Geologic endeavor is a continual search for windows into the past. Our ability to characterize ancient geological processes is only as good as the techniques we have at our disposal; often the desire to uncover new information drives the development of new geologic methods or the modification of old techniques. This dissertation is composed of a series of projects focused on gaining new insights into the history of orogenic systems through the application of existing techniques or the development of new methods. Three primary projects were undertaken, the first a paleoelevation study aimed at determining the elevation of the Colorado Rockies 28 million years ago (Ma). This study was an attempt to both constrain the paleoelevational geometry of North America and test a new paleoaltimetry technique. This "one-isotope" technique relies on the relationship between cosmogenic isotope production rates and elevation; while a paleoelevation for the Colorado Rockies was not derived, the technique should prove useful in other geologic situations. From this initial technique, a two-isotope technique was derived which bypasses some of the difficulties inherent to the one-isotope method. A complete theoretical development of this two-isotope technique is included. Finally, a project documenting the wide-spread remagnetization of a suite of pre-Cenozoic Bolivian red sedimentary rocks reflects the impact orogenesis can have on an entire region. Taken as a whole, these projects focus on both the effects of mountain-building events and the techniques we can use to better understand them.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/289021 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Libarkin, Julie Carol |
| Contributors | Butler, Robert F. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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