Linkages of fluvial terrace formation and geometry to Milankovitch-scale climate change revealed by the chronostratigraphy of the Colorado River above Moab, UT, and regional correlations

Authors

Andrew P. Jochems, Utah State UniversityFollow
Joel Pederson, Utah State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Poster

Journal/Book Title/Conference

AGU Fall Meeting 2012

Publication Date

2012

Faculty Mentor

Joel Pederson

Abstract

The Colorado River flows from its Rocky Mountain headwaters to the Gulf of California, draining most of the Colorado Plateau. Although the river’s hydrology is set in the Rockies, its sediment load is largely supplied by the plateau drylands of the lower drainage.

Terrace genesis at Milankovitch timescales
• Reflects changing dynamics between fluctuating hydrology and local sediment supply?
• Relations to major late Pleistocene climate shifts?
• Do study terraces correlate regionally? (i.e. are pulses of sedimentation transient or synchronous?)
• What controls the formation of fill vs. strath terraces?

Deformation of terraces
• Is there a detectable influence of salt tectonism on terrace form and type?

Our goal is to address these questions through detailed chronostratigraphy, correlation, surveying, and long-profile analysis.

Comments

This work made publicly available electronically on March 8, 2013.

Recommended Citation

Jochems, Andrew P. and Pederson, Joel, "Linkages of fluvial terrace formation and geometry to Milankovitch-scale climate change revealed by the chronostratigraphy of the Colorado River above Moab, UT, and regional correlations" (2012). AGU Fall Meeting 2012. Graduate Student Posters. Paper 5.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/graduate_posters/5