Relationships between high‐magnitude relative sea‐level changes and filling of a coarse‐grained submarine canyon (Pleistocene,Ionian Calabria,Southern Italy)

A middle Pleistocene coarse‐grained canyon fill succession (the Serra Mulara Formation) crops out in the northern sector of the Crotone Basin, a forearc basin located on the Ionian side of the Calabrian Arc and active from the Serravallian to middle Pleistocene. This succession is an example of coarse‐grained submarine canyon fill, which consists of a north‐west to south‐east elongated body (4·25 km long and up to 1·5 km wide) laterally confined by a deep‐water clayey and silty succession and located behind the modern Neto delta (north of Crotone). The thickness of the unit reaches 178 m. The lower part of the canyon fill is dominated by gravelly to sandy density‐flow deposits containing abundant bivalve and gastropod fragments, passing upward into a succession composed of metre‐scale to decimetre‐scale density‐flow deposits forming sandstone–mudstone couplets. Sandstone deposits are mostly structureless and planar‐laminated, whereas the clayey layers record hemipelagic deposition during quieter phases. This succession is overlain by another composed of thicker structureless sandstones alternating with layers of interlaminated mudstones and sandstones, which contain leaf remnants and fresh water ostracods, and are linked directly to river floods. The canyon fill is overlain by gravelly to sandy continental deposits recording a later stage of emergence. Facies analysis, together with micropalaeontological data from the hemipelagic units, suggests that the studied canyon fill records, firstly, a progressive gravel material cut‐off during deposition due to an overall relative sea‐level rise, leading to a progressive increase in the entrapment of sediment in fluvial to shallow‐marine systems, and secondly, a generalized relative sea‐level lowering. This trend probably reflects high‐magnitude glacio‐eustatic changes combined with the regional uplift of the region, ultimately leading to emergence.     

A depositional model for a wave‐dominated open‐coast tidal flat,based on analyses of the Cambrian–Ordovician Lagarto and Palmares formations,north‐eastern Brazil

Open‐coast tidal flats are hybrid depositional systems resulting from the interaction of waves and tides. Modern examples have been recognized, but few cases have been described in ancient rock successions. An example of an ancient open‐coast tidal flat, the depositional architecture of the Lagarto and Palmares formations (Cambrian–Ordovician of the Sergipano Belt, north‐eastern Brazil) is presented here. Detailed field analyses of outcrops allowed the development of a conceptual architectural model for a coastal depositional environment that is substantially different from classical wave‐dominated or tide‐dominated coastal models. This architectural model is dominated by storm wave, low orbital velocity wave and tidal current beds, which vary in their characteristics and distribution. In a landward direction, the storm deposits decrease in abundance, dimension (thickness and spacing) and grain size, and vary from accretionary through scour and drape to anisotropic hummocky cross‐stratification beds. Low orbital wave deposits are more common in the medium and upper portion of the tidal flat. Tidal deposits, which are characterized by mudstone interbedded with sandstone strata, are dominant in the landward portion of the tidal flat. Hummocky cross‐stratification beds in the rock record are believed, in general, to represent storm deposits in palaeoenvironments below the fair‐weather wave base. However, in this model of an open‐coast tidal flat, hummocky cross‐stratification beds were found in very shallow waters above the fair‐weather wave base. Indeed, this depositional environment was characterized by: (i) fair‐weather waves and tides that lacked sufficient energy to rework the storm deposits; (ii) an absence of biological communities that could disrupt the storm deposits; and (iii) high aggradation rates linked to an active foreland basin, which contributed definitively to the rapid burial and preservation of these hummocky cross‐stratification deposits.     

Statistical testing of a new testate amoeba‐based transfer function for water‐table depth reconstruction on ombrotrophic peatlands in north‐eastern Canada and Maine,United States

Proxy reconstructions of climatic parameters developed using transfer functions are central to the testing of many palaeoclimatic hypotheses on Holocene timescales. However, recent work shows that the mathematical models underpinning many existing transfer functions are susceptible to spatial autocorrelation, clustered training set design and the uneven sampling of environmental gradients. This may result in over‐optimistic performance statistics or, in extreme cases, a lack of predictive power. A new testate amoeba‐based transfer function is presented that fully incorporates the new recommended statistical tests to address these issues. Leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, the most commonly applied method in recent studies to assess model performance, produced over‐optimistic performance statistics for all models tested. However, the preferred model, developed using weighted averaging with tolerance downweighting, retained a predictive capacity equivalent to other published models even when less optimistic performance statistics were chosen. Application of the new statistical tests in the development of transfer functions provides a more thorough assessment of performance and greater confidence in reconstructions based on them. Only when the wider research community have sufficient confidence in transfer function‐based proxy reconstructions will they be commonly used in data comparison and palaeoclimate modelling studies of broader scientific relevance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A constitutive model for the dynamic and high‐pressure behaviour of a propellant‐like material: Part I: Experimental background and general structure of the model

This paper is the first part of a work that aims at developing a mechanical model for the behaviour of propellant‐like materials under high confining pressure and strain rate. The behaviour of a typical material is investigated experimentally. Several microstructural deformation processes are identified and correlated with loading conditions. The resulting behaviour is complex, non‐linear, and characterized by multiple couplings. The general structure of a relevant model is sought using a thermodynamic framework. A viscoelastic‐viscoplastic‐compaction model structure is derived under suitable simplifying assumptions, in the framework of finite, though moderate, strains. Model development, identification and numerical applications are given in the companion paper. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary sea‐level change and evolution of Belfast Lough,Northern Ireland: new offshore evidence and implications for sea‐level reconstruction

The interplay of eustatic and isostatic factors causes complex relative sea‐level (RSL) histories, particularly in paraglacial settings. In this context the past record of RSL is important in understanding ice‐sheet history, earth rheology and resulting glacio‐isostatic adjustment. Field data to develop sea‐level reconstructions are often limited to shallow depths and uncertainty exists as to the veracity of modelled sea‐level curves. We use seismic stratigraphy, 39 vibrocores and 26 radiocarbon dates to investigate the deglacial history of Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland, and reconstruct past RSL. A typical sequence of till, glacimarine and Holocene sediments is preserved. Two sea‐level lowstands (both max. ?40 m) are recorded at c. 13.5 and 11.5k cal a bp . Each is followed by a rapid transgression and subsequent periods of RSL stability. The first transgression coincides temporally with a late stage of Meltwater Pulse 1a and the RSL stability occurred between c. 13.0 and c. 12.2k cal a bp (Younger Dryas). The second still/slowstand occurred between c. 10.3 and c. 11.5k cal a bp . Our data provide constraints on the direction and timing of RSL change during deglaciation. Application of the Depth of Closure concept adds an error term to sea‐level reconstructions based on seismic stratigraphic reconstructions.     

Quantitative micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy of wet sediment based on the X‐ray absorption and emission theories: Its application to freshwater lake sedimentary sequences

Micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy of marine and lake sedimentary sequences can provide detailed palaeoenvironmental records through element intensity proxy data. However, problems with the effects of interstitial pore water on the micro‐X‐ray fluorescence intensities have been pointed out. This is because the X‐ray fluorescence intensities are measured directly at the surfaces of split wet sediment core samples. This study developed a new method for correcting X‐ray fluorescence data to compensate for the effects of pore water using a scanning X‐ray analytical microscope. This involved simultaneous use of micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy and an X‐ray transmission detector. To evaluate the interstitial pore water content from the X‐ray transmission intensities, a fine‐grained sediment core retrieved from Lake Baikal (VER99‐G12) was used to prepare resin‐embedded samples with smooth surfaces and uniform thickness. Simple linear regression between the linear absorption coefficients of the samples and their porosity, based on the Lambert–Beer law, enabled calculation of the interstitial pore spaces and their resin content with high reproducibility. The X‐ray fluorescence intensities of resin‐embedded samples were reduced compared with those of dry sediment samples because of: (i) the X‐ray fluorescence absorption of resin within sediment; and (ii) the sediment dilution effects by resin. An improved micro‐X‐ray fluorescence correction equation based on X‐ray fluorescence emission theory considers the instrument's sensitivity to each element, which provides a reasonable explanation of these two effects. The resin‐corrected X‐ray fluorescence intensity was then successfully converted to elemental concentrations using simple linear regression between the data from micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy and from the conventional analyzer. In particular, the calculated concentration of SiO₂ over the depth of the core, reflecting diatom/biogenic silica concentration, was significantly changed by the calibrations, from a progressively decreasing trend to an increasing trend towards the top of the core.     

An improved SPH method for saturated soils and its application to investigate the mechanisms of embankment failure: Case of hydrostatic pore‐water pressure

The method of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) has recently been applied to computational geomechanics and has been shown to be a powerful alternative to the standard numerical method, that is, the finite element method, for handling large deformation and post‐failure of geomaterials. However, very few studies apply the SPH method to model saturated or submerged soil problems. Our recent studies of this matter revealed that significant errors may be made if the gradient of the pore‐water pressure is handled using the standard SPH formulation. To overcome this problem and to enhance the SPH applications to computational geomechanics, this article proposes a general SPH formulation, which can be applied straightforwardly to dry and saturated soils. For simplicity, the current work assumes hydrostatic pore‐water pressure. It is shown that the proposed formulation can remove the numerical error mentioned earlier. Moreover, this formulation automatically satisfies the dynamic boundary conditions at a submerged ground surface, thereby saving computational cost. Discussions on the applications of the standard and new SPH formulations are also given through some numerical tests. Furthermore, techniques to obtain the correct SPH solution are also proposed and discussed throughout. As an application of the proposed method, the effect of the dilatancy angle on the failure mechanism of a two‐sided embankment subjected to a high groundwater table is presented and compared with that of other solutions. Finally, the proposed formulation can be considered a basic formulation for further developments of SPH for saturated soils. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cavity‐filling dolomite speleothems and submarine cements in the Ediacaran Dengying microbialites,South China: Responses to high‐frequency sea‐level fluctuations in an ‘aragonite–dolomite sea’

Speleothems, mostly composed of calcium carbonate, are widely present in modern karst‐originated caves, but have rarely been reported in palaeokarst systems. This study presents a novel type of dolomite speleothem and subsequent submarine dolomite cement, which are widely present in the upper Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the upper Yangtze area. These precipitated materials occur in the cavity system that cuts across several peritidal cycles. The interconnected cavity networks with irregular shapes, embayed walls, internal breccias on cavity floor and their preferential development in the shallower cycle tops (for example, tepee‐deformed beds) suggest that they were initially generated by subaerial dissolution. As the earliest infills, the hemispherical protrusions, icicle‐like pendants and ground‐up columns show similar morphological features and occurrence patterns to the cave popcorn, stalactites and stalagmites, respectively. Thus, these earliest infills are speleothems resulting from associated meteoric precipitation during subaerial exposure. The isopachous growth pattern of subsequent more extensive fibrous dolomite cements points to a submarine diagenetic environment in which they were precipitated. Microscopically, the micritic to micro‐crystalline dolomite, acicular dolomite in speleothems and the subsequent fibrous dolomite share similar crystal fabrics to metastable precursors (for example, Mg‐calcite). Meanwhile, the carbon‐oxygen isotope compositions of the speleothem and fibrous dolomite, although partly altered by burial diagenesis, share a large overlap with host rock and coeval marine carbonates all over the Yangtze Platform. For these reasons, these speleothems and fibrous cements are considered to have been initially precipitated as metastable carbonate precursors in meteoric and submarine environments, respectively, and stabilized during submarine mimetic dolomitization. The cyclic occurrence of cavity systems filled with speleothems and submarine cements reflects periodic subaerial exposure and marine flooding of broad tidal flat in the upper Yangtze area, driven by high‐frequency sea‐level fluctuations. Furthermore, the Neoproterozoic seawater chemistry that favoured early dolomitization of carbonate precursor mineralogies was an advantage for the preservation of fabrics from metastable precursor minerals.     

Mud Tank Zircon: Long‐Term Evaluation of a Reference Material for U‐Pb Dating,Hf‐Isotope Analysis and Trace Element Analysis

Zircon megacrysts from the Mud Tank carbonatite, Australia, are being used in many laboratories as a reference material for LA‐ICP‐MS U‐Pb dating and trace element measurement, and LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS determination of Hf isotopes. We summarise a database of > 10000 analyses of Mud Tank zircon (MTZ), collected from 2000 to 2018 during its use as a secondary reference material for simultaneous U‐Pb and trace element analysis, and for Hf‐isotope analysis. Trace element mass fractions are highest in dark red‐brown stones and lowest in colourless and gem‐quality ones. Individual unzoned grains can be chemically homogeneous, while significant variations in trace element mass fraction are associated with oscillatory zoning. Chondrite‐normalised trace element patterns are essentially parallel over large mass fraction ranges. A Concordia age of 731.0 ± 0.2 Ma (2s, n = 2272) is taken as the age of crystallisation. Some grains show lower concordant to mildly discordant ages, probably reflecting minor Pb loss associated with cooling and the Alice Springs Orogeny (450–300 Ma). Our weighted mean ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf is 0.282523 ± 10 (2s, n = 9350); the uncertainties on this ratio reflect some heterogeneity, mainly between grains. A few analyses suggest that colourless grains have generally lower ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf. MTZ is a useful secondary reference material for U‐Pb and Hf‐isotope analysis, but individual grains need to be carefully selected using CL imaging and tested for homogeneity, and ideally should be standardised by solution analysis.     

The relationship between hydrocarbon accumulation and Mississippi Valley‐type Pb‐Zn mineralization of the Mayuan metallogenic belt,the northern Yangtze block,SW China: Evidence from ore geology and Rb‐Sr isotopic dating

The coexistence of Pb‐Zn deposits and oil/gas reservoirs demonstrates that a close genetic connection exists between them. The spatiotemporal relationship between Pb‐Zn mineralization and hydrocarbon accumulation is the key to understanding this genetic connection. The Mayuan large‐scale Pb‐Zn metallogenic belt is composed of a number of Mississippi Valley‐type (MVT) Pb‐Zn deposits that were recently discovered on the northern margin of the Yangtze Block, China. It is hosted in the dolostone of the Sinian (Ediacaran) Dengying Formation (Z₂dn). In addition to the abundant bitumen in the Mayuan Pb‐Zn metallogenic belt, the paleo‐oil reservoir and the MVT Pb‐Zn deposit overlap in space. In this study, two precise ages of 468.3 ± 3.8 Ma and 206.0 ± 6.5 Ma were obtained via the Rb‐Sr isotopic dating of galena and sphalerite from the Mayuan Pb‐Zn metallogenic belt, respectively. The early metallogenic age of 468.3 ± 3.8 Ma is similar to the previously published age of 486 ± 12 Ma. The age of 206.0 ± 6.5 Ma is consistent with the age of the metallogenic event that occurred at 200 Ma in the Upper Yangtze Pb–Zn metallogenic province of the Sichuan‐Yunnan‐Guizhou polymetallic zone, which is located on the southwest margin of the Sichuan Basin, suggesting that the metallogenic effects of this period were regional in scale in the peripheral areas of the Sichuan Basin. Previous studies have shown that two periods of hydrocarbon accumulation occurred in the oil/gas reservoir that coexists with the Pb‐Zn deposits in the study area. The Pb‐Zn mineralization at 468.3 ± 3.8 Ma occurred during the first period of hydrocarbon accumulation, while the second mineralization at 206.0 ± 6.5 Ma occurred during the transformation of the paleo‐oil reservoir to a paleogas reservoir. The spatial relationship between the paleo‐oil/‐gas reservoir and the MVT Pb‐Zn deposits and the temporal relationship between mineralization and hydrocarbon accumulation show that a close genetic relationship exists between the MVT Pb‐Zn mineralization and hydrocarbon accumulation. Analysis of metals in the source rocks forming the paleo‐oil/‐gas reservoirs show that source rocks which formed paleo‐oil/‐gas reservoirs may have provided metals for Pb‐Zn mineralization. Both the paleo‐oil/‐gas reservoirs and Pb‐Zn mineralizing fluids had the same origin.     

Bed‐thickness and grain‐size trends in a small‐scale proglacial channel–levée system; the Carboniferous Jejenes Formation,Western Argentina: implications for turbidity current flow processes

Preserved in Quebrada de las Lajas, near San Juan, Argentina, is an ancient subaqueous proglacial sedimentary succession that includes a small‐scale (ca 50 m thick and ca 200 m wide) channel–levée system with excellent exposure of the channel axis and levée sediments. Coeval deposition of both the channel axis and the levées can be demonstrated clearly by lateral correlation of individual beds. The channel axis consists predominantly of a disorganized, pebble to boulder conglomerate with a poorly sorted matrix. The channel axis varies from 10 to 20 m wide and has a total amalgamated thickness of around 50 m. Beds fine gradationally away from the cobble–boulder conglomerates of the channel axis within a few metres, transitioning to well‐organized pebble to cobble conglomerates and sandstones of the channel margin. Within 60 m outboard of the channel axis in both directions, perpendicular to the trend of the channel axis, the mean grain size of the beds in the levées is silt to fine‐grained sand. Deposits in this channel–levée system are the product of both debris flows (channel axis) and co‐genetic turbidity currents (channel margins and levées). Bed thicknesses in the levées increase for up to 10 to 25 m away from the channel axis, beyond which bed thicknesses decrease with increasing distance. The positions of the bed thickness maxima define the levée crests, and the thinning beds constitute the outer levée slopes. From these relationships it is clear that the levée crest migrated both away from and toward the channel axis, and varied in height above the channel axis from 4 to 5 m (undecompacted), whereas the height of the levée crest relative to the distal levée varied from 4·5 to 10 m, indicating that the channel was at times super‐elevated relative to the distal levée. Bed thickness decay on the outside of the levée crest can be described quite well with a power‐law function (R² = 0·85), whereas the thickness decay from the levée crest toward the channel axis follows a linear function (R² = 0·78). Grain‐size changes are quite predictable from the channel margin outward, and follow logarithmic (R² = 0·77) or power‐law (R² = 0·72) decay curves, either of which fit the data quite well. This study demonstrates that, in at least this case: (i) levée thickness trends can be directly related to channel‐flow processes; (ii) individual bed thickness changes may control overall levée geometry; and (iii) levée and channel deposits can be coeval.     

From a river valley to a ria: Evolution of an incised valley (Ría de Ferrol,north‐west Spain) since the Last Glacial Maximum

The evolution of incised valleys is an important area of research due to the invaluable data it provides on sea‐level variations and depositional environments. In this article the sedimentary evolution of the Ría de Ferrol (north‐west Spain) from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present is reconstructed using a multidisciplinary approach, combining seismic and sedimentary facies, and supported by radiocarbon data and geochemical proxies to distinguish the elements of sedimentary architecture within the ria infill. The main objectives are: (i) to analyse the ria environment as a type of incised valley to evaluate the response of the system to the different drivers; (ii) to investigate the major controlling factors; and (iii) to explore the differentiation between rias and estuaries. As a consequence of the sea‐level rise subsequent to the Last Glacial Maximum (ca 20 kyr bp ), an extensive basin, drained by a braided palaeoriver, evolved into a tide‐dominated estuary and finally into a ria environment. Late Pleistocene and Holocene high‐frequency sea‐level variations were major factors that modulated the type of depositional environments and their evolution. Another major modulating factor was the antecedent morphology of the ria, with a rock‐incised narrow channel in the middle of the basin (the Ferrol Strait), which influenced the evolution of the ria as it became flooded during Holocene transgression. The strait acted as a rock‐bounded ‘tidal inlet’ enhancing the tidal erosion and deposition at both ends, i.e. with an ebb‐tidal delta in the outer sector and tidal sandbanks in the inner sector. The final step in the evolution of the incised valley into the modern‐defined ria system was driven by the last relative sea‐level rise (after 4 kyr bp ) when the river mouths retreated landward and a single palaeoriver was converted into minor rivers and streams with scattered mouths in an extensive coastal area.     

Palaeoproterozoic tectonothermal evolution and deep crustal processes in the Jiao‐Liao‐Ji Belt,North China Craton: a review

The Palaeoproterozoic Jiao‐Liao‐Ji Belt is located in the eastern margin of the Eastern Block of the North China Craton. In this paper, we synthesize the tectonothermal evolution and deep crustal processes in the Jiao‐Liao‐Ji Belt based on recent information. A mantle plume‐related underplating from 2.53 to 2.36 Ga is envisaged which led to the emplacement of the 2.47–2.33 Ga alkali granite plutons and mafic dyke swarms, followed by the development of the Jiao‐Liao‐Ji Rift and bi‐modal volcanism. The underplating resulted not only in different sedimentary environments in the upper crust, but also in a differentiation of the initial thermal structure in the rift. This controlled the metamorphism and style of P‐T‐t paths in the different parts of the rift. Subsequent underplating resulted in the emplacement of the A‐type Liaoji granites of ca. 2.17 Ga in the lower crust, and the formation of associated pegmatites of 2.2 and 2.0 Ga, together with the development of a bedding‐parallel extension. However, the main orogeny occurred between 1.93 and 1.88 Ga with closing of the rift, compressional deformation and high‐pressure granulite metamorphism in the southern part of the orogen. Subsequently, lithospheric blocks were possibly delaminated at ∼1.85 Ga; anorogenic magmatic rocks such as rapakivi granite, alkaline granites and syenite were intruded, and pegmatite veins and mafic dyke swarms were emplaced cross‐cutting all the earlier structural traces. We identify that the underplating styles, collision processes and delamination types in the deep lithosphere controlled the tectonothermal evolution of the crust in the Jiao‐Liao‐Ji region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental variability during the Last Interglacial: a new high‐resolution pollen record from Tenaghi Philippon,Greece

A new high‐resolution Last Interglacial pollen record from the Tenaghi Philippon peatland, northeast Greece, documents variability in forest composition and cover, which we attribute to changes in temperature and moisture availability. The declining stage of the interglacial was marked by a stepwise decrease in temperate tree populations and culminated in the complete collapse of forest at the onset of the ensuing stadial. The coincidence of the onset of the stepwise declining trend with the increased prominence of North Atlantic ice‐rafting events suggests that ecological thresholds in southern Europe were only crossed once ice rafting events intensified, and implies that changes in North Atlantic ocean circulation were an important contributing factor to the declining temperate forest cover in southern Europe. Our results provide evidence for intra‐interglacial variability in the low mid latitudes and suggest a coupling between the high northern latitudes and the northeast Mediterranean during this interval. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved Inter‐calibration of Faraday Cup and Ion Counting for In Situ Pb Isotope Measurements Using LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS: Application to the Study of the Origin of the Fangshan Pluton,North China

A laser ablation multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS) method was developed to obtain precise and accurate Pb isotopic ratio measurements in low‐Pb materials (< 10 μg g^?1) using a combination of Faraday cups and ion counters (FC–IC). The low abundance ²⁰⁴Pb (~ 1.4%) was collected using an IC. A NBS 981 standard solution was used to cross‐calculate the FC–IC gain and to investigate the signal response characteristics of the IC. A significant, continuous and linear decrease in the FC–IC gain was observed within 1 hr, but this drift could be corrected using the calibrator‐sample‐calibrator bracketing method. In addition, a non‐linear response of the IC used in this study was observed and corrected by a non‐linear correction algorithm, which was established by measuring a series of gravimetrically prepared NBS 981 standard solutions (NIST SRM 981). Compared with the conventional arrangement, the use of the newly designed X skimmer cone and Jet sample cone improved the signal intensities from Pb isotopes by a factor of 1.9. Compared with only Faraday cups, using a combination FC–IC array was found to enhance the measurement repeatability (RSD) of ^20xPb/²⁰⁴Pb by approximately one order of magnitude when the ²⁰⁴Pb intensity was < 8 mV. Eight natural glasses and the NIST SRM 612 reference material glass (as a calibration material) were measured to evaluate the new protocol for Pb isotope determination. The analytical results were in agreement with the reference values within 2s measurement uncertainties. For MPI‐DING ATHO‐G (5.67 μg g^?1 total Pb), KL2‐G (2.07 μg g^?1 total Pb) and ML3B‐G (1.38 μg g^?1 total Pb), the typical accuracies of ^20xPb/²⁰⁴Pb were 0.09% of preferred values with precisions of < 0.33% (2RSD). The Pb isotope ratios in feldspars from granodiorite and within mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) from the Fangshan pluton, North China, were measured using the present method. The Pb isotopic compositions of feldspars from the whole host granodiorite show that that are radiogenic in the margin zone and gradually become less radiogenic. For the MMEs, the Pb isotopic compositions of feldspars are highly variable and overlap with those of the whole host granodiorite. For single‐grain feldspar, the strong rim‐core‐rim variations of the Pb isotopic compositions and trace elements are interpreted to have been generated via magma mixing. These results suggest that the Fangshan pluton underwent magma mixing of mantle‐derived mafic magmas with felsic magmas, and the proportion of the mafic magma influx decreased over time.     

Reappraisal of the GL‐O Reference Material for K‐Ar Dating: New Insight from Microanalysis,Single‐Grain and Milligram Ar Measurements

The homogeneity and Ar‐dating suitability of the GL‐O reference material were re‐evaluated to determine whether this material is sufficiently homogeneous to be suitable for the calibration of modern high sensitivity instruments. Based on new micro‐analyses and noble gas determinations, our contribution reveals several kinds of inhomogeneity at the grain scale: disparity in the glauconitisation among and within the pellets, variable occurrence of a phosphatic component within pellets (1% m/m on average), and rare occurrences of calcite and detrital grains. Measurements on test portions of ≤ 1 mg reflect such heterogeneity with variability in ⁴⁰Ar* content that exceeds analytical uncertainty, including a few highly anomalous values. The lesser evolved glauconite population yielded ⁴⁰Ar* contents ~ 15% lower than the value of 24.8 nl g^?1 recommended by Odin et al. (1982, Numerical dating in stratigraphy. Wiley (Chichester, UK), 123–148). But the measured concentrations of ⁴⁰Ar* converge towards the aforementioned value as test portion mass increased to > 3 mg. A few rare 3 mg experiments still yielded ⁴⁰Ar* contents lower than the recommended value (down to 24.0 nl g^?1), and we recommend using more conservative minimum masses of 5–10 mg. A further purification step for GL‐O or the intercalibration of its powder version could be considered to diminish the size of the test portions and the intensity of the measured signals.     

Seeking a Holocene drift ice proxy: non‐clay mineral variations from the SW to N‐central Iceland shelf: trends,regime shifts,and periodicities

Quantitative X‐ray diffraction analysis of the <2 mm sediment fraction was carried out on 1257 samples (from the seafloor and 16 cores) from the Iceland shelf west of 18° W. All but one core (B997‐347PC) were from transects along troughs on the NW to N‐central shelf, an area that in modern and historic times has been affected by drift ice. The paper focuses on the non‐clay mineralogy of the sediments (excluding calcite and volcanic glass). Quartz and potassium feldspars occupy similar positions in an R‐mode principal component analysis, and oligoclase feldspar tracks quartz; these minerals are used as a proxy for ice‐rafted detritus (IRD). Accordingly, the sum of these largely foreign minerals (Q&K) (to Icelandic bedrock) is used as a proxy for drift ice. A stacked, equi‐spaced 100 a record is developed which shows both low‐frequency trends and higher‐frequency events. The detrended stacked record compares well with the flux of quartz (mg cm^?2 a^?1) at MD99‐2269 off N Iceland. The multi‐taper method indicated that there are three significant frequencies at the 95% confidence level with periods of ca. 2500, 445 and 304 a. Regime shift analysis pinpoints intervals when there was a statistically significant shift in the average Q&K weight %, and identifies four IRD‐rich events separated by intervals with lower inputs. There is some association between peaks of IRD input, less dense surface waters (from δ¹⁸O data on planktonic foraminifera) and intervals of moraine building. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sea‐level changes,river activity,soil development and glaciation around the western margins of the southern North Sea Basin during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene: evidence from Pakefield,Suffolk, UK

This paper outlines evidence from Pakefield (northern Suffolk), eastern England, for sea‐level changes, river activity, soil development and glaciation during the late Early and early Middle Pleistocene (MIS 20–12) within the western margins of the southern North Sea Basin. During this time period, the area consisted of a low‐lying coastal plain and a shallow offshore shelf. The area was drained by major river systems including the Thames and Bytham. Changes in sea‐level caused several major transgressive–regressive cycles across this low‐relief region, and these changes are identified by the stratigraphic relationship between shallow marine (Wroxham Crag Formation), fluvial (Cromer Forest‐bed and Bytham formations) and glacial (Happisburgh and Lowestoft formations) sediments. Two separate glaciations are recognised—the Happisburgh (MIS 16) and Anglian (MIS 12) glaciations, and these are separated by a high sea level represented by a new member of the Wroxham Crag Formation, and several phases of river aggradation and incision. The principal driving mechanism behind sea‐level changes and river terrace development within the region during this time period is solar insolation operating over 100‐kyr eccentricity cycles. This effect is achieved by the impact of cold climate processes upon coastal, river and glacial systems and these climatically forced processes obscure the neotectonic drivers that operated over this period of time. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2005. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ultra‐high pressure coronitic and pseudomorphous reactions in a metagranodiorite from the Brossasco‐Isasca Unit,Dora‐Maira Massif,western Italian Alps: a petrographic study and equilibrium thermodynamic modelling

Metagranodiorite samples from the Brossasco‐Isasca Unit, Dora‐Maira Massif, western Alps, show pseudomorphous and coronitic textures where igneous minerals were partially replaced by ultra‐high pressure (UHP) metamorphic assemblages. The original magmatic paragenesis consisted of quartz, plagioclase, K‐feldspar, biotite and minor phases. During UHP metamorphism, the plagioclase (site P) was replaced by zoisite, jadeite, quartz, K‐feldspar and kyanite, and coronitic reactions developed between biotite and adjacent minerals. At the original igneous biotite–quartz contact (site A), a single corona of poorly zoned garnet is developed, whereas at the biotite–K‐feldspar (site B) and biotite–plagioclase (site C) contacts, composite coronas are formed. Integration of results from petrographic observations, calculations of mineral stoichiometry and thermodynamic calculations of mineral stability has allowed the determination of the metamorphic reactions involved and the estimation of the metamorphic conditions, which reached as high as 24 kbar and 650 °C. Accurate microanalysis by energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and statistical analysis of the data allowed us to identify, for the first time in a natural Na‐pyroxene of metagranitoid rocks, the end‐member Ca‐Eskola.