Submarine channel levee shape and sediment waves from physical experiments

Submarine channel levees aggrade through repeated overspill events from the channel axis. The shape of the levees may therefore reflect some characteristic(s) of the overspilling flow. It has been noted that basin floor levees typically have a relatively low-relief and taper exponentially to their termination; in contrast slope channel levees may be much steeper close to the channel. A simple physical experiment was performed where a surge-like sediment-laden current flowed through a curved channel. Significant overspill occurred and generated a deposit flanking the channel on either side. The experiment was repeated 25 times to build up low-relief channel-levees. It was found that in proximal areas, levees were steep and characterised by power-law decays, a transitional zone of logarithmically thinning levee was found a little further down-channel, followed by exponential decays in medial to distal areas. The style of levee decay is a function of spatial variation in overbank sedimentation rates. Where flows rapidly lose momentum and deposit across the grain-size spectrum, i.e., in proximal areas, levees tend to be steep; farther down the channel, the steep levee slope gives way to a more gradually tapering deposit. In more distal parts of the channel, deposition is directly related to sediment settling velocity (rather than the suspended load exceeding flow transport capacity as is the case in proximal areas), the deposit reflects this with relatively simple exponential thickness decays. Additionally, small-scale sediment waves developed under lee wave conditions on the inner-bend overbank. The waves initially migrated slightly towards the channel, but as the style of overspill evolved due to intra-channel deposition, flows moved out of the lee wave window and sedimentation became out of phase with the wavelength of the features and the topography was healed.     

Distal alluvial deposits in a foreland basin setting—the Lower Freshwater Miocene), Switzerland: sedimentology, architecture and palaeosols

The Lower Freshwater Molasse (Untere Susswasser Molasse) crops out over a wide area of the Swiss Molasse Basin. Coarse grained alluvial fan conglomerates dominate in proximal basin areas along the Alpine front. These conglomerates pass northwards into sandstones and mudstones of an extensive northeastward draining meandering river system which ran parallel to the basin axis. Sedimentological study of outcrops, quarry exposures and boreholes in the basal Miocene (‘Aquitanian‘) has permitted detailed facies analysis of this distal alluvial sequence. The distal Aquitanian is made up of distinct ‘architectural elements’characterized by their geometries and sedimentary structures. Each may be assigned to a particular depositional setting: meander belt, levees, crevasse channels and splays, overbank fines and palaeosols, and lacustrine. Meander belt sandstones were deposited in mixed load channels with a dominant bedload component. Sandstones commonly comprise amalgamated and locally stacked ribbon bodies 2–15 m thick and 150–1500 m wide. Interbedded rippled, laminated and mottled fine grained levee sandstones and siltstones form lenticular packages up to 3 m thick and 30–100 m across. Small scale crevasse channel sandstones 2–4 m thick and 5–10 m across pass laterally into metre scale, medium to fine grained crevasse sandstone sheets. Rare laminated lacustrine siltstones occur only in the north-east part of the basin. Floodplain mudstones and marls make up the remainder of the succession. These display a variety of pedogenic features recording cyclical palaeosol development. Palaeosols show strong variations in morphology and maturity both laterally across the floodplain and downstream along the basin axis, reflecting local variation in aggradation rate associated with proximity to alluvial channel courses as well as regional variation in subsidence and floodplain drainage. Analysis of the organization and distribution of the various sediment bodies permits reconstruction of the fluvial system and allows development of a model for the sedimentary architecture of the Lower Freshwater Molasse in the study area. Integration of palaeosol studies into a well defined architectural framework assists recognition of areal facies belts and may aid location of sand-prone sequences in the subsurface.     

Preservation of meandering river channels in uniformly aggrading channel belts

Channel belt deposits from meandering river systems commonly display an internal architecture of stacked depositional features with scoured basal contacts due to channel and bedform migration across a range of scales. Recognition and correct interpretation of these bounding surfaces is essential to reconstruction of palaeochannel dimensions and to flow modelling for hydrocarbon exploration. It is therefore crucial to understand the suite of processes that form and transfer these surfaces into the fluvial sedimentary record. Here, the numerical model ‘NAYS2D’ is used to simulate a highly sinuous meandering river with synthetic stratigraphic architectures that can be compared directly to the sedimentary record. Model results highlight the importance of spatial and temporal variations in channel depth and migration rate to the generation of channel and bar deposits. Addition of net uniform bed aggradation (due to excess sediment input) allows quantification of the preservation of meander morphology for a wide range of depositional conditions. The authors find that the effect of vertical variation in scouring due to channel migration is generally orders of magnitude larger than the effect of bed aggradation, which explains the limited impact bed aggradation has on preservation of meander morphology. Moreover, lateral differences in stratigraphy within the meander belt are much larger than the stratigraphic imprint of bed aggradation. Repeatedly produced alternations of point bar growth followed by cut‐off result in a vertical trend in channel and scour feature stacking. Importantly, this vertical stacking trend differs laterally within the meander belt. In the centre of the meander belt, the high reworking intensity results in many bounding surfaces and disturbed deposits. Closer to the margins, reworking is infrequent and thick deposits with a limited number of bounding surfaces are preserved. These marginal areas therefore have the highest preservation potential for complete channel deposits and are thus best suited for palaeochannel reconstruction.     

Geoarchaeology of stratified paleoindian deposits at the Big Eddy site,Southwest Missouri,U.S.A.

The Big Eddy site (23CE426) in the Sac River valley of southwest Missouri is a rare recorded example of distinctly stratified Early through Late Paleoindian cultural deposits. Early point types recovered from the site include Gainey, Sedgwick, Dalton (fluted and unfluted), San Patrice, Wilson, and Packard. The Paleoindian record at Big Eddy represents only a fraction of the site's prehistoric cultural record; stratified cultural deposits in alluvium above the Paleoindian components span the entire known prehistoric sequence, and terminal Pleistocene alluvium may contain pre‐Early Paleoindian cultural deposits. This study focused on the paleogeomorphic setting, stratigraphy, depositional environments, pedology, geochronology, and history of landscape evolution of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene alluvium at the site. The Paleoindian sequence is associated with a complex buried soil 2.85 m below the modern surface (T1a) of the first terrace of the Sac River valley in the site vicinity. This soil formed at the top of the early submember of the Rodgers Shelter Member (underlying the T1c paleogeomorphic surface) and contains at least 70 cm of stratified Paleoindian cultural deposits, all in floodplain and upper point‐bar facies. A suite of 36 radiocarbon ages indicates that the alluvium hosting the Paleoindian sequence aggraded between ca. 13,250 and 11,870 cal yr B.P. (11,380 and 10,180 14C yr B.P.). Underlying deposits accumulated between ca. 15,300 and 13,250 cal yr B.P. (12,950 and 11,380 14C yr B.P.). By ca. 11,250 cal yr B.P. (9,840 14C yr B.P.) the T1c paleogeomorphic surface was buried by the earliest increment of a thick sequence of overbank sheetflood facies, ultimately resulting in deep burial and preservation of the Paleoindian record. The landform‐sediment assemblage that hosts the Paleoindian and possibly earlier cultural deposits at Big Eddy is both widespread and well preserved in the lower Sac River valley. Moreover, the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene depositional environments were favorable for the preservation of the archaeological record. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Planform architecture,stratigraphic signature and morphodynamics of an exhumed Jurassic meander plain (Scalby Formation,Yorkshire, UK)

Modern fluvial meander plains exhibit complex planform transformations in response to meander‐bend expansion, downstream migration and rotation. These transformations exert a fundamental control on lithology and reservoir properties, yet their stratigraphic record has been poorly evaluated in ancient examples due to the lack of extensive three‐dimensional exposures. Here, a unique exhumed meander plain exposed to the north of Scarborough (Yorkshire, UK) is analysed in terms of architecture and morphodynamics, with the aim of developing a comprehensive model of facies distribution. The studied outcrop comprises tidal platforms and adjacent cliffs, where the depositional architecture of un‐tilted deposits was assessed on planform and vertical sections, respectively. In its broader perspective, this study demonstrates the potential of architectural mapping of extensive planform exposures for the reconstruction of ancient fluvial morphodynamics. The studied exhumed meander plain is part of the Scalby Formation of the Ravenscar Group, and originally drained small coastal incised valleys within the Jurassic Cleveland Basin. The meander plain is subdivided into two storeys that contain in‐channel and overbank architectural elements. In‐channel elements comprise expansional and downstream‐migrating point bars, point‐bar tails and channel fills. Overbank elements comprise crevasse complexes, levées, floodplain fines and lake fills. The evolution of the point bars played a significant role in dictating preserved facies distributions, with high flood‐stage nucleation and accretion of meander scrolls later reworked during waning flood‐stages. At a larger scale, meander belt morphodynamics were also a function of valley confinement and contrasts in substrate erodibility. Progressive valley infilling decreased the valley confinement, promoting the upward transition from prevalently downstream migrating to expansional meander belts, a transition associated with enhanced preservation of overbank elements. Strikingly similar relations between valley confinement, meander‐bend transformations and overbank preservation are observed in small modern meandering streams such as the Beaver River of the Canadian prairies and the Powder River of Montana (USA).     

A small-scale flood plain

A miniature, 9 m-wide floodplain, developed along a gravel-washing effluent stream, shows features such as levées, crevasse splays and floodbasins which compare with their larger-scale counterparts. For sediments deposited overbank, median size decreases exponentially with distance from the channel whilst sorting increases, with coarser sediment on the outside of a meander bend. Overbank flows are only a few grain diameters in depth near the channel. This study shows potentially useful systematic relationships in floodplain sediment textures, but it involves only one of a possible variety of floodplain types dominated by overbank sedimentation. This suggests that further exploration of overbank depositional processes is desirable as an aid to field interpretation.     

Computer simulation of sedimentation in meandering streams

A dynamic mathematical model for simulation of sedimentation in meandering streams is briefly described. This is composed of component mathematical models which are formulated to predict the following aspects of the system for a given physical situation and a single time increment. (1) The characteristics of the plan form of the meander; (2) the movement of the meander in plan, and definition of cross-sections across the meander in which erosion and deposition are considered in detail; (3) the hydraulic properties of the channel in the bend and the erosional and depositional activity within the channel as defined in specific cross-sections; (4) the nature and occurrence of cut-off; (5) a relative measure of the discharge during a seasonal high water period, which is used in (3) and (4); (6) aggradation. The model, in the form of a FORTRAN IV computer program, has been used to simulate various aspects of sedimentation in meandering streams by performing a set of experiments with the program under different input conditions. The geometry of simulated point bar sediments, as controlled by channel migration over floodplains with variable sediment type, agrees broadly with the natural situation, however extensive sheets of point bar sediment cannot be simulated because large scale meander-belt movements are not accounted for. In the simulated sediments, successive surfaces of the point bar before falling stage deposition (lateral and vertical) may be picked out, and these delineate the epsilon cross-stratification of Allen (1963b). The epsilon unit thickness is that measured from bankfull stage down to the lowest channel position existing prior to deposition. The model records the characteristic fining upwards of grain sizes in the point bar, and the systematic distribution of sedimentary structures. Channel migration combined with seasonal scouring and filling across the channel section produces a characteristic relief in the basal scoured surfaces and facies boundaries (as defined by variation in grain size and sedimentary structure). A related lensing and inter-fingering of the facies may also be present. The model also records large-scale lateral changes in grain size and sedimentary structure associated with changes in the shape of developing meanders. When channel migration is combined with a constant aggradation rate the model predicts a general slope (relative to the land surface) of facies boundaries and scoured basal surfaces upward in the direction of channel movement. If aggradation sufficiently increases the thickness of fine-grained overbank material, there is a channel stabilization effect. It is shown that a complete sequence of point bar sediments capped by overbank sediments would rarely be preserved in the moving-phase situation. Such preservation only becomes likely when an aggrading section lies out of range of an eroding channel for a considerably longer time span than it takes a meander to move one half-wavelength downvalley. Deep channel scours have a higher preservation potential than contemporary shallower ones. Where appropriate field data exist the model can be used in the more accurate recognition of ancient fluviatile sediments. Inferences may be made about the erosion-deposition processes operating in the ancient channel system, and the geometry and hydraulics of the system can be alluded to. A representative application of the model to the quantitative interpretation of an ancient point bar deposit is illustrated. There is reasonable agreement between the natural and the simulated deposits, and a broad quantitative picture of the palaeoenvironment of sedimentation is obtained.     

Alluvial geoarchaeology of a Middle Archaic Mound complex in the lower Mississippi Valley,U.S.A.

The Nolan site (16MA201), ¹⁴C dated 5200–4800 cal yr B.P. and located in the Tensas Basin of northeastern Louisiana, is the only recorded Middle Archaic mound site in the alluvial valley of the Mississippi River. Alluvial deposition has buried the Nolan site under 3–4 m of Holocene sediment, prohibiting traditional excavation of the site. Because data are unattainable by other means, soil coring and subsequent stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses permit reconstruction of the natural and cultural depositional history of the Nolan site. The sedimentary characteristics of basal deposits within cores suggest the presence of an Arkansas River paleochannel immediately adjacent to the site. Chronostratigraphic data show this channel was no longer active by ca. 5200 cal yr B.P. Contrary to existing models, the Arkansas River Meander Belt 4 and the Mississippi River Meander Belt 4 are not the same age. Microartifact and losson‐ignition analyses of sediment identify natural versus cultural strata and permit the identification of artificial constructions—including four earthen mounds and one earthen ridge—at the Nolan site. Overbank sediments attributed to a mapped Mississippi River Stage 4 meander belt are dated ca. 4800–3800 cal yr B.P. This age is considerably younger than previous estimates and demonstrates the existing chronological models for Mississippi River meander belts must be carefully assessed. Core analyses also reveal flood‐related crevasse splays deposited throughout the Tensas Basin after the occupation of the Nolan site. These deposits serve as relative chronological indicators and aid in stratigraphic assessments of the Nolan site. Reconstruction of the earthworks and their stratigraphic context reveals one of the largest and earliest Middle Archaic mound sites in North America. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sediment records as archives of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene hydrological change in the alluvial Narmada River basin, western India

The rivers of western India are monsoon dominated and have been so throughout the late Quaternary. Sediment accumulation in these river basins has been controlled by climatic and tectonic changes over a time span from the Late Pleistocene to the recent. The lithofacies assemblages associated with the various sediment archives in the Narmada basin range from the boulders of the alluvial fans to overbank fines on the alluvial plains. Estimates, based on clast size, of stream power and competence, bed shear stress and discharge reveal that hydrological conditions during the Late Pleistocene (∼90 ka) were comparable to the present day. The size of the transported clasts and the thickness of the accumulated sediment indicate the influence of basin subsidence rather than an increase in discharge. Discharge estimates based on sedimentary structures preserved in the alluvial-plain facies suggest that the channel had a persistent flow, with a low width-depth ratio and large meander wavelength. The hydrological changes during the Holocene are more pronounced where the early Holocene is marked by a high-intensity hydrological regime that induced erosion and incision of the earlier sediments. The mid-Holocene stream channel was less sinuous and had a higher width-depth ratio and a higher meander amplitude in comparison with the present-day channel. Palaeo-fluvial reconstructions based on the sediment archives in the alluvial reach of the river basin are important tools in understanding the long-term hydrological changes and the intricate fluvial architecture preserved in the Narmada River basin ensures scope for detailed studies to identify phases of weak and enhanced hydrological regimes.     

Point bar and floodplain formation of the meandering Beatton River, northeastern British Columbia, Canada

This study examines the morphology, sedimentology and genesis of the point bars and floodplain of the Beatton River. The formation of point bars occurs in distinct stages. An initial point bar platform composed mainly of coarse sediment is formed adjacent to the convex bank of a migrating meander bend, and is the base on which develops a single scroll bar of fine traction and suspended load. With continued sedimentation, the scroll bar grows, eventually supporting vegetation and becoming a floodplain ridge. Scroll bars form with greatest size and frequency in rapidly migrating bends, and the shape of the meander bend appears to determine both the location of the initial bar deposit, and its direction of growth up or downstream. Approximately one-half of the floodplain sediment is derived from suspended load, and the initiation of a scroll bar appears to be due to excessive deposition of suspended load in a zone of flow separation over a point bar platform. The critical flow condition for the initiation of a scroll bar does not occur with the same recurrence interval on different shaped meander bends, however, the average recurrence interval within the study reach is approximately every 30 years. Sedimentation rates on point bars and on the floodplain indicate two relatively distinct stages of floodplain alluviation. The most rapid is for surfaces less than 50 years old, although sediment accumulation still persists on surfaces up to 250 years in age. Although frequently flooded, surfaces older than this accumulate very little sediment. Despite 2–3 m of overbank deposition, the amplitude of floodplain ridges is maintained by secondary currents which sweep sediment from the swales towards the ridge crests.     

Overbank flooding and human occupation of the Shalongka site in the Upper Yellow River Valley,northeast Tibet Plateau in relation to climate change since the last deglaciation

Increased flooding caused by global warming threatens the safety of coastal and river basin dwellers, but the relationship of flooding frequency, human settlement and climate change at long time scales remains unclear. Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age cultural deposits interbedded with flood sediments were found at the Shalongka site near the north bank of the upper Yellow River, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. We reconstruct the history of overbank flooding and human occupation at the Shalongka site by application of optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating, grain size, magnetic susceptibility and color reflectance analysis of overbank sediment and paleosols. The reliability of OSL dating has been confirmed by internal checks and comparing with independent ¹⁴C ages; alluvial OSL ages have shown a systematic overestimation due to poor bleaching. Our results indicate that the Yellow River episodically overflowed and reached the Shalongka site from at least ~ 16 ka and lasting until ~ 3 ka. Soil development and reduced flooding occurred at ~ 15, ~ 8.3–5.4, and after ~ 3 ka, and prehistoric populations spread to the Shalongka site area at ~ 8.3, ~ 5.4, and ~ 3 ka. We suggest that climate change influenced the overbank flooding frequency and then affected prehistoric human occupation of the Shalongka site.     

Sediment diffusion during overbank flows

Distinctive overbank sediments deposited since European settlement on the floodplain of the Brandywine Creek, Pennsylvania, are used to calibrate and test a diffusion model of overbank deposition. The predictions of the model can be calibrated to reproduce the topography of the post-settlement lithosome with an average error of 7%. The model also correctly predicts the decrease in mean grain size away from the channel. The model greatly underestimates the ability of floodwaters to transport sand away from the channel. Apparently, sand is transported across the floodplain by bedload transport and by advective suspended sediment transport as well as by diffusion. If flow duration data for 1912–1981 and the present rating curve for the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, are assumed to apply throughout the post-settlement period, the model may be used to estimate palaeohydraulic characteristics of post-settlement floods. Calculations indicate that 212 post-settlement floods covered the floodplain to an average depth of 1.6 m, transported an average excess suspended sediment concentration of 6200 ppm, and deposited an average thickness of 1.4 cm of sediment on levees next to the channel.     

Evaluating artifact burial by eolian versus bioturbation processes,South Carolina Sandhills,USA

Artifacts are commonly buried by approximately 50 cm of sediment at prehistoric archeological sites (early Archaic through Mississippian) on uplands of the Sandhills of the upper Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. Bioturbation, eolian sedimentation, and colluviation are the primary processes that can explain artifact burial because of the upland position of the sites in an erosional landscape setting. Colluvial sedimentation is discounted at most of the sites because they occur on interstream divides and upper hillslope positions. Thus, the focus is on eolian sedimentation versus bioturbation as burial agents. Six sites in the midst of the Sandhills region along the corridor of South Carolina Highway 151 in Chesterfield County provide the data. The Sandhills consist primarily of Cretaceous and Tertiary marine, fluvial, and eolian sediments that are highly dissected and overlie crystalline rocks in the deep subsurface. Two of the sites are on high fluvial terrace remnants that predate 12 ka and serve as controls where bioturbation is the only reasonable burial process. Hillslope positions of the sites are on erosional elements of the landscape (crests, shoulder slopes, and upper backslopes) where sediment transfer operates (colluvial and overland flow), but where deposition is minimal. The sites occur on very sandy soils having a texture of loamy sand to sand. In some instances, a fine textured cover sand, which is about 1.5 m thick, overlies a clayey subsoil or Bt horizon. This cover sand has been interpreted by some as an eolian sand sheet that buries a second parent material and paleosol, but standard particle size and heavy mineral data indicate that it is simply a thick E horizon over a Bt horizon. Standard particle size fractionation at whole phi intervals, and particle size analysis of the heavy mineral fraction, indicate that eolian sedimentation is unlikely at five of the six sites. Heavy minerals were analyzed with respect to the sedimentological principle of hydraulic equivalence, which provides clear separation of eolian versus water-laid sediment. Results of particle size analysis suggest that the cover sands are water-laid (probably fluvial) at five of the six sites, which favors the bioturbation process of artifact burial. Heavy mineral analysis corroborates the standard particle size data, indicating that only one site, 38CT16, possibly is composed of eolian sediment. Soil profile development suggests that the age of the sediment at site 38CT16 probably is older than 12 ka and was in place prior to human occupation. Therefore, possible eolian sedimentation at that site is not relevant to artifact burial, which also suggests bioturbation is the primary process of artifact burial. Additional evidence favoring bioturbation as a vigorous artifact burial process in the Sandhills comes from the two sites on high elevation sandy fluvial terraces (38CT34, 38CT17) where artifacts are also buried. At these terraced sites bioturbation is the only possible burial process. Overall results suggest that bioturbation best explains the occurrence of buried artifacts and that eolian sedimentation processes are not readily apparent, and are not required, in explaining artifact burial. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

How Bedrock‐Controlled Channel Migration Can Structure Selective Preservation of Archaeological Sites: Implications for Modeling Paleoindian Settlement

Although Paleoindian sites in Indiana, USA, are commonly located on late Wisconsin (Last Glacial Maximum) outwash terraces, drainage basin development since deglaciation often obscures the visibility of such sites on flood plains by either burying them under alluvium or destroying them through erosion. Significant clusters of Paleoindian and Early Archaic sites, however, have been identified proximal to the modern White River channel in central Indiana on what is mapped as “floodplain.” These site cluster locations are patterned. They typically occur within bedrock‐controlled river reaches but are rare along unconfined meandering reaches. Subsurface reconnaissance and chronology indicate that despite the fact that they often flood, portions of the so‐called flood plains within bedrock‐confined reaches are actually terraces constructed of late Wisconsin outwash with minimal overbank sedimentation. Terrace preservation in these settings is a result of bedrock structure that protects older sediments from lateral erosion and differentially preserves archaeological sites near the modern channel in bedrock‐controlled reaches. Comparisons of archaeological sites within bedrock‐controlled segments of the White River to those in unconfined meandering segments suggests that significant numbers of Paleoindian and Early Archaic sites may be missing from river settings across the midcontinent. These findings demonstrate that bedrock channel controls are important to recognize when assessing prehistoric settlement distributions.     

Alluvial records of medieval and prehistoric tin mining on Dartmoor,southwest England

The role of tin mining in the society of prehistoric Dartmoor and its impact on the local landscape have long been discussed despite equivocal evidence for prehistoric mine sites. A fluvial geomorphological approach, using floodplain stratigraphy, combined with sediment geochemistry and mineralogy, was employed to identify prehistoric tin mining at the catchment scale. Waste sediment, released during hydraulic mining of alluvial tin deposits, caused downstream floodplain aggradation of sands with a diagnostic signature of elevated Sn concentration within the silt fraction. At a palaeochannel site in the Erme Valley, sediment aggradation buried datable peat deposits. A period of aggradation postdating cal. A.D. 1288–1389 is consistent with the 13th century peak in tin production identified in the documentary record. An earlier phase of aggradation, however, occurred between the 4th and 7th centuries A.D., providing evidence of late Roman or early Post Roman tin mining activity on Dartmoor. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Historical valley alluviation in mid-Wales

Recent developments on a floodplain reach of the Afon Ystwyth are analysed with the aid of five sets of maps and ten of air photographs covering the period since 1800. The area has been subjected to around 3 m of aggradation and then incision in association with historic metal mining. Analysis of sediment texture and metal concentrations allows subdivision of the mining-associated sediments; C/M plots and shape analyses allow a distinction between proglacial, mining aggradation, and wandering river phases. The distinctive style of aggradation, involving overbank gravel splays and interfingering fines, and the lagged response of channel and sedimentation, relate largely to alterations in sediment supply rates. This has relevance for the interpretation of Quaternary fills and river terraces and for contemporary river management.     

The use of overbank sediment for geochemical mapping and contamination assessment: results from selected English and Welsh floodplains

Overbank sediment profiles from floodplains in England and Wales contain a record of both natural geochemical patterns and those showing the influence of man's activities. It has been suggested that this characteristic can be used to allow maps to be compiled which show human impact on the fluvial geochemical environment. Studies reviewed in this paper, however, show that a single overbank profile very rarely spans the period from before anthropogenic disturbance through to the Industrial Revolution and later. Significant lateral variations in metal concentrations occur also over a relatively small area in overbank sediments of the same general age. These, and the nature of vertical changes in chemistry, make the choice of sample sites, and sampling interval within a profile, difficult. Even sediments which appear uncontaminated may record anthropogenic influences from activities such as deforestation and agriculture. A means of dating the sediment and an appreciation of river erosion and sedimentation histories are shown to be essential in order to ensure that maps intended to depict natural geochemical variations are based on material deposited before disturbance of the catchment by human activity. These considerations and associated costs may render overbank sediment non-viable as a regional geochemical mapping medium.     

Controls on the accumulation of coal and on the development of anastomosed fluvial systems in the Cretaceous Dakota Formation of southern Utah

Alluvial strata of the Cretaceous Dakota Formation of southern Utah are part of a transgressive systems tract associated with a foreland basin developed adjacent to the Sevier orogenic belt. These strata contain valley fill deposits, anastomosed channel systems and widespread coals. The coals constitute a relatively minor part of the Dakota Formation in terms of sediment volume, but may represent a substantial amount of the time represented by the formation. The coals are separated by clastic units up to 20 m thick. The stratigraphically lowest clastic unit of the Dakota Formation lies above an unconformity cut into Jurassic rocks. Incised valleys associated with the unconformity are up to 12 m deep. Two discrete episodes of valley fill sedimentation are recognized, including a lower sandstone unit with conglomerate layers, and an upper, discontinuous, coal-bearing unit. After the valleys filled, the area became one of low relief where extensive mires formed. Peat accumulation was interrupted at least three times by deposition of clastic sediment derived from the west. The clastic units consist of sandstone, mudstone or heterolithic ribbon bodies, stacked tabular sandstones, and laminated mudstones, and contain minor coal beds less than 0·35 m thick. Ribbon bodies are 1–9 m thick and 15–160 m wide, have pronounced basal scours, and are filled with both lateral and vertical accretion deposits. An anastomosed channel complex is suggested by the large number of coeval channels of varying dimensions, the variation in the structure and grain size of channel fills, and the presence of abundant tabular sandstones interpreted as crevasse splays. Although some sandstone bodies have well developed lateral accretion surfaces, the overall ribbon geometry indicates that mature meandering streams were not well developed. This is in contrast to modern anastomosed systems, which are commonly thought to be a transitional morphology caused by avulsion of a meander belt to a new position on its floodplain. Rather than being a transitional channel pattern related to river avulsion, the anastomosed channels of the Dakota Formation may have formed part of a large inland delta that episodically invaded widespread mires. The mires developed during periods when clastic influx was reduced either by high rates of subsidence close to the thrust belt or by deflection of rivers by emergent thrusts.     

The geoarchaeology of Iron Age “moated” sites of the Upper Mae Nam Mun Valley,N.E. Thailand. I: Palaeodrainage,site–landscape relationships and the origins of the “moats”

The study focuses on the “moated” Iron Age sites of N.E. Thailand, first identified as significant prehistoric settlement sites in the 1940s from aerial photography. Two more recent photograph sets are used to map the surficial geology and prehistoric site distribution for a study area west of Phimai, N.E. Thailand, with a focus on site–landscape relationships and, in particular, relationships between site location and form and patterns of palaeodrainage. The derived record of the surficial geology reflects several phases of palaeodrainage, characterized by differing locations and types of former river channels. Of note is the differentiation between a recent period in which river channels, including those presently active, are single-string meandering channels, and an older period of broad belts of meandering multistring channels. The prehistoric site distribution correlates closely with the older drainage, and for many, the encircling channels (the “moats”) are closely associated with former river channels. These relationships provide a critical and novel model for site distribution; several implications arise, supported by emerging field evidence, and introducing issues for archaeological debate: (i) there is no need, as has been done in the past, to invoke prehistoric artificial forms of drainage associated with the sites; (ii) the definition of the encircling channels as “moats” is seriously called into question; and (iii) the inferred geomorphological evolution of the floodplain implies past changes in environmental parameters such as run-off, climate or biophysical environments. Since the sites are all located in or beside ancient meander belts, these parameters should now be introduced into archaeological discussions regarding the establishment, history, evolution, and abandonment of the Iron Age sites. Methodologically, this article illustrates the need to be aware of the complexity of aerial photograph interpretation in archaeological survey, showing that careful analysis of aerial photograph information may have a significant impact upon the modeling of prehistoric interpretations. Further stratigraphical studies will be reported subsequently, and will refine the models presented here. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Upper delta plain lacustrine and fluviolacustrine facies from the Westphalian of the Durham coalfield, NE England

Facies analysis suggests that the productive Westphalian (Upper Carboniferous) Coal Measures of the Durham coalfield in NE England were deposited on an upper delta plain. Distributary channels crossed the plain and were separated by shallow lakes. Detailed examination of largely three-dimensional exposures has revealed the existence of nine laterally and vertically interrelated fluviolacustrine and lacustrine lithofacies. Facies 1 and 2 are interpreted as overbank deposits of distributary channels, Facies 3–5 are regarded as deposits of crevasse splay/minor delta systems, and Facies 6–9 are considered to have formed in areas of diminished clastic sediment supply. Facies 4 and 5 are volumetrically the most important. Facies 3–9 are interpreted as representing progressively less energetic conditions of sedimentation across a lake, from the point of entry of a crevasse splay/minor delta system. The distribution and characteristics of the lithofacies indicate that the upper delta plain lakes were completely or effectively enclosed, up to about 8m deep and had wave fetches of the order of 20 km. These lakes were intermittently infilled by the crevasse-initiated, minor delta systems and, to a relatively minor extent, by overbank flood sediment from channels. Infilled lake surfaces became platforms for plant colonization and peat accumulation. The three dimensional relationships of the various lithofacies provide a model of Coal Measure lacustrine sedimentation, which may have wider implications in extending the model of interdistributary genesis and infilling proposed by Elliott, particularly with respect to detailed facies relationships and to the balance between overbank and crevasse-derived sediment.