Late Pleistocene surficial stratigraphy and landscape development in the Salamanca Re-entrant, southwestern New York

The late Pleistocene upland history of the Salamanca Re-entrant is characterized by repeated colluvial-erosional episodes. Thermo-luminescence age estimates and stratigraphic relations indicate that the last widespread colluviation was of late Wisconsin age and correlated with the Nissouri Stade (ca. 20 500-16 500 yr BP). The colluvium and flow debris are considered periglacial in origin. In the Bay State Brook transect, two older colluvial units were found: a) the red stringer colluvium (early Wisconsin?) and b) the paleosol colluvium, which marks the removal of a Sangamon(?) paleosol from the upland. A 30- to 100-cm thickness of Late Wisconsin/Early Holocene loess blankets the unglaciated landscape. -from Authors