Petrology of volcanic and plutonic rocks from the Uimen-Lebed’ terrain,Gorny Altai

The Uimen-Lebed’ volcanoplutonic terrane is located at the junction of the Gorny Altai, Gornaya Shoriya, and western Sayan structures and is part of the Devonian-Early Carbonaceous Salair-Altai volcanoplutonic belt. The volcanic facies of the terrane composes the contrasting Nyrnin-Sagan Group, which includes basalt-basaltic andesite and basalt-rhyolite associations. The plutonic facies makes up the multiplet Elekmonar Group, which includes two independent complexes: monzogabbro-monzodiorite-granodiorite-granite and granodiorite-granite-leucogranite. The volcanic and plutonic rocks are asymmetrically distributed: volcanic sequences fill inherited depressions in the eastern part of the terrane, whereas plutonic complexes are located in its western part at the fault system branching from the transregional Kuznetsk-Teletsk-Kurai fault zone. The basalts of the Nyrnin-Sagan Group show geochemical signatures of both suprasubduction and rift-related rocks. The evolution of basaltoid magmatism reflects the formation and development of a suprasubduction mantle wedge in the inner part of an active continental margin accompanied by the influence of an intraplate mantle source. The silicic volcanism was generated under lower crustal conditions (P > 10 kbar) at the expense of metabasic materials and was accompanied by the influx of potassium into the anatectic zones. The gabbroids of the Elekmonar Group show suprasubduction geochemical features and no signatures of rift-related structures. The composition of the Elekmonar granitoids indicates significantly shallower (compared with the silicic volcanics) depths of their generation. The Uimen-Lebed’ volcanoplutonic terrane in the northeastern part of Gorny Altai was formed in the inner part of an active continental margin of the Andean type. Its magmatic complexes were formed over a considerable time range, from the early Emsian, when the formation of the active continental margin began, to the end of the Eifelian or, more likely, the beginning of the Givetian stage.     

Dinosaur material from the Lower Greensand Group of Upware,Cambridgeshire, and the age of ‘Wealden’ vertebrates from the ‘Bedfordshire Straits’

Post-Wealden dinosaur remains are rare in the UK, so any material from late Early or Late Cretaceous deposits is potentially of palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical significance. Four dinosaur specimens collected from the Woburn Sands Formation (Aptian) of Upware, Cambridgeshire were described briefly by Walter Keeping in 1883, but have not been reappraised since. These specimens are identified herein as a ?turiasaurian sauropod tooth and indeterminate iguanodontian ornithopod remains (a tooth, middle caudal vertebra, pollex ungual). Although collected from the Woburn Sands Formation, it is likely that all of these fossils were reworked from older (now absent) sediments and they have usually been regarded as either ‘Wealden’ or Neocomian in age, presumably due to previous identifications of some of these specimens as Iguanodon. However, consideration of UK dinosaur faunas and regional geology indicates that these fossils could potentially be older. Further work is needed on the derived terrestrial fossils of the Lower Greensand Group in order to constrain their ages more precisely so that they can be incorporated into broader studies of regional diversity and palaeoecology.     

Petrology of a Subduction-related Caldera and Post-Collisional,Extension-related Volcanic Cones from the Early Cambrian and Middle Ordovician (?) of the Camaquã Basin,Southern Brazil

The region studied, located in southern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, 25 km to the northeast of Lavras do Sul, records two volcanic events. The first is the eruption of pyroclastic material and localized flows of alkali-basalt, trachyandesite and andesite composition, corresponding to the early Cambrian Hilário Formation. This event in the region, through tectonic reactivation and explosive expulsion of a large amount of material from the magmatic reservoir chamber, which later faulted and collapsed, has generated an elliptical caldera of 7.2 km × 3.0 km. The rocks in the caldera have derived from partial melting of a spinel lherzolitic or garnet lherzolitic mantle, in a typically orogenic, calc-alkaline environment. They were generated during the final phase of subduction of the Adamastor plate beneath the Rio de la Plata plate in the early Cambrian. The second event occurred in a post-collisional tectonic setting in the Middle Ordovician?, when alkaline magma was emplaced through deep fractures, generating four cones within the collapsed caldera. The rocks in the cones bear the geochemical signature of a more evolved magma when compared to the rocks in the caldera, having been formed through low fusion rates of a garnet-depleted source in the upper mantle. It represents the last phase of the Pan-African-Brasiliano Orogeny, which occurred right after the collision of the Rio de La Plata and Kalahari continental plates, in a retroarc setting.     

Petrogenesis of lherzolites from the Purang ophiolite,Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone,Tibet: origin and significance of ultra-high pressure and other ‘unusual’ minerals in the Neo-Tethyan lithospheric mantle

ABSTRACT

The Purang ultramafic massif, located in the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) of the Tibetan Plateau, consists mainly of harzburgites and minor lherzolites. The spinel-bearing lherzolites of the NW part of the massif display a granular texture, consisting of large olivine and pyroxene crystals with curvilinear grain boundaries. These lherzolites contain chromian spinel (Cr-spinel) of low Cr# [100 × Cr/(Cr +Al) = 24.7–30.2], enstatite with high Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) = 90.0–91.2] and relatively high Al₂O₃ content (3.3–4.1 wt%), and diopside with high Mg# (90.2–93.3) and Al₂O₃ content (4.6–5.0 wt%). These compositions are analogous to those of spinel and pyroxenes from residual peridotites. However, the Purang lherzolites show U-shaped primitive mantle (PM)-normalized rare earth element (REE)-profiles, which are not consistent with a potential origin as melting residues. The high LREE contents and positive Ti anomalies shown by the investigated lherzolites coupled with the low TiO₂ content of their mineral constituents imply that these rocks possibly stored LREE- and Ti-bearing arc-related melts/fluids in their groundmass.

A mineral assemblage composed of diamond, super-reduced [(SuR) moissanite, native Cr] and crustal-derived minerals (zircon, corundum, rutile), has been separated from the Purang lherzolites. Uranium-Pb geochronological dating of zircons yielded an age range between 1718 and 465 Ma, indicating that they represent ancient crustal material delivered into the upper mantle via previous subduction events. Diamonds and old zircons (± crustal minerals) were carried to shallow mantle levels by asthenospheric magmas produced during a slab rollback-induced decompression melting process. The recovery of SuR minerals is consistent with fluid percolation and crystallization of alteration-related minerals in the lithospheric parts of a (hydrated) mantle wedge, resulting in the formation of highly reduced micro-environments.     

Orbital timing of the Indian,East Asian and African boreal monsoons and the concept of a ‘global monsoon’

Our understanding of monsoon circulation timing’s at the orbital scale is currently a matter of debate. Here, we compare previous and recently published results of Indian, East Asian, West African and East African monsoon variability. We note different timings between the East African, West African, Indian and East-Asian monsoon systems for the most recent 45 ka, where the age models are constrained by AMS dating. On this basis, we construct different orbital forcing “reference curves” and apply them to the 200 ka time period for the different monsoon systems. Our results indicate that the ‘global monsoon’ concept at the orbital scale is a misnomer. We find real regional differences in the timing of the monsoon response to orbital forcing and differences in the weight of precession and obliquity in the monsoon records. This work highlights the necessity of studies aimed at understanding the underlying physics of these regional response patterns. This is crucial to a better understanding of monsoon dynamics and improved climate model simulations and comparisons with proxy data.     

Petrology and geochemistry of the Cretaceous granitoid magmatism of Central Kamchatka,exemplified by the Krutogorova and Kol’ intrusive complexes

The problem of the geochemical classification of granitoid magmatism in the zone of interaction of oceanic and continental plates is considered in this paper by the example of Mesozoic granitoids of the Krutogorova and Kol’ intrusive complexes of the Sredinny Range, Kamchatka. Based on new geological, petrological, and geochemical data (including the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope systematics of rocks), it was shown that the protoliths of the granitoids were volcanic-terrigenous sequences accumulated within a Cretaceous marginal basin in the eastern Asian continent. The granitoids crystallized at ～80 Ma (SHRIMP U-Pb age) under the conditions of the andalusite-sillimanite depth facies corresponding to a pressure of approximately 2 kbar and induced contact metamorphism in the host sequences, which are made up of sediments with sheetlike bodies of mafic and ultramafic volcanics (Kikhchik Group and its metamorphic analogues of the Kolpakova, Kamchatka, and Malki groups). The lower age boundary of sedimentation of the host sequences and the time of basic volcanism coincide with the beginning of the formation of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic belt. Such a correlation is not accidental and reflects a genetic connection between the processes of magmatic activation in the continental-margin sedimentary basin and the formation of the continental margin volcanic belt in eastern Asia. The development of basic volcanism in the sedimentary basin accompanied by the ascent of deep fluids resulted in the entrainment of crustal materials into magmatic processes and the formation of crustal magma chambers, the activity of which was manifested by the eruption of intermediate and silicic lavas and emplacement of shallow granitoid intrusions of considerable areal extent. These intrusions induced contact metamorphism in the enclosing volcanosedimentary complexes. The subsequent Eocene (60-50 Ma) collision processes related to the obduction of the oceanic segment of the crust of the transitional zone onto the Asian continental margin resulted in the tectonic piling of the rocks of Central Kamchatka and strong crustal thickening, which was favorable for its metamorphic alteration reaching the kyanite-sillimanite depth level of the amphibolite facies under the influence of a thermal front and deep fluids affecting lower crustal zones. The Eocene regional metamorphism caused not only metamorphic transformations, migmatization, and granitization in the sequences of the Sredinny Range, which underwent only contact hornfels formation during the first stage, but also metamorphism, migmatization, and extensive foliation in the igneous rocks of the Kol’ and Krutogorova complexes, which were transformed into gneissic metagranites.     

Morphodynamics,landform development and origin of the Ga’ara depression,Western Desert of Iraq

This work deals with the study of the morphodynamics, history of development of landforms and the origin of the Ga’ara depression. The depression is a suboval erosional topographic feature extending in E-W direction and located about 50 km north of Rutba Town, at the Western Desert of Iraq. The area is characterized by fresh and clean surfaces, scarcity of vegetation, abundance of rills, intense drainage and immature soil. These clues indicate that the erosion in the study area is effective. Four types of erosion features are recognized in this area namely sheet, rill, badland and wind erosion. The extent of the wind erosion depends on its position in relation to the prevailing wind direction. Water, wind and gravity are the main agents of erosion although the former seems more effective. In general, the valleys are dense in the hard rocks which indicate intensive erosion. Two types of drainage pattern can be distinguished in the study area, a dendritic pattern, especially at the exposure area of the Mulussa dolostone, and a centripetal pattern at the central part of the depression at the confluence of the main wadis. The valleys are V-shaped in their upper reaches and gradually change to flat-bottom shallow valleys in their lower reaches. Two major types of mass wasting are recognized, namely, rock fall and slump. Rock fall is the most common process whereby most of the talus accumulates at the base of the cliff. Slump is frequent at the south and southwestern rims of the depression. The slope surfaces are generally composite of the type free-face concave pediment. The depression is asymmetrical having steeper slopes in the south and the west whereas the northern and eastern scarps are wider and gentler, respectively. History of landform development is investigated in the Ga’ara area. Seven episodes are distinguished according to emergence and paleoclimatic conditions. The landforms of the study area were formed and further developed during the emergence episodes. The history of the development of the Ga’ara depression is studied too.     

Petrology of the Non-mafic UHP Metamorphic Rocks from a Drillhole in the Southern Sulu Orogenic Belt, Eastern-Central China

The Drillhole ZK703 with a depth of 558 m is located in the Donghai area of the southern Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt, eastern China, and penetrates typical UHP eclogites and various non-mafic rocks, including peridotite, gneiss, schist and quartzite. Their protoliths include ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, intermediate-acidic, acidic igneous rocks and sediments. These rocks are intimately interlayered, which are meters to millimeters thick with sharp and nontectonic contacts, suggesting in-situ metamorphism under UHP eclogite facies conditions. The following petrologic features indicate that the non-mafic rocks have experienced early-stage UHP metamorphism together with the eclogites: (1) phengite relics in gneisses and schists contain a high content of Si, up to 3.52 p.f.u. (per formula unit), while amphibolite-facies phengites have considerably low Si content (<3.26 p.f.u.); (2) jadeite relics are found in quartzite and jadeitite; (3) various types of symplectitic coronas and pseud     

The Petrology, Geochemistry, and Petrogenesis of E-MORB-type Mafic Rocks from the Guomangco Ophiolitic Mélange, Tibet

The Guomangco ophiolitic melange is situated in the middle part of the Shiquanhe- Yongzhu-Jiali ophiolitic melange belt （SYJMB） and possesses all the subunits of a typical Penrose- type ophiolite pseudostratigraphy. The study of the Guomangco ophiolitic melange is very important for investigating the tectonic evolution of the SYJMB. The mafic rocks of this ophiolitic melange mainly include diabases, sillite dikes, and basalts. Geochemical analysis shows that these dikes mostly have E-MORB major and trace element signatures; this is the first time that this has been observed in the SYJMB. The basalts have N-MORB and IAB affinities, and the mineral chemistry of harzburgites shows a composition similar to that of SSZ peridotites, indicating that the Guomangco ophiolitic melange probably originated in a back-arc basin. The Guomangco back-arc basin opened in the Middle Jurassic, which was caused by southward subduction of the Neo-Tethys Ocean in central Tibet. The main spreading of this back-arc basin occurred during the Late Jurassic, and the basalts were formed during this time. With the development of the back-arc basin, the subducted slab gradually retreated, and new mantle convection occurred in the mantle wedge. The recycling may have caused the metasomatized mantle to undergo a high degree of partial melting and to generate E- MORBs in the Early Cretaceous. E-MORB-type dikes probably crystallized from melts produced by about 20%-30% partial melting of a spinel mantle source, which was metasomatized by melts from low-degree partial melting of the subducted slab.     

Implications of gravity data from East Kalimantan and the Makassar Straits: a solution to the origin of the Makassar Straits?

Recent free-air gravity data covering the Makassar Straits is integrated with Bouguer gravity data from onshore East Kalimantan to provide new insights into the basement structure of the region. Onshore Kalimantan, gravity highs on the northern margin of the Kutai Basin trend NNE–SSW and N–S and correspond with the axes of inverted Eocene half-grabens. NW–SE trending lows correspond to deep seated basement weaknesses reactivated as normal faults during the Tertiary. An intra-basin gravity high trending NNE–SSW, the Kutai Lakes Gravity High, is modelled as folded high density Paleogene sediments flanked by syn-inversion synclines infilled with low density sediments. Offshore Kalimantan, the Makassar Straits include two basins offset by an en-echelon fault zone, suggestive of an extensional origin. The regional signature of the free-air anomaly data mirrors the bathymetry, but this effect can be reduced by the use of filters in order to examine the basin architecture. The free-air gravity minimum in the Makassar Strait is only −20 mGal, much smaller than that appropriate for a foreland basin, and more indicative of an extensional basin. The steepness of the gradients on the flanks of the basins indicates fault control of their margins. A regional 2D profile across the North Makassar Basin suggests the presence of attenuated crust (<14 km) in the basin axis at the present day, whereas flexural backstripping implies the presence of oceanic crust of middle Eocene age. The presence of oceanic crust in the North Makassar Straits Basin has implications for regional plate tectonic models.     

Petrology and U–Pb zircon dating of coesite-bearing metapelite from the Kebuerte Valley,western Tianshan,China

This paper deals with the petrology and U–Pb dating of coesite-bearing garnet–phengite schist from the Kebuerte Valley, Chinese western Tianshan. It mainly consists of porphyroblastic garnet, phengite, quartz and chlorite with minor amounts of paragonite, albite, zoisite and chloritoid. The well preserved coesite inclusions (∼100 μm) in garnet are encircled by a narrow rim of quartz. They were identified by optical microscopy and confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Using the computer program THERMOCALC, the peak metamorphic conditions of 29 kbar and 565 °C were obtained via garnet isopleth geothermobarometry. The predicted UHP peak mineral assemblage comprises garnet + jadeite + lawsonite + carpholite + coesite + phengite. The metapelite records prograde quartz–eclogite-facies metamorphism, UHP coesite–eclogite-facies peak metamorphism, and a late greenschist-facies overprint. Phase equilibrium modeling predicts that garnet mainly grew in the mineral assemblages garnet + jadeite + lawsonite + chloritoid + glaucophane + quartz + phengite and garnet + jadeite + lawsonite + carpholite + glaucophane + quartz + phengite. SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of the coesite-bearing metapelite yielded the peak metamorphic age 320.4 ± 3.7 Ma. For the first time, age data of coesite-bearing UHP metapelite from the Chinese western Tianshan are presented in this paper. They are in accord with published ages obtained from eclogite from other localities in the Chinese western Tianshan and the Kyrgyz South Tianshan and therefore prove a widespread occurrence of UHP metamorphism.     

New haramiyidan and reptile fossils from a Rhaetian bedded sequence close to the famous ‘Microlestes’ Quarry of Holwell,UK

We describe here new Late Triassic haramiyidan mammaliaform and reptile fossils from near the classic ‘Microlestes’ Quarry’ at Holwell, Somerset, U.K., where Charles Moore discovered a huge collection of microvertebrates in the 1850s. Moore’s discoveries included the haramiyid Thomasia (formerly ‘Microlestes’ and Microcleptes) for which he achieved worldwide fame. Subsequently, despite much fossicking by researchers at Holwell, few new identifiable specimens of mammaliamorphs and lepidosaurs have been recorded and these were by Kühne in 1939. The new finds described here from a bedded sequence, not from a fissure, add significantly to our knowledge of the Holwell tetrapods and to the Rhaetian terrestrial faunas of the SW U.K. Our discovery of haramiyidan teeth includes a previously unknown type of Theroteinus, a genus not previously recorded from outside of the St-Nicholas-de-Port locality in France. An archosaur tooth, possibly from a phytosaur, is also recorded. The new lepidosaur specimens add significant detail to the recently described ‘basal’ rhynchocephalian Penegephyrosaurus curtiscoppi as well as demonstrating that the global diversity of Lepidosauria in the Late Triassic remains incompletely known.     

Petrology, Geochemistry and Tectonic Significance of the Metamorphic Peridotites from Longmuco–Shuanghu Ophiolitic Melange belt, Tibet

Taoxinghu metamorphic peridotite is a firstly reported mantle sequence of ophiolite since Longmuco–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang suture zone (LSLSZ) was proposed, and it is also an important discovered for ophiolite studying in central Qiangtang. Based on detailed analyses of whole–rock geochemistry of Taoxinghu metamorphic peridotites and contrast to metamorphic peridotites in typical ophiolites worldwide, the paper investigates their petrogenesis and geological implication. The petrologic results show that the protolith of Taoxinghu metamorphic perdotites have the mineral assemblage and texture characteristic of mantle peridotite. Most metamorphic peridotites hav near global abyssal peridotites major elements contents, while the few is similar to SSZ–type peridotites. They exhibit typically U–shaped REE patterns, characterized by slight enrichment of LREE and HREE relative to MREE and a low fractionated LREE to HREE segment. Trace elements contents are low and all samples are strong enrichment in Cs, U, Pb, weak enrichment in Ba and depletion in Th, but negative Nb anomalies are only observed in few samples. That suggests Taoxinghu metamorphic peridotites have depletion mantle and suprasubduction affinities. A two–stage evolution history is considered: Taoxinghu metamorphic peridotites originated as the residue from melting at a ridge with 7%–20% degree of fraction melting and were subsequently modified by interaction with mafic melt and aqueous fluid within mantle wedge on subducted zone. Combined with previous studies, we preliminarily propose Taoxinghu metamorphic peridotites may be the Products of initial rifting of palo–Tethys, forming at middle Ordivician–upper Cambrian, and they may be the direct evidences for spreading of palo–Tethys.     

The age and origin of a thick mafic–ultramafic keel from beneath the Sierra Nevada batholith

We present evidence for a thick (∼100 km) sequence of cogenetic rocks which make up the root of the Sierra Nevada batholith of California. The Sierran magmatism produced tonalitic and granodioritic magmas which reside in the Sierra Nevada upper- to mid-crust, as well as deep eclogite facies crust/upper mantle mafic–ultramafic cumulates. Samples of the mafic–ultramafic sequence are preserved as xenoliths in Miocene volcanic rocks which erupted through the central part of the batholith. We have performed Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd mineral geochronologic analyses on seven fresh, cumulate textured, olivine-free mafic–ultramafic xenoliths with large grainsize, one garnet peridotite, and one high pressure metasedimentary rock. The garnet peridotite, which equilibrated at ∼130 km beneath the batholith, yields a Miocene (10 Ma) Nd age, indicating that in this sample, the Nd isotopes were maintained in equilibrium up to the time of entrainment. All other samples equilibrated between ∼35 and 100 km beneath the batholith and yield Sm-Nd mineral ages between 80 and 120 Ma, broadly coincident with the previously established period of most voluminous batholithic magmatism in the Sierra Nevada. The Rb-Sr ages are generally consistent with the Sm-Nd ages, but are more scattered. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd intercepts of the igneous-textured xenoliths are similar to the ratios published for rocks outcroping in the central Sierra Nevada. We interpret the mafic/ultramafic xenoliths to be magmatically related to the upper- and mid-crustal granitoids as cumulates and/or restites. This more complete view of the vertical dimension in a batholith indicates that there is a large mass of mafic–ultramafic rocks at depth which complement the granitic batholiths, as predicted by mass balance calculations and experimental studies. The Sierran magmatism was a large scale process responsible for segregating a column of ∼30 km thick granitoids from at least ∼70 km of mainly olivine free mafic–ultramafic residues/cumulates. These rocks have resided under the batholith as granulite and eclogite facies rocks for at least 70 million years. The presence of this thick mafic–ultramafic keel also calls into question the existence of a “flat” (i.e., shallowly subducted) slab at Central California latitudes during Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic, in contrast to the southernmost Sierra Nevada and Mojave regions. Received: 27 December 1997 / Accepted: 11 June 1998     

Geochemistry and origin of Archaean quartz-cordierite gneisses from the Godthåbsfjord region,West Greenland

We report new data on the major, minor and trace element compositions of metasedimentary quartzcordierite gneisses (QCG), an important member of the Archaean Malene supracrustal suite found throughout the Godthåbsfjord region of West Greenland. The analyzed QCG contain assemblages of quartz+cordierite+biotite±garnet±anthophyllite/gedrite±staurolite±sillimanite±plagioclase (with abundant accessory zircon, and minor rutile, monazite and allanite), and broadly resemble cordierite-orthoamphibole rocks found in a great number of other metamorphic terrains. Chemically, the QCG are characterized by: (1) high but variable SiO₂ (59–87 wt%), relative enrichments in MgO, FeO, and Al₂O₃ (mg～0.35–0.85), and depletions in Na₂O, K₂O and especially CaO; (2) low concentrations of Sc, Cr, Co, Ni, and Sr; (3) high concentrations of Y, Nb, Zr, Hf, Ta, Th, U, and REE (rare earth elements)-with prominent negative Eu-anomalies in each case; (5) high concentrations of Ga (18–55 ppm), with variable Ga/Al ratios that are significantly higher than average crustal material. Low Cr and Ni, together with enriched and fractionated REE (displaying negative Eu-anomalies), distinguish the Malene QCG from published accounts of most other Archaean sedimentary rocks. Furthermore, all of the above-mentioned trace element characteristics distinguish the QCG from “ordinary” Malene clastic metasediments (quartzites, psammites, and pelites), suggesting a separate origin for the QCG. These data point towards chemically evolved felsic igneous rocks being the source of the QCG. Consequently, we propose that the Malene QCG represent metamorphosed felsic volcaniclastic sediments that underwent hydrothermal alteration by heated seawater prior to metamorphism, which resulted in gain of Mg (and Fe?), loss of alkalis and lime, and possibly Eu and Sr. The overall trace-element characteristics of the QCG (elevated Ga, Zr, Nb, REE, etc.) are features shared by A-type granites and their volcanic equivalents. Such igneous rocks may represent the ultimate source material for the QCG protolith.     

Late Tertiary ‘grey billy’ and the age and origin of surficial silicifications (silcrete) in South Australia

A late‐Tertiary age, as well as the commonly accepted mid‐Tertiary age, is proved for widespread silcretes in S.A. This is demonstrated by stratigraphic relationships with palynologically dated sequences, and evidence of erosion of silcretes. The age limits are Early Eocene to Early Miocene and Medial Miocene to Early Pleistocene, probably Late Pliocene. The late‐Tertiary silcrete dominates the duricrusted landscape flanking the north of the Willouran and Flinders Ranges, and forms patches throughout the Tarkarooloo Lobe (Lake Frome area). Silica type varies according to the material cemented; chalcedony and opal are more common in finer grained, less permeable, clayey clastics, and micro‐ to crypto‐crystalline quartz ('grey billy’ or ‘terrazzo') in porous permeable arenites and regoliths.

‘Grey billy’ silcretes with pedogenic features resembling massive nodular calcretes were probably formed close to phreatic surfaces or in the soil zone, and result from deposition of silica and titania from surface waters near ground level. They can be used to mark unconformities. Those without such features were formed at depths of several to tens of metres in the phreatic zone, beyond the effects of a fluctuating groundwater table.

The varying composition of groundwaters and fluctuations of the phreatic surface probably occurred as the result of climatic changes from wet to arid to wet, causing alternate solution and redeposition of silica. Silcrete was essentially a late Mesozoic‐Cainozoic phenomenon, this being a time of general uplift of the Australian continent during intervals of climatic fluctuation. However, the time spans of Australian silcretes are not sufficiently known to make correlations with major climatic events, which are on a finer time‐scale.     

Re-interpretation of ‘hummocky moraine’ in the Gaick,Scotland, as erosional remnants: Implications for palaeoglacier dynamics

Many glaciated valleys in Scotland contain distinctive, closely spaced ridges and mounds, which have been termed ‘hummocky moraine’. The ridges and mounds are widely interpreted as ice-marginal moraines, constructed during active retreat of mainly temperate glaciers. However, hummocky terrain can form by various processes in glacial environments, and it may relate to a range of contrasting glaciodynamic regimes. Thus, detailed geomorphological and sedimentological studies of hummocky surfaces in Scottish glaciated valleys are important for robust interpretations of former depositional environments and glacier dynamics. In this contribution, we examine irregularly shaped ridges and mounds that occur outside the limits of former Loch Lomond Readvance (≈ Younger Dryas; ~ 12.9–11.7 ka) glaciers in the Gaick, Central Scotland. These ridges and mounds are intimately associated with series of sinuous channels, and their planform shape mimics the form of the adjacent channels. Available exposures through ridges in one valley reveal that those particular ridges contain lacustrine, subglacial, and glaciofluvial sediments. The internal sedimentary architecture is not related to the surface morphology; thus, we interpret the irregularly shaped ridges and mounds as erosional remnants (or interfluves). Based on the forms and spatial arrangement of the associated channels, we suggest that the ridges and mounds were generated by a combination of ice-marginal and proglacial glaciofluvial incision of glaciogenic sediments. The evidence for glaciofluvial incision, rather than ice-marginal moraine formation, at pre-Loch Lomond Readvance glacier margins in the Gaick may reflect differences in glaciodynamic regimes and/or efficient debris delivery from the glacier margins to the glaciofluvial systems.