Palaeoenvironmental significance of Late Permian palaeosols in the South‐Eastern Iberian Ranges,Spain

The Late Permian (Wuchiapingian) Alcotas Formation in the SE Iberian Ranges consists of one red alluvial succession where abundant soil profiles developed. Detailed petrographical and sedimentological studies in seven sections of the Alcotas Formation allow six different types of palaeosols, with distinctive characteristics and different palaeogeographical distribution, to be distinguished throughout the South‐eastern Iberian Basin. These characteristics are, in turn, related to topographic, climatic and tectonic controls. The vertical distribution of the palaeosols is used to differentiate the formation in three parts from bottom to top showing both drastic and gradual vertical upwards palaeoenvironmental changes in the sections. Reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental conditions based on palaeosols provides evidence for understanding the events that occurred during the Late Permian, some few millions of years before the well‐known Permian‐Triassic global crisis.     

Facies distribution of the Lower Cambrian cryptic microbial and epibenthic archaeocyathan-microbial communities, western Anti-Atlas, Morocco

Marine microbial communities recorded in the Moroccan Anti‐Atlas were unaffected across the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian transition. A stromatolite‐dominated consortium was replaced at the beginning of the Atdabanian (ca 20 Myr after the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian boundary) by shelly metazoan and thromboid consortia, which contain the oldest biostratigraphically significant fossils of the Moroccan Cambrian. The associated collapse of microbial mat (stromatolitic) growth appears to coincide with a change from pre‐Atdabanian shallow‐water restricted conditions into Atdabanian deeper, open‐sea conditions. It is postulated that this environmental change led to an episode of improved water circulation over carbonate platform interiors, promoting shelly metazoan immigration into the region. The Tiout/Amouslek lithostratigraphic contact in the early Atdabanian marks the end of an episodically unstable seafloor as suggested by the abundance of slumping and sliding structures, and synsedimentary microfaults and cracks recorded in the underlying Tiout Member. Concurrent with the transition is the occurrence of a network of cryptic fissures and cavities that provided habitats for a coelobiontic chemosynthetic–heterotrophic microbial community composed of stromatolitic crusts, Renalcis–Epiphyton–Girvanella intergrowths, and Kundatia thalli. In the overlying Amouslek Formation, archaeocyathan–thromboid reefs were constrained by substrate stability, water depth and subsidence rate. Four reef geometries are distinguished: (i) patch reefs surrounded by shales, (ii) bioherms in which flank beds intercalate laterally with carbonate and shale inter‐reef sediments, (iii) biostromes or low‐relief structures formed as a result of lateral accretion of patch reefs, and (iv) kalyptrate complexes that nucleated because of a marked tendency for aggregation, and in which patch reefs and bioherms occur stacked together bounded by clay–marl–silt seams.     

Distribution and Acoustic Characteristics of Shallow Gas in the Korea Strait Shelf Mud off SE Korea

Shallow gas in the Korea Strait shelf mud (KSSM) off SE Korea, revealed by high-resolution subbottom profiles, is associated with acoustic blanking, acoustic turbidity, seepages with plumes in the water column, and seafloor depressions. The acoustic blanking, characterized by strong, consistent top reflection and wipeout below, is most dominant. The seaward edge of the acoustic blanking zone generally coincides with the 100-m water-depth contour, suggesting that the water depth (the pressure) may control the distribution of shallow gas. The acoustic turbidity, characterized by diffuse top reflection, is a dark smear, partially blanking the data below. The seepages with plumes, characterized by vertical smearing and disturbed seafloor, are seen only along the shallowest, landward edge of the acoustic blanking zone. This may suggest that the decreased gas solubility at shallow water depths, caused by the lowered pressure, increases the volume of free gas in the sediments, facilitating the gas escape. The seafloor depressions, interpreted as pockmarks, are accompanied by cone-shaped acoustic masking, which is probably the reflection from a narrow vent of gas. The gas-related acoustic anomalies appear to occur mostly in the upper, recent mud of the KSSM. Neither permeable beds nor faults, which can act as vertical migration pathways for deep thermogenic gas, are evident in the recent mud. We interpret that the bacterial degradation of organic matter in situ is the main source for the gas in the KSSM. The upwelling off SE Korea may be an important source for the increased organic matter in the area.     

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic study of forearc basin sediments: Lower to Upper Cretaceous Budden Canyon Formation (Great Valley Group), northern California,USA

The results of a calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic investigation of the North Fork Cottonwood Creek section of the Budden Canyon Formation (BCF; Hauterivian–Turonian) in northern California are summarized using the Boreal – cosmopolitan Boreal Nannofossil Biostratigraphy (BC) – Upper Cretaceous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy (UC) nannofossil zonal schemes of Bown et al. and Burnett et al. Sixteen intervals, ranging from the BC15 to UC8 zones, were established in the section. Combined biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic studies suggest a Hauterivian to mid‐Turonian age for the studied sequence. The Hauterivian–Barremian, Barremian–Aptian, Aptian–Albian, Albian–Cenomanian, and Cenomanian–Turonian stage boundaries were delineated near the top of the Ogo Member, below the Huling Sandstone Member, within the upper Chickabally Member, in the upper portion of the Bald Hills Member and within the Gas Point Member, respectively. Unconformities probably exist at the base of the Huling Sandstone Member and the upper part of the upper Chickabally Member. The nannofossil assemblage in the North Fork Cottonwood Creek suggests that the study area was under the influence of cold‐water conditions during the Barremian to Lower Aptian interval, shifting to tropical/warm‐water conditions during the Albian to Turonian interval as a result of the mid‐Cretaceous global warming. Although oceanic anoxic events have not yet been reported in the BCF, preliminary total organic carbon, along with nannofossil data, suggest the presence of the global Cenomanian–Turonian boundary oceanic anoxic event 2.     

A mathematical model for unsteady supercritical flow on a mobile sandy bed

ABSTRACT

Supercritical flow with sediment transport is a common phenomenon in steep rivers. This kind of flow presents features not present in rivers flowing in subcritical conditions. The development of a mathematical model to simulate supercritical flow with sediment transport in sandy rivers is described. The model is based on a numerical scheme for the integral version of the full governing equations and takes into account bottom configurations.     

SEISMIC REFLECTION APPLIED TO SEDIMENTOLOGY AND GAS DISCOVERY IN THE GULF OF CADIZ*

In the Gulf of Cadiz, a Tertiary basin became filled by clastic series during Miocene and Pliocene times. This terrigenous influx, derived from the Iberic Meseta in the north, is characterized by a sandy episode during the Tortonian and Messinian. The sand deposits were probably connected with uplift and major erosion of the Meseta during the sliding of the olistostrome, which occupied the south of the basin from late Helvetian to middle Tortonian. High resolution seismic techniques produced a good picture of the stratigraphy and of the depositional environment of the sands. A further study, using the amplitude of the reflections, inversion of seismic traces into acoustic impedance traces, and modeling, provides a remarkable example of the possibilities of seismic stratigraphy for depicting the lateral evolution of facies and localizing hydrocarbon occurrences. Out of seven exploratory wells based upon seismic information, six encountered gas-bearing sands with economic potential.     

Internal anatomy of a mixed siliciclastic–carbonate platform: the Late Cenomanian–Mid Turonian at the southern margin of the Spanish Central System

The Late Cenomanian–Mid Turonian succession in central Spain is composed of siliciclastic and carbonate rocks deposited in a variety of coastal and marine shelf environments (alluvial plain–estuarine, lagoon, shoreface, offshore‐hemipelagic and carbonate ramp). Three depositional sequences (third order) are recognized: the Atienza, Patones and El Molar sequences. The Patones sequence contains five fourth‐order parasequence sets, while a single parasequence set is recognized in the Atienza and El Molar sequences. Systems tracts can be recognized both in the sequences and parasequence sets. The lowstand systems tracts (only recognized for Atienza and Patones sequences) are related to erosion and sequence boundary formation. Transgressive systems tracts are related to marine transgression and shoreface retreat. The highstand systems tracts are related to shoreface extension and progradation, and to carbonate production and ramp progradation. Sequences are bounded by erosion or emergence surfaces, whose locations are supported by mineralogical analyses and suggest source area reactivation probably due to a fall in relative sea‐level. Transgressive surfaces are subordinate erosion and/or omission surfaces with a landward facies shift, interpreted as parasequence set boundaries. The co‐existence of siliciclastic and carbonate sediments and environments occurred as facies mixing or as distinct facies belts along the basin. Mixed facies of coastal areas are composed of detrital quartz and clays derived from the hinterland, and dolomite probably derived from bioclastic material. Siliciclastic flux to coastal areas is highly variable, the maximum flux postdates relative sea‐level falls. Carbonate production in these areas may be constant, but the final content is a function of changing inputs in terrigenous sediments and carbonate content diminishes through a dilution effect. Carbonate ramps were detached from the coastal system and separated by a fringe of offshore, fine‐grained muds and silts as distinct facies belts. The growth of carbonate ramp deposits was related to the highstand systems tracts of the fourth‐order parasequence sets. During the growth of these ramps, some sediment starvation occurred basinwards. Progradation and retrogradation of the different belts occur simultaneously, suggesting a sea‐level control on sedimentation. In the study area, the co‐existence of carbonate and siliciclastic facies belts depended on the superimposition of different orders of relative sea‐level cycles, and occurred mainly when the second‐order, third‐order and fourth‐order cycles showed highstand conditions.