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Rocky Mountain Section - 64th Annual Meeting (9–11 May 2012)

Paper No. 27
Presentation Time: 8:00 AM-5:30 PM

U-SERIES DATING AND STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF QUATERNARY TRAVERTINES WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR INCISION RATES IN: WESTERN RIO GRANDE RIFT, CARRIZO ARROYO, NEW MEXICO


KOLOMAZNIK, Miela1, RICKETTS, Jason W.2, CROSSEY, Laura J.2, KARLSTROM, Karl E.2, POLYAK, Victor J.3, ASMEROM, Yemane4, PRIEWISCH, Alexandra5 and BURKETT, Corey6, (1)Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (2)Earth and Planetary Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (3)Earth & Planetary Sciences, Univ of New Mexico, 200 Yale Blvd., Northrop Hall, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (4)Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (5)Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, (6)Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, miela@unm.edu

Travertine deposits that cement a suite of terraces in Carrizo Arroyo, central New Mexico offer the opportunity to measure Plio-Pleistocene incision rates in the Lucero Uplift, an area that may potentially be affected by tectonics associated with the Rio Grande rift, Jemez Lineament, and/or Socorro magma body.

Carrizo Arroyo is an east-west trending intermittent stream that has incised deeply into the Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata of the Lucero uplift, as well as the Carrizo Mesa basalt (3.7 +/- 0.4 Ma). Travertine-cemented gravels and flowstones in terrace remnants at 2, 18, and 130 m above the present stream will allow us to more precisely calculate incision rates through time in the eastern Lucero Uplift. A long term average incision rate for Carrizo Arroyo is derived from the Carrizo Mesa basalt flow that is cross-cut by Carrizo Arroyo. The arroyo floor is now ~183 m below the basalt, indicating the valley has been incised at an average rate of about 50 m/Ma since 3.7 Ma. Comparing the short-term incision rates derived from travertine-cemented gravels with the average rate will indicate whether the incision rate has been steady or episodic over this time period.

In addition, ongoing work aims to determine source water compositions and temperatures at the time of travertine precipitation by performing stable isotope analysis (O, C) for these travertine deposits. Precise incision rates and water characterization will allow us to better reconstruct the Quaternary incision and denudation history along the western margin of the Rio Grande rift. A long term goal is to compare high quality incision rates of streams throughout New Mexico to examine any differential incision related to tectonic provinces and thus help evaluate the interplay between tectonics and climate in the landscape evolution of the region.

Session No. 23--Booth# 48

T2. Undergraduate Research in the Rocky Mountains (Posters)
Thursday, 10 May 2012: 8:00 AM-5:30 PM
Alvarado D&E (Hotel Albuquerque)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 44, No. 6, p.74
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