UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Ray Lyman ,Wilbur, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director P~ofessional Paper 161 . QUArrERNARY GEOLOGY OF MINNESOTA AND PARTS OF ADJACENT STATES BY FRANK LEVERETT WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY FREDERICK w. SARDE;30N Investigations made in cooperation with the MINNESOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1932 ·For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ________________________________________ _ 1 Wisconsin red drift-Continued. Introduction _____________________________________ _ 1 Weak moraines, etc.-Continued. Scope of field work ____________________________ _ 1 Beroun moraine _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 47 Earlier reports ________________________________ _ .2 Location__________ _ __ ____ _ _ __ ___ ______ 47 Glacial gathering grounds and ice lobes _________ _ 3 Topography___________________________ 47 Outline of the Pleistocene series of glacial deposits_ 3 Constitution of the drift in relation to rock The oldest or Nebraskan drift ______________ _ 5 outcrops____________________________ 48 Aftonian soil and Nebraskan gumbotiL ______ _ 5 Striae _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 48 Kansan drift _____________________________ _ 5 Ground moraine inside of Beroun moraine_ 48 Yarmouth beds and Kansan gumbotiL ______ _ 5 Mille Lacs morainic system_____________________ 48 Pre-Illinoian loess (Loveland loess) __________ _ 6 Location__________________________________ 48 Erosion in the second (Yarmouth) interglacial Topography_______________________________ 49 stage __________________________________ _ 6 Character of the drift______________________ 49 Illinoian drift and Iowan drift ______________ _ 7 Rock outcrops and striae___________________ 49 Sangamon soil and Illinoian gumbotiL ______ _ 7 Outwash__________________________________ 49 The main deposit of loess __________________ _ 7 Associated till plains_______________________ 50 Wisconsin drift ___________________________ _ 8 Eskers.___________________________________ 50 The great glaciallakes _____________________ _ 9 Plain between Mille Lacs morainic system and Physical features and rock formations of Minnesota ___ _ 9 Kimberly moraine_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ___ __ 50 Outline of the geography and geology of Minnesota ___ _ 13 Outlets of Mille Lacs Lake__________________ 51 The oldest drift (Nebraskan) _______________________ _ 14 Kimberly moraine_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ 51 Distribution and character _____________________ _ 14 Moraines of the Superior ice lobe in Minnesota and Effect on outlying drainage ____________________ _ 18 correlative Patrician moraines_________________ 51 Kansan drift _____________________________________ _ 20 Distribution____ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ 52' Distribution and character. ____________________ _ 20 General characteristics __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 52 Effect on outlying drainage ____________________ _ 21 Outwash and glacial drainage from the Superior ice Illinoian or old red drift ___________________________ _ 22 lobe________________________________________ 53 Iowan drift ______________________________________ _ 23 Glacial lakes connected with the Superior ice lobe__ 53 Distribution and character _____________________ _ 23 Glacial Lake St. Louis______________________ 54 Probable lownn drift west of Des Moines lobe of Wis- Glacial Lake N emadjL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 54 consin drift ________________________________ _ 29 Glacial Lake Duluth_______________________ 55 Outlying gravel plains _________________________ _ 3fj Late Wisconsin moraines of the Patrician ice in Pebble concentrate and weathered zone on Iowan northeastern Minnesota_ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ 55 drilt ______________________________________ _ 36 Wisconsin gray drift (Des Moines lobe) __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 56. Loess Qf upper Mississippi Valley _______________ _ 36 General features _____ .,. _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 56 Loess west of the Des Moines lobe ______________ _ 37 Bemis moraine in South Dakota_________________ 51 Relative age of loess and Iowan drift ____________ _ 38 Bemis moraine in southwestern Minnesota ________ · 59 Wisconsin red drift ________________________________ _ 39 Bemis moraine in Iowa_________________________ 60 Limit of Wisconsin drift _______________________ _ 39 Bemis morainic belt on east side of Des Moines lobe_ 61. St. Croix morainic system ______________________ _ 40 Bemis moraine and limits of young gray drift north Distribution _____________________________ _ 40 of Grantsburg sublobe___ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 61 Morainic topography ______________________ _ 41 Keewatin drift south of Mesabi iron range_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 64 Structure and constitution of the drift _______ _ 41 Distribution____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 64· Outwnsh from St. Croix morainic system _____ _ 42 Relation to Patrician drift_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 65, Glacial Lake Wadena ______________________ _ 43 Relation to Superior ice lobe_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 65- Features on inner border of St. Croix morainic Topographic features_______________________ 65· systenl ________________________________ _ 44 Eskers _______________________________ _ Character of Keewatin drift_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6S 44 Sandy outwash plains _________________ _ Probable place .in -Wisconsin stage _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 65- 44 Lake Aitkin__ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 65· Dune sand ___________________________ _ 44 Striae _______________________________ _ 44 Outwash and glacial drainage on east side of .Kee- watin ice sheet ________________________ ~ _ _ _ _ _ 66 Weak moraines between St. Croix and Mille Lacs morainic systems ___________________________ _ 45 Altamont morainic system______________________ 67 Grasston moraine _________________________ _ 45 Nalne____________________________________ 67 General features ______________________ _ 45 Eastern South Dakota ___________ .__________ 67 Outwash deposits _____________________ _ 46 Southwestern Minnesota___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6S. Contemporary drainage ________________ _ 47 Iowa ____________________________ .,. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .69· Eskers _______________________________ _ 47 South of Grantsburg sublobe________________ 71 III IV CONTENTS Wisconsin gray drift-Continued. Minor moraines of Wisconsin gray drift, etc.-Contd. Altamont morainic system-Continued. Page Marshall moraine-Continued. Pagl' North of Grantsburg sublobe _______________ _ 72 Outwash and glacial drainage in Minnesota Outwash from Altamont morainic system ____ _ 74 Valley__________________________________ 102 Gary moraine _____________________________ .., __ _ 75 Features of inner-border district_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 102 Extent __________________________________ _ 75 Antelope moraine_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 103 Topography ______________________________ _ 76 Extent___________________________________ 103 Structure of the drift ______________________ _ 77 Topographic features_______________________ 103 Outwash plains ___________________________ _ 77 Character of the drift_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 104 Grantsburg sublobe of Wisconsin gray drift, by F. W. Outwash and border drainage _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 104 Sardeson _______________________________ ~ ___ _ 78 Moraines and ,associated features between Antelope General relations ____________ .:. _________________ . 78 ' moraine and Minnesota VaUey________________ 104 Extramorainic till sheet ________________________ _ 78 Moraines of Red River Basin________________________ 105 The first or Rush Lake morainic system __________ _ 79 Bigstone morainic system_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 105 Pine City morairie ____________________ .____ _ 79 Extent___________________________________ 105 Cambridge moraine _______________________ _ 80 Topographic features ___ "_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 106 Isanti moraine ____________________________ _ 80 Character of the drift______________________ 107 Harris D;loraine - - - - - ______________________ _ 80 Outwash and border drainage_______________ 108 Topography ______________________________ _ 81 Inner-border features_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ 110 Composition ______________________________ _ 81 Moraines between Bigstone morainic system ~nd Glacial striae _____________________________ _ 82 glacial Lake Agassiz__________________________ 111 Associated outwash and glacial drainage _____ _ 82 Distribution____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ 111 Intermorainic plains _______________________ _ 83 Topographic features_______________________ 113 Eskers ___________________________________ _ 84 Character of the drift______________________ 114 Crow River morainic system ________________ .___ _ 84 Outwash and border drainage_______________ 114 Anoka moraine ___________________________ _ 84 Erskine moraine and its probable continuations____ 115 Loretto moraine __________________________ _ 85 Extent___________________________________ 115 Delano moraine _________________________ .__ _ 85 Topographic features_______________________ 116 Montrose moraine ________________________ _ 85 Character of the drift - - - _ -_ -- ____ -- ___ - - - _ _ 11.6 Topography ______________________________ _ 86 Holt moraine___ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 117 Composition _____________________________ '_ 86 Minor morainic ridges in Kittson County, Minn___ 118 Associated outwash and glacial drainage_ ~ ___ _ 86 Glacial Lake Agassiz_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 119 Associated ground moraine _________________ _ 87 Early observations and interpretations_ _ _ _ _______ 119 Glacial river terraces __________________________ _ 87 Character and extent of present studies___________ 119 , Terraces of St.