Schmidt‐hammer exposure‐age dating (SHD) of snow‐avalanche impact ramparts in southern Norway: approaches,results and implications for landform age,dynamics and development

Schmidt‐hammer exposure‐age dating (SHD) was applied to the problem of dating the diachronous surfaces of five distal river‐bank boulder ramparts deposited by snow avalanches plunging into the Jostedøla and Sprongdøla rivers in the Jostedalsbreen region of southern Norway. Approaches to local high‐precision linear age calibration, which controlled in different ways for boulder roundness, were developed. The mean age (SHD_mean) and the maximum age (SHD_max) of surface boulders were estimated for whole ramparts, crests and distal fringes. Interpretation was further assisted by reference to R‐value distributions. SHD_mean ages (with 95% confidence intervals) ranged from 520 ± 270 years to 5375 ± 965 years, whereas SHD_max ages (expected to be exceeded by <5% of surface boulders) ranged from 675 to 9065 years. SHD ages from the Jostedøla ramparts tended to be older than those associated with the Sprongdøla, rampart crests were younger than the respective distal fringes, and use of relatively rounded boulders yielded more consistent SHD ages than angular boulders. The SHD_mean ages indicate differences in recent levels of snow‐avalanche activity between ramparts and provide insights into rampart dynamics as boulders are deposited on rampart crests and, in smaller numbers, on the distal fringes. SHD_max ages provide minimum age estimates of rampart age (i.e. the time elapsed since the ramparts began to form) and suggest that at least some of the ramparts have been developing since the early Holocene. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Field estimate of paleoseismic slip on a normal fault using the Schmidt hammer and terrestrial LiDAR: Methods and application to the Hebgen fault (Montana,USA)

The weathering characteristics of bedrock fault scarps provide relative age constraints that can be used to determine fault displacements. Here, we report Schmidt hammer rebound values (R‐values) for a limestone fault scarp that was last exposed in the 1959 Mw 7.3 Hebgen Lake, Montana earthquake. Results show that some R‐value indices, related to the difference between minimum and maximum R‐values in repeated impacts at a point, increase upward along the scarp, which we propose is due to progressive exposure of the scarp in earthquakes. An objective method is developed for fitting slip histories to the Schmidt hammer data and produces the best model fit (using the Bayesian Information Criterion) of three earthquakes with single event displacements of ≥ 1.20 m, 3.75 m, and c. 4.80 m. The same fitting method is also applied to new terrestrial LiDAR data of the scarp, though the LiDAR results may be more influenced by macro‐scale structure of the outcrop than by differential weathering. We suggest the use of this fitting procedure to define single event displacements on other bedrock fault scarps using other dating techniques. Our preliminary findings demonstrate that the Schmidt hammer, combined with other methods, may provide useful constraints on single event displacements on exposed bedrock fault scarps. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of the Acoustic Energy Meter (AEM) for rapid geomorphological field assessment of rock hardness: comparison with Schmidt hammer R‐value

Rapid, field‐based assessments of rock hardness are required in a broad range of geomorphological investigations where rock intact strength is important. Several different methods are now available for taking such measurements, in particular the Schmidt hammer, which has seen increasing use in geomorphology in recent decades. This is despite caution from within the engineering literature regarding choice of Schmidt hammer type, normalization of rebound (R‐) values, surface micro‐roughness, weathering degree and moisture content, and data reduction/analysis procedures. We present a pilot study of the use of an Acoustic Energy Meter (AEM), originally produced, tested and developed within the field of underground mining engineering as a rapid measure of rock surface hardness, and compare it with results from a mechanical N‐Type Schmidt hammer. We assess its capabilities across six lithological study sites in southeast Queensland, Australia, in the Greater Brisbane area. Each rock exposure has been recently exposed in the 20th/21st century. Using a ‘paired’ sampling approach, the AEM G‐value shows an inverse relationship with Schmidt hammer R‐value. While both devices show variability with lithology, the AEM G‐values show less scatter than the Schmidt hammer. We conclude that each device can contribute to useful rock hardness testing in geomorphological research, but the AEM requires further field testing in a range of environments, and in particular on older and naturally‐exposed rock surfaces. Future evaluations can extend this pilot study by focusing on sampling procedures, energy sources, and data reduction protocols, within the framework of a comparison study with other rock hardness testing apparatus. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphological surfaces of different age and origin in granite landscapes: an evaluation of the Schmidt hammer test

Granite landforms in Sierra Nevada, California, and the southern part of Sweden were used to test whether a Schmidt hammer can be used to distinguish surfaces of different age and origin. Based on 3260 readings, statistically signi?cant differences were obtained from surfaces formed and/or affected by different geomorphological processes. Aeolian, ?uvial or glacially polished surfaces yield higher values than surfaces exposed to surface weathering, which are distinguishable from surfaces at a weathering front caused by deep weathering. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Topographically associated but chronologically disjunct late Quaternary floodplains and terraces in a partly confined valley,south‐eastern Australia

The Bellinger River catchment in the New England Fold Belt on the mid‐north coast of New South Wales is characterized by an assemblage of stepped late Quaternary alluvial units. Late Pleistocene terraces were formed by large, more competent rivers that eroded almost entire valley floors; however, a decline in discharge prior to the Holocene has resulted in the abandonment of these deposits as elevated terraces or residual alluvium, onlapped by contemporary floodplains. Intrinsic controls on floodplain formation appear to be superimposed over an early–mid‐Holocene climatic signature. A fluvially active period, known as the Nambucca Phase, from 10 to 4·5 ka, eroded Late Pleistocene terraces. Two floodplain surfaces, one higher than the other, both started to accrete vertically from 4 ka but with some valley locations remaining vulnerable to episodes of erosion, resulting in substantial units of even younger basal alluvium. The high floodplain is dominated by horizontally laminated, vertically accreted sequences, while the low floodplain, which overlaps in age, is characterized by pronounced cut‐and‐fill stratigraphy. Terraces and floodplains in partly confined settings can have similar elevations but be polycyclic, with very different basal ages. In such landscapes the classical assumption that individual terrace or floodplain profiles along a valley represent periods of coeval formation is shown to be frequently invalid. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐method (14C, 36Cl, 234U/230Th) age bracketing of the Tschirgant rock avalanche (Eastern Alps): implications for absolute dating of catastrophic mass‐wasting

Correct and precise age determination of prehistorical catastrophic rock‐slope failures prerequisites any hypotheses relating this type of mass wasting to past climatic regimes or palaeo‐seismic records. Despite good exposure, easy accessibility and a long tradition of absolute dating, the age of the 230 million m³ carbonate‐lithic Tschirgant rock avalanche event of the Eastern Alps (Austria) still is relatively poorly constrained. We herein review the age of mass‐wasting based on a total of 17 absolute ages produced with three different methods (¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl, ²³⁴U/²³⁰Th). Chlorine‐36 (³⁶Cl) cosmogenic surface exposure dating of five boulders of the rock avalanche deposit indicates a mean event age of 3.06 ± 0.62 ka. Uranium‐234/thorium‐230 (²³⁴U/²³⁰Th) dating of soda‐straw stalactites formed in microcaves beneath boulders indicate mean precipitation ages of three individual soda straws at 3.20 ± 0.26 ka, 3.04 ± 0.10 ka and 2.81 ± 0.15 ka; notwithstanding potential internal errors, these ages provide an ‘older‐than’ (ante quam) proxy for mass‐wasting. Based on radiocarbon ages (nine sites) only, it was previously suggested that the present rock avalanche deposit represents two successive failures (3.75 ± 0.19 ka bp , 3.15 ± 0.19 ka bp ). There is, however, no evidence for two events neither in surface outcrops nor in LiDAR derived imagery and drill logs. The temporal distribution of all absolute ages (¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl, ²³⁴U/²³⁰Th) also does not necessarily indicate two successive events but suggest that a single catastrophic mass‐wasting took place between 3.4 and 2.4 ka bp . Taking into account the maximum age boundary given by reinterpreted radiocarbon datings and the minimum U/Th‐ages of calcite precipitations within the rock avalanche deposits, a most probable event age of 3.01 ± 0.10 ka bp can be proposed. Our results underscore the difficulty to accurately date catastrophic rock slope failures, but also the potential to increase the accuracy of age determination by combining methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An integrated field and numerical modelling study of controls on Late Quaternary fluvial landscape development (Tabernas,southeast Spain)

The variability of Quaternary landforms preserved in the Tabernas basin of southeast (SE) Spain raises numerous questions concerning the roles of external forcing mechanisms (e.g. tectonics and/or climate) and internal landscape properties (e.g. lithological controls) in the evolution of the basin‐wide fluvial system over Late Quaternary timescales. In this study, we apply the FLUVER2 numerical model to investigate the significance of these landscape controls upon patterns of landscape evolution. We highlight the complications of generating realistic input datasets for use in the modelling of long‐term landscape evolution (e.g. discharge and runoff datasets). Model outputs are compared to extensive field mapping of fluvial terraces, their sedimentary architecture and optically stimulated luminescence dating results of the terraces. The results demonstrate the significance of non‐linear rates of flexural tectonic uplift towards the west of the Tabernas Basin which have controlled base levels throughout the Quaternary and promoted the formation of a series of diverging fluvial terraces. Our numerical model results further highlight the importance of climate cycles upon river terrace formation. Basin‐wide aggradation events were modelled during the transition from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 to 5 and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as supported by field evidence. This aggradational pattern supports the regional hypothesis of terrace formation during global glacial cycles and cold‐to‐warm stage transitions and supports the use of sea surface temperature climate proxy data in the modelling exercise. The availability of sediments derived from the surrounding hillslopes and adjacent alluvial fans explains the generation of substantial terrace aggradations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting reach‐specific properties of fluvial terraces to guide future fieldwork. A case study for the Late Quaternary River Allier (France) with the FLUVER2 model

Numerical models have not yet systematically been used to predict properties of fluvial terrace records in order to guide fieldwork and sampling. This paper explores the potential of the longitudinal profile model FLUVER2 to predict testable field properties of the relatively well‐studied, Late Quaternary Allier system in France. For the Allier terraces an overlapping ¹⁴C and U‐series chronology as well as a record of ¹⁰Be erosion rates exist. The FLUVER2 modelling exercise is focused on the last 50 ka of the upper Allier reach because for this location and period the constraints of the available dating techniques are tightest. A systematic calibration based on terrace occurrence and thicknesses was done using three internal parameters related to (1) the sediment erodibility; (2) the sediment transport distance; and (3) the sediment supply derived from the surrounding landscape. As external model inputs, the best available, reconstructed, tectonic, climatic and base‐level data were used. Calibrated model outputs demonstrate a plausible match with the existing fluvial record. Validation of model output was done by comparing the modelled and measured timing of aggradation and incision phases for the three locations. The modelled range of landscape erosion rates showed a reasonably good match with existing erosion rate estimates derived from ¹⁰Be measurements of fluvial sands. The quasi‐validated model simulation was subsequently used to make new testable predictions about the timing and location of aggradation and erosion phases for three locations along the Allier river. The validated simulations predict that along the Allier, reach‐specific dynamics of incision and aggradation, related to the variations in sediment supply by major tributaries, cause relevant differences in the local fluvial terrace stratigraphy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preservation of the last aggradation phase in climate-driven terraces: Evidence from Late Quaternary reach-specific fluvial dynamics of the Allier River (France)

There is limited knowledge about the preservation of aggradation phases in Quaternary fluvial records. Previous numerical modelling of erosion and deposition in Late Quaternary Allier River (France) generated the prediction that this river has reach-specific fluvial dynamics related to climate-driven tributary sediment-flux dynamics. To test this prediction, new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples were collected of the Late Quaternary Fx terrace at five locations along a stretch of 60 km. OSL dates of both quartz and feldspar sand grains indicate that all relatively basalt-poor sediments display significantly different ages for each reach (ranging from 36.3 ± 2.0 to 21.1 ± 2.3 ka). The more basalt-rich terrace body consistently yields ages in the range 21.1 ± 1.7 to 16.1 ± 1.5 ka, suggesting contemporaneous aggradation along the whole studied Allier reach during this interval. Our own new OSL date of a Tartaret eruption around 16.8 ± 2.5 ka also fits this time window, suggesting a direct link with volcanic activity. However, there are many more dated volcanic events that coincide with the older basalt-poor units, making it less likely that a direct link between terrace-sediment basalt content and volcanic activity exists. The timings of the dated depositional events in MIS 3 and 2 all match with simulated climate drivers and published landscape erosion rates. Counterintuitively, the volcanic Chaîne des Puys area supplied more sediment during the cold and dry Last Glacial Maximum. Basalt content in the Allier terrace sediments reflects climate-related sediment-flux dynamics upstream. The scarcity of older basalt-poor sediment bodies from MIS 4 and 3 in the Fx terrace suggests that less sediment was supplied and/or the intermittent erosional phases in the Allier were very effective at removing them. We hypothesize that this observation of predominant preservation of the last aggradation phase could be a common phenomenon in most climate-driven terraces. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and tritium (3H) to estimate groundwater age and flow velocity in Hohhot Basin,China

The concentrations of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC‐11, CFC‐12 and CFC‐113) and tritium (³H) content in groundwater were used to date groundwater age, delineate groundwater flow systems and estimate flow velocity in the Hohhot basin. The estimated young groundwater age is fallen in the bracket of 21 ~ 50 a and indicates the presence of two different age profiles and flow systems in the shallow groundwater system. Older age waters occur under the topographically low areas, where the aquifer is double‐layer aquifer system consisting of shallow unconfined‐semi‐confined aquifer and deep confined aquifer. This reflects long flow paths associated with regional flow. Groundwater (range from 21 to 34 years) in the north piedmont and east hilly areas, where the aquifer is a single‐layer aquifer consisting of alluvial fans, are typically younger than those in the low areas. The combination of CFCs dating with hydrogeological information indicates that both local and regional flow systems are present at the basin. The regional groundwater flow mainly flows from the north and east to the southwest, the local groundwater flow system occurs nearby the Hohhot city. The mean regional groundwater flow velocity of the shallow groundwater is estimated about 0.73 km/a. These findings can aid in refining hydrogeological conceptual model of the study area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraining the age of Quaternary megafloods in the Altai Mountains (Russia) using luminescence

Some of the largest catastrophic outbursts of periglacial lakes known in the geological history of the Earth have been identified in the Altai Mountains. Traces of these events are recorded in the form of large terraces, predominantly composed of gravel material with numerous horizons of large boulders and blocks. Determining the age of these large-scale events is difficult due to the lack of suitable material (e.g. organics, well-bleached sand) and the specific genesis of these sediments. The results of cosmogenic radionuclide dating suggest a post-LGM age both for the source of the flood water and for different elements of the catafluvial terraces in the Chuya and Katun river valleys. Nevertheless, the age(s) of catastrophic breakthrough remains controversial. On the basis of a few IRSL ages, and geological and other evidence, some view the event as occurring around MIS 5. In this study, we investigate loess-like loams overlying the catafluvial sediments on the surface of the highest level terrace, ∼200 m above present river level. A total of 24 samples for luminescence dating were obtained, for which the OSL, IR₅₀, and pIRIR_50,290 signals were measured to control the degree of signal zeroing and the dating reliability. The age of the loess in all three pits was from 0.5 ka at the top to 23 ka at the base of the loess strata. From a sand layer in the top of the catafluvial deposits, two ages of ∼85–90 ka were obtained from feldspar pIRIR_50,290. These results provide a minimum pre-LGM age for the geomorphological surface of a major catafluvial terrace in the Altai Mountains.     

Wind erosion on the north‐eastern Tibetan Plateau: constraints from OSL and U‐Th dating of playa salt crust in the Qaidam Basin

The arid Qaidam Basin is the largest (~3.88 × 10⁴ km²) basin on the north‐eastern Tibetan Plateau. Wind erosion in the area has been regarded as an important trigger for intra‐basin tectonic balance upheaval, geomorphologic development and as a major supplier of dust to the Chinese Loess Plateau downwind. An initial estimate of the rate of wind erosion (Kapp et al., 2011) based on geological cross‐sections has suggested up to 3.2 × 10⁴ km³ of sediments has been deflated over the past 2.8 Ma, lowering the landscape by an average of 0.29 mm/yr. In this paper we re‐evaluate this estimate by dating surface crusts present on three playas within the basin. Understanding the development of these playas is crucial to assessing the overall role of the wind in shaping the regional landscape because they are typically capped with a thick salt crust which effectively protects them from wind erosion. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and U‐series dating from a pit section and from the top of a deep drill core, together with results from magnetostratigraphy and a climate proxy record correlated to the marine oxygen isotope record, are used here to determine the age of the playa plains and suggest that the salt crusts have an age of c. 0.1 Ma. This young age and the wide distribution of resistant thick salt crusts of the playa plains indicate a much lower degree of wind erosion than previously suggested. The crusts protect the surface from significant surface erosion (including sediment exhumation and unloading) and whilst some wind erosion does occur, it is unlikely to be sufficient to trigger tectonic uplift of the basin or to be a major dust source for the Loess Plateau as previously suggested. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soft‐sediment deformation structures in Cretaceous non‐marine deposits of southeastern Gyeongsang Basin,Korea: Occurrences and origin

A variety of soft‐sediment deformation structures formed during or shortly after deposition occurs in the Cretaceous Seongpori and Dadaepo Formations of the southeastern Gyeongsang Basin exposed along coastal areas of southeastern Korean Peninsula for 0.5–2 km. These are mostly present in a fluvial plain facies, with interbedded lacustrine deposits. In this study, the features of different kinds of soft‐sediment deformation structures have been interpreted on the basis of sedimentology of structure‐bearing deposits, comparison with normal sedimentary structures, timing and mechanism of deformation, and triggering mechanisms. The soft‐sediment deformation structures can be classified into four morphological groups: (i) load structures (load casts, ball‐and‐pillow structures); (ii) soft‐sediment intrusive structures (dish‐and‐pillars, clastic dykes, sills); (iii) ductile disturbed structures (convolute folds, slump structures); and (iv) brittle deformation structures (syndepositional faulting, dislocated breccia). The most probable triggering mechanisms resulting in these structures were seismic shocks. These interpretations are based on the following field observations: (i) location of the study area within tectonically active fault zone reactivated several times during the Cretaceous; (ii) deformation structures confined to single stratigraphic levels; (iii) lateral continuity and occurrences of various soft‐sediment deformation structures in the deformed level over large areas; (iv) absence of depositional slope to indicate gravity sliding or slumping; and (v) similarity to the structures produced experimentally. The soft‐sediment deformation structures in the study areas are thus interpreted to have been generated by seismic shocks with an estimated magnitude of M > 5, representing an intermittent record of the active tectonic and sedimentary processes during the development and evolution of two formations from the late Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous.     

10Be surface-exposure age dating of the Last Glacial Maximum in the northern Pamir (Tajikistan)

Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variations in Alpine glaciations is essential for reconstructing the regional and global timing of ice ages. This study investigates glacial deposits at the mouth of the Muksu catchment in the northern Pamir using ¹⁰Be surface-exposure age dating. We sampled boulders from the furthest downstream recessional moraine (20 samples) and five lateral moraines (41 samples) near the former terminus of the Fedchenko Glacier, the longest (∼72 km) present-day Alpine glacier of the Pamir. After the identification of outliers, the boulder population of the recessional moraine yielded a mean exposure age of 17.5 ± 1.9 ka. The maximum exposure age of the lateral moraines, collected ∼5 km up-valley of the recessional moraine, is 18.2 ± 1.7 ka. The boulder ages reflect glacial deposition during the Last Glacial Maximum (Marine Isotope Stage 2) in the region; they are in accordance with published glacial deposition ages in the western Tian Shan.     

Field application of close‐range digital photogrammetry (CRDP) for grain‐scale fluvial morphology studies

In situ measurement of grain‐scale fluvial morphology is important for studies on grain roughness, sediment transport and the interactions between animals and the geomorphology, topics relevant to many river practitioners. Close‐range digital photogrammetry (CRDP) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) are the two most common techniques to obtain high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) from fluvial surfaces. However, field application of topography remote sensing at the grain scale is presently hindered mainly by the tedious workflow challenges that one needs to overcome to obtain high‐accuracy elevation data. A recommended approach for CRDP to collect high‐resolution and high‐accuracy DEMs has been developed for gravel‐bed flume studies. The present paper investigates the deployment of the laboratory technique on three exposed gravel bars in a natural river environment. In contrast to other approaches, having the calibration carried out in the laboratory removes the need for independently surveyed ground‐control targets, and makes for an efficient and effective data collection in the field. Optimization of the gravel‐bed imagery helps DEM collection, without being impacted by variable lighting conditions. The benefit of a light‐weight three‐dimensional printed gravel‐bed model for DEM quality assessment is shown, and confirms the reliability of grain roughness data measured with CRDP. Imagery and DEM analysis evidences sedimentological contrasts between gravel bars within the reach. The analysis of the surface elevations shows the effect variable grain‐size and sediment sorting have on the surface roughness. By plotting the two‐dimensional structure functions and surface slopes and aspects we identify different grain arrangements and surface structures. The calculation of the inclination index allows determining the surface‐forming flow direction(s). We show that progress in topography remote sensing is important to extend our knowledge on fluvial morphology processes at the grain scale, and how a technique customized for use by fluvial geomorphologists in the field benefits this progress. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of 1D paleo‐fluvial process modelling at a basin scale to augment sparse borehole data: example of a Permian formation in the Galilee Basin,Australia

The heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity (K) in water‐bearing formations controls subsurface flow and solute transport processes. Geostatistical techniques are often employed to characterize the K distribution in space based on the correlation between K measurements. However, at the basin scale, there are often insufficient measurements for inferring the spatial correlation. This is a widespread problem that we address in this study using the example of the Betts Creek Beds (BCB) in the Galilee Basin, Australia. To address the lack of data, we use a 1D stochastic fluvial process‐based model (SFPM) to quantify the total sediment thickness, Z( x ), and the sandstone proportion over the total thickness, P_s( x ), in the BCB. The semivariograms of Z( x ) and P_s( x ) are then extracted and used in sequential Gaussian simulation to construct the 2D spatial distribution of Z( x ) and P_s( x ). P_s( x ) can be converted to a K distribution based on classical averaging methods. The results demonstrate that the combination of SFPM and geostatistical simulation allows for the evaluation of upscaled K distribution with a limited number of K measurements. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Volcanic soil formation in Calabria (southern Italy): The Cecita Lake geosol in the late Quaternary geomorphological evolution of the Sila uplands

This paper focuses on the main morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical features of an andic-like soil, widely outcropping in the Sila upland plateau of Calabria (southern Italy), and its potential role in tephrostratigraphy. A multidisciplinary and multiscale approach allowed identification of this soil as a “masked” distal archive of volcanic products, developed on granite rocks and sediments with a coeval pyroclastic input during pedogenesis. The study demonstrates that the contribution of volcanic parent materials can be successfully hypothesized and assessed even in the absence, limited extent or poor preservation of primary eruptive products. The soil has an Andisol-like appearance, despite laboratory data that do not match the entire suite of diagnostic criteria for the Andisol taxonomic order. Geomorphological, stratigraphic and pedologic results, coupled with tephrostratigraphic and radiometric data, concur to suggest a Late Pleistocene(?) to Holocene age of the Andisol-like soil. In particular, the rhyolitic chemical composition of small-sized glass fragments (identified by SEM–EDS analyses) indicates soil genesis contributed by volcanic ash, probably sourced from Aeolian Arc explosive activity spanning the last 30 ka. Accordingly, the evidence of limited relict clay illuviation and the specific type of pedogenesis allowing the development of andic properties (in turn related to the neoformation of clay minerals from the weathering of volcanic glass) are consistent with a climatic shift from a seasonally-contrasted to a constantly humid pedoenvironment. This change can be ascribed to the Lateglacial(?) or Early–Middle Holocene to Late Holocene transition. Calibrated AMS ¹⁴C dates performed on charcoal fragments sampled from three representative soil profiles, provide Late Holocene ages (3136 ± 19, 343 ± 16 and 92 ± 24 yr BP), in accord with archaeological finds. On the basis of the consistent stratigraphic position, lateral continuity and wide extent, the soil can be considered a good pedostratigraphic marker in the Sila highlands and is informally defined as the “Cecita Lake geosol”. It supplies valuable time constraints for the underlying (occasionally overlying) deposits and/or soils. Moreover, it allows regional-scale morphostratigraphic correlations and detailed reconstruction of Late Pleistocene–Holocene geomorphic events in Calabria, a very suitable region for distal tephra deposition in the central Mediterranean peri-volcanic area. The effects of high-energy volcanic eruptions are interfingered with or superimposed by other geomorphic processes and climatic or anthropogenic signals.     

Discriminating between the roles of late Pleistocene palaeodischarge and geological‐topographic inheritance in fluvial longitudinal profile and channel development

This paper investigates the influences of palaeohydrology and geological‐topographic inheritance in shaping the channel of the lower River Suir, southeast Ireland. Results of acoustic surveys of the lower River Suir and Waterford Harbour reveal two scales of pseudo‐cyclic river bedforms. Longitudinal elevation profiles of the geological topography (undulating bedrock and till‐mantled bedrock) bounding the present floodplain swath reveal pseudo‐cyclicity in that terrain too. Spectral and statistical analyses are used to quantify the cyclicity of the long profile and geological‐topographic series. These methods show that the dominant cyclicity of the long profile reflects autocorrelation more than inheritance of cyclicity from the bounding geological topography. The cyclicity of the long profile mainly reflects a hydraulic control on pool‐spacing, although some cyclicity probably has been inherited from the geological‐topography. Channel‐forming palaeodischarge is estimated based on the dominant pool‐spacing revealed by spectral analysis, validated using relationships between meander wavelength, channel cross‐sectional geometry and hydraulically‐informed discharge reconstruction. The palaeodischarge estimates are in close agreement and are two orders of magnitude greater than present flood maxima. Significantly, these palaeodischarge estimates also agree closely with palaeodischarge calculated for the submerged Pleistocene palaeochannel that extends across the near‐shore continental shelf from Waterford Harbour. The pool‐sequence of the lower Suir and the submerged palaeochannel represent a former land‐system that was active during a period of low relative sea level during the last glacial. More broadly, the paper offers insights into the landscape evolution of formerly glaciated regions that experienced very wide discharge variability during and after the transition from glacial to interglacial regimes, in a context of complex relative sea level change. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dune phases in the Otaki‐Te Horo area (New Zealand): a geomorphic history

Optical dating, sedimentological analysis and soil profile development have been used to develop a chronology for, and an understanding of, the geomorphic evolution of the Holocene coastal plain between Otaki and Te Horo, North Island of New Zealand. The coastal plain has prograded 0·48 m a^?1 since sea‐levels reached their post‐glacial maximum 6500 years ago. Dune development on the plain, which is dependent on the supply of sediment suitable for dune building, has been episodic. Three periods of dune activity have been identified – the Foxton, Motuiti and Waitarere phases – the last two of which are believed to have resulted from anthropogenic activities. The dunes north of the Otaki River and south of Mangaone Stream are typical of a coastal dune system that extends from Patea in the north to Paekakariki in the south. However, this system is disrupted by the Otaki River and the gravels it delivers to the coastal zone. Immediately south of the river mouth the dunes are significantly smaller, coarser, and contain significantly more magnetic material. The character of the landforms is the result of: the reworking of the last glacial deposits; ongoing coastal progradation; variation in the input of sediment suitable for dune formation; the change in beach character because of gravel input; and the position of the Otaki River mouth. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraining Holocene sea levels using U‐Th ages of phreatic overgrowths on speleothems from coastal caves in Mallorca (Western Mediterranean)

Phreatic overgrowths on speleothems (POS) are carbonate formations deposited at the water table of caves in unique karstic coastal settings having morphologies that can be directly related to sea level at the time of formation. The U‐Th ages of calcite and aragonite overgrowths collected from the modern water table in coastal caves on Mallorca (Cova de Cala Varques A and Cova des Pas de Vallgornera) were determined using high‐precision MC‐ICPMS techniques. U‐Th ages indicate that phreatic carbonate deposition occurred between ca 2·8 and at least 0·6 ka BP and are in accord with an archeologically estimated age of 3·7–3·0 ka BP for a drowned prehistoric construction at a depth of 1 m below current sea level in a cave from the same area. Speleothem δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O and chemical composition of cave pools provide supportive evidence that POS reflect mixing between seawater and brackish water table. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.