Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-29T00:13:03.642Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late-Glacial and Postglacial Sedimentation in Lake Superior Based on Seismic-Reflection Profiles1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Thomas C. Johnson
Thomas C. Johnson*
Affiliation:
Limnological Research Center and Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Seismic reflection profiles (3.5 kHz) were obtained along more than 3500 km of shiptrack in Lake Superior within the last 2 yr. The acoustic character of profiles is categorized as: (I) a single, strong reflector at the lake floor, (II) a thick, acoustically transparent layer overlying a strong reflector, and (III) relatively thick sediment with internal acoustic reflectors. These profiles, in conjunction with sediment cores from the area, reveal that varved glacial-lacustrine sediment settled out preferentially in a trough between Isle Royale and the north shore, and to a lesser extent in other topographic depressions; bottom currents generated by storm waves prevent clay accumulation on till or bedrock in the open lake wherever the bottom is shallower than 100 m; bottom currents prevent deposition or erode bottom sediment in certain deep-water (> 200 m) valleys; and lacustrine sediment is disturbed by creep or slumping off Grand Portage, Minnesota, and by other processes such as dewatering in many other areas. These factors complicate sedimentation in Lake Superior, and must be considered when investigating any aspect of the lake sediment.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , May 1980 , pp. 380 - 391
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.)

Footnotes

1

Contribution No. 219 of the Limnological Research Center and No. 1001 of the Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota.

References

Berkson, J.M. Clay, C.J., (1973). Microphysiography and possible iceberg grooves on the floor of western Lake Superior. Bulletin Geological Society of America 84 1315 1328 Google Scholar
Berkson, J.M. Clay, C.S., (1973). Possible syneresis origin of valleys on the floor of Lake Superior. Nature (London) 245 89 91 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruland, K.W. Koide, M. Bowser, C. Maher, L.J., (1975). Lead-210 and pollen geochronologies of Lake Superior sediments. Quaternary Research 5 89 98 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carmack, E.C. Gray, C.B.J. Pharo, C.H. Daley, R.J., (1978). Importance of lake-river in teraction on the physical limnology of the Kamloops Lake/Thompson River system. Limnology and Oceanography Submitted to Google Scholar
Chase, C.G. Gilmer, T.H., (1973). Precambrian plate tectonics: The midcontinent gravity high. Earth Planetary Science Letters 21 70 78 Google Scholar
Dell, C.I., (1971). Late Quaternary Sedimentation in Lake Superior. Ph.D. dissertation University of Michigan Ann Arbor Google Scholar
Dell, C.I., (1974). The Stratigraphy of Northern Lake superior Late-Glacial and Postglacial Sediments 179 192 Proceedings 17th Conference Great Lakes Research, International Association Great Lakes Research Google Scholar
Dell, C.I., (1975). Relationships of till to bed rock in the Lake Superior region. Geology 3 563 564 2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dell, C.I., (1976). Sediment distribution and bottom topography of southeastern Lake Superior. Journal Great Lakes Research 2 164 176 Google Scholar
Eisenreich, S.J. Hollod, G.J. Johnson, T.C., (1979). Accumulation of PCBs in surficial Lake Superior sediments: Atmospheric deposition. Environmental Science Technology 13 569 573 Google Scholar
Farrand, W.R., (1969). Late-glacial and postglacial sedimentation in the deep basins of Lake Superior, USA. Mitteilungen Internat. Verein Limnologie 17 34 42 Google Scholar
Farrand, W.R., (1969). The Quaternary History of Lake Superior 181 197 Proceedings 12th Conference Great Lakes Research, International Association Great Lakes Research Google Scholar
Farrand, W.R. Zumberge, J.H., (1966). Lake Superior Bathymetric Chart University Michigan Institute Science Technology Glacial Geology and Polar Research Laboratory Ann Arbor Google Scholar
Gustavson, T.C., (1975). Sedimentation and physical limnology in proglacial Malaspina Lake, southeastern Alaska Jopling, A.V. McDonald, B.C. Glaciofluvial and Glaciolacustrine Sedimentation. Society Economic Paleontologists Mineralogists Special Publication No. 23 249 263 Tulsa Google Scholar
Hamblin, P.F. Carmack, E.C., (1978). River-induced currents in a fjord lake. Journal Geophysical Research 83 885 899 Google Scholar
Hollister, C.D. Heezen, B.C., (1972). Geologic effects of ocean bottom sediments. Western North Atlantic Gordon, A.L. Studies in Physical Oceanography—A Tribute to George Wust on His 80th Birthday Gordon and Breach New York 37 66 Google Scholar
Komar, P.D., (1976). The transport of cohesionless sediments on continental shelves Stanley, D.J. Swift, D.J.P. Marine Sediment Transport and Environmental Management Wiley New York 107 126 Google Scholar
Kuenen, P.H., (1951). Mechanics of varve formation and the action of turbidity currents. Geologiska Foreningens Stockholm Forhandlingar 73 69 84 Google Scholar
Lineback, J.A. Gross, D.L. Meyer, R.P. Unger, W.L., (1971). High-Resolution Seismic Profiles and Gravity cores of Sediments in Southern Lake Michigan Illinois State Geological Survey Urbana Environmental Geological Notes 47 Google Scholar
Lineback, J.A. Gross, D.L. Meyer, R.P., (1972). Geologic Cross Sections Derived from Seismic Profiles and Sediment Cores from Southern Lake Michigan Illinois State Geological Survey Urbana Environmental Geological Notes 54 Google Scholar
Liu, P.C., (1977). A Hindcast of Lake Superior Waves during the Disasterous Storm of November 10, 1975 Twentieth Conference Great Lakes Research International Association Great Lakes Research Abstracts of Papers Google Scholar
Maher, L.J., (1977). Palynological studies in the western arm of Lake Superior. Quaternary Research 7 14 44 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayer, L.H., (1979). The origin of fine-scale acoustic stratigraphy in deep-sea carbonates. Journal Geophysical Research 84 6177 6184 Google Scholar
Meyer, R.P. Moore, J.R. Nebrija, E.L., (1975). Underwater Copper Exploration in Lake Superior II: Specific Targets Charted in 1974 Proceedings Seventh Annual Offshore Technology Conference 441 446 Google Scholar
Moore, J.R. Meyer, R.P. Wold, R.J., (1972). Underwater Copper Exploration in Lake Superior—Propsects Mapped in 1971 Proceedings Fourth Annual Offshore Technology Conference 307 315 Google Scholar
Mothersill, J.S. Fung, P.C., (1972). The stratigraphy, mineralogy and trace element concentration of the Quaternary sediments of northern Lake Superior basin. Canadian Journal Earth Science 8 1735 1755 Google Scholar
Neumann, G. Pierson, W.J. Jr. (1966). Principles of Physical Oceanography Prentice-Hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ Google Scholar
Ragotzkie, R.A., (1966). The Keweenaw Current, A Regular Feature of Summer Circulation of Lake Superior University of Wisconsin, Department of Meteorology Technical Report 29, Madison Google Scholar
Reid, J.R., (1961). Investigations of Bottom Cores from North and South-Central Lake Superior Proceedings 4th Conference Great Lakes Research, International Association Great Lakes Research 126 144 Google Scholar
Silver, M.L. Lineback, J.A., (1972). Velocity of Sound in Sediments Cored from Southern Lake Michigan Illinois Geological Survey Circular 475 Google Scholar
Sly, P.G., (1973). Sediment processes in Great Lakes Fluvial Processes and Sedimentation. Proceedings Hydrology Symposium, University Alberta, Edmonton National Research Council Canada 464 492 Subcommittee on Hydrology Google Scholar
Sly, P.G. Thomas, R.L., (1974). Review of geological research as it relates to an understanding of Great Lakes limnology. Journal Fisheries Research Board Canada 31 795 825 Google Scholar
Smith, T.J. Steinhart, J.S. Aldrich, L.T., (1966). Crustal structure under Lake Superior The Earth Beneath the Continents Steinhart, J.S. Smith, T.J. Geophysical Monograph 10 American Geophysical Union Washington, DC 181 197 Google Scholar
Smith, N.D., (1978). Sedimentation processes and patterns in a glacier-fed lake with low-sediment input. Canadian Journal Earth Sciences 15 741 756 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N.P. Ragotzkie, R.A., (1970). A Comparison of Computed and Measured Currents in Lake Superior Proceedings 13th Conference Great Lakes Research International Association Great Lakes Research 969 977 Google Scholar
Sternberg, R.W. Larsen, L.H., (1975). Threshold of sediment movement by open ocean waves: Observations. Deep-Sea Research 22 299 309 Google Scholar
Swain, W.R., (1979). Chlorinated organic residues in fish, water and precipitation from the vicinity of Isle Royale, Lake Superior. Journal Great Lakes Research Google Scholar
Thomas, R.L. Dell, C.I., (1978). Sediments of Lake Superior. Journal of Great Lakes Research Google Scholar
Thomas, R.L. Jaquet, J.M., (1975). The Surficial Sediments of Lake Superior Proceedings 9th International Sedimentological Conference Nice, France Google Scholar
Winterhalter, B., (1972). On the geology of the Bathnian Sea, an epeiric sea that has undergone Pleistocene glaciation. Geological Survey Finland Bulletin 258 Google Scholar
Wold, R.J. Ostenso, N.A., (1966). Aeromagnetic, gravity and sub-bottom profiling studies in western Lake Superior The Earth Beneath the Continents Steinhart, D.S. Smith, T.J. Geophysical Monograph 10 American Geophysical Union Washington, DC 66 94 Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. (1971). Retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from 14,000 to 9,000 years ago. Quaternary Research 1 316 330 Google Scholar
Zumberge, J.H. Gast, P., (1961). Geological investigations in Lake Superior. Geotimes 6 10 13 Google Scholar