RUI: Magnetic Stratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene Transition Floras in the Warner Mountains, Northeastern California

本项目提出利用磁地层学和单晶氩定年方法更精确地限制加州东北部华纳山脉植物群的年龄。这些植物区系被认为记录了始新世晚期到渐新世早期的气候恶化。华纳山脉的精细年代学将有助于解决晚始新世/早渐新世边界冷却是否在北美大陆和全球范围内是突然和同步的，以及它是否与海洋氧同位素曲线中看到的早渐新世冷却有关。反过来，这将有助于社区更好地了解从始新世的温室气候到渐新世早期的冰窖气候过渡期间整个北美气候变化的本质，并且应该引起广泛的古生物学家，地质学家，生物学家和古气候学家的广泛兴趣。PI的外展工作将继续广泛开展，包括在野外和实验室地质学方面培训本科生。到目前为止，PI已经和他的30多名本科生一起发表了同行评议的科学论文。这些学生中的许多人已经成功地在研究生院攻读博士学位。

This project proposes to use magnetostratigraphy and single crystal argon dating methodologies to more precisely constrain the age of floras in the Warner Mountains in northeastern California. These floras are believed to record climatic deterioration from the late Eocene to early Oligocene. A refined geochronology of the Warner Mountains will help resolve whether or not Late Eocene/Early Oligocene boundary cooling was abrupt and synchronous both within the North American continent and globally, and whether it correlates with the Early Oligocene cooling seen in marine oxygen isotope curves. This, in turn, will help the community to better understand the nature of climatic change across North America during the transition from the greenhouse climates of the Eocene to the icehouse climates of the early Oligocene, and should be of broad interest to a wide spectrum of paleontologists, geologists, biologists, and paleoclimatologists. Outreach efforts by the PI continue to be extensive and will include training undergraduate students in both field and laboratory geology. The PI has, to date, published peer-reviewed scientific papers with more than 30 of his undergraduate students. Many of these students have gone on to successfully pursue the PhD at graduate institutions.