Premium
Character and origin of De Geer moraines in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, USA
Author(s) -
Sinclair Samantha N.,
Licciardi Joseph M.,
Campbell Seth W.,
Madore Brian M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.3017
Subject(s) - moraine , geology , deglaciation , geomorphology , glacier , ground penetrating radar , context (archaeology) , paleontology , glacial period , radar , telecommunications , computer science
ABSTRACT Previously unrecognized clusters of regularly spaced, low‐relief ridges were recently revealed by LiDAR data acquired in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, USA. Based on their morphometry and geologic context, these features are interpreted as De Geer moraines that formed during regional deglaciation. While De Geer moraines are widely recognized as products of ice recession in glaciomarine settings, their formative processes remain debated. Here, we integrate geospatial mapping, morphometric analyses, stratigraphic investigations and ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) subsurface profiling to characterize De Geer moraines in New Hampshire and assess their origin. On average, the moraines are 1.2 km long, 28 m wide, 1.7 m tall and spaced 104 m apart. Trenches expose stratigraphic units consistent with subaqueous deposition along a tidewater glacier margin, including subglacial traction till indicative of proglacial pushing, and gravity‐driven flow deposits on an ice‐distal moraine slope. GPR profiles reveal variable till thicknesses beneath the ridges and stratified sediment in adjacent swales. Our findings suggest De Geer moraine formation was driven by annual oscillations of the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet margin. In this interpretation, average moraine spacing would represent a retreat rate of ∼100 m a −1 , which is in line with previous estimates of recession rates across New England.