DOCSLIB.ORG

Dust and Pleistocene Ice Ages: Eolian Sediments and Climate Change at Ziegler Reservoir, Snowmass Village, Colorado

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dust and Pleistocene Ice Ages: Eolian Sediments and Climate Change at Ziegler Reservoir, Snowmass Village, Colorado University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 6-1-2014 Dust and Pleistocene Ice Ages: Eolian Sediments and Climate Change at Ziegler Reservoir, Snowmass Village, Colorado Jeffrey S. Honke University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Climate Commons, and the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Honke, Jeffrey S., "Dust and Pleistocene Ice Ages: Eolian Sediments and Climate Change at Ziegler Reservoir, Snowmass Village, Colorado" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 293. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/293 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. DUST AND PLEISTOCENE ICE AGES: EOLIAN SEDIMENTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE AT ZIEGLER RESERVOIR, SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLORADO __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts __________ by Jeffrey S. Honke June 2014 Advisor: Dr. J. Michael Daniels ©Copyright by Jeffrey S. Honke 2014 All Rights Reserved Author: Jeffrey S. Honke Title: DUST AND PLEISTOCENE ICE AGES: EOLIAN SEDIMENTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE AT ZIEGLER RESERVOIR, SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLORADO Advisor: Dr. J. Michael Daniels Degree Date: June 2014 Abstract The discovery of the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village, Colorado presents an opportunity to examine subalpine ecosystem response, during a relatively unknown period, in which climate conditions were similar to present. Fine- grained sediments at Ziegler Reservoir represent continuous deposition between ~140–55 ka (thousand years before present), spanning the close of the Bull Lake glacial period [marine isotope stage (MIS) 6], the Sangamon interglacial (MIS 5) and the early stages of the Pinedale (early Wisconsin) glacial period (MIS 4). Ziegler Reservoir is positioned on top of a ridge, at an elevation of 2705 m, and has a small watershed area (~14 ha), with little evidence of fluvial sediment transport. Particle size distributions, mineralogy, and geochemistry indicate eolian processes were the likely mechanism for deposition of the local, silt-rich and clay-rich sediments that ultimately filled the basin. The presence of clay-rich units (up to three-times more clay than background), is interpreted to represent glacial conditions at two distinct intervals: 1) ~140–134 ka (MIS 6) and 2) ~71–55 ka (MIS 4/3), which correspond to late Bull Lake and early Pinedale glacial periods, respectively. In addition, the absence of clay-rich sediment in the intervening sediments suggests a lack of glacial activity during sub-stages MIS 5d and 5b. In all, the Ziegler Reservoir sedimentary record provides critical information regarding environmental response of high-alpine ecosystems to climate change in the Rocky Mountains during the late Pleistocene. ii Acknowledgements A special thanks to Ansel and Evan Honke for their inspiration. I would also like to thank; Ronna Bowers, Harland Goldstein, Gary Skipp and Kenzie Turner for their assistance with drilling operations and laboratory procedures. I would also like to recognize Jeremy Havens for his assistance with layout. A thanks to fellow graduate students for their assistance in sample collections and thesis development; Nikolai Alvarado, Becky Brice, Sylvia Brady, Alicia Green, Taylor Hafley, Greg Kwoka, Sarah McCall, and Paul Quigley. A special thanks to my advisors; Jeff Pigati (USGS) and Mike Daniels (DU), for their patience and guidance. This study would not have been possible without the support of the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Colorado, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Support for field investigations was also graciously provided through the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies. iii Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 The Snowmastodon Project ........................................................................ 2 1.2 Purpose of study and thesis questions ......................................................... 7 Chapter Two: Related Literature ...................................................................................... 10 Chapter Three: Study Area ............................................................................................... 15 3.1 Physiography............................................................................................. 15 3.2 Geologic setting ........................................................................................ 15 3.3 Glacial history ........................................................................................... 17 3.4 Current climate and vegetation ................................................................. 19 3.5 Hydrology ................................................................................................. 20 3.6 Stratigraphy ............................................................................................... 21 3.7 Chronology ............................................................................................... 23 Chapter Four: Methods ..................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Field collection.......................................................................................... 29 4.1.1 Ziegler Reservoir bulk samples ..................................................... 29 4.1.2 Ziegler Reservoir core samples ..................................................... 29 4.1.3 Impounding moraine samples ....................................................... 30 4.1.4 Modern dust samples ..................................................................... 30 4.1.5 Dust on Snow sample .................................................................... 33 4.1.6 Mancos Shale samples .................................................................. 38 4.1.7 Provenance samples ...................................................................... 38 4.2 Laboratory methods .................................................................................. 39 4.2.1 Particle size analysis...................................................................... 39 4.2.2 Grain size separations.................................................................... 40 4.2.3 Mineralogy .................................................................................... 41 4.2.4 Geochemistry ................................................................................ 42 Chapter Five: Results ........................................................................................................ 45 5.1 Particle size analysis ................................................................................. 45 5.2 Mineralogy ................................................................................................ 48 5.3 Geochemistry ............................................................................................ 52 iv Chapter Six: Discussion .................................................................................................... 55 6.1 Evidence of eolian transport ..................................................................... 55 6.1.1 Watershed and moraine morphology ............................................ 55 6.1.2 Particle size data ............................................................................ 56 6.2 Evidence of Provenance ............................................................................ 58 6.2.1 Mineralogical data ......................................................................... 61 6.2.3 Rare earth elements ....................................................................... 67 6.3 Evidence of climate change in the Ziegler Reservoir sediments .............. 68 6.3.1 Ziegler Reservoir sediments and Marine Isotope Stages .............. 68 6.3.2 Sedimentation zones and climatic interpretations ......................... 71 Chapter Seven: Conclusions ............................................................................................. 77 References ....................................................................................................................... 80 Appendicies Appendix A Sample collection data ............................................................ 87 Appendix B Particle size data ..................................................................... 91 Appendix C Silt mineralogy data ................................................................ 92 Appendix D INAA data .............................................................................. 96 v List of Figures Figure 1: Ziegler Reservoir study area .......................................................................3 Figure 2: Aerial photograph of excavation site and Locality 43 photo .....................6 Figure 3: Bull Lake glacial extent in Snowmass Creek Valley .................................18 Figure 4: Generalized cross section of Ziegler Reservoir ..........................................22 Figure 5: Composite fine-grain stratigraphy .............................................................24
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 71St Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, USA November 2 – 5, 2011 SESSION CONCURRENT SESSION CONCURRENT
    ISSN 1937-2809 online Journal of Supplement to the November 2011 Vertebrate Paleontology Vertebrate Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Society of Vertebrate 71st Annual Meeting Paleontology Society of Vertebrate Las Vegas Paris Nevada, USA Las Vegas, November 2 – 5, 2011 Program and Abstracts Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM POSTER SESSION/ CONCURRENT CONCURRENT SESSION EXHIBITS SESSION COMMITTEE MEETING ROOMS AUCTION EVENT REGISTRATION, CONCURRENT MERCHANDISE SESSION LOUNGE, EDUCATION & OUTREACH SPEAKER READY COMMITTEE MEETING POSTER SESSION ROOM ROOM SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL LAS VEGAS, NV, USA NOVEMBER 2–5, 2011 HOST COMMITTEE Stephen Rowland, Co-Chair; Aubrey Bonde, Co-Chair; Joshua Bonde; David Elliott; Lee Hall; Jerry Harris; Andrew Milner; Eric Roberts EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Philip Currie, President; Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Past President; Catherine Forster, Vice President; Christopher Bell, Secretary; Ted Vlamis, Treasurer; Julia Clarke, Member at Large; Kristina Curry Rogers, Member at Large; Lars Werdelin, Member at Large SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Roger B.J. Benson, Richard J. Butler, Nadia B. Fröbisch, Hans C.E. Larsson, Mark A. Loewen, Philip D. Mannion, Jim I. Mead, Eric M. Roberts, Scott D. Sampson, Eric D. Scott, Kathleen Springer PROGRAM COMMITTEE Jonathan Bloch, Co-Chair; Anjali Goswami, Co-Chair; Jason Anderson; Paul Barrett; Brian Beatty; Kerin Claeson; Kristina Curry Rogers; Ted Daeschler; David Evans; David Fox; Nadia B. Fröbisch; Christian Kammerer; Johannes Müller; Emily Rayfield; William Sanders; Bruce Shockey; Mary Silcox; Michelle Stocker; Rebecca Terry November 2011—PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS 1 Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, The Host Committee cordially welcomes you to the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Las Vegas.
    [Show full text]
  • And Type the TITLE of YOUR WORK in All Caps
    A QUANTITATIVE MIDGE-BASED RECONSTRUCTION OF THERMAL CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL COLORADO DURING MARINE ISOTOPE STAGE 5 by DANIELLE RENEE HASKETT (Under the Direction of David Porinchu) ABSTRACT Subfossil chironomid analysis was used to establish the efficacy of adding chironomid assemblages from Colorado to the Great Basin (GB) midge calibration set. The most robust inference model was developed using a 2-component weighted averaging-partial least squares and the calibration set was incorporated into the GB training set. It was used to develop a midge- based mean July air temperature (MJAT) inference model with a robust jack-knifed r2 (0.61) and root mean square error of prediction (0.97°C). This inference model was applied to a midge stratigraphy and enabled the development of a quantitative reconstruction of MJAT from ~70 – 140 ka for the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village, Colorado. Reconstructed temperatures ranged from 8.9 – 13.2°C. The transition from MIS 6 to MIS 5e was characterized by an increase in the MJAT of ~1.5°C (9.0-10.5°C). MIS 5 exhibited increasing midge-inferred MJAT, culminating in a MJAT of 13.2°C during MIS 5a. INDEX WORDS: Chironomid, midge, inference model, calibration set, Ziegler Reservoir Fossil Site, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, Sangamon Interglacial A QUANTITATIVE MIDGE-BASED RECONSTRUCTION OF THERMAL CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL COLORADO DURING MARINE ISOTOPE STAGE 5 by DANIELLE RENEE HASKETT B.S., The University of Georgia, 2004 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2013 © 2013 Danielle Renee Haskett All Rights Reserved A QUANTITATIVE MIDGE-BASED RECONSTRUCTION OF THERMAL CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL COLORADO DURING MARINE ISOTOPE STAGE 5 by DANIELLE RENEE HASKETT Major Professor: David F.
    [Show full text]
  • FOSSIL Project Newsletter Spring 2017
    News from the FOSSIL Project Vol. 4, Issue 1, Spring 2017 [email protected] www.myfossil.org @projectfossil The FossilProject Inside this issue: FOSSIL PROJECT UPDATES SPRING 2017 Featured Professional: by Eleanor Gardner James R. Thomka Personnel Updates Amateur Spotlight: We are proud to announce that Linda McCall, president Malcolm W. Bedell, Jr. of the North Carolina Fossil Club, has joined the FOSSIL Project’s steering committee. She will serve on the committee Featured Organization: through December 2017 and help to keep amateur interests Georgia Paleontological represented as the FOSSIL Project enters its final 1.5 years of Association funding. After her term is up, Linda will aid us in identifying another representative to serve on the committee. Linda has Horse Teeth and California already provided many excellent ideas and feedback, and we Crocs appreciate her continued commitment to the Project and the myFOSSIL community. Megalodon Tooth Deformities Linda McCall News from the Paleontological Society Dealing with a Fossil Estate As a member of the Paleontological Society Executive Committee, Bruce can report that we now have more than 50 members who have opted for the new amateur New Characters in Big Horn member category. The PS is very excited about this response so far, and we look Basin Paleontology forward to a continuing increase in representation from amateurs. We hope that the benefits of the PS will make membership attractive and also result in a continued California’s State Dino positive and supportive spirit of working together to advance the study of fossils and paleontology. DPS Releases “Guide to Fossil Collecting” Every year the PS receives nominations for the Strimple Award given to an amateur who has made sustained contributions to paleontology.
    [Show full text]
  • Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison Latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences Fabian Ceron Hardy University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected]
    UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 8-1-2015 Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences Fabian Ceron Hardy University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons, Geology Commons, Paleobiology Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Repository Citation Hardy, Fabian Ceron, "Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences" (2015). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2478. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/2478 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Scholarship@UNLV. It has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences By Fabian Cerón Hardy Bachelor of Science in Geology University of Nevada Las Vegas 2012 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science – Geoscience Department of Geoscience College of Sciences Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 2015 Copyright by Fabian Cerón Hardy 2015 All Rights Reserved Thesis Approval The Graduate College The University of Nevada, Las Vegas June 22, 2015 This thesis prepared by Fabian Cerón Hardy entitled Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science – Geoscience Department of Geosciences Stephen M. Rowland Ph.D. Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Graduate College Interim Dean Matthew S.
    [Show full text]
  • CONTRIBUTIONS in NEW WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY Volume 15
    CONTRIBUTIONS IN NEW WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY Volume 15 Contributions in New World Archaeology (ISSN 2080-8216) is a semi-annual journal dealing with various aspects of North and South American archaeology, anthropology and ethnohistory. Its main aim is to publish results of archaeological excavations and surveys conducted in various parts of the New World as well as to present papers devoted to the studies of collections of archaeological artefacts discovered in either American continent. Moreover, the journal addresses such subjects as theory, methodology and practice in New World archaeology. www.cnwajournal.org E-mail: [email protected] EDITORIAL OFFICE: EDITORS: Department of New World Archaeology Janusz Krzysztof Kozłowski Institute of Archaeology Jarosław Źrałka Jagiellonian University Radosław Palonka Golebia 11 Street Michał Wasilewski 31-007 Krakow Poland Telephone: +48 126631595 EDITORIAL BOARD: Robert H. Brunswig Department of Anthropology, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, USA Víctor González Fernandez Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia Christophe Helmke Institute of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Michał Kobusiewicz Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poznań Branch), Poland Krzysztof Makowski Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru Aleksander Posern-Zieliński Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland Mariusz S. Ziółkowski Centre for Precolumbian
    [Show full text]
  • Snowmastodon: Excavating the Dig of the Century
    Excavating the dig of the century How a bulldozer operator uncovered one of the world’s biggest troves of mastodons, mammoths and other ice-age giants in Snowmass Village. story by MATT MASICH photographs by RICK WICKER A team from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science watches an excavator pull a mastodon pelvis, encased in plaster, from the prehistoric lakebed of Ziegler Reservoir. 64 • COLORADO LIFE • MONTH/MONTH 2016 SNOWMASTODON • 65 ESSE STEELE WAS born to drive a bulldozer. His father Kent Olson. “There’s something going on.” Steele and Olson and grandfather drove bulldozers on the Western Slope, found giant ribs, vertebrae, a partial jawbone and part of a tusk. Jand he started working with heavy equipment not long After a little internet research, they realized Steele had dozed up after he learned to walk. He has seen just about everything the skeleton of a mammoth. The local agency in charge of Ziegler there is to see from the cabs of these big machines. Reservoir decided to call in the fossil experts. While Steele has unearthed some unusual things, including a few dinosaur bones while excavating near THE PHONES WERE ringing off the hook the next day at the Rangely, his work mostly consists of moving dirt Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The museum staff was from one place to another. That was all he expected grateful to get the call, as construction workers all too often keep to do when he arrived at the Ziegler Reservoir quiet about fossils to avoid delays. Museum scientists visited jobsite on a ridge above Snowmass Village in Snowmass Village for a press conference the next week and found fall 2010, where he and a crew from Gould that the entire Roaring Fork Valley seemed to have caught mam- Construction were to deepen a drained lake moth fever, with thousands of people lining up to see the bones at to create a new reservoir for the ski town.
    [Show full text]
  • Colorado Scientific Society R I E O
    Newsletter of the Society February 2011 C I E N T I F S I C O S D O A C Colorado Scientific Society R I E O T L Y O C The objective of the Society is to promote the knowledge and understanding of Earth science, F and its application to human needs O U 8 2 N D E D 1 8 The Snowmastodon Site: Discovery, Science, and Initial Results by Dr. Jeff Pigati, USGS Denver, and Dr. Kirk Johnson, Denver Museum of Nature and Science Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Colorado School of Mines—Dept. of Geology and Geological Sciences Berthoud Hall, Room 241, Golden, Colorado Social half-hour – 6:30 p.m. Meeting time – 7:00 p.m. 1 February Talk Abstract The Snowmastodon Site: Discovery, Science, and Initial Results by Dr. Jeff Pigati, USGS Denver, and Dr. Kirk Johnson, Denver Museum of Nature and Science In October 2010, construction crews working to expand the capacity of a reservoir near Snowmass Village, Colorado unearthed several bones of a juvenile Columbian mammoth. The discovery set off a frenzy of excava- tion and scientific efforts in which members of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) recovered more than 600 bones comprising parts of up to ten American mastodons, four Columbian mammoths, four ice age bison, two deer, a Jefferson’s ground sloth (the first recorded in Colorado), and several tiger salamanders. In addition to the vertebrate fossils, the site is host to exceptionally well-preserved plant, insect and aquatic inverte- brate fossils - beetle parts are iridescent, plants are still green, and conifer cones are intact.
    [Show full text]
  • Dna Preservation Under Extreme Conditions
    The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Eberly College of Science DNA PRESERVATION UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS A Dissertation in Biology and Astrobiology by Kristine Korzow Richter © 2014 Kristine Korzow Richter Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2014 The dissertation of Kristine Korzow Richter was reviewed and approved* by the following: Beth Shapiro Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Santa Cruz Dissertation Co-Adviser Jennifer L. Macalady Associate Professor of Geosciences Dissertation Co-Adviser, Co-Chair of Committee James H. Marden Professor of Biology Co-Chair of Committee Stephen W. Schaeffer Professor of Biology Christopher House Professor of Geosciences, Director PSARC, Director PA Space Grant Consortium Douglas R. Cavener Professor of Biology Head of Department of Biology *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School ii Abstract Over the past thirty years the field of ancient DNA (aDNA) has expanded from looking at short DNA sequences from historic animals in museums to reconstructing entire genomes of extinct organisms. The preservation conditions of DNA in bone are well researched; however, ancient DNA is found in more places than in bone. The research herein discusses several of these other environments: microbial DNA from cells in the deep subsurface, microbial DNA trapped in salt crystals, and DNA transferred to objects during use. In addition, extreme conditions of preservation in bones are briefly addressed. Possible recovery of DNA biomarkers of a 34.5 million year old hydrothermal system indicates that ancient environments may leave traces for millennia in microbial communities. Discovery of Native American DNA preserved in moccasins and cordage for 700 years leads to a potentially large source of information on the genetic composition of ancient populations.
    [Show full text]
  • CURRICULUM VITAE (Maximum 4 Pages)
    CURRICULUM VITAE (maximum 4 pages) Parte A. DATOS PERSONALES Fecha CV 10/11/2020 Nombre y apellidos Juan Carlos Braga Alarcón DNI/NIE/pasaporte Edad Researcher ID K-3786-2017 Núm. identificación del investigador Código Orcid 0000-0002-2657-0584 A.1. Situación profesional actual Organismo Universidad de Granada Dpto./Centro Estratigrafía y Paleontología Dirección Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva Teléfono 958 242728 Correo electrónico [email protected] Categoría profesional Catedrático de Universidad Fecha inicio 09/06/1994 Espec. cód. UNESCO 2416, 250618 Palabras clave Algas calcáreas, arrecifes fósiles, sedimentología de carbonatos A.2. Formación académica (título, institución, fecha) Licenciatura/Grado/Doctorado Universidad Año Licenciado en Ciencias Geológicas Universidad de Granada 1977 Doctor en Ciencias Geológicas Universidad de Granada 1982 A.3. Artículos JCR (Main Collection WoS): 156; artículos en Q1 journals (2019 rankings): 101; h Index: 42, citas totales: 5230; media anual citas (últimos 5 años): 390, Tesis doctorales (últimos 5 años) defendidas: 1; en realización: 3. Part B. CV SUMMARY (max. 3500 characters, including spaces) Me interesa la paleontología de las algas calcáreas y otros organismos bentónicos marinos constructores de arrecifes y productores de carbonato. Además de reconstruir la historia evolutiva de las algas rojas calcáreas, mi objetivo es utilizar los fósiles de estos organismos para comprender: 1) ambientes sedimentarios del pasado, 2) cambios en la geografía causados por elevaciones o hundimientos del terreno, 3) cambios en el clima, 4) variaciones en el nivel del mar y en otras condiciones oceanográficas. Para ello, trabajo en la taxonomía, paleoecología y la historia evolutiva de las algas rojas calcáreas, especialmente de las algas coralinas.
    [Show full text]
  • Ian Miller CV
    CV 1 IAN M. MILLER Director of the Earth and Space Sciences Chair of the Earth Sciences Department Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science Contact Information: Department of Earth Sciences office: (303) 370-8351 Denver Museum of Nature & Science email: [email protected] Education: Postdoctoral Fellow 2006-2008, Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Advisor: Kirk R. Johnson. PhD, May 2007. Yale University, New Haven, CT. Geology and Geophysics. Advisors: Leo J. Hickey and Mark T. Brandon. Dissertation Title: The Taxonomy, Paleoecology and Paleolatitude of the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Winthrop Formation Flora, Washington State, USA. 1156 p. Masters of Philosophy, 2003, Yale University, New Haven CT. Geology and Geophysics. B.A. with honors in Geology, 1999, The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO. Principle Research Interests: (1) Evolutionary history and ecology of Late Cretaceous plants; (2) recovery of North American forests following the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction ;(3) paleobotanical proxies for and statistical analysis of paleoclimate, paleolatitude, and paleoelevation; (4) the tectonic evolution of the Western Cordillera of North America. Complementary methodological research seeks to (a) improve reliability and accuracy of paleoclimate proxies based on leaf physiognomy through analysis of living floras; (b) refine existing paleobotanical techniques for estimating paleolatitude and paleoelevation; and (c) standardize and advance digitization of fossil floras. Professional Experience: 2012–present Director, Earth
    [Show full text]
  • Paleontological Technical Report: Cdot Project Sta 050A-022, Us Highway 50 Purcell to Wills, Pueblo County, Colorado
    PALEONTOLOGICAL TECHNICAL REPORT: CDOT PROJECT STA 050A-022, US HIGHWAY 50 PURCELL TO WILLS, PUEBLO COUNTY, COLORADO Prepared for: Dr. Christian J. Zier, Director Centennial Archaeology, Inc. 300 E Boardwalk, Bldg. 4-C Fort Collins, CO 80525 Prepared by: Paul C. Murphey, Ph.D. 4614 Lonespur Ct. Oceanside, CA 92056 760-758-4019, 303-514-1095 Prepared under State of Colorado Paleontological Permit 2013-69 September 8, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 4 2.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Definition and Importance of Paleontological Resources ................................................... 5 3.0 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 7 4.0 LAWS, ORDINANCES, REGULATIONS, AND STANDARDS ......................................... 8 4.1 Federal.................................................................................................................................. 8 4.2 State...................................................................................................................................... 9 4.3 County ................................................................................................................................ 10 4.4 City ....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Germans from Russia German-Russian Family Near Greeley Helped Work in the Sugar Beet Fields
    The hidden history of Colorado’s by MATT MASICH Even the toddlers in this large Germans from Russia German-Russian family near Greeley helped work in the sugar beet fields. Although Sugar Beets, Krautburgers and Dutch Hops ethnically German, their peo- ple lived on the Volga River in Russia for several generations before coming to Colorado. 40 • COLORADO LIFE • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 GERMANS FROM RUSSIA • 41 Greeley beet farmer Carl Meyer shows off his 1960 harvest. Catherine the Great invited Germans to Russia. A monument German-Russian, their history and culture is deeply embedded in to the successful HEREVER YOU SEE an old sugar the way of life of the northern Front Range and northeast Plains. German-Russian Krautburgers are just the tip of the iceberg. Luft family stands factory in northeast Colorado, you outside their former W FROM GERMANY TO RUSSIA TO COLORADO home in Sterling. can probably find a krautburger nearby. This A little more than a century ago, northeast Colorado was in the midst of an economic boom thanks to white gold – sugar. Farmers favorite local lunch is part of the cultural grew sugar beets in fields throughout the region, raking in millions of dollars when local sugar factories turned the beets into pure, white legacy of the Germans from Russia, the sugar. The sugar boom couldn’t have happened without workers willing to work long, hard hours in the beet fields, and the original people whose work in the sugar beet fields migrant laborers who met this need were the Germans from Russia. Germans are from Germany, and Russians are from Russia.
    [Show full text]