Late Quaternary fluvial landscape evolution in desert grasslands of northern Chihuahua, Mexico

摘要

Presented here is the first comprehensive late Quaternary alluvial stratigraphic record from desert grasslands in northern Mexico. The stratigraphic history was temporally constrained by radiocarbon dating, whereas the ecology of C4 plants was inferred by stable carbon isotopes from buried soils. Environmental relationships within the Casas Grandes and San Pedro River basins of the Juanaquena study area provide a picture of evolving landscapes where fluvial behavior is driven by climate change and ecosystem instability.