塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶纪海平面升降变化规律研究

利用元素地球化学特征和地震几何构型特征,对塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶纪时期海平面升降变化规律进行了研究,建立了寒武-奥陶纪相对海平面变化曲线。研究发现,塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶纪可划分出3个一级旋回,8个二级旋回,17个三级旋回和多期高频震荡旋回。其中,寒武纪经历了3期二级旋回,早中奥陶世经历了2期旋回。相对于寒武纪,早奥陶世海平面升幅较大。晚奥陶世经历了3期二级旋回：第一期处于海平面低位期,幅度较小;后二期快速上升,直达最高水位状态。海平面相对升降变化控制着盆地的沉积充填和层序的形成演化,其旋回性与盆地沉积作用的旋回性相一致,并可通过沉积相的演变表现出来。     

Paralic parasequences associated with Eocene sea-level oscillations in an active margin setting: Trihueco Formation of the Arauco Basin, Chile

The Eocene Trihueco Formation is one of the best exposed successions of the Arauco Basin in Chile. It represents a period of marine regression and transgression of second-order duration, during which barrier island complexes developed on a muddy shelf. The strata are arranged in classical shoaling-upward parasequences of shoreface and beach facies capped by coal-bearing, back-barrier lagoon deposits. These fourth-order cycles are superimposed upon third-order cycles which caused landward and seaward shifts of the coastal facies belts. The final, punctuated rise in sea level is represented by shelf mudrocks with transgressive incised shoreface sandstones. Relative sea-level oscillations as revealed in the stratigraphy of the Trihueco Formation show a reasonable correlation with published Eocene eustatic curves.     

东海陆架盆地第三纪海平面变化

东海陆架盆地是建立西太平洋新生代海平面变化的关键地区。本文以层序地层和沉积体系分析为基础,利用微体古生物带化石资料,建立了东海陆架盆地第三系相对精度较高的年代地层格架。通过古生态分析、成因相及特征沉积构造分析和反射地震剖面的海岸上超分析,辅以地球化学参数变化研究,首次编制了东海陆架盆地第三纪海平面变化曲线。自第三纪以来,能识别的长周期二级旋回海平面变化4次,短周期三级旋回变化26次,相对海平面变化幅度在0-150m.分析发现海平面变化具有不对称性,即海侵作用速度大于海退作用速度。与Haq曲线对比也有较大的差异。     

Third-order depositional sequences controlled by synsedimentary extensional tectonics: evidence from Upper Triassic carbonates of the Carnian Prealps (NE Italy)

ABSTRACT The Upper Triassic platform-margin deposits of the Carnian Prealps fail to show the succession of the two global sea-level lowerings predicted for the Norian and Rhaetian by the Haq global sea-level curve. In both cases a relative sea-level rise occurs, a discrepancy that can be explained by an increase in tectonically controlled subsidence, a consequence of the plate-scale rifting in the NW Tethys Gulf preceding oceanic spreading in the Jurassic. Pulses of tectonic subsidence followed by relative quiescence are capable of generating depositional sequences similar in gross geometry and duration to the third-order eustatic cycles of Haq et al . The Late Triassic part of the Exxon global sea-level curve, partly derived from correlatable strata within the same palaeogeographical domain, is likely to reflect pulses of tectonically induced subsidence rather than eustatic sea-level changes.     

Eustatic control of late Quaternary sea-level change in the Arabian/Persian Gulf

Accurate sea-level reconstruction is critical in understanding the drivers of coastal evolution. Inliers of shallow marine limestone and aeolianite are exposed as zeugen (carbonate-capped erosional remnants) on the southern coast of the Arabian/Persian Gulf. These have generally been accepted as evidence of a eustatically driven, last-interglacial relative sea-level highstand preceded by a penultimate glacial-age lowstand. Instead, recent optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating suggests a last glacial age for these deposits, requiring > 100 m of uplift since the last glacial maximum in order to keep pace with eustatic sea-level rise and implying the need for a wholesale revision of tectonic, stratigraphic and sea-level histories of the Gulf. These two hypotheses have radically different implications for regional neotectonics and land–sea distribution histories. Here we test these hypotheses using OSL dating of the zeugen formations. These new ages are remarkably consistent with earlier interpretations of the formations being last interglacial or older in age, showing that tectonic movements are negligible and eustatic sea-level variations are responsible for local sea-level changes in the Gulf. The cause of the large age differences between recent studies is unclear, although it appears related to large differences in the measured accumulated dose in different OSL samples.     

Mesocyclicity of Upper Triassic-Jurassic rocks in the Bureya Basin in the Far East of Russia: Their tectonics, eustasy, and sequence stratigraphy

The mesocyclicity of Upper Triassic-Jurassic rocks in the Bureya Basin located at that time at the paleocontinent margin was examined. The rock sections of this basin distinctly reflect the chronology of the eustatic sea-level fluctuations, which enabled us for the first time to construct a sequence stratigraphic model for this basin. Based on all the factors affecting the cyclicity, cycles of six orders (ranks) were recognized in the Bureya Basin for the Jurassic stage of its evolution. The tectonic factor predominates in the identification of the first three orders: the first-order cycle (the Alpian), the second-order cycles (the Indo-Sinian and Yanshanian), and the third-order cycles (the Late Indo-Sinian, Early Yanshanian, and Middle Yanshanian subcycles). The formation of the fourth-to sixth-order cycles was affected by not only the tectonic processes but also the eustatic sea-level fluctuations, the sediment supply??s volume, the sedimentary environment, and the climatic changes. Since the oil source rocks are formed during the maximal transgressions, the aleuropelitic strata of the fifth-order cycles (the Chagany, El??ga, Epikan, and Sinkal??tu formations along with the Khavagda Sequence) accumulated in the deepest parts of the basin are believed to be the most prospective objects.     

Depositional environments and sea-level changes deduced from Middle Weichselian tidally influenced sediments, Arkhangelsk region, northwestern Russia

Deposits from a Middle Weichselian transgression, the Mezen Transgression, are found in coastal sections in the Mezen and Chyorskaya Bays, northwestern Russia. The marine event is bracketed between two ice advances from the Barents and Kara Sea shelves and dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to around 60 kyr BP. The deposits represent a shallowing upward succession from offshore marine to intertidal coastal environments. Relative sea-level maximum was at least 40 m above the present owing to significant isostatic subsidence. The sedimentary record is dominated by shallow-marine, subtidal deposits bounded below by an erosion surface representing a downward shift in facies and above by subaerial exposure. The succession reflects deposition during forced regression due to isostatic uplift. A rapidly aggrading succession of subtidal deposits at one site suggests a relative sea-level rise or stillstand superimposed on the isostatically controlled sea-level fall. The rhythmic tidal deposits allow identification of semi-monthly to yearly cycles, providing an estimate of the sedimentation rate of 39 cm/year. This implies a high sediment yield and a rapid relative sea-level rise. We correlate this signal with the rapid eustatic sea-level rise at the end of OIS 4 known from deep-sea records.     

The unusual cyclicity of the Triassic (Carnian) Bleiberg facies of the Wetterstein Formation (Drau Range,Austria)

The carbonate platform of the upper Wetterstein Formation (Cordevol) of the Drau Range (Austria) shows a distinct facies differentiation which depends on the palaeotopography. Although most areas of the platform were permanently flooded, a periodically emergent palaeotopographic high (Bleiberg facies) occurred near to the centre of the platform. The resulting cyclic sequences are composed of subtidal and intertidal to supratidal carbonates and emersion horizons. Typical shallowing upward cycles occur, as well as deepening upward, symmetrical and incomplete cycles. These types of cycles, with long-term emersion phases, can be explained by eustatic sea-level oscillations. It can be shown, due to an excellent lithostratigraphy based on distinct emersion horizons, that the cycle-type varies along a marker bed while the vertical distance between the emersion horizons is retained. Therefore the cycles cannot be explained by eustatic sea-level oscillations alone; local events which produce a local relief are necessary.A compiled profile of the Bleiberg facies is simulated with the help of a one-dimensional, parametric computer model. The quantification of some parameters which result from this simulation is used to verify and quantify the effects of relief on sedimentation.     

华北地台晚寒武世层序地层及其与北美地台海平面变化的对比

华北地台在晚寒武世为一个较为典型的缓坡型台地。在其北部地层中,以发育风暴砾屑灰岩及生物丘灰岩闻名,包括崮山组、长山组和凤山组。在该套地层中,深缓坡相泥岩和泥灰岩与浅缓坡相颗粒灰岩和泥粒灰岩一起构成若干潮下型碳酸盐米级旋回,这些米级旋回本身即为有序的异成因岩相序列而成为基本工作单元。在长周期三级层序中。米级旋回形成有序垂直叠加形式,反映了三级层序本身是一个与三级相对海平面变化相关的、环境加深和变浅过程中所形成的沉积相序列根据这些特征,在华北地台北部晚寒武世地层中可识别出4个三级层序。从北向南,相变为一套白云岩,其中三级层序的高水位体系域则发育较多的潮坪相白云岩以及由其构成的环潮坪型米级旋回。这些层序的典型特征是：层序界面为淹没不整合面,层序的相序序列以“深缓坡相—浅缓坡相”为特征,从而构成特殊的“CS(?) HST”序列;而在华北地台南部,层序界面多为暴露间断面,层序的相序组构多以“缓坡相—潮坪相”为特征。从北向南的变化,形成了一个富有规律性的层序地层格架。从旋回到层序、从岩相序列到沉积相序列的层序地层研究表明：作为基本工作单元,米级旋回实际上是由“间断—加积作用”旋回机制所形成的岩相序列,由米级旋回的有序叠加形式所构成的三级层序则是一个沉积相序列。由各剖面点的古水深变化曲线,可以定性地综合出华北地台晚寒武世的海平面变化曲线。与北美晚寒武世海平面变化曲线相对比,既存在相似性更存在差异性,说明了长周期海平面变化既受全球性海平面变化的控制,同时也受区域因素的影响。     

Deltaic and estuarine environments and their Late Quaternary dynamics on the Sunda and Sahul shelves

Deltaic and estuarine environments have been, and continue to be, some of the most rapidly changing environments. Those associated with the Sunda shelf generally receive large volumes of sediment and were characterised by a diverse and productive vegetation before much of it was cleared and converted for agriculture, silviculture or urban development. By contrast estuaries in northern Australia receive far less sediment supply, and record a much less modified pattern of landform change during the Holocene. Three periods of change are discussed: first, the long-term geological development and response of deltaic–estuarine plains to eustatic cycles of sea-level change, particularly postglacial sea-level rise to present; second, Holocene development of deltaic–estuarine environments, dominated by patterns of coastal progradation and distributary migration, under relatively stable sea level; and third, the impact of human modifications. These observations provide a framework within which response of the deltaic–estuarine environments to future, anticipated environmental change can be assessed.     

Facies sequences on a carbonate ramp: the Carboniferous Limestone of South Wales

During early Carboniferous times a major sea-level rise led to the development of an extensive carbonate ramp over what is now South Wales. Differential subsidence and sea-level changes resulted in distinctive facies sequences in the ramp succession and a model is offered which recognizes three distinct geomorpho-tectonic settings; inner, mid- and outer ramp. The inner ramp zone occurs in the more landward part of the province and was an area undergoing little or no subsidence. The sequence is dominated by oolitic grainstones and peritidal limestones representing shoal and back shoal environments. The peritidal units are transgressive deposits consisting of stacked asymmetrical shallowing-up cycles. The sequence contains many subaerial breaks and tectonic uplift resulted in base-level changes and fluvial incision. The mid-ramp zone sequence is intermediate in thickness between the inner and outer ramp successions and consists mainly of bioclastic limestones deposited below fairweather wave base. Sedimentation periodically exceeded sea-level rise and subsidence, and regressive (progradational) oolitic sand bodies developed, the thickest of which are stacked units with up to four individual sand bodies. Storm processes were of major importance in this setting. The outer ramp zone is represented by a thick sequence of muddy bioclastic limestones deposited below storm wave base and major Waulsortian reef-mounds also developed. None of the shallowing phases seen in the other ramp zones can be detected in this sequence. Subsidence and eustatic sea-level rise seem to have been the major controls on deposition but the recognition of eustatic sea-level falls is difficult. The detailed facies model for ramp carbonates presented here may be applicable elsewhere in the geological record.     

Sea-level fluctuations and the geometric variability of tide-dominated sandbodies

This paper presents examples of various large tidal sandbodies from the Eocene Roda Sandstone in the southern Pyrenees and the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the East China Sea. An attempt is made to summarize the geometric variability of these large tidal sandbodies in relation to the sediment supply and tidal discharge of the depositional system. Transverse sand bars were developed in low-sinuosity, high-gradient channels with high influxes of coarse sediments and water from fluvial systems. Tidal point bars were formed in meandering low-gradient estuarine channel where tidal influence was stronger and sediment was finer than those of the transverse sand bar. A tidal delta complex was built up at the estuary mouth with an abundant sediment supply and an increased tidal discharge. Tidal sand ridges were formed when relict fluvial or deltaic sands were eroded and reworked by strong tidal currents during subsequent sea-level rise.

Since the sediment supply and the tidal discharge of the depositional system were closely related to the eustatic sea-level change and basin subsidence, i.e. the relative sea-level change, special attention will be given to the relationship between geometric variability of tidal sandbodies and the sequence stratigraphic framework in which various sandbodies occurred. Three orders of eustatic sea-level fluctuations can be recognized. The third-order eustatic sea-level cycle, together with basin subsidence, controlled the development of systems tracts and the occurrence of different tidal sandbodies, such as estuary and tidal flat facies during the late stage of a LSW systems tract (type 1 sequence) or a SM systems tract (type 2 sequence); tidal point bar facies, tidal delta facies or tidal sand-ridge facies during a TR systems tract; estuary facies during an early HS systems tract; and fluvial sand bar facies in a late HS systems tract and the early stage of a SM or LSW systems tract. There are also the fourth-order and fifth-order eustatic fluctuations, which are superimposed on the third-order eustatic changes and have important control on the build-up, abandonment and preservation of composite and single tidal sandbodies, respectively.

Since the deposition of tidal sandbodies is very sensitive to eustatic sea-level changes, recognition of various tidal sandbodies is important in sequence stratigraphy analyses of sedimentary basins and in the facies prediction of clastic sediments in basin modelling.     

Assessment of the sensitivity of the southern coast of the Gulf of Corinth (Peloponnese, Greece) to sea-level rise

The eustatic sea-level rise due to global warming is predicted to reach approximately 18?C59 cm by the year 2100, which necessitates the identification and protection of sensitive sections of coastline. In this study, the classification of the southern coast of the Gulf of Corinth according to the sensitivity to the anticipated future sealevel rise is attempted by applying the Coastal Sensitivity Index (CSI), with variable ranges specifically modified for the coastal environment of Greece, utilizing GIS technology. The studied coastline has a length of 148 km and is oriented along the WNW-ESE direction. CSI calculation involves the relation of the following physical variables, associated with the sensitivity to long-term sea-level rise, in a quantifiable manner: geomorphology, coastal slope, relative sea-level rise rate, shoreline erosion or accretion rate, mean tidal range and mean wave height. For each variable, a relative risk value is assigned according to the potential magnitude of its contribution to physical changes on the coast as the sea-level rises. Every section of the coastline is assigned a risk ranking based on each variable, and the CSI is calculated as the square root of the product of the ranked variables divided by the total number of variables. Subsequently, a CSI map is produced for the studied coastline. This map showed that an extensive length of the coast (57.0 km, corresponding to 38.7% of the entire coastline) is characterized as highly and very highly sensitive primarily due to the low topography, the presence of erosionsusceptible geological formations and landforms and fast relative sea-level rise rates. Areas of high and very high CSI values host socio-economically important land uses and activities.     

Sequence stratigraphy with emphasis on platform-related parasequences of the Zechstein 2 carbonate (Ca2) – the northern platform margin of the Southern Permian Basin (NE Germany)

Facies analysis combined with sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the Upper Permian carbonate (Ca2) of NE Germany (i.e. northern basin margin of the Southern Permian Basin) confirm the existence of a rimmed platform with a steep and tectonically structured slope. The karstified A1 platform is overlain by deposits of a thin transgressive systems tract (TST) and a thick highstand systems tract (HST) which shows two larger-scale regressive shallowing-upwards cycles (4th order) with typical stacking patterns of small-scale cycles (5th order). The TST consists of bitumen-rich mudstones with reworked clasts of anhydrite and early cemented wacke- to grainstones, and it shows two, probably 5th-order, deepening-upwards cycles. The first larger-scale shallowing-up cycle on the Ca2 platform (4th-order) is dominated by aggradation of the bar and shoal deposits, whereas the second one is dominated by progradation. The tops of both cycles are characterised by erosional and exposure surfaces. Various types of small-scale shallowing-upwards cycles (5th-order) are observed in the bar, in the intertidal and in the algal-dominated supratidal environment, showing pronounced transgressive boundaries. On the slope and in the basin, equally thick TST and HST are observed. These incorporate carbonate turbidites which indicate "highstand shedding" from the platform. Various orders of relative sea-level variations are discussed. Controlling factors include tectonics, climate, and eustatic processes. A combined carbonate and evaporite sequence was found on the upper Ca2 slope, which may indicate a Ca2-lowstand systems wedge.     

Tectonics versus eustatic control on supersequences of the Zagros Mountains of Iran

At least 12 km of strata ranging in age from the latest Precambrian to the Recent are exposed in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. This sedimentary cover is characterized by distinct stratal packages separated by major unconformities forming twelve supersequences. They are informally named as: (1) Late Precambrian – Cambrian Hakhamanesh Supersequence, (2) Ordovician Kourosh Supersequence, (3) Silurian Camboojiyeh Supersequence, (4) Devonian Darioush Supersequence, (5) Mississippian – Pennsylvanian Khashayar Supersequence, (6) Permian – Triassic Ashk Supersequence, (7) Jurassic Farhad Supersequence, (8) Early Cretaceous Mehrdad Supersequence, (9) Late Cretaceous Ardavan Supersequence, (10) Paleocene – Oligocene Sassan Supersequence, (11) Oligocene – Miocene Ardeshir Supersequence, and (12) Miocene – Pleistocene Shapour Supersequence. These supersequences and their correlatives in neighboring areas have been used to infer tectonic events. The dominant interpretation has been that local or regional epeirogenic movements were responsible for the formation of these supersequences. Unconformities are considered as indications that epeirogenic movements associated with tectonic events affected the area. The present investigation provides an alternative to the established view of the Phanerozoic supersequences of the Zagros Mountains.

A good correlation exists between the lithofacies of supersequences in the Zagros Mountains and the second-order eustatic sea-level changes. Deposition of deep-water, marine shales occurred during periods of eustatic sea-level rise. Platform-wide unconformities coincided with eustatic sea-level lows. In fact, supersequences of the Zagros Mountains are nearly identical to those described from the North American Craton and the Russian Platform suggesting that these stratal packages are global. These observations suggest that supersequences of the Zagros Mountains formed by second order eustatic sea-level changes and not by local or regional epeirogenic movements.

Although tectonic events did not produce supersequences of the Zagros Mountains, they influenced regional lithofacies patterns through the formation of intrashelf depressions such as the Hormoz Salt Basin during the Precambrian and the Dezful Embayment and the Lorestan Basin during the Mesozoic. Tectonic events also affected sedimentation during the Tertiary collision of Arabia and the Central Iran microplate through uplift, erosion, and the formation of the Zagros Foreland Basin. The results of this investigation necessitate a re-evaluation of the role and the significance of pre-Tertiary tectonic events commonly used to interpret the geological evolution of the Zagros Mountains.     

Response scenarios for the deltaic plain of the Rhône in the face of an acceleration in the rate of sea-level rise with special attention to<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salicornia</Emphasis>-type environments

One of the most critical problems facing many deltaic wetlands is a high rate of relative sea-level rise due to a combination of eustatic sea-level rise and local subsidence. Within the Rhône delta, the main source of mineral input to soil formation is from the river, due to the low tidal range and the presence of a continuous sea wall. We carried out field and modeling studies to assess the present environmental status and future conditions of the more stressed sites, i.e.,Salicornia-type marshes with a shallow, hypersaline groundwater. The impacts of management practices are considered by comparing impounded areas with riverine areas connected to the Rhône River. Analysis of vegetation transects showed differences between mean soil elevation ofArthrocnemum fruticosum (+31.2 cm),Arthrocnemum glaucum (+26.5 cm), bare soil (+16.2 cm), and permanently flooded soil (?12.4 cm). Aboveground and belowground production showed that root:shoot ratio forA. fruticosum andA. glaucum was 2.9 and 1.1, respectively, indicating more stressful environmental conditions forA. glaucum with a higher soil salinity and lack of soil drainage. The annual leaf litter production rate of the two species is 30 times higher than annual stem litter production, but with a higher long-term decomposition rate associated with leaves. We developed a wetland elevation model designed to predict the effect of increasing rates of sea-level rise on wetland elevation andSalicornia production. The model takes into account feedback mechanisms between soil elevation and river mineral input, and primary production. In marshes still connected to the river, mineral input decreased quickly when elevation was over 21 cm. Under current sea-level rise conditions, the annual amount of riverine mineral input needed to maintain the elevation of the study marshes is between 3,000 and 5,000 g m^?2 yr^?1. Simulations showed that under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change best estimate sea-level rise scenario, a mineral input of 6,040 g m^?2 yr^?1 is needed to maintain marsh elevation. The medium term response capacity of the Rhône deltaic plain with rising sea level depends mainly on the possibility of supplying sediment from the river to the delta, even though the Rhône Delta front is wave dominated. Within coastal impounded marshes, isolated from the river, the sediment supply is very low (10 to 50 g m^?2 yr^?1), and an increase of sea-level rise would increase the flooding duration and dramatically reduce vegetation biomass. New wetland management options involving river input are discussed for a long-term sustainability of low coastal Mediterranean wetlands.     

Allogenic and autogenic processes combined in the formation of shallow-water carbonate sequences (Middle Berriasian,Swiss and French Jura Mountains)

Sediment production and accumulation on shallow carbonate platforms are controlled by allogenic, externally controlled processes (such as sea level, climate, and/or platform-wide subsidence patterns) as well as by autogenic factors that are inherent to the sedimentary system (such as lateral migration of sediment bodies). The challenge is to determine how and in which proportion these processes interacted to create the observed sedimentary record. Here, a case study of Middle Berriasian, shallow-marine carbonates of the Swiss and French Jura Mountains is presented. Based on vertical facies evolution and bedding surfaces, different orders of depositional sequences (elementary, small-scale, medium-scale) have been identified in the studied sections. The hierarchical stacking pattern of these sequences and the time span represented by the investigated interval imply that eustatic sea-level fluctuations in the Milankovitch frequency band were an important controlling factor. The small-scale and medium-scale sequences relate to the 100 and 400-kyr orbital eccentricity cycles, respectively. The elementary sequences are attributed to the 20-kyr precession cycle. Differential subsidence additionally produced accommodation changes. The present study focuses on one specific small-scale sequence situated at the base of the transgressive systems tract of large-scale sequence Be4, which is identified also in other European basins. This small-scale sequence has been logged in detail at eight different outcrops in the Jura Mountains. Detailed facies analysis reveals that different depositional environments (tidal flats, internal lagoons, open lagoons, carbonate sand shoals) were juxtaposed and evolved through time, often shifting position on the platform. The boundaries of the small-scale (100-kyr) sequence can be followed over the entire study area and thus must have formed through predominantly allogenic processes (eustatic sea-level fall, the effect of which was locally modified by differential subsidence). In two sections, five well-developed elementary sequences constitute the small-scale sequence. In the other sections, the identification of elementary sequences often is difficult because sedimentation was dominated by autogenic processes that overruled the influence of sea-level fluctuations. In low-energy, tidal-flat and internal-lagoonal settings, orbitally induced sea-level changes were recorded more faithfully, while high-energy shoals were mainly submitted to autogenic processes and the allogenic signal is masked. Consequently, the studied Jura platform experienced a combination of auto- and allogenic processes, which created a complex facies mosaic and a complex stacking of depositional sequences. Nevertheless, the 100-kyr orbital signal was strong enough to create correlatable sequence boundaries. Within a 100-kyr sequence, however, the unambiguous definition of sequences related to the 20-kyr orbital cycle is often difficult and the prediction of their lateral or vertical facies evolution impossible.     

Drainage evolution in south and east England during the Pleistocene

Two major river systems operated in southern and eastern England throughout the Pleistocene: the river Thames and the Solent river. Both rivers are axial streams of comparable size draining major basinal structures comprising similar Tertiary and Mesozoic rocks. Although the modem Thames flows broadly W-E in the London Basin, upstream of Reading it flows from the north to drain the south Midlands. It was diverted to its present course through London by glaciation in the Anglian (Elsterian) before which it flowed across East Anglia into the southem North Sea. The Solent river no longer exists since most of its course was drowned by eustatic sea-level rise during the Flandrian Stage (Holocene). Previously, it flowed eastwards across SE Dorset and S Hampshire as an extension of the modem river Frome in the Hampshire Basin. During periods of low sea-level (cold stages) it was a tributary of the 'Channel River'. Fluvial aggradations provide evidence of the former courses of these substantial rivers and their tributaries. The facies and sedimentary structures indicate that the bulk of the deposits in both systems accumulated in braided river environments under periglacial climates. Fossiliferous sediments provide biostratigraphical frameworks. During temperate periods the rivers adopted singlethread courses. Evolution of both rivers reflect their responses to climatic change, local geological structure and long-term tectonic activity. Both rivers are undoubtedly of considerable antiquity, their records potentially extend from the Early Pleistocene or Late Pliocene, but they may have originated in the early Tertiary.     

Predicted relative sea-level changes (18,000 years B.P. to present) caused by late-glacial retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Predictions of global changes in relative sea level caused by retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from its 18,000 yr B.P. maximum to its present size are calculated numerically. When combined with the global predictions of relative sea-level change resulting from retreat of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, the results may be compared directly to observations of sea-level change on the Antarctic continent as well as at distant localities. The comparison of predictions to the few observations of sea-level change on Antarctica supports the view that the Antarctic Ice Sheet was larger 18,000 years ago than at present. The contribution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to the total eustatic sea-level rise is assumed to be 25 m (25% of the assumed total eustatic rise). If as little as 0.7 m of this 25-m rise occurred between 5000 yr B.P. and the present, few mid-oceanic islands would emerge. If the Antarctic Ice Sheet attained its present dimensions by 6000 yr B.P., however, and if the volume of the ocean has remained constant for the past 5000 years, numerous islands throughout the Southern Hemisphere would emerge. It is suggested that a thorough study of Pacific islands, believed by some to have slightly emerged shorelines of Holocene age, would yield useful information about ocean volume changes during the past 5000 years, and hence on the glacial history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.     

末次冰消期以来海平面变化研究进展

本文综述了末次冰消期特别是全新世以来全球海平面变化的研究成果。文章先介绍了海平面的变化成因,阐述了海平面变化带来的影响,总结了海平面变化的研究方法。分析总结了国内外学者研究所得的不同阶段的海平面变化数值及海平面变化曲线,并简要总结了海平面变化研究中存在的问题。