Late Pleistocene and early Holocene rivers and wetlands in the Bonneville basin of western North America

Field investigations at Dugway Proving Ground in western Utah have produced new data on the chronology and human occupation of late Pleistocene and early Holocene lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the Lake Bonneville basin. We have classified paleo-river channels of these ages as “gravel channels” and “sand channels.” Gravel channels are straight to curved, digitate, and have abrupt bulbous ends. They are composed of fine gravel and coarse sand, and are topographically inverted (i.e., they stand higher than the surrounding mudflats). Sand channels are younger and sand filled, with well-developed meander-scroll morphology that is truncated by deflated mudflat surfaces. Gravel channels were formed by a river that originated as overflow from the Sevier basin along the Old River Bed during the late regressive phases of Lake Bonneville (after 12,500 and prior to 11,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.). Dated samples from sand channels and associated fluvial overbank and wetland deposits range in age from 11,000 to 8800 ¹⁴C yr B.P., and are probably related to continued Sevier-basin overflow and to groundwater discharge. Paleoarchaic foragers occupied numerous sites on gravel-channel landforms and adjacent to sand channels in the extensive early Holocene wetland habitats. Reworking of tools and limited toolstone diversity is consistent with theoretical models suggesting Paleoarchaic foragers in the Old River Bed delta were less mobile than elsewhere in the Great Basin.     

Holocene evolution of the Indian Summer Monsoon inferred from a lacustrine record of Lake Wuxu,south‐east Tibetan Plateau

A continuous sediment record since 12.3 cal ka bp from Lake Wuxu (south‐eastern Tibetan Plateau) was investigated in terms of the Holocene evolution of the Indian Summer Monsoon. The molar C/N ratio and stable C isotope were used to identify the source of the organic matter as well as climate conditions. The evolution of Lake Wuxu was summarized wihtin two periods. During the first period (early to mid‐Holocene), the lake received increased fluvially transported materials, reflecting variation in the summer monsoon with solar insolation. The lake level declined and water residence time increased because of reduced river discharge during the second period (late Holocene) corresponding to a weakening of the summer monsoon. The organic material revealed a major contribution from lake primary productivity, which showed identical patterns with a high‐resolution isotope record from Dongge Cave, as well as total solar irradiance. Our record from Lake Wuxu indicates that the Holocene evolution of the Indian Summer Monsoon has been driven by the solar forcing at decadal/centennial to millennial time scales. Furthermore, an abrupt decline in the monsoon was detected at around 4.0 cal ka bp , which is probably caused by an increased frequency of EI Nino‐Southern Oscillation events. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Varved sediments of Lake Yoa (Ounianga Kebir,Chad) reveal progressive drying of the Sahara during the last 6100 years

The sedimentological and geochemical properties of a 7·47 m long laminated sequence from hypersaline Lake Yoa in northern Chad have been investigated, representing a unique, continuous 6100 year long continental record of climate and environmental change in the eastern Central Sahara. These data were used to reconstruct the Mid to Late Holocene history of this currently hyper‐arid region, in order to address the question of whether the Mid Holocene environmental transition from a humid to a dry Sahara was progressive or abrupt. This study involved a suite of analyses, including petrographic and scanning electron microscope examination of thin sections, X‐ray diffraction, X‐radiography, granulometry, loss on ignition and magnetic susceptibility. The potential of micro‐X‐ray fluorescence core scanning was tested at very high resolution. Detailed microscopic investigation revealed the sedimentary processes responsible for the formation of the fine laminations, identified the season during which they were formed, and confirmed their annually rhythmic nature. High‐resolution X‐ray fluorescence core scanning allowed the distinction of each individual lamination over the entire record, opening new perspectives for the study of finely laminated sediment sequences. Geochemical and mineralogical data reveal that, due to decreasing monsoon rainfall combined with continuous and strong evaporation, the hydrologically open and fresh Mid Holocene Lake Yoa slowly evolved into the present‐day hypersaline brine depleted in calcium, which has existed for about the past 1050 years. During the oldest part of the investigated period, Lake Yoa probably contained a permanently stratified lower water column that was nevertheless disrupted relatively frequently by mixing events. Deep‐water anoxia became more stable because of increased salinity‐driven density stratification. In parallel, the sediment grain‐size proxies record a progressive increase of aeolian input in the course of the last 6100 years. Altogether, all geochemical and sedimentological indicators point to a progressive drying of the eastern Central Sahara, strengthening previous conclusions based on palaeoecological indicators.     

河西走廊花海古湖泊早、中全新世湖水盐度变化及其环境意义

通过对花海古湖泊沉积剖面8.42~0.405 m沉积物样品的矿物和化学元素测定,分析了沉积物中盐类矿物含量及化学元素K/Na比值的变化情况,结合已有的年代地层结果,重建了花海古湖泊10.47~5.5 cal ka BP湖水盐度变化. 结果表明：花海湖泊全新世湖相沉积阶段中,除个别层位以硫酸盐类矿物沉积为主外,早全新世(10.47~8.87 cal ka BP)和中全新世(8.87~5.5 cal ka BP)均以碳酸盐盐类矿物沉积为主,并且早全新世时期K/Na高于中全新世时期,揭示了早全新世时期湖水盐度高于中全新世时期. 这一结果与该湖泊沉积过程所揭示的湖泊水位变化、粒度等揭示的有效湿度变化具有一致性,表明花海湖泊早、中全新世湖水盐度的高低可以指示其湖泊水位的变化,并间接反映了有效湿度的变化. 结合花海湖泊晚全新世湖泊萎缩、气候干旱的特点,该区域早、中、晚全新世气候干湿变化变化模式可以概况为早全新世降水增强、气候呈现由干向湿的转变,中全新世有效湿度最大,晚全新世气候干旱. 这种全新世气候干湿变化模式有别于西风区,亦与季风区不完全相同,呈现出了一种季风-西风过渡带全新世气候干湿变化的模式.     

Cainozoic Stratigraphy of the lake Eyre basin and part of the arid region lying to the South

The Cainozoic history of the Lake Eyre region opened with a period of deep weathering during which many of the older rocks were extensively kaolinized. Following erosion and later deposition of a thin sheet of Tertiary fluviatile deposits, a period of weathering resulted in the widespread formation of silcrete. Another period of erosion and deposition was followed by soil formation and minor silici‐fication.

An important period of erosion followed during which some of the main elements of the present landscape were outlined. Warping during this interval gave rise to shallow basins in which lacustrine sediments accumulated. At about the same time, a system of mound springs developed near the western margin of the Great Artesian Basin. Another major period of erosion followed, by which time the main topographic features of the present landscape had evolved. This last event probably took place near the close of the Tertiary. Throughout the Tertiary, drainage was external and ancestral Lake Eyre remained fresh.

The Quaternary was characterized by four periods of aeolian and, to a lesser extent, water erosion and deposition alternating with periods of landscape stability, when weathering and soil formation took place.

Throughout the Cainozoic there was an alternation of relatively humid and dry periods, but true aridity and internal drainage did not appear until the Quaternary. Sand ridges were not formed until the late Quaternary. Intervals of gentle warping occurred from time to time during the Tertiary, but the Quaternary has for the most part been a period of stability. These events have given rise to a sequence of distinctive rock and soil‐stratigraphic units whose characteristics are considered in some detail.     

Pollen‐ and diatom based environmental history since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Andean core Fúquene‐7, Colombia

The late Pleistocene–Holocene ecological and limnological history of Lake Fúquene (2580 m a.s.l.), in the Colombian Andes, is reconstructed on the basis of diatom, pollen and sediment analyses of the upper 7 m of the core Fúquene‐7. Time control is provided by 11 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dates ranging from 19 670 ± 240 to 6040 ± 60 yr BP. In this paper we present the evolution of the lake and its surroundings. Glacial times were cold and dry, lake‐levels were low and the area was surrounded by paramo and subparamo vegetation. Late‐glacial conditions were warm and humid. The El Abra Stadial, a Younger Dryas equivalent, is reflected by a gap in the sedimentary record, a consequence of the cessation of deposition owing to a drop in lake‐level. The early Holocene was warm and humid; at this time the lake reached its maximum extension and was surrounded by Andean forest. The onset of the drier climate prevailing today took place in the middle Holocene, a process that is reflected earlier in the diatom and sediment records than in the pollen records. In the late Holocene human activity reduced the forest and transformed the landscape. Climate patterns from the Late‐glacial and throughout the Holocene, as represented in our record, are similar to other records from Colombia and northern South America (the Caribbean, Venezuela and Panama) and suggest that the changes in lake‐level were the result of precipitation variations driven by latitudinal shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chad Basin: Paleoenvironments of the Sahara since the Late Miocene

Since the mid 1990s, the Mission paléoanthropologique francotchadienne (MPFT) conducts yearly paleontological field investigations of the Miocene-Pliocene of the Chad Basin. This article synthesizes some of the results of the MPFT, with focus on the Chad Basin development during the Neogene. We propose an overview of the depositional paleoenvironments of this part of Africa at different scales of time and space, based on a multidisciplinary approach (sedimentary geology, geomorphology, geophysic, numerical simulations and geochronology). The Miocene-Pliocene paleoenvironments are examined through the sedimentary archives of the early hominids levels and the Holocene Lake Mega-Chad episode illustrates the last major paleoenvironmental change in this area. The sedimentary record of the Chad Basin since the Late Miocene can be schematized as the result of recurrent interactions from lake to desert environments.     

柴达木盆地尕海湖区冰消期晚期以来的气候环境演变

通过对柴达木盆地东部尕海湖沉积物碳酸盐含量、自生碳酸盐碳氧同位素等指标的综合分析,建立了尕海湖地区自冰消期晚期以来的气候环境演变特征。结果表明,冰消期(12710～11360aB.P.)气候环境变化较大;进入全新世(自11360aB.P.开始)后,早全新世(11360～8370aB.P.)气候波动明显,整体较为干旱,温度有所回升;中全新世(8370～3200aB.P.),早期为湿润气候环境,是全新世气候环境最稳定的阶段,晚期气候环境仍较湿润,但环境条件变差;在晚全新世(3200aB.P.以来),早期湖泊水体仍然较淡,但气候环境明显趋向干旱,后期气候变得干旱,气候环境存在波动变化。约1500aB.P.存在一次湿润事件。     

Holocene environmental change in the marginal area of the Asian monsoon: a record from Zhuye Lake, NW China

This article examines Holocene environmental change in Zhuye Lake in the marginal area of the Asian monsoon, NW China. Holocene environment records were obtained for the QTH01 and QTH02 sections in Zhuye Lake. The fluctuations in grain size, pollen, total organic carbon content and C/N ratios record notable environmental variation. The early Holocene (11.0 to 7.4 cal. kyr BP) was relatively arid, while vegetation coverage was sparse and primary productivity low. The optimal environment prevailed during the mid-Holocene (7.4 to 4.7 cal. kyr BP). Vegetation coverage was the densest and primary productivity the highest during the mid-Holocene. During the late Holocene (4.7 to 0 cal. kyr BP), the environment became arid, as shown by low lake level and sparse vegetation coverage. After 1.6 cal. kyr BP another strong aridification occurred. In this area, the environment was likely to have been influenced by both the Westerlies and the East Asian monsoon during the Holocene. During the early Holocene, the relatively arid environment lay in the background of the increasing East Asian monsoon and dry westerly wind. During the mid-Holocene, central Asia was controlled by the humid Westerlies, while a strong East Asian monsoon prevailed in Central China. The mid-Holocene optimum in this area benefited from an expanded East Asian monsoon and the humid Westerlies. Weakening of the East Asian monsoon caused aridification of the environment during the late Holocene. Intensification of this aridification after 1.6 cal. kyr BP might be correlated with appearance of the arid environments in the Westerly domain after ∼1.5 cal. kyr BP. These arid conditions might be affected by the decreased moisture content of the Westerlies.     

Late Pleistocene and late Holocene lake highstands in the Pyramid Lake subbasin of Lake Lahontan, Nevada, USA

Shoreline geomorphology, shoreline stratigraphy, and radiocarbon dates of organic material incorporated in constructional beach ridges record large lakes during the late Pleistocene and late Holocene in the Pyramid Lake subbasin of Lake Lahontan, Nevada, USA. During the late Holocene, a transgression began at or after 3595 ± 35 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and continued, perhaps in pulses, through 2635 ± 40 ¹⁴C yr B.P., resulting in a lake as high as 1199 m. During the latest Pleistocene and overlapping with the earliest part of the Younger Dryas interval, a lake stood at approximately 1212 m at 10,820 ± 35 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and a geomorphically and stratigraphically distinct suite of constructional shorelines associated with this lake can be traced to 1230 m. These two lake highstands correspond to periods of elevated regional wetness in the western Basin and Range that are not clearly represented in existing northern Sierra Nevada climate proxy records.     

Interplay between river discharge and topography of the basin floor in a hyperpycnal lacustrine delta

Basin‐floor topography influences the flow path of hyperpycnal plumes and delta morphology during progradation of the Red River delta in Lake Texoma, USA. The Red River discharge is typically a hyperpycnal plume due to elevated total dissolved solids. Because the river plume is a bottom‐hugging hyperpycnal flow, lake bathymetry and topography strongly influence deposition and subsequent delta morphology. In addition to elevated total dissolved solid concentrations compared with Lake Texoma water, the density contrast of the Red River outflow is increased by high suspended‐sediment concentrations during high‐discharge events. Steep lateral slopes in the Lake Texoma basin deflect hyperpycnal river plumes and, subsequently, change the delta progradation direction before the delta reaches the opposite bank of the lake. Analysis of multi‐temporal aerial and satellite images indicates that the hyperpycnal delta follows the steepest lake‐bottom gradients, corresponding to the pre‐impoundment river thalweg (i.e. bypassing shallow parts of the lake). An analytical model for the hyperpycnal‐plume trajectory indicates plume deflection during low‐discharge or high‐discharge events, towards the deepest part of the basin. The magnitude of plume deflection is a function of river discharge and basin‐margin gradients. Plume deflection can vary between 10° and 80° from the channel axis towards the old river thalweg. The high deflection appears in the case of maximum basin side gradients of 12·8° and in conditions of low river discharge. During low‐discharge periods, the Red River delta builds a lobate shape with multiple terminal distributary channels whereas, during high‐discharge periods the Red River delta builds an elongate shape with a single large distributary channel. The elongate morphology of the delta is formed through the development of a single distributary channel and abandonment of the other distributaries. Therefore, the lobate shaped delta is expected to be preserved in the rock record.     

Deciphering signals of late Holocene fluvial and aeolian supply from a shelf sediment depocentre off Senegal (north‐west Africa)

High‐resolution climatic records of the late Holocene along the north‐west African continental margin are scarce. Here we combine sediment grain size, elemental distribution and mineral assemblage data to trace dust and riverine sources at a shallow‐marine sediment depocentre in the vicinity of the Senegal River mouth. The aim is to understand how these terrigenous components reflect climate variability during the late Holocene. Major element contents were measured and mineral identification was performed on three sub‐fractions of our sediment core: (i) fluvial material < 2 µm, (ii) aeolian material of 18–63 µm and (iii) a sub‐fraction of dual‐origin material of 2–18 µm. Results show that more than 80% of the total Al and Fe terrigenous bulk content is present in the fluviogenic fraction. In contrast, Ti, K and Si cannot be considered as proxies for one specific source off Senegal. The Al/Ca ratio, recording the continental river runoff, reveals two dry periods from 3010 to 2750 cal a BP and from 1900 to 1000 cal a BP, and two main humid periods from 2750 to 1900 cal a BP and from 1000 to 700 cal a BP. The match between (i) intervals of low river runoff inferred by low Al/Ca values, (ii) reduced river discharge inferred by integrated palynological data from offshore Senegal and (iii) periods of enhanced dune reactivation in Mali confirms this interpretation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late-glacial and Holocene sedimentation and fluctuations of river water level in the Caquetá River area (Colombian Amazonia)

The sequence of Late-glacial and Holocene alluvial sedimentation in the middle Caquetá River Basin of Colombian Amazonia is described, based on the study of the sediments and palynology of several river bank sections and on 30 radiocarbon dates. An early Late-glacial sedimentation cycle is recognised, followed by a minor late Late-glacial erosion phase. The Holocene valley fill consists of grey clays (often present in the lower part of the sections) deposited in open water and silty clays often with faint yellow mottling, deposited under a regime of seasonal flooding. The base of the Holocene sections is formed by sands, where exposed. In two places the transition of sand to open-water grey clay was dated around 10 000 yr BP and there is a suggestion that open water may have been more common at the beginning of the Holocene than later, when sedimentation by seasonal flooding became important. In many places much of the earlier Holocene sediments may have been removed by erosion and replaced by younger sediments, by a process of lateral aggradation. A considerable part of the present valley fill is younger than ca. 3500 yr. However, in several places older Holocene sediments are found, apparently only little affected by later erosion, lying below younger varzea silty clays. During the Holocene more organic sediments were formed in periods with reduced river discharge, related to drier climates in the Andes and possibly in Amazonia. These dry periods, deduced from data in the Caquetá River area, correspond well with dry phases in other parts of northwestern South America (e.g. between approximately 2700-1900 yr BP and approximately 3200-3800 yr BP). Rates of average net sedimentation, calculated from dated sections that apparently lack major hiatuses caused by erosion, were high in the lower Holocene, low during the middle Holocene and increase again in the upper Holocene. Levee deposits became coarser and the high river level of the Caquetá increased during the late Holocene. These phenomena may be explained by the increasing influence of man on the vegetation cover in the Andean headwater areas and possibly also in the Amazonian catchment area of the Caquetá River.     

Postglacial vegetation and climate dynamics in the Seymour‐Belize Inlet Complex,central coastal British Columbia,Canada: palynological evidence from Tiny Lake

A pollen‐based study from Tiny Lake in the Seymour‐Belize Inlet Complex of central coastal British Columbia, Canada, permits an evaluation of the dynamic response of coastal temperate rainforests to postglacial climate change. Open Pinus parklands grew at the site during the early Lateglacial when the climate was cool and dry, but more humid conditions in the later phases of the Lateglacial permitted mesophytic conifers to colonise the region. Early Holocene conditions were warmer than present and a successional mosaic of Tsuga heterophylla and Alnus occurred at Tiny Lake. Climate cooling and moistening at 8740 ± 70 ¹⁴C a BP initiated the development of closed, late successional T. heterophylla–Cupressaceae forests, which achieved modern character after 6860 ± 50 ¹⁴C a BP, when a temperate and very wet climate became established. The onset of early Holocene climate cooling and moistening at Tiny Lake may have preceded change at more southern locations, including within the Seymour‐Belize Inlet Complex, on a meso‐ to synoptic scale. This would suggest that an early Holocene intensification of the Aleutian Low pressure system was an important influence on forest dynamics in the Seymour‐Belize Inlet Complex and that the study region was located near the southern extent of immediate influence of this semi‐permanent air mass. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene climate vs. catchment forcing on a shallow,eutrophic lake in eastern Poland

This paper presents a sedimentary record from Lake ?ukie located in the southeastern part of the Central European Plain, beyond the reach of the maximum extent of the last glaciation. The lake has thermokarstic origin and developed during the last glacial termination due to subsidence of the sub‐Quaternary carbonate basement triggered by permafrost thawing. A sediment core was investigated to reconstruct water trophic state and lake depth changes during the Holocene. We aimed at showing the relationship between ecological and geochemical changes in the lake and regional/supraregional climatic and hydrological trends throughout the Holocene. Results of subfossil Cladocera analysis were combined with data on the geochemistry and stable C and O isotopes in sedimentary carbonates. Isotopic and geochemical proxies helped to detect sources of sedimentary particles in the lake and thus to reconstruct changes in the intensity of atmospheric and catchment processes (e.g. precipitation and surface runoff). The Cladocera analysis results indicated endogenic processes in the lake such as trophic changes. Our data revealed that Lake ?ukie has always been a rather eutrophic water body and the periods of particularly high productivity were in the lower Preboreal and upper Subatlantic. Periods of increased water depth were recorded in the lower Preboreal, lower Boreal and upper Subboreal, whereas low water stands were obtained during the late Preboreal, late Boreal, late Atlantic and Atlantic/Subboreal transition as well as during the lower Subboreal. The sediment succession from Lake ?ukie provides the first full Holocene record of carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in lacustrine carbonates from the eastern part of the Central European Lowland. The record is characterized by uncommonly high δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of the carbonates resulting from a combination of within‐lake processes and dissolution of the carbonate bedrock of Cretaceous age. The impact of the old carbonates on isotope values was helpful in the reconstruction of the catchment forcing on the lake.     

Le cordon sableux Limani-Yagoua, extrême-nord Cameroun, et son rôle hydraulique

The Limani-Yagoua mega sand-ridge, covering an area of 330,000 km² is well know in the extreme north of Cameroun. Similar structures have also been described in the Chad Republic (Bongor-Koro-Toro), Niger (Tal) and Nigeria (Bama). Two possible origins can be considered: (i) circum-lacustrine around the Lake Chad Basin, interpreted as a Holocene or Pleistocene palæo-shoreline, or (ii) æolian accumulation as a mega sand dune in an area of basin subsidence. The sand-ridge in northern Cameroun is an extremely permeable aquifer with discharge rates of 3–6 m³ h⁻¹. High nitrate levels (27–127 mg l⁻¹) have been observed in several boreholes. Tritium at 4.1 ut indicates recent groundwater recharge, suggesting infiltration of rainfall damned by the sand-ridge.     

Holocene Moisture Variation Recorded by Aeolian Sand-Palaeosol Sequences of the Gonghe Basin, Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

The northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP) of China is located at the triple junction of the Asian winter and summer monsoons and the westerlies, where paleoclimatic evolution has an important scientific significance for recognizing the spatial-temporal pattern of Asian monsoons in the past and predicting environmental change in the future. Nevertheless, the framework of the Holocene moisture variation and related mechanisms remain controversial, owing to complex hydroclimatic conditions triggered by the landform of the large mountain-arid basin. Here, we employed geochemical proxies from typical aeolian sand-palaeosol sequences in the Gonghe Basin, northeastern QTP, together with Optically Stimulated Luminescence(OSL) dating, to reconstruct the pattern of effective moisture variation and associated mechanisms in this region. Our results indicate that the regional effective moisture was at its lowest until 9–8 ka, and approached a maximum during 8–4/3 ka of the middle Holocene. Afterwards, the climate became relatively dry in general, but with a transient humid interval around 2–1 ka. Our geochemical evidence indicates that the dry early Holocene probably can be attributed to a strong winter monsoon forced by remnant ice sheet, combined with the high evaporation caused by solar insolation. Also, shifts of humid-dry are closely linked to the Asian summer monsoonal strength and therefore the balance of evaporation-precipitation in the middle and late Holocene. Thus, the pattern of the Holocene effective moisture variation is characterized as the ‘monsoon model' in a closed intermontane arid and semi-arid basin near the western Asian monsoonal limit.     

Flood frequencies reveal Holocene rapid climate changes (Lower Moulouya River,northeastern Morocco)

Current high‐resolution palaeoenvironmental records reveal short‐term Holocene coolings. One of these major Holocene rapid climate changes occurred between 3.2 and 2.7 cal. ka BP. The sensitivity of river systems vis‐à‐vis slight and short‐term Holocene climatic variations is a subject of controversy in the scientific community. In this paper, we present a 4.0 to 1.4 cal ka BP palaeoflood record from the Lower Moulouya River (northeastern Morocco) to demonstrate the high sensitivity of semiarid rivers in the southwestern Mediterranean towards Holocene environmental changes. The Lower Moulouya flood deposits are characterised by thick, well‐stratified, predominantly clayey to silty overbank fine sediments. These cohesive sediments show evidence of excellent preservation conditions against fluvial erosion and contain a continuous record of mid to late Holocene flood sequences. The Moulouya palaeoflood record can be interpreted in the context of regional and global high‐resolution proxy data, revealing a strong coupling with Holocene rapid climate changes. The centennial‐scale Moulouya palaeohydrological history will be discussed with palaeoenvironmental data from the same record (palaeomagnetics, sedimentary charcoal record, anthracological analyses, snail analyses) to generate new ideas about the mid to late Holocene hydrological cycle in the southwestern Mediterranean. The deduced features of pronounced Lower Moulouya flooding and the decreased fire recurrence during Holocene cooling remain somewhat inconsistent with the interpretation of other palaeohydrological and paleaoecological records from the southwestern Mediterranean. However, enhanced Lower Moulouya flood frequencies between 3.2 and 2.7 cal. ka BP agree with increased floodplain aggradation in other major river systems of Mediterranean North Africa. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleoclimatic Significance of Late Quaternary Lacustrine and Alluvial Stratigraphy, Animas Valley, New Mexico

Lacustrine and alluvial stratigraphic sequences in the southern Animas Valley of New Mexico allow reconstruction of late Quaternary climates. Four separate stands of late Quaternary Lake Cloverdale in the southern Animas Valley are recorded by lacustrine shoreline deposits. Soils and stratigraphic evidence show that three young lake highstands occurred during the Holocene and that a higher lake stand occurred 18,000 to 20,000¹⁴C yr B.P. Fluvial systems aggraded the southern Animas Valley during the middle to late Holocene. The late Quaternary stratigraphy shows that several periods during the late Holocene were characterized by higher effective precipitation than at any time since the last glacial maximum.     

Holocene Environmental Change and River-Mouth Sedimentation in the Baie des Anges, French Riviera

River mouths on the steep, high-relief coast of the French Riviera exhibit thick sequences of Holocene marine, estuarine, deltaic, and river channel-floodplain sediments that overlie basal fluvial Pleistocene gravel. Gravel is uncommon in most of the early to middle Holocene aggradational-progradational marine, estuarine, deltaic sediments, despite an ample supply from rock units in the steep adjoining uplands. River-mouth gravel is common only in late Holocene river channels and in barrier beaches perched on finer-grained nearshore sediments. Neither downslope grain-size fining on alluvial fans nor sediment stacking patterns during sea-level (base-level) rise readily account for the lack of early to middle Holocene gravel in the river-mouth sediment wedges. Holocene sea-level rise led to the storage of fine-grained sediments in shallow marine, estuarine, and deltaic environments in the present coastal zone. We infer that humid temperate conditions, a dense forest cover, landscape stabilization, and a regular quiescent river flow regime associated with the Atlantic climatic optimum limited gravel supply in the adjoining catchments and gravel entrainment downstream during the early Holocene. Sea-level stabilization in the middle and late Holocene coincided with a marked change in bioclimatic conditions toward the present Mediterranean-type regime, which is characterized by a less dense forest cover, soil erosion, and episodic catastrophic floods. The late Holocene was thus a time of downstream bedload channel aggradation, fine-grained floodplain and paludal sedimentation, and seaward flushing of clasts leading to the formation and consolidation of the gravel barrier beaches that bound the rivermouths and embayments.