Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T18:02:25.003Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Lake core record of Grinnell Glacier dynamics during the latest Pleistocene deglaciation and the Younger Dryas, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Nathan S. Schachtman ,
Kelly R. MacGregor ,
Amy Myrbo ,
Nora Rose Hencir ,
Catherine A. Riihimaki ,
Jeffrey T. Thole  and
Louisa I. Bradtmiller
Nathan S. Schachtman*
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
Kelly R. MacGregor
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
Amy Myrbo
Affiliation:
LacCore, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Nora Rose Hencir
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
Catherine A. Riihimaki
Affiliation:
Council on Science and Technology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Jeffrey T. Thole
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
Louisa I. Bradtmiller
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Studies, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
*
*Corresponding author.E-mail address:nathanschachtman@gmail.com (N.S. Schachtman).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Few records in the alpine landscape of western North America document the geomorphic and glaciologic response to climate change during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. While moraines can provide snapshots of glacier extent, high-resolution records of environmental response to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, Younger Dryas cooling, and subsequent warming into the stable Holocene are rare. We describe the transition from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene using a ~ 17,000-yr sediment record from Swiftcurrent Lake in eastern Glacier National Park, MT, with a focus on the period from ~ 17 to 11 ka. Total organic and inorganic carbon, grain size, and carbon/nitrogen data provide evidence for glacial retreat from the late Pleistocene into the Holocene, with the exception of a well-constrained advance during the Younger Dryas from 12.75 to 11.5 ka. Increased detrital carbonate concentration in Swiftcurrent Lake sediment reflects enhanced glacial erosion and sediment transport, likely a result of a more proximal ice terminus position and a reduction in the number of alpine lakes acting as sediment sinks in the valley.

Keywords

Glacier National ParkLake sediment coreLate PleistoceneHoloceneYounger DryasGrinnell GlacierTotal inorganic carbonLast Glacial MaximumGlacial erosionGeomorphic change
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 84 , Issue 1 , July 2015 , pp. 1 - 11
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

Alley, R. (2000). The Younger Dryas cold interval as viewed from central Greenland. Quaternary Science Reviews 19, 213–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, H. (2014). High resolution lacustrine records of historical environmental change in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A. Geology Honors Projects. Paper 15 (http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geology_honors/15)Google Scholar
Appleby, P.G. Oldfield, F. (1978). The calculation of lead-210 dates assuming a constant rate of supply of unsupported 210 Pb to the sediment. Catena 5, 1 1–8.Google Scholar
Balsam, W.L. Deaton, B.C. Damuth, J.E. (1999). Evaluating optical lightness as a proxy for carbonate content in marine sediment cores. Marine Geology 161, 141–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartlein, P.J. Anderson, P.M. Anderson, K.H. Edwards, M.E. Mock, C.M. Thompson, R.S. Webb, R.S. Webb, T. III Whitlock, C. (1998). Paleoclimate simulations for North America over the past 21,000 years: features of the simulated climate and comparisons with paleoenvironmental data. Quaternary Science Reviews 17, 549–585.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beierle, B.D. Smith, D.G. Hills, L.V. (2003). Late Quaternary glacial and environmental history of the Burstall Pass Area, Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 35, 391–398.Google Scholar
Beiswenger, J.M. (1991). Late Quaternary vegetational history of Grays Lake, Idaho. Ecological Monographs 61, 165–182.Google Scholar
Blaauw, M. Christén, J.A. (2011). Flexible paleoclimate age-depth models using an autoregressive gamma process. Bayesian Analysis 6, 457–474.Google Scholar
Borchardt, G.A. Aruscavage, P.J. Millard, H.T. Jr. (1972). Correlation of Bishop Ash, a Pleistocene marker bed, using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 42, 301–306.Google Scholar
Briles, C.E. Whitlock, C. Meltzer, D.J. (2012). Last glacial–interglacial environments in the southern Rocky Mountains, USA and implications for Younger Dryas-age human occupation. Quaternary Research 77, 96–103.Google Scholar
Brunelle, A. Whitlock, C. (2003). Postglacial fire, vegetation, and climate history in the Clearwater Range, Northern Idaho, USA. Quaternary Research 60, 307–318.Google Scholar
Carrara, P.E. (1995). A 12 000 year radiocarbon date of deglaciation from the Continental Divide of northwestern Montana. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 32, 1303–1307.Google Scholar
Carrara, P.E. Short, S.K. Wilcox, R.E. (1986). Deglaciation of the mountainous region of northwestern Montana, U.S.A., as indicated by late Pleistocene ashes. Arctic and Alpine Research 18, 317–325.Google Scholar
Clark, D.H. Gillespie, A.R. (1997). Timing and significance of the Late-Glacial and Holocene Cirque Glaciation in the Sierra Nevada, California. Quaternary International 38–39, 21–38.Google Scholar
Doerner, J.P. Carrara, P.E. (2001). Late Quaternary vegetation and climatic history of the Long Valley Area, west-central Idaho, U.S.A.. Quaternary Research 56, 103–111.Google Scholar
Foit, J.F.F. Mehringer, J.P.J. Sheppard, J.C. (1993). Age, distribution, and stratigraphy of Glacier Peak tephra in eastern Washington and western Montana, United States. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 30, 535–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gosse, J.C. Evenson, E.G. Klein, J. Lawn, B. Middleton, R. (1995). Precise cosmogenic 10Be measurements in western North America: support for a global Younger Dryas cooling event. Geology 23, 877–880.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gosse, J.C. Klein, J. Evenson, E.B. Lawn, B. Middleton, R. (1995). Beryllium-10 dating of the duration and retreat of the last Pinedale glacial sequence. Science 268, 1329–1333.Google Scholar
Hiller, S. (2003). Quantitative analysis of clay and other minerals in sandstones by x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Worden, R.H., and Morad, S. Clay Mineral Cements in Sandstones: Special Publication 34 of the International Association of Sedimentologists. 213–251.Google Scholar
Johannesson, T. Raymond, C.F. Waddington, E.D. (1989). A simple method for determining the response time of glaciers. Oerlemans, J., and Bentley, C.R. Glacier Fluctuations and Climatic Change. Kluwer Academic Publishing, Oerlemans.Google Scholar
Karlén, W. (1976). Lacustrine sediment and tree-limit variations as evidence of Holocene climatic fluctuations in Lappland, northern Sweden. Geografiska Annaler 58A, 1–34.Google Scholar
Karlén, W. (1981). Lacustrine sediment studies; a technique to obtain a continuous record of Holocene glacier variations. Geografiska Annaler: Series A: Physical Geography 63, 273–281.Google Scholar
Krause, T.R. Whitlock, C. (2013). Climate and vegetation change during the late glacial/early-Holocene transition inferred from multiple proxy records from Blacktail Pond, Yellowstone National Park, USA. Quaternary Research 79, 391–402.Google Scholar
Kuehn, S.C. Froese, D.G. Carrara, P.E. Foit, F.F. Pearce, N.J.G. Rotheisler, P. (2009). Major-and trace-element characterization, expanded distribution, and a new chronology for the latest Pleistocene Glacier Peak tephras in western North America. Quaternary Research 71, 201–216.Google Scholar
Leonard, E.M. (1985). Glaciological and climatic controls on lake sedimentation, Canadian Rocky Mountains. Zeitschrift Für Gletscherkunde Und Glazialgeologie 21, 35–42.Google Scholar
Leonard, E.M. (1986). Use of lacustrine sedimentary sequences as indicators of Holocene glacial history, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Quaternary Research 26, 218–231.Google Scholar
Leonard, E.M. (1997). The relationship between glacial activity and sediment production; evidence from a 4450-year varve record of neoglacial sedimentation in Hector Lake, Alberta, Canada. Journal of Paleolimnology 17, 319–330.Google Scholar
Leonard, E. Reasoner, M. (1999). A continuous Holocene Glacial Record inferred from Proglacial Lake Sediments in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Quaternary Research 51, 1–13.Google Scholar
Licciardi, J.M. Pierce, K.R. (2008). Cosmogenic exposure-age chronologies of Pinedale and Bull Lake glaciations in greater Yellowstone and the Teton Range, USA. Quaternary Science Reviews 27, 814–831.Google Scholar
Licciardi, J.M. Clark, P.U. Brook, E.J. Elmore, D. Sharma, P. (2004). Variable responses of western U.S. glaciers during the last deglaciation. Geology 32, 81–84.Google Scholar
Loso, M.G. Anderson, R.S. Anderson, S.P. (2004). Post-Little Ice Age record of coarse and fine clastic sedimentation in an Alaskan proglacial lake. Geology 32, 1065–1068.Google Scholar
MacGregor, K.R. Riihimaki, C.A. Myrbo, A. Shapley, M.D. Jankowski, K. (2011). Geomorphic and climatic change over the past 12,900 yr at Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Quaternary Research 75, 80–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacLeod, D.M. Osborn, G. Spooner, I. (2006). A record of post-glacial morainedeposition and tephra stratigraphy from Otokomi Lake, Rose Basin, Glacier National Park, Montana. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 43, 447–460.Google Scholar
Menounos, B. Reasoner, M.A. (1997). Evidence for Cirque Glaciation in the Colorado Front Range during the Younger Dryas Chronozone. Quaternary Research 48, 38–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mensing, S. Korfmacher, J. Musselman, R. Minckley, T. (2012). A 15,000 year record of vegetation and climate change from a treeline lake in the Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. Holocene 22, 739–748.Google Scholar
Meyers, P.A. (1994). Preservation of elemental and isotopic source identification of sedimentary organic matter. Chemical Geology 114, 289–302.Google Scholar
Moore, D.M. Reynolds, R.C. Jr. (1997). X-Ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals. 2nd ed Oxford University Press, New York. (378 pp.)Google Scholar
Mumma, S.A. Whitlock, C. Pierce, K.L. (2012). A 28,000 year history of vegetation and climate from Lower Red Rock Lake, Centennial Valley, southwestern Montana. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 326–328, 30–41.Google Scholar
Munroe, J.S. Crocker, T.A. Giesche, A.M. Rahlson, L.E. Duran, L.T. Bigl, M.F. Laabs, B.J.C. (2012). A lacustrine-based Neoglacial record for Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Quaternary Science Reviews 53, 39–54.Google Scholar
Muscheler, R. Kromer, B. Björck, S. Svensson, A. Friedrich, M. Kaiser, K.F. Southon, J. (2008). Tree rings and ice cores reveal 14C calibration uncertainties during the Younger Dryas. Nature Geoscience 1, 263–267.Google Scholar
Peterson, C.D. Minor, R. Gates, E.B. Vanderburgh, S. Carlisle, K. (2012). Correlation of tephra marker beds in latest Pleistocene and Holocene fill of the submerged lower Columbia River Valley, Washington and Oregon, U.S.A.. Journal of Coastal Research 28, 1362–1380.Google Scholar
Reasoner, M.A. Jodry, M.A. (2000). Rapid response of alpine timberline vegetation to the Younger Dryas climate oscillation in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA. Geology 28, 51–54.Google Scholar
Reasoner, M.A. Osborn, G. Rutter, N.W. (1994). Age of the Crowfoot advance in the Canadian Rocky Mountains: a glacial event coeval with the Younger Dryas oscillation. Geology 22, 439–442.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J. Bard, E. Bayliss, A. Beck, J.W. Blackwell, P.G. Ramsey, C.B. Buck, C.E. Cheng, H. Edwards, R.L. Friedrich, M. Grootes, P.M. Guilderson, T.P. Haflidason, H. Hajdas, I. Hatté, C. Heaton, T.J. Hoffmann, D.L. Hogg, A.G. Hughen, K.A. Kaiser, K.F. Kromer, B. Manning, S.W. Niu, M. Reimer, R.W. Richards, D.A. Scott, E.M. Southon, J.R. Staff, R.A. Turney, C.S.M. van der Plicht, J. (2013). IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon age calibration curves 0-50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 55, 1869–1887.Google Scholar
Thackray, G.D. (2008). Varied climatic and topographic influences on Late Pleistocene mountain glaciation in the western United States. Journal of Quaternary Science 23, 671–681.Google Scholar
Wang, Y.J. Cheng, H. Edwards, R.L. An, Z.S. Wu, J.Y. Shen, C.C. Dorale, J.A. (2001). A high resolution absolute-dated Late Pleistocene monsoon record from Hulu Cave, China. Science 294, 2345–2348.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whipple, J.W., (1992). Geologic map of Glacier National Park. Montana. 1, :100,000.Google Scholar
Whitlock, C. (1993). Postglacial vegetation and climate of Grand Teton and Southern Yellowstone National Parks. Ecological Monographs 63, 173–198.Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. (1967). A square-rod piston sampler for lake sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 37, 975–976.Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. (1991). Coring tips. Journal of Paleolimnology 6, 37–49.Google Scholar
Young, N.E. Briner, J.P. Leonard, E.M. Licciardi, J.M. Lee, K. (2011). Assessing climatic and nonclimatic forcing of Pinedale glaciation and deglaciation in the western United States. Geology 39, 171–174.Google Scholar
Zdanowicz, C.M. Zielinski, G.A. Germani, M.S. (1999). Mount Mazama eruption; calendrical age verified and atmospheric impact assessed. Geology 27, 621–624.Google Scholar