挪威极地岩溶及其形成机制

挪威北部现处于极地地带,但岩溶,尤其洞穴却很发育。现已查明的洞穴达１１００多个,最长的达１１ｋｍ,最深的有６３０ｍ。地表微岩溶形态也丰富。根据野外调查和初步分析,其岩溶发育机制可概括如下:（１）特殊的地质背景:条带状大理岩（相对透水）间夹于片岩（相对隔水）中,这导致了大量的外源水的补给;第三纪以来的强烈抬升导致岩石的变质,以及断裂和一些构造脆弱面的形成;第四纪冰川作用和深切峡湾的形成导致了非常大的水力梯度和水动力场;（２）有利的气候条件,包括非常大的降水量（平均年降水量在３０００～３５００ｍｍ之间）,以及冰期间冰期的相互作用（导致周期性的强烈水循环）。特殊的地质背景和有利的条件为岩溶形成提供了有利的水文和水文地质条件,因此水的强烈侵蚀作用很可能是该地区岩溶形成的主要机制      

Late-Quaternary biogeographic scenarios for the brown bear (Ursus arctos), a wild mammal model species

This review provides an up-to-date synthesis of the matrilineal phylogeography of a uniquely well-studied Holarctic mammal, the brown bear. We extend current knowledge by presenting a DNA sequence derived from one of the earliest known fossils of a polar bear (dated to 115 000 years before present), a species that shares a paraphyletic mitochondrial association with brown bears. A molecular clock analysis of 140 mitochondrial DNA sequences, including our new polar bear sequence, provides novel insights into the times of origin for different brown bear clades. We propose a number of regional biogeographic scenarios based on genetic data, divergence time estimates and paleontological records. The case of the brown bear provides an example for researchers working with less well-studied taxa: it shows clearly that phylogeographic models based on patterns of modern genetic variation alone can be substantially improved by including data on historical patterns of genetic diversity in the form of ancient DNA sequences derived from accurately dated samples and by using an approach to divergence-time estimation that suits the data under analysis. Using such approaches it has been possible to (i) establish that the processes shaping modern genetic diversity in brown bears acted recently, within the last three glacial cycles; (ii) distinguish among hypotheses concerning species’ responses to climatic oscillations in accordance with the lack of phylogeographic structure that existed in brown bears prior to the last glacial maximum (LGM); (iii) reassess theories linking monophyletic brown bear populations to particular LGM refuge areas; and (iv) identify vicariance events and track analogous patterns of migration by brown bears out of Eurasia to North America and Japan.     

Karst and karstification in gypsiferous beds in Mathiesondalen, Central Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Recent karst forms in gypsiferous beds are reported from Mathiesondalen in Central Spitsbergen, where several sinkholes (dolines) and swallow holes have been formed after the deposition of Holocene raised beach sediments. The bedrock of the area is mostly interbedded gypsum/anhydrite and dolomites of the Carboniferous Ebbadalen Formation.     

Holocene sedimentary rocks in Mathiesondalen, central Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Holocene lithified sediments of glacial and glaciofluvial origin have been found in environments where carbonate cementation is a present-day process. The rocks occur as well cemented tillites, conglomerates, coarse sandstones and breccias, indicating a complex depositional pattern within a limited area. Both clasts and carbonate cement are mainly derived from underlying Carboniferous and Permian sequences which form the bedrock of this area.     

From subsurface to surface: a multidisciplinary approach to decoding uplift histories in tectonically-active karst landscapes

We present an integrated study of subsurface and surficial karst landforms to unravel the uplift history of karst landscape in a tectonically-active area. To this end, we apply a multidisciplinary approach by combining cave geomorphology and Th/U dating of speleothems with remote sensing plus geophysical imaging of surface landforms. We use as an example Mt. Menikio in northern Greece where four caves share well-defined epiphreatic/shallow phreatic characteristics that are related to the distribution of surface and buried doline fields and provide evidence for three distinct water table stillstands (e.g. expressed as cave levels) now lying at ~130 m, ~800 m and ~1600 m a.m.s.l. Our dating constraints delimit the age of the lower water table stillstand prior to 77 ka ago and imply a maximum rate of relative base level drop of 0.45 mma^-1, which is consistent with relative tectonic uplift rate estimates along currently active normal faults. We interpret the elevation of the higher water table stillstands to reflect earlier phases of uplift related to the regional tectonic events associated with the development of the North Anatolian Fault and the Northern Aegean area. Our analysis shows that the combined study of epiphreatic/shallow phreatic caves and surficial karst landforms together, is a robust way to investigate the uplift history of a karst landscape in a tectonically-active setting. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleoclimate deduced from a multidisciplinary study of a half-million-year-old stalagmite from rana, northern Norway

A 7-cm-thick flowstone sequence has been dated by extended Uranium series techniques to less than 1.25 myr, with a probable growth interval of ≥350,000–≤730,000 yr B.P. The time span is in accordance with paleomagnetic results revealing normal polarity for the whole sequence, i.e., a depositional age of <730,000 yr B.P. Oxygen isotope variations suggest deposition during three warm periods, interrupted by two isotopically cold hiatuses characterized by bulk resolution and detrital laminae. Calculations suggest that climatic transitions may have involved a shift of 1.1–2.4°C in mean annual temperatures. Contemporary flooding of the cave due to adjacent glacier expansion provides evidence for the widely held view that speleothem deposition is halted by glacier proximity. The flowstone matrix contained appreciable amounts of pollen (pine, birch) as well as larger amounts of charcoal dust. The pollen assemblage suggests a climate comparable with the present, implying that Norway has experienced at least three glacial/interglacial transitions during the growth interval of the speleothem. The warmer periods were characterized by a forest environment, with ample evidence of fire.     

Holocene brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) from Norwegian caves

Norwegian caves contain stratigraphical information regarding the historical faunal composition valuable in the assessment of postglacial colonization and phylogeographical structure. In some of these limestone caves, brown bear ( Ursus arctos L.) remains have been excavated and radiometrically dated. We present osteology (95 traits defined) from 29 brown bears found within 22 Norwegian caves above 658N. Our data span the time interval 6210–420 ¹⁴C yr BP. The sex of individuals was based on dimorphic canines, while age was determined by cementum analysis and body size estimated from regressions between morphological traits compared to a contemporary reference collection. Five females and 14 males were recognized, while the remaining bears could not be sexed because of their small size, low age or lack of canines. The ages of 26 bears (tooth cementum age and estimates) ranged from juveniles (<0.5 year) to adults (23 years), the majority being old animals. Both sexes have used these caves for over-wintering lairs, as seen in several caves, where denning is also suggested based on the observations of adult females and cubs. There were no signs of predator or human transported bear remains, suggesting natural mortality. The age of the bears suggests that young or old bears may have died from insufficient nutrient storage, environmental harshness, or may have drowned in spring or autumnal flooding. We conclude that Norwegian brown bears have used these caves sporadically for thousands of years, which suggests that caves are not a preferred site for the brown bear during hibernation or denning.     

Karstic surface in the Lower Permian sabkha sequence of the Gipshuken Formation, central Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Some unusual karst structures occur in the upper part of the evaporite-dominated sequence of the Gipshuken Formation. This Lower Permian unit is characterized by interbedded anhydrite and dolomites, and is now interpreted in terms of superimposed sabkha cycles. The karst structures are found in the inner Part of Skansdalen in Dickson Land, and have not yet been observed elsewhere in corresponding horizons in Svalbard. These structures, often seen as linked hemispheroids, consist of almost pure anhydrite and are here interpreted as representing the remnants of consolidated sabkhas; the original sabkha plain was flooded and partly dissolved, and abandoned channels between the hemispheroidal structures were then filled with sediments of later sabkha cycle. The younger sediments which fill the relief between and above the structures contain small enterolithic folds which indicate primary formed anhydrite. Anhydrite is still the most common subsurface mineral in these sulphatic deposits, and there is no evidence of gravitational or tectonic movements within these beds.     

Variability in luminescent lamination and initial 230Th/232Th activity ratios in a late Holocene stalagmite from northern Norway

Luminescent lamination in a stalagmite from northern Norway is used to construct a ～2780-year long, floating record of annual growth rate. Thermal ionisation mass-spectrometric (TIMS) U–Th ages (n = 12) were determined along the growth axis and three subsample locations and ages (corrected and uncorrected for initial ²³⁰Th/²³²Th activity) were selected as anchor points for the floating chronology. On the basis of these anchor points, termination of growth occurred between AD 1729 and AD 1826. The annual banding records are used to evaluate the initial ²³⁰Th/²³²Th activity ratio adopted for correction of the U–Th ages. To achieve a reasonable fit between U–Th ages and estimates predicted by the anchored annual band age models, mean initial ²³⁰Th/²³²Th activity ratios of between 0.44 and 1.47 must be invoked. However, there remains a reasonable degree of scatter about the expected linear relationship between annual bands and U–Th chronology for individual subsamples indicating that the use of a single correction factor for Holocene stalagmites should be applied with caution.Stalagmite growth rate fluctuates on annual to centennial scale. The growth termination of the stalagmite presented here could have been a result of environmental change associated with the Little Ice Age, or, possibly local percolation pathway changes after an M_s ～ 6 earthquake in the region in AD 1819. Stable-isotope data from the same axis of growth show a pattern similar to the large-scale growth rate variations, and these combined proxy records are interpreted as showing gradual cooling and/or shortening of the vegetation growth season for the last 3000 years.     

Reconstruction of Alpine Cenozoic paleorelief through the analysis of caves at Siebenhengste (BE,Switzerland)

Abstract

The cave region of Siebenhengste, situated north of Lake Thun (Switzerland), contains one of the most important cave systems in the world, which extends from 500 to 2000 m a.s.l. It has a complex multiphase history. The recognized speleogenetic phases are related to spring level and to old valley floors. The six most recent phases were investigated in St. Beatus cave and Bärenschacht. They suggest a progressive Quarternary Aare valley incision to 890, 805, 760, 700, 660, and 558 m a.s.l. that is confirmed by statistical analysis of small caves. U/Th-datings of flowstone allowed a timing of the valley deepening phases: the valley bottom was at 760 m already before 350 ka, the one at 700 m was active between 235 and 160 ka. The cave morphology in the upper part of the cave system was coupled with sedimentological observations. This combination leads to the hypothesis that the uppermost (oldest) cave parts were already created in the Miocene, during and after the last deposition of the Molasse. Ideas about the evolution of the paleorelief suggest that today's Aare valley is a product of glacial erosion, and that the old Aare valley shifted its position several times between the Miocene and today. © 2002 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.