1. The Rate of Peat Growth in the Erie Basin
- Author
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Elsie Janson and Paul B. Sears
- Subjects
Peat ,business.industry ,Ecology ,Climate change ,Vegetation ,Structural basin ,medicine.disease_cause ,Geography ,Pollen ,medicine ,Period (geology) ,Coal ,Physical geography ,business ,Dry climate ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
The rate at which peat accumulates has been a matter of interest to geologists ever since the relation between peat deposits and coal beds has been appreciated. More recently the problem has assumed fresh importance because of the increasing use of peat microfossils as a key to post-Pleistocene climate. In particular the relative percentages of different kinds of fossil pollen preserved in peat have been much studied in Europe. The purpose of such studies has been to interpret the changes in vegetation adjacent to the peat deposit during the course of its formation. Since most of the pollen preserved is brought in by the wind, the picture of changes appears to be somewhat generalized for the locality, and, therefore, it is often of value in interpreting climatic history. In a general way such evidence in Europe has supported the earlier findings of Blytt, Sernander and others regarding the shifts in moisture and temperature during postglacial times (Biilow, '29). In North America a number of pollen analyses have been made, some of which are not regarded by their authors as shedding light on climatic change. The senior writer, however, has now examined material from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Arkansas. In every case he has obtained what seems like reasonable evidence of considerable climatic changes during postglacial times (Sears, '32). The most certain of these changes is a period of recent relatively dry climate followed by a gradual change to the somewhat more humid climate of the present. In the case of deep columns of peat from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa there appears to be good evidence of an earlier dry period separated from the one just described byA a period of marked humidity. If these indications may l)e trusted the postglacial climate of North America has exhibited fluctuations similar to those of Europe. In Europe the postglacial climates have been accurately dated by de Geer's measurement of clay layers (Billow, '29). Since this means of measurement has not been generally available in this country we have endeavored to find other means. Of these the most hopeful has seemed to be a determination of the mean rate of peat accumulation particularly in the Ohio-Michigan area with which we are most familiar. The following paper describes the results obtained in this connection. Before proceeding with the paper acknowledgments should be made of
- Published
- 1933