Tephrochronology of recent events in the Andean Range (northern Patagonia): spatial distribution and provenance of lacustrine ash layers in the Nahuel Huapi National Park

Tephrochronology is a powerful tool for dating sedimentary sequences, especially in Patagonia, where a large number of active volcanoes have produced frequent historical eruptions. Short lacustrine sedimentary sequences were extracted from the lakes Moreno Oeste and Ton?ek (Nahuel Huapi National Park). Seventeen volcanic ash layers were identified in both cores, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were used for dating techniques, and historical volcanic records were employed for correlation. White pumice and glass shards from the tephras were characterised by measuring major and trace element contents by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Two volcanic sources – the Cordón Caulle and the Calbuco volcanoes – were recognised as the prevailing systems that impacted the area in the past 800–1000 a. The Calbuco volcano was mainly responsible for the nine tephras identified in the Lake Ton?ek sequence. Four of these nine tephras also contained material from the Cordón Caulle complex, and could be interpreted as composite tephras or possible reworked ones. The Calbuco volcano showed predominant influences in the Lake Moreno Oeste sequence. Six of the eight tephras identified in such a sequence were from the Calbuco volcano, and three of these six contained material from the Cordón Caulle complex. The other two were from the Cordón Caulle complex, with contributions from the Calbuco volcano in one of them. These findings show that the high frequency of volcanic events in the study region demands an accurate characterisation of the products generated by each source, as well as an evaluation of their spatial distribution, to obtain a consistent framework for dating recent environmental changes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detailed seismic stratigraphy of Lago Puyehue: implications for the mode and timing of glacier retreat in the Chilean Lake District

Lago Puyehue is a glacigenic lake in the Chilean Lake District (40°S) with a complex deglaciation history. A detailed seismic–stratigraphic study of its sedimentary infill indicates a much earlier retreat of the glacier from the Lago Puyehue basin than the neighbouring glacier from the Lago Rupanco basin. Because of their close proximity, Rupanco meltwater streams played an important part in the depositional processes of Lago Puyehue. A timing discrepancy between the in‐lake ages of a sediment core and the outer‐lake ages of moraine deposits (re)opens the discussion on the timing of deglaciation in the Southern Hemisphere. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison of the sedimentary records of the 1960 and 2010 great Chilean earthquakes in 17 lakes: Implications for quantitative lacustrine palaeoseismology

Seismically‐induced event deposits embedded in the sedimentary infill of lacustrine basins are highly useful for palaeoseismic reconstructions. Recent, well‐documented, great megathrust earthquakes provide an ideal opportunity to calibrate seismically‐induced event deposits for lakes with different characteristics and located in different settings. This study used 107 short sediment cores to investigate the sedimentary impact of the 1960 M_w 9·5 Valdivia and the 2010 M_w 8·8 Maule earthquakes in 17 lakes in South‐Central Chile (i.e. lakes Negra, Lo Encañado, Aculeo, Vichuquén, Laja, Villarrica, Calafquén, Pullinque, Pellaifa, Panguipulli, Neltume, Riñihue, Ranco, Maihue, Puyehue, Rupanco and Llanquihue). A combination of image analysis, magnetic susceptibility and grain‐size analysis allows identification of five types of seismically‐induced event deposits: (i) mass‐transport deposits; (ii) in situ deformations; (iii) lacustrine turbidites with a composition similar to the hemipelagic background sediments (lacustrine turbidites type 1); (iv) lacustrine turbidites with a composition different from the background sediments (lacustrine turbidites type 2) and (v) megaturbidites. These seismically‐induced event deposits were compared to local seismic intensities of the causative earthquakes, eyewitness reports, post‐earthquake observations, and vegetation and geomorphology of the catchment and the lake. Megaturbidites occur where lake seiches took place. Lacustrine turbidites type 2 can be the result of: (i) local near‐shore mass wasting; (ii) delta collapse; (iii) onshore landslides; (iv) debris flows or mudflows; or (v) fluvial reworking of landslide debris. On the contrary, lacustrine turbidites type 1 are the result of shallow mass wasting on sublacustrine slopes covered by hemipelagic sediments. Due to their more constrained origin, lacustrine turbidites type 1 are the most reliable type of seismically‐induced event deposits in quantitative palaeoseismology, because they are almost exclusively triggered by earthquake shaking. Moreover, they most sensitively record varying seismic shaking intensities. The number of lacustrine turbidites type 1 linearly increases with increasing seismic intensity, starting with no lacustrine turbidites type 1 at intensities between V½ and VI and reaching 100% when intensities are higher than VII½. Combining different types of seismically‐induced event deposits allows the reconstruction of the complete impact of an earthquake.     

Recent Volcanism in the Puyehue--Cordon Caulle Region, Southern Andes, Chile (40?5?S): Petrogenesis of Evolved Lavas

Puyehue Volcano (40?5?S) in the southern volcanic zone (33?–46?)of the Andes is a largely basaltic stratovolcano constructedon a highly eroded, dominantly andesitic volcanic center. Duringgrowth of Puyehue Volcano there was a trend from basaltic tomore siliceous lavas, and the most recent eruptions (1921–22,1960) are Cordon Caulle rhyodacites and rhyolites erupted fromfissures northwest of the volcano. These basaltic through rhyoliticlavas define a medium-K₂O suite of tholeiitic affinity withtrace element and Pb-isotopic signatures typical of volcanicrocks associated with subduction zones. Most of the evolved lavas, ranging from andesite to rhyolite,formed by low to moderate pressure ( 5 kb) fractional crystallizationof a plagioclase-dominated anhydrous assemblage. Magma mixingproduced aphyric basaltic andesites with anomalously high incompatibleelement contents and latestage andesites with disequilibriumphenocryst assemblages. The age progression from abundant basaltto younger, less voluminous, more silicic lavas reflects increasinglygreater degrees of fractional crystallization which caused theapparent compositional gap between mixing end members to widen. There is no evidence in the silicic lavas for assimilation ofgeochemically distinctive continental crust. Puyehue basaltsare surprisingly more heterogeneous in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0?70378–0?70416)and incompatible element abundance ratios (e.g., La/Sm, Ba/Nb)than the more evolved lavas. This geochemical variability mayreflect subcrustal source heterogeneities or contamination bylower crust. The older basaltic andesites and andesites underlyingthe Puyehue edifice have Sr and Nd isotopic ratios and incompatibleelement abundance ratios within the range of Puyehue basalts.Apparently, similar sources and processes were involved in theirgenesis.     

Explosive volcanism during the Holocene in the Upper Limay River Basin: The effects of ashfalls on human societies,Northern Patagonia,Argentina

In order to understand human response to Holocene ashfall events, tephra layers found in archaeological sites along the upper Limay River basin, Northern Patagonia, Argentina were bracketed with radiocarbon dates and correlated with tephra from a lacustrine sediment core and from outcrops and the archaeological evidence was analyzed.A dark tephra associated with seismic activity was identified in the El Trébol rockshelter filling interstices between fallen blocks together with remains of human activity and bones of extinct fauna, marking a seismo-volcanic event occurring between 11 758 and 12 866 cal yr BP. This same seismic event affected the Cuyín Manzano site, where the roof collapse made the site uninhabitable for a time. A white tephra, present in Epullán Grande, Epullán Chica and Traful I caves is correlated with Nahuel Huapi tephra (NHT), equivalent to Laya's Río Blanco and Río Pereyra members, (Río Pireco Formation). NHT is considered to have been derived from the same eruptive event, with dates ranging between ca. 1950–2500 cal yr BP. A dark tephra from Ortega's cave and several tephra from Puerto Tranquilo I rockshelter ranging between 521 and 2069 cal yr BP show how the mobile hunters–gatherers of Northern Patagonia were able to cope with the changing circumstances.     

Temporal evolution of sediment supply in Lago Puyehue (Southern Chile) during the last 600 yr and its climatic significance

Short-term climate changes in Southern Chile are investigated by a multi-proxy analysis of a 53-cm-long sedimentary sequence selected among eight short cores retrieved in Lago Puyehue (Chile, 40°S). This core contains a 600-yr-long undisturbed record of paleo-precipitation changes. Two measurement methods for sediment density, organic matter and biogenic silica contents are compared and the most appropriate techniques are selected. Together with aluminium and titanium concentrations, grain size and geochemical properties of the organic matter, these proxies are used to demonstrate paleo-precipitation changes around 40°S. Increase of terrigenous particle supply between A.D. 1490 and A.D. 1700 suggests a humid period. Contemporaneously, δ¹³C data show increasing lake productivity, in response to the high nutrient supply. The A.D. 1700-1900 interval is characterized by a decreasing terrigenous supply and increasing δ¹³C values, interpreted as a drying period. The magnetic susceptibility signal, reflecting the terrigenous/biogenic ratio, demonstrates that similar variations occur in all the undisturbed sedimentary environments of Lago Puyehue. The A.D. 1490-1700 wet period is associated with the onset of the European Little Ice Age (LIA) and interpreted as its local signature. This work supports the fact that the LIA was a global event, not only restricted to the Northern Hemisphere.     

New materials of lithostrotian titanosaurs (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of central Patagonia

Continental Cretaceous deposits exposed in central Patagonia, Argentina, preserve a rich and important record of titanosaurian evolution that spans the entire Upper Cretaceous. Recently, a new lithostragraphic unit, the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation (Coniacian – Maastrichtian), was located in the Golfo San Jorge Basin. Here, we describe new titanosaurian sauropod material from that formation (UNPSJB-Pv 1051). The material consists of a partially articulated left hind limb and disarticulated but associated skeletal elements. They are confidently referred to Titanosauria, and within that clade, to Lithostrotia, probably occupying a derived position. We interpret the bone concentration as an assemblage of hydraulic origin deposited in a fluvial channel. This new material begins the incipient fossil record of the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation, thereby also increasing the titanosaurian diversity of the latest Cretaceous. Additionally, the new titanosaurian enhances evidence in support of strong faunal similarities among the Allen and Marilia formations, chronological equivalents in the Cretaceous of South America. Furthermore, the Lago Colhué Huapi specimen adds to the Late Cretaceous record of Titanosauria and augments our knowledge of central Patagonian terrestrial vertebrate assemblages during this interval.     

Geochemical evidence (C,N and Pb isotopes) of recent anthropogenic impact in south‐central Chile from two environmentally distinct lake sediment records

In this paper, we compare the elemental and isotopic (C, N, Pb) geochemistry of lake sediments from two contrasted environments in south‐central Chile. The first lake, Laguna Chica de San Pedro (LCSP), is situated in the urbanised area of the Biobio Region (36°S). The second lake, Lago Puyehue (40° S), is located 400 km to the southeast of LCSP and within an Andean national park. Our aim is to identify environmental impacts associated with increasing industrial activities and land degradation during the last 150 a. In LCSP, shifts in C/N atomic ratios, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N from 1915–1937 to the late 1980s are attributed to successive land degradation episodes in the lake watershed. Based on a Pb isotopic mixing model, we estimate that up to 20% of lead in LCSP sediments is supplied from urban atmospheric pollution. By contrast, human impact in the watershed of Lago Puyehue is very limited. We observe no change in organic geochemistry during the last 150 a and lead contamination remains lower than 5%, even during the last decades. Although contamination levels are much higher in LCSP than in Lago Puyehue, a peak in anthropogenic Pb is recorded during the same period (1974–1976) at both sites. This maximum contamination level is consistent with increased industrial activity in the vicinity of Concepción. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic stratigraphy, buried beach ridges and contourite drifts: the Late Quaternary history of the closed Lago Cardiel basin, Argentina (49°S)

The results of a seismic stratigraphic analysis of a closed lake basin, Lago Cardiel, in southernmost South America are reported. Very few high-resolution, continental records spanning the Late Quaternary have been obtained from this region. Seismic sequence stratigraphic analysis allows a reconstruction of lake level variations. Two major hiatuses of unknown age occurred during the early evolution of the basin with the deposition of an alluvial fan in a restricted area in the intervening time period. Following the development of a relatively shallow lake during the late Pleistocene and a short desiccation pulse around 11 220 ¹⁴C yr BP, a transgression of over 135 m occurred at the beginning of the Holocene. The transgression was associated with the formation of beach ridges preserved in the lake stratigraphy on the floor of the modern Lago Cardiel at four different elevations. The preservation of largely unreworked beach ridges indicates a stepwise rise in the lake level. There is no seismic evidence of a major lowering of the lake below modern level during the entire Holocene. Deposition since the mid-Holocene is marked by strong lateral differences in sediment accumulation with a depocentre slightly to the north of the basin midpoint and a pronounced mounded distribution. Seismic reflection geometries, as well as sedimentological characteristics indicate a lacustrine contourite drift covering an area of 80–100 km². As Lago Cardiel is under the influence of westerly winds, these most likely drove lake circulation. The identification of drowned beach ridges and of contourite drifts illustrates that high-resolution seismic stratigraphy is not only a powerful tool in reconstructing past lake level elevations for closed lake basins, but it can also provide information about the rate of lake level changes and the presence and strength of lake currents.     

Calcite dissolution in two deep eutrophic lakes

The calcium cycle, in particular carbonate dissolution, was analyzed in two deep eutrophic lakes, Lago di Lugano (288 m maximum depth) and Sempachersee (87 m) located in Switzerland. A box model approach was used to calculate calcite dissolution in the water column and at the sediment-water interface based on various lake monitoring data such as sediment traps, sediment cores, water and pore-water analysis. A model for stationary conditions allowing the calculation of calcite dissolution in the water column for a given particle size distribution was developed. The relative values of the simulated flux were consistent with sediment trap observations. The best fit of the dissolution rate constant of sinking calcite in Lago di Lugano was on the same order of magnitude (3 · 10⁻¹⁰ kg^1/3 s⁻¹) as published laboratory values for this surface controlled process.Both lakes show a similar specific calcite precipitation rate of 170 g Ca m⁻² a⁻¹. The diffusive flux across the sediment-water interface amounts to about 15 and 10% of total calcite precipitation in Sempachersee and Lago di Lugano, respectively. However, 61% of the precipitated calcite is dissolved in the water column of Lago di Lugano compared to only 13% in Sempachersee. These results point towards the importance of grain size distributions and settling times in stratified deep waters as the two most important factors determining calcite retention in sediments of hard water lakes.     

Tectonic and climatic control on evolution of rift lakes in the Central Kenya Rift, East Africa

The long-term histories of the neighboring Nakuru–Elmenteita and Naivasha lake basins in the Central Kenya Rift illustrate the relative importance of tectonic versus climatic effects on rift-lake evolution and the formation of disparate sedimentary environments. Although modern climate conditions in the Central Kenya Rift are very similar for these basins, hydrology and hydrochemistry of present-day lakes Nakuru, Elmenteita and Naivasha contrast dramatically due to tectonically controlled differences in basin geometries, catchment size, and fluvial processes. In this study, we use eighteen ¹⁴C and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dated fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary sections to unravel the spatiotemporal evolution of the lake basins in response to tectonic and climatic influences. We reconstruct paleoclimatic and ecological trends recorded in these basins based on fossil diatom assemblages and geologic field mapping. Our study shows a tendency towards increasing alkalinity and shrinkage of water bodies in both lake basins during the last million years. Ongoing volcano-tectonic segmentation of the lake basins, as well as reorganization of upstream drainage networks have led to contrasting hydrologic regimes with adjacent alkaline and freshwater conditions. During extreme wet periods in the past, such as during the early Holocene climate optimum, lake levels were high and all basins evolved toward freshwater systems. During drier periods some of these lakes revert back to alkaline conditions, while others maintain freshwater characteristics. Our results have important implications for the use and interpretation of lake sediment as climate archives in tectonically active regions and emphasize the need to deconvolve lacustrine records with respect to tectonics versus climatic forcing mechanisms.     

Radiocarbon chronology of the late-glacial Puerto Bandera moraines,Southern Patagonian Icefield,Argentina

We report radiocarbon dates that constrain the timing of the deposition of the late-glacial Puerto Bandera moraine system alongside the western reaches of Lago Argentino adjacent to the Southern Patagonian Icefield. Close maximum-limiting radiocarbon ages (n = 11) for glacier advance into the outer moraines, with a mean value of 11,100 ± 60 ¹⁴C yrs BP (12,990 ± 80 cal yrs BP), were obtained from wood in deformation (soft) till exposed beneath flow and lodgment till in Bahía del Quemado on the northeast side of Brazo Norte (North Branch) of western Lago Argentino. Other exposures of this basal deformation till in Bahía del Quemado reveal incorporated clasts of peat, along with larger inclusions of deformed glaciofluvial and lacustrine deposits. Radiocarbon dates of wood included in these reworked peat clasts range from 11,450 ± 45 ¹⁴C yrs BP to 13,450 ± 150 ¹⁴C yrs BP (13,315 ± 60 to 16,440 ± 340 cal yrs BP). The implication is that, during this interval, glacier fronts were situated inboard of the Puerto Bandera moraines, with the peat clasts and larger proglacial deposits being eroded and then included in the basal till during the Puerto Bandera advance.Minimum-limiting radiocarbon ages for ice retreat come from basal peat in cores sampled in spillways and depressions generated during abandonment of the Puerto Bandera moraines. Glacier recession and subsequent plant colonization were initiated close behind different frontal sectors of these moraines prior to: 10,750 ± 75 ¹⁴C yrs BP (12,660 ± 70 cal yrs BP) east of Brazo Rico, 10,550 ± 55 ¹⁴C yrs BP (12,490 ± 80 cal yrs BP) in Peninsula Avellaneda, and 10,400 ± 50 ¹⁴C yrs BP (12,280 ± 110 cal yrs BP) in Bahía Catalana. In addition, a radiocarbon date indicates that by 10,350 ± 45 ¹⁴C yrs BP (12,220 ± 110 cal yrs BP), the Brazo Norte lobe (or former Upsala Glacier) had receded well up the northern branch of Lago Argentino, to a position behind the Herminita moraines. Furthermore, glacier termini had receded to just outboard of the outer Holocene moraines at Lago Frías and Lago Pearson (Anita) prior to 10,400 ± 40 ¹⁴C yrs BP (12,270 ± 100 cal yrs BP) and 9040 ± 45 ¹⁴C yrs BP (10,210 ± 50 cal yrs BP), respectively. The most extensive recession registered during the early Holocene was in Agassiz Este Valley, where the Upsala Glacier had pulled back behind the outer Holocene moraine, reaching close to the present-day glacier terminus before 8290 ± 40 ¹⁴C yrs BP (9300 ± 80 cal yrs BP).The radiocarbon-dated fluctuations of the Lago Argentino glacier in late-glacial time, given here, are in accord with changes in ocean mixed layer properties, predominately temperature, derived from the isotopic record given here of ODP Core 1233, taken a short distance off shore of the Chilean Lake District. It also matches recently published chronologies of late-glacial moraines in the Southern Alps of New Zealand on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean from Lago Argentino. Finally, the timing of the late-glacial reversal of the Lago Argentino glacier fits the most recent chronology for the culmination of the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR) in the deuterium record of the EPICA Dome C ice core from high on the East Antarctic Plateau. Therefore, we conclude that the climate signature of the ACR was widespread in both the ocean and the atmosphere over at least the southern quarter of the globe.     

大型坳陷湖盆“洪水—河漫湖”沉积——以干旱背景下的松南泉四段为例

本文建立了一种干旱背景下坳陷湖盆全新的沉积充填模式,即"洪水—河漫湖"沉积模式。在干旱背景下,物源区的河流主要表现为季节性的洪水,大多数河流都消失在荒漠中,河水主要以地表蒸发、植被生态消耗、地下渗流、河流终端湖以及河漫湖等形式排泄,坳陷湖盆内并未形成统一大面积的汇水中心和湖相沉积。这种背景条件下,湖盆的沉积充填特征明显不同于经典的坳陷湖盆和浅水湖盆沉积。下白垩统泉头组四段沉积时期,松辽盆地具有气候干旱、地势平坦、生物单调贫乏等特征,盆地南部存在5大沉积体系及7条主要的水系。除在盆地西部古龙凹陷地区河流汇水形成小范围浅水湖泊外,在盆地南部主要为"洪水—河漫湖"的河流相沉积。坳陷湖盆"洪水—河漫湖"沉积具有以下特点:①全盆地没有统一的汇水中心,因而缺乏大面积分布的湖相和三角洲沉积;②河流表现为季节性的洪水,部分河流由于地形变缓,并未进入汇水中心,而是消失在荒漠中,河流相为盆地沉积充填的主要类型;③湖盆具有多物源、多漫湖、满盆含砂的沉积特点;④河漫湖与河流在空间分布上存在3种关系,即河流终止于河漫湖、河流穿过河漫湖、河流绕过河漫湖等。坳陷湖盆"洪水—河漫湖"是一种中—新生代陆相坳陷湖盆沉积充填的新模式,具有重要的理论和实践意义。     

Migration of recharge waters downgradient from the Santa Catalina Mountains into the Tucson basin aquifer, Arizona, USA

 Aquifers in the arid alluvial basins of the southwestern U.S. are recharged predominantly by infiltration from streams and playas within the basins and by water entering along the margins of the basins. The Tucson basin of southeastern Arizona is such a basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains form the northern boundary of this basin and receive more than twice as much precipitation (ca. 700 mm/year) as does the basin itself (ca. 300 mm/year). In this study environmental isotopes were employed to investigate the migration of precipitation basinward through shallow joints and fractures. Water samples were obtained from springs and runoff in the Santa Catalina Mountains and from wells in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Stable isotopes (δD and δ¹⁸O) and thermonuclear-bomb-produced tritium enabled qualitative characterization of flow paths and flow velocities. Stable-isotope measurements show no direct altitude effect. Tritium values indicate that although a few springs and wells discharge pre-bomb water, most springs discharge waters from the 1960s or later. Received, February 1997 · Revised, September 1997 · Accepted, September 1997     

Geochemistry of groundwater in the alluvial plain of Tucumán province, Argentina

The Salí River hydrogeological basin is one of the most productive artesian basins in Argentina. It is located in the southeastern part of the province of Tucumán, northwestern Argentina, and its groundwater resources are developed for water supply and irrigation. The chemical composition of the water is strongly influenced by the interaction with the basinal sediments and by hydrologic characteristics such as the flow pattern and time of residence. Three hydrochemical zones are defined in the study area and the processes that control the chemical composition of the water are manifestly different in each zone. The dissolution of halite, sodium sulphate, and gypsum explains part of the contained Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^–, SO₄ ^2–, and Ca²⁺, but other processes, such as cation exchange, calcite precipitation, weathering of aluminosilicates, and gas exchange with the atmosphere, also contribute to the water composition. The assessment of contamination indicators, such as pH, dissolved organic matter, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, and nitrate, indicates that the groundwater is suitable for human consumption. However, biological contamination has been detected in samples from some wells, especially those near the Salí River. Electronic Publication     

‘Palaeolago Fueguino’, a Late Pleistocene lacustrine basin located in the central sector of Tierra del Fuego: a seismostratigraphic study

At ~20 ka bp , lakes Yehuin, Chepelmut and Fagnano constituted a single, large water body in the central part of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (southernmost Patagonia). The evolutionary history of this lake, known as ‘Palaeolago Fueguino’, was probably controlled by the advances, stillstands and retreats of the ‘Fagnano Palaeoglacier’, an outlet glacier that flowed eastward from the Darwin Cordillera ice sheet. A detailed analysis of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles acquired within the three lakes has allowed the identification and correlation of seven unconformities within the lacustrine sedimentary infill, three seismostratigraphic sequences in Lago Fagnano and four in Lago Yehuin. A seismic stratigraphic correlation between these sequences suggests that these basins formerly constituted a single, large lacustrine body. A lake-level curve of the evolutionary stages of each lake, derived from the seismostratigraphic analysis of the sedimentary infill is proposed here, representing a 17.5 ka-long record. It was further integrated with the glacial record of the advances and retreats of the Fagnano Palaeoglacier. This study has implications for interpreting the sedimentary history of lake basins in glaciated mountain ranges.     

Playa‐lake sedimentation and organic matter accumulation in an Andean piggyback basin: the recent record from the Cuenca de Pozuelos,North‐west Argentina

Expansive playa‐lake systems situated in high‐altitude piggyback basins are important and conspicuous components of both modern and ancient cordilleran orogenic systems. Extant playa lakes provide vital habitat for numerous endemic species, whereas sediments from these deposystems may record signals of climate change or develop natural resources over geological time. Laguna de los Pozuelos (North‐west Argentina) provides the opportunity for an actualistic sedimentological and geochemical assessment of a piggyback basin playa lake in an area of critical interest for understanding Quaternary palaeoclimate dynamics. Silty clays and diatom ooze are the dominant playa‐lake centre microfacies, with concentrations of total organic carbon and biogenic silica commonly exceeding 1·5 wt% in this sub‐environment. Elemental and stable isotopic analyses point to a mixed organic matter composition in the playa‐lake centre, with substantial contributions from algae and transported aquatic macrophytes. Bulk sediment and organic mass accumulation rates in the southern playa‐lake centre approach 0·22 g cm^?2 year^?1 and 2·89 mg cm^?2 year^?1, respectively, indicating moderately rapid deposition with negligible deflation over historic time. Playa margin facies contain higher percentages of fragmented biogenic carbonate (ostracods and charophytes) and inorganically precipitated aragonite crusts due to seasonal pumping and evaporation of ground water. Organic matter accumulation is limited along these heavily bioturbated wet and dry mud flats. Fluvial–lacustrine transitional environments, which are key waterbird habitats, are either silty terminal splay (northern axis) or sandy deltas (southern axis) containing highly oxidized and partially allochthonous organic matter. Modern analogue data from Laguna de los Pozuelos provide key insights for: (i) environmental reconstructions of ancient lake sequences; and (ii) improving facies models for piggyback basins.     

断陷湖盆层序地层研究和计算机模拟──以二连盆地乌里雅斯太断陷为例

断陷湖盆高级别的层序单元可依据不整合面及其对应的整合面来划分。高级别的不整合面主要是古构造运动面。应用二维回剥法恢复盆地构造沉降的速率曲线与层序界面比较分析表明，高级别的层序界面的形成与构造沉降速率的幕式变化和断块掀斜运动有关。湖泛面可作为副层序和副层序组划分的依据，湖平面变化受到气候、沉积物供给和盆地构造沉降相互作用的控制。各级层序界面的确定需要综合地质、地球物理及地球化学资料等系统分析。二连盆地乌里雅斯太断陷内充填了３０００多米厚的陆相湖盆沉积，可划分为５个层序组，识别出９～１１个三级层序，以湖泛面和碎屑体系的废弃为标志划分了副层序组和副层序，建立了湖盆地层格架。系统的沉积学研究概括出三种层序的体系域模式，即深湖盆型层序体系域、浅湖－深湖盆型层序体系域及浅湖－河流型层序体系域模式。不同体系域模式中的沉积体系作有序的分布，并受控于湖平面相对的高低变化和构造格架样式。层序地层模拟是近年来发展起来的一门新兴技术。通过模拟可分析层序的发育和形成机制，揭示构造沉降、海平面或湖平面变化及沉积物供给对层序发育和盆地充填演化的控制作用。以乌里雅斯太断陷为例的模拟验证了构造沉降速率的幕式变化和横向上的差异沉降是高级别层序?     

Postglacial sediment yield to Chilliwack Lake,British Columbia,Canada

Tunnicliffe, J., Church, M. & Enkin, R. J. 2012 (January): Postglacial sediment yield to Chilliwack Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Boreas, Vol. 41, pp. 84–101. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00219.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Seismic records and evidence from sediment cores at Chilliwack Lake provide the basis for a long‐term (postglacial) sediment budget for a 324‐km² Cordilleran catchment. Chilliwack Lake (11.8 km² surface area), situated in the North Cascade Mountains, near Chilliwack, British Columbia, was formed behind a valley‐wide recessional moraine in the final phase of post‐Fraser alpine glaciation. Seismic surveys highlight the postglacial lacustrine record, which is underlain by a thick layer of sediments related to deglacial sedimentation. Sediment cores provide details of grain‐size fining from the delta to the distal lake basin. The cores also show a record of intermittent fire and debris flows. Magnetic measurements of lake sediments provide information on grain size, as well as a dating framework. The total postglacial lake‐floor deposit volume is estimated to be 397 ± 27 × 10⁶ m³. Including estimates of fan and delta deposition, the specific postglacial yield to the lake is calculated to be ～86 ± 13 Mg km² a^?1. The sediment volume in the uppermost (Holocene) lacustrine layer is 128 ± 9 × 10⁶ m³, representing ～41 ± 4 Mg km² a^?1 in the Holocene. Compared with other Cordilleran lakes of similar size, particularly those with glacial cover in the watershed, Chilliwack Lake has experienced relatively modest rates of sediment accumulation. This study provides an important contribution to a growing database of long‐term (postglacial) sediment yield data for major Cordilleran lakes, essential for advancing our understanding of the pace of landscape evolution in formerly glaciated mountainous regions.     

Characterization of tephras dispersed by the recent eruptions of volcanoes Calbuco (1961), Chaitén (2008) and Cordón Caulle Complex (1960 and 2011), in Northern Patagonia

Pyroclastic materials dispersed in recent volcanic eruptions in Northern Patagonia were analysed in order to characterize the volcanic provenance by the geochemical fingerprint. The volcanic products studied were dispersed by eruptions of volcanoes Calbuco in 1961, Chaitén in 2008, and Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex (CCVC) in 1960 and 2011. The geochemical characterization was based on the determination of 35 major and trace elements by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, including geochemical tracer such as Rare Earth Elements (REE). The study of the pyroclastic products also included the morphological analysis by petrographic and scanning electron microscopy, and the mineralogical characterization by X-ray diffraction.Geochemical tracers determined in the glass fraction of the dispersed pyroclastic materials allowed a clear discrimination of the three volcanoes that gave origin to the tephras, the three of them with different evolution degree. Tephras from 1960 and 2011 CCVC eruptions showed the same geochemical signature. The geochemical parameters providing the differential characterization are the normalized REE and multi-element patterns, the Eu anomaly, the heavy to light and medium to light REE normalized ratios, and the Cs, Sc, Rb, Ta and Th concentrations. The bulk glassy fraction showed the same composition for each volcanic eruption in samples collected even in distant sites (from 100 to 220 km in Chaitén, 2008, and from 80 to 650 km in CCVC 2011), attesting to be the most reliable material for correlation purposes.According to the mineralogy, cristobalite was found in volcano Chaitén tephra as an indicator of such origin. Arsenic, an element of environmental interest, exhibited concentrations ranging from 6 to 16 μg g⁻¹, with the highest values corresponding to Puyehue–Cordón Caulle and Chaitén products.