T238 Tectonic and Climatic Disruption of Hydrological Systems as a Driver for Evolution of Biota and Ecosystems

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 224A, North Building

INFLUENCE OF TECTONICS ON MIO-PLIOCENE DRAINAGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE DEATH VALLEY REGION

Paper number: T238-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:15 AM – 9:30 AM

Authors

  • Michael Berry Presenting Author
    New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
  • Brandon M Lutz
    New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM
  • Jolante van Wijk
    New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
  • Fred Phillips
    New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
  • Gary Axen
    New Mexico Inst Mining and TechnologyDept. Earth & Environmental Science, Socorro, NM

Abstract

Endemic species of fish and snails in Amargosa Valley, Death Valley, and Owens Valley springs are isolated today, but share a common Pliocene ancestor. This suggests that a hydrological system that once connected these regions was fragmented, allowing for the continuing separate evolution of the species in the three valleys. Here we use dynamic tectonic-landscape evolution models to study whether a hydrological system fragmented by tectonic events could explain the species diversification.

The tectonic reconstructions by Lutz et al. (GSA abstract in this session) are used as input to forward model drainages in the study area. We use an updated version of the tectonic-landscape evolution model TISC (Tectonics, Isostasy, Surface Processes, and Climate; Garcia-Castellanos, 2002; Berry et al., 2019). With TISC, tectonics are simulated kinematically (allowing us to use tectonic reconstructions of the study area), and the model can handle the formation of lakes and endorheic conditions in extensional tectonic settings. In this presentation we discuss our modeling approach, including tectonic simplifications, and climate, and show preliminary results.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2019AM-335136

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