Pleistocene Geology of Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts

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BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA VOL. 53. PP. 1127-1174, 7 PLS.. 4 FIGS. AUGUST 1, 1942 PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY OF WESTERN CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS BY KIRTLEY F. MATHEK, RICHARD P. GOLDTHWAIT, AND LINCOLN R. THIESMEYER CONTENTS Page Abstract....................................................................................................................................... 1128 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 1128 Work on which this report is based............................................................................ 1128 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................ 1129 Earlier work on Cape Cod............................................................................................. 1129 Part I. Glacial moraines in the vicinity of Buzzards Bay........................................... 1131 Buzzards Bay moraine................................................................................................... 1131 Sandwich moraine............................................................................................................ 1143 Relations between Sandwich and Buzzards Bay moraines and Mashpee pitted plain................................................................................................................................. 1146 Overlap of Sandwich moraine upon Buzzards Bay moraine................................ 1147 Scorton moraine................................................................................................................ 1148 Ellisville moraine............................................................................................................. 1150 Summary............................................................................................................................ 1150 Part II. Mashpee pitted plain.............................................................................................. 1151 Surface features and composition................................................................................ 1151 Glacial origin..................................................................................................................... 1153 Relations to ice fronts..................................................................................................... 1157 Till clumps......................................................................................................................... 1159 Subaerial furrows............................................................................................................ 1160 Persistence of buried ice................................................................................................. 1161 Drowned shore line......................................................................................................... 1162 Part III. Late glacial ventifacts.......................................................................................... 1163 Occurrence and distribution.......................................................................................... 1163 Rock types represented......................................'........................................................... 1165 Sizes and shapes............................................................................................................... 1166 Evidence of sandblasting............................................................................................... 1167 Abrasion during subsequent transportation.............................................................. 1170 Wind-cut surfaces transecting weathered rims........................................................ 1170 General Statement................................................................................................. 1170 Date of formation of weathered rim s.............................................................. 1171 Significance of ventifacts in dating deposits............................................................ 1171 Climatic implications...................................................................................................... 1172 Summary............................................................................................................................ 1173 References cited........................................................................................................................ 1173 Figure ILLUSTRATIONS Page 1. Outline map of southeastern Massachusetts............................................................. 1130 2. Map showing glacial geology of western Cape Cod................................................ 1132 (1127) Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/53/8/1127/3431131/BUL53_8-1127.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 1128 MATHER et dl.--- PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY OF WESTERN CAPE COD Figure Page 3. Sketch map of western Cape Cod. 1152 4. Profiles across Mashpee pitted plain 1154 Plate Facing page 1. Glacio-lacustrine deposits in Brick Kiln Road pit... 1138 2. Materials composing Mashpee pitted plain................ 1139 3. Ventifacts photographed in the field............................ 1164 4. Pyramidal ventifacts and wind polish......................... 1165 5. Influence of rock texture on formation of ventifacts 1168 6. Grooved and etched ventifacts...................................... 1169 7. Ventifacts of various shapes........................................... 1170 ABSTRACT During recession of continental ice of the Wisconsin stage a complex series of moraines and pitted plains was deposited on Cape Cod and adjacent portions of southeastern Massachusetts. Most notable are the Buzzards Bay moraine, extending in a northeast-southwest direction along the southeast shore of Buzzards Bay, and the Sandwich moraine, trending east-west and roughly parallel to the south shore of Cape Cod Bay. These were deposited during minor readvances of the lobate margin of the ice. The lithologic character of the transported stones reveals the direction from which the ice advanced and is distinctive for the two major lobes of ice. Along the shore north of the Sandwich moraine there are discontinuous bodies of till resting upon and surrounded by glacio-fluvial deposits. These constitute the Scorton moraine, deposited during the wastage of essentially stagnant ice, after retreat of the ice-front from the position marked by the Sandwich moraine. The Ellisville moraine, north of Buzzards Bay, represents a third type of recessional moraine, resulting from a temporary halt in the retreat of the margin of an active ice-lobe without readvance. The Mashpee pitted plain occupies the angle between the Buzzards Bay and Sandwich moraines. It consists largely of sand and gravel spread by melt water across a land surface strewn with many large blocks of stagnant ice, left stranded beyond the continuous, lobate margin of the ice sheet, at a time when that margin was an appreciable distance north and northwest of the line now marked by those moraines and prior to the readvance of the ice responsible for their emplacement. An extraordinary number of large and deep kettle holes dot the surface of the gently sloping fan-shaped plain. Adjacent to some of them, clumps of till are embedded in the glacio-fluvial deposits. Many of the buried blocks of ice responsible for the kettle holes did not melt away until after the surface of the plain had been extensively furrowed by subaerial erosion and its western and northern margins had been overridden by active ice readvancing to form the bordering moraines. Thousands of ventifacts are embedded in undisturbed glacial and glacio-fluvial deposits and in disturbed surficial zones throughout the region. All types of wind abrasion from incipient polishing and faceting to pronounced etching, deep fluting, or pitting are displayed. These stones were sculptured by sandblasting in a peri- glacial climate, both prior to the deposition of the till and during the construction of the glacio-fluvial deposits. Many of the wind-scoured surfaces were modified to greater or lesser extent by abrasion during glacial or glacio-fluvial transport. Thin weathered rims on some of the ventifacts apparently survived such transport but were truncated by wind-cut facets. INTRODUCTION WORK ON WHICH THIS REPORT IS BASED Field investigations in the western part of Cape Cod were begun in June 1939 under the auspices of the United States Geological Survey as a part of a co-operative project for geological research in Massachu­ Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/53/8/1127/3431131/BUL53_8-1127.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 INTRODUCTION 1129 setts, financed jointly by the Commonwealth and the Federal Govern­ ment. Recently completed topographical maps with a scale of 2 inches to the mile were used as the base for the detailed geologic mapping which was extended over most of the area covered by the Sagamore, Sandwich, Pocasset, Falmouth, and Woods Hole quadrangles and the eastern part of the Onset quadrangle during the summer of 1939. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS During the progress of the field work and preparation of this report, the writers were greatly aided by numerous conferences in the field and office with L. W. Currier, geologist in charge of the co-operative project, Robert W. Sayles, and Kirk Bryan. Arthur S. Knox studied many localities
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