A multiproxy environmental investigation of Holocene wood from a submerged conifer forest in Lake Huron, USA

R. Douglas Hunter; Irina P. Panyushkina; Steven W. Leavitt; Alex C. Wiedenhoeft; John Zawiskie

doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2006.03.008

A multiproxy environmental investigation of Holocene wood from a submerged conifer forest in Lake Huron, USA

R. Douglas Hunter, Irina P. Panyushkina, Steven W. Leavitt, Alex C. Wiedenhoeft, John Zawiskie

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Remains of a Holocene drowned forest in southern Lake Huron discovered in 12.5 m of water (164 m above sea level), 4.5 km east of Lexington, Michigan USA (Sanilac site), provided wood to investigate environment and lake history using several proxies. Macrofossil evidence indicates a forest comprised primarily of conifers equivalent to the modern "rich conifer swamp" community, despite generally low regional abundance of these species in pollen records. Ages range from 7095 ± 50 to 6420 ± 70 ¹⁴C yr BP, but the clustering of stump dates and the development of 2 floating tree-ring chronologies suggest a briefer forest interval of no more than c. 400 years. Dendrochronological analysis indicates an environment with high inter-annual climate variability. Stable-carbon isotope composition falls within the range of modern trees from this region, but the stable-oxygen composition is consistent with warmer conditions than today. Both our tree-ring and isotope data provide support for a warmer environment in this region, consistent with a mid-Holocene thermal maximum. This drowned forest also provides a dated elevation in the Nipissing transgression at about 6420 ¹⁴C yr BP (7350 cal yr BP) in the southern Lake Huron basin, a few hundred years before reopening of the St. Clair River drainage.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	67-77
Number of pages	11
Journal	Quaternary Research
Volume	66
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2006.03.008
State	Published - Jul 2006

Keywords

Holocene
Lake Huron
Lake Stanley
Lake levels
Stable isotopes
Thuja
Tree rings

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Earth-Surface Processes
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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10.1016/j.yqres.2006.03.008

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@article{6ea1481eb6dd4bb7b76923370fe1a01b,

title = "A multiproxy environmental investigation of Holocene wood from a submerged conifer forest in Lake Huron, USA",

abstract = "Remains of a Holocene drowned forest in southern Lake Huron discovered in 12.5 m of water (164 m above sea level), 4.5 km east of Lexington, Michigan USA (Sanilac site), provided wood to investigate environment and lake history using several proxies. Macrofossil evidence indicates a forest comprised primarily of conifers equivalent to the modern {"}rich conifer swamp{"} community, despite generally low regional abundance of these species in pollen records. Ages range from 7095 ± 50 to 6420 ± 70 14C yr BP, but the clustering of stump dates and the development of 2 floating tree-ring chronologies suggest a briefer forest interval of no more than c. 400 years. Dendrochronological analysis indicates an environment with high inter-annual climate variability. Stable-carbon isotope composition falls within the range of modern trees from this region, but the stable-oxygen composition is consistent with warmer conditions than today. Both our tree-ring and isotope data provide support for a warmer environment in this region, consistent with a mid-Holocene thermal maximum. This drowned forest also provides a dated elevation in the Nipissing transgression at about 6420 14C yr BP (7350 cal yr BP) in the southern Lake Huron basin, a few hundred years before reopening of the St. Clair River drainage.",

keywords = "Holocene, Lake Huron, Lake Stanley, Lake levels, Stable isotopes, Thuja, Tree rings",

author = "Hunter, {R. Douglas} and Panyushkina, {Irina P.} and Leavitt, {Steven W.} and Wiedenhoeft, {Alex C.} and John Zawiskie",

note = "Funding Information: Support was provided by grants from NOAA's Coastal Management Program through Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality, Oakland University Research Committee, and in part by NSF Grant #ATM-0213696. Luke Clyburn and Kathy Trax of Inter-Seas Exploration, Ltd. and the Great Lakes Division- U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. provided logistic, photographic, and dive support. Thanks to participating Sea Cadet divers and officers, especially Steve Nelson, Steve Gibbs, Joe Tabone, Rudy Novak, Ryan Novak, Ryan Brown, and to volunteer divers Mary Blackburn and Charles Izant. We thank Prof. Austin Long and Dr. Chris Eastoe for radiocarbon dating at the University of Arizona conventional radiocarbon lab (Department of Geosciences). Phyllis Higman (MNFI) provided information on Michigan forest community types, vibracoring was done by Elliott Smith, and Curtis Larsen (USGS) kindly shared additional dates from the Sanilac site. Thanks to Robert Witter (William Lettis and Assoc., Inc.) for a critique of an earlier draft. We dedicate this work to the memory of Hilt Fraser (Sarnia, Ontario), mariner and friend.",

year = "2006",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.yqres.2006.03.008",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "66",

pages = "67--77",

journal = "Quaternary Research",

issn = "0033-5894",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

number = "1",

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T1 - A multiproxy environmental investigation of Holocene wood from a submerged conifer forest in Lake Huron, USA

AU - Hunter, R. Douglas

AU - Panyushkina, Irina P.

AU - Leavitt, Steven W.

AU - Wiedenhoeft, Alex C.

AU - Zawiskie, John

N1 - Funding Information: Support was provided by grants from NOAA's Coastal Management Program through Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality, Oakland University Research Committee, and in part by NSF Grant #ATM-0213696. Luke Clyburn and Kathy Trax of Inter-Seas Exploration, Ltd. and the Great Lakes Division- U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. provided logistic, photographic, and dive support. Thanks to participating Sea Cadet divers and officers, especially Steve Nelson, Steve Gibbs, Joe Tabone, Rudy Novak, Ryan Novak, Ryan Brown, and to volunteer divers Mary Blackburn and Charles Izant. We thank Prof. Austin Long and Dr. Chris Eastoe for radiocarbon dating at the University of Arizona conventional radiocarbon lab (Department of Geosciences). Phyllis Higman (MNFI) provided information on Michigan forest community types, vibracoring was done by Elliott Smith, and Curtis Larsen (USGS) kindly shared additional dates from the Sanilac site. Thanks to Robert Witter (William Lettis and Assoc., Inc.) for a critique of an earlier draft. We dedicate this work to the memory of Hilt Fraser (Sarnia, Ontario), mariner and friend.

PY - 2006/7

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N2 - Remains of a Holocene drowned forest in southern Lake Huron discovered in 12.5 m of water (164 m above sea level), 4.5 km east of Lexington, Michigan USA (Sanilac site), provided wood to investigate environment and lake history using several proxies. Macrofossil evidence indicates a forest comprised primarily of conifers equivalent to the modern "rich conifer swamp" community, despite generally low regional abundance of these species in pollen records. Ages range from 7095 ± 50 to 6420 ± 70 14C yr BP, but the clustering of stump dates and the development of 2 floating tree-ring chronologies suggest a briefer forest interval of no more than c. 400 years. Dendrochronological analysis indicates an environment with high inter-annual climate variability. Stable-carbon isotope composition falls within the range of modern trees from this region, but the stable-oxygen composition is consistent with warmer conditions than today. Both our tree-ring and isotope data provide support for a warmer environment in this region, consistent with a mid-Holocene thermal maximum. This drowned forest also provides a dated elevation in the Nipissing transgression at about 6420 14C yr BP (7350 cal yr BP) in the southern Lake Huron basin, a few hundred years before reopening of the St. Clair River drainage.

AB - Remains of a Holocene drowned forest in southern Lake Huron discovered in 12.5 m of water (164 m above sea level), 4.5 km east of Lexington, Michigan USA (Sanilac site), provided wood to investigate environment and lake history using several proxies. Macrofossil evidence indicates a forest comprised primarily of conifers equivalent to the modern "rich conifer swamp" community, despite generally low regional abundance of these species in pollen records. Ages range from 7095 ± 50 to 6420 ± 70 14C yr BP, but the clustering of stump dates and the development of 2 floating tree-ring chronologies suggest a briefer forest interval of no more than c. 400 years. Dendrochronological analysis indicates an environment with high inter-annual climate variability. Stable-carbon isotope composition falls within the range of modern trees from this region, but the stable-oxygen composition is consistent with warmer conditions than today. Both our tree-ring and isotope data provide support for a warmer environment in this region, consistent with a mid-Holocene thermal maximum. This drowned forest also provides a dated elevation in the Nipissing transgression at about 6420 14C yr BP (7350 cal yr BP) in the southern Lake Huron basin, a few hundred years before reopening of the St. Clair River drainage.

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KW - Lake Stanley

KW - Lake levels

KW - Stable isotopes

KW - Thuja

KW - Tree rings

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A multiproxy environmental investigation of Holocene wood from a submerged conifer forest in Lake Huron, USA

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Keywords

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