It was all for the sake of research that members of a University of Cincinnati team cored through ice at Lake Sixteen on Feb. 21 to look for evidence of massive wildfires some 12,900 years ago.
‘Specifically, they are looking at lake sediment cores for charcoal evidence from fires that may have been started by a comet and contributed to the extinction of mega fauna species such as mastodons and mammoths,? said Oakland County Parks GIS Technician/Natural Resources Specialist Brittany Bird.
Lake Sixteen was one of five lakes University of Cincinnati geology graduate student Joann Ballard is taking samples from to test the comet impact hypothesis.
According to Bird, the University of Cincinnati research team will be sending Oakland County Parks the results from the core analysis, but initial field assessment indicates that cores taken from Lake Sixteen may support the hypothesis that a meteor impact event may have occurred in conjunction with the Younger Dryas cooling period 12,000 years ago.
‘More recent sediment deposition indicates that the lake underwent a series of repeated drying and flooding fluctuations over the last 1000-2000 years,? she added.
Lake Sixteen is a 91-acre natural lake with maximum depths of 30 feet. The lake is a popular fishing spot for 11 species of fish including bluegills, bullheads, crappies, largemouth bass and northern pike.
‘We have our parks commission to thank for its preservation philosophy. Successfully conserving significant glacial topography and associated natural communities allows research such as this to occur,? Bird said of Lake Sixteen, which falls within Orion Oaks County Park. ‘It also speaks to the regional significance of the natural resources we have right here in our own backyard.?
Orion Oaks County Park is bordered by Clarkston, Joslyn and Baldwin Roads. The park is open year-round for fishing, and daily or annual vehicle permits are required.
For more information about Oakland County Parks, visit online at www.oakgov.com/parksrec.