Late Cenozoic uplift of the Sierra Nevada, California? A critical analysis of the geomorphic evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 319 (6) ◽  
pp. 526-527
Author(s):  
Emmanuel J. Gabet ◽  
Jeffrey P. Schaffer ◽  
William A. Peppin ◽  
Daniel P. Miggins
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Late Cenozoic

THE LINKED EVOLUTION OF SURFACE UPLIFT AND ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION IN THE LATE CENOZOIC SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hari Mix ◽  
◽  
Jeremy K. Caves Rugenstein ◽  
Matthew J. Winnick ◽  
Andrea J. Ritch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Surface Uplift

Evaluating the role of topographic inversion in the formation of the Stanislaus Table Mountains in the Sierra Nevada (California, USA)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Gabet
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
Bedrock Topography ◽  
Volcanic Deposit ◽  
Surrounding Landscape ◽  
Topographic Inversion ◽  
Table Mountains

The Table Mountains, a flat-topped series of ridges capped by a 10.4 Ma latite flow in the Stanislaus River watershed, are considered to be evidence for late Cenozoic uplift-driven landscape rejuvenation in the northern Sierra Nevada range (California, USA). The commonly accepted theory for the formation of these mesas posits that the latite flowed and cooled within a bedrock paleovalley and, since then, the surrounding landscape has eroded away, leaving behind the volcanic deposit as a ridge. Although this theory is accepted by many, it has not been thoroughly tested. In this study, I examine a series of geological cross-sections extracted along the length of the latite deposit to determine whether the evidence supports the existence of bedrock valley walls on both sides of the 10.4 Ma flow. I find that the presence of older Cenozoic deposits adjacent to the latite flow precludes the possibility that the flow would have been constrained within a bedrock valley. Moreover, the cross-section from an 1865 report that has been offered as evidence of topographic inversion (and subsequently reproduced in numerous publications) does not accurately represent the topography at that site. I conclude that there is no evidence that the bedrock topography has been inverted and that instead, the latite flowed within a channel cut into underlying Cenozoic deposits, which have since mostly eroded away. This study, therefore, refutes the hypothesis that the Stanislaus River watershed was rejuvenated in the late Cenozoic and challenges the claim for recent significant uplift of the region.

Atmospheric flow deflection in the late Cenozoic Sierra Nevada

2019 ◽  
Vol 518 ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Hari T. Mix ◽  
Jeremy K. Caves Rugenstein ◽  
Sean P. Reilly ◽  
Andrea J. Ritch ◽  
Matthew J. Winnick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Atmospheric Flow ◽  
Flow Deflection

Can footwall unloading explain late Cenozoic uplift of the Sierra Nevada crest?

2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (9-11) ◽  
pp. 986-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Thompson ◽  
Tom Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Late Cenozoic
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