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Marieke Dechesne

I am a geologist in the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center at the USGS. I am trained in stratigraphy and sedimentology and my current research focuses on basin analysis, paleogeography and the interaction between tectonic signals, sedimentation and climate.

n the past several years I have worked on the Laramide synorogenic basin fill of the Denver Basin with both the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Colorado Geological Survey, before moving focus to the 'back-side' of the Front Range where I now study the axial Colorado Headwaters Basin (North Park-Middle Park), the Hanna Basin and South Park for the USGS Cenozoic Evolution of the Southern Rocky Mountains project.  From these basin fill sequences I am trying to reconstruct uplift history and the overall paleogeographic evolution in this region. I am incorporating as many parameters as possible, like outcrop observations, subsurface data (well-logs and seismic), fossil information, paleobotany, palynology, radiometric dating, etc. to develop a rigid 3D- (4D?) stratigraphic framework that reveals clues about timing of  uplift, sediment accumulation rates, paleo-environments and paleogeography.

 

Professional Experience

  • Geologist, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS (2014 - present)

  • Contractor and consultant for the USGS, Colorado Geological Survey, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and Heath Hydrology Inc. (2005 - 2014)

  • LecturerAdjunct Professor, Colorado School of Mines and University of Colorado, Boulder (2005-2007, part-time)

  • GIS Support Analyst, ESRI Netherlands (1999 - 2000)

  • Research Associate for the Slope and Basin Consortium, Colorado School of Mines (1997-1998 and 2001-2005)

  • Research Associate for the Genetic Stratigraphy Research Group, Colorado School of Mines (1995-1997)

Education and Certifications

  • Doktoraal examen geologie (msc equivalent), Utrecht University, the Netherlands (1995)

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 13

The Seamless Integrated Geologic Mapping (SIGMa) extension to the Geologic Map Schema (GeMS)

Geologic maps are the fundamental building blocks of surface and subsurface three-dimensional geologic framework models of the Earth’s crust. However, as the production and availability of geologic map databases continues to increase, inconsistent data models and the lack of synthesized, national geologic map data at scales appropriate for informed decision making negatively affect the functional
Authors
Kenzie J. Turner, Jeremiah B. Workman, Joseph Colgan, Amy K. Gilmer, Margaret E. Berry, Samuel Johnstone, Kathleen F. Warrell, Marieke Dechesne, D. Paco VanSistine, Ren A. Thompson, Adam M. Hudson, Kristine Zellman, Donald S. Sweetkind, Chester A. Ruleman
By
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of the White River Formation, Lance Formation, and Fox Hills Sandstone, northern greater Denver Basin, southeastern Laramie County, Wyoming

In cooperation with the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, the U.S. Geological Survey studied the geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of Cenozoic and Upper Cretaceous strata at a location in southeastern Laramie County within the Wyoming part of the Cheyenne Basin, the northern subbasin of the greater Denver Basin. The study aimed to improve understanding of the aquifers/aquifer systems in th
Authors
Timothy T. Bartos, Devin L. Galloway, Laura L. Hallberg, Marieke Dechesne, Sharon F. Diehl, Seth L. Davidson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Tectonic influence on axial-transverse sediment routing in the Denver Basin

Detrital zircon U-Pb and (U-Th)/He ages from latest Cretaceous–Eocene strata of the Denver Basin provide novel insights into evolving sediment sourcing, recycling, and dispersal patterns during deposition in an intracontinental foreland basin. In total, 2464 U-Pb and 78 (U-Th)/He analyses of detrital zircons from 21 sandstone samples are presented from outcrop and drill core in the proximal and di
Authors
Glenn R Sharman, Daniel F. Stockli, Peter Flaig, Robert Raynolds, Marieke Dechesne, Jacob A Covault
By
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Evidence for variable precipitation and discharge from Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene fluvial deposits of the Raton Basin, Colorado–New Mexico, U.S.A.

The Raton Basin of Colorado–New Mexico, USA, is the southeasternmost basin of the Laramide intraforeland province of North America. It hosts a thick succession (4.5 km or 15,000 ft) of Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene marine and continental strata that were deposited in response to the final regression of the Western Interior Seaway and the onset of Laramide intraforeland deformation. The Upper Creta
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Marieke Dechesne, Kristine Zellman
By
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Beach placer mineral deposits along localized paleoshorelines of the western Interior Seaway, upper cretaceous Fox Hills sandstone, eastern Denver Basin, Colorado

Beach placers deposited within the Fox Hills Sandstone along the eastern flank of the Denver Basin contain minerals deemed critical in 2018 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. These marine beach placers, or paleoplacers, were deposited in the Late Cretaceous along the western edge of the retreating Western Interior Seaway (WIS). Preliminary investigations determined that these deposits contain
Authors
Michael K O'Keeffe, Marieke Dechesne, Matthew J. Morgan Henderson, Stephen M Keller, Katherina Pfaff, Asha Mahatma, Alexander I Peretyatko
By
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

A new stratigraphic framework and constraints for the position of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in the rapidly subsiding Hanna Basin, Wyoming

The Paleocene–Eocene strata of the rapidly subsiding Hanna Basin give insights in sedimentation patterns and regional paleogeography during the Laramide orogeny and across the climatic event at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Abundant coalbeds and carbonaceous shales of the fluvial, paludal, and lacustrine strata of the Hanna Formation offer a different depositional setting than PETM
Authors
Marieke Dechesne, Ellen D Currano, Regan E Dunn, Pennilyn Higgins, Joseph Hartman, Kevin R Chamberlain, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
By
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Plant and insect herbivore community variation across the Paleocene–Eocene boundary in the Hanna Basin, southeastern Wyoming

Ecosystem function and stability are highly affected by internal and external stressors. Utilizing paleobotanical data gives insight into the evolutionary processes an ecosystem undergoes across long periods of time, allowing for a more complete understanding of how plant and insect herbivore communities are affected by ecosystem imbalance. To study how plant and insect herbivore communities chang
Authors
Lauren E Schmidt, Regan E Dunn, Jason J Mercer, Marieke Dechesne, Ellen D Currano
By
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Geologic map of the Hartsel Quadrangle, Park County, Colorado

The Hartsel quadrangle sits nearly in the center of the complex South Park Laramide structural basin. Generally, the basin can be described as an asymmetrical down-faulted feature, dipping to the east. It is bounded by two northwest-trending uplifts: the Sawatch uplift to the west and the Front Range uplift to the east. The west-verging Elkhorn thrust, which places Proterozoic intrusive and metamo
Authors
Peter E. Barkmann, Karen J. Houck, Marieke Dechesne, Jonathan R. Lovekin, Erinn P. Johnson
By
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Field guide to Laramide basin evolution and drilling activity in North Park and Middle Park, Colorado

Overview of the geologic history of the North Park–Middle Park area and its past and recent drilling activity. Field trip stops highlight basin formation and the consequences of geologic configuration on oil and gas plays and development. The starting point is the west flank of the Denver Basin to compare and contrast the latest Cretaceous through Eocene basin fill on both flanks of the Front Rang
Authors
Marieke Dechesne, James C. Cole, Christopher B. Martin
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Stratigraphic architecture of a fluvial-lacustrine basin-fill succession at Desolation Canyon, Uinta Basin, Utah: Reference to Walthers’ Law and implications for the petroleum industry

A continuous window into the fluvial-lacustrine basin-fill succession of the Uinta Basin is exposed along a 48-mile (77-kilometer) transect up the modern Green River from Three Fords to Sand Wash in Desolation Canyon, Utah. In ascending order the stratigraphic units are: 1) Flagstaff Limestone, 2) lower Wasatch member of the Wasatch Formation, 3) middle Wasatch member of the Wasatch Formation, 4)
Authors
Grace L. Ford, David R. Pyles, Marieke Dechesne
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

South Park, Colorado: The interplay of tectonics and sedimentation creates one of Colorado’s crown jewels

Recent mapping efforts and hydrocarbon exploration in the South Park Basin have brought to light the magnitude in complexity of a structural basin already recognized for its unique sedimentary and tectonic setting. This fi eld trip to one of Colorado’s scenic gems will examine how Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic strata record the tectonic signatures of at least three orogenic episodes. We will c
Authors
Peter E Barkmann, Edward J Sterne, Marieke Dechesne, Karen J. Houck
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Laramide basin CSI: Comprehensive stratigraphic investigations of Paleogene sediments in the Colorado Headwaters Basin, north-central Colorado

The Paleogene sedimentary deposits of the Colorado Headwaters Basin provide a detailed proxy record of regional deformation and basin subsidence during the Laramide orogeny in north-central Colorado and southern Wyoming. This field trip presents extensive evidence from sedimentology, stratigraphy, structure, palynology, and isotope geochronology that shows a complex history that is markedly differ
Authors
Marieke Dechesne, James C. Cole, James H. Trexler, Patricia Cashman, Christopher D Peterson
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Dechesne, Marieke , Cole, J.C., Trexler, J.H. Jr., Cashman, P.H., and Peterson, C.D., 2013, Laramide basin CSI: Comprehensive stratigraphic investigations of Paleogene sediments in the Colorado Headwaters Basin, north-central Colorado: GSA Field Guides, 2013, 33, p. 139-163, doi:10.1130/2013.0033(04)
Dechesne, M., Raynolds, R.G., Barkmann, P.E., Johnson, K.R., 2011, Denver Basin Geologic Maps: Bedrock Geology, Structure and Isopach Maps of the Upper Cretaceous through Paleogene Strata between Greeley and Colorado Springs, Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey, 1:250,000, 15 maps, 3 cross sections. ISBN 978-1-884216-57-2.
Barkmann, P.E., Dechesne, Marieke, Wickham, M.E., Carlson, Jill, Formolo, Scott, and Oerter, Erik, 2011, Cross-Sections of the Freshwater Bearing Strata of the Denver Basin between Greeley and Colorado Springs, Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey, 1:250,000, 2 plates, 15 cross-sections, 1 CD-ROM.
Gardner, M.H., Borer, J.M., Romans, B.W., Baptista, Noelia, Kling, E.K., Hanggoro, Diah, Melick, J.J., Wagerle, R.M., Dechesne, Marieke, Carr, M.M., Amerman, Robert, and Atan, Safian, 2011, Stratigraphic Models for Deep-Water Sedimentary Systems, in Answering the Challenges of Production from Deep-Water Reservoirs: Analogues and Case Histories to aid a New Generation: 28th Annual. GCSSEPM Foundation Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference Proceedings, v. 28.2008. p. 77-175.
Wilson, G. P., Dechesne, M., and Anderson, I.R., 2010, New latest Cretaceous mammals from northeastern Colorado with biochronologic and biogeographic implications: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(2):499-520.
Raynolds, R.G, Johnson, K.R, Ellis, B., Dechesne, M, and Miller, I., 2007, History along Colorado’s Front Range: Salvaging geologic data in the suburbs and sharing it with the citizens: GSA Today, vol. 17, no. 12, p. 4-10.
Dechesne, M., 2005, Generalized geologic and paleogeographic maps of the Denver Basin: Denver Museum of Nature & Science Technical Report 2005-16, 14 pp., 8 maps.
Gardner, M.H., Borer, J.M., Melick, J.J., Mavilla, N., Dechesne, M., and Wagerle, R.N., 2003, Stratigraphic process-response model for submarine channels and related features from studies of the Permian Brushy Canyon outcrops, West Texas: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 20.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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Measuring paleoflow directions in the overturned beds of the Pennsylvanian Atoka Formation at the Paris Spillway, Paris, AR

Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect

The Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect (ODABOuT) project examines the three-dimensional geology of a transect of the southern orogenic margin of North America in its best surface exposure in western Arkansas. The Ozark Dome and Arkoma Basin represent a foreland uplift and foreland basin that formed as a result of the impinging Ouachita orogenic belt. Understanding the geometry and evolution...
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
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Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect

The Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect (ODABOuT) project examines the three-dimensional geology of a transect of the southern orogenic margin of North America in its best surface exposure in western Arkansas. The Ozark Dome and Arkoma Basin represent a foreland uplift and foreland basin that formed as a result of the impinging Ouachita orogenic belt. Understanding the geometry and evolution...
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Mt. Ouray, Colorado with aspen colors

Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West

The Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West project was launched with the goal of producing a new digital geologic map database and 3D geologic model of a transect from the Rio Grande rift to the Basin and Range, based on a synthesis of existing geologic maps with new targeted new mapping, subsurface data, and other data sets. This database will integrate disparate map data, resolve...
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
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Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West

The Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West project was launched with the goal of producing a new digital geologic map database and 3D geologic model of a transect from the Rio Grande rift to the Basin and Range, based on a synthesis of existing geologic maps with new targeted new mapping, subsurface data, and other data sets. This database will integrate disparate map data, resolve...
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Measured sections and paleocurrent data from fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations, Raton Basin, Colorado-New Mexico, USA

This document provides two data sets that characterize outcrops of fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations of the Raton Basin of Colorado-New Mexico, USA. First, the dataset includes stratigraphic sections measured through fluvial deposits of the Raton and Poison Canyon Formations (ten unique .tif files), currently exposed in roadside outcrops. Second,
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National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Science and Products