Natural and human-induced dissolution and subsidence processes in the salt outcrop of the Cardona Diapir (NE Spain)

The Cardona Diapir in NE Spain, with a salt outcrop about 0.9 km² in area, has a well-developed endokarstic system that used to discharge into the Cardener River. Underground mining for potassium salt carried out from 1930 to 1990 caused significant changes in the topography and hydrology of the diapir. The accumulation of two halite slag heaps, totalling around 10 million tons, locally dammed the surface drainage, creating closed depressions and preferential zones of water recharge. The waters that infiltrated in one of these depressions, largely derived from uncontrolled sewage disposal, led to the generation of a 335-m-long human-induced cave excavated in one of the slag heaps. Moreover, the inflow of freshwater from the surrounding sandstone aquifer, caused by the excavation of a ventilation gallery, resulted in the generation of a 280-m-long cave. In March 1998, the interception of a phreatic conduit by a halite mine gallery 50 m deep caused dramatic changes in the hydrology and geomorphology of the diapir, including: (a) a sudden decline in the piezometric level of the karstic aquifer; (b) the inflow of freshwater and debris from the Cardener River into the endokarstic system and the mine galleries. A tunnel had to be constructed to divert the river flow from the salt outcrop; (c) massive dissolution of salt, creating new cavities and enlarging the pre-existing ones, including both mine galleries or cave passages. The 4,300-m-long Salt Meanders Cave was largely generated by the inrush of water from the Cardener River into the mine galleries; and (d) the generation of a large number of sinkholes in the vicinity of the Cardener River. An inventory of 178 sinkholes has allowed us to estimate minimum probability values of 4.7 and 8 sinkholes/km²·year for time intervals previous and subsequent to the 1998 mine flood event, respectively.     

A study of erosion rates on salt diapir surfaces in the Zagros Mountains, SE Iran

Salt exposures and weathering residuum on several salt diapirs in different geographic/climatic settings were studied. Anhydrite, gypsum, hematite, calcite, dolomite, quartz, and clay minerals are the main constituents of the weathering residuum covering the salt diapirs in various thicknesses. Erosion rates of residuum as well as of rock salt exposures were measured at selected sites for a period of 5 years by plastic pegs as benchmarks. Recorded data were standardized to a horizontal surface and to long-term mean precipitation. For the rock salt exposures the following long-term denudation rates were determined of 30–40 mm a⁻¹ for coastal diapirs and up to 120 mm a⁻¹ for mountain salt diapirs. Long-term mean superficial denudation rate measured on weathering residuum of low thickness reached 3.5 mm a⁻¹ on coastal diapirs. The total denudation rate estimated for the thin residuum is close to 4–7 mm a⁻¹ based on apparent correlation with the uplift rate on Hormoz and Namakdan diapirs. Denudation of rock salt exposures is much faster compared to parts of diapirs covered by weathering residuum. The extent of salt exposures is an important factor in the morphological evolution of salt diapirs as it can inhibit further expansion of the diapir. Salt exposures produce huge amounts of dissolved and clastic load, thus affecting the surrounding of the diapir.     

3D gravity modeling of the Triassic salt diapirs of the Cubeta Alavesa (northern Spain)

Up to now subsurface information permitted the delineation of the top of the Triassic salt, all throughout the Cantabro–Navarro domain, although little was known on the location and geometry of its base and thus on the estimation of the total salt thickness. A 3D-gravity inversion scheme combined with a 3D analytic method has been conducted to map out the geometry of the main salt structures of the basin. The gravity modeling results have been constrained by well log information and available geological and reflection seismic data. The combined 3D scheme integrated with available geological and geophysical data has allowed us to obtain the geometry of the main diapirs that characterize the central and marginal regions of the basin.From our interpretation, the Salinas de Añana diapir has almost vertical flanks and can be divided into two different parts, one of them forming a lateral overhang of the main body.The Salinas de Oro diapir has near vertical flanks and a main axis in the N–S direction. Also, the anomaly is rather more extensive than the outcrop of the diapir, which implies an important expansion of non-outcropping salt in this area. Like the Hoz-Sobrón diapir, the Salinas de Ollo diapir is long and narrow. stretching in the NW–SE direction, which includes three important highs, plus an intense zone of salt migration.The Estella and Alloz diapirs crop out individually in spite of being connected at depth. Also two non-outcropping salt domes have been detected to the south of Atauri that, like the Estella diapir, are related to the thrust front. We point out the gravity signature of the Murguia diapir, which shows an intense gravity high probably due to the presence of high-density rocks in the cap rock or more probably due to the existence of Triassic volcanites of ophitic texture pinched-off into the diapir.     

An approximation to short-term evolution and sediment transport pathways along the littoral of Cadiz Bay (SW Spain)

This work presents the results of a beach-monitoring program carried out in the Bay of Cadiz (SW Spain), which consists of urban, natural and nourished beaches. In the present study, 24 topographic profiles have been monthly monitored during the 1996–1998 period, in order to draw the morphodynamic behavior of this coast and the general characterization of short-term coastal trends. This way, total volumetric budgets have been calculated for each beach profile in order to group beaches in different erosive/accreting sectors. Studied beaches recorded both erosion and accretion: the greatest accretionary trends have been observed at Aguadulce, La Costilla and Rota beaches, with values ranging from 30 to 70 m³/m. The largest erosion episodes have been recorded in the southernmost end of Valdelagrana spit, with values over 50 m³/m, and in Rota and Vistahermosa, after nourishment works. Main erosion and accretion pathways have been related to the existence of natural and human structures, which blocked the longshore drift suggesting the existence of littoral cells.     

Influence of a glacial buzzsaw on the height and morphology of the Cascade Range in central Washington State, USA

Analysis of climatic and topographic evidence from the Cascade Range of Washington State indicates that glacial erosion limits the height and controls the morphology of this range. Glacial erosion linked to long-term spatial gradients in the ELA created a tilted, planar zone of 373 cirques across the central part of the range; peaks and ridges now rise ≤600 m above this zone. Hypsometric analysis of the region shows that the proportion of land area above the cirques drops sharply, and mean slopes >30° indicate that the areas above the cirques may be at or near threshold steepness. The mean plus 1σ relief of individual cirque basins (570 m) corresponds to the ∼600-m envelope above which peaks rarely rise. The summit altitudes are set by a combination of higher rates of glacial and paraglacial erosion above the ELA and enhanced hillslope processes due to the creation of steep topography. On the high-precipitation western flank of the Cascades, the dominance of glacial and hillslope erosion at altitudes at and above the ELA may explain the lack of a correspondence between stream-power erosion models and measured exhumation rates from apatite (U-Th/He) thermochronometry.     

库车坳陷却勒地区新生代盐构造特征、演化及变形控制因素

本文利用野外地质调查结果、遥感资料、地震资料和钻、测井数据,建立了两条库车坳陷却勒地区的区域大剖面,约束却勒地区盐构造特征和演化,分析东、西段变形差异及差异形成过程,探讨构造变形控制因素。却勒地区发育的盐构造样式主要有盐底辟、盐焊接、盐撤凹陷、大型盐推覆体、外来盐席、盐枕、盐背斜和滑脱褶皱,其中,盐撤凹陷、盐背斜和滑脱褶皱仅发育于东段,造成东、西段构造变形差异。却勒地区盐构造分为3期:①渐新世—中新世吉迪克期为构造平静期,发育盐撤凹陷和盐底辟;②中新世康村期—上新世早期构造挤压微弱,发生早期褶皱作用,却勒盐丘继续发育,北部盐底辟中新世末停止发育;③上新世晚期—现今发生大规模逆冲推覆,是褶皱-冲断带主要形成时期,发育大型盐撤凹陷、外来盐席、盐推覆构造、盐背斜和滑脱褶皱。却勒地区东、西段盐构造变形差异主要形成于上新世晚期—现今(第3期)。喀拉玉尔滚右旋走滑断层为薄皮构造,调节了却勒地区东、西段前缘的变形差异。却勒地区构造变形主要受控于盐岩沉积范围、区域构造应力及强度、上覆层应变强度和差异负载(沉积负载和局部构造负载)。     

Environmental impact on the Roman monuments of Tarragona,Spain

The extant remains of the Roman monuments of Tarragona, Spain are made of different types of Miocenic rocks from the quarries surrounding the city, which vary from calcarenite to bioclastic limestones, showing different degrees of dolomitization, depending on their diagenetic evolution. The decay of these monuments is highly dependent on the mineralogy and the fabric of the stone as well as on the environmental conditions to which the monument subjected. As a consequence, different forms of decay are observed on these monuments, namely, granular disintegration, differential erosion between sparitic and micritic areas of the rock, and development of black crust and orange patinas, some of them attributed to a sulfation process. A number of processes have been established as being responsible for the decay forms observed: sulfation on sheltered areas of the building in the urban environment; differential dilatation because of the NaCl of the marine spray that crystallizes inside the porosity; hydric and thermal expansion of the stone, both related to the amount and crystallinity of the clay minerals forming the rock matrix; and biocolonization on the stone surface. An empirical model is proposed to explain the decay forms studied in relation to these factors (rock and environment).     

Investigation of the impact of salt and sand harvesting activities on the Timboni well field, Gongoni, Malindi District, Kenya

 The area studied is a north–south oriented, V-shaped, clayey lagoonal depression bordered by Pleistocene sands on the west and Recent dune sands on the east. The freshwater aquifer in the area is the main source of potable water for the urban centres of Gongoni and Timboni and the main Mombasa Salt Works processing plant. The aim of the study was to look at the impact of sand harvesting, and possible saline contamination of the aquifer by activities at the nearby salt harvesting plant and by seawater intrusion. The major factor abetting pollution of the freshwater aquifer is the sand harvesting activity, which exposes the aquifer to the atmosphere. Extension of the salt works closer to the aquifer field, combined with high abstraction rates, may also lead to saline water intrusion and contamination of the aquifer. Received: 6 April 1999 · Accepted: 23 May 2000     

Geomorphic controls on deposition of salt in the Greater Tamar Catchment,northeast Tasmania

In Tasmania, most salts in the landscape originate from rainfall and accumulate in landscapes after evaporation occurs. The distribution and quantity of salt in rainfall from an array of bulk deposition collectors in the Greater Tamar Catchment were assessed for the period September 2013 to August 2014. The bulk deposition samples were analysed for pH, electrical conductivity, major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, SO₄ and Cl) and a selection of trace ions. The average salt flux across the study area was 79 ± 10 kg/ha/yr region, ranging from 170 ± 12 kg/ha/yr near the coast in the north to 42 ± 6 kg/ha/yr inland. Deposition of most ions decreased from the northwest to the south and east, and peaked in winter and spring. Geomorphic factors such as elevation and topography have an important effect on the volume of rainfall and flux of salt from windblown dust and oceanic aerosols. A comparison of measured chloride and salt deposition in Tasmania with other Australian atmospheric studies indicates that continental-scale models of salt flux are not appropriate for Tasmania. New models are proposed that take into account the influence of the Southern Ocean, Tasman Sea and topographic variation in the study area. The results provide improved estimates of rainfall-derived salt inputs to catchments in northeast Tasmania and enable more accurate salt budget modelling. Improved understanding of volumes and distribution of salts has implications for the management of soils and infrastructure that degrade as a result of dryland salinity in Tasmania.     

Major controls on sedimentation during the evolution of a continental basin: Pliocene–Pleistocene of the Guadix Basin (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain)

Sequence stratigraphy, based on climatic, tectonic, and base level parameters, can be used to understand carbonate sedimentation in continental basins. The uppermost continental fill of the Guadix Basin (Betic Cordillera), containing both siliciclastics and carbonates, is investigated here. In its central sector a thick succession of fluvio-lacustrine sediments appear, hosting several important Pliocene and Pleistocene macrovertebrate sites (Fonelas Project). The need to characterize the stratigraphic and sedimentologic context of these important paleontologic sites has lead to litho-, magneto- and biostratigraphic studies. These data, together with the sedimentologic analysis of the Pliocene and Pleistocene siliciclastic and carbonate successions, establish a sedimentary model for the fluvio-lacustrine sedimentation of the two last stages of sedimentation in the Guadix Basin (Units V and VI). Unit V comprises mostly fluvial siliciclastic sediments with less abundant carbonate beds interpreted as floodplain lakes or ponds. The latter, Unit VI, is dominated by vertically-stacked, carbonate palustrine successions. Using two pre-existent continental stratigraphic models, the influence of climate, tectonism, and stratigraphic base level during the last 3.5 Ma on the sedimentary evolution of the fluvio-lacustrine system in the Guadix Basin, especially the carbonate sedimentation patterns, is outlined.     

组构对自然休止角影响的试验研究

利用自制的模型试验装置,通过在不同方位沉积散体颗粒生成堆积体,研究不同沉积组构特征对自然休止角的影响,以及通过在母堆积体底部设置漏孔以生成子堆积体,研究堆积体内部结构对自然休止角的影响。研究发现,母堆积体休止角? 和子堆积体休止角? 随着沉积面倾角? 的增大（0° → 90°）呈现先减小后增大的趋势,子堆积体休止角? 则先增大后减小,且最小和最大值的分布区间正好互余,分别为? = 30°～45°和? = 45°～60°。当漏孔位置从左至右靠近母堆坡脚时,? 先增大后减小,? 则单调增大。基于模型的分析和推导,发现当沉积面与潜在滑动面越接近平行,休止角越小,越偏离,休止角则越大,并从细观上合理解释了?、? 和? 在特殊角度区间出现最大或最小值的原因。最后,提出了散粒堆积体的扰动分区模型,并以此为基础阐释了漏孔位置（堆积体内部结构）对休止角? 和? 的影响机制。     

Facies, cycles, and controls on the evolution of a keep-up carbonate platform (Kimmeridgian, Swiss Jura)

During the Late Jurassic, accelerated ocean-floor spreading and associated sea-level rise were responsible for a worldwide transgression, which reached its maximum in the Late Kimmeridgian. In many Western European basins, this major sea-level rise led to the formation of marly and condensed sections. In the Swiss Jura, however, a shallow carbonate platform kept growing and only subtle changes in the stratigraphic record suggest an increasingly open-marine influence. Field observations and thin-section analyses reveal that the central Swiss Jura was at that time occupied by tidal flats and by more or less open marine lagoons where shoals and bioherms developed. The evolution through time of sedimentary facies and bed thicknesses permits the definition of small-, medium-, and large-scale depositional sequences. The diagnostic features of these sequences are independent of scale and seem largely controlled by the Kimmeridgian second-order transgression. A high-resolution sequence-stratigraphic correlation with biostratigraphically well-dated hemipelagic and pelagic sections in the Vocontian Basin in France reveals that: (i) The most important increase in accommodation recorded in the Kimmeridgian of the central Swiss Jura occurs in the Eudoxus ammonite zone (Late Kimmeridgian) and corresponds to the second-order maximum flooding recognized in many sedimentary basins. (ii) The small- and medium-scale sequences have time durations corresponding to the first and second orbital eccentricity cycle (i.e. 100 and 400 ka, respectively), suggesting that sedimentation on the platform and in the basin was at least partly controlled by cyclic environmental changes induced by insolation variations in the Milankovitch frequency band. The comparison of the high-resolution temporal framework defined in the Swiss Jura and Vocontian Basin with the sequence-stratigraphic interpretation realized in other Western European basins shows that the large-scale sequence boundaries defined in the Kimmeridgian of the Swiss Jura appear in comparable biostratigraphic positions in most Western European basins. Discrepancies that occur are probably because of local or regional tectonics.     

Atmospheric inorganic aerosol of a non-industrial city in the centre of an industrial region of the North of Spain,and its possible influence on the climate on a regional scale

Mineral particles could have influenced on the climate of Oviedo, a non-industrial city situated in the centre of an industrial zone of the North of Spain, increasing the temperature and the precipitations, in spite of the fact that “greenhouse gases” concentrations have diminished in this city in recent years. The directive (1999/30/EC) of the European Commission began to be applied in Oviedo in the year 2003. In agreement with this norm, our first aim was the identification of the inorganic particulate matter of the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions sampled in this city. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray dispersive energy spectrometry were used. The percentages of the different mineral phases of the PM were obtained by a Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray diffraction data. The compositions of the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions of this city are similar. Sulphates are the most abundant particles in the both fractions. Most sulphates, nitrates and sal-ammoniac would have formed by reaction between solid, liquid and/or gas particles and they could be associated with the power stations near to the city and traffic. Wüstite and haematites come from the iron and steel industries of Gijón and Avilés. The main natural sources of halite and carbonates and silicates are sea spray and soil resuspension by the wind, respectively.     

Rheological controls on extensional styles and the structural evolution of the Northern Carnarvon Basin,North West Shelf,Australia

The extensional architecture of the Northern Carnarvon Basin can be explained in terms of changes in lithospheric rheology during multiphase extension and lower crustal flow. Low‐angle detachments, while playing a minor role, are not considered to have been the primary mechanism for extension as suggested in previous models. Early extension (Cambrian‐Ordovician) in the Northern Carnarvon Basin is characterised by low‐angle detachment structures of limited regional extent. These structures have a spatial association with a Proterozoic mobile belt on the margin of the Pilbara Craton. Thermo‐mechanical conditions in the mobile belt may have predisposed the highly deformed crust to thin‐skinned extension and detachment development. Permo‐Carboniferous extension generated an extensive wide rift basin, suggesting ductile rheologies associated with intermediate lithospheric temperatures and crustal thickness. Thick Upper Permian to Upper Triassic post‐rift sequences and marked thinning of the lower crust occurred in association with only a small amount of extension in the upper crust. This observation can be reconciled by considering outward lower crustal flow, from beneath the basin towards the basin margin, following extension. Strong mid‐crustal reflectors, which occur over large areas of the Northern Carnarvon Basin, probably represent a boundary between flow and non‐flow regimes rather than detachment fault surfaces as in previous models. Crustal thinning and thermal decay following Permo‐Carboniferous extension contributed to the increased strength and brittle behaviour of the lithosphere. Consequently, Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous extension resulted in the development of far more localised narrow rift systems on the margins of the preceding wide rift basin. Diapiric intrusions are associated with the narrow rift basin development, resulting from either remobilisation of ductile lower crustal rock or the initial formation of sea‐floor spreading centres.     

An observational test of the stress accumulation model based on seismicity preceding the 1992 Landers, CA earthquake

We test the Bowman and King [Bowman, D.D., King, G.C.P., 2001a, Accelerating seismicity and stress accumulation before large earthquakes. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28 (21), 4039–4042, Bowman, D.D., King, G.C.P., 2001b. Stress transfer and seismicity changes before large earthquakes. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, 333, 591–599] Stress Accumulation model by examining the evolution of seismicity rates prior to the 1992 Landers, California earthquake. The Stress Accumulation (SA) model was developed to explain observations of accelerating seismicity preceding large earthquakes. The model proposes that accelerating seismicity sequences result from the tectonic loading of large fault structures through aseismic slip in the elasto-plastic lower crust. This loading progressively increases the stress on smaller faults within a critical region around the main structure, thereby causing the observed acceleration of precursory activity. A secondary prediction of the SA model is that the precursory seismicity rates should increase first at the edges of the critical region, with the rates gradually rising over time at closer distances to the main fault. We test this prediction by examining year-long seismicity rates between 1960 and 2004, as a function of distance from the Landers rupture. To quantify the significance of trends in the seismicity rates, we auto-correlate the data, using a range of spatial and temporal lags. We find weak evidence for increased seismicity rates propagating towards the Landers rupture, but cannot conclusively distinguish these results from those obtained for a random earthquake catalog. However, we find a strong indication of periodicity in the rate fluctuations, as well as high correlation between activity 130–170 km from Landers and seismicity rates within 50 km of the Landers rupture temporally offset 1.5–2 years. The implications of this spatio–temporal correlation will be addressed in future studies.     

Distribution of wetlands and salt lakes in the Yadong region of Tibet based on remote sensing,and their geo-climatic environmental changes

Based on the 16 scenes GF-1 satellite multi-spectral remote sensing images, through the adoption of data processing methods including orthorectification, geometric rectification, data fusion and image mosaic, integrated with field surveys, the remote sensing interpretation signs for the inland wetland types have been built, and the remote sensing survey of inland wetlands in Yadong region has been initiated, with six types of inland wetlands recognized in Yadong region, namely permanent rivers, seasonal rivers, lakes, salt lakes, alpine meadows, and inundated land. The spatial distribution characteristics and the spreading rules of these wetlands have also been revealed. Based on full understanding of the overall characteristics of the inland wetlands in the Yadong region, using the three phases of TM images acquired in 1989, 2003 and 2008 as well as the PMS2 data gathered by GF-1 in 2014, and the wide-range data (WFV3) gathered by GF-1 in 2020. As to the typical salt lakes, a long- time salt lakes transition study was carried out. The results show that the typical salt lakes in Yadong have been shrinking in the past three decades. The average annual shrinkage of Duoqing Co (Co means lake in Tibetan) was stronger than that of Gala Co, which are respective 87.30 hectares (usually short as ha; 1 ha equals to 0.01 km²) /a and 24.20 ha/a; the shrinkage degree of Gala Co was higher than that of Duoqing Co, shrank by 59.27% and 35.73% respectively. Based on the remote sensing survey results and an integrated analysis of the predecessors’ researchers, the reason for the shrinkage of the salt lakes is more inclined to geological factors. Geological process is manifested by a series of extensional faults at the bottom of the lake basin generated from tectonic activities, providing fluid infiltration channels, and inducing the eventual leakage of lake water to the lower strata. The result provides an important instance for understanding the evolution characteristics of wetlands and salt lakes in specific environment of the Tibetan Plateau.©2022 China Geology Editorial Office.     

Structural study of a semiductile strike-slip system in the Central Iberian Zone (Variscan Fold Belt,Spain): structural controls on gold deposits

The Villalcampo shear system is a regional dextral strike-slip fault zone that affects Late Variscan granites and their metamorphic country rocks over an area of about 150 km². The detailed geometry of this subvertical north-west—south-east shear zone is outlined. The system forms an extensional fan to the northwest and extends to the south-east as a broad extensional duplex. Particular attention is focused on the distribution of fault rocks and associated veins in its north-west splay. A structural study of the shear bands (encompassing both geometric and kinematic criteria) and a microscopic study of the fault rocks has led to the interpretation of the system as a brittle—ductile shear zone. Calculations give a shear strain value of = 1.5 and a minimum displacement of s = 3700 m. The localization of gold mineralization in mylonite-filled subvertical extensional veins is a product of the formation of the Villalcampo shear system. The subvertical faults and veins underwent a process of cyclical sealing and reopening. As such they acted as valves controlled by fluid pressure regulating fluid—rock interactions and gold deposition. Conditions favouring these processes occur near the base of the seismogenic zone in the vicinity of the frictional—quasi-plastic transition at mid-greenschist metamorphic conditions (T = 350°C and 10–15 km depth).     

青藏高原东缘深切河谷区古滑坡:判识、特征、时代与演化

青藏高原东缘是全球古滑坡最发育的地区之一。基于大量地面调查、遥感解译和年龄测试资料,总结了青藏高原东缘深切河谷区古滑坡的判识方法、主要发育特征、形成时代和分布规律。结果表明,古滑坡具有规模巨大、高位起动、物质组成和结构复杂等特征,其空间分布与地形地貌、岩性组合和活动构造等因素关系密切。古滑坡在区域上受气候变化影响较明显,一般形成于河流强烈下切阶段,与河流阶地具有较好的对应关系,多数已发现的古滑坡与T₂阶地时代相当,时间跨度为40~10 ka,集中分布于30~20 ka。构造活动和地震造成古滑坡在不同区段的分布具有差异性,一般在活动断裂带附近密集发育,现今发现的古滑坡多为这种成因。这些认识对于科学认知古滑坡的形成演化过程和未来巨灾风险预测具有重要的指导作用。     

An investigation into the effects of diffusion on salinity distribution beneath the Fraser River Delta, Canada

Electrical conductivity (EC) and geochemical data were interpreted to determine the nature, origin and distribution of salinity in pore waters of sediments in a deltaic environment. The role of diffusion as a mechanism for transporting saline water within lower permeability prodelta and delta slope sediments is specifically investigated. Characteristic vertical salinity profiles at several different regions of the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia (Canada) are identified, including relatively shallow salinity zones in areas currently and historically near main river channels, and deeper salinity zones reaching up to 300 m depth in delta-front and inland areas. Comparison of salinity profiles with the results of a simple salt transport model suggests that diffusion may be a significant mechanism controlling the observed distribution of salinity in current or former estuarine areas of the delta.Density-effects were found not to be significant given the low permeability of the silt through which the salt is diffusing; however, in similar environments with higher permeability sediments, density effects may be significant. In inland and delta front areas, salinity extends to a considerable depth in the silts, beyond what would appear to be possible by diffusion alone, and points to a connate origin.