Systematic ice retreat in New England

Koteff, Carl; Pessl, Fred

doi:10.3133/pp1179

Cited by 54 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The application of the morphosequence concept in central to southern New England (Koteff and Pessl, 1981) showed that systematic ice-margin retreat occurred in many areas where end moraines are scarce or absent. This paradigm shift forced a reevaluation of the stagnation theory throughout the region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deglaciation of the northwestern White Mountains, New Hampshire

Thompson¹,

Fowler²,

Dorion³

2002

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The mode of deglaciation in the northwestern White Mountains of New Hampshire has been controversial since the mid 1800's. Early workers believed that active ice deposited the Bethlehem Moraine complex in the Ammonoosuc River basin during recession of the last ice sheet. In the 1930's this deglaciation model was replaced by the concept of widespread simultaneous stagnation and downwastage of Late Wisconsinan ice. The present authors reexamined the Bethlehem Moraine complex and support the original interpretation of a series of moraines deposited by active ice. We found other moraine clusters of similar age to the northeast in the Johns River and Israel River basins. Ice-marginal deposits that probably correlate with the Bethlehem Moraine also occur west of Littleton. The Bethlehem Moraine complex and equivalent deposits in adjacent areas were formed by readvance and oscillatory retreat of the Connecticut Valley lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This event is called the Littleton-Bethlehem Readvance. Throughout the study area, sequences of glaciolacustrine deposits and meltwater drainage channels indicate progressive northward recession of the glacier margin. Radiocarbon dates from nearby New England and Québec suggest that the ice sheet withdrew from this part of the White Mountains between about 12 500 and 12 000 14 C yr BP. We attribute the Littleton- Bethlehem Readvance to a brief climatic cooling during Older Dyas time, close to 12,000 BP.Le mode de déglaciation du nord-ouest des White Mountains a fait l'objet de contro- verses depuis le milieu du XIX e siècle. Les premiers chercheurs ont supposé que le complexe morainique de Bethlehem dans le bassin de l'Ammonoosuc River avait été mis en place par la glace active au cours du recul du dernier Inlandsis. Au cours des années 1930, ce modèle de déglaciation a été remplacé par le concept selon lequel il y aurait eu stagnation simultanée sur une grande étendue et fonte de l'inlandsis du Wisconsinien supérieur. Les présents auteurs ont réétudié la Moraine de Bethlehem et appuient l'interprétation originelle selon laquelle il s'agit d'un ensemble de moraines terminales mises en place par une glace active. Ils ont aussi découvert d'autres ensembles morainiques d'âge similaire au nord-est, dans les bassins de Johns River et Israel River. Quelques dépôts de marge glaciaire, probablement de la même époque que celle du complexe morainique de Bethlehem, ont aussi été identifiés à l'ouest de Littleton. Le complexe morainique de Bethlehem et les dépôts équivalents dans les zones adjacentes ont été mis en place par récurrence et retrait oscillatoire du lobe de la vallée du Connecticut appartenant à l'Inlandsis laurentidien. Il s'agit de la récurrence de Littleton-Bethlehem. Les dates obtenues en Nouvelle-Angletterre et dans le Québec limitrophe laissent supposer que l'Inlandsis laurentidien s'est retiré de cette partie des White Mountains vers 12 500-12 000 14 C BP. Les auteurs attribuent la récurrence à une refroidissement climatiqu...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deglaciation of the northwestern White Mountains, New Hampshire

Thompson¹,

Fowler²,

Dorion³

2002

gpq

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“…In the area described by Thompson, ice flow shifts to the south/southwest, indicating that there may have been an active ice tongue flowing towards the Stony Brook drainage in the Puzzle Mountain quadrangle to the west. In areas that lack abundant moraines such as the Western Maine Mountains, the direction of ice retreat may also be tracked by the location of meltwater channels and sediments deposited by glacial meltwater (morphosequences) (Koteff and Pessl, 1981). Basal radiocarbon ages from ponds in western Maine indicate that the East Andover quandrangle was deglaciated between 13,200 and 12,300 radiocarbon years BP (Borns and others, 2004).…”

Section: Spigel Whittaker and Gordonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidebook for Field Trips in Western Maine and Northern New Hampshire

Johnson¹,

Eusden²

2017

New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference 2017

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“…In the area described by Thompson, ice flow shifts to the south/southwest, indicating that there may have been an active ice tongue flowing towards the Stony Brook drainage in the Puzzle Mountain quadrangle to the west. In areas that lack abundant moraines such as the Western Maine Mountains, the direction of ice retreat may also be tracked by the location of meltwater channels (Thompson, 2001) and sediments deposited by glacial meltwater (morphosequences) (Koteff and Pessl, 1981). Basal radiocarbon ages from ponds in western Maine indicate that the East Andover quandrangle was deglaciated between 13,200 and 12,300 radiocarbon years BP (Borns and others, 2004).…”

Section: Surficial Geology Previous Observations and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geology of the Lower Ellis River Valley and Rumford Whitecap Mountain, Andover and Rumford, Maine

Spigel¹,

Whittaker²,

Gordon³

2017

New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference 2017

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INTRODUCTION PurposeThe East Andover quadrangle was selected for surficial mapping during the 2016 field season as part of the Maine Geological Survey's STATEMAP program. The area was coarsely cataloged by Stone (1899) and Leavitt and Perkins (1935), but the surficial geology had not been officially mapped at a scale finer than the state level of 1:500,000 (Thompson and Borns, 1985), and thus became a priority for the Survey. Bedrock geology of the area was mapped at the 1:62,500 scale (Rumford quadrangle) by Moench and Hildreth (1976). The recent surficial mapping efforts (Locke and others, 2017; Weddle and others, 2017) provided a reminder of how much the area has to offer the visiting geologist, with everything from pegmatites and a rich mining history to eskers and stream terraces. This field trip will provide participants with the opportunity to view a subsample of the geologic features in the East Andover quadrangle and to consider their formative processes. Figure 1 offers an overview of the trip route with stop locations. We will begin in the southeast part of the quadrangle, work our way up the Ellis River Valley, then loop back down to the central portion of the quadrangle to end the day at Rumford Whitecap Mountain. Physiography OverviewOn a broad scale, the East Andover quadrangle lies within the Central Highlands of New England, which contains a wide range of topography and the highest peaks in the region (Denny, 1982). Hanson and Caldwell (1989) focused in on Maine and refined Denny's classification, but this did not significantly change the description of the East Andover area, which was placed in the Central Maine Highlands. This geomorphic region is comprised of several mountain ranges, including the Mahoosuc Range and Blue Mountains, which lie to the west/southwest and north/northeast of the quadrangle, respectively. The foothills of these ranges and lesser peaks make up the topography within the quadrangle and to the south/southeast. Many locals simply refer to this region as the Western Maine Mountains. Tributaries that eventually form the West Branch of the Ellis River flow from the Dunn Notch and Sawyer Notch areas to the west and northwest of the quadrangle. Tributaries of the East Branch of the Ellis River make their way from the Black Brook Notch, Little Ellis Pond, and Ellis (a.k.a Roxbury) Pond areas to join the West Branch just south of Andover village. The area to the north and northeast of this confluence is a relatively large and flat basin formed in the Mooselookmeguntic Pluton. Hanson and Caldwell (1989) attributed broad lowlands that occur within the Central Maine Highlands to underlying plutonic rocks, which are (in most cases) less resistant to weathering and glacial erosion than surrounding metamorphic rocks. The Ellis River flows south from the basin, entering a deep valley that is bounded by Plumbago Mountain and Mount Dimmock to the west and Rumford Whitecap Mountain to the east, eventually reaching the Androscoggin River at Rumford Point. BEDROCK GEOLOGYThe bedrock in th...

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Systematic ice retreat in New England

Cited by 54 publications

References 15 publications

Deglaciation of the northwestern White Mountains, New Hampshire

Deglaciation of the northwestern White Mountains, New Hampshire

Guidebook for Field Trips in Western Maine and Northern New Hampshire

Geology of the Lower Ellis River Valley and Rumford Whitecap Mountain, Andover and Rumford, Maine

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