Abstracts
Abstract
The general extent, outlet location at North Bay, and shoreline tilt pattern of glacial Lake Algonquin were established by Spencer, Gilbert, Taylor, and Goldthwait about a century ago. Chapman and Harrison in the mid 1900s identified several eastward outlets and suggested correlations to named water planes as retreating ice lowered Algonquin levels. The present work supplements the meagre available North Bay shoreline elevation data with about 30 new points. Probable Cedar Point, Payette, Sheguiandah, and Korah shorelines are identified; several lower levels have no known outlets. Algonquin shoreline tilts are about 1.4 metres per kilometre. Using Nipissing shoreline elevations for correlation, North Bay data are compared with Sudbury data, showing closely similar trends, but with offsets of Algonquin shorelines probably attributable to errors from 120‑kilometre-long projections and 5 000‑year changes in uplift pattern. Of 24 radiocarbon dates compiled from the literature, 16 are on gyttja. Some of these incorporate old carbon error and require further testing with dates on terrestrial plant macrofossils. Available data remain sparse and require more basic mapping to improve ice-margin/shoreline correlations near the outlet area.
Résumé
À North Bay, l’étendue générale et le patron incliné des lignes de rivage du lac glaciaire Algonquin ont été établis par Spencer, Gilbert, Taylor, et Goldthwait au siècle dernier. À la moitié des années 1900, Chapman et Harrison ont observé que plusieurs rivages pointent vers l’est et proposent un lien avec les plans d’eau présents lors du retrait des glaces et à la baisse du niveau d’eau du lac Algonquin. Ce projet ajoute des données sur l’altitude des lignes de rivage à North Bay, avec 30 nouveaux points. Les rivages de Cedar Point, Payette, Sheguiandah et Korah sont identifiés; certains niveaux n’ont pas d’exutoire connu. L’inclinaison du rivage du lac Algonquin est d’environ 1,4 m par km. En comparant l’altitude des lignes de rivage du lac Nipissing et celles de Sudbury, les données de North Bay montrent des tendances similaires, mais le décalage des rivages du lac Algonquin est probablement associé aux erreurs de la projection sur 120 km et des changements de patrons survenus lors du soulèvement durant les derniers 5 000 ans. Sur les 24 dates au radiocarbone disponibles dans la littérature, 16 proviennent du gyttja. Certaines dates ont une erreur liée à l’âge du carbone et demandent une datation plus approfondie des macrofossiles végétaux terrestres. Les données disponibles sont floues et exigent une cartographie de base pour améliorer l’étude de la concordance entre les lignes de rivage et les marges glaciaires.
Appendices
References
- Anderson, T.W., Lewis, C.F.M. and Mott, R.J., 2001. AMS‑revised radiocarbon ages at Turtle Lake, North Bay-Mattawa area, Ontario: Implications for the deglacial history of the Great Lakes region. 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Geophysical Union, Ottawa, Ontario, p. 51.
- Barnett, P.J. and Bajc, A.F., 1999. Surficial geology, Regional Municipality of Sudbury. Ontario Geological Survey, Preliminary Map P‑3399.
- Blake, W., Jr. 1987. Geologcial Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XXVI. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 86‑7, 60 p.
- Blake, W., Jr., 1988. Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XXVII. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 87‑7, 100 p.
- Boissonneau, A.N., 1968. Glacial history of northeastern Ontario II. The Timiskaming-Algoma area. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 5 : 97‑109.
- Burwasser, G.J., 1979. Quaternary geology of the Sudbury basin area, District of Sudbury. Ontario Geological Survey, Report 181, 103 p.
- Chapman, L.J., 1954. An outlet of Lake Algonquin at Fossmill, Ontario. Proceedings of the Geological Association of Canada, 6, part 2, 61‑68.
- Chapman, L.J., 1975. The physiography of the Georgian Bay-Ottawa Valley area of southern Ontario. Ontario Division of Mines Geoscience, Report 128, 33 p.
- Clark, R.H. and Persoage, N.P., 1970. Some implications of crustal movement in engineering planning. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 7 : 629‑633.
- Colquhoun, D.J., 1958. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Nipissing-Deux Rivieres outliers. Proceedings of the Geological Association of Canada, 10 : 83‑93.
- Cronin, J.T., 1984. The raised shorelines of the northern Penetanguishene Peninsula. M.Sc. thesis, Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, 231 p.
- Deane, R.E., 1950. Pleistocene geology of the Lake Simcoe district, Ontario. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Memoir 256, 108 p.
- Gilbert, G.K., 1889. The history of the Niagara River. Commission of the State Reservation at Niagara, Sixth Annual Report, p. 61‑84.
- Goldthwait, J.W., 1910. An instrumental survey of the shorelines of the extinct lakes Algonquin and Nipissing in southwestern Ontario. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Memoir 10, 57 p.
- Harrison, J.E., 1972. Quaternary geology of the North Bay-Mattawa region. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 71‑26, 37 p.
- Hough, J.L., 1958. Geology of the Great Lakes. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois, 313 p.
- Karrow, P.F. and Anderson, T.W. 1975. Palynological study of lake sediment profiles from southwestern New Brunswick: Discussion. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 12 : 1808‑1812.
- Karrow, P.F., Anderson, T.W., Clarke, A.H., Delorme, L.D. and Sreenivasa, M.R. 1975. Stratigraphy, paleontology, and age of Lake Algonquin sediments in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Quaternary Research, 5 : 49‑87.
- Karrow, P.F. and Calkin, P.E. (eds.), 1985. Quaternary Evolution of the Great Lakes. Geological Association of Canada, Special Publication 30, 258 p.
- Lang, A.H., 1943. Terraces near North Bay, Ontario. Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, Third Series, v. 37, Section 4, p. 49‑52.
- Lewis, C.F.M., 1969. Late Quaternary history of lake levels in the Huron and Erie basins. Proceedings 12th Conference on Great Lakes Research, p. 250‑270.
- Lewis, C.F.M. and Anderson, T.W., 1989. Oscillations of levels and cool phases of the Laurentian Great Lakes caused by inflows from glacial lakes Agassiz and Barlow-Ojibway. Journal of Paleolimnology, 2 : 99‑146.
- Lowdon, J.A. and Blake, W. Jr. 1968. Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates VII. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 68‑2, Part B, 39 p.
- Lowdon, J.A., Robertson, I.M. and Blake, W., Jr. 1971. Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XI. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 71‑7, 70 p.
- Lowdon, J.A. and Blake, W., Jr. 1975. Geological Survey of Canada Radiocarbon dates XV. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 75‑7, 32 p.
- Lowdon, J.A. and Blake, W., Jr., 1979. Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XIX. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 79‑7, 58 p.
- Lumbers, S.B., 1971. Geology of the North Bay area, districts of Nipissing and Parry Sound. Ontario Department of Mines and Northern Affairs. Geological Report 94, 104 p.
- McNeely, R. 1989. Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XXVIII. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 88‑7, 93 p.
- McNeely, R. and Jorgensen, P.K. 1993. Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XXXI. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Paper 91‑7, 85 p.
- Spencer, J.W., 1888. Notes on the origin and history of the Great Lakes of North America. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 37 : 197‑199.
- Spencer, J.W., 1891. Deformation of the Algonquin beach, and birth of Lake Huron. American Journal of Science, 141 : 12‑21.
- Stanley, G.M., 1936. Lower Algonquin beaches of Penetanguishene Peninsula. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 47 : 1933‑1960.
- Stanley, G.M., 1937. Lower Algonquin beaches at Cape Rich, Georgian Bay. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 48 : 1665‑1686.
- Stanley, G.M., 1938. Impounded early Algonquin beaches at Sucker Creek, Grey County, Ontario. Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters, 23 : 477‑495.
- Taylor, F.B., 1893. The ancient strait at Nipissing. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 5 : 620‑626.
- Taylor, F.B., 1894. A reconnaissance of the abandoned shore lines of the south coast of Lake Superior. The American Geologist, 13 : 365‑383.
- Taylor, F.B., 1896. Notes on the Quaternary geology of the Mattawa and Ottawa valleys. The American Geologist, 18 : 108.
- Terasmae, J. and Hughes, O.L., 1960. Glacial retreat in the North Bay area, Ontario. Science, 131 : 1444‑1446.
- Yansa, C.H., 2005. The timing and nature of Late Quaternary vegetation changes in the northern Great Plains, USA and Canada: a re-assessment of the spruce phase. Quaternary Science Reviews, 25: 263‑281.