Coherent slumping of early postglacial lake sediments at Hall Lake, Ontario, Canada

Cores of organic postglacial sediment from Hall Lake, southern Ontario, Canada, are described. The laminated, calcareous sediments deposited between 9,000 and 8,000 B.P. have coherently slumped into the deep part of the lake, causing overturning and replication of parts of the sequence. This process may be considered as a mechanism for sediment focusing, since it involves reworking of marginal sediments into deeper areas. Unlike previously described mechanisms, it may be a source of error in the interpretation of diagrams of pollen percentages as well as accumulation rates. The slumping has only been recognized through the distortion of the laminae. It might not be possible to recognize slumping in unstratified sequences.