Abstract
The Miocene sediments of the Jackson Hole area constitute a unique sequence of terrestrial sediments. While much of the surrounding terrain was undergoing denudation during the Miocene, over 4000 m of volcaniclastic, lacustrine, and fluvial sediments accumulated in the vicinity of Jackson Hole. Recently completed paleontological and palynological studies have served to delineate complex biostratigraphic and climatic histories. The present research project is using magnetostratigraphy, fission-track dating, and K-Ar dating to develop a chronology for the Miocene sediments. This chronology will permit the paleontological data to be examined in a precise temporal framework. Similarly, the rates and timing of climatic change as inferred from the pollen record will be constrained through these magnetostratigraphy studies.