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.

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古代生态系统的进化。 盆地的证据表明，热带雨林生态系统首先在极低的低生物多样性世界中升起的Laramide前部范围的东部侧面的极高降雨中发展，该地区遵循了白垩纪 - 特里（K-t）镇压。 该项目将检验三个主要假设：1。植物园和景观：化石植物群及其代理气候数据可以映射到古地理上，并与重大的环境事件有关，例如西部内部海道的回归，laramide的造山基因的回归以及K-T灭绝事件，以提供有关植物植物的演变，攀登，生态系统和景观的洞察力。2。雨林的起源：由Laramide造山运动和相邻海道引起的地形条件导致局部高降雨量。 这些条件在早期古新世的温暖但生物学上的depapate后世界世界中，为热带雨林生态系统的进化奠定了基础。3。幽灵峡谷和古老的粉丝：在高浮雕时期，由于将山河系统定位为切开的山谷，在高浮雕时期内形成了冲积粉丝。 这些风扇是古代形态的特征，该特征控制着古老的植被模式并强烈影响现代水文学。该项目将整合古生物学，地质学和水文学的广泛领域的研究，以回答有关生物进化和灭绝的特定问题，并灭绝对同增生景观的发展。 这项工作还将提供与理解科罗拉多州前水资源的分布和数量直接相关的数据。