Evolution and inheritance of a rock coast: western Galicia,northwestern Spain

There is increasing evidence that shore platforms and other elements of rock coasts may be inherited, at least in part, from interglacial stages when sea level was similar to today's. Most of this evidence, which includes ancient beaches and datable terrestrial deposits, has been obtained from areas of resistant, slowly eroding rock, where the platforms often appear to be much too wide to have developed since the sea reached its present level. It is much more dif?cult to demonstrate that inheritance has occurred in areas of weaker rock, which generally lack any datable material. The coast of western Galicia in northwestern Spain has shore platforms in igneous and metamorphic rocks that were deeply weathered during the Tertiary. These platforms are closely associated with ancient beaches from the last interglacial stage, and associated periglacial and ?uvio‐nival deposits that covered and fossilized most of the Eemian platforms and cliffs during the late middle and late Weichselian glacial stage. The sedimentary processes and the thickness and facies of the sediments were determined by the height, aspect and gradient of the coastal mountains, and their distance from the coast. Radiocarbon dating, sedimentary analysis and platform morphology indicate that the shore platforms of Galicia have been inherited from at least the last interglacial stage. They were fossilized in places beneath thick Weichselian deposits and then exhumed during the Holocene transgression. The abundant evidence for inheritance in Galicia has important implications for other coasts in fairly weak rocks where such evidence is generally lacking. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extracting palaeoflood data from coarse‐grained Pleistocene river terrace archives: an example from SE Spain

Field‐based palaeoflood event reconstruction has the potential to contribute to the development of our understanding of long‐term landscape evolution. However, the reconstruction of past flow event histories (magnitude and frequency) over long‐term (Quaternary) timescales is fraught with difficulties. Here we make a preliminary exploration of some of the practicalities of flood reconstruction from fluvial terrace archives using commonly available sedimentological and geomorphological observations from a field perspective. We utilize Manning and palaeostage indicators to reconstruct historic events that can be used as benchmarks for a lesser used competence based approach, which is applied to coarse‐grained strath terrace deposits. We evaluate the results against gauged records for extreme and catastrophic events that affected the same region in 1973 and 2012. The findings suggest that the competence approach is most effectively applied to terrace deposits if the channel geometry is taken into account when sampling both in cross‐section and in longitudinal section and calibrated against the sedimentology for palaeo‐flow depth. Problems can arise where constrictive channel geometries allow boulder jams to develop, acting as sediment traps for the coarsest material and leading to downstream ‘boulder starvation’. Useful sites to target for palaeoflood reconstruction, therefore, would be upstream of such constrictive reaches where the coarsest transportable bedload has been effectively trapped. Sites to avoid would be downflow, where the deposited material would poorly represent palaeoflood competence. Underestimation from maximum boulder preservation and limited section exposure issues would appear to outweigh possible overestimation concerns related to fluid density and unsteady flow characteristics such as instantaneous acceleration forces. Flood data derived from river terrace deposits suggests that basal terrace geometries and coarse boulder lags common to many terrace sequences are likely the result of extreme flow events which are subsequently filled by lesser magnitude flood events, in this environmental setting. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aeolization on the Atlantic coast of Galicia (NW Spain) from the end of the last glacial period to the present day: Chronology,origin and evolution of coastal dunes linked to sea-level oscillations

The Atlantic coast of Galicia (NW Spain) is a high-energy environment where shingle beaches are currently developing. These coarser sediments alternate with sandy deposits which are also considered as beaches typical of a low-energy environment. The physical association of both types of sediment with contrasted sedimentary significance raises problems of interpretation. The study of four outcrops of fossil aeolianites on this coast has allowed us to reconstruct their evolution from the end of the Upper Pleistocene to the present day. Their chronology, estimated by optically stimulated luminescence between 35 and 14 ky at the end of the last glaciation (MIS2), coincides with a local sea level 120 m below the present one. This implies a coastline shifted several kilometres from its current location and the subaerial exposure of a wide strip of the continental shelf covered by sands. The wind blew sand to form dunes towards the continent, covering the coastal areas, which then emerged with no other limitation than the active river channels. Sea-level rise during the Holocene transgression has progressively swamped these aeolian deposits, leaving only flooded dunes, relict coastal dunes and climbing dunes on cliffs up to 180 m high. The aeolian process continued as long as there was a sandy source area to erode, although accretion finished when the sea reached its current level (Late Holocene). Since then, the wind turned from accretion to erosion of the dunes and sand beaches. This erosion exposes the older shingle beaches (probably of Eemian age) buried under the aeolian sands, as well as old, submerged forest remains and megalithic monuments. The destruction of sand beaches and dunes currently observed along the Galician coast is linked, according to most researchers, to anthropogenic global warming. However, their management should consider these evolutive issues.     

Rock warming and drying under simulated intertidal conditions,part II: weathering and biological influences on evaporative cooling and near‐surface micro‐climatic conditions as an example of biogeomorphic ecosystem engineering

The way in which rocks and engineering materials heat‐up and dry‐out in the intertidal zone is of relevance to both weathering and ecology. These behaviours can be measured in the laboratory under controlled conditions designed to replicate those occurring in the field. Previous studies have demonstrated differences in thermal behaviours between rock types and through time as a result of soiling in terrestrial environments, but the influence of weathering and colonization on rock behaviours in the intertidal zone has not been previously assessed. We measured the warming and drying of blocks of rock (limestone and granite) and marine concrete during ‘low‐tide’ events simulated in the laboratory, before and after a period of exposure (eight months) on rock platforms in Cornwall, UK. As well as differences between the material types, temperatures of control (unexposed) and field‐exposed blocks differed in the order of 1 to 2 °C. Drying behaviours were also different after field exposure. Differences during the first few hours of exposure to air and heat were attributed to discolouration and albedo effects. Over longer periods of time, changes in the availability of near‐surface pore water as a result of micro‐scale bioerosion of limestone and the development of bio‐chemical crusts on marine concrete [observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)] are suggested as mechanisms enhancing and reducing, respectively, the efficiency of evaporative cooling. The retention of moisture by epilithic biofilms may also influence thermal and drying behaviours of granite. These observations represent one of the first examples of cross‐scalar biogeomorphic linkages in the intertidal zone. The significance of the results for the subsequent efficiency of weathering, and near‐surface micro‐climatic conditions experienced by colonizing organisms is discussed. The involvement of microorganisms in the creation of more (or less) ecologically stressful conditions through the alteration of substratum geomorphic properties and behaviours is suggested as an example of ‘biogeomorphic ecosystem engineering’. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the influence of biofilm on short‐term expansion and contraction of supratidal rock: an example from the Mediterranean

Previous geomorphological investigations using the traversing micro‐erosion meter (TMEM) have identified daily and hourly contractions and expansions of littoral rock on a range of lithologies. While organic influences on these patterns have been inferred, this has rarely been tested in a controlled way. Here, a TMEM was used to measure micro‐scale (<mm) topographic changes on supratidal limestone of the Massif des Calanques, southern France. Four TMEM monitoring sites (each 64 cm²) were set up in total, two in the Calanque de Morgiou and two in the Presqu'ile de Cassis. On both shores one TMEM bolt site was positioned on bare rock and the other on colonized rock. TMEM data were collected and the surface micro‐topography mapped for each site at two‐hourly intervals from early morning to late evening across one day in mid‐summer. Significant relative expansion and contraction was observed between measurement periods at all four sites, regardless of biofilm colonization (P < 0.001 in all instances), and sometimes between adjacent zones on the rock surface (at a scale of centimetres). Rock with and without biofilm behaved broadly similarly, but the magnitude of topographic change varied: average movement from one interval to the next was 0.03 mm on bare sites and 0.06 mm on biofilm‐colonized sites. As expected, patterns of surface change related largely to insolation, with greatest movement occurring in the morning and evening when thermal gradients were steepest. Interestingly, the presence of a biofilm intensified rock expansion, but delayed surface response to microclimatic variability. We largely attribute this effect to biofilm influences on surface albedo, and hypothesize that episodes of contraction and expansion are superimposed onto longer (annual to decadal) episodes of surface movement and downwearing. Short‐term TMEM studies therefore need to be coupled with longer‐term seasonal and annual measurements to improve understanding of rock surface dynamics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tafoni development in a cryotic environment: an example from Northern Victoria Land,Antarctica

Tafoni are a type of cavernous weathering widespread around the world. Despite the extensive distribution of the tafoni, their genesis is not clear and is still a matter of debate, also because they occur in such different climatic conditions and on so many different types of substrate. Geomorphological characterization of more than 60 tafoni in three different Antarctic sites (two coastal and one inland) between 74 and 76° S with sampling of weathering products and salt occurrences are described together with thermal data (on different surfaces) and wind speed recorded in different periods of the year in a selected tafone close to the Italian Antarctic station. The aim of this present study is to provide further information to help understand the processes involved in the growth of tafoni in a cryotic environment, and the relationship of these processes to climate, with particular attention to the thermal regime and the role of wind. The new data presented in this paper suggest that there is no single key factor that drives the tafoni development, although thermal stress seems the most efficient process, particularly if we consider the short‐term fluctuations. The data also confirm that other thermal processes, such as freezing–thawing cycles and thermal shock, are not really effective for the development of tafoni in this area. The wind speed measured within the tafoni is half that recorded outside, thus favouring snow accumulation within the tafoni and therefore promoting salt crystallization. On the other hand, the wind effect on the thermal regime within the tafoni seems negligible. While both salt weathering and thermal stress appear active in this cryotic environment, these are azonal processes and are therefore active in other climatic areas where tafoni are widespread (such as the Mediterranean region). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of an alluvial conglomerate sequence: An example from the Hexi Corridor,NE Tibetan Plateau

The thick alluvial conglomerate sequences around the Tibetan Plateau have been notoriously difficult to date. Here we use the cosmogenic nuclide burial dating method to date the Yumen and Jiuquan formations, a ∼900 m thick fanglomerate found in the Hexi Corridor, the foredeep of the Qilian Shan, and exposed in the Laojunmiao anticline. We date 16 sites with simple burial dating and 2 sites with isochron burial dating, and use these dates to reinterpret the magnetostratigraphy of the section. We suggest that the bottom of the Yumen Formation, defined by a progressive unconformity, is around 5 My. Taking this timing as the initiation of anticline growth, the long-term crustal shortening rate at the ramp zone in western Qilian Shan is about 0.72 mm/yr, consistent with those obtained from middle and eastern Qilian Shan. The boundary between the Yumen and Jiuquan Formations is near ∼1.2 My. Three other angular unconformities are dated to ∼2.6–3.1, ∼2.2–2.5, and ∼1.2–1.7 My, respectively. Burial dating offers a robust chronology for these deposits, and when combined with paleomagnetic stratigraphy offers much tighter precision.     

东营凹陷波动古湖相烃源岩沉积特征

以东营凹陷牛38井为例,研究显示,该井沙河街组沙三段烃源岩的沉积特征具有明显的波动性．宏观上体现为, 构造因素控制湖盆的整体升降和沉积构造旋回,但季节性气候及其它因素的影响使湖盆呈现次级旋回的复合性沉积．微观上表现为纹层的不连续性及生物扰动构造等事件性沉积.古湖面不同幅度的波动和变化导致相对稳定的泥岩沉积的不稳定性,有机质的分布也呈现较显著的非均质性．湖泊的沉积过程影响了微量元素、有机质以及烃源物质的分布,水体较深、盐度较高的沙三段下部多数微量元素含量较高以及B／Ca、Sr／Ba呈现高值;水体较浅、盐度较低的沙三段中部各元素的分布较为稳定,B／Ca、Sr／Ba比值及Sr的含量均显著降低.波动性沉积导致烃源岩呈现明显的优劣性分布,沙三段下部中的有机质富集,为优质烃源岩;沙三段中部的有机质分布较为分散,生排烃的资源潜力有限．     

Detecting subtle hydrochemical anomalies with multivariate statistics: an example from ‘homogeneous’ groundwaters in the Great Artesian Basin,Australia

The major ion composition of Great Artesian Basin groundwater in the lower Namoi River valley is relatively homogeneous in chemical composition. Traditional graphical techniques have been combined with multivariate statistical methods to determine whether subtle differences in the chemical composition of these waters can be delineated. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal components analysis were successful in delineating minor variations within the groundwaters of the study area that were not visually identified in the graphical techniques applied. Hydrochemical interpretation allowed geochemical processes to be identified in each statistically defined water type and illustrated how these groundwaters differ from one another. Three main geochemical processes were identified in the groundwaters: ion exchange, precipitation, and mixing between waters from different sources. Both statistical methods delineated an anomalous sample suspected of being influenced by magmatic CO₂ input. The use of statistical methods to complement traditional graphical techniques for waters appearing homogeneous is emphasized for all investigations of this type. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chronology of an oyster reef on the coast of Bohai Bay, China: Constraints from optical dating using different luminescence signals from fine quartz and polymineral fine grains of coastal sediments

Fossil oyster reefs are indicators of past sea levels, and their formation is usually dated by means of radiocarbon. However, radiocarbon dating of the shells from coastal areas may be complicated by the varying sources of carbon. Here we applied optical dating methods to date the samples from above and below a fossil oyster bed in a section on the coast of Bohai Bay, China. The optical ages of the sediments were used to constrain the oyster bed. Single-aliquot regenerative-dose procedures using the OSL signal from fine grain quartz, the IRSL and post-IR OSL signals from polymineral fine grains were employed to determine equivalent dose (D_e). The behaviors of the different luminescence signals from quartz and polymineral grains during D_e measurements were examined. The results showed that the quartz OSL signal is more reliable than the polymineral IRSL and post-IR OSL signals with respect to dating for these coastal samples. The optical ages indicated that the oyster reef formed between ca. 6.2 and 5.0 ka.     

Sampling epifauna, a necessity for a better assessment of benthic ecosystem functioning: an example of the epibenthic aggregated species Ophiothrix fragilis from the Bay of Seine

Sampling the sea bottom surface remains difficult because of the surface hydraulic shock due to water flowing through the gear (i.e., the bow wave effect) and the loss of epifauna organisms due to the gear’s closing mechanism. Slow-moving mobile epifauna, such as the ophiuroid Ophiothrix fragilis, form high-density patches in the English Channel, not only on pebbles like in the Dover Strait or offshore Brittany but also on gravel in the Bay of Seine (>5000 ind m⁻²). Such populations form high biomasses and control the water transfer from the water column to the sediment. Estimating their real density and biomass is essential for the assessment of benthic ecosystem functioning using trophic web modelling. In this paper, we present and discuss the patch patterns and sampling efficiency of the different methods for collecting in the dense beds of O. fragilis in the Bay of Seine. The large Hamon grab (0.25 m⁻²) highly under-estimated the ophiuroid density, while the Smith McIntyre appeared adequate among the tested sampling grabs. Nowadays, diving sampling, underwater photography and videos with remote operated vehicle appear to be the recommended alternatives to estimate the real density of such dense slow-moving mobile epifauna.