DISCOVERY OF DIATOM ASSEMBLAGES FROM DEEP-SEA BASIN IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THEIR GEOLOGICAL IMPLICATION

Of the diatoms from sediments of the South China Sea, mainly composed of planktonic species of tropical and subtropical zones, 36 genera and 86 species are identified. Based on the changes in diatom numbers and the appearance of diatom assemblages, six diatom zones are distinguished in Core V, reflecting six phases of paleoclimatc, paleo-watertemperature and paleogeography. According to the Quaternary climatic division, these zones represent hot weather and warm weather as a whole, and they are separately equal to postglacial period, the Holocene; Wurm glacial period; Riss-Wurm interglacial period; and Riss glacial period, the Late Pleistocene.     

Late Quaternary siliciclastic/carbonate sedimentation model for the Capricorn Channel,southern Great Barrier Reef province,Australia

A model is presented for hemipelagic siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentation during the last glacial–interglacial cycle in the Capricorn Channel, southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Stable isotope ratios, grainsize, carbonate content and mineralogy were analysed for seven cores in a depth transect from 166 to 2892 m below sea level (mbsl). Results show variations in the flux of terrigenous, neritic and pelagic sediments to the continental slope over the last sea level cycle.During the glacial lowstand terrigenous sediment influenced all the cores down to 2000 mbsl. The percentages of quartz and feldspar in the cores decreased with water depth, while the percentage of clay increased. X-ray diffraction analysis of the glacial lowstand clay mineralogy suggests that the siliciclastic sediment was primarily sourced from the Fitzroy River, which debouched directly into the northwest sector of the Capricorn Channel at this time. The cores also show a decrease in pelagic calcite and an increase in aragonite and high magnesium calcite (HMC) during the glacial. The influx of HMC and aragonite is most likely from reworking of coral reefs exposed on the continental shelf during the glacial, and also from HMC ooids precipitated at the head of the Capricorn Channel at this time. Mass accumulation rates (MARs) are high (13.5 g cm^? 3 kyr^? 1) during the glacial and peak at ~ 20 g cm^? 3 kyr^? 1 in the early transgression (16–14 ka BP). MARs then decline with further sea level rise as the Fitzroy River mouth retreats from the edge of the continental shelf after 13.5 ka BP. MARs remain low (4 cm^? 3 kyr^? 1) throughout the Holocene highstand.Data for the Holocene highstand indicate there is a reduction in siliciclastic influx to the Capricorn Channel with little quartz and feldspar below 350 mbsl. However, fine-grained fluvial sediments, presumably from the Fitzroy River, were still accumulating on the mid slope down to 2000 mbsl. The proportion of pelagic calcite in the core tops increases with water depth, while HMC decreases, and is present only in trace amounts in cores below 1500 mbsl. The difference in the percentage of HMC in the deeper cores between the glacial and Holocene may reflect differences in supply or deepening of the HMC lysocline during the glacial.Sediment accumulation rates also vary between cores in the Capricorn Channel and do not show the expected exponential decrease with depth. This may be due to intermediate or deep water currents reworking the sediments. It is also possible that present bathymetry data are too sparse to detect the potential role that submarine channels may play in the distribution and accumulation of sediments.Comparison of the Capricorn Channel MARs with those for other mixed carbonate/siliciclastic provinces from the northeast margin of Australia indicates that peak MARs in the early transgression in the Capricorn Channel precede those from the central GBR and south of Fraser Island. The difference in the timing of the carbonate and siliciclastic MAR peaks along the northeast margin is primarily related to differences in the physiography and climate of the provinces. The only common trend in the MARs from the northeast margin of Australia is the near synchronicity of the carbonate and siliciclastic MAR peaks in individual sediment cores, which supports a coeval sedimentation model.     

Geochemical changes of the terrigenous sediments in the southern South China Sea and their paleoenvironmental implications during the last 31 ky

Fifty-six subsamples of the 86GC core were collected from the southern South China Sea continental slope. Major and trace elements, including rare earth elements (REEs), of detrital matters in these sediments were measured. The patterns of chondrite normalized REEs and the discrimination plots based on major and trace elements, respectively, indicate that the terrigenous sediments around this area had been supplied with one dominating provenience during the last 31 ky. The co-operation of sea level changes with the East Asian winter monsoon-related rainfall and sea water circulations should be the main mechanism causing the geochemical characteristics variations. Higher ratios of Al/Ti and some other elements to Ti, except P/Ti and Mn/Ti, are present during the last glacial sea-level low stand and the winter monsoon periods owing to increased fluvial input of material with low Ti content from the Mekong River, followed by strengthened chemical weathering intensity, causing higher Al₂O₃ and most other elements contents. The elemental patterns imply general warm and very humid climate in the tropical areas during the last glacial times; however, the climate since the last deglaciation was very changeable, especially during the Holocene. Even so, it can still be certain that the climate during the early part (29–24 ky B.P.) of the last glacial maximum was much worse than during other stages. Additionally, it is very likely that the 8 k cold event and the Younger Dryas event have been impressed in the geochemical record of this core.     

福建九龙江和东屿地区全新世微型硅藻的初步研究

利用透射电镜研究了九龙江口现代潮间带表层沉积物、九龙江地区中全新世剖面和东屿中-晚全新世剖面的微型硅藻(细胞大小为2～20μm)的组成和丰度.共计硅藻12属26种(包括变种).对每个种的生态分布作了描述,并提供了相应的壳面电镜照片.Thalassionema nitzschioides是九龙江口现代潮间带表层沉积物中的优势种;九龙江中全新世地层的优势种为Navicula climacospheniae,Thalassionema nitzschioides;东屿中-晚全新世地层中,Cyclotella striata,Thalassionema nitzschioides是优势种.微型硅藻在各个样品中所占比例都相对较高,最高可达86.7%,表明微型硅藻在沉积硅藻中占有重要的地位.     

Contrasting facies patterns in subtropical and temperate continental slope sediments: inferences from east Australian late Quaternary records

Studies of latest Quaternary continental slope sediments at two localities on the east Australian margin have revealed markedly different responses to late Quaternary sea level fluctuations. Offshore of Noosa, in the sub-tropics, the sediment is predominantly a mixture of fine metastable carbonate, siliciclastic material, and pelagic carbonate. Important features of the stratigraphy include a siliciclastic-dominated facies deposited relatively slowly during the last glacial lowstand (sedimentation rate ≤8 cm/ka), and a calcareous facies, rich in metastable carbonate, deposited more rapidly during the late post-glacial transgression (sedimentation rates 15–24 cm/ka). Highstand and transgressive sedimentation rates are greater than lowstand rates by a factor of 2.5–6 due to increased shelf carbonate productivity after flooding of the mid-shelf. Off Sydney, in temperate latitudes, continental slope sediment is largely a mixture of fine siliciclastic material and pelagic carbonate. Mean sedimentation rates range from 2 to 5 cm/ka over the last four oxygen isotope stages, with mean glacial/interstadial rates higher than Holocene rates by a factor of ∼1.36. This largely reflects the transfer of siliciclastic mud from the shelf to the slope during sea level regression. In both localities, facies changes on the slope are not related to specific sea level states (e.g. lowstand facies, transgressive facies, etc.), but reflect instead the interaction of changing sea level with shelf morphology.     

南海西沙海槽83PC柱状沉积物组成特征及其古环境意义

为了解南海北部末次间冰期以来的沉积环境演化,分析了西沙海槽83PC柱状沉积物的浮游有孔虫氧碳同位素、碳酸钙、有机碳和粒度组成。浮游有孔虫的δ18 O值具有冰期-间冰期旋回特征,记录了海平面的升降和古气候的变化,而海平面变化控制了沉积物的碳酸钙和有机碳含量。冰期,海平面下降,陆源物质输入增多,带来了大量的碎屑物质和陆源有机质,沉积物具有低碳酸钙含量和高有机碳含量;间冰期,海平面上升,陆源物质输入减少,碎屑物质的稀释作用减弱,沉积物具有高碳酸钙含量和低有机碳含量。南海北部83PC柱状沉积物记录了末次间冰期以来的多次海平面升降旋回,还记录了气候变冷事件以及低碳酸钙沉积事件,其中,150、510、660和740cm处的低碳酸钙含量和相对重δ18 O值记录了全球性气候变冷事件,而冰后期的低碳酸钙沉积事件,则主要反映了季风降雨的增强,出现了洪水高发期,陆源碎屑物质对碳酸钙沉积的稀释作用明显增强。     

南海东北部晚更新世以来沉积环境演变的矿物-地球化学记录

对南海东北部69柱(20°07.10'N,118°49.0'E)沉积物岩心进行碎屑矿物-地球化学特征研究,结果表明,以孔深165cm为界可划分出晚更新世末次冰期沉积和全新世冰后期沉积,这一地层划分结果与根据浮游有孔虫氧、碳同位素分析得出的结果是一致的.末次冰期时自生黄铁矿和硫元素高度富集,钠与铝、镁与铝和钠与钾的比值均较高,重矿物和SiO₂含量较高,CaCO₃含量较低,反映当时是一种相对闭塞的缺氧环境,气候干寒,化学风化作用较弱,以机械风化作用为主;研究区主要接受粒径较粗的硅质沉积;陆源物质的稀释作用可能是造成碳酸盐含量相对较低的主要原因.冰后期褐铁矿出现高含量,钠与铝、镁与铝和钠与钾的比值均降低,Al₂O₃和CaCO₃含量增高,反映沉积环境渐变为开放的氧化环境,气候转变为化学风化作用较强的湿热气候;研究区以接受较细粒的铝硅酸盐沉积为主,冰消期时还出现了碳酸盐保存高峰事件.     

Paleoenvironmental records from the northern South China Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum

Core ZHS-176 contains the paleoenvironmental records from the northern South China Sea (NSCS) since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A coupled approach based on clay mineral assemblages, planktonic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotopes, and calcium carbonate content is used to trace the sources of the fine-grained sediment and to investigate the paleoenviornmental evolution in this area. Clay mineral assemblages are dominated by illite (average about 39%) and chlorite (about 27%), which comes mainly from Taiwan and the East China Sea. Kaolinite, which accounts for about 13%, comes mainly from the Zhujiang (Pearl) River, and Luzon Island is the main source for smectite (about 21%). The planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotopic oscillations during the last glacial period are coeval with climate variations recorded in the Greenland ice core and Western Pacific sediment. These variations include the LGM, Heinrich event 1, Bφlling-Allerφd (B/A), and Younger Dryas. For the Holocene, three periods of strong precipitation (S1-S3) and three periods of weak precipitation (W1-W3) are identified. The oxygen isotopic record exhibits corre-lation with climate records from distant regions, including the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere, providing evidence for global tele-connection among regional climate. A brief, negative planktonic foraminiferal carbon isotopic excursion during B/A reflects increased methane released from marine gas hydrate due to the rapid warming of the water. By comparing calcium carbonate content curves of the core ZHS-176 with these of other five boreholes lying above the lysocline, a remarkable low calcium carbonate event is found during the early Holocene in NSCS.     

Bottom foraminiferal assemblages in the Deryugin Basin (Sea of Okhotsk) during the past 26000 years

Benthic foraminifers from a core of bottom sediments obtained in the Deryugin Basin at a depth of 1750 m were examined. Three distinct benthic foraminiferal assemblages that replaced one another throughout the last 26000 years were recognized. The assemblage dominated by Alabaminella weddellensis, Uvigerina auberiana, and Cassidulina translucens dwelled here from 26 to 24 ky B.P. The sediments of the glacial period between 26 and 12.18 ky B.P. contain no benthic foraminifers. The composition of the sediments suggests the existence of active bottom vents of gas-bearing fluids during that time. The dominance of Brizalina spissa, Uvigerina peregrina, and Cassidulina laevigata is characteristic of the period from 12.18 to 7 ky B.P., when the productivity of the surface waters in the region was high, and warm, poorly oxygenated waters spread over the bottom of the basin. During the past 7 000 years, the bottom conditions in the sea were similar to the present-day conditions and an assemblage with the dominance of Gyroidina orbicularis, Uvigerina auberiana, and Cassidulina teretis developed in the region.     

Late Holocene sea-level rise in Tampa Bay: Integrated reconstruction using biomarkers,pollen, organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts,and diatoms

A suite of organic geochemical, micropaleontological and palynological proxies was applied to sediments from Southwest Florida, to study the Holocene environmental changes associated with sea-level rise. Sediments were recovered from Hillsborough Bay, part of Tampa Bay, and studied using biomarkers, pollen, organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts and diatoms. Analyses show that the site flooded around 7.5 ka as a consequence of Holocene transgression, progressively turning a fresh/brackish marl-marsh into a shallow, restricted marine environment. Immediately after the marine transgression started, limited water circulation and high amounts of runoff caused stratification of the water column. A shift in dinocysts and diatom assemblages to more marine species, increasing concentrations of marine biomarkers and a shift in the Diol Index indicate increasing salinity between 7.5 ka and the present, which is likely a consequence of progressing sea-level rise. Reconstructed sea surface temperatures for the past 4 kyrs are between 25 and 26 ° C, and indicate stable temperatures during the Late Holocene. A sharp increase in sedimentation rate in the top ∼50 cm of the core is attributed to human impact. The results are in agreement with parallel studies from the area, but this study further refines the environmental reconstructions having the advantage of simultaneously investigating changes in the terrestrial and marine environment.     

Regional variations in the fluxes of foraminifera carbonate,coccolithophorid carbonate and biogenic opal in the northern Indian Ocean

Mass fluxes of diatom opal, planktonic foraminifera carbonate and coccolithophorid carbonate were measured with time-series sediment traps at six sites in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Equatorial Indian Ocean (EIOT). The above fluxes were related to regional variations in salinity, temperature and nutrient distribution. Annual fluxes of diatom opal range between 3 and 28 g m⁻² yr⁻¹, while planktonic foraminifera carbonate fluxes range between 6 and 23 g m⁻² yr⁻¹ and coccolithophorid carbonate fluxes range between 4 and 24 g m⁻² yr⁻¹. Annual planktonic foraminifera carbonate to coccolithophorid carbonate ratios range between 0.8 and 2.2 and coccolithophorid carbonate to diatom opal ratios range between 0.5 and 3.3.In the western Arabian Sea, coccolithophorids are the major contributors to biogenic flux during periods of low nutrient concentrations. Coccolithophorid carbonate fluxes decrease and planktonic foraminiferal carbonate and diatom opal fluxes increase when nutrient-rich upwelled waters are advected over the trap site. In the oligotropic eastern Arabian Sea, coccolithophorid carbonate fluxes are high throughout the year. Planktonic foraminiferal carbonate fluxes are the major contributors to biogenic flux in the EIOT. In the northern and central Bay of Bengal, when surface salinity values drop sharply during the SW monsoon, there is a drastic reduction in planktonic foraminiferal carbonate fluxes, but coccolithophorid carbonate and diatom opal fluxes remain steady or continue to increase. Distinctly higher annual molar Si_bio/C_inorg (>1) and C_org/C_inorg (>1.5) ratios are observed in the northern and central Bay of Bengal mainly due to lower foraminiferal carbonate production as a result of sharp salinity variations. We can thus infer that the enhanced freshwater supply from rivers should increase oceanic CO₂ uptake. Its silicate supply favours the production of diatoms while the salinity drop produces conditions unfavourable for most planktonic foraminifera species.     

南海北部4万年以来有机碳和碳酸盐含量变化及古海洋学意义

南海北部陆坡的17937柱状样上部4万年来有机碳和碳酸盐的含量分布特征显示：有机碳含量总体显示出冰期高、间冰期低的特征,碳酸盐则相反。C／N元素比分布范围和二组分分析说明该站位的有机碳以海洋自生有机碳为主,全新世达80％以上。根据海洋沉积物中总有机碳含量和两类不同来源有机碳所占比例计算得出的海洋自生生物产生的有机碳含量在MIS2时期最高,说明末次冰期海洋生产力提高。冰期冬季风强化,海水混合程度加强,营养物质利用更充分以及陆源输入增多导致营养物质增加。碳酸盐含量主要受陆源物质稀释的影响,为“大西洋型”旋回。碳酸盐旋回在全新世早中期存在低碳酸钙事件,可能与该时期的强降雨冲刷所致陆源稀释作用增强、海水溶解作用增强以及海洋表层生产力的降低等综合作用相关。     

东北太平洋胡安·德富卡隆起西翼晚第四纪以来的碳酸盐记录

通过对东北太平洋胡安·德富卡隆起西翼沉积柱样中的碳酸盐含量和浮游有孔虫氧同位素测试以及浮游有孔虫丰度、溶解指数和粗组分的统计,发现在晚第四纪约65 ka以来碳酸盐含量变化幅度大(0 4%~77 2%),相差非常悬殊,但其变化未呈现出冰期时溶解作用减弱、间冰期时溶解作用强烈这样明显的旋回性。粗组分分析结果显示,地层中有明显的浊流沉积发育。另外,碳酸盐含量和浮游有孔虫丰度分析结果揭露了研究区的 CCD在3 500 m左右。研究认为,在约65 ka来水深浅于3 500 m的区域碳酸盐含量的无规律性变化应与浊流沉积影响有直接的关系,而水深深于3 500 m的区域碳酸盐含量主要受控于深海碳酸盐的溶解作用。     

Drowned coralline algal dominated deposits off Lanai,Hawaii; carbonate accretion and vertical tectonics over the last 30 ka

We present detailed bathymetry, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and submersible observations, and sedimentary and radiocarbon age data from carbonate deposits recovered from two submerged terraces at − 150 m (T1) and − 230 m (T2) off Lanai, Hawaii. The tops of the terraces are veneered by relatively thin (< 5 m) in situ accumulations of coralline algal nodule, coralgal nodule, Halimeda and a derived oolitic facies deposited in intermediate (30–60 m) to deep fore-reef slope settings (60–120 m). The data are used to develop a sedimentary facies model that is consistent with eustatic sea-level variations over the last 30 ka. Both nodule facies on T1 and T2 initiated growth 30–29 ka following a fall in sea level of ∼50 m and increase in bottom currents during the transition from Marine Isotope Stage 3 to 2. The nodules accreted slowly throughout the Last Glacial Maximum when sea-level was relatively stable. Drowning occurred during the early deglaciation (17–16 ka) and was marked by the complete drowning of coralline algal nodules facies on T2 and incipient drowning of coralgal facies on T1. Abrupt sea-level rise during the middle deglaciation, perhaps associated with global meltwater pulse 1A (14–15 ka), finally drowned the coralgal facies on T1, which in turn was overlain by a deep-water Halimeda facies or an oolitic facies derived from upslope. Our data indicates that Lanai has experienced relatively little vertical tectonic movement over the last 30 ka. Using paleobathymetric data derived from the sedimentary facies, age vs. depth relationships, and published sea-level curves, we estimate that Lanai could be either slowly uplifting or subsiding, but at rates < 0.1 m/kyr (uplift) or < 0.4 m/kyr (subsidence) over this 30 kyr period.     

Modern saltmarsh diatom distributions of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and the development of a transfer function for high resolution reconstructions of sea level

We collected modern diatom samples from Currituck Barrier Island, Oregon Inlet and Pea Island marshes, Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA, which have different salinity regimes due to their varying distances from a major barrier island inlet. Multivariate analyses separate the saltmarsh diatom assemblages into distinct elevational zones, dominated by differing abundances of polyhalobous, mesohalobous and oligohalobous taxa, suggesting that the distribution of saltmarsh diatoms is a direct function of elevation, with the most important controlling factors being the duration and frequency of subaerial exposure.We developed the first diatom-based transfer function for the east coast of North America to reconstruct former sea levels based upon the relationship between diatom assemblage and elevation. Results imply that this is possible to a precision of ±0.08 m, superior to most similar studies from temperate, mid-latitude environments. The transfer function is used to construct a relative sea-level curve from fossil assemblages from Salvo, North Carolina. These results suggest a sea-level rise of 0.7 m over the last c. 150 years, at an average of c. 3.7 mm year⁻¹. This is consistent with existing sea-level data, and illustrates the utility of the transfer function approach.     

Tracing seafloor methane emissions with benthic foraminifera: Results from the Ana submarine landslide (Eivissa Channel,Western Mediterranean Sea)

The hypothesis that benthic foraminifera are useful proxies of local methane emissions from the seafloor has been verified on sediment core KS16 from the headwall of the Ana submarine landslide in the Eivissa Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea. The core MS312 from a nearby location with no known methane emissions is utilised as control. The core was analysed for biostratigraphy, benthic foraminiferal assemblages, Hyalinea balthica and Uvigerina peregrina carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition, and sedimentary structures. The upper part of the core records post-landslide deglacial and Holocene normal marine hemipelagic sediments with highly abundant benthic foraminifera species that are typical of outer neritic to upper bathyal environment. In this interval, the δ¹³C composition of benthic foraminifera indicates normal marine environment analogous to those found in the control core. Below the sedimentary hiatus caused by the emplacement of the slide, the foraminiferal assemblages are characterised by lower density and higher Shannon Index. Markedly negative δ¹³C shifts in benthic foraminifera are attributed to the release of methane through the seabed. The mean values of the ¹³C anomaly in U. peregrina are ? 0.951 ± 0.208 in the pre-landslide sediments, and ? 0.269 ± 0.152 in post-slide reworked sediments deposited immediately above the hiatus. The δ¹³C anomaly in Hyalinea balthica is ? 2.497 ± 0.080 and ? 2.153 ± 0.087, respectively. To discard the diagenetic effects on the δ¹³C anomaly, which could have been induced by Ca–Mg replacement and authigenic carbonate overgrowth on foraminifera tests, a benthic foraminifera subsample has been treated following an oxidative and reductive cleaning protocol. The cleaning has resulted, only in some cases, in a slight reduction of the anomaly by 0.95% for δ¹³C and < 0.80% for δ¹⁸O. Therefore, the first conclusion is that the diagenetic alteration is minor and it does not alter significantly the overall carbon isotopic anomaly in the core. Consequently, the pre-landslide sediments have been subject to pervasive methane emissions during a time interval of several thousand years. Methane emissions continued during and immediately after the occurrence of Ana Slide at about 61.5 ka. Subsequently, methane emissions decreased and definitely ceased during the last deglaciation and the Holocene.     

Distribution of benthic foraminifera in Upper Quaternary sediments of the Deryugin Basin (Sea of Okhotsk)

Benthic foraminifera are investigated in sediment core LV28-34-2 (53°51.971′N, 146°47.499′E, sea depth 1431 m, core length 965 cm). The distribution of foraminifera is studied in coarse-grained (>0.125 mm) sediment fractions of 191 samples taken with a step of 5 cm. The core covers the interval from oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 6 up to the Holocene. The foraminiferal assemblages of the penultimate (OIS 6) and last (OIS 5d-2) glaciations are characterized by low abundances and prevalence of Uvigerina auberiana. The specific structure of the OIS 6 assemblages differs from the last glaciation ones by the mass presence of Cassidulina teretis, which characterizes low temperatures and a high influx of organic matter to the sea floor. The major factor responsible for the weak development of benthic foraminifers during the glacial time is the deficiency of food resources. The foraminiferal assemblage of the interglacial optimum (OIS 5e) is composed of both calcareous and agglutinated species (Martinottiella communis).The inflow of Pacific waters was probably more intensive, the bioproductivity was higher, and the critical carbonate compensation depth was shallower at that time than during the glaciations. During the deglaciation, the quantity and structure of the foraminiferal assemblages reflected two pulses of warming (terminations 1B and 1A) with an intervenient cooling event (Younger Dryassic). The assemblages of warm periods were characterized by exclusively high foraminiferal abundances, which sharply decreased during the Younger Dryassic cooling. The specific structure of the foraminiferal assemblage during deglaciation was relatively uniform, being composed of only calcareous taxa typical of highly productive areas of the ocean. The paleoenvironmental conditions were similar to the conditions of the interglacial optimum (OIS 5e), although the preservation of calcareous tests is better. In the Holocene sediments, the concentration of benthic foraminifera is substantially lower than during the deglaciation, which is explainable by their dilution in the sediments by diatoms; the composition of the foraminiferal assemblages is similar to that of their glacial counterparts.     

闽江口第四纪地层中的孢粉、有孔虫、硅藻组合及其古地理意义

本文通过对闽江口琅岐岛钻孔的孢粉,有孔虫及硅藻的综合分析,发现第四纪地层中有五个孢粉组合带,五个硅藻组合带与一个微体化石层。结合~(14)C测年资料与沉积物特征认为该地区第四纪地层可以划分为晚更新世晚期与全新世(早期、中期、晚期)。气候演化依次为:冷干→温暖略干→温暖湿润→炎热潮湿→温暖略干。沉积相发展顺序为:冲积相、冲洪积相→河流相、湖沼相→湖沼相、河口相→海湾相→河口相。     

Assessing the Ethmodiscus ooze problem: new perspective from a study of an eastern equatorial Atlantic core

Several are the hypotheses proposed to explain the occurrence of Ethmodiscus oozes in tropical sediments representative of some glacial periods. In this paper, a review of those hypotheses within a paleoclimatic perspective is presented. Flux records of Ethmodiscus fragments found in site M16772 (1°21′ S, 11°58′ W) during the last 190 ka are compared to the other marine and freshwater diatom accumulation rates (AR) and diatom assemblages composition. Ethmodiscus is present all along the core, but Ethmodiscus-rich levels are found at 185–170 and 150–140 ka (stages 6.6 and 6.4), and at 70–60 ka (stage 4.2), levels where a concomitant increase in the flux of the other marine diatoms, and in the contribution to the assemblage of diatom species related to equatorial and coastal upwelling, and river plume waters is also observed. Climatic conditions favouring simultaneous occurrence of strong equatorial upwelling, coincident with increased advection of waters from coastal upwelling areas and important river run-off are proposed as the explanation for these Ethmodiscus-rich levels.     

Characterisation and preliminary quantification of the methane reservoir in a coastal sedimentary source: San Simón Bay,Ría de Vigo,NW Spain

Ría de Vigo is a river valley flooded by the sea, with a bay (San Simón Bay) at its innermost part. The accumulation of Holocene sediment in San Simón Bay has been studied by the integration of 1) large scale high resolution seismic data, and 2) detailed geochemical analysis of a gravity core. In San Simón Bay the majority of the seismic records are obscured by acoustic turbidity which represents gassy sediments, but on records from Rande Strait it is possible to distinguish two Quaternary seismic sequences; an Upper Pleistocene sequence (SQ1) and a Holocene sequence (SQ2). Only SQ2 is recognized in San Simón Bay where it is comprised of two seismic units; the upper unit represents the HST sediment, i.e. the period of highest sea level. A gravity core taken within the gassy zone at 10 m water depth provided 3.55 m of fine-grained sediments (muds) from the youngest seismic unit (4 m thick). Geochemical analysis show high values (4 to 10%) of TOC. Sediment and porewater analyses indicate a distinct sulphate–methane transition zone (SMTZ) between 60 and 80 cm where sulphate is depleted (to <1.7 mM) and methane increases (to >0.4 mM). The top of the acoustic turbidity (the gas front) at 80 cm corresponds to the lower limit of the SMTZ. The methane cannot have been derived from the underlying metamorphic and granitic rocks, but was probably derived by microbial degradation of the organic matter in the Holocene sediments. We estimate that the sediments of the Bay contain approximately 1.8 × 10⁶ m³ of organic carbon and 275 ton of methane.