Rhodolith-bearing limestones as transgressive marker beds: fossil and modern examples from North Island, New Zealand

Rhodoliths are nodular structures composed mainly of the superimposed thalli of calcareous red algae. Because their development is controlled by an array of ecological parameters, rhodoliths are a valuable source of palaeoenvironmental information. However, despite their common use in palaeoecological reconstructions, the stratigraphic significance of rhodolith accumulations seldom has been addressed in detail. In a study of Cenozoic rhodolith‐bearing deposits from the North Island of New Zealand, rhodolithic units, usually of limited lateral extent, typically occur above major unconformities at the base of deepening upwards successions. Two types of transgressive rhodolith‐bearing deposits may be distinguished on the basis of texture and rhodolith internal structure: (i) type A deposits are clast‐supported rhodolithic rudstones containing abundant pebbles and cobbles reworked from the substrate, and are characterized by rhodoliths with a compact concentric to columnar internal structure and a high nucleus to algal cover ratio; (ii) type B deposits are rhodolithic floatstones with a matrix usually consisting of bryozoan fragments, benthic foraminifera and echinoid fragments or terrigenous silty fine sand. The rhodoliths of type B units usually have a loose internal framework with irregular to branched crusts. The two contrasting rhodolith‐bearing units are interpreted as characteristic facies of transgressive systems tract deposits, analogous to shell concentrations formed under conditions of low net sedimentation. Type A deposits are correlated with relatively high‐energy settings and/or narrow submerged palaeotopographic lows, whereas type B deposits are interpreted as forming in lower‐energy settings. The association between transgression and development of rhodolithic facies is confirmed by observations of a modern rhodolith production site at Whangaparaoa Peninsula in North Island, where algal nodules grow above a ravinement surface cut during the Holocene sea‐level rise, and also by a review of published fossil examples, many of which show stratigraphic and compositional attributes analogous to those of the New Zealand occurrences. The review indicates that transgressive rhodolith accumulations develop more commonly in, but are not restricted to, non‐tropical settings. It is suggested that a combination of factors, such as low net sedimentary input, nature of the substrate, sea‐level rise and inherited physiography contribute to determine the relationship between rhodolith‐bearing deposits and transgressive settings.     

Comparison of tropical,carbonate and temperate,siliciclastic tidally dominated sedimentary deposits: Examples from the Australian continental shelf

Surficial deposits of the tidally influenced Australian shelf seas exhibit a variation in fades related to energy gradient. These deposits comprise a high energy gravelly facies, a mobile sand sheet facies and a low energy muddy sand facies. Such a facies distribution conforms generally with the existing model of continental shelf tidal sedimentation, derived for the west European tidal seas. However, the carbonate rich and mainly warm water deposits of the Australian shelf differ from the mainly quartzose and temperate cold‐water deposits of the European type case in terms of: (i) the role of seagrasses in trapping fine‐grained sediment; and (ii) the relative importance of the production of carbonate mud by mechanical erosion of carbonate grains. Seagrasses in Spencer Gulf, Gulf of St Vincent and Torres Strait are located in regions of strong tidal currents, associated with bedforms and gravel lag deposits. Thus, in the case of tropical carbonate shelves, seagrass deposits containing fine‐grained and poorly sorted sediments are located in close proximity to high energy gravel and mobile sand facies. In contrast, the European model (for temperate, siliciclastic shelves) places facies in a regional gradient with a wide separation (in the order of 50–100 km).

Of the locations reviewed, the Gulf of St Vincent, Bass Strait, southern Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria exhibit zones of carbonate mud accumulation. The production and winnowing of carbonate mud from the mobile sand facies is a factor that must be taken into account in the assessment of a sediment budget for this facies, and which is of relatively greater importance for carbonate shelves. Insufficient data are presently available from the macrotidal North West Shelf to test the applicability of the model to this region.     

Environmental factors influencing skeletal grain sediment associations: a critical review of Miocene examples from the western Mediterranean

The presence of foramol, rhodalgal and bryomol skeletal grain associations in ancient shallow‐marine limestones is commonly interpreted as evidence for non‐tropical palaeoclimate, despite temperature being only one of several factors influencing skeletal grain associations. Such interpretations neglect the multitude of factors other than temperature that influence carbonate‐producing biota. These include nutrients, water energy, water transparency, depth of the sea floor, salinity, oxygen, Ca²⁺ and CO₂ concentrations, Mg/Ca ratio, alkalinity, substrate requirements, competitive displacement as well as biological and evolutionary trends. This uniformitarian approach also disregards the probability that conditions of present‐day biological systems may not be representative of past conditions of analogous systems. Here, the importance of considering these other factors is illustrated through two examples of carbonate platforms in the western Mediterranean. These platforms are dominated by foramol, rhodalgal and bryomol associations of Miocene age in spite of having formed in tropical conditions. The platforms discussed are: (1) the Lower Tortonian ramp on Menorca, Balearic Islands; and (2) the Lower–Middle Miocene ramps of the central Apennines, Italy. Evidence for tropical conditions in the Mediterranean during the period of growth of these platforms is provided by species of red algae and larger foraminifera, by data from coeval continental basins and by global oxygen isotope data.     

Application of in situ-produced cosmogenic Be and Al to the study of lateritic soil development in tropical forest: theory and examples from Cameroon and Gabon

Depth profiles of in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides, including ¹⁰Be (T_1/2=1.5×10⁶ years) and ²⁶Al (T_1/20.73×10⁶ years), in the upper few meters of the Earth's crust may be used to study surficial processes, quantifying denudation and burial rates and elucidating mechanisms involved in landform evolution and soil formations. In this paper, we discuss the fundamentals of the method and apply it to two lateritic sequences located in African tropical forests.     

The upper Coniacian to upper Santonian drowned Arabian carbonate platform,the Mardin-Mazidag area,SE Turkey: Sedimentological,stratigraphic, and ichthyofaunal records

A measured stratigraphic section including the upper Coniacian – upper Santonian interval in the Mardin-Mazidag area in Southeastern Turkey lies on the Arabian Platform and documents the drowning of the Arabian platform. The studied succession transgressively overlies the exposed carbonate platform and exhibits a relatively condensed sequence characterized by presence of fish remains, phosphate nodules, oncoids, phosphatic fragments, glauconites and planktonic foraminifera. Calcareous nannofossils attest a late Coniacian to late Santonian age (zones UC11 UC12). Numerous elasmobranch teeth are also present in this pelagic facies, representing mackerel sharks (Squalicorax, Pseudocorax and Scapanorhynchus) and a ray (Ctenopristis). The presence of pelagic facies and phosphate deposits on the drowned platform may indicate a sudden rise of sea level and increase of nutrient due to upwelling currents. The collapse parts of the Arabian carbonate platform occurred earlier than previously reported, starting from late Coniacian-Santonian onwards.     

●●以下19篇文章网络预出版（在线出版）于2023年8月20日，预计刊于《地质论评》2023年第69卷第5、6期或2024年第70卷第1期(2023年9、11月或2024年1月15日发行纸质版）

遗迹化石是研究古环境、古气候、地层旋回性及其全球成因动力学研究的有效载体。遗迹化石是某种环境条件下生物行为习性的直接证据,是沉积环境的灵敏指示剂,对探讨生物行为习性的演化、生物的多样性、生物地层学、事件地层学、储层地质学等都具有重要的理论意义和应用价值。基于此,本文选取CNKI核心合集数据库中的数据,对1954~2022年遗迹化石相关文献进行系统整理,采用Microsoft Excel 2016和CiteSpace 6.1.R2 软件对文献类型分布、年度发文数量、国家、机构、期刊、作者、高引文献、突现关键词等进行分析,构建和绘制各单元间相互关系,以探求研究领域关键路径及知识拐点,进而挖掘所蕴含的新知识,预测学科研究趋势。研究表明：①我国遗迹化石领域研究发文量最多的机构是河南理工大学;发文量最多的学者是胡斌;被引频次最多的论文作者是龚一鸣;我国遗迹化石的研究主要以国家层面的基金资助为主。②系统发展阶段,我国遗迹化石研究区主要集中在贵阳、新疆;创新发展阶段,研究区主要集中在河南、四川等地。③中国寒武系的遗迹化石研究主要集中在河南省、云南省和贵州省境内;奥陶系、志留系和泥盆系中的遗迹化石研究主要集中在贵州、陕西、新疆塔里木盆地、准噶尔盆地、湖南等地。石炭系—二叠系的遗迹化石研究主要集中在新疆准噶尔盆地西北部、柴达木盆地南缘等地;三叠系的遗迹化石研究主要集中在扬子地区。本文基于新的研究思路和方法,系统分析了国内遗迹化石研究现状和趋势,对于进一步了解遗迹化石具有指导意义。     

海相碳酸盐台地含钾层段旋回地层学响应和识别 ——以川中广安地区三叠系为例

识别海相碳酸盐岩台地深部的成盐聚钾层段,主要依靠测井解译和钻井取芯验证。连续沉积的碳酸盐岩台地具有旋 回性,记录着海相碳酸盐岩随古海平面旋回变化的信息。因此,利用测井数据模拟台地高频沉积旋回叠加样式,反演古海 平面旋回,寻找海退地层序列的低水位沉积体系,进而快速锁定成盐聚钾层段的方法值得探索。文中以四川盆地川中广安 地区三叠系为例,以等间距连续测量的自然伽马测井数据为对象,运用数值模拟技术,有效识别了三叠纪沉积时期的高频 沉积旋回,并根据高频沉积旋回的累积厚度偏差变化,反演了古海平面的变化趋势,判断广安地区嘉陵江组 5 段至雷口坡 组 1 段第 1 亚段沉积期,相对海平面长期处于较低水位,是最有利的成盐聚钾期,这与基于钻井岩芯划分的富钾层段极为吻 合,表明这种方法能够有效识别碳酸盐岩台地含钾层段。     

大兴安岭中段乐平统-中三叠统沉积物源分析:来自重矿物组合及碎屑锆石年代学证据

黑龙江西部龙江地区位于中亚造山带东段,黑河-贺根山缝合带与西拉木伦缝合带之间,地层记录了两大古板块之间古亚洲洋闭合过程的信息。本文对龙江地区乐平统林西组和下-中三叠统老龙头组的砂岩样品进行碎屑重矿物和碎屑锆石U-Pb同位素年代学研究。碎屑重矿物组合以锆石+磷灰石+金红石+角闪石+绿帘石+重晶石的组合为特征,表明物源主要来自于中酸性岩浆岩,并有少量变质岩及沉积岩组分。林西组样品最年轻的锆石年龄为278±3Ma,老龙头组样品最年轻的锆石年龄为247±3Ma、243±4Ma及237±3Ma,结合前人的研究,限定了林西组沉积于乐平世,老龙头组沉积于早三叠世-中三叠世。碎屑锆石年龄谱明显分为五组:237～258Ma、270～329Ma、357～558Ma、680～1633Ma及1893～1966Ma。其中237～258Ma的碎屑锆石主要来自与古亚洲洋洋壳消亡前的俯冲增生过程相关的火山活动,270～329Ma的碎屑锆石主要来自大石寨组火山岩及其同期侵入岩,357～558Ma的碎屑锆石来自早古生代-晚古生代早期岩浆弧,680～1633Ma的碎屑锆石可能来自兴安及额尔古纳地块的变质基底,而较古老的～1800Ma的锆石年龄暗示了华北克拉通基底的物源信息。通过研究发现林西组及老龙头组样品前30%年轻的碎屑锆石年龄与地层沉积年龄之差都小于100Ma,结合对砂岩碎屑组成、重矿物组合及盆地与火山弧位置关系的研究,认为研究区乐平世-中三叠世沉积盆地具有汇聚背景,为弧前盆地。