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The deposits of Eocene Lake Gosiute that constitute the Green River Formation of Wyoming contain numerous tuff beds that represent isochronous, correlatable stratigraphic markers. Tuff beds selected for 40Ar/39Ar analysis occur within laminated mudstone, are matrix supported, and lack evidence of reworking. These tuffs contain 2%?15% euhedral phenocrysts of quartz, plagioclase, sanidine, biotite, and minor amphibole, pyroxene, and zircon, encased in a matrix of altered glassy ash. Air abrasion and handpicking under refractive- index oils were required to obtain clean, unaltered phenocrysts of sanidine. 40Ar/39Ar age determinations from single-crystal and <1 mg multigrain aliquots of sanidine and biotite allowed...
We reevaluate the Eocene geomagnetic polarity time scale on the basis of single-crystal 40Ar/39Ar ages for air-fall tuffs from the Wilkins Peak Member of the Green River Formation of Wyoming. Tuff 6 is dated as 49.1 � 0.2 Ma, and tuff 3 is dated as 50.4 � 0.3 Ma (maximum estimate). When combined with published magnetostratigraphic constraints, these age determinations suggest that the currently accepted age of chron C22r is 1.5?2.5 m.y. too old, which supports a significantly longer duration for the early Eocene, for the early Eocene climatic optimum, and the Wasatchian North American Land Mammal Age. Published in Geology, volume 32, issue 2, on pages 137 - 137, in 2004.
    map background search result map search result map 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Eocene Green River Formation, Wyoming 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Eocene Green River Formation, Wyoming