Late Quaternary vegetation and climate history near Little Lake, central Coast Range, Oregon

Research Article| July 01, 1995 Late Quaternary vegetation and climate history near Little Lake, central Coast Range, Oregon Marc A. Worona; Marc A. Worona 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Cathy Whitlock Cathy Whitlock 2Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1995) 107 (7): 867–876. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1995)1072.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Marc A. Worona, Cathy Whitlock; Late Quaternary vegetation and climate history near Little Lake, central Coast Range, Oregon. GSA Bulletin 1995;; 107 (7): 867–876. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1995)1072.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Pollen and plant macrofossils recovered from Little Lake, Oregon, provide the first record of late Quaternary climate and vegetation changes in Oregon's central Coast Range. The pollen data suggest that the period from ca. 42 000 to 24 770 yr B.P. featured an open forest of western white pine, western hemlock, and fir. The inferred climate was cooler and wetter than today. The full-glacial period was characterized by a parkland of spruce, lodgepole pine, and mountain hemlock, which suggests that the climate was colder and possibly drier than today. The Oregon Coast Range was not a glacial refugium for temperate conifers as has been proposed. By 16 000 yr B.P. the pollen and plant macrofossil data suggest the development of a montane forest composed of pine, fir, western hemlock, and mountain hemlock. Temperate taxa were present in the vegetation at 13 500 yr B.P. during a period of climatic amelioration. A reversal in this warming trend may have occurred between 11 000 and 10 500 yr B.P., when pine, western and mountain hemlock, and spruce were slightly more abundant. Early Holocene forests featured Douglas fir, red alder, and bracken fern, implying more severe summer drought and more frequent fires. After 5600 yr B.P., Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar dominated the record, marking the introduction of the present-day cool, moist climate; however, during the past 2800 yr, increased Douglas fir and decreased cedar suggest the possibility of reduced effective moisture at Little Lake. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.