A computer-assisted thin-section study of Lake Baikal sediments: a tool for understanding sedimentary processes and deciphering their climatic signal

A freeze-drying technique for cutting thin-sections of soft sediments without disturbance is used to study several Lake Baikal sedimentary microstructures. Image analysis methodology is applied to selected thin-sections. This new technique provides quantification of the size, shape, orientation and packing of the objects forming the sedimentary structures. Sedimentary processes, which were previously poorly documented, have been identified, and others are better understood. Spheroidal lens-like pure aggregates of the diatom genus Synedra are found in hemipelagic sediments, providing a new insight into their traditional paleoecological interpretation. They are possibly related to a transportation mechanism from the littoral zone or to lacustrine snow. Laminae of Aulacoseira have also been recorded. Evidence of rapid sedimentation suggests they are due to massive algal blooms. The depositional mechanism that was suggested by other studies for explaining the laminations at the Buguldeika uplift is confirmed: the hemipelagic sedimentation is interrupted by terrigenous pulses due to discharge events. The sedimentation rate appears to be increasing during these pulses. Preliminary results from the Academician Ridge show stronger microbioturbation during cold periods. This observation strengthens the hypothesis of intense water circulation during colder times. Thin-section image analysis provides crucial information for deciphering lacustrine records and their regional and palaeoclimatic significance. Received: 27 November 1998 / Accepted: 13 September 1999     

Mantle structure and rifting processes in the Baikal–Mongolia region: geophysical data and evidence from xenoliths in volcanic rocks

The origin of the Baikal rift zone (BRZ) has been debated between the advocates of passive and active rifting since the 1970s. A re-assessment of the relevant geological and geophysical data from Russian and international literature questions the concept of broad asthenospheric upwelling beneath the rift zone that has been the cornerstone of many “active rifting” models. Results of a large number of early and recent studies favour the role of far-field forces in the opening and development of the BRZ. This study emphasises the data obtained through studies of peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths brought to the surface by alkali basaltic magmas in southern Siberia and central Mongolia. These xenoliths are direct samples of the upper mantle in the vicinity of the BRZ. Of particular importance are suites of garnet-bearing xenoliths that have been used to construct P–T- composition lithospheric cross-sections in the region for the depth range of 35–80 km.Xenolith studies have shown fundamental differences in the composition and thermal regime between the lithospheric mantle beneath the ancient Siberian platform (sampled by kimberlites) and beneath younger mobile belts south of the platform. The uppermost mantle in southern Siberia and central Mongolia is much hotter at similar levels than the mantle in the Siberian craton and also has significantly higher contents of ‘basaltic’ major elements (Ca, Al, Na) and iron, higher Fe/Si and Fe/Mg. The combination of the moderately high geothermal gradient and the fertile compositions in the off-cratonic mantle appears to be a determining factor controlling differences in sub-Moho seismic velocities relative to the Siberian craton. Chemical and isotopic compositions of the off-cratonic xenoliths indicate small-scale and regional mantle heterogeneities attributed to various partial melting and enrichment events, consistent with long-term evolution in the lithospheric mantle. Age estimates of mantle events based on Os–Sr–Nd isotopic data can be correlated with major regional stages of crustal formation and may indicate long-term crust–mantle coupling. The ratios of ^143/144Nd in many LREE-depleted xenoliths are higher than those in MORB or OIB source regions and are not consistent with a recent origin from asthenospheric mantle.Mantle xenoliths nearest to the rift basins (30–50 km south of southern Lake Baikal) show no unequivocal evidence for strong heating, unusual stress and deformation, solid state flow, magmatic activity or partial melting that could be indicative of an asthenospheric intrusion right below the Moho. Comparisons between xenoliths from older and younger volcanic rocks east of Lake Baikal, together with observations on phase transformations and mineral zoning in individual xenoliths, have indicated recent heating in portions of the lithospheric mantle that may be related to localised magmatic activity or small-scale ascent of deep mantle material. Overall, the petrographic, P–T, chemical and isotopic constraints from mantle xenoliths appear to be consistent with recent geophysical studies, which found no evidence for a large-scale asthenospheric upwarp beneath the rift, and lend support to passive rifting mechanism for the BRZ.     

Climate change in Lake Baikal: diatom evidence in an area of continuous sedimentation

The presence of inhomogeneous sedimentation is acknowledged as being an important problem in palaeolimnological studies. Sediment records can be disturbed by erosional and redepositional events, which redeposit microfossils within a basin and may then lead to misinterpretations of fossil diatom assemblages. This study uses a combination of sedimentological tools, magnetic susceptibility measurements and high-resolution diatom analysis to show that a sediment core, BAIK80, taken in 345 m water depth from a shoulder region in the North Basin of Lake Baikal, is free of disturbances. Our results confirm that the sediment record is consistent and continuous for the uppermost sediment. Consequently, the fossil diatom data can be used to establish a continuous record of past climate variability over approximately the past 1300 years. Distinct changes occur in downcore abundances of endemic taxa Aulacoseira baicalensis and Cyclotella minuta, and principal components analysis (PCA) indicates a gradual transformation of taxa over the past 1300 years. These changes are likely to be related to climate, although definite links still have to be established. Received: 15 December 1998 / Accepted: 13 September 1999     

新疆和田玉和俄罗斯贝加尔湖地区软玉的岩石学特征研究

通过对新疆和田玉以及俄罗斯贝加尔湖地区软玉的化学成分、矿物组成、结构构造等方面的研究和对比,从岩石学的角度较系统地总结了两者的异同点,指出两者主要成分和主要矿物组成是近似的,但主要结构有区别,因而在外观上也有一定的差别,这对于两者的开发和利用有重要的实际意义.     

Paleoenvironmental proxy records from Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, and a synthesis of Holocene climate change in the Lake Baikal watershed

Here we discuss paleoenvironmental evolution in the Baikal region during the Holocene using new records of aquatic (diatom) and terrestrial vegetation changes from Hovsgol, Mongolia's largest and deepest lake. We reconcile previous contradictory Baikal timescales by constraining reservoir corrections of AMS dates on bulk sedimentary organic carbon. Synthesis of the Holocene records in the Baikal watershed reveals a northward progression in landscape/vegetation changes and an anti-phase behavior of diatom and biogenic silica proxies in neighboring rift lakes. In Lake Baikal, these proxies appear to be responsive to annual temperature increases after 6 ka, whereas in Lake Hovsgol they respond to higher precipitation/runoff from 11 to 7 ka. Unlike around Lake Baikal, warmer summers between 6 and 3.5 ka resulted in the decline, not expansion, of forest vegetation around Lake Hovsgol, apparently as a result of higher soil temperatures and lower moisture availability. The regional climatic proxy data are consistent with a series of 500-yr time slice Holocene GCM simulations for continental Eurasia. Our results allow reevaluation of the concepts of ‘the Holocene optimum’ and a ‘maximum of the Asian summer monsoon’, as applied to paleoclimate records from continental Asia.     

Multi-Wavelength Synchrotron Radiation XRF Determination of U and Th in Sedimentary Cores from Lake Baikal

A new technique for the determination of uranium and thorium in lacustrine sediments is based on non-destructive synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis (SR-XRF) of sediment samples using monochromatic beams of different energies as excitation sources, with the recording and subsequent iterative processing of the X-ray fluorescence spectra. The technique has a multielement capability and enables fast, simultaneous analysis of a few tens of elements. The proposed SR-XRF technique was tested against INAA and ICP-MS methods and showed a number of advantages with a generally good correlation of results by the three methods. Uranium and Th profiles have been measured at a time resolution of 2 kyr in a drill core (BDP-96) from Lake Baikal bottom sediments deposited between 780 and 40 kyr B P. During this time span, peaks in the U and U/Th concentration marked warm climates. Oscillations of U and U/Th in Baikal bottom sediments during the Brunhes chron reflect climate-induced global change in the volume of polar ice, controlled by long-term cyclicity of the Earths orbital parameters. The response of these warm periods is similar to that observed earlier in shorter cores that span the two last interglacials (220-0 kyr BP).     

Arcellaceans (thecamoebians): new tools for monitoring long- and short-term changes in lake bottom acidity

 James Lake, northeastern Ontario, Canada, has been impacted by the dumping of waste rock from a pyrite mine. High levels of Fe, Al and SO₄, and low pH (2.0–5.5) are recorded in the lake. Lake configuration and current direction result in contaminated areas being restricted to the southwestern portion of the lake. Near neutral pH and low metal levels are recorded elsewhere. Analysis of arcellacean faunas from the lake indicate that one species, Arcella vulgaris, is able to thrive in even the most hostile areas of the lake. The absence of other arcellaceans indicative of contaminated substrates in higher pH lakes, such as centropyxids and Difflugia protaeiformis strains, suggests that pH is the dominant control on the distribution of this assemblage. Analysis of arcellaceans from a core at the site indicates that contamination and acidification (pH values <5.5) problems in James Lake have existed for at least 1300 years, clearly predating mining activity. Prior to that time high proportions of centropyxid species indicate less acid conditions (pH>5.5) prevailed, but a stressed environment existed for several thousand years. The recognition that Arcellacean faunas can now be used to characterize industrially, and naturally contaminated environments of both low and high pH, provides an important new paleolimnological tool. Received: 6 October 1998 · Accepted: 23 February 1999     

Anthropogenic influences on hydrocarbon contents of sediments deposited in eastern Lake Ontario since 1800

 The amounts and types of extractable hydrocarbon components in sediment cores from the Rochester Basin of eastern Lake Ontario provide a record of environmental changes that have accompanied the settlement and population growth of the surrounding land areas. Sediments deposited prior to the mid-1800s contain low concentrations of hydrocarbons that are dominated by land-plant wax components. Concentrations begin to rise in the late 1800s as erosion of soil and nutrients from watershed areas accelerated. This pattern continues into modern times. Episodes of enhanced aquatic productivity are sometimes recorded in twentieth-century sediments by the dominance of algal hydrocarbons, but land-plant components typically predominate. Petroleum residues begin to appear in sediments deposited in the late 1800's but remain minor constituents of the hydrocarbon contents of modern sediments in the Rochester Basin. Received: 21 March 1995 · Accepted: 11 August 1995     

Geology and evolution of lakes in north-central Florida

 Fluid exchange between surficial waters and groundwater in karst environments, and the processes that control exchange, are of critical concern to water management districts and planners. High-resolution seismic data were collected from 30 lakes of north-central Florida. In each case study, lake structure and geomorphology were controlled by solution and/or mechanical processes. Processes that control lake development are twofold: (1) karstification or dissolution of the underlying limestone, and (2) the collapse, subsidence, or slumping of overburden to form sinkholes. Initial lake formation is directly related to the karst topography of the underlying host limestone. Case studies have shown that lakes can be divided by geomorphic types into progressive developmental phases: (1) active subsidence or collapse phase (young); (2) transitional phase (middle age); (3) baselevel phase (mature); and (4) polje (drowned prairie) – broad flat-bottom that have one or all phases of sinkhole. Using these criteria, Florida lakes can be classified by size, fill, subsurface features, and geomorphology. Received: 28 July 1998 · Accepted: 9 September 1998     

Stable isotopes and heavy metal distribution in Dreissena polymorpha (Zebra Mussels) from western basin of Lake Erie, Canada

 Dreissena polymorpha is an exotic freshwater bivalve species which was introduced into the Great Lakes system in the fall of 1985 through the release of ballast water from European freighters. Utilizing individual growth rings of the shells, the stable isotope distribution (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) was determined for the life history of selected samples which were collected from the western basin of Lake Erie. These bivalves deposit their shell in near equilibrium with the ambient water and thus reflect any annual variation of the system in the isotopic records held within their shells. Observed values for δ¹⁸O range from -6.64 to –9.46‰ with an average value of –7.69‰ PDB, while carbon values ranged from –0.80 to –4.67‰ with an average value of –1.76‰ PDB. Dreissena polymorpha shells incorporate metals into their shells during growth. Individual shell growth increments were analyzed for Pb, Fe, Mg, Mn, Cd, Cu, and V concentrations. The shells show increased uptake of certain metals during periods of isotopic enrichment which correspond with warmer water temperatures. Since metals are incorporated into the shells, the organism may be useful as a biomonitor of metal pollution within aquatic environments. Received: 31 October 1996 · Accepted: 21 May 1997     

贝加尔湖滨奥里洪地区新构造特征及其成因模式初探

贝加尔裂谷带是全球典型的大陆裂谷带之一,新构造运动强烈。滨奥里洪地区是贝加尔裂谷带断裂发育最完好的地区。位于滨奥里洪中部的萨尔玛河谷和奥里洪门新构造运动非常强烈,萨尔玛河谷在地形上呈规则的折线状,而奥里洪门发育有两侧对称的湖湾。沿萨尔玛河谷发育有一组X型节理,而奥里洪门两侧发育有完好的断层三角面山,因此,萨尔玛河谷和奥里洪门可能是在早期追踪张裂的基础上发育起来的。滨奥里洪地区还发育有一系列NE和NW走向的次级断裂,它们的发育受滨海断裂铲式枢纽断层特征的控制。分析这些次级断裂的特征和性质,提出了与它们发育有关的三种作用力:①枢纽断层造成的NE-SW向局部拉张;②铲式断层的旋转效应产生反向滑动;③铲式断层的不均匀旋转产生剪切效应,并在此基础上对滨奥里洪地区的新构造运动过程作了概括和总结。     

Stratotype of the Chaya Formation of the Akitkan Group in the North Baikal volcanoplutonic belt: age and time of sedimentation

With U-Pb zircon dating, we determined the age of rhyodacites composing sedimentary covers among coarse-terrigenous rocks of the lowermost Chaya Formation of the Akitkan Group (North Baikal volcanoplutonic belt). These rocks are considered to have formed during the sedimentation. The dates (1863±9 Ma) permitted estimation of the age of basal beds of the Chaya Formation and substantiate the age boundary between the Khibelen and Chaya Formations of the Akitkan Group. The determined age and earlier dates of igneous rocks intruding the Chaya Formation deposits suggest that the latter accumulated for 10 Myr.     

Controls of surface erosion on the evolution of the Alps: constraints from the stratigraphies of the adjacent foreland basins

 The combined information about the stratigraphies from the foreland basins surrounding the Swiss Alps, exhumation mechanisms and the structural evolution of the Alpine orogenic wedge allow an evaluation of the controls of erosion rates on large-scale Alpine tectonic evolution. Volumetric data from the Molasse Basin and fining-upward trends in the Gonfolite Lombarda indicate that at ∼20 Ma, average erosion rates in the Alps decreased by >50%. It appears that at that time, erosion rates decreased more rapidly than crustal uplift rates. As a result, surface uplift occurred. Because of surface uplift, the drainage pattern of the Alpine hinterland evolved from an across-strike to the present-day along-strike orientation. Furthermore, the decrease of average erosion rates at ∼20 Ma coincides with initiation of a phase of thrusting in the Jura Mountains and the Southern Alpine nappes at ∼50 km distance from the pre-20-Ma thrust front. Coupled erosion-mechanical models of orogens suggest that although rates of crustal convergence decreased between the Oligocene and the present, the reduction of average erosion rates at ∼20 Ma was high enough to have significantly influenced initiation of the state of growth of the Swiss Alps at that time. Received: 8 June 1998 / Accepted: 30 October 1998     

Detrital chromites in metasediments of the East-Arabian continental margin in the Saih Hatat area: constraints for the palaeogeographic setting of the Hawasina and Semail basins (Oman Mountains)

 In Oman, the convergence between Arabia and Eurasia resulted in the Late Cretaceous overthrusting of oceanic crust and mantle lithosphere onto the Arabian continental margin. During this compressional event, a part of the continental plate was subducted to a depth of more than 60 km (0.5 GPa, 250–350  °C to more than 2.0 GPa, 550  °C) resulting in progressive metamorphism of the continental margin sediments, well exposed in the Saih Hatat tectonic window, northeastern Oman Mountains. We attempt to constrain the possibility of one continuous history of extension (starting along the east Arabian continental margin in the Permian) that was followed by one continuous history of convergence starting at 90 Ma near a dead oceanic ridge. This compression resulted in the observed progressive metamorphism by ophiolite overthrusting onto the continental margin. Constraining arguments are the palaeogeographic setting before ophiolite obduction of the As Sifah units and the Hawasina Complex near Ghurba. Detrital chromites in the Triassic–Cretaceous metasediments of the Hawasina Complex are compared with magmatic Semail chromites, and the whole-rock chemistry of these metasediments and associated metabasites are investigated. In contrast to former hypotheses, differences in the chemical composition between detrital and magmatic chromites, and the probable origin of all detrital chromites in the Hawasina Basin from Permian age oceanic rocks, suggest that the high-pressure metamorphic sediments of As Sifah can be considered as part of the basal deposits of the Hawasina Basin. Received: 1 September 1998 / Accepted: 18 January 1999     

Location of OH groups and oxidation processes in triclinic chloritoid

Triclinic Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺-chloritoid end members, as well as Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺-chloritoid solid solutions were synthesized in order to determine the location of the OH groups in the structure and to investigate the possibility of Fe³⁺ incorporation on the M1B site and the corresponding oxidation mechanism. The samples were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy, electron energy-loss and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, polarized single-crystal, KBr powder and in situ high-pressure infrared spectroscopy. The structure of a natural triclinic chloritoid was refined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in order to locate the proton-accepting oxygens in the triclinic structure. The results of valence bond calculations, polarized single-crystal and in situ high-pressure IR spectroscopy revealed that the orientations of the OH dipoles are the same as those in monoclinic chloritoid. The annealing experiments in air show that the incorporation of Fe³⁺ on M1B increases with temperature. After 3?h at 530?°C all Fe²⁺ was oxidized to Fe³⁺ without decomposition of the structure. This also holds true for a heating duration of 24?h. The incorporation of Fe³⁺ at M1B sites is coupled with a dehydration process starting at about 350?°C during which the H1A protons leave first.     

Stratigraphy, depositional environments and level reconstruction of the last interglacial Lake Samra in the Dead Sea basin

In this paper we describe the stratigraphy and sediments deposited in Lake Samra that occupied the Dead Sea basin between ∼ 135 and 75 ka. This information is combined with U/Th dating of primary aragonites in order to estimate a relative lake-level curve that serves as a regional paleohydrological monitor. The lake stood at an elevation of ∼ 340 m below mean sea level (MSL) during most of the last interglacial. This level is relatively higher than the average Holocene Dead Sea (∼ 400 ± 30 m below MSL). At ∼ 120 and ∼ 85 ka, Lake Samra rose to ∼ 320 m below MSL while it dropped to levels lower than ∼ 380 m below MSL at ∼ 135 and ∼ 75 ka, reflecting arid conditions in the drainage area. Lowstands are correlated with warm intervals in the Northern Hemisphere, while minor lake rises are probably related to cold episodes during MIS 5b and MIS 5d. Similar climate relationships are documented for the last glacial highstand Lake Lisan and the lowstand Holocene Dead Sea. Yet, the dominance of detrital calcites and precipitation of travertines in the Dead Sea basin during the last interglacial interval suggest intense pluvial conditions and possible contribution of southern sources of wetness to the region.     

Electrons in feldspar II: a consideration of the influence of conduction band-tail states on luminescence processes

 Most natural feldspars contain many charged impurities, and display a range of bond angles, distributed about the ideal. These effects can lead to complications in the structure of the conduction band, giving rise to a tail of energy states (below the high-mobility conduction band) through which electrons can travel, but with reduced mobility: transport through these states is expected to be thermally activated. The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly, we consider what kind of lattice perturbations could give rise to both localized and extended conduction band-tail states. Secondly, we consider what influence the band tails have on the luminescence properties of feldspar, where electrons travel through the sample prior to recombination. The work highlights the dominant role that 0.04–0.05-eV phonons play in both the luminescence excitation and emission processes of these materials. It also has relevance in the dating of feldspar sediments at elevated temperatures. Received: 11 May 2001 / Accepted: 6 September 2001     

Spatial distribution of major and trace elements in shallow reservoir sediments: an example from Lake Waco, Texas

 Sediment geochemistry of a shallow (6-m average) reservoir (Lake Waco) was evaluated for the spatial distribution of major and trace elements. Sixty bottom and core samples along a 21-km transect within the reservoir, 18 overbank sediment samples, and 8 rock types in the drainage area were collected and analyzed for major (Al, Ca, Fe) and trace elements (As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, Zn). Elemental concentrations in the reservoir sediments closely correspond to concentrations in the regional rocks and represent a mixture of overbank sediment composition of the tributaries. Elemental concentrations were statistically regressed against Al concentrations in order to establish regional baseline levels and thereby distinguish natural from anthropogenic sources. Spatial geochemical trends, considered in terms of element-to-Al ratio versus V-to-Al ratio, relate to the natural and anthropogenic sources contributing to the elemental concentrations. The spatial elemental distribution in the reservoir, which receive sediments from two mineralogically contrasting basins, reflect textural and mineralogical transition within the reservoir and suggest a progressive mixing of sediment from the tributaries. The spatial elemental distribution and sediment texture suggest that the sediment-source, which determines the sediment-type, has a greater influence on the major- and trace-element distributions in shallow reservoir sediments than bathymetry. Received: 25 September 1997 · Accepted: 3 February 1998     

Natural and anthropogenic influences on the geochemistry of Quaternary lake sediments from Holzmaar, Germany

 The accumulation of heavy metals and trace elements has been investigated in a well laminated sequence of Holocene and late Pleistocene lake sediments composed of diatomaceous gyttja, tuff and silt and clay sediments. Varve chronology of the annually deposited gyttja yielded a continuous high-resolution time sequence and allowed the absolute age dating of the sediment. Fluxes of elements remained largely uniform from the late Pleistocene into the Holocene (12 867–2 364 VT years ago; VT: varve time, years before 1950). Higher trace element and heavy metal fluxes occur from 2 322 to 862 VT years ago and reached their maxima in the uppermost sediments (<845 VT years ago). These increasing element fluxes correlate with increasing inputs of clastic material. The changing accumulation rates are the result of elevated soil erosion in the lake catchment caused by human settlement, deforestation and agricultural activities. Thus disturbances of the natural geochemical cycles of the Holzmaar region have occurred since the beginning of the Iron Age and especially since the beginning of the Middle Ages. Received: 29 May 1996 · Accepted: 19 August 1996     

Groundwater as a geologic agent: An overview of the causes, processes, and manifestations

 The objective of the present paper is to show that groundwater is a general geologic agent. This perception could not, and did not, evolve until the system nature of basinal groundwater flow and its properties, geometries, and controlling factors became recognized and understood through the 1960s and 1970s. The two fundamental causes for groundwater's active role in nature are its ability to interact with the ambient environment and the systematized spatial distribution of its flow. Interaction and flow occur simultaneously at all scales of space and time, although at correspondingly varying rates and intensities. Thus, effects of groundwater flow are created from the land surface to the greatest depths of the porous parts of the Earth's crust, and from a day's length through geologic times. Three main types of interaction between groundwater and environment are identified in this paper, with several special processes for each one, namely: (1) Chemical interaction, with processes of dissolution, hydration, hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction, attack by acids, chemical precipitation, base exchange, sulfate reduction, concentration, and ultrafiltration or osmosis; (2) Physical interaction, with processes of lubrication and pore-pressure modification; and (3) Kinetic interaction, with the transport processes of water, aqueous and nonaqueous matter, and heat. Owing to the transporting ability and spatial patterns of basinal flow, the effects of interaction are cumulative and distributed according to the geometries of the flow systems. The number and diversity of natural phenomena that are generated by groundwater flow are almost unlimited, due to the fact that the relatively few basic types are modified by some or all of the three components of the hydrogeologic environment: topography, geology, and climate. The six basic groups into which manifestations of groundwater flow have been divided are: (1) Hydrology and hydraulics; (2) Chemistry and mineralogy; (3) Vegetation; (4) Soil and rock mechanics; (5) Geomorphology; and (6) Transport and accumulation. Based on such a diversity of effects and manifestations, it is concluded that groundwater is a general geologic agent. Received, December 1998 · Revised, January 1999 · Accepted, January 1999