Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-07T23:13:21.276Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Palynological Studies in the Western Arm of Lake Superior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Louis J. Maher Jr.*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 USA

Abstract

Lake Superior sediments contain pollen whose changes through time can be correlated with dated pollen diagrams from small lakes in the region. A core collected in 1972 from the deep trough (265 m) off Silver Bay (47° 09′N, 91°20′W) penetrated 6.25 cm of taconite tailings, 55 cm of postglacial silty clay, and 93.5 cm of late-glacial varves. Seven levels in the core were dated by stratigraphic and palynological techniques. The varves stopped forming about 9000 years ago, probably when glacial ice retreated to the north shore. The last 100 varves accumulated at about 10 mm/yr, but the average net sedimentation rate subsequently slowed to 0.05 mm/yr until the time of settlement about 1890. The sedimentation rate then increased by a factor of 10, to 0.5 mm/yr until 1956 when taconite processing began. The postsettlement interval can be recognized by marked increases of ragweed and chenopod pollen that result from land disturbance caused by forest clearance and agriculture. The postsettlement interval is also present at the top of six cores from four other sites in western Lake Superior, collected in water from 25–140 m deep. The postsettlement sedimentation rate varies from 0.1–0.8 mm/yr, suggesting that man has greatly increased sediment yield to the lake in the last 80 years.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alley, W.P. Powers, C.F. (1970). Dry weight of the macrobenthos as an indicator of eutrophication of the Great Lakes Proceedings of the 13th Conference, Great Lakes Research 595-600 Google Scholar
Anderson, T.W. (1974). The chestnut pollen decline as a time horizon in lake sediments in eastern North America Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 11 678-685 Google Scholar
Bassett, I.J. (1959). Surveys of air-borne ragweed pollen in Canada with particular reference to sites in Ontario Canadian Journal of Plant Science 39 491-497 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassett, I.J. Terasmae, J. (1962). Ragweeds, Ambrosia species, in Canada and their history in postglacial time Canadian Journal of Botany 40 141-150 Google Scholar
Benninghoff, W.S. Franklin, J.M. (1968). Palynological study of postglacial bottom sediments from deep-water localities in Lake Superior (abstract) Technical Sessions Abstracts for the 14th Annual Institute on Lake Superior Geology University of Wisconsin-Superior 39-40 Google Scholar
Benninghoff, W.S. Taylor, S.M. Dole, R.M. (1968). Pollen analyses of postglacial sediments from Lake Superior (abstract) Abstracts for the 11th Conference on Great Lakes Research Special Report No. 3 Center for Great Lakes Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 18-19 Google Scholar
Bradbury, J.P. Megard, R.O. (1972). Stratigraphic report of pollution in Shagawa Lake, northeastern Minnesota Geological Society of America Bulletin 83 2639-2648 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradbury, J.P. Waddington, J.C.B. (1973). The impact of European settlement on Shagawa Lake, Northeastern Minnesota, U.S.A. Birks, H.J.B. West, R.G. Quaternary Plant Ecology Blackwell Oxford 289-307 Google Scholar
Brubaker, L.B. (1975). Postglacial forest patterns associated with till and outwash in northcentral Upper Michigan Quaternary Research 5 499-527 Google Scholar
Bruland, K.W. Koide, M. Bowser, C. Maher, L.J. Goldberg, E.D. (1975). Lead-210 and pollen geochronologies on Lake Superior sediments Quaternary Research 5 89-98 Google Scholar
Bryson, R.A. Wendland, W.M. Ives, J.D. Andrews, J.T. (1969). Radiocarbon isochrones on the disintegration of the Laurentide ice sheet Arctic and Alpine Research 1 1-14 Google Scholar
Callender, E. (1969). Geochemical characteristics of Lakes Michigan and Superior sediments Proceedings of the 12th Conference, Great Lakes Research 124-160 Google Scholar
Craddock, C. (1972). Late Precambrian: Regional geologic setting Sims, P.K. Morey, G.B. Geology of Minnesota: A Centennial Volume Minnesota Geological Survey St. Paul, Minnesota 281-291 Google Scholar
Craig, A.J. (1972). Pollen influx to laminated sediments: A pollen diagram from northeastern Minnesota Ecology 53 46-57 Google Scholar
Curtis, J.T. (1959). The Vegetation of Wisconsin The University of Wisconsin Press Madison Google Scholar
Cushing, E.J. (1965). Problems in the Quaternary phytogeography of the Great Lakes region Wright, H.E. Jr. Frey, D.G. The Quaternary of the United States Princeton University Press Princeton 403-416 Google Scholar
Davis, M.B. Brubaker, L.B. Beiswenger, J.M. (1971). Pollen grains in lake sediments: Pollen percentages in surface sediments from southern Michigan Quaternary Research 1 450-467 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, M.B. Brubaker, L.B. Webb, T. III (1973). Calibration of absolute pollen influx Birks, H.J.B. West, R.G. Quaternary Plant Ecology Blackwell Oxford 9-25 Google Scholar
Davis, R.B. (1967). Pollen studies of near-surface sediments in Maine Lakes Cushing, E.J. Wright, H.E. Jr. Quaternary Paleoecology Yale Press New Haven 143-173 Google Scholar
Davis, R.B. (1974). Stratigraphic effects of tubificids in profundal lake sediments Limnology and Oceanography 19 466-488 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dell, C.I. (1972). The origin and characteristics of Lake Superior sediments Proceedings of the 15th Conference, Great Lakes Research 361-370 Google Scholar
Dell, C.I. (1973). A special mechanism for varve formation in a glacial lake Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 43 838-840 Google Scholar
Durham, O.C. (1952). Pollen prevalence and pollen-free areas Journal of the American Medical Association 148 716-720 Google Scholar
Faegri, K. Iversen, J. (1964). 2d ed. Textbook of Pollen Analysis Hafner New York Google Scholar
Farrand, W.R. (1969). The Quaternary history of Lake Superior Proceedings of the 12th Conference, Great Lakes Research 181-197 Google Scholar
Farrand, W.R. Zumberge, J.H. (1966). Lake Superior Bathymetric Chart Institute of Science and Technology, Glacial Geology and Polar Research Laboratory, University of Michigan Ann Arbor Google Scholar
Fletcher, M.R. Clapham, W.B. Jr. (1974). Sediment density and the limits to the repeatability of absolute pollen frequency determinations Geoscience and Man 9 27-35 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fries, M. (1962). Pollen profiles of Late Pleistocene and Recent sediments from Weber Lake, Minnesota Ecology 43 295-308 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J. (1965). Extraction techniques Kummel, B. Raup, D. Handbook of Paleontological Techniques Freeman San Francisco 530-587 Google Scholar
Janssen, C.R. (1967). Stevens Pond: A post-glacial pollen diagram from a small Typha swamp in northwestern Minnesota, interpreted from pollen indicators and surface samples Ecological Monographs 37 145-172 Google Scholar
Janssen, C.R. (1973). Local and regional pollen deposition Birks, H.J.B. West, R.G. Quaternary Plant Ecology Blackwell Oxford 31-42 Google Scholar
Kemp, A.L.W. Anderson, T.W. Thomas, R.L. Mudrochova, A. (1974). Sedimentation rates and recent sediment history of Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 44 207-218 Google Scholar
Küchler, A.W. (1964). Potential natural vegetation of the conterminous United States American Geographical Society Special Publication 36(Map and manual)Google Scholar
Lewis, C.F.M. Anderson, T.W. Berti, A.A. (1966). Geological and Palynological Studies of Early Lake Erie Deposits University of Michigan 176-190Great Lakes Research Division Publication 15Google Scholar
Lewis, C.F.M. McNeely, R.N. (1967). Survey of Lake Ontario bottom deposits Proceedings of the 10th Conference, Great Lakes Research 133-142 Google Scholar
Little, E.L. Jr. (1971). Atlas of United States Trees Volume 1 U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 1-9plus 200 mapsGoogle Scholar
Maher, L.J. Jr. (1964). Ephedra pollen in sediments of the Great Lakes Region Ecology 45 391-395 Google Scholar
Maher, L.J. Jr. 1972a Nomograms for computing 0.95 confidence limits of pollen data Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 13 85-93 Google Scholar
Maher, L.J. Jr. 1972b Absolute pollen diagram of Redrock Lake, Boulder County, Colorado Quaternary Research 2 531-553 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marschner, F.J. (1974). The Original Vegetation of Minnesota North Central Forest Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture St. PaulMap with commentary by M. L. HeinselmanGoogle Scholar
McAndrews, J.H. (1966). Postglacial history of prairie, savanna, and forest in northwestern Minnesota Torrey Botanical Club Memoirs 22 1-72 Google Scholar
McAndrews, J.H. (1972). Pollen analyses of the sediments of Lake Ontario 24th International Geological Congress Montreal 223-227Section 8Google Scholar
McAndrews, J.H. Power, D.M. (1973). Palynology of the Great Lakes: The surface sediments of Lake Ontario Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 10 777-792 Google Scholar
Mosimann, J.E. (1965). Statistical methods for the pollen analyst Kummel, B. Raup, D. Handbook of Paleontological Techniques Freeman San Francisco 636-673 Google Scholar
Nussmann, D.G. (1965). Trace elements in the sediments of Lake SuperiorPh.D. ThesisUniversity of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 243 Google Scholar
Prest, V.K. (1969). Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent ice in North America Geological Survey of Canada Map 1257 A Google Scholar
Ragotzkie, R.A. (1974). The Great Lakes rediscovered American Scientist 62 454-464 Google Scholar
Ritchie, J.C. (1969). Absolute pollen frequencies and carbon-14 age of a section of Holocene lake sediment from the Riding Mountain area of Manitoba Canadian Journal of Botany 47 1345-1349 Google Scholar
Saarnisto, M. (1974). The deglaciation history of the Lake Superior region and its climatic implications Quaternary Research 4 316-339 Google Scholar
Stockmarr, J. (1973). Determination of spore concentration with an electronic particle counter Geological Survey of Denmark Yearbook, 1972 87-89 Google Scholar
Swain, A.M. (1973). A history of fire and vegetation in northeastern Minnesota as recorded in lake sediments Quaternary Research 3 383-396 Google Scholar
U.S. Geological Survey (1970). The National Atlas of the United States of America Department of the Interior Washington, DC Google Scholar
Waddington, J.C.B. (1969). A stratigraphic record of the pollen influx to a lake in the Big Woods of Minnesota Geological Society of America Special Paper 123 263-282 Google Scholar
Webb, T. III 1973a A comparison of modern and presettlement pollen from southern Michigan, USA Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 16 137-156 Google Scholar
Webb, T. III 1973b Pre- and postsettlement pollen from a short core, Blackhawk Lake, west-central Iowa Proceedings Iowa Academy Science 80 41-44 Google Scholar
Webb, T. III 1973c Pre- and postsettlement pollen from a short core, Trout Lake, north-central Wisconsin Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Transactions 61 141-148 Google Scholar
Webb, T. III (1974). A vegetational history from northern Wisconsin: Evidence from modern and fossil pollen American Midland Naturalist 92 12-34 Google Scholar
Webb, T. III Bryson, R.A. (1972). Laterand postglacial climatic change in the northern Midwest, USA: Quantitative estimates derived from fossil pollen spectra by multivariate statistical analysis Quaternary Research 2 70-115 Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. (1968). The roles of pine and spruce in the forest history of Minnesota and adjacent areas Ecology 49 937-955 Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. (1971). Late Quaternary vegetational history of North America Turekian, K.K. The Late Cenozoic Glacial Ages Yale Press New Haven 425-464 Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. Watts, W.A. (1969). Glacial and vegetational history of northeastern Minnesota Minnesota Geological Survey Special Publication 11 59(with contributions by S. Jelgersma, J. C. B. Waddington, J. Ogawa, and T. C. Winter)Google Scholar