Evidence of eolian activity in north-central Minnesota 8,000 to 5,000 yr ago

Soil morphology and radiocarbon dates from a sequence of buried soils, exposed by wave action along the shores of Lake Winnibigoshish, north-central Minnesota, provide evidence for a period of vegetation change and landscape instability in that area between about 8,000 and 5,000 yr ago. These data correlate well with interpretations from pollen diagrams of climatic and vegetational changes during the same period. The evidence indicates that a large dune field was active in the area during this time. Conditions that led to that activity could also have been responsible for other dune movement in Minnesota, such as on the Anoka Sand Plain.