Orogeny, orography, and the origin of the first rainforests: Paleobotany of the temporally-calibrated synorogenic Denver Basin, Colorado

造山运动、造山学和第一个热带雨林的起源：时间校准的同造丹佛盆地的古植物学。丹佛盆地的地层和化石植物提供了一个独特的、自然的实验室，用来评估和量化回归、造山运动、造山学和灭绝对古代生态系统演化的影响。来自该盆地的证据表明，热带雨林生态系统最初是在白垩纪-第三纪（K-T）大灾难之后生物多样性极低的地区，在拉拉米德山脉隆起的东部侧翼的极高降雨量地区进化而来的。该项目将测试三个主要假设：1。植物区系与景观：植物区系化石及其代用气候数据可以映射到古地理上，并与西部内陆海道的回归、拉腊米造山运动和K-T灭绝事件等重要环境事件联系起来，为植物区系、气候、生态系统和景观的演变提供洞见。热带雨林的起源：由拉腊米造山运动和邻近的海道造成的地形条件导致了局部的高降雨量。这些条件，在温暖但生物匮乏的古新世早期的后k - t世界，为热带雨林生态系统的进化奠定了基础。鬼谷和古扇：在高起伏时期，由于山源河流系统被定位为切割的山谷，冲积扇形成于造陆盆地的边缘。这些扇是古地貌特征，控制着古代植被模式，并强烈影响着现代水文。该项目将整合古生物学、地质学和水文学等广泛领域的研究，以回答有关同生地貌中生物进化和灭绝的具体问题。这项工作还将提供与了解科罗拉多前山脉地下水资源的分布和数量直接相关的数据。

OROGENY, OROGRAPHY, AND THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRST RAINFORESTS: PALEOBOTANY OF THE TEMPORALLY-CALLIBRATED SYNOROGENIC DENVER BASIN, COLORADOKirk Johnson and Robert RaynoldsEAR-0345910ABSTRACTThe strata and fossil plants of the time-calibrated Denver Basin provide a unique, natural laboratory in which to evaluate and quantify the influence of regression, orogeny, orography, and extinction on the evolution of ancient ecosystems. Evidence from the basin suggests that the tropical rainforest ecosystem first evolved in areas of extremely high rainfall on the eastern flanks of the uplifting Laramide Front Range in the extraordinarily low biodiversity World that followed the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) cataclysm. This project will test three major hypotheses:1. Floras and Landscapes: Fossil floras and their proxy climate data can be mapped onto paleogeography and linked to significant environmental events such as the regression of the Western Interior Seaway, the Laramide Orogeny, and the K-T extinction event to provide insight about the evolution of floras, climates, ecosystems and landscapes.2. Origin of Rainforests: Orographic conditions caused by the Laramide Orogeny and an adjacent seaway resulted in localized high rainfall. These conditions, in the warm but biologically depauperate post-K-T world of the early Paleocene, set the stage for the evolution of tropical rainforest ecosystems.3. Ghost Canyons and Ancient Fans: Alluvial fans form on the margins of synorogenic basins during times of high relief due to the localization of mountain-sourced river systems into incised valleys. These fans are paleogeomorphic features that controlled ancient vegetation patterns and strongly influence modern day hydrology.This project will integrate research across broad areas of paleontology, geology and hydrology to answer specific questions about biotic evolution and extinction on an evolving synorogenic landscape. This work will also provide data that is directly relevant to the understanding of the distribution and quantity of groundwater resources of the Colorado Front Range.