Seawater softening of suture zones inhibits fracture propagation in Antarctic ice shelves

Suture zones are abundant on Antarctic ice shelves and widely observed to impede fracture propagation. Here we show that fracture detainment is principally controlled by the zones’ enhanced seawater contents, reducing fracture-driving stresses by orders of magnitude and therefore greatly enhancing s...

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Autores principales: Bernd Kulessa, Adam D. Booth, Martin O’Leary, Daniel McGrath, Edward C. King, Adrian J. Luckman, Paul R. Holland, Daniela Jansen, Suzanne L. Bevan, Sarah S. Thompson, Bryn Hubbard
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2019
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/c11fff1dcaa7489590ba33212e22ec80
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Sumario:Suture zones are abundant on Antarctic ice shelves and widely observed to impede fracture propagation. Here we show that fracture detainment is principally controlled by the zones’ enhanced seawater contents, reducing fracture-driving stresses by orders of magnitude and therefore greatly enhancing stability.