Weichselian pingo remnants and permafrost on the Drente plateau (the Netherlands)

Abstract

Geomorphological and geological investigations on closed topographic depressions and valley systems on the Drente plateau allow correlations to be made between the location of pingo remnants on the plateau and the Weichselian drainage pattern. In general, the depth of the remnants varies between 2 and 7 m, but locally the geological structure of outcropping sediments is responsible for the development of extremely deep pingo remnants, reaching a maximum of 17 m. This figure gives a tentative estimate of the minimum depth of the permafrost then prevailing,