On the formation of the tunnel valleys of the Superior lobe, central Minnesota

Abstract

When considering the formation of tunnel valleys, most researchers have appealed to basal melting as the primary source of water. Erosion of the tunnel valleys can then be accomplished by steady-state drainage over a long period or by storage and subsequent catastrophic release. However, field relationships in a large system of tunnel valleys formed by the Superior lobe in central Minnesota indicate that another source of water must be considered. The Minnesota tunnel valleys are composed of individual segments 10–20 km long, and the segments commonly terminate in subaerial outwash fans at recessional ice margin positions. Eskers, associated with the tunnel valleys, are also composed of short segments, frequently beginning at moulin kames and terminating at the head of outwash fans. The dominant source of the water responsible for tunnel-valley formation was seasonal meltwater from the glacier surface that reached the bed through moulins and crevasses. The apparent continuity of the valleys resulted from the headward development of the englacial drainage system during ice retreat.