U- and Th-series disequilibria in coastal infill sediments from Praia da Rocha (Algarve Region, Portugal): a contribution to the study of late Quaternary weathering and erosion

U- and Th-series disequilibria observed in a sequence of infill sediments from Praia da Rocha, southern Portugal, were used in combination with geochemical and particle size data to investigate sediment provenance with a view to resolving the late Quaternary weathering and erosion history of the Algarve region, and the stratigraphy of coastal karstic exposures of the Faro/Quarteira (FQ) formation. The red infill units can be distinguished from the brown and buff units on the basis of their lower residual U- and Th-concentrations, their differing post-depositional histories (as revealed by U- and Th-series disequilibria in sequentially extracted sediment phases), and their greater degree of sediment processing. Hence, the buff and brown infill units appear to be derived locally from weathering of the Miocene limestone whilst the red infill may be linked to large-scale mass movement of the FQ formation from further inland, but south of Silves, during the Late Pleistocene. This sequence of events confirms a close association between the formation of karst topography and infilling by gravitational slumping, debris flow and fluvial activity, and, hence, accounts for the complex (three-stage) sediment provenance of the infill material.     

Karst subzone division in vertical cycle zone and its significance

Vertical cycle karst zone has been studied for more than 100 years, however karst subzones in the zone have never been divided and affected depth of CO2 from rainwater in the zone has never been studied. On the basis of field observation, survey and chemical analysis, the difference of karst processes indicated by CaCO3and pH values in fine and loose sedimentary strata as well as limestone strata, and the vertical cycle zone ascertained by predecessors can be divided into three subzones, that is, the upper first subzone, characterized by unsaturated water solution and strong dissolution processes, the middle second subzone, characterized by supersaturated water solution and precipitation, and the lower third subzone, characterized by unstable water solution and weak dissolution or weak precipitation. The three subzones can indicate the vertical co2 cycle. In fine and loose sediment strata, the bottom of the first subzone is the lower boundary strongly influenced by co2 from rainwater, soil and air; all co2 from rainwater, soil and air is almost exhausted in the second subzone. In the early developmental period of karst process in limestone strata, karst funnels and vertical caves do not form, vertical seeping of rainwater and soil water is very slow, and co2 from soil, rainwater and air almost can reach the third subzone, but in the middle and late developmental periods, karst funnels and vertical caves occur, co2 from soil, rainwater and air can reach deep seasonal change zone and horizontal cycle zone and quicken development of karst morphology. Deep karst morphology near groundwater level under vertical cycle zone develops better in the middle and late periods of karst process.     

垂直循环带内岩溶亚带的划分

1 Introduction On the basis of flowing direction and characteristics of karst processes, four basic vertical karst zones were divided long ago, namely, vertical cycle zone, seasonal alternative cycle zone, horizontal cycle zone and deep cycle zone (Yang e…     

库姆塔格沙漠地表物质组成、来源和风化过程(英文)

Kumtagh Desert is one of the eight biggest deserts in China, but poorly investigated before our interdisciplinary study because of the difficulty of access. In this paper, 33 representative surface sediment samples were collected from the Kumtagh Desert and analyzed in the laboratory to obtain heavy mineral components and geochemical element contents. Results show that various kinds of heavy minerals are present in these samples, with high levels of epidote and hornblende. Si and Al take up a large part of chemical composition. Compared with the average composition of geochemical elements of the upper continental crust (UCC), except Si and Ca, all elements are depleted to a certain degree; Fe, Mg, Ca, P, Ti and Mn have high correlation coefficients in their contents. The mineral and geochemical composition of the Kumtagh Desert sediments have a similarity with that of rocks of Altyn Tagh Mountains, and the surface sediments of the alluvial/diluvial fans around the Altyn Tagh Mountains and that of the Taklamakan Desert, indicating that one major source of the Kumtagh Desert sediments is located in the Altyn Tagh Mountains. Alluvial deposits and lake sediments in Aqik valley and lower reaches of Shule River are prone to be eroded and transported by the strong northeasterly wind into the Kumtagh Desert, forming another source of the desert deposits. An A-CN-K ternary diagram shows that a weak degree chemical weathering by the loss of Na and K occurred in these sediments, whereas A-CNK-FM ternary diagram suggests that Fe and Mg have undergone a significant chemical differentiation. Physical weathering processes cause easy erosion and enrichment in fine particles for mafic minerals, thus coarse desert sand particles can be relatively depleted in Fe and Mg. The mineral and geochemical composition of sediments in arid regions experiencing less chemical weathering are mostly affected by physical weathering.     

基于允许流失量和正负地形源汇理论的喀斯特关键带土壤侵蚀研究

喀斯特地区下垫面的特殊复杂性使得地表发生显著坡面径流需要达到更大的降水累积阈值,碳酸盐岩岩石成土速率的缓慢和空间异质性导致喀斯特地区的土壤存量被严重高估和均一化等,因此,传统经典的土壤侵蚀模型在喀斯特地区难以适用。本文依据喀斯特关键带岩性的差异,确定其有效降水侵蚀阈值,并对降雨侵蚀力进行重新测算;根据碳酸盐岩化学成分的差异,计算其成土速率并作为土壤允许流失量;通过地貌—水文分析法提取喀斯特洼地空间分布信息,对喀斯特关键带土壤侵蚀算法进行多次改进和创新。结果显示：① 传统算法忽视了喀斯特关键带下垫面的特殊性,致使其平均降雨侵蚀力被高估47.35%,且喀斯特区域的平均降雨侵蚀力仅相当于非喀斯特区域的59.91%;② 传统算法可能将一些无土或少土可流区计算为土壤的高侵蚀量区,而连续性碳酸盐岩、碳酸盐岩夹碎屑岩、碳酸盐岩与碎屑岩互层的土壤允许流失量仅分别为0.21 t ha^-1 yr^-1、1.2 t ha^-1 yr^-1、2.89 t ha^-1 yr^-1;③ 传统算法通常将有坡度和耕作的洼地视为土壤侵蚀的高发区,但其实际应是地表侵蚀的沉积区,喀斯特洼地在空间上的连续性与碳酸盐岩的分布区基本重合;④ 传统算法高估土壤侵蚀面积27.79%,土壤侵蚀量47.72%。总之,传统经典模型会大大高估喀斯特地区的土壤侵蚀量,因此,应该建立一种精确适用的模型。另外,由于喀斯特地区的成土速率慢而土层薄、总量少,土壤允许流失量远低于非喀斯特区域侵蚀标准,应制定适用于喀斯特地区的土壤侵蚀分类分级标准和风险评价方法。     

青藏高原喀斯特的若干问题

青藏高原灰岩出露面积不广,但具多种成因的喀斯特形态。现代山区的石峰等是由寒冻风化和冰川作用所形成,属冰缘冰川喀斯特;高原内部的许多洞穴及其堆积物,以及东南部的丘陵洼地等由溶蚀侵蚀作用所形成,属古喀斯特;高原内部和边缘地区,在钙华或河成钙华形成中,生物残体仅起凝结核作用,喀斯特泉物理化学性质的变化起决定作用。因此青藏高原兼有在现代气候条件下和古气候条件下形成的喀斯特。     

喀斯特地貌演化与喀斯特含水层特性

本文根据喀斯特含水层的结构、喀斯特地貌发育的动力过程,探讨不同的喀斯特地貌演化阶段及其相应的喀斯特含水层特征。     

The property, age and formation environment of the palaeokarst in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The karst landforms distributed on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau can be genetically classed with the Tertiary underground karst, which were gradually exhumed to the surface with the uplift of the plateau during Quaternary period. The relative deposits of the Tertiary palaeokarst processes, such as the residuum and speleothem, were discovered recently in the southern and southeastern fringe areas of the plateau, where has geological-currently been disintegrated by the headward erosion processes of the modern river systems. The major chemical components of the clay portion of the residuum consist mainly of SiO₂, A1₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃. The clay minerals composition of the clay portion belongs to illite-kaolinite pattern for most of the residuum samples, and kaoliniteillite pattern for a few of the samples. It can be judged from the silicic acid index and the clay minerals composition that the formation of the residuum of the Plateau was in its initial phase. However, such a lower chemical weathering index only reflected the weathering degree in the bottom or lower parts of the lateritic weathering crust. The relatively intensive chemical weathering processes of the surface layers of the lateritic weathering crust could be logically speculated. The surface feature textures of quartz grains in the residuum were formed mainly by the chemical erosion, which revealed a long-term humid-tropical environment when the residuum and the palaeokarst formed.     

松嫩平原杜蒙沙地地表物质的地化组成及风化特征

本文分析了杜蒙沙地表土样品各粒级组分（全样、>63 μm、63~30μm、30~11 μm和<11 μm）的常量元素组成。结果表明：杜蒙沙地地表物质化学元素组成以Si、Al为主,与上地壳相比,除Si、Mn和Ti外,Fe、Mg、Ca和P严重亏损,Al和Na中度亏损,K轻微亏损;除Si、Al、Na、K外,Fe、Mg、Ca、Ti、P、Mn的变异系数均很高;常量元素在不同粒级中的变化程度按照Al相似文献   

戈壁表层沉积物地球化学元素组成及其沉积意义

作为干旱、半干旱区的一类重要荒漠景观,戈壁在中国分布面积较广,其独特的物质组成和沉积特征对解释它的物源和发生过程有重要的意义.本文通过筛分处理对戈壁表层不同粒径沉积物地球化学元素组成进行了分析.结果表明:各类戈壁表层沉积物的主要元素组成特征基本相似,但不同粒级沉积物主要元素的含量略有差异.与UCC的平均化学组成相比,戈壁表层沉积物中主要元素除Si基本与UCC保持一致外,其余各主要元素均在不同程度上表现出了富集和淋失特征,微量元素在两大类型戈壁中随沉积物粒径的变化与主要元素基本一致.在极端干旱的气候条件下戈壁表层沉积物缺少有效的化学风化过程,基本处在未受或较弱的大陆化学风化的初、中级阶段.各个粒级的沉积物在经历侵蚀和风化过程中较好的继承关系表明,戈壁砾石层下伏的细粒沉积层不是外源搬运沉淀,而是局地岩屑通过就地风化和成壤作用形成.     

青藏高原东北部古喀斯特过程与环境

本文介绍了青藏高原东北部地区的古喀斯特现象，并对相关沉积进行了化学成、粘土矿物的Ｘ－射线衍射以及石英砂表面结构等气候代用指标的分析。分析结果一致，指示了温暖湿润的亚热带气候条件。重结晶方解石的裂变径迹测年结果表明，该地区古喀斯特发育于中中新世。     

Sediment chemistry and diatom stratigraphy of two high arctic isolation lakes,Truelove Lowland,Devon Island,N.W.T., Canada

Three sediment cores from two lakes, Fish Lake and Phalarope Lake, in Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, N.W.T. were analyzed for diatoms and chemical composition. Multivariate statistical techniques using a range of chemical variables successfully isolated three sediment groupings in the cores. Allochthonous and autochthonous chemical components in the sediments have been used to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions. The two lakes began approximately 10600 years ago as shallow marine lagoons that were isolated from the sea as a result of glacio-isostatic rebound. Based on the presence of distinctive diatom assemblages, the three stratigraphic zones are identified as a basal marine zone, an intermediate and transitional brackish/marine zone and an upper freshwater zone. Following isolation from the sea, the lakes were flushed with freshwater produced by snow and ice melt. In Fish Lake, the period of transition from marine to freshwater, which began approximately 7000 years ago, lasted approximately 800 years. In Phalarope Lake, which was isolated from the sea approximately 5000 years ago, flushing by fresh water was completed only within the last 300 years. Fe, Cr, and Mo in the sediments are associated with the isolation phase when lake sedimentation is sensitive to the presence of brackish water and erosion within the lake catchments. In particular, the precipitation of Mo as MoS₂ reflects the presence of hypolimnetic anoxia associated with lake isolation. During the early post-isolation phase the response of lake biota to an influx of nutrients is reflected in an increase in biological silica and organic carbon in the lake sediments. On the other hand, the generally low organic content of the sediments indicates that sedimentation in these lakes has been largely determined by variations in non-biogenic factors through time. During the mid Holocene the progressive stabilization of surface materials within the lake catchments is marked by decreasing Cr, As and Na in the sediments. At the same time, an increase in allochthonous Mn and Fe is attributed to progressive soil development. During the last 2500 years the catchments have experienced decreased erosion resulting in a decrease in both allochthonous clastic input and lake productivity.     

湘桂黔滇藏一线覆盖型岩溶地貌特征与岩溶(双层)夷平面

根据岩溶风化壳的发育条件及研究覆盖型岩溶特征,提出岩溶（双层）夷平面概念,认为研究区覆盖型岩溶是一个统一的岩溶（双层）夷平面的组成部分。其现阶段的存在形式如石林、岩墙等为后期不同程序风化－刻蚀作用的结果;其地貌形态多为土下成因,并随剥蚀程度、裸露时间环境的差异而叠加各种后期气下改造特征。     

克里雅河中下游流域地表沉积物的粒度与化学元素空间分布

通过对克里雅河流域的实地考察、地形测量、取样,分析其流经沙漠过渡带地表沉积物的粒度、化学元素的空间分布,得出以下结论：河流—沙漠过渡带地表沉积物的粒度组成以>2 φ的粒径为主,粒度特征明显表现出风成特点;化学组成上以Si、Al为主,和上陆壳平均化学组成相比,除Ca、Co、As外都有一定的亏损;不同河段自上游至下游,在不同动力条件下,地表物质粒度特征表现出河漫滩砂与阶地风成砂呈相反的递变趋势;不同河段A-CN-K图解及CIA揭示了克里雅河不同河段地表物质化学风化程度均很低,处于较弱的去Na、Ca阶段,其他元素未发生明显的化学风化或迁移,不同河段化学风化程度差异与物源及地貌格局息息相关;同一河段不同地貌单元,随距河道远近不同,粒度特征与化学风化程度呈现出一定的递变规律;克里雅河平均粒径与一些元素的相关性,说明粒径大小与表征化学风化程度数值的大小有一定关系。总之,在不同空间尺度上,克里雅河地表沉积物理化学特征的分异实质上反映风动力和水动力的差异性分选。     

Erratic judgements: re-evaluating solutional erosion rates of limestones using erratic-pedestal sites, including Norber, Yorkshire

The re-interpretation of surface karst landforms in Northern England has led to a re-examination of well-known erratic-pedestal sites that were the origin for karst denudation rates applied extensively, on the supposition that erratics protect underlying limestone from rainwater solution. Height of the pedestal has been used to calculate long-term solutional-lowering, as much as 50 cm in 15 ka (33.3 mm/ka) from UK sites. The sites include Norber and Scar Close, Yorkshire, UK. This paper shows that the sites have been misinterpreted, in particular at Norber where the erratics lie on a pre-existing structurally stepped surface. Norber and several other sites also experience much mechanical weathering, in relatively weak, well-fractured limestones, a process which must be distinguished from solution. Sites in strong, less-fractured limestones demonstrate lower rates, which are sounder indications of land surface lowering. Some pedestals have been confirmed as partly resulting from solutional weathering in surrounding soil and vegetation. Re-evaluation reduces solution rates to 3–13 cm in 15 ka. Applying such rates has profound implications for understanding limestone landscapes, challenging orthodox views.     

The property, age and formation environment of the palaeokarst in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The karst landforms distributed on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau can be genetically classed with the Tertiary underground karst, which were gradually exhumed to the surface with the uplift of the plateau during Quaternary period. The relative deposits of the Tertiary palaeokarst processes, such as the residuum and speleothem, were discovered recently in the southern and southeastern fringe areas of the plateau, where has geological-currently been disintegrated by the headward erosion processes of the modern river systems. The major chemical components of the clay portion of the residuum consist mainly of SiO2C, Al2CO3 and Fe2O3. The clay minerals composition of the clay portion belongs to illite-kaolinite pattern for most of the residuum samples, and kaolinite-illite pattern for a few of the samples. It can be judged from the silicic acid index and the clay minerals composition that the formation of the residuum of the Plateau was in its initial phase. However, such a lower chemical weathering index only reflected the weathering degree in the bottom or lower parts of the lateritic weathering crust. The relatively intensive chemical weathering processes of the surface layers of the lateritic weathering crust could be logically speculated. The surface feature textures of quartz grains in the residuum were formed mainly by the chemical erosion, which revealed a long-term humid-tropical environment when the residuum and the palaeokarst formed.     

Salt dissolution features in saline lakes of the northern Great Plains, western Canada

Large-scale salt dissolution is an important process affecting the sediments of many of the saline lakes in the northern Great Plains region of western Canada. The most easily recognized features of this salt karst are water-filled chimneys, vertical shafts, and collapse structures. The largest individual chimneys can be up to 20 m deep and 50 m in diameter, with volumes exceeding 25,000 m³. Large, mud-filled chimneys and cavities, and salt-filled chimneys have also been identified in both the modern lakes and in the Quaternary sediments of the basins, which can adversely affect the salt mining potential of the basins. Because these salt karst features can affect large vertical sections of the sediment fill in the lakes, their recognition is of fundamental importance in attempting to use the stratigraphic records of the basins for paleoenvironmental research.     

Aeolian sediment provenance and transport in the upper and middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet Plateau

Frequent and serious aeolian disasters occur in the upper and middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which runs through the high-elevation Tibet Plateau. Sediment geochemical characteristics can be used as a proxy to identify the sediment's provenance. To determine the provenance of aeolian sediments in the river's basin, we analysed major and trace element contents from surface samples and local clastic rocks throughout the basin. We found that the major and trace elements differed between the middle reaches, upper reaches and regions south of the river. Major element contents were similar in the upper and middle reaches, but trace elements differed. Al₂O₃, MgO and Na₂O concentrations increased from the upper reaches to the lower reaches, and in the lower reaches, MgO and Na₂O were enriched compared with the crustal average. The similarities between samples in the lower part of the upper reaches and those in the middle reaches indicated that sediment transported by fluvial systems from the upper reaches were first deposited in the wide valleys near Xigaze, where they formed a large area of shifting sand. These deposits were then transported by the wind to the river's middle reaches, where they formed a large area of shifting sand. When we compared aeolian sediment in the middle reaches with the local clastic rocks, they appeared to be unrelated. The difference between sediments south of the river and those in the middle reaches means that the southern sediments were not transported to the middle reaches. Therefore, the aeolian sediment in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River mainly came from the lower part of the upper reaches, not from the local clastic rocks.     

Spatially discontinuous modern sedimentation in Georgian Bay, Huron Basin, Great Lakes

High-resolution seismic reflection profile data show that the modern sediment cover (over the last 150 years) in Georgian Bay is thin and spatially discontinuous. Sediments rich in ragweed pollen, largely derived from siltation linked to land clearing and European settlement, form a thin, discontinuous veneer on the lakebed. Much of the lakebed consists of exposed sediments deposited during the late glacial or early postglacial. Accumulation rates of modern sediments range from < 0 mm/year (net erosion) to ∼3.2 mm/year, often within a few hundred metres spatially. These rates are much lower than those reported for the main basin of Lake Huron and the other Great Lakes, and are attributed to the low sediment supply. Only a few small rivers flow into Georgian Bay, and most of the basin is surrounded by bedrock of Precambrian gneiss and granite to the east, and Silurian dolostone, limestone and shale to the west. Thick deposits of Pleistocene drift, found on the Georgian Bay shoreline only between Meaford and Port Severn, are the main sediment source for the entire basin at present. Holocene to modern sediments are even absent from some deep basins of Georgian Bay. These findings have implications for the ultimate fate of anthropogenic contaminants in Georgian Bay. While microfossil assemblages in the ragweed-rich sediments record increased eutrophication over the last 150 years, most pollutants generated in the Georgian Bay catchment are not accumulating on the lakebed and are probably exported from the Bay.     

Disparate Sandstone Weathering Beneath Lichens, Red Mountain, Arizona

Though the ability of lichens to disaggregate and dissolve the substrate is understood, zones of disparate weathering mechanisms examined in this study were previously unobserved. On a steep (60°) northern (340°N) slope on Red Mountain, Arizona, a 5×5 m study plot was chosen for its maximum lichen coverage (33%) of the same lichen genus Xanthoparmelia in varying growth stages, on a sandstone substrate of consistent lithology. From twenty-two (22) representative lichen thalli, portions were removed to examine sub-thallic rhizine density, and others were resin-inbedded for optical, scanning and backscatter electron microscopy.
In every sample, sandstone beneath and adjacent to the lichen thallus displayed disparate weathering mechanisms. Beneath the center of the lichen cortex, where rhizine density was observed to be the greatest, rhizine penetration disaggregated the sand-stone clasts from the matrix, but little chemical dissolution was apparent. This study found physical weathering predominates beneath the lichen cortex, and chemical weathering predominates at the thallus fringe and beyond the thallus boundary. It was generally found that physical weathering decreased (disaggregation) and chemical weathering increased (dissolution) from the cortex center to the thallus edge. Toward the thallus fringe, minimal clast disaggregation was observed, and substrate dissolution was obvious.