Oregon Sediment Core Reveals Frosty Climate and Massive Erosion Rates

Scientists are learning a bit more about the ancient climate of Oregon. Researchers have uncovered sediment samples that date back 50,000 years, revealing a bit more about the ancient ecosystem.

In this case, the researchers drilled core samples containing signatures of frost from 200 feet below today's surface in a valley that contains Little Lake and Triangle Lake. This valley is the result of a massive landslide that occurred 50,000 years ago; eroding sediments filled a large lake and then transformed the valley floor.

The sediment indicates that the mountainous region, which was not covered in glaciers during the last ice age, was a frost-covered grassy landscape that endured erosions rates at least 2.5 times higher than today's.

The new research suggests that non-glaciated terrain across North America was similar to that found 40 miles northwest of Eugene, which is the area studied in Oregon. The studies also suggest that mean annual temperatures were about 11 degrees Celsius cooler than modern temperatures. It's likely that frost cracking and not rainfall drove erosion as the region began to emerge from the Last Glacial Maximum.

"The new research has totally reset my earlier perception of the Oregon Coast Range as a well-studied, well-characterized model landscape," said Jill Marshall, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The implications go far beyond the Oregon Coast Range. I now believe we are much closer to being able to characterize just how the past glacial interval influenced-and in some places continue to influence-earth surface processes in regions that were never glaciated."

The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

Extinction is Key for High Species Diversity Today

Climate Change: Butterfly Species Face Extinction by 2050 as Droughts Worsen (VIDEO)

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).