Morphological evolution of gold nuggets in proximal sedimentary environments,southern New Zealand

A rare collection of centimetre-scale proximal gold nuggets has been examined in the context of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene eluvial and colluvial sediments in which they occur, in a range of environments from arid temperate to periglacial. Liberation of supergene nuggets from their basement source in fault zones occurred progressively by physical erosion as the host basement rocks were uplifted between middle Miocene and Holocene. The host sediments are made up of poorly sorted angular greenschist facies schist debris. Some nuggets were recycled through several generations of these colluvial deposits, and additional nuggets were liberated to younger sediments during this time. The nuggets did not migrate laterally more than a few tens of metres during this repeated recycling, and were passively elevated vertically with the rising basement on to the crest and slopes of a 1600 m high mountain range. The most recently liberated nuggets retain almost all the morphological features of their supergene origin, including coarse (cm scale) crystal shapes, delicate crystalline internal structure, and imprints of oxidised pyrite crystals. Minor transport in colluvium has caused some abrasion and rounding of gold crystals. Repeated recycling progressively obscured the crystal shapes, although relict crystals are still recognisable on parts of most nuggets. Differential timing of liberation from basement has resulted in a wide range of rounding effects in groups of closely-coexisting nuggets. Variably crystalline gold overgrowths (micron scale) coat abraded surfaces of all or part of most nuggets, commonly intergrown with authigenic smectite clay minerals. These overgrowths developed from alkaline groundwater (pH 7–9) that had undergone extensive chemical interaction with labile minerals in the host colluvium. Abrasion during recycling removed some of the overgrowths, but this was replaced in the new sedimentary hosts. Physical and chemical processes affecting nuggets in these sediments have similarly affected eluvial and colluvial nuggets in a wide range of settings around the world, including Yukon (Canada), California (USA) and arid parts of Australia.     

Hillslope processes and archaeology in Wadi Ziqlab,Jordan

Record levels of precipitation during February 1992 generated 290 earth flows and earth slumps in Wadi Ziqlab, Jordan. Geomorphologic and sedimentological characteristics of these landslides and older colluvial deposits were used to identify the dominant mass-wasting processes active in the wadi. Earth flows in 1992 left long linear scars on the steep hillsides and deposited thin, fine and coarse-grained, sheets on the well-developed colluvial slopes below. Older colluvial deposits exposed along the wadi bottom are crudely stratified, heavily bioturbated, and contain paleosols, suggesting colluviation was episodic and occurred through a slow accumulation of successive earth flows. Earth slumps in 1992 produced crescentic scarps, flat benches, and thick colluvial masses; similar features preserved on the wadi slopes were formed by the same process at an earlier time. Annual slope wash does not appear important on the steep, heavily landslide-scarred, slopes. The uneven distribution and episodic occurrence of earth flows and earth slumps in Wadi Ziqlab have resulted in highly variable burial depths of archaeological material, as illustrated in one locality where Roman artifacts are buried over 1 m deeper than a Neolithic site only 200 m away. The ability of earth flows to transport artifacts great distances has given rise to inverted stratigraphy on colluvial slopes and has produced large artifact scatters located beyond the margins of the colluvial slopes. These complex postoccupation disturbances and prehistoric land-use practices would have been difficult to interpret without a full understanding of the hillslope processes active in Wadi Ziqlab and the landscape features they have produced. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Geomorphological-sedimentological studies of landform types and modern placer deposits in the savanna (Southern Malawi)

Semi-arid climatic conditions were responsible for the evolution of the vast savanna that stretches across central Africa and for the evolution of placers in this area that carry gemstones, rare earth element minerals and zircon- and titanium-bearing minerals. In combination with a polystage peneplanation, chemical weathering contributed to the emplacement of four different types of placer deposits during the Cenozoic in Malawi. Eight landform types have been defined by their geomorphological form, geometry, grain size parameters, stratification, fabric and rock contacts. Each type describes the landscape of the savanna and can be related to the emplacement of placer types within this morphoclimatic zone. Residual to eluvial placers, represented geomorphologically by landform type V, came into existence under strong chemical weathering during a period of alternating peneplanation and valley incision into soil and saprolite. Gentle valley-side slopes or elongated interfluves have a low gradient favorable for the formation and preservation of eluvial to colluvial placers (landform type Ic). Fluvial placers become economic only on outwash plains of tributaries near the confluence with their trunk rivers, beyond the point of inflection (landform types III, II). In the lower reaches of fluvial drainage systems around shallow lakes, fluvio-deltaic placers evolved during periods of rapid uplift and regression of the lake (landform type IV). Other landform types established throughout this study are cast in the role of ‘ore guides’ or, alternatively, have a negative impact on the likelihood of placer formation. The key associations of landforms discussed in this paper may be used as a geomorphological-sedimentological tool in search of modern continental placer deposits in areas where semi-arid climatic conditions occur(red) during the Cenozoic.     

Colluvial sedimentation in a hyperarid setting (Atacama Desert,northern Chile): Geomorphic controls and stratigraphic facies variability

Research on colluvial depositional systems has recently emphasized periglacial and high‐altitude settings, and the relations between Quaternary slope stratigraphy and climate change. This article examines the role of variable slope morphology, surface hydrology and microclimate in controlling colluvial sedimentation along a coastal tract of the hyperarid Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Direct accessibility of active surfaces is accompanied by uninterrupted stratigraphic exposures along the base of slopes, allowing direct comparisons between surface processes and the resulting sedimentary record. Four slope sectors are identified, based on differences in morphology and processes over active surfaces. Colluvial sedimentation is controlled by complex interactions of slope gradients and profiles, exposure to dominant winds, and potential runoff pathways, which vary considerably between different sectors. Major differences are evident between these hyperarid deposits and slope sedimentation in periglacial and temperate settings, including the complete absence of pedogenic activity and clay minerals; the volume of aeolian deposits and their role in controlling processes which redistribute sediment downslope, extending colluvial aprons; and the occurrence of runoff processes only where favoured by particular topographic configurations. Depositional surfaces range from steep talus cones, to debris‐flow‐dominated and aeolian‐dominated colluvial aprons, to an aeolian ramp subject to reworking by mass flows and flash floods. Consequently, facies associations and architectures at outcrop are highly variable and highlight the importance of spatial variations in slope morphology and processes in producing distinct, coeval colluvial stratigraphies within a single environmental context. Discrepancies between active processes and the corresponding stratigraphic signatures are also evident in some sectors; for example, preservation of alluvial and aeolian facies in stratigraphic sections does not always reflect the dominant processes over active slopes. Together with the spatial variability in processes and deposits along these slopes, this suggests that caution is required when extracting palaeoenvironmental information from analyses of colluvial successions.     

鄂西北山区降雨型边坡失稳模式和评价方法

2003年6月的一次连续降雨诱发了鄂西北山区郧漫公路沿线多处边坡失稳。根据边坡岩土体的组成和结构特征,总结出了5种典型的暴雨型边坡失稳模式:浅层堆积体滑移、含软弱面顺层滑移、切层边坡水压劈裂破坏、碎裂岩似弧形追踪破坏和块裂岩楔体滑移。根据边坡破坏特点和降雨作用形式提出了相应的评价方法,认为浅层堆积体在暴雨下含水量,即85%~100%液限含水量时易发生滑移,通过平面无限斜坡评价法计算边坡稳定性;含软弱面顺层边坡及块裂楔形体均为剪切滑移失稳,采用简化的刚体极限平衡法计算其稳定性;切层边坡中陡倾裂缝经历了卸荷张开－水压开裂－贯通破坏的过程,通过Ⅰ型裂缝扩展判据评价边坡稳定性;碎裂岩边坡发生类似弧形滑移的追踪破坏,采用连续介质圆弧法计算边坡稳定性。     

坡积松散体稳定性模型试验研究

云南西北部三江源高海拔、高深切地区,坡积松散体稳定性是公路边坡面临的主要问题之一,模型试验是研究松散体稳定性各影响因素最有效的手段。根据相似原理,设计模型试验的主要几何相似常数,采用一系列手段改造模型试验材料,使其达到材料强度、重度相似。一系列模型破坏条件真实再现现场坡积松散体的滑坡条件,试验结果分析对相关设计、施工和科研人员有较好的借鉴作用。模型试验材料从松散状态到较密实状态,开始破坏的自然坡角提高42%～100%,c值提高约50%～120%, 值提高约6%～8%,密实状态提高,坡体的强度提高,相应坡体的稳定性提高,起始破坏的自然坡角也显著提高;降雨使坡体含水率提高近饱和时,充分软化的c值下降约70%, 值下降约7%,表明雨水下渗软化是导致坡积松散体产生滑动的最根本、最直接的因素。模拟降雨的土体强度变化过程对松散体边坡稳定性研究有较好的参考价值。     

西藏樟木口岸古滑坡变形监测分析

樟木口岸古滑坡位于喜马拉雅山脉南麓,地形陡峻,构造运动强烈,地震活动频繁,雨量丰沛,基底为前震旦系达莱玛桥组黑云斜长片麻岩、片岩,上覆第四系残坡积、崩坡积物。本文采取地表裂缝监测、地表位移监测和深部位移监测3种方法,对古滑坡的变形特征与规律进行了较系统研究分析。监测结果表明两个古滑坡未发生变形,处于稳定状态,福利院古滑坡体中部发生复活,即消防队次级滑坡,目前该滑坡处于蠕动挤压阶段,变形呈缓慢增长趋势,降雨和人为开挖坡体是滑坡复活的诱发因素。     

Postglacial colluvium in western Norway: depositional processes, facies and palaeoclimatic record

The postglacial Quaternary colluvial systems in western Norway are arrays of steep fans, often coalescing into aprons, developed along the slopes of valley sides and fjord margins. The coarse debris, derived from weathered gneissic bedrock and its glacial-till mantle, varies from highly immature to mature. The depositional processes are mainly avalanches, ranging from rockfalls and debrisflows to snowflows, but include also waterflow and debris creep. The mechanics and sedimentary products of these processes are discussed, with special emphasis on snow avalanches, whose role as an agent of debris transport is little-known to sedimentologists. The subsequent analysis of sedimentary successions is focused on colluvial-fan deltas, which are very specific, yet little-studied, coastal depositional systems. The stratigraphic variation and depositional architecture of the colluvial facies assemblages, constrained by abundant radiometric dates, are used to decipher the signal of regional climatic changes from the sedimentary record. The stratigraphic data from two dozen local colluvial successions are compiled and further compared with other types of regional palaeoclimatic proxy record. The analysis suggests that the colluvial systems, although dependent upon local geomorphic conditions, have acted as highly sensitive recorders of regional climatic changes. The study as a whole demonstrates that colluvial depositional systems are an interesting and important frontier of clastic sedimentology.     

Geomorphology and ancient settlements of the Southern Flank of MT. Cairo,lower Liri valley,Italy

The southern flank of Mt. Cairo in southern Lazio edges a valley which forms one of the major passageways from central to southern Italy. The mountainous landscape has affected the settlement pattern, as have historical events such as the Roman conquests and recent socio-economic evolution, which has led to industrialization of a traditional pastoral- agricultural setting. The slopes of calcareous Mt. Cairo are characterized by a cascade of normal faults which delimit landscape units such as the “uplands,” “steep slopes,” and the “mountain rise,” which contains well developed alluvial and colluvial fans. Along the lower mountain slopes, Bronze and Iron Age sites are consistently located higher than Roman ones. Archaeological remains and historical documents indicate that only after the Roman conquest was the agricultural potential of the flatter lower areas fully exploited. Roman villas were characteristically placed on the upper parts of the fans, where both access to different types of land and elevation above the mists of the valley were enjoyed. The Medieval period brought a trend back to higher sites and fortified villages. The uplands remained in use through the ages.     

Pseudosecondary clastic rocks of the Dzuramtai massif (Southern Mongolia)

Specific rocks (tectonomixtites) developed in the framing of Mongolian granite massifs (Dzuramtai and some others) at the Mesozoic section bottom are studied. It is shown that the tectonomixtites are tectonic rocks rather than eluvial or sedimentary rocks, as was considered previously. They formed in the Cenozoic in the process of granite protrusion beneath a thick sedimentary cover owing to the crushing of granites and abrasion of granite fragments with the subsequent transformation of clastic rocks by groundwaters (suffosion). In this process, clastic rocks yielded fine products of the destruction of feldspars and quartz was concentrated. The rocks formed at relatively low temperatures (no more than 200–300°C) under stress strains.     

大渡河流域河谷深厚覆盖层特征与发育分布规律研究

随着近年来对西部各流域水电梯级开发的全面实施,越来越多的钻孔资料揭露我国西南地区各流域普遍存在河谷深切和深厚覆盖的特殊现象。河谷深切和深厚覆盖层的存在,不仅大大增加了西南地区各流域水电开发的难度,同时也诞生出一系列新的科学问题。本文以梯级水电站较密集、河床勘探资料相对较丰富的大渡河流域为主要研究对象,通过系统分析整理该流域河床钻探资料,对该流域河谷深厚覆盖层的分布特征、物质组成与结构特征、形成时间等进行了较为系统地分析总结,并对其形成机理提出了新的认识。研究结果表明,除局部地段受构造隆升(大岗山、下尔呷)或构造断陷(冶勒)的影响外,大渡河流域95％的河段其河谷覆盖层厚度大于30m,河谷深切和深厚覆盖具有流域性、区域性特点。河谷覆盖层是由一套不同时期、不同成因类型的沉积物相互迭置的结果,由表及里宏观上可分为3层: 表层为现代河流相堆积;  中间主要为以冰水、崩积、坡积、堰塞堆积与冲积混合为主的加积层,厚度相对较大;  底部主要为古河床的冲积、冰水漂卵砾石层。覆盖层的形成时代一般在1～3万年前,基本与地质历史上末次冰期及冰消期时间相对应。为了更好地解释河谷深切和深厚覆盖具有区域性的特点,本文提出了全球气候变化和海平面升降引起河谷深切和深厚覆盖的观点: 冰期海平面的大幅度下降会引起区域性基准面大幅下降,河流比降加大,由此引起强烈下切,形成深切河谷;  冰后期海平面大幅回升,区域性基准面将大幅抬升,河流纵比降减小,水流的携砂能力减弱,冰期河谷深切所形成的固体物质开始大量沉积,并由此形成深厚覆盖层。     

A re-examination of the mechanism and human impact of catastrophic mass flows originating on Nevado Huascarán, Cordillera Blanca, Peru in 1962 and 1970

The 1962 and 1970 Huascarán mass movements, originated as rock/ice falls from the mountain's North Peak, transformed into higher-volume high-velocity mud-rich debris flows by incorporation of snow from the surface of a glacier below Huascarán and the substantial entrainment of morainic and colluvial material from slopes below the glacier terminus. Water for fluidization of the entrained material originated in the melting of incorporated snow and the liberation of soil moisture contained within the entrained materials. Eyewitness reports indicate very high mean velocities for the events; 17–35 m/s (1962) and 50–85 m/s (1970). The runout distances and velocity profiles of both events were simulated using DAN/W. Both mass movements continued downstream in the Rio Santa as debris floods (aluviones) that in 1970 reached the Pacific at a distance of 180 km. In strong contrast to publications in the geosciences literature, 1961 Peru Census data indicates that the death toll of the 1970 event is ca. 6000 and that total life loss in the two events did not exceed 7000 people.     

A large-scale colluvial landslide caused by multiple factors: mechanism analysis and phased stabilization

A case study of a large-scale colluvial landslide is described in this paper. This instability initiated in December 2003 in the Southwestern region of China and affected construction schedule and safety of Xiaowan project, which was the first large dam in Lantsang River. Geological investigation and deformation monitoring were carried out with severe safety and stabilization design. As it was impossible to reach the control level of FOS (factor of safety) under long-term condition before rainy seasons, the stabilization works of the colluvial slope were designed by a “phased hazard mitigation” method to satisfy the safety requirement in rainy seasons. LEM (limit equilibrium method) was used for determination of the shear strength parameters of the sliding zone and instability mechanism analysis. The study found that the whole colluvial slope included three potential sliding masses, and the instability appeared to be a progressive retrogressive-type of slope movements. Inappropriate cutting, rainfall, and blasting were found to be the main causes of the colluvial instability. On the basis of the potential hazards and the importance of the project, the control level of FOS, design cases, and corresponding calculated conditions for design analysis were defined in each stabilization phase. The stabilization works were designed by using LEM. The performance of the engineered slope after additional reinforcement was assessed based on the monitoring data.     

风化淋滤带地质新理论-CaCO3淀积深度理论

根据黄土高原第四纪古土壤和风化带的广泛调查,发现了CaCO₃ 等化学成分的不连续淀积、厚层及多层淀积等特殊地质现象,结合CaCO₃ 含量分析与入渗实验资料,建立了风化淋滤带CaCO₃ 淀积深度新理论。该理论表明,CaCO₃ 迁移到淀积深度所需时间很短,可以忽略时间因素对它的影响,能够作为研究风化淋滤带的许多地质问题的较可靠依据。当CaCO₃ 淀积深度小于古土壤发育带厚度时,可确定土壤已向风化壳转变 当Ca CO₃ 淀积深度大于古土壤层厚度时,可确定土壤为淋溶型、中酸性土壤 当同一风化剖面中或同一层古土壤下部出现两层、三层或厚度异常大的CaCO₃ 淀积层时,指示当时出现了两个或两个以上成壤期和相应的气候变化。     

NEW DATA ON THE LOESS ROCKS OF CHINA

Loess and similar rocks of China occur in five distinct environments: 1) on the slopes of high and moderately high mountains, 2) in belts of weathered talus and coarse residual deposits in foothills, 3) on floors of intermontane basins, 4) in thick deposits on high plateaus, and 5) on valley terraces. Loess rocks are found in the following types of deposits: primary loess, weathered slump and talus, stream alluvium, and coarse eluvial deposits. Engineering characteristics of the loess differ depending on environment and type of deposit. Specific gravity ranges from 1. 0 to 1. 5, porosity is generally high but decreases at depth, permeability ranges widely, compaction capacity is greater in loesses of lower specific gravity. — M. Russell     

Rotational–translational mechanism for the upper bound stability analysis of slopes with weak interlayer

The presence of a weak interlayer has usually an adverse effect on the slope stability. However, the rotational failure mechanism in the conventional upper bound limit analysis cannot rationally describe the sliding of the failure mass along the weak interlayer. Therefore, a new failure mechanism was proposed in this study to evaluate the stability of slopes with weak interlayers using the upper bound limit analysis and the associated factor of safety was determined by the shear strength reduction technique. The new failure mechanism is comprised of rigid blocks undergoing rotational or translational movements, instead of the rotational movement in the conventional failure mechanism. It has also been extended to the stability analysis of slopes in presence of stabilizing piles and pore water pressures. Case studies were carried out on actual slopes with weak interlayers. The proposed rotational–translational failure mechanism was verified by the shear strength reduction finite element method (SSRFEM). Comparisons demonstrate the reliability of limit analysis method with the proposed rotational–translational failure mechanism for slopes with weak interlayers and therefore it can be used as a simple evaluation method for the engineering design.     

Mass movement-induced fold-and-thrust belt structures in unconsolidated sediments in Lake Lucerne (Switzerland)

High-resolution seismic imaging and piston coring in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, have revealed surprising deformation structures in flat-lying, unconsolidated sediment at the foot of subaqueous slopes. These deformation structures appear beneath wedges of massflow deposits and resemble fold-and-thrust belts with basal décollement surfaces. The deformation is interpreted as the result of gravity spreading induced by loading of the slope-adjacent lake floor during massflow deposition. This study investigated four earthquake-triggered lateral mass-movement deposits in Lake Lucerne affecting four sections of the lake floor with areas ranging from 0·25 to 6·5 km² in area. Up to 6 m thick sediment packages draping the subaqueous slopes slid along the acoustic basement. The resulting failure scars typically lie in water depths of >30 m on slopes characterized by downward steepening and inclinations of >10°. From the base-of-slope to several hundred metres out onto the flat plains, the wedges of massflow deposits overlie deeply (10–20 m) deformed basin-plain sediment characterized by soft sediment fold-and-thrust belts with arcuate strikes and pronounced frontal thrusts. The intensity of deformation decreases towards the more external parts of the massflow wedges. Beyond the frontal thrust, the overridden lake floor remains mostly undisturbed. Geometrical relationships between massflow deposits and the deformed basin-plain sediment indicate that deformation occurred mainly during massflow deposition. Gravity spreading induced by the successive collapse of the growing slope-adjacent massflow wedge is proposed as the driving mechanism for the deformation. The geometry of fjord-type lakes with sharp lower slope breaks favours the deposition of thick, basin-marginal massflow wedges, that effectively load and deform the underlying sediment. In the centre of the basins, the two largest massflow deposits described are directly overlain by thick contained (mega-)turbidites, interpreted as combined products of the suspension clouds set up by subaqueous mass movements and related tsunami and seiche waves.     

Holocene colluvial (debris‐flow and water‐flow) processes in eastern Norway: stratigraphy,chronology and palaeoenvironmental implications

Very little is known about the temporal pattern and the palaeoenvironmental implications of Holocene colluvial processes (debris‐flow and water‐flow processes) in eastern Norway. In this study, well‐dated sedimentary successions from 19 deep excavations are used to reconstruct Holocene colluvial activity in upper Gudbrandsdalen, eastern Norway. Following deglaciation, debris‐flow and water‐flow events have been common in upper Gudbrandsdalen throughout the Holocene, with 62% of the recognised debris‐flow and water‐flow units deposited prior to 5000 cal. yr BP. Relatively high colluvial activity is recorded at ca. 8600–7400, 2400–1900 and 800–400 cal. yr BP, with a conspicuous peak at ca. 8500–8100. Periods of relatively low colluvial activity are recorded at ca. 7100–6500, 5900–5300 and 3500–2500 cal. yr BP. Two different weather situations, unusually heavy rains and warm periods during the snowmelt season, are responsible for triggering colluvial processes in this area. These different weather situations may in turn be related to different climatic conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological triggering conditions of landslides in varved clays in the French Alps

In this paper the meteorological and hydrological conditions are analyzed which trigger shallow and deeper landslides in glacio-lacustrine deposits (varved or laminated clays) in the French Alps. The hydrological system of these landslides consists of a colluvial cover which supplies water into the fissures of the underlying varved clays. From these fissures water can infiltrate more or less horizontally into the silt layers of the varved clays. A combined reservoirs model was used to simulate the water fluctuations in the colluvial cover and the fissures. Both the water level in the fissures and the residence time of water in the fissures are mainly controlled by the amount of water storage in the colluvial cover. Simulations over the last 25 years show that almost each year the fissures are completely filled with water for several months a year.

Infiltration experiments in the field show that infiltration into the varved clays occurs mainly by horizontal infiltration into the silt laminae. Calculated infiltration rates from these fissures into the silt layers show that the mean yearly residence time of water in the fissures is not sufficient to fully saturate the clay mass each year. It is therefore concluded that the triggering of the landslide movements is mainly controlled by the development of positive pore water pressures in the fissure system and that the rise of pore water pressures induced by the matrix system of the varved clays only plays a minor role. The calculations also show that drainage of the colluvial cover is a very efficient measure to stabilize the deeper landslides.     

A numerical procedure for predicting rainfall‐induced movements of active landslides along pre‐existing slip surfaces

A numerical model to predict landslide movements along pre‐existing slip surfaces from rainfall data is presented. The model comprises: a transient seepage finite‐element analysis to compute the variations of pore water pressures due to rainfall; a limit equilibrium stability analysis to compute the factors of safety along the slip surface associated with transient pore pressure conditions; an empirical relationship between the factor of safety and the rate of displacement of the slide along the slip surface; an optimization algorithm for the calibration of analyses and relationships based on available monitoring data. The model is validated with reference to a well‐monitored active slide in central Italy, characterized by very slow movements occurring within a narrow band of weathered bedrock overlaid by a clayey silt colluvial cover. The model is conveniently divided and presented in two parts: a groundwater model and a kinematic model. In the first part, monthly recorded rainfall data are used as time‐dependent flow boundary conditions of the transient seepage analysis, while piezometric levels are used to calibrate the analysis by minimizing the errors between monitoring data and computed pore pressures. In the second part, measured inclinometric movements are used to calibrate the empirical relationship between the rate of displacement along the slip surface and the factor of safety, whose variation with time is computed by a time‐dependent stability analysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.