Paleoclimate from Upper Paleozoic Loessite of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains

9613943 Soreghan晚古生代气候史是(古)气候学家和地质学家都非常感兴趣的问题。这种兴趣的部分原因是对盘古大陆独特的地理和相应的独特气候的好奇心。另一部分来自更实用的兴趣：盘古地区的上古生代地层蕴藏着大量的资源。最近的研究认为，冰川作用是上古生界地层的一级控制因素，但旋回内气候变化可能伴随着晚古生代冰川作用。目前，这种高频气候变化的证据和特征受到的限制很小。这项研究的目的是验证利用古地磁-沉积学综合方法从上古生界黄土-古土壤序列中获得高分辨率古气候数据的可行性。最近对新生代黄土-古土壤序列的研究表明，磁化率的变化与古气候的变化有关。为了研究这种古地磁方法在古生代的应用，将通过位于盘古山脉西部(原始落基山脉)的上古生界黄土-古土壤序列来测量磁化率。磁化率的模式将与沉积学观察相结合，以确定古气候波动。将进行古地磁和岩石磁学分析，以(1)表征磁化作用和(2)评估可能的再磁化作用。如果成功，这种方法将提供有关低纬度西部盘古气候的数据，可用于解决基础和应用研究问题。

9613943 Soreghan The history of late Paleozoic climate is of great interest to both (paleo) climatologists and geologists. Part of this interest derives from curiosity in Pangea's unique geography and correspondingly unique climate. Another part derives from a more applied interest: Upper Paleozoic strata of Pangea house significant resources. Most recent studies cite glacioeustasy as the first-order control on upper Paleozoic strata, but intracyclic climate change likely accompanied late Paleozoic glacioeustasy. Currently, the evidence for and character of this high-frequency climate change is poorly constrained. The objective of this research is to test the feasibility of obtaining high-resolution paleoclimatic data from upper Paleozoic loessite-paleosol sequences using an integrated paleomagnetic-sedimentologic approach. Recent research on Cenozoic loess-paleosol sequences indicates that variations in magnetic susceptibility correlate with changes in paleoclimate. To investigate the application of this paleomagnetic approach to the Paleozoic, magnetic susceptibility will be measured through an upper Paleozoic loessite-paleosol sequence located in western Pangea (Ancestral Rocky Mountains). Patterns in magnetic susceptibility will be integrated with sedimentologic observations to identify paleoclimatic fluctuations. Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses will be performed to (1) characterize the magnetization and (2) assess possible remagnetization. If successful, this approach will provide data on the paleoclimate of low-latitude western Pangea that can be used to address fundamental and applied research questions.