“Paleosols and Puzzling Stratigraphy:

Insights in the Dakota Formation of Kansas and Beyond”

The Dakota Formation in Kansas contains significant value on a wide array of topics, ranging from reconstructing Cretaceous paleoclimate and fossil records to modern day aquifer architecture. Thick paleosol deposits contained within the Dakota Fm. serve as both an important record for terrestrial environments during the Cretaceous and as a natural resource for brick manufacturing. By observing, sampling, and applying geochemical techniques to these documented paleosols (ancient soils), crucial aspects of climate including paleotemperature and paleohydrology can be reconstructed. These critical data provide insight into earth system processes during a well-documented greenhouse climactic interval. Furthermore, the Dakota Fm. serves as one of the main geologic units comprising the Dakota Aquifer System. Due to its significance as a groundwater resource, new research is being conducted to produce high-resolution analyses of outcrops, cores, and logs to provide new insight into the complex stratigraphy formed during the evolution of the eastern margin of the Western Interior Seaway.  This includes pairing both U-Pb radiometric age dating and carbon stable isotopic analyses with sequence-stratigraphic characterization to refine and reinterpret previously outlined frameworks. The results aim to provide new subsurface characterization of the Dakota Aquifer system that can be used to model lateral connectivity and changes in hydrologic conductivity.