The Late Quaternary Paleolimnology of Lake Ontario

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Late Quaternary Paleolimnology of Lake Ontario Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 9-4-2014 12:00 AM The Late Quaternary Paleolimnology of Lake Ontario Ryan Hladyniuk The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Fred J. Longstaffe The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Geology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Ryan Hladyniuk 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Geochemistry Commons Recommended Citation Hladyniuk, Ryan, "The Late Quaternary Paleolimnology of Lake Ontario" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2401. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2401 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE LATE QUATERNARY PALEOLIMNOLOGY OF LAKE ONTARIO (Thesis format: Integrated Article) by Ryan Hladyniuk Graduate Program in Earth Sciences A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Ryan Hladyniuk 2014 Abstract We examined the oxygen isotopic composition of biogenic carbonates, carbon and nitrogen abundances and isotopic compositions of bulk organic matter (OM), and the abundances and carbon isotopic compositions of individual n-alkanes (C17 to C35) for samples from three, 18 m long sediment cores from Lake Ontario in order to: (i) assess how changing environmental parameters affected the hydrologic history of Lake Ontario, and (ii) evaluate changes in organic productivity and sources since the last deglaciation. Knowledge of the hydrologic and ecological behaviour of the Lake Ontario basin during past climate change provides insight into its future sensitivity. During the glacial period, the average lakewater oxygen- isotope composition was –17.5 ‰ (VSMOW), which indicates a significant glacial meltwater contribution. Higher abundances of mid-chain n-alkanes (C23 and C25) with carbon-isotope compositions of –32.5 ‰ (VPDB) record allochthonous OM input, notwithstanding low bulk C/N ratios that normally indicate lacustrine productivity. These results suggest a degraded source, perhaps OM associated with clay minerals. Glacial retreat facilitated proliferation of terrestrial vegetation, as recorded in higher abundances of long-chain (terrestrial) n-alkanes (C27, C29, C31). Cessation of glacial meltwater supply is marked by an increase in lakewater oxygen-isotope composition to ~ –12 ‰ by 13,000 cal BP. This increase was interrupted by a final inflow of low-18O glacial meltwater that lasted ~500 years. Rerouting of the upper Great Lakes caused Lake Ontario to become hydrologically closed from 12,300 to 8,300 cal BP. The lakewater oxygen-isotope composition increased to –7 ‰ because of the end of glacial meltwater supply, and climate-related increases in evaporation and the oxygen- isotope composition of precipitation. A steady increase in terrestrial n-alkane abundances and their carbon-isotope compositions (–31 to –29 ‰) signified plant growth under water- stressed conditions until ~8,000 cal BP. Transition to a wetter climate (6,800 cal BP) and return of upper Great Lakes water supply (~5,300 cal BP) caused lake levels to rise. A decrease in carbon-isotope composition (~2 ‰) in all aquatic n-alkanes during this time signifies a change in the lacustrine carbon pool, whereas a decrease in the carbon-isotope composition of terrestrial n-alkanes signifies relief from more arid conditions. ii Keywords Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, paleolimnology, stable isotopes, ostracodes, clams, organic matter, n-alkanes, glacial meltwater, primary productivity, environmental change, Pleistocene, Holocene iii Epigraph Meltwaters did rush to the sea They say – from Lake Agassiz And that made it cold We are constantly told But the pathways aren’t shown to me! –FJL iv Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Zeferina and Peter Hladyniuk. v Acknowledgments He who tops the list of acknowledgments is my supervisor Fred Longstaffe. Throughout the past 6 years, Fred has exemplified what it is to be a great supervisor. He offers creative academic ideas, encouragement towards research, virtually limitless patience and the ability to extend your mind in areas you never thought possible. Fred is also an excellent role model; his leadership has advanced my personal professional development skills while maintaining the highest ethical (academic and personal) integrity. Without Fred, I would not have been able to participate in the numerous conferences and field trips I attended. In addition, I would have not been a member of such a prestigious group of international and governmental collaborators. In my first meeting with Fred, Fred asked me; “What do you know about lake sediment cores?” I replied; “All I know is that they are round.” Getting your first question wrong (sediment cores are cylindrical) does not leave a particularly good first impression; however, Fred remained confident in my abilities then, as much as he does now. I can say with confidence, that without Fred I would not have progressed to be the scholar I am today. Fred, thank you for all that you have provided me (skills, life lessons and countless delicious ‘feedings’). I am extremely honoured to have you as a supervisor –I am also grateful to call you my friend. I also thank Allan Crowe (Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Environment Canada) for facilitating core sampling, and the captain and crew of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Limnos for core collection –ultimately the foundation for my Ph.D. project. Also at Canada Centre for Inland Waters, I thank Christina Jaskot, Brian Trapp and Ian Droppo for allowing me to obtain grain-size measurements in their laboratory. I sincerely thank Francine McCarthy (Brock University) for welcoming me into her lab and teaching me the skills to extract pollen from lake sediments. In addition, I thank Francine for allowing me to attend her wonderful course on palynology. I am grateful to John King and staff (University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography) for providing sediment core images and the University of Arizona (AMS laboratory) for radiocarbon dates. Katrina Moser and Guy Plint (Ph.D. committee members) have also been a great help at various stages of project design and certainly advanced the project, thank you. I also thank the examination committee (Dan Shrubsole, Elizabeth Webb, Patricia Corcoran and Mike vi Lewis) for their thoughtful revisions and skillful questions during my defense. All of you have greatly advanced this work. Much of the analytical work would not be possible without the assistance of the staff of the Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science (The University of Western Ontario). I appreciate the time and patience offered by Kim Law, Grace Yau, and Li Huang. All of you have greatly advanced my technical skills in the field of stable isotope mass spectrometry and I thank you for that. I would also like to thank my laboratory and university colleagues that have provided helpful insight toward project design and assistance on experiments: Rebecca Macdonald, Ayumi Hyodo, Sam Russel, Duane Petts, Jessica Metcalfe, Beth Hundey, Natasha Bumstead, Nicolle Bellissimo, Christine Cizkowski, Nadine Wakabayashi, Paul Szpak, Scott Colborne, Farnoush Tahmasebi, Laura Sanchez and Nelson Cho. A special ‘thank you’ is needed for; (i) Avner Ayalon (Geological Survey of Israel) for enhancing my critical thinking skills in the field of isotope science, (ii) Mike Lewis (Geological Survey of Canada), ‘the godfather’ of Great Lakes research, for the many delightful and constructive talks about limnology in general and (iii) Nadia Dildar for coaching me through the process of lipid extraction and n-alkane measurements. The project would not be possible without funding. Operating funds were provided by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (FJL) and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (RH). Infrastructure support was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund (FJL). The research was also made possible in part through additional research time provided through the Canada Research Chairs program. I also wish to express my gratitude toward the donors and organizations of the many scholarships I obtained; Robert and Ruth Lumsden Award, Graduate Thesis Research Award, Robert Hodder Travel Bursary, Kenneth N. Weaver Student Travel Award (Geological Society of America, North-eastern section), Geological Society of America Student Travel Award (North-central section), and the International Association for Great Lakes Research-Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Student Travel Award. I thank the many friends I have. All of you have contributed to my success in one way or another, thank you for keeping me level-headed. Furthermore, I appreciated all the fun we vii have had together, especially the RRBD faithful (a short list of friends in no particular order): Carter Hutton, Billy Boquist, Mike and Kelly Sellan, Chris Unick, Adam Fron, Justin Everett, Troy Prezio, Brent Irwin, Steve Hosegood, Kevin Britton, Ryan Baird, Jeff Coull, Kory McEwan, Derrick Hosanna, Adam and Michelle Nemeth, Adam Fabiano, Brad and Nicole Yeo, Mark Davis, Peter
Recommended publications
  • Indiana Glaciers.PM6
    How the Ice Age Shaped Indiana Jerry Wilson Published by Wilstar Media, www.wilstar.com Indianapolis, Indiana 1 Previiously published as The Topography of Indiana: Ice Age Legacy, © 1988 by Jerry Wilson. Second Edition Copyright © 2008 by Jerry Wilson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2 For Aaron and Shana and In Memory of Donna 3 Introduction During the time that I have been a science teacher I have tried to enlist in my students the desire to understand and the ability to reason. Logical reasoning is the surest way to overcome the unknown. The best aid to reasoning effectively is having the knowledge and an understanding of the things that have previ- ously been determined or discovered by others. Having an understanding of the reasons things are the way they are and how they got that way can help an individual to utilize his or her resources more effectively. I want my students to realize that changes that have taken place on the earth in the past have had an effect on them. Why are some towns in Indiana subject to flooding, whereas others are not? Why are cemeteries built on old beach fronts in Northwest Indiana? Why would it be easier to dig a basement in Valparaiso than in Bloomington? These things are a direct result of the glaciers that advanced southward over Indiana during the last Ice Age. The history of the land upon which we live is fascinating. Why are there large granite boulders nested in some of the fields of northern Indiana since Indiana has no granite bedrock? They are known as glacial erratics, or dropstones, and were formed in Canada or the upper Midwest hundreds of millions of years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • Constraints on Lake Agassiz Discharge Through the Late-Glacial Champlain Sea (St
    Quaternary Science Reviews xxx (2011) 1e10 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev Constraints on Lake Agassiz discharge through the late-glacial Champlain Sea (St. Lawrence Lowlands, Canada) using salinity proxies and an estuarine circulation model Brandon Katz a, Raymond G. Najjar a,*, Thomas Cronin b, John Rayburn c, Michael E. Mann a a Department of Meteorology, 503 Walker Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA b United States Geological Survey, 926A National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192, USA c Department of Geological Sciences, State University of New York at New Paltz, 1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA article info abstract Article history: During the last deglaciation, abrupt freshwater discharge events from proglacial lakes in North America, Received 30 January 2011 such as glacial Lake Agassiz, are believed to have drained into the North Atlantic Ocean, causing large Received in revised form shifts in climate by weakening the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water and decreasing ocean heat 25 July 2011 transport to high northern latitudes. These discharges were caused by changes in lake drainage outlets, Accepted 5 August 2011 but the duration, magnitude and routing of discharge events, factors which govern the climatic response Available online xxx to freshwater forcing, are poorly known. Abrupt discharges, called floods, are typically assumed to last months to a year, whereas more gradual discharges, called routing events, occur over centuries. Here we Keywords: Champlain sea use estuarine modeling to evaluate freshwater discharge from Lake Agassiz and other North American Proglacial lakes proglacial lakes into the North Atlantic Ocean through the St.
    [Show full text]
  • Welcome to the Walk of Change Nature Trail
    Welcome to the Walk of Change 3. Monarch butterflies former land clearing for farming. The size of the 6. Is this The End? Monarch butterflies have one of the most stones may reveal whether the adjacent land was As you walked to this stop you may have noticed Nature Trail unusual and extreme life cycles of North used for crops or pasture. Stone piles or walls with a change in light and temperature. You just walked American butterflies. Adults migrate north, large rocks usually suggest the adjacent land was through a climax community. In this case, it is a Here at Knight Island State Park, the arriving in the northeast early in the growing a mowed field or a pasture in which only the large patch of mature forest. This does not mean the end landscape has been affected by many physical season. After mating, a female lays her eggs rocks needed to be removed. Small stones need to of change, though, or static condition in the forest. environmental and cultural factors over the on Common Milkweed, like you can see here. be removed from cultivated plots annually. This New growth slows as the forest canopy becomes geologic timescale. These include weather pile of small stones reveals that the surrounding enclosed with fewer, larger trees that are more extremes, glaciers, human habitation and area was used for crops. The crops grown on spaced out. At this state in a forest’s evolution, livestock grazing. Enjoy a walk along the Knight Island were beans, com and peas. change is brought by natural events such as storms trail system, and keep watch for signs of Common milkweed bringing wind and ice, or from cultural means like these changes; you might even witness some logging.
    [Show full text]
  • The Potential of Hudson Valley Glacial Floods to Drive Abrupt Climate Change
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00228-1 OPEN The potential of Hudson Valley glacial floods to drive abrupt climate change ✉ Simon Pendleton 1 , Alan Condron 1 & Jeffrey Donnelly1 The periodic input of meltwater into the ocean from a retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet is often hypothesized to have weakened the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and triggered several cold periods during the last deglaciation (21,000 to 8,000 years before present). Here, we use a numerical model to investigate whether the Intra-Allerød Cold Period was triggered by the drainage of Glacial Lake Iroquois, ~13,300 years ago. Performing a large suite of experiments with various combinations of single and successive, short fl fi fi 1234567890():,; (1 month) and long (1 year) duration ood events, we were unable to nd any signi cant weakening of the AMOC. This result suggests that although the Hudson Valley floods occurred close to the beginning of the Intra-Allerød Cold Period, they were unlikely the sole cause. Our results have implications for re-evaluating the relationship of meltwater flood events (past and future) to periods of climatic cooling, particularly with regards to flood input location, volume, frequency, and duration. ✉ 1 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA. email: [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT | (2021) 2:152 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00228-1 | www.nature.com/commsenv 1 ARTICLE COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00228-1 n the late 1980s periodic meltwater inputs from a retreating supports a second larger flood (~2500 km3) then drained the ILaurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) were hypothesized to have hindered successor to Lake Iroquois, Lake Frontenac, along with the glacial North Atlantic deep water (NADW) formation, leading to a lake in the Champlain Valley (Lake Fort Ann) down the Hudson weakened Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), River9–12 (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Oxygen-Isotope Variations in Post-Glacial Lake Ontario Ryan Hladyniuk the University of Western Ontario, [email protected]
    Western University Scholarship@Western Earth Sciences Publications Earth Sciences Department 1-5-2016 Oxygen-isotope Variations in Post-glacial Lake Ontario Ryan Hladyniuk The University of Western Ontario, [email protected] Fred J. Longstaffe The University of Western Ontario, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/earthpub Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Citation of this paper: Hladyniuk, Ryan and Longstaffe, Fred J., "Oxygen-isotope Variations in Post-glacial Lake Ontario" (2016). Earth Sciences Publications. 4. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/earthpub/4 1 1 Oxygen-isotope variations in post-glacial Lake Ontario 2 3 Ryan Hladyniuk1 and Fred J. Longstaffe1 4 5 1Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, 6 Canada N6A5B7 7 8 Corresponding authors, [email protected] 1-519-619-3857; [email protected], 1-519-661- 9 3177 10 11 Keywords: Lake Ontario, oxygen isotopes, glacial meltwater, Laurentide Ice Sheet, late- 12 Quaternary climate change 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 2 23 Abstract 24 The role of glacial meltwater input to the Atlantic Ocean in triggering the Younger Dryas 25 (YD) cooling event has been the subject of controversy in recent literature. Lake Ontario 26 is ideally situated to test for possible meltwater passage from upstream glacial lakes and 27 the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) to the Atlantic Ocean via the lower Great Lakes. Here, we 28 use the oxygen-isotope compositions of ostracode valves and clam shells from three Lake 29 Ontario sediment cores to identify glacial meltwater contributions to ancient Lake 30 Ontario since the retreat of the LIS (~16,500 cal [13,300 14C] BP).
    [Show full text]
  • October 1980 Volume 1 the Geology of the Lake
    OFPCE OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST VERMONT GEOLOGY OCTOBER 1980 VOLUME 1 THE GEOLOGY OF THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN AND VICINITY Proceedings of a Symposium CONTENTS Introduction to the environmental geology of Lake Champlain and shoreland areas R. Montgomery Fischer 1 The application of Lake Champlain water level studies to the investigation of Adirondack and Lake Champlain crustal movements Stockton G. Barnett Yngvar W. Isachsen 5 The stratigraphy of unconsolidated sediments of Lake Champlain Allen S. Hunt 12 Alkalic dikes of the Lake Champlain Valley J. Gregory McHone E. Stanley Corneille 16 Mesozoic faults and their environmental significance in western Vermont Rolfe S. Stanley 22 Estimating recharge to bedrock ground- water in a small watershed in the Lake Champlain drainage basin Craig D. Heindel 33 EDITOR Jeanne C. Detenbeck EDI TORIAL COMMI TTEE Charles A. Ratte' Frederick D. Larsen VERMONT GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Vermont Geological Society Box 304 Montpelier, Vermont 05602 FOR WA RD The Vermont Geological- Society was founded in 1974 for the purpose of C1) advancing the science and profession of geology and its related branches by encouraging education, research and service through the holding of meetings, maintaining communications, and providing a common union of its members; 2) contributing to the public education of the geology of Vermont and prcsnoting the proper use and protection of its natural resources; and 3) advancing the professional conduct of those engaged in the collection, interpretation and use of geologic d a t aC. To these ends, in its 7 year history, the society has prcnnoted a variety of field trips, an exposition on Vermont geology, , presentations of papers by both professional and student researchers, teachers workshops, a seminar on water quality, a soils workshop and a seismic workshop.
    [Show full text]
  • Geology of Michigan and the Great Lakes
    35133_Geo_Michigan_Cover.qxd 11/13/07 10:26 AM Page 1 “The Geology of Michigan and the Great Lakes” is written to augment any introductory earth science, environmental geology, geologic, or geographic course offering, and is designed to introduce students in Michigan and the Great Lakes to important regional geologic concepts and events. Although Michigan’s geologic past spans the Precambrian through the Holocene, much of the rock record, Pennsylvanian through Pliocene, is miss- ing. Glacial events during the Pleistocene removed these rocks. However, these same glacial events left behind a rich legacy of surficial deposits, various landscape features, lakes, and rivers. Michigan is one of the most scenic states in the nation, providing numerous recre- ational opportunities to inhabitants and visitors alike. Geology of the region has also played an important, and often controlling, role in the pattern of settlement and ongoing economic development of the state. Vital resources such as iron ore, copper, gypsum, salt, oil, and gas have greatly contributed to Michigan’s growth and industrial might. Ample supplies of high-quality water support a vibrant population and strong industrial base throughout the Great Lakes region. These water supplies are now becoming increasingly important in light of modern economic growth and population demands. This text introduces the student to the geology of Michigan and the Great Lakes region. It begins with the Precambrian basement terrains as they relate to plate tectonic events. It describes Paleozoic clastic and carbonate rocks, restricted basin salts, and Niagaran pinnacle reefs. Quaternary glacial events and the development of today’s modern landscapes are also discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • A-4 Glacial Geology of the Erie Lowland and Adjoining Allegheny Plateau, Western New York
    A-4 GLACIAL GEOLOGY OF THE ERIE LOWLAND AND ADJOINING ALLEGHENY PLATEAU, WESTERN NEW YORK PARKER E. CALKIN - Department of Geological Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14226 GEOMORPHIC SETTING The Allegheny section of the Appalachian Plateau (Allegheny Plateau) in western New York may be divided into three physiographic areas; from the Pennsylvania border northward, these include: 1) the high and rugged, unglaciated Salamanca Re-entrant, south of the Allegheny River; 2) the glaciated southern New York Uplands with rounded summits and a network of 11 through valleys 11 and breached drainage divides (Cole, 1941; Muller, 1963); and 3) the Erie County portion north of the east-west Cattaraugus Valley. This area is furrowed by deep parallel north-trending troughs separated by broad interfluves and strongly developed to accommodate glacier flow (Donahue, 1972, Calkin and Muller, 1980). Bordering on the west and north, respectively, are the Erie and Ontario lowlands blanketed by glaciolacustrine and ice contact drift, and traversed by subdued, waterlaid end moraines. The Erie County portion of the plateau and the Lake Erie Lowland are the areas spanned by the accompanying field trip log (Fig. 1). At the close of Paleozoic sedimentation in the Appalachian geosyn­ cline (see Frontispiece I) and prior to glaciation, the area underwent epeirogenic uplift and gentle southward tilting of about 8 m km-• (40 ft 1 mi- • Initial southward consequent drainage on this surface was even­ tually reversed to a northwesterly obsequent system and episodic uplift resulted in deep entrenchment of these north-flowing rivers (Calkin and Muller, 1980). The most prom inent drainage lines headed south of the present Cattaraugus Valley and included from west to east: 1) the preglacial Allegheny, flowing westward past the Salamanca Re-entrant and northward through Gowanda to Lake Erie along the path of the present Conewango and lower Cattaraugus valley (Ellis, 1980; Frontispiece II); 2) the Connisarauley and 3) the Buttermilk rivers (LaFleur, 1979; D.
    [Show full text]
  • Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery: Bringing History Home
    “The Congress fi nds and declares that the spirit and direction of the Nation are founded upon and refl ected in its historic heritage; [and that] the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people…..” National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Front cover photograph: South Lake Champlain Bridge, Chimney Point State Historic Site, Addison to right. Credit: William J. Costello, WILLCIMAGES. Back cover photographs credit: Eric A. Bessett e, Shadows & Light Design. Cover design: Eric A. Bessett e, Shadows & Light Design. Content Design and Layout: Rosemary A. Cyr, Hutch M. McPheters, Ellen R. Cowie. Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery: Bringing History Home By: Giovanna M. Peebles, State Archeologist, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Rosemary A. Cyr, Laboratory Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington Stephen R. Scharoun, Historian and Field Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington Ellen R. Cowie, Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington Robert N. Bartone, Assistant Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington With Contributions By: Joseph-André Senécal, Professor of Romance Languages, University of Vermont Paul Huey, New York State Offi ce of Parks, Recreation and Historic
    [Show full text]
  • A Catastrophic Meltwater Flood Event and the Formation of the Hudson Shelf Valley ⁎ E
    Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 246 (2007) 120–136 www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo A catastrophic meltwater flood event and the formation of the Hudson Shelf Valley ⁎ E. Robert Thieler a, , Bradford Butman a, William C. Schwab a, Mead A. Allison b, Neal W. Driscoll c, Jeffrey P. Donnelly d, Elazar Uchupi d a U.S. Geological Survey, 384 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA b Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA c Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA d Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA Received 26 August 2004; accepted 17 October 2006 Abstract The Hudson Shelf Valley (HSV) is the largest physiographic feature on the U.S. mid-Atlantic continental shelf. The 150-km long valley is the submerged extension of the ancestral Hudson River Valley that connects to the Hudson Canyon. Unlike other incised valleys on the mid-Atlantic shelf, it has not been infilled with sediment during the Holocene. Analyses of multibeam bathymetry, acoustic backscatter intensity, and high-resolution seismic reflection profiles reveal morphologic and stratigraphic evidence for a catastrophic meltwater flood event that formed the modern HSV. The valley and its distal deposits record a discrete flood event that carved 15-m high banks, formed a 120-km2 field of 3- to 6-m high bedforms, and deposited a subaqueous delta on the outer shelf. The HSV is inferred to have been carved initially by precipitation and meltwater runoff during the advance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, and later by the drainage of early proglacial lakes through stable spillways.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Glacial Lakes in the Dog River Valley, Central Vermont
    University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository New England Intercollegiate Geological NEIGC Trips Excursion Collection 1-1-1987 History of Glacial Lakes in the Dog River Valley, Central Vermont Larsen, Frederick D. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/neigc_trips Recommended Citation Larsen, Frederick D., "History of Glacial Lakes in the Dog River Valley, Central Vermont" (1987). NEIGC Trips. 417. https://scholars.unh.edu/neigc_trips/417 This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the New England Intercollegiate Geological Excursion Collection at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NEIGC Trips by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. B-4 Waterbury Montpelier Barre Winooski River Williamstown basin Roxbury drainage divide White River Granville basin Notch Randolph • Figure 1. Stream drainage patterns in central Vermont 213 HISTORY OF GLACIAL LAKES IN THE DOG RIVER VALLEY, CENTRAL VERMONT by Frederick D. Larsen Department of Earth Science Norwich University N o rth field , Vermont 05663 INTRODUCTION The area traversed on this field trip lies on the Montpeli­ er, Barre West, Northfield, and Roxbury 7.5-minute U.S. Geologi­ cal Survey topographic maps in central Vermont. The terrain is underlain by metamorphosed eugeosynclinal rocks that are part of a complex zone of imbricate slices bounded by thrust faults. The age of rocks west of the Dog River is Cambrian and Ordovici­ an. To the east the age of the rocks is under debate, but they are in the range of Ordovician to Devonian.
    [Show full text]
  • LAKES of the HURON BASIN: THEIR RECORD of RUNOFF from the LAURENTIDE ICE Sheetq[
    Quaterna~ ScienceReviews, Vol. 13, pp. 891-922, 1994. t Pergamon Copyright © 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd. Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved. 0277-3791/94 $26.00 0277-3791 (94)00126-X LAKES OF THE HURON BASIN: THEIR RECORD OF RUNOFF FROM THE LAURENTIDE ICE SHEETq[ C.F. MICHAEL LEWIS,* THEODORE C. MOORE, JR,t~: DAVID K. REA, DAVID L. DETTMAN,$ ALISON M. SMITH§ and LARRY A. MAYERII *Geological Survey of Canada, Box 1006, Dartmouth, N.S., Canada B2 Y 4A2 tCenter for Great Lakes and Aquatic Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, U.S.A. ::Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, U.S.A. §Department of Geology, Kent State University, Kent, 0H44242, U.S.A. IIDepartment of Geomatics and Survey Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B., Canada E3B 5A3 Abstract--The 189'000 km2 Hur°n basin is central in the catchment area °f the present Q S R Lanrentian Great Lakes that now drain via the St. Lawrence River to the North Atlantic Ocean. During deglaciation from 21-7.5 ka BP, and owing to the interactions of ice margin positions, crustal rebound and regional topography, this basin was much more widely connected hydrologi- cally, draining by various routes to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, and receiving over- ~ flows from lakes impounded north and west of the Great Lakes-Hudson Bay drainage divide. /~ Early ice-marginal lakes formed by impoundment between the Laurentide Ice Sheet and the southern margin of the basin during recessions to interstadial positions at 15.5 and 13.2 ka BE In ~ ~i each of these recessions, lake drainage was initially southward to the Mississippi River and Gulf of ~ Mexico.
    [Show full text]