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Interglacial extension of the boreal forest limit in the Noatak Valley, Northwest Alaska: evidence from an exhumed river-cut bluff and debris apron

Interglacial extension of the boreal forest limit in the Noatak Valley, Northwest Alaska: evidence from an exhumed river-cut bluff and debris apron
Interglacial extension of the boreal forest limit in the Noatak Valley, Northwest Alaska: evidence from an exhumed river-cut bluff and debris apron
Numerous exposures of Pleistocene sediments occur in the Noatak basin, which extends for 130 km along the Noatak River in northwestern Alaska. Nk-37, an extensive bluff exposure near the west end of the basin, contains a record of at least three glacial advances separated by interglacial and interstadial deposits. An ancient river-cut bluff and associated debris apron is exposed in profile through the central part of Nk-37. The debris apron contains a rich biotic record and represents part of an interglaciation that is probably assignable to marine-isotope stage 5. Pollen spectra from the lower part of the debris apron closely resemble modern samples taken from the Noatak floodplain in spruce gallery forest, and macrofossils of spruce are also present at this level. Fossil bark beetles and carpenter ants occur higher in the debris apron. Mutual Climatic Range (MCR) estimates from the fossil beetles suggest temperatures similar to or warmer than today. Together, these fossils indicate the presence of an interglacial spruce forest in the western part of the Noatak Basin, which lies about 80 km upstream of the modern limit of spruce forest.
460-468
Edwards, M.E.
65c38590-f189-4c53-a668-2e1e381ff625
Hamilton, T.D.
e1117ae3-947b-4c38-98d2-8b2bcd7c46a9
Elias, S.E.
349550ca-6b68-4645-8954-72bff300c3cc
Bigelow, N.H.
fa1154ff-e096-4c06-a361-3a08374ed6ba
Krumhardt, A.P.
e82d6d3c-44c3-4c7a-8182-e4413bff14f2
Edwards, M.E.
65c38590-f189-4c53-a668-2e1e381ff625
Hamilton, T.D.
e1117ae3-947b-4c38-98d2-8b2bcd7c46a9
Elias, S.E.
349550ca-6b68-4645-8954-72bff300c3cc
Bigelow, N.H.
fa1154ff-e096-4c06-a361-3a08374ed6ba
Krumhardt, A.P.
e82d6d3c-44c3-4c7a-8182-e4413bff14f2

Edwards, M.E., Hamilton, T.D., Elias, S.E., Bigelow, N.H. and Krumhardt, A.P. (2004) Interglacial extension of the boreal forest limit in the Noatak Valley, Northwest Alaska: evidence from an exhumed river-cut bluff and debris apron. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 35 (4), 460-468.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Numerous exposures of Pleistocene sediments occur in the Noatak basin, which extends for 130 km along the Noatak River in northwestern Alaska. Nk-37, an extensive bluff exposure near the west end of the basin, contains a record of at least three glacial advances separated by interglacial and interstadial deposits. An ancient river-cut bluff and associated debris apron is exposed in profile through the central part of Nk-37. The debris apron contains a rich biotic record and represents part of an interglaciation that is probably assignable to marine-isotope stage 5. Pollen spectra from the lower part of the debris apron closely resemble modern samples taken from the Noatak floodplain in spruce gallery forest, and macrofossils of spruce are also present at this level. Fossil bark beetles and carpenter ants occur higher in the debris apron. Mutual Climatic Range (MCR) estimates from the fossil beetles suggest temperatures similar to or warmer than today. Together, these fossils indicate the presence of an interglacial spruce forest in the western part of the Noatak Basin, which lies about 80 km upstream of the modern limit of spruce forest.

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Published date: 2004

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 15518
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/15518
PURE UUID: 5cd0dbb7-1039-47a9-8ba2-bae12154c371

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 20 Apr 2005
Last modified: 22 Jul 2022 20:24

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Contributors

Author: M.E. Edwards
Author: T.D. Hamilton
Author: S.E. Elias
Author: N.H. Bigelow
Author: A.P. Krumhardt

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