2014 GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia (19–22 October 2014)

Paper No. 175-13
Presentation Time: 10:30 AM

SOURCE- TO- SINK OF CRATER FILL DEPOSITS IN ARID HYDROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS (UBEHEBE VOLCANIC FIELD, DEATH VALLEY, CA)


BONACCORSI, Rosalba, SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science & Astrobiology Division, MS. 245-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035, BAKER, Leslie L., Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, PO Box 442339, Moscow, ID 83844-2339, ZENT, Aaron P., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, VALDRE', Giovanni, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Piazza di Porta S. Donato, 1, Bologna, 40122, Italy, WILLSON, David, KISS Institute/NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science & Astrobiology Division, MS. 245-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035, FRIESE, Richard, NPS, Death Valley National Park, P.O. Box 579, Death Valley, CA 92328 and MCKAY, Chris, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-3, Moffett Field, CA 95050-1000

We present here novel results from a set of multi-component investigations to characterize intra-crater clay-rich sediments in relation to surface hydroclimatic conditions (2009-current) at Ubehebe Volcanic Field (UVF) in Death Valley National Park. The UVF (~15 Km2) includes a dozen craters formed during hydro magmatic explosions occurred sometime between 1 thousand (Ka) and 6 Ka years ago.

A conceptual model of sources-to sinks for Ubehebe Crater (UC), the larger and deeper within UVF, involves 1) pre-eruption (fluvio-lacustrine sandstone, siltstone and mudstone); 2) sin-eruption (base surge, vitric tuff); and 3) and post-eruption (smectite-rich mud) materials.

Detrital minerals (quartz, carbonates, plagioclase, K-feldspar) in the Miocene wall deposits are over-represented relative to the modern floor deposits (mud: ~99wt.%, N=5), the latter containing proportionally more smectites (montmorillonite) than detrital components (volcanic glass, feldspar, and quartz).

To date, deposition of intracrater deposits involves:

a) ~50mm to >250 mm/y rainfall in water years (WY) 2004-current with Summer rainfalls accounting for up to ~30% and ~50% of the total annual precipitation (WY 2011, 2012, and 2013). These values are representative of the climatic context as they encompass the wettest (2005, 2011) and driest years (2002, 2007, 2012, 2013 record driest) of the last ~120 years (Western Regional Climate Center, www.wrcc.dri.edu).

b) Sediment deposition ~ 1-5mm/y to ~40 cm/y.

c) Surface ground moisture ranging from dry-very dry (1-3% to <10 %Wt. water content) to wet-saturated (10-60 %Wt.). Ephemeral ponds appear to form once a year and can last for one-two weeks (2009-2011 study years).

Results from this cross-disciplinary and multi-component investigation are relevant to understanding sedimentary processes in extreme arid environments and in the broad areas of climate change and water resources monitoring.

Session No. 175

Sediments (Carbonates/Clastic)
Tuesday, 21 October 2014: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
210 (Vancouver Convention Centre-West)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 46, No. 6, p.437
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