摘要：Surface microrelief, permafrost table configuration, ground-ice, and soil organic-matter contents are described for three sites near Inuvik, N.W.T., that are characterized by collapsed, poorly developed, and well-developed earth hummocks, respectively. The diameters of collapsed earth hummocks were significantly greater than those of well-developed vegetated hummocks. Hummock relief and interhummock distance increased along the continuum of forms, with the widest spacing and greatest relief measured at the site with well-developed vegetated hummocks. A bowl-shaped permafrost table mirrored the surface relief of most hummocks, but the collapsed hummocks were underlain by a planar or domed permafrost table. Segregated ice lenses parallel to the permafrost table, and small bodies of intrusive ice, were observed beneath the developing and well-developed hummocks. The configuration of the permafrost table and hummock relief, long-term observations of active-layer and hummock change, and hummock response to surface manipulation indicate that formation of a bowl-shaped permafrost table in association with organic accumulation and development of near-surface ground ice thrusts soils inward and upward causing hummock growth, whereas thaw subsidence may cause outward spreading and hummock collapse. Reaction-wood rings in black spruce trees growing on hummocky terrain indicate that tree tilting was associated with active-layer thinning and hummock growth. Cessation of reaction wood coincided with a period of active-layer deepening, degradation of ground ice, and outward spreading of the hummocks. In subarctic forests, hummock dynamics may be driven by ecological change associated with the fire cycle or climate change.
