Using ground penetrating radar to ‘unearth’ buried beaver dams

Research Article| January 01, 2012 Using ground penetrating radar to 'unearth' buried beaver dams Natalie Kramer; Natalie Kramer Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ellen E. Wohl; Ellen E. Wohl Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dennis L. Harry Dennis L. Harry Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Natalie Kramer Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA Ellen E. Wohl Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA Dennis L. Harry Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Jul 2011 Accepted: 18 Aug 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2012 Geological Society of America Geology (2012) 40 (1): 43–46. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32682.1 Article history Received: 23 Jul 2011 Accepted: 18 Aug 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Natalie Kramer, Ellen E. Wohl, Dennis L. Harry; Using ground penetrating radar to 'unearth' buried beaver dams. Geology 2012;; 40 (1): 43–46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32682.1 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Beavers, once abundant and widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, are now substantially reduced. Although beaver dams trap sediment, the relative importance of this sediment in Quaternary valley aggradation remains uncertain. We use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and near-surface seismic refraction to quantify the magnitude of beaver-induced Holocene sedimentation in Beaver Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (United States). GPR was used to identify radar packages of genetically related strata of glacial and non-glacial origins. We demonstrate that GPR is a useful tool for identifying buried beaver-induced sedimentation with little to no surficial expression. Seismic refraction was used to determine the total volume of sediment above bedrock. Beaver-induced sedimentation constitutes 30%–50% of surficial post-glacial sediments, and post-glacial sediments constitute ∼13% of the total valley fill. Beaver damming in montane valleys was thus an important process trapping sediments within the Holocene at this site. If geoscientists ignore the contribution of beaver-ponded sediments to Quaternary stratigraphy in a wide variety of riverine environments, they neglect a potentially important biotic driver of valley sedimentation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.