Climatic Implications of the Late Quaternary Alluvial Record of a Small Drainage Basin in the Central Great Plains

1994 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan F. Arbogast ◽  
William C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
River System ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
The Past ◽  
Kansas River ◽  
Dakota Sandstone ◽  
Sand And Gravel

AbstractFour late-Quaternary alluvial fills and terraces are recognized in Wolf Creek basin, a small (163 km2) drainage in the Kansas River system of the central Great Plains. Two terraces were created during the late Pleistocene: the T-4 is a fill-top terrace underlain by sand and gravel fill (Fill I), and the T-3 is a strath terrace cut on the Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone. Both Fill II (early Holocene) and Fill III (late Holocene) are exposed beneath the T-2, a Holocene fill-top terrace. The T-1 complex, consisting of one cut and three fill-top terraces, is underlain by Fills III and IV. A poorly developed floodplain (T-0) has formed within the past 1000 yr. As valleys in Wolf Creek basin filled during the early Holocene, an interval of soil formation occurred about 6800 yr B.P. Early Holocene fill has been found only in the basin's upper reaches, indicating that extensive erosion during the middle Holocene removed most early-Holocene fill from the middle and lower reaches of the basin. Valley filling between 5000 and 1000 yr B.P. was interrupted by soil formation about 1800, 1500, and 1200 yr B.P. As much as 6 m of entrenchment has occurred in the past 1000 yr. Holocene events in Wolf Creek basin correlate well with those in other localities in the central Great Plains, indicating that widespread changes in climate, along with adjustments driven by complex response, influenced fluvial activity.

Late Quaternary landscape evolution and bioclimatic change in the central Great Plains, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 2553-2571
Author(s):  
Anthony L. Layzell ◽  
Rolfe D. Mandel
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Alluvial Fans ◽  
Buried Soils ◽  
South Central

Abstract A systematic study of floodplains, terraces, and alluvial fans in the Republican River valley of south-central Nebraska provided a well-dated, detailed reconstruction of late Quaternary landscape evolution and resolved outstanding issues related to previously proposed Holocene terrace sequences. Stable carbon isotope (δ13C) values determined on soil organic matter from buried soils in alluvial landforms were used to reconstruct the structure of vegetation communities and provided a means to investigate the relationships between bioclimatic change and fluvial activity for the period of record. Our study serves as a model for geomorphological and geoarcheological investigations in stream valleys throughout the central Great Plains and wherever loess-derived late Quaternary alluvial fans occur, in particular. Holocene alluvial landforms in the river valley include a broad floodplain complex (T-0a, T-0b, and T-0c), a single alluvial terrace (T-1), and alluvial fans that mostly grade to the T-1 (AF-1) and T-0c (AF-0c) surfaces. Remnants of a late Pleistocene terrace (T-2), mantled by Holocene (Bignell) loess, are also preserved, and some Holocene alluvial fans (AF-2) grade to T-2 surfaces. Radiocarbon ages suggest that the T-1 fill and AF-1 fans aggraded between ca. 9000–1000 yr B.P. Hence, nearly all of the Holocene alluvium in the river valley is stored in these landforms. Sedimentation, however, was interrupted by several periods of landscape stability and soil formation. Radiocarbon ages from the upper A horizons of buried soils in the T-1 and AF-1 fills, indicating approximate burial ages, cluster at ca. 6500, 4500, 3500, and 1000 yr B.P. Also, based on the radiocarbon ages, the T-0c fill and AF-0c fans were aggrading between ca. 2000–900 yr B.P. Given that the T-0c fill and upper parts of the T-1 fill were both aggrading after ca. 2000 yr B.P., we suggest that the T-1 surface was abandoned between ca. 4500–3500 yr B.P., but subsequent aggradation of both the T-1 and T-0c fills occurred due to large-magnitude flood events during the late Holocene. The δ13C data indicate a shift from ∼40% C4 biomass at ca. 6000 to ∼85% at ca. 4500 yr B.P. We propose a scenario where (1) a reduction in C3 vegetation after 6000 yr B.P. destabilized the uplands, resulting in an increase in sediment supply and aggradation of the T-1 fill and AF-1 fans, and (2) the establishment of C4 vegetation by ca. 4500 yr B.P. stabilized the uplands, resulting in a reduction in sediment supply and subsequent incision and abandonment of the T-1 and most AF-1 surfaces. The proposed timing and nature of landscape and bioclimatic change are consistent with regional records from the central Great Plains.

Lake Theo: Late Quaternary Paleoenvironmental Data and New Plainview (Paleoindian) Date

1982 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen Johnson ◽  
Vance T. Holliday ◽  
Raymond W. Neck
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Southern High Plains ◽  
The Past ◽  
Aeolian Deposits ◽  
Laboratory Investigations ◽  
Local Extirpation

Lake Theo (Briscoe County, Texas) is a well stratified archaeological site with Paleoindian (Folsom, Plainview) and Archaic occupations. It is located immediately east of the Southern High Plains (Llano Estacado). Preliminary field and laboratory investigations of site stratigraphy, soils, and microbiology were initiated in order to reconstruct late Quaternary paleoenvironments and date the Paleoindian occupations. The site contains a series of ten late Quaternary fluvial, and possible aeolian, deposits; and five soils (ranging from weakly to moderately well developed) formed therein. Radiocarbon ages of 9950 ± 110 years B.P. (SMU-866) and 9420 ± 85 years B.P. (SMU-856) were determined on humates from the bottom and top (respectively) of a thick, slowly aggrading, buried A horizon. The lower date is associated with a Plainview occupation and immediately overlies a Folsom occupation. Comparison of dates and associated stratigraphic and pedologic data with other sediments and soils in the section indicates that during the past 12,000 years, most sedimentation was relatively rapid and sporadic with intervening periods of soil formation of varying lengths. Citrate soluble phosphorous analysis of the soils did not show notable evidence of intense human occupation at any time. Invertebrates recovered indicate a progressive, local extirpation of terrestrial gastropods since Folsom times. The progression is a result of decreased effective precipitation. The most marked stage of extirpation occurred during deposition of Unit 7 (9000 to 8000 B.P.).

Aminostratigraphic Relations and Age of Quaternary Deposits, Northern Española Basin, New Mexico

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Dethier ◽  
William D. McCoy
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Free Fraction ◽  
River System ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Quaternary Deposits ◽  
Fluvial Deposits ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rio Chama

AbstractAmino acid ratios of gastropods provide a useful basis for correlation and approximate dating of middle to late Quaternary fluvial deposits from the northern Española basin, New Mexico. Sparsely fossiliferous slackwater deposits in the Rio Chama-Rio Grande floodplain were buried episodically by piedmont alluvium during periods of climatic change as the axial river system cut down 120 m during the past 620,000 yr. Alloisoleucine/isoleucine (alle/Ile) ratios in the total hydrolysate and free fraction of amino acids in Succinea and Vallonia are strongly correlated with elevation. Ratios in Succinea range from 0.01 to 0.79 in the total hydrolysate and from 0.00 to 1.15 in the free fraction for deposits that range in age from modern to ⩾620,000 yr old. Amino acid ratios are tightly clustered for deposits that contain the 620,000-yr-old Lava Creek B tephra layer, demonstrating their utility for correlation and providing a calibration point for a local dating curve. Two 14C ages from younger deposits and limiting ages for erosion surfaces that lie above gastropod-bearing units tend to support the validity of much of the curve. Combining the dating curve with the geologic constraints suggests that aggradation events, separated by episodes of net incision, occurred at about 620,000, 310,000 ± 70,000, 170,000 ± 40,000, 95,000 ± 15,000 yr ago, after 19,000 yr ago, and during two minor periods between 80,000 and 25,000 yr ago.

Late Quaternary Geology of the Middle Gila River, Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona

2000 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Waters ◽  
John C. Ravesloot
Keyword(s):  
Human Impacts ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Indian Reservation ◽  
Gila River ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Sediment Loads ◽  
Major Period ◽  
Channel Widening ◽  
Sand And Gravel

Stratigraphy and dating provide an 18,000 yr record of erosion and deposition by the middle Gila River. Prior to 18,000 cal yr B.P., the Gila River cut into its floodplain and created a deep, wide channel. Sand and gravel accumulated within this channel until 4250–4400 cal yr B.P. By this time, the channel of the Gila River was narrow and deep. Around 5000 cal yr B.P., fine-grained sediments began to accumulate on the floodplain. At 800–950 cal yr B.P., there was a major period of channel widening. After this erosional episode, the channel again narrowed as it filled with sand and gravel until around 200 cal yr B.P. On the floodplain, deposition continued from about 5000 cal yr B.P. to 500 cal yr B.P. A period of stability and soil formation occurred on the floodplain between 500 and 200 cal yr B.P., after which overbank deposition resumed and buried the soil. Channel widening again occurred in the late 19th century. The changes observed in the sedimentologic history of the Gila River show that during the late Pleistocene, the Gila River was a competent stream capable of carrying and depositing coarse sediment loads. Later deposition of sand and gravel during the first half of the Holocene implies an increase in sediment yield from upstream watersheds. Changes during the last 4000 years reflect the response of the river to climatic perturbations, the timing of large floods, internal landscape thresholds, and human impacts.

Late Quaternary stratigraphy and geochronology of the western Killpecker Dunes, Wyoming, USA

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Mayer ◽  
Shannon A. Mahan
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Eolian Sand ◽  
Quaternary Stratigraphy ◽  
Precise Understanding

New stratigraphic and geochronologic data from the Killpecker Dunes in southwestern Wyoming facilitate a more precise understanding of the dune field’s history. Prior investigations suggested that evidence for late Pleistocene eolian activity in the dune field was lacking. However, luminescence ages from eolian sand of ∼15,000 yr, as well as Folsom (12,950–11,950 cal yr B.P.) and Agate Basin (12,600–10,700 cal yr) artifacts overlying eolian sand, indicate the dune field existed at least during the latest Pleistocene, with initial eolian sedimentation probably occurring under a dry periglacial climate. The period between ∼13,000 and 8900 cal yr B.P. was characterized by relatively slow eolian sedimentation concomitant with soil formation. Erosion occurred between ∼8182 and 6600 cal yr B.P. on the upwind region of the dune field, followed by relative stability and soil formation between ∼5900 and 2700 cal yr B.P. The first of at least two latest Holocene episodes of eolian sedimentation occurred between ∼2000 and 1500 yr, followed by a brief (∼500 yr) episode of soil formation; a second episode of sedimentation, occurring by at least ∼700 yr, may coincide with a hypothesized Medieval warm period. Recent stabilization of the western Killpecker Dunes likely occurred during the Little Ice Age (∼350–100 yr B.P.). The eolian chronology of the western Killpecker Dunes correlates reasonably well with those of other major dune fields in the Wyoming Basin, suggesting that dune field reactivation resulted primarily due to departures toward aridity during the late Quaternary. Similar to dune fields on the central Great Plains, dune fields in the Wyoming Basin have been active under a periglacial climate during the late Pleistocene, as well as under near-modern conditions during the latest Holocene.

scholarly journals Late-Quaternary Recharge Determined from Chloride in Shallow Groundwater in the Central Great Plains

2000 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Allen Macfarlane ◽  
Jordan F. Clark ◽  
M. Lee Davisson ◽  
G. Bryant Hudson ◽  
Donald O. Whittemore
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Geochemical Tracers

AbstractAn extensive suite of isotopic and geochemical tracers in groundwater has been used to provide hydrologic assessments of the hierarchy of flow systems in aquifers underlying the central Great Plains (southeastern Colorado and western Kansas) of the United States and to determine the late Pleistocene and Holocene paleotemperature and paleorecharge record. Hydrogeologic and geochemical tracer data permit classification of the samples into late Holocene, late Pleistocene–early Holocene, and much older Pleistocene groups. Paleorecharge rates calculated from the Cl concentration in the samples show that recharge rates were at least twice the late Holocene rate during late Pleistocene–early Holocene time, which is consistent with their relative depletion in 16O and D. Noble gas (Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) temperature calculations confirm that these older samples represent a recharge environment approximately 5°C cooler than late Holocene values. These results are consistent with the global climate models that show a trend toward a warmer, more arid climate during the Holocene.

scholarly journals Widespread increase in dynamic imbalance in the Getz region of Antarctica from 1994 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather L. Selley ◽  
Anna E. Hogg ◽  
Stephen Cornford ◽  
Pierre Dutrieux ◽  
Andrew Shepherd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Driving Mechanism ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Mean Sea Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
Global Mean Sea Level ◽  
Forcing Mechanisms ◽  
Global Mean ◽  
Term Response

AbstractThe Getz region of West Antarctica is losing ice at an increasing rate; however, the forcing mechanisms remain unclear. Here we use satellite observations and an ice sheet model to measure the change in ice speed and mass balance of the drainage basin over the last 25-years. Our results show a mean increase in speed of 23.8 % between 1994 and 2018, with three glaciers accelerating by over 44 %. Speedup across the Getz basin is linear, with speedup and thinning directly correlated confirming the presence of dynamic imbalance. Since 1994, 315 Gt of ice has been lost contributing 0.9 ± 0.6 mm global mean sea level, with increased loss since 2010 caused by a snowfall reduction. Overall, dynamic imbalance accounts for two thirds of the mass loss from this region of West Antarctica over the past 25-years, with a longer-term response to ocean forcing the likely driving mechanism.

scholarly journals Global nutrient transport in a world of giants

2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 868-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Doughty ◽  
Joe Roman ◽  
Søren Faurby ◽  
Adam Wolf ◽  
Alifa Haque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Nutrient Transport ◽  
Anadromous Fish ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
The Past ◽  
Large Animals ◽  
Continental Interior

The past was a world of giants, with abundant whales in the sea and large animals roaming the land. However, that world came to an end following massive late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions on land and widespread population reductions in great whale populations over the past few centuries. These losses are likely to have had important consequences for broad-scale nutrient cycling, because recent literature suggests that large animals disproportionately drive nutrient movement. We estimate that the capacity of animals to move nutrients away from concentration patches has decreased to about 8% of the preextinction value on land and about 5% of historic values in oceans. For phosphorus (P), a key nutrient, upward movement in the ocean by marine mammals is about 23% of its former capacity (previously about 340 million kg of P per year). Movements by seabirds and anadromous fish provide important transfer of nutrients from the sea to land, totalling ∼150 million kg of P per year globally in the past, a transfer that has declined to less than 4% of this value as a result of the decimation of seabird colonies and anadromous fish populations. We propose that in the past, marine mammals, seabirds, anadromous fish, and terrestrial animals likely formed an interlinked system recycling nutrients from the ocean depths to the continental interiors, with marine mammals moving nutrients from the deep sea to surface waters, seabirds and anadromous fish moving nutrients from the ocean to land, and large animals moving nutrients away from hotspots into the continental interior.

Holocene eolian sand deposition linked to climatic variability, Northern Great Plains, Canada

The Holocene ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A Wolfe ◽  
Olav B Lian ◽  
Christopher H Hugenholtz ◽  
Justine R Riches
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Eolian Sand ◽  
Sand Accumulation ◽  
Sand Deposition

The Bigstick and Seward Sand Hills are possibly two of the oldest dune fields within the late Wisconsin glaciated regions of the Northern Great Plains. As with most Northern Great Plains dune fields, source sediments are former proglacial outwash sands. Thus, Holocene dune construction is primarily related to spatial–temporal variations in surface cover and transport capacity, rather than renewed sediment input. However, eolian landscape reconstructions on the Northern Great Plains have been temporally constrained to recent periods of activity, as older episodes of deposition are typically reworked by younger events. In this study, sediment cores from shallow lacustrine basins and interdune areas provide an improved record of Holocene eolian sand deposition. Eolian sand accumulation in the interdunes and basins occurred between 150 and 270 years ago, 1.9 and 3.0 ka, 5.4 and 8.6 ka, and prior to ca. 10.8 ka. These episodes of sand accumulation were bracketed by lacustrine deposition and soil formation, which represented wetter conditions. Other than mid-Holocene dune activity, which may be related to peak warmth and aridity, most periods of eolian sand accumulation coincided with cooler but drier climatic events such as the Younger Dryas, late-Holocene cooling prior to the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, and the ‘Little Ice Age’. These depositional episodes are also spatially represented by other dune fields in the region, providing a broad-scale view of the connections between past climatic events and eolian landscape evolution on the Northern Great Plains.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document