Conspicuous ridges with a circular, sinuous and anastomosing morphology, termed Vermicular Ridge Features (VRFs), have been observed along the coast of Dundas Harbour, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada. Periglacial and glacial processes can produce morphologically similar ridge landforms, such as stone circles or ice disintegration features. However, VRFs are both morphologically and morphometrically distinct. We utilize aerial drone imagery, digital elevation models, grain size analysis, and field observations of VRFs to compare morphology, morphometry, environmental conditions and substrate characteristics to documented periglacial and glacial features with a circular to anastomosing ridge pattern. We interpret VRFs to be formed by paraglacial processes produced from the passive ablation of stagnant “dead” ice and subsequent deposition of supra- and englacial debris as a hummocky “ring-ridge” moraine. If these features are, in fact, ring-ridge moraines, then this is the first documentation of a ring-ridge moraine in Nunavut, Canada.

在加拿大努纳武特德文岛登打士港沿岸观察到具有圆形、蜿蜒和吻合形态的显着山脊，称为蠕虫山脊特征 (VRF)。冰缘和冰川过程可以产生形态相似的山脊地貌，如石圈或冰崩地貌。然而，VRFs 在形态学和形态学上都是不同的。我们利用无人机航拍图像、数字高程模型、粒度分析和 VRF 的现场观察，将形态、形态测量、环境条件和基质特征与记录的冰缘和冰川特征进行比较，并具有圆形到吻合脊图案。我们将 VRF 解释为由停滞的“死”冰的被动消融以及随后的冰川上和冰川碎片沉积为小丘状“环脊”冰碛所产生的冰旁过程形成。如果这些特征实际上是环脊冰碛，那么这是加拿大努纳武特环脊冰碛的第一份文献记录。