Geological Society of America

269 D9. Recent Advances in Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology (Posters)

Wednesday, 12 October 2022
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Exhibit Hall F

A GLACIAL-GEOLOGIC RECORD OF ICE RETREAT IN NORTH-CENTRAL MAINE, USA

Paper number: 269-20
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Authors

Maraina Miles Presenting Author
University of Maine, Orono, ME
Brenda L. Hall
University of Maine, Orono, ME
Thomas V. Lowell
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Aaron Putnam
University of Maine, Orono, ME

Abstract

The termination of the last ice age (17.8-11.7 ka) provides a unique view into how the global climate system functions during times of rapid warming. Extreme seasonality, with unequal temperature changes in summer and winter, may have been a key feature of abrupt climate changes during the termination in the North Atlantic region. To begin to sort out seasonal variation, we aim to develop a record of summer temperature fluctuations from the glacial-geologic record of north-central Maine. Here, we present the results of glacial-geomorphic mapping and ¹⁰Be exposure ages of glacially transported boulders on moraines, including a newly discovered moraine in the lowlands south of Katahdin. Our preliminary ¹⁰Be dates suggest significant ice-surface lowering 16 – 15 ka, during the latter part of Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1: 17.8 - 14.7 ka), which may indicate warmer than average summer temperatures during this time. We will discuss the implications of our results with regard to the seasonality hypothesis.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-378959

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