Surficial Geology of the Kingston Quadrangle Rhode Island
By CLIFFORD A. KAYE CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1071-1
Prepared in cooperation with the Development Council of the State of Rhode Island
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1960 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
FRED A. SEATON, Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Thomas B. Nolan, Director
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract. ______341 Introduction ______342 Geographic description._--____-____.__----___._.__._-_.._.______342 Outline of Pleistocene geology_----__------_-----__--_----_-_-______345 Preglacial topography.___-______-----__-.-______345 Direction of ice movement... ______345 Narragansett basin ice and upland ice_-----_-___-_-___-___-______346 Deglaciation _____--______-____-_---_-_--.___-__--___-_.___.__ 346 Pleistocene deposits.______347 Light till.______.___._..___.__._._.....-....-_.._.._._... 347 Dark till__...___.__._.______._._.._.___.____.____ 347 Washed till..___.__.__.__.._._._.__..__.._._.______._._.._.__. 348 Sorted drift.______348 Description of map units______350 Ground-moraine deposits.______350 Ablation-moraine deposits. -_-_-_-_---_-_-_-__--_---___-_.______351 Recognition of Pleistocene ablation moraines___-__._--_---_.__ 351 Charlestown moraine.___.___-_-_-__--___-___--__.______359 Description.______--___-_-_-_-_-_-_-___-_-___.______359 Origin. .. ___-_-_....._...__._.....__-___....._____. 363 Ablation-moraine complex of the Narragansett basin ice..______368 Ablation moraine, undifferentiated..-.-.-.-.-...-.-----...... 371 Ice-contact deposits.__-_._-_-___-_-_---_---___-_---___--.______371 Kames....____._...._.__..__.______._._._._.._.___...__... 372 Kame terraces__---_-_-_____-_-_____-_-__.__-_-___._.______373 Kame plains-__-_-_-_-.____---_-_---_-______-_____.______373 Kame deltas. ______373 Ice-channel fillings.______373 Ice-contact deposits, undifferentiated..__._.__.____.___.____.. 374 Proglacial deposits..______374 Deposits of glacial Lake Worden______374 Outwash plains..______377 Postglacial deposits.______377 Swamps--_------_--__-_-.-_---_--._-_-____----_-_-_.__-_ 377 Littoral deposits______.______-___-_-.._.._ 378 Beaches.-_._-___-_-_._-_-.-...--.___--_------.--_-._ 378 Forcduncs.______378 Sand aprons______.__.______.___._._.__.__._._.______379 Pattern of deglaciation.__..______._.___._____..__._____...____ 379 Features of probable late glacial age______382 Eolian mantle.__-__--_--______.-.-.______-_-_-_-_-_.__._._ 382 Possible permafrost..__.___.._..._.______-______-______.. 383 Age of the drift and possible multiple glaciation-______-__--______384 Position of sea level--_-_-___-______.___.__--______-_-_--_____ 387 Postglacial erosion.______388 Shoreline changes...._-_-_-______-_____-______-.-_-_-_..___ 388 in IV CONTENTS