Lineaments and Coastal Geomorphic Patterns in the Alaskan Arctic

Two major sets of lineaments were identified on the Alaskan North Slope by inspection of map contour patterns and surficial geomorphic trends. Primary and secondary lineaments, with 40° and 300° azimuths, respectively, have a pronounced effect on the coastal configuration. The Chukchi Sea coast is parallel to the primary lineament and the Beaufort Sea coast is parallel to the secondary lineament. Both coasts have major offsets at intersections of lineaments. At a higher resolution, coastal segments were more nearly straight where they aligned parallel to the major lineaments and highly irregular where they aligned oblique to lineaments. Statistically, the effect was highly significant. The orientation of tundra points and many barrier islands is parallel to the lineaments. Along coastal provinces, parallel to the lineaments, the barrier islands tend to be straight and continuous, whereas provinces orthogonal to the lineaments are arcuate, discontinuous, and offset along intersections with individual lineaments.