Evidence for Stagnation of the Harvard Sublobe (Lake Michigan Lobe) in Northeastern Illinois, U.S.A., from 24 000 to 17 600 BP and Subsequent Tundra-Like Ice-Marginal Paleoenvironments from 17 600 to 15 700 BP

Glacial deposits of the last glaciation associated with the Harvard sublobe (Lake Michigan lobe) in northeastern Illinois, U.S.A., occur between sediment with dateable organics. The lower organics include fragments of Picea sp. as young as 24 000 ± 270 BP. The supraglacial organics occur sparsely in laminated silt and fine sand in landforms that are positioned relatively high on the landscape, such as deposits from ice-walled lakes. These terrestrial organics yield ages that are 2500 to 1300 14C years older than organics at the base of sediment successions in nearby kettle basins. Basal 14C ages from four upland sites range from 17 610 ± 270 to 16 120 ± 80 BP. Our revised time-distance diagram of the Harvard sublobe now reflects a period of stagnation from 24 000 to about 17 600 BP. The supraglacial lacustrine silt yielded plant macrofossil assemblages of primarily tundra plants, including Salix herbacea and Dryas integrifolia. These plants likely grew in supraglacial and ice-marginal environments. The ostracode fauna include Cytherissa lacustris and Limnocythere friabilis. Geomorphic relations and ostracode ecology indicate that more than 17 m of ice buttressed some of the supraglacial lakes.Les sédiments glaciaires associés au sous-lobe de Harvard, dans le Nord-Est de l’Illinois, sont intercalés dans des sédiments dont la matière organique peut être datée. Des fragments de Picea sp. sont présents dans les couches sous-jacentes et remontent au plus à 24 000 ± 270 BP. La matière organique sus-jacente est disséminée dans les limons laminés et les sables fins de dépôts de lacs de barrage glaciaire perchés. Cette matière organique livre des âges 14C qui sont de 2500 à 1300 ans plus vieux que la matière organique de la base des sédiments des marmites glaciaires (kettles). Les âges 14C de quatre sites perchés vont de 17 610 ± 270 à 16 120 ± 80 BP. Notre révision du diagramme distance-temps du sous-lobe de Harvard traduit l’existence d’une période de stagnation glaciaire entre 24 000 et 17 600 BP. Le limon lacustre sus-jacent contient des assemblages macrofossiles de toundra, avec Salix herbacea et Dryas integrifolia. Ces plantes croissaient dans des milieux proches des glaces. Le contexte géomorphologique et l’écologie des ostracodes (Cytherissa lacustris et Limnocythere friabilis) indiquent que certains lacs supraglaciaires étaient étayés par plus de 17 m de glace

Late Quaternary Paleoenvironments of an Ephemeral Wetland in North Dakota, USA: Relative Interactions of Ground-Water Hydrology and Climate Change

This study of fossils (pollen, plant macrofossils, stomata and fish) and sediments (lithostratigraphy and geochemistry) from the Wendel site in North Dakota, USA, emphasizes the importance of considering ground-water hydrology when deciphering paleoclimate signals from lakes in postglacial landscapes. The Wendel site was a paleolake from about 11,500 14C yr BP to 11,100 14C yr BP. Afterwards, the lake-level lowered until it became a prairie marsh by 9,300 14C yr BP and finally, at 8,500 14C yr BP, an ephemeral wetland as it is today. Meanwhile, the vegetation changed from a white spruce parkland (11,500 to 10,500 14C yr BP) to deciduous parkland, followed by grassland at 9,300 14C yr BP. The pattern and timing of these aquatic and terrestrial changes are similar to coeval kettle lake records from adjacent uplands, providing a regional aridity signal. However, two local sources of ground water were identified from the fossil and geochemical data, which mediated atmospheric inputs to the Wendel basin. First, the paleolake received water from the melting of stagnant ice buried under local till for about 900 years after glacier recession. Later, Holocene droughts probably caused the lower-elevation Wendel site to capture the ground water of upgradient lakes