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At least 1,117 records · Page 62Linked to original sources
USGS2009

Genetic variation in domestic reindeer and wild caribou in Alaska

Reindeer were introduced into Alaska 100 years ago and have been maintained as semidomestic livestock. They have had contact with wild caribou herds, including deliberate cross-breeding and mixing in the wild. Reindeer have considerable potential as a domestic animal for meat or velvet antler production, and wild caribou are important to subsistence and sport hunters. Our objective was to quantify the genetic relationships of reindeer and caribou in Alaska. We identified allelic variation among five herds of wild caribou and three herds of reindeer with DNA sequencing and restriction enzymes for three loci: a DQA locus of the major histocompatibility complex (Rata-DQA1), k-casein and the D-loop of mitochondrial DNA. These loci are of interest because of their potential influence on domestic animal performance and the fitness of wild populations. There is considerable genetic variation in reindeer and caribou for all three loci, including five, three and six alleles for DQA, k-casein and D-loop respectively. Most alleles occur in both reindeer and caribou, which may be the result of recent common ancestry or genetic introgression in either direction. However, allele frequencies differ considerably between reindeer and caribou, which suggests that gene flow has been limited.

Alaska↗
USGS2008

Distribution and spawning dynamics of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in Glacier Bay, Alaska: A cold water refugium

Pacific capelin (Mallotus villosus) populations declined dramatically in the Northeastern Pacific following ocean warming after the regime shift of 1977, but little is known about the cause of the decline or the functional relationships between capelin and their environment. We assessed the distribution and abundance of spawning, non-spawning adult and larval capelin in Glacier Bay, an estuarine fjord system in southeastern Alaska. We used principal components analysis to analyze midwater trawl and beach seine data collected between 1999 and 2004 with respect to oceanographic data and other measures of physical habitat including proximity to tidewater glaciers and potential spawning habitat. Both spawning and non-spawning adult Pacific capelin were more likely to occur in areas closest to tidewater glaciers, and those areas were distinguished by lower temperature, higher turbidity, higher dissolved oxygen and lower chlorophyll a levels when compared with other areas of the bay. The distribution of larval Pacific capelin was not sensitive to glacial influence. Pre-spawning females collected farther from tidewater glaciers were at a lower maturity state than those sampled closer to tidewater glaciers, and the geographic variation in the onset of spawning is likely the result of differences in the marine habitat among sub-areas of Glacier Bay. Proximity to cold water in Glacier Bay may have provided a refuge for capelin during the recent warm years in the Gulf of Alaska.

Fisheries Oceanography↗
USGS2007

Multi-interferogram method for measuring interseismic deformation: Denali Fault, Alaska

Studies of interseismic strain accumulation are crucial to our understanding of continental deformation, the earthquake cycle and seismic hazard. By mapping small amounts of ground deformation over large spatial areas, InSAR has the potential to produce continental-scale maps of strain accumulation on active faults. However, most InSAR studies to date have focused on areas where the coherence is relatively good (e.g. California, Tibet and Turkey) and most analysis techniques (stacking, small baseline subset algorithm, permanent scatterers, etc.) only include information from pixels which are coherent throughout the time-span of the study. In some areas, such as Alaska, where the deformation rate is small and coherence very variable, it is necessary to include information from pixels which are coherent in some but not all interferograms. We use a three-stage iterative algorithm based on distributed scatterer interferometry. We validate our method using synthetic data created using realistic parameters from a test site on the Denali Fault, Alaska, and present a preliminary result of 10.5 ?? 5.0 mm yr-1 for the slip rate on the Denali Fault based on a single track of radar data from ERS1/2. ?? 2007 The Authors Journal compilation ?? 2007 RAS.

Alaska↗
USGS2012

Determination and uncertainty of moment tensors for microearthquakes at Okmok Volcano, Alaska

Efforts to determine general moment tensors (MTs) for microearthquakes in volcanic areas are often hampered by small seismic networks, which can lead to poorly constrained hypocentres and inadequate modelling of seismic velocity heterogeneity. In addition, noisy seismic signals can make it difficult to identify phase arrivals correctly for small magnitude events. However, small volcanic earthquakes can have source mechanisms that deviate from brittle double-couple shear failure due to magmatic and/or hydrothermal processes. Thus, determining reliable MTs in such conditions is a challenging but potentially rewarding pursuit. We pursued such a goal at Okmok Volcano, Alaska, which erupted recently in 1997 and in 2008. The Alaska Volcano Observatory operates a seismic network of 12 stations at Okmok and routinely catalogues recorded seismicity. Using these data, we have determined general MTs for seven microearthquakes recorded between 2004 and 2007 by inverting peak amplitude measurements of P and S phases. We computed Green's functions using precisely relocated hypocentres and a 3-D velocity model. We thoroughly assessed the quality of the solutions by computing formal uncertainty estimates, conducting a variety of synthetic and sensitivity tests, and by comparing the MTs to solutions obtained using alternative methods. The results show that MTs are sensitive to station distribution and errors in the data, velocity model and hypocentral parameters. Although each of the seven MTs contains a significant non-shear component, we judge several of the solutions to be unreliable. However, several reliable MTs are obtained for a group of previously identified repeating events, and are interpreted as compensated linear-vector dipole events.

Alaska↗
USGS2005

Analysis of vegetation distribution in Interior Alaska and sensitivity to climate change using a logistic regression approach

Aim: To understand drivers of vegetation type distribution and sensitivity to climate change. Location: Interior Alaska. Methods: A logistic regression model was developed that predicts the potential equilibrium distribution of four major vegetation types: tundra, deciduous forest, black spruce forest and white spruce forest based on elevation, aspect, slope, drainage type, fire interval, average growing season temperature and total growing season precipitation. The model was run in three consecutive steps. The hierarchical logistic regression model was used to evaluate how scenarios of changes in temperature, precipitation and fire interval may influence the distribution of the four major vegetation types found in this region. Results: At the first step, tundra was distinguished from forest, which was mostly driven by elevation, precipitation and south to north aspect. At the second step, forest was separated into deciduous and spruce forest, a distinction that was primarily driven by fire interval and elevation. At the third step, the identification of black vs. white spruce was driven mainly by fire interval and elevation. The model was verified for Interior Alaska, the region used to develop the model, where it predicted vegetation distribution among the steps with an accuracy of 60-83%. When the model was independently validated for north-west Canada, it predicted vegetation distribution among the steps with an accuracy of 53-85%. Black spruce remains the dominant vegetation type under all scenarios, potentially expanding most under warming coupled with increasing fire interval. White spruce is clearly limited by moisture once average growing season temperatures exceeded a critical limit (+2 ??C). Deciduous forests expand their range the most when any two of the following scenarios are combined: decreasing fire interval, warming and increasing precipitation. Tundra can be replaced by forest under warming but expands under precipitation increase. Main conclusion: The model analyses agree with current knowledge of the responses of vegetation types to climate change and provide further insight into drivers of vegetation change. ?? 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Journal of Biogeography↗
USGS2006

Investigating trophic relationships of pinnipeds in Alaska and Washington using stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon

We measured stable-nitrogen (δ 15 N) and stable-carbon (δ 13 C) isotope ratios in muscle and hair from 7 northern fur seals ( Callorhinus ursinus ) from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and 27 Steller sea lions ( Eumetopias jubatus ), and 14 harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ) from the Gulf of Alaska and coast of Washington State, in order to contrast dietary information derived from isotopic vs. available conventional dietary studies. Stable-nitrogen-isotope analysis of muscle revealed that harbor seals were enriched over sea lions (mean δ 15 N = 18.6‰ vs. 17.5‰) which were in turn enriched over northern fur seals (mean δ 15 N = 16.6‰). Trophic segregation among these species likely results primarily from differential reliance on herring ( Clupea harengus ), Atka mackerel ( Pleurogrammus monopterygius ), and large vs. small walleye pollock ( Theregra chalcogramma ). According to their δ 15 N values, adult male Steller sea lions showed a higher trophic position than adult females (mean δ 15 N: 18.0‰ vs. 17.2‰), whereas adult female northern fur seals were trophically higher than juvenile male fur seals (mean δ 15 N: 16.5‰ vs. 15.0‰). Each of these observed differences likely resulted from differential reliance on squid or differences in the size range of pollock consumed. Three northern fur seal pups showed higher δ 15 N enrichment over adults (mean 17.7‰ vs. 15.8‰) due to their reliance on their mother's milk. Stable-carbon isotope measurements of hair revealed a cline toward more negative values with latitude. Segregation in hair δ 13 C between Steller sea lions and harbor seals off the coast of Washington (mean δ 13 C: -13.6‰ vs. - 15.0‰) reflected the greater association of harbor seals with freshwater input from the Columbia River. Our study demonstrates the utility of the stable isotope approach to augment conventional dietary analyses of pinnipeds and other marine mammals.

Alaska, Washington↗
USGS2017

Molecular testing of adult Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.) for several RNA viruses demonstrates widespread distribution of piscine orthoreovirus in Alaska and Washington

This research was initiated in conjunction with a systematic, multiagency surveillance effort in the United States (U.S.) in response to reported findings of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) RNA in British Columbia, Canada. In the systematic surveillance study reported in a companion paper, tissues from various salmonids taken from Washington and Alaska were surveyed for ISAV RNA using the U.S.-approved diagnostic method, and samples were released for use in this present study only after testing negative. Here, we tested a subset of these samples for ISAV RNA with three additional published molecular assays, as well as for RNA from salmonid alphavirus (SAV), piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV) and piscine orthoreovirus (PRV). All samples ( n = 2,252; 121 stock cohorts) tested negative for RNA from ISAV, PMCV, and SAV. In contrast, there were 25 stock cohorts from Washington and Alaska that had one or more individuals test positive for PRV RNA; prevalence within stocks varied and ranged from 2% to 73%. The overall prevalence of PRV RNA-positive individuals across the study was 3.4% (77 of 2,252 fish tested). Findings of PRV RNA were most common in coho ( Oncorhynchus kisutch Walbaum) and Chinook ( O. tshawytscha Walbaum) salmon.

Alaska, Washington↗
USGS2021

Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels

Birds that conduct long-distance migrations exhibit varied patterns of consistency in migratory timing and site use. Understanding variation in these traits among populations can help uncover mechanisms driving migratory behaviors and identify potential population threats. Whimbrels ( Numenius phaeopus ) are long-distance migratory shorebirds with a Holarctic breeding distribution, and recent studies have documented population-specific migrations that vary in duration (short to long) and frequency of stops (none/few to multiple). Factors driving these population-specific differences are unclear. We studied the migration ecology of Whimbrels breeding in Alaska, USA, using satellite transmitters deployed from 2006 to 2010 and tracked through 2015. Whimbrels moved entirely within the Pacific Americas Flyway, and some conducted nonstop flights that exceeded seven days across ~ 8700 km. Birds dispersed across numerous sites throughout the flyway, often using agriculture or aquaculture habitats. Whimbrels generally exhibited fidelity to breeding and non-breeding sites, but typically only exhibited fidelity to staging sites used prior to long, nonstop migratory flights. The duration of migration for Whimbrels at more southern non-breeding locations was longer than for those at more northern non-breeding sites, and birds at more southern sites also terminated southbound migration later and initiated northbound migration earlier than birds at more northern sites. Alaska-breeding Whimbrels exhibited greater variation in migratory behaviors than those in other populations in the species’ range. We attribute this within-population diversity to the extensive breadth of non-breeding distributions (~ 70° latitude across ~ 8600 km), a range that naturally shaped individual responses to unequal migratory demands.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska

Seismic hazards in subduction settings typically arise from megathrust, intraslab and crustal earthquake sources. Despite the frequent occurrence of intraslab earthquakes in subduction zones and their potential threat to communities, their long-term recurrence behaviour is barely studied. Sedimentary sequences in lakes may register ground shaking from different seismic sources. This study investigates two long sediment cores (13 m and 16 m) from Skilak Lake, a proglacial lake in south-central Alaska, to evaluate whether different seismic sources leave a distinct imprint. The sedimentary record shows a continuously varved sediment sequence, occasionally interrupted by turbidites, slump deposits and tephra beds. Turbidites and slump deposits were objectively identified using a statistical outlier analysis on varve thickness. The earthquake origin of these deposits was ascertained by resemblance with deposits induced by instrumentally recorded earthquakes (for example, 1964 ce M w 9.2 megathrust and 1954 ce M w 6.4 intraslab earthquakes) and correlation with multiple coeval landslide deposits on sub-bottom profiles. The Skilak Lake record chronicles 19 earthquakes with moderate to very high confidence level in the past 1350 years. The sedimentary evidence of instrumentally-recorded intraslab and megathrust earthquakes within the past 70 years demonstrates that not only megathrust earthquakes, but also past intraslab events are recorded. Although reported seismic intensities at Skilak Lake are comparable for the 1964 ce megathrust and the 1954 ce intraslab earthquakes, the long duration and low frequency content of seismic ground motion during megathrust earthquakes facilitate the triggering of multiple, voluminous landslides and the generation of megaturbidites. In contrast, the shorter duration and higher frequency source spectrum of intraslab earthquakes may only induce surficial slope remobilization and the generation of thinner turbidites. This study demonstrates that the sedimentary record of Skilak Lake has the potential to decipher multiple seismic sources, which opens possibilities for a comprehensive seismic hazard analysis for south-central Alaska.

Alaska↗
USGS1959

Field observations on effects of Alaska earthquake of 10 July 1958

The Alaska earthquake of 10 July 1958 was caused by movement on the Fairweather fault amounting to at least 21 1/2 feet horizontally and 3 1/2 feet vertically. Effects of strong shaking were evident over a large area in southeastern Alaska. In Lituya Bay an enormous wave, possibly resulting from a rockslide, reached a maximum height of more than 1700 feet.

Alaska↗
USGS1972

Nimbus IV view of the major structural features of Alaska

Notwithstanding the relatively low degree of ground resolution, many of the major structural features of Alaska can be identified on the Nimbus IV IDCS image, exposed at an altitude of 600 nautical miles (1100 km). In addition, linears of regional extent that may be structurally controlled can be seen, many of which have not yet been recognized in surface mapping. The synoptic view provided by the image brings into focus an orthogonal set of fractures trending north-northeast and east-southeast and not heretofore apparent in regional maps of Alaska. This orthogonal fracture set may reflect a conjugate set of fractures within the crust, which has exerted significant control over the geologic history of the state. Increased resolution in other images from space platforms, such as the resolution of 200 to 650 feet (60 to 200 m) planned for the satellite television cameras of the ERTS program, will permit the discernment of finer detail and a greater accuracy in identifying and locating geologic features.

Alaska↗
USGS2004

Phytosociological study of the dwarf shrub heath of Simeonof Wilderness, Shumagin Islands, Southwestern Alaska

The maritime dwarf shrub heath vegetation of the Northern Pacific, Simeonof Island, Shumagin Islands, Southwestern Alaska, was studied according to the Braun-Blanquet approach. Based on 30 releve??s of 16 m2 that include vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens, two new associations could be described belonging to the class Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea (order Rhododendro-Vaccinietalia): Rubo-Empetretum nigri and Carici-Empetretum nigri. The wind-sheltered Rubo-Empetretum nigri (alliance Phyllodoco-Vaccinion) mainly occurs in the lowlands on level terrain or sloping sites at lower foot slopes of mountains on deeper, mesic soil; this association is the zonal vegetation of the lowlands. Boreal, widespread and amphi-Beringian species are prominent in the distribution-type spectrum of the vascular plants. Two variants of Rubo-Empetretum nigri are described. A Geranium erianthum variant occurs on south-facing slopes and is rich in vascular plants species. A Plagiothecium undulatum variant is restricted to northern exposures and is rich in bryophytes and lichens. A Carici-Empetretum nigri (alliance Loiseleurio-Diapension) occurs on shallow soil on wind exposed sites at higher elevations in the mountains. It is very rich in lichen species of arctic-alpine distribution. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) suggests that altitude, nutrient content of the soil and exposition are the most important differential ecological factors. Soil depth, total carbon and nitrogen content, plant available phosphorus and all other measured cation contents are higher in Rubo-Empetretum than in Carici-Empetretum. Literature comparisons confirm the occurrence of both associations in other areas on the Southwest Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. Presumably both associations have an amphi-Beringian distribution. The syntaxonomy of boreal-montane dwarf shrub heaths and synecological aspects are briefly discussed. ?? 2004 Gebru??der Borntraeger.

Phytocoenologia↗
USGS2019

Repeated detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in gulls inhabiting Alaska, USA

We report the first detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in Alaska and in wildlife in the United States. Wild bird (gull) feces sampled at three locations in Southcentral Alaska yielded isolates that harbored plasmid-encoded bla KPC-2 or chromosomally-encoded bla OXA-48 , and genes associated with antimicrobial resistance to up to eight antibiotic classes.

Alaska↗
USGS2003

Controls on intrusion of near-trench magmas of the Sanak-Baranof Belt, Alaska, during Paleogene ridge subduction, and consequences for forearc evolution

A belt of Paleogene near-trench plutons known as the Sanak-Baranof belt intruded the southern Alaska convergent margin. A compilation of isotopic ages of these plutons shows that they range in age from 61 Ma in the west to ca. 50 Ma in the east. This migrating pulse of magmatism along the continental margin is consistent with North Pacific plate reconstructions that suggests the plutons were generated by migration of a trench-ridge-trench triple junction along the margin. On the Kenai Peninsula the regional lower greenschist metamorphic grade of the turbiditic host rocks, texture of the plutons, contact-metamorphic assemblage, and isotopic and fluid inclusion studies suggest that the plutons were emplaced at pressures of 1.5–3.0 kbars (5.2–10.5 km) into a part of the accretionary wedge with an ambient temperature of 210–300 °C. The presence of kyanite, garnet, and cordierite megacrysts in the plutons indicates that the melts were generated at a depth greater than 20 km and minimum temperature of 650 °C. These megacrysts are probably xenocrystic remnants of a restitic or contact metamorphic phase entrained by the melt during intrusion. However, it is also possible that they are primary magmatic phases crystallized from the peraluminous melt. Plutons of the Sanak-Baranof belt serve as time and strain markers separating kinematic regimes that predate and postdate ridge subduction. Pre-ridge subduction structures are interpreted to be related to the interaction between the leading oceanic plate and the Chugach terrane. These include regional thrust faults, NE-striking map-scale folds with associated axial planar foliation, type-1 mélanges, and an arrayof faults within the contact aureole indicating shortening largely accommodated by layer-parallel extension. Syn-ridge subduction features include the plutons, dikes, and ductile shear zones within contact aureoles with syn-kinematic metamorphic mineral growth and foliation development. Many of the studied plutons have sheeted margins and appear to have intruded along extensional jogs in margin-parallel strike-slip faults, whereas others form significant angles with the main faults and may have been influenced by minor faults of other orientations. Some of the plutons of the Sanak-Baranof belt have their long axes oriented parallel to faults of an orthorhombic fault set, implying that these faults may have provided a conduit for magma emplacement. This orthorhombic set of late faults is interpreted to have initially formed during the ridge subduction event, and continued to be active for a short time after passage of the triple junction. ENE-striking dextral faults of this orthorhombic fault system exhibit mutually crosscutting relationships with Eocene dikes related to ridge subduction, and mineralized strike-slip and normal faults of this system have yielded 40Ar/39Ar ages identical to near-trench intrusives related to ridge subduction. Movement on the orthorhombic fault system accommodated exhumation of deeper levels of the southern Alaska accretionary wedge, which is interpreted as a critical taper adjustment to subduction of younger oceanic lithosphere during ridge subduction. These faults therefore accommodate both deformation of the wedge and assisted emplacement of near-trench plutons. Structures that crosscut the plutons and aureoles include the orthorhombic fault set and dextral strike-slip faults, reflecting a new kinematic regime established after ridge subduction, during underthrusting of the trailing oceanic plate with new dextral-oblique convergence vectors with the overriding plate. The observation that the orthorhombic fault set both cuts and is cut by Eocene intrusives demonstrates the importance of these faults for magma emplacement in the forearc. A younger, ca. 35 Ma suite of plutons intrudes the Chugach terrane in the Prince William Sound region, and their intrusion geometry was strongly influenced by pre-existing faults developed during ridge subduction. The generation of these plutons may be related to the sudden northward migration of the triple junction at ca. 40–33 Ma, as the ridge was being subducted nearly parallel to the trench during this interval. These younger plutons are used to provide additional constraints on the structural evolution of the wedge. Late- to post-ridge subduction fabrics include a pressure solution cleavage and additional movement on the orthorhombic fault system. After triple junction migration, subduction of the trailing oceanic plate involved a significant component of dextral transpression and northward translation of the Chugach terrane. This change in kinematics is recorded by very late gouge-filled dextral faults in the late structures of the accretionary prism.

Alaska↗
USGS1955

Origin of the upland silt near Fairbanks, Alaska

Silt mantles the upland slopes and ridge tops throughout the unglaciated interior of Alaska, reaching maximum thickness along the north side of the Tanana River Valley. The silt is probably loess deposited during glacial advances by south winds blowing from the glaciated Alaska Range across outwash plains in the Tanana Valley. In the Fairbanks area, where it is best exposed, the upland silt is 1–80 feet thick on tops of low hills, 50–150 feet above the valley floor. It is 10–100 feet thick on middle slopes of higher hills and thins to a few feet on the higher slopes of ridges 800–2000 feet above the valley. Much silt has been reworked and moved by stream erosion into valley bottoms where it forms a fill 10–300 feet thick. The upland silt is well sorted. The texture and mineral composition are uniform throughout the Yukon-Tanana upland, whether the silt overlies schist, chert, granite or basalt. The silt stands in sheer cliffs and is massive, showing little or no stratification. During the past 50 years, fluviatile, marine, estuarine, lacustrine, residual, and eolian hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of the upland silt. The fluviatile marine and estuarine hypotheses never had strong support, but the lacustrine concept was popular in the early part of the century. Most of the upland silt is considered to be wind blown, derived from glacial outwash because: (1) it occurs as a surficial mantle (2) it is lithologically independent of the underlying material, (3) stratification is indistinct or absent, (4) it is associated with sand dunes and ventifacts, (5) it contains fossils of air-breathing land animals, (6) the sorting and texture are similar to upper Mississippi Valley loess and wind-blown dust, (7) the grains are angular and relatively fresh, and (8) loess is being deposited in the region today.

Alaska↗
USGS1959

History of Imuruk Lake, Seward Peninsula, Alaska

A study of Imuruk Lake, a large, shallow lake in north-central Seward Peninsula, Alaska, illuminates the climatic history of northwestern Alaska and the tectonic history of central Seward Peninsula during Pleistocene and Recent time. Special interest attaches to the older lake sediments, because they contain evidence concerning the climate, fauna, and flora that existed in the vicinity of Bering Strait at a time when the Bering land bridge was open and when animal and plant populations were being exchanged between the eastern and western hemispheres. The lake is 8 miles long and less than 10 feet deep; bottom sediments consisting of reworked wind-blown silt bury a rolling bedrock topography of much greater relief. Analysis of the hydrologic regime indicates that much of the water draining into the lake is lost by evaporation; smaller quantities are lost by discharge through the outlet, the Kugruk River, and by leakage into the lava flows along the lake shore. Changes in the duration and temperature of the summer ice-free season would result in changes in the amount of water lost by evaporation and thus in appreciable changes in lake level. Imuruk Lake occupies an initial low area on basaltic lava flows of Quaternary age, but the initial low area has been modified by faulting and now lies in a poorly defined graben. Topographic evidence confirmed by study of lacustrine terraces indicates that until recently Imuruk Lake drained westward into the Noxapaga River instead of eastward into the Kugruk River. A history of repeated warping of the lake basin, on which is superimposed a history of oscillating lake level which is due to changes in climate, is recorded by three systems of abandoned shore-line features found along the shores: a warped shore cliff of probable Illinoian age, a double set of warped terraces of probable Wisconsin age, and a low, horizontal terrace of Recent age. Bones of bison, horse, and mammoth were found in peaty sediments containing many twigs but no large wood; their presence indicates that these mammals, at least, were capable of surviving in a tundra environment during cold stages of the Pleistocene epoch and at a time when the Bering land bridge was in existence nearby. The sediments filling the deeper parts of the bedrock basin of Imuruk Lake probably contain an uninterrupted pollen record that reflects vegetation changes in central Seward Peninsula beginning in middle Illinoian time and terminating a few thousand years ago. Core drilling and pollen analysis of these sediments would greatly amplify our understanding of late Pleistocene events in the vicinity of the Bering land bridge.

Alaska↗
USGS1973

Alaska-Aleutian range batholith: Geochronology, chemistry, and relation to circum-Pacific plutonism

Potassium-argon mineral ages and reconnaissance mapping of approximately 65,000 sq km in south-central Alaska indicate that the Mesozoic and Cenozoic plutonic rocks in the region were emplaced during three discrete intrusive epochs. Most of the plutonic rocks are part of the Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith; the remainder appear as outcrops in isolated plutons northeast of the main batholith. Maximum and minimum concordant mineral ages on coexisting biotite and hornblende are used to mark the beginning and ending, respectively, of each intrusive epoch. The oldest intrusive epoch, Early and Middle Jurassic, contains plutonic rocks emplaced between about 176 and 154 m.y. ago. Jurassic plutonism occurred along a magmatic arc at least 1,300 km long, extending from about 480 km southwest of Becharof Lake northeast to the Talkeetna Mountains. Aeromagnetic data suggest that the magmatic arc, which represents the roots of the arc portion of an early Mesozoic arc-trench system, also continues southwest into the Bering Shelf. The associated trench is thought to be represented by an imbricated mélange of ophiolite and submarine lava with associated chert and argillite that occupies a belt 140 km southeast of the magmatic arc. Clastic sediments more than 4.5 km thick occupy the 140-km-wide arc-trench gap. Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutonic rocks, emplaced between about 83 and 58 m.y. ago, are found mainly in the northern part of the batholith and in isolated plutons to the northeast toward Mount McKinley. Middle Tertiary plutonic rocks ranging in age from 38 to 26 m.y. occur in two areas within the batholith and also in the Mount McKinley area. Although some of the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary plutons are associated with extrusive rocks, these plutons are largely post-tectonic, and magma was generated beneath both stable platform areas as well as beneath former eugeosynclinal regions in which deformation had essentially ceased. Magma for the Jurassic plutonic rocks appears to have been generated along or above an early Mesozoic subduction zone. The region southeast of the zone is considered to represent a classic example of continental accretion of eugeosynclinal sediments caused by under-thrusting of oceanic crust beneath an island arc. Magma generation for the Cretaceous and Tertiary plutons in the northern part of the batholith does not appear related to the early Mesozoic subduction zone, for it would require that the zone shift inland, or toward the continent, from its position during the Jurassic and then shift away from the continent once again to its present position.

GSA Bulletin↗
USGS1996

A catastrophic flood caused by drainage of a caldera lake at Aniakchak Volcano, Alaska, and implications for volcanic hazards assessment

Aniakchak caldera, located on the Alaska Peninsula of southwest Alaska, formerly contained a large lake (estimated volume 3.7 × 10 9 m 3 ) that rapidly drained as a result of failure of the caldera rim sometime after ca. 3400 yr B.P. The peak discharge of the resulting flood was estimated using three methods: (1) flow-competence equations, (2) step-backwater modeling, and (3) a dam-break model. The results of the dam-break model indicate that the peak discharge at the breach in the caldera rim was at least 7.7 × 10 4 m 3 s −1 , and the maximum possible discharge was ≈1.1 × 10 6 m 3 s −1 . Flow-competence estimates of discharge, based on the largest boulders transported by the flood, indicate that the peak discharge values, which were a few kilometers downstream of the breach, ranged from 6.4 × 10 5 to 4.8 × 10 6 m 3 s −1 . Similar but less variable results were obtained by step-backwater modeling. Finally, discharge estimates based on regression equations relating peak discharge to the volume and depth of the impounded water, although limited by constraining assumptions, provide results within the range of values determined by the other methods. The discovery and documentation of a flood, caused by the failure of the caldera rim at Aniakchak caldera, underscore the significance and associated hydrologic hazards of potential large floods at other lake-filled calderas.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗