Subduction-channel model of prism accretion,melange formation,sediment subduction,and subduction erosion at convergent plate margins: 1. Background and description

Many geological and geophysical investigations, particularly the Deep Sea Drilling Project, have shown that convergent plate margins are highly diverse features. For example, at some sites of subduction, such as the Lesser Antilles, the bedded sediment atop the incoming oceanic plate is extensively offscraped, whereas at others, such as Mariana, not only is the incoming sediment completely subducted beneath crystalline rock but portions of the overriding plate are undergoing subduction erosion. Earthquakes indicate wide variations in stress distribution within and between sites of plate convergence. Many ancient accretionary complexes include tracts of intensely-deformed subduction melange that contain blocks of mafic greenstones. Some contain bodies of thoroughly recrystallized blueschist that were uplifted from depths of 20 to 30 km. A comprehensive model for convergent plate margins must explain these and numerous other observations. Although the still widely cited imbricatethrust model for prism accretion qualitatively explains some observations at subduction zones, it does not account for many others, such as deep sediment subduction and subduction erosion. The subduction-channel model postulates essentially the same basic mechanics for all convergent plate margins that have attained a quasi-steady state (typically reached after about 20 Ma of subduction at speeds of 10 to 20 km Ma^?1). It assumes that the subducting sediment deforms approximately as a viscous material once it is dragged into a relatively thin shear zone, or subduction channel, between the downgoing plate and the overriding one. It predicts the overall movement patterns of the sediment deforming within the channel and near its inlet, accounts for most of the observed features at convergent plate margins, and quantifies the processes of sediment subduction, offscraping, and underplating, and the formation of subduction melange. The predicted variations in tectonic behavior depend upon such site-specific variables as the speed of subduction, the supply of sediment, the geometry of the descending plate, and the topography and structure of the overriding block.     

Blueschist-facies metamorphism during Paleozoic orogeny in southwestern Japan: Phengite K–Ar ages of blueschist-facies tectonic blocks in a serpentinite melange beneath early Paleozoic Oeyama ophiolite

Blueschist-bearing Osayama serpentinite melange develops beneath a peridotite body of the Oeyama ophiolite which occupies the highest position structurally in the central Chugoku Mountains. The blueschist-facies tectonic blocks within the serpentinite melange are divided into the lawsonite–pumpellyite grade, lower epidote grade and higher epidote grade by the mineral assemblages of basic schists. The higher epidote-grade block is a garnet–glaucophane schist including eclogite-facies relic minerals and retrogressive lawsonite–pumpellyite-grade minerals. Gabbroic blocks derived from the Oeyama ophiolite are also enclosed as tectonic blocks in the serpentinite matrix and have experienced a blueschist metamorphism together with the other blueschist blocks. The mineralogic and paragenetic features of the Osayama blueschists are compatible with a hypothesis that they were derived from a coherent blueschist-facies metamorphic sequence, formed in a subduction zone with a low geothermal gradient (~ 10°C/km). Phengite K–Ar ages of 16 pelitic and one basic schists yield 289–327 Ma and concentrate around 320 Ma regardless of protolith and metamorphic grade, suggesting quick exhumation of the schists at ca 320 Ma. These petrologic and geochronologic features suggest that the Osayama blueschists comprise a low-grade portion of the Carboniferous Renge metamorphic belt. The Osayama blueschists indicate that the 'cold' subduction type (Franciscan type) metamorphism to reach eclogite-facies and subsequent quick exhumation took place in the northwestern Pacific margin in Carboniferous time, like some other circum-Pacific orogenic belts (western USA and eastern Australia), where such subduction metamorphism already started as early as the Ordovician.     

Shaping and maintaining a medium-sized main channel in the Lower Yellow River

This paper studies relations between bankfull discharge,lateral cross section variation and the incoming flow and sediment condition in the Lower Yellow River using measured data from 1950 to 2003.Since 1950 the bankfull discharge has obviously decreased and the ratio of channel width to flow depth has increased.The critical annual average incoming sediment coefficient（defined as the ratio of sediment concentration to discharge） and discharge at the Huayuankou station are approximately 0.012 and 1,850 m³s^-1,respectively,for no accumulative deposition occurring in the reach from Huayuankou to Lijin.On this basis,a mathematical model is used to study the scale of the main channel in the Lower Yellow River and its corresponding bankfull discharge under possible incoming flow and sediment conditions in the near future.The main factors influencing the scale of the main channel are analyzed,and measures to shape and maintain a medium-sized channel are discussed.The results show the effect of various water and sediment combinations released from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the shaping of the main channel and suggest that under recent incoming flow and sediment conditions,it is possible to shape and maintain a medium-sized channel with a bankfull discharge of approximate 4,000 m³ s^-1.     

Oblique subduction, collision of microcontinents and subduction of oceanic ridge: Their implications on the Cretaceous tectonics of Japan

Abstract The Izanagi plate subducted rapidly and obliquely under the accretionary terrane of Japan in the Cretaceous before 85 Ma. A chain of microcontinents collided with it at about 140 Ma. In southwest Japan the major part of it subducted thereafter, but in northeast Japan it accreted and the trench jumped oceanward, resulting in a curved volcanic front. The oblique subduction and the underplated microcon-tinent caused uplifting of high-pressure (high-P) metamorphic rocks and large scale crustal shortening in southwest Japan. The oblique subduction caused left-lateral faulting and ductile shearing in northeast Japan. The arc sliver crossed over the high-temperature (high-T) zone of arc magmatism, resulting in a wide high-T metamorphosed belt. At about 85 Ma, the subduction mode changed from oblique to normal and the tectonic mode changed drastically. Just after this the Kula/Pacific ridge subducted and the subduction rate of the Pacific plate decreased gradually, causing the intrusion of huge amounts of granite magma and the eruption of acidic volcanics from large cauldrons. The oblique subduction of the Pacific plate resumed at 53 Ma and the left-lateral faults were reactivated.     

Material transportation and fluid-melt activity in the subduction channel: Numerical modeling

The subduction channel is defined as a planar to wedge-like area of variable size,internal structure and composition,which forms between the upper and lower plates during slab subduction into the mantle.The materials in the channel may experience complex pressure,temperature,stress and strain evolution,as well as strong fluid and melt activity.A certain amount of these materials may subduct to and later exhume from100 km depth,forming high to ultra-high pressure rocks on the surface as widely discovered in nature.Rock deformation in the channel is strongly assisted by metamorphic fluids activities,which change composition and mechanical properties of rocks and thus affect their subduction and exhumation histories.In this study,we investigate the detailed structure and dynamics of both oceanic and continental subduction channels,by conducting highresolution petrological-thermomechanical numerical simulations taking into account fluid and melt activities.The numerical results demonstrate that subduction channels are composed of a tectonic rock melange formed by crustal rocks detached from the subducting slab and the hydrated mantle rocks scratched from the overriding plate.These rocks may either extrude sub-vertically upward through the mantle wedge to the crust of the upper plate,or exhume along the subduction channel to the surface near the suture zone.Based on our numerical results,we first analyze similarities and differences between oceanic and continental subduction channels.We further compare numerical models with and without fluid and melt activity and demonstrate that this activity results in strong weakening and deformation of overriding lithosphere.Finally,we show that fast convergence of orogens subjected to fluid and melt activity leads to strong deformation of the overriding lithosphere and the topography builds up mainly on the overriding plate.In contrast,slow convergence of such orogens leads to very limited deformation of the overriding lithosphere and the mountain building mainly occurs on the subducting plate.     

Character of sediments entering the Costa Rica subduction zone: Implications for partitioning of water along the plate interface

Abstract   Sediments deposited off the Nicoya Peninsula advect large volumes of water as they enter the Costa Rica subduction zone. Seismic reflection data, together with results from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 170, show that hemipelagic mud comprises the upper ∼135 m of the sediment column (ranging from 0 to 210 m). The lower ∼215 m of the sediment column (ranging from 0 to 470 m) is pelagic carbonate ooze. We analyzed samples from 60 shallow (<7 m) cores to characterize the spatial variability of sediment composition on the incoming Cocos Plate. The bulk hemipelagic sediment is 10 wt% opal and 60 wt% smectite on average, with no significant variations along strike; the pelagic chalk contains approximately 2 wt% opal and <1 wt% smectite. Initially, most of the water (96%) in the subducting sediment is stored in pore spaces, but the pore water is expelled during the early stages of subduction by compaction and tectonic consolidation. Approximately 3.6% of the sediment's total water volume enters the subduction zone as interlayer water in smectite; only 0.4% of the water is bound in opal. Once subducting strata reach depths greater than 6 km (more than 30 km inboard of the subduction front), porosity drops to less than 15%, and temperature rises to greater than 60°C. Under those conditions, discrete pulses of opal and smectite dehydration should create local compartments of fluid overpressure, which probably influence fluid flow patterns and reduce effective stress along the plate boundary fault.     

Structure and subduction processes along the Oregon-Washington margin

Seismic reflection and refraction data off Washington and Oregon are used to determine the style of sediment deformation and to infer the physical properties of accreted sediments on the lower slope. Onshore-offshore seismic refraction data off Washington are used to determine the location of the trench, or where the plate bending starts.We find that off Washington the subduction zone is characterized by a trench whose physiographic expression is buried under several kilometers of sediments and is tens of kilometers landward of the lower slope, which is accreting seaward as the result of the offscraping of sediments.Seismic reflection data support previous observations that offscraping occurs along seaward and landward dipping thrust faults. Refraction data indicate that a sediment package thrust up along a seaward dipping fault (off Washington) was not measurably changed in velocity with respect to a Cascadia basin section. However a package uplifted by thrusting along a landward dipping fault (off Oregon) did have increased velocity. It is suggested that the increased velocities off Oregon could be the result of erosion and exposure of more deeply buried and compacted sediments, rather than the result of dewatering due to tectonic stress. Off Washington the sensitivity of velocity to porosity and resolution of the seismic method does not preclude dewatering due to tectonic stress, but it does limit the degree of dewatering.In the deeper parts of the lower slope section off Washington and Oregon velocities as high as 3 to 4 km/sec are found. Heat flow data indicate that the temperatures in this high velocity regime are greater than 100°C. It is hypothesized that lithification related to clay diagenesis may be partly responsible for the high velocities, rather than simply compaction. It also appears that the high velocity sediments are subducted while the unlithified low velocity sediments are offscraped.     

CHANNEL RESPONSE TO SEDIMENT WAVE PROPAGATION AND MOVEMENT,REDWOOD CREEK,CALIFORNIA, USA

Redwood Creek, north coastal California, USA, has experienced dramatic changes in channel configuration since the 1950s. A series of large floods (in 1955, 1964, 1972 and 1975) combined with the advent of widespread commercial timber harvest and road building resulted in extensive erosion in the basin and contributed high sediment loads to Redwood Creek. Since 1975, no peak flows have exceeded a 5 year recurrence interval. Twenty years of cross-sectional survey data document the downstream movement of a ‘sediment wave’ in the lower 26 km of this gravel-bedded river at a rate of 800 to 1600 m a⁻¹ during this period of moderately low flows. Higher transit rates are associated with reaches of higher unit stream power. The wave was initially deposited at a site with an abrupt decrease in channel gradient and increase in channel width. The amplitude of the wave has attenuated more than 1 m as it moved downstream, and the duration of the wave increased from eight years upstream to more than 20 years downstream. Channel aggradation and subsequent degradation have been accommodated across the entire channel bed. Channel width has not decreased significantly after initial channel widening from large (>25 year recurrence interval) floods. Three sets of longitudinal surveys of the streambed showed the highest increase in pool depths and frequency in a degrading reach, but even the aggrading reach exhibited some pool development through time. The aggraded channel bed switched from functioning as a sediment sink to a significant sediment source as the channel adjusted to high sediment loads. From 1980 to 1990, sediment eroded from temporary channel storage represented about 25 per cent of the total sediment load and 95 per cent of the bedload exported from the basin.     

The transport of water in subduction zones

The transport of water from subducting crust into the mantle is mainly dictated by the stability of hydrous minerals in subduction zones. The thermal structure of subduction zones is a key to dehydration of the subducting crust at different depths. Oceanic subduction zones show a large variation in the geotherm, but seismicity and arc volcanism are only prominent in cold subduction zones where geothermal gradients are low. In contrast, continental subduction zones have low geothermal gradients, resulting in metamorphism in cold subduction zones and the absence of arc volcanism during subduction. In very cold subduction zone where the geothermal gradient is very low(?5?C/km), lawsonite may carry water into great depths of ?300 km. In the hot subduction zone where the geothermal gradient is high(25?C/km), the subducting crust dehydrates significantly at shallow depths and may partially melt at depths of 80 km to form felsic melts, into which water is highly dissolved. In this case, only a minor amount of water can be transported into great depths. A number of intermediate modes are present between these two end-member dehydration modes, making subduction-zone dehydration various. Low-T/low-P hydrous minerals are not stable in warm subduction zones with increasing subduction depths and thus break down at forearc depths of ?60–80 km to release large amounts of water. In contrast, the low-T/low-P hydrous minerals are replaced by low-T/high-P hydrous minerals in cold subduction zones with increasing subduction depths, allowing the water to be transported to subarc depths of 80–160 km. In either case, dehydration reactions not only trigger seismicity in the subducting crust but also cause hydration of the mantle wedge. Nevertheless, there are still minor amounts of water to be transported by ultrahigh-pressure hydrous minerals and nominally anhydrous minerals into the deeper mantle. The mantle wedge overlying the subducting slab does not partially melt upon water influx for volcanic arc magmatism, but it is hydrated at first with the lowest temperature at the slab-mantle interface, several hundreds of degree lower than the wet solidus of hydrated peridotites. The hydrated peridotites may undergo partial melting upon heating at a later time. Therefore, the water flux from the subducting crust into the overlying mantle wedge does not trigger the volcanic arc magmatism immediately.     

Flow hydraulics and geomorphic effects of glacial‐lake outburst floods in the Mount Everest region,Nepal

Glacial‐lake outburst floods (GLOFs) on 3 September 1977 and 4 August 1985 dramatically modified channels and valleys in the Mount Everest region of Nepal by eroding, transporting, and depositing large quantities of sediment for tens of kilometres along the flood routes. The GLOF discharges were 7 to 60 times greater than normal floods derived from snowmelt runoff, glacier meltwater, and monsoonal precipitation (referred to as seasonal high flow floods, SHFFs). Specific stream power values ranged from as low as 1900 W m^?2 in wide, low‐gradient valley segments to as high as 51 700 W m^?2 in narrow, high‐gradient valley segments bounded by bedrock. Along the upper 16 km of the GLOF routes, the reach‐averaged specific stream power of the GLOFs was 3·2 to 8·0 times greater than the reach‐averaged specific stream power of the SHFFs. The greatest geomorphic change occurred along the upper 10 to 16 km of the GLOF routes, where the ratio between the GLOF specific stream power and the SHFF specific stream power was the greatest, there was an abundant supply of sediment, and channel/valley boundaries consisted primarily of unconsolidated sediment. Below 11 to 16 km from the source area, the geomorphic effects of the GLOFs were reduced because of the lower specific stream power ratio between the GLOFs and SHFFs, more resistant bedrock flow boundaries, reduced sediment supply, and the occurrence of past GLOFs. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review on the numerical geodynamic modeling of continental subduction, collision and exhumation

Continental subduction and collision normally follows oceanic subduction,with the remarkable event of formation and exhumation of high-to ultra-high-pressure(HP-UHP)metamorphic rocks.Based on the summary of numerical geodynamic models,six modes of continental convergence have been identified:pure shear thickening,folding and buckling,one-sided steep subduction,flat subduction,two-sided subduction,and subducting slab break-off.In addition,the exhumation of HP-UHP rocks can be formulated into eight modes:thrust fault exhumation,buckling exhumation,material circulation,overpressure model,exhumation of a coherent crustal slice,episodic ductile extrusion,slab break-off induced eduction,and exhumation through fractured overriding lithosphere.During the transition from subduction to exhumation,the weakening and detachment of subducted continental crust are prerequisites.However,the dominant weakening mechanisms and their roles in the subduction channel are poorly constrained.To a first degree approximation,the mechanism of continental subduction and exhumation can be treated as a subduction channel flow model,which incorporates the competing effects of downward Couette(subduction)flow and upward Poiseuille(exhumation)flow in the subduction channel.However,the(de-)hydration effect plays significant roles in the deformation of subduction channel and overriding lithosphere,which thereby result in very different modes from the simple subduction channel flow.Three-dimensionality is another important issue with highlighting the along-strike differential modes of continental subduction,collision and exhumation in the same continental convergence belt.     

Composition and mass flux of sediment entering the world's subduction zones: Implications for global sediment budgets, great earthquakes, and volcanism

Lithologic data compiled from Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program sites, when combined with orthogonal convergence rates at convergent plate boundaries, permit quantification of the mass flux of sediment into subduction zones. We have made such calculations for each major sediment component — terrigenous grains, calcium carbonate, opal, and water — for twelve trench systems. Results show that 1.4 × 10¹⁵ g/yr of sediment and 0.9 × 10¹⁵ g/yr of water enter the trenches in the oceanic sedimentary layer. Most of the entering sediment, 1.1 × 10¹⁵ g/yr, is terrigenous; the remainder is more carbonate than opal. For most of geologic time an order of magnitude more sediment enters the ocean than leaves it via subduction. The global sedimentary cycle need be in balance only over an entire Wilson cycle. Comparison of sediment fluxes into trenches with the magnitude of large earthquakes and with the composition of bulk volcanic rock shows no correlation.     

Controls on bedrock channel incision along nahal paran,Israel

Nahal Paran drains 3600 km² of Egypt's Sinai peninsula and Israel's Negev Desert. Much of the channel is alluvial, but a canyon 10·5 km long has been incised into Late Cretaceous chert and dolomite in the lower portion of the basin. Slackwater deposits and paleostage indicators preserved within the canyon record approximately 10 floods of 200 to 2500 m³ s^?1 over a period of at least 350 years. Step-backwater simulations of flood-flow hydraulics indicate extreme variations in stream power per unit area along the length of the canyon, and associated variability in energy expenditure and sediment transport. These variations reflect channel cross-sectional morphology. The greatest values of stream power occur along the lower half of the study reach, in association with three pronounced knickpoints and an inner channel. The locations of these features reflect the exposure of thick, resistant chert layers along the channel. The presence of several similar, but buried and inactive, knickpoints along the upper study reach indicates that the locus of most active channel incision has shifted with time, probably in response to baselevel changes associated with tectonic activity along the Dead Sea Rift. Thus, the rate and manner of channel incision along the canyon of Nahal Paran are controlled by lithologic variability and tectonic uplift as they influence channel morphology and gradient, which in turn influence hydraulics and sediment transport.     

The study of subduction channels: Progress,controversies, and challenges

Science China Earth Sciences - The subduction channel is defined as a relatively thin and weak zone with coherent kinematics between the descending and overriding plates during subduction. The...     

Network‐scale dynamics of grain‐size sorting: implications for downstream fining,stream‐profile concavity,and drainage basin morphology

We explore the link between channel‐bed texture and river basin concavity in equilibrium catchments using a numerical landscape evolution model. Theory from homogeneous sediment transport predicts that river basin concavity directly increases with bed sediment size. If the effective grain size on a river bed governs its concavity, then natural phenomena such as grain‐size sorting and channel armouring should be linked to concavity. We examine this hypothesis by allowing the bed sediment texture to evolve in a transport‐limited regime using a two grain‐size mixture of sand and gravel. Downstream ?ning through selective particle erosion is produced in equilibrium. As the channel‐bed texture adjusts downstream so does the local slope. Our model predicts that it is not the texture of the original sediment mixture that governs basin concavity. Rather, concavity is linked to the texture of the sorted surface layer. Two different textural regimes are produced in the experiments: a transitional regime where the mobility of sand and gravel changes with channel‐bed texture, and a sand‐dominated region where the mobility of sand and gravel is constant. The concavity of these regions varies depending on the median gravel‐ or sand‐grain size, erosion rate, and precipitation rate. The results highlight the importance of adjustments in both surface texture and slope in natural rivers in response to changes in ?uvial and sediment inputs throughout a drainage network. This adjustment can only be captured numerically using multiple grain sizes or empirical downstream ?ning rules. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of factors controlling smectite transformation and fluid production in subduction zones: Application to the Nankai Trough

Abstract The transformation of smectite‐group clay minerals to illite has garnered considerable interest as a potentially important process affecting both the mechanical and hydrologic behavior of subduction zones. Illitization can generate fluid overpressure by release of bound water, and the mineralogical change and associated cementation may increase intrinsic frictional strength while decreasing the sliding stability of faults. Released bound water also contributes to pore water freshening observed in boreholes at numerous margins. Here the authors combine data from Ocean Drilling Program drill sites along two transects at the Nankai subduction zone with numerical models of smectite transformation, to (i) quantify the distribution of smectite transformation and fluid production downdip of the trench; and (ii) evaluate its hydrologic and mechanical implications. High heat flow (ca 180 mW/m²) along the axis of the Kinan Seamount Chain (Muroto transect) initiates clay mineral transformation outboard of the trench, whereas lower heat flow (70–120 mW/m²) 100 km to the SW (Ashizuri transect) results in negligible presubduction diagenesis. As a result, considerably more bound fluid is subducted along the Ashizuri transect; simulated peak fluid sources down‐dip of the trench are considerably higher than for the Muroto transect (ca 1.2–1.3 × 10^?14/s vs ca 6 × 10^?15/s), and are shifted ca 10 km further from the trench. More generally, sensitivity analysis illustrates that heat flow, taper angle, incoming sediment thickness, and plate convergence rate all systematically affect reaction progress and the distribution of bound water release down‐dip of the trench. These shifts in the loci and volume of fluid release are important for constraining fluid flow pathways, and provide insight into the links between clay transformation and fault mechanics.     

A coupled sediment routing and lateral migration model for gravel‐bed rivers

We describe additions made to a multi‐size sediment routing model enabling it to simulate width adjustment simultaneously alongside bed aggradation/incision and fining/coarsening. The model is intended for use in single thread gravel‐bed rivers over annual to decadal timescales and for reach lengths of 1–10 km. It uses a split‐channel approach with separate calculations of flow and sediment transport in the left and right sides of the channel. Bank erosion is treated as a function of excess shear stress with bank accretion occurring when shear stress falls below a second, low, threshold. A curvature function redistributes shear stress to either side of the channel. We illustrate the model through applications to a 5·6‐km reach of the upper River Wharfe in northern England. The sediment routing component with default parameter values gives excellent agreement with field data on downstream fining and down‐reach reduction in bedload flux, and the width‐adjustment components with approximate calibration to match maximum observed rates of bank shifting give plausible patterns of local change. The approach may be useful for exploring interactions between sediment delivery, river management and channel change in upland settings. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relation between ore-deposit formation and subduction: Mass balance considerations

Abstract Mass balance calculations indicate that the potential supply of metals resulting from subduction of oceanic crust and sediment far exceeds that required for mineralization in island ares. Subduction of oceanic crust is more important than that of sediment in supplying these metals and the subduction of manganese nodules makes only a negligible contribution. The nature and extent of mineralization in island ares therefore depend on the nature, geometry and rate of subduction. In the Pacific, two types of subduction system occur: the high-stress (Chilean) type, characterized by shallow subduction and the formation of porphyry copper deposits in andesitic ares, and the low-stress (Mariana) type, characterized by deep subduction and the formation of Kuroko deposits in the back-arc basin, and porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits in the island are. Kuroko deposits are analogous to the epithermal deposits but are formed from saline hydrothermal fluids under much higher hydrostatic pressure.     

Discovery of deerite from the Aksu Precambrian blueschist terrane and its geological significance

Deerite [Fe ₁₂ ²⁺ Fe ₆ ³⁺ Si₁₂O₄₀ (OH)₁₀] was first discovered in the metamorphic magnetite-bearing quartzites which are interlayered with blueschists in Aksu Precambrian blueschist terrane. The deerite-bearing mineral association includes (1) deerite + riebeckite + stilpnomelane + ilvaite + magnetite + quartz and (2) deerite + stilpnomelane + magnetite +quartz based on the investigation under microscope. The study of mineral chemistry shows that the deerites from Aksu Precambrian blueschist are Mn-poor deerite similar to that from Alps. But the deerite from Aksu is the nearest to the end member of deerite. According to the equilibrium P-T region of deerite determined by Lattard and Breton (1994), the deerites in metamorphic magnetite-bearing quartzites from Aksu Precambrian blueschists were formed under the conditions of pressure lower than 1.0 Gpa, temperature ranging from 300 to 400°C and about the l0°C/km geothermal gradient. The deerite in metamorphic magnetite-bearing quartzites from Aksu blueschists is the only one Precambrian deerite reported now. This suggests that the earth began to cool, and the modern cooling subduction regime between plates started at Late Proterozoic. The Late Proterozoic may be the important period during the evolution of the earth.     

A simulation model of morphological,vegetation and sediment changes in ephemeral streams

A model to simulate channel changes in ephemeral river channels and to test the effects of hydrological changes due to climate change and[sol ]or land use change was developed under the auspices of the EU funded MEDALUS programme (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use). The model, CHANGISM (Channel Change GIS Simulation Model), is designed to simulate the effect of channel flow events and of climate conditions on morphology, sediment and vegetation, through sequences of events and conditions, over periods of up to several decades. The modelling is based on cellular automata but with calculations for water and sediment continuity. Process rules have both deterministic and stochastic elements. An important feature of the model is that it incorporates feedback elements between each event. The main aim of the model is to indicate the likely outcomes of events and combinations of conditions. It is linked to GIS for both input and output. The modelling is based on a channel reach and state is input as GIS layers of morphology (DEM), sediment and vegetation cover and state. Other initial conditions of soil moisture, groundwater level, and overall gradient are input. Parameters for processes are read from tables and can be easily changed for successive runs of the model. The bases for decisions on process specifications are discussed in this paper. Initial tests of the operation and sensitivity of the model were made on idealized reaches. The model was then tested using data from monitored sites in SE Spain. Simulations using clearwater flow worked well but initial simulations using events with sediment loads showed some tendency for excess deposition. Further tests and modifications are taking place. Overall, the model is one of the most sophisticated that simulates the interaction of flows with sediment and vegetation and the outcomes in terms of erosion, deposition, morphology, sediment cover, vegetation cover and plant survival over periods of up to 30 years for the scale of a channel reach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.