Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA
Late Cretaceous coastal plain deposits of the Prince Creek Formation (PCF) offer a rare glimpse into an ancient, high-latitude, arctic greenhouse ecosystem for which there is no modern analog. Here, we employ quantitative biofacies analysis to explore the spatio-temporal variability in PCF palynomor...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-3263/11/11/460/ 2023-08-20T04:04:43+02:00 Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA James R. Bonelli Peter P. Flaig agris 2021-11-08 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110460 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Climate https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110460 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Geosciences; Volume 11; Issue 11; Pages: 460 palynofacies multivariate analysis gradient analysis paleosols cluster analysis ordination biofacies paleoecology paleodiversity Text 2021 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110460 2023-08-01T03:11:24Z Late Cretaceous coastal plain deposits of the Prince Creek Formation (PCF) offer a rare glimpse into an ancient, high-latitude, arctic greenhouse ecosystem for which there is no modern analog. Here, we employ quantitative biofacies analysis to explore the spatio-temporal variability in PCF palynomorph and microbiota assemblages from nine paleosol horizons exposed along the Colville River, North Slope, Alaska. Biofacies results provide insight into paleoenvironmental controls on the coastal plain ecosystem. Cluster and ordination analyses recognize five biofacies and the following two assemblage types: (1) fern and moss dominated assemblages and (2) algae dominated assemblages. Ordination arrays biofacies along environmental gradients related to soil moisture and marine influence. Fern and moss dominated biofacies from regularly water-logged paleosols along lake and swamp margins on the lower delta plain clearly segregated from algae dominated assemblages of periodically drier levee-overbank paleosols. These results support previous interpretations from the sedimentology, paleopedology, and geochemistry of PCF paleosols that suggest that fluctuations in the water table, related to seasonal river discharge and variations in topography and drainage, controlled soil development and vegetation growth across the coastal plain. This quantitative biofacies-based approach provides an independent predictive tool and cross-check for interpreting environmental conditions along any ancient coastal ecosystem. Text Arctic north slope Alaska MDPI Open Access Publishing Arctic Prince Creek ENVELOPE(-38.067,-38.067,-54.017,-54.017) Geosciences 11 11 460 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
palynofacies multivariate analysis gradient analysis paleosols cluster analysis ordination biofacies paleoecology paleodiversity |
spellingShingle |
palynofacies multivariate analysis gradient analysis paleosols cluster analysis ordination biofacies paleoecology paleodiversity James R. Bonelli Peter P. Flaig Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA |
topic_facet |
palynofacies multivariate analysis gradient analysis paleosols cluster analysis ordination biofacies paleoecology paleodiversity |
description |
Late Cretaceous coastal plain deposits of the Prince Creek Formation (PCF) offer a rare glimpse into an ancient, high-latitude, arctic greenhouse ecosystem for which there is no modern analog. Here, we employ quantitative biofacies analysis to explore the spatio-temporal variability in PCF palynomorph and microbiota assemblages from nine paleosol horizons exposed along the Colville River, North Slope, Alaska. Biofacies results provide insight into paleoenvironmental controls on the coastal plain ecosystem. Cluster and ordination analyses recognize five biofacies and the following two assemblage types: (1) fern and moss dominated assemblages and (2) algae dominated assemblages. Ordination arrays biofacies along environmental gradients related to soil moisture and marine influence. Fern and moss dominated biofacies from regularly water-logged paleosols along lake and swamp margins on the lower delta plain clearly segregated from algae dominated assemblages of periodically drier levee-overbank paleosols. These results support previous interpretations from the sedimentology, paleopedology, and geochemistry of PCF paleosols that suggest that fluctuations in the water table, related to seasonal river discharge and variations in topography and drainage, controlled soil development and vegetation growth across the coastal plain. This quantitative biofacies-based approach provides an independent predictive tool and cross-check for interpreting environmental conditions along any ancient coastal ecosystem. |
format |
Text |
author |
James R. Bonelli Peter P. Flaig |
author_facet |
James R. Bonelli Peter P. Flaig |
author_sort |
James R. Bonelli |
title |
Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA |
title_short |
Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA |
title_full |
Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA |
title_fullStr |
Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA |
title_full_unstemmed |
Quantitative Biofacies Analysis to Identify Relationships and Refine Controls on Paleosol Development, Prince Creek Formation, North Slope Alaska, USA |
title_sort |
quantitative biofacies analysis to identify relationships and refine controls on paleosol development, prince creek formation, north slope alaska, usa |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110460 |
op_coverage |
agris |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-38.067,-38.067,-54.017,-54.017) |
geographic |
Arctic Prince Creek |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Prince Creek |
genre |
Arctic north slope Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic north slope Alaska |
op_source |
Geosciences; Volume 11; Issue 11; Pages: 460 |
op_relation |
Climate https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110460 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110460 |
container_title |
Geosciences |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
460 |
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1774715098163576832 |