Orogeny, orography, and the origin of the first rainforests: Paleobotany of the temporally-calibrated synorogenic Denver Basin, Colorado

造山运动、地形学和第一批雨林的起源：科罗拉多州丹佛盆地时间校准的古植物学

• 批准号: 0345910
• 负责人: Kirk Johnson
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-05-15 至 2009-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0345910&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Orogeny; orography; origin; first; rainforests

OROGENY, OROGRAPHY, AND THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRST RAINFORESTS: PALEOBOTANY OF THE TEMPORALLY-CALLIBRATED SYNOROGENIC DENVER BASIN, COLORADOKirk Johnson and Robert RaynoldsEAR-0345910ABSTRACTThe strata and fossil plants of the time-calibrated Denver Basin provide a unique, natural laboratory in which to evaluate and quantify the influence of regression, orogeny, orography, and extinction on the evolution of ancient ecosystems. Evidence from the basin suggests that the tropical rainforest ecosystem first evolved in areas of extremely high rainfall on the eastern flanks of the uplifting Laramide Front Range in the extraordinarily low biodiversity World that followed the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) cataclysm. This project will test three major hypotheses:1. Floras and Landscapes: Fossil floras and their proxy climate data can be mapped onto paleogeography and linked to significant environmental events such as the regression of the Western Interior Seaway, the Laramide Orogeny, and the K-T extinction event to provide insight about the evolution of floras, climates, ecosystems and landscapes.2. Origin of Rainforests: Orographic conditions caused by the Laramide Orogeny and an adjacent seaway resulted in localized high rainfall. These conditions, in the warm but biologically depauperate post-K-T world of the early Paleocene, set the stage for the evolution of tropical rainforest ecosystems.3. Ghost Canyons and Ancient Fans: Alluvial fans form on the margins of synorogenic basins during times of high relief due to the localization of mountain-sourced river systems into incised valleys. These fans are paleogeomorphic features that controlled ancient vegetation patterns and strongly influence modern day hydrology.This project will integrate research across broad areas of paleontology, geology and hydrology to answer specific questions about biotic evolution and extinction on an evolving synorogenic landscape. This work will also provide data that is directly relevant to the understanding of the distribution and quantity of groundwater resources of the Colorado Front Range.

造山运动、地形学和第一片雨林的起源：科罗拉多州时间校准同生丹佛盆地的古植物科克·约翰逊和罗伯特·雷诺兹EAR-0345910摘要时间校准丹佛盆地的地层和植物化石提供了一个独特的天然实验室，可用于评估并量化影响回归、造山运动、地形和灭绝对古代生态系统演化的影响。 来自该盆地的证据表明，热带雨林生态系统首先在白垩纪-第三纪（K-T）大灾难之后生物多样性极低的世界中隆起的拉拉米德前山脉东侧降雨量极高的地区演化。 该项目将测试三个主要假设： 1．植物区系和景观：化石植物区系及其代理气候数据可以映射到古地理上，并与重大环境事件（例如西部内陆海道回归、拉拉米德造山运动和 K-T 灭绝事件）联系起来，以提供有关植物区系演化的见解，气候、生态系统和景观。2．雨林的起源：拉拉米德造山运动和邻近海道造成的地形条件导致局部高降雨量。 这些条件，在古新世早期温暖但生物退化的后 K-T 世界中，为热带雨林生态系统的演化奠定了基础。3．幽灵峡谷和古老扇：由于发源于山的河流系统进入下切山谷，冲积扇在高地势时期形成于同生盆地边缘。 这些扇是控制古代植被模式并强烈影响现代水文学的古地貌特征。该项目将整合古生物学、地质学和水文学广泛领域的研究，以回答有关不断演变的同生景观中生物进化和灭绝的具体问题。 这项工作还将提供与了解科罗拉多弗兰特山脉地下水资源分布和数量直接相关的数据。