Quaternary Glaciation of the Great Lakes Region

Book excerpt: Taking advantage of new technological advances in Quaternary geology and geomorphology, this volume showcases new developments in glacial geology. Honoring the legacy of Frank Leverett and F.B. Taylor's 1915 USGS monograph of the region, this book includes 12 chapters that cover diverse topics ranging from hydrogeology, near-surface geophysics, geotectonics, and vertebrate paleontology to glacial geomorphology and glacial history. Several papers make use of detailed but nuanced shaded relief maps of digital elevation models of LiDAR data; these advances are brought into historical perspective by visiting the history of geologic mapping of Michigan. Looking forward, interpretations of the shaded relief maps evoke novel processes, such as regional evolution of subglacial and supraglacial drainage systems of receding glacial margins. The volume also includes assessment of chronological issues in light of greater accuracy and precision of radiocarbon dating of plant fossils using accelerator mass spectrometry versus older techniques.