Molluscan evidence for early middle Miocene marine glaciation in southern Alaska

Research Article| November 01, 1990 Molluscan evidence for early middle Miocene marine glaciation in southern Alaska LOUIE MARINCOVICH, JR. LOUIE MARINCOVICH, JR. 1U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1990) 102 (11): 1591–1599. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1990)102<1591:MEFEMM>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation LOUIE MARINCOVICH; Molluscan evidence for early middle Miocene marine glaciation in southern Alaska. GSA Bulletin 1990;; 102 (11): 1591–1599. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1990)102<1591:MEFEMM>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Profound cooling of Miocene marine climates in southern Alaska culminated in early middle Miocene coastal marine glaciation in the northeastern Gulf of Alaska. This climatic change resulted from interaction of the Yakutat terrane with southern Alaska beginning in late Oligocene time. The ensuing extreme uplift of the coastal Chugach and St. Elias Mountains resulted in progressive regional cooling that culminated in coastal marine glaciation beginning in the early middle Miocene (15-16 Ma) and continuing to the present. The counterclockwise flow of surface water from the frigid northeastern Gulf of Alaska resulted in a cold-temperate shallow-marine environment in the western Gulf of Alaska, as it does today. Ironically, dating of Gulf of Alaska marine glaciation as early middle Miocene is strongly reinforced by the presence of a few tropical and subtropical mollusks in western Gulf of Alaska faunas. Shallow-marine waters throughout the Gulf of Alaska were cold-temperate to cold in the early middle Miocene, when the world ocean was undergoing peak Neogene warming. 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.