CHRONOLOGY OF LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION AT ONEIDA LAKE

Oneida Lake formed as a relict arm of glacial Lake Iroquois at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. As the southeastern portion of the Lake Ontario Basin settled into its Holocene drainage patterns, Oneida Lake receded, depositing what seems to be a series of beach ridges. The easternmost ridge, having been previously dated to 10.7 Ka, marks the limit of the area under investigation; the western limit being the modern Sylvan Beach. Due to the lake's long fetch and high energy levels, rates of deposition are high; thus, these deposits have the potential to record important early Holocene environmental changes. This project investigates the near-surface stratigraphy and shallow seismic reflection in these deposits and addresses the chronology of the beaches with AMS shell dating and soil organic content.