The late-glacial and post-glacial history of the Cedarburg Bog area, Wisconsin

Abstract

Continental glaciers moving over Wisconsin four times in the last two million years sculptured the underlying Paleozoic dolomites and limestones in the Cedarburg area and deposited vast amounts of debris on the bedrock surface. Since the retreat of the Wisconsinan ice, about 12,000 years ago, mass-wasting, fluvial activity, and weathering have modified the landscape and produced the topography we see today. The Pleistocene deposits of the Cedarburg area are late Wisconsinan in age, and the earlier history of the area must be inferred from studies done in Southern Wisconsin and the surrounding states. As early as the mid-1800's mention is made of the Quaternary deposits in Wisconsin, but not until 1877, and again in 1883, did Chamberlin discuss the glacial deposits of Eastern Wisconsin in detail. In 1918, Alden mapped and interpreted the glacial geology in the Cedarburg area. Recent studies by myself and students have added to our understanding of the area.