Phase relationship between sea level and abrupt climate change

Direct traces of past sea levels are based on the elevation of old coral reefs at times of sea level highstands. However, these measurements are discontinuous and cannot be easily correlated with climate records from ice cores. In this study we show a new approach to recognizing the imprint of sea level changes in continuous sediment records taken from the continental slope at locations that were continuously submerged, even during periods of sea level lowstand. By using a sediment core precisely synchronized with Greenland ice cores, we were able to recognize major floods of the Mediterranean continental shelf over the past 270 kyr. During the last glacial period five flooding events were observed at the onset of the warmest Greenland interstadials. Consistent correspondence between warm climate episodes and eustatic sea level rises shows that these global flooding events were generated by pronounced melting of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, due to rapid intensification of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.The method described in this study opens a new perspective for inter-hemispheric synchronization of marine climate records if applied in other continental margins from the Southern Hemisphere or the equatorial regions.     

The continental terrace

The continental terrace, defined as the sediment and rock underlying the coastal plain, the continental shelf and continental slope, has been extensively explored during the last decade using seismic techniques. Some facts and theories about its structure and formation are reviewed.The development of the continental terrace is considered in three main stages: first, the formation of the major discontinuity between continent and ocean basin; second, the deposition of sedimentary strata; and third, the Quaternary modification of the continental terrace to form the present topography.The major discontinuity may be formed either by rifting of a continent or by accretion of a large mass of contorted continental terrace and continental rise sediments to a pre-existing edge of a continent. Both types of discontinuity may be either ancient or presently forming in an orogenic area. Sedimentary strata are built generally upwards and outwards but at most places development is modified either by basement structure, by current and slump erosion or by growth of organic and diapiric structures.During the Quaternary Era the terrace has been extensively modified as a result of large fluctuations of sea level. The present wide continental shelf and deep shelf break are at most places the result of wave planation and offshore deposition during the last low sea level and during the subsequent rise of sea level. The final process at many places has been formation of a Holocene coastal plain and deposition of a prism of sediment on the inner continental shelf.Most continental terraces show evidence of continental flexure, which is the seaward tilting of land and seabed with a zero isobase, a line of no vertical movement, close to the shore. The reasons for continental flexure are discussed. The relative positions of the shore line, the zero isobase and the boundary between erosion and deposition are controlled by rates of tilting, by rates of sedimentary processes and by eustatic movements of sea level.From an assessment of the general processes operating today, some conclusions are reached about the changes in form and topography of continental terraces of the past.     

中国海域表层沉积物分布规律及沉积分异模式

中国海域拥有宽广的大陆架，同时还有陆坡和深海盆，有众多河流入海并输入巨量的陆源物质，沉积物记录了海陆变迁、环流变化、海平面升降、物质输送和气候变化等环境信息。沉积物的粒度特征可以反映沉积动力、物质来源和搬运距离等，可以通过沉积物粒度组成、参数及各种图解来研究沉积环境的变化。前人对中国海域表层沉积物的粒度分布特征展开了大量的研究，取得了丰富的研究成果，但这些研究多集中在某一海域或区域，缺乏对整个中国海域的表层沉积物类型的宏观系统认识。本文基于中国地质调查局“1：100万海洋区域地质调查项目”获取了中国海域4300个海底表层沉积物样品，通过沉积物粒度分析，结合前人已发表资料，对中国海域表层沉积物的沉积类型特征、物质来源和运移模式等开展了系统的研究。本文把浅海和半深海沉积物按照含砾石和不含砾石主要划分出5个和7个沉积物类型，深海沉积物主要划分了9个沉积类型，研究结果表明：中国海域表层沉积物沉积类型多样、来源复杂，主要受控于物质来源、水动力条件和地形地貌的变化，在东部海域总体呈现“大江大河-宽缓陆架-残留慢速沉积”的条带状沉积分异模式，而在南部海域呈现的是“短源性河流-多类型陆架-重力流快速沉积”的环带状沉积分异模式。本文的结果对研究中国海域沉积物的宏观分布规律提供了基础资料，对理解海洋沉积动力过程具有重要意义，同时沉积物粒度的特征对海底砂矿分布也具有指示意义。     

海平面变化的原因及结果

20世纪80年代初期以来,科学大洋钻探已累计完成了DSDP80、93、95和ODP133、143、 144、150、150X、166、174A、174AX、182、194等10多个与海平面变化有关的科学航次,在美国新泽西被动大陆边缘、澳大利亚东北部及南部被动大陆边缘、巴哈马台地、太平洋中西部平顶海山等地获得了大量的钻探资料。根据这些资料,建立了过去42 Ma来的海平面变化年表,确立了大陆边缘层序界面与全球海平面下降之间的成因联系,在估计全球海平面变化幅度方面取得进展。尽管如此,对全球海平面变化的幅度、机制及地层响应等基本问题的了解,还存在很大的不确定性。在综合有关文献基础上,对科学大洋钻探在海平面变化研究方面所取得的成就、存在的问题及发展方向进行简要介绍。     

长江口现代潮滩沉积物粒度特征及其在沉积相识别中的应用

本研究通过对长江口现代潮滩6个柱状样沉积物的粒度精细分析,试图提取研究区潮滩沉积相识别的粒度敏感指标,并通过对长江三角洲南部平原一个全新世钻孔(SL67孔)潮滩沉积物的粒度研究,检验现代沉积粒度敏感指标在全新世钻孔潮滩沉积相识别中的应用。研究显示,长江口现代高潮滩和中潮滩的黏性颗粒(8μm)和粗粉砂(32~63μm)含量差异显著,可以成为区分高潮滩和中潮滩的敏感组分;在开敞型的中、低潮滩之间,砂(63μm)和细粉砂含量(8~32μm)也差异明显。长江口现代潮滩沉积物的粒度频率曲线及众数值也可以有效协助区分高潮滩、中潮滩和低潮滩沉积物。利用上述粒度敏感组分和众数指标检验SL67孔全新世早中期在海平面波动控制下的潮滩演替过程,并揭示了7.5 cal ka BP前后的一次海平面加速上升事件。     

Platform subsidence mechanisms and “eustatic” sea-level changes

The boundaries between major world-wide sequences of sediments on continental platforms are due primarily to either eustatic changes or to systematic uplift of the continental interior. If thermal contraction of the lithosphere controls basin subsidence, basins would continue to subside during times of low eustatic sea level. Calculations indicate that significant gaps in the geological record could be produced by modest eustatic sealevel changes even in rapidly subsiding basins. For example, a 95 m withdrawal could have produced the sub-Devonian unconformity in the Michigan Basin. The vertical amplitude of eustatic variations can be determined directly from the depth of paleotopographic valleys (135m for sub-Pennsylvanian of Illinois Basin) and from the present elevation of sediments deposited during highstands (300 m above present sea level). The Illinois Basin aparently continued to subside during the sub-Pennsylvanian regression.     

Facies Associations and Discontinuous Surfaces in the Syringothyris Limestone Formation of Tethyan Margin of Gondwana,Kashmir

The early Carboniferous sedimentation of the Tethyan Margin of Gondwana in the Kashmir Himalaya represents alternating siliciclastic - carbonate succession consisting of distinct stratigraphic sequences which are bounded by discontinuities. The discontinuities in the sedimentation are related to environmental changes in the form of subaerial exposure, subaqueous erosion, subaqueous omission or changes in texture and facies. These distinct surface zones or time significant boundaries can be correlated across the depositional platform. Low stand, high stand and transgressive sedimentation units in the lower and middle parts of early Carboniferous Syringothyris Limestone Formation in Banihal area have been recognised. This is explained by superposition of high frequency and low amplitude sea level fluctuations on a large-scale trend under greenhouse conditions during the early Carboniferous period. The facies associations present in the early Carboniferous succession of the Himalaya broadly represent intertidal (peritidal), shallow subtidal, deeper subtidal, off-shore-slope and deeper environments. Discontinuities that are interpreted as progradational, retrogradational and aggradational phases of sedimentation bound these facies associations. This formation represents continental margin depositional setting which is authenticated by deposition of siliciclastic sediments. This marginal depositional setting is greatly affected by numerous dynamic processes including tectonic and other active sea as well as continental processes. The records of all those processes in this formation reflect the eustatic changes in sea level. These periodic eustatic changes have generated the various discontinuities, stratigraphic sequences or systems tracts. Overall it appears that interplay of many processes such as sediment supply, thermal and tectonic activity, eustatic and climatic changes in the Kashmir Tethyan depositional basin generated these distinct depositional sequences during the early Carboniferous period.     

Marsh aggradation and sediment distribution along rapidly submerging Louisiana gulf coast

A coastwide study of the relationship between marsh aggradation and water level changes along the rapidly deteriorating Louisiana gulf coast was conducted. Rate of vertical marsh accretion determined from¹³⁷Cs dating was compared to water level changes or submergence. Results identified marsh locations that are not keeping pace with submergence. Coastwide vertical accretion rates on the order of 0.7–0.8 cm/yr are not sufficient to keep pace with water level increases occurring at rates in most locations of over 1.0 cm/yr. Submergence rates were four to five times greater than eustatic sea level change for the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana gulf coast marshes are likely to continue deteriorating unless means are implemented for distributing Mississippi River sediment to the marsh. It is estimated that sediment equivalent to less than 10 percent of the present annual suspended load of the Mississippi would provide enough sediment for marsh accretionary processes to compensate for submergence or water level increase.     

河流沉积对于气候和海平面变化响应的讨论

河流沉积地层是古代陆相沉积和大陆边缘沉积的重要组成部分。河流沉积与气候和海平面升降之间的关系虽然研究较多，但是众多的研究集中于河流沉积与相对海平面之间的变化，而研究河流沉积与气候的关系则集中于对近100Ma年以来的河流沉积，而对古代河沉积与气候之间的变化关系研究较少。本文拟对河流沉积与海平面变化和气候变化的响应进行一些讨论。     

Controls on late Quaternary incised‐valley dimension along passive margins evaluated using empirical data

Incised valleys are canyon‐like features that initially form near the highstand shoreline and evolve over geological time as rivers erode into coastal plains and continental shelves to maintain equilibrium‐gradient profiles in response to sea‐level fall. Most of these valleys flood during sea‐level rise to form estuaries. Incised‐valley morphology strongly controls the rate of creation of sediment accommodation, valley‐fill facies architecture and the preservation potential of coastal lithosomes on continental shelves, and affects coastal physical processes. Nonetheless, little is known about what dictates incised‐valley size and shape and whether these metrics can be used to explain principal formation processes. The main control on alluvial channel morphology over human time scales is discharge; this is based on numerous empirical studies and is well‐constrained because all variables are easily measured at this short time scale. Knowledge of long‐term river evolution over a complete glacio‐eustatic cycle, on the contrary, remains largely conceptual, experimental and based on individual systems because variables that are thought to drive morphological change are not easily quantified. In spite of this difficulty, existing models of incised‐valley formation at the coast suggest that valley evolution is driven largely by downstream forcing mechanisms, highlighting sea‐level and shelf gradient/morphology as the dominant controls on valley incision. Although valleys are cut by rivers, whose channels are a direct reflection of discharge, little empirical data exist in coastal areas to address the degree to which valley evolution is governed by upstream controls. The late Quaternary is the best time period to examine because it provides the most complete sedimentary record and many variables, including sea‐level, tectonics, substrate lithology and drainage network characteristics, are accurately constrained. Here, 38 late Quaternary valleys along the coast of two different passive continental margins are compared, which suggests that valley shape and size are governed primarily by upstream, intrinsic controls such as discharge. Valley width, depth and cross‐sectional area are found to be predictable at the highstand shoreline and are scaled with the size of their drainage basin, which has important implications for estimating sediment discharge to continental shelves and deep water environments during periods of low sea‐level.     

Rates of Holocene isostatic uplift and relative sea-level lowering of the Baltic in SW Finland based on studies of isolation contacts

Southwestern Finland was covered by the Weichselian ice sheet and experienced rapid glacio-isostatic rebound after early Holocene deglaciation. The present mean overall apparent uplift rate is of the order of 4-5 mm/yr, but immediately after deglaciation the rate of crustal rebound was several times higher. Concurrently with land uplift, relative sea level in the Baltic basin during the past more than 8000 years was also strongly affected by the eustatic changes in sea level. There is ample evidence from earlier studies that during the early Litorina Sea stage on the southeastern coast of Finland around 7000 yr BP (7800 cal. yr BP), the rise in sea level exceeded the rate of land uplift, resulting in a short-lived transgression. Because of a higher rate of uplift, the transgression was even more short-lived or of negligible magnitude in the southwestern part of coastal Finland, but even in this latter case a slowing down in the rate of regression can still be detected. We used evidence from isolation basins to obtain a set of 71 ¹⁴C dates, and over 30 new sea-level index points. The age-elevation data, obtained from lakes in two different areas and located between c. 64 m and 1.5 m above present sea level, display a high degree of internal consistency. This suggests that the dates are reliable, even though most of them were based on bulk sediment samples. The two relative sea-level curves confirm the established model of relatively gradually decreasing rates of relative sea-level lowering since c. 6100 yr BP (7000 cal. yr BP) and clearly indicate that the more northerly of the two study areas experienced the higher rate of glacio-isostatic recovery. In the southerly study area, changes in diatom assemblages and lithostratigraphy suggest that during the early Litorina Sea stage (8300-7600 cal. yr BP) eustatic sea-level rise exceeded land uplift for hundreds of years. Evidence for this transgression was discovered in a lake with a basin threshold at an elevation of 41 m above sea level, which is markedly higher than any previously known site with evidence for the Litorina transgression in Finland. We also discuss evidence for subsequent short-term fluctuations superimposed on the main trends of relative sea-level changes.     

Holocene sea level changes at the nile delta coastal zone of Egypt

Carbon dating data of changes in seal level during the Holocene at the Nile delta coast provide eustatic depth-time curve of the region. The curve reveals that sea level was approximately 41 meters below the present level around 8,500 years ago. Trend analysis indicates that with melting of glaciers there was a rapid rise in sea level of about 3 mm/yr. The constructed data points are found to be comparable with other curves in the Mediterranean and wold-wide regions. The general changes of the data points are fairly correlated with the ancient shoreline indicators of morphological features (shelf terraces and slopes, old dunes, sand accretion ridges) and sediments at continental shelf and its contiguous coastal zone that belong to Holocene transgression.     

论地质历史中区域构造沉降史与海平面变化

区域构造沉降史和海平面变化是层序地层学中起决定作用的两个主参数。运用“反剥法”。（back-stripping）建立了研究区内泥盆纪至三叠纪盆地构造沉降地球动力学曲线模型,识别出盆地演化从被动大陆边缘、成熟被动大陆边缘、周缘前陆盆地到后造山前陆盆地的演化序列。同时,运用沉积体系域、地震及碳氧同位素信息反演编制了二叠-三叠纪海平面变化轨迹曲线,研究区内海平面变化与全球海平面升降具同步效应,至晚三叠世研究区海平面变化表现为上升趋势,而全球海平面变化总体处于海平面下降阶段,这与前陆挠曲变形和造山俯冲有关。     

亚热带中小型山溪性河流—宽陆架系统“源—汇”过程

中小型山溪性河流易受极端事件和人类活动影响,且对环境变化响应敏感,在大陆边缘物质循环过程中发挥着十分重要的作用,但学术界对它们的重视程度不够。以闽江—东海陆架系统为例,通过资料收集、遥感解译、样品采集与分析等方法,系统研究了亚热带中小型山溪性河流—宽陆架系统的“源—汇”过程。研究结果表明,人类活动引起的土地利用变化使得闽江入海径流量和泥沙通量在波动中略有增加,但水库的建设显著减少了入海泥沙通量,并且减弱了水沙通量的季节差异,河流入海泥沙通量变化对流域人类活动敏感且响应迅速;河口水体环境、悬浮体浓度、沉积物粒度组成及陆源有机碳埋藏的空间分布格局均显示,闽江入海泥沙主要分布在闽江河口附近海域,其中粗颗粒泥沙在水动力的作用下主要堆积在河口水下三角洲平原及前缘,细颗粒泥沙主要堆积在水下三角洲前缘斜坡及前三角洲附近海域,仅有少量细颗粒泥沙沿岸向外输运并沿途沉积,与大河流—宽陆架系统及中小型山溪性河流—窄陆架系统显著不同。河口人类活动及极端事件通过改变沉积物组成、环境动力、入海泥沙通量等方式对河流—陆架系统的“源—汇”过程产生显著影响。在当前流域来沙量锐减、河口地区海砂开采等人类活动强度增大的情况下,有必要加强相关研究。     

浙江石浦下白垩统石浦群沉积相、层序及相对海平面变化

通过对浙江石浦下白垩统石浦群的野外和镜下分析,划分出19个岩石微相,进一步细分出14个碎屑岩岩石微相和5个碳酸盐岩岩石微相。综合相关沉积构造特征,岩石微相横纵向组合特征,以及对沉积过程的推测,识别出3个主要的沉积相:扇三角洲相、潮坪相和滨海-浅海相。根据剖面上发育的4个不整合面,以及1个沉积趋势由向上变浅到向上变深转换的突变面识别出5个层序界面,结合各层序内部特征,将石浦剖面划分出5个发育海侵体系域和海退体系域的T-R层序,以及1个仅发育海退体系域的层序。根据各层序内沉积相类型的变化特征、体系域叠置方式初步重建石浦地区早白垩世相对海平面升降曲线。发现阿普特阶-阿尔必阶,该地区相对海平面在四级旋回多次波动叠加的基础上,在三级旋回尺度上呈现逐渐上升的趋势。结合前人在该剖面建立的同位素年龄格架以及全球海平面变化,发现石浦剖面的相对海平面变化和全球海平面变化高度耦合,仅在119~116 Ma和104~100 Ma存在差异。结合石浦剖面火山岩的发育特征,以及出现海平面变化差异的时间段与大规模火山岩发育的时间段耦合,推测全球海平面变化和区域构造是影响石浦地区相对海平面变化的两个主要因素。     

Earthquake‐induced turbidites triggered by sea level oscillations in the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene of Italy

Earthquakes are widely recognized as triggers for turbidites, submarine debris flows and slumps. In tectonically active areas, surprisingly small changes in stress can trigger seismic events, implying that past sea level changes may be important in controlling the timing of seismicity and the occurrence of turbidites. We apply this idea in an analysis of turbidites from the upper Cretaceous–Paleocene Scaglia Rossa Formation of the Umbria‐Marches region of Italy. These turbidites are composed of resedimented foraminiferal tests derived from fluidizing deep‐water (∼1500 m), pelagic sediments; seismic triggering is the most likely triggering mechanism given this setting and composition. The timing of these turbidites (and associated synsedimentary slumps), constrained by biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy, reveals an unusual, non‐random temporal pattern that appears to correlate well with proposed eustatic fluctuations. This correlation between turbidites and eustatic fluctuations leads us to suggest that stress and pore fluid pressure changes associated with changing sea level may trigger periods of increased seismicity in the geological past.     

塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶纪海平面升降变化规律研究

利用元素地球化学特征和地震几何构型特征,对塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶纪时期海平面升降变化规律进行了研究,建立了寒武-奥陶纪相对海平面变化曲线。研究发现,塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶纪可划分出3个一级旋回,8个二级旋回,17个三级旋回和多期高频震荡旋回。其中,寒武纪经历了3期二级旋回,早中奥陶世经历了2期旋回。相对于寒武纪,早奥陶世海平面升幅较大。晚奥陶世经历了3期二级旋回：第一期处于海平面低位期,幅度较小;后二期快速上升,直达最高水位状态。海平面相对升降变化控制着盆地的沉积充填和层序的形成演化,其旋回性与盆地沉积作用的旋回性相一致,并可通过沉积相的演变表现出来。     

Predicted relative sea-level changes (18,000 years B.P. to present) caused by late-glacial retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Predictions of global changes in relative sea level caused by retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from its 18,000 yr B.P. maximum to its present size are calculated numerically. When combined with the global predictions of relative sea-level change resulting from retreat of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, the results may be compared directly to observations of sea-level change on the Antarctic continent as well as at distant localities. The comparison of predictions to the few observations of sea-level change on Antarctica supports the view that the Antarctic Ice Sheet was larger 18,000 years ago than at present. The contribution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to the total eustatic sea-level rise is assumed to be 25 m (25% of the assumed total eustatic rise). If as little as 0.7 m of this 25-m rise occurred between 5000 yr B.P. and the present, few mid-oceanic islands would emerge. If the Antarctic Ice Sheet attained its present dimensions by 6000 yr B.P., however, and if the volume of the ocean has remained constant for the past 5000 years, numerous islands throughout the Southern Hemisphere would emerge. It is suggested that a thorough study of Pacific islands, believed by some to have slightly emerged shorelines of Holocene age, would yield useful information about ocean volume changes during the past 5000 years, and hence on the glacial history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.     

南海西北与西南次海盆沉积通量及其控制因素

作为西太平洋陆源沉积"源-汇"过程的重要场所,南海海盆半封闭的构造环境使得其与开放大洋的物质交换十分有限,沉积物保存基本完整,可以建立起南海沉积过程与区域重大构造事件、气候变化、海平面变化等之间的系统联系.选取南海西南与西北两个次海盆为对比研究区,基于穿越海盆的高分辨率多道地震测线和国际大洋发现计划(Internati...     

海南岛崖州湾宁远河河口区现代沉积特征

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