Response of bankfull flood magnitudes to Holocene climate change, Uinta Mountains, northeastern Utah

Research Article| September 01, 2007 Response of bankfull flood magnitudes to Holocene climate change, Uinta Mountains, northeastern Utah Eric C. Carson; Eric C. Carson 1Department of Geography and Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James C. Knox; James C. Knox 2Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David M. Mickelson David M. Mickelson 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Eric C. Carson 1Department of Geography and Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA James C. Knox 2Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA David M. Mickelson 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 16 Oct 2005 Revision Received: 17 Feb 2006 Accepted: 26 Feb 2007 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2007) 119 (9-10): 1066–1078. https://doi.org/10.1130/B25916.1 Article history Received: 16 Oct 2005 Revision Received: 17 Feb 2006 Accepted: 26 Feb 2007 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Eric C. Carson, James C. Knox, David M. Mickelson; Response of bankfull flood magnitudes to Holocene climate change, Uinta Mountains, northeastern Utah. GSA Bulletin 2007;; 119 (9-10): 1066–1078. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B25916.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Long-term variations in Holocene flood magnitude were quantified from the bankfull dimensions of abandoned channels preserved on floodplain surfaces in the northern Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah. Cross-sectional areas of abandoned channels were reconstructed, and relationships derived from the modern gage records were used to estimate bankfull discharges from bankfull cross-section areas. The results indicate systematic (nonrandom) variations of bankfull floods in the northern Uinta Mountains. Large floods, as much as 10%–15% greater than modern, dominated from 8500 to 5000 calendar yr B.P., and again from 2800 to 1000 cal yr B.P. Small floods, as much as 15%–20% less than modern, characterize the periods from 5000 to 2800 cal yr B.P., and from 1000 cal yr B.P. to near present.The middle and late Holocene record of bankfull flood magnitude compares well with independent evidence for climatic variation in the area. The early Holocene record indicates that larger than modern bankfull floods coincide with warmer than modern mean annual temperature. We hypothesize that an increased range of magnitude for seasonal solar radiation during the early Holocene favored the accumulation and rapid melting of deep snowpacks in the high Uinta Mountains, thus producing large floods despite warmer mean annual temperatures. The episode of smaller than modern bank-full floods between 5000 and 2800 cal yr B.P. coincides with records of increased forest fire frequency in the northern Uintas. Larger than modern floods from 2800 to 1000 cal yr B.P. coincide with a local decrease in forest fire frequency and evidence for minor local glacial readvances. The decrease in flood magnitudes following 1000 cal yr B.P. corresponds to numerous local and regional records of warming during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.