Terraced fills of Pleistocene and Holocene age in the Rheidol Valley,Wales

The legacy of repeated Pleistocene glaciations has endowed many Welsh river valleys with locally thick successions of glacial and alluvial sediments. Investigations of a well-preserved flight of terraced sediments with good exposures at Capel Bangor, on the Afon Rheidol, mid-Wales, has allowed its Quaternary valley fill stratigraphy to be examined in detail. Study has revealed five terraced fills consisting of seven distinct sedimentary units. These range from Late Devensian ice-contact and ice-marginal deposits, to Holocene high-sinuosity stream sediments with episodes of man-induced accelerated deposition of fine-grained alluvium, and to aggradation and subsequent incision associated with historic metal mining. Examination of general sedimentary properties (e.g., granulometry, sedimentary structures, terrace surface morphology) show both differences in the pattern and controls of deposition and also progressive changes over Late Devensian and Holocene times. The sediments of the Rheidol Valley record the response and subsequent recovery of a drainage basin to glaciation, and the increasing influence of man on sediment yields, channel processes, and sediment quality.     

The Late-Quaternary deposits of the middle Dyfi Valley,Wales

The surficial deposits and landforms of the middle Dyfi Valley, Wales, are examined and a sequence of glacial, glacio-fluvial and glacio-lacustrine sediments is identified. This is considered to relate to a late stage in the wastage of the Late-Devensian Merioneth ice-cap. A sequence of terrace gravels overlying the giacigenic succession represents dissection during early Flandrian times.     

Stream-aquifer interactions in the Maules Creek catchment, Namoi Valley, New South Wales, Australia

The interaction between surface-water streams and groundwater in the Maules Creek catchment of northern New South Wales, Australia has been investigated using a wide range of techniques. Zones of groundwater discharge were mapped by measuring the temperature and fluid electrical-conductivity distribution in bores and surface water. Zones where surface water appears to be recharging the aquifer were investigated by measuring the vertical head gradient between the stream and adjacent bores and by estimates of the decreasing surface flow. Geological heterogeneity appears to be the most significant factor in controlling exchange. Lithological information was assembled using geophysical logging of existing bores, supplemented by the results of electrical resistivity imaging. A preliminary water balance was assembled from the available State records of groundwater abstraction for irrigation, rainfall, evapotranspiration and flow gauging in Maules Creek and the adjacent Namoi River. The analysis has demonstrated the complexity of these coupled systems and gives an indication of the most efficient techniques to be deployed in the field to investigate these complex but important systems.     

The structure of the Swansea Valley Disturbance between Clydach and Hay-on-Wye,South Wales

The Swansea Valley Disturbance is one of four NE-SW belts of faulting and folding which cross the northern limb of the South Wales Coalfield syncline at variance with the normal E-W Variscan structures. The Disturbance extends from Hay-on-Wye (Herefordshire) southwestwards to Clydach (near Swansea) and may extend northeastwards to Titterstone Clee Hill (near Ludlow) and southwestwards along the Tircanol Fault to Swansea Bay. The main structural elements of the Disturbance are: impersistent NE-SW folds; NE-SW normal faults; and NE-SW and NNW-SSE wrench faults. The NE-SW structures are confined to a narrow zone which seldom exceeds two kilometres in width. It is suggested that this narrow belt of faulting and folding has been controlled mainly by sub-Devonian basement structures, which involve faulting and/or folding. The effect of the Variscan compression was to reactivate the basement structure, which had the effect of resolving this compression along the disturbed zone to produce sinistral wrench movements. The structure of the Disturbance has been complicated by folding, produced by the Variscan force driving the Upper Palaeozoic rocks against the Lower Palaeozoic block. It is concluded that the main movements are of Variscan age and that vertical movements may have taken place in post-Carboniferous and post-Neogene times.     

Petrology and geochemistry of differentiated teschenite intrusions from the Hunter Valley,New South Wales,Australia

In the upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales a high level teschenitic sill complex emplaced into Permian coal measures derives from parent magmas which were themselves crystal fractionation products of alkali basaltic melts. The sills crystallised in situ and produced a spectrum of rock types ranging from olivine teschenite to teschenite, syenoteschenite and, ultimately, syenite. The olivine teschenites are also enriched in biotite and are crudely interlayered with teschenite and syenoteschenite. The lineage from olivine teschenite to syenoteschenite is characterised by a progressive decrease in olivine and a build-up of alkaline mesostasis which is accompanied by strong chemical zonation in abutting silicate minerals. The alkaline mesostasis and syenites are identical mineralogically. Primary crystallisation of olivine in the olivine teschenite-teschenite-syenoteschenite continuum and data from coexisting iron-titanium oxide pairs suggest that oxygen fugacity was constrained to a path parallel to the QFM buffer curve. Absence of olivine from the alkaline mesostasis and syenite veins, together with the appearance of sphene, indicates buffering of oxygen fugacity by other assemblages (probably annite-alkali feldspar-magnetite) and generally higher fO ₂ in the residual liquids. Here, a build-up of CO₂, F and Cl, in addition to H₂O, influenced the relative stabilities of the pyroxene and amphibole minerals.Major and trace element data support an in situ, progressive congelation model for crystallisation. Mass balance solutions require participation of all phases to produce acceptable residuals. Simple mixing calculations suggest that syenoteschenite consists of teschenite plus approximately 40% syenite, in close agreement with the observed modal mineralogy. Segregation of syenite from syenoteschenite probably occurred when the residual liquid, as represented by mesostasis, reached a critical volume of around 40%.     

New chitinozoans from the historical type area of the Hirnantian Stage and additional key sections in the Wye Valley,Wales, UK

The type locality for several core elements of the Hirnantia brachiopod fauna is a small disused quarry on the western slopes of Cwm Hirnant. There, the Hirnant Limestone Member of the Foel‐y‐Ddinas Mudstone Formation yields a new, well‐preserved chitinozoan assemblage, attributed to the Spinachitina taugourdeaui Biozone. This allows tight correlation with the Hirnantian of Baltica and Laurentia and neatly ties the chitinozoan zonation with the classical brachiopod fauna. Nearby, the chitinozoan assemblage from the Caradoc Cymerig Limestone Member at Gelli‐grîn belongs to the Spinachitina cervicornis Biozone?, and is identical to that recovered from the Burrellian in the Onny Valley, Welsh Borderland. A Silurian assemblage higher up section, discovered in the Cwm‐yr‐Aethnen Formation, is attributed to the globally recognized Eisenackitina dolioliformis Biozone. Attempts to integrate the chitinozoan and graptolite biozonation, in the central Welsh Rhayader area, were less successful. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Understanding groundwater processes by representing aquifer heterogeneity in the Maules Creek Catchment, Namoi Valley (New South Wales, Australia)

A FEFLOW three-dimensional (3D) groundwater model is developed to enhance the understanding of groundwater processes in the complex alluvial stratigraphy of Maules Creek Catchment (New South Wales, Australia). The aquifer vertical heterogeneity is replicated by indexing 204 lithological logs into units of high or low hydraulic conductivity, and by developing a 3D geological conceptual model with a vertical resolution based on the average lithological unit thickness for the region. The model mesh is populated with the indexed geology using nearest neighbour gridding. The calibrated model is successful in simulating the observed flow dynamics and in quantifying the important water-budget components. This indicates that the lateral groundwater flow from the mountainous region is the main inflow component of the system. Under natural conditions, the Namoi River acts as a sink of water, but groundwater abstraction increasingly removes a large amount of water each year causing dewatering of the system. The pumping condition affects the river–aquifer interaction by reversing the flow, from gaining to losing river conditions during the simulation period. The procedure is relevant for the development of groundwater models of heterogeneous systems in order to improve the understanding of the interplay between aquifer architecture and groundwater processes.     

Compound paleovalley fills in the Lower Pennsylvanian New River Formation, West Virginia, USA

Ancient paleovalley fills are typically interpreted in the rock record using over-generalized models without carefully considering modern analogs, especially in light of recent discoveries. It is now known that many Quaternary paleovalleys are compound in origin, exhibit considerable stratigraphic complexity, contain multiple incisions, and can be orders of magnitude larger than their putative ancient counterparts. Compound paleovalley fills in the Lower Pennsylvanian New River Formation (NRF) are directly comparable to these Quaternary analogs, stimulating a paradigm shift in the interpretation of ancient paleovalleys. In the NRF, multiple laterally- and vertically-juxtaposed fill successions, separated by incision surfaces, record high-frequency fluvial responses to external controls within lower-order sequences. Lowstand incision and sediment bypass, as predicted in sequence stratigraphy, is largely discounted by the available evidence and the definition of regional sequence boundaries is not straightforward. The identification of genetic sequences may be the most effective approach to understanding the NRF and, by inference, many other ancient paleovalleys. Results from this study of the NRF promote a revised model for ancient paleovalleys that incorporates: 1) the pre-eminence of compound architecture, 2) periodic episodes of incision and subaerial exposure occurring in response to high-frequency changes in climate or relative sea level, 3) fluvial downcutting as the primary cause of paleovalley incision, although some sediments are still preserved in a net-erosional regime, and 4) composite, time-transgressive sequence boundaries that may be difficult or impossible to correlate regionally.     

Pembrokeshire,South Wales

Unravelling the geology of Pembrokeshire (southwest Wales) has been a rite of passage for British undergraduate students for generations. A favourite destination for an Easter fieldtrip, this complex region contains diverse geology of late Precambrian to Carboniferous age. In the course of a five‐day excursion, a student can uncover evidence for two plate tectonic cycles: the birth of the early Palaeozoic Iapetus Ocean and its death in the Caledonian Orogen, and the reworking of the late Palaeozoic Rheic back‐arc basins on the northern margins of the Variscides. In doing so, there is an opportunity to examine highly variable palaeoenvironments including the deposits of alluvial fans, flood plains, deltas, estuaries, carbonate shelves and deeper marine settings, as well as developing fundamental field skills in geological mapping, structural analysis and sedimentary logging. In this article, I introduce the fascinating story of the geological evolution of Pembrokeshire and describe some of the classic localities useful for basic geological training.     

Travertines in the northern Hula Valley, Israel

This study describes the field and petrographic relationships of a widespread deposit of Pleistocene travertines in the northern Hula Valley, northern Israel. The travertines interfinger with conglomerate deposits and basaltic lava flows. Field relationships and radiometric dating indicate that the travertines accumulated intermittently over the past million years, and their formation virtually stopped 25 000 years ago. The travertines are characteristically highly porous. Some of the pores, as well as some spar-filled voids, preserve the shapes of stalks and leaves. The abundance of plant material suggests that photosynthesis, rather than bacterial or abiogenic processes, was the main mechanism which induced carbonate precipitation. The reasons for travertine accumulation in the past and for the cessation of its formation today are ascribed to differences in the palaeogeographic setting. In the past, water flow is viewed as having been mostly sluggish, and a widespread and shallow sheet of water was formed. The lush vegetation, combined with the relatively long residence time of the water in the area, led to increased efficiency of the calcium carbonate precipitation. Today, by contrast, water flows rapidly in gorges, precipitating only a small fraction of its load of dissolved calcium carbonate. The conjectured change in hydrological conditions is ascribed to rejuvenation of faulting activity in the Late Quaternary.     

Mekometer measurements in the Imperial Valley, California

A network of about 130 bench marks, mostly about 800 m apart at road intersections and forming a continuous chain of quadrilaterals crossing the Imperial Valley in the vicinity of El Centro, has been measured three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1975. The instrument used was a Mekometer, a superior short-range electronic-distance-measuring (EDM) instrument having a sensitivity of 0.1 mm and a potential accuracy of better than 1 ppm. In 1975 the network was extended, particularly where it crosses the Imperial fault, to about 200 bench marks defining about 500 lines.For various reasons, it has not been possible to achieve standard errors of much less than 3 ppm in the distance measurements. Even so, about one line in three shows significant change at the 95% level in one or more of the three intervals 1971–1973, 1973–1975 and 1971–1975. Adopting stringent consistency criteria, the number of places where significant changes occurred can be reduced to seven. One of these is almost certainly associated with the Heber geothermal anomaly, one with the Imperial fault, and the others with one or other of the faults identified on the ground further to the north. The largest and most consistent changes occur on the Imperial fault, and imply an aseismic slip on it averaging about 8 mm/yr.The data also lend themselves to regional strain analysis. The results are consistent with a linear strain rate of about 0.3 ppm/yr, which is comparable with the rate deduced from large-scale geodetic surveys of the area.     

四川盐源县马思罗沟地球化学异常特征

根据化探分析数据结果和以往的工作成果、地质特征,分别对马思罗沟地球化学场特征、主成矿单元素异常特征、综合异常特征研究分析,从而推断解释综合异常(Hs-2)对成矿的有利性。确定该地区元素异常分布受构造的影响,确定该地区具有找金矿的潜力。     

Structural arcuation in the Berwyn Hills,North Wales

New mapping has better defined the well known arc in Acadian (late Caledonian) structures centred in the Berwyn Hills. This arc, convex to the north-west and about 20 km across, is defined by the strikes of bedding and cleavage and the trends of fold hinges. In contrast, a mineral lineation within the cleavage has a north-north-westerly plunge throughout the arc. It approximates to the long (X) axes of measured strain ellipsoids. A primary origin for the arcuation is implied by this consistency, by the absence of secondary cleavages and by opposing senses of fold transection across the arc. The new data favour the hypothesis of shortening of the Lower Palaeozoic cover against and over a pre-existing basement high inferred from geophysical data and from metamorphic and sedimentary facies.     

Differentiation trends in the Warrumbungle Volcano,New South Wales,Australia

The volcanic rocks of the Warrumbungle Shield volcano in central western New South Wales, Australia show two distinct differentiation trends. One trend of differentiation extends from alkali basalts to phonolitic trachytes becoming increasingly undersaturated with silica and a second differentiation trend extends from trachybasalts to quartzbearing trachyte that becomes progressively more oversaturated. The differentiation trends are the product of low pressure fractional crystallisation of an alkali basalt in a high level magma chamber.Differentiated rocks of the Nandewar Volcano in New South Wales differs from that of the Warrumbungle Volcano in several significant respects. In the Nandewar Volcano, for example, the parental magma is an olivine basalt, the differentiation trend is towards silica rich trachytes and very siliceous alkali rhyolites.The differentiated alkaline rocks from the large shield volcanoes of the Pacific display many affinities to the differentiated alkaline rocks from the shield volcanoes of the Australian continent. On Tahiti a moderately undersaturated alkaline magma has produced contrasting differentiates, silica saturated trachytes; and phonolites. In Hawaii the alkaline volcanic rocks have differentiated to produce oversaturated trachytes. By contrast, in the Galápagos Islands where the parental magma is a tholeiitic basalt the differentiation trend is towards very siliceous trachytes and quartz syentites.The divergent trends of differentiation in the Warrumbungle Shield can be traced via the intermediate lineage members to compositional differences between the basic lineage members. The temperature, pressure and fugacity of oxygen and water have controlled the path and extent of differentiation in high level magma chambers at 8–9 kb or less. Differing degrees of saturation of the basic lineage members are attributed to differing degrees of pyroxene or eclogite fractionation at high pressures. Progressively more undersaturated rocks have been derived at increasing depths or origin.

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Zusammenfassung Die Vulkangesteine des Warrumbungle-Vulkans im mittelwestlichen Neusüdwales, Australien, zeigen zwei verschiedene Differentiationstendenzen. Die eine erstreckt sich von alkalischen Basalten bis zu phonolitischen Trachyten, die immer stärker kieselsäure-untersättigt werden. Die andere erstreckt sich von Trachytbasalten bis quarzhaltigem Trachyt, der immer stärker übersättigt wird. Die Differentiationstendenzen ergeben sich aus der fraktionierten Kristallisation bei niederem Druck von einem alkalischen Basalt in einer nahe der Oberfläche liegenden Magmakammer.Differenziertes Gestein des Nandewar-Vulkans in Neusüdwales unterscheidet sich in einigen wesentlichen Punkten von dem des Warrumbungle-Vulkans. In dem Nandewar-Vulkan ist z. B. das Stammagma ein olivinhaltiger Basalt. Dazu tendiert es zu siliziumhaltigen Trachyten und sehr siliziumhaltigen alkalischen Rhyoliten.Das differenzierte alkalische Gestein von den großen Vulkanen des Pazifiks zeigt viele Ähnlichkeiten mit dem differenzierten alkalischen Gestein von den Vulkanen auf dem australischen Festland. Auf Tahiti hat ein mäßig untersättigtes alkalisches Magma kontrastierende Varianten, Phonolite und siliziumgesättigte Trachyte hervorgebracht. Auf Hawaii hat sich das alkalische Vulkangestein differenziert, wobei übersättigte Trachyte entstanden sind. Dagegen tendiert es auf den Galapagos-Inseln, wo das Stammagma ein tholeiitischer Basalt ist, zu sehr siliziumhaltigen Trachyten und Quarzsyeniten.Die divergierenden Differationstendenzen in dem Warrumbungle-Vulkan lassen sich durch die intermediären Stammglieder auf Zusammensetzungsunterschiede zwischen den früheren Stammgliedern zurückführen. Die Temperatur, der Druck und die Flüchtigkeit des Sauerstoffs und des Wassers haben den Vorgang und das Maß der Differentiation in nahe der Oberfläche begrabenen Magmakammern bei 8–9 kb. oder weniger kontrolliert. Verschiedene Sättigungsgrade der früheren Stammglieder werden verschiedenen Graden von Pyroxenoder Eklogit-Fraktionierung bei hohem Druck zugeschrieben. Zunehmend stärker untersättigtes Gestein ist bei wachsender Entstehungstiefe hervorgebracht worden.

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Résumé Les roches volcaniques du Volcan Warrumbungle, dans la partie centrale de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud (Australie), montrent deux tendances distinctes de différenciation. L'une de ces tendances s'étend des basaltes alcalins aux trachytes phonolitiques qui deviennent de plus en plus sous-saturés en silice. L'autre tendance de différenciation s'étend des trachy-basaltes aux trachytes quartzifères, qui deviencent de plus en plus sursaturés. Ces tendances de différenciation sont le résultat de la cristallisation fractionnée, sous faible pression, d'un basalte alcalin dans une chambre magmatique proche de la surface.Les roches différenciées du volcan Nandewar en Nouvelle-Galles du Sud différent sous plusieurs aspects importants de celles du volcan Warrumbungle. Dans le volcan Nandewar, par exemple, le magma originel est un basalte à olivine; la différenciation tend vers des trachytes contenant de la silice et des rhyolites alcalines très siliceuses.La roche alcaline différenciée des grands volcans du Pacifique montre beaucoup d'affinités avec celle des volcans du continent australien. A Tahiti un magma alcalin moyennement sous-saturé a produit des roches différenciées très diverses: des trachytes saturés en silice et des phonolites. A Hawaii les roches volcaniques alcalines se sont différenciées pour produire enfin des trachytes sursaturés. Par contre aux Iles Galapagos, où le magma originel est un basalte tholéiitique, la tendance de la différenciation va vers des trachytes très siliceux et des syénites quartzifères.Les tendances divergentes de la différenciation dans le Warrumbungle remontent par des termes intermédiaires à des différences de composition entre les premiers membres dérivés du magma originel.La température, la pression et la fugacité de l'oxygène et de l'eau ont réglé le processus et l'étendue de la différenciation dans les chambres magmatiques enfouies à proximité de la surface, sous une pression de 8–9 kb ou moins. C'est à différents degrés de saturation des premiers membres du magma originel que sont attribués les différents degrés de fractionnement du pyroxène ou de l'éclogite à haute pression. C'est toujours une roche de plus en plus sous-saturée qui est engendrée par augmentation de sa profondeur d'origine.

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蒙古国塔木察格盆地塔南凹陷早白垩世构造古地貌控砂机制*

构造活动是源-汇系统中形成古地貌和砂分散体系的重要影响因素。塔木察格盆地塔南凹陷在早白垩世是一个典型的断陷湖盆,经历了多期幕式断陷活动,但同沉积构造活动及其配置所产生的古地貌对层序结构特征、沉积体系及砂体分布的控制作用仍不明确。文中以地震、测井、岩心资料为基础,以层序地层学理论和古地貌控砂理论为指导,建立了塔南凹陷下白垩统层序地层格架;结合断层活动性分析,阐明了不同类型古地貌对沉积体系和砂体分布的控制作用和规律。构造演化和沉积充填的综合研究表明: 受控盆主断裂的幕式断陷活动及同沉积断裂的差异断陷活动影响,塔南凹陷发育横向凸起和走向斜坡2种类型的构造调节带,这些构造调节带是水系入盆的通道,控制着盆地的主体物源方向、沉积体系类型与分布特征;根据断层的几何形态及发育部位,共识别出4种类型构造坡折带,分别是陡坡断崖型坡折带、陡坡断阶型坡折带、缓坡反向断阶型坡折带和盆内坡折带,它们各自控制了不同类型沉积体系的形成与分布;沉积物入盆后,沉积物分散体系和砂体的分布特征受同沉积断裂的组合样式控制,研究区共发育梳状断裂系、叉状断裂系和平行断裂系3种同沉积断裂平面组合;与构造调节带相对应的断裂坡折带低部位是大型储层砂体,特别是低位扇三角洲或盆底扇砂体发育的有利部位,是寻找砂岩油气藏的有利区带。研究成果对于深化断陷湖盆源-汇系统理论、指导断陷湖盆砂体分布预测具有重要的理论意义和实际价值。     

Pozzolanic fly ash as a hydraulic barrier in land fills

The liner plays an important role in controlling migration of contaminants present in the leachate in waste containment systems such as land fills and impoundments. Although questions have been raised about the performance of clay liners, they are increasingly used singly or as double liners in disposal sites. Though the clay liners possess many advantages such as low permeability and large attenuative capacity, they also possess high shrinkage potential and hence can crack under unsaturated conditions causing instability and increase in leakage rates. Further, the permeability of the clay linear can increase due to clay–pollutant interaction. This study examines the potential of pozzolanic fly ash as a hydraulic barrier in land fill. The behaviour of three different types of fly ashes, showing a range of physical properties and chemical composition from three different sources are reported in the study. Geotechnical properties, needed to evaluate the use of fly ashes as barriers, such as shrinkage, compaction, permeability, consolidation and strength characteristics are reported. The results show that fly ashes possess low shrinkage and hence do not crack. Compacted fly ashes undergo very little volume changes. They also show that pozzolanic fly ashes develop good strength properties with time. Pozzolanic fly ashes containing sufficient lime develop strength even without addition of lime. Non-pozzolanic fly ashes do not develop strength even on addition of lime. Fly ashes generally consist of silt size particles and consequently possess high permeability. However, pozzolanic fly ashes with lime exhibit low permeability on curing because of the formation of gelatinous compounds which block the pores. Thus, pozzolanic fly ashes appear to be promising for construction of liners to contain alkaline leachate.     

Local perceptions of onchocerciasis in the Hawal Valley,Nigeria

Onchocerciasis is a disease which produces skin changes and can lead to blindness. It is limited in area by its blood-sucking vector. The middle Hawal valley represents a discrete focus of the disease in north-eastern Nigeria. Data on perception were obtained from informal discussion with respondents from hyperendemic, mesoendemic and hypoendemic villages. Their understanding of what constituted onchocerciasis was amazingly accurate and complete, particularly so with informants from the hyperendemic villages. A spiritual interpretation for separate symptoms of the disease was used toexplain causation; Western information on transmission was not known. The vector of onchocerciasis,Simulium damnosum was recognised in riverain areas where it exists but not in areas away from the river. Because of onchocerciasis morbidity people outside the riverain zone avoided it for settlement and temporary farms, and women shunned marriage with men from the area. Similar feelings about morbidity were voiced by people living in the riverain zone some of whom wished to move out. The problems caused by onchocerciasis are potentiated by remoteness for which the disease itself is largely responsible. During the 1970s the more remote settlements have become slightly smaller. Attitudes of people in the middle Hawal valley shape the future for the riverain zone where onchocerciasis is hyperendemic. Prospects would not seem to be rosy for remoter areas where the disease and its consequences are seen to be serious.     

Structures of the Skiddaw Slates in the Caldew Valley,Cumberland

The hornfelsed Skiddaw Slates in the River Caldew, Cumberland, exhibit one of the best displayed sets of folds in the country. Patterns resulting from an analysis of these folds and the structures on the valley sides, indicate that the rocks have suffered several phases of deformation. Evidence is produced to suggest that folding was initiated during the pre-Bala movements, and re-folding occurred during the main end-Silurian orogeny. During the end-Silurian movements, folding due to collapse under gravity also occurred.