Maybe So, Maybe Not: Canis lepophagus at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Idaho, USA

A canid dentary is described from the Pliocene Glenns Ferry Formation at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, south-central Idaho, USA. The specimen possesses traits in alliance with and measurements falling within or exceeding those of Canis lepophagus. The dentary, along with a tarsal IV (cuboid) and an exploded canine come from the base of the fossiliferous Sahara complex within the monument. Improved geochronologic control provided by new tephrochronologic mapping by the U.S. Geological Survey-National Park Service Hagerman Paleontology, Environments, and Tephrochronology Project supports an interpolated age of approximately 3.9 Ma, placing it in the early Blancan North American Land Mammal Age. It is conservatively referred to herein as Canis aff. C. lepophagus with the caveat that it is an early and robust example of that species. A smaller canid, initially assigned to Canis lepophagus and then to Canis ferox, is also known from Hagerman. Most specimens of Canis ferox, including the holotype, were recently reassigned to Eucyon ferox, but specimens from the Hagerman and Rexroad faunas were left as Canis sp. and possibly attributed to C. lepophagus. We agree that these smaller canids belong in Canis and not Eucyon but reject placing them within C. lepophagus; we refer to them here as Hagerman-Rexroad Canis. This study confirms the presence of two approximately coyote-sized canids at Hagerman and adds to the growing list of carnivorans now known from these fossil beds.

A new variety of Montia parvifolia (Montiaceae) in the high Idaho Batholith of central Idaho and adjacent Montana

Montia parvifolia (Moc. ex DC.) Greene var. batholithica Ertter & C.A.M. Prent. (Montiaceae) is described as a new variety from high elevations (2100–2800 m) in central Idaho and adjacent Montana, based on an overview of variation within the species using a combination of standard taxonomic analysis of herbarium specimens, morphometric analysis, fieldwork, and common garden studies. Taxonomic history of the species is summarized, morphology and life history are clarified, and variation elsewhere in the species is also briefly addressed.

Mesozoic crustal melting and metamorphism in the U.S. Cordilleran hinterland: Insights from the Sawtooth metamorphic complex, central Idaho

In this study, we present whole-rock geochemistry and Sm-Nd data; zircon trace element, U-Pb, and Lu-Hf data; titanite U-Pb dating; and structural analysis of igneous and metasedimentary rocks of the Sawtooth metamorphic complex that provide insight into regional metamorphism, partial melting, and crustal thickening in the Idaho batholith segment of the Cordilleran orogen. Four magmatic events are revealed: (1) pre-tectonic felsic magmatism at ca. 156 Ma, (2) syn-tectonic mafic and felsic magmatism between ca. 100 Ma and ca. 92 Ma, (3) felsic magmatism concurrent with late-stage deformation at ca. 89−84 Ma, and (4) post-tectonic felsic magmatism at ca. 77 Ma. The multiple generations of felsic magmatism include a variety of sedimentary- and igneous-derived granitoids distinguished by zircon trace element compositions (e.g., U/Ce versus Th and Ce/Sm versus Yb/Gd) and were sourced from progressively more evolved crustal components as shown by Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotopic data. U-Pb data of metamorphic zircons and titanites from high-grade metasedimentary rocks suggest that regional metamorphism occurred from ca. 100−93 Ma, which was characterized by granulite-facies partial melting and concurrent growth of metamorphic zircons and garnets. The episodic magmatism in the Sawtooth metamorphic complex records pervasive melt migration in a hot, mid-crustal setting at ca. 100‒92 Ma and additional magma ascent in a cool, upper-crustal setting at ca. 77 Ma. The uplift of the Sawtooth metamorphic complex from mid- to upper-crust was likely caused by underthrusting at lower crustal levels coupled with erosion and thinning of the upper crust. This work suggests that the crust of the Cordilleran hinterland in the Idaho batholith region underwent significant thickening from ca. 100‒84 Ma, and a crust of Andean-like thickness was probably achieved by ca. 84 Ma. By ca. 77 Ma, the central Idaho crust started to thin likely due to mid-crustal flow and surface erosion. The new data from the Sawtooth metamorphic complex are consistent with the two major magmatic flare-ups in the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous in the U.S. Cordilleran orogen.