Esker landmark Cambridge Bay Nunavut Kitikmeot

1. Ovayok = Mount Pelly
Inuuhuktu = Baby Pelly
Amaaqtuq = Lady Pelly
in
Ovayok Territorial Park
Ikaluktuuttiak = Cambridge Bay
By Hugh MacIsaac
2017 location 69.175411°N, 104.723771°W

6. Who was Pelly?
Sir John Henry Pelly (1777-1852) an Englishman,
a Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. His
parents Captain John Hinde Pelly (1744–1818)
and mother Sally Hitchen Blake worked for the
East India Company. Several landforms were
named in his honor.
In Saskatchewan, the HBC post, Fort Pelly bears
his name, as well as the unincorporated Town of
Pelly.
In the Yukon, Pelly Banks, Pelly Crossing, Pelly
Formation, Pelly Lakes, Pelly Mountains, and
the Pelly River bear his name.
In the Northwest Territories, these include Pelly
Island and Pelly Lake.
And in Nunavut, there is Mount Pelly, Pelly
Bay, and Pelly Point.

7. Ovayok is a hill of glacial till covered with
lichen and little ground cover. The moss has
the strangest brown date seed fruit that
hangs over the leafy green and plants like
thyme. There are many arctic blooms in
summertime. The wind can blow incredibly
and when it stops, there are swarms of
mosquitos.
Ovayok. He was a giant traveling with baby
Pelly, and lady Pelly. Once upon a time they
lay down in this area to die. You can see the
beach striations that look like layers on the
hill of Ovayok. His ribs are formed from
ephemeral streams that flow down his sides.
From the top of this hill the land rolls out
flatly. The view clearly shows the horizon
and curvature of the earth.

9. Ovayok, Inuuhuktu and Amaaqtuq
are Eskers.
Ovayok is tall = 183m. One can see
the ribs of the giant on the sides
of Ovayok.
Inuit Legend tells a tale of
tragedy. This family of giants
crossing Victoria Island were
starving and looking for food. Poor
Ovayok died first, then son
Inuuhuktu and then the mother
Amaaqtuq (packing baby).

10. What is an Esker?
AN ESKER IS A LONG, narrow, often
snakelike ridge of sand and gravel
deposited on top of the ground where
a glacier has retreated.
Most eskers are a single ridge, but
there are also braided ridges, similar
in shape to river tributaries.
The esker got its name from an Irish
Gaelic word, eiscir, which means
“ridge of gravel.”

11. Eskers range from a few meters high
to over 200m high. However, most are
30m or less. Some are a few km long,
and others can be as long as 500 km.
You may think of an esker formed of
glacial till, till of sand and gravel,
deposited on the bottom of an in-ice
river.

13. Eskers are used by animals to travel
on because they are usually dry and
raised above the muskeg or tundra
and good den sites.
Nunavummiut use eskers for
camping, viewing wildlife, burial
sites, ceremonial sacred places and
as landmarks for travelling.
Next slide view of Ikaluktutiak,
serenity and beauty, … see all over!

15. GEOMORPHOLOGY Words
A Lateral Morraine - parallel ridges of debris deposited along the sides of a
glacier or alluvial fan.
B Kame Terraces – beside a melting glacier, sand and gravel deposited in
lakes that slump down on the valley sides.
C Glacial Till - Material ground and melted out and deposited underneath the
glacier ice.
D Eskers - Sinuous ridges of gravel and sand that form below tunnels under
the ice.
E Kames - Hills of gravel and sand formed when the Moulin/glacial mill,
drains water through the ice.
F Kettles - Circular holes in the kame terraces form when ice blocks left in
the sediment melt
Strand lines - high water mark
Diamicton – poorly sorted sediment, till.
Crag and Tail – plucked rock and smooth tail shows movement of ice.
Flutings -
Drumlins – form under ice, show direction smooth tail see photo
Pingos - hydro laccolith
Scours – erosion by glacial action
Depressions called "moulins" form on top of the glacier, where melt water
funnels down to the base of the ice. Rivers of ice and lakes in the ice.

17. At one time the 3 giants were
joined, it was one large long esker.
Erosion has separated them.
The weight of 1 km thick ice has
melted off the land, the land has
rebounded up, isostatic rebound.
The ocean levels have dropped
showing beach ridges; evident on
Ovayok.
One can sometimes see shells on
the land among the moss.

19. The North East side of Ovayok has 2
lakes, a few cabins and abandoned
cabins. Good Char fishing to the North.
Blueberries grow on the northeast side
but seldom ripen that area.
Inuit forebears are believed to have
inhabited the area since 1000 years ago.
Ancient tent circles and artifacts are
found in the area.
Grizzly bear have been spotted in the
area 2 years ago.

20. Mt Pelly
Past beach strand lines

21. Ribs of the giant

27. Glacial polish

28. Drumlins

33. Hide

37. Searching on Lady Pelly

44. THE END