An 18 million year record of vegetation and climate change in northwestern Canada and Alaska: Tectonic and global climatic correlates

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

Volumn 130, Issue 1-4, 1997, Pages 293-306

  White, J M ^a   Ager, T A ^b   Adam, D P ^c,d   Leopold, E B ^e   Liu, G ^f   Jette H ^g,i   Schweger, C E ^h  

^a GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA   (Canada)

^b DENVER FEDERAL CENTER   (United States)

^c U S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY   (United States)

^d California Academy of Science   (United States)

^e UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON   (United States)

^f NANJING INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY   (China)

^g GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA   (Canada)

^h UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA   (Canada)

ⁱ NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA   (Canada)

Author keywords

Alaska; Neogene; Paleoclimatology; Paleoecology; Palynology; Quaternary; Yukon

Indexed keywords

BACTERIA (MICROORGANISMS); FAGUS; QUERCUS;

CAINOZOIC; PALAEOCLIMATE; PALAEOECOLOGY; POLLEN; SPORE; VEGETATION; VEGETATION CHANGE;

CANADA, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES; CANADA, YUKON TERRITORY; USA, ALASKA;

EID: 0030613433     PISSN: 00310182     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S0031-0182(96)00146-0     Document Type: Article

References (80)

1. Adam, D.P., in prep. Palynology, vegetation history and climatic reconstruction of the Late Pliocene Lost Chicken placer mine, east-central Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv.
2. Adams, C.G., Benson, R.H., Kidd, R.B., Ryan, W.B.F. and Wright, R.C., 1977. The Messinian salinity crisis and evidence of late Miocene eustatic changes in the world ocean. Nature, 269: 383-386.
3. Ager, T.A., Matthews, J.V., Jr. and White, J.M., in prep. Palynology and paleoenvironmental interpretations of late Miocene lake deposits near Canyon Village, Porcupine River, northeastern Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv.
4. Aharon, P., Goldstein, S.L., Wheeler, C.W., and Jacobson G., 1993. Sea-level events in the South Pacific linked with the Messinian salinity crisis. Geology, 21: 771-775.
5. Barron, J.A. and Baldauf, J.G., 1990. Development of biosiliceous sedimentation in the North Pacific during the Miocene and early Pliocene. In: R. Tsuchi (Editor), Pacific Neogene Events. University of Tokyo Press, pp. 43-63.
6. Barry, R.G., 1989. The present climate of the Arctic Ocean and possible past and future states. In: Y. Herman (Editor), The Arctic Seas. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp. 1-46.
7. Boellstorff, J., 1978. North American Pleistocene stages reconsidered in light of probable Pliocene-Pleistocene continental glaciation. Science, 202: 305-307.
8. Burn, C.R., 1994. Permafrost, tectonics, and past and future regional climate change, Yukon and adjacent Northwest Territories. Can. J. Earth Sci., 31: 182-191.
9. Campbell, R.B., Dodds, C.J., Yorath, C.J. and Sutherland Brown, A., 1991. Part A. Insular Belt. In: H. Gabrielse and C.J. Yorath (Editors), Geology of the Cordilleran Orogen in Canada. Geology of Canada, 4. Geol. Surv. Can., pp. 574-577.
10. Cande, S.C. and Kent, D.V., 1992. A new geomagnetic polarity time scale for the Late Cretaceous and the Cenozoic. J. Geophys. Res., 97: 13,917-13,951.
11. Cande, S.C. and Kent, D.V., 1995. Revised calibration of the geomagnetic polarity timescale for the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. J. Geophys. Res., 100, B4: 6093-6095.
12. Carter, L.D., Fouch, T.D., Smith, C.A.S. and Kunk, M.J., in prep. Physical stratigraphy, sedimentology and regional setting of Pliocene deposits of the Lost Chicken Placer Mine, east central Alaska.
13. Cerling, T.E., Wang, Y. and Quade, J., 1993. Expansion of C4 ecosystems as an indicator of global ecological change in the late Miocene. Nature, 361: 344-345.
14. Cioppa, M.T., Karlstrom, E.T., Irving, E. and Barendregt, R.W., 1995. Paleomagnetism of tills and associated paleosols in southwestern Alberta and northern Montana: evidence for Late Pliocene - Early Pleistocene glaciations. Can. J. Earth Sci., 32: 555-564.
15. Coleman, M. and Hodges, K., 1995. Evidence for Tibetan plateau uplift before 14 Myr ago from a new minimum age for east-west extension. Nature, 374: 52.
16. Currie, D.J. and Paquin, V., 1987. Large-scale biogeographical patterns of species richness of trees. Nature, 239: 326-327.
17. Dallimore, S.R., Matthews, J.V., Jr. (Editors), in prep. The Mackenzie River Delta Transect: Geotechnical, Sedimentological and Paleontological Data. Geol. Surv. Can.
18. Dixon, J., Dietrich, J.R. and McNeil, D.H., 1992. Upper Cretaceous to Pleistocene sequence stratigraphy of the Beaufort -Mackenzie and Banks Island areas, northwest Canada. Geol. Surv. Can., Bull., 407.
19. Doher, I.L., 1980. Palynomorph Preparation Procedures currently used in the Paleontology and Stratigraphy Laboratories, U.S. Geol. Surv. Geol. Surv. Circ., 830.
20. Dowsett, H., Thompson, R., Barron, J., Cronin, T., Fleming, F., Ishman, S., Poore, R., Willard, D. and Holtz Jr., T., 1994. Joint investigations of the Middle Pliocene climate I: PRISM paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Global Planet. Change, 9: 169-195.
21. Duk-Rodkin, A. and Barendregt, R., 1997. Gauss and Matuyama glaciation in the Tintina Trench, Dawson area, Yukon Territory. In: Abstr. Can. Quat. Assoc. Annu. Meet., Montréal, Que., May 22-24, 1997.
22. Duk-Rodkin, A., Barendregt, R., Tarnocai, C. and Phillips, F., 1996. Late Tertiary to late Quaternary record in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada: stratigraphy, paleosols, paleomagnetism, and chlorine-36. Can. J. Earth Sci., 33: 875-895.
23. Dwyer, G.S., Cronin, T.M., Baker, P.A., Raymo, M.E., Buzas, J.S. and Corrège, T., 1995. North Atlantic deepwater temperature change during the late Pliocene and Late Quaternary climatic cycles. Science, 270: 1347-1351.
24. Fitzgerald, P.G., Sorkhabi, R.B., Redfield, T.F. and Stump, E., 1995. Uplift and denudation of the central Alaska Range: A case study in the use of apatite fission track thermochronology to determine absolute uplift parameters. J. Geophys. Res., 100(B10): 20,175-20,191.
25. Fouch, T.D., Carter, L.D., Kunk, M.J., Smith, C.A.S. and White, J.M., 1994. Miocene and Pliocene lacustrine and fluvial sequences, Upper Ramparts and Canyon Village, Porcupine River, east-central Alaska. Quaternary Int., 22/23: 11-29.
26. Flower, B.P. and Kennett, J.P., 1994. The middle Miocene climatic transition: East Antarctic ice sheet development, deep ocean circulation and global carbon cycling. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 108: 537-555.
27. Fyles, J.G., Marincovich, L., Jr., Matthews, J.V., Jr. and Barendregt, R., 1991. Unique mollusc find in the Beaufort Formation (Pliocene) on Meighen Island, Arctic Canada. In: Current Research, Part B, Geol. Surv. Can. Pap., 91-1B: 105-112.
28. Haq, B.U., Hardenbol, J. and Vail, P.R., 1987. Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic. Science, 235: 1156-1167.
29. Harrison, T.M., Copeland, P., Kidd, W.S.F. and Yin, A., 1992. Raising Tibet. Science, 255: 1663-1670.
30. Henrich, R. and Baumann, K.-H., 1994. Evolution of Norwegian Current and the Scandinavian Ice Sheets during the past 2.6 m.y.: evidence from ODP Leg 104 biogenic carbonate and terrigenous records. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 108: 75-94.
31. Hilgen, F.J. and Langereis, C.G., 1993. A critical re-evaluation of the Miocene-Pliocene boundary as defined in the Mediterranean. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 118: 167-179.
32. Hopkins, D.M., Matthews, J.V., Wolfe, J.A. and Silberman, M.L., 1971. A Pliocene flora and insect fauna from the Bering Strait region. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 9: 211-231.
33. Hultén, E., 1968. Flora of Alaska and Neighbouring Territories. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
34. Itoigawa, J. and Yamanoi, T., 1990. Climatic optimum in the Mid-Neogene of the Japanese Islands. In: R. Tsuchi (Editor), Pacific Neogene Events. University of Tokyo Press, pp. 3-14.
35. Krijgsman, W., Hilgen, F.J., Langereis, C.G. and Zachariasse, W.J., 1994. The age of the Tortonian/Messinian boundary. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 121: 533-547.
36. 39Ar age-spectrum data for hornblende, plagioclase and biotite from tephras collected at Dan Creek and McCallum Creek, Alaska and in the Klondike Placer district near Dawson, Yukon Territory, Canada. Open-File Rep., 95-217. U.S. Geol. Surv., Reston, Virginia.
37. 39Ar age constraints on Neogene sedimentary beds, Upper Ramparts, Half-way Pillar and Canyon Village sites, Porcupine River, east-central Alaska. Quaternary Int., 22/ 23: 31-42.
38. Kutzbach, J.E., Prell, W.L. and Ruddiman, W.F., 1993. Sensitivity of Eurasian climate to surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. J. Geol., 101: 177-190.
39. Lagoe, M.B., Eyles, C.H., Eyles, N. and Hale, C., 1993. Timing of late Cenozoic tidewater glaciation in the far North Pacific. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 105: 1542-1560.
40. Larsen, H.C., Saunders, A.D., Clift, P.D., Beget, J., Wei, W., Spezzaferri, S. and ODP Leg 152 Scientific Party, 1994. Seven million years of glaciation in Greenland. Science, 264: 952-955.
41. Leopold, E. and Liu, G., 1994. A long pollen sequence of Neogene age, Alaska Range. Quaternary Int., 22/23: 103-140.
42. Lottes, A.L. and Ziegler, A.M., 1994. World peat occurrence and the seasonality of climate and vegetation. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 106: 23-37.
43. Matthews, J.V., Jr., Drouk, A., Westgate, J.A. and Ovenden, L., in prep. Fossils of plants, insects and oribatid mites from the Upper Pit of the Lost Chicken Gold Mine (east central Alaska): a Late Pliocene window on the environment of East Beringia. Geol. Surv. Can.
44. McNeil, D.H., 1989. Foraminiferal zonation and biofacies analysis of Cenozoic strata in the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin of Arctic Canada. In: Current Research, Part G. Geol. Surv. Can., Pap., 89-1G: 203-223.
45. McNeil, D.H., Duk-Rodkin, A., Nixon, J., Dietrich, J.R. and White, J.M., 1994. Documentation of a late Neogene first-order sequence boundary in Arctic Canada - a circum-Arctic benchmark for late Cenozoic climatic deterioration. FORAMS 4, Int. Symp. Foraminifera, Univ. California Berkley. PaleoBios, 16(2) suppl., p. 48.
46. Miller, K.G., Wright, J.D. and Fairbanks, R.G., 1991. Unlocking the ice house: Oligocene-Miocene oxygen isotopes, eustacy, and margin erosion. J. Geophys. Res., 96(B4): 6829-6848.
47. O'Sullivan, P.B., Currie, L.D., Holdsworth, G. and Parrish, R.R., 1995. Multiple episodes of middle to late Cenozoic uplift and erosion of Mt. Logan, Y.T., Canada, evidence from apatite fission track analyses. 91st Annual Cordilleran Section, May 24-26, 1995. Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. GSA Abstracts with Programs, Cordilleran Section, 27(5): 69.
48. Parrish, R.R., 1981. Uplift rates of Mt. Logan, Y.T., and British Columbia's central Coast Mountains using fission track dating methods. EOS, 62(5): 59-60.
49. Plafker, G., Naeser, C.W., Zimmermann, R.A., Lull, J.S. and Hudson, T., 1991. Cenozoic uplift history of the Mount McKinley area in the central Alaska Range based on fission-track dating. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull., 2041: 202-212.
50. Quade, J., Cerling, T.E. and Bowman, J.R., 1989. Development of Asian monsoon revealed by marked ecological shift during the latest Miocene in northern Pakistan. Nature, 342: 163-166.
51. Quade, J. and Cerling, T.E., 1995. Expansion of C4 grasses in the Late Miocene of Northern Pakistan: evidence from stable isotopes in paleosols. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 115: 91-116.
52. Quade, J., Cater, J.M.L., Ojha, T.P., Adam, J. and Harrison, T.M., 1995. Late Miocene environmental change in Nepal and the northern Indian subcontinent: stable isotopic evidence from paleosols. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 107: 1381-1397.
53. Rea, D.K. and Schrader, H., 1985. Late Pliocene onset of glaciation: ice-rafting and diatom stratigraphy of North Pacific DSDP cores. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 49: 313-325.
54. Roberts, A.P., Turner, G.M. and Vella, P.P., 1994. Magnetostratigraphic chronology of late Miocene to early Pliocene biostratigraphic and oceanographic events in New Zealand. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 106: 665-683.
55. Ruddiman, W.F. and Kutzbach, J.E., 1990. Late Cenozoic plateau uplift and climate change. Trans. R. Soc. Edinburgh, Earth Sci., 81: 301-314.
56. Ruddiman, W.F. and Raymo, M.E., 1988. Northern hemisphere climate régimes during the past 3 Ma; possible tectonic connections. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, B, 318: 411-430.
57. Shackleton, N.J., Backman, J., Zimmerman, H., Kent, D.V., Hall, M.A., Roberts, D.G., Schnitker, D., Baldauf, J.G., Desprairies, A., Homrighausen, R., Huddleston, P., Keene, J.B., Kaltenbach, A.J., Krumsiek, K.A.O., Morton, A.C., Murray, J.W. and Westberg-Smith, J., 1984. Oxygen isotope calibration of the onset of ice-rafting and history of glaciation in the North Atlantic region. Nature, 307: 620-623.
58. Sher, A., Kaplina, T., Giterman, R., Lozhkin, A., Arkhangelov, A., Kiselyov, S., Koutnetsov, Y., Virina, E. and Zazhigin, V., 1979. Scientific Excursion on Problem "Late Cenozoic of the Kolyma Lowland", Pacific Science Congress (Khabarovsk) 14th, Tour 11 Guidebook.
59. Skulski, T., Francis, D. and Ludden, J., 1992. Volcanism in an arc-transform transition zone: the stratigraphy of the St. Clare Creek volcanic field, Wrangell volcanic belt, Yukon, Canada. Can. J. Earth Sci., 29: 446-461.
60. Souther, J.G. and Stanciu, C., 1975. Operation Saint Elias, Yukon Territory: Tertiary volcanic rocks. Geol. Surv. Can. Pap., 75-1(A): 63-70.
61. Suc, J.-P. and Zagwijn, W.H., 1983. Plio-Pleistocene correlations between the northwestern Mediterranean region and northwestern Europe according to recent biostratigraphic and palaeoclimatic data. Boreas, 12: 153-166.
62. Triplehorn, D.M., Turner, D.L. and Naeser, C.W., 1977. K-Ar and fission-track dating of ash partings in coal beds from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: A revised age for the Homerian Stage-Clamgulchian Stage boundary. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 88: 1156-1160.
63. Turner, D.L., Triplephorn, D.M., Naeser, C.W. and Wolfe, J.A., 1980. Radiometric dating of ash partings in Alaskan coal beds and upper Tertiary paleobotanical stages. Geology, 8: 92-96.
64. Volkova, S., Kul'kova, I.A. and Fradkina, A.F., 1986. Palynostratigraphy of the non-marine Neogene in north Asia. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol., 48: 415-424.
65. Viereck, L.A. and Little, E.L., 1972. Alaska Trees and Shrubs. Forest Service, U.S. Dep. Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook, 410.
66. Wahrhaftig, C., Wolfe, J.A., Leopold, E.B. and Lanphere, M.A., 1969. The Coal-bearing Group in the Nenana Coal Field, Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull., 1274-D.
67. Wahrhaftig, C., 1987. The Cenozoic section at Suntrana, Alaska. Geol. Soc. Am. Centennial Field Guide, Cordilleran Section, 1987, pp. 445-450.
68. Wang, Y. and Evans, M.E., 1997. Paleomagnetism of Canadian Arctic permafrost; Quaternary magnetostratigraphy of the Mackenzie Delta. Can. J. Earth Sci., 34: 135-139.
69. Weber, F.R. and Turner, D.L., 1977. A late Tertiary thrust fault in the central Alaska Range. The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1976. Geol. Surv. Circ., 751-B.
70. Wernicke, B., Clayton, R., Ducea, M., Jones, C., Park, S., Ruppert, S., Saleeby, J., Snow, J., Squires, L., Fliedner, M., Jiracek, G., Keller, R., Klamperer, S., Luetgert, J., Malin, P., Miller, K., Mooney, W., Oliver, H. and Phinney, R., 1996. Origin of high mountains in the continents: the southern Sierra Nevada. Science, 271: 190-193.
71. Westgate, J., Schweger, C., Sandhu, A., Morlan, R. and Matthews, J., 1995. Tephrochronological, palaeomagnetic and palaeoenvironmental studies of late Cenozoic deposits in the northern Yukon, Canada. In: International Union for Quaternary Research. XIV International Congress, Aug. 3-10, 1995. Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany. Abstracts.
72. White, J.M. and Ager, T.A., 1994. Palynology, palaeoclimatolgy and correlation of middle Miocene beds from Porcupine River (Locality 90-1), Alaska. Quaternary Int., 22/23: 43-77.
73. Wolfe, J.A., 1966. Tertiary Plants from the Cook Inlet Region, Alaska. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 398-B. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
74. Wolfe, J.A., 1979. Temperature parameters of humid to mesic forests of eastern Asia and relation to forests of other regions of the Northern Hemisphere and Australasia. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 1106. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
75. Wolfe, J.A., 1981. A chronologic framework for Cenozoic megafossil floras of northwestern North America and its relation to marine geochronology. Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 184: 39-47.
76. 2: Natural Variations Achean to Present. Am. Geophys. Union Monogr., 32: 357-375.
77. Wolfe, J.A., 1994. An analysis of Neogene climates in Beringia. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 108: 207-216.
78. Wolfe, J.A., Hopkins, D.M. and Leopold, E.B., 1966. Tertiary Stratigraphy and Paleobotany of the Cook Inlet Region, Alaska. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 398-A. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
79. Wolfe, J.A. and Tanai, T., 1980. The Miocene Seldovia Point flora from the Kenai Group, Alaska. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 1105. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
80. Zagwijn, W.H., 1992. The beginning of the ice age in Europe and its major subdivisions. Quaternary Sci. Rev., 11: 583-591.