Earth’s Cryosphere, 2024, Vol. XXVIII, No. 5, p. 50-58.

METHODS OF CRYOSPHERIC RESEARCH

LATITUDINAL ZONATION OF PERMAFROST IN THE YAMALO-NENETS AUTONOMOUS OKRUG ACCORDING TO TRANSIENT ELECTROMAGNETIC SOUNDING DATA

E.V. Ageenkov1,*, V.V. Potapov1, E.Yu. Antonov1, A.N. Shein2, V.V. Olenchenko1

1 Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Koptyuga St. 3, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia
2 Arctic Research Center, Respubliki St. 20, Salekhard, 119991 Russia
*Corresponding author; e-mail: AgeenkovEV@ipgg.sbras.ru

To determine the current state of the permafrost in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and assess its transformation in connection with modern climate changes, transient electromagnetic (TEM) sounding was performed at ten sites along the submeridional profile from the Siberian Uvaly Hills in the south to the Pur–Taz Lowland in the north with a spacing of about 50 km. An interpretation of geoelectric models was carried out and compared with the results of drilling surveys of permafrost provided by the Arctic Research Center from its archive. As a result of the interpretation of geoelectric sections, modern and relict permafrost strata and isolated taliks were identified. It was found that the modern base of permafrost lies at depths from 50 to 130 meters. A comparison of the results of modern TEM surveys with archival reference geocryological sections did not show significant differences in the position of geocryological boundaries. However, it should be noted the significant distance between the TEM sites, as well as, often, considerable distances between them and reference boreholes. The greatest differences between the modern and archival data are noted in the northern part of the profile, which is probably due to the increased salinity of the rocks at the TEM survey sites.

Keywords: permafrost, saline rocks, relict frozen strata, transient electromagnetic soundings, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Recommended citation: Ageenkov E.V., Potapov V.V., Antonov E.Yu., Shein A.N., Olenchenko V.V., 2024. Latitudinal zonation of permafrost in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug according to transient electromagnetic sounding data. Earth’s Cryosphere XXVIII (5), 50–58.

Received March 31, 2024
Revised July 5, 2024
Accepted September 2, 2024
Translated by S.B. Sokolov