Evidence of Sequence and Age of Ancestral Lake Erie Lake-Levels, Northwest Ohio

Abstract

While the general scheme of the retreat of the Late Wisconsinan glacier from the ancestral Lake Erie basin is understood, the sequence and timing of those movements that caused lake-level changes are not well documented. Ground penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity (ER), and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques were used to analyze beach and sand dune formations in the Wauseon area in northwest Ohio. The beaches showed no evidence of being flooded after deposition. Thirteen (13) new OSL ages revealed a short time of approximately 1000 years (16.9–15.9 ka) for formation of the Maumee, Arkona and Whittlesey shorelines. Evidence supporting the Ypsilanti lowstand in the ancestral Lake Erie basin was not observed within two sequences of glacial lacustrine sediments. The results of OSL dating of sand dunes indicate a period of older activity (~14–15 ka) and confirmation of previous work that documented activity during the Younger Dryas cold period (~13–11.5 ka).