Abstract: River course migration is controlled by discharge, sediment supply, and bank vegetation, and its study informs watershed responses to environmental stressors like climate change and permafrost thaw. We present a preliminary characterization of Tsälnjik Chú (Nordenskiold River) near Carmacks (Klondike region, Yukon), based on geomorphic observations, time-series photogrammetry and hydrological analysis. We report channel-migration data in relation to flooding patterns, including the records of a recent ~10-year recurrence flood that took place in the spring of 2022. Boreholes drilled in the river’s floodplain have encountered discontinuous permafrost at depths of >0.7 m, and preliminary morphodynamic analyses show similar relationships between channel size, curvature and migration rate to rivers outside the permafrost zone. Results provide a coarse characterization of hazards related to bank erosion and channel overspill at Carmacks, and will inform future work that integrates aspects of fluvial morphodynamics and biogeochemistry in relation to flooding elsewhere in Yukon.

Authors: Hatton, C., Ielpi, A., Cronmiller, D.C. and Painter, M.

NTS Mapsheet(s): 115H15, 115H16, 115I01, 115I02

Citation: Hatton, C., Ielpi, A., Cronmiller, D.C. and Painter, M., 2023. Geomorphic assessment of Tsälnjik Chú (Nordenskiold River) near Carmacks, Klondike region, Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2022, K.E. MacFarlane (ed.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 77–91.

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