Reconstructing Water Levels in

the Lake Michigan Basin from Embayed

Lakes

Michigan

Wisconsin

Image from: http://www.savannah-weather.com/poes/extra/michigan.jpg

Tim Fisher

University of Toledo, OH

2003 1974

How do you make

investments?

Embayed Lakes Outline

Location

Michigan Lake Level History

Geomorphic Evidence

Sedimentologic Evidence

Working with cores & geomorphic data to generate a lake level curve

Eolian sand as a LL proxy

Images from Google Maps

Toledo

Study Sites

Strandlines of glacial Lake ChicagoL

Glenwood

Calumet

Nipissing

Michigan Lake Level History

Fisher (2002) modifiedfrom Hansel et al. (1985)

Late glacial&

Holocenelake levels

in the Lake

Michiganbasin 14C

Two Creeks Site

Logs in lake sediment and overlying till

Dated at 11,850 14C yr BP or 13,600 cal yr BP

till

till

Lac.

Olson site

Chrzastowski et al. (1991)

>5 0 s t u m p s /<0 . 1k m 214 C D a t e s8 12 0 ±10 0 B P8 3 2 0 ±7 0 B P8 3 2 0 ±7 0 B P

8 3 8 0 ±10 0 B P~9300 cal yr BP

Olsen site in Lake Michigan, 26 m depth

Fisher (2002) modifiedfrom Hansel et al. (1985)

Late glacial&

Holocenelake levels

in the Lake

Michiganbasin

Cause of Nipissing transgression is uplift of the North Bay sill (NBS)

NBS

Fisher (2002) modifiedfrom Hansel et al. (1985)

Late glacial&

Holocenelake levels

in the Lake

Michiganbasin

Platte Embayment, Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI

strandplain

New beach ridge ~1986

Thompson with peels

Todd Thompson, IGS

Distance landwards from modern shoreline (km)

1 2 3 4 5

Cal

enda

r ye

ars

Ele

vatio

n (m

)

Thompson & Baedke (GSA Bull 1997)

Lake Michigan relative lake level

curveBaedke and Thompson, JGLR 2000Composite

New ridge ~1985

2011

Amber Boudreau’s UT MS thesis

?

Baedke & Thompson, 2000

Coring Targets

Lake Michigan

Shallow Wetland

Lake Michigan Small Lake

Barrier-duneComplex

Barrier-duneComplex

Big lake records preserved in a little lake’s sediment:

DEM of Study area

Amber Boudreau (nee Lahners)

Kelly Weyer

In review

Field Methods

Piston

Coring Tube

RV Perforator

Fisher et al. 2007

Fisher et al. 2007

Fisher et al. 2007 (J Paleolim)

Laminated mud

marl peat peat

Laminated marl

?

Silver Lake lithostratigraphic

logs

Fisher et al. 2007 (J. Paleolim)

Model of contact

i

Lake Michigan Small LakeBarrier-duneComplex

Silver Lake Contact

Stony Lake Contact

Pea

t

G

yttja

Mar

l

G

yttja

embayed lake

Fisher et al. 2012J. Paleolim

PRESENT-DAY TILTING OF THE GREAT LAKES REGION BASED ON WATER LEVEL GAUGES

Geological Society of America Bulletin, July/August 2005 1077

Figure 6. Contour map of ICE-3G global postglacial r ebound–derived velocities in the Great Lakes area. Contour interval—3 cm/century.

Figure 7. Contour map of vertical velocities derived from water level gauges over the Great Lakes surrounded with ICE-3G–derived velocities. Contour interval—3 cm/century.

From Mainville & Craymer(2005) GSA Bull

HamlinPentwaterSilverStonyWhite

peat gyttja

Active sand sheet

Cabins at great prices!Cabins at great prices!

Exhumed forestExhumed forestHansen et al. (Aeol R)

Niveo-aeolian activity, Silver Lake State Park, MI

Evidence of ActiveSand on the Dunes

Sand in Core SL01-5 0

25

50

75

100

1 2 3 4 5

140

144

152

156

160

160R

164

168

172

176

179

179R

209

223

225

235

244

phi

%

sand curve compared toBaedke & Thompson (2000) curve

Fisher & Loope, 2005

Toleston

Hanes, 2010

Hanes, 2010

Summary

Lake levels at embayed lakes can be reconstructed by:-Strandline geomorphology-Drowned Subaerial deposits-Lacustrine deposits

References Fisher, T. G., and Loope, W. L. 2004. Lake-level variability in Silver Lake, Michigan: A

response to fluctuations in lake levels of Lake Michigan. Michigan Academician 35, 373-385.

Fisher, T. G., and Loope, W. L. 2005. Aeolian sand preserved in Silver lake: A reliable signal of Holocene high stands of Lake Michigan. The Holocene 15, 1072-1078.

Fisher, T. G., Loope, W. L., Pierce, W. C., and Jol, H. M. 2007. Big lake records preserved in a little lake’s sediment: an example form Silver Lake, Michigan, USA. Journal of Paleolimnology 37, 365-382.

Fisher, T. G., Weyer, K. A., Boudreau, A. M., Martin-Hayden, J. M., Krantz, D. E., and Breckenridge, A. 2012. Constraining Holocene lake levels and coastal dune activity in the Lake Michigan basin. Journal of Paleolimnology 47, 373-390.

Hansen, E. C., Fisher, T. G., Arbogast, A. F., and Bateman, M. D. 2010. Geomorphic history of low-perched, transgressive dune complexes along the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. Aeolian Research 1, 111-127.

Timmons, E. A., Fisher, T. G., Hansen, E. C., Eiasman, E., Daly, T., and Kashgarian, M. 2007. Elucidating eolian dune history from lacustrine sand records in the Lake Michigan coastal zone, USA. The Holocene 17, 789-801.