Paper No. 6-0
AN ALGONQUIN SHORELINE IN SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN, PART II
CAPPS, Daniel K., Geology, Indiana Univ, 1001 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, dacapps@indiana.edu and THOMPSON, Todd A., Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana Univ, 611 N Walnut Grove, Bloomington, IN 47405

Three former shorelines are present in northwest Indiana arcing along the southern boundary of modern-day Lake Michigan. These shorelines are the Glenwood (reference elevation of 195m [AMSL]), Calumet (189m), and the Toleston (183m) Beaches. They are differentiated by their geomorphic position, topography, stratigraphy, and radiocarbon ages. Algonquin shorelines, well-documented relict shorelines observed elsewhere throughout the Great Lakes, have not been recognized along southern Lake Michigan. Recent data based on a series of 19 vibracores taken along transects at four locations in northwest Indiana indicate a previously unidentified shoreline position. This shoreline is located lakeward of the Calumet Beach. It is represented by basal foreshore deposits ranging in elevation from 183 to 187 m east of Deep River and by a pronounced erosional scarp cut directly into till at an elevation of 183 to 186 m west of Deep River. Samples collected from a peat found below foreshore deposits at Dune Acres, Indiana, yield 14C dates from the base, within, and top of 11,130 (±140), 10,570 (±50), and 10,740 (±130) years, respectively. These Algonquin dates, along with basal foreshore elevations and geomorphic position provide evidence for the existence of a high-level Algonquin shoreline along southern Lake Michigan. The above data suggest that current isostatic rebound models, which place the Algonquin shoreline deposits below modern lake-level, are not adequately representing basin warping in southern Lake Michigan. The hinge model of Goldthwait (1908), which corresponds with modern lake-level gauge records, may better represent Lake Michigan basin rheology. This research establishes the Algonquin phase of ancestral Lake Michigan as a high-level water plane along southern Lake Michigan. The lake-level curve for southern Lake Michigan will need to be redrawn in order to accommodate the Algonquin shoreline features.

North-Central Section (36th) and Southeastern Section (51st), GSA Joint Annual Meeting (April 3–5, 2002)
Session No. 6
Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology
Hyatt Regency Hotel: Patterson Ballroom D
1:20 PM-5:00 PM, Wednesday, April 3, 2002
 

© Copyright 2002 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.