Reconstructing the Geomorphic Evolution of a Freshwater Baymouth Bar in Response to Lake Level Change Using Three Dimensional (3D) Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Data

Abstract:

Situated at the southwestern tip of Lake Superior, Minnesota and Wisconsin Points’, form a 16 kilometer baymouth bar between Duluth, MN and Superior, WI providing the breakwater for the largest and farthest inland freshwater seaport in North America. Comprised of sandy sediment, this baymouth bar’s formation is attributed largely to littoral drift from the Wisconsin South Shore and minor sediments from the outflows of the St. Louis and Nemadji Rivers. Due to continuing differential isostatic rebound of the basin, local lake level at Duluth is presently rising at approximately 25 centimeters/century. The objective of this project is to understand how the baymouth bar has evolved in response to lake level change. Although it is a young, non-marine system in which hydrocarbons are not developing, this baymouth bar is a useful analogue for similar, much larger system in basins experiencing sea-level change. Using an approach similar to that used to study the seismic geomorphology of a sand-prone marine system using 3D seismic data, the geomorphic expression of the baymouth bar’s response to lake level change is investigated using 3D Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data. Vibracore sampling is used to calibrate the collected GPR data. Radiocarbon dating of samples taken from the cores will be used to establish a chronology for the evolution of the bar, making it possible to draw linkages between the various phases of the system and changes in local lake level.