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G-Cubed: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems; an electronic journal of the Earth sciences

 

Keywords

  • Geologic map
  • USA
  • area
  • bedrock
  • sediments

Index Terms

  • Geochemistry: Composition of the crust
  • Global Change: Solid Earth
  • Information Related to Geographic Region: North America
  • Information Related to Geologic Time: General or miscellaneous
Abstract
Cited By (4)
 

Abstract

Quantitative bedrock geology of the conterminous United States of America

Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink

Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543-1541, USA

Mark W. Miller

Benchmark GIS Services, 9907 Leta Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, USA

We quantitatively analyze the area-age distribution of bedrock based on data from the most recent geologic map of the conterminous United States of America [ King and Beikman, 1974a , 1974b], made available in digital form by the United States Geologic Survey. The area-age distribution agrees surprisingly well with older data [ Higgs, 1949 ] but provides much higher temporal resolution. The mean stratigraphic age of all sedimentary bedrock is ∼134 Myr; that of Tertiary-Cambrian sediments is ∼104 Myr. The analysis also reveals area coverage of some minor lithologies, such as ultramafic rocks that cover ∼0.15% of the conterminous United States. Area coverage of 162 lithostratigraphic units is made available as an Excel data sheet.

Received 18 April 2002; accepted 27 June 2002; published 8 October 2002.

Citation: Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B., and M. W. Miller (2002), Quantitative bedrock geology of the conterminous United States of America, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 3(10), 8000, doi:10.1029/2002GC000366.

Cited By

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