Caves As Recorders of River Incision, Tectonics, and Landscape Evolution In the Sierra Nevada California

对于经历弧岩浆作用和弧增生到大陆边缘的地区的隆起和地貌演化问题，存在着相当大的兴趣和争论。加州的Sierra内华达州是中生代晚期岩浆弧的深度侵蚀残留物，传统上被认为是在新生代晚期抬升的，然而这一结论受到了低温地质年代学研究的挑战，该研究表明早在中生代晚期就存在高起伏。本项目将通过比较古老洞穴沉积物的高程与现今河流高程来测量内华达州山脉的河流切割率。这些数据将被纳入一个塞拉利昂景观演变的模型，以提供一个相互竞争的相互排斥的假设测试。其结果将具有相当大的区域重要性，并对更广泛的问题产生明显的影响。

Considerable interest and debate surround the problem of uplift and geomorphic evolution of areas undergoing arc magmatism and arc accretion to continental margins. The Sierra Nevada of California, a deeply eroded remnant of a late Mesozoic magmatic arc, has conventionally been thought to have been uplifted in late Cenozoic time, however this conclusion has been challenged by low temperature geochronologic studies suggesting high relief as early as late Mesozoic. This project will measure river incision rates in the Sierra Nevada by comparing elevations of dated cave deposits with present day river elevations. These data will be incorporated in a model of Sierra landscape evolution in order to provide a test of the competing mutually exclusive hypotheses. Results will be of considerable regional importance and have clear implications on broader issues.