A Geophysical Investigation of Glacial Lake Outburst Potential of Nourse Moraine, Taiya River Watershed, Skagway, Alaska

At the request of the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) performed a preliminary geophysical assessment of the Nourse Moraine. The specific objective of this study was to assess the moraine’s static stability, e.g., its ability to perform as an earthen dam. The moraine’s physical properties were acquired through visual observations and data collected by a geophysical survey. The geophysical survey assessed the moraine’s thickness and  internal structure, specifically for the presence of an ice-core, which upon melting would weaken the moraine.