A MODERN DEPOSITIONAL MODEL OF THE GREAT SALT PLAINS IN ALFALFA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA AND ITS POTENTIAL AS A HOLOCENE CLIMATE ARCHIVE

Climate records for the central portion of the United States are sparse and non continuous. One potential source of a Holocene climate record is the Great Salt Plains (GSP) of northwestern Oklahoma. The GSP is an evaporite basin isolated within a sub-humid environment. We investigate the potential of the GSP for holding a climate archive by documenting the modern environments of the GSP. We use trenching, cores, surface observations, GPS surveys, and resistivity profiles to document the sedimentary environments of the GSP. Flooding, evaporation, desiccation, eolian and fluvial processes heavily influence the morphology of the flats. Saline ground water is brought to the surface under artesian conditions and affects the sediments in all environments. Halite and gypsum (selenite) are the most abundant evaporite from the saline groundwater. One difficulty in extracting a meaningful climate record from the GSP is the avulsive behavior of the streams flowing onto the flats. Resistivity was acquired in order to locate paleo-channels and areas appropriate for extracting a paleo-climate record from the GSP. Documentation of the sedimentary processes and environments from this modern system also adds to the understanding of continental sabkhas.