10Be Analysis of Amalgamated Talus Pebbles to Investigate Alpine Erosion, Garnet Canyon, Teton Range, Wyoming GEOSPHERE; V
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Research Paper THEMED ISSUE: Cenozoic Tectonics, Magmatism, and Stratigraphy of the Snake River Plain–Yellowstone Region and Adjacent Areas GEOSPHERE 10Be analysis of amalgamated talus pebbles to investigate alpine erosion, Garnet Canyon, Teton Range, Wyoming GEOSPHERE; v. 13, no. 1 Lisa M. Tranel and Meredith L. Strow Department of Geography-Geology, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4400, Normal, Illinois 61790-4400, USA doi:10.1130/GES01297.1 8 figures; 2 tables ABSTRACT ments (Dussauge et al., 2003; Strunden et al., 2015). Hillslope erosion via rock- fall occurs rapidly after glacial retreat (Arsenault and Meigs, 2005; Meigs et al., CORRESPONDENCE: ltranel@ ilstu .edu Glaciers and subsequent mass wasting events create impressive mountain 2006; Sanders and Ostermann, 2011) because glaciation deeply scours canyons landscapes; however, the ruggedness that defines these beautiful landscapes to create steep valley walls (Hallet et al., 1996; Alley et al., 2003; Brockle hurst 10 CITATION: Tranel, L.M., and Strow, M.L., 2017, Be also makes it challenging to monitor erosion in the field. The result is that spa and Whipple, 2004; Foster et al., 2008). Low gradients of overdeepened valley analysis of amalgamated talus pebbles to investigate alpine erosion, Garnet Canyon, Teton Range, Wyo tial patterns and rates of erosion in alpine landscapes are understudied. Field floors reduce the efficiency of fluvial excavation; therefore, rockfall sediments ming: Geosphere, v. 13, no. 1, p. 36–48, doi:10 .1130 locations are steep and remote and hillslope processes, including rockfalls, accumulate to form talus fans that subsequently influence stream systems /GES01297.1. avalanches, and landslides, are stochastic and difficult to measure directly. (MacGregor et al., 2000; Dühnforth et al., 2008). If we can define spatial patterns This study uses talus fan sediments to deepen our understanding of individ of hillslope erosion and quantify when talus sediments were deposited, we can Received 23 November 2015 ual fan deposition and catchment averaged erosion processes in the alpine use talus deposits to investigate climate variability, individual tectonic events, Revision received 9 August 2016 Accepted 11 October 2016 setting of Garnet Canyon in the Teton Range, Wyoming, USA. We measured and connections between rock properties and erosion rates. Published online 10 November 2016 cosmogenic 10Be concentrations from bedrock and talus deposits to compare To date, talus fan volumes and glacial maximum ages are used to quantify them to volumetric estimates of erosion rates, lichen growth, and surface hillslope erosion rates to understand the role of mass wasting in mountain weathering on talus surfaces. Amalgamated pebbles from the talus depos landscape evolution (Olyphant, 1983; Sass and Wollny, 2001; Moore et al., its contained lower 10Be concentrations than any bedrock surfaces or stream 2009; O’Farrell et al., 2009; Tranel et al., 2015). In these estimates, the total sediments. The young talus surface exposure ages are all younger than 11 ka, volume of material accumulated on a valley floor is assumed to be derived reflecting the importance of continued rockfall activity long after glacial re from adjacent valley walls (Olyphant, 1983; Moore et al., 2009). Volume esti- treat. Only one talus fan corresponded to known seismic events. Talus depos mates require projecting the wall surface below the fan deposit unless subsur- its contribute sediments to stream systems; 10Be concentrations were lower in face images or intensive laser acquired wall images are obtained (Sass and amalgamated talus pebbles than in amalgamated stream sands. Lichen cover, Wollny, 2001; Stock et al., 2011; Strunden et al., 2015). Additional uncertainty volumetric estimates of erosion rates, and 10Be concentrations showed similar associated with evaluating rockfall extent and rates is due to the lack of detail spatial trends reflecting the migration of active rockfalls to higher elevations in the timing between events. The timing and size of rockfall events are often and validating the applicability of 10Be concentrations to quantify talus surface only recorded if they are directly observed or cause damage to anthropogenic ages. Distinct 10Be concentrations on various surfaces within Garnet Canyon structures. Repeat aerial imagery, laser scanning, or lichenometric dating indicate that future work with amalgamated samples from talus deposits can are methods used to determine the timing of mass movements; however, contribute to investigations about landscape evolution in alpine landscapes. environmental conditions, access to equipment, or data images may limit widespread use (Jomelli, 2013). Cosmogenic radionuclide analyses on amal- gamated gravels or sands are increasingly used to constrain fluvial catch- INTRODUCTION ment averaged erosion rates (Anderson et al., 1996; Bierman and Steig, 1996; Granger et al., 1996, 2001; Cockburn et al., 2000; Balco et al., 2008; Portenga Mass movements in mountain environments shape hillslope topography and Bierman, 2011). Amalgamated sediments or pebble samples allow a and influence sediment flux in glacial and fluvial systems (Burbank et al., 1996; single sample to represent complex surfaces or events (Muzikar, 2009). Fewer Hales and Roering, 2009; Straumann and Korup, 2009; Stock and Uhrhammer, studies have also used amalgamated samples to study the timing of alluvial 2010; Ward and Anderson, 2011). The stochastic nature of mass movements, fan deposition in arid environments and valley wall retreat in glacial valleys however, makes quantifying erosion rates in remote high-altitude regions dif- (Repka et al., 1997; Heimsath and McGlynn, 2008; Ward and Anderson, 2011; ficult and introduces uncertainties in measurement techniques (Heimsath and Ivy-Ochs et al., 2013). For permission to copy, contact Copyright McGlynn, 2008). Observed rockfalls typically range from a few small blocks In this work we used cosmogenic in situ 10Be concentrations to study talus Permissions, GSA, or [email protected]. (<1 m) to large volumes of millions of cubic meters in various mountain environ- accumulation, the influence of rockfalls on alpine landscapes, and the applica- © 2016 Geological Society of America GEOSPHERE | Volume 13 | Number 1 Tranel and Strow | 10Be analysis of amalgamated talus pebbles Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-pdf/13/1/36/1000744/36.pdf 36 by guest on 30 September 2021 Research Paper bility of amalgamating pebbles to date talus surfaces. We assess ridge bedrock N 120°W 100°W 80°W and talus surface 10Be concentrations and compare them to talus volume ero- 50° A sion rates (by Tranel et al., 2015), lichen cover, and weathering on pebble sur- faces. Then, we consider how well various talus observations help us under- stand the evolution of Garnet Canyon, an alpine catchment in the Teton Range, N after glacial retreat. We use 10Be concentrations to evaluate relative age differ- 40° ences between bedrock surfaces and sediment deposits, spatial patterns of erosion, and relationships between concentrations previously studied erosion N rates and geologic events in the Teton Range (Wyoming, USA). 30° GEOLOGIC SETTING AND PREVIOUS WORK The Teton Range is located in northwestern Wyoming, south of the Yellow- stone volcanic high (Fig. 1). The collection and observation sites for this study were located in and around Garnet Canyon (Fig. 2), an east-draining water- B Yellowstone Lake shed adjacent to the central highest peak, the Grand Teton (elevation 4198 m). The bedrock in Garnet Canyon and neighboring Cascade Canyon to the north consists of Archean Webb Canyon Gneiss and Mount Owen Quartz Monzonite (Love et al., 1992; Zartman and Reed, 1998). Paleozoic strata unconformably overlie the Archean igneous and metamorphic rocks (Love et al., 1992). Figure 1. (A) Area of the Teton Exhumation of the Teton Range began with development of thrust sheets Range in northwest Wyo during the Sevier-Laramide orogeny (Love, 1973; Craddock et al., 1988; Lage- ming. (B) Aerial view of the study area. Gray line east son, 1992) and continued with Basin and Range extension and development of of the range represents the the Teton normal fault 11–9 Ma (Smith et al., 1993; Roberts and Burbank, 1993; Teton fault system. National Brown, 2010). Brown (2010) also completed three-dimensional volumetric esti- Agriculture Imagery Program mates of bedrock removed above the Paleozoic unconformity and calculated an aerial image is provided cour tesy of Grand Teton National exhumation rate of 0.18 mm/yr if uplift began ca. 10 Ma. Ongoing offset along Park. the Teton fault created scarps in Pinedale-age moraines, preserving evidence of displacement in the past 13 k.y.; the most recent displacement occurred be- tween 8 and 4.8 ka (Smith et al., 1993; Byrd, 1995; Thackray and Staley, 2014). Intense glaciation during the Pleistocene carved a rugged landscape out of Jackson Lake the west-dipping uplifted fault block. Glaciers incised steep U-shaped canyons, created low-relief steps in the longitudinal canyon profiles, and deposited mo- raines extending into Jackson Hole to the east (Pierce and Good, 1992; Foster Moran, WY et al., 2010; Tranel et al., 2011). Glaciers most recently extended into Jackson Hole ca. 14 ka, and retreated by ca. 11.5 ka (Licciardi and Pierce, 2008; Larsen Jenny Lake et al., 2016). Several small glaciers remain at high elevation in the Teton Range. Bradley Lake Garnet Licciardi and Pierce (2008) dated boulders