Holocene geo-ecological evolution of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park (USA)
Open Access
- 19 August 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Quaternary Research
- Vol. 105, 201-217
- https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2021.42
Abstract
Changes in climate and fire regime have long been recognized as drivers of the postglacial vegetation history of Yellowstone National Park, but the effects of locally dramatic hydrothermal activity are poorly known. Multi-proxy records from Goose Lake have been used to describe the history of Lower Geyser Basin where modern hydrothermal activity is widespread. From 10,300 cal yr BP to 3800 cal yr BP, thermal waters discharged into the lake, as evidenced by the deposition of arsenic-rich sediment, fluorite mud, and relatively high δ13Csediment values. Partially thermal conditions affected the limnobiotic composition, but prevailing climate, fire regime, and rhyolitic substrate maintained Pinus contorta forest in the basin, as found throughout the region. At 3800 cal yr BP, thermal water discharge into Goose Lake ceased, as evidenced by a shift in sediment geochemistry and limnobiota. Pollen and charcoal data indicate concurrent grassland development with limited fuel biomass and less fire activity, despite late Holocene climate conditions that were conducive to expanded forest cover. The shift in hydrothermal activity at Goose Lake and establishment of the treeless geyser basin may have been the result of a tectonic event or change in hydroclimate. This record illustrates the complex interactions of geology and climate that govern the development of an active hydrothermal geo-ecosystem.Keywords
This publication has 80 references indexed in Scilit:
- Patterns of seasonal phytoplankton distribution in prairie saline lakes of the northern Great Plains (U.S.A.)Saline Systems, 2009
- Cosmogenic exposure-age chronologies of Pinedale and Bull Lake glaciations in greater Yellowstone and the Teton Range, USAQuaternary Science Reviews, 2008
- Changes in relative abundance of phytoplankton in arsenic contaminated waters at the Ron Phibun district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, ThailandInternational Journal on Algae, 2008
- Reconstructing the development of eutrophication in Louisiana salt marshesLimnology and Oceanography, 2006
- Interactions Between Human Activity, Volcanic Eruptions and Vegetation During the Holocene at Garua and Numundo, West New Britain, PNGQuaternary Research, 2005
- THE NATURAL LIFE CYCLE IN WILD POPULATIONS OFDIATOMA MONILIFORMIS(BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) AND ITS DISRUPTION IN AN ABERRANT ENVIRONMENT1Journal of Phycology, 1997
- Uranium-Series Ages of Travertines and Timing of the Last Glaciation in the Northern Yellowstone Area, Wyoming-MontanaQuaternary Research, 1994
- Phytoplankton assemblages and their periodicity in stratifying lake systemsEcography, 1980
- Postglacial Forest Patterns Associated with till and Outwash in Northcentral Upper MichiganQuaternary Research, 1975
- Seismic Geyser and Its Bearing on the Origin and Evolution of Geysers and Hot Springs of Yellowstone National ParkGSA Bulletin, 1975