Neoproterozoic environmental change recorded in the Port Askaig Formation,Scotland: Climatic vs tectonic controls

The snowball Earth hypothesis suggests that the Neoproterozoic was characterized by several prolonged and severe global glaciations followed by very rapid climate change to ‘hot house’ conditions. The Neoproterozoic Port Askaig Formation of Scotland consists of a thick succession of diamictite, sandstone, conglomerate and mudstone. Sedimentological and stratigraphic analysis of Port Askaig deposits exposed on the Garvellach Islands was carried out to establish the nature of Neoproterozoic palaeoenvironmental change preserved in this thick succession. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying and distinguishing between climatic and tectonic controls on sedimentation.Port Askaig Formation diamictite units are attributed to deposition by sediment gravity flow processes or ‘rainout’ of fine-grained sediment and ice-rafted debris in a glacially influenced marine setting. Associated facies record various depositional processes ranging from sediment gravity flows (conglomerate, massive sandstone and laminated mudstone) to deposition under other unidirectional currents (cross-bedded and horizontally laminated sandstone). The Port Askaig Formation is also characterized by abundant soft sediment deformation features that occur at discrete intervals and are interpreted to record episodic seismic activity.Stratigraphic analysis of the Port Askaig Formation on the Garvellach Islands reveals three phases of deposition. Phase I was dominated by sediment gravity flow processes and sedimentation was primarily tectonically controlled. Phase II was a transitional phase characterized by continued tectonic-instability, an increased supply of sand to the basin and the preservation of current-generated facies. In the third and final phase of deposition, the interbedded units of sandstone and diamictite are interpreted to reflect development of large sandy bedforms and ice margin fluctuations in a tectonically stable marine setting.Sedimentological and stratigraphic analysis of the Port Askaig Formation demonstrates that tectonic activity had a significant influence on development of the lowermost parts of the succession. Climatic influences on sedimentation are difficult to identify during such phases of tectonic activity but are more easily discerned during episodes of tectonic quiescence (e.g.,, Phase III of the Port Askaig Formation). The thick succession of diamictite interbedded with current-deposited sandstone preserved within the Port Askaig Formation is not consistent with deep freeze conditions proposed by the snowball Earth hypothesis.     

The drainage of Lake Ojibway in glaciolacustrine sediments of northern Ontario and Quebec,Canada

Physical evidence for the drainage of glacial lakes remains relatively rare in depositional records, giving rise to much debate on the location of outlets and discharge pathways, as well as on the climate impact of the attendant meltwater forcing. Lake Ojibway developed following the withdrawal of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in northern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The late‐stage evolution of this large ice‐dammed lake was influenced by the complex dynamics of the retreating ice margin, which highly complicates the identification of the termination of Lake Ojibway in glaciolacustrine sediment records. Here, we document the composition of sections of rhythmites that contain in their upper part an anomalously thick and whitish bed (10–15 cm) that is in turn overlain by ～1 m of faintly bedded rhythmites. Grain‐size analyses showed that the thick whitish bed consists primarily of fine to coarse silt (2–63 μm), contrasting with the lower and upper rhythmites that are largely dominated by clay (<2 μm). The detrital carbonate content of the thick silt bed is characterized by consistently high values (2.5 to 2.8%), whereas the bounding rhythmites show lower and highly variable values. Oxygen isotope measurements further show a marked change going from typical glacial meltwater values (～ ?29.6 to ?27.7‰; VSMOW) for the lower rhythmites and the silt bed to modern‐like meteoric values (?18.4 to ?14.6‰) for the uppermost rhythmites. These data suggest that this marker bed may be associated with a major drawdown event that possibly corresponds to the final drainage of Lake Ojibway. AMS radiocarbon dating of ostracods extracted from the drainage bed also documents an important hardwater effect within the Ojibway basin.     

Tight-reservoir micropore formation and evolution in sedimentary organic-matter-bearing tuff: a case study from the Permian Tiaohu Formation in the Santanghu Basin,NW China

Recently, a tuffaceous tight oil reservoir with considerable reserves has been found in the Santanghu Basin, northwestern China. The physical properties of the tuff are characterised by high porosity (5–25%) and low permeability (0.01–0.50 mD). This reservoir has the peculiar property of being a sedimentary organic-matter-bearing tuff formed by air-fall volcanic ash in a lake. Its discovery offered an excellent opportunity to further our knowledge of the formation and evolution of tuffaceous tight-reservoir micropores. This study integrates analyses of organic geochemistry, thin-sections, scanning electron microscopy, CT scanning, mineral and element compositions, mercury injections and measurements of porosity and permeability to determine the characteristics of the formation and evolution of the tuff micropores. (1) The tuff reservoir comprises vitric, crystal-vitric, pelitic and silicified tuffs, which are characterised by high porosity and big throat, moderate porosity and thin throat, low porosity and thin throat, and very low porosity and moderate throat pore structures, respectively. (2) Of the four types, vitric tuff has the properties best suited to a reservoir, and devitrification of volcanic glasses is the principal mechanism of reservoir micropore formation. (3) The tuff of the Permian Tiaohu Formation contains sedimentary organic matter, and organic acids produced during kerogen maturation facilitate the process of devitrification. (4) Evolution of tuff porosity depends mainly on the original composition and burial depth. The porosity of vitric tuff is higher than crystal-vitric tuff at the same depth, but both their porosities initially decrease and then increase with depth. At depths >3000 m, vitric tuff retains the trend towards higher porosity, whereas the porosity of crystal-vitric tuff remains largely unchanged or even decreases. The results of this investigation could be considered a reference regarding the distribution and prediction of tuffaceous reservoirs in similar situations in other parts of the world.     

Magnetostratigraphy and ~(230)Th dating of a drill core from the southeastern Qaidam Basin:Salt lake evolution and tectonic implications

The Qarhan Salt Lake area is the Quaternary depocenter of the Qaidam Basin, and carries thick lacustrine sediments, as well as rich potassium and magnesium salt deposits. The abundant resources and thick sediments in this lake provide an ideal place for the study of biogas formation and preservation, salt lake evolution, and the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we attempt to construct a paleomagnetic and ~(230)Th age model and to obtain information on tectonic activity and salt lake evolution through detailed studies on a 1300-m-long drill core(15DZK01) from the northwestern margin of the Qarhan Salt Lake area(Dongling Lake). Based on gypsum ~(230)Th dating, the age of the uppermost clastic deposit was calculated to be around 0.052 Ma. The polarity sequence consist of 13 pairs of normal and reversed zones,which can be correlated with subchrons C2r.1r-C1n of the geomagnetic polarity timescale(GPTS 2012)(from ~2.070 Ma to ~0.052 Ma). Sedimentary characteristics indicate that Dongling Lake witnessed freshwater environment between ~ 2.070 Ma and 1.546 Ma. During this period, the sedimentary record reflects primarily lakeshore, shallow-water and swamp environments, representing favourable conditions for the formation of hydrocarbon source rocks. Between 1.546 Ma and ~ 0.052 Ma, the Dongling Lake was in sulphate deposition stage, which contrasts with the central Qarhan Salt Lake area, where this stage did not occur in the meantime. During this stage, Dongling Lake was in a shallow saltwater lake environment, but several periods of reduced salinity occurred during this stage. During the late Pleistocene at ~0.052 Ma, the Dongling Lake experienced uplift due to tectonic activity, and saltwater migrated through the Sanhu Fault to the central Qarhan Salt Lake area, resulting in the absence of halite deposition stage. The residual saline water was concentrated into magnesium-rich brine due to the lack of freshwater, and few potassium salt deposits occur in the Dongling Lake area.     

Organic Matter Accumulation in the Upper Permian Dalong Formation from the Lower Yangtze Region, South China

The Late Permian was marked by a series of important geological events and widespread organic-rich black shale depositions, acting as important unconventional hydrocarbon source rocks. However, the mechanism of organic matter (OM) enrichment throughout this period is still controversial. Based on geochemical data, the marine redox conditions, paleogeographic and hydrographic environment, primary productivity, volcanism, and terrigenous input during the Late Permian in the Lower Yangtze region have been studied from the Putaoling section, Chaohu, to provide new insights into OM accumulation. Five Phases are distinguished based on the TOC and environmental variations. In Phase I, anoxic conditions driven by water restriction enhanced OM preservation. In Phase II, euxinic and cycling hydrological environments were the two most substantial controlling factors for the massive OM deposition. During Phase III, intensified terrestrial input potentially diluted the OM in sediment and the presence of oxygen in bottom water weakened the preservation condition. Phase IV was characterized by a relatively higher abundance of mercury (Hg) and TOC (peak at 16.98 wt%), indicating that enhanced volcanism potentially stimulated higher productivity and a euxinic environment. In Phase V, extremely lean OM was preserved as a result of terrestrial dilutions and decreasing primary productivity. Phases I, II and IV are characterized as the most prominent OM-rich zones due to the effective interactions of the controlling factors, namely paleogeographic, hydrographic environment, volcanism, and redox conditions.     

Site preservation along an active meandering and avulsing river: The Red River,Arkansas

The low-gradient Red River is a rapidly migrating, sinuous stream with easily erodible banks. Avulsion is common at many scales, from individual meander bends that are cut off to major sections of the river that form multiple, complex meander belts. The present meander belt can be subdivided into mappable landforms—termed phases—that are associated with river courses of different ages and thus associated with archeological sites of different ages. Within the study area two phases are present. The younger Modern meander belt phase has formed within the past 0.2–0.3 ky, precluding preservation of prehistoric archaeological sites. Any protohistoric artifacts that may have been preserved in this meander belt phase would be deeply buried because as much as 2 m of the vertical accretion sediment has accumulated between artificial levees in <0.1 ky and 1–2 m of sediment has accumulated beyond the artificial levees in <0.2 ky. Archeological site preservation in this highly mobile fluvial end member can be used as a predictor for other, similar streams. A large prehistoric site is preserved on an older (0.5–1 kya) Late Prehistoric meander belt phase associated with an abandoned river course. In the study area a Fourche Maline 7 period (A.D. 800–900) through Caddo IV period (ca. A.D. 1500–1700) archeological site (3MI3/30) is preserved on this slightly higher altitude portion of the flood plain. At locations proximal to the river, the site may be buried by overbank sediment 0.4 m thick, but at more distant locations the site is at the surface or only buried by thin overbank sediment because of low sedimentation rates (0.04 cm yr⁻¹) over the span of a millennium. Sites, such as 3MI3/30, that are occupied contemporaneous with overbank sedimentation may be stratified; however, localized erosion and removal of some archeological material may occur where channelized flow crosses the natural levee. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Soft-sediment deformation structures from an ice-marginal storm–tide interactive system,Permo-Carboniferous Talchir Formation,Talchir Coalbasin,India

Permo-Carboniferous Talchir Formation, Talchir Coalbasin, India, records sedimentation during a phase of climatic amelioration in an ice-marginal storm-affected shelf. Evidences of subtidal processes are preserved only under thick mud drapes deposited during waning storm phases. Various soft-sediment deformation structures in some sandstone/siltstone–mudstone interbeds, like syn-sedimentary faults, deformed laminations, sand–silt flows, convolute laminations and various flame structures, suggest liquefaction and fluidization of the beds due to passage of syn-depositional seismic shocks. In the Late Paleozoic ice-marginal shelf, such earthquake tremors could be generated by crustal movements in response to glacioisostatic adjustments of the basin floor.     

Microfacies of detrital event layers deposited in Quaternary varved lake sediments of the Piànico-Sèllere Basin (northern Italy)

A Quaternary interglacial lake sediment record from the Piànico-Sèllere Basin (northern Italy) consists of biochemical calcite varves with intercalated detrital layers. At the end of the Piànico Interglacial, continuous varve formation was replaced by predominantly detrital sedimentation. However, 427 varve-years before this shift, an abrupt increase in the frequency and thickness of detrital layers occurred. Microfacies analyses reveal a total of 152 detrital layers, ranging from 0·2 to 20·15 mm in thickness, deposited during the last 896 years of the Piànico Interglacial. Three microfacies types are distinguished: (i) graded layers, (ii) non-graded silt layers, and (iii) matrix-supported layers. The position of detrital layers within an individual varve provides additional information on the season in which they have been deposited. Microfacies analyses in combination with varve counting further enabled precise varve-to-varve correlation of the detrital layers for two sediment sections cropping out ca 130 m apart. The detailed intra-basin correlation allows the source regions of detrital layers to be inferred. Moreover, micro-erosion at sub-millimetre scale has been established. Of the described facies types, only the accumulation of summer and spring graded and non-graded silt layers abruptly increased before the end of interglacial varve formation whereas non-graded winter silt and matrix-supported layers are randomly distributed over the entire study period. Heavy rainfalls are assumed to have triggered spring and summer graded layers, so that the occurrence of these layers is thought to be a proxy for extreme precipitation events in the past.     

Flux of nutrients and heavy metals from the Melai River sub-catchment into Lake Chini, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia

This study was carried out to determine the flux of nutrients and heavy metals from the Melai sub-catchment into Lake Chini through the process of erosion. Melai River is one of the seven feeder rivers that contributed to the present water level of Lake Chini. Three properties of soils, such as particle size, organic matter content, and soil hydraulic conductivity and three chemical soil properties, such as available nutrients, dissolved nutrients, and heavy metals, were analyzed and interpreted. Potential soil loss was estimated using the revised universal soil loss equation model. The results show that the soil textures in the study area consist of clay, silty clay, clay loam, and sandy silt loam. The organic matter content ranges from 3.40 to 9.92 %, while the hydraulic conductivity ranges from 5.2 to 25.3 cm/h. Mean values of available P, K, and Mg amount was 8.5 ± 3.7 μg/g, 24.5 ± 3.4 μg/g, and 20.7 ± 18.6 μg/g, respectively. The highest concentration of soluble nutrients was SO ₄ ^?2 (815.8 ± 624.1 μg/g), followed by NO₃ ^?-N (295.5 ± 372.7 μg/g), NH₄ ⁺-N (24.5 ± 22.1 μg/g) and PO₄ ^3? (2.0 ± 0.8 μg/g). The rainfall erosivity value was 1658.7 MJ mm/ha/h/year. The soil erodibility and slope factor ranges from 0.06 to 0.26 ton h/MJ/mm and 7.63 to 18.33, respectively. The rate of soil loss from the Melai sub-catchment in the present condition is very low (0.0028 ton/ha/year) to low (18.93 ton/ha/year), and low level flow of nutrients and heavy metals, indicating that the Melai River was not the contaminant source of sediments, nutrients, and heavy metals to the lake.     

厚层淤泥中的爆炸定向滑移法原理及工程实例

介绍了一种能应用于深厚层淤泥软基的挤淤法--爆炸定向滑移法 (Bosm)。该法是通过在抛石堤头前方淤泥中一定位置处埋置群药包,利用爆炸产生的强冲击波和震动扰动淤泥并降低淤泥强度,使抛石堤下方及周围淤泥的结构破坏,瞬间丧失强度,短期内难以恢复,形成定向滑移条件,抛石堤下沉实现泥石置换。同时,结合深港西部通道海堤挤淤工程,详细介绍了爆炸定向滑移法的施工参数和工序流程,提出了施工质量控制和检测措施。通过钻孔、物探及沉降观测等技术手段对竣工后大堤进行的检查表明, 大堤是稳定的,采用爆炸定向滑移法修筑海堤是成功的。值得在深厚层淤泥的海堤挤淤工程中推广。     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages of tuffaceous mudrocks in the Brockman Iron Formation of the Hamersley Range,Western Australia

Tuffaceous mudrocks are common in the banded iron‐formations (BIF) of the Brockman Iron Formation. These tuffaceous mudrocks are either stilpnomelane‐rich or siliceous. Their compositions reflect bimodal volcanic activity in the vicinity of the Hamersley BIF depositional site. They also contain complex zircon populations that record resedimentation, syndepositional volcanism and post‐depositional isotopic disturbance. The best estimates of depositional age are obtained from siliceous tuffaceous mudrocks in the Joffre Member that contain 2459 ± 3 Ma and 2454 ± 3 Ma zircon populations most likely derived from felsic volcanism coeval with BIF deposition. These dates constrain the sedimentation rates for the ～370 m‐thick Joffre Member BIF to >15 m per million years. Siliceous tuffaceous mudrocks are not present in the underlying ～120 m‐thick Dales Gorge Member and it is uncertain whether previously reported ages of ca 2479–2470 Ma for this unit reflect detrital/xenocrystic or syndepositional zircon populations in resedimented stilpnomelane‐rich tuffaceous mudrocks. The increased abundance of tuffaceous mudrocks in the Joffre Member suggests that a pulse of enhanced igneous and hydrothermal activity accompanied deposition of the bulk of the Brockman Iron Formation BIF after ca 2460 Ma. This preceded and culminated in the emplacement of the 2449 ± 3 Ma large igneous province represented by BIF and igneous rocks of the Weeli Wolli Formation and Woongarra Rhyolite.     

MCPA biodegradation in an anoxic sequencing batch reactor (SBR)

This research investigated the potential for industrial-strength 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) degradation by activated sludge microorganisms in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) under nitrate-reducing conditions. The research was divided into four phases consisting of Phase I (a “proof-of-concept” phase); Phase II (an initial “tolerance” exploration phase); Phase III (an “effect of hydraulic retention time” phase), and Phase IV (a “limits” phase). The SBR successfully and simultaneously removed the nitrates completely and around 98 % of the MCPA up to an initial concentration of 50 mg/L MCPA in the dimethylamine salt form (DMCPA) (Phases I, II and III); however, it took approximately 28 days to observe a steady, high-level of MCPA removal. When the concentration of DMCPA was increased to 75 mg/L (Phase IV), the MCPA removal efficiency dropped to 85 %, but removal was observed only for a relatively short period of time since the biomass appeared to eventually become saturated with the herbicide, stopping conversion of DMCPA to its acid form and halting biodegradation.     

Stratigraphical evidence for the terrestrial age of australites

Australites in an excellent state of preservation are common (up to 1 specimen per 300 m²) in lag gravels flooring corridors between seif dunes in the Motpena and Myrtle Springs areas of the Lake Torrens plain, South Australia. A study of the Quaternary stratigraphy of the region indicates that late Wisconsinan relict dunes (Lake Torrens Formation) are the most likely source of the australites. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the Lake Torrens Formation was deposited between about 24,000 and 16,000 years B.P. As the excellent preservation of most of the australites indicates that they have undergone negligible transport since their infall, it is concluded that the australites fell into the dune field sometime between about 24,000 and 16,000 years B.P.     

Subboreal aridity and scytonemin in the Holocene Black Sea

Many species of cyanobacteria tolerate exposure to harmful levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation by producing photoprotective pigments. Scytonemin, found in extracellular polysaccharide sheaths, is produced in abundance when terrestrial or benthic cyanobacteria are exposed to direct sunlight, such as in desert soil crusts and intertidal mats. It is exclusive to cyanobacteria and therefore can serve as a diagnostic biomarker, particularly for UV-exposure growth conditions. Here we report that it is preserved in abundance in mid-Holocene sedimentary intervals in the Black Sea, a novel deep sea occurrence that demonstrates that scytonemin is resistant to degradation during erosion and transport. C and N isotopic compositions support the interpretation that scytonemin was derived from cyanobacteria in cryptobiotic desert soil, suggestive of expanding aridity during the Subboreal Phase in the Black Sea region. Scytonemin has potential for preservation in black shales, where it may serve as an important biomarker for tracing the evolution and expansion of cyanobacterial populations, especially in association with elevated UV stress.     

Atypical stratiform sulfide-poor platinum-group element mineralisation in the Agnew – Wiluna Belt komatiites,Wiluna, Western Australia

A new style of komatiite-associated sulfide-poor platinum-group element (PGE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd) mineralisation has been identified at Wiluna in the strongly nickel sulfide (NiS) mineralised Agnew – Wiluna Greenstone Belt, Western Australia. The komatiite sequence at Wiluna is ～200 m thick and comprises a basal pyroxenite layer, a thick ortho-to-mesocumulate-textured peridotite core, which is overlain by rhythmically layered wehrlite, oikocrystic pyroxenite and thick upper gabbroic margins. Pegmatoid and dendritic (harrisitic) domains are common features, whereas spinifex-textured horizons and flow-top breccias are absent. The presence of anomalous PGE-enriched horizons (ΣPt – Pd = 200 – 500 ppb) in the oikocrystic pyroxenite and in the layered melagabbro and gabbronorite horizons directly overlying the wehrlite unit is due to the presence of fine-grained (1 – 10 μm) platinum-group minerals (PGMs). More than 70 PGM grains were identified, and a considerable mineralogical variability was constrained. However, only Pd – Pt-bearing phases were identified, whereas no Ir – Ru-bearing PGMs were found in any of the sections examined. Interestingly, all PGMs are not in paragenetic association with sulfides, and only sulfide-poor/free intervals contain significant PGM concentrations. The whole-rock PGE sequence largely reflects the PGM distribution. It is hypothesised that the Pd – Pt enrichment in the oikocrystic pyroxenite and melagabbros and the overall Ir – Ru depletion in the upper mafic section of the sequence are the result of extensive olivine and chromite crystallisation in the basal ultramafic section. PGE saturation was driven by extensive crystallisation of silicate and oxide phases in a sulfide-undersaturated environment. The crystallisation of clinopyroxene in the oikocrystic pyroxenite horizon may have triggered the formation of Pt – Pd-bearing alloys and arsenides, which were the first PGMs to form. Stratiform sulfide-poor PGE mineralisation at Wiluna is more similar in stratigraphic setting, style and composition to PGE-rich sulfide-poor mineralisation zones in thick differentiated intrusions, rather than to other PGE-enriched zones in komatiite-hosted systems, where PGE enrichment is directly associated with accumulations of magmatic sulfides.     

Cambro-Silurian magmatisms at the northern Gondwana margin (Penninic basement of the Ligurian Alps)

The Early Paleozoic evolution of the northern margin of Gondwana is characterized by several episodes of bimodal magmatism intruded or outpoured within thick sedimentary basins. These processes are well recorded in the Variscan blocks incorporated in the Ligurian Alps because they experienced low temperature Alpine metamorphism. During the Paleozoic, these blocks, together with the other Alpine basements, were placed between the Corsica-Sardinia and the Bohemian Massif along the northern margin of Gondwana. In this framework, they host several a variegated lithostratigraphy forming two main complexes(Complexs I and II) that can be distinguished by both the protoliths and their crosscutting relationships, which indicate that the acidic and mafic intrusives of Complex II cut an already folded sequence made of sediments, basalts and granitoids of Complex I. Both complexes were involved in the Variscan orogenic phases as highlighted by the pervasive eclogite-amphibolite facies schistosity(foliation II). However, rare relicts of a metamorphic foliation at amphibolite facies conditions(foliation I)is locally preserved only in the rocks of Complex I. It is debatable if this schistosity was produced during the early folding event e occurred between the emplacement of Complex I and II e rather than during an early stage of the Variscan metamorphic cycle.New SHRIMP and LA ICP-MS Ue Pb zircon dating integrated with literature data, provide emplacement ages of the several volcanic or intrusive bodies of both complexes. The igneous activity of Complex I is dated between 507 ± 15 Ma and 494 ± 5 Ma, while Complex II between 467 ± 12 Ma and 445.5 ± 12 Ma.The folding event recorded only by the Complex I should therefore have occurred between 494 ± 5 Ma and 467 ± 12 Ma. The Variscan eclogite-amphibolite facies metamorphism is instead constrained between ~420 Ma and ~300 Ma. These ages and the geochemical signature of these rocks allow constraining the Early Paleozoic tectono-magmatic evolution of the Ligurian blocks, from a middleeupper Cambrian rifting stage, through the formation of an Early Ordovician volcanic arc during the Rheic Ocean subduction, until a Late Ordovician extension related to the arc collapse and subsequent rifting of the PaleoThetys. Furthermore, the ~420-350 Ma ages from zircon rims testify to thermal perturbations that may be associated with the Silurian rifting-related magmatism, followed by the subduction-collisional phases of the Variscan orogeny.     

Selective preservation of soil organic matter in oxidized marine sediments (Madeira Abyssal Plain)

In ocean margin sediments both marine and terrestrial organic matter (OM) are buried but the factors governing their relative preservation and degradation are not well understood. In this study, we analysed the degree of preservation of marine isoprenoidal and soil-derived branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) upon long-term oxygen exposure in OM-rich turbidites from the Madeira Abyssal Plain by analyzing GDGT concentrations across oxidation fronts. Relative to the anoxic part of the turbidites ca. 7-20% of the soil-derived branched GDGTs were preserved in the oxidized part while only 0.2-3% of the marine isoprenoid GDGT crenarchaeol was preserved. Due to these different preservation factors the Branched Isoprenoid Tetraether (BIT) index, a ratio between crenarchaeol and the major branched GDGTs that is used as a tracer for soil-derived organic matter, substantially increases from 0.02 to 0.4. Split Flow Thin Cell (SPLITT) separation of turbidite sediments showed that the enhanced preservation of soil-derived carbon was a general phenomenon across the fine particle size ranges (<38 μm). Calculations reveal that, despite their relatively similar chemical structures, degradation rates of crenarchaeol are 2-fold higher than those of soil-derived branched GDGTs, suggesting preferential soil OM preservation possibly due to matrix protection.     

构造活动影响下地质事件沉积序列——以鄂尔多斯盆地延长组长7油层组为例

中晚三叠世,印支运动I幕导致秦岭隆升,同期地震、火山活动频发,在鄂尔多斯湖盆中保存了大量地质事件沉积层。为了认识构造活动影响下地质事件沉积序列,探讨地质历史时期内各类地质事件的耦合关系,从全新的角度认识大型坳陷湖盆的形成和演化过程,笔者等以鄂尔多斯盆地内部及周缘的长7油层组野外露头及钻井岩芯中发育的关键事件沉积层为研究对象,对地震事件、浊流事件、火山事件、缺氧事件沉积特征和叠置关系进行研究。研究结果表明：在长7期,湖盆中多种事件沉积类型主要受控于中—晚三叠世秦岭造山运动,构造活动引起湖盆沉降,为事件沉积层的保存提供了条件;火山事件喷发的火山灰降落在湖盆中形成凝灰岩层,同时,也为湖盆缺氧事件创造了条件;沉积层因地震活动形成震积岩,而地震活动又是诱发浊流事件发生的关键因素;这些构造活动影响下的地质事件交替发生,共同构成长7油层组内各类事件沉积层的相互叠置关系。     

Adsorption studies of 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene onto shallow aquifer media at the Luhuagang landfill site in Kaifeng,China

The Luhuagang landfill site (LLS) in Kaifeng, China, lacks liner and leachate collection systems. Thus, leachate generated from the waste dump has contaminated the surrounding subsoil and shallow aquifer with various chemicals, including 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB). This paper is a part of a series of studies on adsorption, transport and biodegradation and fate of 1,2,4-TCB in the shallow aquifer beneath LLS. Here, adsorption of 1,2,4-TCB onto silt, fine sand and medium sand aquifer deposits collected at LLS was conducted by performing batch experiments involving four common adsorption kinetic models. The results of the analyses showed that the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model provided the best fit for the equilibrium data with a coefficient of determination (R ²) greater than 0.99. Least squares analysis of Henry, Freundlich and Langmuir linearly transformed isotherm models was used to establish the best isotherm for 1,2,4-TCB adsorption onto the three aquifer materials. The Freundlich isotherm provided the best fit for experimental data with R ² > 0.99. The results further suggested that the highest adsorption rate of 1,2,4-TCB (27.55 μg/g) was onto silt deposit, followed by fine sand (21.65 μg/g) and medium sand (14.88 μg/g). This showed that silt layer beneath the LLS was critical for retarding the downward percolation and migration of 1,2,4-TCB into the shallow aquifer systems under the landfill. The findings of the study were adopted as basis for designing the slated transport and biodegradation study of 1,2,4-TCB in aquifer system at LLS.     

Facies,geometry and growth phases of the Valdorria carbonate platform (Pennsylvanian,northern Spain)

The 14 km wide Valdorria outcrop (Pennsylvanian, northern Spain) is one of the few examples of entirely exposed flat‐topped and high‐relief carbonate platforms reported in the fossil rock record. Laterally and vertically traceable stratal patterns expose three phases of growth. Phase I is a 430 m thick platform to slope succession that prograded over 6 km, and is dated as Early Bashkirian (Akavasian–Askynbashian). Phase II aggraded and prograded, exhibiting 180 m thickness of cyclical platform top deposits, dated as Late Bashkirian (Asatauian). Phase III is a mound‐shape structure that developed over the platform top of Phase II as a new phase of platform nucleation. It is 535 m thick and 2 km wide, and dated as Late Bashkirian (Asatauian–Transition interval). The observed changes of growth styles during platform evolution, from a prograding to an aggrading–prograding system, and a rapid aggradational phase, are inferred to be controlled by flexural subsidence in the active Cantabrian foreland basin, at the Variscan orogenic front. The metre‐scale shallowing‐upward cycles of the platform top are most probably due to glacioeustasy, as evidenced by well‐recorded subaerial exposure surfaces superimposed on subtidal deposits, and by a stratal pattern recurrent in a short interval of about 160 kyr. Observations of outcropping Bashkirian cyclothems in an isolated carbonate system, devoid of siliciclastic input, are relevant for a better understanding of the impact of high‐frequency sea‐level fluctuations on the carbonate factory. Moreover, progradation of the platform margin during Phase I reaches a rate of 2500 m/Myr, and 1810 m/Myr during Phase II; rates that are high when compared to other Pennsylvanian examples. The aggradation rate of 447 m/Myr calculated for the Late Bashkirian–Transition interval (Phases II and III; uncorrected for compaction, missing beats and erosion) is uncommonly high in comparison to coeval Pennsylvanian examples. The platform exhibits a self‐nourishing prograding microbial boundstone‐dominated slope. Thus, the slope‐shedding model applies well to Valdorria. However, Phase II recorded eustatic variations able to inhibit the slope microbial boundstone factory during low sea‐level stands; this is marked by common slope red‐stained breccias synchronous to platform top subaerial exposure phases. Contrarily, periods of relative high sea‐level and rapid subsidence in Phase III registered a greater development of cemented microbial boundstone. These observed, partly opposing relationships of sea‐level stands, shedding modes and slope architecture provide an improvement of the currently used slope‐shedding model. The overall architecture of the Valdorria outcrop compares well with that of other contemporaneous platforms, such as Sierra del Cuera and Bolshoi Karatau. Valdorria shares the high‐relief and flat‐topped, steep slopes, cyclothemic patterns and occurrence of karst features with the Pricaspian Basin platforms (Tengiz, Karachaganak and Kashagan), with minor variations in facies distribution of the internal platform. Furthermore, the continuous seismic‐scale outcrop of Valdorria, together with its isolated setting and asymmetrical growth, makes it a very good candidate for potential subsurface analogues of hydrocarbon‐bearing systems.