Title:
Using U-Pb ages of Miocene tufa for correlation in a terrestrialsuccession, Barstow Formation, California 
Reference Number:
1973 
ISSN:
0016-7606
Publication Year:
2005
GeoREF Number:
2005-031003 (View Original Data File)
Authors:
Cole, Jennifer M; Rasbury, E Troy; Hanson, Gilbert N; Montanez, IsabelP; Pedone, Vicki A
Descriptors:
absolute age; Barstow Formation; calcite; California; carbonates;Cenozoic; chemically precipitated rocks; correlation; dates;depositional environment; lacustrine environment; Miocene; Neogene;precision; San Bernardino County California; sedimentary rocks;terrestrial environment; Tertiary; tufa; U/Pb; United States
Source:
Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol.117, no.3-4, pp.276-287,Apr 2005
Abstract:
Sedimentary rocks and associated fossils are the direct record of pastlife and its environmental context. Few methods allow direct andprecise dating of this important archive, making it difficult tocorrelate climate, biologic, and tectonic events preserved interrestrial records. We sampled lacustrine tufa calcite from themiddle member of the Miocene Barstow Formation to further test thefeasibility of uraniumlead dating of terrestrial carbonates. Fivesamples yield U-Pb ages (2sigma ) of 14.81+ or -0.39 Ma, 15.30+ or-0.25 Ma, 15.39+ or -0.15 Ma, 16.14+ or -0.40 Ma, and 16.24+ or -0.23Ma. These precise ages are consistent with existing ages from K-Ar and(super 40) Ar/ (super 39) Ar dating of intercalated volcanic ashes.Our most precise U-Pb age on tufa has an uncertainty of <1% (150ka), which is equivalent to uncertainties for K-Ar ages from the sametime period. Our results indicate that U-Pb dating of carefullysampled and screened sedimentary carbonates provides much needed ageconstraints in purely terrestrial sequences and can be a powerful toolfor correlation even in deposits with structural complexity and rapidfacies changes.
Notes:
With GSA Data Repository Item 2005058
Copyright:
GeoRef, Copyright 2007, American Geological Institute. Referenceincludes data supplied by the Geological Society of America, Boulder,CO, United States

Sample Summary:
Sample ID: Major Data: Trace Data: Isotope Data:
OCT-10A No Yes No
OWL-S-4 No Yes No
OW-11 No Yes No
OCE-1 No Yes No
OW-17 No Yes No