Geomorphic and sedimentary responses of the Bull Creek Valley (Southern High Plains, USA) to Pleistocene and Holocene environmental change

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna M. Arauza ◽  
Alexander R. Simms ◽  
Leland C. Bement ◽  
Brian J. Carter ◽  
Travis Conley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
New Information ◽  
Bull Creek

Fluvial geomorphology and stratigraphy often reflect past environmental and climate conditions. This study examines the response of Bull Creek, a small ephemeral creek in the Oklahoma panhandle, to environmental conditions through the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Fluvial terraces were mapped and their stratigraphy and sedimentology documented throughout the course of the main valley. Based on their elevations, terraces were broadly grouped into a late-Pleistocene fill terrace (T3) and two Holocene fill-cut terrace sets (T2 and T1). Terrace systems are marked by similar stratigraphies recording the general environmental conditions of the time. Sedimentary sequences preserved in terrace fills record the transition from a perennial fluvial system during the late glacial period and the Younger Dryas to a semiarid environment dominated by loess accumulation and punctuated by flood events during the middle to late Holocene. The highest rates of aeolian accumulation within the valley occurred during the early to middle Holocene. Our data provide significant new information regarding the late-Pleistocene and Holocene environmental history for this region, located between the well-studied Southern and Central High Plains of North America.

scholarly journals Late Pleistocene climate conditions in the north Chilean Andes drawn from a climate–glacier model

2000 ◽  
Vol 46 (155) ◽  
pp. 622-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Kull ◽  
Martin Grosjean
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Test Area ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Climate Conditions

AbstractA climate–glacier model was used to reconstruct Late-glacial climate conditions from two case-study glaciers at 18° and 22° S in the arid (sub)tropical western Andes of northern Chile. The model uses (i) the geometry of the Late-glacial maximum glaciation, (ii) modern diurnal and annual cycles, amplitudes and lapse rates of the climate, (iii) empirical–statistical sublimation, melt and accumulation models developed for this area, and (iv) dynamic ice flow through two known cross-sections for steady-state conditions. The model is validated with modern conditions and compares favorably with the glaciological features of today. The mass-balance model calculates the modern equilibrium-line altitude at 18° S as high as 5850 m (field data 5800 m), whereas no glaciers exist in the fully arid southern area at 22° S despite altitudes above 6000 m and continuous permafrost. For Late-glacial times, the model results suggest a substantial increase in tropical summer precipitation (ΔP = +840 (− 50/+ 10) mm a−1 for the northern test area; +1000 (− 10/+ 30) mm a−1 for the southern test area) and a moderate temperature depression (ΔT = −4.4 (− 0.1/+ 0.2) °C at 18° S; −3.2 (±0.1) °C at 22° S). Extratropical frontal winter precipitation (June–September) was <15% of the total annual precipitation. A scenario with higher winter precipitation from the westerlies circulation belt does not yield a numerical solution which matches the observed geometry of the glaciers. Therefore, we conclude that an equatorward displacement of the westerlies must be discarded as a possible explanation for the late Pleistocene glaciation in the Andes of northern Chile.

scholarly journals Impact of climatic changes in the Late Pleistocene on migrations and extinctions of mammals in Europe: four case studies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Baca ◽  
Adam Nadachowski ◽  
Grzegorz Lipecki ◽  
Paweł Mackiewicz ◽  
Adrian Marciszak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Mammuthus Primigenius ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Local Extinctions ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial ◽  
Woolly Mammoth

Climate changes that occurred during the Late Pleistocene have profound effects on the distribution of many plant and animal species and influenced the formation of contemporary faunas and floras of Europe. The course and mechanisms of responses of species to the past climate changes are now being intensively studied by the use of direct radiocarbon dating and genetic analyses of fossil remains. Here, we review the advances in understanding these processes by the example of four mammal species: woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), cave bear (Ursus spelaeus s. l.), saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) and collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx ssp.). The cases discussed here as well as others show that the migrations, range shifts and local extinctions were the main responses to climate changes and that the dynamics of these climate driven processes were much more profound than it was previously thought. Each species reacted by its individual manner, which depended on its biology and adaptation abilities to the changing environment and climate conditions. The most severe changes in European ecosystems that affected the largest number of species took place around 33–31 ka BP, during the Last Glacial Maximum 22–19 ka BP and the Late Glacial warming 15–13 ka BP.

scholarly journals LATE PLEISTOCENE SHASTA GROUND SLOTH (XENARTHRA) DUNG, DIET, AND ENVIRONMENT FROM THE SIERRA VIEJA, PRESIDIO COUNTY, TEXAS

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim I. Mead ◽  
Bryon A. Schroeder ◽  
Chad L. Yost
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
C4 Grasses ◽  
Macrobotanical Remains ◽  
New Information ◽  
Juniper Woodland ◽  
C3 And C4 Grasses ◽  
Ground Sloth ◽  
Glacial Time

Abstract We present new information about the Late Pleistocene Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis). Spirit Eye Cave in the Sierra Vieja along the Rio Grande provides the newest evidence that the Shasta ground sloth inhabited further south in the mountains of the southwestern Trans-Pecos, Texas, than has been previously documented. The cave is one of only twelve known Nothrotheriops dung localities. During excavation of the cave, packrat middens and sloth dung were discovered. Two areas within the cave provide radiocarbon dated ground sloth dung and packrat midden macrobotanical remains which permit the reconstruction of the sloth diet and local biotic habitat at 30,800 and 12,900 calibrated YBP. The local community at 30,800 calibrated years ago was a pinyon-juniper woodland with yucca, sandpaper bush, globemallow, cactus, and barberry in the understory based on the packrat midden from the cave. The dung contents indicate that the diet of the sloth included C3 and C4 grasses along with Agave. Data for the local vegetation community and sloth diet from 12,900 years ago indicate that during this late glacial time, the region was still a pinyon-juniper woodland but also contained Celtis, Quercus, and Larrea, among other taxa.

scholarly journals Late Glacial-Holocene climatic transition record at the Argentinian Andean piedmont between 33–34° S

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 6125-6160
Author(s):  
A. E. Mehl ◽  
M. A. Zárate
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
South American ◽  
The South ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
Aeolian Deposits ◽  
Climatic Transition ◽  
Flooding Events

Abstract. The Arroyo La Estacada (~33°28' S, 69°02' W), eastern Andean piedmont of Argentina, cuts through an extensive piedmont aggradational unit composed of a dominant late Pleistocene–early Holocene (LP–EH) alluvial sequence including several paleosols. The arroyo sedimentary record exhibits a paleosol developed affecting the topmost part of likely Lateglacial aeolian deposits aggraded into a floodplain environment by the end of the late Pleistocene. The paleosol shows variable grade of development in the outcrops along the arroyo probably in relation to fluvial valley paleotopography. Organic matter humification, carbonate accumulation and redox processes were the dominant processes associated with paleosol formation. By the early Holocene, when the formation of the paleosol ended, alluvial aggradation renewed and a higher frequency of flooding events could have affected the arroyo's floodplain environment. A period of relative landscape stability in the Arroyo La Estacada basin is inferred from the paleosol developed by the LP–EH transition in response to a climatic amelioration in the Andes cordillera piedmont after the Late Glacial arid conditions. The renewal of early Holocene alluvial aggradation was probably influenced by the South American Monsoon and resulted in a change in the sedimentary dynamics of the arroyo. The analyzed Late Glacial-Holocene alluvial record of the Andean piedmont constitutes a suitable record of the LP–EH climatic transition at the extra Andean region of Argentina. It is in agreement with regional paleoclimatic evidence along the southern tip of the South American continent, where other sedimentary sequences record similar late Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes over both fluvial and interfluvial areas.

scholarly journals Sedimentological characteristics of ice-wedge polygon terrain in Adventdalen (Svalbard) – environmental and climatic implications for the late Holocene

Solid Earth ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 901-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Oliva ◽  
G. Vieira ◽  
P. Pina ◽  
P. Pereira ◽  
M. Neves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Valley Bottom ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Ice Wedge ◽  
Homogeneous Composition ◽  
Climatic Severity

Abstract. Ice wedges are widespread periglacial features in the landscape of Adventdalen, Svalbard. The networks of ice wedges have created areas with well-developed polygonal terrains in the lowest fluvial terraces in this valley. We have examined the sedimentological characteristics of the northern and southern banks of the Advent river for palaeoenvironmental purposes. The base of two sedimentary sections reported radiocarbon dates of 3.3 and 3.9 ka BP, respectively. The northern site is constituted by three very different lithostratigraphical units, which suggests that their formation should be related to different environmental and climate conditions. By contrast, the southern section shows a rather homogeneous composition, with no significant variations in grain size and organic matter content. In both cases the uppermost sediments are constituted by a thick aeolian deposit. According to our data, warmer climate conditions may have prevailed during the mid Holocene until 3.3 ka BP with widespread peat formation in the valley bottom. Subsequently, a period with alternating soil formation and aeolian sedimentation took place from 3 to 2.5 ka BP, probably due to increasing climatic severity. During the last millennium a long-term cooling trend has favoured aeolian deposition in the lowest part of Adventdalen.

Preliminary investigation of a late Wisconsinan fauna from K1 cave, Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), Canada

2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn L. Ramsey ◽  
Paul A. Griffiths ◽  
Daryl W. Fedje ◽  
Rebecca J. Wigen ◽  
Quentin Mackie
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Queen Charlotte Islands ◽  
Late Wisconsinan ◽  
Early Human

Recent investigations of a limestone solution cave on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) have yielded skeletal remains of fauna including late Pleistocene and early Holocene bears, one specimen of which dates to ca. 14,400 14C yr B.P. This new fossil evidence sheds light on early postglacial environmental conditions in this archipelago, with implications for the timing of early human migration into the Americas.

Multi-proxy studies of the Late Glacial fluvio-aeolian succession in the type site Mierzyn, central Poland 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moska Piotr ◽  
Sokołowski Robert ◽  
Jary Zdzisław ◽  
Zieliński Paweł ◽  
Raczyk Jerzy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Central Poland ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Absolute Dating ◽  
Absolute Age ◽  
Pedogenic Processes

&lt;p&gt;Multi-proxy studies (including sedimentological, pedological, radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating methods) were used to establish origin and chronology of depositional processes in the type section Mierzyn, central Poland. The investigated key site is located in the extraglacial zone of the Last Glaciation, ca. 130 km to the south from the Last Glacial Maximum in the Luci&amp;#261;&amp;#380;a river valley area. In the studied profile (16 m thick) two lithofacial complexes were identified. The lower, fluvio-aeolian complex consists of silty-sandy sediments (1.6 m) deposited. The final phase of fluvio-aeolian deposition is expressed by initial pedogenic processes. Above is located aeolian complex (13 m of thickness). Three aeolian units are separated by two palaeosols.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To establish stratigraphic framework of depositional and pedogenic processes, four samples for radiocarbon dating from palaeosols and twelve samples for OSL dating from sandy units were collected. The obtained results reveal very good agreement of both absolute dating methods. It led to reconstruct chronology of main palaeoenvironmental changes. The fluvio-aeolian complex and the lowermost part of aeolian complex (below the lower palaeosol) were deposited in the Oldest Dryas in relatively cool and dry climate conditions. The amelioration of climate in the B&amp;#248;lling interstadial caused development of pedogenic processes expressed by 0.3 m thick palaeosol. Main part of aeolian complex (10 m of thickness) was deposited in the Older Dryas. The upper palaeosol developed in the Aller&amp;#248;d interstadial as a result of the next amelioration of the climate. During the Younger Dryas was deposited the uppermost part of aeolian complex.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classic development of fluvial to- aeolian succession in the Mierzyn site as well as detailed chronology based on two independent absolute age methods reveal that it can be treated as stratotype for the Late Glacial and correlated with other type sections in the Central and Western Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ackowledgments&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presented results were obtained with support of Polish National Science Centre, contract number 2018/30/E/ST10/00616.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Environmental magnetism study of Lake Cadagno, Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artin Ali ◽  
Andrea Biedermann ◽  
Jasmine Berg ◽  
Mark Lever ◽  
Hendrik Vogel
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
Environmental Magnetism ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Magnetic Minerals ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Glacial Sediments ◽  
Depth Profiles ◽  
Magnetic Carriers ◽  
Lake Bottom

&lt;p&gt;Climate affects the mineralogy and grain size of sediments deposited in lakes. These properties are reflected in the sediment magnetic properties and can be characterized using magnetic methods. As part of the Cadagno-Project, which recovered several gravity and piston cores spanning the entire lake history from the deglacial to the present from the deepest part of permanently stratified Lake Cadagno, which is due to its peculiar water column chemistry considered an early Earth ocean analogue, our study aims to define changes in climate conditions during sedimentation. Here, we present a rock magnetic dataset (low-field magnetic susceptibility and its temperature dependence, anhysteretic and isothermal remanent magnetization (ARM, IRM), acquired in various fields, AF demagnetization, and hysteresis loops) that helps characterize the concentration, mineralogy, and grain size of magnetic carriers, and their variability with depth. Susceptibility, ARM, and IRM were measured on core sediments down to a depth of 886 cm below the lake bottom, providing a high-resolution record of the sedimentary environment of Lake Cadagno over the last 11,000 years. In addition to these depth profiles, detailed rock magnetic experiments were conducted at specific depths. The cores consist of pelagic sediments, flood turbidites, and late glacial sediments. In order to determine the characteristics of the background sedimentation, only turbidite-free intervals were included in this study. The depth profiles of susceptibility, ARM and IRM have approximately similar variations with depth. They show distinct peaks at the upper parts of the pelagic sediments (156-158 cm below the lake bottom,&amp;#160; &amp;#160;&amp;#820;1280-1320 cal. Yr Bp) and of the late glacial sediments (826-844 cm below the lake bottom), which can be interpreted as increased concentration of ferromagnetic minerals or as a change in the magnetic mineralogy, in addition to decreasing trend in the background. Several intervals within the pelagic sediments are dominated by low-coercivity minerals (&lt;10 mT), while higher coercivity grains (10&amp;#8211;100 mT) contribute significantly at (150-170, 418-448 and 719-735 cm below the lake bottom). Magnetic grain size was analyzed using a Day plot, and shows that single domain magnetite dominates at (844 cm) below the lake bottom, indicating the presence of magnetotactic bacteria, which are believed to dwell mainly in the oxic&amp;#8211;anoxic interface where chemical gradients are high. These results provide important constraints on the environmental conditions and climate change recorded by the magnetic minerals in Lake Cadagno.&lt;/p&gt;

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