Quaternary Landscapes Research Group

Quaternary Landscapes Research Group

an informal assemblage of geographers and our colleagues working on research questions related to Quaternary landscapes in the Great Lakes region, USA

Our home is the Department of Geography at Michigan State University

General contact information
Department of Geography, 128 Geography Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1117

The QLRG Geography core faculty
From left: Randy Schaetzl, Catherine Yansa, Alan Arbogast

Quick link to publications list

What we are all about

The Quaternary Landscapes Research Group (QLRG) is an informal cluster of like-minded individuals at Michigan State University who are actively reconstructing prehistoric landscapes, both the processes involved in their physical formation as well as their use by humans. Our research is focused on the Great Lakes region. Our overall goal is to form and maintain an interdisciplinary network that seeks to improve our historical understanding of the Great Lakes region.

Although the core of the group is based in the Department of Geography, individuals from the Departments of Anthropology and Geology are affiliated, and we work closely and often with them. Quaternary studies is not the property of Geography on this or any other campus; at MSU it appears so only because it is the most efficient way of operationalizing this web page and the QLRG. The purpose of this page is to point out the various aspects of Quaternary Studies that are based in, and run out of, Geography at MSU. Many other projects are ongoing across campus, which we cannot give justice to on this web page. The QLRG is a field-oriented group; we value field research and working with students in both the field and laboratory.

Who we are and what we our interests are

Core Geography faculty (alphabetical)

Alan Arbogast , Associate Professor

PhD Kansas 1995.
Advisor: William Johnson
email address 517-355-5262

eolian geomorphology
fluvial geomorphology
coastal geomorphology

Randy Schaetzl , Professor

PhD Illinois 1987.
Advisor: Donald Johnson
email address 517-353-7726

soils and soil geomorphology
Quaternary landscape evolution
plant geography
pedology, soilscape analysis and indices of soil development
glacial geomorphology

Catherine Yansa, Assistant Professor

PhD Wisconsin-Madison 2002.
Advisor: Vance Holliday
email address 517-353-3910

palynology (pollen) and paleobotany (plant macrofossils)
Quaternary paleoenvironmental reconstruction
plant geography
paleoethnobotany

Associated QLRG faculty
We are proud to be associated with the many fine faculty at MSU, who also teach and conduct research on Quaternary topics.tr>

Jeff Andresen (Geography)

climatology

agricultural meteorology

Lynne Goldstein (Anthropology)

archaeology

Great Lakes region

Jay Harman (Geography)

environmental ethics

applied physical geography

Grahame Larson (Geology)

glacial geology

hydrogeology

Bill Lovis (Anthropology)

archaeology

cultural resource management

paleoecology

Dave Lusch (Geography)

glacial and periglacial geomorphology

soil, landform and vegetation interrelationships

remote sensing, GIS and GPS applications

Jody O'Gorman (Anthropology)

archaeology

late prehistory in the Great Lakes region

archaeological resource management

Remke van Dam (Geology)

applied geophysics

sedimentology /clastic sedimentary systems

Michael Velbel (Geology)

regolith geochemistry and mineralogy

weathering

What our current research is focused on

Current research foci reflect the myriad of landscapes and prehistoric cultural affiliations found in the Great Lakes region, including:

Pedogenesis and soil geography in Michigan

Late-Wisconsin glacial history of northern Lower Michigan

Holocene environmental change in the Great Lakes region and surrounding areas

Fluvial geomorphology in Lower Michigan

Evolution of interior dune fields in Michigan

Evolution of coastal dune fields along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan

Palynology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction

Chronology and elevation of post-glacial lakes in the Great Lakes system
Loess distribution and origins in the Great Lakes region
Geoarcheology

Our work revolves around the Quaternary landscapes of the Great Lakes region, with an emphasis on Michigan. Because landscape evolution is complex and multi-faceted, we approach these problems from a multi-disciplinary angle. Our research strengths and equipment allow us to approach problems of Quaternary paleolandscape and paleoenvironmental reconstruction using data derived from soils (both surface and buried), landforms and plant fossils. Much of our work involves ¹⁴C and OSL dating, as a way of establishing approriate paleoenvironmental chronologies.

What our current research areas are like

It's no secret. Many people think Michigan and the Great Lakes region consist of little more than cloudy, flat, dense forests. NOT true! We think this landscape is one of the most exciting, complex and fascinating landscapes to work in. And so little of it has been studied that much remains to be done. Top it of with the fact that much of this landscape is public land (State or National Forest, etc.) and what you have is a recipe for unhindered, fun and interesting fieldwork. Have a look at some of the landscapes we work in.... You might be surprised at what you see.

What we have published

We believe in publication in peer-reviewed, research-based outlets. The list that can be reached via this link provides a complete, current compilation of our published works, including abstracts. We would be happy to provide reprints at any time; just email us and ask. We believe strongly in involving students in our research and publication; many of our papers are co-authored with students.

The equipment we have

We have ample field and laboratory equipment to support our research and that of our students. The list below includes the main pieces of equipment that we currently have.

FIELD EQUIPMENT

A 24 horsepower, 4-wheel drive diesel tractor and backhoe, capable of excavting to 7 feet.

An array of augers, shovels and soils/sediment sampling equipment.
A vibra-core device to sample dune and bog sediments.
A Russian peat corer, typically used to sample peat and muck for pollen and plant macrofossils.
A Livingston piston corer for collecting sediment cores from the bottoms of lakes for paleobotanical and sedimentological analyses.

A lightweight portable (backpack) vibracorer that is used to sample soft, semi-saturated sediments.

LAB EQUIPMENT

We have two fully functional soils, geomorphology and palynology labs.

Our current labs are equipped to make distilled water and also contain:

two fume hoods
various types of balances
two high-speed centrifuges
a petrographic, binocular and high power traditional light microscope, including a Leica DM LB compound microscope (for pollen), a Leica MZ6 zoom stereomicroscope (for macrofossils) and Q-Imaging micropublisher digital camera with Image Pro Express imaging software. Each is equipped with a video camera so that the images can be captured and transferred to a computer.
a sonic sifter for particle size analysis
a Mastersizer 2000, high precision, laser particle size analyzer
freezers and refrigerators for sample storage
a complete array of soil analysis equipment, e.g., sieves, grinders, pH and specific ion meter, muffle furnace, etc.

The equipment is shared equally among faculty and students.

The courses we (and others) teach

We have a long list of courses that are related to topics in the Quaternary. And we pride ourselves on being effective, caring educators. For information on courses, please go here.

The financial support we have

The Department of Geography is committed to funding its graduate students. In order to acquire funding, QLRG students must apply to the graduate programs (MA, MS or PhD) within the Department of Geography. Funding is awarded competitively, through the Department, as Teaching and Research Assistants. When a TA, a student can obtain valuable teaching experience under the close mentoring of a faculty member. When an RA, the student works closely with their faculty advisor on a research project. Sometimes these projects blossom into the student's thesis research, although they need not necessarily do so. Students in Geography are free to choose whatever research project they wish, as long as it meets with the approval of their graduate advisor.

The Department also has several Graduate Office Fellowships (GOFs) available. GOFs usually range from $500 to $2500, and are awarded in support of research.

We also have a strong track record, for PhD students, of success in obtaining support from NSF for dissertation research. Doctoral Dissertation Improvement awards, funded through NSF, can range up to $12,000.

What our students have done

Representative student theses, dissertations and research projects over the past 15 years include:

Chronosequences of soil development on lake terraces in Michigan
Reconstructing the evolution of coastal dunes at Petoskey State Park in northwest lower Michigan.
Using relative dating techniques and soils to establish ages of debris flows in the southern Appalachians
Determining the amount of salt added to soils near roads in the snowy parts of Michigan
Post-glacial evolution of a portion of the Manistee River valley in northwest lower Michigan.
Reconstructing the Holocene geomorphic history of a portion of the Muskegon River valley in northern lower Michigan
Soil frost and freezing in various landscapes, forested vs cultivated
Effects of aspect on soil developmentPreliminary reconstruction of interior dune geomorphology in the eastern upper peninsula of Michigan.
Ant pedoturbation in sandy soils
Development of fragipans in forest soils of the Great Lakes region
Using soils data to determine the extent of post-glacial flooding
Using soils to determine the relative age of dunes in eastern lower Michigan.
Evaluating the timing and importance of perched water tables in soils formed from dense till
Using digital technology to map landcover change and coastal dune mobilization at Warren Dune State Park.
Determining the effects of explosive munitions on soils and landscapes.
Using GIS to locate sand deposits that could be used as foundry sand sources.
Characterizing and mapping the central Wisconsin loess sheet, and determining its source(s).
Identifying and explaining the origins of silt infills in a kettles within an interlobate landscape.

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