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Sudden, probably coseismic submergence of Holocene trees and grass in coastal Washington State

1991; Geological Society of America; Volume: 19; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019 2.3.co;2

1943-2682

Brian F. Atwater, David K. Yamaguchi,

Aeolian processes and effects

Research Article| July 01, 1991 Sudden, probably coseismic submergence of Holocene trees and grass in coastal Washington State Brian F. Atwater; Brian F. Atwater 1U.S. Geological Survey at Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington AJ-20, Seattle, Washington 98195 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David K. Yamaguchi David K. Yamaguchi 2Mountain Research Station and Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Brian F. Atwater 1U.S. Geological Survey at Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington AJ-20, Seattle, Washington 98195 David K. Yamaguchi 2Mountain Research Station and Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1991) 19 (7): 706–709. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019 2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Brian F. Atwater, David K. Yamaguchi; Sudden, probably coseismic submergence of Holocene trees and grass in coastal Washington State. Geology 1991;; 19 (7): 706–709. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019 2.3.CO;2 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Growth-position plant fossils in coastal Washington State imply a suddenness of Holocene submergence that is better explained by coseismic lowering of the land than by decade- or century-long rise of the sea. These fossils include western red cedar and Sitka spruce whose death probably resulted from estuarine submergence close to 300 yr ago. Rings in eroded, bark-free trunks of the red cedar show that growth remained normal within decades of death. Rings in buried, bark-bearing stumps of the spruce further show normal growth continuing until the year of death. Other growth-position fossils implying sudden submergence include the stems and leaves of salt-marsh grass entombed in tide-flat mud close to 300 yr ago and roughly 1700 and 3100 yr ago. The preservation of these stems and leaves shows that submergence and initial burial outpaced decomposition, which appears to take just a few years in modern salt marshes. In some places the stems and leaves close to 300 yr old are surrounded by sand left by an extraordinary, landward-directed surge—probably a tsunami from a great thrust earth-quake on the Cascadia subduction zone. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.