Strongly Depth-Dependent Ice Fabric in a Fast-Flowing Antarctic Ice Stream Revealed With Icequake Observations

The crystal orientation fabric of glacier ice impacts its strength and flow. Crystal fabric is therefore an important consideration when modeling ice flow. Here, we show that shear-wave splitting (SWS) measured with glacial microseismicity can be used to invert seismic anisotropy and ice fabric, if represented in a statistical sense. Rutford Ice Stream (RIS) is a fast-flowing Antarctic ice stream, a setting crucial for informing large-scale ice sheet models. We present >200,000 SWS measurements from glacial microseismicity, registered at a 38-station seismic network located similar to 40 km upstream of the grounding line. A representative subset of these data is inverted for ice fabric. Due to the character of SWS, which accumulates along the raypath, we include information on the depth structure from radar measurements. We find that the following three-layer configuration fits the data best: a broad vertical cone fabric near the base of RIS (500 m thick), a thick vertical girdle fabric, orientated perpendicular to flow, in the middle (1,200 m thick), and a tilted cone fabric in the uppermost 400 m. Such a variation of fabric implies a depth-dependent strength profile of the ice with the middle layer being similar to 3.5 times harder to deform along flow than across flow. At the same time, the middle layer is a factor similar to 16 softer to shear than to compression or extension along flow. If such a configuration is representative for fast-flowing ice streams, it would call for a more complex integration of viscosity in ice sheet models.

Automated summary

The crystal orientation fabric of glacier ice is crucial in determining its strength and flow behavior, making it an important factor in ice flow modeling. In this study, the authors demonstrate that shear-wave splitting (SWS) measured through glacial microseismicity can be used to infer seismic anisotropy and ice fabric in a statistical sense. By analyzing over 200,000 SWS measurements from a seismic network near Rutford Ice Stream in Antarctica, the researchers were able to identify a three-layer ice fabric structure with varying strengths and deformability along the flow direction. Their findings suggest that fast-flowing ice streams may require a more complex integration of viscosity in ice sheet models.