Radiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
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Abstract
To explore the timing of hydrothermal activity at the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) in Yellowstone National Park, we obtained seven new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon 14C ages of carbonaceous material trapped within siliceous sinter. Five samples came from depths of 15–152 cm within the Y-1 well, and two samples were from well Y-7 (depths of 24 cm and 122 cm). These two wells, at Black Sand and Biscuit Basins, respectively, were drilled in 1967 as part of a scientific drilling program by the U.S. Geological Survey (White et al., 1975). Even with samples as small as 15 g, we obtained sufficient carbonaceous material (a mixture of thermophilic mats, pollen, and charcoal) for the 14C analyses. Apparent time of deposition ranged from 3775 ± 25 and 2910 ± 30 14C years BP at the top of the cores to about 8000 years BP at the bottom. The dates are consistent with variable rates of sinter formation at individual sites within the UGB over the Holocene. On a basin-wide scale, though, these and other existing 14C dates hint that hydrothermal activity at the UGB may have been continuous throughout the Holocene.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Radiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park |
| Series title | Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2015.12.005 |
| Volume | 310 |
| Year Published | 2016 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publisher location | Amsterdam |
| Contributing office(s) | Volcano Science Center |
| Description | 5 p. |
| First page | 132 |
| Last page | 136 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming |
| Other Geospatial | Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |