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Geological History of Glacial Lake Algonquin and the Upper Great Lakes

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Geological History of Glacial Lake Algonquin and the Upper Great Lakes Cover. Main Algonquin level of Lake Michigan confluent with the Orillia (?) level of the Lake Huron basin (11 ,200 to 11,000 yr B.P.) . Geological History of Glacial Lake Algonquin and the Upper Great Lakes By CURTIS E. LARSEN U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1801 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL HODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1987 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging In Publication Data Larsen, Curtis E. Geological history of glacial Lake Algonquin and the Upper Great Lakes. (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1801) Bibliography: p. 1. Algonquin, Lake. 2. Glacial epoch-Great Lakes. I. Title. II. Series: Geological Survey bulletin ; 1801. QE75.B9 no. 1801 557.3 s 87-600256 [QE698] [551.7'92'0977] CONTENTS Abstract 1 Introduction 1 Acknowledgments 2 Previous research 3 Lake Algonquin and its outlets 3 Evolution of the hinge line model 4 Relative vertical movement beyond the hinge line 7 Exponential uplift functions and an uplift model for Holocene events in the upper Great Lakes 11 Evidence for low Lake Michigan and Lake Huron levels 14 The Chippewa and Stanley low levels 14 The Main Algonquin low level 16 Overflow from glacial Lake Agassiz 19 The North Bay outlets 19 Reconstructing former water planes 20 A chronology of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron levels 23 Main Algonquin of Huron (MAH) 24 Main Algonquin of Michigan (MAM) 24 The Post-Algonquin lakes 24 The Chippewa and Stanley low levels 24 Pre-Nipissing transgression 25 Nipissing and Algoma Great Lakes 26 Conclusion 26 References 32 Appendix 36 FIGURES 1. Map showing Main Lake Algonquin draining southward through the Chicago and Port Huron outlets 2 2. Map showing position of the Algonquin hinge line 3 3. Relationship of the Main Algonquin and post-Algonquin shorelines of the northern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron basins interpreted on the basis of Goldthwait's hinge-line model 6 4. Model of Goldthwait's hinge-line concept for a southward-draining basin 8 5. Schematic model of shoreline positions in an uplifting basin 9 6. Sketch showing the scenario advocated in this paper, which Goldthwait failed to consider-a case of multiple northern outlets 10 7. Map showing measured historic vertical movement, contoured as uplift in feet per century, on the basis of lake-level gauge records 11 8. Historic uplift rates plotted along the east shore of Lake Michigan 12 9. Calculated Main Algonquin and post-Algonquin water planes plotted normal to isobases of historic uplift along the east shore of Lake Michigan 15 10. Diagram showing dating of the Lake Michigan Formation (Lineback and others, 1979) on the basis of the revised glacial geology of the Lake Superior basin 17 Contents Ill 11. Sketch of probable attitude of late-glacial red glaciolacustrine clays of the Lake Michigan basin 18 12. Calculated late Chippewa water plane at about 8,000 yr B.P. 21 13. Algonquin shoreline data of Lake Huron projected onto the Lake Michigan normal plane 22 14. Decreasing slope coefficients of postglacial water planes following the establishment of the North Bay outlet 23 15. Map showing Calumet-level Lake Chicago and Early Lake Algonquin 26 16. Map showing Calumet-level Lake Chicago and the Main Algonquin level of Lake Huron (11,600 to 11,300 yr B.P.) 27 17. Map showing Main Algonquin level of Lake Michigan confluent with the Orillia(?) level of the Lake Huron basin (11,200 to 11,000 yr B.P.) 28 18. Map showing Chippewa and Stanley low levels (9,900 yr B.P.) 29 19. Map showing pre-Nipissing transgression (about 8,000 yr B.P.) 30 20. Map showing the late Nipissing and Algoma Great Lakes 31 TABLES 1. Summary of Leverett and Taylors Great Lakes chronology 5 2. Comparison of Leverett and Taylors Great Lakes chronology with current interpretations controlled by 14C dating 6 3. Altitudes of raised shoreline features of the Lake Michigan and Lake Huron basins 13 4. Preliminary chronology for the Lake Michigan and Lake Huron basins 25 IV Contents Geological History of Glacial Lake Algonquin and the Upper Great Lakes By Curtis E. Larsen Abstract Lake-level gauge records show modern tilting of the who named it and noted that it had been differentially entire Great Lakes basin at rates ranging from 0.53 m/cen­ uplifted. Subsequent work by Taylor (1894), Goldthwait tury in the north to 0.08 m/century in the south. This pat­ (1906, 1907, 1908, 1910a,b), and Leverett and Taylor tern of historic deformation is used in this study as a (1915) defined the highest or upper Algonquin shoreline control to describe the upper or Main Algonquin shoreline. in the Lake Michigan basin. The shoreline features of this Regression analyses calculated on the uplifted Algonquin former lake had been deformed from an area of minimum beach features show them to descend exponentially with distance to the south. The projected Main Algonquin-Fort displacement in the south to progressively higher altitudes Brady shorelines (about 11,200 to 10,500 B.P.) plunge in the north. The zone at which steeply sloping northern below the level of Lake Michigan at the •hinge line• of terraces blended with a relatively horizontal terrace in the former models and intersect the southern lake bottom south was identified as a hinge line (fig. 2). This explana­ between altitudes 60 and 95 m. tion, which has varied little since the first decade of this Red glaciolacustrine clays, contained in the century, reflects the rigid-earth models favored by the Sheboygan Member of the Lake Michigan Formation and early researchers in the region (Chamberlin and Salis­ transported by meltwater from the Lake Superior basin, are bury, 1904; Chamberlin, 1909, 1926; Taylor, 1910). contemporary with the Main Algonquin-Fort Brady shore­ lines. The descending altitude of these red clays to the The Algonquin shoreline, as defined, has subse­ south points to continuous deformation of the lake basin as quently been used to establish postglacial lake-level chro­ low-level lakes drained northward through lower outlets nologies in the upper Great Lakes region (most recently near North Bay, Ontario. Drexler and others, 1983; Farrand and Drexler, 1985). Comparative regression analyses of the Main More important, however, is that the deformation of the Algonquin shoreline data between lake basins show the Algonquin shoreline has been used to model the glacio­ Main Algonquin of Huron (MAH) to lie altitudinally above isostatic recovery of the Great Lakes basin (Broecker, the Main Algonquin of Michigan (MAM). The MAH was a 1966, 1970; Walcott, 1970, 1972; Brotchie and Silvester, separate low-level preglacial lake with an outlet control at 1969). Thus, ironically, the geomorphic interpretations of Fenelon Falls, Ontario. Its level fell when the isostatically lower Kirkfield outlet system was deglaciated about 11,500 the rigid-earth era are used to examine the responses of a B.P. The MAM, on the other hand, reflects a confluent visco-elastic crust to ice loading. low-level lake in the Michigan and Huron basins that formed upon deglaciation of the Mackinac Straits about This paper investigates the nature of the deformed 11,200 B.P. The MAM drained northward through the Foss­ Main Algonquin shoreline in the Lake Michigan basin mill outlet system south of North Bay, Ontario. and the concept of the hinge line. In an earlier paper (Larsen, 1985b), the rates of measured vertical crustal INTRODUCTION movements, as determined from lake-level gauge records (Clark and Persoage, 1970; Coordinating Committee on Lake Algonquin is currently thought to be the Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data, 1977), were shown largest and latest proglacial lake to occupy the three to increase exponentially with distance northward from upper Great Lakes (fig. 1). It is currently considered to the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Following Gilbert's have drained southward through the St. Clair River at Port (1898) suggestion that measured vertical crustal move­ Huron, Mich., and through the Des Plaines and Illinois ments were central to understanding the uplift history of River valleys near Chicago, Ill. the Great Lakes, the middle Holocene Nipissing and The Algonquin shoreline was first described along Algoma shorelines were also shown to conform to an the eastern shore of Lake Huron by Spencer (1888, 1891 ), exponential model (Andrews, 1970a,b). Introduction 1 I -; 100 100 200 • I I -Kilometers Figure 1. Main Lake Algonquin draining southward controlled overflow through the Fossmill outlet. NB is the through the Chicago (C) and Port Huron (PH) outlets. The threshold to the North Bay outlet. Early Lake Erie drains Fenelon Falls (FF) spillway to the Kirkfield outlet has been eastward through the Niagara River (NR) to Lake Iroquois abandoned. The northern outlets remain ice covered. KL in the Lake Ontario basin. (Based on Hough, 1958, 1963; and ML are the Kilrush Lake and Mink Lake sills that Eschman and Karrow, 1985.) Comparison among the historic, middle Holocene, better understand the Great Lakes. Peter Sly deserves and late Wisconsinan deformation of the former shore­ special thanks for patiently reading each draft and pro­ lines suggests that (1) uplift was a continuous glacio­ viding thoughtful comments. Both he and Christine isostatic response to deglaciation of the region, (2) the Kaszycki shared data with me and increased my awareness hinge line of former usage is an invalid concept, (3) the of the Lake Huron basin. Paul F. Karrow and C.F.M. Main Algonquin water plane of Lake Michigan reflected Lewis provided perspectives on their own Great Lakes a low-level phase of the upper lakes, and ( 4) Main Lake research.
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