Almost a billion years of time is missing from the Ozarks' geologic record, between the formation of Precambrian igneous rocks and the Cambrian sediments that lie in direct contact with them across the Great Unconformity. Here we explore the backstory of this awe-inspiring gap in time, with an emphasis on what it tells us about Ozark geologic history. How tall were our Precambrian mountains? Could 4 or more kilometers of hard igneous rock really have eroded away? Did glaciers once reach the St. Francois Mts?
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- Geology of the Ozarks series playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLliipheETtcwilLCcnaiRv6oz8GQmuyr0
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Other videos that provide specific backstory or details:
- The Ozarks' Precambrian landscape: https://youtu.be/WBsLDsfKhbE
- The Ozarks' Precambrian igneous history: https://youtu.be/RRHmECKNfrQ
- The ancient buried surface beneath Missouri: https://youtu.be/1FO2V69A0-g
- Summary of the Ozarks' geologic timeline: https://youtu.be/xc0qPdqDvEA
Other resources mentioned here (sorry, some of these are paywalled):
- Yellowstone magma chamber model: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/schematic-showing-magma-storage-beneath-yellowstone-caldera-based-magnetotelluric-data
- Thermochronometry dataset: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/46/2/167/525525/Thermochronology-links-denudation-of-the-Great
- Erosion rates (1): https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/51/4/356/620610/Late-Quaternary-Recent-intraplate-topographic?searchresult=1
- Erosion rates (2): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X17303886