Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-23T20:59:17.026Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Middle Wisconsin Stratigraphy and Climatic Reconstruction, Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Neville F. Alley
Neville F. Alley*
Affiliation:
Surficial Geology Section, Resource Analysis Branch, Ministry of the Environment, 839 Academy Close, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8V 1X4
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Interbedded, organic-rich terrestrial and marine sediments exposed along the eastern coastal lowland of Vancouver Island contain an almost continuous record of middle Wisconsin vegetation and climate. The record has been interpreted largely from palynostratigraphic studies at three sites and supported by a study of modern pollen spectra from the three major biogeoclimatic zones of the extant vegetation. Radiocarbon dates from a variety of organic materials in the middle Wisconsin beds reveal that the fossil pollen spectra span an interval ranging from approximately 21,000 yr B.P. to more than 51,000 yr B.P. The spectra are divided into eight major pollen zones encompassing the Olympia Interglaciation and early Fraser Glaciation geologicclimate units of the Pacific Northwest. The Olympia Interglaciation extended from before 51,000 yr B.P. to ca. 29,000 yr B.P. and was characterized by a climate similar to present. During the early Fraser Glaciation, from 29,000 years ago to approximately 21,000 yr B.P., climate deteriorated until tundra like conditions prevailed. These pollen sequences are correlative with those of coastal British Columbia and partly with those from Olympic Peninsula, but apparently are not comparable with events in the Puget Lowland.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , March 1979 , pp. 213 - 237
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Armstrong, J.E., Crandell, D.R., Easterbrook, D.J., Noble, J.B., (1965). Late Pleistocene stratigraphy and chronology in southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington. Geological Society of America, Bulletin. 76, 321-330.Google Scholar
Armstrong, J.E., Clague, J.J., (1977). Two major Wisconsin lithostratigraphic units in southwest British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 14, 1471-1480.Google Scholar
Clague, J.J., (1976). Quadra Sand and its relation to the late Wisconsin glaciation of southwest British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 13, 803-815.Google Scholar
Clague, J.J., (1977). Quadra Sand: A study of the late Pleistocene geology and geomorphic history of coastal southwest British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Paper. 77-17, 1-24.Google Scholar
Clague, J.J., Armstrong, J.E., (1977). Late Quaternary stratigraphic and chronologic revisions, southwest British Columbia, Canada. Tenth INQUA Congress. Birmingham, 1977 81 Abstracts.Google Scholar
Dyck, W., Fyles, J.G., Blake, W. Jr., (1965) Geological Survey of Canada. Radiocarbon Dates IV. .Google Scholar
Easterbrook, D.J., (1969). Pleistocene chronology of the Puget Lowland and San Juan Islands, Washington. Geological Society of America, Bulletin. 80, 2273-2286.Google Scholar
Easterbrook, D.J., (1976). Stratigraphy and palynology of late Quaternary sediments in the Puget Lowland, Washington: Discussion and reply. Geological Society of America, Bulletin. 87, 153-156.Google Scholar
Faegri, K., Iversen, J., (1964) Textbook of Pollen Analysis. Hafner, New York. Google Scholar
Florer, L.E., (1972). Quaternary palaeoecology and stratigraphy of the sea cliffs, western Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Quaternary Research. 2, 202-216.Google Scholar
Fulton, R.J., (1971). Radiocarbon geochronology of southern British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Paper. 71-37, 1-28.Google Scholar
Fulton, R.J., Armstrong, J.E., Fyles, J.G., (1976). Stratigraphy and palynology of late Quaternary sediments in the Puget Lowland, Washington: Discussion and reply. Geological Society of America, Bulletin. 87, 153-156.Google Scholar
Fyles, J.G., (1958). Stratigraphy of the Cordova Bay Pleistocene deposits. Geological Survey of Canada. unpublished diagram.Google Scholar
Fyles, J.G., (1963). Surficial geology of Horne Lake and Parksville map-areas, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Memoir. 318.Google Scholar
Halstead, E.C., (1966). Surficial geology of Duncan and Shawnigan map-areas, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Paper. 65-24.Google Scholar
Halstead, E.C., (1968). The Cowichan ice tongue. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 5, 1409-1415.Google Scholar
Hansen, B.C., Easterbrook, D.J., (1974). Stratigraphy and palynology of Late Quaternary sediments in the Puget Lowland, Washington. Geological Society of America, Bulletin. 85, 587-602.Google Scholar
Harington , C. R., (1974. ).Personal communication. ..Google Scholar
Harland, R., (1973). Quaternary (Flandrian?) dinoflagellate cysts from the Grand Banks, off Newfoundland, Canada. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 16, 229-242.Google Scholar
Heusser, C.J., (1972). Palynology and phytogeographical significance of a late Pleistocene refugium near Kalaloch, Washington. Quaternary Research. 2, 189-201.Google Scholar
Heusser, C.J., (1974). Quaternary vegetation, climate, and glaciation of the Hoh River Valley, Washington. Geological Society of America, Bulletin. 85, 1547-1560.Google Scholar
Heusser, C.J., (1977). Quaternary palynology of the Pacific slope of Washington. Quaternary Research. 8, 282-306.Google Scholar
Hitchcock, C.L., Cronquist, A.L., (1973) Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1-730.Google Scholar
Hitchcock, C.L., Cronquist, A.L., Owenby, M., Thompson, J.W., 1955–1969 Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. Vols. 1–5, University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. Google Scholar
Krajina, 189.J., (1969) Ecology of Western North America. Vol. 2, Department of Botany, University of British Columbia Publication, 1-147 No. 1.Google Scholar