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

在大陆边缘经历弧岩浆活动和弧增生的地区，隆起和地貌演化的问题引起了相当大的兴趣和争论。加州内华达山脉是中生代晚期岩浆弧的深度侵蚀遗迹，通常被认为是在新生代晚期隆升的，然而，低温地质年代学研究表明，早在中生代晚期就出现了高度隆起，这一结论受到了挑战。该项目将通过比较年代洞穴沉积物的海拔高度和现在河流的海拔高度来测量内华达山脉的河流切割率。这些数据将被纳入塞拉利昂景观演变模型，以便对相互竞争、相互排斥的假设进行检验。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.