Glacial survival of blockfields on the Varanger Peninsula, northern Norway

For more than hundred years it has been debated whether blockfields in mountain summit areas can be used to delimit the vertical extent of Pleistocene ice sheets. In this study the relationship between blockfields, developed in quartzites and sandstones on the Varanger Peninsula, northern Norway, and glacially derived features have been evaluated. Erratics and circular ablation moraines are superimposed on the blockfields and lateral meltwater channels are eroded into them. Glacial striations and other signs of glacial sculpturing are restricted to low-lying areas with channelled ice flow. Relative ages of the blockfields and the features in them are inferred, and the first measurements of in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclides from the Varanger Peninsula are reported. We conclude that the blockfields have survived underneath at least one thick, cold-based ice sheet. Thus, these blockfields cannot be used as indicators of ice-free conditions as previously suggested for southern Norway. Our results have implications for the potential for land surface preservation beneath ice sheets and for glacial reconstructions in northern Fennoscandia.     

雷州半岛九斗洋干玛珥湖火山机构与第四系空间展布——基于高密度电阻率法勘测和钻孔研究

为查明雷琼火山群中九斗洋干玛珥湖的第四纪地层空间展布,以及埋藏古火山形态,为后续研究提供地质背景资料,采用高效、便捷的高密度电阻率法对九斗洋干玛珥湖湖盆区进行勘测,并结合钻孔岩芯的研究进行验证。得出的主要结论为：1）盆地深部地层最高电阻率可达到300 Ω?m以上,盆地中央基岩以下存在高阻地质体,推测为岩浆通道位置。岩浆经过通道溢出后横向展布,覆于沉积地层上,随后在火山口内形成湖泊,堆积第四纪湖相沉积,其火山机构与玛珥湖型火山一致;2）九斗洋干玛珥湖第四纪松散沉积地层的电阻率通常＜60 Ω?m,泥炭层电阻率最低;3）第四纪沉积总厚度为25~50 m,盆地松散沉积的岩浆岩基底总体平整,但尚有波状起伏。研究结果表明,高密度电阻率法结合钻孔验证是研究火山机构形态及火山口湖第四纪沉积空间展布的有效方法。     

Late Pleistocene to early Holocene aeolian activity in the upper and middle Shoalhaven catchment,New South Wales

Thermoluminescence dating of relict source‐bordering dunes in the middle and upper Shoalhaven catchment show them to have been active between 19ka and 6ka. During this time, except for a brief period of dune stability sometime between 18 ka and 14ka, the climate of this area was considerably drier than present. The onset of aeolian activity here coincides with the glacial maximum indicating that it was not until then that arid or semi‐arid conditions were able to penetrate the humid coastal rim of south‐east Australia. The extension of these conditions into the early Holocene, whilst supported by the palaeobotanical record of nearby Lake George, contrasts with pollen evidence from other nearby catchments, suggesting that there were variable environmental responses throughout the south‐east highlands of NSW to the amelioration in climate during the early Holocene.     

Degradation of unconsolidated Quaternary landforms in the western North America

One of the major goals of geomorphology is to understand the rate of landscape evolution and the constraints that erosion sets on the longevity of land surfaces. The latter has also turned out to be vital in modern applications of cosmogenic exposure dating and interpretation of lichenometric data from unconsolidated landforms. Because the effects of landform degradation have not been well documented, disagreements exist among researchers regarding the importance of degradation processes in the dating techniques applied to exposures. Here, we show that all existing qualitative data and quantitative markers of landform degradation collectively suggest considerable lowering of the surface of unconsolidated landforms over the typical life span of Quaternary moraines or fault scarps. Degradation is ubiquitous and considerable even on short time scales of hundreds of years on steeply sloping landforms. These conservative analyses are based entirely on field observations of decreasing slope angles of landforms over the typical range of ages in western North America and widely accepted modeling of landscape degradation. We found that the maximum depth of erosion on fault scarps and moraines is on average 34% of the initial height of the scarp and 25% of the final height of the moraine. Although our observations are limited to fault scarps and moraines, the results apply to any sloping unconsolidated landform in the western North America. These results invalidate the prevailing assumption of no or little surface lowering on sloping unconsolidated landforms over the Quaternary Period and affirm that accurate interpretations of lichen ages and cosmogenically dated boulder ages require keen understanding of the ever-present erosion. In our view, the most important results are twofold: 1) to show with a large data set that degradation affects universally all sloping unconsolidated landforms, and 2) to unambiguously show that even conservative estimates of the total lowering of the surface operate at time and depth scales that significantly interfere with cosmogenic exposure and lichen dating.     

A rock magnetic record from Lama Lake, Taymyr Peninsula, northern Central Siberia

An 11 m long sediment core ftorn Lama Lake, Northern Siberia, has been subjected to intense sedimentological, geochemical and rock magnetic analyses. According to a palynologic investigation the recovered sediments cover the whole Holocene and the late Pleistocene reaching back to about 17 ka. IRM acquisition experiments, hysteresis loop and back field as well as thermomagnetic measurements revealed magnetite in the pseudo-single domain range as the only remanence carrier. Sharp rock magnetic boundaries occur at 20 and 745 cm sub-bottom depth that are clearly linked to shifts in the median grain size of the magnetite. These boundaries are close to the present boundaries that bracket an anoxic zone between the subrecent and a late Pleistocene oxic section of the sediments. Within the anoxic section, magnetites are characterized by significantly larger median grain sizes but within a very narrow grain size range. The shift from fine grained magnetite within the oxic sediments to coarse grained magnetite is interpreted as the result of dissolution of the finest magnetite grains within the anoxic sediments. A significant shift of the Ti/Fe-ratio of the bulk sediment at a sub-bottom depth of 735 cm does not correspond to thermomagnetic properties, i.e. Curie-temperatures do not follow the variable Ti-content of the sediment.     

Thermoluminescence chronology of late quaternary deposition on the riverine plain of South‐Eastern Australia

Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of surficial deposits of the Riverine Plain of south‐eastern Australia has revealed a record of fluvial, aeolian and lacustrine deposition during the last 100,000 years (100Ka). At the end of the last interglacial the Plain was networked by low sinuosity, bedload‐dominated prior streams which declined in activity after about 85Ka. A subsequent phase of prior stream activity in the northern Murrumbidgee region dates at between 50 and 40Ka and corresponds with a period of high lake levels in southern Australia. Local tectonism on the southern part of the plain confuses an interpretation of riverine response to changing Pleistocene climate. TL dates show that drainage diversion in response to tectonic movement along the Cadell Fault near Echuca began as early as 60Ka but that the damming of the Goulburn River to produce Lake Kanyapella did not occur until about 30Ka. Hydrologic changes on the Riverine Plain correlate broadly with those documented elsewhere in Australia, notably in the Lake Eyre Basin and numerous inland playa systems.     

Circular moraine features on the Varanger Peninsula, northern Norway, and their possible relation to polythermal ice sheet coverage

This paper introduces a new hypothesis about the formation of circular moraine features (CMFs) on felsenmeer-covered plateaux of the Varanger Peninsula, northern Norway. CMFs and glacial lineations in the northwestern part of the Varanger Peninsula were mapped from aerial photographs. In two CMF-rich areas, Base œrro-Plateau and Båtsfjordfjellet, the CMFs were investigated during fieldwork. The aim was to investigate possible entrainment, transport and deposition mechanisms of the CMFs in connection to ice sheet properties.The CMFs were deposited in connection with a polythermal ice cover. During glaciations, the ice sheet was cold-based on the boulder field plateaux and warm-based in valleys, especially in ice drainage pathways towards fjords. The CMF material was probably entrained en masse, on the Varanger Peninsula, in transition zones between warm- and cold-based ice. The debris transport took place close to the ice base. During deglaciation, the debris formed dirt cones, slowing down the melting of underlying dead-ice blocks. As material slid down the margins of the cones, the typical CMF shape was formed.     

New progress and problems of Quaternary moraine dating in the Tibetan Plateau

Since the 20th century, numerous Quaternary moraine dating methods have emerged, including lichenometric, moraine 14C, quartz sand thermoluminescence （TL）, electron spin resonance （ESR）, optically stimulated luminescence （OSL） and 10Be, 26A1, 36C1, 3H, 21Ne nuclide dating methods. These dating methods are widely applied to determine moraine ages and have provided a large dataset. Unfortunately each method has its defects. In this paper, we will review these various dating methods and provide some comments.     

Monsoon triggered formation of Quaternary alluvial megafans in the interior of Oman

A vast bajada consisting of coalescing low-gradient (< 0.3°) alluvial fans exceeding 100 km in length formed along the southwestern margin of the Oman Mountains. It comprises an old fan sequence of inferred Miocene to Pliocene age termed Barzaman Formation, diagenetically highly altered to dolomitic clays, and a thin veneer of weakly cemented Quaternary gravels. A combination of remote sensing, lithological analyses and luminescence dating is used to interpret the complex aggradation history of the Quaternary alluvial fans from the interior of Oman in the context of independent regional climate records. From satellite imagery and clast analysis four fans can be discerned in the study area. While two early periods of fan formation are tentatively correlated to the Miocene–Pliocene and the Early Pleistocene, luminescence dating allows the distinction of five phases of fan aggradation during the Middle–Late Pleistocene. These phases are correlated with pluvial periods from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 through 3, when southern Arabia was affected by monsoonal precipitation. It is concluded that the aggradation of the alluvial fans was triggered by the interplay of increased sediment production during arid periods and high rainfall with enhanced erosion of hillslopes and transport rates during strong monsoon phases. However, the lack of fine-grained sediments, bioturbation and organic material implies that although the Quaternary fans are sourced by monsoonal rains they formed in a semi-arid environment. Thus, it appears that, in contrast to the Oman Mountains, the interior was not directly affected by monsoonal precipitation.     

Late Quaternary climate and environmental change derived from glacial deposits in the Parlung Zangbo Valley,southeastern Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the late Quaternary climate and environmental characteristics of two tributary valleys (Xingmu and Depu Valleys) in the Parlung Zangbo Valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples collected from moraines at the mouth of Xingmu Valley produce a wide age range from 13.9 ka to 76 ka. The ages measured from the lenticular sand are consistent with the relative geomorphic sequence of the landforms. Lenticular sand layers below the moraine were dated to 37.9 ka and 44.7 ka, indicating that fluvial processes were likely dominant in the valley during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. The outer moraine ridges at the valley mouth were formed during 13.9 ka and 26.5 ka, corresponding to MIS2. At Depu Valley, OSL samples from two sets of lateral and terminal moraines close to the modern glacier, provide ages from 1.4 ka to 29.2 ka. The paleosol layer widely developed during 2.6 cal ka BP and 8.7 cal ka BP in the study area, reflecting a relatively warm condition during the mid-Holocene.     

Surface velocity estimations of ice shelves in the northern Antarctic Peninsula derived from MODIS data

The ice shelves in the northern Antarctic Peninsula are highly sensitive to variations of temperature and have therefore served as indicators of global warming. In this study, we estimate the velocities of the ice shelves in the northern Antarctic Peninsula using co-registration of optically sensed images and correlation module (COSI-Corr) in the Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images during 2000-2012, from which we conclude that the ice ?ow directions generally match the peninsulas pattern and the crevasse, ice flows mainly eastward into the Weddell Sea. The spatial pattern of velocity field exhibits an increasing trend from the western grounding line to the maximum at the middle part of the ice shelf front on Larsen C with a velocity of approximately 700 ma^-1, and the velocity field shows relatively higher values in its southerly neighboring ice shelf (e.g. Smith Inlet). Additionally, ice ?ows are relatively quicker in the outer part of the ice shelf than in the inner parts. Temporal changes in surface velocities show a continuous increase from 2000 to 2012. It is worth noting that, the acceleration rate during 2000-2009 is relatively higher than that during 2009-2012, while the ice movement on the southern Larsen C and Smith Inlet shows a deceleration from 2009 to 2012.     

Late Quaternary Palaeoenvironment of Spring Lake,Alberta, Canada

Palaeoenvironmental investigations based upon sediment cores taken from Spring Lake in the Peace River District of Alberta, Canada (latitude 55° 31 N; longitude 119° 35 W) show that the sedimentary record spans the Holocene period. Chemical and diatom changes coincide with regional climatic change since deglaciation (about 11 000 yr. B.P.). Calcite laminations in the basal 3 metres of the cores are evident, and were probably formed through elevated water temperature although photosynthetic removal of CO₂ undoubtedly contributed. The disappearance of the laminations, and concurrent decrease in calcite X-ray diffraction peaks ca. 5000 yr. B.P. may have been caused by a change from a partially meromictic to a dimictic lake as the climate changed. Benthic and alkaline diatoms dominate before 5000 yr. B.P., while the planktonic Stephanodiscus hantzschii dominated between 5100 and 4200 yr. B.P. probably owing to increased nutrient levels. From ca. 4200 yr. B.P. until the present, benthic Fragilaria spp. and more circumneutral diatoms were dominant. Palaeoproduction, as measured by chlorophyll derivates, was highest in the early developmental stages of the lake, decreased coinciding with a major disturbance of the sediments and lowered water levels, and then gradually increased again until present. Only during the earlier period of peak production does biogenic calcite formation appear more important than calcite deposition caused by high water temperatures.     

Comparison of tide model outputs for the northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula using satellite altimeters and tide gauge data

This study compares the common harmonic constants of the O₁, K₁, P₁, Q₁, M₂, S₂, N₂, and K₂ tidal constituents from eight global and four regional tide models with harmonic constants from satellite altimeter and tide gauge data for the northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula (58°S–66°S, 53°W–66°W). To obtain a more representative comparison, the study area was divided into three zones with different physical characteristics but similar maximum tidal amplitude variations: Zone I (north of 62°S), Zone II (south of 62°S and west of the Antarctic Peninsula), and Zone III (between 62°S and 64.3°S, and east of 58.5°W). Root sum square (RSS) values are less than or equal to 3.0, 4.2, and 8.4 cm for zones I, II, and III, respectively. No single model shows superior performance in all zones. Because there are insufficient satellite altimetry observations in the vicinity of Matienzo Base (64.9761°S, 60.0683°W), this station was analyzed separately and presents the greatest values of both root mean square misfit and RSS. The maximum, minimum, and average amplitude values of the constituents that follow in importance after the eight common tidal constituents, and which have amplitudes greater than 1 cm, are also analyzed.     

广东深圳大鹏半岛海岸地貌特征

大鹏半岛位于广东省深圳市东部,海岸地貌类型多样,可分为基岩海岸、堆积海岸和生物海岸3大类型。文章根据野外调查和室内实验分析的结果论述了大鹏半岛海岸地貌类型、分布和成因,并在前人的研究基础上讨论了大鹏半岛海岸地貌演化过程：由于大鹏半岛处在构造隆升区,海岸类型以基岩海岸为主。多处基岩海岸保留了完好的海蚀崖、海蚀平台、海蚀槽穴、海蚀柱等各类典型的海蚀地貌。该半岛的堆积海岸主要发育于岩石岬角间的海湾内,在有河流流入的海湾处形成岬湾沙坝―澙湖海岸,在无河流的海岸处则形成湾顶海滩。半岛中段狭窄的呈哑铃状腰部的东岸,因深入内凹、波浪减弱,有淤泥质海岸发育;红树林发育于淤泥质海岸以及各澙湖内,而半岛周边浅海区有珊瑚群落生长。大鹏半岛以及邻近地区海岸地貌特征和海岸沉积物年代数据显示：1）地质构造与海平面升降是塑造该半岛海岸地貌的主要因素;2）该半岛的海岸地貌是在中全新世早期以后才开始发育的;3）该半岛全新世以来不存在强烈的地壳抬升;4）该半岛海岸中全新世出现过高于现代海平面的高海面。     

Large rockslides in the Southern Central Andes of Chile (32–34.5°S): Tectonic control and significance for Quaternary landscape evolution

The distribution and age of large (> 0.1 km²) Pliocene to recent rockslides in the Chilean Cordillera Principal (32–34.5 S), the Southern Central Andes, has been analyzed to determine the rockslide triggering mechanisms and impact on regional landscape evolution. Most of the rockslides appear in the western Cordillera Principal and cluster along major geological structures. Variographic analyses show spatial correlation between rockslides, geological structures and shallow seismicity. A relative chronosequence was calibrated with existing ¹⁴C and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates and new cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages for selected rockslides. Rockslide-induced sediment yield was estimated with empirical relations for rockslide area distributions. Throughout the Quaternary, rockslides have delivered sediment to streams at rates equivalent to denudation rates of 0.10 ±0.06 mm a^− 1, while estimates using short term (20 a) seismicity records are 0.3_− 0.2^+ 0.6 mm a^− 1. The estimates of sediment transfer and the spatial distribution of rockslides reflect a landscape in which tectonic and geological controls on denudation are more significant than climate.     

U- and Th-series disequilibria in coastal infill sediments from Praia da Rocha (Algarve Region, Portugal): a contribution to the study of late Quaternary weathering and erosion

U- and Th-series disequilibria observed in a sequence of infill sediments from Praia da Rocha, southern Portugal, were used in combination with geochemical and particle size data to investigate sediment provenance with a view to resolving the late Quaternary weathering and erosion history of the Algarve region, and the stratigraphy of coastal karstic exposures of the Faro/Quarteira (FQ) formation. The red infill units can be distinguished from the brown and buff units on the basis of their lower residual U- and Th-concentrations, their differing post-depositional histories (as revealed by U- and Th-series disequilibria in sequentially extracted sediment phases), and their greater degree of sediment processing. Hence, the buff and brown infill units appear to be derived locally from weathering of the Miocene limestone whilst the red infill may be linked to large-scale mass movement of the FQ formation from further inland, but south of Silves, during the Late Pleistocene. This sequence of events confirms a close association between the formation of karst topography and infilling by gravitational slumping, debris flow and fluvial activity, and, hence, accounts for the complex (three-stage) sediment provenance of the infill material.     

Summer Water Balance Characteristics of Koryto Glacier, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

The daily water balance for the drainage basin of Koryto Glacier, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, was calculated during the period from August to September 2000. The result shows that 14×10⁶ m³ of meltwater and 2×10⁶ m³ of rainwater entered the basin, while 26×10⁶ m³ of water drained from the basin through proglacial streams. Thus, about ?9×10⁶ m³ of water storage reduction occurred in the basin. Vertical displacements of the glacier surface showed that the volume change due to contraction of subglacial cavities was nearly 20% of the total storage change. The remaining fraction of water storage during the period is thought to be stored in englacial and supraglacial locations. The estimate of water balance components in the early ablation season in 2000 indicates that meltwater was already stored within the glacier before the spring, even during the previous year, and that the stored water drained through the ablation season.     

2011/2012年夏季南极半岛北端周边海域的水团与水交换

通过分析中国第28次南极考察队于2011年12月至2012年1月在南极半岛北端周边海域获得的5条断面CTD观测温盐剖面数据, 进一步认识了该海域的水团组成和水交换情况。观测区域南部的鲍威尔海盆及周边深海区, 可以观测到保持了较显著高温核心的威德尔深层水、密度大于28.27 kg·m^-3的威德尔海深层水以及温度低于－0.7 ℃的威德尔海底层水。周边陆坡上的威德尔海深层水则表现出因与周围水体发生混合而核心性质减弱的特征。在菲利普海岭、埃斯佩里兹海槽等复杂地形处, 观测到的对应于威德尔海深层水深度的混合与热盐入侵过程更为显著。威德尔海深层水能够到达南设得兰群岛以北的象岛东北面海域, 但是高盐核心加深至1 500 db, 并上覆温度基本不变但盐度随深度显著增大的较暖水体, 表明威德尔海深层水经历了不同的路径和变性过程。布兰斯菲尔德海峡中没有绕极深层水大规模侵入的迹象, 但是乔治王岛周边陆架上可能存在涡旋等中尺度过程, 会影响德雷克海峡与布兰斯菲尔德海峡之间的水交换。     

Late Quaternary climates and limnology of the Lake Winnebago basin, Wisconsin, based on ostracodes

Ostracodes document a series of late Quaternary climatic and limnologic changes within the Lake Winnebago basin of east-central Wisconsin. Using a ¹⁴ C, ¹³⁷Cs, and ²¹⁰Pb-based geochronology, Lake Winnebago ostracode abundances were compared to regional patterns of ostracode biogeography and the paleontological, sedimentological, and geochemical records of Elk Lake (Clearwater County), Minnesota, in order to interpret past temperature and hydrochemical changes in Lake Winnebago. Lake Winnebago sediments contain five major ostracode species, Candona ohioensis, Candona rawsoni, Cytherissa lacustris, Limnocythere verrucosa, and Physocypria pustulosa. In combination with sedimentology and geochronology, variations in the abundances of these species allow the late Quaternary record of the Lake Winnebago basin to be subdivided into five major climatic intervals: (1) glacial to post-glacial (15.5–11.0 ka), (2) cold and variable immediate post-glacial (11.0–10.4 ka), (3) warmer and wet early Holocene (10.4–7.8 ka), (4) warm but not particularly dry middle Holocene (7.8–4.2 ka), and (5) warm and moist late Holocene (4.2 ka-present).