Nature and geochemistry of surface sediments of the mangrove environment along the Egyptian Red Sea coast

Grain size and geochemical analyses have been carried out on 58 samples collected from different areas of mangrove environment of the Egyptian Red Sea coast. The texture characteristics of mangrove sediments show that the mean size decreases in sediments of coastal areas while increase in island sediments and the sediment type generally changes from sand to slightly gravelly muddy sand. The sediments are composed mainly of poorly sorted, negatively nearly symmetrical and leptokurtic fine sands. Cluster analysis showed that, distribution of gravel, sand and mud fractions is related to bottom facies and type of sediment source. Generally, sand fraction is the main category among the three constituents. Geochemically the factor controlling the carbonate content of studied sediments includes material supply of biogenic and terrigenous components. Therefore, sediments of Hamata area, km 17 south Safaga, Wadi El-Gemal Island and Abu-Minqar Island are terrigenous sediments, while sediments of km 37 north Quseir are highly carbonates. In general organic matter is higher in the mangrove sediments relative to adjacent areas. The high organic matter in the mangrove sediments is primarily due to the high supply from primary productivity, terrestrial and reworked sediments. Texture is the main controlling factor for the organic matter enrichment. Spatial variations in the phosphorus content in the different studied localities are related to the sources of phosphorus to the area. In comparison, cluster analysis indicates that phosphorus might be transported from terrestrial source to the sea through wadis draining the excavated Upper Cretaceous phosphate rocks. Also, the abundance of phosphorus content may be attributed to phosphatization of calcareous skeletons. Our observations provide knowledge on the physico-chemical effects and will be useful in the management and suitable development of the areas under study. In addition it represent database in the future.     

Chronology,stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental interpretation of a Late Pleistocene to mid‐Holocene cave accumulation on Kangaroo Island,South Australia

Chronological, sedimentological and geochemical analyses of a clastic infill from Kelly Hill Cave (5K1), Kangaroo Island, document a palaeoenvironmental record that spans from the Late Pleistocene to the middle Holocene. We AMS radiocarbon‐dated bone collagen and U–Th‐dated speleothem to determine that fossiliferous sediments were deposited between >20 ka and 7 ka ago. Most of the 15 sedimentary layers are dominated by sand‐ and silt‐sized quartz that is physically and geochemically comparable with surface soils in the Kelly Hill area. Late Pleistocene and Last Glacial Maximum strata are represented primarily by homogeneous, poorly sorted quartz‐rich sediments that contain little organic matter, but include a thin layer composed largely of silt‐sized clay pellets that resemble sediments deflated from playa lakes. Microstructures observed in petrographic slides indicate that, with the exception of one layer, all sediments experienced little reworking once deposited in the cave. Some layers display pedogenic microstructures such as redeposited clays and opaline silica infilling that indicate postdepositional modification; that is, cave‐floor soil development. Overlying Holocene‐aged sediments also consist mainly of quartz but have much greater organic matter content. Some of these sediments have been strongly influenced by re‐precipitated organic matter that appears to have been transported into the cave via vadose drip water. The presence of dissolved organic matter in soil/vadose waters suggests a high vegetation density and acidic soils, which are congruent with the more equitable climatic conditions characteristic of the Holocene. The sediments described here provide a valuable palaeoenvironmental record that will facilitate future interpretation of associated vertebrate fossils.     

Recent and subrecent sedimentary conditions in the southern part of the North Sea–Baltic Sea transition

The recent rate of net sedimentation (0–5mm/yr) in the southern Kattegat is to a high degree governed by resuspension. In shallow areas (10–25 m) there is no or very little sedimentation. Sediments here are sandy lag sediments with a low content of organic matter (0.5–3.0%), nitrogen (0–0.1%) and phosphorus (0.01–0.05%). In deep water (30–60 m) the sediments are clays or fine silts and generally have high contents of organic matter (3.0–10.8%), nitrogen (0.1–0.34%) and phosphorus (0.05–0.10%). Shallow water sediments are relatively well sorted because of resuspension of fine material, which is transported to deeper water. Here the sorting becomes poor because relatively coarser material is supplied during exceptional storm events. Discrimination on erosion/transport bottoms and on depositional bottoms was based on resuspension calculations, grain-size parameters and Passegas (1964) CM diagrams. The IG/N ratio was an useful additional tool. From the sediment content of CaCO₃ it is suggested that recent sedimentation in the deeper parts of southern Kattegat is less influenced by contributions from the North Sea than it was during the early Holocene.     

太平洋西部深海沉积物中有机质、氮、磷的初步研究

本文通过对太平洋西部(南纬2°-8°,东径170°-173°20')水深在3800-5200米7个站位柱状样中有机质、氮、磷的含量分析,并与沉积物中粒度、微古、底栖生物、矿物资料的对比研究,指出了太平洋西部深海沉积物中有机质、氮、磷的分布规律,控制因素及地球化学特征。资料研究表明:有机质、氮主要来自海水的化学作用及生物作用的沉淀物,而磷同时又有火山喷发时颗粒无机磷的加入;有机质、氮的含量分布与沉积物类型密切有关,在某种程度上,对太平洋西部的沉积环境起了标志作用。     

Texture and geochemistry of the sediments of a tropical mangrove ecosystem,southwest coast of India

The textural and geochemical aspects of the sediments of a tropical mangrove ecosystem have been studied and discussed. The sediments are characterized by the abundance of silt and sand with minor amounts of clay. The mean size of the sediment ranges from 0.205 mm to 0.098 mm (fine to very fine grained sand). The sediments are very poorly sorted, negatively to very negatively skewed, and platy to extremely leptokurtic in nature. The organic carbon content of the sediments ranges from 0,33% to 4.93%, which is controlled by the particle size of the sediments. The CaCO₃ content is five times the enrichment of organic carbon. This enhanced CaCO₃ content of the mangrove sediments might be a result of the abundance of shell fragments in the sediments. The shell mining activities in the estuarine bed adjoining the Kumarakam mangroves also contribute a substantial amount of lime muds to the mangrove area, which in turn add CaCO₃ to the sediments. The relative concentrations of heavy metals are Fe > Mn > Cr > Zn > Ni > Cu. All heavy metals other than Fe show an increase in concentration compared to the other parts of the estuarine bed. Cluster analysis indicates that the contents of organic C, Fe and Mn have a marked bearing on the Cr, Zn, Ni, and Cu levels of the mangrove sediments.     

Generation and expulsion of oils from Permian coals of the Sydney Basin,Australia

Organic geochemical and petrological assessment of coals/coaly shales and fine grained sediments, coupled with organic geochemical analyses of oil samples, all from Permo–Triassic sections of the Southern Sydney Basin (Australia), have enabled identification of the source for the widely distributed oil shows and oil seeps in this region. The Permian coals have higher hydrogen indices, higher liptinite contents, and much higher total organic matter extract yields than the fine grained sediments. A variety of source specific parameters obtained from n-alkanes, regular isoprenoids, terpanes, steranes and diasteranes indicate that the oil shows and seeps were generated and expelled predominantly from higher plant derived organic matter deposited in oxic environments. The source and maturity related biomarkers and aromatic hydrocarbon distributions of the oils are similar to those of the coals. The oil-coal relationship also is demonstrated by similarities in the carbon isotopic composition of the total oils, coal extracts, and their individual n-alkanes. Extracts from the Permo–Triassic fine grained sediments, on the other hand, have organic geochemical signatures indicative of mixed terrestrial and prokaryotic organic matter deposited in suboxic environments, which are significantly different from both the oils and coal extracts. The molecular signatures indicating the presence of prokaryotic organic matter in some of the coal extracts and oils may be due to thin sections of possibly calcareous lithologies interbedded within the coal measures. The genetic relationship between the oils and coals provides new evidence for the generation and expulsion of oils from the Permian coals and raises the possibility for commercial oil accumulations in the Permian and Early Triassic sandstones, potentially in the deeper offshore part of the Sydney Basin.     

松辽平原典型黑土区有机质的变化及影响因素分析

根据2003～2008年松辽平原中南部地区多目标区域地球化学调查成果,研究了典型黑土区有机质的分布特征,提出了绥化-哈尔滨-四平一线典型黑土区有机质含量具有纬度地带性分布特点,有机质由北向南逐渐降低.分析了土壤有机质的影响因素,认为土壤的成土母质和土壤质地是决定有机质含量的重要基础,湖相沉积物和土壤质地细腻,黏粒成分多,有机质含量高.气温和降水等气候条件是影响土壤有机质的主要因素,低温湿润气候条件有利于有机质积累.耕地开垦时间长、作物连作和化肥使用等人为因素降低了有机质含量.     

Sources and preservation of organic matter in the Cretaceous Toolebuc Formation, eastern Australia

The organic matter-rich Toolebuc Formation of eastern Australia was deposited in a Lower Cretaceous epicontinental sea. Parameters from biological marker studies indicate that the organic matter is immature to marginally mature for hydrocarbon generation. The occurrence of abundant coccoliths and the distribution of alkane biomarkers suggest that the organic matter (Type II) is largely of planktonic origin and only in the southeastern part of the depositional area can a terrestrial influence be discerned. Variations in kerogen composition can be attributed to the extent of the oxidation of the source materials and the degree of incorporation of sulphur. The atomic H/C ratios (c. 1.1) are remarkably constant for most of the Toolebuc Formation. Atomic O/C ratios vary from 0.1 and 0.4 and can be related both to depth and paleogeographic position. Kerogen sulphur contents range up to 7%, and the highest values occur in the most carbonate-rich sediments. Total sulphur (inorganic + organic) to carbon ratios in the sediments vary from 1 to <0.2 and are a function of paleogeographic position and lithology. Most of the sulphur in the sediments is in the form of pyrite, but the proportion of sulphur in organic form increases as the total sulphur content decreases. The evidence for oxidation of the organic matter and incorporation of sulphur into it during deposition suggests that bituminite, which is the dominant organic maceral in the Toolebuc Formation, was formed from an organic gel derived by decay of predominantly algal material. These data support a modified gyttja model (Kauffman, 1981) for the deposition of organic matter in the Toolebuc Formation.     

近海沉积物中氮磷的同时测定及其在胶州湾沉积物中的应用

通过实验优化确定了近海自然粒度下沉积物中氮和磷同时浸取并测定的条件，其中无机态氮和无机态磷用0．1moL／L盐酸浸取后测定；总氮、总磷采用氢氧化钠与过硫酸钾混合氧化剂进行氧化浸取后测定。用这种方法研究了胶州湾沉积物中的氮与磷，探讨了其沉积物中氮和磷的地球化学分布特征，发现胶州湾沉积物中有机氮可占总氮的50％～70％，而有机磷所占总磷的比例低于40％，从湾内到湾外这一比例有降低的趋势；与其他海区相似，胶州湾表层沉积物中无机氮和无机磷的相对含量随着深度的增加而增大，在次表层则趋于稳定或变化较小；而有机氮和有机磷的垂直变化与其相反。结果表明，这种沉积物氮、磷的同时测定方法，具有操作简单、精密度高等特点，可用于近海沉积物氮、磷生态学功能及过量氮、磷生态毒理的研究。     

Environmental evolution recorded by multi-proxy evidence in Lake Chenghai sediments, Yunnan Province during recent 100 years

Lacustrine sediments can provide potential information about environmental changes in the past. On the basis of high-resolution multi-proxy analysis including carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter, C/N ratios, inorganic carbon contents, and carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of carbonate, together with precise 137Cs dating, the environmental evolution of Lake Chenghai, Yunnan Province, during the past 100 years has been investigated. It is shown that the carbonate in Lake Chenghai is authigenic, and the organic matter is mainly derived from aquatic plants and algae, instead of terrestrial-source materials. The environmental evolution of Lake Chenghai can be diverged into three periods with the contrasting characteristics during the past 100 years. Before 1940, the stable carbon and oxygen isotope values, the poor correlation between them and the lower carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter suggested that Lake Chenghai was open, and the lake water was oligotrophic during that period. During 1940-1993, the negative δ13C values and the gradual increase of carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter and C/N ratios indicated that the eutrophication was aggravated. The closeness of Lake Chenghai and human activities may be responsible for this eutrophication. After 1993, notable increases in carbon and oxygen isotopic values of carbonate, carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter, C/N ratios and inorganic carbon contents demonstrated that the increase of lacustrine productivity and the serious eutrophication were resulted from strong human activities. Therefore, the multi-proxy in Lake Chenghai sediments has reliably recorded the natural environmental evolution and the impacts from human activities.     

Reconstructing the sedimentation history of the Bengal Delta Plain by means of geochemical and stable isotopic data

The purpose of this study is to examine the sedimentation history of the central floodplain area of the Bengal Delta Plain in West Bengal, India. Sediments from two boreholes were analyzed regarding lithology, geochemistry and the stable isotopic composition of embedded organic matter. Different lithofacies were distinguished that reflect frequent changes in the prevailing sedimentary depositional environment of the study area. The lowest facies comprises poorly sorted fluvial sediments composed of fine gravel to clay pointing at high transport energy and intense relocation processes. This facies is considered to belong to an early Holocene lowstand systems tract that followed the last glacial maximum. Fine to medium sands above it mark a gradual change towards a transgressive systems tract. Upwards increasing proportions of silt and the stable isotopic composition of embedded organic matter both indicate a gradual change from fluvial channel infill sediments towards more estuarine and marine influenced deposits. Youngest sediments are composed of clayey and silty overbank deposits of the Hooghly River that have formed a vast low-relief delta-floodplain. Close to the surface, small concretions of secondary Mn-oxides and Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides occur and mark the fluctuation range of the unsaturated zone. These concretions are accompanied by relatively high contents of trace elements such as Zn, Ni, Cu, and As. To sum up, the outcomes of this study provide new insights into the complex sedimentation history of the barely investigated central floodplain area of West Bengal.     

Diagenesis of Organic Matter in the Top Layer of the Sediments of the Peter the Great Bay in Hypoxia Locations

During Cruise 62nd of the R/V “Professor Gagarinsky” in September, 2014, the carbonate system of sediments and contents of nutrients and organic carbon in pore water were studied in two geochemical stations located in hypoxia areas in the Peter the Great Bay. It was established that the concentrations of silica, phosphorus, and ammonium increase by 5, 10, and 20 times, respectively, with sediment depth to 70–80 cm. The alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide significantly increase with depth, while рН value and organic matter (ОM) decrease. Changes in the chemical composition of pore water with sediment depth (0–80 cm) are caused by anaerobic microbial degradation of OM, concentration of which in the top sediment layer is 2–3%. The degradation products of OM in the bottom waters of bay and pore waters of bottom sediments indicate that its main sources are diatoms. During hypoxia, the oxygen demand rate by sediment surface near Furugelm Island is estimated to be 5 mmol/(m² day). A combination of such factors as downwelling circulation, the absence of photosynthetically active radiation, and the high oxygen demand rate at the water/sediment interface provides hypoxia formation in the depressions of the Peter the Great Bay bottom topography.     

典型内陆湖泊沉积物氮、磷和重金属分布特征及生态风险评价——以武汉市武湖为例

城市内陆型湖泊湿地对城市生态系统具有重要的作用。以武汉市武湖为例,采用数理统计、营养盐指数、地累积指数和潜在生态风险指数等方法,对武湖表层沉积物中的氮、磷、有机质和重金属的平面分布特征、影响因素、富集污染程度、生态风险进行评价。结果表明: 武湖西北部表层沉积物中总氮、总磷和有机质的含量明显高于东南部,武湖周边地表径流和农田是营养元素的主要来源,旱地较水田有利于沉积物中总磷的富集; 武湖沉积物中有机质为内源水生植物和外源陆生植物的混合来源,与总氮具显著正相关关系; 沉积物中重金属含量总体较低,局部呈现高镉,平面上总体北部高于南部; 沉积物中重金属富集程度和潜在风险较低,局部地区镉和铅为轻微富集,镉和汞具中等潜在风险; 沉积物的潜在生态风险为低至中等,潜在生态风险与沉积物中镉的分布高度一致。     

Burial of organic carbon and carbonate on inner shelf of the northern South China Sea during the postglacial period

Two vibrocores from the inner shelf off Hong Kong are investigated to compare the contents of organic and inorganic carbon in postglacial sediments. The compositions of organic elements and carbonate are highly variable in the core sediments, but overall drop within the compositional ranges of modern seabed sediments in the Zhujiang estuarine and its shelf area. The Holocene sediments in the inner shelf have never been subject to subaerial exposure and the organic matter and carbonate can be preserved well. The burial of carbon in river-dominated shelf environments is highly dependent on the river flux with time. Nevertheless, it is difficult to establish a simple relationship between carbon burial in sediments in relation to climatic changes of basin-wide scale due to complex controls of production, transport and deposition of organic matter and carbonate. Our study suggests that the organic carbon to nitrogen ratio can not reliably identify the sources of depositional organic matters because of selective decomposition of organic matter components during humification and sedimentation. Caution is therefore needed in using organic elemental compositions as indicators of organic matter sources and paleoenvironmental changes in the East Asian continental shelves where intense river-sea interaction and variable carbon flux in geologic record occur.     

东海陆架泥质区沉积有机质的物源分析

色谱和色谱／质谱分析表明，济州鸟西南泥质区正构烷烃、姥鲛烷、植烷、藿烷和甾烷等生物标志物的特征与现代长江口、老黄河口和新黄河口的河流沉积物均区别很大，该泥质区的沉积有机质主要来源于海洋低等生物（如细菌和藻类等）以及陆源高等植物的输入，表现为不同来源和成熟度的生物标志物的混合，同时该泥质区沉积有机质与矿物碎屑沉积物来源不尽相同。长江口泥质区正构烷烃高相对分子质量部分与长江口沉积物相似，正构烷烃和藿烷所反映的有机质成熟度高于现代长江和老黄河口沉积物，甾烷的成熟度与长江相仿而明显高于老黄河口沉积物。长江口泥质区的沉积有机质主要来源于长江输入的陆源高等植物碎片和海洋源的低等生物。东海陆架近岸与远端泥质区沉积有机质的物源很不相同。     

Organic petrology and source rock potential of sediments in the Eromanga Basin, South Australia

Cuttings and cores from the Poolowanna 1 well, Eromanga Basin, South Australia (in which oil was discovered in Lower Jurassic reservoirs) and the Macumba 1 well (no oil) have been analyzed petrographically to assess the nature of the coals and dispersed organic matter present. The Jurassic and Cretaceous coals have medium to high vitrinite contents, low to relatively high exinite, and medium to low inertinite contents. The dispersed organic matter has comparatively less vitrinite, more exinite and/or more inertinite than the associated coals. The microlithotype compositions of the coals indicate that the original vegetation was largely woody in character and was buried before much oxidation had occurred.The Jurassic sediments contain up to 2% dispersed organic matter by volume, 0–75% of which is exinite, including alginite. Vitrinite reflectances range from 0.5 to 0.7%. Where sufficiently mature, the Jurassic sediments are good potential source rocks for hydrocarbons.Statistical testing of the analytical results for the Jurassic Poolowanna Formation using Kendall's τ as a measure of dependence shows that there is a significant association between the macerals in coal and dispersed organic matter. The ratio of exinite to inertinite in dispersed organic matter is reasonably well predicted by the corresponding ratio in the associated coal.     

Suspended sediments and organic matter in mountain headwaters of the Amazon River: Results from a 1-year time series study in the central Peruvian Andes

Few studies have examined the dynamics of sediments and suspended organic matter and their export from headwater basins in the Andes Mountains to the Amazon River, despite the fact that the Andes are the primary source of sediments to the lower Amazon basin. We measured river discharge as well as the concentration, δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, %N, and %OC of coarse and fine suspended sediments (CSS and FSS) in the Chorobamba River, located in the central Andean Amazon of Peru. Samples were taken at least weekly over an entire year (July 2004-July 2005), with additional sampling during storms. Concentrations of particulate organic matter (POM) were generally low in the study river, with concentrations increasing by up to several orders of magnitude during episodic rain events. Because both overall flow volumes and POM concentrations increased under stormflow conditions, the export of POM was enhanced multiplicatively during these events. We estimated that a minimum of 80% of annual suspended sediment transfer occurred during only about 10 days of the year, also accounting for 74% of particulate organic carbon and 64% of particulate organic nitrogen transport. Significant differences occurred between seasons (wet and dry) for δ¹³C of coarse and fine POM in the Chorobamba River, reflecting seasonal changes in organic matter sources. The time series data indicate that this Andean river exports approximately equal amounts of fine and coarse POM to the lower Amazon. The observation that the vast majority of sediments and associated OM exported from Andean rivers is mobilized during short, infrequent storm events and landslides has important implications for our understanding of Amazon geochemistry, especially in the face of incipient global change.     

Uranium in Holocene valley-fill sediments,and uranium,radon, and helium in waters,Lake Tahoe—Carson Range area,Nevada and California,U.S.A.

Uraniferous Holocene sediments occur in the Carson Range of Nevada and California, U.S.A., between Lake Tahoe and Carson Valley. The hosts for the uranium include peat and interbedded organic-rich sand, silt, and mud that underly valley floors, fens, and marshes along stream valleys between the crest of the range and the edge of Lake Tahoe. The known uranium accumulations extend along the Carson Range from the area just southeast of South Lake Tahoe northward to the area just east of Carson City; however, they almost certainly continue beyond the study area to the north, west, and south. Due to the young age of the accumulations, uranium in them is in gross disequilibrium with its highly radioactive daughter products. These accumulations have thus escaped discovery with radiation detection equipment in the past. The uranium content of these sediments approaches 0.6 percent; however, the average is in the range of 300–500 ppm. Waters associated with these sediments locally contain as much as 177 ppb uranium. Modest levels of helium and radon also occur in these waters.Uraniferous waters are clearly entering the private and public water supply systems in some parts of the study area; however, it is not known how much uranium is reaching users of these water supplies. Many of the waters sampled in the study area exceed the published health effects guidance level of the Environmental Protection Agency. Regulatory standards for uranium in waters have not been published, however.Much uranium is stored in the sediments along these stream valleys. Estimates for a marsh and a fen along one drainage are 24,000 and 15,000 kg, respectively. The potential effects of man-induced environmental changes on the uranium are uncertain. Laboratory studies of uraniferous sediment rich in organic matter may allow us to evaluate the potential of liberating uranium from such sediments and creating transient increases in the level of uranium moving in water in the natural environment.     

Heavy metal accumulation in mangrove sediments surrounding a large waste reservoir of a local metallurgical plant, Sepetiba Bay, SE, Brazil

Due to the growing rate of urbanization and a rapid and unplanned development in many tropical coastal areas, there continues to be an increasing concern in relation to the impact of anthropogenic activities on mangrove sediments. In southeastern Brazil, the Sepetiba Bay becomes an example of an ecosystem in the process of accelerated degradation. Previous studies highlighted the activities related with zinc processing by an industry on the Madeira’s Island as one of the main source of heavy metal to Sepetiba Bay. Despite the end of the industrial activities in the area, the waste reservoir became the main source of pollutant to the surrounding area. Analyses of Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Zn, particle size and nutrients of 20 sediment samples collected in the mangrove of the Madeira Island showed that the waste reservoir is the main source of contaminant to the mangrove. The statistic analyses showed that the moisture content and organic matter play an important role in the geochemical dynamic of heavy metal in the area.