36Cl Chronologies and ELA Reconstructions from the Northern Boundary of the South American Arid Diagonal
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36Cl Chronologies and ELA reconstructions from the northern boundary of the South American Arid Diagonal A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Geology of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences by Rachel Thornton B.S. (Geology), Kent State University, 2011 Advisory Committee: Dylan Ward, Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Thomas Lowell, Ph.D. Aaron Diefendorf, Ph.D. i ABSTRACT This study focused on glaciation in the South American Arid Diagonal (AD) climatic feature which intersects in the Andes mountain range at approximately 24°S. This NE-SW- trending zone of hyper-aridity separates the Atlantic-sourced Easterly moisture belt from the Pacific-sourced Westerly precipitation in the central Andes. We present new geomorphological maps of the landforms, particularly of glacial moraines across two mountain ranges within the Western Cordillera of the central Andes. Additionally, new 36Cl chronologies using surface exposure dating were produced from two sites near the northern boundary of the modern AD. One site is located in the Cordillera del Tatio at ~21°S (Tatio field site), the other is the southernmost valley in a stratovolcano chain called the Cordón de Puntas Negras at ~24°S (SPN field site). Paleo-ELAs were reconstructed utilizing a two-dimensional numerical model to simulate glaciers over a 90m digital elevation model of the upstream catchment. We find that four glacial stages were present at both field sites sampled. Glacial stabilizations from the El Tatio field site, once assumed Lateglacial in age are on the order of 10- 20 thousand years older than previously published. Tatio ages ranged from ~25 ka to as early as MIS 5. We also found that dated glacial stages from El Tatio and the Puntas Negras are not synchronous with lake highstands on the Altiplano, but projected ages of the younger glacial stages indicate both sites were glaciated during the Tauca phase. Regional comparison indicated the possibility of glacial occupation of the Tatio site into the Lateglacial during the Coipasa phase (12 ka) after rapid deglaciation of the SPN field site. Regional ELA comparisons supported the trend of moisture loss from the NE to SW portions of the climatic AD feature. ii iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank my advisor Dr. Dylan Ward for this opportunity, his patience, and for pushing me to accomplish things I once considered out of reach. I’d also like to thank my supportive committee Dr. Thomas Lowell and Dr. Aaron Diefendorf for their feedback, guidance, and encouragement. I would not have made it through this project without the help of my lab group, particularly Chris Sheehan and Jason Cesta for their help collecting and processing my samples, for which I also owe thanks to Sarah Hammer. I’d like to acknowledge Dr. Esteban Sagredo for his advice and help during our field season in Chile. For help, support, much-needed laughter, and friendship I thank my friends inside and outside the Department of Geology. Finally, I’d like to thank my family, particularly my husband Robert Naylor, for supporting me and encouraging me the whole way. This project was funded by a National Science Foundation award from Geomorphology & Land-use Dynamics (GLD) (EAR-1226611) to Dr. Dylan Ward. Additional funding was granted by the Geological Society of America and Association for Women Geoscientists. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………….i Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………….........................iv List of Figures....................................................................................……………………….........ix List of Tables....................................................................................………………………...........x List of Appendices....................................................................................……………..................xi 1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................1 2. Geologic Background..............................................................................................................4 3. Regional Climate......................................................................................................................6 4. Field Sites................................................................................................................................10 4.1. Site selection...............................................................................................................10 4.2. SPN site.......................................................................................................................10 4.3. Tatio site......................................................................................................................12 5. Literature Review..................................................................................................................14 5.1. Overview.....................................................................................................................14 5.2. Lake and salar basins..................................................................................................14 5.3. Hydrologic budget......................................................................................................16 5.4. Glacial history.............................................................................................................17 6. Methods...................................................................................................................................21 6.1. Cosmogenic surface exposure dating..........................................................................21 6.1.1. Production & scaling..................................................................................22 6.1.2. Limitations of surface exposure dating......................................................24 v 6.2. This study....................................................................................................................26 6.2.1. Sample locations........................................................................................28 6.2.2. Sampling methodology..............................................................................28 6.3. Bulk rock 36Cl sample preparation..............................................................................29 6.3.1. Physical preparation...................................................................................30 6.3.2. Chemical preparation.................................................................................30 6.3.3. Carrier/Isotope dilution..............................................................................31 6.3.4. Dissolution & procedural blank preparation..............................................31 6.3.5. Precipitation...............................................................................................32 6.3.6. Anion exchange chromatography..............................................................33 6.3.7. Final sample preparation............................................................................34 6.3.8. Target preparation for AMS measurement................................................34 6.4. TCN age calculation...................................................................................................35 6.5. Geomorphological mapping methods.........................................................................37 6.6. Numerical modeling methods.....................................................................................42 7. Results 7.1. El Tatio region mapping.............................................................................................43 7.1.1. Tatio site mapping.....................................................................................45 7.2. Puntas Negras region..................................................................................................48 7.2.1. SPN site mapping.......................................................................................50 7.3. Mapping interpretations..............................................................................................53 7.4. Cosmogenic results.....................................................................................................55 7.4.1. SPN ratios..................................................................................................55 7.4.2. Tatio ratios.................................................................................................57 vi 7.4.3. SPN apparent ages.....................................................................................57 7.4.4. Tatio apparent ages....................................................................................58 7.5. Apparent age interpretations: SPN & Tatio................................................................60 7.5.1. Scenario 1...................................................................................................63 7.5.1.a. SPN...............................................................................................63 7.5.1.b. Tatio..............................................................................................64 7.5.2. Scenario 2...................................................................................................65 7.5.2.a. SPN...............................................................................................65