University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2012 Magnetic records from latest Triassic to earliest Jurassic red beds, Utah and Arizona, and from mid- Pleistocene lake beds, New Mexico Linda Lee Donohoo Hurley Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds Recommended Citation Hurley, Linda Lee Donohoo. "Magnetic records from latest Triassic to earliest Jurassic red beds, Utah and Arizona, and from mid- Pleistocene lake beds, New Mexico." (2012). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds/38 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Linda L. Donohoo-Hurley Candidate Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Department This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Dr. John W. Geissman , Chairperson Dr. Peter J. Fawcett Dr. Mousumi Roy Dr. Tim F. Wawrzyniec Dr. Spencer G. Lucas Dr. Fraser Goff i MAGNETIC RECORDS FROM LATEST TRIASSIC TO EARLIEST JURASSIC RED BEDS, UTAH AND ARIZONA, AND FROM MID-PLEISTOCENE LAKE BEDS, NEW MEXICO by LINDA L. DONOHOO-HURLEY B.A., Geology, Occidental College, 2000 M.S., Western Washington University, 2004 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Earth and Planetary Sciences The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico December, 2011 ii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my daughter, Kaleigh, husband John, brother Al and mother Juana. I hope this work serves to inspire Kaleigh to achieve the goals she sets in life. John’s support and encouragement have been invaluable through this process. Al and Juana created a foundation to guide and nurture my curiosity. ! """! Acknowledgments It is not possible to express my gratitude to all the people who have helped me personally and professionally during my time at the University of New Mexico. In this section I would like to honor the people most responsible for the success of my dissertation. First I would like to thank Dr. John W. Geissman, my advisor and dissertation chair, for all the guidance he has given me. His advice has made me a better scientist. I thank Dr. Peter J. Fawcett for introducing me to Matlab, Dr. Mousumi Roy for career advise, Dr. Tim Wawrzyniec for support, Dr. Spencer Lucas for the introducing me to new rocks, and Dr. Fraser Goff for retirement advice. I am grateful to many individuals who have helped my research endeavors. I thank Dr. James I. Kirkland for his generosity, Dr. Jerry D. Harris for his hospitality, Dr. Roberto Molina- Garza for his patience, Dr. Larry Tanner for his wisdom, Dr. Craig Allen for his ideas, and Dr. Robert Parmenter for access to the Valles Caldera. Gratitude is extended to numerous agencies for funding to pursue this research including IGPP Los Alamos, Sloan Foundation, AGI Minority Participation Program, New Mexico AGEP, El Centro de La Raza, University of New Mexico, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences alumni scholarship fund, New Mexico Geological Society student Grants, the Institute for Rock Magnetism at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cites. I also thank the staff at the LacCore facility and Institute for Rock Magnetism for their help colleting samples, data acquisition, data interpretation, and professional development. ! "#! I am grateful to my former office mates and friends for their advice and listening skills. I thank Dr. Kate Zeigler for all the shared experiences, Ashley Edelman for long talks, and Kym Samuels for a new perspective. I am grateful to Amber Tholl Hawkins Whittaker for all the breaks we shared. I am grateful to Gilbert Villasenor, AJ Monroy, Juana Monroy, Missy Halick, Will Woodruff, and Greg Peacock for field and lab assistants. Finally I thank my husband John and daughter Kaleigh. Their love, support, and laughter keep me grounded. ! #! MAGNETIC RECORDS FROM LATEST TRIASSIC TO EARLIEST JURASSIC RED BEDS, UTAH AND ARIZONA, AND FROM MID-PLEISTOCENE LAKE BEDS, NEW MEXICO by Linda L. Donohoo-Hurley B.A., Occidental College, 2000 M.S., Western Washington University, 2004 PhD, University of New Mexico, 2011 ABSTRACT Paleomagnetic data obtained from the upper Triassic to lower Jurassic strata of the Moenave Formation, southern Utah and northern Arizona, were used to construct a composite magnetostratigraphy and further refine the position of the base of the Jurassic in the southwest U.S.A. The composite magnetostratigraphy provides a chronostratigraphic framework to tie Triassic-Jurassic sedimentation in the southwest U.S.A to marine strata in the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Italy, and to the Pangean rift history including extrusive igneous rocks, preserved in Morocco, and in the Newark Basin, northeast U.S.A. In addition, paleomagnetic data from the Moenave Formation were used to calculate a pole position for North America for the latest Triassic to earliest Jurassic time. A lesser amount of inclination error, flattening factor of 0.78, is record in ! "#! Moenave Formation strata compared to observation from coeval Newark Basin strata. The new paleomagnetic pole position for North America, corrected for inclination error and 4° of clockwise Colorado Plateau rotation is located at 62.3° N, 68.0° E (A95 = 7.4°, N = 102). Pole positions from the southwest U.S.A. continue to indicate a westerly pole position for North America at the latest Triassic to earliest Jurassic time. A mid-Pleistocene lake sedimentary record obtained from the Valles Caldera, northern New Mexico was investigated using rock magnetic and paleomagnetic techniques. Lake sediments span three glacial and two interglacial intervals, MIS 14 – 10. Both detrital and diagenetic phases are preserved in sediment throughout the core. Preservation of detrital phases indicates well mixed lake conditions were more common during interglacial intervals. Discrete intervals of diagenetic phases indicate anoxic conditions are more common in sediments deposited during glacial intervals. A series of anoxic intervals are identified in sediment deposited during MIS 12 that are closely related to interstadial events characterized by increased Cyperaceae and Juniper pollen counts and increased mean annual temperatures. Paleomagnetic data are mostly normal polarity consistent with Brunhes normal polarity chron. However, paleomagnetic data combined with relative paleointensity records support the presence of three geomagnetic field phenomena 14!/Calabrian Ridge II at ~536 ka, 11! at ~400 ka, and Levantine at ~360-360 ka. ! "##! TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................1 References......................................................................................................................7 CHAPTER 2 MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPERMOST TRIASSIC AND LOWERMOST JURASSIC MOENAVE FORMATION, WESTERN UNITES STATES: CORRELATION WITH STRATA IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, MOROCCO, TURKEY, ITALY, AND EASTERN UNITED STATES ....................13 Abstract........................................................................................................................13 Introduction..................................................................................................................14 The Triassic-Jurassic Boundary...................................................................................17 Geology........................................................................................................................22 Methods........................................................................................................................24 Paleomagnetism, Rock Magnetism, and Magnetostratigraphy....................................27 Discussion....................................................................................................................34 Conclusions..................................................................................................................40 Acknowledgments........................................................................................................42 Figures..........................................................................................................................43 Table ............................................................................................................................53 References....................................................................................................................57 CHAPTER 3 INCLINATION BIAS OF PALEOMAGNETIC DATA FROM THE UPPERMOST TRIASSIC TO LOWERMOST JURASSIC MOENAVE FORMATION, UTAH AND ARIZONA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRIASSIC ! "###! TO JURASSIC NORTH AMERICAN APPARENT POLAR WANDER PATH FOR THE SOUTWEST UNITED STATES .................................................................67 Abstract........................................................................................................................67 Introduction..................................................................................................................68 Methods........................................................................................................................72