Collaborative Research: Integrated Study Linking Paleosol Biotic Communities and Ancient Alluvial Landscapes

University Of Kansas Center For Research Inc, Lawrence KS

Investigators

Abstract

Collaborative Research: Integrated Study Linking Paleosol Biotic Communities and Ancient Alluvial Landscapes Mary Kraus-EAR-0228858 University of Colorado Stephen T. Hasiotis-EAR-0229300 University of Kansas ABSTRACT This project is a collaborative study of the different kinds of trace fossils (ancient burrows, tracks, and trails) found in fossil soils or paleosols that developed on river floodplains. The paleosols are of early Eocene age (~55 million years old) and are located in northern Wyoming. The principal investigators, together with graduate and undergraduate students, will use detailed fieldwork and laboratory analyses to describe the different kinds of trace fossils and to determine how the various trace fossils are distributed within different kinds of paleosols. Because different paleosols represent different ancient environmental conditions, the project will determine which trace fossils are environmentally sensitive and can be used in other rocks to interpret ancient environmental conditions. The paleosol and trace fossil data will also be combined with available climatic data to determine if changes in the trace fossils coincided with documented climatic fluctuations during the early Eocene in northern Wyoming. Combining the study of trace fossils with the study of paleosols offers a valuable new tool for interpreting ancient floodplain environments. Results from this project will provide new insights into the relationships among soil organisms (represented by trace fossils), the soil environment in a particular area of the ancient floodplain, and climate. Results from this study can be used to determine which trace fossils can be used in other ancient floodplain deposits to identify ancient ecologic and climatic settings. This study provides a unique opportunity to develop an interpretational tool that can delineate among environmental, hydrologic, and climatic factors that control the distribution of trace fossils in the ancient floodplain record and clarify their distribution.