Ellis Lower

Senior Project Advisor

Camilo Ponton and Karin Lemkau

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2022

Keywords

palaeobotanical reconstructions, fossils, biomarkers, Chuckanut Formation

Abstract

Earth’s climate can be tracked through geologic time by studying palaeobotanical conditions, as plants are sensitive to fluctuations in climate. Plant biomarkers (molecules found in the epicuticular wax of leaves) can be preserved for millions of years in sedimentary rocks, act as molecular fossils, and provide insight into the type of vegetation cover at the time of deposition. This project focused on extracting one such class of compounds: fatty alcohols. We used fatty alcohols as biomarkers to improve palaeobotanical reconstructions of the Chuckanut Formation during the Eocene. The fatty alcohols found in samples lacking macrofossils from the Slide member of the Chuckanut Formation display a strong palm signature, reflecting a subtropical climate at the time of deposition. This is consistent with the macrofossils found in the Slide member. This study is the first to extract and identify fatty alcohols in the Chuckanut Formation and shows promising results for improving palaeobotanical reconstructions in the absence of macrofossils.

Department

Geology

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Geology, Stratigraphic--Eocene; Paleobotany--Washington (State)--Chuckanut Mountains; Biochemical markers--Washington (State)--Chuckanut Mountains; Fatty alcohols--Washington (State)--Chuckanut Mountains

Geographic Coverage

Chuckanut Mountains (Wash.)

Genre/Form

essays

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Included in

Geology Commons

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