RIVER TERRACES INDICATE PALEO GLACIAL LAKE LEVEL CHANGES, COLTON, NY

The Raquette River flows north from its headwaters in the Adirondack Mountains into the lowlands currently occupied by the St. Lawrence River. These lowlands were once covered by a series of proglacial lakes during the decline of the last glacial maximum. Lake levels became progressively lower as the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated and different outlets became available. A series of fill terraces on the Raquette River, near Colton, NY, are located in close proximity to several of these lake level phases. Terraces were identified and elevations were obtained using DEMs and spot-checked with differential GPS. The terrace sequence was then reconstructed and compared with local paleo glacial lake levels. These Raquette River terraces provide good insight into the dramatic local lake level changes during the melting of the most recent continental glacial event.