PLEISTOCENE GLACIAL HISTORY AND CLIMATE IN THE WASATCH RANGE, UT: INSIGHTS FROM COSMOGENIC EXPOSURE DATING AND GLACIER MODELING

Coupled high-resolution chronologies and numerical modeling of glaciation and deglaciation have provided valuable insights on past climate change. These types of studies are made possible in large part due to advances in cosmogenic dating techniques, including estimates of production rates and comprehensive scaling schemes, as well as advances in accelerator mass spectrometry. The Great Basin is a well suited region to apply these techniques because 1) it was extensively glaciated during the Late Pleistocene, and 2) numerous pluvial lakes occupied basins adjacent to glaciated ranges. This represents a unique opportunity to assess paleoclimate using the differing energy-mass balance response signatures of glaciers and lakes. Furthermore, it offers an ideal natural laboratory to determine how large lakes acted as mesoscale climate drivers during the Late Pleistocene. The Wasatch Range is located immediately east of the largest Pleistocene pluvial lake, Lake Bonneville. We present new cosmogenic exposure ages and energy-mass balance / ice-flow model results for the Wasatch Range that provide insights on the relationships between glaciers, lakes, and climate.