Spits formed in Glacial Lake Algonquin indicate strong easterly winds over the Laurentian Great Lakes during late Pleistocene

Schaetzl, Randall J.; Krist, Frank J.; Lewis, C F M; Luehmann, Michael D.; Michalek, Michael J.

doi:10.1007/s10933-015-9862-2

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…1, 3c; Li et al 2014). This assertion is well-supported by geomorphic and sedimentological data from elsewhere in the paleolake plain (e.g., Krist and Schaetzl 2001;Schaetzl et al 2016) and, though we have not performed the wave theory calculations, is reasonable, given that modern November storms in southern Georgian Bay commonly produce waves >3 m high 2 and in extreme cases have produced waves in excess of 11 m ("White Hurricane" of November 1913; Brown 2002).…”

Section: Su6: Interbedded Sand and Siltsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…A succession of shoreline features and associated glaciolacustrine and lacustrine deposits record the presence and evolution of a series of lakes across the area during later phases of deglaciation (after 13 14 C ka BP (15 700 cal year BP); Deane 1950;Chapman and Putnam 1984;Lewis et al 2008;Schaetzl et al 2016;Figs. 3b, 3c).…”

Section: Geologic Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15). The Main Lake Al-gonquin shoreline forms strongly developed wave-cut bluffs in Simcoe County (up to 30 m high) and there is evidence of large spit growth at this time in the region (Bajc and Rainsford 2010;Mulligan 2011Mulligan , 2014Schaetzl et al 2016). The highest bluffs in the study area are observed on northwest-facing slopes, and spits (up to 3 km long and 1 km wide) composed of sand to coarse gravel commonly grew toward the south and east from the flanks of regional uplands.…”

Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Stratigraphic analysis of Late Wisconsin and Holocene glaciolacustrine deposits exposed along the Nottawasaga River, southern Ontario, Canada

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analysis of 56 outcrop exposures in cut banks along the Nottawasaga River in southern Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada, has led to the identification of eight stratigraphic units (SU1–SU8) that represent a record of changing environmental conditions during deglaciation and exhibit strong controls on shallow groundwater flow in the region. The stratigraphic succession is floored by the Late Wisconsin Newmarket Till (SU1), which is locally overlain by ice-proximal debris flow deposits (SU2). These glacial sediments are overlain by glaciolacustrine silt rhythmites (SU3) that pass upwards into deltaic sand (SU4) and channelized fluviodeltaic sand and gravel (SU5). Lying above the fluvial deposits are widespread interbedded glaciolacustrine sands and silt (SU6), which coarsen up-section toward the ground surface. The succession is locally capped by fluviodeltaic (SU7) and younger fluvial (SU8) deposits. These SUs record sedimentary environments that existed during deglaciation of the region and provide insight into the evolution of glacial lakes Schomberg and Algonquin and the Nipissing phase of the upper Great Lakes. The environmental changes described from sediments along the Nottawasaga River provide insights into basin-scale events that occurred throughout the upper Great Lakes during deglaciation. Qualitative observations of groundwater discharge from sediments at outcrop faces are used to characterize the hydraulic function of the stratigraphic units as well as possible preferential groundwater flow pathways in the shallow subsurface.

show abstract

Section: Su6: Interbedded Sand and Siltsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Geologic Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stratigraphic analysis of Late Wisconsin and Holocene glaciolacustrine deposits exposed along the Nottawasaga River, southern Ontario, Canada

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Large-scale, Late Pleistocene transport of loess on generally westerly winds, out of north-south flowing meltwater river valleys, has long been known for this region and is therefore not shown here. Compiled from Arbogast et al (2015Arbogast et al ( , 2017, Campbell et al (2011), Colgan et al (2017, Hanson et al (2015), Kilibarda and Blockland (2011), Krist and Schaetzl (2001), Loope et al (2004), Rawling et al (2008), Schaetzl et al (2014Schaetzl et al ( , 2016, Stanley andSchaetzl (2011), andVader et al (2012). Black arrows indicate data from dunes, gray arrows indicate data from loess, dashed arrows indicate data from spits or other features.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Eolian sand and loess deposits indicate west-northwest paleowinds during the Late Pleistocene in western Wisconsin, USA

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Our study adds to the Quaternary history of eolian systems and deposits in western Wisconsin, USA, primarily within the lower Chippewa River valley. Thickness and textural patterns of loess deposits in the region indicate transport by west-northwesterly and westerly winds. Loess is thickest and coarsest on the southeastern flanks of large bedrock ridges and uplands, similar in some ways to shadow dunes. In many areas, sand was transported up and onto the western flanks of bedrock ridges as sand ramps, presumably as loess was deposited in their lee. Long, linear dunes, common on the sandy lowlands of the Chippewa valley, also trend to the east-southeast. Small depressional blowouts are widespread here as well and often lie immediately upwind of small parabolic dunes. Finally, in areas where sediment was being exposed by erosion along cutbanks of the Chippewa River, sand appears to have been transported up and onto the terrace treads, forming cliff-top dunes. Luminescence data indicate that this activity has continued throughout the latest Pleistocene and into the mid-Holocene. Together, these landforms and sediments paint a picture of a locally destabilized landscape with widespread eolian activity throughout much of the postglacial period.

show abstract

“…Strong easterly winds and waves driven by glacial anticyclone circulation off the Laurentide Ice Sheet might have aided construction of the ELO barrier. Such winds are inferred from sand dune orientations at the time of the CS incursion (David 1988) to the east of the Ontario basin near Montreal, and from spit orientations in glacial Lake Algonquin to the northwest (Krist & Schaetzl 2001;Schaetzl et al 2016). The westward and upward movement of successive washover reflectors within the barrier seismic profile (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Early Lake Ontario barrier beach: evidence for sea level about 12.8–12.5 cal. ka BP beneath western Lake Ontario in eastern North America

Lewis

Todd

2018

Boreas

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An overstepped, concave‐eastward, barrier beach beneath Holocene mud in western Lake Ontario has been delineated by acoustic and seismic reflection profiles and piston cores, and related to Early Lake Ontario (ELO). The average ELO barrier depth below present mean lake level is 77.4 to 80.6 m, or about −6 to −2.8 m above present sea level. Trend surface analysis of Champlain Sea (Atlantic Ocean) marine limits defined the contemporaneous marine water surface, and projections of this surface pass ~25 m above the outlet sill of the Lake Ontario basin and extend to the ELO palaeo‐barrier, a unique sand and gravel deposit beneath western Lake Ontario. ELO was connected to the Champlain Sea above the isostatically rising outlet sill for up to three centuries after about 12.8 cal. ka BP, while the glacio‐isostatically depressed St. Lawrence River Valley was inundated by the Atlantic Ocean. During the period of this connection, ELO level was confluent with slowly rising sea level, and the lake constructed a transgressive beach deposit with washover surfaces. ELO remained fresh due to a high flux of meltwater inflow. The marine water level connection stabilized water level in ELO relative to its shore and facilitated shore erosion, sediment supply and barrier construction. Glacio‐isostatic uplift of the outlet sill, faster than sea‐level rise, lifted ELO above the Champlain Sea about 12.5 cal. ka. Shortly after, a hydrological deficit due mainly to a combination of diverted meltwater inflow and dry climate, well known from regional pollen studies, forced the lake into a lowstand. The lowstand stranded the barrier, which remains as evidence of sea level, the farthest inland in eastern North America north of the Gulf of Mexico at the time. The highest palaeo‐washover surface provides a sea‐level index point.

show abstract

Spits formed in Glacial Lake Algonquin indicate strong easterly winds over the Laurentian Great Lakes during late Pleistocene

Cited by 22 publications

References 53 publications

Stratigraphic analysis of Late Wisconsin and Holocene glaciolacustrine deposits exposed along the Nottawasaga River, southern Ontario, Canada

Stratigraphic analysis of Late Wisconsin and Holocene glaciolacustrine deposits exposed along the Nottawasaga River, southern Ontario, Canada

Eolian sand and loess deposits indicate west-northwest paleowinds during the Late Pleistocene in western Wisconsin, USA

The Early Lake Ontario barrier beach: evidence for sea level about 12.8–12.5 cal. ka BP beneath western Lake Ontario in eastern North America

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About