DECODING THE PALIMPSEST: GEOMORPHOLOGY, SEDIMENTS, AND SOILS OF THE IOWAN EROSION SURFACE

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the enigmatic features of the Iowan Erosion Surface landform, centered in northeast Iowa. Our approach focuses on the geomorphology and sediments of the region, east and south of previously mapped margins of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Using new LiDAR imagery, USDA-NRCS soil map data, analysis of stream profiles and networks, and integrating previously reported radiocarbon and OSL dates, competing hypotheses of formation and modification can be compared, evaluated, and synthesized, resulting in a more comprehensive history of the development of the Iowan Erosion Surface landscape.