Late Pleistocene channel–levee development on Monterey submarine fan, central California

Much of the modern upper (proximal) Monterey fan is a channel–levee complex, the Upper Turbidite Sequence (UTS), that was deeply eroded after the channel breached a volcanic ridge to reach a deeper base level. Ages of sediment samples collected with the ALVIN submersible from the deepest outcrop within the channel–levee system, 390?m below the adjacent western levee crest, indicate that the UTS deposits accumulated at ≥1?m?ka^?1 during the last 500?ka. Neogene and Early Pleistocene sediment accumulation on the fan prior to the UTS was much slower (<0.03?m?ka^?1), and underlying turbidite systems(?) had substantially different morphologic expression(s).     

The habitat of mesopelagic scyphomedusae in Monterey Bay,California

In the mesopelagic zone, at depths of 200–1000 m in the Monterey Submarine Canyon, CA, medusae in three genera of scyphozoa, Atolla, Periphylla and Poralia, were observed, videotaped and collected over a 9-year period (1990–1998). Environmental data were obtained simultaneously using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with sensors for depth, temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Shipboard measurements of these same properties at two reference stations in the region defined the local water masses and helped identify species niches using the metric of spiciness and oxygen levels of the waters in which medusae were visually “captured”. The most abundant genus of mesopelagic scyphomedusae was Atolla, found associated most strongly with the spicy (warm, salty) waters of the California Undercurrent, usually above the core of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ; O₂>0.5 ml/l). The least abundant mesopelagic scyphomedusa was Periphylla, which occurred in more variable waters, including those with a greater contribution of fresher, colder (less spicy), subarctic water and, hence, most like those at the offshore California Current station in the most depleted oxygen zone (averaging O₂ <0.3 ml/l). Poralia was mostly confined to the densest, coldest water, with peak abundance at the lower boundary of the OMZ (i.e., 0.3< O₂<0.5 ml/l). These spiciness measures on local isopycnal surfaces within the mesopelagic zone, supported by data on dissolved oxygen concentrations, indicate highly significant but fine-scale habitat differences in species habitats in Central California waters. This in situ investigation appears to be one of only a few studies to document fine-scale, water mass affinities of mesopelagic zooplankton.     

Biologic and geologic characteristics of cold seeps in Monterey Bay, California

Cold seep communities discovered at three previously unknown sites between 600 and 1000 m in Monterey Bay, California, are dominated by chemoautotrophic bacteria (Beggiatoa sp.) and vesicomyid clams (5 sp.). Other seep-associated fauna included galatheid crabs (Munidopsis sp.), vestimentiferan worms (Lamellibrachia barhami?), solemyid clams (Solemya sp.), columbellid snails (Mitrella permodesta, Amphissa sp.), and pyropeltid limpets (Pyropelta sp.). More than 50 species of regional (i.e. non-seep) benthic fauna were also observed at seeps. Ratios of stable carbon isotopes (δ¹³C) in clam tissues near 36‰ indicate sulfur-oxidizing chemosynthetic production, rather than non-seep food sources, as their principal trophic pathway. The “Mt Crushmore” cold seep site is located in a vertically faulted and fractured region of the Pliocene Purisima Formation along the walls of Monterey Canyon ( 635 m), where seepage appears to derive from sulfide-rich fluids within the Purisima Formation. The “Clam Field” cold seep site, also in Monterey Canyon ( 900 m) is located near outcrops in the hydrocarbon-bearing Monterey Formation. Chemosynthetic communities were also found at an accretionary-like prism on the continental slope near 1000 m depth (Clam Flat site). Fluid flow at the “Clam Flat” site is thought to represent dewatering of accretionary sediments by tectonic compression, or hydrocarbon formation at depth, or both. Sulfide levels in pore waters were low at Mt Crushmore (ca 0.2 mM), and high at the two deeper sites (ca 7.011.0 mM). Methane was not detected at the Mt Crushmore site, but ranged from 0.06 to 2.0 mM at the other sites.     

The role of internal tides in the nutrient enrichment of Monterey Bay,California

Semidiurnal internal tides in Monterey Canyon are shown to be partially responsible for macronutrient enrichment of surface waters in Monterey Bay, California. CTD time series at five stations in the canyon revealed the presence of semidiurnal internal tides with heights between 50 and 120 m. p Thermistor data demonstrated an internal tidal bore at the head of the canyon. Data and theory suggest that internal tidal bores may be breaking, due to either shear instability or direct overturning, thereby enriching the immediate area near the canyon head.Transects normal to Monterey Canyon showed a 20-m thick lens of 12 °C water moving out of the canyon at high internal tide. This lens was then pinched off from the canyon, and led to a density-induced divergence. The nutrient transport associated with the internal tidal divergence could support as much as 30% of the daily primary productivity in the northern part of Monterey Bay during non-upwelling periods.     

桑沟湾周边海域晚更新世以来的层序地层

通过桑沟湾周边海域高分辨率浅地层剖面的地质解译,结合典型钻孔沉积地层的对比分析,揭示了研究区晚更新世以来的层序地层序列。研究表明,桑沟湾周边海域晚更新世以来的地层上覆于基岩之上,自下而上识别出了具有层序意义的3个声学地层单元（SU2、SU1-2、SU1-1）,与钻孔的3个沉积地层单元（DU2、DU1-2、DU1-1）对应性良好。桑沟湾周边海域晚更新世以来的层序序列,形成于末次冰盛期低海面时期及早—中全新世高海面以来,自下而上包括低水位体系域（河流-河道充填相沉积）、海侵体系域（潮流沙脊与滨海相沉积）、高水位体系域（浅海相沉积）。研究区低水位体系域受河流下切侵蚀作用,沉积厚度变化较大,介于0～15 m;海侵体系域的沉积厚度普遍介于4.5～5.5 m,分布广泛;高水位体系域由岸向海,自西南至东北沉积厚度逐渐增加,最厚处超过30 m。     

福建深沪湾晚更新世沉积、古环境和地壳形变

研究福建深沪湾多种相的晚更新世沉积,包括有冲洪积相的含砾砂黏土、湖相黏土、潮间带生物沉积相即大片的古牡蛎滩及滨海相河口潮滩砂黏土和风成老红砂等,研究了它们的沉积学特征和形成古环境及其可能反映的复杂的构造形变.沉积相特征表明,深沪湾地壳经历了距今约60 000 a以来早期的可能下沉(距今约28 000 a开始海浸)—距今约25 000~15 000 a的与水动型海平面上升速率大致相同的抬升(生成晚更新世古牡蛎滩)—距今约15 000~11 000 a的可能与古强地震相关的快速抬升(古牡蛎滩脱离海面形成古牡蛎滩台地,深沪湾地区生成多个陆地凹陷)—距今约11 000~7 000 a的相对稳定(凹陷内生长古森林)—距今约7 000 a的古强地震快速下沉(形成潟湖、古森林沉溺)—相对稳定—微弱抬升(又一次成陆)—距今约2 400 a的又一次古强地震快速下沉(形成海底古森林及潮间带古牡蛎滩遗迹)—相对稳定(海岸堤形成)的地壳形变及环境变迁过程.     

Franciscan-type rocks off Monterey Bay,California: Implications for western boundary of Salinian Block

Serpentinites and spilitic basalts recovered at depths of 1000 m from Ascension Submarine Canyon northwest of Monterey Bay, California indicate that Franciscan basement is present immediately to the west of the San Gregorio Fault. This new information, together with published geological/geophysical data, support previous suggestions that the offshore western boundary of the Salinian block (Sur-Nacimiento Fault) has been tectonically truncated by the San Gregorio Fault and has been displaced by as much as 90 km to the northwest since the mid-late Miocene.     

Sediment distribution and transport along a rocky, embayed coast: Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Bay, California

Field measurements of beach morphology and sedimentology were made along the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Bay, California, in the spring and summer of 1997. These data were combined with low-altitude aerial imagery, high-resolution bathymetry, and local geology to understand how coastal geomorphology, lithology, and tectonics influence the distribution and transport of littoral sediment in the nearshore and inner shelf along a rocky shoreline over the course of decades. Three primary modes of sediment distribution in the nearshore and on the inner shelf off the Monterey Peninsula and in Carmel Bay were observed. Along stretches of the study area that were exposed to the dominant wave direction, sediment has accumulated in shore-normal bathymetric lows interpreted to be paleo-stream channels. Where the coastline is oriented parallel to the dominant wave direction and streams channels trend perpendicular to the coast, sediment-filled paleo-stream channels occur in the nearshore as well, but here they are connected to one another by shore-parallel ribbons of sediment at depths between 2 and 6 m. Where the coastline is oriented parallel to the dominant wave direction and onshore stream channels are not present, only shore-parallel patches of sediment at depths greater than 15 m are present. We interpret the distribution and interaction or transport of littoral sediment between pocket beaches along this coastline to be primarily controlled by the northwest-trending structure of the region and the dominant oceanographic regime. Because of the structural barriers to littoral transport, peaks in wave energy appear to be the dominant factor controlling the timing and magnitude of sediment transport between pocket beaches, more so than along long linear coasts. Accordingly, the magnitude and timing of sediment transport is dictated by the episodic nature of storm activity.     

深沪湾晚更新世以来的古气候、古海平面与地壳升降运动

本文根据深沪湾沿岸3个孔样品的孢粉、硅藻分析和~(14)C年代学测定,结合该湾潮间带的古油杉森林残迹和古牡蛎贝壳层,研究了该区晚更新世以来的古气候、古海平面变化及其地壳升降过程。     

Evolution and stratigraphic architecture of marine slope gully complexes: Monterey Formation (Miocene), Gaviota Beach,California

Three small headlands in the sea cliffs west of Gaviota Beach, California, are the remnant fill of three discrete submarine gullies incised into the late Miocene submarine slope environment. These promontories provide excellent, three-dimensional exposure of the gully fill in outcrop, permitting documentation of their complex internal stratigraphic architecture. Detailed study of these exposures elucidates the sedimentologic processes that occur in the filling of slope gullies, guides interpretation of the acoustic records of otherwise unsampled modern gully systems on continental slopes, and provides insight into the heterogeneity that may characterize slope gully petroleum reservoirs.     

Automated drainage extraction in mapping the Monterey submarine drainage system,California margin

Drainage-extraction algorithms traditionally used for extracting river networks and watersheds from gridded land topography are applied to gridded multibeam bathymetry of the mid-California margin. The algorithms are used to automatically map two regional tributary networks of submarine canyons and deepsea channels draining Monterey Bay, the principal conduits of which are Acension and Monterey Canyons. The algorithms reliably map subaqueous drainage areas, but are prone to error in mapping the extent of submarine canyon and channel thalwegs due to operator subjectivity and algorithm limitations. A geomorphic comparison of the Acension and Monterey Canyon networks, with 12 river networks in the continental U.S., illustrates both the potential and weaknesses of using drainage extraction algorithms to analyze sediment pathways in gridded bathymetry.     

Time-series analysis of six whale-fall communities in Monterey Canyon,California, USA

Dead whale carcasses that sink to the deep seafloor introduce a massive pulse of energy capable of hosting dynamic communities of organisms in an otherwise food-limited environment. Through long-term observations of one natural and five implanted whale carcasses in Monterey Canyon, CA, this study suggests that: (1) depth and related physical conditions play a crucial role in species composition; (2) the majority of species in these communities are background deep-sea taxa; and (3) carcass degradation occurs sub-decadally. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with studio quality video cameras were used to survey whales during 0.8 to seven year periods, depending on the carcass. All organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxon. Community differences among whale-falls seemed to be most strongly related to depth and water temperature. The communities changed significantly from initial establishment shortly after a carcass’ arrival at the seafloor through multiple years of steady degradation. The majority of species found at the whale-falls were background taxa commonly seen in Monterey Bay. While populations of species characterized as bone specialists, seep restricted, and of unknown habitat affinities were also observed, sometimes in great abundance, they contributed minimally to overall species richness. All whale carcasses, shallow and deep, exhibited sub-decadal degradation and a time-series of mosaic images at the deepest whale site illustrates the rapidity at which the carcasses degrade.     

辽东湾北部晚更新世中期以来的地层结构及环境演化

晚更新世中期以来，辽东湾是一个在海侵一海退旋回中连续接受沉积的沉降盆地。在对岩心和高分辨率地层剖面记录分析的基础上，得到了本地区的地层结构和地震反射资料。从海底往下120．4m的岩芯可划分为16个沉积层，沉积物以粗粒物质为主。根据地震反射资料，本区地层可分为6个地震单元，分别属于3个海相层和3个陆相层。与Bcl孔相同，研究区沉积地层与冰期旋回具有明显的对应关系，冰期时形成陆相地层，间冰期时形成海相地层。冰期时河流作用较为发育。并且绝大多数河流沉积被风力作用所改造。     

Toxicity assessment of sediment cores from Santa Monica Bay,California

During the summer of 1997, sediment core samples were taken at 25 stations in Santa Monica Bay. Toxicity testing was performed on 4-cm sections of the entire length of each core using purple sea urchin fertilization and amphipod survival tests. The sea urchin test identified sections as being toxic at six stations, all located near current or former Hyperion Treatment Plant (HTP) wastewater outfall locations. The amphipod test identified sections from 17 stations as having toxic sediments. The stations having toxic sediments were scattered throughout the bay and toxicity was identified at numerous core depths. Spatial and temporal patterns indicated that toxicity was most strongly associated with the historical disposal of municipal wastewater sludge. Many of the sections toxic to the amphipods did not have chemical levels expected to cause toxicity and were in locations where a source of toxicity was not apparent.     

珠海市唐家湾晚更新世沙坝海岸及其保护问题

珠海市唐家湾海岸发现的古沙坝海滩推断是形成于距今约13000年前后的晚更新世时期的沙坝海滩,且该海岸仍保存一套完整的沙坝-潟湖海岸地貌和生态体系,是珠海市比较稀缺的自然资源。但近年来受人类活动影响,海岸生态环境受到破坏,沙坝-潟湖海岸体系正在逐渐萎缩消失,因此建议修复和保护这一珍贵的古沙坝-潟湖海岸生态环境。     

Evaluation of conditions along the grounding line of temperate marine glaciers: an example from Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, Alaska

In the marine environment, stability of the glacier terminus and the location of subglacial streams are the dominant controls on the distribution of grounding-line deposits within morainal banks. A morainal bank complex in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, SE Alaska, is used to develop a model of terminus stability and location of subglacial streams along the grounding line of temperate marine glaciers. This model can be used to interpret former grounding-line conditions in other glacimarine settings from the facies architecture within morainal bank deposits.The Muir Inlet morainal bank complex was deposited between 1860 A.D. and 1899 A.D., and historical observations provide a record of terminus positions, glacial retreat rates and sedimentary sources. These data are used to reconstruct the depositional environment and to develop a correlation between sedimentary facies and conditions along the grounding line.Four seismic facies identified on the high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles are used to interpret sedimentary facies within the morainal bank complex. Terminus stability is interpreted from the distribution of sedimentary facies within three distinct submarine geomorphic features, a grounding-line fan, stratified ridges, and a field of push ridges. The grounding-line fan was deposited along a stable terminus and is represented on seismic-reflection profiles by two distinct seismic facies, a proximal and a distal fan facies. The proximal fan facies was deposited at the efflux of subglacial streams and indicates the location of former glacifluvial discharges into the sea. Stratified ridges formed as a result of the influence of a quasi-stable terminus on the distribution of sedimentary facies along the grounding line. A field of push ridges formed along the grounding line of an unstable terminus that completely reworked the grounding-line deposits through glacitectonic deformation.Between 1860 A.D. and 1899 A.D. (39 years),

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m³ of sediment were deposited within the Muir Inlet morainal bank complex at an average annual sediment accumulation rate of

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m³/a. This rate represents the annual sediment production capacity of the glacier when the Muir Inlet drainage basin is filled with glacial ice.     

Late Pleistocene to Holocene sedimentation and hydrocarbon seeps on the continental shelf of a steep,tectonically active margin,southern California,USA

Small, steep, uplifting coastal watersheds are prolific sediment producers that contribute significantly to the global marine sediment budget. This study illustrates how sedimentation evolves in one such system where the continental shelf is largely sediment-starved, with most terrestrial sediment bypassing the shelf in favor of deposition in deeper basins. The Santa Barbara–Ventura coast of southern California, USA, is considered a classic area for the study of active tectonics and of Tertiary and Quaternary climatic evolution, interpretations of which depend upon an understanding of sedimentation patterns. High-resolution seismic-reflection data over >570 km² of this shelf show that sediment production is concentrated in a few drainage basins, with the Ventura and Santa Clara River deltas containing most of the upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediment on the shelf. Away from those deltas, the major factor controlling shelf sedimentation is the interaction of wave energy with coastline geometry. Depocenters containing sediment 5–20 m thick exist opposite broad coastal embayments, whereas relict material (bedrock below a regional unconformity) is exposed at the sea floor in areas of the shelf opposite coastal headlands. Locally, natural hydrocarbon seeps interact with sediment deposition either to produce elevated tar-and-sediment mounds or as gas plumes that hinder sediment settling. As much as 80% of fluvial sediment delivered by the Ventura and Santa Clara Rivers is transported off the shelf (some into the Santa Barbara Basin and some into the Santa Monica Basin via Hueneme Canyon), leaving a shelf with relatively little recent sediment accumulation. Understanding factors that control large-scale sediment dispersal along a rapidly uplifting coast that produces substantial quantities of sediment has implications for interpreting the ancient stratigraphic record of active and transform continental margins, and for inferring the distribution of hydrocarbon resources in relict shelf deposits.     

Monterey Bay cold-seep biota: Assemblages,abundance, and ultrastructure of living foraminifera

Although there is a growing body of evidence indicating benthic foraminifera inhabit hydrocarbon and cold seep environments, biochemical and ultrastructural data on seep foraminiferal communities are not available. Therefore, sediments collected from cold seeps in Monterey Bay, CA (900–1000 m), were examined for the presence of live benthic foraminifera. Results from three independent methods (ATP assay, ultrastructural analysis, rose Bengal staining) indicate that certain species inhabit the Clam Flat and Clam Field seeps. Abundances in our seep samples were lower than in comparable non-seep sites, although not atypical for these bathyal depths. Of 38 species represented at these two seep sites by cytoplasm-containing specimens, only Spiroplectammina biformis was restricted to the seep environment. However, because S. biformis is also known from non-seep sites in other areas, it should not be considered as endemic to seeps. Ultrastructural studies show abundant peroxisomes in seep specimens, which may allow inhabitation of such environments. One specimen of Uvigerina peregrina had prokaryotes nestled in test pores, suggesting that bacteria may play a role in the survival of foraminifera in this seep environment.     

Tidally oscillating bisulfide fluxes and fluid flow rates observed with in situ chemical sensors at a warm spring in Monterey Bay,California

An In Situ Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ISUS) was coupled to a benthic chamber to characterize the bisulfide flux emanating from a warm spring at the Extrovert Cliff locality within Monterey Bay, California. The chamber was periodically flushed with bottom seawater to reset chemical concentrations, which enabled deployments over multiple days. Data from several deployments, each lasting at least 10 days, were used to calculate flow rates, fluid concentrations, and fluxes over time. The bisulfide concentration of the fluid entering the chamber varied from 75 to 4500 μmol l^?1. Positive temperature anomalies up to 3.5° were associated with these elevated concentrations. Linear flow rates ranged from 2 to >17 m day^?1, while the bisulfide fluxes varied from 0.2 to 80 mol m^?2 day^?1. The bisulfide originated at depth and was not produced in the surface sediments via an anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction. Tides modulated the flow as well as the composition of the fluid entering the chamber. It appeared that a deep sourced fluid, which supplied the bisulfide, was mixed with a second, ambient seawater-like fluid before entering the flux chamber. At low tides, flow rates were at their highest and the contribution of the deep sourced fluid to the fluid entering the chamber was at a maximum.