Kc
Agp Aog Agp
Amb
Kgr
Kgh
Qg3
Qg3
Qvt
Qht
QhtQg2
Qvt
Qhc
Qg2
Qht
Qab
Qts
Qvt
Ql
Qo3
QbcQl
Qo4
Qbc
Qlw
Qlw
Qo3
Qo2
Qbt
Qts
Qa
Qbs
Ql
North Fork Yellow 
Bank River
Yellow Bank
River Minnesota River valley U.S. Highway 75
A'
B
A
B'
C C'
D D'
950
900
1,150
1,100
1,050
1,000
850
!!!
Qg2
Qg3
Qht
Qg3
Qo3
Qvt
Qg4
Qg4
Qg2
Qg1
Qg3
Qvt
Qg4
Qrt
Qht
Qrt
Qvt
Qro
Qrt
Qg1
Qg4
Qrt
Qit
Qht
Qg4
Qg4
Qrt
Qo3Qg4
Qhc
Qdt
Qdt
Qdt
Qg1
Qg4
Qbs
Qdt
QbcQdt
Qno
Qbs
Qbs
Qa
Qbt
Qbt
Qo4 Qht
Qro
Qro
Qg3
Qht
Qlw
Qlw
Qlw
QlwQno
Qo3
Qno Qno
Qo4
Qlw
Qlu
Qo3
Qo4
Qo2
Qlw
Qo3
Qo3
Qo4
Qo2
Qvo
Qbs
Qlw
Qbt
Ql
Qo2
Qbt
Ql
Qlw
Ql
Qa
Qo2 Qvo
Ql Qbc
Ql
Qa
Qa
Cow Creek
West Branch Lac qui
Parle River Florida Creek
U.S. Highway 75
West Branch
Lac qui Parle 
River
Dawson
Lac qui Parle
River U.S. Highway 212 Minnesota River
valley
950
900
850
800
750
1,150
1,200
1,100
1,050
1,000
Vertical exaggeration = 50x
700
650
!
!!
!
Agl
Agn
Agm
MGS 1565,
unique number 225963 LQP-1, 843378
Kc
Kgh
Kgr
Kd
Kc
Kgh
Kgr
Kd
El
ev
at
ion
 (f
ee
t a
bo
ve
 se
a 
lev
el)
Qg3
Qg4
Qg2
Qg1Qg2 Qvt
Qa
Qg2
Qht
Kd
!
! ! !
Qg3
Qg2
Qht
Qg4
Qvt
Qit
Qg2
Qg4
Qrt
Qrt
Qg3
Qg2
Qrt
Qo3
Qrt
Qg5
Qdt
Qro
Qo2
Qro
Qo3
Qg5
Qdt
Qvt
Qhc
Qg1
Qhc
Qbs
Qlw
Qo4
Qno
Qno
Qbs
Qo2
QhcQo2
Qo3
Qro
Qbt
Qvo
Qro
Qo4
Qno
Qvo
Qo5
Qvo
Qo4
Qo3
Qlw
Qbs
Ql
Qno
Qo2
Qlw
Qlw
Qvo
Qlw
Qvo
Qhc
QbsQa
Qro
Qbt
Qlw
Qo2
Ql
Qvo Ql
Qo4
Qlw
Qa
Qdt
Qa
West Branch
Lac Qui Parle River
Florida Creek Lazarus Creek U.S. Highway 75 Lac Qui Parle River State Highway 275 Boyd
950
900
850
800
750
1,150
1,200
1,250
1,300
1,350
1,100
1,050
1,000
!
!
!
Kc
Adg
<Ag Atg
MGS 1556,
unique number 225951
Kgh
Kgr
Kc
Kgh
Kgr Kgr
Kgh
Kd
Kc
Kgr
Kgh
Kd
KcEl
ev
at
ion
 (f
ee
t a
bo
ve
 se
a 
lev
el)
El
ev
at
ion
 (f
ee
t a
bo
ve
 se
a 
lev
el)
El
ev
at
ion
 (f
ee
t a
bo
ve
 se
a 
lev
el)
Qg2
Qdt Qht
Qht
Qg4
Qg3
Qvt
MGS 1562,
unique number 225959
El
ev
at
ion
 (f
ee
t a
bo
ve
 se
a 
lev
el)
El
ev
at
ion
 (f
ee
t a
bo
ve
 se
a 
lev
el)
! !
Qg2
Qht
Qg3
Qg2
Qg4
Qht
Qg3Qg3
Qg3 Qvt
Qg4
Qg2
Qvt
Qg4
Qro
Qg1
Qdt
Qrt
Qg4 Qo3
Qa
Qg3
Qo3
Qno
Qlw
Qg4
Qg3
Qg2
Qdt
Qvt
QbcQbc
Qvt
Qvo
Qdt
Qht
Qg1
Qg2
Qo2
Qo3
Qbc
Qhc
Qno
Qvo
Qo3 Qo3
Qo3
Qvo
Qo4
QlwQbc
Qbt
Ql
Qno
Qbt
Qht
Qbt
Ql Qlw
Qo4
Qvo
Qlw
Qo2
Qvo
QlQlQlw Qlw
Qo2
Qts
Ql
Qno
Qdo
Qo2
Qdo
Qni
Qdo
Qa
Qo3Qro
Qo2
Marietta
State Highway 40 U.S. Highway 75 Madison State Highway 40
Minnesota River
valley
950
900
850
800
750
1,150
1,200
1,100
1,050
1,000
700
650
Kc Agl
Kgh
Kgr
Kd
Kd
Kgr
Kgh
Kc
E E'
F F'
LQP-2,
unique number 843380
!
!
Qg3
Qg2
Qg4
Qht
Qvt
Qhc Qg1
Qg3
Qvt
Qg2
Qg2
Qg4
Qg3
Qrt
QbcQht
Qbc
Qa
Ql
Qvt
Qdt
Qo2
Qbt
QhtQlwQvo
Qsf
Ql
Qro
Ql
Qo2Qo2
Qts
Ql
Qvo
Ql
Qo2
Qo2
Qbc
Qbt
Qa
Mud Lake U.S. Highway 75
Marsh 
Lake
Minnesota River valley
950
900
850
800
750
1,150
1,100
1,050
1,000
Kc
Kgr
Kgh
Kgr
Kd
Kc
KcKgh
Kgh
Kd
South Fork Yellow 
Bank River
Qg4
Qg3
Qg3
Qht
Qrt
Qg3 Qg2
Qg2
Qbc
Qg4
Qg3
Qo5
Qo3
Qhc
Qg5
Qsf
Qg2
Qo4
Qvt Qbt
Qdt
Qht
Qvt
Qhc Qg1
Qro
QvtQvt
Qdt
Qo2Qvt
Qni
Qso
Qa
Qhc
Qlw
QlwQno
Qts
Qo4
Qo3
Qo3 Qts
Qig
Qo3
Qvo
Qts
Qo5
Qo4
Qni
QvoQlw
Ql
Ql
Qht
Qno
Qa
Qbt
Qa
Qo3
Qno
Qo4
Qo3 Qlw
Qni
Qo3
Qni
Qa
Qts
South Fork Yellow 
Bank River U.S. Highway 75
State Highway 119 Emily Creek
State
Highway
40
Minnesota River
valley
MGS 2639,
unique number 241417
950
900
850
800
750
1,150
1,100
1,050
1,000
700
650
Kc
Kd
Kgh
Kgr
Qg4
Qrt
Qni
Kc
Kgh
Kgr
)
)
)
)
)
)
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
k
A
A'
B
B'
C
C'
D
D'
E
E'
F
F'
LQP-1
LQP-2
LQP-3
LQP-4
LQP-5
UMRB-1
Nordick site QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY
By
Angela J. Radke
2023
MINNESOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Anthony C. Runkel, Interim Director
Prepared and Published with the Support of 
THE LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES,
THE MINNESOTA ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND
AS RECOMMENDED BY THE LEGISLATIVE-CITIZEN COMMISSION ON MINNESOTA RESOURCES,
AND THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, GREAT LAKES GEOLOGIC MAPPING COALITION
Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the factual data on which this map interpretation is based; however, the 
Minnesota Geological Survey does not warrant or guarantee that there are no errors.  Users may wish to verify critical information; sources 
include both the references listed here and information on file at the offices of the Minnesota Geological Survey in St. Paul.  In addition, effort has 
been made to ensure that the interpretation conforms to sound geologic and cartographic principles.  No claim is made that the interpretation 
shown is rigorously correct, however, and it should not be used to guide engineering-scale decisions without site-specific verification.
COUNTY ATLAS SERIES
ATLAS C-65, PART A 
Lac qui Parle County 
Plate 4—Quaternary Stratigraphy
LOCATION DIAGRAM
GEOLOGIC ATLAS OF LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY, MINNESOTA©2023 by the Regents of the University of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer
GIS compilation by R.S. Lively
Edited by Lori Robinson
ENVIRONMENT
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
TRUST FUND
INTRODUCTION
The Quaternary Stratigraphy plate shows the unconsolidated materials expected to be encountered 
between the land surface and bedrock surface in Lac qui Parle County.  Cross sections A–A' 
through F–F' are representative of 53 cross sections (Fig. 1) spaced 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) apart 
that were constructed to create a three-dimensional model of the Quaternary deposits in the county. 
These deposits are assigned to the lithostratigraphic units defined in Johnson and others (2016) 
unless otherwise indicated.  The major sand bodies from this model are depicted on Plate 5, Sand-
Distribution Model; the full model and all the cross sections used to develop it can be accessed 
through the supplementary digital files that accompany this plate.  The Quaternary geologic units 
shown on the cross sections were defined from interpretation of new data collected for this study 
and from existing data and samples from previous investigations (see Plate 3, Surficial Geology, 
Index to Previous Mapping).  These data sources include: two rotary-sonic drill cores contracted 
by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and collected by the Minnesota Geological 
Survey (LQP-1, LQP-2; Figs. 1, 3, 4), three rotary-sonic drill cores contracted and collected by 
the Minnesota Geological Survey (LQP-3, LQP-4, LQP-5; Figs. 1, 5, 6), one archived rotary-sonic 
core drilled for a previous study (UMRB-1; Fig. 1; Patterson and others, 1999), 42 well cutting 
sets archived in the Minnesota Geological Survey cuttings library, outcrops, soil auger samples, 
and water-well and soil-boring drillers' logs (Plate 1, Database Map).
On each of the cross sections shown, rotary-sonic holes, well cutting sets, and water wells 
are displayed as black vertical lines; rotary-sonic holes are labeled with their assigned names and 
wells with cuttings are labeled with a unique line symbol and their assigned names.  The elevation 
where wells are shown to begin may not match the surface elevation on the cross-section line.  This 
is because data for each line are gathered from up to 0.3 mile (0.5 kilometer) from both the north 
and south sides of the line where the surface elevation may be higher or lower.  Bedrock units 
described on Plate 2, Bedrock Geology, are labeled and shown at the base of the Quaternary deposits. 
Vertical exaggeration is 50x for all cross sections to show the commonly thin, complex units of 
the Quaternary section.  Figure 2 is a time-distance illustration showing the inferred relationships 
between age, provenance, stratigraphic position, and general geographic location of the sediments 
deposited by major glacial episodes.  Descriptions from the five rotary-sonic cores drilled for this 
study are in Figures 3 through 7, and the texture and composition of selected geologic units are 
summarized in Table 1.
The complexity of subsurface units shown on the cross sections is partly a function of the amount 
of data available.  Where data are sparse, units are portrayed as continuous with relatively uniform 
thicknesses and minimal changes in elevation.  In areas of higher data density, units are portrayed 
with more complexity.  Glacial till and fine-grained lacustrine sediments are generally considered 
more continuous than sand and gravel units because of the way glaciers deposit these sediment 
types.  Till was typically laid down as laterally extensive sheets deposited directly by ice.  Sand and 
gravel were deposited by streams and therefore tends to be more discrete and discontinuous.  By 
convention, subsurface sand and gravel units are associated with the underlying till unit.  However, 
these sand and gravel units likely represent deposition by meltwater from ice that deposited both 
the underlying and overlying till units.  All the units described on Plate 3 match the units mapped 
on this plate.  Additional Pleistocene units are present only in the subsurface and are thus mapped 
and described on this plate and Plate 5.  Typically, areas below the depth of available water-well 
records and above the bedrock surface are mapped as "undifferentiated sediment."  In this instance, 
effort was made to differentiate the entirety of the Quaternary sediment package from the surface 
to bedrock.  The degree of uncertainty increases with depth as data available for interpretation 
decreases; therefore, units differentiated in closer proximity to bedrock are an approximation.
The Good Thunder formation member tills, which compose a significant thickness of Quaternary 
sediment in Lac qui Parle County, have not yet been formalized because additional work in southern 
Minnesota is needed to correlate them to existing stratigraphic framework to the north (Johnson 
and others, 2016).  One interpretation is that the upper two members (1 and 2) of the Good Thunder 
formation are correlative to the Sauk Centre and Meyer Lake Members of the Lake Henry Formation, 
two carbonate-rich tills defined in central Minnesota (Knaeble and Meyer, 2007; Knaeble, 2013; 
Johnson and others, 2016; Staley, 2019).  In Lac qui Parle County, however, this correlation was 
not made after examination of age constraints on these units.  The timing of deposition of the 
Lake Henry Formation is constrained by a U-Th series minimum age of greater than 200,000 
years from interglacial marl found atop the Browerville Formation, a till stratigraphically above 
the Lake Henry Formation members (Knaeble and Meyer, 2007; Johnson and others, 2016).  If 
the Good Thunder formation tills are correlative, this age implies that all Good Thunder formation 
tills are greater than 200,000 years old.  However, an age date from adjacent Grant County in 
northeastern South Dakota conflicts with this correlation, where an organic lacustrine sequence 
known as the "Gastropod silt" occurs beneath a red, Superior-provenance till known as the Hawk 
Creek Formation (Gilbertson, 1990; Pirkl and others, 1998; Johnson and others, 2016).  This same 
sequence of red till above organic lacustrine sediment is present in core LQP-4 (Fig. 6) and has 
been found in outcrop in northwestern Lac qui Parle County (Fig. 8) and central Chippewa County 
(Pirkl and others, 1998).  An amino-acid age of 140,000 ± 70,000 years before present (YBP) was 
determined from gastropods within the lacustrine sequence (Gilbertson, 1990).  The results of this 
study placed the Hawk Creek Formation ice advance between Good Thunder formation members 
1 and 2 (Fig. 2), meaning the Hawk Creek Formation and Good Thunder formation member 1 
were deposited sometime after 140,000 years ago.  These conflicting age constraints complicate 
the correlation of the Good Thunder formation tills to the Lake Henry Formation.  In addition, the 
uppermost member of the Good Thunder formation (unit Qg1) likely correlates to the Sheldon Creek 
Formation in Iowa, deposited during the earliest advance of the Des Moines lobe during the middle 
Wisconsinan glaciation (see Plate 3).  Additional age constraint is difficult to attain considering 
these units approach or are older than the limit for radiocarbon dating (about 50,000 years).  Other 
dating methods with a greater age limit such as optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) may show 
a clearer correlation in future projects.
TILL GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES
Till geochemical analyses conducted during this project support the unit separations based on 
core descriptions, intervening lacustrine and sand bodies, and textural and lithologic variations. 
Geochemical analysis was conducted on all five rotary-sonic cores collected in 2019 and 2020 as 
part of a broader program of analyses (Thorleifson and others, 2019).  In a manner consistent with 
methods used by Thorleifson and others (2007), the less than 63-micron fraction of till samples was 
analyzed by ICP-mass spectrometry following a four-acid, near-total dissolution.  Analysis of the 
data in Lac qui Parle County indicated that several elements appear to correlate with provenances 
that are characterized by shale, carbonate, Lake Superior-derived, and crystalline sediments (Table 
2).  Elements appearing to correlate with shale (such as Riding Mountain-provenance units Qht 
and Qdt) include barium, manganese, rhenium, vanadium, thallium, antimony, and zinc.  Calcium 
appears to correlate with carbonate-rich tills, such as Winnipeg-provenance units Qg2 and Qg4. 
Elements appearing to correlate with both Riding Mountain- and Winnipeg-provenance tills 
such as units Qvt and Qg3 include arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, cesium, lithium, magnesium, and 
molybdenum.  Elements appearing to correlate with Lake Superior-derived sediment, such as the 
Superior-provenance red-colored, upper portion of the Hawk Creek Formation (unit Qhc), include 
cobalt, copper, iron, titanium, and yttrium.  Elements appearing to correlate with both Lake Superior-
derived and crystalline-derived debris, such as the Rainy-provenance-appearing lower portion of 
the Hawk Creek Formation (unit Qhc), include hafnium, potassium, sodium, and zirconium.  Other 
elements may correlate with provenance, oxidation, or hydrologic controls.  Future analysis on these 
units, and units elsewhere in Minnesota, will allow for comparisons over larger spatial distances. 
Staley (2019) and Gowan (2020) provided geochemical results for some of the same units in other 
southwest Minnesota counties, for comparison. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Rotary-sonic drilling was conducted by Traut Drilling Company.  Minnesota Geological Survey 
staff members Kevin Murphy and Emily Bauer provided essential support during rotary-sonic 
drilling.  Thanks are extended to all landowners who allowed drilling on their property.  Special 
thanks to David Craigmile for last-minute coordination of a drilling location.
DESCRIPTION OF CROSS-SECTION UNITS
Each unit on the cross sections is placed in one of two categories, as indicated in parentheses 
after the description: 1. Surficial Geology unit—a unit having an identical description, label, and 
color as on Plate 3, Surficial Geology (see Plate 3 for detailed descriptions); 2. Subsurface unit—a 
unit that is depicted only in the subsurface that has a unique label and color (the subsurface sand 
and gravel units have the same color to emphasize their status as potential aquifers).
HOLOCENE
 Ql Organic clayey silt to sand (Surficial Geology unit)—Lacustrine sediment.
 Qa Silty clay loam to loamy fine- to medium-grained sand (Surficial Geology unit)—
Alluvium.
 Qab Loamy fine-grained sand, sandy gravel, to gravelly sand (Surficial Geology unit)—
Alluvium overtop bedrock.
 Qts Silty clay loam to loamy fine- to medium-grained sand and gravel (Surficial Geology 
unit)—Terrace sediment.
PLEISTOCENE
Late Wisconsinan
 Qlw Silty clay loam to silt loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Fine-grained lacustrine sediment.
  Glacial Lake Benson sediments
 Qbs Sand and gravel, sand, loamy sand, to sandy loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Sandy 
lacustrine sediment.
 Qbc Silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, to clay (Surficial Geology unit)—Fine-grained 
lacustrine sediment.
 Qbt Silty clay loam, silt loam, to loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Till/lacustrine sediment 
mix.
  New Ulm Formation—Sediment deposited by ice of the Riding Mountain provenance Des 
Moines lobe during the late Wisconsinan glaciation (Fig. 2; Plate 3, Fig. 2).  Units 
Qni and Qno are not attributed to specific members and are therefore undifferentiated. 
 Qni  Silt loam, loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, gravelly sand, and sandy gravel (Surficial 
Geology unit)—Ice-contact sediment.
 Qno  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (Surficial Geology unit)—Outwash.
    Heiberg Member
 Qht  Loam to clay loam diamicton (Surficial Geology unit)—Till.
    Dovray Member
 Qdo  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with the Dovray Member. 
Outwash.
 Qdt  Clay loam to loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Till.
    Ivanhoe Member
 Qio  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with the Ivanhoe Member. 
Outwash.
 Qit  Clay loam to loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Till.
Middle Wisconsinan
  New Ulm Formation—Sediment of mixed Winnipeg and Riding Mountain provenance 
deposited during the middle Wisconsinan glaciation by an ice advance along a 
similar trajectory as the late Wisconsinan Des Moines lobe (Fig. 2; Plate 3, Fig. 2). 
    Verdi Member
 Qvo  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with the Verdi Member. 
Outwash.
 Qvt  Loam to clay loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Till.
  Good Thunder formation (Knaeble, 2013)—Sediment deposited by ice of mixed 
Winnipeg and Riding Mountain provenance.  The uppermost member is interpreted 
to have been deposited during the middle Wisconsinan glaciation by an ice advance 
along a similar trajectory as the late Wisconsinan Des Moines lobe (Fig. 2; Plate 3, 
Fig. 2).
    Good Thunder formation member 1
 Qo1  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with Good Thunder formation 
member 1.  Outwash.
 Qg1  Loam to clay loam (Surficial Geology unit)—Till.
Pre-Wisconsinan
  Hawk Creek Formation—Sediment of Superior provenance (Plate 3, Fig. 2).  Formally 
defined by Match (1972), the Hawk Creek Formation consists of red to gray till and 
outwash containing abundant clasts of basalt, red sandstone, and rhyolite indicative 
of Superior provenance.  The upper portion of the Hawk Creek Formation till is 
commonly a red sandy loam and the lower portion is a gray loam with streaks of red 
(Fig. 8).  The 1-2 millimeter very coarse-grained sand fraction of the till indicates 
that this color change corresponds to a change in its lithologic composition whereby 
it decreases in red, Superior-provenance grains and increases in carbonate, resembling 
Rainy-provenance deposits (Table 1; LQP-4, Fig. 6).  This change in composition 
and color is interpreted to be the result of erosion and incorporation of underlying 
carbonate-rich tills as ice that deposited the Hawk Creek Formation till advanced 
across central Minnesota.  Included in this formation is the underlying organic-rich 
lacustrine sediment known as the "Gastropod silt" that yielded an amino acid age 
date of 140,000 ± 70,000 YBP (Fig. 8; Pirkl and others, 1998).
 Qho  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with the Hawk Creek 
Formation.  Outwash.
 Qhc  Sandy loam to loam (subsurface unit)—Massive and unsorted, calcareous, yellowish-
red (5YR 4/6) where oxidized, very dark gray where unoxidized (7.5YR 3/1 to 2.5Y 
3/1), sandy loam to loam diamicton interpreted to be glacial till.  Contains scattered 
pebbles and cobbles and may be overlain by a boulder lag.  Average lithologic 
compositions of the very coarse-grained sand fraction for both the upper red and 
lower gray portions of the unit are shown in Table 1.  Encountered in outcrop in 
northwestern Lac qui Parle County (Fig. 8), in rotary-sonic core LQP-4 (Fig. 6), 
and various cutting sets throughout the county.  Till.
 Qig  Silt loam to sandy loam (subsurface unit)—Massive to thinly bedded, calcareous, 
dark gray (5Y 4/1) to black (5Y 2.5/1) where unoxidized, fining-upward sequence 
of silt loam to sandy loam interpreted to be lacustrine sediment.  Contains abundant 
organic material including gastropod shells, beetles, wood, and other plant debris. 
Pollen and beetle assemblages indicate the climate was subarctic and wet, and the 
sediment was deposited adjacent to a wooded area, possibly in a proglacial lake 
(Pirkl and others, 1998).  Encountered in outcrop in northwestern Lac qui Parle 
County (Fig. 8), and in rotary-sonic core LQP-4 (Fig. 6).  Lacustrine sediment.
Figure 1.  Location of 53 east–west cross sections, 
constructed at regular 0.6-mile (1-kilometer) 
intervals, used to create a three-dimensional model 
of the Quaternary deposits of Lac qui Parle County. 
The locations of cross sections A–A' through F–F' 
are shown here and are also on Plate 3, Surficial 
Geology.  Black squares indicate the locations of the 
five rotary-sonic cores collected for this study and 
one from a previous study (UMRB-1; Patterson and 
others, 1999).  Black asterisks indicate the locations 
of 42 borings where drill cuttings were collected and 
described for this study.  The black circle indicates 
the location of the "Nordick Site" outcrop in Figure 8.
Figure 2.  Diagram showing relative age, location (across Lac 
qui Parle County from west to east), provenance, (Plate 3, Fig. 
2, Table 1), and related unit labels from the cross sections for 
late, middle, and pre-Wisconsinan glacial tills (Table 1).  The 
age column and unit drawings are not to scale.  All radiocarbon 
ages shown are calibrated to calendar years before present 
(cal YBP; Stuiver and others, 2020).  See the text on Plate 3 
for a discussion of the glacial geologic history.  The dashed 
line for the Ivanhoe member represents its interpreted former 
extent prior to being eroded.________________________
 1Ages are in calibrated/calendar years before present (cal 
YBP) and recalibrated from published radiocarbon dates using CALIB 
radiocarbon calibration program, Calib 8.2 (Stuiver and others, 2020) 
with 2 sigma error.
  Good Thunder formation (Knaeble, 2013)—Sediment deposited by ice of mixed Winnipeg 
and Riding Mountain provenance.  An informal formation first defined in Renville 
County (Knaeble, 2013), it consists of five total members, all of which occur in 
Lac qui Parle County.
    Good Thunder formation member 2
 Qo2  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with Good Thunder formation 
member 2.  Outwash.
 Qg2  Loam (Surficial Geology unit).
  St. Francis Formation—Sediment of Superior provenance (Plate 3, Fig. 2).  Prevalent in 
central Minnesota, the St. Francis Formation was identified in few locations in Lac 
qui Parle County from well logs indicating sandy, brown/red deposits beneath Good 
Thunder formation member 2 sediment.
 Qso  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained sand 
to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with the St. Francis Formation. 
Outwash.
 Qsf  Sandy loam to loam (subsurface unit)—Massive and unsorted, red to brown sandy 
loam to loam diamicton interpreted to be glacial till.  Likely contains scattered 
pebbles and cobbles.  Not encountered physically but described in well logs and 
interpreted to be Superior provenance.  Till.
    Good Thunder formation member 3
 Qo3  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with Good Thunder formation 
member 3.  Outwash.
 Qg3  Loam to silt loam (Surficial Geology unit).
    Good Thunder formation member 4
 Qo4  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with Good Thunder formation 
member 4.  Outwash.
 Qg4  Loam to silt loam (subsurface unit)—Massive and unsorted, calcareous, olive-brown 
(2.5Y 4/4) where oxidized, very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) where unoxidized, loam to 
silt loam diamicton interpreted to be glacial till.  Contains scattered pebbles and 
cobbles.  Average lithologic composition of the very coarse-grained sand fraction is 
shown in Table 1.  The lithologic composition of this member is similar to unit Qg3, 
but contains little to no Cretaceous shale and slightly less carbonate.  Encountered 
overtop bedrock in four of the five new rotary-sonic cores (LQP-1, 2, 3, and 4). 
Till.
  Unnamed formation of Rainy provenance—Undifferentiated sediment of Rainy 
provenance.  May correlate to a W-sequence unit of central, north-central, and 
east-central Minnesota (Meyer, 1997).  Encountered in archived rotary-sonic core 
UMRB-1 (Patterson and others, 1999).
 Qro  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Fine-grained sand to sandy 
gravel deposited by meltwater associated with unnamed Rainy-provenance sediment. 
Discontinuous, and likely contains meltwater deposits associated with the overlying 
Good Thunder formation member 4.  Outwash.
 Qrt  Loam to sandy loam diamicton (subsurface unit)—Unsorted, brown to gray, loam to 
sandy loam diamicton of Rainy provenance interpreted to be glacial till.  Encountered 
in cutting sets in southwestern Lac qui Parle County.  Till.
    Good Thunder formation member 5
 Qo5  Fine-grained sand to sandy gravel (subsurface unit)—Discontinuous, fine-grained 
sand to sandy gravel deposited by meltwater associated with Good Thunder formation 
member 5.  Outwash.
 Qg5  Loam to silt loam (subsurface unit)—Massive and unsorted, loam to silt loam diamicton 
interpreted to be glacial till.  Encountered in cutting sets in southwestern Lac qui 
Parle County.  Till.
  Undifferentiated deposits
 Qlu  Silt loam to silty clay loam (subsurface unit)—Massive to thinly bedded, calcareous, 
dark gray where unoxidized, fining-upward sequence of silt loam to silty clay loam 
interpreted to be lacustrine sediment.  Encountered in rotary-sonic core LQP-1 (Fig. 
3).
REFERENCES
Gilbertson, J.P., 1990, Quaternary geology along the eastern flank of the Coteau des Prairies, Grant 
County, South Dakota:  Duluth, Minn., University of Minnesota Duluth, M.S. thesis, 108 p.
Gowan, A.S., 2020, Surficial geology, pl. 3 of Bauer, E.J., project manager, Geologic atlas of Rock County, 
Minnesota:  Minnesota Geological Survey County Atlas C-47, 6 pls., scale 1:100,000.
Hobbs, H.C., 1998, Use of 1-2 millimeter sand-grain composition in Minnesota Quaternary studies, 
in Patterson, C.J., and Wright, H.E., Jr., eds., Contributions to Quaternary studies in Minnesota: 
Minnesota Geological Survey Report of Investigations RI-49, p. 193-208.
Johnson, M.D., Adams, R.S., Gowan, A.S., Harris, K.L., Hobbs, H.C., Jennings, C.E., Knaeble, A.R., 
Lusardi, B.A., and Meyer, G.N., 2016, Quaternary lithostratigraphic units of Minnesota:  Minnesota 
Geological Survey Report of Investigations RI-68, 262 p.
Knaeble, A.R., 2013, Quaternary stratigraphy, pl. 4 of Setterholm, D.R., project manager, Geologic atlas of 
Renville County, Minnesota:  Minnesota Geological Survey County Atlas C-28, 5 pls., scale 1:100,000.
Knaeble, A.R., and Meyer, G.N., 2007, Quaternary stratigraphy, pl. 4 of Setterholm, D.R., project 
manager, Geologic atlas of Todd County, Minnesota:  Minnesota Geological Survey County Atlas 
C-18, 6 pls., scale 1:100,000.
Matsch, C.L., 1972, Quaternary geology of southwestern Minnesota, in Sims, P.K., and Morey, G.B., 
eds., The geology of Minnesota: A centennial volume:  Minnesota Geological Survey, p. 548-560.
Meyer, G.N., 1997, Pre-late Wisconsinan till stratigraphy of north-central Minnesota:  Minnesota Geological 
Survey Report of Investigations RI-48, 67 p.
Patterson, C.J., Knaeble, A.R., Gran, S.E., and Phippen, S.J., 1999, Quaternary geology—upper Minnesota 
River basin:  Minnesota Geological Survey Regional Hydrogeologic Assessment RHA-4, 2 pls., 
scale 1:200,000.
Pirkl, M.E., Kuglin, C.L., and Cotter, J.F.P., 1998, The "Gastropod silts" of western Minnesota and 
northeastern South Dakota, in Patterson, C.J., and Wright, H.E., Jr., eds., Contributions to Quaternary 
studies in Minnesota:  Minnesota Geological Survey Report of Investigations RI-49, p. 155-158.
Staley, A.E., 2019, Quaternary stratigraphy, pl. 4 of Hamilton, J.D., project manager, Geologic atlas of 
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota:  Minnesota Geological Survey County Atlas C-46, 6 pls, scale 1:100,000.
Stuiver, M., Reimer, P.J., and Reimer, R.W., 2020, CALIB radiocarbon calibration program:  Calib 8.2 
<http://calib.org>.
Thorleifson, L.H., Conrad, D.R., and Staley, A.E., 2019, Geochemical analysis of till from Minnesota 
drill cores:  Minnesota Geological Survey Open-File Report OFR 19-2, 15 p.
Thorleifson, L.H., Harris, K.L., Hobbs, H.C., Jennings, C.E., Knaeble, A.R., Lively, R.S., Lusardi, 
B.A., and Meyer G.N., 2007, Till geochemical and indicator mineral reconnaissance of Minnesota: 
Minnesota Geological Survey Open-File Report OFR 07-1, 512 p., digital files.
La
te
 W
isc
on
sin
an
2
West
Good Thunder member 2, Qg2
Pr
e-
W
isc
on
sin
an 6
greater
through
20
140,000 ±
70,000
EastGe
olo
gic
 a
ge
Sp
ec
ula
te
d
M
ar
ine
 Is
ot
op
e
St
ag
e 
(M
IS
)
Ap
pr
ox
im
at
e 
ag
e
(c
ali
br
at
ed
 ye
ar
s b
ef
or
e
pr
es
en
t)
EXPLANATION
Riding Mountain-provenance
deposits
Rainy-provenance
deposits
Superior-provenance
deposits
Winnipeg-provenance
deposits
Period of sediment erosion
and/or deposition of 
nonglacial sediment
1
Rainy provenance, undifferentiated, Qrt
?
Hawk Creek Formation, Qhc
or
Verdi Member, Qvt
Good Thunder member 1, Qg1
St. Francis
Formation, Qsf
Good Thunder member 3, Qg3
Good Thunder member 4, Qg4
Good Thunder member 5, Qg5
Gastropod silt, Qig
Dovray Member, Qdt
Ivanhoe Member, 
Qit
Glacial Lake Benson
Mixed Riding Mountain/
Winnipeg-provenance
deposits
Mixed Superior/
Rainy-provenance
deposits
Heiberg Member,
                     Qht
49,372
19,526
14,833
14,400
M
idd
le
W
isc
on
sin
an
3
1
40,471
36,977
29,493
Table 2.  Average concentrations of elements from till samples.  Provenance sources for the till and elements that are diagnostic for the provenance are highlighted.  Bold text and italic 
text show highest and lowest average values for each element, respectively.  If there is no apparent difference in the concentrations, no distinctions are made.  Samples were processed by 
ALS Geochemistry in Nevada.
           PROVENANCE
Riding Mountain           Rainy      Winnipeg      Superior
 Ag Al As Ba Be Bi Ca Cd Ce Co Cr Cs Cu Fe Ga Ge Hf In K La Li Mg Mn Mo
 ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm % ppm ppm
Till unit                        
Heiberg (unit Qht) n=18 0.13 5.07 9.67 625 1.29 0.21 5.06 0.35 56.6 9.76 54 3.78 20.0 2.45 12.62 0.17 2.9 0.043 1.47 28.6 30.3 2.10 637 1.99
Dovray (unit Qdt) n=18 0.16 6.08 14.96 559 1.55 0.27 5.04 1.10 67.1 9.70 67 4.97 27.6 3.13 14.42 0.15 3.2 0.053 1.69 33.2 42.6 1.90 691 3.23
Verdi (unit Qvt) n=7 0.11 4.57 10.38 449 1.16 0.21 8.39 0.46 56.4 9.0 50 3.23 20.0 2.26 11.56 0.14 3.1 0.039 1.43 28.3 34.8 3.02 605 4.25
Upper Hawk Creek (unit Qhc) n=8 0.08 5.74 5.79 498 1.44 0.16 5.14 0.20 71.4 12.6 54 2.68 28.2 3.09 14.08 0.16 5.0 0.042 2.01 33.6 29.6 1.87 560 1.19
Lower Hawk Creek (unit Qhc) n=6 0.09 5.29 6.27 488 1.22 0.17 6.79 0.30 63.2 9.8 52 2.56 21.5 2.61 12.06 0.14 4.0 0.034 1.68 30.9 26.2 2.54 572 1.76
Good Thunder 2 (unit Qg2) n=26 0.11 4.62 10.49 426 1.21 0.20 8.31 0.47 65.3 8.25 52 3.17 19.4 2.32 11.94 0.14 3.5 0.040 1.43 32.5 32.2 2.54 502 3.04
Good Thunder 3 (unit Qg3) n=38 0.11 5.00 10.40 424 1.27 0.22 8.91 0.52 60.8 10.36 52 3.34 22.2 2.47 12.23 0.13 3.2 0.040 1.51 30.0 36.4 3.09 641 4.46
Good Thunder 4 (unit Qg4) n=8 0.08 5.60 9.70 440 1.46 0.20 6.92 0.27 73.8 9.4 54 3.57 17.4 2.76 14.04 0.15 4.0 0.049 1.58 36.2 39.3 2.65 562 1.47
 Na Nb Ni P Pb Rb Re S Sb Sc Se Sn Sr Ta Te Th Ti Tl U V W Y Zn Zr
 % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm
Till unit
Heiberg (unit Qht) n=18 0.66 10.4 27.4 616 14.1 67.0 0.009 0.32 0.95 8.6 2 1.3 184.5 0.67 0.06 7.89 0.283 0.52 2.9 117 1.0 17.4 83 108.1
Dovray (unit Qdt) n=18 0.93 13.3 34.5 931 17.5 81.8 0.012 0.52 1.87 9.7 3 1.6 229.1 0.83 0.08 8.94 0.330 0.68 3.8 152 1.1 21.1 96 116.4
Verdi (unit Qvt) n=7 0.6 10.6 28.0 584 13.2 63.2 0.013 0.74 0.84 7.5 2 1.24 188.9 0.66 0.06 7.81 0.267 0.65 3.6 88 0.9 16.0 67.4 114.6
Upper Hawk Creek (unit Qhc) n=8 1.0 11.5 30.3 664 14.1 74.0 0.003 0.17 0.63 10.7 1 1.40 194.9 0.75 0.05 9.07 0.401 0.47 2.6 84 0.8 22.7 56.9 183.4
Lower Hawk Creek (unit Qhc) n=6 1.0 10.6 26.7 695 14.1 63.2 0.004 0.26 0.69 8.6 2 1.22 222.7 0.68 0.05 8.71 0.319 0.51 2.7 79 0.8 18.2 58.8 153.4
Good Thunder 2 (unit Qg2) n=26 0.75 12.1 26.0 700 13.5 64.5 0.013 0.62 0.82 7.7 2 1.3 229.5 0.75 0.06 8.70 0.274 0.63 3.4 92 0.9 18.5 59 132.6
Good Thunder 3 (unit Qg3) n=38 0.67 11.1 31.6 618 14.9 67.0 0.014 0.75 0.92 8.2 2 1.3 213.4 0.69 0.06 8.66 0.278 0.68 3.9 94 0.9 16.8 70 119.8
Good Thunder 4 (unit Qg4) n=8 0.8 16.6 24.1 626 15.4 73.7 0.005 0.50 0.62 9.3 1 1.54 212.4 1.03 0.06 9.75 0.319 0.50 2.7 92 0.9 18.3 60.5 150.9
Table 1.  Average values for the matrix texture and composition of select tills recognized in Lac qui Parle County.  Matrix texture (the less 
than 2-millimeter grain-size fraction of the sample) is expressed as relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay in percent.  The lithologic 
composition of the very coarse-grained sand fraction (1-2 millimeters) is expressed in percent as relative proportions of Precambrian crystalline 
rocks, Paleozoic carbonate rocks, and Cretaceous shale using the classification system of Hobbs (1998).  The Precambrian crystalline 1-2 
millimeter fraction is further differentiated by crystalline rock type: light (felsic rock types including granite, gneiss, and other light-colored 
metamorphic rock types), dark (mafic rock types including basalt, gabbro, diabase, and also dark-colored metamorphic rock types), and red 
(iron formation, rhyolite, agate, and sandstone).
Geologic unit To
ta
l n
um
be
r
of
 sa
m
ple
s
Gr
av
el
Sa
nd
Si
lt Cl
ay
MATRIX TEXTURE
(p
er
ce
nt
ag
e 
of
 to
ta
l 
sa
m
ple
 w
eig
ht
) Percentage of the less 
than 2-millimeter fraction
Cl
ea
r q
ua
rtz
Percentage of total crystalline
grains counted
P
re
ca
m
br
ia
n
P
al
eo
zo
ic
CLAST TYPE
Lig
ht
R
ed
Percentage of total grains counted 
of the 1-2
millimeter fraction
Cr
et
ac
eo
us
D
ar
k
A
ve
ra
ge
 U
S
D
A 
te
xtu
re
Cr
ys
ta
llin
e
Ca
rb
on
at
e
Sh
ale
Late Wisconsinan tills
  Heiberg Member (unit Qht) 211 4 34 45 21 Loam 29 22 49 29 20 51 85 14 1 18
  Dovray Member (unit Qdt) 60 4 33 41 26 Loam 43 31 26 43 27 30 85 15 T 17
  Ivanhoe Member (unit Qit) 13 5 32 39 29 Clay loam 59 31 10 58 27 15 84 15 1 20
Middle Wisconsinan tills
  Verdi Member (unit Qvt) 26 5 37 43 20 Loam 44 41 15 44 37 19 86 14 T 14
  Good Thunder formation 1 (unit Qg1) 18 5 34 44 22 Loam 42 50 8 42 46 12 89 11 T 16
Pre-Wisconsinan tills
  Hawk Creek Formation, upper (unit Qhc) 12 4 58 29 13 Sandy loam 88 12 0 88 11 1 63 26 11 25
  Hawk Creek Formation, lower (unit Qhc) 14 8 44 40 16 Loam 76 23 1 76 20 4 82 16 2 20
  Good Thunder formation 2 (unit Qg2) 35 7 43 39 18 Loam 63 34 3 63 30 7 85 14 1 14
  Good Thunder formation 3 (unit Qg3) 42 5 37 40 23 Loam 51 42 7 51 37 12 85 15 T 14
  Good Thunder formation 4 (unit Qg4) 9 4 42 39 19 Loam 61 38 1 61 34 5 85 15 T 13
T = trace amount
Figure 7.  Descriptive log of rotary-sonic core LQP-5 drilled by Traut Companies for this study.  Drill-site location is shown on Figure 
1 and Plate 1.  Unit symbols and colors match those shown on the cross sections.  See Table 1 for matrix texture and composition 
averages of till units.
20 40 60 80 100
Sand Silt Clay
Carbonate
Shale
0 20 40 60 80 100
Crystalline
0
-10
-20
-150
-40
-30
Qht
Dark grayish-brown to very dark gray loam, loamy sand, and sand; calcareous after 2'; generally 
a fining-upward sequence of silty fine-grained sand, fine-grained sand, and bedded loamy sand 
and gravel; gastropod and bivalve shells from 8-9'; unit likely formed in a beach or deltaic 
environment on the southern edge of glacial Lake Benson—beach sand facies of glacial Lake 
Benson
Very dark gray loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized—Dovray Member till of the New Ulm 
Formation
Qbs
Dark grayish-brown sand; medium- to coarse-grained sand and gravel; poor core recovery in 
this unit as a result of saturation—Hawk Creek Formation
Very dark gray silt loam diamicton; pebbly; gray in color; composition resembles lower mixed 
zone of the Hawk Creek Formation—truncated lower portion of the Hawk Creek Formation
Late Cretaceous bedrock including the noncalcareous fossiliferous shale (Blue Hill Member) and 
the calcareous speckled shale (Fairport Chalk Member) of the Carlile Shale.  Limestone and 
marl of the Greenhorn Formation and the interbedded clay and silt of the Graneros Shale
Qdt
Qhc
Qo2
Very dark gray loam diamicton; calcareous, unoxidized, and massive—Heiberg Member till of 
the New Ulm Formation
Organic horizon
Very coarse-grained sand grain lithology
(cumulative percent)
Borehole name:  LQP-5; unique number:  341862
Elevation in feet above mean sea level:  1,043
Location:  T. 116 N., R. 42 W., sec. 14; DADDCA
DescriptionMatrix texture                   Lithology/
(cumulative percent)                    unit                  
Depth
(feet)
0
Figure 8.  An exposure of the Hawk Creek Formation 
till (unit Qhc) and underlying Gastropod silt lacustrine 
sediment (unit Qig) at the "Nordick site" in northwestern 
Lac qui Parle County (Fig. 1).  The upper portion of 
the Hawk Creek Formation till is red and contains more 
Superior-provenance clasts than the lower, gray portion. 
Note the red streaks in the lower, gray till indicating 
this is a mixed zone.  The organic-rich Gastropod silt 
lacustrine sediment underlies the Hawk Creek Formation 
till in this location.  The oxidized and unoxidized Heiberg 
Member till overlies the Hawk Creek Formation till, and 
the contact is marked by a concentration of boulders and 
cobbles.  Entrenchment tool is 21.5 inches (about 0.5 
meter) long for scale.
Slump
Upper Hawk Creek, red till
Slump
Lower Hawk Creek,
gray till
Gastropod silt
Red till
lenses
Unoxidized Heiberg Member till
Oxidized Heiberg Member till
Red till
lenses
MAP SYMBOLS
 Geologic contact—Approximate.  
 Sampled drill hole—Includes cored rotary-sonic 
drill holes, archived split-spoon core holes, 
and cutting sets from drill holes.  Well cuttings 
may not have been collected from throughout 
the entire thickness of the material drilled.  The 
rotary-sonic hole is labeled with its assigned 
name and unique number.
 Drill hole—Includes water-well drillers' sites.  The top 
of the drill-hole symbol may not coincide with 
the cross-section surface-elevation line because 
the point is located near (within 0.3 mile [0.5 
kilometer]) but not on the cross-section line and 
therefore may have a slightly different surface 
elevation.
 Bedrock contact—Cretaceous bedrock contact below 
the Quaternary stratigraphy.  See Plate 2, Bedrock 
Geology.
 Bedrock contact point—Shown at the base of 
Quaternary deposits with the associated bedrock 
unit label where Precambrian rock is the 
uppermost bedrock; see Plate 2.
!
Figure 3.  Descriptive log of rotary-sonic core LQP-1 drilled by Traut Companies for the 
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and collected by the Minnesota Geological Survey 
for this study.  Drill-site location is shown on Figure 1 and Plate 1, Database Map.  Unit 
symbols and colors match those shown on the cross sections.  See Table 1 for matrix texture 
and composition averages of till units.  Downhole concentrations of selected elements of the 
less than 63-micron fraction of till samples are depicted in percent (%) of the total sample, or 
in parts per million (ppm).
0
-10
-20
-90
-80
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-140
-130
-120
-110
-100
-170
-160
-150
Qht
Light olive-brown to grayish-brown loam diamicton; massive; upper 5' reworked by lacustrine 
processes of glacial Lake Benson (unit Qbt)—Heiberg Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Qdo
Qg2
Organic horizon
Very dark gray loam to sandy loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive; 2 sand 
seams at 43.5' and 61'; lower 10' are sandy loam-textured; large Cretaceous limestone/
septarian nodule boulder from 67-69'—Good Thunder formation member 2 till
Grayish-brown sand, silt, sandy loam, and silt loam; calcareous, fine- to coarse-grained sand 
and gravel from 70-125'; silty fine-grained sand interbedded with fine- to medium-grained sand 
from 125-134'; some silty fine-grained sand beds contain wood; medium- to coarse-grained 
sand and gravel from 134-139'; silty fine-grained sand from 139-140'; medium- to coarse-
grained sand and gravel from 140-151'—Good Thunder formation member 3 sand
Very dark gray clay loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; very thin section; contains 
35% gravel; might be an inclusion or rip-up clast within the sand and gravel—Good Thunder 
formation member 3 till
Qg2
Qg2
Qdt
Brown loamy sand; calcareous, silty fine- to medium-grained sand and gravel—Dovray 
Member sand of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray loam diamicton; calcareous—Dovray Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray silt loam; calcareous, silty fine-grained sand—Good Thunder formation member 
2 silt
Qo2
Qo2
Qo2
Qo3
Qg3
Qg4Qo4
Light olive-brown sand; calcareous, medium- to coarse-grained sand and gravel—Good 
Thunder formation member 4 sandQro
Qsu
Olive-gray to dark gray silty clay loam to silt loam; calcareous, clayey silt—undifferentiated 
lacustrine sediment
Dark gray clay silt loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; very thin section; contains 20% 
gravel; might be an inclusion or rip-up clast within the sand and gravel—Good Thunder 
formation member 4 till
Yellowish-brown loamy sand; calcareous, coarse-grained sand and gravel—Rainy-provenance 
sand
Light olive-brown loamy sand; calcareous, muddy, gravelly rubble overtop bedrock—
undifferentiated sandy sediment
Chlorite schist Precambrian bedrock
0 20 40 60 80 100
Sand Silt Clay
Crystalline Carbonate
Shale
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 2 4 6 8 10
Magnesium and Calcium (%)
0 1 2 3 4
Antimony and Molybdenum (ppm)
Heiberg
Dovray
Good Thunder 2
Outwash
Good Thunder
             3
Good Thunder 4
0 10 20 30
Arsenic and Copper (ppm) 
Very coarse-grained sand grain lithology
(cumulative percent)
Borehole name:  LQP-1; unique number:  843378
Elevation in feet above mean sea level:  1,043
Location:  T. 117 N., R. 43 W., sec. 21; BADDAB
DescriptionMatrix texture                     Lithology/ 
(cumulative percent)                     unit                  
Depth
(feet)
Qlu
Qbt
Figure 4.  Descriptive log of rotary-sonic core LQP-2 drilled by Traut Companies for the Minnesota 
Department of Natural Resources and collected by the Minnesota Geological Survey for this 
study.  Drill-site location is shown on Figure 1 and Plate 1.  Unit symbols and colors match those 
shown on the cross sections.  See Table 1 for matrix texture and composition averages of till units. 
Downhole concentrations of selected elements of the less than 63-micron fraction of till samples 
are depicted in percent (%) of the total sample, or in parts per million (ppm).
0 20 40 60 80 100
Sand Silt Clay
Carbonate Shale
0 20 40 60 80 100
0
-10
-20
-90
-80
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-120
-110
-100
Qht
Qg2
Qvo
Qvt
Qo3
Qg3
Qg4
Qsu
Crystalline
Dark gray sand to loamy sand; calcareous, fine-grained sand; gravelly in the lowest 2'—Verdi 
Member sand of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray loam diamicton; calcareous; contact with underlying till is marked by a carbonate 
cobble and a major change in bulk density—Verdi Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray loam diamicton; calcareous; massive and very dense; wood at 76'—Good 
Thunder formation member 2 till
Very dark gray loam to clay loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive; sharp contact 
with underlying diamicton—Good Thunder formation member 3 till
Dark gray shale with interbedded silt laminations—Late Cretaceous Carlile Shale
Light olive-brown to grayish-brown to very dark gray loam diamicton; massive; oxidized to 24'; 
upper 1' below organic horizon reworked by lacustrine processes of glacial Lake Benson—
Heiberg Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Organic horizon
Very dark gray silt loam, loamy sand, and sand; calcareous, loamy, fine- to coarse-grained sand; 
upper 1' is a silt loam with wood—Good Thunder formation member 3 sand
Olive-brown to olive-gray loam diamicton; calcareous and oxidized; massive—Good Thunder 
formation member 4 till
Dark grayish-brown sandy loam; calcareous, muddy, gravelly rubble overtop bedrock—
undifferentiated sandy sediment
0 5 10 15 0 2 4 6
Molybdenum and Cesium (ppm)
Heiberg
Good 
Thunder 2
Outwash
Good
Thunder 3
Good Thunder 4
Outwash
Verdi
0 10 20 30
Very coarse-grained sand grain lithology
(cumulative percent)
Borehole name:  LQP-2; unique number:  843380
Elevation in feet above mean sea level:  1,086
Location:  T. 118 N., R. 44 W., sec. 29; AAAAAA
DescriptionMatrix texture                Lithology/
(cumulative percent)                 unit                  
Depth
(feet) Magnesium and Calcium (%) Arsenic and Copper (ppm) 
Figure 6.  Descriptive log of rotary-sonic core LQP-4 drilled by Traut Companies for this study.  Drill-site location is shown on Figure 1 
and Plate 1.  Unit symbols and colors match those shown on the cross sections.  See Table 1 for matrix texture and composition averages 
of till units.  Downhole concentrations of selected elements of the less than 63-micron fraction of till samples are depicted in percent (%) 
of the total sample, or in parts per million (ppm).
20 40 60 80 100
Sand
Silt Clay
Carbonate
Shale
0 20 40 60 80 100
Crystalline
Heiberg
Hawk Creek
Lacustrine
Good Thunder 3
Good Thunder 4
Outwash
0
-10
-20
-90
-80
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-100
-200
Qht
Qbt
Qhc
Qig
Qg3
Qo4
Qg4
Reds
Light olive-brown to dark gray clay and silty clay to 9.5'; grades into a silty clay loam to silt loam 
to 19.5'; leached to 3'; calcareous below; laminae/rhythmitic bedding especially from 11.75-
17.25'; 70 alternating silt and clay layers from 13.75-14.75', potentially indicating 35 years of 
deposition; lower 2' are massive—glacial Lake Benson fine-grained sediment of the New Ulm 
Formation 
Very dark gray silt loam to loam diamicton; massive; sandier with depth; inclusions of silt loam 
lacustrine sediment in the middle of the unit—Heiberg Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray to very dark brown sandy loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive 
and pebbly; upper portion indicative of Superior provenance; lower 6.5' transitions to a very dark 
gray loam diamicton with more carbonate and fewer reds with depth; transition is blended/not 
sharp, indicating this is a mixing zone where the red Superior-provenance till incorporated 
underlying carbonate-rich till as it advanced, influencing its composition—Hawk Creek 
Formation till
Organic horizon
Olive-brown sandy loam to silt loam; oxidized silty fine-grained sand and gravel; sharp contact 
with above silt loam; no obvious bedding; calcareous; lower portion contains a few cobbles; 
likely indicates reworking of underlying till—glacial Lake Benson fine- to coarse-grained 
sediment of the New Ulm Formation 
Very dark gray silt loam; contains almost no glacial grains like quartz or felsics; mostly organics 
in the very coarse-grained sand fraction; uppermost portion contains abundant leafy/peaty 
organics; lower 2' are sandier; interpreted to be an interglacial lacustrine sequence—organic 
lacustrine sediment
Very dark gray loam to clay loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive; incorporation 
of Cretaceous shale bedrock in lower 3'—Good Thunder formation member 3 till
Olive-gray sand to silt loam; non-calcareous, silty fine-grained sand to medium- to coarse-
grained sand, no gravel; lower 2' are a mix of diamicton, silt loam, and sand—Good Thunder 
formation member 4 sand
Very dark gray loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive—Good Thunder formation 
member 4 till
Late Cretaceous bedrock including the noncalcareous fossiliferous shale (Blue Hill Member) and 
the calcareous speckled shale (Fairport Chalk Member) of the Carlile Shale.  Limestone and 
marl of the Greenhorn Formation and the interbedded clay and silt of the Graneros Shale are 
also present 
0 2 4 6 8 10 0 10 20 30 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 0 5 10 15 0 50 100 150 200
Very coarse-grained sand grain lithology
(cumulative percent)
Borehole name:  LQP-4; unique number:  341857
Elevation in feet above mean sea level:  1,040
Location:  T. 119 N., R. 44 W., sec. 17; CBBBDD
DescriptionMatrix texture                   Lithology/
(cumulative percent)                   unit                  
Depth
(feet)
0
Magnesium, Iron, Calcium (%)
Molybdenum, Hafnium, Scandium, 
Cobalt (ppm) Zinc, Vanadium, Zirconium (ppm)Arsenic, Yttrium, Copper (ppm) Sulfur, Sodium, Potassium (%)
Qbc
20 40 60 80 100
Sand Silt Clay
Carbonate Shale
0 20 40 60 80 100
Very coarse-grained sand grain lithology
(cumulative percent)
Crystalline
Dovray
Ivanhoe
Outwash
Good 
Thunder 3
Good Thunder 4
Outwash
VerdiQvt
Qdt
Qg3
Qg4
Qlw
Qio
Qit
Qvo
Qo4
Qdo
Qdt
0
-10
-20
-90
-80
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-130
-120
-110
-100
-150
Dark gray clay loam with no gravel; calcareous after the first 1', sand portion is mostly <1mm in 
size; likely formed in a lacustrine setting and was derived from underlying diamicton—washed 
clay loam sediment
Light olive-brown to very dark gray clay loam diamicton; calcareous; depth of oxidation 
fluctuates; more grayish/unoxidized around 23' but becomes more oxidized until 36'; fine-
grained sandy lens at 37.75'; vertical fractures containing abundant gypsum occur throughout 
but especially below 25'; thin sand layer at 43'—Dovray Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Dark gray sand to loamy sand; calcareous; less loamy with depth; contains a moderate amount 
of gravel—Good Thunder formation member 4 sand 
Dark grayish-brown to dark gray sand to loamy sand; fine- to medium-grained sand; generally 
gravel-poor except for a thin layer at 46.5'; OSL sample taken from 47.5-49'—Ivanhoe Member 
sand of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray sandy loam to sandy clay loam diamicton; pebbly—Ivanhoe Member till of the 
New Ulm Formation
Dark grayish-brown sand; medium- to coarse-grained sand with some gravel; abundant lignite—
Verdi Member sand of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray loam to clay loam diamicton; pebbly; thin silty fine-grained sand layer at 62.5-
63.5'—Verdi Member till of the New Ulm Formation
Very dark gray loam to clay loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive and pebbly; 
granite boulder at 80'; large incorporated chunks of Cretaceous shale bedrock mixed with 
pebbles and cobbles in lower 4'—Good Thunder formation member 3 till
Very dark gray loam to clay loam diamicton; calcareous and unoxidized; massive; sand lenses 
throughout—Good Thunder formation member 4 till
Dark gray to brown shale with interbedded silt laminations.  Aminoids and bivalves present—
Late Cretaceous Carlile Shale, unnamed shale member
Organic horizon
0 5 10 15 0 10 20 30 40 0 2 4 6 8
Borehole name:  LQP-3; unique number:  341856
Elevation in feet above mean sea level:  1,158
Location:  T. 117 N., R. 46 W., sec. 5; DDADDA
DescriptionMatrix texture                 Lithology/
(cumulative percent)                  unit                  
Depth
(feet)
0
Molybdenum and Cesium (ppm)Magnesium and Calcium (%) Arsenic and Copper (ppm) 
Figure 5.  Descriptive log of rotary-sonic core LQP-3 drilled by Traut Companies for this study. 
Drill-site location is shown on Figure 1 and Plate 1.  Unit symbols and colors match those shown 
on the cross sections.  See Table 1 for matrix texture and composition averages of till units. 
Downhole concentrations of selected elements of the less than 63-micron fraction of till samples 
are depicted in percent (%) of the total sample, or in parts per million (ppm).