Latest Pleistocene advance of alpine glaciers in the southwestern Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA: Evidence for the influence of local moisture sources

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 2006 Latest Pleistocene advance of alpine glaciers in the southwestern Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA: Evidence for the influence of local moisture sources Jeffrey S. Munroe; Jeffrey S. Munroe 1Department of Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Benjamin J.C. Laabs; Benjamin J.C. Laabs 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jeremy D. Shakun; Jeremy D. Shakun 3Department of Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Brad S. Singer; Brad S. Singer 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David M. Mickelson; David M. Mickelson 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kurt A. Refsnider; Kurt A. Refsnider 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marc W. Caffee Marc W. Caffee 5Department of Physics, Purdue University, 1396 Physics Building, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Jeffrey S. Munroe 1Department of Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, USA Benjamin J.C. Laabs 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Jeremy D. Shakun 3Department of Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, USA Brad S. Singer 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA David M. Mickelson 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Kurt A. Refsnider 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Marc W. Caffee 5Department of Physics, Purdue University, 1396 Physics Building, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 02 Feb 2006 Revision Received: 08 May 2006 Accepted: 12 May 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (10): 841–844. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22681.1 Article history Received: 02 Feb 2006 Revision Received: 08 May 2006 Accepted: 12 May 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jeffrey S. Munroe, Benjamin J.C. Laabs, Jeremy D. Shakun, Brad S. Singer, David M. Mickelson, Kurt A. Refsnider, Marc W. Caffee; Latest Pleistocene advance of alpine glaciers in the southwestern Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA: Evidence for the influence of local moisture sources. Geology 2006;; 34 (10): 841–844. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22681.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Cosmogenic surface-exposure 10Be dating of Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) moraines indicates that glaciers in the southwestern Uinta Mountains remained at their maximum positions until ca. 16.8 ± 0.7 ka, ∼2 k.y. after glaciers in the neighboring Wind River Range and Colorado Rockies began to retreat. The timing of the local LGM in the southwestern Uintas overlaps with both the hydrologic maximum of Lake Bonneville and preliminary estimates of the local LGM in the western Wasatch Mountains. This broad synchroneity indicates that Lake Bonneville and glaciers in northern Utah were responding to similar climate forcing. Furthermore, equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) for reconstructed LGM alpine glaciers increase with distance from the Lake Bonneville shoreline, rising from ∼2600 m to ∼3200 m over the 120 km length of the glaciated Uintas. This pronounced ELA gradient suggests that the magnitude of the latest Pleistocene glacial advance in the western Uintas was due, at least in part, to enhanced precipitation derived from Lake Bonneville; thus, the lake acted as a local amplifier of regional climate forcing. This relationship underscores the sensitivity of alpine glaciers to moisture availability during the latest Pleistocene, and further demonstrates the importance of local moisture sources on glacier mass balance. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.