Sedimentation of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Six years of intensive study of the shallow water sediments of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico have indicated that there are many criteria by which ancient sediments deposited under similar conditions can be recognized. Thus the presence of echinoid fragments and of glauconite-filled Foraminifera tests favors marine shelf deposition over bay deposits; calcareous aggregates and grains of gypsum suggest high salinity bay deposits; abundance of wood fibers, high mica content, ferruginous aggregates, and well laminated sediments all are suggestive of deposition near river mouths; greater roundness distinguishes dunes from adjacent beach sands; and coarser grain size distinguishes beach sands from shallow shelf sands in the vicinity.Faunal assemblages of Foraminifera, Ostracoda, and Mollusca all serve to distinguish between bay and shelf deposits. Within the bays the faunas show a close relationship to salinity conditions whereas on the shelf the faunas are arranged in bands parallel to the shore and to the depth contours. Certain generalizations concerning the relation of faunas to environment can be made without detailed knowledge of the species.Contribution from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, New Series No. 997. Investigation supported by a grant from American Petroleum Institute, Project 51.     

Recent sedimentary development of Tampa Bay, Florida: A microtidal estuary incised into tertiary platform carbonates

Tampa Bay, a large, microtidal, clastic-filled estuary incised into Tertiary carbonate strata, is the largest estuary on Florida’s west coast. A total of 250 surface sediment samples and 17 cores were collected in Tampa Bay in order to determine the patterns and controlling factors governing the recent infilling and modern sediment distribution, and to examine the results in terms of current models of estuarine sedimentation and development. Surficial sediments in Tampa Bay consist of three facies types, each occurring in a distinct zone: modern terrigenous clastic muds occurring in the upper bay and around the bay periphery; relict, reworked-fluvial, quartz-rich sands occupying the open portion of the middle bay; and modern carbonate-rich, marine-derived sands and gravels occupying the lower bay. Factors controlling sediment distribution include: sediment source and supply rate; bathymetry, which is a function of the antecedent topography; and the winnowing effect of wind-generated waves that prohibits modern accumulation in the shallow middle bay. These factors also play a major role in the recent infilling history of Tampa Bay, which has progressed in four stages during the Holocene sea-level rise. Recently developed models of estuarine sedimentation are based primarily on mesotidal to macrotidal estuaries in terrigenous clastic settings in which sedimentation patterns and infilling history are a result of the relative contribution of marine and fluvial processes. Tampa Bay differs in that it was originally incised into carbonate strata, and neither fluvial or marine processes are interpreted to be major contributors to modern sediment distribution. Tampa Bay, therefore, provides an example of an unusual estuary type, which should be considered in future modeling efforts. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY083 00004     

The Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in southern Iberia

New data and a review of historiographic information from Neolithic sites of the Malaga and Algarve coasts (southern Iberian Peninsula) and from the Maghreb (North Africa) reveal the existence of a Neolithic settlement at least from 7.5 cal ka BP. The agricultural and pastoralist food producing economy of that population rapidly replaced the coastal economies of the Mesolithic populations. The timing of this population and economic turnover coincided with major changes in the continental and marine ecosystems, including upwelling intensity, sea-level changes and increased aridity in the Sahara and along the Iberian coast. These changes likely impacted the subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic populations along the Iberian seascapes and resulted in abandonments manifested as sedimentary hiatuses in some areas during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. The rapid expansion and area of dispersal of the early Neolithic traits suggest the use of marine technology. Different evidences for a Maghrebian origin for the first colonists have been summarized. The recognition of an early North-African Neolithic influence in Southern Iberia and the Maghreb is vital for understanding the appearance and development of the Neolithic in Western Europe. Our review suggests links between climate change, resource allocation, and population turnover.     

Marine geology of Port Phillip,Victoria

The marine geology of Port Phillip is described in detail, based on data from seismic profiling, vibrocoring and grab sampling. Three major unconsolidated facies can be distinguished: sands and muddy sands peripheral to the present coastline, muds covering the major central region, and channel fills of muds and sands. The first two facies units result from an increase in wave sorting towards the coast, reworking of Tertiary and Quaternary sandstone outcrops around the coast, and a dominant mud supply from river sources into the central area. The distribution and thicknesses of the unconsolidated facies have been augmented by a shallow‐seismic program that reveals the thicknesses of the modern sediments overlying an older surface comprised of consolidated clays and sandy clays of Pleistocene or older age. In central Port Phillip, muds and sands up to 27 m‐thick have infilled Pleistocene channels cut into underlying consolidated units. Sediments immediately above the channel bases show characteristic seismic patterns of fluvial deposition. The presence of peat deposits together with gas phenomena in the water column suggest organic breakdown of channel‐fill deposits is releasing methane into the bay waters. Outside the channel areas, carbon‐14 dating indicates that the unconsolidated sediments largely post‐date the last glaciation sea‐level rise (<6500 a BP), with an early Holocene period of rapid deposition, similar to other Australian estuaries. Stratigraphic and depositional considerations suggest that the undated channel‐fill sequences correlate with the formation of cemented quartz‐carbonate aeolianite and barrier sands on the Nepean Peninsula at the southern end of Port Phillip. Previous thermoluminescence dating of the aeolianites suggests that channel‐fill sequences B, C and D may have been deposited as fluvial and estuarine infills over the period between 57 and 8 ka. The eroded surface on the underlying consolidated sediments is probably the same 118 ka age as a disconformity within the Nepean aeolianites. Further estuarine and aeolianite facies extend below the disconformity to 60 m below sea‐level, and may extend the Quaternary depositional record to ca 810 ka. Pliocene and older Tertiary units progressively subcrop below the Quaternary northwards up the bay.     

Tampa Bay Coastal Wetlands: Nineteenth to Twentieth Century Tidal Marsh-to-Mangrove Conversion

Currently, mangroves dominate the tidal wetlands of Tampa Bay, Florida, but an examination of historic navigation charts revealed dominance of tidal marshes with a mangrove fringe in the 1870s. This study's objective was to conduct a new assessment of wetland change in Tampa Bay by digitizing nineteenth century topographic and public land surveys and comparing these to modern coastal features at four locations. We differentiate between wetland loss, wetland gain through marine transgression, and a wetland conversion from marsh to mangrove. Wetland loss was greatest at study sites to the east and north. Expansion of the intertidal zone through marine transgression, across adjacent low-lying land, was documented primarily near the mouth of the bay. Generally, the bay-wide marsh-to-mangrove ratio reversed from 86:14 to 25:75 in 125?years. Conversion of marsh to mangrove wetlands averaged 72?% at the four sites, ranging from 52?% at Old Tampa Bay to 95?% at Feather Sound. In addition to latitudinal influences, intact wetlands and areas with greater freshwater influence exhibited a lower rate of marsh-to-mangrove conversion. Two sources for nineteenth century coastal landscape were in close agreement, providing an unprecedented view of historic conditions in Tampa Bay.     

Heavy-mineral distribution in modern and ancient bay deposits,Willapa Bay,Washington, U.S.A.

Analysis of heavy-mineral distribution in modern sediments of Willapa Bay, Washington, indicates a dominance of two mineralogic assemblages, one with approximately equivalent amounts of hornblende, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, the other dominated by clinopyroxene. The hornblende-orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene suite is derived from the Columbia River, which discharges into the ocean a short distance south of the bay. The clinopyroxene suite is restricted in modern sediments to sands in rivers flowing into the bay from the east. The heavy-mineral distributions suggest that sand discharged from the Columbia River, borne north by longshore transport, and carried into the bay by tidal currents accounts for most of the sand within the interior of Willapa Bay.Three heavy-mineral assemblages are present in the surrounding Pleistocene deposits; two of these are identical to the modern assemblages described above. These heavy-mineral assemblages reflect the relative influence of tidal and fluvial processes on the Late Pleistocene deposits; their relative influences are consistent with those inferred on the basis of sedimentary structures and stratigraphic relations in about two-thirds of the samples examined. The anomalies can be explained by recycling of sand from older deposits. The persistence of the two heavy-mineral assemblages suggests that the pattern of estuarine sedimentation in Late Pleistocene deposits closely resembled that of the modern bay.The third heavy-mineral suite, dominated by epidote, occurs in a few older Pleistocene units. On the north side of the bay, the association of this suite with southwest-directed foresets in crossbedded gravel indicates derivation from the northeast, perhaps from an area of glacial outwash. The presence of this suite in ancient estuarine sands exposed on the east side of the bay suggests that input from this northerly source may have intermittently dominated bay deposition in the past.     

Anatomy of a transgressive lag: Panther Tongue Sandstone, Star Point Formation, central Utah

Abstract The Panther Tongue of the Star Point Formation in central Utah contains a variety of transgressive lag deposits that, when mapped regionally, show a sensitive dependence upon pre‐existing topography of the palaeoshoreline. The Panther Tongue consists of a coarsening‐upward sandstone wedge that prograded into the Western Interior Seaway during Late Cretaceous (Santonian) time. High‐resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis revealed that this member was deposited during the long‐distance (>50 km) regression and transgression of a delta into shallow‐marine environments, containing basal highstand, forced regression, lowstand and transgressive systems tracts. Based on grain size, clast composition, lateral extent and stratigraphic position, the coarse sandstones on top of the Panther Tongue were classified into four types: (1) simple; (2) dispersed; (3) oxidized; and (4) local lags. The simple lag is composed of dark grey coarse sandstone with oyster fragments and shark teeth. This lag is typically extensively bioturbated and massive. Laminated and cross‐bedded units are also common. This type of coarse sandstone is interpreted as a typical transgressive lag. The dispersed lag differs in that it contains abundant mud and commonly occurs as multiple beds in thick intervals of muddy sandstone. Mixing of bay/estuarine and shallow ‐ marine mud with simple lag sand may be responsible for deposition of this type of coarse sandstone. The oxidized lag is distinctive in its reddish colour with extensive bioturbation and is commonly overlain by a simple lag. The local lag is composed of thin‐bedded, dark grey, coarse sandstone, occurring locally between the mouth bar and distributary channel. The variation in types, grain size and bed thickness of the coarse‐grained lags was mainly controlled by antecedent topography as suggested by immediately underlying lithofacies. Relatively thick (≈30 cm) simple lags are present on top of mouth‐bar sandstones, whereas dispersed lags are common on top of the distributary channel sandstone and in bay/estuarine and shallow‐marine mudstones. Erosion of topographic highs (mouth bar) resulted in relatively thick accumulation of simple lags. In topographic low areas such as distributary channel, estuary, bay and shallow‐marine environments, fine‐grained muddy sands that were eroded from the nearby topographic highs were redeposited. Intermittent storm waves transported coarse sands both landward and seaward, forming a dispersed lag. The net effect was reworking of local topographic relief during overall transgression, forming an apparently planar transgressive surface of erosion.     

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Benthic Oxygen Demand and Nutrient Regeneration in an Anthropogenically Impacted New England Estuary

Strong benthic–pelagic coupling is an important characteristic of shallow coastal marine ecosystems. Building upon a rich history of benthic metabolism data, we measured oxygen uptake and nutrient fluxes across the sediment–water interface along a gradient of water column primary production in Narragansett Bay, RI (USA). Despite the strong gradients seen in water column production, sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and benthic nutrient fluxes did not exhibit a clear spatial pattern. Some of our sites had been studied in the 1970s and 1980s and thus allowed historical comparison. At these sites, we found that SOD and benthic fluxes have not changed uniformly throughout Narragansett Bay. In the uppermost portion of the bay, the Providence River Estuary, we observed a significant decrease in dissolved inorganic phosphorus fluxes which we attribute to management interventions. At another upper bay site, we observed significant declines in SOD and dissolved inorganic nitrogen fluxes which may be linked to climate-induced decreases in water column primary production and shifts in bloom phenology. In the 1970s, benthic nutrient regeneration supplied 50% to over 200% of the N and P needed to support primary production by phytoplankton. Summer nutrient regeneration in the Providence River Estuary and Upper bay now may only supply some 5–30% of the N and 3–20% of the P phytoplankton demand.     

Soil–geomorphology interactions and paleoclimatic implications of an ornithogenic soil toposequence on Rata Island,Fernando de Noronha Archipelago,South Atlantic

The formation of highly phosphatized soils on sites of avian activity is a common feature of oceanic islands. We characterized a toposequence of phosphatic soils on Rata Island, to evaluate the soil genesis based on local topographic variations. For this purpose, four soils ranging from the upper hill down to the lowest landscape position on the island, representing a range of parent materials (basalt and calcareous sands), were analyzed. In the lowest landscape position a shallow Regosol was identified, strongly influenced by birds and marine sprays, developed on “karstified” Pleistocene calcarenites; the three other soils in the upper part of the toposequence are Ornithogenic Cambisols, ranging from a deep Cambisol profile on Basalt lava to intermediate Cambisols on mixed colluvial sediments of the basalt/calcareous. The lowermost Regosol is associated with a rugged landscape with strong calcarenite dissolution and karstification. The soil phosphatization is clearly an inherited process of the Late Quaternary age, when climate conditions were different. Initial weathering took place in the last interglacial period, under wetter conditions during which the Tertiary basalts were strongly weathered, leaving corestones in a saprolitic, oxidized mass. In the late Pleistocene, a gentle surface distributed these weathering products along the pediment slopes as colluvial materials, whereas in the coastal areas aeolian processes formed large sand dunes composed of reworked calcareous sands from marine sources during a time of very low sea level. During this time, widespread bird activity accounted for secondary apatite formation on the surface of calcareous oolites. Finally, the Holocene warming was accompanied by increasing sea level, enhanced tropical weathering, Fe and Al mobility and variscite formation superimposed on degraded Ca-phosphates, forming two phase phosphatic aggregates.     

Palaeoecological,archaeological and historical data and the making of Devon landscapes. I. The Blackdown Hills

This paper presents the first systematic study of the vegetation history of a range of low hills in SW England, UK, lying between more researched fenlands and uplands. After the palaeoecological sites were located bespoke archaeological, historical and documentary studies of the surrounding landscape were undertaken specifically to inform palynological interpretation at each site. The region has a distinctive archaeology with late Mesolithic tool scatters, some evidence of early Neolithic agriculture, many Bronze Age funerary monuments and Romano‐British iron‐working. Historical studies have suggested that the present landscape pattern is largely early Medieval. However, the pollen evidence suggests a significantly different Holocene vegetation history in comparison with other areas in lowland England, with evidence of incomplete forest clearance in later‐Prehistory (Bronze?Iron Age). Woodland persistence on steep, but poorly drained, slopes, was probably due to the unsuitability of these areas for mixed farming. Instead they may have been under woodland management (e.g. coppicing) associated with the iron‐working industry. Data from two of the sites also suggest that later Iron Age and Romano‐British impact may have been geographically restricted. The documented Medieval land management that maintained the patchwork of small fields, woods and heathlands had its origins in later Prehistory, but there is also evidence of landscape change in the 6th–9th centuries AD. We conclude that the Blackdown Hills area was one of many ‘distinctive subregions’, which due to a combination of edaphic, topographic and cultural factors could qualify as an eco‐cultural region or ‘pays’. It is argued that the use of such eco‐culturally distinctive regions or pays can provide a spatial and archaeological framework for palaeoecology, which has implications for landscape research, designation and heritage management.     

晚更新世以来台湾浅滩西部地层结构与古环境演化

根据对台湾浅滩西部地质浅钻的沉积相、粒度和AMS 14C年代分析及高分辨率浅地层剖面解释,本文研究了浅滩大型沙波区的地层结构与沉积环境演化.台湾浅滩西部保存了三期海相层和两期陆相层.下部的海相层(DU6)可能形成于氧同位素5.1期,以潮间带—潮下带浅海沉积为主;中间的海相层(DU4)可能形成于氧同位素3期,以滨岸—潮间带沉积为主;上部的海相层(DU2和DU1)为形成于末次冰消期以来的海侵砂和潮流砂.两期陆相层(DU5和DU3)为沟谷充填沉积,可能形成于氧同位素4和2期.冰后期海侵过程形成的中粗砂层构成了沙波的基底部分(DU2).沙波的主体部分(DU1)形成于全新世高海平面以来,主要由中粗砂和含砾中粗砂组成.沙波的粒度频率分布曲线主要众数组分-1~3 Φ,形态尖陡;概率累积曲线多为两段式,跃移组分含量高于80%,悬移组分不足20%,滚动组分缺失或很少.潮流砂(DU1)的平均粒径与分选系数呈良好的正相关,反映潮流的淘洗作用越强,沉积物粒径越粗、分选越好.     

Micromorphology reveals in situ Mesolithic living floors and archaeological features in multiphase sites in central Sudan

In the Khartoum region of central Sudan, Mesolithic sites were established on sandy ridges distributed along the Nile. Most of the excavations carried out in recent decades have revealed limited preserved archaeological structures or layers corresponding to subsequent phases of human presence due to the disturbance of the deposits. Post‐depositional processes affecting Mesolithic sites include (1) the excavation of Neolithic to Post‐Meroitic cemeteries at the same sites, (2) surface erosion, and (3) pedoturbation leading to the mixing of the stratigraphy. During a recent field operation along the western bank of the White Nile, archaeological contexts that were only partially disturbed were identified. Employing a geoarchaeological approach and the micromorphological study of sediments (supported by ¹⁴C dating), settlements were placed in their paleoenvironmental contexts and differences between in situ Mesolithic layers and those disturbed by later processes were identified. Furthermore, it was possible to interpret the functional aspects of three categories of pits containing Mesolithic pottery (fireplace pits, fireplace pits with shell accumulations, and waste pits) and to discuss their significance within the wider framework of North African archaeology. Finally, this project has demonstrated the importance of integrating the geosciences (especially micromorphology) and archaeology in the study of processes leading to the formation and preservation of open‐air prehistoric sites in arid landscapes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Washover fan and brackish bay sedimentation in the Berriasian-Valanginian of Bornholm, Denmark

ABSTRACT
The Robbedale and Jydegård Formations (Berriasian-Valanginian) of the Danish island of Bornholm represent a 100 m thick vertical sequence from shoreface, foreshore and beach sands of a high-energy coast through backbarrier flat, bay margin pond and distal washover fan sand and clay, brackish bay clay, to fluvial sands. The longevity of the backbarrier-bay system (c. 10 Myr), thickness (100 m) of the bay deposits and apparently stacked nature of the facies belts suggest a relatively stationary position of the individual subenvironments, with only minor progradation. This reflects strong tectonic control of the depositional system during an important phase of synsedimentary block faulting and wrenching along the Tornquist Zone. The importance of washover fan sands in the backbarrier deposits, and the lack of tidal indications in the whole sequence, suggest a microtidal regime. A system of migrating mud banks formed in shallow water on the landward side of the barrier. The bay waters varied from almost fresh to brackish, and anoxic conditions commonly occurred at the bottom. Adverse living conditions for most organisms in the bay caused seasonal, possibly toxic, dinoflagellate blooms resulting in mass mortality of infaunal bivalves. Bay-margin ponds underwent periodic desiccation, leading to mass mortality of freshwater gastropods. As a general scenario it is envisaged that longshore currents redistributed bedload from a major delta and formed an extensive NW-SE barrier-spit which partly enclosed a major bay to the NE. The barrier was breached during heavy storms and the sand transported along the resulting washover channels was deposited on the backbarrier flat made up of the subaerial parts of coalescent washover fans. Enormous amounts of suspension load from the delta travelled further along the barrier to be deposited in the lee-side bay.     

中国南方海相生烃成藏研究的若干新进展(三) 南方四套区域性海相烃源岩的沉积相及发育的控制因素

南方研究区下寒武统、上奥陶统—下志留统、下二叠统、上二叠统四套区域性古生代海相烃源岩可划分为7种有利沉积相:即深水泥质陆棚相、深水热水陆棚相、深水碳酸盐岩陆棚相、深水硅磷质台凹相、海湾澙湖相、近海湖盆沼泽相、前三角洲相。四套海相烃源岩的沉积—生物相图反映出这些相都不同程度与大洋相通。从早寒武世到晚二叠世,烃源岩的相类型向多样化发展。受都匀、东吴运动影响,有利相带的分布范围由大到小出现两个旋回。南方海相烃源岩的发育受板块运动、板内活动、三大古隆起、四个转换期、沉积—生物相等五个因素的控制。南方海相优质烃源岩的形成模式可概括为深水陆棚—底栖藻席模式,其特点是底栖藻类发育,沉积表面氧化而埋藏环境还原,并以此区别于已有的三种形成模式。研究区北面的秦岭洋,南面的华南洋(Pz1)、八布洋(Pz2)伸入扬子克拉通内部形成的不同时期"海湾体系",是海相烃源岩发育的摇篮,可作为南方海相油气勘探的一个重要领域。     

Mesolithic agriculture in Switzerland? A critical review of the evidence

Accumulating palaeobotanical evidence points to agricultural activity in Central Europe well before the onset of the Neolithic, commonly dated at ca 5500–5200 cal BC. We reinvestigated an existing pollen profile from Soppensee with refined taxonomical resolution by further subdividing the Cerealia pollen type into Triticum t. and Avena t. because the sediments at this site currently provide the highest temporal resolution and precision for the period of interest among all sites in Switzerland. Our new results are in agreement with previous high-resolution investigations from Switzerland showing scattered but consistent presence of pollen of Cerealia, Plantago lanceolata, and other cultural plants or weeds during the late Mesolithic period (6700–5500 cal BC). Chronologically, this palynological evidence for sporadic agricultural activities coincides with a major break in material culture at ca 6700 cal BC (i.e. the transition from early to late Mesolithic). Here, we review possible arguments against palaeobotanical evidences of Mesolithic agriculture (e.g. chronological uncertainties, misidentification, contamination, long-distance transport) and conclude that none of these can explain the consistent pollen pattern observed at several sites. The palynological evidence can, of course, not prove the existence of pre-ceramic agriculture in Central Europe. However, it is so coherent that this topic should be addressed by systematic archaeobotanical analyses in future archaeological studies. If our interpretation should turn out to be true, our conclusions would have fundamental implications for the Neolithic history of Europe. Currently, it is intensely debated whether Central European agriculture developed locally under the influence of incoming ideas from areas where Neolithic farming had already developed earlier (e.g. southeastern Europe) or whether it was introduced by immigrating farmers. On the basis of our results, we suggest that agriculture developed locally throughout the late Mesolithic and Neolithic. Mesolithic trading networks connecting Southern and Central Europe also support the hypothesis of a slow and gradual change towards sessile agriculture, probably as a result of incoming ideas and regional cultural transformation.     

A coastal reservoir of terrestrial resources for neanderthal populations in north‐eastern Iberia: palaeoenvironmental data inferred from the small‐vertebrate assemblage of Cova del Gegant,Sitges, Barcelona

Coastal areas as reservoirs of resources for hominid groups have been widely studied in recent years. These areas combine marine with terrestrial and wetland resources and would have been optimum sites for hominids, including Neanderthals. This is the case with the Cova del Gegant, a cave that today opens directly onto the Mediterranean Sea and is located in the north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula. The geomorphological evolution of the Massis del Garraf has provided evidence that during the late Pleistocene there was a littoral platform between 8 and 13 km wide in front of the Cova del Gegant. Within this framework, the data derived from analysis of the small vertebrates and large mammals recovered from Cova del Gegant, including taxa currently absent from the Massis del Garraf, suggest that the landscape surrounding the cave provided a richer terrestrial ecosystem for Neanderthals than is available in this zone today. Analysis of the small‐vertebrate association from the cave reveals that the landscape surrounding the cave was dominated by woodland‐edge and open environments and that the climate was Mediterranean. The results have been compared with the only Iberian site with similar characteristics to the Cova del Gegant, Gorham's cave (southern Iberia, Gibraltar), revealing differences and similarities in the landscape and climate on the basis of the small‐mammal assemblages as well as the differences in the accessibility to terrestrial mammalian resources for the Neanderthal groups. The landscape and the climate were reasonably similar at the two sites, but the differences in the accessibility of resources for the Neanderthals are directly related to the location of the sites and the coastal position. Whereas the Cova del Gegant was on a route of mammal migration (between the Ebro Valley and France) suited for securing terrestrial resources, Gorham's cave is located on a small peninsula with a lower abundance of terrestrial mammal resources. This is probably why the Neanderthal groups at Gorham's cave exploited marine resources, whereas there is no evidence of marine resources having been exploited at Cova del Gegant, even though the seashore was nearby. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facies architecture of asymmetrical branching distributary channels: Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone,Utah, USA

Distributary channel systems are an important component of deltaic systems, but details of their branching pattern, stream‐order, internal variability and relation with adjacent levée, bay and bayhead delta are rather poorly documented in ancient examples. Photomosaic and measured sections collected along a gooseneck‐shaped canyon in southern Utah allow direct mapping of the branching pattern of an ancient distributary system. The main channel belt is ca 250 m wide and narrows to ca 200 m downstream of the branching point. A subordinate channel belt, ca 80 m wide, branches off of the main channel, forming a distinctly asymmetrical branching pattern. Water discharge in the main channel is estimated to be 85 to 170 m³ sec^?1. Comparison with palaeodischarge estimates of trunk rivers mapped in previous studies suggests that the branching documented in this study probably is a fourth‐order split. The distributary channels are characterized by a U‐shaped geometry filled with medium‐grained, cross‐bedded sandstone, and are dominated by lateral accretion, suggesting limited lateral migration and moderate sinuosity. Tidally influenced facies and limited trace fossils indicate direct marine influence. The distributary channels erode into adjacent levée and underlying heterolithic bay‐fill deposits, and the marine influence suggests that they were deposited on a lower delta plain, rather than on a non‐marine floodplain. The subordinate channel fed a bayhead delta, suggesting that it was formed by a partial avulsion, rather than bifurcation around a mouth bar, as is more characteristic of terminal distributary channels. Channel‐floor drapes, bar‐accretion drapes and abandoned channel fills within the sandstone channel belts represent the most important heterogeneity from the perspective of reservoir characterization.     

Signification des sables tertiaires de l’Ardenne méridionale : du nouveau sur la capturede la Meuse lorraine

The study of the often polygenic Tertiary sands of southern Ardennes allows the local evolution of the drainage pattern during the Paleogene and the Neogene to be traced. The history of these sands starts with a strong Eocene weathering and the formation of a deep ferruginized quartzose saprolite. Some fossilized outcrops remain unchanged: the outcrop of Régniowez is interpreted as a thick colluvium on which a ferruginous pedogenesis took place during the Eocene, resulting in an allothigenous cuirasse protecting the sands from erosion. Others undergo a complex evolution: the outcrop of Doische represents the rehandling of the same kind of Eocene sands, first in a marine Oligocene environment, then by continental Miocene streams. In that case, nevertheless, the heavy minerals assemblage shows the link with the almost in situ sands such as those of Régniowez, and therefore the local origin of the material. The lack of allogenic heavy minerals (characteristic of the Meuse lorraine) in the fluvial sands of the Ardennes plateau prior to the Traînée mosane (attributed to the Middle Miocene) confirms the Miocene capture of the Meuse lorraine, flowing westward so far, between the Paleozoic basement and the Sormonne valley, as assumed by Pissart in the early sixties. On the other hand, as the topographic glacis between the Ardennes and the Paris Basin was still active during the Stampian, the drainage pattern of the Meuse lorraine before the capture is post-Oligocene.     

Holocene Paleo‐Geographic Reconstructions of the Ramore Head Area,Northern Ireland,Using Geophysical and Geotechnical Data: Paleo‐Landscape Mapping and Archaeological Implications

We present early to Mid‐Holocene paleo‐geographic reconstructions for the Ramore Head area (Northern Ireland). This coastal area is characterized by Mesolithic occupation (c. 10–6 ka) and preserved early–Mid‐Holocene peats both on‐ and offshore. This paper improves on previous reconstructions by employing a backstripping methodology, which removes accumulated recent deposits from identified buried paleo‐landsurfaces instead of using modern topography as an analogue to the past landscape. Paleo‐landsurfaces are identified offshore from seismic profiles supplemented by cores, and onshore through legacy borehole records. The paleo‐landsurface can be traced offshore to depths of −2 to −19 m and is buried by <5 m of modern sediment. It extends onshore under the coastal town of Portrush and is buried <2.5–10 m below modern ground level. The identified paleo‐landsurface is combined with sea‐level curves from recent Glacio‐Isostatic‐Adjustment models to reconstruct marine transgression during the early–Mid‐Holocene. Comparison is also made with reconstructions based on modern topography. Together, the identified paleo‐landsurfaces and revised reconstructions can assist future site prospection on‐ and offshore and delimit high‐potential areas for heritage management. Revised reconstructions also allow placement of extant archaeology into a more accurate context of landscape change and help develop insights into local‐scale site location patterns.     

The Late-Devensian proglacial Lake Humber: new evidence from littoral deposits at Ferrybridge, Yorkshire, England

Proglacial Lake Humber is of UK national significance in terms of landscape drainage and development of the British Ice Sheet (BIS) during Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2), yet it is poorly understood in terms of its dynamics and timing. Sands and gravels exposed at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire, UK, are interpreted as part of the Upper Littoral sands and gravels related to a high-level Lake Humber, which inundated the Humber Basin to ∼30 m OD during MIS 2. Excavations exposed well-rounded gravels of local origin extending downslope from the 27.5 m OD contour and interbedded sands and fine gravels, which are interpreted as the coarse littoral deposits and nearshore associated deposits. A sample from the distal sands returned an Optically Stimulated Luminescence age of 16.6±1.2 kyr, providing the first direct age for the high-level lake and for when North Sea Basin ice must have blocked the Humber Gap. An underlying sequence included a diamicton dated to after 23.3 ±1.5 kyr and before 20.5±1.2 kyr, indicating that the Late Devensian ice reached at least 15 km south of the Escrick Moraine prior to the high-level lake. Previous to both the high-level lake and this ice advance, loess found at the two sites investigated indicates a long period of loess deposition earlier in MIS 2. These new data for the history of Lake Humber are discussed in the context of ice-marginal oscillations in both the Vale of York and the North Sea Basin.