From Precambrian Rift Volcanoes to the Mississippian Shelf Margins: Geological Field Excursions in the Ozark Mountains
Despite a long history of geologic investigations in the Ozarks, new studies and analyses continue to elucidate our understanding of the complex interconnection between the basement, extensive carbonate platforms, structural overprinting, mineralization, karstification, and hydrology. This guidebook volume highlights a few of these aspects as well as the connection to culture, history, and economic development of the Ozarks region.
Geomorphology and paleontology of Riverbluff Cave, Springfield, Missouri
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Published:January 01, 2010
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CiteCitation
Charles W. Rovey, II, Matt Forir, Greg Balco, David Gaunt, 2010. "Geomorphology and paleontology of Riverbluff Cave, Springfield, Missouri", From Precambrian Rift Volcanoes to the Mississippian Shelf Margins: Geological Field Excursions in the Ozark Mountains, Kevin R. Evans, James S. Aber
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Abstract
Riverbluff Cave developed near the southern margin of the Springfield Plateau as a single passage between James River and its tributary, Ward Branch. Portions of the cave preserve a general fining-upward sediment sequence, but with highly fossiliferous gravel beds near the middle. These gravel beds include fragments of various vertebrates, including mammoth and horse. Trackways and claw marks are also preserved atop the sediment in numerous locations.
Cosmogenic isotope data provide burial dates for some of the sediment layers and fossil remains. The earliest sediment (reverse magnetic polarity) entered the cave at ~1.1 Ma, while the fossiliferous gravel bed is dated at ~0.74 Ma. The overlying laminated silts and clays have normal polarity with a burial date of ~0.65 Ma at the base. Thus, the sediment sequence spans the Matuyama/Brunhes paleomagnetic datum, and records at least 450 ka of sedimentation within the cave.
- absolute age
- Al-26
- alkaline earth metals
- aluminum
- Be-10
- beryllium
- Brunhes Chron
- burial
- C-14
- carbon
- cave environment
- caves
- Cenozoic
- Chordata
- clastic sediments
- clay
- cosmogenic elements
- dates
- Elephantidae
- Elephantoidea
- Equidae
- erosion rates
- Eutheria
- field trips
- geomorphology
- gravel
- Greene County Missouri
- guidebook
- Hippomorpha
- ichnofossils
- isotopes
- Mammalia
- Mammuthus
- Matuyama Chron
- metals
- Missouri
- North America
- paleomagnetism
- Perissodactyla
- Proboscidea
- Quaternary
- radioactive isotopes
- road log
- sediments
- silt
- Springfield Missouri
- terrestrial environment
- Tetrapoda
- Theria
- tracks
- United States
- upper Cenozoic
- upper Quaternary
- Vertebrata
- Riverbluff Cave