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High-elevation paleoenvironmental change during MIS 6–4 in the central Rockies of Colorado as determined from pollen analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

R. Scott Anderson ,
Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno ,
Thomas Ager  and
David F. Porinchu
R. Scott Anderson*
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno
Affiliation:
Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad de Granada, Fuente Nueva s/n, 18002 Granada, Spain
Thomas Ager
Affiliation:
US Geological Survey, Mail Stop 980, Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, USA
David F. Porinchu
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Georgia, 210 Field Street, Room 204, Athens, GA 30602, USA
*
⁎Corresponding author.E-mail address:[email protected] (R.S. Anderson).
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Abstract

Paleoecological studies from Rocky Mountain (USA) high elevations encompassing the previous interglacial (MIS 5e) are rare. The ~10-m composite profile from the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site (2705 m asl) of central Colorado allows us to determine paleoenvironments from Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) 6– 4 using pollen zones that are approximately equivalent to marine oxygen isotope stages. During Pollen Zone (PZ) 6 time, pollen assemblages dominated by Artemisia (sagebrush) suggest that alpine tundra or steppe occurred nearby. The transition to PZ 5e was characterized by a rapid increase in tree pollen, initially Picea (spruce) and Pinus (pine) but also Quercus (oak) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir). Non-arboreal pollen (NAP) types increased during PZ 5d, while Abies (fir) and Juniperus (juniper) increased during PZ 5c. Pollen evidence suggests that temperatures during PZ 5b were as cold as during PZ 6, with the site again surrounded by alpine tundra. Picea dominated during PZ 5a before the onset of cooler conditions during PZ 4. The MIS 6–MIS 5e transition here was similar to the MIS 2–MIS 1 transition at other Rocky Mountain sites. However, the Ziegler Reservoir pollen record contains evidence suggesting unexpected climatic trends at this site, including a warmer-than-expected MIS 5d and cooler-than-expected MIS 5b.

Keywords

Ziegler ReservoirInterglaciationsPollen analysisHigh elevationClimate variability
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 82 , Issue 3 , November 2014 , pp. 542 - 552
Copyright
University of Washington

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