pits, at the edge of the western Hudson Bay Lowland near the geographic centre of the North American Ice Sheet C...

During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, the recession of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) provides a useful natural laboratory for examining the behavior of a mid- to high-latitude ice sheet during a period of climatically driven ice sheet thinning and retreat. While recent work has improved our understanding of the timing and pattern of Late Ple...

Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) reconstructions beyond the last glacial maximum (LGM) are difficult due to the incomplete stratigraphic record that has largely been eroded by the most recent glaciation. The Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL) is a key region to understanding the long-term evolution of the LIS, as it contains an extensive pre-LGM stratigraphic reco...

Regional subsurface mapping of glacial depositional systems preserved in buried bedrock paleovalleys, and quantitative analysis of new LiDAR imagery of surface glacial landforms using machine learning techniques, when combined, are powerful tools for assessing the dynamics of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) during the last (Wisconsinan) glaciation i...

The Laurentide Ice Sheet's (LIS) interior had a dynamic polythermal base, but the spatiotemporal variations of subglacial processes related to ice divide migration and other transient changes remain largely unknown, limiting our understanding of regional glacial dynamics. Previous studies focused on the regional glacial landform record, while ice s...

In August 2023, the Quaternary stratigraphy of eight sections situated on the Gods and Yakaw rivers, in the Hudson Bay Lowland of northeastern Manitoba, were investigated. The goals of this remote fieldwork were to establish a more complete understanding of the Quaternary history of the region and to collect indicator-mineral samples to assist with...

Subglacial sediments are subject to erosion, transport, and deposition in active, ephemeral, and spatially localized glacial environments. It is critical to determine how these mobilized sediments become immobilized in a time-transgressive process and can be frequently remobilized and reimmobilized. Microscopic sedimentary structural signatures pro...

Establishing the timing of glacial and nonglacial intervals in the core regions of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) is essential to constrain ice-sheet configuration at times of globally reduced ice volume, such as during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (~57–29 ka). Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL) deglaciation, at the centre of the LIS, has been inferred at MI...

Significant earthquake site effect potential exists in Charlevoix, Québec, the most seismically active region in the eastern Canada. Most of the population there lives on two buried river valleys (Du Gouffre in the west and Malbaie in the east) filled by ≤350 m of glacial, glaciomarine, and fluvial deposits atop hard rock. To constrain seismic site...

The complex glacial geomorphology of east-central Quebec and western Labrador has resulted in conflicting ice sheet reconstructions leaving many questions regarding the behaviour of large ice sheets within their inner regions. Specifically, the ice-flow chronology and subglacial conditions remain poorly constrained. To address this, surficial geolo...

Surficial geology studies were conducted within an area of about 5550 km2 in the Gillam region of northeastern Manitoba. The methods of this project were to 1) investigate the surficial geology; 2) investigate the subsurface geology where exposed along river sections; 3) interpret the glacial history; and 4) acquire physical properties from till sa...

Detection and assessment of the deeply buried high-grade uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin rely on geophysical methods to map conductive rocks. Variable Quaternary surface cover can mask the anomalous signals from depth and affect interpretation of inverted conductivity models. We present the analysis of a number of EM modeling studies and tw...

It has been a long-standing question whether the Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL), located near the geographic centre of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS), was deglaciated during MIS 3. Addressing this problem has important implications for our understanding of LIS configuration. Recent studies have documented MIS 3-aged non-glacial sediments in the HBL using...

This chapter presents an overview of the main interpolation methods available in geomodeling software. Different interpolation methods are employed by a wide variety of modeling software products. The chapter provides an overview of the SKUA GOCAD system, and demonstrates how GOCAD tools and procedures may be applied to modeling shallow discontinuo...

Open access -> https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/esp.4957 The glacial records of the inner‐core regions of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) document complex, yet coherent patterns reflecting ice sheet change (e.g., ice‐divide migration) providing unique insights into past glacial conditions. This study develops a conceptual model of su...

Processes of sediment depositional systems (SDS) and the mechanics of erosion and deposition and related landform development are discussed with reference to glaciers and ice sheets. SDS and the complex, interlinked sediment pathway systems within glacial environments are illustrated. Glacial landforms (drumlins, fluted moraines, MSGL, ribbed morai...

The development of new, large-scale tools to evaluate water resources is critical to understanding the long-term sustainability of this resource under future land use, climate change, and population growth. In cold and humid regions it is imperative that such tools consider the hydrologic complexities associated with permafrost and groundwater-surf...

The Laurentide Ice Sheet was characterized by a dynamic polythermal base. However, important data and knowledge gaps have led to contrasting reconstructions in areas such as the Labrador Ice Divide. In this study, detailed fieldwork was conducted at the southeastern edge of a major landform boundary to resolve the relative ice flow chronology and c...

Your personalized Share Link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Y-JN-4PRtxxW Reconstructions of past ice-flow provide useful insights into the long-term behaviour of past ice sheets and help to understand how glaciated landscapes are shaped. Here, we present reconstruction of a 10-phase ice-flow history from southwestern Hudson Bay in northeastern M...

Tracing indicator minerals and geochemical pathfinders in glacial sediments back to their up-ice source is a common mineral exploration approach in prospective, formerly glaciated regions. In this study, we utilize surface and subsurface data from the Lac de Gras area of the Northwest Territories to develop a three-dimensional understanding of till...

The goal of this work is to determine the effect of multiple glaciations on till deposition, in a zone of transition from a multi-till stratigraphy within the Hudson Bay Lowlands to a single till stratigraphy over the Precambrian Shield. The study area has access to numerous sections that expose multiple tills, in addition to interglacial and post...

The landscape records twelve streamlined landform flowsets, yet only four are related to late deglaciation, with two demonstrating evidence of being time-transgressive. This demonstrates that the majority of the landscape in northeastern Manitoba is a palimpsest record of older glacial events. This recognition of similar, multi-age glaciated landsc...

A drawing summarizing the paper by Kelley et al. (2019)

The spatial distribution of hydraulic properties in the subsurface controls groundwater flow and solute transport. However, many approaches to modeling these distributions do not produce geologically realistic results, and/or do not model the anisotropy of hydraulic conductivity caused by bedding structures in sedimentary deposits. We have develope...

Throughout the Wisconsin glaciation, an ice dome developed in the eastern sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet covering northern Quebec and Labrador. The complex geomorphological record created by the Quebec-Labrador ice dome, indicates that it was a mobile dome throughout the Wisconsin. Previous reconstructions of ice-divide migration through time,...

The shear wave velocity of surficial sediments (VS) and the fundamental site period (TO) are important parameters for analysis of the free-field seismic response. Their spatial distribution in the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Valleys, Canada, was determined applying a standardized method consisting of (i) updating the Quaternary geology; (ii) classifyin...

Shear-wave velocity of the top 30 m, VS30, is commonly used for prediction of the seismic site response. This paper presents development, validation and uncertainty assessment of a regional VS30 model based on a combination of simplified 3D geology and statistically representative velocity values. Results identify soft marine sediments in deep sedi...

The Aberdeen Lake region of central mainland Nunavut is a former core region of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that is characterized by streamlined glacial landforms classified into multiple cross-cutting flowsets and near continuous till blanket. The presence of widespread till near the centre of the Keewatin Ice Dome raises questions about its origin....

A preliminary look into till provenance via till facies and composition in the eastern Athabasca Basin

This activity report summarizes accomplishments of the GEM 2 Hudson-Ungava surficial activities focused on northeast Quebec and west central Labrador. These activities are being carried out in collaboration with the Ministère de l'Énergie et des Ressources Naturelles du Québec (MERNQ) and the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador (GSNL). T...

Three-dimensional (3-D) hydrostratigraphic modelling of glacial sediment assemblages was undertaken as part of a groundwater study in central Illinois, USA. Sediments comprising these assemblages, informally referred to as the Glasford deglacial unit, form discontinuous sand-gravel layers including small aquifer zones, and fine-grained interstratif...

Ribbed moraines are enigmatic glacial landforms for which different models, with contrasting paleoglaciologic implications, have been proposed to explain their formation. Despite the great deal of attention this type of landform has received over the last several decades, ribbed moraine fields in northern Manitoba, Canada are among the largest in t...

The distribution of basal drag zones (sticky spots) underneath palaeo-ice streams or lobes is largely unknown. We investigated the centre of the large (300 km long and up to 400 km wide) deglacial Hayes Lobe in NE Manitoba, Canada, by focusing on surficial till and its composition to get insights into dispersal patterns and their potential relation...

The net effect of ice-flow shifts resulting in the dilution or reworking of clasts on a single preserved till sheet is often unknown yet has major implications for palaeoglaciology and mineral exploration. Herein, we analyse variations in till clast lithologies from a single till sheet, within palimpsest-type Glacial Terrain Zones in NE Manitoba, C...

Canada's vast northern territories require an efficient and timely method to create surficial geology maps. Due to the convenient availability of remotely sensed imagery, it is effective to develop and test this resource by using various automatic and remote approaches to assist with the production of surficial geology maps. The goal of this remote...

This study is part of the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office's Hall Peninsula Integrated Geoscience Program, a multiyear bedrock and surficial geologymapping program. This paper presents the surficial geology component of the program conducted during the 2013 field season, completing a two-year program covering NTS map areas 25I, J, O, P, 26A and B a...

Hall Peninsula, located on Baffin Island, is characterized by a bouldery cover on the plateau, and bedrock outcrops eroded by glaciers in the valleys and along the coast. The last glaciation left traces of erosion and deposits of glacial sediments (till). Regions of intense glacial activity was delimited along the coast and in the vicinity of large...

Radiocarbon ages from Southampton Island (Canada) provide new chronological control on the deglaciation of Foxe Channel and northern Hudson Bay, a strategic area for understanding the demise of a marine-based portion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. A regional marine reservoir age of 630±45 yr and a reservoir offset (ΔR) of 263±48 yr were calculated fr...

A highly fragmented subglacial landscape is recognized at the regional to sub-regional scales in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, in the southeast Keewatin Sector (a core region) of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. New field-based ice-flow indicator measurements, mapping of subglacial landforms (remote-sensing and aerial photograph), and a re-examination of...

It is now generally accepted within the scientific community that the climate is changing, and that future climate change may have significant impact on water resources in both quantity and quality. In some regions, especially those that are already exhibiting water shortages, a further reduction in the available surface water and groundwater suppl...

The importance of understanding the character and distribution of deposits correlated to the Illinoian deglaciation in east-central Illinois lies in the potential for related events to have locally incised important aquitard materials that provide protection to shallow groundwater resources. However, the nature and mode of this incision into the Il...

Property transfer from geological to hydrogeological models is an important step in setting initial conditions for groundwater flow simulation. However, most mainstream software packages still do not possess built-in utilities for this procedure. While software engineers are looking for integrated commercial solutions, some simple stand-alone tools...

Elongated glacial landforms, mainly streamlined bedrock hills, and a Boothia-type carbonate dispersal train were investigated in northern Southampton Island, Nunavut. Field observations, Landsat imagery, and till compositional data, were used to establish ice flow direction, map landform elongation, and carbonaceous till dispersion on basement rock...

One of the challenges in modelling groundwater flow systems at the continental-scale is to integrate the geology, i.e. the physical properties of the media, into the grid of a numerical model. In Canada, the development of such a model has been hampered by both the scarcity of data in some remote areas where thick stratigraphic sequences occur (e.g...

Ross, M., Lajeunesse, P. & Kosar, K. G. A. 2010: The subglacial record of northern Hudson Bay: insights into the Hudson Strait Ice Stream catchment. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00176.x. ISSN 0300-9483. In this paper, we present new insights into the glacial dynamics and potential configuration of the Hudson Strait Ice Stream catchment in the n...

A nearly complete fossil of a whitefish, Coregonus beringiaensis sp. nov. (Salmoniformes: Salmonidae: Coregoninae), the oldest known record of the genus, is described from Ch'ijee's Bluff along the Porcupine River, Bluefish Basin, Yukon Territory. The new species is closest to but distinct from species within the Coregonus clupeaformis complex, esp...

This paper presents a new subglacial landform map for northern Manitoba (58�-60� N). The region was formerly covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet and is located at the southern margin of the Late Wisconsinan (�25-10 Ka BP) deglacial Keewatin Ice Divide just west of Hudson Bay. Mapping was focused on determining the location and orientation of stream...

This is the second of a multi-year collaboration between the Manitoba Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Canada and the University of Waterloo to investigate the surficial geology in northern Manitoba, as part of the Manitoba Far North Geomapping Initiative. This surficial geology study aims to elucidate the glacial geology and geomorpholo...

The analysis of the glacial landscape of southern Saskatchewan (Canada) through multiple data sets (e.g. digital elevation model, till compositional data) has revealed previously unrecognized subglacial sediment–landform assemblages. A southwest-trending corridor of mega-scale till lineations (Maskwa corridor) bounded on each side by hummocky terra...

It has been demonstrated that many modern ice streams are fed by complex systems of tributaries extending far into the interior of ice sheets, thus raising questions about their potential implications in past and modern ice sheet response to climate forcing. However, little is known about the timing of initiation of these systems and the mechanisms...

Field Trip Guidebook; Canadian Quaternary Association, Conference, Ottawa (2007)

1. ABSTRACT Military training ranges in Canada often cover extensive areas overlying thick Quaternary stratigraphic sequences containing valuable water resources. Here we present the geomodeling methodologies and tools that have been used and/or developed over the last few years within the framework of environmental assessment studies of some of th...

The Quaternary sediments of previously unstudied buried valleys and sections near Montréal are analyzed and other sites are revisited to further develop the stratigraphic framework of the St. Lawrence Lowland and to establish regional glacial and deglacial models. The southwest-trending buried valleys were investigated by stratigraphic drilling and...

During a regional hydrogeologic survey in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, Canada, a computer-based 3D Geologic Framework Model (GFM) was constructed to obtain a consistent representation of this typical Quaternary glaciated basin over a 1,400 km(2) area. Such a detailed stratigraphic reconstruction was needed because the Quaternary sediments control the...

Integrating geologic information into hydrogeologic numerical models is by no means a straightforward operation. This is especially true for finite element modeling which generally requires that the geological information be integrated into grids that are generally irregular in the horizontal (i, j) direction and regular in the vertical (k) directi...

An aquifer vulnerability assessment method which relates vulnerability directly to groundwater Downward Advective Time (DAT) from a 3D geologic model is tested over a 1400 km2 area in the St. Lawrence Lowlands in SW Québec. The goal was to assess the vulnerability of the regional rock aquifer which is overlain by discontinuous and unconsolidated Qu...

Se verifica en St. Lawrence Lowlands en SW Quebec un método de evaluación de vulnerabilidad acuífera, el cual relaciona directamente Ia vulnerabilidad con el tiempo advectivo descendiente (DAT) a partir de un modelo geológico 3D. El objetivo fue evaluar Ia vulnerabilidad del acuífero regional, el cual es sobreyacido por unidades Cuaternarias discon...

Carte au 1:50 000 des formations quaternaires de la région Lachute-Oka, Québec, Canada Commission Géologique du Canada, Dossier public 3520

Carte au 1:50 000 des formations quaternaires de la région de Laval, Québec, Canada Commission Géologique du Canada, Dossier Public 3873