Regional unconformities and the sedimentary architecture of the Oak Ridges Moraine area, southern Ontario

2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Sharpe ◽  
André Pugin ◽  
Susan Pullan ◽  
John Shaw
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Oak Ridges Moraine ◽  
Stratigraphic Architecture ◽  
Sedimentary Architecture ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

Seismic stratigraphy, geometry, and sediment facies within the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) area of Ontario record major structural elements and surfaces of the Quaternary sedimentary sequence. The derived stratigraphic architecture can be used to identify the key elements of a regional erosional surface, represented by an unconformity in the subsurface, and associated overlying channel sediments. The erosional surface – unconformity forms a distinct time datum in the Quaternary sequence, which provides an important aid to lithostratigraphic correlation. The architecture also gives improved understanding of the effects of erosion on the late-glacial landscape. The surfaces of erosional drumlins and intervening troughs, and the beds and banks of meltwater channels in the ORM area, define the regional unconformity, highlighted by seismic profiles linked to continuously cored boreholes. These features are attributed to regional-scale, subglacial meltwater flow events. The sculpted surfaces, which are analogous to water-eroded forms, the presence of boulder lags and coarse-grained deposits on the regional erosional surface, and the channels with undulating profiles provide the vital supporting evidence for a meltwater interpretation. The inter-regional extent of the unconformity is inferred from the coherence of regional paleoflows and the extent of drumlinized uplands, tunnel channels, and scoured bedrock terrain across ~75% of the landscape from the ORM area east and south to the Finger Lakes, New York. The implied magnitude of erosion suggests a pressing need for directed sedimentological study in those ocean basins that were probable depositional sites for flood deposits.

Late Glacial landforms of Wollaston Peninsula, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories: product of ice-marginal retreat, surge, and mass stagnation

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Ground Moraine ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Late Wisconsinan ◽  
Victoria Island ◽  
Glacial Landforms ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

An analysis of glacial landforms on a regional scale leads to an interpretation of the dynamics of Late Wisconsinan glaciation on Wollaston Peninsula, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories. The glacial record is dominated by four adjacent belts of landforms: (I) ground moraine (till plains and ice-marginal drainage features), (II) hummocky moraine, (III) lateral and shear moraine, and (IV) streamlined landforms. The landform belts are considered as representing four distinct glacial ice conditions or regimes: (1) ice-margin retreat during extending flow of thin, active ice; (2) marginal ice stagnation following compressional flow; (3) a surging ice margin producing massive shear moraines; and (4) large-scale flooding and mass ice stagnation following a surge. These landform belts were arranged in zones by topographically controlled glacial dynamics, the latter two defining a former ice stream.Glaciological inferences can be extended by examining the sediments and processes that produced each landform set. Ground-moraine sediments were produced mainly subglacially from melt out or lodgment of glacial debris. Hummocky moraine resulted from debris flow and meltwater deposition controlled by ice, from resedimentation by sediment gravity flow, and from slump. Compressional shearing stacked thick deposits of drift prior to resedimentation. Simple lateral or end moraines may comprise interbedded sediment gravity flows deposited at static ice margins. Deformed lateral moraines resulted from intense marginal compressive flow that sheared and stacked thick, coarse sediment ridges or plates. This lateral shearing may be attributed to streaming or large ice surges. Drumlin exposures showed undeformed, interbedded, stratified sediments that appear to have accumulated in a subglacial cavity; there is no deformation related to high subglacial stress. Subglacial meltwater floods may have followed glacier surge. The greatly extended and thinner ice mass produced by the surge melted in place as clean (debris-free) ice.

scholarly journals Observations of tunnel channels in glacial sediments with shallow land-based seismic reflection

1996 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 176-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pugin ◽  
S. E. Pullan ◽  
D. R. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Glacial Sediments ◽  
Oak Ridges Moraine ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Hydrogeological Study ◽  
Seismic Sections ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profiles ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

A regional hydrogeological study conducted by the Geological Survey of Canada acquired 35 line-km of 12-fold seismic reflection profiles on or adjacent to the Oak Ridges moraine, north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The three-dimensional geometry provided by these data aids in understanding the erosional and depositional processes that occurred beneath the Laurentide ice sheet during the late stages of glaciation. The seismic sections indicate large infilled channels in the subsurface which are interpreted as tunnel channels eroded by large, subglacial meltwater discharges. Two seismic profiles from different areas of the moraine show channel-cutting events of different ages and different types of infilling.

scholarly journals Observations of tunnel channels in glacial sediments with shallow land-based seismic reflection

1996 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 176-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pugin ◽  
S. E. Pullan ◽  
D. R. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Glacial Sediments ◽  
Oak Ridges Moraine ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Hydrogeological Study ◽  
Seismic Sections ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profiles ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

A regional hydrogeological study conducted by the Geological Survey of Canada acquired 35 line-km of 12-fold seismic reflection profiles on or adjacent to the Oak Ridges moraine, north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The three-dimensional geometry provided by these data aids in understanding the erosional and depositional processes that occurred beneath the Laurentide ice sheet during the late stages of glaciation. The seismic sections indicate large infilled channels in the subsurface which are interpreted as tunnel channels eroded by large, subglacial meltwater discharges. Two seismic profiles from different areas of the moraine show channel-cutting events of different ages and different types of infilling.

scholarly journals Stratigraphic Architecture and Sediment Facies of the Western Oak Ridges Moraine, Humber River Watershed, Southern Ontario*

2006 ◽  
Vol 58 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 241-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazen A.J. Russell ◽  
Robert W.C. Arnott ◽  
David R. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Oak Ridges Moraine ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
Subglacial Lake ◽  
Humber River ◽  
Sand And Gravel ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

Abstract The Oak Ridges Moraine in southern Ontario is a ca. 160 km long east-west trending ridge of sand and gravel situated north of Lake Ontario. Study of the Oak Ridges Moraine in the Humber River watershed was undertaken to assess its role in the groundwater system of the buried Laurentian Valley. The Oak Ridges Moraine is interpreted to have been deposited in three stages. Stage I records rapid deposition from hyperconcentrated flows where tunnel channels discharged into a subglacial lake in the Lake Ontario basin. Low-energy basin sedimentation of Stage II was in a subglacial and ice-contact setting of a highly crevassed ice sheet. Stage III sedimentation is characterized by rapid facies changes associated with esker, subaqueous fan, and basinal sedimentation. Detailed sediment analysis challenges the concept that the Oak Ridges Moraine was deposited principally from seasonal meltwater discharges, climatic modulated ice-marginal fluctuations, or in an interlobate position. Instead it is interpreted to have formed in response to late-glacial ice sheet events associated with subglacial meltwater ponding, episodic and catastrophic subglacial meltwater discharge, and subsequent seasonal meltwater discharge. The moraine probably formed as the glacial-hydraulic system re-equilibrated to the presence of a thinned, grounded ice shelf and a subglacial lake in the Lake Ontario basin.

scholarly journals Sedimentary architecture of Upper Ordovician tunnel valleys, Gargaf Arch, Libya: Implications for the genesis of a hydrocarbon reservoir

GeoArabia ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Le Heron ◽  
Owen Sutcliffe ◽  
Khalid Bourgig ◽  
Jonathan Craig ◽  
Claudio Visentin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Main Stage ◽  
Upper Ordovician ◽  
Valley Fill ◽  
Hydrocarbon Reservoir ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Sedimentary Architecture ◽  
Mass Flows ◽  
Regional Character ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

ABSTRACT In the Murzuq Basin, southwest Libya, as elsewhere in North Africa, Upper Ordovician glaciogenic rocks represent an important hydrocarbon reservoir. In this basin, anastomosing, potentially sand-filled palaeovalley networks within the Upper Ordovician succession have been described from seismic data that provide promising prospects for exploration. However, little is known about the origin and architecture of the palaeovalley-fills. On the Gargaf Arch, an outcrop analogue for these structures occurs and is comparable in scale to the valley networks described in the subsurface. This palaeovalley system is 30 km long with two 4 km-wide tributaries, cut into ice-distal glaciomarine mudrocks and diamictites and filled with ice-proximal sandstones and subordinate shales. It was created by subglacial meltwater erosion and glacial loading of a soft substrate during ice sheet advance. The initial stage of valley-fill involved the deposition of coarse-grained sands and conglomeratic ice-proximal, submarine outwash, as localised mass flows. The main stage of fill was characterised by axially (northerly) prograding, underflow-dominated fan lobes deposited in water depths of up to 80 m. A comparison with coeval valley systems in Mauritania, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan is provided that highlights the variable regional character of palaeovalley-fills and the influence that water-depth had on architecture.

Seismic facies and regional architecture of the Oak Ridges Moraine area, southern Ontario

1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Pugin ◽  
S E Pullan ◽  
D R Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Seismic Facies ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Oak Ridges Moraine ◽  
Shallow Seismic ◽  
Glaciofluvial Deposits ◽  
Buried Channels ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profiles ◽  
Subglacial Meltwater

Analysis of over 50 line-kilometres of land-based, shallow, seismic reflection profiles has provided a means of investigating the subsurface architecture and stratigraphic relationships of the glacial deposits in and beneath the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM). The focus of this paper is the role of seismic reflection surveys, and the derived seismic facies and facies geometry, in the development of a well-constrained, regional, conceptual model of the subsurface stratigraphy in the area and the improved inferences these data allow regarding glacial event sequence and process interpretations. The data define four major seismic facies that characterize the complex glacial sequence of the ORM area. High-reflectivity facies (I) can be traced regionally and related to an eroded Newmarket Till surface. Medium (II) and low (III) reflectivity facies are generally associated with coarse-grained glaciofluvial deposits and laterally extensive, glaciolacustrine sequences of sand, silt, and clay, respectively. A chaotic facies (IV) is common within buried channels, and attributed to instability and (or) rapid channel-fill deposition. Seismic geometry (with borehole verification) shows that a broad surface network of channels extends below thick ORM sediments. The channel system is part of a regional unconformity formed on the Newmarket Till (facies I). The buried channels can have steep sides, and their fills frequently include tabular sheets, eskers, and (or) large cross-beds. The observations are consistent with the scenario of sheet flow and channel cutting by high-energy subglacial meltwater and filling with gravel, sand, and silt in succession (facies II and III) as the flows waned.

Cyprinid distributions in Northeast U.S.A. lakes: evidence of regional-scale minnow biodiversity losses

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1593-1607 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Whittier ◽  
D B Halliwell ◽  
S G Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
New England ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Southern New England ◽  
Sample Data ◽  
Golden Shiner ◽  
Northern New England

Fish assemblages were sampled in 195 randomly selected lakes in the northeastern United States during the summers of 1991-1994. Most lakes in northern Maine had three to seven minnow species, constituting 40-80% of species in each lake. Lakes in New Jersey, southern New York, and southern New England rarely had minnows, other than golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas). Lakes in the Adirondacks and the remainder of northern New England had intermediate numbers. We examined minnow native ranges and autecology and evaluated species richness related to littoral predators and human disturbance. Sample data suggested alteration in the minnow assemblages over much of the region. The most consistent factor related to minnow species richness was the presence of littoral predators. Median number of minnow species was two in lakes lacking predators and zero in lakes with predators. Non-native predators, especially Micropterus spp., have been introduced throughout the Northeast; 69% of the sampled lakes had non-native predators. In the absence of predators, minnow species declined with increased human activity in the watershed and along lake shorelines. Only in northern Maine did lake minnow assemblages seem relatively intact.

scholarly journals Fire and Its Interactions With Other Drivers Shape a Distinctive, Semi-Arid ‘Mallee’ Ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Clarke ◽  
Luke T. Kelly ◽  
Sarah C. Avitabile ◽  
Joe Benshemesh ◽  
Kate E. Callister ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Animal Communities ◽  
Semi Arid

Fire shapes ecosystems globally, including semi-arid ecosystems. In Australia, semi-arid ‘mallee’ ecosystems occur primarily across the southern part of the continent, forming an interface between the arid interior and temperate south. Mallee vegetation is characterized by short, multi-stemmed eucalypts that grow from a basal lignotuber. Fire shapes the structure and functioning of mallee ecosystems. Using the Murray Mallee region in south-eastern Australia as a case study, we examine the characteristics and role of fire, the consequences for biota, and the interaction of fire with other drivers. Wildfires in mallee ecosystems typically are large (1000s ha), burn with high severity, commonly cause top-kill of eucalypts, and create coarse-grained mosaics at a regional scale. Wildfires can occur in late spring and summer in both dry and wet years. Recovery of plant and animal communities is predictable and slow, with regeneration of eucalypts and many habitat components extending over decades. Time since the last fire strongly influences the distribution and abundance of many species and the structure of plant and animal communities. Animal species display a discrete set of generalized responses to time since fire. Systematic field studies and modeling are beginning to reveal how spatial variation in fire regimes (‘pyrodiversity’) at different scales shapes biodiversity. Pyrodiversity includes variation in the extent of post-fire habitats, the diversity of post-fire age-classes and their configuration. At regional scales, a desirable mix of fire histories for biodiversity conservation includes a combination of early, mid and late post-fire age-classes, weighted toward later seral stages that provide critical habitat for threatened species. Biodiversity is also influenced by interactions between fire and other drivers, including land clearing, rainfall, herbivory and predation. Extensive clearing for agriculture has altered the nature and impact of fire, and facilitated invasion by pest species that modify fuels, fire regimes and post-fire recovery. Given the natural and anthropogenic drivers of fire and the consequences of their interactions, we highlight opportunities for conserving mallee ecosystems. These include learning from and fostering Indigenous knowledge of fire, implementing actions that consider synergies between fire and other processes, and strategic monitoring of fire, biodiversity and other drivers to guide place-based, adaptive management under climate change.

Subsurface geological imaging of northeastern Tunisia during the middle to the upper Eocene: Insights from integrated geophysical interpretation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-64
Author(s):  
Oussama Abidi ◽  
Kawthar Sebei ◽  
Adnen Amiri ◽  
Haifa Boussiga ◽  
Imen Hamdi Nasr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Upper Eocene ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Borehole Data ◽  
Third Order ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Basin Inversion ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuations

The Middle to Upper Eocene series are characterized by multiple hiatuses related to erosion, non-deposition or condensed series in the Cap Bon and Gulf of Hammamet provinces. We performed an integrated study taking advantage from surface and subsurface geology, faunal content, borehole logs, electrical well logs, vertical seismic profiles and surface seismic sections. Calibrated seismic profiles together with borehole data analysis reveal unconformities with deep erosion, pinchouts, normal faulting and basin inversion which are dated Campanian, intra-Lutetian and Priabonian compressive phases; these events were also described at the regional scale in Tunisia. Tectonics, sea level fluctuations and climate changes closely controlled the depositional process during the Middle to Upper Eocene time. The depositional environment ranges from internal to outer platform separated by an inherited paleo-high. We determine eight third order sequences characterizing the interaction between tectonic pulsations, sea level changes and the developed accommodation space within the Middle to Upper Eocene interval. We correlate the obtained results of the Cap Bon-Gulf of Hammamet provinces with the published global charts of sea-level changes and we find a good correspondence across third order cycles. Model-based 3D inversion proved to be a solution to model the lateral and vertical lithological distribution of the Middle to Upper Eocene series.

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