Stratigraphy and chronology of Provo shoreline deposits and lake‐level implications,Late Pleistocene Lake Bonneville,eastern Great Basin,USA

The Provo shoreline of Lake Bonneville formed following the Bonneville flood, and, based on previous dating, was formed during a period of overflow from about 17.5 to 15.0 cal. ka. In many places the Provo shoreline consists of a pair of distinct shorelines, one ～3 m higher than the other. We present data from two cuts through double beaches to show that the upper beach is younger and represents sedimentation after a lake‐level rise. In addition, the lower beach deposits are internally stratified by beds that suggest three more lake‐level rises during its development. The Provo beach complex thus appears to have been built during rising lake levels, which can be explained by rises in the overflow threshold by sequential landslide deposition. Evaluation of beach altitudes demonstrates that the two beach crests throughout the Bonneville basin experienced equivalent rebound from removal of the lake load, and therefore they formed after the rebound associated with the Bonneville flood occurred in early Provo time. However, radiocarbon ages on gastropods collected within the beach deposits suggest both that the sequence of five beach deposits formed from c.18.1 to c. 17.0 cal. ka, and that the Bonneville flood occurred before 18 cal. ka. These ages are discordant with previous dates on shells within offshore sands, and raise questions about the validity of radiocarbon ages for shells in Lake Bonneville as well as about the age of the Bonneville flood and Provo shoreline. The timing for maximum Provo lake depths and its association with climate stages during deglaciation remain unresolved.     

Carbon and Oxygen Isotopic Composition of Surface‐Sediment Carbonate in Bosten Lake (Xinjiang,China) and its Controlling Factors

Bosten Lake is a mid-latitude lake with water mainly supplied by melting ice and snow in the Tianshan Mountains. The depositional environment of the lake is spatially not uniform due to the proximity of the major inlet and the single outlet in the western part of the lake. The analytical results show that the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of recent lake sediments is related to this specific lacustrine depositional environment and to the resulting carbonate mineralogy. In the southwestern lake region between the Kaidu River inlet and the Kongqi River outlet, carbon isotope composition (δ13C) values of the carbonate sediment (?1‰ to ?2‰) have no relation to the oxygen isotope composition of the carbonate (δ18O) values (?7‰ to ?8‰), with both isotopes showing a low variability. The carbonate content is low (<20%). Carbonate minerals analyzed by X-ray diffraction are mainly composed of calcite, while aragonite was not recorded. The salinity of the lake water is low in the estuary region as a result of the Kaidu River inflow. In comparison, the carbon and oxygen isotope values are higher in the middle and eastern parts of the lake, with δ13C values between approximately +0.5‰ and +3‰, and δ18O values between ?1‰ and ?5‰. There is a moderate correlation between the stable oxygen and carbon isotopes, with a coefficient of correlation r of approximately 0.63. This implies that the lake water has a relatively short residence time. Carbonate minerals constitute calcite and aragonite in the middle and eastern region of the lake. Aragonite and Mg–calcite are formed at higher lake water salinity and temperatures, and larger evaporation effects. More saline lake water in the middle and eastern region of the lake and the enhanced isotopic equilibrium between water and atmospheric CO2 cause the correlating carbon and oxygen isotope values determined for aragonite and Mg–calcite. Evaporation and biological processes are the main reasons for the salinity and carbonate mineralogy influence of the surface-sediment carbonate in Bosten Lake. The lake water residence time and the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and the water body control the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of the carbonate sediment. In addition, organic matter pollution and decomposition result in the abnormally low carbon isotope values of the lake surface-sediment carbonate.     

Late Pleistocene to early Holocene lake level and paleoclimate insights from Stansbury Island, Bonneville basin, Utah

This paper reports on recent multiproxy research conducted to determine the chronology of lake-level fluctuations recorded in sediments from a natural exposure at a classic Bonneville basin site. Grain size, carbonate percentage, magnetic susceptibility, amount of charcoal, and diatom community composition data were collected from the 16 lacustrine units that compose the 122 cm stratigraphic column in Stansbury Gulch. Trends observed in the measured proxies reveal several significant changes in lake level, and thereby effective moisture, over the approximately 14,500 yr time span represented by the sediments. Results (1) verify the effectiveness of the multiproxy approach in Bonneville basin studies, which has been underutilized in this region, (2) reaffirm the double nature of Lake Bonneville's Stansbury oscillation, (3) suggest a previously undocumented post-Gilbert highstand of Great Salt Lake, and (4) identify possible teleconnections between climate events in the Bonneville basin and events in the North Atlantic at about 20,500 and 7500 ¹⁴C yr BP.     

Sedimentology of coexisting travertine and tufa deposits in a mounded geothermal spring carbonate system,Obruktepe, Turkey

The recent discoveries of deeply buried Cretaceous reservoir bodies in the Atlantic Ocean revealed that relationships between the distribution of spring carbonate deposits and faults are poorly understood. The well‐exposed Quaternary deposits at Obruktepe (Denizli Basin, Turkey) provide an opportunity to reconstruct the three‐dimensional sedimentary architecture of such a system. Integration of sedimentological, lithofacies and geochemical analyses reveals complexity in the lateral relationships between sedimentary environments, faults and geothermal spring carbonates. Five environmental systems are distinguished based on the lithofacies analysis: (i) vent; (ii) smooth slope; (iii) travertine‐terrace; (iv) tufa‐barrage; and (v) flood systems. Encrusting, baffling and settling sedimentary processes are reflected in data acquired at several scales, from lithofacies observations to the morphology and arrangement of geobodies, together with microfabrics and stable carbon and oxygen isotope data. Mean values of +4·9‰ δ¹³C and −8·74‰ δ¹⁸O Vienna PeeDee Belemnite reflect geothermal circulation of springwaters. The environmental distribution and lithofacies indicate a lateral continuum between travertine and tufa deposits within this hot spring system. This finding supports two depositional models in which water flow variation is the main control on both CaCO₃ precipitation and the resulting formation of travertine and tufa. The proposed models address the factors responsible for the development of these complex mound‐shaped carbonate spring deposits, and how they are related to fluid circulation at depth and in association with faults.     

Holocene hydrological variability of Lake Ladoga,northwest Russia,as inferred from diatom oxygen isotopes

This article presents a new comprehensive assessment of the Holocene hydrological variability of Lake Ladoga, northwest Russia. The reconstruction is based on oxygen isotopes of lacustrine diatom silica (δ¹⁸O_diatom) preserved in sediment core Co 1309, and is complemented by a diatom assemblage analysis and a survey of modern isotope hydrology. The data indicate that Lake Ladoga has existed as a freshwater reservoir since at least 10.8 cal. ka BP. The δ¹⁸O_diatom values range from +29.8 to +35.0‰, and relatively higher δ¹⁸O_diatom values around +34.7‰ between c. 7.1 and 5.7 cal. ka BP are considered to reflect the Holocene Thermal Maximum. A continuous depletion in δ¹⁸O_diatom since c. 6.1 cal. ka BP accelerates after c. 4 cal. ka BP, indicating Middle to Late Holocene cooling that culminates during the interval 0.8–0.2 cal. ka BP, corresponding to the Little Ice Age. Lake‐level rises result in lower δ¹⁸O_diatom values, whereas lower lake levels cause higher δ¹⁸O_diatom values. The diatom isotope record gives an indication for a rather early opening of the Neva River outflow at c. 4.4–4.0 cal. ka BP. Generally, overall high δ¹⁸O_diatom values around +33.5‰ characterize a persistent evaporative lake system throughout the Holocene. As the Lake Ladoga δ¹⁸O_diatom record is roughly in line with the 60°N summer insolation, a linkage to broader‐scale climate change is likely.     

Sedimentology and isotope geochemistry of lacustrine carbonates of the Oligocene Campins Basin, north-east Spain

The non-marine Campins Basin developed in the Oligocene, during a period of early rifting of the Catalan Coastal Ranges. Lacustrine deposits, interbedded between two alluvial units, comprise shallow and deep lacustrine facies. The lower, shallow lacustrine facies are made up of microbialite buildups and thin limestone beds. In the studied area, these facies are overlain by deep lacustrine facies which consist of alternations of several, metre-thick carbonate- and mudstone-dominated intervals. In addition to calcite, which is characteristic of the shallow lacustrine facies, aragonite and abundant dolomite are present in the deep lacustrine facies. This mineralogical change in the sequence reflects an overall increase in the Mg/Ca ratio of the lake waters. The deep lacustrine sequences are interpreted as having formed in a hydrologically closed basin that was subject to changes in the Mg/Ca ratio of the water, probably related to variations in the evaporation/precipitation rate. The sedimentological, mineralogical and isotopic characteristics of the Campins Basin dolomites suggest that, in general, they are primary in origin. The stable isotope data show an approximate covariance between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in the lower shallow lacustrine carbonates (calcite) which suggests that they formed during the onset of closure of the lake. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of the deep lacustrine carbonates display three different clusters that are roughly related to the carbonate mineralogy. Normalisation with respect to calcite of the isotopic compositions of dolomite and aragonite from the deep lacustrine carbonates allows the integration of all these isotope values into one covariant trend. The sequential appearance of different carbonate minerals and the isotopic covariant trend may indicate an overall evaporative concentration of the lake waters. The change in slope of the covariant trend for the isotope values between the shallow and the deep lacustrine carbonates might reflect the change in the waterbody morphology recorded in the basin fill sequence.     

Age and paleoclimatic significance of the Stansbury shoreline of Lake Bonneville, Northeastern Great Basin

The Stansbury shoreline, one of the conspicuous late Pleistocene shorelines of Lake Bonneville, consists of tufa-cemented gravel and barrier beaches within a vertical zone of about 45 m, the lower limit of which is 70 m above the modern average level of Great Salt Lake. Stratigraphic evidence at a number of localities, including new evidence from Crater Island on the west side of the Great Salt Lake Desert, shows that the Stansbury shoreline formed during the transgressive phase of late Pleistocene Lake bonneville (sometime between about 22,000 and 20,000 yr B.P.). Tufa-cemented gravel and barrier beaches were deposited in the Stansbury shorezone during one or more fluctuations in water level with a maximum total amplitude of 45 m. We refer to the fluctuations as the Stansbury oscillation. The Stansbury oscillation cannot have been caused by basin-hypsometric factors, such as stabilization of lake level at an external overflow threshold or by expansion into an interior subbasin, or by changes in drainage basin size. Therefore, changes in climate must have caused the lake level to reverse its general rise, to drop about 45 m in altitude (reducing its surface area by about 18%, 5000 km²), and later to resume its rise. If the sizes of Great Basin lakes are controlled by the mean position of storm tracks and the jetstream, which as recently postulated may be controlled by the size of the continental ice sheets, the Stansbury oscillation may have been caused by a shift in the jetstream during a major interstade of the Laurentide ice sheet.     

Lithium distribution and isotopic fractionation during chemical weathering and soil formation in a loess profile

Lithium (Li) is a fluid-mobile element and δ⁷Li in secondary deposits represents an excellent proxy for silicate weathering and authigenic mineral formation. The soil samples from 1205 to 1295 cm in the Weinan profile, one of the best developed loess-paleosol sequences covering the last glacial–interglacial climatic cycle, were collected and chemically separated into detritus and carbonate fractions for subsequent analyses of Li, δ⁷Li, major and trace elements. Other desert specimens (i.e., Qaidam Desert, Tengger Desert, Badain Juran Desert and Taklimakan Desert) near the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) and various standard clays were analyzed for assisting provenance determination. The Li and δ⁷Li distributions in the detritus are rather homogeneous, 1.4–2.0 μg/g and +2.5‰ to +4.7‰, respectively, compared with the carbonate fraction. The detrital δ⁷Li varies systematically with magnetic susceptibility and grain size changes, reflecting significant Li isotopic variation associated with sources and mineralogy of detrital material. On the other hand, Li and δ⁷Li in carbonates show large changes, 781–963 ng/g and −4.1‰ to +10.2‰, respectively. These carbonate δ⁷Li correlated well with the estimated index of chemical weathering, as a result of Li mobilization and soil formation during chemical weathering.     

Fluid Inclusions and Hydrogen,Oxygen, Sulfur Isotopes of Nuri Cu‐W‐Mo Deposit in the Southern Gangdese,Tibet

The Nuri Cu‐W‐Mo deposit is located in the southern subzone of the Cenozoic Gangdese Cu‐Mo metallogenic belt. The intrusive rocks exposed in the Nuri ore district consist of quartz diorite, granodiorite, monzogranite, granite porphyry, quartz diorite porphyrite and granodiorite porphyry, all of which intrude in the Cretaceous strata of the Bima Group. Owing to the intense metasomatism and hydrothermal alteration, carbonate rocks of the Bima Group form stratiform skarn and hornfels. The mineralization at the Nuri deposit is dominated by skarn, quartz vein and porphyry type. Ore minerals are chalcopyrite, pyrite, molybdenite, scheelite, bornite and tetrahedrite, etc. The oxidized orebodies contain malachite and covellite on the surface. The mineralization of the Nuri deposit is divided into skarn stage, retrograde stage, oxide stage, quartz‐polymetallic sulfide stage and quartz‐carbonate stage. Detailed petrographic observation on the fluid inclusions in garnet, scheelite and quartz from the different stages shows that there are four types of primary fluid inclusions: two‐phase aqueous inclusions, daughter mineral‐bearing multiphase inclusions, CO₂‐rich inclusions and single‐phase inclusions. The homogenization temperature of the fluid inclusions are 280°C–386°C (skarn stage), 200°C–340°C (oxide stage), 140°C–375°C (quartz‐polymetallic sulfide stage) and 160°C–280°C (quartz‐carbonate stage), showing a temperature decreasing trend from the skarn stage to the quartz‐carbonate stage. The salinity of the corresponding stages are 2.9%–49.7 wt% (NaCl) equiv., 2.1%–7.2 wt% (NaCl) equiv._, 2.6%–55.8 wt% (NaCl) equiv. and 1.2%–15.3 wt% (NaCl) equiv., respectively. The analyses of CO₂‐rich inclusions suggest that the ore‐forming pressures are 22.1 M Pa–50.4 M Pa, corresponding to the depth of 0.9 km–2.2 km. The Laser Raman spectrum of the inclusions shows the fluid compositions are dominated in H₂O, with some CO₂ and very little CH₄, N₂, etc. δD values of garnet are between ?114.4‰ and ?108.7‰ and δ¹⁸O_H2O between 5.9‰ and 6.7‰; δD of scheelite range from ?103.2‰ to ?101.29‰ and δ¹⁸O_H2O values between 2.17‰ and 4.09‰; δD of quartz between ?110.2‰ and ?92.5‰ and δ¹⁸O_H2O between ?3.5‰ and 4.3‰. The results indicate that the fluid came from a deep magmatic hydrothermal system, and the proportion of meteoric water increased during the migration of original fluid. The δ³⁴S values of sulfides, concentrated in a rage between ?0.32‰ to 2.5‰, show that the sulfur has a homogeneous source with characteristics of magmatic sulfur. The characters of fluid inclusions, combined with hydrogen‐oxygen and sulfur isotopes data, show that the ore‐forming fluids of the Nuri deposit formed by a relatively high temperature, high salinity fluid originated from magma, which mixed with low temperature, low salinity meteoric water during the evolution. The fluid flow through wall carbonate rocks resulted in the formation of layered skarn and generated CO₂ or other gases. During the reaction, the ore‐forming fluid boiled and produced fractures when the pressure exceeded the overburden pressure. Themeteoric water mixed with the ore‐forming fluid along the fractures. The boiling changed the pressure and temperature, oxygen fugacity, physical and chemical conditions of the whole mineralization system. The escape of CO₂ from the fluid by boiling resulted in scheelite precipitation. The fluid mixing and boiling reduced the solubility of metal sulfides and led the precipitation of chalcopyrite, molybdenite, pyrite and other sulfide.     

Salinity reflux and dolomitization of southern Australian slope sediments: the importance of low carbonate saturation levels

Anomalously saline waters in Ocean Drilling Program Holes 1127, 1129, 1130, 1131 and 1132, which penetrate southern Australian slope sediments, and isotopic analyses of large benthic foraminifera from southern Australian continental shelf sediments, indicate that Pleistocene–Holocene meso‐haline salinity reflux is occurring along the southern Australian margin. Ongoing dolomite formation is observed in slope sediments associated with marine waters commonly exceeding 50‰ salinity. A well‐flushed zone at the top of all holes contains pore waters with normal marine trace element contents, alkalinities and pH values. Dolomite precipitation occurs directly below the well‐flushed zone in two phases. Phase 1 is a nucleation stage associated with waters of relatively low pH (ca 7) caused by oxidation of H₂S diffusing upward from below. This dolomite precipitates in sediments < 80 m below the sea floor and has δ¹³C values consistent with having formed from normal sea water (? 1‰ to + 1‰ Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite). The Sr content of Phase 1 dolomite indicates that precipitation can occur prior to substantial metastable carbonate dissolution (< 300 ppm in Holes 1129 and 1127). Dolomite nucleation is interpreted to occur because the system is undersaturated with respect to the less stable minerals aragonite and Mg‐calcite, which form more readily in normal ocean water. Phase 2 is a growth stage associated with the dissolution of metastable carbonate in the acidified sea water. Analysis of large dolomite rhombs demonstrates that at depths > 80 m below the sea floor, Phase 2 dolomite grows on dolomite cores precipitated during Phase 1. Phase 2 dolomite has δ¹³C values similar to those of the surrounding bulk carbonate and high Sr values relative to Phase 1 dolomite, consistent with having formed in waters affected by aragonite and calcite dissolution. The nucleation stage in this model (Phase 1) challenges the more commonly accepted paradigm that inhibition of dolomitization by sea water is overcome by effectively increasing the saturation state of dolomite in sea water.     

Changes to depositional palaeoenvironments within the Qikou depression (Bohaiwan Basin,China): carbon and oxygen isotopes in lacustrine carbonates of the Palaeogene Shahejie Formation

This paper reports the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of lacustrine carbonate sediments from the Palaeogene Shahejie Formation, Qikou depression, Bohaiwan Basin, with the aim of determining the palaeoenvironmental conditions in the region. Results from Es₂, the second member of the Shahejie Formation, showed values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O from –1.2‰ to +2.4‰ (average +0.6‰) and from –6.8‰ to –4.7‰ (average –5.7‰), respectively, suggesting a relatively hot climate attending deposition. The slightly closed nature of the lake, which contains brackish water, resulted in higher carbonate δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values than in a meteoric environment. The values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O preserved within the carbonates of the overlying lower Shahejie I (Es₁) varied between +1.3‰ and +4.9‰ (average +3.2‰) and from ?4.4‰ to ?1.8‰ (average ?3.1‰), respectively, indicating that the climate became colder at that time. Subsequently, a marine transgression caused the salinity of the lake water to increase. The values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O were controlled by salinity. The high δ¹³C values were also influenced by the rapid burial of the lake organisms and by algal photosynthesis. Values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O from carbonates in upper Es₁ ranged from ?8.0‰ to +11.0‰ (average +10.1‰) and from ?5.0‰ to ?1.5‰ (average ?3.4‰), respectively, indicating a slight increase in the temperature over time. In the closed and reducing environment, extremes in δ¹³C values resulted from biochemical fermentation. The positive δ¹³C excursion recorded in the carbonates of the Shahejie Formation in the Qikou depression indicates that the palaeoclimate underwent a significant transformation during the Eocene and the Oligocene.     

Tufa as a record of perennial fresh water in a semi-arid rift basin, Kapthurin Formation, Kenya

Lithological and biological features of a fossiliferous tufa in the Kapthurin Formation, Baringo, Kenya, reveal the presence of a lush wetland in a semi-arid environment during the Middle Pleistocene ( ca 500 ka) in this portion of the East African Rift Valley. Four geological sections, each between 3 m and 8 m in thickness, exposed over a distance of 0·5 km, reveal a 1 to 2 m thick paludal tufa which is composed of three carbonate beds, two dark grey silty claystones and a reddish-brown silty palaeosol. High resolution stratigraphic analysis, carbonate petrography, stable isotope and elemental geochemistry, clay mineralogy and fossil remains (molluscs, ostracods, diatoms and charophytes) reveal a ground water-fed system that fluctuated in depth and periodically disappeared altogether. Oxygen isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O) of tufa matrix range from −4·5‰ to −8·0‰ (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite) and become more positive up section, indicating the decreasing influence of fault-related fluids and increasing residence time or freshness of wetland water, rather than evaporative enrichment. This spring was situated on a lake margin during low lake levels, thrived during periods of increased ground water input and was ultimately replaced by an alkaline lake. The wetland would appear to have existed during a cool interval within the generally warm Marine Isotope Stage 13 or perhaps during the warm second half of Marine Isotope Stage 13. The ground water source of this wetland arose through a fault system. Thus, the position of the tufa deposit is controlled structurally but the timing and duration of the wetland system may have been influenced by both climatic and tectonic factors.     

C and O stable isotope variability in recent freshwater carbonates (River Krka, Croatia)

Three types of recent carbonate precipitates from the River Krka, Croatia, were analysed: (1) bulk tufa from four main cascades in a 34 km long section of the river flow through the Krka National Park; (2) a laminar stromatolite‐like incrustation formed in the tunnel of a hydroelectric power plant close to the lowest cascade; and (3) recent precipitates collected on artificial substrates during winter, spring and summer periods. Stable isotope compositions of carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) in the carbonate and organic carbon (δ¹³C_org) were determined and compared with δ¹⁸O of water and δ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The source of DIC, which provides C for tufa precipitation, was determined from the slope of the line ([DIC]/[DIC₀]?1) vs. (δ¹³C‐DIC × ([DIC]/[DIC₀])) ( Sayles & Curry, 1988 ). The δ¹³C value of added DIC was ?13·6‰, corresponding to the dissolution of CO₂ with δ¹³C between ?19·5 and ?23·0‰ Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB). The observed difference between the measured and calculated equilibrium temperature of precipitation of bulk tufa barriers indicates that the higher the water temperature, the larger the error in the estimated temperature of precipitation. This implies that the climatic signals may be valid only in tufas precipitated at lower and relatively stable temperatures. The laminar crust comprising a continuous record of the last 40 years of precipitation shows a consistent trend of increasing δ¹³C and decreasing δ¹⁸O. The lack of covariation between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O indicates that precipitation of calcite was not kinetically controlled for either of the elements. δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of precipitates collected on different artificial substrates show that surface characteristics both of substrates and colonizing biota play an important role in C and O isotope fractionation during carbonate precipitation.     

Fluid Inclusions and Hydrogen,Oxygen, and Lead Isotopes of the Antuoling Molybdenum Deposit,Northern Taihang Mountains,China

The Antuoling Mo deposit is a major porphyry‐type deposit in the polymetallic metallogenic belt of the northern Taihang Mountains, China. The processes of mineralization in this deposit can be divided into three stages: an early quartz–pyrite stage, a middle quartz–polymetallic sulfide stage, and a late quartz–carbonate stage. Four types of primary fluid inclusions are found in the deposit: two‐phase aqueous inclusions, daughter‐mineral‐bearing multiphase inclusions, CO₂–H₂O inclusions, and pure CO₂ inclusions. From the early to the late ore‐forming stages, the homogenization temperatures of the fluid inclusions are 300 to >500°C, 270–425°C, and 195–330°C, respectively, with salinities of up to 50.2 wt%, 5.3–47.3 wt%, and 2.2–10.4 wt% NaCl equivalent, revealing that the ore‐forming fluids changed from high temperature and high salinity to lower temperature and lower salinity. Moreover, based on the laser Raman spectra, the compositions of the fluid inclusions evolved from the NaCl–CO₂–H₂O to the NaCl–H₂O system. The δ¹⁸O_H2O and δD values of quartz in the deposit range from +3.9‰ to +7.0‰ and ?117.5‰ to ?134.2‰, respectively, reflecting the δD of local meteoric water after oxygen isotopic exchange with host rocks. The Pb isotope values of the sulfides (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 36.320–37.428; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 15.210–15.495; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 16.366–17.822) indicate that the ore‐forming materials originated from a mixed upper mantle–lower crust source.     

Formation of modern dolomite in hypersaline pans of the Western Cape,South Africa

Authigenic calcite and dolomite and biogenic aragonite occur in Holocene pan sediments in a Mediterranean‐type climate on the western coastal plain of South Africa. Sediment was analysed from a Late Pleistocene coastal pan at Yzerfontein and four Holocene inland pans ranging from brackish to hypersaline. The pans are between 0·08 and 0·14 km² in size. The δ¹⁸O_PDB values of carbonate minerals in the pan sediments range from ?2·41 to 5·56‰ and indicate precipitation from evaporative waters. Covariance of total organic content and percentage carbonate minerals, and the δ¹³C_PDB values of pan carbonate minerals (?8·85 to ?1·54‰) suggest that organic matter degradation is a significant source of carbonate ions. The precipitation of the carbonate minerals, especially dolomite, appears to be mediated by sulphate‐reducing bacteria in the black sulphidic mud zone found in the brine‐type hypersaline pans. The knobbly, sub‐spherical texture of the carbonate minerals suggests that the precipitation of the carbonate minerals, particularly dolomite, is related to microbial processes. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of pan carbonate minerals (0·7108 to 0·7116) are slightly higher than modern sea water and indicate a predominantly sea water (marine aerosol) source for calcium (Ca²⁺) ions with relatively minor amounts of Ca²⁺ derived from the chemical weathering of bedrock.     

Stable and clumped isotopes in desert carbonate spring and lake deposits reveal palaeohydrology: A case study of the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone,south‐western USA

Carbon, oxygen and clumped isotope (Δ₄₇) values were measured from lacustrine and tufa (spring)‐mound carbonate deposits in the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone of southern Utah and northern Arizona in order to understand the palaeohydrology. These carbonate deposits are enriched in both ¹⁸O and ¹³C across the basin from east to west; neither isotope is strongly sensitive to the carbonate facies. However, ¹⁸O is enriched in lake carbonate deposits compared to the associated spring mounds. This is consistent with evaporation of the spring waters as they exited the mounds and were retained in interdune lakes. Clumped isotopes (Δ₄₇) exhibit minor systematic differences between lake and tufa‐mound temperatures, suggesting that the rate of carbonate formation under ambient conditions was moderate. These clumped isotope values imply palaeotemperature elevated beyond reasonable surface temperatures (54 to 86°C), which indicates limited bond reordering at estimated burial depths of ca 4 to 5 km, consistent with independent estimates of sediment thickness and burial depth gradients across the basin. Although clumped isotopes do not provide surface temperature information in this case, they still provide useful burial information and support interpretations of the evolution of groundwater locally. The findings of this study significantly extend the utility of combining stable isotope and clumped isotope methods into aeolian environments.     

Carbon and Oxygen Isotopic Compositions: How Lacustrine Environmental Factors Respond in Northwestern and Northeastern China

Surface lake sediments,28 from Hoh Xil,24 from northeastern China,99 from Lake Bosten,31 from Ulungur and 26 from Heihai were collected to determine δ13C and δ18O values.Considering the impact factors,conductivity,alkalinity,pH,TOC,C/N and carbonate-content in the sediments,Cl,P,S,and metal element ratios of Mg/Ca,Sr/Ca,Fe/Mn of bulk sediments as environmental variables enable evaluation of their influences on δ13C and δ18O using principal component analysis(PCA) method.The closure and residence time of lakes can influence the correlation between δ13C and δ18O.Lake water will change from fresh to brackish with increasing reduction and eutrophication effects.Mg/Ca in the bulk sediment indicates the characteristic of residence time,Sr/Ca and Fe/Mn infer the salinity of lakes.Carbonate formation processes and types can influence the δ13C–δ18O correlation.δ18O will be heavier from Mg-calcite and aragonite formed in a high-salinity water body than calcite formed in freshwater conditions.When carbonate content is less than 30%,there is no relationship with either δ13C or δ18O,and also none between δ13C and δ18O.More than 30%,carbonate content,however,co-varies highly to δ13C and δ18O,and there is also a high correlation between δ13C and δ18O.Vegetation conditions and primary productivity of lakes can influence the characteristics of δ13C and δ18O,and their co-variance.Total organic matter content(TOC) in the sediments is higher with more terrestrial and submerged plants infilling.In northeastern and northwestern China,when organic matter in the lake sediments comes from endogenous floating organisms and algae,the δ13C value is high.δ13C is in the range of 4‰ to 0‰ when organic matter comes mainly from floating organisms(C/N<6);in the range of 4‰ to 8‰ when organic matter comes from diatoms(C/N=6 to 8);and 8‰ to 4‰ when organic matter comes from aquatic and terrestrial plants(C/N>8).     

Iron Isotope Compositions of Natural River and Lake Samples in the Karst Area, Guizhou Province, Southwest China

To better understand the Fe isotope characteristics of natural samples in the Karst area, the Fe isotope compositions of riverine suspended particulates, lake suspended particulates, lake sediments, porewaters, phytoplanktons, and aerosols in the watersheds of Lake Aha (a mineralized water system) and Lake Hongfeng (a mesotrophic water system), which are located in the Karst area, southwest China, were investigated. The studied samples displayed a variable range between δ56Fe=?2.03‰ and 0.36‰. Aerosols and phytoplanktons have similar or slightly heavier Fe isotope compositions relative to the average of igneous rocks. Fe isotope compositions of riverine Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) were mainly affected by the types of tributaries. Suspended particulates collected from tributaries seriously contaminated with coal mine drainages displayed negative δ56Fe values (?0.89‰ to ?0.31‰) during summer, and there were significant increases of δ56Fe values in winter, except AR2, which was polluted with both coal mine drainage and sewage effluent. Characteristics of lakes have important influences on Fe isotope compositions of suspended particulates, lake sediments, and porewaters. The epilimnetic particulate Fe of Lake Hongfeng had δ56Fe=?0.04‰ to 0.13‰, while lighter Fe isotope compositions were measured for particulate Fe from Lake Aha, ranging from ?0.42‰ to ?0.09‰. Sediments collected from Hou Wu (HW) station of Lake Hongfeng have an average δ56Fe value of 0.09‰ and their corresponding porewaters have lighter Fe isotope compositions, ranging from ?0.57‰ to ?0.31‰; no significant variations have been observed. For the Liang Jiang Kou (LJK) station of Lake Aha, the content of reactive Fe and the concentration of sulfate were all high. Due to the reactive Fe recycling, including dissimilatory Fe reduction, adsorption, and Fe–sulfide formation, porewaters sampled near the sediment surface have been found to have a δ56Fe value as low as ?2.03‰ and an increase up to 0.12‰, with a burial depth of 10?cm. In contrast, an opposite variation trend was found for LJK sediments. Sediments sampled at 1-cm depth had a value of δ56Fe=?0.59‰ and decrease as low as ?1.75‰ with burial depth. This investigation demonstrated that significant Fe isotope fractionations occur in surface environments. Fe isotope compositions of particulate Fe were seriously affected by Fe sources, and Fe biogeochemical recycling has an important influence on Fe isotope fractionations in lake sediments, especially when there are significant amounts of reactive Fe and sulfate.     

Stable isotopes of pedogenic carbonates from the Somma–Vesuvius area,southern Italy,over the past 18 kyr: palaeoclimatic implications

Stable isotopes were measured in the carbonate and organic matter of palaeosols in the Somma–Vesuvius area, southern Italy in order to test whether they are suitable proxy records for climatic and ecological changes in this area during the past 18000 yr. The ages of the soils span from ca. 18 to ca. 3 kyr BP. Surprisingly, the Last Glacial to Holocene climate transition was not accompanied by significant change in δ¹⁸O of pedogenic carbonate. This could be explained by changes in evaporation rate and in isotope fractionation between water and precipitated carbonate with temperature, which counterbalanced the expected change in isotope composition of meteoric water. Because of the rise in temperature and humidity and the progressive increase in tree cover during the Holocene, the Holocene soil carbonates closely reflect the isotopic composition of meteoric water. A cooling of about 2°C after the Avellino eruption (3.8 ka) accounts for a sudden decrease of about 1‰ in δ¹⁸O of pedogenic carbonate recorded after this eruption. The δ¹³C values of organic matter and pedogenic carbonate covary, indicating an effective isotope equilibrium between the organic matter, as the source of CO₂, and the pedogenic carbonate. Carbon isotopes suggest prevailing C₃ vegetation and negligible mixing with volcanogenic or atmospheric CO₂. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable isotopic evidence for Middle Pleistocene environmental change from a loess‐paleosol sequence: Kärlich,Germany

Loess‐paleosol sequences are important terrestrial archives of palaeoenvironmental change. Such sequences are rich in pedogenic carbonate, the oxygen and carbon isotopic values of which can provide important palaeoenvironmental information. Although some studies have pioneered the use of O and C isotopes in loess‐paleosol sequences, they are not routinely used as palaeoclimate proxies. In this study we analysed the sedimentology, micromorphology, geochronology and isotopic geochemistry of a Middle Pleistocene loess‐paleosol section, located at Kärlich, Germany. The section studied correlates with the Elsterian glacial (MIS 12) and Holsteinian interglacial (MIS 11). Embedded tephra layers yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of 466±3 ka, 447±1 ka and 361±3 ka. The sedimentology and micromorphology of the sequence record a shift from accretionary loess accumulation (MIS 12) to prolonged pedogenesis at a stable land surface (MIS 11). Soil carbonate δ¹⁸O values record an enrichment of ～3‰ during the accumulation of the loess, reaching peak values comparable with those found in the MIS 11 soil. The δ¹⁸O signal is interpreted as reflecting temperature, highlighting the potential of δ¹⁸O analysis of European loess soil carbonates as a means of reconstructing palaeotemperature history.