Tidal and seasonal controls in the formation of Late Miocene inclined heterolithic stratification deposits, western Amazonian foreland basin

Upper Miocene strata in the Acre sub‐basin, Brazil, consist dominantly of various types of inclined heterolithic stratification and pedogenic horizons. These strata were sedimentologically and ichnologically described to: (i) study different temporal controls responsible for inclined heterolithic stratification generation and their variation in a distal–proximal trend; and (ii) delineate the depositional setting. For this purpose, nine representative outcrops were sedimentologically and ichnologically studied, and their facies associations described. Thickness variations of the heterolithic strata of various orders (lamina, lamina bundles and beds) were analysed by statistical methods (Fourier transform). The deposits were interpreted as tidally and seasonally influenced estuarine or delta‐related and continental strata. The inclined heterolithic stratification deposits represented vastly different settings ranging from tidally dominated, brackish‐water ichnofossils‐bearing channels to seasonally controlled, articulated Purussaurus (a freshwater alligator) fossil‐bearing channels. Several time cycles were distinguished in the strata, including semi‐diurnal, fortnightly and seasonal. Tidal imprint was best observed in low‐energy brackish‐water settings, whereas seasonal rhythmicity was distinguishable throughout the depositional system. However, the latter was most apparent in riverine channels proximal to the inferred fluvio‐tidal transition. The different temporal controls commonly had distinguishable impact on sedimentological and ichnological properties in the studied sediments. The differing properties included: (i) the degree and nature of lateral variability with respect to lithology and bedforms in inclined heterolithic stratification; (ii) the lateral continuity of inclined heterolithic stratification; (iii) the nature of sedimentary contacts between the inclined heterolithic stratification members; (iv) thickness variation of inclined heterolithic stratification members within a set; (v) the cyclicities observed in inclined heterolithic stratification series; (vi) the degree of bioturbation; (vii) the types of trace fossils observed; and (viii) the distribution of bioturbation in adjacent inclined heterolithic stratification members.     

秘鲁西北部早白垩世Oyotún组火山岩层序、年代学及地球化学特征——对古Farallon板块俯冲作用细节的揭示

Oyotún组火山岩为中安第斯西北缘中生代出露范围最广的一套火山岩,对研究中安第斯早白垩世壳幔相互作用具有重要意义。研究区西部Oyotún组火山岩出露面积小,厚度薄,岩性单一,而东部出露范围大,厚度厚,岩性复杂。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年表明,Oyotún组火山岩时代集中在139.7~131.0Ma之间。主量元素SiO_2含量介于54.44%~72.33%之间,中等富MgO(0.56%~1.55%),偏铝-强过铝,A/CNK=0.98~3.51,富集Cs、Rb、Th、U、Pb和轻稀土元素,无明显Eu异常,亏损Nb、Ta、Ti、P等,具明显的火山弧特征。Oyotún组火山岩εHf(t)值在3.37~8.42之间,且底部εHf(t)值显著低于顶部,指示其可能形成于活动陆缘弧后伸展背景下,由亏损地幔衍生的新生玄武质下地壳,经板片流体作用而产生的低程度部分熔融过程,并受到太古宙古老陆壳物质的混染,其混染程度随时代变新而逐渐减小。     

Influence of fluvial‐tidal interactions on the nature of cross‐stratified packages in a deltaic setting: examples from the Barakar Coal Measure (Permian), Satpura Gondwana Basin,central India

Nine different types of cross‐stratified packages from the coal‐bearing, deltaic succession of the Barakar Formation (Permian) of the Satpura Gondwana Basin, central India, are described. The deposits are characterized by periodic mudstone drapes, reactivation surfaces including all other features suggestive of deposition from periodically unsteady, tidally‐influenced flows. The inferred flow patterns varied from purely bidirectional to pulsating unidirectional. The different types of cross‐stratified packages are interpreted to have resulted from superimposition of ebb‐oriented, steady, unidirectional fluvial currents of variable strength on the tidal flow in a deltaic setting. The study helps to distinguish cross‐strata that may develop in settings where fluvial and tidal currents interact. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.