Maps
Latest Quaternary Glacial and Periglacial Stratigraphy, Wind River Range, Wyoming
Dennis E. Dahms, Peter W. Birkeland, Ralph R. Shroba, C. Dan Miller, and Rolf Kihl
Data Originators:
Dennis E. Dahms
Department of Geography, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0406, USA; dennis.dahms@uni.edu
Peter W. Birkeland
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, CB 399, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0399, USA
Ralph R. Shroba
U.S. Geological Survey, M.S. 980, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225-0046, USA
C. Dan Miller
U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 5400 MacArthur Boulevard, Vancouver, Washington 98661, USA
Rolf Kihl
INSTAAR, University of Colorado, CB 450, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0450, USA
doi: 10.1130/2010.DMCH007
Year: 2010
Area: Wind River Range, Wyoming
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Description: We use relative dating criteria to document post-depositional alteration of till and periglacial deposits, and to map these deposits as facies of four allostratigraphic units (alloformations) in the Wind River Range. The alloformations are composed of till as well as rock-glacier, protalus-rampart, and rock fall deposits of latest Pleistocene and Holocene age. These deposits record paleoclimatic events over the past ca. 12.8 ka that influenced geomorphic processes in and near cirques and heads of glacial valleys of the Wind River Range. All of the type areas are on till. The oldest alloformation is the Temple Lake. Progressively younger units are the Alice Lake and Black Joe. The youngest unit is the Gannett Peak. Radiocarbon and cosmogenic radionuclide analyses provide numeric age control for these deposits. Combined numeric and relative age-data suggest the following broad age estimates for these alloformations: the Temple Lake is coeval with the Younger Dryas climate event (ca. 12,800–11,500 yr B.P.); Alice Lake is >4500 years old (ca. 6000 yr B.P.); Black Joe is ca. 1900 yr B.P. (minimum); and Gannett Peak is ca. 750–150 years old.
Keywords: Wyoming, Rocky Mountains, Wind River Range, Quaternary, glacial stratigraphy, relative dating
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