The Patterned Mires of the Red Lake Peatland, Northern Minnesota: Vegetation, Water Chemistry and Landforms

Abstract

Red Lake Peatland in northern Minnesota covers an area of about 80 .times. 15 km which is uninterrupted by streams or uplands and consists of a vast patterned complex of raised bogs and water tracks. IR photography and LANDSAT imagery were used to examine their interrelationships. The major types of vegetation of the Red Lake Peatland were determined subjectively by the Braun-Blanquet method and are characterized by different water chemistry. The importance of surface drainage in the maintenance of mire patterns is suggested by the localized effects of drainage ditches on the vegetation and landforms. IR aerial photographs and LANDSAT imagery indicate that water flow is channelled across broad surfaces of peat to initiate the development of water tracks, bog drains, and islands that have an ovoid, horseshoe or teardrop shape.