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• 1. [Article] Substrate Age Influences Species Richness and Community Composition of Calicioid Lichens and Fungi on Wooden Buildings

  Identifying processes that drive epiphytic lichen diversity and succession is important for directing conservation efforts and developing forest management plans for the maintenance of biodiversity and ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Substrate Age Influences Species Richness and Community Composition of Calicioid Lichens and Fungi on Wooden Buildings Author: Peterson, Kate, Calabria, Lalita M., Miller, Jesse E.D., Brown-Clay, Jesse Year: 2017 Identifying processes that drive epiphytic lichen diversity and succession is important for directing conservation efforts and developing forest management plans for the maintenance of biodiversity and forest health. Stand age has been implicated as a key factor in driving epiphytic species diversity and community composition. However, understanding the influence of substrate age, independent of the many confounding variables that affect live and dead wood substrates in a forest habitat, can be difficult. To test the hypothesis that substrate age has distinct effects on lichen community assembly independent of surface area, we sampled communities of calicioid lichens and fungi growing on wooden buildings that ranged from 2 to 82 years old. We found a total of 17 species, with a strong positive correlation between species richness and substrate age. We also tested the effects of surface area on species richness and found no relationship between the two variables. Our results indicate that substrate age influenced community composition; non-lichenized calicioid species acted as early colonizers and six calicioid species were recorded only on the oldest substrate. Old-growth associate species were found on substrates of varying ages, implying that additional variables may also be responsible for the colonization of old-growth associate species. Copyright © 2017 by The American Bryological and Lichenological Society, Inc. Title: Substrate Age Influences Species Richness and Community Composition of Calicioid Lichens and Fungi on Wooden Buildings Author: Peterson, Kate, Calabria, Lalita M., Miller, Jesse E.D., Brown-Clay, Jesse Year: 2017 Identifying processes that drive epiphytic lichen diversity and succession is important for directing conservation efforts and developing forest management plans for the maintenance of biodiversity and forest health. Stand age has been implicated as a key factor in driving epiphytic species diversity and community composition. However, understanding the influence of substrate age, independent of the many confounding variables that affect live and dead wood substrates in a forest habitat, can be difficult. To test the hypothesis that substrate age has distinct effects on lichen community assembly independent of surface area, we sampled communities of calicioid lichens and fungi growing on wooden buildings that ranged from 2 to 82 years old. We found a total of 17 species, with a strong positive correlation between species richness and substrate age. We also tested the effects of surface area on species richness and found no relationship between the two variables. Our results indicate that substrate age influenced community composition; non-lichenized calicioid species acted as early colonizers and six calicioid species were recorded only on the oldest substrate. Old-growth associate species were found on substrates of varying ages, implying that additional variables may also be responsible for the colonization of old-growth associate species. Copyright © 2017 by The American Bryological and Lichenological Society, Inc. Close

• 2. [Article] Holocene History of Deep-Seated Landsliding in the North Fork Stillaguamish River Valley From Surface Roughness Analysis, Radiocarbon Dating, and Numerical Landscape Evolution Modeling

  Documenting spatial and temporal patterns of past landsliding is a challenging step in quantifying the effect of landslides on landscape evolution. While landslide inventories can map spatial distributions, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Holocene History of Deep-Seated Landsliding in the North Fork Stillaguamish River Valley From Surface Roughness Analysis, Radiocarbon Dating, and Numerical Landscape Evolution Modeling Author: Booth, Adam M., LaHusen, Sean R., Duvall, Alison R., Montgomery, David R. Year: 2017 Documenting spatial and temporal patterns of past landsliding is a challenging step in quantifying the effect of landslides on landscape evolution. While landslide inventories can map spatial distributions, lack of dateable material, landslide reactivations, or time, access, and cost constraints generally limit dating large numbers of landslides to analyze temporal patterns. Here we quantify the record of the Holocene history of deep-seated landsliding along a 25 km stretch of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley, Washington State, USA, including the 2014 Oso landslide, which killed 43 people. We estimate the ages of more than 200 deep-seated landslides in glacial sediment by defining an empirical relationship between landslide deposit age from radiocarbon dating and landslide deposit surface roughness. We show that roughness systematically decreases with age as a function of topographic wavelength, consistent with models of disturbance-driven soil transport. The age-roughness model predicts a peak in landslide frequency at ~1000 calibrated (cal) years B.P., with very few landslide deposits older than 7000 cal years B.P. or younger than 100 cal years B.P., likely reflecting a combination of preservation bias and a complex history of changing climate, base level, and seismic shaking in the study area. Most recent landslides have occurred where channels actively interact with the toes of hillslopes composed of glacial sediments, suggesting that lateral channel migration is a primary control on the location of large deep-seated landslides in the valley. Title: Holocene History of Deep-Seated Landsliding in the North Fork Stillaguamish River Valley From Surface Roughness Analysis, Radiocarbon Dating, and Numerical Landscape Evolution Modeling Author: Booth, Adam M., LaHusen, Sean R., Duvall, Alison R., Montgomery, David R. Year: 2017 Documenting spatial and temporal patterns of past landsliding is a challenging step in quantifying the effect of landslides on landscape evolution. While landslide inventories can map spatial distributions, lack of dateable material, landslide reactivations, or time, access, and cost constraints generally limit dating large numbers of landslides to analyze temporal patterns. Here we quantify the record of the Holocene history of deep-seated landsliding along a 25 km stretch of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley, Washington State, USA, including the 2014 Oso landslide, which killed 43 people. We estimate the ages of more than 200 deep-seated landslides in glacial sediment by defining an empirical relationship between landslide deposit age from radiocarbon dating and landslide deposit surface roughness. We show that roughness systematically decreases with age as a function of topographic wavelength, consistent with models of disturbance-driven soil transport. The age-roughness model predicts a peak in landslide frequency at ~1000 calibrated (cal) years B.P., with very few landslide deposits older than 7000 cal years B.P. or younger than 100 cal years B.P., likely reflecting a combination of preservation bias and a complex history of changing climate, base level, and seismic shaking in the study area. Most recent landslides have occurred where channels actively interact with the toes of hillslopes composed of glacial sediments, suggesting that lateral channel migration is a primary control on the location of large deep-seated landslides in the valley. Close

• 3. [Article] The Littlefield Rhyolite, Eastern Oregon: Distinct Flow Units and Their Constraints on Age and Storage Sites of Grande Ronde Basalt Magmas

  The Littlefield Rhyolite consists of widespread, high-temperature, hotspot-related rhyolitic lavas that erupted in eastern Oregon contemporaneous to late-stage Grande Ronde Basalt lavas. The estimated ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Littlefield Rhyolite, Eastern Oregon: Distinct Flow Units and Their Constraints on Age and Storage Sites of Grande Ronde Basalt Magmas Author: Webb, Brian McCulloch Year: 2017 The Littlefield Rhyolite consists of widespread, high-temperature, hotspot-related rhyolitic lavas that erupted in eastern Oregon contemporaneous to late-stage Grande Ronde Basalt lavas. The estimated total volume of erupted rhyolites is ~100 km3 covering ~850 km2. The focus of this study has been to investigate the stratigraphy and petrology of the Littlefield Rhyolite and whether field and geochemical relationships exist to help constrain the timing and storage sites of Grande Ronde Basalt magmas. Although often indistinguishable in the field, our data reveal that the Littlefield Rhyolite consists of two geochemically distinct rhyolite flow packages that are designated here as lower and upper Littlefield Rhyolite, according to stratigraphic relationships in the Malheur River Gorge. Rarely viewed in sequence, these rhyolites are distinguished by Zr, Ba, Nb, TiO2 and FeO contents and 40Ar/39Ar ages (16.12±0.04 and 16.16±0.10 Ma versus 16.01±0.06 and 16.05±0.04 Ma). Rhyolites known either as ‘rhyolite of Cottonwood Mountain’ or ‘rhyolite of Bully Creek Canyon’, and which are exposed around Cottonwood Mountain, northwest of Vale, have compositions similar to samples of lower Littlefield Rhyolite. Additionally, single crystal 40Ar/39Ar ages of two samples (16.12±0.07, 16.20±0.08) are statistically indistinguishable. Among units sandwiched between the lower and upper Littlefield Rhyolite are several lava flows and a one-meter thick agglutinated spatter deposit of Hunter Creek Basalt. The spatter deposit thickens to 10s of meters over a distance of 800 m where the deposit is strongly welded. We recognize this as a venting site of Hunter Creek Basalt, and that Hunter Creek Basalt is geochemically and petrographically similar to, and contemporaneous with, late-stage Grande Ronde Basalt. Ages of Littlefield Rhyolite flow units constrain the timing of eruption of Hunter Creek Basalt to an age span of ~100k years, between 16.05 – 16.12 Ma. One local variant of late-stage Grand Ronde Basalt is icelanditic (~62 wt. % SiO2) and is found at a number of places including a location near the southern extent of the upper Littlefield Rhyolite. Geochemical modeling strongly suggests that icelandite lavas resulted from mixing of Grande Ronde and upper Littlefield Rhyolite magmas, thereby tying a Grande Ronde magma storage site to within the greater Malheur River Gorge area, and indicating contemporaneity of rhyolitic and Grande Ronde magma reservoirs. Title: The Littlefield Rhyolite, Eastern Oregon: Distinct Flow Units and Their Constraints on Age and Storage Sites of Grande Ronde Basalt Magmas Author: Webb, Brian McCulloch Year: 2017 The Littlefield Rhyolite consists of widespread, high-temperature, hotspot-related rhyolitic lavas that erupted in eastern Oregon contemporaneous to late-stage Grande Ronde Basalt lavas. The estimated total volume of erupted rhyolites is ~100 km3 covering ~850 km2. The focus of this study has been to investigate the stratigraphy and petrology of the Littlefield Rhyolite and whether field and geochemical relationships exist to help constrain the timing and storage sites of Grande Ronde Basalt magmas. Although often indistinguishable in the field, our data reveal that the Littlefield Rhyolite consists of two geochemically distinct rhyolite flow packages that are designated here as lower and upper Littlefield Rhyolite, according to stratigraphic relationships in the Malheur River Gorge. Rarely viewed in sequence, these rhyolites are distinguished by Zr, Ba, Nb, TiO2 and FeO contents and 40Ar/39Ar ages (16.12±0.04 and 16.16±0.10 Ma versus 16.01±0.06 and 16.05±0.04 Ma). Rhyolites known either as ‘rhyolite of Cottonwood Mountain’ or ‘rhyolite of Bully Creek Canyon’, and which are exposed around Cottonwood Mountain, northwest of Vale, have compositions similar to samples of lower Littlefield Rhyolite. Additionally, single crystal 40Ar/39Ar ages of two samples (16.12±0.07, 16.20±0.08) are statistically indistinguishable. Among units sandwiched between the lower and upper Littlefield Rhyolite are several lava flows and a one-meter thick agglutinated spatter deposit of Hunter Creek Basalt. The spatter deposit thickens to 10s of meters over a distance of 800 m where the deposit is strongly welded. We recognize this as a venting site of Hunter Creek Basalt, and that Hunter Creek Basalt is geochemically and petrographically similar to, and contemporaneous with, late-stage Grande Ronde Basalt. Ages of Littlefield Rhyolite flow units constrain the timing of eruption of Hunter Creek Basalt to an age span of ~100k years, between 16.05 – 16.12 Ma. One local variant of late-stage Grand Ronde Basalt is icelanditic (~62 wt. % SiO2) and is found at a number of places including a location near the southern extent of the upper Littlefield Rhyolite. Geochemical modeling strongly suggests that icelandite lavas resulted from mixing of Grande Ronde and upper Littlefield Rhyolite magmas, thereby tying a Grande Ronde magma storage site to within the greater Malheur River Gorge area, and indicating contemporaneity of rhyolitic and Grande Ronde magma reservoirs. Close

• 4. [Article] Rhyolite Petrogenesis at Tower Mountain Caldera, OR

  Tower Mountain Caldera is the main feature of an Oligocene volcanic field located in the Umatilla National Forest, eastern Oregon. It is perfectly suited to investigate models of rhyolite petrogenesis ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Rhyolite Petrogenesis at Tower Mountain Caldera, OR Author: Brown, Elizabeth Ann Year: 2017 Tower Mountain Caldera is the main feature of an Oligocene volcanic field located in the Umatilla National Forest, eastern Oregon. It is perfectly suited to investigate models of rhyolite petrogenesis as all of the important rock components for evaluating generation models are present in a single location and thus are presumably related; basalts, intermediate igneous rocks (which consist of older plutons and younger volcanic rocks, which are ~coeval with rhyolites), metamorphic basement rocks of significant grade, and rhyolites of varying composition. The formation of the caldera produced the Dale Tuff, which comprises the intra-caldera and outflow facies. 40Ar/39Ar dating places the age of the tuff at 32.66 ± 0.36 Ma. Post-caldera rhyolites erupted along apparent ring fractures and elsewhere. Radiometric U-Pb dating of zircons from three of these rhyolites yielded ages of 32.167 ± 0.020 Ma (#CH07a), 31.798 ± 0.012 Ma (#TM5), and 31.426 ± 0.016 Ma (#CH08a). All rhyolites at Tower Mountain range from low to high silica varieties. Some of the post-caldera rhyolites are chemically similar to the Dale Tuff, such as sample CH07a, and have compositions typical of rhyolites of calc-alkaline volcanic centers (I-type rhyolites), while others are similar to A-type rhyolites (CH08a and TM5). The ages indicate that the calc-alkaline rhyolites were followed by the A-type rhyolites. The petrogenetic relationships between the various rocks types were evaluated. Partial melt modeling based on experimental melts produced from crustal material indicates that batch partial melting of metamorphosed high silica crustal material modified by the addition of more primitive mafic material by assimilation/contamination is the most likely source for the Tower Mountain rhyolites. Title: Rhyolite Petrogenesis at Tower Mountain Caldera, OR Author: Brown, Elizabeth Ann Year: 2017 Tower Mountain Caldera is the main feature of an Oligocene volcanic field located in the Umatilla National Forest, eastern Oregon. It is perfectly suited to investigate models of rhyolite petrogenesis as all of the important rock components for evaluating generation models are present in a single location and thus are presumably related; basalts, intermediate igneous rocks (which consist of older plutons and younger volcanic rocks, which are ~coeval with rhyolites), metamorphic basement rocks of significant grade, and rhyolites of varying composition. The formation of the caldera produced the Dale Tuff, which comprises the intra-caldera and outflow facies. 40Ar/39Ar dating places the age of the tuff at 32.66 ± 0.36 Ma. Post-caldera rhyolites erupted along apparent ring fractures and elsewhere. Radiometric U-Pb dating of zircons from three of these rhyolites yielded ages of 32.167 ± 0.020 Ma (#CH07a), 31.798 ± 0.012 Ma (#TM5), and 31.426 ± 0.016 Ma (#CH08a). All rhyolites at Tower Mountain range from low to high silica varieties. Some of the post-caldera rhyolites are chemically similar to the Dale Tuff, such as sample CH07a, and have compositions typical of rhyolites of calc-alkaline volcanic centers (I-type rhyolites), while others are similar to A-type rhyolites (CH08a and TM5). The ages indicate that the calc-alkaline rhyolites were followed by the A-type rhyolites. The petrogenetic relationships between the various rocks types were evaluated. Partial melt modeling based on experimental melts produced from crustal material indicates that batch partial melting of metamorphosed high silica crustal material modified by the addition of more primitive mafic material by assimilation/contamination is the most likely source for the Tower Mountain rhyolites. Close

• 5. [Article] Field Geology and Petrologic Investigation of the Strawberry Volcanics, Northeast Oregon

  The Strawberry Volcanics of Northeast Oregon are a group of geochemically related lavas with a diverse chemical range (basalt to rhyolite) that erupted between 16.2 and 12.5 Ma and co-erupted with the ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Field Geology and Petrologic Investigation of the Strawberry Volcanics, Northeast Oregon Author: Steiner, Arron Richard Year: 2016 The Strawberry Volcanics of Northeast Oregon are a group of geochemically related lavas with a diverse chemical range (basalt to rhyolite) that erupted between 16.2 and 12.5 Ma and co-erupted with the large, (~200,000 km3) Middle Miocene tholeiitic lavas of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), which erupted near and geographically surround the Strawberry Volcanics. The rhyolitic lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics produced the oldest 40Ar/39Ar ages measured in this study with ages ranging from 16.2 Ma to 14.6 Ma, and have an estimated total erupted volume of 100 km3. The mafic and intermediate lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics include both tholeiitic and calc-alkaline compositions; calc-alkaline andesite is the dominant type by volume. 40Ar/39Ar ages of the mafic and intermediate lava flows range from 15.6 Ma to 12.5 Ma, and volume estimates of the intermediate lavas are approximately 1,100 km3. The magmas that gave rise to the Strawberry Volcanics traveled to the surface through numerous dikes, some of which have been exposed at the surface and supplied lava to fissure – style eruptions and/or shield volcanoes. Herein, we show that the Strawberry Volcanics are related to the CRBG in both time and space and share a chemical affinity, specifically to the Steens Basalt. Chemical similarities are observed in normalized trace element patterns, selected trace element ratios, and radiogenic isotopes. Comparison of the Strawberry Volcanic rhyolites to the other Middle Miocene rhyolites of eastern Oregon associated with the initiation of the Yellowstone – Snake River mantle plume reveals similar eruption ages, trace element compositions, including the rare earth elements (REEs), and "A-type" rhyolite characteristics. These data suggest that the Strawberry Volcanics are part of the regional volcanism (basalt to rhyolite) of the Columbia River Basalt Province. The petrogenesis of the Strawberry Volcanics can be explained as follows: 1) The tholeiitic, intermediate magmas were produced by fractional crystallization of mafic magmas, which have a commonality with the surrounding Columbia River Basalt Group; 2) The calc-alkaline magmas are a result of mixing between tholeiitic basalt, rhyolite, and crust. The arc-like signature of the calc-alkaline lavas (elevated large ion lithophiles) is a result of both the melting source region and the end-members with which the mafic magmas mixed/contaminated. Other authors have produced similar findings from within the Basin and Range/Oregon-Idaho graben and CRB province. The difference at the Strawberry Volcanics is that there is no need for a primitive calc-alkaline magma or extensive fractional crystallization to generate the calc-alkaline andesites. Alternatively, the calc-alkaline magmas of the Strawberry Volcanics were generated by a more primitive tholeiitic magma than erupted at the surface, which interacted with crustal melts and assimilated crustal lithologies from the complex zone of assimilated terranes that make up the basement of eastern Oregon. Title: Field Geology and Petrologic Investigation of the Strawberry Volcanics, Northeast Oregon Author: Steiner, Arron Richard Year: 2016 The Strawberry Volcanics of Northeast Oregon are a group of geochemically related lavas with a diverse chemical range (basalt to rhyolite) that erupted between 16.2 and 12.5 Ma and co-erupted with the large, (~200,000 km3) Middle Miocene tholeiitic lavas of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), which erupted near and geographically surround the Strawberry Volcanics. The rhyolitic lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics produced the oldest 40Ar/39Ar ages measured in this study with ages ranging from 16.2 Ma to 14.6 Ma, and have an estimated total erupted volume of 100 km3. The mafic and intermediate lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics include both tholeiitic and calc-alkaline compositions; calc-alkaline andesite is the dominant type by volume. 40Ar/39Ar ages of the mafic and intermediate lava flows range from 15.6 Ma to 12.5 Ma, and volume estimates of the intermediate lavas are approximately 1,100 km3. The magmas that gave rise to the Strawberry Volcanics traveled to the surface through numerous dikes, some of which have been exposed at the surface and supplied lava to fissure – style eruptions and/or shield volcanoes. Herein, we show that the Strawberry Volcanics are related to the CRBG in both time and space and share a chemical affinity, specifically to the Steens Basalt. Chemical similarities are observed in normalized trace element patterns, selected trace element ratios, and radiogenic isotopes. Comparison of the Strawberry Volcanic rhyolites to the other Middle Miocene rhyolites of eastern Oregon associated with the initiation of the Yellowstone – Snake River mantle plume reveals similar eruption ages, trace element compositions, including the rare earth elements (REEs), and "A-type" rhyolite characteristics. These data suggest that the Strawberry Volcanics are part of the regional volcanism (basalt to rhyolite) of the Columbia River Basalt Province. The petrogenesis of the Strawberry Volcanics can be explained as follows: 1) The tholeiitic, intermediate magmas were produced by fractional crystallization of mafic magmas, which have a commonality with the surrounding Columbia River Basalt Group; 2) The calc-alkaline magmas are a result of mixing between tholeiitic basalt, rhyolite, and crust. The arc-like signature of the calc-alkaline lavas (elevated large ion lithophiles) is a result of both the melting source region and the end-members with which the mafic magmas mixed/contaminated. Other authors have produced similar findings from within the Basin and Range/Oregon-Idaho graben and CRB province. The difference at the Strawberry Volcanics is that there is no need for a primitive calc-alkaline magma or extensive fractional crystallization to generate the calc-alkaline andesites. Alternatively, the calc-alkaline magmas of the Strawberry Volcanics were generated by a more primitive tholeiitic magma than erupted at the surface, which interacted with crustal melts and assimilated crustal lithologies from the complex zone of assimilated terranes that make up the basement of eastern Oregon. Close

• 6. [Article] Origins of Quaternary Coastal Dune Sheets in San Francisco and Monterey Bay, Central California Coast, U.S.A.: Reflecting Contrasts in Shelf Depocenters and Coastal Neotectonics

  The San Francisco and Monterey Bay coastal dune sheets derive from similar origins in the central California coast but differ substantially in size (respectively, ~400 and ~900 km2) and age (respectively, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Origins of Quaternary Coastal Dune Sheets in San Francisco and Monterey Bay, Central California Coast, U.S.A.: Reflecting Contrasts in Shelf Depocenters and Coastal Neotectonics Author: Peterson, Curt D., Stock, Errol, Meyer, Jack, Kaijankoski, Philip, Price, David M. Year: 2015 The San Francisco and Monterey Bay coastal dune sheets derive from similar origins in the central California coast but differ substantially in size (respectively, ~400 and ~900 km2) and age (respectively, 1.0 Ma). The San Francisco dune sheet is restricted to a short alongshore interval (km) within a relatively straight coastline (150 km in length) that borders a broad shelf (~40 km in width). The Monterey Bay dune sheet is restricted to the Monterey Bay embayment (41 km alongshore length). The embayment includes a very narrow shelf (3–15 km in width), which is dissected by the Monterey Submarine Canyon. Generally low onshore topographic relief (elevation) likely enhanced inland transgression of Late Pleistocene dune fields in both the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. The locations of the dune sheets are directly related to sand accumulations in marine low-stand depocenters that supplied sand to the adjacent dune fields by eolian transport across the emerged inner shelves. The San Francisco shelf depocenter is apparently localized at a midshelf bight (−50 to −100 m elevation) that extends 25 km (east–west) offshore of a paleoriver mouth of a major river system, the Sacramento–San Joaquin River. The Monterey Bay shelf depocenter is bounded alongshore by major headlands and converging paleoshorelines (−30 to −90 m elevation) that effectively trapped littoral sand from small coastal drainages, primarily the Salinas River. High vertical rates of neotectonic deformation in the San Francisco dune sheet (0.4–1.0 mm y−1) limited dune sheet longevity and deposit thickness (5–35 m). Low uplift rates (~0.1 mm y−1) in the central Monterey Bay dune sheet permitted deposit accumulations of up to 250 m thickness. The differences in dune sheet extent, thickness, and age resulted from key differences in localized shelf accommodation space and coastal neotectonic vertical movements. Title: Origins of Quaternary Coastal Dune Sheets in San Francisco and Monterey Bay, Central California Coast, U.S.A.: Reflecting Contrasts in Shelf Depocenters and Coastal Neotectonics Author: Peterson, Curt D., Stock, Errol, Meyer, Jack, Kaijankoski, Philip, Price, David M. Year: 2015 The San Francisco and Monterey Bay coastal dune sheets derive from similar origins in the central California coast but differ substantially in size (respectively, ~400 and ~900 km2) and age (respectively, 1.0 Ma). The San Francisco dune sheet is restricted to a short alongshore interval (km) within a relatively straight coastline (150 km in length) that borders a broad shelf (~40 km in width). The Monterey Bay dune sheet is restricted to the Monterey Bay embayment (41 km alongshore length). The embayment includes a very narrow shelf (3–15 km in width), which is dissected by the Monterey Submarine Canyon. Generally low onshore topographic relief (elevation) likely enhanced inland transgression of Late Pleistocene dune fields in both the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. The locations of the dune sheets are directly related to sand accumulations in marine low-stand depocenters that supplied sand to the adjacent dune fields by eolian transport across the emerged inner shelves. The San Francisco shelf depocenter is apparently localized at a midshelf bight (−50 to −100 m elevation) that extends 25 km (east–west) offshore of a paleoriver mouth of a major river system, the Sacramento–San Joaquin River. The Monterey Bay shelf depocenter is bounded alongshore by major headlands and converging paleoshorelines (−30 to −90 m elevation) that effectively trapped littoral sand from small coastal drainages, primarily the Salinas River. High vertical rates of neotectonic deformation in the San Francisco dune sheet (0.4–1.0 mm y−1) limited dune sheet longevity and deposit thickness (5–35 m). Low uplift rates (~0.1 mm y−1) in the central Monterey Bay dune sheet permitted deposit accumulations of up to 250 m thickness. The differences in dune sheet extent, thickness, and age resulted from key differences in localized shelf accommodation space and coastal neotectonic vertical movements. Close

• 7. [Article] Ground-Rupturing Earthquakes on the Northern Big Bend of the San Andreas Fault, California, 800A.D. to Present

  Paleoseismic data on the timing of ground-rupturing earthquakes constrain the recurrence behavior of active faults and can provide insight on the rupture history of a fault if earthquakes dated at neighboring ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Ground-Rupturing Earthquakes on the Northern Big Bend of the San Andreas Fault, California, 800A.D. to Present Author: Scharer, Katherine, Weldon, Ray J., II, Biasi, Glenn, Strieg, Ashley, Fumal, Thomas Year: 2017 Paleoseismic data on the timing of ground-rupturing earthquakes constrain the recurrence behavior of active faults and can provide insight on the rupture history of a fault if earthquakes dated at neighboring sites overlap in age and are considered correlative. This study presents the evidence and ages for 11 earthquakes that occurred along the Big Bend section of the southern San Andreas Fault at the Frazier Mountain paleoseismic site. The most recent earthquake to rupture the site was the Mw7.7–7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857. We use over 30 trench excavations to document the structural and sedimentological evolution of a small pull-apart basin that has been repeatedly faulted and folded by ground-rupturing earthquakes. A sedimentation rate of 0.4 cm/yr and abundant organic material for radiocarbon dating contribute to a record that is considered complete since 800 A.D. and includes 10 paleoearthquakes. Earthquakes have ruptured this location on average every ~100 years over the last 1200 years, but individual intervals range from ~22 to 186 years. The coefficient of variation of the length of time between earthquakes (0.7) indicates quasiperiodic behavior, similar to other sites along the southern San Andreas Fault. Comparison with the earthquake chronology at neighboring sites along the fault indicates that only one other 1857-size earthquake could have occurred since 1350 A.D., and since 800 A.D., the Big Bend and Mojave sections have ruptured together at most 50% of the time in Mw ≥ 7.3 earthquakes. Title: Ground-Rupturing Earthquakes on the Northern Big Bend of the San Andreas Fault, California, 800A.D. to Present Author: Scharer, Katherine, Weldon, Ray J., II, Biasi, Glenn, Strieg, Ashley, Fumal, Thomas Year: 2017 Paleoseismic data on the timing of ground-rupturing earthquakes constrain the recurrence behavior of active faults and can provide insight on the rupture history of a fault if earthquakes dated at neighboring sites overlap in age and are considered correlative. This study presents the evidence and ages for 11 earthquakes that occurred along the Big Bend section of the southern San Andreas Fault at the Frazier Mountain paleoseismic site. The most recent earthquake to rupture the site was the Mw7.7–7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857. We use over 30 trench excavations to document the structural and sedimentological evolution of a small pull-apart basin that has been repeatedly faulted and folded by ground-rupturing earthquakes. A sedimentation rate of 0.4 cm/yr and abundant organic material for radiocarbon dating contribute to a record that is considered complete since 800 A.D. and includes 10 paleoearthquakes. Earthquakes have ruptured this location on average every ~100 years over the last 1200 years, but individual intervals range from ~22 to 186 years. The coefficient of variation of the length of time between earthquakes (0.7) indicates quasiperiodic behavior, similar to other sites along the southern San Andreas Fault. Comparison with the earthquake chronology at neighboring sites along the fault indicates that only one other 1857-size earthquake could have occurred since 1350 A.D., and since 800 A.D., the Big Bend and Mojave sections have ruptured together at most 50% of the time in Mw ≥ 7.3 earthquakes. Close

• 8. [Article] Origins of Late- Pleistocene Coastal Dune Sheets, Magdalena and Guerrero Negro, from Continental Shelf Low-stand Supply (70-20 ka), under Conditions of Southeast Littoral- and Eolian-Sand Transport, in Baja California Sur, Mexico

  Shallow morpho-stratigraphic sections (n = 11) in each of two large coastal dune sheets including the Magdalena (7000 km2) and Guerrero Negro (8000 km2) dune sheets, from the Pacific Ocean side of Baja ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Origins of Late- Pleistocene Coastal Dune Sheets, Magdalena and Guerrero Negro, from Continental Shelf Low-stand Supply (70-20 ka), under Conditions of Southeast Littoral- and Eolian-Sand Transport, in Baja California Sur, Mexico Author: Peterson, Curt D., Murillo-Jiminez, Janette, Stock, Errol, Price, David M., Hostetler, Steve W., Percy, David Year: 2017 Shallow morpho-stratigraphic sections (n = 11) in each of two large coastal dune sheets including the Magdalena (7000 km2) and Guerrero Negro (8000 km2) dune sheets, from the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California Sur, Mexico, have been analyzed for dune deposit age. The shallow morpho-stratigraphic sections (∼2-10 m depth) include 11 new TL and 14C ages, and paleosol chronosequences, that differentiate cemented late Pleistocene dune deposits (20.7 ± 2.1 to 99.8 ± 9.4 ka) from uncemented Holocene dune deposits (0.7 ± 0.05 to at least 3.2 ± 0.3 ka). Large linear dune ridges (5-10 m in height) in the dune sheet interiors trend southeast and are generally of late Pleistocene age (∼70-20 ka). The late Pleistocene dune deposits reflect eolian transport of marine sand across the emerged continental shelf (30-50 km southeast distance) from low-stand paleo-shorelines (-100 ± 25 m elevation), which were locally oriented nearly orthogonal to modeled deep-water wave directions (∼300° TN). During the Holocene marine transgression, onshore and alongshore wave transport delivered remobilized shelf-sand deposits to the nearshore areas of the large dune sheets, building extensive barrier islands and sand spits. Submerged back-barrier lagoons generally precluded marine sand supply to dune sheet interiors in middle to late Holocene time, though exceptions occur along some ocean and lagoon shorelines. Reactivation of the late Pleistocene dune deposits in the dune sheet interiors lead to generally thin (1-3 m thickness), but widespread, covers of Holocene dune deposits (0.41 ± 0.05 to 10.5 ± 1.6 ka). Mechanical drilling will be required to penetrate indurated subsoil caliche layers to reach basal Pleistocene dune deposits. Title: Origins of Late- Pleistocene Coastal Dune Sheets, Magdalena and Guerrero Negro, from Continental Shelf Low-stand Supply (70-20 ka), under Conditions of Southeast Littoral- and Eolian-Sand Transport, in Baja California Sur, Mexico Author: Peterson, Curt D., Murillo-Jiminez, Janette, Stock, Errol, Price, David M., Hostetler, Steve W., Percy, David Year: 2017 Shallow morpho-stratigraphic sections (n = 11) in each of two large coastal dune sheets including the Magdalena (7000 km2) and Guerrero Negro (8000 km2) dune sheets, from the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California Sur, Mexico, have been analyzed for dune deposit age. The shallow morpho-stratigraphic sections (∼2-10 m depth) include 11 new TL and 14C ages, and paleosol chronosequences, that differentiate cemented late Pleistocene dune deposits (20.7 ± 2.1 to 99.8 ± 9.4 ka) from uncemented Holocene dune deposits (0.7 ± 0.05 to at least 3.2 ± 0.3 ka). Large linear dune ridges (5-10 m in height) in the dune sheet interiors trend southeast and are generally of late Pleistocene age (∼70-20 ka). The late Pleistocene dune deposits reflect eolian transport of marine sand across the emerged continental shelf (30-50 km southeast distance) from low-stand paleo-shorelines (-100 ± 25 m elevation), which were locally oriented nearly orthogonal to modeled deep-water wave directions (∼300° TN). During the Holocene marine transgression, onshore and alongshore wave transport delivered remobilized shelf-sand deposits to the nearshore areas of the large dune sheets, building extensive barrier islands and sand spits. Submerged back-barrier lagoons generally precluded marine sand supply to dune sheet interiors in middle to late Holocene time, though exceptions occur along some ocean and lagoon shorelines. Reactivation of the late Pleistocene dune deposits in the dune sheet interiors lead to generally thin (1-3 m thickness), but widespread, covers of Holocene dune deposits (0.41 ± 0.05 to 10.5 ± 1.6 ka). Mechanical drilling will be required to penetrate indurated subsoil caliche layers to reach basal Pleistocene dune deposits. Close

• 9. [Article] Naturally Occurring Background Levels of Arsenic in the Soils of Southwestern Oregon

  Abstract This study examines the natural background concentrations of arsenic in the soils of southwest Oregon, using new samples in addition to data collected from previous theses (Khandoker, 1997 and ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Naturally Occurring Background Levels of Arsenic in the Soils of Southwestern Oregon Author: Hurtado, Heather Ann Year: 2015 Abstract This study examines the natural background concentrations of arsenic in the soils of southwest Oregon, using new samples in addition to data collected from previous theses (Khandoker, 1997 and Douglas, 1999). The original 213 samples were run by ICP-AES with a reporting limit of 20 ppm, and only three samples had detected values. The original samples were tested again (2013) at a lower reporting limit of 0.2 ppm by ICP-MS, as were 42 new samples (2013), to better ascertain the natural levels of arsenic in undisturbed soils. The aim is to add to the existing DEQ data set, which has been used to establish new regulatory levels based on natural levels in the environment that are both safer and more economically viable than the former risk-based remediation levels (DEQ, 2013). The maximum and mean concentrations, respectively, for each province (with high formation map unit) are 85.4 and 21.99 ppm for South Willamette Valley (Tfee), 45.4 and 5.42 ppm for the Klamath Mountains (Jub), 11.9 and 2.76 ppm for the Cascade Range (Tbaa), 10.6 and 5.15 ppm for the Coast Range (Ty), 2.32 and 1.29 ppm for the Basin and Range (Qba) and 1.5 and 1.20 ppm for the High Lava Plains (Tmv). In addition, the distribution and variance of arsenic in the A and B soil horizons is assessed in this study by comparing deviation at a single site, and also by comparing A and B horizons of 119 PSU sites. One of 18 new sites sampled for this study (distinguished with the HH prefix), site HH11, was randomly chosen to evaluate differences at a single location. Site HH11 is an Inceptisol soil above volcanic rock (KJdv map unit) located at 275 meters elevation in Douglas County within the Klamath province. Five samples were taken from the A and from the B horizons at site HH11. The means and standard deviations were 3.74 ± 0.44 for the A horizon and 4.53 ± 0.39 for the B horizon. The consistency and low deviation within each horizon indicate that a single sample within a horizon is a good representative of that horizon and supports the field methodology used in this study of taking only one sample in the A horizon and one sample in the B horizon. Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test determined that A and B horizons for the 119 sites that had data for both the A and B horizons were not statistically different (p-value 0.76). Arsenic concentration is not associated with a particular horizon for these sites. However, differentiation between soil horizons increases with age (Birkeland, 1999), as does accumulation of the iron oxides and sulfide minerals on clay surfaces (McLaren et al., 2006) which concentrate in the B horizon. These associations warrant further study to see how they relate to arsenic level, soil development and age in Oregon soils. Lastly, this study statistically examines six potentially important environmental predictors of naturally occurring arsenic in southwestern Oregon: site elevation, geomorphic province, mapped rock type and age, and sample soil order and color (redness). A Classification and Regression Tree Model (CART) determined soil order, elevation and rock type to be of significant importance in determining arsenic concentrations in the natural environment. According to the regression tree, arsenic concentrations are greater within Alfisol and Ultisol/Alfisol and Vertisol soil orders, at lower elevations below 1,207 meters, and within soils from sedimentary, mixed volcanic/sedimentary and unconsolidated rock types. Title: Naturally Occurring Background Levels of Arsenic in the Soils of Southwestern Oregon Author: Hurtado, Heather Ann Year: 2015 Abstract This study examines the natural background concentrations of arsenic in the soils of southwest Oregon, using new samples in addition to data collected from previous theses (Khandoker, 1997 and Douglas, 1999). The original 213 samples were run by ICP-AES with a reporting limit of 20 ppm, and only three samples had detected values. The original samples were tested again (2013) at a lower reporting limit of 0.2 ppm by ICP-MS, as were 42 new samples (2013), to better ascertain the natural levels of arsenic in undisturbed soils. The aim is to add to the existing DEQ data set, which has been used to establish new regulatory levels based on natural levels in the environment that are both safer and more economically viable than the former risk-based remediation levels (DEQ, 2013). The maximum and mean concentrations, respectively, for each province (with high formation map unit) are 85.4 and 21.99 ppm for South Willamette Valley (Tfee), 45.4 and 5.42 ppm for the Klamath Mountains (Jub), 11.9 and 2.76 ppm for the Cascade Range (Tbaa), 10.6 and 5.15 ppm for the Coast Range (Ty), 2.32 and 1.29 ppm for the Basin and Range (Qba) and 1.5 and 1.20 ppm for the High Lava Plains (Tmv). In addition, the distribution and variance of arsenic in the A and B soil horizons is assessed in this study by comparing deviation at a single site, and also by comparing A and B horizons of 119 PSU sites. One of 18 new sites sampled for this study (distinguished with the HH prefix), site HH11, was randomly chosen to evaluate differences at a single location. Site HH11 is an Inceptisol soil above volcanic rock (KJdv map unit) located at 275 meters elevation in Douglas County within the Klamath province. Five samples were taken from the A and from the B horizons at site HH11. The means and standard deviations were 3.74 ± 0.44 for the A horizon and 4.53 ± 0.39 for the B horizon. The consistency and low deviation within each horizon indicate that a single sample within a horizon is a good representative of that horizon and supports the field methodology used in this study of taking only one sample in the A horizon and one sample in the B horizon. Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test determined that A and B horizons for the 119 sites that had data for both the A and B horizons were not statistically different (p-value 0.76). Arsenic concentration is not associated with a particular horizon for these sites. However, differentiation between soil horizons increases with age (Birkeland, 1999), as does accumulation of the iron oxides and sulfide minerals on clay surfaces (McLaren et al., 2006) which concentrate in the B horizon. These associations warrant further study to see how they relate to arsenic level, soil development and age in Oregon soils. Lastly, this study statistically examines six potentially important environmental predictors of naturally occurring arsenic in southwestern Oregon: site elevation, geomorphic province, mapped rock type and age, and sample soil order and color (redness). A Classification and Regression Tree Model (CART) determined soil order, elevation and rock type to be of significant importance in determining arsenic concentrations in the natural environment. According to the regression tree, arsenic concentrations are greater within Alfisol and Ultisol/Alfisol and Vertisol soil orders, at lower elevations below 1,207 meters, and within soils from sedimentary, mixed volcanic/sedimentary and unconsolidated rock types. Close

• 10. [Article] Silicic Volcanism at the Northern and Western Extent of the Columbia River Basalt Rhyolite Flare-up: Rhyolites of Buchanan Volcanic Complex and Dooley Mountain Volcanic Complex, Oregon

  Two mid-Miocene (16.5-15 Ma) rhyolite volcanic centers in eastern Oregon, the Buchanan rhyolite complex and Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex, were investigated to characterize eruptive units through field ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Silicic Volcanism at the Northern and Western Extent of the Columbia River Basalt Rhyolite Flare-up: Rhyolites of Buchanan Volcanic Complex and Dooley Mountain Volcanic Complex, Oregon Author: Large, Adam M. Year: 2016 Two mid-Miocene (16.5-15 Ma) rhyolite volcanic centers in eastern Oregon, the Buchanan rhyolite complex and Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex, were investigated to characterize eruptive units through field and laboratory analysis. Results of petrographic and geochemical analysis add to field observations to differentiate and discriminate the eruptive units. Additionally, new geochemical data are used to correlate stratigraphically younger and older basalt and ash-flow tuff units with regional eruptive units to constrain the eruptive periods with modern Ar-Ar age dates. Previous work at the Buchanan rhyolite complex was limited to regional mapping (Piper et al., 1939; Greene et al., 1972) and brief mention of the possibility of multiple eruptive units (Walker, 1979). Observed stratigraphic relationships and geochemical analysis were used to identify eight distinct eruptive units and create a geologic map of their distribution. Slight differences in trace element enrichment are seen in mantle normalized values of Ba, Sr, P, Ti and Nd-Zr-Hf and are used to differentiate eruptive units. New geochemical analyses are used to correlate the overlying Buchanan ash-flow tuff (Brown and McLean, 1980) and two underlying mafic units to the Wildcat Creek ash-flow tuff (~15.9 Ma, Hooper et al., 2002) and flows of the Upper Steens Basalt (~16.57 Ma, Brueseke et al., 2007), respectively, bracketing the eruptive age of the Buchanan rhyolite complex to between ~16.5 and ~15.9 Ma (Brueseke et al., 2007; Hooper et al., 2002). The Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex was thoroughly mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey (Evans, 1992) and geochemically differentiated in a previous Portland State University M.S. thesis (Whitson, 1988); however, discrepancies between published interpretations and field observations necessitated modern geochemical data and revisions to geologic interpretations. Field and laboratory studies indicate that the Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex consists of multiple eruptive units that were effusive domes and flows with associated explosive eruptions subordinate in volume. At least four geochemically distinct eruptive units are described with variations in Ba, Sr, Zr and Nb. Picture Gorge Basalt flows and Dinner Creek Tuff units found within the study area both overlay and underlie the Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex. These stratigraphic relationships are consistent with the one existing Ar-Ar age date 15.59±0.04 Ma (Hess, 2014) for the Dooley rhyolite complex, bracketing the eruptive period between ~16.0 and ~15.2 Ma (Streck et al., 2015; Barry et al., 2013). The findings of this study indicate that the Buchanan rhyolite complex and the Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex are the westernmost and northernmost rhyolite complexes among the earliest (16-16.5 Ma) mid-Miocene rhyolites associated with initiation of Yellowstone hot spot related volcanism. Title: Silicic Volcanism at the Northern and Western Extent of the Columbia River Basalt Rhyolite Flare-up: Rhyolites of Buchanan Volcanic Complex and Dooley Mountain Volcanic Complex, Oregon Author: Large, Adam M. Year: 2016 Two mid-Miocene (16.5-15 Ma) rhyolite volcanic centers in eastern Oregon, the Buchanan rhyolite complex and Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex, were investigated to characterize eruptive units through field and laboratory analysis. Results of petrographic and geochemical analysis add to field observations to differentiate and discriminate the eruptive units. Additionally, new geochemical data are used to correlate stratigraphically younger and older basalt and ash-flow tuff units with regional eruptive units to constrain the eruptive periods with modern Ar-Ar age dates. Previous work at the Buchanan rhyolite complex was limited to regional mapping (Piper et al., 1939; Greene et al., 1972) and brief mention of the possibility of multiple eruptive units (Walker, 1979). Observed stratigraphic relationships and geochemical analysis were used to identify eight distinct eruptive units and create a geologic map of their distribution. Slight differences in trace element enrichment are seen in mantle normalized values of Ba, Sr, P, Ti and Nd-Zr-Hf and are used to differentiate eruptive units. New geochemical analyses are used to correlate the overlying Buchanan ash-flow tuff (Brown and McLean, 1980) and two underlying mafic units to the Wildcat Creek ash-flow tuff (~15.9 Ma, Hooper et al., 2002) and flows of the Upper Steens Basalt (~16.57 Ma, Brueseke et al., 2007), respectively, bracketing the eruptive age of the Buchanan rhyolite complex to between ~16.5 and ~15.9 Ma (Brueseke et al., 2007; Hooper et al., 2002). The Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex was thoroughly mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey (Evans, 1992) and geochemically differentiated in a previous Portland State University M.S. thesis (Whitson, 1988); however, discrepancies between published interpretations and field observations necessitated modern geochemical data and revisions to geologic interpretations. Field and laboratory studies indicate that the Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex consists of multiple eruptive units that were effusive domes and flows with associated explosive eruptions subordinate in volume. At least four geochemically distinct eruptive units are described with variations in Ba, Sr, Zr and Nb. Picture Gorge Basalt flows and Dinner Creek Tuff units found within the study area both overlay and underlie the Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex. These stratigraphic relationships are consistent with the one existing Ar-Ar age date 15.59±0.04 Ma (Hess, 2014) for the Dooley rhyolite complex, bracketing the eruptive period between ~16.0 and ~15.2 Ma (Streck et al., 2015; Barry et al., 2013). The findings of this study indicate that the Buchanan rhyolite complex and the Dooley Mountain rhyolite complex are the westernmost and northernmost rhyolite complexes among the earliest (16-16.5 Ma) mid-Miocene rhyolites associated with initiation of Yellowstone hot spot related volcanism. 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