Abstract
A new Cenozoic geologic and glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) describes massive and prolonged continental ice sheet meltwater floods that eroded the Colorado Royal Gorge area and surrounding regions and which were diverted in east, northeast, and even north directions as uplift of a thick ice sheet created deep “hole” rim gradually occurred (the thick ice sheet was located where North American ice sheets are usually recognized to have existed). A deep “hole” rim segment followed what is now the northern and central Colorado east-west continental divide southward to the Arkansas River headwaters area and then continued south along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains crestline to at least the Purgatoire River-Canadian River drainage divide and may have continued east from that point along a less well-defined zone beginning with what is now the Purgatoire River-Canadian River drainage divide. Diverging and converging valley complexes, barbed tributaries, and Arkansas River and other drainage route direction changes (easily seen on United States Geological Survey detailed topographic maps) are interpreted to have developed as the south-oriented floodwaters first flowed across the rising deep “hole” rim to reach the south- and southeast-oriented Rio Grande River drainage basin and were subsequently blocked by deep “hole” rim uplift and diverted to flow in east, northeast, and north directions. The accepted Cenozoic geologic and glacial history paradigm (accepted paradigm) has to date been unable to satisfactorily explain the detailed topographic map drainage system and erosional landform evidence and the new and accepted paradigms are incommensurable and lead to quite different Cenozoic geologic and glacial histories.
Highlights
Introduction1.1 Statement of the ProblemRoyal Gorge is a 450- to 500-meter-deep narrow canyon in southcentral Colorado’s Fremont County where the southeast-oriented Arkansas River has sliced a deep and narrow valley into uplifted Precambrian rocks forming what geologists refer to as the Royal Gorge Arch (see figure 1 for the location). Clarey et al (2004, p, 18-19) describe the Royal Gorge Arch as “one of three large basement-cored uplifts at the southern end of the Front Range” and as being “a broad anticlinal fold, with sedimentary rocks dipping steeply on the eastern flank and gently on the western flank.” Thornbury (1965, p. 330) describes the Arkansas River as one of a “large number of [Rocky Mountain] streams that flow directly across mountain uplifts through deep gorges” and adds (p. 349) “The course of the stream here undoubtably antedates the uplift of the Colorado Front Range and probably represents another example of superposition, remnants of the cover mass from which it may have been superposed are lacking.”While rarely described as such Royal Gorge and the many deep canyons and gorges cut across other Rocky Mountain uplifts are examples of what Thomas Kuhn (1970) regards as anomalous evidence
Large and prolonged south-oriented floods flowing through a rising Royal Gorge area appear to explain most if not all of the regional diverging and converging valleys, barbed tributaries, and abrupt drainage route direction changes seen on United States Geological Survey (USGS) detailed topographic maps
Such immense floods are consistent with new paradigm predictions describing the Royal Gorge region as being near the rim of a continental ice sheet created deep “hole” with that deep “hole” rim being uplifted as massive and prolonged meltwater floods flowed across the region
Summary
1.1 Statement of the ProblemRoyal Gorge is a 450- to 500-meter-deep narrow canyon in southcentral Colorado’s Fremont County where the southeast-oriented Arkansas River has sliced a deep and narrow valley into uplifted Precambrian rocks forming what geologists refer to as the Royal Gorge Arch (see figure 1 for the location). Clarey et al (2004, p, 18-19) describe the Royal Gorge Arch as “one of three large basement-cored uplifts at the southern end of the Front Range” and as being “a broad anticlinal fold, with sedimentary rocks dipping steeply on the eastern flank and gently on the western flank.” Thornbury (1965, p. 330) describes the Arkansas River as one of a “large number of [Rocky Mountain] streams that flow directly across mountain uplifts through deep gorges” and adds (p. 349) “The course of the stream here undoubtably antedates the uplift of the Colorado Front Range and probably represents another example of superposition, remnants of the cover mass from which it may have been superposed are lacking.”While rarely described as such Royal Gorge and the many deep canyons and gorges cut across other Rocky Mountain uplifts are examples of what Thomas Kuhn (1970) regards as anomalous evidence. Royal Gorge is a 450- to 500-meter-deep narrow canyon in southcentral Colorado’s Fremont County where the southeast-oriented Arkansas River has sliced a deep and narrow valley into uplifted Precambrian rocks forming what geologists refer to as the Royal Gorge Arch (see figure 1 for the location). 330) describes the Arkansas River as one of a “large number of [Rocky Mountain] streams that flow directly across mountain uplifts through deep gorges” and adds While rarely described as such Royal Gorge and the many deep canyons and gorges cut across other Rocky Mountain uplifts are examples of what Thomas Kuhn (1970) regards as anomalous evidence. The Royal Gorge evidence is well known and has been described, but to date the accepted Cenozoic geologic and glacial history paradigm (accepted paradigm) has not enabled researchers to satisfactorily explain most Royal Gorge region drainage system and erosional landform evidence. Published reports in which Royal Gorge region drainage jgg.ccsenet.org
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