The geomorphology of Sugar Loaf Mound: Prehistoric cemeteries and the formation of loess cones in the lower Wabash Valley

Abstract

Burial mounds found on bluff crests in the Midwest United States overlap in scale with conical shaped Peoria Loess hills along the valley margins of the lower Wabash River. Coring of Sugar Loaf Mound, a feature thought to be an artificial mound for some 200 years, indicates that it is a 9 m eolian feature that contains prehistoric human remains. Analysis indicates that a sharp-edged till ridge resulted in a zone of eolian sand and silt accumulation forming both a climbing and a perched dune. A streamline body resulted. Grain-size analysis indicates a bimodal population, suggesting a dust suspension from an outwash source and a local saltation sand source, with a time transgressive shift in dominance. Three other loess cones of comparable scale, shape, lithostratigraphy, and landscape position that were also used as late prehistoric cemeteries indicate a similar pattern of both formation and prehistoric mortuary use in the lower Wabash valley. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.