Estimating magnitudes of relative sea-level change in a coarse-grained fan delta system; implications for Pennsylvanian glacioeustasy

Estimating magnitudes of relative sea level fluctuations from the sedimentary record is challenging, but illuminates possible mechanisms of sea-level change. Here, we provide a new approach to calculate magnitudes of relative sea-level change using reconstructed depositional slopes and downdip-to-up...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2012-11, Vol.40 (11), p.979-982
Main Authors: Sweet, Dustin E, Soreghan, Gerilyn S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alluvial fans
ancient ice ages
Atokan
Bashkirian
Carboniferous
clastic rocks
coarse-grained materials
Colorado
cycles
deltaic environment
deltas
El Paso County Colorado
Estimating techniques
fan deltas
Fountain Formation
glacial geology
Glaciers
Manitou Springs Colorado
marine environment
Middle Pennsylvanian
Moscovian
paleogeography
Paleozoic
Pennsylvanian
reconstruction
Sea level
sea-level changes
sed rocks, sediments
Sedimentary geology
Sedimentary petrology
sedimentary rocks
slope environment
Stratigraphy
transgression
United States
Upper Carboniferous
upper Paleozoic
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Estimating magnitudes of relative sea level fluctuations from the sedimentary record is challenging, but illuminates possible mechanisms of sea-level change. Here, we provide a new approach to calculate magnitudes of relative sea-level change using reconstructed depositional slopes and downdip-to-updip extents of transgression across those slopes. Magnitudes of rise on transgressive surfaces within lower to middle Atokan (upper Bashkirian to middle Moscovian) fan-delta strata of the Fountain Formation (Colorado) range from minimums of ∼8-15 m to maximums of ∼13-20 m. These estimates are low relative to other intervals of the Permian-Pennsylvanian, but approach estimates from coeval deposits elsewhere. Each cycle shows evidence for the rise and fall of sea level that, coupled with the magnitude, and coincidence with inferred glacioeustatic cyclothems elsewhere, suggests a glacioeustatic origin.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G33225.1