Late Paleocene–Early Eocene Paleosols and a New Measure of the Transport Distance of Alaska’s Yakutat Terrane

Abstract

AbstractAn intensely weathered paleosol representing a nearly isochronous landscape exists at many places in continental Late Paleocene–Early Eocene strata in North America. Most commonly, a single siderite spherule–bearing horizon is found, from which δ18O values were obtained to construct a paleolatitudinal gradient for Late Paleocene–Early Eocene North America. Comparison of the paleosol siderite spherule δ18O composition from the displaced Yakutat Terrane of Alaska to the North American paleolatitudinal gradient indicates that during the Late Paleocene–Early Eocene the terrane existed at ∼44° paleonorth, thus supporting hypotheses for a far-traveled terrane history.