Recent environmental changes in Laguna Mar Chiquita (central Argentina): a sedimentary model for a highly variable saline lake

Abstract Laguna Mar Chiquita, a highly variable closed saline lake located in the Pampean plains of central Argentina, is presently the largest saline lake in South America (≈ 6000 km²). Recent variations in its hydrological budget have produced dry and wet intervals that resulted in distinctive lake level fluctuations. Results of a multiproxy study of a set of sedimentary cores indicate that the system has clearly recorded these hydrological variations from the end of the Little Ice Age (≈ ad 1770) to the present. Sedimentological and geochemical data combined with a robust chronology based on ²¹⁰Pb profiles and historical data provide the framework for a sedimentary model of a lacustrine basin with highly variable water depth and salinity. Lake level drops and concurrent increases in salinity promoted the development of gypsum–calcite–halite layers and a marked decrease in primary productivity. The deposits of these dry stages are evaporite‐bearing sediments with a low organic matter content. Conversely, highstands are recorded as diatomaceous organic matter‐rich muds. Average bulk sediment accumulation rose from 0·22 g cm^?2 year^?1 in lowstands to 0·32 g cm^?2 year^?1 during highstands. These results show that Laguna Mar Chiquita is a good sensor of high‐ and low‐frequency changes in the recent hydrological budget and, therefore, document climatic changes at middle latitudes in south‐eastern South America. Dry conditions were mostly dominant until the last quarter of the twentieth century, when a humid interval without precedent during the last 240 years of the lake's recorded history started. Thus, it is an ideal system to model sedimentary and geochemical response to environmental changes in a saline lacustrine basin.     

Fluvial sedimentation in a salt‐controlled mini‐basin: stratal patterns and facies assemblages,Sivas Basin,Turkey

The Sivas Basin, located on the Central Anatolian Plateau in Turkey, is an elongate Oligo‐Miocene basin that contains numerous salt‐walled mini‐basins. Through field analysis, including stratigraphic section logging, facies analysis and geological mapping, a detailed tectono‐stratigraphic study of the Emirhan mini‐basin and its 2·6 km thick sediment fill has been undertaken. Three main palaeoenvironments are recognized – playa‐lake, braided stream and lacustrine – each corresponds to a relatively long‐lived depositional episode within a system that was dominated overall by the development of a distributive fluvial system. At local scale, this affects the geometry of the succession and influences facies distributions within preserved sequences. Sequences affected by wedge geometries are characterized by localized channelized sandstone bodies in the area of maximum subsidence and these pass laterally to floodplain mudstone towards the diaper; several internal unconformities are recognized. By contrast, sequences affected by hook geometries display narrow and steep drape‐fold geometries with no evidence of lateral facies change and apparent conformity in the preserved succession. The sediment fill of the Emirhan mini‐basin records the remobilization of diapir‐derived detritus and the presence of evaporitic bodies interbedded within the mini‐basin, implying the growth of salt walls expressed at the surface as palaeo‐topographic highs. The mini‐basin also records the signature of a regional change in stratigraphic assemblage, passing from playa‐lake facies to large‐scale highly amalgamated fluvial facies that represent progradation of the fluvial system. The initiation and evolution of this mini‐basin involves a variety of local and regional controls. Local factors include: (i) salt withdrawal, which influenced the rate and style of subsidence and consequently temporal and spatial variation in the stratigraphic assemblage and the stratal response related to halokinesis; and (ii) salt inflation, which influenced the topographic expression of the diapirs and consequently the occurrence of diapir‐derived detritus intercalated within the otherwise clastic‐dominated succession.     

Biogenic soil crusts and soil depth: a long‐term case study from the Central Negev desert highland

Wind‐blown soil degradation is a major problem in arid regions. Biogenic soil crust consists of a dense growth of many small organisms covering bare desert soil surfaces in arid regions worldwide. These organisms perform essential services in the ecosystem, for example, soil surface stabilization and carbon and nitrogen fixation. A unique service provided by biogenic crusts is the incorporation of large quantities of deposited atmospheric particles, leading to a significantly enhanced rate of increase in soil depth in windy and arid environments. A long‐term study (over 42 months) was conducted to investigate the contribution of a biogenic crust to the accumulation of atmospheric particles in an arid zone. Undisturbed and treated biogenic crusts were studied for their capacity to incorporate deposited particles. Atmospheric particles were found to accumulate on marble dust collectors at a rate of 120 g m^?2 year^?1 and on sterilized crust at a rate of 208 g m^?2 year^?1, while the accumulation rate on live, intact crusts was 277 g m^?2 year^?1, suggesting a soil depth accretion rate on an undisturbed biogenic crust of 10 mm every 33 years. Maintenance of a healthy biogenic crust in dry land environments should, therefore, be a major consideration for improving soil quality and increasing soil depth in arid regions.     

Characteristics,differences and main controlling factors of source rocks in the central‐southern South China Sea Basins

The South China Sea is rich in oil and gas resources. With the increasing exploration of oil and gas resources in the northern South China Sea and the increasing demand for energy in the world, The central‐southern South China Sea have become important constituencies for oil and gas resources. The central‐southern basins of South China Sea can be divided into three types of basin groups, namely, the southern basin group (Zengmu Basin, Brunei‐Sabah Basin), the western basin group (Wan'an Basin, Zhong jiannan Basin) and the Central Basin Group (Liyue Basin, Beikang Basin, Nanweixi Basin and Palawan Basin). At present, the degree of exploration is relatively low, and the source rock has not yet formed a understanding of the system. The main source rock development time, source rock characteristics, hydrocarbon generation potential and control factors of each basin group are still unclear, which seriously restricts the exploration of oil and gas. Based on the sedimentary facies distribution and sedimentary filling evolution, combined with the geoche mical characteristics of the source rocks, the source age, organic matter type, hydrocarbon generation potential and main controlling factors of the basins in the central‐southern basins are discussed. By the detailed research on delta scale, provenance system, paleoclimate conditions, ancient vegetation development and hydroca rbon generation parent material, the main controlling factors of hydrocarbon generation potential of source rocks in each basin group are revealed.     

Development of microbial carbonates in the Lower Cretaceous Codó Formation (north‐east Brazil): Implications for interpretation of microbialite facies associations and palaeoenvironmental conditions

The study of microbial carbonates has acquired new significance with the recognition that they retain valuable information related to biomineralization processes associated with microbial activity throughout geological time. Additionally, microbialites have a demonstrated economic potential to serve as excellent hydrocarbon reservoirs. The Lower Cretaceous Codó Formation, located in the Parnaiba Basin of north‐east Brazil, comprises a unique stratigraphic sequence of up to 20 m thick, well‐preserved carbonate microbialites. Deposited in a continental basin during the initial break up and separation of South America from Africa in the Early Cretaceous, this lacustrine carbonate sequence provides an excellent example to investigate the palaeoenvironmental conditions controlling microbialite facies development. Based on macroscopic and microscopic observations of outcrop and drill core samples, four microbialite facies (stromatolite, lamina, massive and spherulite) were defined and distinguished by textures and microbial fossil content. Changes in facies type are related to alternating palaeo‐water depths, as reflected by ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr cycles resulting from fluctuations in the sources of meteoric water. Clumped isotope measurements of stromatolitic fabrics yield precipitation palaeo‐temperatures with an average value of 35°C. The δ¹⁸O values of bulk carbonate (?6·8 to ?1·5‰ Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite) imply precipitation from water with calculated δ¹⁸O values between ?1·6‰ and 1·8‰ Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water, reflecting precipitation from variably modified meteoric waters. The δ¹³C values of bulk carbonate (?15·5 to ?7·2‰ Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite) indicate a significant input of carbon derived from aerobic or anaerobic respiration of organic matter. Combined, the data indicate that the evolution of the Codó Formation occurred in a closed lacustrine palaeoenvironment with alternating episodes of contracting and expanding lake levels, which led to the development of specific microbialite facies associations. The results provide new insights into palaeoenvironmental settings, biogenicity and early diagenetic processes involved in the formation of ancient carbonate microbialites and, by extension, improve the knowledge of the reservoir geology of correlative units in deep waters offshore Brazil.     

Multi‐basin depositional framework for moisture‐balance reconstruction during the last 1300 years at Lake Bogoria,central Kenya Rift Valley

Multi‐proxy analysis of sediment cores from five key locations in hypersaline, alkaline Lake Bogoria (central Kenya Rift Valley) has allowed reconstruction of its history of depositional and hydrological change during the past 1300 years. Analyses including organic matter and carbonate content, granulometry, mineralogical composition, charcoal counting and high‐resolution scanning of magnetic susceptibility and elemental geochemistry resulted in a detailed sedimentological and compositional characterization of lacustrine deposits in the three lake basins and on the two sills separating them. These palaeolimnological data were supplemented with information on present‐day sedimentation conditions based on seasonal sampling of settling particles and on measurement of physicochemical profiles through the water column. A new age model based on ²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁴C dating captures the sediment chronology of this hydrochemically complex and geothermally fed lake. An extensive set of chronological tie points between the equivalent high‐resolution proxy time series of the five sediment sequences allowed transfer of radiometric dates between the basins, enabling interbasin comparison of sedimentation dynamics through time. The resulting reconstruction demonstrates considerable moisture‐balance variability through time, reflecting regional hydroclimate dynamics over the past 1300 years. Between ca 690 and 950 AD , the central and southern basins of Lake Bogoria were reduced to shallow and separated brine pools. In the former, occasional near‐complete desiccation triggered massive trona precipitation. Between ca 950 and 1100 AD , slightly higher water levels allowed the build‐up of high pCO ₂ leading to precipitation of nahcolite still under strongly evaporative conditions. Lake Bogoria experienced a pronounced highstand between ca 1100 and 1350 AD , only to recede again afterwards. For a substantial part of the time between ca 1350 and 1800 AD , the northern basin was probably disconnected from the united central and southern basins. Throughout the last two centuries, lake level has been relatively high compared to the rest of the past millennium. Evidence for increased terrestrial sediment supply in recent decades, due to anthropogenic soil erosion in the wider Bogoria catchment, is a reason for concern about possible adverse impacts on the unique ecosystem of Lake Bogoria.     

Microbially mediated carbonates in the Holocene deposits from Sarliève, a small ancient lake of the French Massif Central, testify to the evolution of a restricted environment

Both the mineralogy and facies of lacustrine bio‐induced carbonates are controlled largely by hydrological factors that are highly dependent upon climatic influence. As such they are useful tools in characterizing ancient lake environments. In this way, the study of the sedimentary record from the small ancient Sarliève Lake (Limagne, Massif Central, France) aims to reconstruct the hydrological evolution during the Holocene, using petrographical, mineralogical and geochemical analyses. The fine‐grained marls, mainly calcitic, display numerous layers rich in pristine Ca‐dolomite, with small amounts of aragonite, which are clearly autochthonous. As these minerals are rather unusual in the temperate climatic context of western Europe, the question arises about their forming conditions, and therefore that of the lacustrine environment. Ca‐dolomite prevails at the base of the sequence as a massive dolomicrite layer and, in the middle part, it builds up most of the numerous laminae closely associated with organic matter. Scanning electron microscope observations reveal the abundance of tiny crystals (tens to hundreds of nanometres) mainly organized as microspheres looking like cocci or bacilli. Such a facies is interpreted as resulting from the fossilization of benthic microbial communities by dolomite precipitation following organic matter consumption and extracellular polymeric substance degradation. These microbial dolomites were precipitated in a saline environment, as a consequence of excess evaporation from the system, as is also suggested by their positive ?¹⁸O values. The facies sequence expresses the following evolution: (i) saline pan, i.e. endorheic stage with a perennial lowstand in lake level (Boreal to early Atlantic periods); (ii) large fluctuations in lake level with sporadic freshening of the system (Atlantic); (iii) open lake stage (sub‐boreal); and (iv) anthropogenic drainage (sub‐Atlantic).     

The influence of hydrology and climate on the isotope geochemistry of playa carbonates: a study from Pilot Valley, NV, USA

Carbonates often accompany lake and lake‐margin deposits in both modern and ancient geological settings. If these carbonates are formed in standing water, their stable isotope values reflect the aquatic chemistry at the time of precipitation and may provide a proxy for determining regional hydrologic conditions. Carbonate rhizoliths and water samples were collected from a playa lake in eastern Nevada. Pilot Valley (～43°N) is a closed‐basin, remnant playa from the Quaternary desiccation of palaeo‐Lake Bonneville. Water is added to the playa margin by free convection of dense brines to the east and forced convection of freshwater off the alluvial fan to the west. Both freshwater and saline springs dot the playa margin at the base of an alluvial fan. Water samples collected from seven springs show a range from ?16 to ?0·2‰ (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water), and are consistent with published values. The δ¹⁸O_calcite values from rhizolith samples range from ?18·3 to ?6·7‰ (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite), and the average is ?12‰ V‐PDB (1 ? σ SD 2‰). With the exception of samples from Little Salt Spring, the range in the δ¹⁸O_calcite values collected from the rhizoliths confirms that they form in equilibrium with ambient water conditions on the playa. The initial geochemical conditions for the spring waters are dictated by local hydrology: freshwater springs emerge in the northern part of the basin to the east of a broad alluvial fan, and more saline springs emerge to the south where the influence of the alluvial fan diminishes. Rhizoliths are only found near the southern saline springs and their δ¹³C_calcite values, along with their morphology, indicate that they only form around saltgrass (Distichlis sp.). As the residence time of water on the playa increases, evaporation, temperature change and biological processes alter the aquatic chemistry and initiate calcite precipitation around the plant stems. The range in δ¹⁸O_calcite values from each location reflects environmental controls (e.g. evaporation and temperature change). These rhizoliths faithfully record ambient aquatic conditions during formation (e.g. geochemistry and water depth), but only record a partial annual signal that is constrained by saltgrass growth and the presence of standing water on the playa margin.     

Late Quaternary deposition and facies model for karstic Lake Estanya (North-eastern Spain)

Lake Estanya is a small (19 ha), freshwater to brackish, monomictic lake formed by the coalescence of two karstic sinkholes with maximum water depths of 12 and 20 m, located in the Pre‐Pyrenean Ranges (North‐eastern Spain). The lake is hydrologically closed and the water balance is controlled mostly by groundwater input and evaporation. Three main modern depositional sub‐environments can be recognized as: (i) a carbonate‐producing ‘littoral platform’; (ii) a steep ‘talus’ dominated by reworking of littoral sediments and mass‐wasting processes; and (iii) an ‘offshore, distal area’, seasonally affected by anoxia with fine‐grained, clastic sediment deposition. A seismic survey identified up to 15 m thick sedimentary infill comprising: (i) a ‘basal unit’, seismically transparent and restricted to the depocentres of both sub‐basins; (ii) an ‘intermediate unit’ characterized by continuous high‐amplitude reflections; and (iii) an ‘upper unit’ with strong parallel reflectors. Several mass‐wasting deposits occur in both sub‐basins. Five sediment cores were analysed using sedimentological, microscopic, geochemical and physical techniques. The chronological model for the sediment sequence is based on 17 accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dates. Five depositional environments were characterized by their respective sedimentary facies associations. The depositional history of Lake Estanya during the last ca 21 kyr comprises five stages: (i) a brackish, shallow, calcite‐producing lake during full glacial times (21 to 17·3 kyr bp ); (ii) a saline, permanent, relatively deep lake during the late glacial (17·3 to 11·6 kyr bp ); (iii) an ephemeral, saline lake and saline mudflat complex during the transition to the Holocene (11·6 to 9·4 kyr bp ); (iv) a saline lake with gypsum‐rich, laminated facies and abundant microbial mats punctuated by periods of more frequent flooding episodes and clastic‐dominated deposition during the Holocene (9·4 to 0·8 kyr bp ); and (v) a deep, freshwater to brackish lake with high clastic input during the last 800 years. Climate‐driven hydrological fluctuations are the main internal control in the evolution of the lake during the last 21 kyr, affecting water salinity, lake‐level changes and water stratification. However, external factors, such as karstic processes, clastic input and the occurrence of mass‐flows, are also significant. The facies model defined for Lake Estanya is an essential tool for deciphering the main factors influencing lake deposition and to evaluate the most suitable proxies for lake level, climate and environmental reconstructions, and it is applicable to modern karstic lakes and to ancient lacustrine formations.     

深水和浅水盐湖相生油岩沉积及其石油地球化学特征

我国一些第三纪盆地发育了膏盐与生油岩同层位的沉积。本文通过我国东部的东濮凹陷和西部的塔里木盆地塔北拗陷的对比研究,指出盐类与生油岩可以同期沉积,提出了深水和浅水两种盐湖相生油岩的沉积模式,并且论述了两种盐湖环境有机质的保存及其地化特征、生油气潜力。     

Distribution Characteristics of Effective Source Rocks and Their Control on Hydrocarbon Accumulation: A Case Study from the Dongying Sag, Eastern China

The exploration conducted in the Bohai Bay basin, eastern China has demonstrated that the abundant petroleum resources have close affinities to the hydrocarbon kitchen with rich organic matter. A number of oil-generating associations with various characteristics of organic geochemistry and assemblages of multiple reservoir facies are developed due to the multi-center sedimentation, multi-source supply and multi-cycle evolution of filling, which have resulted in the formation of multiple oil and gas accumulation zones of various layers and trap styles. Among them the Paleogene Shahejie Formation is the most important hydrocarbon accumulation combination in the Dongying sag. Heretofore, its proved reserve has reached nearly 1.8×109t, which accounts for more than 90% of the total proved reserves of the Dongying sag. Based on previous studies, more than 600 source rock samples and 186 crude oil samples of the Shahejie Formation, collected from 30 oilfields, have been treated with organic geochemical testing     

Lacustrine records of post‐glacial environmental change from the Nulhegan Basin,Vermont, USA

The sedimentary records of Nulhegan Pond and Beecher Pond in the Nulhegan Basin of north‐eastern Vermont were analyzed to yield a history of environmental change since the latest Pleistocene. Shoreline landforms indicate that part of the Nulhegan Basin was inundated by Glacial Lake Nulhegan (GLN), which was impounded behind a dam of glacial sediment. Outwash derived from stagnant ice forms the bottom 176 cm of the Nulhegan Pond core. Fine‐grained inorganic sediment deposited between 13.4 and 12.2k cal a BP is interpreted as a deep‐water facies representing GLN, while coarser sediment from 12.2 to 11.8k cal a BP records draining of the glacial lake. Rapid, simultaneous increases in organic matter and biogenic silica signal the onset of productivity following the Younger Dryas. Beecher Pond formed c. 11.3k cal a BP through surface collapse over a buried ice block; buried stagnant ice may have persisted in the vicinity of the pond into the early Holocene. From 8.9 to 5.5k cal a BP, sediment in both lakes became coarser and richer in aquatic organic matter, suggesting a low‐water phase in which previously deposited lacustrine sediments were reworked and the littoral zone shifted basinward. Low water levels at this time are consistent with other records from Maine and southern Quebec, but contrary to records from ～325 km to the south. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three‐fold nature of coastal progradation during the Holocene eustatic highstand,Po Plain,Italy – close correspondence of stratal character with distribution patterns

Although general trends in transgressive to highstand sedimentary evolution of river‐mouth coastlines are well‐known, the details of the turnaround from retrogradational (typically estuarine) to aggradational–progradational (typically coastal/deltaic) stacking patterns are not fully resolved. This paper examines the middle to late Holocene eustatic highstand succession of the Po Delta: its stratigraphic architecture records a complex pattern of delta outbuilding and coastal progradation that followed eustatic stabilization, since around 7·7 cal kyr bp . Sedimentological, palaeoecological (benthic foraminifera, ostracods and molluscs) and compositional criteria were used to characterize depositional conditions and sediment‐dispersal pathways within a radiocarbon‐dated chronological framework. A three‐stage progradation history was reconstructed. First, as soon as eustasy stabilized (7·7 to 7·0 cal kyr bp ), rapid bay‐head delta progradation (ca 5 m year^?1), fed mostly by the Po River, took place in a mixed, freshwater and brackish estuarine environment. Second, a dominantly aggradational parasequence set of beach‐barrier deposits in the lower highstand systems tract (7·0 to 2·0 cal kyr bp ) records the development of a shallow, wave‐dominated coastal system fed alongshore, with elongated, modestly crescent beaches (ca 2·5 m year^?1). Third, in the last 2000 years, the development of faster accreting and more rapidly prograding (up to ca 15 m year^?1) Po delta lobes occurred into 30 m deep waters (upper highstand systems tract). This study documents the close correspondence of sediment character with stratal distribution patterns within the highstand systems tract. Remarkable changes in sediment characteristics, palaeoenvironments and direction of sediment transport occur across a surface named the ‘A–P surface’. This surface demarcates a major shift from dominantly aggradational (lower highstand systems tract) to fully progradational (upper highstand systems tract) parasequence stacking. In the Po system, this surface also reflects evolution from a wave‐dominated to river‐dominated deltaic system. Identifying the A–P surface through detailed palaeoecological and compositional data can help guide interpretation of highstand systems tracts in the rock record, especially where facies assemblages and their characteristic geometries are difficult to discern from physical sedimentary structures alone.     

Depositional environments and diagenesis in Lake Parakeelya: a Cambrian alkaline playa from the Officer Basin, South Australia

Laminated and desiccated siliceous dolostones, dolomitic mudstones and dolomitic sandstones in the Cambrian Parakeelya Alkali Member of the Observatory Hill Formation accumulated in an alkaline playa. Four facies are recognized (from lake centre to lake edge): lake, saline mudflat, dry mudflat and sandflat facies. The facies occur in cycles. Cycles of tens of metres thickness record the gradual expansion and contraction of the playa. Superimposed smaller cycles of tens of centimetres thickness record minor oscillations in the position of the strandline in a shallow lake. The dominance of saline mudflat, dry mudflat and sandflat facies indicates that the lake was rimmed by broad flat areas with negligible relief. The high δ¹⁸O values of primary and penecontemporaneous diagenetic carbonates of +24 to +28‰ (SMOW) indicate strong evaporation of ground and surface waters within the lake system. Calcite pseudomorphs of the sodium carbonate minerals trona and shortite have δ¹⁸O values between + 19 and + 22.5‰, and contain fluid inclusions with variable salinites and homogenization temperatures up to around 110°C. This suggests that the euhedral alkaline evaporites were dissolved by heated waters; calcite pseudomorphs then precipitated from a mixed solution formed by the interaction of these incoming fluids with the relatively saline interstitial brines. The sodium bicarbonate solutions formed by dissolution of the evaporites would have been dispersed by the basinal brines so that despite the closed drainage, further groundwater concentration did not take place.     

Origin of facies zonation in microbial carbonate platform slopes: Clues from trace element and stable isotope geochemistry (Middle Triassic,Dolomites, Italy)

Limestones containing radiaxial fibrous cements were sampled along the southern slope of the late Anisian (Middle Triassic) Latemar carbonate platform in the Dolomites, northern Italy. The Latemar upper slopes comprise massive microbial boundstone, whereas lower slopes are made of clinostratified grainstone, rudstone and breccia. Samples are representative of a seawater column from near sea‐level to an aphotic zone at about 500 m water depth. Radiaxial fibrous cements were analyzed for carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) stable isotopic composition, as well as major and trace element content, to shed light on the origin of the slope facies zonation. The δ¹³C vary between 1·7‰ and 2·3‰ (Vienna Pee‐Dee Belemnite), with lowest values at palaeo‐water depths between 70 m and 300 m. Radiaxial fibrous cements yielded seawater‐like rare earth element patterns with light rare earth element depletion (Nd_SN/Yb_SN ≈ 0·4), superchondritic yttrium/holmium ratios (≈55) and negative cerium anomalies. Cadmium reaches maximum values of ca 0·5 to 0·7 μg/g at palaeo‐water depths between 70 m and 300 m; barium contents (0·8 to 1·8 μg/g) increase linearly with depth. The downslope patterns of δ¹³C and cadmium suggest increased nutrient and organic matter contents at depths between ca 70 m and 300 m and point to an active biological pump. The peak in cadmium and the minimum of δ¹³C mark a zone of maximum organic matter respiration and high nutrient and organic matter availability. The base of this zone at ca 300 m depth corresponds with the transition from massive microbial boundstone to clinostratified grainstone, rudstone and breccia. The microbial boundstone facies apparently formed only in seawater enriched in organic matter, possibly because this organic matter sustained benthic microbial communities at Latemar. The base of slope microbialites on high‐relief microbial carbonate platforms may be a proxy for the depth to maximum respiration zones of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic periplatform basins.     

Sedimentology of a saline playa in the northern Great Plains, Canada

Ceylon Lake, a small salt playa located in southern Saskatchewan, is typical of many shallow ephemeral lacustrine basins found in the northern Great Plains of western Canada. The present-day brine, dominated by magnesium, sodium, and sulphate ions, shows wide variation in composition and concentration on both a temporal and a spatial basis. The modern sediments overall exhibit relatively simple facies relationships. An outer ring of coarse grained shoreline and colluvial clastics surrounds mixed fine grained clastics and salts and, in the centre of the basin, salt pan evaporites composed mainly of mirabilite, thenardite, and bloedite. Coring of the late Pleistocene and Holocene sedimentary fill shows that the lake has evolved from a relatively dilute, deep water, clastic dominated basin through a shallower, brackish water, carbonate-clastic phase, and finally into the present salt dominated playa. The thick sequence of evaporites preserved in the basin suggests evolution of the brine from a Na-rich solution to a mixed Mg-Na system. The most important post-depositional processes affecting Ceylon Lake sediments are mud diapirism and salt karsting.     

From outwash to coastal systems in the Portneuf–Forestville deltaic complex (Québec North Shore): Anatomy of a forced regressive deglacial sequence

Deglacial sequences typically include backstepping grounding zone wedges and prevailing glaciomarine depositional facies. However, in coastal domains, deglacial sequences are dominated by depositional systems ranging from turbiditic to fluvial facies. Such deglacial sequences are strongly impacted by glacio‐isostatic rebound, the rate and amplitude of which commonly outpaces those of post‐glacial eustatic sea‐level rise. This results in a sustained relative sea‐level fall covering the entire depositional time interval. This paper examines a Late Quaternary, forced regressive, deglacial sequence located on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary (Portneuf Peninsula, Québec, Canada) and aims to decipher the main controls that governed its stratigraphic architecture. The forced regressive deglacial sequence forms a thick (>100 m) and extensive (>100 km²) multiphased deltaic complex emplaced after the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet margin from the study area ca 12 500 years ago. The sedimentary succession is composed of ice‐contact, glaciomarine, turbiditic, deltaic, fluvial and coastal depositional units. A four‐stage development is recognized: (i) an early ice‐contact stage (esker, glaciomarine mud and outwash fan); (ii) an in‐valley progradational stage (fjord head or moraine‐dammed lacustrine deltas) fed by glacigenics; (iii) an open‐coast deltaic progradation, when proglacial depositional systems expanded beyond the valley outlets and merged together; and (iv) a final stage of river entrenchment and shallow marine reworking that affected the previously emplaced deltaic complex. Most of the sedimentary volume (10 to 15 km³) was emplaced during the three‐first stages over a ca 2 kyr interval. In spite of sustained high rates of relative sea‐level fall (50 to 30 mm·year^?1), delta plain accretion occurred up to the end of the proglacial open‐coast progradational stage. River entrenchment only occurred later, after a significant decrease in the relative sea‐level fall rates (<30 mm·year^?1), and was concurrent with the formation and preservation of extensive coastal deposits (raised beaches, spit platform and barrier sands). The turnaround from delta plain accretion to river entrenchment and coastal erosion is interpreted to be a consequence of the retreat of the ice margin from the river drainage basins that led to the drastic drop of sediment supply and the abrupt decrease in progradation rates. The main internal stratigraphic discontinuity within the forced regressive deglacial sequence does not reflect changes in relative sea‐level variations.     

Extreme aridity prior to lake expansion deciphered from facies evolution in the Miocene Ili Basin,south‐east Kazakhstan

Central Asia witnessed progressive aridification during the Miocene, commonly related to mountain uplift, the Paratethys retreat and global climate cooling. However, the formation of Miocene lakes in Central Asia seems to oppose drier conditions, suggesting that the precise timing, extent and forcing of the aridification is still not well constrained. This study presents a facies model for the alluvial–lacustrine part of the Middle to Late Miocene of the Ili Basin, obtained from two successions. The model enables the semi‐quantitative assessment of regional water level and salinity, and characterizes the control of water level on evaporite formation and diagenesis. Both the proximal Kendyrlisai and the distal Aktau successions show an overall increase in water availability from dry mudflat deposits to lacustrine sedimentation with a transitional playa phase. Increasing evaporation rates outpaced the water supply and caused groundwater salinization. Subsequent lake expansion coincided with a basin‐wide desalinization and required a shift to a positive water budget. A climatic control of the hydrological evolution is inferred due to abrupt salinization and a minor tectonic influence. The long‐term water accumulation is probably related to the hydrological closure of the basin in the early Middle Miocene (15·3 Ma). Starting at 14·3 Ma, the step‐wise salinization occurred simultaneously with the global cooling of the Miocene Climate Transition. The Miocene Climate Transition led to extreme aridity in the Ili Basin, highlighted by the early diagenetic formation of displacive anhydrite in the basin centre. The expansion of the freshwater lake (12·7 to 11·5 Ma) was possibly promoted by lower evaporation rates due to decreasing air temperatures in the Ili Basin after the Miocene Climate Transition. The extreme aridity in the Ili Basin is interpreted as a continental counterpart to the Badenian Salinity Crisis in the Central Paratethys. This emphasizes the role of atmospheric forcing on evaporite sedimentation across Eurasia during the Middle Miocene.     

Sedimentary facies and geomorphic evolution of a blocked‐valley lake: Lake Futululu,northern Kwazulu‐Natal,South Africa

Blocked‐valley lakes are formed when tributaries are impounded by the relatively rapid aggradation of a large river and its floodplain. These features are common in the landscape, and have been identified in the floodplains of the Solimões‐Amazon (Brazil) and Fly‐Strickland Rivers (Papua New Guinea), for example, but their inaccessibility has resulted in studies being limited to remotely sensed image analysis. This paper documents the sedimentology and geomorphic evolution of a blocked‐valley lake, Lake Futululu on the Mfolozi River floodplain margin, in South Africa, while also offering a context for the formation of lakes and wetlands at tributary junctions. The study combines aerial photography, elevation data from orthophotographs and field survey, and longitudinal sedimentology determined from a series of cores, which were sub‐sampled for organic content and particle size analysis. Radiocarbon dating was used to gauge the rate and timing of peat accumulation. Results indicate that following the last glacial maximum, rising sea‐levels caused aggradation of the Mfolozi River floodplain. By 3980 years bp , aggradation on the floodplain had impounded the Futululu drainage line, creating conditions suitable for peat formation, which has since occurred at a constant average rate of 0·13 cm year^?1. Continued aggradation on the Mfolozi River floodplain has raised the base level of the Futululu drainage line, resulting in a series of back‐stepping sedimentary facies with fluvially derived sand and silt episodically prograding over lacustrine peat deposits. Blocked‐valley lakes form where the trunk river has a much larger sediment load and catchment than the tributary stream. Similarly, when the relative difference in sediment loads is less, palustrine wetlands, rather than lakes, may be the result. In contrast, where tributaries drain a steep, well‐connected catchment, they may impound much larger trunk rivers, creating lakes or wetlands upstream.