Lithospheric structure of the Trans-European Suture Zone along the TTZ–CEL03 seismic transect (from NW to SE Poland)

The large-scale CELEBRATION 2000 seismic experiment investigated the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle between western portion of the East European Craton (EEC) and the eastern Alps. This area comprises: the Trans-European Suture Zone, the Carpathian Mountains, the Pannonian Basin and the Bohemian Massif. This experiment included 147 chemical shots recorded by 1230 seismic stations during two deployments. Good quality data along 16 main and a few additional profiles were recorded. One of them, profile CEL03, was located in southeastern Poland and was laid out as a prolongation of the TTZ profile performed in 1993. This paper focuses on the joint interpretation of seismic data along the NW–SE trending TTZ–CEL03 transect, located in the central portion of the Trans-European Suture Zone. First arrivals and later phases of waves reflected/refracted in the crust and upper mantle were interpreted using two-dimensional tomographic inversion and ray-tracing techniques. This modelling established a 2-D (quasi 3-D) P-wave velocity lithospheric model. Four crustal units were identified along the transect. From northwest to southeast, thickness of the crust varies from 35 km in the Pomeranian Unit (NW) to 40 km in the Kuiavian Unit, to 50 km in the Radom–Łysogóry Unit and again to 43 km in the Narol Unit (SE). The first two units are thought to be proximal terranes detached from the EEC farther to the southeast and re-accreted to the edge of the EEC during the Early Palaeozoic. The origin of the remaining two units is a matter of dispute: they are either portions of the EEC or other proximal terranes. In the area of the Polish Basin (first two units), the P-wave velocity is very low (V_p < 6.1 km/s) down to depths of 15–20 km indicating that a very thick sedimentary and possibly volcanic rock sequence, whose lower portion may be metamorphosed, is present. The velocity beneath the Moho was found to be rather high, being 8.25 km/s in the northwestern portion of the transect, 8.4 km/s in the central sector, and 8.1 km/s in the southeastern sector.     

Preservation of pre-vegetational mixed fluvio–aeolian deposits in a humid climatic setting: an example from the Middle Proterozoic Eriksfjord Formation, Southwest Greenland

Sedimentological studies of a 30 m thick coastal cliff section within the Middle Proterozoic Eriksfjord Formation in western South Greenland reveals three distinct types of fluvial sand sheet deposits that reflect perennial streams (Type I), semi-perennial streams (Type II), and ephemeral flash floods (Type III). Perennial river sand sheets are characterised by co-sets of medium-scale trough cross-beds, interbedded with isolated medium- and large-scale, high-angle, tabular cross-beds. Indications of desiccation or subaerial exposure are absent. Semi-perennial fluvial sand sheets consist predominantly of low-angle cross-beds, interbedded with isolated sets of high-angle tabular cross-beds with common reactivation surfaces. Horizontal lamination and climbing ripple lamination form subordinate structures. Associated with the sand sheets are adhesion structures and 0.05–0.4 m thick sets of wind ripple-lamination indicating periods of subaerial exposure and aeolian reworking. High-energy ephemeral flash flood sand sheets consist almost exclusively of planar-parallel lamination and climbing ripple lamination with some isolated sets of low-angle cross-bedding. Scouring and internal truncation surfaces are common. The three types of sand sheets are considered to reflect deposition under changing climatic conditions, varying from humid to arid or semi-arid. Aeolian deposits are preserved within the sand sheets showing characteristics of dominantly perennial flow punctuated by shorter periods of desiccation (Type II), while sand sheets showing features typical of arid and or semi-arid flow conditions (Type III) contain no preserved aeolian deposits. This selective preservation is interpreted to be a result of the combined effect of groundwater table level and fluvial style which in turn are inferred to have been controlled by the climatic regime. The deposits show that during pre-vegetational times the preservation of aeolian deposits, under certain conditions, may be more optimal in fluvial systems formed in a humid climate than in fluvial systems formed under semi-arid or arid circumstances. The occurrence of aeolian deposits within a Precambrian succession of fluvial deposits therefore, need not be an indication of the most arid environmental conditions.     

Signatures of climate vs. sea-level change within incised valley-fill successions: Quaternary examples from the Texas GULF Coast

The passive margin Texas Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain consists of coalescing late Pleistocene to Holocene alluvial–deltaic plains constructed by a series of medium to large fluvial systems. Alluvial–deltaic plains consist of the Pleistocene Beaumont Formation, and post-Beaumont coastal plain incised valleys. A variety of mapping, outcrop, core, and geochronological data from the extrabasinal Colorado River and the basin-fringe Trinity River show that Beaumont and post-Beaumont strata consist of a series of coastal plain incised valley fills that represent 100 kyr climatic and glacio-eustatic cycles.

Valley fills contain a complex alluvial architecture. Falling stage to lowstand systems tracts consist of multiple laterally amalgamated sandy channelbelts that reflect deposition within a valley that was incised below highstand alluvial plains, and extended across a subaerially-exposed shelf. The lower boundary to falling stage and lowstand units comprises a composite valley fill unconformity that is time-transgressive in both cross- and down-valley directions. Coastal plain incised valleys began to fill with transgression and highstand, and landward translation of the shoreline: paleosols that define the top of falling stage and lowstand channelbelts were progressively onlapped and buried by heterolithic sandy channelbelt, sandy and silty crevasse channel and splay, and muddy floodbasin strata. Transgressive to highstand facies-scale architecture reflects changes through time in dominant styles of avulsion, and follows a predictable succession through different stages of valley filling. Complete valley filling promoted avulsion and the large-scale relocation of valley axes before the next sea-level fall, such that successive 100 kyr valley fills show a distributary pattern.

Basic elements within coastal plain valleys can be correlated with the record offshore, where cross-shelf valleys have been described from seismic data. Falling stage to lowstand channelbelts within coastal plain valleys were feeder systems for shelf-phase and shelf-margin deltas, respectively, and demonstrate that falling stage fluvial deposits are important valley fill components. Signatures of both upstream climate change vs. downstream sea-level controls are therefore interpreted to be present within incised valley fills. Signatures of climate change consist of the downstream continuity of major stratigraphic units and component facies, which extends from the mixed bedrock–alluvial valley of the eroding continental interior to the distal reaches, wherever that may be at the time. This continuity suggests the development of stratigraphic units and facies is strongly coupled to upstream controls on sediment supply and climate conditions within hinterland source regions. Signatures of sea-level change are critical as well: sea-level fall below the elevation of highstand depositional shoreline breaks results in channel incision and extension across the newly emergent shelf, which in turn results in partitioning of the 100 kyr coastal plain valleys. Moreover, deposits and key surfaces can be traced from continental interiors to the coastal plain, but there are downstream changes in geometric relations that correspond to the transition between the mixed bedrock–alluvial valley and the coastal plain incised valley. Channel incision and extension during sea-level fall and lowstand, with channel shortening and delta backstepping during transgression, controls the architecture of coastal plain and cross-shelf incised valley fills.     

Climate control on the evolution of Late Pleistocene alluvial‐fan and aeolian sand‐sheet systems in NW Germany

The Late Pleistocene was characterized by rapid climate oscillations with alternation of warm and cold periods that lasted up to several thousand years. Although much work has been carried out on the palaeoclimate reconstruction, a direct correlation of ice‐core, marine and terrestrial records is still difficult. Here we present new data from late Middle Pleniglacial to Lateglacial alluvial‐fan and aeolian sand‐sheet deposits in northwestern Germany. Records of Late Pleniglacial alluvial fans in central Europe are very rare, and OSL dating is used to determine the timing of fan aggradation. In contrast to fluvial systems that commonly show a delay between climate change and incision/aggradation, the small alluvial‐fan systems of the Senne area responded rapidly to climatic changes and therefore act as important terrestrial climate archives for this time span. The onset of alluvial‐fan deposition correlates with the climate change from warm to cold at the end of MIS 3 (29.3±3.2 ka). Strong fan progradation started at 24.4±2.8 ka and may be related to a period of higher humidity. The vertical stacking pattern of sedimentary facies and channel styles indicate a subsequrent overall decrease in water and sediment supply, with less sustained discharges and more sporadic runoffs from the catchment area, corresponding to an increasing aridity in central Europe during the Late Pleniglacial. Major phases of channel incision and fan aggradation may have been controlled by millennial‐scale Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles. The incision of channel systems is attributed to unstable climate phases at cold–warm (dry–wet) or warm–cold (wet–dry) transitions. The alluvial‐fan deposits are bounded by an erosion surface and are overlain by aeolian sand‐sheets that were periodically affected by flash‐floods. This unconformity might be correlated with the Beuningen Gravel Bed, which is an important marker horizon in deposits of the Late Pleniglacial resulting from deflation under polar desert conditions. The deposition of aeolian sand‐sheet systems (19.6±2.1 to 13.1±1.5 ka) indicates a rapid increase in aridity at the end of the Late Pleniglacial. Intercalated flash‐floods deposits and palaeosols (Finow type) point to temporarily wet conditions during the Lateglacial. The formation of an ephemeral channel network probably marks the warm‐cold transition from the Allerød to the Younger Dryas.     

Late Weichselian fluvio‐aeolian sands and coversands of the type locality Grubbenvorst (southern Netherlands): sedimentary environments,climate record and age

The Weichselian Late Pleniglacial and Lateglacial aeolian stratigraphy (Older Coversand I, Beuningen Gravel Bed, Older Coversand II, Younger Coversand I, Usselo Soil, Younger Coversand II) in the southern Netherlands has been reinvestigated in its type locality (Grubbenvorst). Sedimentary environments have been reconstructed and related to their climatic evolution based on periglacial structures. In addition, 22 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages have been determined that provide an absolute chronology for the climatic evolution and environmental changes of the coversand area. From this work it appears that, prior to 25 ka fluvial deposition by the Maas dominated. After 25 ka fluvial activity reduced and deposition occurred in a fluvio‐aeolian environment with continuous permafrost (Older Coversand I). This depositional phase was dated between 25.2 ± 2.0 and 17.2 ± 1.2 ka. The upward increase of aeolian activity and cryogenic structures in this unit is related to an increase of climatic aridity and a decrease in sedimentation rate during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Beuningen Gravel Bed, that results from deflation with polar desert conditions and that represents a stratigraphic marker in northwestern Europe, was bracketed between 17.2 ± 1.2 and 15.3 ± 1.0 ka. Based on this age result a correlation with Heinrich event H1 is suggested. Permafrost degradation occurred at the end of this period. Optical ages for the Older Coversand II unit directly overlying the Beuningen Gravel Bed range from 15.3 ± 1.0 ka at the base to 12.7 ± 0.9 ka at the top. Thus this regionally important Older Coversand II unit started at the end of the Late Pleniglacial and continued throughout the early Lateglacial. Its formation after the Late Pleniglacial (LP) maximum cold and its preservation are related to rapid climatic warming around 14.7 ka cal. BP. The Allerød age of the Usselo Soil was confirmed by the optical ages. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil gas composition above gas deposits and perspective structures of the Carpathian Foredeep,SE Poland

In 2001 a surface geochemical survey was carried out in the Carpathian Foredeep, in the area between Jaros?aw and Radymno (SE Poland) where multihorizon gas deposits were discovered. These deposits accumulate microbial CH₄ with small amounts of N₂ and higher molecular weight gaseous hydrocarbons. Soil–gas composition in the hydrocarbon fields in the study area is relatively different from the original composition of natural gas occurring in the subsurface reservoir. In 449 analyzed soil gas samples collected from 1.2 m depth relatively low concentrations were found for CH₄ (median value 2.2 ppm) and its homologues (median value of total alkanes C₂–C₄ – 0.02 ppm). Alkenes were encountered in 36.3% of the analyzed samples (mean value of total alkenes C₂–C₄ – 0.015 ppm) together with distinctly higher concentrations of H₂ (maximum value – 544 ppm, mean value – 42 ppm) and CO₂ (maximum value – 10.26 vol.%, mean value – 2.27 vol.%). Individual, very high concentrations of CH₄ (up to about 35 vol.%) resulted from sub-surface biochemical reactions whereas higher alkanes detected in soil gases (up to about 68 ppm) originated from deep gas accumulations. Both the H₂ and alkenes may be indirect indicators of deep hydrocarbon accumulations. Carbon dioxide may also be useful for hydrocarbon exploration, revealing increased concentrations in those sampling sites where CH₄ concentrations are strongly depleted, presumably due to bacterial oxidation. These relationships are valid only for the study area and should not be extended as an universal principle.     

Slab break‐off – abrupt cut or gradual detachment? New insights from the Vrancea Region (SE Carpathians,Romania)

Slab break-off is a plate-tectonic process which does not only return lithospheric material into the deeper mantle, but also has severe effects on surface movements and seismic hazard: slab-pull induced seismicity is reduced when the subducted slab decouples from the overlying crust. In the Vrancea region (SE Carpathians), strong earthquakes frequently occur at intermediate depths (70–180 km) in a laterally small volume, while the crust shows low but distributed seismicity. The stress pattern shows similar partitioning with vertical extension in the slab and no preferred orientation in the overlying crust. Both features indicate a decoupling between slab and overlying crust, either by slab break-off or delamination. However, the strong vertical elongation of the slab requires that the upper end of the slab is fixed vertically. Thus, a 'soft' coupling is assumed that is strong enough to enable elongation of the slab, but weak enough to inhibit 'quasi-static' stress transfer to the overlying crust.     

Climate stability during the Eemian – new pollen evidence from the Nidzica site,northern Poland

Bińka, K., Nitychoruk, J. & Dzier?ek, J. 2010: Climate stability during the Eemian – new pollen evidence from the Nidzica site, northern Poland. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00179.x. ISSN 0300‐9483 Interglacial sediments at Nidzica, northern Poland were investigated by means of pollen and isotope analysis. These deposits accumulated in an extensive basin through most of the Eemian and Early Weichselian, practically without stratigraphic gaps. Continuous subsidence of the basin floor has resulted in the accumulation of a great thickness of lacustrine sediments, consisting mostly of calcareous gyttja. The course of pollen and isotope curves in the interglacial interval does not indicate the abrupt climatic shifts reported from some other continental climatic archives. Particularly important has been the reconstruction of the final stages of the Eemian, a potential analogue for future climatic change in the late Holocene. At Nidzica, this period is registered as a gradual modification of forest composition, devoid of any pulsations in which temperate forest is followed by terminal, boreal pine–birch communities.     

中国现代冰川平衡线分布特征与末次冰期平衡线下降值研究

青藏高原及周边山地拥有地球上最高大且最广阔的高山高原,是除两极外最大的现代冰川作用中心,这也使得中国成为中低纬度地区现代冰川最发育的国家之一. 现代冰川平衡线分布具有纬度地带性特征,在青藏高原上还呈不对称的环状. 根据相关研究资料估算,中国末次冰期最盛期时的冰川面积约为50×10⁴ km²,是现代的8.4倍. 基于平衡线处年降水量和夏季平均气温（6-8月）之间的相关关系重建的中国西部（105° E以西）末次冰期最盛期时的平衡线分布图与现代的相似. 在青藏高原内部与西北部,平衡线下降值在500 m以内,小的仅为200~300 m;在青藏高原东南边缘下降值约800 m,最大可达1 000~1 200 m. 天山与阿尔泰山平衡线下降值均在500 m左右. 中国东部（105° E以东）没有发育现代冰川,仅有数处中高山地,如贺兰山、太白山、长白山与台湾山地保存有确切的末次冰期冰川地形,末次冰期最盛期时的平衡线下降800~900 m,大于青藏高原、天山与阿尔泰山地区的下降值. 根据中国东部末次冰期的平衡线分布图以及相关的古气候与古环境研究资料,海拔2 000 m以下的中低山地在第四纪期间任何一次冰川作用中都不具备冰川发育所需的地势条件.     

A pre‐LGM sandur at Fiskarheden in NW Dalarna,central Sweden – sedimentology and glaciotectonic deformation

The Fiskarheden quarry, situated in NW Dalarna, central Sweden, reveals thick coarse‐grained sediments of Scott type facies association representing a sandur deposited in an ice‐proximal proglacial environment. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of the sandur sediments suggests a pre‐Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) age. Most acquired ages are pre‐Saalian (>200 ka) and we regard each of these ages to represent non/poorly bleached sediment except for one small‐aliquot OSL age of 98±6 ka. This age comes from the top surface of an arguably well‐bleached sand bed deposited on the lee‐side of a braid‐bar, putting the sandur build‐up into the Early Weichselian. Large‐scale glaciotectonic structures show an imbricate thrust fan involving both ductile and brittle deformation. The deformation was from the WNW, which largely coincides with the formative trend of the predominating streamlined terrain and Rogen moraine tracts surrounding Fiskarheden. It is suggested that the deformation of the sandur sediments took place when the advancing glacier approached and pushed its own proglacial outwash sediment, during an ice‐marginal oscillation either at the inception of one of the Early Weichselian glaciations in the area, or during a general ice retreat amid a deglacial phase. The Fiskarheden sandur deposits are covered by a subglacial traction till deposited from the NE/NNE. This direction corresponds with younger streamlined terrain flowsets cross‐cutting the older NNW–SSE system and probably represents deglaciation in the area following the LGM. This study will add to the understanding of the formation and deformation of Pleistocene sandur successions and their relationship to past ice‐sheet behaviour.     

Topography and melting dynamics of ice‐cored ridges: evidence from the geometry,kinematics and sedimentary evolution of collapse structures within kame deposits,eastern Poland

In earlier studies, the topography and melting dynamics of ice‐cored ridges within marginal zones of the Pleistocene ice sheets were routinely reconstructed based only on conceptual and qualitative models supported by geomorphological, sedimentological and palaeogeographical studies. Here, a novel approach based on detailed structural analysis of two collapse structures affecting Pleistocene kame deposits is presented. The high regularity of the geometry of synclines and related strain fields as well as the patterns of subsidence of the folded strata are all interpreted as evidence of topography of ice‐cored ridges and their melting dynamics. The topography is described in terms of elongation, orientation and cross‐sectional shape of ice‐cored ridges. In turn, the melting dynamics are assessed based on a semi‐quantitative model of different relative rates of backwasting and downwasting. The topography of ice‐cored ridges, derived independently from the morphology of the related supraglacial landforms, is interpreted as an effect of ablation controlled by debris bands within parent ice. The reconstructed ice‐cored ridges are considered to represent the second‐order topographic features within a wide ice‐cored depression. The sedimentary evolution of collapse structures expressed as migration of their hinges/depocentres provides new semi‐quantitative insight into melting dynamics of ice showing the predominance of backwasting over downwasting. This evolution concerns the final stage of de‐icing, which was probably preceded by lowering of the ice‐cored topography and progressive formation of the ice‐cored ridges.     

Late‐Holocene wind‐field evolution at the southern Baltic coast as revealed by GPR data from the Mrzeżyno dunefield,NW Poland

All dunes within a dunefield usually show a similar response to the wind regime. However, in the late‐Holocene coastal dunefield in NW Poland the surface topography suggests that slipface orientation may vary significantly with distance from the coast, which is rarely reported in the literature. The dunefield was stabilized with forest in the mid‐19th century, preserving a unique record of atmospheric circulation in the South Baltic region at the end of the Little Ice Age. To elucidate the Holocene processes occurring along the study site a pseudo‐3D GPR data set was collected. Six grids of parallel GPR lines combined with 400 m of GPR profiles (2D) were collected across the dunefield and displayed using GOCAD for interpretation and geostatistical analysis. The geophysical data revealed that the larger dunes almost entirely consist of steeply laminated facies. Most importantly the pseudo‐3D data, supported by geostatistical estimates of strata dip directions, revealed the existence of three zones parallel to the coastline with the mean dip direction almost perpendicular to the coast in the northern coastal strip and almost parallel to it in the southern part. Spreads of the dip directions in pseudo‐3D GPR data sets recorded on the stoss slopes of dunes and crests suggested initial deposition on transverse dunes, which later were transformed into barchanoid dunes. This can probably be linked to changes in the wind regime, i.e. reduction in velocity of the northern and northwestern winds leading to reduced sediment supply from the coast. While the data provide a new interpretation of Holocene dunefield dynamics at this site, they also suggest that the minimum number of pseudo‐3D GPR grids required to establish general trends using geostatistical analysis should be at least 10, with even more data needed at larger, or more complex dunefields.     

Devonian-Cretaceous repeated subsidence and uplift along the Teisseyre-Tornquist zone in SE Poland — Insight from seismic data interpretation

The Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone that separates the East European Craton from the Palaeozoic Platform forms one of the most fundamental lithospheric boundaries in Europe. Devonian to Cretaceous-Paleogene evolution of the SE segment of this zone was analyzed using high-quality seismic reflection data that provided detailed information regarding entire Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary cover, with particular focus on problems of Late Carboniferous and Late Cretaceous-Paleogene basin inversion and uplift. Two previously proposed models of development and inversion of the Devonian-Carboniferous Lublin Basin seem to only partly explain configuration of this sedimentary basin. A new model includes Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous reverse faulting within the cratonic area NE from the Kock fault zone, possibly first far-field effect of the Variscan orogeny. This was followed by Late Carboniferous inversion of the Lublin Basin. Inversion tectonics was associated with strike-slip movements along the Ursynów-Kazimierz fault zone, and thrusting along the Kock fault zone possibly triggered by deeper strike-slip movements. Late Carboniferous inversion-related deformations along the NE boundary of the Lublin Basin were associated with some degree of ductile (quasi-diapiric) deformation facilitated by thick series of Silurian shales. During Mesozoic extension and development of the Mid-Polish Trough major fault zones within the Lublin Basin remained mostly inactive, and subsidence centre moved to the SW, towards the Nowe Miasto-Zawichost fault zone and further to the SW into the present-day Holy Cross Mts. area. Late Cretaceous-Paleogene inversion of the Mid-Polish Trough and formation of the Mid-Polish Swell was associated with reactivation of inherited deeper fault zones, and included also some strike-slip faulting. The study area provides well-documented example of the foreland plate within which repeated basin inversion related to compressive/transpressive deformations was triggered by active orogenic processes at the plate margin (i.e. Variscan or Carpathian orogeny) and involved important strike-slip reactivation of crustal scale inherited fault zones belonging to the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone.     

Rates of Deglaciation during the Last Glaciation and Holocene in the Cordillera Vilcanota-Quelccaya Ice Cap Region, Southeastern Perú

Moraine chronology is combined with digital topography to model deglacial rates of paleoglacier volumes in both the Huancané Valley on the west side of the Quelccaya Ice Cap and the Upismayo Valley on the northwest side of the Cordillera Vilcanota. The fastest rates of deglaciation (39×10⁻⁵ to 114×10⁻⁵ km³ yr⁻¹ and 112×10⁻⁵ to 247×10⁻⁵ km³ yr⁻¹ for each valley, respectively) were calculated for the most recent paleoglaciers, corresponding to the last few centuries. These results are consistent with observations in the Venezuelan Andes showing high rates of deglaciation since the Little Ice Age. These rates also fall within the range of 20th century rates of deglaciation measured on the Quelccaya Ice Cap (29×10⁻⁵ to 220×10⁻⁵ km³ yr⁻¹, Brecher and Thompson, 1993; Thompson, 2000). These results imply that rates of deglaciation may fluctuate significantly over time and that high rates of deglaciation may not be exclusive to the late 20th century. Equilibrium line altitude (ELA) depressions for the ice volumes of the last glaciation modeled here were computed as 230 m for the Quelccaya Ice Cap and 170 m for the Cordillera Vilcanota. Maximum ELA depressions are lower than previously published: <500 m for the Cordillera Vilcanota and <400 m for the Quelccaya Ice Cap. These lower values could imply a topographic control over paleoglacier extent.     

Rhythmic pelagic successions and terrestrial orbital variations. The example of the Lower Cretaceous from Angles (SE France)

An harmonic analysis of limestone bed and marl interbed thicknesses of pelagic Berriasian-Barremian interval from the Angles area (SE France) shows that marly parts of the succession contain frequencies significantly different from calcareous ones. Some of the resulting periods are in the Milankovitch frequency band but many others are different from those predicted by the orbital theory.     

Transition from I‐type to A‐type magmatism in the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone,NW Iran: an extensional intra‐continental arc

The South Dehgolan pluton, in NW Iran was emplaced into the Sanandaj–Sirjan magmatic–metamorphic zone. This composite intrusion comprises three main groups: (1) monzogabbro–monzodiorite rocks, (2) quartz monzonite–syenite rocks, and (3) a granite suite which crops out in most of the area. The granites generally show high SiO₂ content from 72.1%–77.6 wt.% with diagnostic mineralogy consisting of biotite and amphibole along the boundaries of feldspar–quartz crystals which implies anhydrous primary magma compositions. The granite suite is metaluminous and distinguished by high FeOt/MgO ratios (av. 9.6 wt.%), typical of ferroan compositions with a pronounced A‐type affinity with high Na₂O + K₂O contents, high Ga/Al ratios, enrichment in Zr, Nb, REE, and depletion in Eu. The quartz monzonite–syenites show intermediate SiO₂ levels (59.8%–64.5 wt.%) with metaluminous, magnesian to ferroan characteristics, intermediate Na₂O + K₂O contents, enrichment in Zr, Nb, REE, Ga/Al, and depletion in Eu. The monzogabbro–monzodiorites show overall lower SiO₂ content (48.5%–55.9 wt.%) with metaluminous and calc‐alkaline compositions, relatively lower Na₂O + K₂O contents, low Ga/Al ratios, and FeOt/MgO (av. 1.6 wt.%) ratios, low abundances of Zr, Nb, and lower REE element concentrations relative to the granites and quartz monzonite–syenites. These geochemical differences among the three different rocks suites are likely to indicate different melt origins. We suggest that the South Dehgolan pluton resulted from a change in the geodynamic regime, from compression to extension in the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone during Mesozoic subduction of the Neo‐Tethys oceanic crust beneath the Central Iranian microcontinent. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Wenquan Ultramafic Rocks in North Terrane,East Kunlun Mountains,NW China – Arc Cumulates of the Paleo‐Tethys

The Wenquan ultramafic rocks, located in the East Kunlun Orogenic belt in the northeastern part of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, consist of dunite, wehrlite, olivine‐clinopyroxenite and clinopyroxenite, and exhibit cumulate textures. Olivine from dunite has high Fo (forsterite, 90–92) and NiO (0.15–0.42 wt%) contents. Cr‐spinels from all of the rocks in this suite are characterized by high Cr^# (100×[Cr/(Cr+Al)], 67–91), low Mg^# (100×[Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺)], 17–35) and low TiO₂ contents (mostly < 0.5 wt%). Clinopyroxenes display high Mg# (92–98) and low TiO² contents (0.002–0.099 wt%), similar to those in ophiolitic cumulates. Geochemically, the Wenquan ultramafic rocks show enrichment of LILE, Sr, and Ba, and depletion of Nb and Th. Mineral chemistry and geochemistry indicate that the Wenquan cumulates were generated from a depleted mantle and likely evolved from high‐Mg basaltic magmas (Mg^#=78) that underwent fractional crystallization and crustal contamination. Zircons from clinopyroxenites yield a U–Pb weighted mean age of 331 ± 2 Ma, which is nearly coeval with the formation age of the Buqingshan and A'nyemaqen Carboniferous ophiolites. The Wenquan Carboniferous ophiolites are confirmed to exist in the Central East Kunlun Fault zone, whereas previous studies have considered them to be the Proterozoic ophiolites. The Wenquan ultramafic rocks might be an arc cumulates of the Paleo‐Tethyan ocean, indicating that there were two cycles of oceanic–continental evolution along the Central East Kunlun Fault zone. Keywords Ultramafic rock, Cumulate, Ophiolite, East Kunlun Orogenic belt.     

Polymetamorphism in the mainland Lewisian complex,NW Scotland – phase equilibria and geochronological constraints from the Cnoc an t’Sidhean suite

The metamorphic evolution of rocks cropping out near Stoer, within the Assynt terrane of the central region of the mainland Lewisian complex of NW Scotland, is investigated using phase equilibria modelling in the NCKFMASHTO and MnNCKFMASHTO model systems. The focus is on the Cnoc an t’Sidhean suite, garnet‐bearing biotite‐rich rocks (brown gneiss) with rare layers of white mica gneiss, which have been interpreted as sedimentary in origin. The results show that these rocks are polymetamorphic and experienced granulite facies peak metamorphism (Badcallian) followed by retrograde fluid‐driven metamorphism (Inverian) under amphibolite facies conditions. The brown gneisses are inferred to have contained an essentially anhydrous granulite facies peak metamorphic assemblage of garnet, quartz, plagioclase and ilmenite (±rutile, K‐feldspar and pyroxene) with biotite, hornblende, muscovite, chlorite and/or epidote as hydrous retrograde minerals. P–T constraints imposed by phase equilibria modelling imply conditions of 13–16 kbar at >900 °C for the Badcallian granulite facies metamorphic peak, consistent with the field evidence for partial melting in most lithologies. The white mica gneiss comprises a muscovite‐dominated matrix containing porphyroblasts of staurolite, corundum, kyanite and rare garnet. Previous studies have suggested that staurolite, corundum, kyanite and muscovite all grew at the granulite facies peak, with partial melting and melt loss producing a highly aluminous residue. However, at the inferred peak P–T conditions, staurolite and muscovite are not predicted to be stable, suggesting they are retrograde phases that grew during amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism. The large proportion of mica suggests extensive H₂O‐rich fluid‐influx, consistent with the retrograde growth of hornblende, biotite, epidote and chlorite in the brown gneisses. P–T conditions of 5.0–6.5 kbar at 520–550 °C are derived for the Inverian event. In situ dating of zircon from samples of the white mica gneiss yield apparent ages that are difficult to interpret. However, the data are permissive of granulite facies (Badcallian) metamorphism having occurred at c. 2.7–2.8 Ga with subsequent fluid driven (Inverian) retrogression at c. 2.5–2.6 Ga, consistent with previous interpretations.     

Rapid and cyclic aeolian deposition during the Last Glacial in European loess: a high-resolution record from Nussloch, Germany

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the Weichselian Upper Pleniglacial loess sequences of Nussloch (Rhine Valley, Germany) based on stratigraphy, palaeopedology, sedimentology, palynology, malacology and geochemistry (δ¹³C), supported by radiocarbon, TL and OSL dating. Grain-size and magnetic susceptibility records are taken at 5 cm intervals from the Upper Pleniglacial (UPG) loess. The data indicate cyclic variations in loess deposition between ca 34 and 17 ka, when the sedimentation rate is especially high (1.0–1.2 m per ka for more than 10 m). The grain-size index (GSI: ratio of coarse silt versus fine silt and clay) shows variations, which are assumed to be an indirect measurement of wind intensity. The sedimentation rate, interpreted from the profiles, indicates high values in loess (Loess events LE-1 to LE-7) and low or negligible values in tundra gley horizons G1 to G8. OSL ages from the loess and ¹⁴C dates from organic matter in the loess show that loess deposition was rapid but was interrupted by shorter periods of reduced aeolian sedimentation. Comparison between the data from Nussloch and other European sequences demonstrates a progressive coarsening of the loess deposits between ca 30 and 22 ka. This coarsening trend ends with a short but major grain-size decrease and is followed by an increase to a new maximum at 20 ± 2 ka (“W” shape). Correlation between the loess GSI and the Greenland ice-core dust records, suggests a global connection between North Atlantic and Western European global atmospheric circulation and wind regimes. In addition, the typical Upper Pleniglacial loess deposition begins at ca 30–31 ka, close to Heinrich event (HE) 3, and the main period of loess sedimentation at about 25 ± 2 ka is coeval to HE 2. Correlation of magnetic susceptibility and grain-size records shows that the periods, characterised by high GSI, coincide with an increase in the amount of ferromagnetic minerals reworked from the Rhine alluvial plain. They suggest enhancement in the frequency of the storms from N–NW. These results are integrated within a palaeogeographical model of dust transport and deposition in Western Europe for the Weichselian Upper Pleniglacial (or Late Pleniglacial).