Open AccessEvidence of Sequence and Age of Ancestral Lake Erie Lake-Levels, Northwest Ohio
Author(s) -
Timothy G. Fisher,
Joseph Blockland,
Brad J. Anderson,
David E. Krantz,
Donald J. Stierman,
Ronald Goble
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the ohio journal of science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.124
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 2471-9390
pISSN - 0030-0950
DOI - 10.18061/ojs.v115i2.4614
Subject(s) - geology , period (music) , younger dryas , structural basin , glacial period , sequence (biology) , glacial lake , ground penetrating radar , shore , thermoluminescence dating , optically stimulated luminescence , glacier , palynology , deposition (geology) , physical geography , paleontology , geomorphology , oceanography , radar , geography , ecology , pollen , telecommunications , physics , quartz , biology , computer science , acoustics , genetics
While the general scheme of the retreat of the Late Wisconsinan glacier from the ancestral Lake Erie basin is understood, the sequence and timing of those movements that caused lake-level changes are not well documented. Ground penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity (ER), and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques were used to analyze beach and sand dune formations in the Wauseon area in northwest Ohio. The beaches showed no evidence of being flooded after deposition. Thirteen (13) new OSL ages revealed a short time of approximately 1000 years (16.9–15.9 ka) for formation of the Maumee, Arkona and Whittlesey shorelines. Evidence supporting the Ypsilanti lowstand in the ancestral Lake Erie basin was not observed within two sequences of glacial lacustrine sediments. The results of OSL dating of sand dunes indicate a period of older activity (~14–15 ka) and confirmation of previous work that documented activity during the Younger Dryas cold period (~13–11.5 ka).