Embedded Files
I found that the long-term evolution of the Rio Grande was most heavily influenced by tectonics related to the post-30 Ma Rio Grande rift, broad-scale epeirogenic uplift of the southern Rocky Mountains, and altered topography as a result of volcanic activity. Rapid rates of incision after 640 ka are attributed to a wetter, more dynamic climate.
This work was published in Earth Science Reviews.
My Master's thesis resolved our understanding of mantle dynamics beneath the southwest United States through an intensive study of the incision history of the Rio Grande. Differential incision over both time and space may indicate dynamic topography when factors like climate change, lithologic strength, and erosion cannot explain total landscape relief.
This massive package of river gravel and intermittent sand lenses suggests that there was a major river flowing through here as lava draped the landscape and later cooled into basaltic rock. We dated this basalt to 1.2 Ma using 40Ar/39Ar geochronology.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse