The Geography of the Region about Devil's Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin: With Some Notes on Its Surface GeologySalisbury, Rollin D.
Science
The Geography of the Region about Devil's Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin: With Some Notes on Its Surface Geology
Salisbury, Rollin D.
Physical geography; Wisconsin -- Description and travel
After the ice has disappeared, the influence of the obstruction might be
found in the disposition of the drift. If recession began during the
first stage, that is, when the ice edge was separated into lobes, the
margin of the drift should be lobate, and would loop back around the
ridge from its advanced position on either side. If recession began
during the second stage, that is, when the lobes had become confluent
and completely surrounded the hill, a _driftless area_ would appear in
the midst of drift. If recession began during the third stage, that is,
after the ice had moved on over the obstruction, the evidence of the
sequence might be obliterated; but if the ice moved but a short distance
beyond the hill, the thinner ice over the hill would have advanced less
far than the thicker ice on either side (Fig. 35), and the margin of
the drift would show a re-entrant pointing back toward the hill, though
not reaching it. All these conditions are illustrated in the Devil's
lake region.
[Illustration: Fig. 35.--Same as Fig. 34, when the ice has advanced
farther.]
_Limit of the Ice._
The region under description is partly covered with drift, and partly
free from it. The limit of the ice, at the time of its maximum expansion
is well defined at many points, and the nature and position of the drift
limit are so unique as to merit attention (see Plates II and XXXVII).
They illustrate many of the principles already discussed.
The ice which covered the region was the western margin of the Green Bay
lobe (Fig. 36) of the last continental ice sheet. Its limit in this
region is marked by a ridge-like accumulation of drift, the _terminal
moraine_, which here has a general north-south direction. The region
may have been affected by the ice of more than one epoch, but since the
ice of the last epoch advanced as far to the west in this region as that
of any earlier epoch, the moraine is on the border between the glaciated
country to the east, and the driftless area to the west (Plates I and
II). That part of the moraine which lies west of the Wisconsin river
follows a somewhat sinuous course from Kilbourn City to a point a short
distance north of Prairie du Sac. The departures from this general
course are especially significant of the behavior of glacier ice.
[Illustration: Fig. 36.--Map showing relations of lobes of ice during
the Wisconsin ice epoch, to the driftless area.]
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