Complex Holocene Sedimentation and Erosion in Deep Basins of Lake Superior
Abstract
Little sediment accumulates on the lake floor of most of the Laurentian Great Lakes in water less than about 100 m deep. Such sediment is thought to be resuspended by waves and currents and "focused" onto the deeper lake floor. New high-resolution CHIRP seismic-reflection data in central Lake Superior suggests that Holocene sedimentation has been considerably more complex there. The late- and post- glacial stratigraphy in Lake Superior consists of glacial-lacustrine red varves overlain by gray varves. The glacial-lacustrine section is capped by poorly laminated, fine-grained, gray Holocene muds. In many areas, the entire post-glacial section is cut by polygonal fractures and faults related to dewatering or syneresis. Our new seismic-reflection data from water depths of 150-250 m indicate that the upper surface of the varved section is extensively eroded, both by planation of varves draped over bathymetric highs and by widespread channeling. The cause of this pervasive erosion is not known, but it may be related to the sudden opening of a low outlet from the lake as the continental ice sheet retreated. Within the Holocene section, small to medium sized (2-4 m deep, 100-300 m wide) channels are formed, in some cases overlying the older channels in the varved section. Commonly, the Holocene channels cut directly into the underlying varved section. Both of these types of channels are partially to fully filled with Holocene sediments. Dipping reflections within the Holocene section suggest considerable complexity in Holocene sedimentation. Large parts of the study area contain only thin (<1 m) Holocene section and large areas contain none at all. All of these observations indicated a much more complex set of Holocene erosional and depositional processes in deep water than those implied by the simple focusing mechanism.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFMNS31B1573C
- Keywords:
-
- 3022 Marine sediments: processes and transport;
- 3025 Marine seismics (0935;
- 7294);
- 3045 Seafloor morphology;
- geology;
- and geophysics