EVIDENCE FOR ESKER FORMATION DURING THE PORT HURON PHASE (13,000 14C YR B.P.) OF THE LAKE MICHIGAN LOBE IN MASON COUNTY, MICHIGAN

The complex glacial events of Northern Lower Michigan has sculpted and re-sculpted the landscape of this region making the interpretation of the chronology of events that created these landforms a challenge. In Mason County, a glaciofluvial sand and gravel ridge was found underlying a red till. Due to the relief of the ridge in respects to the surrounding landscape and its lateral continuity and dendritic pattern, this feature has been interpreted to be an esker formed during the Port Huron Advance of the Lake Michigan Ice Lobe (13,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.) Age dating of this feature is based upon the underlying gray Cary lake clays (14,500 to 13,600 ¹⁴C yr B.P.), the presence of red clays and red armored till balls found within the sands and gravels (Valders Till, 13,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.), and the red Valders Till also found overlying the ridge.