The Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH) proposes to develop an integrated paleobiological and geological framework for the Upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary rocks in the Denver Basin using a multi-disciplinary approach of paleontology (plant megafossils and palynomorphs), magnetostratigraphy, and lithostratigraphy. The study will be based on a multitude of surface observations and fossil sites tied to a new cored well to be drilled by this project in cooperation with local, state, and government agencies. The well will be located in the center of the Denver Basin at the Elbert County Fairgrounds in Kiowa. Magnetostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, and palynostratigraphy of the 610m well supported by this proposal will be used to erect a reference geochronology and biostratigraphy for the Denver Basin. This master section will be used to correlate basin-wide surface fossil sites and observations.
The resulting data framework will be used to test three major hypotheses. - The first hypothesis is the Denver Basin contains two distinct unconformity-bounded sequences of synorogenic strata. - The second hypothesis is that the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary impact event at Chicxulub in Mexico caused greater biotic damage proximal to the impact site than distal to it. - The third hypothesis is that the evolution and infilling of the Laramide Denver Basin was driven by sediment supply and subsidence rather than by climate change.
The intrinsic benefits of this research will be seen in the fields of sequence stratigraphy, basin tectonics, paleobotany, magnetostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, biostratigraphy, and extinction studies. The project will also have direct and immediate extrinsic benefits and will provide superb educational opportunities. The 620m sequence to be studied contains the majority of the aquifers that provide water for the rapidly growing populations in the central Denver Basin. The location of the reference will is such that it will provide much needed data on water quality and aquifer characteristics. The local, state, and government agencies that will cost share to help fund the drilling of the reference will benefit not only from the science funded by this proposal but will also undertake their own hydrological research on the well core. The USGS Division of Water Resources will coordinate this aspect of the research. The well itself has the potential to be developed as a water resource for the town of Kiowa and for Elbert County.
As the umbrella organization for the project, DMNH will coordinate the basic research and educational endeavors resulting from this research. Educational opportunities of this project are immense since they will link popular science, such as dinosaur extinction and fossil rainforests, with local resource utilization issues in one of the fastest growing urban areas in the country. Educational products focusing on the topics of paleontology, geology, hydrology, and resource utilization could include such diverse products as teacher training workshops, adult education symposia, temporary exhibits, and outreach exhibits.
