Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America

SESSION NO. 13
13-10 4:50 PM Herrmann, Edward W. [218688]
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CONTROLS AFFECTING THE CREATION AND PRESERVATION OF A
BURIED WETLAND ENVIRONMENT DURING THE PLEISTOCENE/HOLOCENE TRANSITION:
A GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
HERRMANN, Edward W., Anthropology, Indiana University, 2420 Canada Dr, Bloomington,
IN 47401, edherrma@indiana.edu
Geoarchaeological investigations within the White River Valley in south-central Indiana revealed
the controlling geomorphological factors that led to the formation and preservation of a buried
wetland environment just prior to, and throughout the Younger Dryas. Coring transects within
a local segment of the West Fork of the White River were used to analyze the subsurface
sediments, identify paleosurfaces, and correlate the fluvial landforms along the White River. In
one local river segment, late Wisconsin river meanders eroded into outwash terraces and left
abandoned channels that infilled with organic debris after 13kBP. By 10kBP, local conditions
created a local wetland/peat bog containing preserved organic matter that can be used for
paleoenvironmental reconstructions during the Younger Dryas. Subsequently, a wet grassland/
prairie developed after 10kBP and lasted until about 4kBP, after which the site was buried
and preserved by mid-Holocene alluvium. Major river adjustments related to downcutting and
entrenchment altered the extent of the mid-Holocene meander belt, limiting meandering and
erosion through the site. Late Pleistocene and early Holocene meander scars at the site provide
data important to archaeological site predictive modeling and to understanding where buried and
preserved archaeological sites may occur during the Paleoindian (11.5-10kBP) and Early Archaic
(10-8kBP) Periods.
13-11 5:10 PM Rocheford, M. Kathryn [218135]
FRAMEWORK FOR IDENTIFYING LANDUSE EFFECTS ON SOIL RESILIENCE
ROCHEFORD, M. Kathryn, Geosciences, University of Iowa, 121 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City,
IA 52242, kat-rocheford@uiowa.edu
Soil is an interface between the atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, acting as buffer and
filter for the air we breathe, the crops we harvest, and the water we drink. Perturbations in any
one of these spheres can affect soil properties as well as its resilience. The ecological landscape
of the Midwest has been extensively altered by both natural and human modifications (e.g.
erosion, climate change, fire, vegetation change, land-use change, etc.). Land-use activities can
have significant impacts on the physical, biological and chemical processes of soil that alter its
resilience and its role in the global carbon cycle. Furthermore, a complex history of changing use
patterns makes it difficult to differentiate the effects of individual land-use activities on modern
soils using traditional physico-chemical soil science methods. To better model potential mitigation
practices for soil sustainability, it is critical to differentiate between physico-chemical properties
of soils resulting from natural processes and those from early historic land-use, as well as those
resulting from modern agricultural or other modern landscape modifications. Presented here is
a methodological framework that begins to incorporate the geomorphological and geochemical
perspectives that can be utilized to reveal land-use activities for areas that have limited or no
record of past land-use.
SESSION NO. 14, 1:30 PM
Thursday, 2 May 2013
T10. Mapping the Glacial Geology of the
Great Lakes States
Fetzer Center, Kirsch Auditorium
14-1 1:30 PM Brown, Steven E. [218189]
FROM START TO FINISH: THREE-DIMENSIONAL GEOLOGIC MAPS AND MODELS OF LAKE
COUNTY, ILLINOIS
BROWN, Steven E., Illinois State Geological Survey, Prairie Research Institute,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 615 E. Peabody Dr, Champaign, IL 61820,
steebrow@illinois.edu
The Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition is a partnership that includes the state geological
surveys of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin;
the Ontario Geological Survey; and the U.S. Geological Survey. The partnership builds on the
collective knowledge of these scientific organizations to map the glacial geology of the of the
Great Lakes states in high priority areas. Geologists and other staff use innovative computer
aided mapping, drilling, and geophysical technologies and methods to discover and document
complex stratigraphic and depositional relationships. Cornerstones of the Coalition are
three-dimensional mapping and modeling and the application of maps and models to solving
societal issues.
A three-dimensional geologic model for Lake County, Illinois has been made by the Illinois State
Geological Survey (ISGS) based on analysis of more than 200 exploration boreholes, 24,000
water-well and engineering borehole records, and several miles of geophysical transect data. A
data-sharing agreement with the county has facilitated the exchange of digital data, including
access to county-wide, high-accuracy datasets that facilitate mapping and quality control of public
domain information, such as water-well records.
In Lake County, the variability of the continuity and physical characteristics of deposits, typically
associated with a number of inset proglacial depositional sequences, necessitates application of
both lithostratigraphy and allostratigraphy to map and model geologic surfaces. A number of map
units are defined based on genesis, as a practical matter, where bounding surfaces are more
readily identified than the boundaries of discrete lithologic units.
Throughout the mapping process, ISGS staff have interacted with local decision makers to
both gain an understanding of local natural resource issues, and to provide geologic information
to those making decisions. Interactions have included presentations to the county board, local
municipalities, industry, and the general public. Future challenges include the design and
presentation of the three-dimensional model for the end user, noting users may not have the
software and hardware capabilities used to make the maps and models.
18 2013 GSA Abstracts with Programs
14-2 1:50 PM Aden, Douglas J. [218321]
MAPPING KARST IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL OHIO REGION
ADEN, Douglas J., Ohio Geological Survey, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2045
Morse RD., BLDG. C-2, Columbus, OH 43229-6693, Doug.Aden@dnr.state.oh.us
Since 2009, the Ohio Geological Survey has undertaken reconnaissance mapping of karst areas
in Ohio, beginning with the cities of Delaware and Springfield and their vicinities. Currently, karst
is being mapped near the cities of Bellevue, Castalia, and Clyde in north-central Ohio—a densely
karstic area featuring some of the largest sinkholes in the state. To locate these sinkholes, LiDAR
(Light Detection and Ranging) data is used to generate a digital elevation model (DEM). This DEM
pinpoints depressions that may have internal drainage. These depressions are cross referenced
with known karst locations, bedrock geology, aerial photography, soil maps, drift thickness
maps, and water well logs. Many features were dismissed by using both aerial photography and
knowledge gained from previous field verification of how LiDAR interacts with streams, culverts,
and infrastructure as opposed to sinkholes. LiDAR lows and areas that could not be eliminated
remotely are being visited in the field and documented.
In total there are 1,208 distinct locations under review for karst in this 428-km2 area. To date,
the Ohio Geological Survey has confirmed 52 sinkholes and 24 springs, and eliminated 142
suspect sites either remotely or in the field. In addition to the newly located features, 240 karst
points that were field verified by previous workers will be rechecked against the LiDAR and in the
field. The remaining suspect locations will be field checked to determine if they are karst or not.
Also, records on size and depth of 218 features from a 1980 project are being compared to the
LiDAR to see if change over time can be observed.
Karst regions are highly susceptible to pollution, and structures built near them may subside.
Karst features in the Bellevue region have also served as conduits of groundwater discharge
during periods of unusually high precipitation. This groundwater discharge has led to severe,
localized flooding. The maps produced from this effort will allow areas of land development near
karst features to be better planned and maintained.
14-3 2:10 PM Carson, Eric C. [218823]
SURFICIAL GEOLOGIC MAPPING AND LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION RESEARCH IN THE
DRIFTLESS AREA OF SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN
CARSON, Eric C., Department of Environmental Sciences, Wisconsin Geological and
Natural History Survey, Madison, WI 53705, eccarson@wisc.edu and ATTIG, John W.,
Department of Environmental Sciences, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey,
3817 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705
On-going surficial geology projects in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin are heavily
invested in the concept of the valuable synergies between high-quality research and highquality
geologic mapping. Accurate and detailed mapping provides a basis to guide and inform
original research; focused research leads to a better understanding of geologic process, events,
chronology, stratigraphy and materials in a mapping area, and thus a better mapping product.
To exemplify this, mapping along the lower Wisconsin River valley has provided the impetus to
investigate the glacial deposits that define the boundaries of the unglaciated Driftless Area, and
the Quaternary geologic history archived by those deposits.
Along the Mississippi River, south of the confluence with the Wisconsin River, coring has
defined the easternmost extent of pre-Illinoian glacial deposits. Compact gray clay-rich till and
associated outwash were recognized within 1 km of the modern Mississippi River underlying the
ubiquitous Peoria loess. Coring through the pre-Illinoian Bridgeport moraine (Knox and Attig,
1988) identified a brown sandy till overlying a gray clay-rich till similar to that found farther south.
This implies that multiple pre-Illinoian glacial advances, depositing markedly different till, extended
eastward to a point roughly coincident with the modern Mississippi River.
In the Baraboo Hills area at the eastern margin of the Driftless Area, coring the late Wisconsin
Johnstown moraine where it blocks the south end of the Devils Lake gorge has revealed the
stratigraphy of the moraine and helped refine the history of the advance of ice to its maximum
position. The moraine is composed of ~5 m of till overlying more than 75 m of sand and gravel
(outwash). The stratigraphy suggests that ice was stable just short of its maximum extent and
depositing outwash that the ice ultimately advanced over to deposit till on the outwash.
These data likely would not have been collected if not for the surficial geology mapping being
conducted, and the insights gained from the data will improve the final mapping product. This
highlights the concept that taking a research-driven approach to mapping facilitates developing
priorities and long-term goals, and developing a greater understanding of key aspects of the
geology of the area being mapped.
14-4 2:30 PM Fleming, Anthony H. [218325]
A TALE OF TWO LOBES: THE PLEISTOCENE EVOLUTION OF INDIANA’S LARGEST
INTERLOBATE LAKE BASIN
FLEMING, Anthony H., 2275 E300S, Albion, IN 46701, loneswantony@cs.com and
KARAFFA, Marni D., Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana University, 611 North Walnut Grove
Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405
Lake Wawasee has the largest surface area of any natural lake in Indiana, while nearby
Tippecanoe Lake is the deepest. They are among a group of large, deep lakes (and dozens
of smaller ones) concentrated in a distinctly rugged, ~100 mi2area that defines the interlobate
boundary between the Saginaw and Erie Lobes in Kosciusko County, north-central Indiana.
Ongoing geologic mapping indicates that this more southerly part of the boundary experienced
a sharply different history than the segment further to the northeast, which generally lacks large
lakes, has more subdued topography, and in most places is characterized by the relatively simple
onlap of large Erie Lobe fans into basins produced by the withdrawal of the Saginaw Lobe into
Michigan.
Several lines of evidence indicate that extensive tracts of stagnant Erie Lobe ice were well
established in these lake basins before the Saginaw Lobe arrived, and long before deposition of
the large eastern fans (Topeka, Leesburg, Rochester) that followed. Individual ice blocks occupied
basins as great as 10-12 mi2and were (minimally) hundreds of feet thick; moreover, they persisted
for most of the late Wisconsin, greatly altering the behavior of subsequent glaciers and ultimately
controlling the distributions and character of younger deposits of both the Saginaw and Erie
Lobes.
The deposits from this earliest Erie Lobe event thicken southwestward into eastern Marshall
and extreme western Kosciusko Counties, where they form an extensive region of Erie Lobe
moraines and fans known as the Bourbon upland. As such, they seem to define a discrete
southern edge of the interlobate area—one that lies significantly further north than suggested
by historical interpretations. Moreover, these relations reinforce the growing recognition that the
history of the interlobate area is not monolithic, but instead consists of a heterogeneous group of
smaller regions, each defined by local ice margins competing for space.