Late paleocene–early eocene paleosols and a new measure of the transport distance of Alaska’s Yakutat Terrane

An intensely weathered paleosol representing a nearly isochronous landscape exists at many places in continental Late Paleocene–Early Eocene strata in North America. Most commonly, a single siderite spherule–bearing horizon is found, from which δ¹⁸O values were obtained to construct a paleolatitudinal gradient for Late Paleocene–Early Eocene North America. Comparison of the paleosol siderite spherule δ¹⁸O composition from the displaced Yakutat Terrane of Alaska to the North American paleolatitudinal gradient indicates that during the Late Paleocene–Early Eocene the terrane existed at ∼44° paleonorth, thus supporting hypotheses for a far-traveled terrane history.