Age and origin of Carlsbad cavern and related caves from 40Ar/39Ar of alunite
Age and origin of Carlsbad cavern and related caves from 40Ar/39Ar of alunite
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DOI：
10.1126/science.279.5358.1919
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发表时间：
1998-03-20
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Provencio, P
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Polyak, VJ;McIntosh, WC;Provencio, P
对洞穴形成时期形成的细粒明矾石进行40Ar/39Ar定年，确定了新墨西哥州瓜达卢佩山脉Carlsbad洞穴的Big Room层[距今400万~ 390万年前（Ma）]、Lechuguilla洞穴上层（距今6.0 ~ 5.7 Ma）和其他3个深生洞穴（距今11.3 ~ 6.0 Ma）的形成年龄。明矾石年龄增加，且与洞穴高程密切相关，表明地下水位下降1100米，明显与11.3 Ma至今的构造隆升和倾斜有关。深生洞穴的ar /39Ar定年研究有助于解决晚新生代气候、洞穴学和构造问题。
40Ar/39Ar dating of fine-grained alunite that formed during cave genesis provides ages of formation for the Big Room level of Carlsbad Cavern [4.0 to 3.9 million years ago (Ma)], the upper level of Lechuguilla Cave (6.0 to 5.7 Ma), and three other hypogene caves (11.3 to 6.0 Ma) in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. Alunite ages increase and are strongly correlative with cave elevations, which indicates an 1100-meter decline in the water table, apparently related to tectonic uplift and tilting, from 11.3 Ma to the present. 40Ar/39Ar dating studies of the hypogene caves have the potential to help resolve late Cenozoic climatic, speleologic, and tectonic questions.