Limnological and sedimentary processes at Sawtooth Lake, Canadian High Arctic, and their influence on varve formation

This paper synthesizes data collected to document the modern limnological and sedimentary processes in South Sawtooth Lake located on northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Field observations show that the finely laminated sediments deposited in the distal basin are formed by the settling of overflows and interflows, and in rare occasions, by non-erosive hyperconcentrated density flows. Thinsections of these sediments allowed for the classification of the sedimentary fabrics into six facies, each representing different limnological processes. The sediments in this distal basin are considered to be continuous and annually laminated (varved) based on radioisotope analyses, and both limnological and sedimentological evidence.