Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools)
Neogene terrestrial deposits of sand and gravel with preserved wood and peat accumulations occur in many areas of the High Arctic. The Pliocene-aged Beaver Pond fossil site (Ellesmere Island, NU) is one such site that differs from other sites in the great thickness of its peat layer and the presence...
Published in: | ARCTIC |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
The Arctic Institute of North America
2016
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608 |
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University of Calgary Journal Hosting |
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English |
topic |
sedimentology diatom paleoenvironmental reconstruction Ellesmere Island Beaver Pond Site Pliocene beaver peat fossil fire sédimentologie diatomée reconstruction paléoenvironnementale île d’Ellesmere site Beaver Pond Pliocène castor tourbe fossile feu |
spellingShingle |
sedimentology diatom paleoenvironmental reconstruction Ellesmere Island Beaver Pond Site Pliocene beaver peat fossil fire sédimentologie diatomée reconstruction paléoenvironnementale île d’Ellesmere site Beaver Pond Pliocène castor tourbe fossile feu Mitchell, William Travis Rybczynski, Natalia Schröder-Adams, Claudia Hamilton, Paul B. Smith, Robin Douglas, Marianne Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) |
topic_facet |
sedimentology diatom paleoenvironmental reconstruction Ellesmere Island Beaver Pond Site Pliocene beaver peat fossil fire sédimentologie diatomée reconstruction paléoenvironnementale île d’Ellesmere site Beaver Pond Pliocène castor tourbe fossile feu |
description |
Neogene terrestrial deposits of sand and gravel with preserved wood and peat accumulations occur in many areas of the High Arctic. The Pliocene-aged Beaver Pond fossil site (Ellesmere Island, NU) is one such site that differs from other sites in the great thickness of its peat layer and the presence of a rich vertebrate faunal assemblage, along with numerous beaver-cut sticks. Although the site has been the subject of intense paleontological investigations for over two decades, there has not been a reconstruction of its depositional history. In this study, measured sections within and surrounding the site established the stratigraphy and lateral continuity of the stratigraphic units. Grain size analysis, loss on ignition, and fossil diatom assemblages were examined to reconstruct paleoenvironmental changes in the sequence. The base of the section was interpreted as a floodplain system. Using modern peat accumulation rates, the maximum thickness (240 cm) of the overlying peat layer is estimated to represent 49 000 ± 12 000 years. From this evidence, we suggest that during the peat formation interval, beaver activity may have played a role in creating an open water environment. The peat unit was overlain by sand, rich in organic matter and charcoal, suggesting environmental change and fire occurrence. En maints endroits de l’Extrême-Arctique, on trouve des dépôts continentaux néogènes de sable et de gravier accompagnés d’accumulations préservées de bois et de tourbe. Le site fossilifère Beaver Pond datant du Pliocène (île d’Ellesmere, Nunavut) est l’un de ces sites qui diffèrent d’autres sites en ce qui a trait à la grande épaisseur de sa couche de tourbe, à la présence d’un riche assemblage de faune vertébrée et aux nombreuses branches de bois coupées par les castors. Bien que ce site ait fait l’objet de fouilles paléontologiques intenses pendant plus de deux décennies, aucune reconstruction de son passé sédimentaire n’a été effectuée. Dans cette étude, diverses sections mesurées à l’intérieur et aux alentours du site ont permis d’établir la stratigraphie et la continuité latérale des unités stratigraphiques. L’analyse de la taille du grain, la perte par calcination et les assemblages de diatomées fossiles ont été examinés dans le but de reconstruire les changements paléoenvironnementaux de la séquence. La base de la section a été interprétée comme un système de plaine inondable. À l’aide des taux d’accumulation moderne de tourbe, on estime que l’épaisseur maximale (240 cm) de la couche de tourbe supérieure représente 49 000 ± 12 000 ans. À partir de cette évidence, nous suggérons que pendant l’intervalle de la formation de tourbe, l’activité des castors aurait pu jouer un rôle dans la création d’un environnement d’eau libre. L’unité de tourbe était recouverte de sable, riche en matière organique et en charbon, ce qui suggère un changement environnemental et l’occurrence de feux. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mitchell, William Travis Rybczynski, Natalia Schröder-Adams, Claudia Hamilton, Paul B. Smith, Robin Douglas, Marianne |
author_facet |
Mitchell, William Travis Rybczynski, Natalia Schröder-Adams, Claudia Hamilton, Paul B. Smith, Robin Douglas, Marianne |
author_sort |
Mitchell, William Travis |
title |
Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) |
title_short |
Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) |
title_full |
Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) |
title_fullStr |
Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) |
title_sort |
stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a mid-pliocene fossil site in the high arctic (ellesmere island, nunavut): evidence of an ancient peatland with beaver activity + online appendix figures s1 and s2 (see article tools) |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-56.848,-56.848,49.600,49.600) ENVELOPE(-67.350,-67.350,-67.217,-67.217) |
geographic |
Arctic Beaver Pond Ellesmere Island Gravier Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Beaver Pond Ellesmere Island Gravier Nunavut |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Arctique* Ellesmere Island Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Arctique* Ellesmere Island Nunavut |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 69 No. 2 (2016): June: 121–223; 185–204 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608/51508 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608/53101 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608 |
op_rights |
Copyright (c) 2016 ARCTIC |
container_title |
ARCTIC |
container_volume |
69 |
container_issue |
2 |
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1766290287424962560 |
spelling |
ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/67608 2023-05-15T14:18:48+02:00 Stratigraphic and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Mid-Pliocene Fossil Site in the High Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut): Evidence of an Ancient Peatland with Beaver Activity + Online Appendix Figures S1 and S2 (See Article Tools) Mitchell, William Travis Rybczynski, Natalia Schröder-Adams, Claudia Hamilton, Paul B. Smith, Robin Douglas, Marianne 2016-06-06 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608/51508 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608/53101 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67608 Copyright (c) 2016 ARCTIC ARCTIC; Vol. 69 No. 2 (2016): June: 121–223; 185–204 1923-1245 0004-0843 sedimentology diatom paleoenvironmental reconstruction Ellesmere Island Beaver Pond Site Pliocene beaver peat fossil fire sédimentologie diatomée reconstruction paléoenvironnementale île d’Ellesmere site Beaver Pond Pliocène castor tourbe fossile feu info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 2016 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:24:17Z Neogene terrestrial deposits of sand and gravel with preserved wood and peat accumulations occur in many areas of the High Arctic. The Pliocene-aged Beaver Pond fossil site (Ellesmere Island, NU) is one such site that differs from other sites in the great thickness of its peat layer and the presence of a rich vertebrate faunal assemblage, along with numerous beaver-cut sticks. Although the site has been the subject of intense paleontological investigations for over two decades, there has not been a reconstruction of its depositional history. In this study, measured sections within and surrounding the site established the stratigraphy and lateral continuity of the stratigraphic units. Grain size analysis, loss on ignition, and fossil diatom assemblages were examined to reconstruct paleoenvironmental changes in the sequence. The base of the section was interpreted as a floodplain system. Using modern peat accumulation rates, the maximum thickness (240 cm) of the overlying peat layer is estimated to represent 49 000 ± 12 000 years. From this evidence, we suggest that during the peat formation interval, beaver activity may have played a role in creating an open water environment. The peat unit was overlain by sand, rich in organic matter and charcoal, suggesting environmental change and fire occurrence. En maints endroits de l’Extrême-Arctique, on trouve des dépôts continentaux néogènes de sable et de gravier accompagnés d’accumulations préservées de bois et de tourbe. Le site fossilifère Beaver Pond datant du Pliocène (île d’Ellesmere, Nunavut) est l’un de ces sites qui diffèrent d’autres sites en ce qui a trait à la grande épaisseur de sa couche de tourbe, à la présence d’un riche assemblage de faune vertébrée et aux nombreuses branches de bois coupées par les castors. Bien que ce site ait fait l’objet de fouilles paléontologiques intenses pendant plus de deux décennies, aucune reconstruction de son passé sédimentaire n’a été effectuée. Dans cette étude, diverses sections mesurées à l’intérieur et aux alentours du site ont permis d’établir la stratigraphie et la continuité latérale des unités stratigraphiques. L’analyse de la taille du grain, la perte par calcination et les assemblages de diatomées fossiles ont été examinés dans le but de reconstruire les changements paléoenvironnementaux de la séquence. La base de la section a été interprétée comme un système de plaine inondable. À l’aide des taux d’accumulation moderne de tourbe, on estime que l’épaisseur maximale (240 cm) de la couche de tourbe supérieure représente 49 000 ± 12 000 ans. À partir de cette évidence, nous suggérons que pendant l’intervalle de la formation de tourbe, l’activité des castors aurait pu jouer un rôle dans la création d’un environnement d’eau libre. L’unité de tourbe était recouverte de sable, riche en matière organique et en charbon, ce qui suggère un changement environnemental et l’occurrence de feux. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Arctique* Ellesmere Island Nunavut University of Calgary Journal Hosting Arctic Beaver Pond ENVELOPE(-56.848,-56.848,49.600,49.600) Ellesmere Island Gravier ENVELOPE(-67.350,-67.350,-67.217,-67.217) Nunavut ARCTIC 69 2 |