High-precision U/Pb dating of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary Kaiparowits Plateau, Utah

The massive marine species turnover at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary is associated with Oceanic Anoxic Event 11 (OAE II) and is often identified by an increase of a13C in the carbon isotopic record. A high-precision chronology of the Cenomanian- Turonian boundary is needed to better constrain the cause, timing, and extent of OAE II. To create such a timeline, four bentonite samples from the Kaiparowits Plateau, Utah were dated using U/Pb geochronology. The Cenomanian-Turonian boundary is constrained to be 94.040 ± 0.029/0.098/0.14 Ma, in agreement with recent astrochronologic studies of the same time period. This research will help improve the calibration of the astronomical time scale, as well as provide a greater understanding of the Cretaceous environment..

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Stangroom, Amber M

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Samuel Bowring.

• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114340

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/114340