Assessment of the relative importance of major sediment‐transport mechanisms in the central Great Barrier Reef lagoon

The delivery, flux and fate of terrigenous sediment entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon has been a focus of recent studies and represents an ongoing environmental concern. Wave‐induced bed stress is the most significant mechanism of sediment resuspension in the Great Barrier Reef, and field data and mathematical modelling indicates that the combined effects of short‐period wind waves, longer period swell waves, and tidal and wind‐driven currents can often exceed the critical bed stress for resuspension. Suspended‐sediment concentrations at 20 m water depth indicate resuspension seldom occurs on the middle shelf under normal wave conditions. Non‐cyclonic turbidity events are generally confined to the inner shelf. The wave climate in the southern sector of the central Great Barrier Reef lagoon is the most erosive, and resuspension of outer shelf sediments was hindcast for recorded cyclones. Wind‐driven, longshore currents are fundamental to the northward movement of sediment, and the annual northward mass flux from embayments undergoing resuspension in the Burdekin region is estimated to be one order of magnitude larger than the mass of sediment introduced by a moderate flood plume. Strong onshore winds are estimated to generate significant three‐dimensional bottom return currents on approximately 30–70 days per year, forming a potentially significant offshore‐directed sediment flux during high suspended‐sediment concentration events on the inner shelf.     

Variations in shoreface progradation and ravinement along the Texas coast, Gulf of Mexico

Shoreface architecture, evolution (mid-Holocene to present) and depths of transgressive ravinement were examined from Sabine Pass, at the Texas–Louisiana border, to South Padre Island, near the Texas–Mexico border, using 30 shoreface transects. Shoreface transects extend out to 16-m water depth, each created from an echo-sounding profile and, on average, seven sediment cores. The shoreface is composed of three broad sedimentological facies: the upper shoreface, composed almost entirely of sand; the proximal lower shoreface, composed of sand with thickly to medium-bedded (50–10 cm) mud; and the distal lower shoreface, composed dominantly of mud with medium- to thinly bedded (20–3 cm) sand. Shoreface architecture and evolution is extremely variable along the Texas coast. Shoreface gradients increase from 2·25 m km^–1 in east Texas to 3·50 m km^–1 in south Texas. Shoreface sands coarsen towards south Texas. East and south Texas shoreface deposits are thin and retrograding whereas central Texas shoreface deposits are thicker and prograding. Central Texas is characterized by stacked shoreface successions, whereas in east Texas, lower shoreface sands are preserved only in offshore banks. Preservation of shoreface deposits is low in south Texas. Although eustatic fluctuations and accommodation space have a strong impact on overall mid-Holocene to present shoreface evolution and preservation potential, along-strike variations in sediment supply and wave energy are the main factors controlling shoreface architecture. The transgressive ravinement surface varies from –6 to –15 m along the Texas coast.     

Sedimentology of the December 26, 2004, Sumatra tsunami deposits in eastern India (Tamil Nadu) and Kenya

The December 26, 2004 Sumatra tsunami caused severe damage at the coasts of the Indian ocean. We report results of a sedimentological study of tsunami run-up parameters and the sediments laid down by the tsunami at the coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and between Malindi and Lamu, Kenya. In India, evidence of three tsunami waves is preserved on the beaches in the form of characteristic debris accumulations. We measured the maximum run-up distance at 580 m and the maximum run-up height at 4.85 m. Flow depth over land was at least 3.5 m. The tsunami deposited an up to 30 cm thick blanket of moderately well to well-sorted coarse and medium sand that overlies older beach deposits or soil with an erosional unconformity. The sand sheet thins inland without a decrease of grain-size. The deposits consist frequently of three layers. The lower one may be cross-bedded with foresets dipping landward and indicating deposition during run-up. The overlying two sand layers are graded or parallel-laminated without indicators of current directions. Thus, it remains undecided whether they formed during run-up or return flow. Thin dark laminae rich in heavy minerals frequently mark the contacts between successive layers. Benthic foraminifera indicate an entrainment of sediment by the tsunami from water depths less than ca. 30 m water depth. On the Indian shelf these depths are present at distances of up to 5 km from the coast. In Kenya only one wave is recorded, which attained a run-up height of 3 m at a run-up distance of ca. 35 m from the tidal water line at the time of the tsunami impact. Only one layer of fine sand was deposited by the tsunami. It consists predominantly of heavy minerals supplied to the sea by a nearby river. The sand layer thins landward with a minor decrease in grain-size. Benthic foraminifera indicate an entrainment of sediment by the tsunami from water depths less than ca. 30 m water depth, reaching down potentially to ca. 80 m. The presence of only one tsunami-related sediment layer in Kenya, but three in India, reflects the impact of only one wave at the coast of Kenya, as opposed to several in India. Grain-size distributions in the Indian and Kenyan deposits are mostly normal to slightly positively skewed and indicate that the detritus was entrained by the tsunami from well sorted pre-tsunami deposits in nearshore, swash zone and beach environments.     

The role of fluvial sediment supply and river-mouth hydrology in the dynamics of the muddy,Amazon-dominated Amapá–Guianas coast,South America: A three-point research agenda

The morphology and sediment dynamics of the 1500 km-long coast of South America between the mouths of the Amazon and the Orinoco Rivers are largely dependent on the massive suspended-sediment discharge of the Amazon, part of which is transported alongshore as mud banks. These mud banks have an overwhelming impact on the geology, the geomorphology, the ecology and the economy of this coast. Although numerous field investigations and remote sensing studies have considerably enhanced our understanding of the dynamics of this coast over the last three decades, much still remains to be understood of the unique functional mechanisms and processes driving its evolution. Among the themes that we deem as requiring further attention three come out as fundamental.The first concerns the mechanisms of formation of individual mud banks from mud streaming on the shelf off the mouth of the Amazon. An unknown quantity of the fluid mud generated by offshore estuarine front activity is transported shoreward and progressively forms mud banks on the Amapá coast, Brazil. The volume of each mud bank can contain from the equivalent of the annual mud supply of the Amazon to several times this annual sediment discharge. The mechanisms by which individual banks are generated from the Amazon turbidity maximum are still to be elucidated. Areas of research include regional mesoscale oceanographic conditions and mud supply from the Amazon.The second theme is that of variations in rates of migration of mud banks, which influence patterns of coastal accretion. Research emphasis needs to be placed on the analysis of both regional meteorological-hydrodynamic forcing and distant Atlantic forcing, as well as on the hydrology of the large rivers draining the Guyana Shield. The rivers appear to generate significant offshore deflection of mud banks in transit alongshore, through a hydraulic-groyne effect. This may favour both muddy accretion on the updrift coast and downdrift mud liquefaction with probably lessened muddy deposition.The third theme concerns sand supply by the Guiana Shield rivers. The rare sand deposits are important in providing sites for human settlements and routes and for nesting by marine turtles. The limited presence of sand bodies on this coast may reflect ‘mud blanketing’, a hypothesis that requires verification through high-resolution seismic analyses of shelf deposits and coring operations. The large Guiana Shield rivers, especially in Surinam and Guyana, have supplied sand for the construction of significant bands of cheniers, probably enhanced by the afore-mentioned downdrift hydraulic-groyne effect on hindered mud deposition. In all the three themes of this future research agenda, two central elements are the sediment input of the rivers of the Amazon basin, starting with the massive mud supply from the Amazon catchment itself, followed by sand inputs by the Guiana Shield rivers and their river-mouth effects on mud banks.     

Sedimentology,ichnology and hydrodynamics of strait‐margin,sand and gravel beaches and shorefaces: Juan de Fuca Strait,British Columbia,Canada

On the south‐west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, sedimentological and ichnological analysis of three beach–shoreface complexes developed along a strait margin was undertaken to quantify process–response relations in straits and to develop a model for strait‐margin beaches. For all three beaches, evidence of tidal processes are expressed best in the lower shoreface and offshore and, to a lesser extent, in the middle shoreface. Tidal currents are dominant offshore, below 18 m water depth (relative to the mean spring high tide), whereas wave processes dominate sediment deposition in the nearshore (intertidal zone to 5 m water depth). From 18 to 5 m water depth, tidal processes decrease in importance relative to wave processes. The relatively high tidal energy in the offshore and lower shoreface is manifest sedimentologically by the dominance of sand, of a similar grain size to the upper shoreface/intertidal zone and, by the prevalence of current‐generated structures (current ripples) oriented parallel to the shoreline. In addition, the offshore and lower shoreface of strait‐bound beach–shoreface complexes are recognized ichnologically by traces typical of the Skolithos Ichnofacies. This situation contrasts to the dominantly horizontal feeding traces characteristic of the Cruziana Ichnofacies that are prevalent in the lower shoreface and offshore of open‐coast (wave‐dominated) beach–shorefaces. These sedimentological and ichnological characteristics reflect tidal influence on sediment deposition; consequently, the term ‘tide‐influenced shoreface’ most accurately describes these depositional environments.     

河海交互作用沉积与平原地貌发育*

河流是搬运陆源泥沙的主要动力,对相邻的海岸海洋沉积动力有巨大影响。中国河流汇入海洋中的泥沙曾占全球入海泥沙的10 ％ ,现代中国边缘海大陆架在晚更新世时曾是海岸平原,河-海交互作用是形成海岸平原与浅海输积泥沙的主要因素。本文选择5个不同类型的河流展示其不同的泥沙运动与河口沉积的特性以及对相邻陆架之影响,包括: 1)强潮型动力的鸭绿江河口湾,形成从陆向海与从海向陆的双向水流交汇沉积,海岸形成潮流脊体系。 2)季风波浪为主导动力的滦河口,以泥沙的横向运动为主,形成沙坝环绕的双重海岸,沉积粒径自海向陆减小; 沿岸浪流携运泥沙向河口两侧分布,使沙坝具有沙咀状的复合特点。 3)弱潮型、多沙的黄河口,径流于两侧堆积指状沙咀,沙咀下风侧形成粉砂粘土淤泥湾,沿岸流携运泥沙向渤海湾延伸为淤泥舌。 4)径流与沿岸流组合作用的沉积模式,以长江口为代表,泥沙沿岸向南输运为主导,向海岸与向内陆架构成颗粒变细的带状沉积,外陆架出露残留砂。 5)充填河口湾的三角洲,以珠江为代表,河流分汊与会潮点泥沙堆积,悬移质扩散至湾外,被沿岸流携带沿海岸向SW运移,外陆架为残留砂沉积。20世纪80年代以来,上述河流均受到人为活动的改造影响,河流自然过程与河海交互作用效应均发生改变。本文主要以滦河三角洲为例阐述河-海交互作用与平原的地貌特征。     

Depositional processes on an ancient and modern muddy shelf, northern California

The modern Eel River shelf and analogous Pleistocene Rio Dell Formation in northern California provide an ideal opportunity to combine the advantages of studying a modern environment with those of studying an ancient sequence, and thereby enables further understanding of muddy-shelf processes. The modern shelf is the site of accumulation of a thick deposit of Holocene mud. Both large-scale sediment distribution patterns and small-scale stratigraphy on the shelf indicate that river floods play an important role in sediment accumulation, even on a high-energy, ‘storm-dominated’ coast. The major factors in preservation of this flood ‘signature’ are the cohesive behaviour of fine-grained sediments and episodically rapid rates of sediment input. The Rio Dell Formation includes approximately 400 m of mostly fine-grained shelf deposits that accumulated offshore from a palaeo-Eel River mouth. The shelf sediments comprise four depositional sequences. Sequence 1 records progradation from outer to inner shelf depths. Facies trends closely resemble across-shelf trends on the modern shelf, suggesting that processes were similar. Detailed examination of these deposits provides insight into the nature and role of various processes on both the ancient and modern shelf. Muddy facies of the Rio Dell sequence are characterized by bioturbated, clayey silts, interbedded with event layers of several types. Clay-rich silt layers are interpreted as flood deposits and physically stratified, coarse-silt layers are interpreted to record transport and deposition of coarse silt on the midshelf during storms. Sediment-transport calculations and consideration of grain-size distributions of bioturbated sediments, which form the bulk of the Rio Dell sequence, suggest that these sediments are the result of biological homogenization of the fine-grained flood deposits and of the coarser-grained storm deposits. The results of this study in general indicate that fine-grained shelf deposits do preserve a distinguishable, if subtle, record of depositional processes.     

波浪作用下的床面切应力研究进展

波浪作用下的床面切应力是估算近岸泥沙起动、输移的重要基本参数之一,其形成的底部摩阻效应也会对近岸水动力环境产生影响。由于现场观测较为困难,对波浪边界层与波浪作用下床面切应力的认识主要建立在室内试验观测基础上。回顾国内外相关理论模型和试验测量研究,梳理各类研究方法与测量技术的优缺点及适用条件;整理20世纪70年代至今的大量试验资料,对已有研究成果进行归纳分析,包括波浪非线性、波浪破碎等因素对床面切应力的影响;总结现有研究存在的局限性,提出今后的研究重点。超大型水槽是未来突破波浪边界层理论研究瓶颈的重要设施;高适应性水下二维切应力传感器的发展是复杂动力条件下床面切应力研究取得突破的关键。     

Evolution of a Shallow Water Wave‐Dominated Shipwreck Site: Fougueux (1805), Gulf of Cadiz

The evolution of the shallow water wave‐dominated Fougueux wreck site in the Gulf of Cadiz was investigated through repeat bathymetric surveys, wave‐ and current‐velocity field measurements, and numerical modeling. This multidisciplinary approach was used to understand the relationships between scouring, morphodynamic change, and hydrodynamic forcing. Field experiments and numerical models indicate that wave processes dominate site evolution. Numerical model outputs indicate current velocity, bed shear stress, orbital velocity, and specially wave fraction breaking (with an increase of 45% and 135% for weak and significant storm conditions, respectively) are all amplified at the site. Scour pits 0.8 m depth inshore and 0.4 m depth offshore of the wreck are developed in response to hydrodynamic forcing. Time‐lapse bathymetric surveys quantify seasonal geomorphological change at the Fougueux. Up to 1.2 m of sediment is deposited and 0.7 m of sediment eroded in response to seasonal wave climate variation (an increase of 0.5 m for mean significant wave height, 0.9 m for significant wave height corresponding to 99% of nonexceedance probability, and 0.4 m·s⁻¹ for mean near‐bed orbital velocity during winter conditions). A two‐dimensional scour model reproduces observed seasonal scour changes. Results have direct applications at all stages of a wreck site investigation.     

Coastal zone management programme in Kerala,India

The physiographic setting of Kerala State, India, is unique. A narrow strip of the state contains a chain of lagoons and estuaries with a very high population density. The strip is subjected to severe coastal erosion during the monsoon season. A number of other problems are also associated with the coastal zone of Kerala, such as irregular dredging of black sands from the beaches, coastal flooding, hazards due to developmental activities, etc. A Coastal Zone Management Programme was developed and administered by the Centre for Earth Science Studies, Trivandrum, to provide efficient coastal management and solve some of these problems. Various programmes included under the Coastal Zone Management are the following: (1) Sedimentological, bathymetric, and geochemical studies of lagoons and estuaries; (2) monitoring of planimetric changes of beaches by profiling beaches during different seasons all along the coast; (3) studies of the nature, distribution, and provenance of black sand deposits from beaches; (4) studies of the peculiar occurrence of patchy, calm, turbid areas of water in the offshore containing high suspended sediment concentrate known as mud banks; (5) wave studies involving continuous monitoring of wave data all along the coast in order to understand wave climate and erosion; (6) sediment movement studies using fluorescent tracer to aid in the development of ports and harbors; (7) studies on various aspects of offshore. The outlines of the various programmes discussed in this article will help other states and countries to develop a coastal zone management programme according to the needs of the state or country and the nature of the problem occurring in the coastal zone.     

Patterns of mixed siliciclastic‐carbonate sedimentation adjacent to a large dry‐tropics river on the central Great Barrier Reef shelf,Australia

The Great Barrier Reef represents the largest modern example of a mixed siliciclastic‐carbonate system. The Burdekin River is the largest source of terrigenous sediment to the lagoon and is therefore an ideal location to investigate regional patterns of mixed sedimentation. Sediments become coarser grained and more poorly sorted away from the protection of eastern headlands, with mud accumulation focused in localised ‘hot spots‘ in the eastern portion of embayments protected from southeast trade winds. The middle shelf has a variable facies distribution but is dominated by coarse carbonate sand. North of Bowling Green Bay, modern coarse carbonate sand and relict quartzose sand occur. Shore‐normal compositional changes show Ca‐enrichment and Al‐dilution seawards towards the reef, and shore‐parallel trends show Al‐dilution westwards (across bays) along a Ca‐depleted mixing line. Intermediate siliciclastic‐carbonate sediment compositions occur on the middle shelf due to the abundance of relict terrigenous sand, a pattern that is less developed on the narrow northern Great Barrier Reef shelf. Rates of sediment deposition from seismic evidence and radiochemical tracers suggest that despite the magnitude of riverine input, 80–90% of the Burdekin‐derived sediment is effectively captured in Bowling Green Bay. Over millennial time‐scales, stratigraphic controls suggest that sediment is being preferentially accreted back to the coast.     

Mud dispersal across a Cretaceous prodelta: Storm‐generated,wave‐enhanced sediment gravity flows inferred from mudstone microtexture and microfacies

Determining sediment transport direction in ancient mudrocks is difficult. In order to determine both process and direction of mud transport, a portion of a well‐mapped Cretaceous delta system was studied. Oriented samples from outcrop represent prodelta environments from ca 10 to 120 km offshore. Oriented thin sections of mudstone, cut in three planes, allowed bed microstructure and palaeoflow directions to be determined. Clay mineral platelets are packaged in equant, face‐face aggregates 2 to 5 μm in diameter that have a random orientation; these aggregates may have formed through flocculation in fluid mud. Cohesive mud was eroded by storms to make intraclastic aggregates 5 to 20 μm in diameter. Mudstone beds are millimetre‐scale, and four microfacies are recognized: Well‐sorted siltstone forms millimetre‐scale combined‐flow ripples overlying scoured surfaces; deposition was from turbulent combined flow. Silt‐streaked claystone comprises parallel, sub‐millimetre laminae of siliceous silt and clay aggregates sorted by shear in the boundary layer beneath a wave‐supported gravity flow of fluid mud. Silty claystone comprises fine siliceous silt grains floating in a matrix of clay and was deposited by vertical settling as fluid mud gelled under minimal current shear. Homogeneous clay‐rich mudstone has little silt and may represent late‐stage settling of fluid mud, or settling from wave‐dissipated fluid mud. It is difficult or impossible to correlate millimetre‐scale beds between thin sections from the same sample, spaced only ca 20 mm apart, due to lateral facies change and localized scour and fill. Combined‐flow ripples in siltstone show strong preferred migration directly down the regional prodelta slope, estimated at ca 1 : 1000. Ripple migration was effected by drag exerted by an overlying layer of downslope‐flowing, wave‐supported fluid mud. In the upper part of the studied section, centimetre‐scale interbeds of very fine to fine‐grained sandstone show wave ripple crests trending shore normal, whereas combined‐flow ripples migrated obliquely alongshore and offshore. Storm winds blowing from the north‐east drove shore‐oblique geostrophic sand transport whereas simultaneously, wave‐supported flows of fluid mud travelled downslope under the influence of gravity. Effective wave base for sand, estimated at ca 40 m, intersected the prodelta surface ca 80 km offshore whereas wave base for mud was at ca 70 m and lay ca 120 km offshore. Small‐scale bioturbation of mud beds co‐occurs with interbedded sandstone but stratigraphically lower, sand‐free mudstone has few or no signs of benthic fauna. It is likely that a combination of soupground substrate, frequent storm emplacement of fluid mud, low nutrient availability and possibly reduced bottom‐water oxygen content collectively inhibited benthic fauna in the distal prodelta.     

香港海域全新世地层及风暴潮的建造作用

香港全新世地层中发现有6种沉积构造类型,包括:1)隐构造淤泥层(SM型)、2)砂质粒序层(GS型)、3)层理状沉积层(L型)、4)贝屑粒序层(GSh型)、5)无序贝屑层(USh型)和6)均一粉砂层(SS型)。其中,后5种类型与风暴潮有关。沉积物的粒度分布有7种类型。其中,双峰型粒度分布与风暴潮对海底沉积物的悬浮和再分配密切相关。贝壳的破碎度可指示沉积物受改造的程度。沉积构造受改造的程度主要取决于沉积速率和生物扰动。     

淤泥质浅滩泥沙临界起动切应力剖面确定

为了确定淤泥质浅滩泥沙的临界起动切应力垂线剖面,采用音叉密度计在淤泥质连云港徐圩浅滩进行了定点密度垂线分布测量,并针对该海域的泥沙利用长水槽和环形槽开展了泥沙起动室内试验。淤泥密度现场结果表明,浅滩泥沙密度与深度满足对数型关系;室内试验得出密度1 050~1 400 kg/m³的泥沙临界起动切应力值为0.1~1.0 Pa,泥沙临界切应力与密度呈指数关系;进而确定了临界起动切应力与深度的关系即临界起动切应力剖面,该剖面关系式可供数学模型模拟淤泥质浅滩的泥沙起动过程参考。     

Formation Mechanism of Mud Bank Along the Southwest Coast of India

Mud bank formation during the southwest monsoon along the southwest coast of India remains an enigma to the researchers and coastal community in spite of several earlier studies. The present study attempts to unravel the mystery through a high-frequency, season-long time-series observation at Alappuzha, located at the southern part of the west coast of India, a region of frequent occurrence of mud bank. Using 7-month-long weekly time-series observation, we identified strong winds and high waves associated with onset of the southwest monsoon and subsequent three episodic atmospheric low-pressure events (LPEs).With the help of in situ time-series data, we show that the strong winds and high waves associated with southwest monsoon pre-conditions the near shore bottom sediment to bring it into suspension. The high amplitude waves associated with the southwest monsoon, while propagating from the deep water to shallow water region, interact with the bottom initiating bottom-sediment movement and its suspension due to wave refraction and shoaling. The sporadic occurrence of the atmospheric LPEs enhances the process of suspension of bottom sediment in the near shore region leading to the formation of fluid mud. Simulations with a cohesive sediment transport model yielded realistic estimates of sediment transport, in the presence of an onshore current, a pre-requisite for transporting the fluid mud toward the coast. The prevailing onshore upwelling current during the southwest monsoon provides the favorable pre-requisite conditions for transporting the fluid mud through depression channel network towards the coast. Once sufficient quantity and thickness of fluid mud is accumulated in the near shore region, it acts as a wave damper for subsequent high monsoon waves, as indicated by the time-series wave data, leading to the formation of tranquil mud bank region. Depression channel networks extending from the shelf to the coast off Alappuzha, Kochi, Ponnani, Beypore, and Ullal were found in the bathymetric charts, thus explaining why mud banks occur only at few locations in spite of the prevalence of similar monsoon conditions.     

Sedimentary and foraminiferal facies in Exmouth Gulf,in arid tropical northwestern Australia

Exmouth Gulf is a major U‐shaped embayment on the northwestern coast of Western Australia, at a latitude of 22°S. Water temperatures are 18–31°C and normal oceanic salinity is maintained by strong tidal currents despite the hot, arid climate. A series of sediment grab samples were collected and analysed for particle‐size and foraminiferal diversity. Samples contained mud, quartzose fine sand and coarse carbonate sand fractions. The muddiest facies are located in the most sheltered areas of the gulf: mangrove channels, tidal flats, southwestern flanks and the deeper axial region. Quartzose fine sands probably have mixed origins which might include: southern aeolian dunes; cyclone‐related reworking of beach and near‐shore deposits; and reworked relict shelf alluvium. The shallow‐water fair‐weather wave climate may play a significant role in localised sediment dispersal and sorting along the eastern margin of the gulf. Sediment distributions within the gulf are complicated by low sedimentation rates through much of the central and western areas of the gulf, significant mixing, and possible inheritance of pre‐Holocene alluvium. The Holocene foraminiferal assemblage recorded from Exmouth Gulf is overwhelmingly dominated by benthic species: agglutinated, calcitic‐porcellaneous, and calcitic‐hyaline groups. The distribution of individual foraminiferal species shows relatively simple patterns, governed by environmental parameters. Live individuals are rare.     

Large-scale rhomboid bed forms and sedimentary structures associated with hurricane washover*

Hurricane washover fans from the Texas Gulf Coast exhibit large-scale rhomboid bed forms developed on washover deposits of fine sand with varying shell content. Washover processes inferred from aerial photographs, storm characteristics, and physical settings suggest that these bed forms are the product of (1) storm surge flooding or (2) high wind shear stress. Multiple bed forms, including large-scale rhombs, are responsible for sedimentary structures preserved in washover deposits. Proximal channels exhibit scour and fill sequences capped by mud drapes. Mid-channel fan deposits also have scour bases marked by shell lags which are overlain by horizontal laminations and foreset and backset laminae. Distal fan sediments are relatively shell free and are interbedded with tidal flat deposits characterized by bioturbated, alternating sand and mud laminae. Rhomboidal patterns can form on the free surface of water in response to five processes: (1) wave interference from two externally independent sources, (2) wave interference from refraction of a single set of wave fronts, (3) standing oblique waves caused by bed roughness elements, (4) standing oblique waves formed at channel boundaries and channel transitions, and (5) wind stress. Geologically, standing oblique waves from unidirectional nearly supercritical flow is probably the most important process in rhomboid bed form development.     

Flow and sediment dynamics in a low sinuosity, braided river: Calamus River, Nebraska Sandhills

The interaction between channel geometry, flow, sediment transport and deposition associated with a midstream island was studied in a braided to meandering reach of the Calamus River, Nebraska Sandhills. Hydraulic and sediment transport measurements were made over a large discharge range using equipment operated from catwalk bridges. The relatively low sinuosity channel on the right-hand side of the island carries over 70% of the water discharge at high flow stages and 50–60% at low flow stages. As a result, mean velocity, depth, bed shear stress and sediment transport rate tend to be greater here than in the more strongly curved left-hand channel. The loci of maximum flow velocity, depth and bed shear stress are near the centre of the channel upstream of the island, but then split and move towards the outer banks of both channels downstream. Variations in these loci depend on the flow stage. Topographically induced across-stream flows are generally stronger than the weak, curvature-induced secondary circulations. Water surface topography is controlled mainly by centrifugal accelerations and local changes in downstream flow velocity. The averaged water surface slope of the study reach varies very little with discharge, having values between 0·00075 and 0·00090. As bed shear stress generally varies in a similar way to mean velocity, friction coefficients vary little, normally being in the range 0·07–0·13. These values are similar to those in straight channels with sandy dune-covered beds. Bedload is moved mainly as dunes at all flow stages. Grain size is mainly medium sand with coarse sand moved in thalwegs adjacent to the cut banks, and with fine sand at the downstream end of the island. These patterns of flow velocity, depth, water surface topography, bed shear stress, bedload transport rate and mean grain size can be accurately predicted using theoretical models of flow, bed topography and sediment transport rate in single river bends, applied separately to the left and right channels. During high flow stages deposition occurs persistently near the downstream end of the island, and cut banks are eroded. Otherwise, erosion and deposition occurs only locally within the channel as discharge varies. Abandonment and filling of a strongly curved channel segment may occur by migration of an upstream bar into the channel entrance at a high flow stage.     

广西铁山港海区表层沉积物与沉积相

本文论述了铁山港海区表层沉积物的沉积类型、碎屑重矿物、贝壳类,有孔虫和介形虫群的分布特征。根据岩芯中微体化石群,岩性特征和14C测定年代数据,确定沉积相及其年代,并讨论沉积物来源和运移。     

The Holocene non-tropical coastal and shelf carbonate province of southern Australia

Carbonate-dominant sediments are currently forming and accumulating over the extensive marine shelf of the passive margin of southern Australia. A dearth of continental detritus results from both a very low relief and a predominantly arid climate. The wide continental shelf is bathed by cold upwelling ocean waters that support luxuriant growths of bryozoans and coralline algae, together with sponges, molluscs, asteroids, benthic and some planktonic foraminifera. The open ocean coast is battered by a persistent southwest swell, resulting in erosion of calcrete-encrusted Pleistocene eolianites. Much sediment is reworked and overall shelf sedimentation rates are low. High-energy microtidal beach/dune systems occur between headlands and along the very long ocean beach in the Coorong region. The northern, more arid coastal areas also contain saline lakes that precipitate gypsum from infiltrated sea water, and display marginal facies of aragonite boxwork to fenestral carbonate crusts, with stromatolites and tepee structures. In contrast, the southern, seasonally humid Coorong region, has a predominantly continental groundwater regime where sulphate is rare, and the high summer evaporation precipitates dolomite, magnesite and aragonite muds. Fenestral crusts, breccias, tepees and some stromatolites are also present.

St. Vincent and Spencer gulfs both afford some protection from ocean swell, but tidal amplitude and currents increase, and a depth and inundation-related zonation of plants and animals is established. Muddy carbonate sand accumulates on the sea floor below 30 m, where filter-feeding bryozoans, bivalves and sponges dominate. In shallower regions, seagrass meadows contain a rich fauna that results in rapid accumulation of an unsorted muddy bioclastic sand. Mangrove woodlands backed by saline marsh with cyanobacterial mats are common, and accumulate mud-rich and gastropod-bearing sediment. As tidal amplitude and desiccation increase northward into both gulfs, a supratidal zone bare of vegetation (sabkha) becomes the site for deposition of gypsum-rich and fenestral calcitic mud.