Madigan, Thomas Edward2021-05-252021-05-251999-07https://hdl.handle.net/11299/220222A Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota by Thomas Edward Madigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, July 1999. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present. There is a zipped folder also attached to this record, which contains maps and geographic information systems (GIS) data compiled as part of this thesis.A geomorphic evaluation of the Upper Mississippi Valley between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Guttenberg, Iowa indicates the area has undergone a complex sequence of Quaternary landscape evolution. The sequence of landscape evolution can be separated into four distinct stages. Stage one was characterized by valley entrenchment and development in response to the onset of continental glaciation. Valley aggradation and the development of a braided stream system dominated stage two, which spans the Late Wisconsin glacial maximum. Stage three was characterized by episodic downcutting and the development of an island braided stream system in response to glacial lake drainage through the valley. Net valley aggradation and development of the modem meandering stream system characterize the final stage of landscape evolution, from approximately 9,500 B.P. to the present.en-USUniversity of Minnesota DuluthPlan As (thesis-based master's degrees)Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesMaster of ScienceMaster of Science in GeologyThesis or Dissertation