Laminated sediments in the Bay of La Paz, Gulf of California: a depositional cycle regulated by pluvial flux

Abstract Core BAP96‐CP, sampled from the deepest part of the Bay of La Paz, Gulf of California, has been analysed sedimentologically taking into account regional climate and oceanography. Laminated sediments at the bottom of the bay are essentially not bioturbated by benthic fauna. A subanoxic condition (O₂ < 0·2 mL L^?1) inhibits the proliferation of benthic fauna. Within the bay, the relative abundances of terrigenous and biogenic inputs change periodically. The terrigenous input is greater than the biogenic input and apparently experiences larger fluctuations. The terrigenous input dominates in dark laminae, whereas the biogenic input mostly occurs in light laminae. Thus, it is assumed that, down the core, the alternation of dark and light laminae represents cycles in the extent of dilution of the biogenic input by terrigenous input. The terrigenous input into the Bay of La Paz is mostly regulated by pluvial runoff. Thus, its temporal fluctuation follows the periods shown by the regional pluvial regime, particularly the 11·2 year period. This is equal to the frequency of sunspot cycles.     

Climate and ocean variability during the middle and late Holocene recorded in laminated sediments from Alfonso Basin, Gulf of California, Mexico

A laminated sequence (core BAP96-CP 24°38.12′N, 110°33.24′W; 390 m depth) from the Alfonso Basin in Bay of La Paz, southern Gulf of California, contains a record of paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes of the past 7900 yr. Radiolarian assemblages and magnetic susceptibility are used as proxies of oceanographic and climatic variability. The records provide a regional scenario of the middle and late Holocene, suggesting two major climatic regimes and several millennial-scale events. Conditions relatively warmer and drier than today occurred from 7700 to 2500 cal yr BP, promoting the intensification of evaporation processes and the prevalence of the Gulf of California water in the Basin. These conditions correlate with strong droughts in the middle Holocene of North America and with minimal incursion of tropical waters into the Gulf of California. Proxies indicate a warm scenario and the dominance of the Equatorial Surface Water in the Alfonso Basin from 2400 to 700 cal yr BP, suggesting the intensification of ENSO cycles. A climatic signal between 1038 and 963 cal yr BP may be correlated with global signal of the “Medieval Warm Period.” Several cooling events are recognized at 5730, 3360, 2700, 1280 and 820 cal yr BP and are associated with intensification of northwest winds leading to upwellings and enhanced productivity in the Basin.     

Late Quaternary climate change record from two long sediment cores from Guaymas Basin,Gulf of California

Modern Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico) is a region of high diatom productivity where exceptional preservation factors maintain biannually alternating sediment deposition as annual varves. New sediment cores from Guaymas Basin (MD02‐2512 and MD02‐2515) present the opportunity to construct climate records from below the last glacial period. A low‐resolution age model has been constructed from oxygen isotope analysis, correlation with other dated short piston cores from Guaymas Basin and an estimate of sedimentation rate. MD02‐2512 from eastern Guaymas Basin has an age range from the Holocene to late marine isotope stage 6 (MIS 6); MD02‐2515 from western Guaymas Basin has an age range from ～8000 to 40 000 yr. Shipboard analyses of colour reflectance, magnetic susceptibility and sediment density are combined with continuous X‐ray fluorescence scans to reconstruct a picture of glacial climate in the Gulf of California. Eastern Guaymas Basin is affected by glacial sea level fall, which results in a drastic change in productivity rates and sediment type. The laminated record of MIS 5 allows comparison with the Holocene, showing a similarity of sedimentation patterns during deglaciation and a series of very rapid variations just prior to the last glaciation. In western Guaymas Basin there are a series of Younger Dryas‐like events during the glacial, typified by low productivity and high terrigenous input. Long‐term climate and productivity changes appear to be caused by the southward displacement of the Subtropical High pressure zone. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cretaceous to Cenozoic sequential kinematics in the forearc–arc transition: effects of changing oblique plate convergence and the San Andreas system with implications for the La Paz fault (southern Baja California, Mexico)

We studied metasediments and mylonitic arc granitoids from the forearc–arc transition of southern Baja California, Mexico. Thin section analyses and field evidence show that metamorphism of the forearc–arc transition is of the high T/P active margin type. The heat was provided by Cretaceous arc intrusions. Field observations and thin section analyses, including the time/temperature deformation path, demonstrate that the study area was first affected by dextral, ductile shearing followed by ductile, sinistral, possibly transpressive strike-slip parallel to the magmatic arc during the Cretaceous. Both intervals are related to changing oblique plate convergence and, thus, identified as trench-linked strike-slip effects. The geometric relationship between arc-dipping foliation, stretching lineation and shear sense indicates that the arc may have been pressed onto the rocks of the study area during sinistral shearing. The sinistral interval lasted up until regional cooling (Early Cenozoic?). Because the La Paz fault is closely associated with the forearc–arc transition, it must have the same Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic kinematic history. The northern segment of the La Paz fault is a modern, brittle, strike-slip fault interpreted as a dextral synthetic fault of the San Andreas system which opened the Gulf of California (Mar de Cortés/Golfo de California). We found no evidence for Miocene Basin and Range extension.     

渤海湾盆地北塘凹陷古近系沙河街组三段白云岩中方沸石的特征及成因

渤海湾盆地北塘凹陷古近系沙河街组三段白云岩中有多种矿物,X射线衍射(XRD)分析识别出的主要矿物有白云石、方沸石、石英、长石、黏土矿物、黄铁矿及方解石等,其中方沸石平均含量达38.8%。根据钻井岩心、岩石薄片、扫描电镜、电子探针和地球化学分析等资料,对沙三段白云岩中方沸石的矿物特征进行详细描述并探究其成因。结果表明,沙三段白云岩中的方沸石有2种分布样式,分别是纹层型和充填型,其中前者多与白云石互层、呈纹层状,偶见似结核状;后者形成较晚,方沸石以填隙物形式充填在裂缝、孔隙之中。这2种方沸石的存在形式、晶体形态、伴生矿物各不相同,其中纹层型方沸石多与白云石共生,晶体粒径小于0.04,mm,为泥晶结构;充填型方沸石多与黄铁矿、有机质共生,晶体粒径大于0.04,mm,为粉晶结构。根据主、微量元素及碳、氧同位素分析结果,计算出古盐度平均为28.8‰,Sr/Ba值平均为2.93,表明渤海湾盆地北塘凹陷沙河街组三段沉积时期为碱—咸溶液沉积环境,具备形成方沸石的条件。电子探针测试的Si/Al值表明,这2类方沸石母质来源不同,纹层型方沸石母质为黏土矿物,而充填型方沸石母质与热液有关。与国内含方沸石白云岩的盆地进行对比,并从岩石学特征、形成温度等方面进行分析,认为研究区方沸石有2种成因,其中纹层型方沸石是同生成岩阶段的产物,而充填型方沸石则受到热液流体的影响。     

Deglacial seasonal and sub‐seasonal diatom record from Palmer Deep,Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most sensitive regions of Antarctica to climate change. Here, ecological and cryospheric systems respond rapidly to climate fluctuations. A 4.4 m thick laminated diatom ooze deposited during the last deglaciation is examined from a marine sediment core (ODP Site 1098) recovered from Basin I, Palmer Deep, western Antarctic Peninsula. This deglacial laminated interval was deposited directly over a glaciomarine diamict, hence during a globally recognised period of rapid climate change. The ultra‐high‐resolution deglacial record is analysed using SEM backscattered electron imagery and secondary electron imagery. Laminated to thinly bedded orange‐brown diatom ooze (near monogeneric Hyalochaete Chaetoceros spp. resting spores) alternates with blue‐grey terrigenous sediments (open water diatom species). These discrete laminae are interpreted as austral spring and summer signals respectively, with negligible winter deposition. Sub‐seasonal sub‐laminae are observed repeatedly through the summer laminae, suggesting variations in shelf waters throughout the summer. Tidal cycles, high storm intensities and/or intrusion of Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf introduced conditions which enhanced specific species productivity through the season. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fingerprint of tropical climate variability and sea level in sediments of the Cariaco Basin during the last glacial period

High‐resolution palaeorecords of climate are critical to improving current understanding of climate variability, its sensitivity and impact on the environment in the past and in the future. Sediments from the Cariaco Basin off the coast of Venezuela have proven to be sensitive recorders of tropical palaeoclimate variability down to an annual scale. However, the fingerprint of climate and sea level in the sediments of the last glacial period is still not completely understood. In this study, lamination analysis of sediments from the Cariaco Basin is extended to the last glacial period. Detailed sedimentological and geochemical analysis (laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry) reveals couplets of light‐coloured, terrigenous‐rich and dark‐coloured, biogenic opal‐rich laminae, which are interpreted to reflect the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. In addition, a previously undescribed, nearly pure terrigenous lamina type is observed, which is referred to hereafter as a ‘C‐layer’. The C‐layers in the sedimentary sequence are interpreted as flood layers that originate from local rivers. The occurrence of these C‐layers is investigated for two core locations in the Cariaco Basin over the last 110 kyr by continuous X‐ray fluorescence scanning. Dansgaard–Oeschger oscillations are most clearly traced by proxies reflecting productivity and marine organic matter content of the sediment. In contrast, the abundance of terrigenous material differs at times between the two sites. On an interglacial to glacial timescale, the ability to record events causing C‐layers is likely to be influenced by changes in sea level and source proximity. On a millennial scale, both sediment cores contain more C‐layers during warmer interstadials compared with colder stadials during Marine Isotope Stage 3. This finding implies that interstadials were not only wetter than stadials, but probably also characterized by increased rainfall variability, leading to an enhanced frequency of flooding events in the hinterland of the Cariaco Basin.     

山东山旺中新世硅藻土的纹层类型及成因

山东临朐山旺地区中新世山旺组硅藻土极为发育。通过对该地区硅藻土纹层的研究,确定其分类和成因,为进一步确立年纹层的存在、利用其进行高分辨率测年、探讨高频古气候旋回奠定基础。山旺组硅藻土的单层纹层厚度一般为100μm左右。依据纹层的物质成分,单层纹层可分为硅藻纹层、有机纹层和粘土纹层三种类型。各类单层纹层组合成为明暗相间的层偶,层偶厚度一般为100～400μm,常常表现为浅色的硅藻纹层逐渐向深色的粘土纹层或有机质纹层渐变过渡。纹层层偶可分为:薄层硅藻纹层-有机质层偶,厚层藻纹层-有机质层偶,薄层粘土纹层-有机质层偶,厚层粘土纹层-有机质层偶和硅藻纹层-粘土纹层层偶。山旺组硅藻土中不同类型的单层纹层以及层偶的形成主要受控于当时湖盆内粘土物质的沉积速率、硅藻的繁盛程度和有机物质的沉积和保存条件。     

Lacustrine stromatolites: Useful structures for environmental interpretation – an example from the Miocene Ebro Basin

The significance of stromatolites as depositional environmental indicators and the underlying causes of lamination in the lacustrine realm are poorly understood. Stromatolites in a ca 600 m thick Miocene succession in the Ebro Basin are good candidates to shed light on these issues because they are intimately related to other lacustrine carbonate and sulphate facies, grew under variable environmental conditions and show distinct lamination patterns. These stromatolites are associated with wave‐related, clastic‐carbonate laminated limestones. Both facies consist of calcite and variable amounts of dolomite. Thin planar stromatolites (up to 10 cm thick and less than 6 m long) occurred in very shallow water. These stromatolites represented first biological colonization after: (i) subaerial exposure in the palustrine environment (i.e. at the beginning of deepening cycles); or (ii) erosion due to surge action, then coating very irregular surfaces on laminated limestones (i.e. through shallowing or deepening cycles). Sometimes they are associated with evaporative pumping. Stratiform stromatolites (10 to 30 cm high and tens of metres long) and domed stromatolites (10 to 30 cm high and long) developed in deeper settings, between the surge periods that produced hummocky cross‐stratification and horizontal lamination offshore. Changes in stromatolite lamina shape, and thus in the growth forms through time, can be attributed to changes in water depth, whereas variations in lamina continuity are linked to water energy and sediment supply. Growth of the stromatolites resulted from in situ calcite precipitation and capture of minor amounts of fine‐grained carbonate particles. Based on texture, four types of simple laminae are distinguished. The simple micrite and microsparite laminae can be grouped into light and dark composite laminae, which represent, respectively, high and low Precipitation/Evaporation ratio periods. Different lamination patterns provide new ideas for the interpretation of microbial laminations as a function of variations in climate‐dependent parameters (primarily the Precipitation/Evaporation ratio) over variable timescales.     

Upper quaternary laminated sapropelic sediments from the continental slope of Baja California

Core MD02-2508 retrieved from the plateau of the continental slope off Baja California recovered a 40-m-thick section of sapropel (up to 15% C_org), calcareous clay, and diatom ooze with the age of 120 ka at the core bottom. The section is subdivided into three units: Unit I (Holocene) consists of the laminated sapropel; Unit II comprising oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 2, 3, and 4 is represented by homogeneous calcareous clay with interbeds of slightly siliceous sapropelic mud; and Unit III (MIS-5) is composed of laminated sapropelic diatom ooze. Laminated intervals are characterized by the intercalation of two lamina types: (1) dark-colored organic-rich laminae containing multi-species “oceanic” diatom assemblages, as well as radiolarians, coccoliths, planktonic and benthic foraminifera; (2) lighter-colored laminae consisting of diatom ooze with the neritic colonial diatom assemblages commonly composed of one to three species of a single genera. The dark laminae are assumed to be generated within a high productivity zone over the slope, whereas light ones likely represent diatom mats produced by short-term boisterous phytoplankton blooms, possibly in the coastal upwelling.     

济阳坳陷下第三系湖相生油岩的微观特征

利用背散射电子成像技术、扫描电镜和能谱分析对山东济阳坳陷下第三系主要湖相生油岩的微观组构、成分特征进行了高分辨率的观察和分析,同时对其中藻类化石丰度进行了定量统计。结果显示,这些生油岩既有共性又有显著的差异。共性表现在它们都具有纹层状构造,而且有机质都特别丰富,呈纹层分布。差异性表现在纹层单元的成分明显不同:富有机质纹层页岩由有机质纹层和粘土矿物纹层组成;钙质纹层页岩则有两种情况:一类由有机质纹层和钙质超微化石纹层组成,另一类由有机质纹层和粗粒方解石纹层组成,粗粒方解石中含有钙质超微化石;钙质纹层泥岩由细粒方解石纹层和含有机质的粘土矿物纹层组成。生油岩中有机质的分布也有两种形式:一类是有机质纹层,另一类则是藻类化石层,如沟鞭藻化石层和钙质超微化石 (颗石藻 )层.     

南襄盆地泌阳凹陷核桃园组三段纹层状泥页岩地球化学特征及其成因解释

黑白相间纹层状页岩是沉积岩中非常重要且常见的一种岩石类型。采用X射线荧光岩心扫描仪对泌阳凹陷5号页岩层中纹层状页岩样品进行测试,分析结果显示湖相纹层中一些指标,如Sr、CaO、K2O、SiO2、TiO2、Fe2O3、Al2O3、Cu含量在纹层中表现出明显规律性变化,即白色纹层中Sr和CaO含量明显高于黑色纹层,而K2O、SiO2、TiO2、Fe2O3、Al2O3、Cu含量明显低于黑色纹层。硼元素以及古氧化还原和古气候指标表明纹层状页岩主要发育在半干旱-干旱的半咸化-咸化分层水体。镜下鉴定揭示,黑色条纹主要为高有机质泥质沉积物,白色条纹主要为方解石、石英以及白云石等矿物,黑白纹层的物质成分组成与陆源供给和水体咸化后自身形成的矿物密切相关。黑白纹层中元素差异变化揭示了不同矿物组成的差异,也揭示出陆相湖盆季节性韵律变化。     

Composition and formation of laminated sediments in Diss Mere, Norfolk, England

The chemical and biological composition of laminated lake-sediments deposited between about 2,500 and 5,500 years B.P. in Diss Mere, Norfolk, England is described. The distribution of Ca, Fe, S, and Si in pale and dark laminae is established by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The pale laminae consist primarily of calcium carbonate and the dark layers contain mainly Fe, S, Si, and dark organic material. The diatom composition of 16 individual light and dark laminae shows no consistent differences between light and dark layers. There are, however, higher frequencies of chrysophycean cysts in seven of the eight dark layers, suggesting these layers were deposited in late summer or fall. Pollen analyses of the pale and dark layers show that pollen percentages of early-flowering trees and shrubs are highest in the dark laminae and that pollen values of late-flowering plants are highest in the pale layers. The biological data indicate that the pale layers were formed in the late spring and early summer, whereas the dark laminae were deposited in late summer, fall, winter, and the early spring. Seasonal supply of CaCO₃ was the major variable responsible for couplet formation.     

Magnetic properties of light and dark sediment layers from the japan sea: Diagenetic and paleoclimatic implications

Rock magnetic/paleoclimatic/diagenetic relationships of sediments spanning the last 0.78 Ma have been investigated using samples collected from light and dark layers recovered at ODP Sites 794 (Yamato Basin) and 795 (Japan Basin). Rock-magnetic parameters (K, K_fd, ARM, SIRM, S-ratio) are shown to reflect diagenetic processes and climate-related variations in the concentration, mineralogy and grain-size of the magnetic minerals contained within the sediments. The magnetic mineralogy is dominated by ferrimagnetic (magnetite-type) minerals with a small contribution made by hematite and iron sulphides such as pyrrhotite and/or greigite. Magnetic mineral concentration and grain size vary between light and dark layers with the former characterized by a higher magnetic content and a finer magnetic grain size. Magnetite dissolution, related to sulfate reduction due to bacterial degradation of organic matter, is the process responsible for the magnetic characteristics observed in the dark layers, testifying to the reducing conditions in the basin. Variations in the rock magnetic properties of the sediments are strongly correlated with global oxygen isotope fluctuations, with glacial stages characterized by a lower magnetic mineral content and a coarser magnetic grain size relative to interglacial stages. Major downcore changes in the magnetic properties observed at Site 794 can be related to changes in the oceanographic conditions of the basin associated with the flow of the warm Tsushima Current into the Japan Sea at about 0.35–0.40 Ma ago.     

Identification and micro‐stratigraphy of hyperpycnites and turbidites in Cretaceous Lewis Shale,Wyoming

Sandy hyperpycnal flows and their deposits, hyperpycnites, have been documented in modern environments and, more recently, in Cretaceous and Tertiary strata; they may be more common in the rock record, and within petroleum reservoirs, than has been previously thought. Muddy hyperpycnites also occur within the rock record, but these are more difficult to document because of their finer‐grained nature and lack of common sedimentary structures. This paper documents the presence of submarine slope mudstone and siltstone hyperpycnites (and muddy turbidites) in the delta‐fed, Upper Cretaceous Lewis Shale of Wyoming; based on field measurements, analyses of rock slabs and thin sections, and laser grain‐size distributions. Four lithofacies comprise laminated and thin‐bedded mudstones that are associated with levéed channel sandstones: (L1) grey, laminated, graded mudstone with thin siltstone and sandstone interbeds; (L2) dark grey to tan, laminated mudstone with very thin siltstone and sandstone stringers; (L3) light grey, laminated siltstones; and (L4) laminated mudstones and siltstones with thin sandstone interbeds. Two styles of mudstone grain‐size grading have been documented. The first type is an upward‐fining interval that typically ranges in thickness from 2·5 to 5 cm. The second type is a couplet of a lower, upward‐coarsening interval and an upper, upward‐fining interval (sometimes separated by a micro‐erosion surface) which, combined, are about 3·8 cm thick. Both individual laminae and groups of laminae spaced millimetres apart exhibit these two grain‐size trends. Although sedimentary structures indicative of traction‐plus‐fallout sedimentary processes associated with sandier hyperpycnites are generally absent in these muddy sediments, the size grading patterns are similar to those postulated in the literature for sandy hyperpycnites. Thus, the combined upward‐coarsening, then upward‐fining couplets are interpreted to be the result of a progressive increase in river discharge during waxing and peak flood stage (upward increase in grain‐size), followed by waning flow after the flood begins to abate (upward decrease in grain‐size). The micro‐erosion surface that sometimes divides the two parts of the size‐graded couplet resulted from waxing flows of sufficiently high velocity to erode the sediment previously deposited by the same flow. Individual laminae sets which only exhibit upward‐fining trends could be either the result of waning flow deposition from either dilute turbidity currents or from hyperpycnal flows. The occurrence of these sets with the size‐graded couplets suggests that they are associated with hyperpycnal processes.     

Relative inactivity during the last 140,000 years of a portion of the La Paz fault,southern Baja California Sur,Mexico

Uranium-series dating of corals overlying the undeformed Punta Coyote gravels indicates that the underlying La Paz fault zone has been relatively inactive in this part of the Baja California peninsula during the last 140,000 years, and possibly for a significantly longer period. However, Holocene seismic activities along extensions of the fault zone north of Cabo San Lucas suggest potential seismic hazards for the city of La Paz (population 200,000), which lies about 6 km from the fault.     

济阳坳陷古近系页岩的纹层组合及成因分类

在济阳坳陷古近系中发育大量湖相页岩及纹层状的碳酸盐岩,页岩类型多样。通过对300多块页岩薄片的显微镜下观察分析表明,这些湖相页岩和纹层状碳酸盐岩均由3种基本纹层构成:富有机质纹层(即富含有机质的黏土矿物纹层)、隐晶碳酸盐纹层和黏土纹层。按纹层组合和比例的不同,可将页岩和纹层状碳酸盐岩系统地划分为黑页岩、钙质纹层页岩、富有机质纹层页岩、泥页岩、钙质页岩、纹层状泥灰岩和纹层状灰岩等7种类型,并尝试提出利用纹层组分划分页岩类型的三角形成因分类方案。由于不同纹层形成的古湖泊条件不同,该分类方案不仅能够反映各种页岩的纹层组成,同时也可反映页岩的成因。     

Geochemistry and mineralogy of the NW Aegean Sea surface sediments: implications for river runoff and anthropogenic impact

Surface sediments of the NW Aegean Sea were analyzed for clay mineral composition (94 samples), organic C and carbonate content, and major and minor elements (112 samples). Illite is the most abundant clay mineral, followed by smectite, chlorite and kaolinite. Clay minerals are preferentially deposited within the continental shelf and slope environment, due to the prevailing cyclonic circulation and the formation of flocs in the rivers’ pro-delta areas. The spatial distribution of major lithogenic elements (Si, Al, Ti, Fe) is substantially biased by the presence of relict sands located in the central-eastern part of the Thermaikos Gulf continental shelf. Biogenic elements (Ca, Sr) are noticeably pronounced on the northern flank of the North Sporades Islands. Organic C content and minor elements Cu, Zn, As and Pb are enriched markedly over the Thessaloniki Bay and Gulf suggesting substantial human impact, deriving largely from untreated or partly treated domestic and industrial effluents. The terrigenous component of the elements is preferentially contributed from the Axios River (Zn and Pb), the Aliakmon River (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and As), and to a lesser extent from the Pinios River (V, Co, Ni and Cu); a considerable part of the metals originates in ultra-mafic and volcanic formations, which are abundant in the rivers’ catchment basins. Carbonate content exhibits great variability, with the highest values observed in biogenic sediments of the Sporades Basin. In the latter area, Mn (and Fe) oxides and hydroxides were found as coatings on calcite. The coatings were enriched in Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Mo and Pb, due to adsorption or ion-exchange during early diagenesis. The combined influence of the river systems, the Thessaloniki metropolis, and the diverse sedimentological background, generates great patchiness in the distribution of major and minor elements.     

鄂尔多斯盆地华庆地区长6期物源分析

物源分析是开展沉积相研究的基础,物源区母岩性质和物源方向分析是极其重要的基础地质研究内容。本文根据鄂尔多斯盆地华庆地区220口井砂岩中的轻、重矿物及粒度资料,结合研究区沉积相分析、陆源碎屑成分和重矿物成分对比,以及平面上粒度粗细变化和沉积相展布规律等诸多因素综合分析,认为华庆地区长6期物源供给主要来自正北和北偏东两个方向,以正北方向为主要物源方向。主物源区母岩性质以变质岩为主,母岩岩石类型为由低-中级变质岩和花岗岩。     

Loading fractures and Liesegang laminae: new sedimentary structures found in the north-western North Alpine Foreland Basin (Oligocene–Miocene, south-west Germany)

Abstract Spectacular sedimentary structures recently found in the Molasse Basin (Oligocene–Miocene) in southern Germany were produced by soft‐sediment deformation under highly unusual conditions. These large, apparently wedge‐like structures –‘loading fractures’– cut down into beds of marl and are filled with coarse sand and intraclasts of shale. Wrapping the sides of the structures is a thin, continuous bed of layered dark claystone – the ‘DCB’. The upper and lower layers of this bed are an organic‐rich clay; the middle layer is a laminated quartzite. The precursor of the DCB was a lacustrine gyttja rich in diatom frustules. It was supersaturated in silica as it was buried. Subsequent diffusion of oxygen into this gyttja at a burial depth of only a few metres resulted in the formation of Liesegang laminae of quartz. These laminae grew and amalgamated, forming the layer of laminated quartzite. The sediments overlying the DCB were eventually removed by erosion, probably in a high‐energy marine environment. This erosion cut down to the DCB but was unable to penetrate it. The DCB remained exposed on the sea floor until a sudden depositional event occurred – the deposition of a 2·5 metre thick bed of coarse sand with shale intraclasts. Although the DCB had been able to resist the submarine erosion, it could not support the load of this new bed. The quartzite layer in it therefore fractured, transferring that load down onto the underlying, still‐unconsolidated marl. The intraclast‐rich sands were forced down into this marl, carrying ahead of them the partly broken remains of the DCB.