A Study of Glacier Flow for an Open-Pit Mine: An Exercise in Applied Glaciology

Abstract

As part of the feasibility study for the development of an open-pit mine at the edge of the Greenland ice sheet, a study is made of the ice flow toward the proposed pit. The flow is analyzed by considering the two-dimensional flow along seven cross-sections. The most favorable profile is determined for each cross-section and its flow calculated. The excavation necessary to expose the ore is 106 × 106m3of ice. 66 × 106m3of ice will have to be removed in order to establish favorable profiles and an additional 7.9 × 106m3of ice will have to be removed each year in order to prevent the glacier from thickening and advancing into the mine. Many other glaciological problems must be considered, and field work continues in order to provide more information about the area.