The last question on the Portage County Glacial Landforms lab asked you to compare and contrast the Arnott and Hancock Moraines - how are they similar and how are they different.

Similarities:

• both form north-south trending ridges;
• both are terminal moraines from the Green Bay Lobe;
• both have similar local relief and width;
• the dominant grain size is medium sand;
• pink granitic rocks from the Wolf River batholith are a major ingredient in larger clasts.

Differences:

• the surface topography on the Arnott Moraine is much smoother than on the Hancock Moraine, which indicates that more time has passed allowing hillslope processes to smooth the Arnott moraine topography. This is shown on the map by:
  • the contour lines, which show fewer irregularities on the Arnott Moraine than on the Hancock Moraine;
  • the lack of depressions on the Arnott Moraine compared to the Hancock, which is full of depressions (hummocky topography);
  • the contour lines on the Arnott Moraine are farther apart and are more evenly spaced than those on the Hancock Moraine.
• the edges of the Arnott Moraine are more clearly defined than the edges of the Hancock Moraine; the eastern edge of the Hancock Moraine is very poorly defined topographically.
• the Arnott Moraine is much shorter than the Hancock Moraine; most of the Arnott Moraine has been obliterated whereas the Hancock Moraine runs from the northern border of Portage County to the southern border (and beyond, both north and south).
• the soils and rocks on the Arnott Moraine are more highly weathered as indicated by the absence of carbonate materials and the presence of finer grained sediments.
• the Arnott Moraine is much older, and this is indicated by its position in front of the Hancock Moraine, its smoother topography (more time for hillslope processes and erosion) and the fact that it is more highly weathered.