Changes in Zn speciation during soil formation from Zn-rich limestones

In order to better understand the long-term speciation and fractionation of Zn in soils, we investigated three soils naturally enriched in Zn (237–864 mg/kg Zn) from the weathering of Zn-rich limestones (40–207 mg/kg Zn) using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and sequential extractions. The analysis of bulk EXAFS spectra by linear combination fitting (LCF) indicated that Zn in the oolitic limestones was mainly present as Zn-containing calcite (at site Dornach), Zn-containing goethite (Gurnigel) and Zn-containing goethite and sphalerite (Liestal). Correspondingly, extraction of the powdered rocks with 1 M NH₄-acetate at pH 6.0 mobilized only minor fractions of Zn from the Gurnigel and Liestal limestones (<30%), but most Zn from the Dornach rock (81%). In the Dornach soil, part of the Zn released from the dissolving limestone was subsequently incorporated into pedogenic hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite (Zn-HIV, 30%) and Zn-containing kaolinite (30%) and adsorbed or complexed by soil organic and inorganic components (40%). The Gurnigel and Liestal soils contained substantial amounts of Zn-containing goethite (50%) stemming from the parent rock, smaller amounts (20%) of Zn-containing kaolinite (and possibly Zn-HIV), as well as adsorbed or complexed Zn-species (30%). In the soil from Liestal, sphalerite was only found in trace amounts, indicating its dissolution during soil formation. In sequential extractions, large percentages of Zn (55–85%) were extracted in recalcitrant extraction steps, confirming that Zn-HIV, Zn-containing kaolinite and Zn-containing goethite are highly resistant to weathering. These Zn-bearing phases thus represent long-term hosts for Zn in soils over thousands of years. The capability of these phases to immobilize Zn in heavily contaminated soils may however be limited by their uptake capacity (especially HIV and kaolinite) or their abundance in soil.     

Holocene activity of the Scilla Fault, Southern Calabria: Insights from coastal morphological and structural investigations

Integration of on-land and offshore geomorphological and structural investigations coupled to extensive radiometric dating of co-seismically uplifted Holocene beaches allows characterization of the geometry, kinematics and seismotectonics of the Scilla Fault, which borders the eastern side of the Messina Strait in Calabria, Southern Italy. This region has been struck by destructive historical earthquakes, but knowledge of geologically-based source parameters for active faults is relatively poor, particularly for those running mostly offshore, as the Scilla Fault does. The  30 km-long normal fault may be divided into three segments of  10 km individual length, with the central and southern segments split in at least two strands. The central and northern segments are submerged, and in this area marine geophysical data indicate a youthful morphology and locally evidence for active faulting. The on-land strand of the western segment displaces marine terraces of the last interglacial (124 to 83 ka), but seismic reflection profiles suggest a full Quaternary activity. Structural data collected on bedrock faults exposed along the on-land segment provide evidence for normal slip and  NW-SE extension, which is consistent with focal mechanisms of large earthquakes and GPS velocity fields in the region. Detailed mapping of raised Holocene marine deposits exposed at the coastline straddling of the northern and central segments supplies evidence for two co-seismic displacements at  1.9 and  3.5 ka, and a possible previous event at  5 ka. Co-seismic displacements show a consistent site value and pattern of along-strike variation, suggestive of characteristic-type behaviour for the fault. The  1.5–2.0 m average co-seismic slips during these events document M_e  6.9–7.0 earthquakes with  1.6–1.7 ka recurrence time. Because hanging-wall subsidence cannot be included into slip magnitude computation, these slips reflect footwall uplift, and represent minimum average estimates. The palaeoseismological record based on the palaeo-shorelines suggests that the last rupture on the Scilla Fault during the February 6, 1783 M_w = 5.9–6.3 earthquake was at the expected time but it may have not entirely released the loaded stress since the last great event at  1.9 ka. Comparison of the estimated co-seismic extension rate based on the Holocene shoreline record with available GPS velocities indicates that the Scilla Fault accounts for at least  15–20% of the contemporary geodetic extension across the Messina Strait.     

Guidelines for assessing the petroleum potential of coaly source rocks using Rock-Eval pyrolysis

Coaly source rocks are sufficiently different from marine and lacustrine source rocks in their organic matter characteristics to warrant separate guidelines for their assessment using Rock-Eval pyrolysis. The rank threshold for oil generation is indicated by the increase in BI (S1/TOC) at Rank(S_r)9–10 (T_max 420–430 °C, R_o 0.55–0.6%), and the threshold for oil expulsion is indicated by the peak in QI ([S1+S2]/TOC) at Rank(S_r)11–12.5 (T_max 430–440 °C, R_o 0.65–0.85%). The pronounced rank-related increase in HI (S2/TOC) prior to oil expulsion renders the use of immature samples inappropriate for source rock characterisation. A more realistic indication of the petroleum generative potential and oil expulsion efficiency of coaly source rocks can be gained from samples near the onset of expulsion. Alternatively, effective HI′ values (i.e. HIs near the onset of expulsion) can be estimated by translating the measured HIs of immature samples along the maturation pathway defined by the New Zealand (or other defined) Coal Band. Coaly source rocks comprise a continuum of coaly lithologies, including coals, shaly coals and coaly mudstones. Determination of the total genetic potential of coaly source rock sequences is best made using lithology-based samples near the onset of expulsion.     

Late Holocene paleoceanographic evidence of the influence of the Aleutian Low and North Pacific High on circulation in the Seymour-Belize Inlet Complex, British Columbia, Canada

Foraminiferal and thecamoebian faunas from the Seymour-Belize Inlet Complex (SBIC), a fjord network situated on the mainland coast of British Columbia, were studied to assess climatic cycles and trends impacting the area through the AD 850–AD 2002 interval. Ocean circulation patterns prevalent in the SBIC are strongly linked to precipitation, which is closely linked to the relative strength and position (center of action; COA) of the seasonally developed Aleutian Low (AL) and North Pacific High (NPH) atmospheric circulation gyres.Through interpretation of cluster analysis and ordination methods, a period of weak estuarine circulation was recognized to have impacted the SBIC area between AD 850 and AD 1500. During this time waters in the SBIC were dysoxic to anoxic and the sediment–water interface was comprised of a depauperate foraminiferal fauna consisting of low diversity agglutinated forms. These reduced oxygen conditions came about as a result of diminished precipitation in the SBIC catchment as the COA of the AL progressively migrated westward over time, resulting in greatly reduced estuarine circulation and only infrequent and feeble incursions of well oxygenated open ocean water into the SBIC basin. By AD 1575, following a gradual transition period of 75 years when circulation patterns in the inlet were unstable, very strong estuarine circulation developed in the SBIC, concomitant with the onset of the Little Ice Age (LIA) in western Canada. In the SBIC this interval was characterized by higher levels of precipitation, which greatly enhanced estuarine circulation resulting in frequent incursions of cold, well oxygenated ocean currents into the bottom waters of the SBIC and the development of a diverse calcareous foraminiferal fauna. This circulation pattern began to break down in the late 19th century AD and by AD 1940 conditions similar to those that existed in the inlet prior to AD 1500 had redeveloped, a process that continues at present.     

Archean Granitoids at the Contact of Eastern Ghat Granulite Belt and Singhbhum-Orissa Craton, in Bhuban-Rengali Sector, Orissa, India

The small granite plutons occurring at the contact of the Singhbhum-Orissa Iron Ore craton (IOC) to the north and the Eastern Ghat Granulite Belt (EGGB) to the south in eastern Indian shield are characterised by the presence of enclaves of the granulites of EGGB and the greenschist facies rocks of IOC. These granites also bear the imprints of later cataclastic deformation which is present at the contact of the IOC and the EGGB. In situ Pb-Pb zircon dating of these granites gives minimum age of their formation 2.80 Ga. A whole-rock three point Rb-Sr isochron age of this rock is found to be 2.90 Ga. Therefore, the true age of formation of these granites will be around 2.90–2.80 Ga. These granitic rocks also contain xenocrystic zircon components of 3.50 Ga and show a later metasomatic or metamorphic effect 2.48 Ga obtained from the analyses on overgrowths developed on 2.80 Ga old zircon cores. The presence of granulitic enclaves within these contact zone granite indicates that the granulite facies metamorphism of the EGGB is 2.80 Ga or still older in age. The cataclastic deformations observed at the contact zone of the two adjacent cratons is definitely younger than 2.80 Ga and possibly related to 2.48 Ga event observed from the overgrowths. As 2.80 Ga granite plutons of small dimensions are also observed at the western margin of the IOC; it can be concluded that a geologic event occurred 2.80 Ga over the IOC when small granite bodies evolved at the marginal part of this craton after its stabilisation at 3.09 Ga.     

The evolution of a tropical rainforest/grassland mosaic in southeastern Brazil since 28,000 C yr BP based on carbon isotopes and pollen records

The lack of paleoecological records from the montane Atlantic Rainforest of coastal Brazil, a hotspot of biological diversity, has been a major obstacle to our understanding of the vegetational changes since the last glacial cycle. We present carbon isotope and pollen records to assess the impact of the glaciation on the native vegetation of the Serra do Mar rainforest in São Paulo, Brazil. From ca. 28,000 to  22,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a subtropical forest with conifer trees is indicative of cool and humid conditions. In agreement carbon isotopic data on soil organic matter suggest the presence of C₃ plants and perhaps C₄ plants from  28,000 to  19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. The significant increase in the sedimentation rate and algal spores from  19,450 to  19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP indicates increasing humidity, associated to an erosion process between  19,000 and  15,600 ¹⁴C yr BP. From  15,600 ¹⁴C yr BP to present there is a substantial increase in arboreal elements and herbs, indicating more humid and warmer climate. From  19,000 to  1000 ¹⁴C yr BP, δ¹³C values indicated the predominance of C₃ plants. These results are in agreement with studies in speleothems of caves, which suggest humid conditions during the last glacial maximum.     

Mesozoic plutons of the Yidun Arc, SW China: U/Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic signature

The Yidun Arc is a Triassic volcanic arc located between the Songpan Garzê Fold Belt and the Qiangtang Block, southwest China. To constrain the age of a number of the major granitic plutons from the Yidun Arc, laser ablation ICP-MS U/Pb analysis of zircon was conducted. Hafnium isotope data was also acquired through laser-ablation multicollector ICPMS analysis of zircon, with the aim of gaining insight into the age and nature of the source region of the plutons. Three age groups have been identified from seven granite samples: Early–Middle Triassic ( 245 to 229 Ma), Late Triassic ( 219 to 216 Ma) and Cretaceous ( 105 to 95 Ma). Hafnium analysis shows the Triassic granites to have negative and variable ε_Hf values and Mesoproterozoic ( 1.6 Ga) depleted-mantle model ages, which is interpreted to reflect derivation from an isotopically heterogeneous, largely crustal source. The Cretaceous granite shows higher and less variable ε_Hf values and slightly younger model ages ( 1.3 Ga), and is interpreted to be derived from melting of a more homogeneous crustal source. A depleted-mantle model age of  1.5 Ga is calculated from the pooled Triassic and Cretaceous samples. The source region for these magmas may be tentatively correlated with Mesoproterozoic material of the Yangtze Craton, which has been suggested to underlie the Yidun Arc; however, further work is necessary to demonstrate this suggestion.     

Holocene climate variability and cultural evolution in the Near East from the Dead Sea sedimentary record

A comprehensive record of lake level changes in the Dead Sea has been reconstructed using multiple, well dated sediment cores recovered from the Dead Sea shore. Interpreting the lake level changes as monitors of precipitation in the Dead Sea drainage area and the regional eastern Mediterranean palaeoclimate, we document the presence of two major wet phases ( 10–8.6 and  5.6–3.5 cal kyr BP) and multiple abrupt arid events during the Holocene. The arid events in the Holocene Dead Sea appear to coincide with major breaks in the Near East cultural evolution (at  8.6, 8.2, 4.2, 3.5 cal kyr BP). Wetter periods are marked by the enlargement of smaller settlements and growth of farming communities in desert regions, suggesting a parallelism between climate and Near East cultural development.     

Raised coastal terraces along the Ionian Sea coast of northern Calabria, Italy, suggest space and time variability of tectonic uplift rates

A detailed study of uplifted Middle–Late Pleistocene marine terraces on the eastern side of northern Calabria, southern Italy, provides insights into the temporal and spatial scale variability of vertical displacement rates over a time span of 400 ka. Calabria is located in the frontal orogen of southern Italy above the westerly-plunging Ionian slab, and a combination of lithospheric, crustal, and surface processes concurred to rapid Late Quaternary uplift. Eleven terrace orders and a raised Holocene beach were mapped up to 480 m a.s.l., and were correlated between the coastal slopes of Pollino and Sila mountain ranges across the Sibari Plain, facing the Ionian Sea side of northeastern Calabria. Precise corrections were applied to the measured shoreline angles in order to account for uncertainty in measurement, erosion of marine deposits, recent debris shedding, and bathymetric range of markers. Radiometric (ESR and ¹⁴C) dating of shells provides a crono-stratigraphic scheme, although many samples were found to be resedimented in younger terraces. Terrace T4, whose inner margin stands at elevations of 94–130 m, is assigned to MIS 5.5 (124 ka), based on new ESR dating and previous amino acid racemization estimations. The underlying terraces T3, T2 and T1 are attributed to MIS 5.3 (100 ka), 5.1 (80 ka) and 3 (60 ka), as inferred from their relative position supplemented by ESR and ¹⁴C age determinations. The age of higher terraces is poorly constrained, but conceivably is tracked back to MIS 11 (400 ka). The reconstructed depositional sequence of terraces attributed to MIS 5.5 and 7 reveals two regressive marine cycles separated by an alluvial fanglomerate, which, given the steady uplift regime, points to minor sub-orbital sea-level changes during interstadial highstands. Based on the terrace chronology, uplift in the last 400 ka occurred at an average rate of 1 mm/a, but was characterized by the alternation of more rapid (up to 3.5 mm/a) and slower (down to 0.5 mm/a) periods of displacement. Spatial variability in uplift rates is recorded by the deformation profile of terraces parallel to the coast, which document the growth of local fold structures.     

Taconic Orogeny in Pennsylvania: A 15 –20 m.y. Apennine-style Ordovician event viewed from its Martic hinterland

In Pennsylvania, the Taconic Orogeny lasted from 461 to 443 Ma as Cambro-Ordovician slope deposits were deformed into mountains edging the Laurentian craton at the same time that materials from an adjacent deep-water basin were being transported 50 –70 km across a carbonate platform into foreland basins. This paper focuses on shelf-edge hinterland features, mostly the Martic Zone as a folded, stack of imbricate thrust sheets of slope materials that corresponds to Vermont's Taconic Mountains and Southern Quebec's zone of Taconic allochthons. Work of the last century is summarized, corrected, and combined with a new 450 Ma radiometric date and fluid inclusion data from the Pequea Mine within the Martic Zone. These and abundant new graptolite and conodont dates in the foreland paint a revised Pennsylvania picture differing from the northern Taconic areas. Differences are: (1) transport of very large allochthonous masses of deep-water material, the Dauphin Formation, far across the carbonate platform, and (2) deformation migrating progressively across that platform during a 15 –20 m.y. period, incorporating it and its foreland cover into alpine-scale, recumbent folds and thrusts. The scenario has many analogies to Italy's modern Apennine Mountains minus the Latian volcanics.     

Carbon biogeochemistry of the Betsiboka estuary (north-western Madagascar)

Madagascar’s largest estuary (Betsiboka) was sampled along the salinity gradient during the dry season to document the distribution and sources of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC) as well as dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The Betsiboka was characterized by a relatively high suspended matter load, and in line with this, low DOC/POC ratios (0.4–2.5). The partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) was generally above atmospheric equilibrium (270–1530 ppm), but relatively low in comparison to other tropical and subtropical estuaries, resulting in low average CO₂ emission to the atmosphere (9.1 ± 14.2 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹). Despite the fact that C4 vegetation is reported to cover >80% of the catchment area, stable isotope data on DOC and POC suggest that C4 derived material comprises only 30% of both pools in the freshwater zone, increasing to 60–70% and 50–60%, respectively, in the oligohaline zone due to additional lateral inputs. Sediments from intertidal mangroves in the estuary showed low organic carbon concentrations (<1%) and δ¹³C values (average −19.8‰) consistent with important inputs of riverine imported C4 material. This contribution was reflected in δ¹³C signatures of bacterial phospholipid derived fatty acids (i + a15:0), suggesting the potential importance of terrestrial organic matter sources for mineralization and secondary production in coastal ecosystems.     

The age and petrology of the Chimbadzi Hill Intrusion, NW Zimbabwe: first evidence for early Paleoproterozoic magmatism in Zimbabwe

The mafic-ultramafic Chimbadzi Hill intrusion in the NW of the Zimbabwe craton is a dyke with inward-dipping margins comprising magnetite peridotite, troctolite and magnetite melatroctolite. The magnetite peridotite is composed of about equal amounts of V- and Ti-bearing magnetite and olivine (Fo₆₀). The troctolite is composed of about 50% olivine (Fo_50-54), 40% plagioclase (An_53-58), 7% clinopyroxene and minor apatite and magnetite with ilmenite lamellae. Geochemical trends suggest that the Chimbadzi Hill Intrusion formed by fractional crystallisation from a single initial magma. However, the more primitive magnetite peridotite overlies the more evolved troctolite in the intrusion. This ‘apparent’ inverted stratigraphy may be due to emptying of a fractionated magma chamber from the top, or to floor subsidence during intrusion.U–Pb dating on baddeleyite reveals that the age of the Chimbadzi Hill Intrusion is 2262 ± 2 Ma. This age does not correspond to any known tectono-thermal event in the Zimbabwe Craton or adjacent metamorphic belts. It is 300 Ma younger than the late Archean Great Dyke, and 230 Ma older than other Paleoproterozoic events in and around the craton. Therefore, it may represent a so far undocumented very early Proterozoic igneous event in the Zimbabwe Craton. The intrusion represents a vanadium resource for Zimbabwe, with titanium potentially being mined as by-product.     

Cirque glacier activity in arctic Norway during the last deglaciation

Numerous cirques of the Lofoten–Vesterålen archipelago in northern Norway have distinct moraine sequences that previously have been assigned to the Allerød-Younger Dryas ( 13,400 to 11,700 yr BP) interval, constraining the regional distribution of the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) of cirque and valley glaciers. Here we present evidence from a once glacier-fed lake on southern Andøya that contests this view. Analyses of radiocarbon dated lacustrine sediments including rock magnetic parameters, grain size, organic matter, dry bulk density and visual interpretation suggest that no glacier was present in the low-lying cirque during the Younger Dryas-Allerød. The initiation of the glacial retreat commenced with the onset of the Bølling warming ( 14,700 yr BP) and was completed by the onset of Allerød Interstade ( 13,400 yr BP). The reconstructed glacier stages of the investigated cirque coincide with a cool and dry period from  17,500 to 14,700 yr BP and a somewhat larger Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) advance possibly occurring between  21,050 and 19,100 yr BP.     

Cretaceous and Cenozoic cooling history across the ultrahigh pressure Tongbai–Dabie belt, central China, from apatite fission-track thermochronology

The crystalline terrane of the Tongbai–Dabie region, central China, comprising the Earth's largest ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) exposure was formed during Triassic collision between the Sino–Korean and Yangtze cratons. New apatite fission-track (AFT) data presented here from the UHP terrane, extends over a significantly greater area than reported in previous studies, and includes the (eastern) Dabie, the Hong'an (northwestern Dabie) and Tongbai regions. The new data yield ages ranging from 44 ± 3 to 142 ± 36 Ma and mean track lengths between 10 and 14.4 μm. Thermal history models based on the AFT data taken together with published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, K–Ar, apatite and zircon (U–Th)/He and U–Pb data, exhibit a three-stage cooling pattern that is similar across the study region, commencing with an Early Cretaceous rapid cooling event, followed by a period of relative thermal stability during which rocks remained at temperatures within the AFT partial annealing zone (60–110 °C) and ending with a possible renewed phase of accelerated cooling during Pliocene to Recent time. The first cooling phase followed large-scale transtensional deformation between 140 and 110 Ma and is related to Early Cretaceous eastward tectonic escape and Pacific back arc extension. Between this phase and the subsequent slow cooling phase, a transition period from 120 to 80 Ma (to 70 to 45 Ma along the Tan–Lu fault) was characterised by a relatively low cooling rate (3–5 °C/Ma). This transition is likely related to a tectonic response associated with the mid-Cretaceous subduction of the Izanagi–Pacific plate as well as lithospheric extension and thinning in eastern Asia. The present regional AFT age pattern is therefore basically controlled by the Early Cretaceous rapid cooling event, but finally shaped through active Cenozoic faulting. Following the transition phase the subsequent slow cooling phase pattern implies a net reduction in horizontal compressional stress corresponding to increased extension rates along the continental margin due to the decrease in plate convergence. Modelling of the AFT data suggests a possible Pliocene–Recent cooling episode, which may be supported by increased rates of sedimentation observed in adjacent basins. This cooling phase may be interpreted as a response to the far-field effects of the frontal India–Eurasia collision to the west. Approximate estimates suggest that the total amount of post 120 Ma denudation across the UHP orogen ranged from 2.4 to 13.2 km for different tectonic blocks and ranged from 0.8 to 9.7 km during the Cretaceous to between 1.7 and 3.8 km during the Cenozoic.     

Structure and geochronology of the southern Xainza-Dinggye rift and its relationship to the south Tibetan detachment system

The Xainza-Dinggye rift is one of several north-south trending rifts in central and southern Tibet created by Cenozoic east-west extension during Indo-Asian convergence. The southern part of the rift cuts through the Tethyan and High Himalayas. In the Tethyan Himalaya, this rift consists of an early domal structure and a late normal fault developed during the progressive deformation. The dome is cored by leucogranitic plutons that intruded during extension. Muscovite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the mylonitic leucogranite indicate that extension in the Tethyan Himalaya began at 8 Ma or before. In the High Himalaya, the rift is controlled by a normal fault dipping to the southeast. This fault has a structural constitution similar to a detachment fault. Its lower block is made up of mylonitic High Himalayan gneiss, intruded by early mylonitic leucogranite sills and late less-deformed biotite-bearing leucogranite dikes. Mica ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of these leucogranites and the retrograded metamorphosed gneiss of the lower block range from 13 to 10 Ma. In the study area, the south Tibetan detachment system (STDS) is a ductile shear zone composed of mylonitic leucogranite that is intruded by less-deformed leucogranite and overlain by low grade metamorphic rocks. Mica ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of leucogranites in the shear zone and schist from the detachment hanging wall indicate a protracted deformation history of the STDS from 19 to 13 Ma. The Xainza-Dinggye rift is younger than the STDS because it offsets the STDS; this north-south trending rift belongs to a different tectonic system from the east-west striking STDS, and may be caused by geological process related to India–Asia convergence. This temporal and spatial relationship of the STDS to the rift may indicate an important change in tectonic regime at 13 Ma in the building of the plateau.     

Seismic properties of the upper crust in the central Friuli area (northeastern Italy) based on petrophysical data

The compressional and shear wave velocities have been measured at room temperature and pressure up to 450 MPa on 5 sedimentary rock samples, representative of the most common lithologies of the upper crust in the central Friuli area (northeastern Italy). At 400 MPa confining pressure the Triassic dolomitic rock shows the highest velocities (Vp  7 km/s, Vs  3.6 km/s), the Jurassic and Triassic limestones samples intermediate velocities (Vp  6.3 /s, Vs  3.5 km/s) and the Cenozoic and Paleozoic sandstones the lowest velocities (Vp  6.15 km/s, Vs  3.35 km/s). The Paleozoic sandstone sample is characterized by the strongest anisotropy (10%) and significant birefringence (0.2 km/s) is found only on the Cenozoic sandstone sample. We elaborated the synthetic profiles of seismic velocities, density, elastic parameters and reflection coefficient, related to 4 one-dimensional geological models extended up to 22 km depth. The synthetic profiles evidence high rheological contrasts between Triassic dolomitic rocks and the soft sandstones and the Jurassic limestones. The Vp profiles obtained from laboratory measurements match very well the in-situ Vp profile measured by sonic log for the limestones and dolomitic rocks, supporting our one-dimensional modelling of the calcareous-carbonatic stratigraphic series. The Vp and Vs values of the synthetic profiles are compared with the corresponding ones obtained from the 3-D tomographic inversion of local earthquakes. The laboratory Vp are generally higher than the tomographic ones with major discrepancies for the dolomitic lithology. The comparison with the depth location of seismicity reveals that the seismic energy is mainly released in correspondence of high-contrast rheological boundaries.     

Chronologic implications of new Miocene mammals from the Cura-Mallín and Trapa Trapa formations, Laguna del Laja area, south central Chile

Recent work in the central Andean Main Range of Chile near Laguna del Laja (37.5°S, 71°W) has produced the first mammal fossils for the region. Fossils, locally abundant and well preserved, occur patchily across a wide area southeast of the lake. Mammalian remains are derived from generally strongly folded (kilometer-scale) exposures of the locally 1.8 km thick, early to middle Miocene Cura-Mallín Formation; two identifiable specimens have been recovered from the overlying Trapa Trapa Formation as well. Both formations consist primarily of well-stratified (1–5 m thick layers) volcaniclastic and volcanic strata, deposited predominantly in fluviatile systems. The Cura-Mallín Formation is possibly the southern continuation of (or lateral equivalent to) the richly fossiliferous Abanico Formation mapped between 32°S and 36°S. Intensive sampling in a series of localities east and south of Laguna del Laja has yielded diverse faunas, in addition to radioisotopically dateable horizons. The new fossil mammal faunas represent as many as six South American Land Mammal “Ages” (SALMAs). Fossils, together with preliminary ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar radioisotopic dates, ranging from 9 to 20 Ma across the exposed thickness of the Cura-Mallín Formation and into the overlying Trapa Trapa Formation, provide a robust geochronological framework for middle Cenozoic strata in the Laguna del Laja region. The sequence of directly superposed mammalian assemblages at Laguna del Laja is one of the longest in all of South America, rivaled only by the classic Gran Barranca section of Patagonian Argentina. These data illuminate the geological history of the area and its record of mammalian evolution. The potential to isotopically date these diverse faunas with high precision (error ± 0.5 Ma) presents a rare opportunity to calibrate related portions of the SALMA sequence.     

Paleomagnetic constraints on the paleogeography and oroclinal bending of the Devonian volcanic arc in Kazakhstan

Numerical modelling, incorporating coupling between surface processes and induced flow in the lower continental crust, is used to address the Quaternary evolution of the Gulf of Corinth region in central Greece. The post-Early Pleistocene marine depocentre beneath this Gulf overlies the northern margin of an older (Early Pleistocene and earlier) lacustrine basin, the Proto Gulf of Corinth Basin or PGCB. In the late Early Pleistocene, relief in this region was minimal but, subsequently, dramatic relief has developed, involving the creation of  900 m of bathymetry within the Gulf and the uplift by many hundreds of metres of the part of the PGCB, south of the modern Gulf, which forms the Gulf's main sediment supply. It is assumed that, as a result of climate change around 0.9 Ma, erosion of this sediment source region and re-deposition of this material within the Gulf began, both processes occurring at spatial average rates of  0.2 mm a^− 1. Modelling of the resulting isostatic response indicates that the local effective viscosity of the lower crust is  4 × 10¹⁹ Pa s, indicating a Moho temperature of  560 °C. It predicts that the  10 mm a^− 1 of extension across this  70 km wide model region, at an extensional strain rate of  0.15 Ma^− 1, is partitioned with  3 mm a^− 1 across the sediment source,  2 mm a^− 1 across the depocentre, and  5 mm a^− 1 across the ‘hinge zone’ in between, the latter value being an estimate of the extension rate on normal faults forming the major topographic escarpment at the southern margin of the Gulf. This modelling confirms the view, suggested previously, that coupling between this depocentre and sediment source by lower-crustal flow can explain the dramatic development in local relief since the late Early Pleistocene. The effective viscosity of the lower crust in this region is not particularly low; the strong coupling interpreted between the sediment source and depocentre results instead from their close proximity. In detail, the effective viscosity of the lower crust is expected to decrease northward across this model region, due to the northward increase in exposure of the base of the continental lithosphere to the asthenosphere; in the south the two are separated by the subducting Hellenic slab. The isostatic consequences of such a lateral variation in viscosity provide a natural explanation for why, since  0.9 Ma, the modern Gulf has developed asymmetrically over the northern part of the PGCB, leaving the rest of the PGCB to act as its sediment source.     

Fish Remains from Homestead Cave and Lake Levels of the Past 13,000 Years in the Bonneville Basin

A late Quaternary ichthyofauna from Homestead Cave, Utah, provides a new source of information on lake history in the Bonneville basin. The fish, represented by 11 freshwater species, were accumulated between 11,200 and 1000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. by scavenging owls. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of Lake Bonneville varied with its elevation; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of fish from the lowest stratum of the cave suggest they grew in a lake near the terminal Pleistocene Gilbert shoreline. In the lowest deposits, a decrease in fish size and an increase in species tolerant of higher salinities or temperatures suggest multiple die-offs associated with declining lake levels. An initial, catastrophic, post-Provo die-off occurred at 11,300–11,200 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and was followed by at least one rebound or recolonization of fish populations, but fish were gone from Lake Bonneville sometime before 10,400 ¹⁴C yr B.P. This evidence is inconsistent with previous inferences of a near desiccation of Lake Bonneville between 13,000 and 12,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. Peaks in Gila atraria frequencies in the upper strata suggest the Great Salt Lake had highstands at 3400 and 1000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.     

Examination of diatom-based changes from a climatically sensitive prairie lake (Saskatchewan, Canada) at different temporal perspectives

Paleoclimatic records from the climatically sensitive Canadian prairies are relatively rare due to the scarcity of study sites with continuous Holocene stratigraphic sequences. Oro Lake, a meromictic lake in the dry grasslands of Saskatchewan (Canada), contains a continuous Holocene diatom record spanning the last 10,000 years. Here we present analyses at three different time scales and resolution: (1) 1–3 yr resolution of the past 80 years, (2) century-scale analysis of the Holocene, and (3) decadal-scale analysis of the past 7000 years. Recent changes in the diatom assemblages and their respective salinity inferences were significantly related to measured effective moisture (precipitation minus evaporation, P−ET). The droughts of the 1930s, and a wet period during the 1950s are clearly evident in the diatom record, suggesting the Oro Lake record contains a sensitive archive of past climatic conditions. Century-scale analysis of the diatom record during the Holocene is consistent with a cool and moist climate in the early Holocene (prior to ca 9700 cal yr BP, 8600 ¹⁴C yr BP). An abrupt increase in diatom-inferred salinity at 9600 cal yr BP (8500 ¹⁴C yr BP) indicates the onset of an arid climate, with continuing arid conditions throughout the mid-Holocene. Decadal-scale analysis of the past 7000 years suggests that the mid-Holocene was more complex, with extended periods of increased variability in precipitation, particularly between ca 5800–3600 cal yr BP (5000–3200 ¹⁴C yr BP) which is characterized by intervals of increased effective moisture. The past 2000 years is characterized by reduced salinities and generally wetter conditions in comparison to the mid-Holocene. The combination of the different scales of analyses in this study provides a detailed account of the dynamic nature of climate from sub-decadal to millennial scale in the Oro Lake region within the Palliser Triangle. Climate model predictions suggest that the Canadian prairie region may see a higher frequency of extreme droughts under projected global warming, potentially similar to the most arid periods seen during the mid-Holocene when many lake basins completely dried out.