Determining paleoelevation of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains from oxygen isotopes

Paleoelevation is a useful property for understanding the development and demise of mountain ranges; knowing the elevation of a range at given times allows one to constrain the timing of rock uplift and perhaps understand the tectonics of the region. Several techniques have been used to study paleoelevation, including pressure of air trapped in vesicular basalts (i.e., Sahagian et al., 2002), paleobotany (i.e., Axelrod, 1997; Wolfe et al., 1997), atmospheric properties (i.e., Forest et al., 1999), and isotopic concentrations. Each method involves many assumptions about past climate and atmospheric conditions. This webpage discusses studies of paleoelevation using oxygen isotope concentrations from two mountain ranges of the western United States, the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains.

Contents:

Introduction

Oxygen isotope methods

Paleoelevation of the Sierra Nevada

Paleoelevation of the Rocky Mountains

Summary

References

Katherine Dayem---Department of Geological Sciences---University of Colorado---Western US Tectonics---2003