Stable isotope and trace element geochemistry of the basal Bouse Formation carbonate, southwestern United States: Implications for the Pliocene uplift history of the Colorado Plateau

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 2003 Stable isotope and trace element geochemistry of the basal Bouse Formation carbonate, southwestern United States: Implications for the Pliocene uplift history of the Colorado Plateau Simon R. Poulson; Simon R. Poulson 1Department of Geological Sciences, MS 172, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Barbara E. John Barbara E. John 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Simon R. Poulson 1Department of Geological Sciences, MS 172, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA Barbara E. John 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Aug 2001 Revision Received: 28 Apr 2002 Accepted: 30 Sep 2002 First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2003) 115 (4): 434–444. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2003)115<0434:SIATEG>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 23 Aug 2001 Revision Received: 28 Apr 2002 Accepted: 30 Sep 2002 First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Simon R. Poulson, Barbara E. John; Stable isotope and trace element geochemistry of the basal Bouse Formation carbonate, southwestern United States: Implications for the Pliocene uplift history of the Colorado Plateau. GSA Bulletin 2003;; 115 (4): 434–444. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2003)115<0434:SIATEG>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The upper Miocene to Pliocene Bouse Formation, exposed in the lower Colorado River trough (Arizona, California, Nevada), has variously been interpreted as a marine, estuarine, or freshwater deposit. The Bouse Formation is now commonly found at elevations of >300 m and up to 550 m above sea level. Deposition of the Bouse in a transgressive marine (or estuarine) environment requires rapid drowning of the lower Colorado River trough during Pliocene time and subsequent uplift of the nearby Colorado Plateau. Basal Bouse Formation carbonate samples were analyzed for stable isotope composition, minor and trace element concentrations, and mineralogy, in order to investigate the depositional environment.Most of the data presented here are consistent with deposition of the basal Bouse Formation carbonate in a lacustrine environment, although some data are consistent with a possible estuarine origin, with additional evidence for diagenesis affecting individual samples. Our preferred interpretation is that deposition took place in a chain of freshwater lakes fed by the proto–Colorado River, which may have built a delta out into an estuarine environment now exposed as the southernmost part of the formation. This interpretation is in accord with that proposed by J.E. Spencer and P.J. Patchett and implies that the present-day elevations of basal Bouse Formation carbonate in the Colorado River trough place no constraints upon the rate and timing of uplift of the Colorado Plateau. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.