Study confirms fossil footprints at White Sands National Park date to the Last Glacial Maximum
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC) researchers conduct multi-purpose geologic mapping and topical scientific studies to address issues concerning geologic, climatic, ecosystem, and land surface changes; human interactions with the environment; and physical, chemical, and biological characterization of the Earth's surface and upper crust.
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New study of bat habitats and wind energy can help energy providers minimize collisions
New study of bat habitats and wind energy can help energy providers minimize collisions
USGS Friday's Findings - July 26, 2024
USGS Friday's Findings - July 26, 2024
Friday's Findings - April 26, 2024
Friday's Findings - April 26, 2024
Publications
The geochronology of White Sands Locality 2 is resolved
Rhode et al. (2024) allege that there are many “unresolved issues” with the geochronology of White Sands National Park (WHSA) Locality 2. They suggest there are substantial age offsets due to hard-water effects in the aquatic plants that were dated and that radiocarbon ages of pollen may be anomalously old due to reworking. In their view, the luminescence ages are likely to be maximum ages because
Peri-Gondwanan sediment in the Arkoma Basin derived from the north: The detrital zircon record of a uniquely concentrated non-Laurentian source signal in the late Paleozoic
During the assembly of Pangea, peri-Gondwanan terranes collided with the eastern and southern margins of Laurentia and brought with them unique detrital zircon U-Pb signatures. Discriminating between individual peri-Gondwanan terranes in the detrital record is difficult due to their similar geologic histories. However, characterization of this provenance is critical for understanding late Paleozoi
Permafrost history in the sporadic zone as context for recent carbon loss using acryostratigraphy, plant macrofossil, and stable isotope approach
Permafrost and landscape history, in addition to ground ice content, are increasingly identified as important components in predicting permafrost thaw trajectories. Together with cryostratigraphy, plant remains and stable isotopes can provide useful information about past permafrost aggradation and thaw. We applied these methods with radiocarbon dating on peat and permafrost cores in the sporadic