The advance and retreat of ice lobe margins of the Laurentide Ice Sheet formed moraines that are a prevalent feature throughout southwestern Ontario. In contrast to the well-studied stratified moraine complexes, recessional and end moraines have largely been ignored in the context of hydrogeological studies. Recent urban growth has led to development pressures on these moraines and a need to better understand their hydrogeology. This study presents data sets from the Paris Moraine near Guelph, Ontario, to examine its geomorphology, internal composition, and the corresponding hydraulic properties of these ice-marginal features. The moraine’s geomorphic elements were mapped using high-resolution Global Positioning System transects, aerial photograph analysis, and ground truthing. Nine continuous sediment cores were recovered to determine the nature and distribution of subsurface sedimentary units and their relation to the regional stratigraphic framework. Cores were described in detail using standard sedimentological techniques, and significant sediment heterogeneity was observed in cross sections. Grain-size analyses of over 150 samples provide site-specific estimates of saturated hydraulic conductivity. In addition, saturated hydraulic conductivity was measured on 104 samples using the falling head permeameter method. This study found that different scales of sediment heterogeneity occur across the moraine and the associated till plain and outwash. In contrast, the hydraulic conductivity varies much less. It is expected that certain sedimentary units at specific depths will impact groundwater flow at the centimetre to hundreds of metres scale, which is significant in environmental site assessments or for understanding contaminant hydrogeological problems.
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Research Article|
April 04, 2017
Subsurface heterogeneity in the geological and hydraulic properties of the hummocky Paris Moraine, Guelph, Ontario1
Emmanuelle Arnaud
;
a
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.b
G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.Corresponding author: Emmanuelle Arnaud (email: earnaud@uoguelph.ca).
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Michael McGill
;
Michael McGill
a
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.b
G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Andrew Trapp
;
Andrew Trapp
c
School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
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James E. Smith
James E. Smith
c
School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
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Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (2018) 55 (7): 768–785.
Article history
received:
07 Sep 2016
accepted:
25 Mar 2017
first online:
12 Jul 2018
Citation
Emmanuelle Arnaud, Michael McGill, Andrew Trapp, James E. Smith; Subsurface heterogeneity in the geological and hydraulic properties of the hummocky Paris Moraine, Guelph, Ontario. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 2017;; 55 (7): 768–785. doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2016-0161
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- aerial photography
- Canada
- Cenozoic
- cores
- Eastern Canada
- glacial environment
- glaciation
- Global Positioning System
- ground water
- Guelph Ontario
- hydraulic conductivity
- lithofacies
- lithostratigraphy
- moraines
- Ontario
- paleoenvironment
- Pleistocene
- Quaternary
- recharge
- remote sensing
- sediments
- theoretical models
- upper Pleistocene
- Wellington County Ontario
- Paris Moraine
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