Date of Award
Master of Science
Geological and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Alan E. Kehew
Dr. David Barnes
Dr. William Sauck
Masters Thesis-Open Access
The modern day landscape of Van Buren County Michigan was created by the advance and retreat of glaciers from about 13,000 to 20,000 years ago. The Lake Michigan Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet sculpted southwest Michigan most recently. The sediments deposited by the glacier include diamicton, outwash sediments, and lacustrine deposits. The build up of sediment by the glaciers led to the construction of particular features such as moraines, till plains, and outwash fans. The huge amount of meltwater from the glaciers led to the erosion of channels throughout the area. In the area of this investigation the Ganges till is the diamicton deposited as the Lake Michigan Lobe advanced to the east. Above this diamicton is a thick sequence of glaciolacustrine deposits from an extensive proglacial lake system. Capping this lacustrine sediment is the Saugatuck Till, a discontinuous diamicton, deposited as the Lake Michigan Lobe readvanced over the area. Geologic cross-sections were constructed for the area using surficial sediment data, water-well data, as well as rotasonic boring data. These data were augmented with a geophysical survey near one of the rotasonic borings.
Bird, "Glacial Stratigraphy and Surficial Geology of the Decatur, Lawrence, and Paw Paw U.S.G.S.7.5 Minute Quadrangles in Van Buren County, Michigan" (2005). Master's Theses. 1440.