Holocene floodplain development and prehistoric human occupation, lower Nottawasaga River, southern Ontario, Canada

grantor: University of TorontoA geomorphologic investigation of the lower Nottawasaga River, Simcoe County, southern Ontario, Canada was undertaken to address Holocene floodplain development processes to aid cultural interpretations of known prehistoric campsites. The thesis examines the mode of alluvial accretion in unconfined versus confined sections, respectively outside and inside the Edenvale Moraine, as well as the character of channel entrenchment. Reach-scale comparisons were made, including the specific study of Doran Lake which forms a neck cutoff within the study area. Results show a predominantly vertically accreted sandy floodplain, with some evidence of lateral accretion in unconfined sections. The present channel morphology was established in the early Holocene contingent on entrenchment at around the glacial Lake Hough phase. No strong evidence for catastrophic stripping was found in the higher energy confined reaches. Throughout, the erosion and re-deposition of cultural remains on the floodplain surface is unlikely for materials larger than sand.M.Sc