5. Fossils. Thus far only a few fossils have been found in the stratified clays and sands or in the ancient beaches of the Laurentian basin. Such observations as have been made in this connection indicate an absence of the remains of marine life and the presence, in a few instances, of fresh-water shells in all of the basin west of the eastern border of the basin of Lake Ontario. To the eastward of Lake Ontario, however, in the St. Lawrence and Champlain valleys, marine fossils are common in deposits supposed to be contemporaneous with the stratified clays to the west.
A careful search in the clays and beaches left by the former water bodies might be rewarded by important discoveries. In this examination microscopical organisms should not be neglected. If after a detailed examination no fossils are discovered, this negative evidence would have its value, as it would indicate that the physical conditions were not favorable to life, and an explanation for this fact might be found. It is scarcely necessary to mention that care should be taken not to mistake the shells occurring in modern swamp deposits associated with the ancient beaches for true lacustral fossils.
About the borders of the present lakes and sometimes even below the level of the lowest of the ancient beaches the remains of the mastodon, elephant, giant beaver, elk, bison, deer, etc., have been found. The recency of the existence of such of these animals as are extinct may thus be established, as well as the former distribution of those still living in other regions.
Evidence of the existence of man has been reported from one of the old lake ridges in New York, and it is important that this interesting discovery should be sustained by evidence from other localities. Stone implements especially should be looked for in undisturbed lacustral clays, and in the gravels of the ancient beaches.
The remains of forests have been stated to occur in the lacustral clays adjacent to the south shore of Lake Erie. It is desirable to know the extent of these deposits and how continuous they are; also the character of the plant remains they contain, and whether they have been disturbed from the position in which they grew. Some of the questions that may be asked in this connection are: Was the basin drained and forest covered before the vegetable remains were buried, or were the plants floated to their present position, or did they grow on moraines covering the stagnant border of the retreating glacier and become involved and buried in morainal material as the ice melted?
6. Life in the present lakes. The fauna of the present lakes has a bearing on their past history, for the reason that in the deeper parts of lakes Superior and Michigan crustaceans and fishes have been found which are believed to be identical with marine forms. These may be considered as “living fossils,” and are thought by some to indicate that the lakes in which they occur were formerly in direct communication with the ocean. If the occurrence of living marine species in the present lakes is found to be widely at variance with the history of the basin as determined from physical evidence, an inquiry should be made in reference to the manner in which the species discovered might migrate.
7. Changes in elevation. One of the most difficult problems in connection with the history of an inland region is the determination of changes of level. By leveling along an ancient beach, post-lacustral changes in the relative elevations of various points may be readily ascertained. Pre-lacustral changes, however, by which ancient valleys have been obstructed, are much more difficult of direct observation, but might appear from the study of the hard-rock topography, as has already been suggested. This branch of the investigation, however, should more properly begin at the coast and be extended inland.
8. Former outlets. Several localities where the waters of the Laurentian basin have overflowed during former high-water stages have been pointed out, but some confusion has arisen in this connection, for the reason that the channels formed by streams issuing from the margin of the ice during the closing stages of the Glacial epoch have, in some instances, been mistaken for evidence of former lake outlets. The old outlets which seem to have been well determined are situated at different levels, and show that the entire basin could not have been occupied by a single great water-body, unless, as has been supposed by some, it was in direct communication with the sea. This hypothesis will be considered below. It has sometimes been assumed that all of the basin below the level of some ancient outlet was once flooded, so as to form a great lake in all of the basin now situated at a lower level; but, in making such generalizations, the possibility of places in the rim of the basin being at a lower level than the outlet discovered, thus necessitating a special explanation, such as the partial occupation of the basin by glacial ice, or changes in elevation of such a character as to raise the locality of former overflow or to depress other regions, have to be considered.
Former outlets should bear a definite relation to neighboring shore lines and to sedimentary deposits. The channels leading from former points of discharge merit examination, as here again changes of level may perhaps be detected in the gradients of stream terraces.
Most of the ancient outlets thus far recognized lead southward, but as previously mentioned, a former channel of discharge north of Lake Superior has recently been reported. If this observation is confirmed, it will have an important bearing on questions relating to changes of level and to the position of the ice front during the later stages in the retreat of the glaciers.