Measurement of Paleotemperatures and Temperatures of the Upper Cretaceous of England, Denmark, and the Southeastern United States

Research Article| April 01, 1951 MEASUREMENT OF PALEOTEMPERATURES AND TEMPERATURES OF THE UPPER CRETACEOUS OF ENGLAND, DENMARK, AND THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES H. C UREY; H. C UREY INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar H. A LOWENSTAM; H. A LOWENSTAM INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar S EPSTEIN; S EPSTEIN INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar C. R McKINNEY C. R McKINNEY INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information H. C UREY INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. H. A LOWENSTAM INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. S EPSTEIN INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. C. R McKINNEY INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 Mar 1950 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1951, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1951) 62 (4): 399–416. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1951)62399:MOPATO2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 07 Mar 1950 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation H. C UREY, H. A LOWENSTAM, S EPSTEIN, C. R McKINNEY; MEASUREMENT OF PALEOTEMPERATURES AND TEMPERATURES OF THE UPPER CRETACEOUS OF ENGLAND, DENMARK, AND THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. GSA Bulletin 1951;; 62 (4): 399–416. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1951)62399:MOPATO2.0.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 Since the abundance of the O18 isotope in calcium carbonate varies with the temperature at which it is deposited from water, the variation in abundance can be used as a thermometer. This paper discusses the following problems: (1) the magnitude of the effect expected, (2) the mass spectrometer of high sensitivity, (3) the preservation of the record during geological time, (4) the constancy of the isotopic composition of the ocean, (5) the impossibility of using skeletons of air breathing animals, and (6) the temperature of marine animals relative to their surroundings.A Jurassic belemnite is used to show that the record has been retained since Jurassic times, and belemnites of the Upper Cretaceous of the United States, England, and Denmark are used to determine the temperature of this time at these localities. The temperatures are about 15°–16°C and indicate nearly uniform temperature over this latitudinal belt. Because of the possible variation in O18 content of the oceans and the limited number of samples, these temperatures are regarded as preliminary. 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.