The origin of Island mammoths and the quaternary land bridge history of the Northern Channel Islands,California

Pygmy proboscidean remains of Mammuthus exilis occur abundantly in late Quaternary deposits on the Northern Channel Islands, California. On the assumption that ancestral elephants could not have swum to the islands and must therefore have walked out, various land bridges have been hypothesized that link the northern islands to the mainland by a peninsula. Geological evidence for a land bridge, however, is lacking, and new evidence shows that elephants are excellent swimmers and skilled at crossing watergaps. The Santa Barbara Channel was narrowed to only 6 km during glacially lowered sea levels. Modern elephants swim much further, and at speeds ranging from 0.96–2.70 km/hr. Motives for California elephants to cross Pleistocene watergaps are inferred from motives that lead modern elephants in Asia and Africa to cross watergaps. These are the visual and olfactory sensing of islands and of insular food during times of drought or fire-induced food shortage. Diminutive size of M. exilis principally reflects lack of island predators, an adaption to periodic food stress in a finite forage area affected by periodic drought and fire, and an adaptation for keeping population numbers high to maintain genetic variability and to ensure survival despite accidents. A late Quaternary scenario describes the environmental setting of the Santa Barbara Channel and the conditions that led to proboscidean dispersal to the preexistent super-island Santarosae.     

Mapping Shoreline Variability of Two Barrier Island Segments Along the Florida Coast

Recent projections of global climate change necessitate improved methodologies that quantify shoreline variability. Updated analyses of shoreline movement provide important information that can aid and inform likely intervention policies. This paper uses the Analyzing Moving Boundaries Using R (AMBUR) technique to evaluate shoreline change trends over the time period 1856 to 2015. Special emphasis was placed on recent rates of change, during the 1994 to 2015 period of active storm conditions. Small segments, on the order of tens of kilometers, along two sandy barrier island regions on Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts were chosen for this study. The overall average rate of change over the 159-year period along Little St. George Island was ??0.62?±?0.12 m/year, with approximately 65% of shoreline segments eroding and 35% advancing. During periods of storm clustering (1994–2015), retreat rates along portions of this Gulf coast barrier accelerated to ??5.49?±?1.4 m/year. Along the northern portion of Merritt Island on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the overall mean rate of change was 0.22?±?0.08 m/year, indicative of a shoreline in a state of relative dynamic equilibrium. In direct contrast with the Gulf coast shoreline segment, the majority of transects (65%) evaluated along the oceanfront of Merritt Island over the long term displayed a seaward advance. Results indicate that episodes of clustered storm activity with fairly quick return intervals generally produce dramatic morphological alteration of the coast and can delay natural beach recovery. Additionally, the data show that tidal inlet dynamics, shoreline orientation, along with engineering projects, act over a variety of spatial and temporal scales to influence shoreline evolution. Further, the trends of shoreline movement observed in this study indicate that nearshore bathymetry—the presence of shoals—wields some influence on the behavior of local segments of the shoreline.     

Planform Island change assessment for inhabited Lakshadweep Islands

Natural Hazards - Impacts of coastal processes and anthropogenic activities threaten the archipelago of low-lying reef islands. In this study, long-term (1972–2015) and short-term...     

Evolution and structure of the Ushakov structural zone in the Chukchi Sea

This paper describes the structure and the principal evolutionary stages of the Ushakov postdeposition anticline zone, which is located in the western part of the Chukchi Basin. The Albian-Upper Cretaceous deposits that filled riftogenic zones and the Paleocene-Lower Neocene rocks that formed under the conditions of continuing spreading make up the sedimentary cover, which has undergone substantial deformation because of strike-slip motions. As a result of paleoreconstructions, the principal period of formation for this structure was determined as the Paleocene-Late Miocene, when strike-slip motions of blocks beneath the South Chukchi Basin occurred.     

Southern Kurile Islands/ Northern territories resource potential

The islands of the Habomai group, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup are claimed by both the Soviet Union and Japan. These islands are each entitled to an Exclusive Economic Zone. This paper examines the mineral and energy potential on these islands and in their maritime zones and the implications for resource allocation and management of different solutions to the islands question. Return of all four islands would mean the transfer of substantial titanium sand, sulfur and sulfide deposits, as well as extensive fishing grounds. Return of only the southern two would still entail a major transfer of fishing grounds but not known mineral deposits. Return of the southern two and joint development of the other two would give Japan significant fishing grounds and access to several economic mineral deposits.     

The Cambrian of Bennett Island (New Siberian Islands)

The paper presents new data on the Cambrian stratigraphy of Bennett Island, one of the least explored East Arctic islands. The section, about 500 m of total thickness, comprises four lithological units that store a record of the deposition history: (1) clastic sediments including storm sandstones; (2) shallow-marine mudstone; (3) lagoonal variegated mudstone and limestone; (4) black shale. It is suggested to classify the units as formations with their proper names. The section spans all epoches of the Cambrian stratigraphy constrained by trilobite fossils. In the Cambrian, territory of the island belonged to Siberia rather than to some exotic terrane, judging by abundant endemic Siberian trilobite species in the Bennett section. This inference is supported by synchronicity in recorded deposition events of Bennett Island and northeastern Siberia (Kharaulakh Mountains). The Cambrian sediments of the two areas were deposited in different parts of a single shallow sea which extended as far as Taimyr.     

Shoreline Energy and Sea Level Dynamics in Lower Chesapeake Bay: History and Patterns

A long-term (1948–2010) shoreward energy history of upper tidal shorelines in lower Chesapeake Bay was developed using a simple calculation of kinetic energy from corresponding wind and tide data. These data were primarily used to determine the likelihood of shoreline energy increases coincident with local sea level rise. Total annual shoreward energy ranged from 620 kJ/m of shoreline in 1950 to 17,785 kJ/m of shoreline in 2009. No clear linear trends are apparent, but mean annual energy shows an increase from 2,732 kJ/m before 1982 to 6,414 kJ/m since then. This increase in mean energy was accompanied by more numerous spikes of comparatively higher annual energy. Shoreward energy delivered to lower Chesapeake Bay’s upper tidal shorelines was enabled by an increasing amount of time per year that tidal height exceeds mean high water, accompanied by increasing heights of tidal anomalies. An index termed the Hydrologic Burden was developed that incorporates the combination of time and tidal height that demonstrates this increasing trend. Although opportunities for greater shoreward energy increased as the Hydrologic Burden increased, and even though there is evidence that greater energy was delivered to the shorelines during the latter time series, energy per hour delivery was shown not to have increased, and may have decreased, due to a steady reduction in average wind speed in lower Chesapeake Bay since the mid-1980s. Energy delivery in lower Chesapeake Bay was primarily from the northeast, and energy delivery over the time series is shown to organize symmetrically around a point between the northeast and north–northeast directions. This is evidence of a self-organizational phenomenon that transcends changes in local wind and tide dynamics.     

Responses of atoll freshwater lenses to storm-surge overwash in the Northern Cook Islands

A category 5 tropical cyclone swept a storm surge across remote Pukapuka Atoll in the Northern Cook Islands (South Pacific Ocean) in late February 2005. Groundwater salinity (specific conductance) observations are reported for the 2-year post-storm period, with the aim of investigating the effects of saltwater intrusion on thin freshwater lenses within the atoll islets. This is the first article to present field observations of such an event. Specific conductance at shallow depths increased dramatically from potable conditions (approximately 1,000 μS/cm) to brackish levels unsuitable for drinking (up to 10,000 μS/cm) shortly after the cyclone. Subsequently, the freshwater lenses required 11 months to recover. Within the thickest aquifer, a well-defined saline plume formed at 6 m depth, sandwiching a freshwater layer beneath it and the base of the lens. Plume dispersal proceeded only gradually, owing to its formation at the start of the SW Pacific regional dry season and the low tidal range on Pukapuka. Consequently, the remnant of the plume was still present 26 months after the saltwater incursion. An important finding was that the freshwater horizon preserved at depth maintained salinity levels below 1,800 μS/cm (i.e. within usable limits) for at least 5 months after surface overwash.     

Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Estuarine Shoreline Change in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System,North Carolina,USA

Many shoreline studies rely on historical change rates determined from aerial imagery decades to over 50 years apart to predict shoreline position and determine setback distances for coastal structures. These studies may not illustrate the coastal impacts of short-duration but potentially high-impact storm events. In this study, shoreline change rates (SCRs) are quantified at five different sites ranging from marsh to sediment bank shorelines around the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system (APES) for a series of historical (decadal to 50-year) and short-term (bimonthly) time periods as well as for individual storm events. Long-term (historical) SCRs of approximately ?0.5 ± 0.07 m year^?1 are observed, consistent with previous work along estuarine shorelines in North Carolina. Short-term SCRs are highly variable, both spatially and temporally, and ranged from 15.8 ± 7.5 to ?19.3 ± 11.5 m year^?1 at one of the study sites. The influence of wave climate on the spatial and temporal variability of short-term erosion rates is investigated using meteorological observations and coupled hydrodynamic (Delft3D) and wave (SWAN) models. The models are applied to simulate hourly variability in the surface waves and water levels. The results indicate that in the fetch-limited APES, wind direction strongly influences the wave climate at the study sites. The wave height also has an influence on short-term SCRs as determined from the wave simulations for individual meteorological events, but no statistical correlation is found for wave height and SCRs over the long term. Despite the significantly higher rates of shoreline erosion over short time periods and from individual events like hurricanes, the cumulative impact over long time periods is low. Therefore, while the short-term response of these shorelines to episodic forcing should be taken into account in management plans, the long-term trends commonly used in ocean shoreline management can also be used to determine erosion setbacks on estuarine shorelines.     

青藏高原北部的碰撞造山及深部动力学——中法地学合作研究新进展

本文展示了中法1995～2000年青藏高原北部地学研究的如下主要新进展：①完成8000km长的青藏高原北部及中部天然地震岩石圈探测剖面，确定若干条岩石圈断裂，发现与新生代火山喷发有关的青藏高原中部深处的低速、低密度体，塔里木地块俯冲于阿尔金山之下；②提出阿尔金断裂形成于220～240Ma和左行平移400km的科学依据及确定其新生代变形量；③确定祁连南缘350km长的高压-超高压变质带，提出其可能代表早古生代时期北中国板块与扬子板块之间西部界限的新认识；④根据加里东期蛇绿岩、花岗岩及俯冲杂岩带的新发现，初步建立了古碰撞造山格架；⑤提出高原隆升的“地幔底辟和内向陆内俯冲”的新假设。     

Permian-Triassic trap magmatism in Bel'kov Island (New Siberian Islands)

The study was inspired by information on Paleozoic andesites, dacites, and diabases in Bel'kov Island in the 1974 geological survey reports used to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the continental block comprising the New Siberian Islands and the bordering shelf. We did not find felsic volcanics or Middle Paleozoic intrusions in the studied area of the island. The igneous rocks are mafic subvolcanic intrusions, including dikes, randomly shaped bodies, explosion breccias, and peperites. They belong to the tholeiitic series and are similar to Siberian traps in petrography and trace-element compositions, with high LREE and LILE and prominent Nb negative anomalies. The island arc affinity is due to continental crust contamination of mantle magma and its long evolution in chambers at different depths. The 252±5 Ma K-Ar biotite age of magmatism indicates that it was coeval to the main stage of trap magmatism in the Siberian craton at the Permian-Triassic boundary. The terrane including the New Siberian Islands occurred on the periphery of the Siberian trap province where magmatism acted in a rifting environment. Magma intruded semiliquid wet sediments at shallow depths, shortly after their deposition. Therefore, the exposed Paleozoic section in Bel’kov Island may include Permian or possibly Lower Triassic sediments, of younger ages than it was believed earlier.     

The Final Stage of Silicic Island Arc Magmatism in the Northern Urals

Doklady Earth Sciences - The date of cessation of calc-alkaline volcanic complex accumulation within the Devonian (Frasnian) island arc in the Northern Urals was determined for the first time. It...     

Stratigraphy and structure of Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Deception Island is an active volcano with a large structural collapse caldera that has been interpreted by several investigators as having been generated by different processes. The general stratigraphy and structural study of the volcano is presented, with special emphasis on the distribution and structural disposition of the different stratigraphic units. The rocks of Deception Island have traditionally been divided into pre- and post-caldera products. A subdivision of the pre-caldera deposits, called ‘pre- and syn-caldera deposits,’ has been observed in two main units. Bulk magnetic susceptibility analyses are used to support the field stratigraphy presented. The localization and distribution of dikes is used to assign the central collapse of the volcano to rifting induced by tensional tectonics occurring in the Bransfield Strait and the presence of transcurrent faults around the island.     

First lake record of Holocene climate and vegetation change of the Northern Kuril Islands

Investigation of Pernatoe Lake sediments in the south of Paramushir Island has enabled us to obtain the first continuous pollen record of climate and vegetation changes in the north of the Kurile archipelago during the Holocene. Series of radiocarbon datings of between 10 000 ± 40 and 2180 ± 40 years ago are evidence that the beginning of sediments accumulation, found after borehole development, is related to the Early Holocene. Diatom analysis has shown several stages in the lake development: raised bog on the border of the Pleistocene and Holocene, lagoon formation resulting from the sea level rise over 9–6 ky, and freshwater lake formation 6 ky and up to the present. Climate warming during the period attributed to the boreal and Atlantic periods of the Holocene is reflected by the dominance of Pinus pumila and Alnus serrulata assemblages in vegetation cover. Wide dune fields were formed in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific shores of Paramushir Island 5–4 ky. Strengthening of atmogenic processes is related to cooling of the climate and drying of some areas of the underwater slope.     

北部湾涠洲岛及斜阳岛火山地质与喷发历史研究

涠洲岛及斜阳岛是北部湾内一对姊妹火山岛,本文采用火山岩K-Ar法,火山岩中砂岩捕掳体光释光法（OSL）和贝壳^14C法分别测定了火山活动的年代,结合火山岩地质特征,将涠洲岛火山活动初步划分为早-中更新世（1．42Ma-0．49Ma）和晚更新世末期（36ka-33ka）两期。早-中更新世溢流玄武质熔岩盾造就了涠洲岛及斜阳岛,从涠洲岛横路山锅盖岭盾形火山锥溢出的熔岩流向四周漫流,形成涠洲岛中心高四周低的盾形火山地形,其晚阶段球状风化玄武岩沿涠洲岛潮间带分布。晚更新世末期涠洲岛南湾火山和斜阳岛斜阳村火山射气岩浆喷发,间有岩浆喷发,形成典型的低平火山口和巨厚基浪堆积几乎覆盖两岛,经历了海蚀作用,塑造了两岛现代地貌景观。     

Age and origin of the corundum-bearing rocks of Khitostrov Island, Northern Karelia

The Chupa nappe of the Belomorian Complex contains aluminous silica-undersaturated rocks with corundum, which are characterized by extremely low ¹⁸O/¹⁶O (whole-rock δ¹⁸O up to −21‰). Revealed isotopic anomalies are explained by the influence of meteoric waters that were modified through evaporation-precipitation cycles (Rayleigh distillation) under cold climatic conditions. In order to estimate whether the decrease in δ¹⁸O occurred prior to metamorphism of the protoliths of the Chupa Sequence or during water percolation in the course of metamorphic or postmetamorphic transformations, we studied oxygen composition in the rocks and minerals and conducted U-Pb dating on single zircons from corundumbearing rocks of Khitostrov.