Open AccessPleistocene forests preserved in Oregon coast sediments
Author(s) -
Smyth William D.,
Hart Roger A.,
Reimer Paula J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2005eo010004
Subject(s) - macrofossil , paleosol , geology , holocene , debris flow , pleistocene , erosion , landform , paleontology , coastal erosion , archaeology , quaternary , debris , sedimentology , oceanography , geography , loess
Erosion on the Oregon coast has exposed several paleosols (ancient soil deposits) containing well‐preserved tree trunks. Some trunks are of Holocene age [Hart and Peterson, 1997], while others are much older. These macrofossil deposits contain clues to tectonic activity, paleovegetation patterns, coastal erosion, and climate evolution. This article describes a paleosol located near Cape Perpetua, Oregon, containing trunks dated at prior to 50,000 B.P. The forest appears to have been buried during a catastrophic debris flow and preserved due to anoxia.