Anomalous cold in the Pangaean tropics

Research Article| August 01, 2008 Anomalous cold in the Pangaean tropics Gerilyn S. Soreghan; Gerilyn S. Soreghan 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael J. Soreghan; Michael J. Soreghan 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christopher J. Poulsen; Christopher J. Poulsen 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, 1100 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Roger A. Young; Roger A. Young 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Cortland F. Eble; Cortland F. Eble 3Energy and Minerals Section, Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dustin E. Sweet; Dustin E. Sweet 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Oswaldo C. Davogustto Oswaldo C. Davogustto 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Gerilyn S. Soreghan 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Michael J. Soreghan 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Christopher J. Poulsen 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, 1100 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA Roger A. Young 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Cortland F. Eble 3Energy and Minerals Section, Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA Dustin E. Sweet 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Oswaldo C. Davogustto 1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 28 Jan 2008 Revision Received: 25 Apr 2008 Accepted: 04 May 2008 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2008 Geological Society of America Geology (2008) 36 (8): 659–662. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24822A.1 Article history Received: 28 Jan 2008 Revision Received: 25 Apr 2008 Accepted: 04 May 2008 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gerilyn S. Soreghan, Michael J. Soreghan, Christopher J. Poulsen, Roger A. Young, Cortland F. Eble, Dustin E. Sweet, Oswaldo C. Davogustto; Anomalous cold in the Pangaean tropics. Geology 2008;; 36 (8): 659–662. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G24822A.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 The late Paleozoic archives the greatest glaciation of the Phanerozoic. Whereas high-latitude Gondwanan strata preserve widespread evidence for continental ice, the Permo-Carboniferous tropics have long been considered analogous to today's: warm and shielded from the high-latitude cold. Here, we report on glacial and periglacial indicators that record episodes of freezing continental temperatures in western equatorial Pangaea. An exhumed glacial valley and associated deposits record direct evidence for glaciation that extended to low paleoelevations in the ancestral Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, the Permo-Carboniferous archives the only known occurrence of widespread tropical loess in Earth's history; the volume, chemistry, and provenance of this loess(ite) is most consistent with glacial derivation. Together with emerging indicators for cold elsewhere in low-latitude Pangaea, these results suggest that tropical climate was not buffered from the high latitudes and may record glacial-interglacial climate shifts of very large magnitude. Coupled climate–ice sheet model simulations demonstrate that low atmospheric CO2 and solar luminosity alone cannot account for such cold, and that other factors must be considered in attempting to explain this "best-known" analogue to our present Earth. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.