Paleoenvironments of the evolving Pliocene to early Pleistocene foreland basin in northwestern Taiwan: An example from the Dahan River section

The overriding of the Luzon volcanic arc atop the underlying Chinese rifted‐continental margin has caused the formation of the Taiwan mountain belts and a peripheral foreland basin west of the orogen since the late Miocene. In this study, lithofacies analysis and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic investigations of the Dahan River section in northwestern (NW) Taiwan were performed. Our results offer insights into the temporal evolution of the sedimentary environments and the competing effects of the sedimentation and basin tectonics of the NW Taiwan foreland basin from the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. Nannofossil biostratigraphic studies showed that the upper Kueichulin Formation and the overlying Chinshui Shale can be assigned to the NN15 biozone of the Pliocene age, and the Cholan Formation pertains to NN16–NN18 of the early Pleistocene. The NN15–NN16 boundary coincides roughly with the boundary of the Chinshui Shale and Cholan Formation. We recognized three major sedimentary environments in the studied foreland succession comprising the upper Kueichulin Formation, Chinshui Shale, Cholan Formation and Yangmei Formation, in ascending order. During the deposition of the upper Kueichulin Formation in the early Pliocene, the dominant environment was a wave‐ and tide‐influenced open marine setting. During the late Pliocene, the environment deepened to an outer‐offshore setting when the sediments of Chinshui Shale were accumulated. In the Pleistocene, the environment then shallowed to wave‐dominated estuaries during the deposition of the lower Cholan Formation, and the basin was rapidly filled, generating a meandering and sandy braided river environment during the deposition of the upper Cholan to the Yangmei Formation. In summary, the evolution of sedimentary environments in the studied succession shows a deepening then a shallowing and coarsening upward trend during the period from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene, spanning the age from approximately 4 to 1 Ma.     

Fourth‐ to third‐order cycles in the Hakobuchi Formation: Shallow‐marine Campanian final deposition of the Yezo Group,Nakagawa area,northern Hokkaido,Japan

The Yezo Group has a wide longitudinal distribution across Hokkaido, northern Japan. It represents a Cretaceous (Early Aptian–Late Maastrichtian) and Late Paleocene forearc basin‐fill along the eastern margin of the paleo‐Asian continent. In the Nakagawa area of northern Hokkaido, the uppermost part of the Yezo Group consists of the Hakobuchi Formation. Along the western margin of the Yezo basin, 24 sedimentary facies (F) represent 6 facies associations (FA), suggesting prevailing storm‐dominated inner shelf to shoreface environments, subordinately associated with shoreface sand ridges, outer shelf, estuary and fluvial environments. The stacking patterns, thickness and facies trends of these associations allow the discrimination of six depositional sequences (DS). Inoceramids Sphenoceramus schmidti and Inoceramus balticus, and the ammonite Metaplacenticeras subtilistriatum, provide late Early to Late Campanian age constraints to this approximately 370‐m thick final stage of deposition and uplift of the Yezo forearc basin. Six shallow‐marine to subordinately non‐marine sandstone‐dominated depositional sequences include four 10 to 110‐m thick upward‐coarsening regressive successions (FS1), occasionally associated with thin, less than 10‐m thick, upward‐fining transgressive successions (FS2). The lower DS1–3, middle DS4–5 and upper DS6 represent three depositional sequential sets (DSS1–3). These eastward prograding and westward retrograding recurring shallow‐marine depositional systems may reflect third‐ and fourth‐order relative sealevel changes, in terms of sequence stratigraphy.     

Paleoenvironmental interpretations of Quaternary reef deposits based on comparisons of 10 selected modern and fossil larger foraminifera from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Abstract A new method for reconstructing depositional environments of larger foraminifera‐bearing limestones is proposed. First, depth and spatial distributions of empty tests of 10 foraminiferal taxa in a 1–2 mm size fraction were examined using 32 surface sediment samples collected from depths shallower than 200 m, located to the west of Miyako Island, Ryukyu Islands, northwest Pacific. Distributional ranges of empty tests in the 1–2 mm size fraction appear to be more limited than those including other size fractions in previous reports, partly because larger empty tests of each taxon are less easily transported than smaller ones. Multivariate analyses (Q‐mode cluster analysis and non‐metric multidimensional scaling ordination) based on binary (presence/absence) data of the 10 taxa delineate four sample groups, each of which corresponds to different depositional environments: nearshore zone/bay inlet; back‐reef to fore‐reef; outer shelf to shelf slope; and shelf slope distant from coral reefs. Next, these modern data were applied to reconstruct the depositional environment of a rock section distributed in the Shiratorizaki area (Irabu Island, Ryukyu Islands), which consists of larger foraminiferal limestone of the Pleistocene Ryukyu Group. Multivariate analyses were performed on the fossil plus the modern foraminiferal data to explore the possible relationship of the fossil associations with variations in modern associations, demonstrating that the fossil foraminiferal associations resemble the modern outer shelf associations. The modern analog technique was also applied to estimate paleobathymetry using fossil foraminiferal data. The results indicate that the section studied was deposited in outer shelf environments at depths between 53.5 and 98.6 m. These paleoenvironmental interpretations are consistent with previous studies based on sedimentary facies and the computer‐based expert system. The modern dataset and methods used in our work would be particularly useful for paleoenvironmental reconstructions of Quaternary reef and shelf carbonates along active margins of the northwest Pacific.     

SHRIMP U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from the Early Cretaceous Nakdong Formation,South East Korea: Timing of initiation of the Gyeongsang Basin and its provenance

To constrain the depositional age of the lowermost Nakdong Formation in the Early Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin, SHRIMP U–Pb age determination was carried out on zircon separates. The U–Pb compositions of detrital zircons from the Nakdong Formation yield a wide range of ages from the Archean to the Cretaceous but show a marked contrast in age distribution according to the geographical locations within the basin. The provenance of the southern Nakdong Formation is dominantly the surrounding Yeongnam Massif, which is composed of Paleoproterozoic metamorphic rocks and Triassic to Jurassic plutonic rocks, whereas the central to northern Nakdong Formation records significant sediment derivation from the Okcheon Metamorphic Belt, which is distributed to the northwest, in addition to the contribution from the Yeongnam Massif. It is suggested that the maximum depositional age of the Nakdong Formation is ca 127 Ma, based on its youngest detrital zircon age population. The onset of its deposition at 127 Ma coincided with the tectonic inversion in East Asia from a compressional to an extensional geodynamic setting, probably due to the contemporaneous change in the drift direction of the Izanagi Plate and its subsequent oblique subduction.     

Evolution processes of Ordovician–Devonian arc system in the South‐Kitakami Massif and its relevance to the Ordovician ophiolite pulse

The South Kitakami Massif is one of the oldest geological domains in Japan having Silurian strata with acidic pyroclastic rocks and Ordovician–Silurian granodiorite–tonalite basement, suggesting that it was matured enough to develop acidic volcanisms in the Silurian period. On the northern and western margin of the South Kitakami Massif, an Ordovician arc ophiolite (Hayachine–Miyamori Ophiolite) and high‐pressure and low‐temperature metamorphic rocks (Motai metamorphic rocks) exhumed sometime in the Ordovician–Devonian periods are distributed. Chronological, geological, and petrochemical studies on the Hayachine–Miyamori Ophiolite, Motai metamorphic rocks, and other early Paleozoic geological units of the South Kitakami Massif are reviewed for reconstruction of the South Kitakami arc system during Ordovician to Devonian times with supplementary new data. The reconstruction suggests a change in the convergence polarity from eastward‐ to westward‐dipping subduction sometime before the Late Devonian period. The Hayachine–Miyamori Ophiolite was developed above the eastward‐dipping subduction through three distinctive stages. Two separate stages of overriding plate extension inducing decompressional melting with minor involvement of slab‐derived fluid occurred before and after a stage of melting under strong influence of slab‐derived fluids. The first overriding plate extension took place in the back‐arc side forming a back‐arc basin. The second one took place immediately before the ophiolite exhumation and near the fore‐arc region. We postulate that the second decompressional melting was triggered by slab breakoff, which was preceded by slab rollback inducing trench‐parallel wedge mantle flow and non‐steady fluid and heat transport leaving exceptionally hydrous residual mantle. The formation history of the Hayachine–Miyamori Ophiolite implies that weaker plate coupling may provide preferential conditions for exhumation of very hydrous mantle. Very hydrous peridotites involved in arc magmatism have not yet been discovered except for in the Cambrian–Ordovician periods, suggesting its implications for global geodynamics, such as the thermal state and water circulation in the mantle.     

Middle Permian radiolarians from Anmenkou, Chaohu, Northeastern Yangtze platform, China

The biostratigraphy of the Middle Permian Gufeng Formation in the northeastern Yangtze platform is examined based on radiolarians. This study is concentrated on the Anmenkou section in the Chaohu area of Anhui Province, China. The Gufeng Formation is divided into the Phosphate Nodule-bearing Mudstone Member (PNMM) and the Siliceous Rock Member (SRM) in ascending order. The former primarily consists of mudstone including abundant phosphate nodules, and the latter consists mainly of alternating beds of chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone, with intercalations of porous chert. Ammonoids in the mudstone of the lower PNMM are Wordian. Chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone of the SRM include abundant radiolarians with sponge spicule assemblages suggestive of the Wordian–Capitanian. Albaillellaria are predominant in the lower SRM, while Entactinaria and Spumellaria are predominant in the middle and upper SRM. These radiolarians correspond to three radiolarian assemblage zones: Pseudoalbaillella longtanensis – Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis , Follicucullus monacanthus , and Follicucullus scholasticus – Ruzhencevispongus uralicus . The assemblage of radiolarians and sponge spicule fauna suggests a depositional depth of 150–500 m. The radiolarian fauna of the Gufeng Formation is considered to be representative of the relatively shallow, tropical radiolarian fauna of the Middle Permian eastern Paleotethys.     

Recognition of an Early Triassic accretionary complex in the Nedamo Belt of the Kitakami Massif,Northeast Japan: New evidence for correlation with Southwest Japan

The Kitakami Massif of the Tohoku district, Northeast Japan, consists mainly of the South Kitakami Belt (Silurian–Cretaceous forearc shallow-marine sediments, granitoids, and forearc ophiolite) and the North Kitakami Belt (a Jurassic accretionary complex). The Nedamo Belt (a Carboniferous accretionary complex) occurs as a small unit between those two belts. An accretionary unit in the Nedamo Belt is lithologically divided into the Early Carboniferous Tsunatori Unit and the age-unknown Takinosawa Unit. In order to constrain the accretionary age of the Takinosawa Unit, detrital zircon U–Pb dating was conducted. The new data revealed that the youngest cluster ages from sandstone and tuffaceous rock are 257–248 Ma and 288–281 Ma, respectively. The Early Triassic depositional age of the sandstone may correspond to a period of intense magmatic activity in the eastern margin of the paleo-Asian continent. A 30–40 my interval between the youngest cluster ages of the sandstone and the tuffaceous rock can be explained by the absence of syn-sedimentary zircon in the tuffaceous rock. The new detrital zircon data suggest that the Takinosawa Unit can be distinguished as an Early Triassic accretionary complex distinct from the Early Carboniferous Tsunatori Unit. This recognition establishes a long-duration northeastward younging polarity of accretionary units, from the Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous, in the northern Kitakami Massif. Lithological features and detrital zircon spectra suggest that the Early Triassic Takinosawa Unit in the Nedamo Belt is comparable with the Hisone and Shingai units in the Kurosegawa Belt in Shikoku. The existence of this Early Triassic accretionary complex strongly supports a pre-Jurassic geotectonic correlation and similarity between Southwest and Northeast Japan.     

U–Pb dating of detrital zircon from Permian successions of the South Kitakami Belt,Northeast Japan: Clues to the paleogeography of the belt

The South Kitakami Belt in the northeast Japan is unique in presence of a thick Paleozoic–Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The Permian sedimentary succession in the Maiya area of this belt is divided into the Nishikori, Tenjinnoki, and Toyoma formations, in ascending stratigraphic order. The Tenjinnoki Formation includes the Yamazaki Conglomerate Member containing granitic clasts. We performed U–Pb dating for detrital zircon of one sample of tuffaceous sandstone from the Nishikori Formation, six samples of sandstone from the Tenjinnoki and Toyoma formations, and five granitic clasts from the Yamazaki Conglomerate using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Our dating results show that the tuffaceous sandstone sample has two age peaks at 287 and 301 Ma for the Nishikori Formation, three age peaks at 320–300, 290, and 270 Ma for the Tenjinnoki and Toyoma Formation, and ages of 311, 300, and 270 Ma from granitic clasts of the Yamazaki Conglomerate. In addition, older ages of 452–435 and 380 Ma were obtained from some zircon grains of the sandstone and granitic clasts. Our results suggest igneous activity in these periods. The South Kitakami Belt's origin with respect to continental blocks has been discussed in regard of the margin of North China Block or South China Block. Based on the stratigraphic ages and timing of igneous activity, we conclude that during the Permian the South Kitakami Belt was located at the margin of the South Central Asian Orogenic Belt, near the Solonker-Xra Moron-Changchun suture and the North China Block in East Asia.     

Geochemical constraints on the depositional environment of the 1.84 Ga Embury Lake Formation,Flin Flon Belt,Canada

The Flin Flon Belt of Canada contains Paleoproterozoic volcanic–sedimentary sequences that are related to the Trans‐Hudson Orogeny. The sequences include island arc volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks (Amisk Group) that are unconformably overlain by subaerial sedimentary rocks (Missi Group), and younger deep facies sediments. In the Flin Flon area, several north–south trending faults divide the sequences into blocks and obscure the depositional environment of the deep facies sediments. Locally, within the Flin Flon area, the Embury Lake Formation is in fault contact with island arc volcanic–sedimentary sequences of the Amisk and Missi Groups. To identify the depositional environment of the Embury Lake Formation, we used lithologic and geochemical approaches. Here, we report carbon isotopic values in organic matter (δ¹³C_org) and sulfur isotopes (δ³⁴S), as well as total organic carbon and total sulfur measurements for the black shale in the formation. Samples were taken from a drill core that contains alternating bands of sandstone and black shale. Pyrite in the black shale is divided into four textural types: euhedral, vein‐type, elliptical, and microcrystalline. Microcrystalline pyrite is typically generated by microbially mediated sulfate reduction. An extremely low S/C ratio (avg. = 0.04) is consistent with lacustrine deposition. The ranges of δ¹³C_org (?36 ‰ to ?27 ‰) and δ³⁴S (+3.0 ‰ to +7.7 ‰) values can be explained by bacterial photosynthesis that involved Calvin cycle and acetyl CoA pathways, and sulfate reduction in a low‐sulfate environment. Considering the depositional age reported in a previous study of < 1.84 Ga, the Embury Lake Formation was likely emplaced in a lacustrine setting during the Trans‐Hudson Orogeny.     

Lithostratigraphy of Permian marine sequences, Khao Pun Area, central Thailand: Paleoenvironments and tectonic history

Geologic mapping and subsurface lithostratigraphic investigations were carried out in the Khao Pun area (4 km²), central Thailand. More than 250 hand specimens, 70 rock slabs, and 70 thin sections were studied in conjunction with geochemical data in order to elucidate paleoenvironments and tectonic setting of the Permian marine sedimentary sequences. This sedimentary succession (2485 m thick) was re‐accessed and re‐grouped into three lithostratigraphic units, namely, in ascending order, the Phu Phe, Khao Sung and Khao Pun Formations. The Lower to lower Upper Permian sedimentary facies indicated the transgressive/regressive succession of shelf sea/platform environment to pelagic or abyssal environment below the carbonate compensation depth. The sedimentological and paleontological aspects, together with petrochemical and lithological points of view, reveal that the oldest unit might indicate an Early Permian sheltered shallow or lagoonal environment. Then the depositional basin became deeper, as suggested by the prolonged occurrence of bedded chert‐limestone intercalation with the local exposure of shallower carbonate build‐up. Following this, the depositional environment changed to pelagic deposition, as indicated by laminated radiolarian (e.g. Follicucullus sp.) cherts. This cryptic evidence might indicate the abyssal environment during middle Middle to early Late Permian; whereas, previous studies advocated shelf‐facies environments. Following this, the depositional condition might be a major regression on the microcontinent close to Indochina, from the minor transgressive/regressive cycles that developed within a skeletal barrier, and through the lagoon with limited circulational and anaerobic conditions, on to the tidal flat to the sheltered lagoon without effective land‐derived sediments.     

Chronological and paleoceanographic constraints of Miocene to Pliocene ‘mud sea’ in the Ryukyu Islands (southwestern Japan) based on calcareous nannofossil assemblages

The Cenozoic sedimentary succession in Okinawa‐jima, including the upper Miocene to Pleistocene siliciclastic deposits (Shimajiri Group) and the Pleistocene reef to shelf deposits (Ryukyu Group), suggests a drastic paleoceanographic change from a ‘mud sea’ to a ‘coral sea.’ To delineate the paleoceanographic evolution of the mud sea, we quantified the stratigraphic distribution of the calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Shimajiri Group in a 2119.49 m‐deep well (Nanjo R1 Exploratory Well) drilled in southern Okinawa‐jima (Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan). Four late Miocene and Pliocene datum planes were found in the studied interval: the first occurrence of Amaurolithus spp. (7.42 Ma), the last occurrence of Discoaster quinqueramus (5.59 Ma), the first occurrence of Ceratolithus rugosus (5.12 Ma), and the last occurrence of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus (3.70 Ma). The calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Tomigusuku Formation and the lower part of the Yonabaru Formation are characterized by a lower total number of coccoliths and abundant Sphenolithus abies that is associated, at times, with common Discoaster spp. Overall, these suggest the existence of oligotrophic conditions between 5.3 and >8.3 Ma. The total number of coccoliths increased and small Reticulofenestra spp. became more common in the middle part of the Yonabaru Formation, suggesting that eutrophic conditions were present between 3.5 and 5.3 Ma. The rare occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in the upper part of the Yonabaru Formation indicates a return to oligotrophic conditions at 3.5 Ma. Micropaleontological evidence suggests that these oceanographic changes were likely caused by local tectonic movement (shallowing of the sedimentary basin in which the Shimajiri Group was deposited).     

Ambiguous biogeographical patterns mask a more complete understanding of the Ordovician to Devonian evolution of Japan

Fossil assemblages of the Ordovician to Devonian successions of Japan suggest complex temporal, environmental and geographical controls on their biogeographical signature. Thus, limited similarity at the species‐level between the trilobite, brachiopod and ostracod faunas of the South Kitakami, Hida‐Gaien and Kurosegawa terranes in part reflects the sporadic stratigraphic distribution of shelly fauna within these terranes. As a result, and with the exception of corals and pan‐tropical radiolarians, species‐level similarities are greater with other regions of East Asia and Australia than amongst the Japanese terranes. The Silurian faunas of the South Kitakami Terrane have affinities with North America, Europe, Central Asia and Australia, but there is no overriding signature to support proximity either to South China or Gondwana. Notably, brachiopod and trilobite faunas of the Middle Devonian suggest strong connections with North China. Trilobite, coral and ostracod faunas of the Hida‐Gaien Terrane show affinity, including at species level, with Siluro‐Devonian faunas from westerly‐situated palaeocontinents, especially those of Central Asian and European affinity, suggesting a continuation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, or of its associated lithofacies. Greater diversity of groups such as ostracods and trilobites in this terrane may signal closer links with continental shelf faunas of East Asia. The dominant biogeographical signature of the Kurosegawa Terrane is from corals and trilobites, suggesting links with the Siluro‐Devonian of Central Asia, Australia and South China. The variable biogeographic signal of the Japanese faunas may reflect the lifestyles of organisms with different physiologies and larval dispersal mechanisms, as well as the relative incompleteness of the Japanese fossil record. The present state of knowledge of the faunas cautions against placing Japan in relative proximity to the North or South China plates, or of presenting the Japanese terranes as a unified island arc to the north of the South China Plate during the Early Palaeozoic.     

成岩过程对五峰-龙马溪组页岩地震岩石物理特征的影响

五峰-龙马溪组页岩是目前国内页岩气勘探的首选层位,而其地震岩石物理特征是利用地震方法进行"甜点"预测的重要基础之一,但对五峰-龙马溪组页岩地震弹性特征变化规律的研究并未考虑沉积、成岩过程的影响,致使相应的规律性认识缺乏地质意义.在对五峰-龙马溪组页岩样品系统声学测量基础上,分析了页岩样品地震弹性性质的变化规律.利用X射线衍射分析、扫描电镜（SEM）、阴极发光（CL）与能谱分析确定了五峰-龙马溪组页岩在不同沉积环境下的成岩过程,并讨论了成岩过程与地震弹性性质变化规律的因果关系.研究结果表明,页岩中有机质（TOC）受高热演化程度的影响,其密度通常高于1.4 g·cm^-3,并接近于有机碳密度上限1.6 g·cm^-3（石墨密度）.五峰-龙马溪组页岩地震弹性性质变化规律整体受沉积环境控制,沉积环境的差异形成不同的成岩过程,致使地震弹性特征也表现出不同的变化规律.表现在五峰-龙马溪页岩样品动态岩石物理特征主要受岩石结构控制（支撑颗粒弹性性质）,而孔隙度、TOC含量以及孔隙形状则为对地震弹性特征影响的次一级因素.五峰-龙马溪组页岩上段为浅水陆棚相,机械压实与化学压实（硅质胶结）为先后两个过程,造成样品表现出高的速度-孔隙度变化率、高速度比（泊松比）、高各向异性以及低TOC含量的特征.五峰-龙马溪组页岩下段为深水陆棚相,机械压实过程中同时伴有生物成因的硅质胶结,造成岩石样品表现出较高TOC含量与孔隙度、各向异性较弱以及较小的速度-孔隙度变化率.研究结果可为五峰-龙马溪页气储层的测井解释和地震"甜点"预测提供依据.     

Comprehensive constraint on the tectono-sedimentary setting of Late Paleozoic turbidites of the Kamuste area, eastern Junggar, Xinjiang

Petrography and geochemistry, combined with sedimentation analyses allow for a thorough evaluation of the tectono-sedimentary setting of late Paleozoic turbidites of the Kamuste area, eastern Junggar. Sandstones of the Alabiye¹⁾ Formation are composed mostly of volcanic and sedimentary detritus with lesser amounts of plagioclase and quartz. They were derived from an undissected magmatic-arc provenance. The geochemistry of sandstone-mudrock suites indicates a fesic-intermediate igneous provenance, and constrains the Alabiye Formation to have derived from a differentiated oceanic-continental margin island-arc tectonic setting. Likewise, geochemistry and sandstone petrography of the Kamuste Formation reflect a mixed provenance signature dominated by magmatic arc, basement uplift, and subduction-complex sources of a differentiated continental-island arc. Sedimentation analysis indicates that the Alabiye and Kamuste formations are two sets of turbidite sequences deposited on a submarine slope and a submarine fan and basin plain respectively. In conclusion, submarine slope turbidite deposition of the Alabiye Formation records the main sedimentary response to the development of early Devonian back-arc basins of the northern Junggar tectonic belt. Submarine fan and basin plain turbidite and background hemipelagic deposition of the Kamuste Formation record the main sedimentary response to the late Early Carboniferous development of an inter-arc relict ocean basin of the eastern Junggar composite terrane.     

Depositional environments of well‐sorted detrital limestone from the Minatogawa Formation in the southern part of Okinawa Island,the Ryukyu Archipelago,Japan

Well‐sorted detrital limestone is one of the typical lithofacies of the latest interval of the Pleistocene Ryukyu Group, which is exposed in the Ryukyu Archipelago in southwestern Japan. The depositional environments of the limestone are interpreted to be extremely shallow and to include back‐reef lagoons or moats and subaerial sand dunes. However, detailed micropaleontological analyses have not been performed on this limestone. In this study, the interpretation of the depositional environments and paleo‐water depths was improved by quantitative examination of foraminiferal assemblages for the well‐sorted detrital limestone of the Minatogawa Formation in the southern part of Okinawa Island. Thin sections of limestone collected from the Minatogawa (Horikawa) quarry were subjected to sedimentological and foraminiferal analyses. Comparison with modern foraminiferal distribution within the Ryukyu Archipelago indicates that back‐reef and fore‐reef dwelling foraminifers characterize the fossil assemblages from the well‐sorted detrital limestone (bioclastic grainstone). Three ratios of indicator foraminiferal taxa (ratios of back‐reef to fore‐reef taxa, planktonic foraminifers to Amphistegina lobifera and Amphistegina lessonii, and Calcarina gaudichaudii to other Calcarina species), as well as multivariate analyses suggest that the well‐sorted detrital limestone was deposited in fore‐reef setting shallower than 40 m in water depth. A comparable depth range was reconstructed from the coral assemblage in the associated coral limestone, suggesting that the Minatogawa Formation was deposited in a gently inclined ramp setting with patch reefs and/or fringing reefs. Stratigraphic changes in paleo‐water depth, together with evidence of several unconformities associated with paleosol layers suggest that there were repeated transgressions and regressions, with an amplitude up to several tens of meters, when the Minatogawa Formation was deposited.     

Effect of upwelling on phytoplankton productivity of the outer southeastern United States continental shelf

Gulf Stream frontal disturbances cause nutrient-rich waters to frequently upwell and intrude onto the southeastern United States continental shelf between Cape Canaveral, Florida and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Phytoplankton response in upwelled waters was determined with three interdisciplinary studies conducted during April 1979 and 1980, and in summer 1978. The results show that when shelf waters are not stratified, upwelling causes productive phytoplankton (diatom) blooms on the outer shelf. Phytoplankton production averages about 2 g C m⁻² d⁻¹ during upwelling events, and ‘new’ production is 50% or more of the total. When shelf waters are stratified, upwelled waters penetrate well onto the shelf as a subsurface intrusion in which phytoplankton production averages about fives times higher than the nutrient-depleted overlying mixed layer. Phytoplankton within the intrusion deplete upwelled NO₃ in about 7 to 10 days, at which point no further net increase in phytoplankton biomass occurs.Current meter records show that upwelling occurs roughly 50% of the time on the outer shelf during November to April (shelf not stratified), and we estimate that seasonal primary production in upwelled waters is 175 g C m⁻² 6 months⁻¹ of which at least 50% is ‘new’ production. More than 90% of outer shelf primary and ‘new’ production occurs during upwelling and thus upwelling is the dominant process affecting primary productivity of the outer shelf. Our seasonal estimates of outer shelf primary and ‘new’ production are, respectively, three and ten times higher than previous estimates that did not account for upwelling.     

Shimajiri Group equivalent sedimentary rocks dredged from sea knolls off Kume Island,central Ryukyus: Implications for timing and mode of rifting of the middle Okinawa Trough back-arc basin

The late Cenozoic geohistory of the Ryukyu arc is closely related to the rifting history of the Okinawa Trough. The submarine geology and stratigraphy of areas around Kume Island, which is situated near the eastern rifted margin of the middle Okinawa Trough, provide key constraints to understand the timing and mode of Okinawa Trough rifting. Here we report the lithology of sedimentary rocks dredged along slopes of ~1000-m-deep sea knolls located north and northwest off Kume Island, and their depositional ages determined by calcareous nannofossils and strontium (Sr) isotope analyses. Various types of sedimentary rocks, such as siltstone, very fine-grained sandstone, medium-grained sandstone, fossiliferous coarse-grained sandstone, and tuffaceous sandstone, were recovered at two dredge sites. These sedimentary rocks are lithologically similar to those in the Aka Formation and a part of the Maja Formation of the Shimajiri Group in nearby Kume Island. Calcareous nannofossils and Sr isotope analyses indicate their depositional ages from the early Pliocene to the early Pleistocene, which are generally consistent with those of the Aka Formation. The finding of the dredged rocks similar in lithology and ages to the Aka Formation indicates that marine deltaic area continued toward north and northwest from Kume Island during these periods. The presence of the Shimajiri Group equivalent sedimentary rocks at the dredge sites are likely related to the main rifting of the Okinawa Trough after ca. 2 Ma in the central Ryukyus.     

Iron in the southeastern Bering Sea: Elevated leachable particulate Fe in shelf bottom waters as an important source for surface waters

Surface transects and vertical profiles of total and leachable particulate Fe, Mn, Al and P, along with dissolved and soluble Fe were obtained during August 2003 in the southeastern Bering Sea. High concentrations of leachable particulate Fe were observed in the bottom waters over the Bering Sea shelf with an unusually high percentage of the suspended particulate Fe being leachable. Leachable particulate Fe averaged 81% of total particulate Fe, and existed at elevated concentrations that averaged 23 times greater than dissolved Fe in the isolated cool pool waters over the mid shelf where substantial influence of sedimentary denitrification was apparent. The elevated leachable particulate Fe is suggested to be a result of sedimentary Fe reduction in surficial sediments, diffusion of Fe(II) from the sediments to the bottom waters, and subsequent oxidation and precipitation of reduced Fe in the overlying bottom waters. Eddies and meanders of the Bering Slope Current can mix this Fe-rich water into the Green Belt at the outer shelf-break front. Elevated levels of leachable particulate Fe were observed in surface waters near the Pribilof Islands where enhanced vertical mixing exists. Storm events and/or cooling during fall/winter with the resultant destruction of the thermally stratified two-layer system can also mix the subsurface water into surface waters where the elevated leachable particulate Fe is a substantial source of biologically available Fe.     

The subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate to the Jiamusi Block: Evidence from the Early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the eastern Jiamusi Block

In order to provide references of the subduction process of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate beneath the Jiamusi Block, this paper studied the clastic rocks of the Nanshuangyashan Formation using modal analysis of sandstones, mudstone elements geochemistry, and detrital zircon U–Pb dating. These results suggest the maximum depositional age of the Nanshuangyashan Formation was between the Norian and Rhaetian (206.8 ±4.6 Ma, mean standard weighted deviation (MSWD) = 0.17). Whole‐rock geochemistry of mudstone indicates that source rocks of the Nanshuangyashan Formation were primarily felsic igneous rocks and quartzose sedimentary rocks, which were mainly derived from the stable continental block and a magmatic arc. Detrital zircon analysis showed the Nanshuangyashan Formation samples recorded four main age groups: 229–204 Ma, 284–254 Ma, 524–489 Ma and 930–885 Ma, and the provenances were attributed to the Jiamusi Block and a Late Triassic magmatic arc near the study area. Furthermore, the eastern Jiamusi Block was a backarc basin, affected by the subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate in the Late Triassic, but the magmatic arc related to the subduction near the study area finally died out due to tectonic changes and stratigraphic erosion.     

Optical dating and soil micromorphology at MacCauley's Beach,New South Wales,Australia

The ability to position landscapes in a context of time and space is a particular goal of Quaternary science research. The lack of context for dating samples published previously for MacCauley's Beach, an important site for the reconstruction of Australian sea levels, warranted a re‐evaluation of both the site stratigraphy and chronology. In this study, we combined optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sedimentary quartz grains and soil micromorphology of the same samples to improve our understanding of the depositional history and chronology of the sediments. This combination allowed the contextualization of samples not only in time and space, but also in terms of their depositional histories. The latter is important in OSL dating, where pre‐, syn‐ and post‐depositional processes can all influence the accuracy and precision of the final age estimates. The sediment profile at MacCauley's Beach is made up of three major units. The basal mottled mud layer has undergone extensive pedogenesis since deposition, and only a minimum age of 14.7 ± 2.7 ka could be calculated. The overlying grey mud, with OSL ages from the bottom and top of the unit of 10.0 ± 0.7 and 7.7 ± 0.5 ka, respectively, shows evidence of soil structure collapse. This unit correspond to the onset of the mid‐Holocene sea‐level high stand for this region. The overlying sand layer was first deposited at 7.5 ± 0.4 ka, with deposition continuing beyond 6.6 ± 0.4 ka. Not only does the chronology presented constrain the timing of deposition (and the extent of post‐depositional processes) at MacCauley's Beach, but the methodological approach used here can be applied to any site to aid in the interpretation of formation processes and assess their influence on OSL age determination. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.