Published In

Frontiers in Earth Science

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

3-26-2021

Subjects

Paleoclimate -- Oregon, Biogeography -- Oregon Coast Range

Abstract

We characterize the topographic evolution of the Pacific Northwest, United States, during the Cenozoic. New paleosol carbonate stable isotope (δ18O) results from central Oregon are presented, along with published proxy data, including fossil teeth, smectites, and carbonate concretions. We interpret a polygenetic history of Cascade Mountain topographic uplift along-strike, characterized by: 1) Steady uplift of the Washington Cascades through the Cenozoic due long-term arc rotation and shortening against a Canadian buttress, and 2) Uplift of the Oregon Cascades to similar-to-modern elevations by the late Oligocene, followed by topographic stagnation as extension developed into the Neogene. Since the Miocene, meteoric water δ18O values have decreased in Oregon, possibly due to emergence of the Coast Range and westward migration of the coastline. Spatial variability in isotopic change throughout the Pacific Northwest suggests that secular global climate change is not the primary forcing mechanism behind isotopic trends, though Milankovitch cycles may be partly responsible for relatively short-term variation.

Rights

Copyright © 2021 McLean and Bershaw. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

DOI

10.3389/feart.2021.624961

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35454

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