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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-1997 Quaternary Bear River Paleohydrogeography Reconstructed from the 87Sr/86Sr Composition of Lacustrine Fossils David P. Bouchard Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Bouchard, David P., "Quaternary Bear River Paleohydrogeography Reconstructed from the 87Sr/86Sr Composition of Lacustrine Fossils" (1997). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 4424. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4424 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUATERNARY BEAR RIVER PALEOHYDROGEOGRAPHY RECONSTRUCfED FROM THE 87Sr/86Sr COMPOSITION OF LACUSTRINE FOSSILS by David P. Bouchard A thesis submitted in partial fulfi ll ment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Geology Approved: UTAH STATE UNNERSITY Logan, Utah 1997 ii Copyright © David P. Bouchard All Ri ghts Reserved iii ABS1RACT Quaternary Bear River Paleohydrogeography Reconstructed from the 87Sr/86Sr Composition of Lacustrine Fossils by David P. Bouchard, Master of Science Utah State Uni versity, 1997 Major Professor: Dr. Darrell S. Kaufman Department: Geology Diverted from its former course to the Pacific Ocean by basalt flows in Gem Valley, Idaho, the Bear River presently flows south into the Bonneville Basin . Constraining the timing of the river's diversion is pivotal to understanding the hydrologic budgets, tmd thus the climatological implications of the Bonneville Basin lakes. This study employs strontium (Sr) isotopes in mollusc fossi ls as a tracer of Bear River water tbat entered Lake Thatcher, a smal l, closed-basin lake into which the redirected river flowed en route to the Bonneville Basin. The Sr ratios, combined wi th the temporal control afforded by amino acid geochronology and tephrochronology, were compared to mixing models constructed from the 87Sr/ 6Sr composition of the modern rivers draining into the basin to simulate the Sr isotopic composition of Lake Thatcher. Strontium ratios of six fossil molluscs collected from the lower-most exposed section of the Main Canyon Formation (MCF) indicate that during the early Quaternary (>620 ka), Thatcher Basin was occupied by a locall y fed, isotopically-enriched (87Sr? Sr = 0. 7 1309) lake and did not receive input from the Bear River. Eleven fossi ls, collected from the uppermost exposed section of the MCF, indicate at least three course changes of the Bear Ri ver in the late Quaternary: diversion into the basin around 140 ka, diversion from the iv basin sometime between 140 and 100 ka, and finally diversion back into the basin around 50 ka . Hydrologic modeling of Thatcher Basin with and without the input of the Bear Ri ver suggests that water from both a Bear Ri ver-influenced or a locally fed lake is capable of filling the basin and causi ng it to spill over into the adjacent Bonneville Basi n. Thus, the Bonneville Basin may have been receiving water from either the Bear River, or the Thatcher Basin rivers, significantly earlier than the -30 ka previously proposed. Additional hyd rologic modeling in Thatcher Basin suggests that a two-fold reduction in the effective precipitation as compared to modern conditions would be required to lower a locally fed Lake Thatcher the-30m necessary to account for the paleosol exposed in the uppermost MCF. (92 pages) v ACK OWLEDGMENTS 1 would like to express my gratitude to the Eccles Foundation for their gracious fellowship, which not only allowed me the freedom to choose what I w~mted to study, but also provided me with some semblance of a real life. Thanks also goes out to Utah State University for funding Dr. Darrell Kaufman's 1995- 1996 Faculty Research Grant. The money from this grant greased the wheels, paying for everything from paper clips to airline tickets. I am also in debt to Dr. Jay Quade, whose strontium work in and around the Bonneville Basi n was the seed for this thesis. The time, direction, and resources he provided for the processing of the samples were crucial to the success of this project. Thanks to Drs. Pete Kolesar and Janis Boettinger, who smoothed out the rough spots and made up one hell of a committee. And of course, thanks to Dr. Darrell Kaufman, who took me under hi win g midway through grad school when all seemed lost. He did nothing less than turn my li fe around. Hi s professionalism, incredible breadth of knowledge, and friendship have been a constant inspiration and a reminder that it is possible to be a scientist and a human being at the same time. I owe you one, Darrell. Finally, I would Like to thank my wife, Tara, to whom I owe the biggest debt of gratitude. For the seven years of this academic odyssey, she has put up with my ecccmricities, vacillation, and perennial procrastination. She has toiled and sacrificed much for the greater good of our life together, perhaps more than any person should ever ask of another. Through it all, her constant and un selfish love has kept me centered and reminded me of what is really important in this life. I will never be able to pay back what she has given--the amount is simply too great. Dave Bouchard vi CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........ .......... .................. .. ... ..... .. .. .. .... .... ................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .. ...... ....... ..................... .... .. .. ............. .. ...... V LIST OF TABLES ........... ............ ... ................ .. ......... .... .. .. .. .... .. ....... .. vi ii LIST OF FIGURES .. ..... .... ....... .. ..... ................... .... ix CHAPTER I. lNTRODUCfiON ..... ................... ... ..... ........ ..... ............ ...... .. I Introduction .. .. I Background .. ..... ... ... ..... ....................................... .. ....... .3 Geology/Geography .. ........ ... ... ...... .. .... .. ... ... ...... .. ... .... 3 Previous Work.................... ........ .... .. .... .. ..... 7 New Evidence ... ... .. ..................... .. ....... ..... ......... ... .. .9 Reinterpretation of the Thatcher Basin Geochronology ......... I 0 2. AMINO ACID GEOCHRONOLOGY ..... .. ..... ...... .... .. ......... .. ..... 14 Concept. ........ ................ ... ....... ... ........................ ....... 14 Application in Lacustrine Environments ........ .... ....... ...... ... .... 15 3. STRONTIUM MODELING .... .... .. .. ... .. .. ... ...... .. ... ....... .. 17 Concept. .... ..... ............. ... ... .. ... .. ....... ... ... ....... .... ... ... 17 The Sr Isotopic Signature ............... .... ... .. .. ......... .. .......... .. 17 Hydrologic Budget. ..... ....... .. ... .. .................... ............ ..... 18 Sr in the Fossi l Record ......................... .. .... ................... 19 4. METHODS .................. .... ........ .... .. .... .. ......... .. ..... ... ......... 20 Sample Collection . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 Water... ... .. .... .. .......... .. .............................. 20 Fossil s .... ......... .. ....... .. .. ...... .... ............ .... ....... .. ... 20 Analytical Methods ...................... .. ....... ................... ....... 23 Amino Acid . ... 23 Strontium .. .. ..... ............ ........ ............................ .... 23 5. RIVER CHARACfERIZATION AND THE GREAT SALT LAKE 87Sr/ll<iSr MODEL ..... ..................... ..................... 26 vi i Concept. .. ..... .. ........... ........... ... .. .. ....... .... ................... 26 River Characterization ........ ... ............................. ......... .. 27 Sampling Design .. ................................................... 27 Downstream Changes in Strontium Composition of Rivers ........................................................ .. .... 28 The GSL Model ...... .... ... ..... ... ..... ... 30 6. STRONTIUM ISOTOPIC RECONSTRUCTION OF LAKE THATCHER ...... .. ........................................ ....... 34 Concept. ..... ............. ..... ............... .. ... .. ...... .............. .. .. 34 Modem Water Sr Characterization . .. .. .... ......... ................... 35 Sr Measurements ... .... .......... .................................... 35 Other Parameters .... .............. .. .. .. .. ........................... 39 Lake Thatcher Sr Budget Models ......................... ............. .. 40 Sr Isotopic Composition of Fossi ls from Thatcher Basin ......... .... 41 Model/Fossil Comparisons ................ ... ......... .. .. ..... .... ...... 46 Discussion ............................ ................ ......... .. ..... .. .... 47 Lower Mai n Canyon Formation ..... .... .................. ... ..... 47 Upper Main Canyon Formation . .. .. .. .. .. 50 7. QUATERNARY BEAR RlVER-BONNEVlLLEBASIN HISTORY ................................. .. .. ...... .. ................... 51 Revised Thatcher Basin Geochronology .... .. ..................... ... 5 1 Early Quaternary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 54 Late Quaternary ... ....... ............... .................................... 56 Lake Thatcher I . .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ....................... 56 Early Lake Thatcher I ............................................. ... 60 Correlation of Gem Valley Volcanics ......... ........ ...... ..... .. 6 1 Significance of the Paleosol in the UMCF