Climatology on the ROCKS: Cretaceous road cut revelations on I-70 (Cedar Mountain Fm, Utah)

Climate change is happening today and it’s been happening through all of earths history for a variety of reasons. Even in the Early Cretaceous. The causes of climate change vary, but the effects can be recognized by geologists in the sedimentary rock record, especially in fluvial deposits (rivers and their floodplains)...IF you have the right data! Floodplain and river channel deposits of the Early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation in northeastern Utah are spectacularly exposed in road cuts on I-70 on the flanks of the San Rafael Swell! Do they reveal evidence of Early Cretaceous climate change? That's what we'll explore in this video! As mountains built and oceans expanded, the climate in North America was changing in response to shifting atmospheric patterns during the Early Cretaceous. This may be recorded in the floodplain deposits of the Cedar Mountain Fm, which vary between well-drained, mature soils typical of seasonal climate and more poorly-drained, immature soils characteristic of more humid climates. We’ll examine the stratigraphy and sedimentology of these floodplain and fluvial channel sandstones to learn more about the Cretaceous landscape, salt diapirism, tectonism, mountain building, base level, and the role of climate and sea level in determining the types of soils that are preserved. By using the concept of "multiple working hypotheses", we'll keep bias to a minimum and be able to objectively evaluate the evidence for climate change in these deposits. You won’t want to miss this action-packed field trip, so let’s look at some rocks!