Late Quaternary aeolian dust input variability on the Chinese Loess Plateau: inferences from unmixing of loess grain-size records

The grain-size distributions (GSDs) of loess–paleosol sequences may provide valuable information on provenance, transport and paleoclimate variability, and consequently, a wide range of methods to extract genetic information from loess GSDs has been proposed. Here it is shown that a genetically meaningful decomposition of a series of Late Quaternary loess grain-size records extending across the Chinese Loess Plateau can be accomplished with the end-member modelling algorithm (EMMA). The unmixing results in conjunction with loess accumulation rate estimates reveal that two contrasting dust supply patterns were active over the Loess Plateau during the last glacial–interglacial cycle: (i) a background sedimentation pattern that was dominant during interglacial periods, especially over the central and southern parts of the Loess Plateau, is reflected by the constant flux of the fine-grained loess component, (ii) an episodic, highly variable dust input pattern, that was dominant during glacial periods throughout the Loess Plateau and noticeable during interglacial periods mainly over the northern Loess Plateau and almost disappearing over the southern Loess Plateau, is reflected in the admixture of two coarse-grained loess components. A genetic interpretation and the paleoclimatic significance of the mixing model are provided by comparison of the modelled end members with modern dust samples in terms of their GSD and flux rates.     

Calibration of modelled mixing patterns in loess grain-size distributions: an example from the north-eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China

Genetically meaningful decomposition (unmixing) of sediment grain-size distributions is accomplished with the end-member modelling algorithm. Unmixing of the loess grain-size distributions of a Late Quaternary loess–palaeosol succession from the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau indicates that the loess is a mixture of three end-members representing very fine sandy, coarse silty and medium silty loess. The unmixing approach potentially enables the unravelling of sediment fluxes from multiple dust sources, opening the way to significant advances in palaeoclimatic reconstructions from loess grain-size distribution data. However, as laser-diffraction size analysis is a volume-based technique, the proportional contributions of the modelled end-members might deviate (significantly) from weight proportions. Hence, calibration of the end-member volume proportions to weight proportions must be established before one can calculate the source-specific dust fluxes. This paper reports the findings of a sediment-mixing experiment which enables calibration of the modelled mixing patterns established for the Tibetan loess–palaeosol succession.     

Sedimentary responses to the Pleistocene climatic variations recorded in the South China Sea

Grain-size analyses, coupled with end-member modelling, have been performed on the terrigenous fraction of two Leg 184 Ocean Drilling Program sites (1144 and 1146) from the South China Sea. The grain-size distributions over the last 1.8 Ma enable a new interpretation of their connections to sea-level variations and East Asian monsoon strength. Previous investigations in this area have associated grain-size variability with enhanced eolian input during glacial stages. End-member modelling downgrades the importance of this eolian contribution and indicates that the sediments can be described as a mixture of three end-members: fluvial mud inputs, shelf reworking and river mouth migration. Grain-size variations in the Pleistocene section of the cores indicate a multiple-stage evolution: (i) from 1.8 to 1.25 Ma, the downcore grain-size variations are low but show a correspondence between monsoon rainfall intensity and the fine grain-sized fluvial inputs; no link with sea-level variations is noticeable; (ii) from 1.25 to 0.9 Ma, there is an increase (decrease) in the intermediate (fine) end-member (∼ 100 kyr cycle) that is associated with the onset of a stronger summer monsoon and modest shelf reworking; (iii) from 0.9 to 0 Ma the grain-size record is dominated by global sea-level variations; each glacial stage is associated with extensive shelf reworking and conveyance of coarse particles to the basin.     

湖泊沉积物中风成和水成组分定量判据的初步研究———以青海湖为例

对青海湖沉积物进行物质来源进行聚类分析, 并对周边风成黄土与现代湖泊表层沉积物进行粒度分析, 在此基础上, 以青海湖周边典型风成黄土作为风成组分端元, 以青海湖表层沉积物作为水成组分端元, 首次利用已知端元的粒度分布特征对青海湖沉积物中典型粒度分布进行拟合, 进而估算了其中风成和水成组分的比例。结果表明, 青海湖沉积物粒度分布特征可分为三大类:1.水成组分占主导; 2.风成组分占主导(风成黄土主导); 3.两者以不同比例混合。希望此方法能成为未来湖泊沉积物中不同组分的定量判据和古环境的解读提供新途径。      

粒度分布的端元建模分析及检验:以“吉兰泰—河套”盆地西部DK-12钻孔晚第四纪沉积物为例*

端元建模分析能够从复杂的多峰分布特征的沉积物中提取出具有不同沉积动力过程的端元,但是,由于沉积物的粒度分布还受到沉积环境等多种因素的影响,该方法的有效性及获得的端元组分的地质意义有待其他环境代用指标的进一步检验。以位于“吉兰泰—河套”盆地西部磴口次级隆起区的DK-12钻孔晚第四纪沉积物为例,采用BEMMA算法对该钻孔沉积物的粒度资料进行了端元建模分析,并以黏土矿物组合和前人的孢粉组合数据作为检验指标,结合该地区的区域地质背景,对获得的4个端元进行了综合检验分析,认为获得的沉积物粒度端元具有明确的地质意义,其中EM 1为远源粉尘、EM 2为近源的风成沙、EM 3和EM 4为河流冲积沙。     

A model for linking grain-size component to lake level status of a modern clastic lake

Grain-size distributions of fluvial, eolian and marine sediments were explicated decades ago. For lake sediments, however, there is still great uncertainty in explaining the genesis of grain-size components due to the inherent complexity of their polymodal distributions. In this study, the grain-size components of the surface sediments of Daihai Lake, Inner Mongolia, were partitioned using a lognormal distribution function and the relationship between the identity of each component and the specific sedimentary environment was investigated. The data indicate that the modern clastic sediments of Daihai Lake contain five distinct unimodal grain-size distributions representing five grain-size components. Each of the components retains its identity including modal size, manner of transportation and environment of deposition although the relative percentage varies with the hydraulic condition throughout the lake. These components are specified from fine to coarse modes as long-term suspension clay, offshore-suspension fine silt and medium-to-coarse silt, and nearshore-suspension fine sand and saltation medium sand. The percentage of the components interpreted as an indication of nearshore environments displays a negative correlation with water depth across the modern lakebed, suggesting a model for linking the nearshore components in sediment cores to the lake level status in the geological past. The model was applied to a sediment core from the lake where high percentages of the nearshore components in the core sediments were correlated with low regional precipitations reconstructed on the pollen profile of the same core. The coincidences between two independent proxies do not only demonstrate the validity of lognormal distribution function in partitioning polymodal sediments but also reveals the potential of the grain-size component–lake level status model for lake’s paleohydrological reconstruction.     

南流江河口水下三角洲表层沉积物端元分析及其沉积动力环境意义

沉积物粒度分布特征可揭示沉积动力环境。基于广西南流江河口水下三角洲的粒度分析数据,采用Folk分类法进行分类,应用端元分析对其粒度数据进行分解,探讨了南流江河口水下三角洲的物源和现代沉积动力环境。结果表明,研究区表层沉积物可划分为9类,其中含砾沉积物5类,不含砾沉积物4类,沉积物类型与河口环境动力特征相吻合。端元分析结果显示,研究区有5个不同类型的端元,分别代表着5种类型的沉积物动力环境:端元1反映了风浪和潮流对表层沉积物的动力作用;端元2指示了外海涌浪对表层沉积物的作用过程;端元3代表了南流江冲淡水引起的表层沉积物的输运;端元4代表了大陆架残留沉积物;端元5为干扰端元,可能是由于工程建设等人类活动所引起的。利用端元分析探讨复杂环境(如小型山溪性河口)下的沉积动力环境时,一方面需要综合考虑研究区域的物源与环境动力特征;另一方面可以结合参数拟合、粒径趋势分析等研究手段。     

毛乌素沙地沉积物粒度特征与土地沙漠化

为了研究毛乌素沙地沉积物的粒度特征与土地沙漠化的地质成因类型,通过系统研究沙地及相邻地区晚更新世以来在沙地内部、覆沙黄土区、黄土高原和河流谷地与湖泊等不同地质构造地貌条件下所形成的沉积物粒度特征,指出不同地质成因类型的沉积物是这些地区土地沙漠化的物质基础,区分不同类型的沉积物也是构成不同地质成因类型土地沙漠化分类的理论基础,探讨了不同地质作用对土地沙漠化的贡献及其对土地沙漠化防治方面的意义。研究表明,研究区的土地沙漠化是以各种类型的就地起沙为主要特征,地表径流的水力搬运是沙漠化物质搬运的重要途径。现代毛乌素沙地及其邻区的土地沙漠化是对地质历史时期形成的各种沉积物的进一步搬运、分选和再沉积过程,具有相对复杂的粒度特征。     

End-member modeling of compositional data: Numerical-statistical algorithms for solving the explicit mixing problem

Linear mixing models of compositional data have been developed in various branches of the earth sciences (e.g., geochemistry, petrology, mineralogy, sedimentology) for the purpose of summarizing variation among a series of observations in terms of proportional contributions of (theoretical) end members. Methods of parameter estimation range from relatively straightforward normative partitioning by (nonnegative) least squares, to more sophisticated bilinear inversion techniques. Solving the bilinear mixing problem involves the estimation of both mixing proportions and end-member compositions from the data. Normative partitioning, also known as linear unmixing, thus can be regarded as a special situation of bilinear unmixing with (supposedly) known end members. Previous attempts to model linear mixing processes are reviewed briefly, and a new iterative strategy for solving the bilinear problem is developed. This end-member modeling algorithm is more robust and has better convergence properties than previously proposed numerical schemes. The bilinear unmixing solution is intrinsically nonunique, unless additional constraints on the model parameters are introduced. In situations where no a priori knowledge is available, the concept of an “ optimal ” solution may be used. This concept is based on the trade-off between mathematical and geological feasibility, two seemingly contradictory but equally desirable requirements of the unmixing solution.     

An extension of the Saltykov method to quantify 3D grain size distributions in mylonites

The estimation of 3D grain size distributions (GSDs) in mylonites is key to understanding the rheological properties of crystalline aggregates and to constraining dynamic recrystallization models. This paper investigates whether a common stereological method, the Saltykov method, is appropriate for the study of GSDs in mylonites. In addition, we present a new stereological method, named the two-step method, which estimates a lognormal probability density function describing the 3D GSD. Both methods are tested for reproducibility and accuracy using natural and synthetic data sets. The main conclusion is that both methods are accurate and simple enough to be systematically used in recrystallized aggregates with near-equant grains. The Saltykov method is particularly suitable for estimating the volume percentage of particular grain-size fractions with an absolute uncertainty of ±5 in the estimates. The two-step method is suitable for quantifying the shape of the actual 3D GSD in recrystallized rocks using a single value, the multiplicative standard deviation (MSD) parameter, and providing a precision in the estimate typically better than 5%. The novel method provides a MSD value in recrystallized quartz that differs from previous estimates based on apparent 2D GSDs, highlighting the inconvenience of using apparent GSDs for such tasks.     

Characteristics of the grain-size composition of deep-water oceanic sediments

The grain-size composition of nonlithified sediments in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans is studied. Grain-size features of the major lithogenetic types of deep-water sediments are determined. The genetic interpretation of results obtained is given. Trends of the fractionation of sandy-silty and pelitic materials in pelagic zones of sedimentation basins are revealed.     

Grain size partitioning of metals in contaminated,coarse-grained river floodplain sediment: Clark Fork River,Montana, U.S.A.

The traditional concept of the relationship between metal content and grain size assumes that the fine fraction carries most of the metals in natural sediments. This concept is supported in many cases by strong, significant linear relationships between total-sediment metal concentrations and percentages of various fine-size fractions. Such observations have led to development of methods to correct for the effects of grain size in order to accurately document geographical and temporal variations and identify trends in metal concentrations away from a particular source. Samples from the floodplain sediment of a large, coarse-grained river system indicates that these concepts do not hold for sediments contaminated by mining and milling wastes. In this particular system, the application of methods to correct for grain-size effects would lead to erroneous conclusions about trends of metals in the drainage. This indicates that the a priori application of grain-size correction factors limits interpretation of actual metal distributions and should not be used unless data indicate that correlations exist between metals and particular size fractions.     

南极松散沉积物粒度分形研究

利用分形理论, 研究了南极纳尔逊冰盖前缘发育的沉积物、风成沉积物及湖泊沉积物的粒度分布分形结构特征. 结果表明: 不同沉积环境下的沉积物粒度分形结构具有明显的差异, 冰盖前缘沉积物具有显著的分形结构特征, 而湖泊沉积物和风成沉积物不具有分形结构特征, 这为识别南极地区松散沉积物沉积环境提供了一种新的判别依据. 对纳尔逊冰盖前缘沉积物粒度分维特征的研究结果表明, 其粒度分布主要与冰川搬运的动力学过程有关, 分维值的大小与当时形成沉积物的动力学过程、沉积环境、冰盖进退及古气候环境的演化密切相关.     

Hydraulic controls of grain-size distributions of bedload gravels in Oak Creek, Oregon, USA

Grain-size distributions of gravels transported as bedload in Oak Creek, Oregon, show systematic variations with changing flow discharges. At low discharges the gravel distributions are nearly symmetrical and Gaussian. As discharges increase, the distributions become more skewed and follow the ideal Rosin distribution. The patterns of variations are established by goodness-of-fit comparisons between the measured and theoretical distributions, and by Q-mode factor analysis. Two end members are obtained in the factor analysis, having (respectively) almost perfect Gaussian and Rosin distributions, and the percentages of the two end members within individual samples vary systematically with discharge. Transformation from Gaussian to Rosin distribution with increasing discharge may be explained by processes of selective entrainment of grains from a bed of mixed sizes. Samples of bed material in Oak Creek follow the Rosin distribution. At high discharges, the transported bedload approaches the grain sizes of that bed-material source and mimics its Rosin distribution. Random-selection processes must be more important to grain entrainment at lower discharges, so that the resulting Gaussian distributions of transported bedload reflect similar distributions of bed stresses exerted by the stream flow. The results from Oak Creek demonstrate that the competence of the flow is reflected in the entire distribution of transported gravel sizes. A sequence of layers of fluvial gravels, modern or ancient, might show systematic variations between coarse Rosin and finer-grained Gaussian distributions, and these could be used to infer frequencies of various discharges and to establish a relationship to the source sediment. With further study, analyses of changing bedload grain-size distributions and their transport rates will lead to a better understanding of downstream variations in grain sizes of bed sediments and how their distributions reflect the progressive development of textural maturity.     

Grain-size information from the statistical properties of digital images of sediment

The autocorrelation technique for estimating grain-size from digital images of sand beds has been extended and validated for use on coarse sand (0·7 mm) and gravel (up to ∼20 mm). A number of aspects of the technique have been explored and some potential improvements suggested. Autocorrelation is just one suitable statistical method sensitive to the grain-size of sediment in digital images; four additional techniques are presented and their relative merits discussed. A collective suite of techniques applicable to the general problem of grain-size estimation from digital images of sediment might broaden the applicability to more sedimentary environments, as well as improve its accuracy. These techniques are compared using a large data set from a gravel barrier beach in southern England. Based on over 180 samples, mean grain-size of sieved and imaged sediments correspond to within between 8% and 16%. Some theoretical aspects of the spatial arrangement of image intensity in digital images of natural sediments are addressed, including the fractal nature of sediments in images, which has potential implications for derivation of grain-size distributions from images of sand-sized material through segmentation and thresholding. The methods outlined in this contribution may also find application in further uncovering the geometric structure of sediment beds, as well as in the simulation of sedimentation processes.     

毛乌素沙地东南部边缘不同成因类型土地沙漠化的特征

以毛乌素沙地南部边缘沙漠黄土地带的土地沙漠化为例,将研究区的土地沙漠化分为沙地内部就地起沙型沙漠化、河流谷地就地起沙型沙漠化、风化残积就地起沙型沙漠化和风沙侵入型沙漠化4种类型.深入分析了不同成因类型的沙漠化土地的粒度特征及其所代表的地质意义.同时,以遥感解译和野外路线地质调查为手段,分析了不同类型土地沙漠化的区域分布.最后,探讨了不同地质成因类型土地沙漠化划分的理论意义、环境地质学意义和对土地沙漠化防治的重要意义,提出了不同类型土地沙漠化防治的对策和建议.     

用生物标志物定量计算混合原油油源的数学模型

多烃源层叠合盆地混源油油源的定量计算是十分困难的问题.典型原油的人工混合配比实验显示,当两个生物标志物浓度不同的原油相混合时,各类生物标志物的比值参数随端元原油混入量呈非线性变化,以生物标志物比值参数和简单的二元线性关系方程定量计算混源油的混合比例将导致错误的结论.三个或者三个以上原油相混合时,各类生物标志物比值参数的变化更加复杂,各端元原油的贡献更加难以判识.但是,人工混合模拟实验表明混合油中生物标志物绝对含量与端元油的混入量呈线性关系,数学推导证明了这种线性关系,由此推导出相应的数学计算模型,其中:二元混合时比值参数与混入量呈双曲线关系,三元混合呈双曲面关系,四元及其以上的多元混合呈多维曲面,可以矩阵的方式定量计算各端元油的比例.依据这些数学模型,应用生物标志物的绝对含量和(或)生物标志物比值参数均可以定量计算出混源原油中各类原油的贡献比例.数学模型比通常的人工模拟实验方法更加经济、方便、精确和可靠.     

混合沉积研究进展与关键问题

近年来,混合沉积研究已逐渐成为沉积学领域颇受关注的重要课题。在前人研究的基础上系统梳理、总结了国内外混合沉积研究所取得的进展,提出了现阶段混合沉积研究面临的主要问题。国内外混合沉积研究可划分为4个阶段:现象描述阶段、基础理论研究阶段、海相混合沉积研究阶段、陆相混合沉积及综合研究阶段。受不同地质条件的约束,混合沉积岩石学分类方案并未形成统一的标准。混合沉积成因类型一般包括间断混合、相混合、原地混合与母源混合。混合沉积现象具有普遍性,可发育于海相、淡水湖盆、咸化湖盆等各类型沉积环境中,具有多样化的沉积类型,其控制因素一般包括碎屑物质供给、气候与水体环境、海（湖）平面变化、古地貌条件、构造作用以及水动力条件等。混合沉积具有重要的油气地质意义,与三角洲伴生的近源混合沉积、水下隆起区的远源混合沉积以及藻混合沉积可形成优质的陆相混积型油气储层。现阶段混合沉积研究中主要存在以下几方面问题:岩石分类方案不统一、缺乏与野外露头剖面和现代沉积的考察对比、层序格架内混合沉积发育模式不清、传统的成因类型在复杂陆相混合沉积研究中的应用存在较大局限性、混积型储层地震响应特征不明确。针对混合沉积进行全面、深入的研究,对古地理环境恢复、沉积动力学分析及相关油气勘探具有重要的意义。     

The influence of grain-size analysis methods and sediment mixing on curve shapes and textural parameters: Implications for sediment trend analysis

To this day, deterministic physical models capable of explaining the evolution of grain-size distributions in the course of transport are still lacking. For this reason, various attributes of particle frequency distributions, in particular curve shapes and textural parameters, have for many decades been investigated for potential information about transport behaviour and size-sorting processes of sediments in numerous environments. Such approaches are essentially conceptual and hence rely heavily on the validity of the assumptions on which they are based. A factor which has to date been largely ignored in this context, is the fact that different methods of grain-size analysis (e. g. sieving, laser absorption and diffraction, settling velocity measurements), when applied to the same sample material, produce variable curve shapes, and hence incongruous textural data. This is illustrated by selected examples showing the differences between sieving and settling results, conversion of settling velocities into equivalent settling diameters (psi-phi-transformations), and the influences of particle shape, particle density, and water temperature. It is demonstrated that particle-size distributions are not only method-dependent but also dependent on the adopted post-processing procedure. As a result, only frequency curves generated by the same method and subsequently processed by identical computational procedures can be meaningfully compared. Furthermore, the computation of textural parameters from bi- or multimodal size distributions produces spurious results which are unrelated to the processes leading to the mixing of different size populations frequently observed in nature. In such cases, only the decomposition of such distributions into individual populations and the spatial comparison of such populations makes any sense. Because a physical explanation for the generation of size distributions is lacking, a particular curve shape of a grain-size population has no meaning on its own. Only a systematic comparison of progressively changing curve shapes (and associated textural parameters) of sediments collected on a closely spaced grid can yield data suitable for sediment trend analysis.     

A Mathematical Calculation Model Using Biomarkers to Quantitatively Determine the Relative Source Proportion of Mixed Oils

It is difficult to identify the source（s） of mixed oils from multiple source rocks, and in particular the relative contribution of each source rock. Artificial mixing experiments using typical crude oils and ratios of different biomarkers show that the relative contribution changes are non-linear when two oils with different concentrations of biomarkers mix with each other. This may result in an incorrect conclusion if ratios of biomarkers and a simple binary linear equation are used to calculate the contribution proportion of each end-member to the mixed oil. The changes of biomarker ratios with the mixing proportion of end-member oils in the trinal mixing model are more complex than in the binary mixing model. When four or more oils mix, the contribution proportion of each end-member oil to the mixed oil cannot be calculated using biomarker ratios and a simple formula. Artificial mixing experiments on typical oils reveal that the absolute concentrations of biomarkers in the mixed oil cause a linear change with mixing proportion of each end-member. Mathematical inferences verify such linear changes. Some of the mathematical calculation methods using the absolute concentrations or ratios of biomarkers to quantitatively determine the proportion of each end-member in the mixed oils are deduced from the results of artificial experiments and by theoretical inference. Ratio of two biomarker compounds changes as a hyperbola with the mixing proportion in the binary mixing model, as a hyperboloid in the trinal mixing model, and as a hypersurface when mixing more than three end- members. The mixing proportion of each end-member can be quantitatively determined with these mathematical models, using the absolute concentrations and the ratios of biomarkers. The mathematical calculation model is more economical, convenient, accurate and reliable than conventional artificial mixing methods.