Fluvial response to paleo-equatorial climate fluctuations during the late Paleozoic ice age

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 2011 Fluvial response to paleo-equatorial climate fluctuations during the late Paleozoic ice age Jonathan P. Allen; Jonathan P. Allen † 1Department of Geosciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA †Present address: Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company, 9525 Camino Media, Bakersfield, California 93311, USA; e-mail: [e-mail]. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christopher R. Fielding; Christopher R. Fielding 1Department of Geosciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Martin R. Gibling; Martin R. Gibling 2Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael C. Rygel Michael C. Rygel 3Department of Geology, State University of New York, College at Potsdam, Potsdam, New York 13676, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Jonathan P. Allen † 1Department of Geosciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Christopher R. Fielding 1Department of Geosciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Martin R. Gibling 2Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5, Canada Michael C. Rygel 3Department of Geology, State University of New York, College at Potsdam, Potsdam, New York 13676, USA †Present address: Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company, 9525 Camino Media, Bakersfield, California 93311, USA; e-mail: [e-mail]. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 13 Apr 2010 Revision Received: 23 Aug 2010 Accepted: 25 Aug 2010 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 © 2011 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2011) 123 (7-8): 1524–1538. https://doi.org/10.1130/B30314.1 Article history Received: 13 Apr 2010 Revision Received: 23 Aug 2010 Accepted: 25 Aug 2010 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Jonathan P. Allen, Christopher R. Fielding, Martin R. Gibling, Michael C. Rygel; Fluvial response to paleo-equatorial climate fluctuations during the late Paleozoic ice age. GSA Bulletin 2011;; 123 (7-8): 1524–1538. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B30314.1 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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Maritimes Basin of Atlantic Canada preserves a 12-km-thick stratigraphic succession deposited within a low-latitude, predominantly continental setting during the late Paleozoic. This paper examines the utility of using such successions for paleoclimate analysis, with specific reference to changes in fluvial style. Modern rivers in the subhumid and semiarid tropics preserve a suite of features that are distinct from those in humid and arid environments. These features include an abundance of sedimentary structures formed under Froude transcritical to supercritical flow conditions and the presence of in situ vegetation growing within the channel environment. This fluvial style is indicative of prolonged low-flow conditions punctuated by intense precipitation events in a strongly seasonal climatic setting. Fluvial channel bodies within the Maritimes Basin preserve a remarkably similar style compared with these modern systems, suggesting that a subhumid, strongly seasonal paleoclimate was the dominant imprint on parts of the preserved successions.Strongly seasonal deposits are concentrated within four discrete stratigraphic intervals (E1–E4), ranging in duration from 2 to 6 m.y. These intervals are correlated across the entire basin and between basins characterized by markedly different tectonic regimes, which suggests that a coherent regional climate signal is recorded. Intervals are separated by deposits characteristic of humid and arid river systems, and the alternation between these different fluvial styles implies that several pronounced, long-term changes in precipitation and runoff regimes occurred during the Carboniferous within the region. Furthermore, these intervals broadly coincide with major periods of Southern Hemisphere glaciation, which suggests that glaciation had a profound and controlling effect on paleotropical climate. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.