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Research ArticleArticles

Growth and steady state of the Patagonian Andes

David Auerbach Colwyn, Mark T. Brandon, Michael T. Hren, Jeremy Hourigan, Astrid Pacini, Martha G. Cosgrove, Maya Midzik, René D. Garreaud and Christine Metzger
American Journal of Science June 2019, 319 (6) 431-472; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2475/06.2019.01
David Auerbach Colwyn
* Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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  • For correspondence: david.colwyn@colorado.edu
Mark T. Brandon
* Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Michael T. Hren
** Center for Integrative Geosciences & Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
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Jeremy Hourigan
*** Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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Astrid Pacini
* Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Martha G. Cosgrove
* Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Maya Midzik
* Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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René D. Garreaud
§ Departamento de Geofísica and Center for Climate & Resilience Research, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Christine Metzger
§§ California College of the Arts, San Francisco, California, USA
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Abstract

Water isotopes are an important tool for reconstructing the amount of atmospheric lifting related to high topography in the geologic past. However, our capacity for meaningful interpretation requires understanding the climatic setting and isolating the influence of orography on water isotopes. Patagonia's simple, steady climatology and location within the Southern Westerlies makes it an ideal setting for successful application of water isotopes to measuring topography through time. Here we use hydrated volcanic glass to construct a new record of the size of the Patagonian Andes during the Cenozoic. We also utilize a novel method for identifying the contribution of orography in regional climate records. Our results show that variation in the observed record can largely be explained by variations in climate. Thus we conclude that the mountain range has maintained a size similar to modern since at least Paleocene. This result is in agreement with geologic data, which constrain the bulk of the surface uplift of the Andes to the Cretaceous. The reconstruction of the Patagonian Andes, which grew in the Cretaceous and remained high through the Cenozoic, is markedly different from the widely held view of Miocene formation of this mountain range. In particular, the topography appears to remain stable during the northward propagation and collision of offshore spreading centers.

  • Patagonia
  • water isotopes
  • paleotopography
  • volcanic glass
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American Journal of Science: 319 (6)
American Journal of Science
Vol. 319, Issue 6
1 Jun 2019
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Growth and steady state of the Patagonian Andes
David Auerbach Colwyn, Mark T. Brandon, Michael T. Hren, Jeremy Hourigan, Astrid Pacini, Martha G. Cosgrove, Maya Midzik, René D. Garreaud, Christine Metzger
American Journal of Science Jun 2019, 319 (6) 431-472; DOI: 10.2475/06.2019.01

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Growth and steady state of the Patagonian Andes
David Auerbach Colwyn, Mark T. Brandon, Michael T. Hren, Jeremy Hourigan, Astrid Pacini, Martha G. Cosgrove, Maya Midzik, René D. Garreaud, Christine Metzger
American Journal of Science Jun 2019, 319 (6) 431-472; DOI: 10.2475/06.2019.01
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • INTRODUCTION
    • GEOLOGIC CONTEXT
    • CLIMATIC CONTEXT
    • MODERN WATER ISOTOPES IN PATAGONIA
    • SAMPLING LOCATIONS
    • AGE CONTROL
    • HYDROGEN ISOTOPES IN HYDRATED GLASS
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • THE INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE
    • DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
    • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    • REFERENCES
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Keywords

  • Patagonia
  • water isotopes
  • paleotopography
  • volcanic glass

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