Reconciling the roles of tectonism and climate in Quaternary alluvial fan evolution

Research Article| March 01, 1995 Reconciling the roles of tectonism and climate in Quaternary alluvial fan evolution John B. Ritter; John B. Ritter 1Department of Geology, Wittenberg University, P.O. Box 720, Springfield, Ohio 45501 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jerry R. Miller; Jerry R. Miller 2Quaternary Sciences Center, Desert Research Institute, P.O. Box 60220, Reno, Nevada 89506 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yehouda Enzel; Yehouda Enzel 3Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stephen G. Wells Stephen G. Wells 4Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information John B. Ritter 1Department of Geology, Wittenberg University, P.O. Box 720, Springfield, Ohio 45501 Jerry R. Miller 2Quaternary Sciences Center, Desert Research Institute, P.O. Box 60220, Reno, Nevada 89506 Yehouda Enzel 3Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel Stephen G. Wells 4Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1995) 23 (3): 245–248. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023<0245:RTROTA>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation John B. Ritter, Jerry R. Miller, Yehouda Enzel, Stephen G. Wells; Reconciling the roles of tectonism and climate in Quaternary alluvial fan evolution. Geology 1995;; 23 (3): 245–248. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023<0245:RTROTA>2.3.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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Tectonism and climate are the primary variables considered in conceptual models of alluvial fan evolution and basin-fill architecture, yet their roles and relative importance are far from resolved. The Madison Range and Madison River valley, southwestern Montana, were affected during late Quaternary time by varying degrees of tectonic activity as well as by climate change through multiple glaciations; we are thus able to evaluate the impact of tectonism and climate on fan evolution. Two primary fan deposits were correlated along the range front. They were deposited as proglacial outwash fans during glacial periods of increased sediment and water discharge. During the present interglacial period, these deposits were entrenched and secondary fans formed on lower fan areas. Temporal and stratigraphic relations indicate that climate was largely responsible for driving both fan aggradation and entrenchment. In contrast, stratigraphic relations between fan deposits and surface faults do not support a direct relation, either spatial or temporal, between local faulting and fan deposition. Because tectonism produces and maintains the relief necessary for fans to form, its primary role is long term, controlling the duration over which fan deposition may occur along a mountain front. If Quaternary alluvial fan evolution is representative of ancient alluvial fan evolution, this study has important implications for interpreting primary controls on deposition of the ancient alluvial fan sequences. 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.