Glacial and paraglacial history of the Troutbeck Valley,Cumbria, UK: integrating airborne LiDAR,multibeam bathymetry,and geological field mapping

High resolution airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and multibeam bathymetry data, supplemented by geomorphological and geological field mapping are used to derive the glacial and post-glacial history of Troutbeck Valley (English Lake District) at a catchment scale. The results inform wider regional and ice sheet wide glacial reconstructions and demonstrate the effectiveness of an integrated approach combining geomorphological and sedimentological signatures with remote sensing. The holistic catchment approach is used to reconstruct palaeo-ice flow and behaviour of a small part of the last British and Irish Ice Sheet, identifying a series of depositional environments that accompanied both ice advance, ice retreat and post-glacial deposition within the Lake District. Drumlins are mapped in the lower catchment and show multiple regional (wider-extent) ice flow events and a sedimentology consistent with deposition by lodgement processes during the Main Late Devensian Stadial. Other subglacial deposits include till sequences formed under variable basal conditions beneath an advancing ice mass. Retreat features include a suite of recessional moraines formed by still-stands or small readvances of an outlet glacier. Following deglaciation, major sediment redistribution led to formation of a large fan delta via paraglacial and post-glacial fluvial sedimentation. This study indicates that an integrated approach, using geomorphology, sedimentology and remote sensing on a catchment scale, is capable of deriving a more in-depth understanding of regional ice sheet reconstructions and highlights the complexity of palaeo-ice sheet dynamics at a range of spatial scales.     

Detailed seismic stratigraphy of Lago Puyehue: implications for the mode and timing of glacier retreat in the Chilean Lake District

Lago Puyehue is a glacigenic lake in the Chilean Lake District (40°S) with a complex deglaciation history. A detailed seismic–stratigraphic study of its sedimentary infill indicates a much earlier retreat of the glacier from the Lago Puyehue basin than the neighbouring glacier from the Lago Rupanco basin. Because of their close proximity, Rupanco meltwater streams played an important part in the depositional processes of Lago Puyehue. A timing discrepancy between the in‐lake ages of a sediment core and the outer‐lake ages of moraine deposits (re)opens the discussion on the timing of deglaciation in the Southern Hemisphere. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Signatures of slope failures and river‐delta collapses in a perialpine lake (Lake Lucerne,Switzerland)

Historical reports from the 17th Century document two destructive tsunamis with run‐ups exceeding 5 m, affecting proximal basins of Lake Lucerne (Switzerland). One event in ad 1601 is coeval with a strong nearby earthquake (M_W ca 5·9) which caused extensive slope failures in many parts of the lake. The second event in ad 1687 is associated with an apparently spontaneous partial collapse of the Muota river delta. This study combines high‐resolution bathymetry, reflection seismic and lithological data to document the sedimentary and morphological signatures of the two subaqueous mass movements that probably generated the observed tsunamis. Such mass movements are significant as a common sedimentation process and as a natural hazard in fjord‐type lakes and similar environments. The deposits, covering large parts of the basins with thicknesses reaching >10 m, consist of two subunits: A lower ‘massflow deposit’ contains variably deformed sediments from the source areas. Its emplacement affected pre‐existing sediments, incorporating thin sediment slices into the deposit and increasing its volume. Deep‐reaching deformation near basin margins is expressed as bulges on the lake floor. An overlying ‘megaturbidite’, featuring a graded, sandy base and a thick homogeneous muddy part, was deposited from suspended particles. The source area for the ad 1601 event, gently dipping lateral slopes with an unconsolidated hemipelagic sediment cover, hosts a pronounced slide scar with sharp escarpments and sliding surfaces. The source area for the ad 1687 event on an active delta slope has been overprinted by continued sedimentation and does not show an unambiguous scar. The case studies are exemplary for end‐member types of source areas (lateral versus delta slopes) and trigger mechanisms (seismic versus aseismic); they show that morphological mapping and reconstructions of past events are key components of a hazard assessment for mass movement‐generated tsunamis.     

Manganese metalliferous sediments of the Deryugin Basin (Sea of Okhotsk): Chemical composition and geological setting

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the chemical composition and distribution of manganese-rich metalliferous sediments in the Deryugin Basin. They compose an upper sedimentary layer up to 30 cm thick within a strip up to 40 km wide and 180 km long in the central part of the basin along the East Deryugin suture zone bounding the Deryugin sedimentary basin to the east. The sediments are enriched relative to the regional background composition in Mn (by a factor of 35); Au; Ni; Zn; Co (by a factor of 3–5); and, locally, in Mo, V, Ba, Cu, Pb, and Hg. It was supposed that their formation was controlled by several processes: precipitation of Mn and some other trace elements from hydrothermal plumes of seawater that occasionally form above submarine hot vents in the northern part of the basin, precipitation from anoxic bottom waters at the eastern boundary of the Deryugin sedimentary basin, and early diagenetic migration of Mn into the surface sediments.     

Tephrostratigraphy of the late glacial and Holocene sediments of Puyehue Lake (Southern Volcanic Zone, Chile, 40°S)

We document the mineralogical and geochemical composition of tephra layers identified in the late Quaternary sediments of Puyehue Lake (Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes, Chile, 40°S) to identify the source volcanoes and to present the first tephrostratigraphic model for the region. For the last millennium, we propose a multi-criteria correlation model based on five tephra layers identified at seven coring sites. The two upper tephras are thin fine-grained green layers composed of more than 80% rhyodacitic glass shards, and associated to the AD 1960 and AD 1921-22 eruptions of the Puyehue-Cordon de Caulle volcanic complex. The third tephra is a sandy layer dominated by orthopyroxene, and related to the AD 1907 eruption of Rininahue maar. An olivine-rich tephra was deposited at the end of the 16th century, and a tephra characterized by a two-pyroxene association marks the second half of the first millennium AD. In addition, we detail the tephra succession of an 11.22-m-long sediment core covering the last 18,000 yr. The results demonstrate that the central province of the Southern Volcanic Zone has been active throughout the last deglaciation and the Holocene, with no increase in volcanic activity during glacial unloading.     

Progressive glacial retreat in the Southern Altiplano (Uturuncu volcano, 22°S) between 65 and 14 ka constrained by cosmogenic He dating

This work presents the first reconstruction of late Pleistocene glacier fluctuations on Uturuncu volcano, in the Southern Tropical Andes. Cosmogenic ³He dating of glacial landforms provides constraints on ancient glacier position between 65 and 14 ka. Despite important scatter in the exposure ages on the oldest moraines, probably resulting from pre-exposure, these ³He data constrain the timing of the moraine deposits and subsequent glacier recessions: the Uturuncu glacier may have reached its maximum extent much before the global LGM, maybe as early as 65 ka, with an equilibrium line altitude (ELA) at 5280 m. Then, the glacier remained close to its maximum position, with a main stillstand identified around 40 ka, and another one between 35 and 17 ka, followed by a limited recession at 17 ka. Then, another glacial stillstand is identified upstream during the late glacial period, probably between 16 and 14 ka, with an ELA standing at 5350 m. This stillstand is synchronous with the paleolake Tauca highstand. This result indicates that this regionally wet and cold episode, during the Heinrich 1 event, also impacted the Southern Altiplano. The ELA rose above 5450 m after 14 ka, synchronously with the Bolling–Allerod.     

Microfacies and diagenesis of older Pleistocene (pre‐last glacial maximum) reef deposits,Great Barrier Reef,Australia (IODP Expedition 325): A quantitative approach

During Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 325, 34 holes were drilled along five transects in front of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, penetrating some 700 m of late Pleistocene reef deposits (post‐glacial; largely 20 to 10 kyr bp ) in water depths of 42 to 127 m. In seven holes, drilled in water depths of 42 to 92 m on three transects, older Pleistocene (older than last glacial maximum, >20 kyr bp ) reef deposits were recovered from lower core sections. In this study, facies, diagenetic features, mineralogy and stable isotope geochemistry of 100 samples from six of the latter holes were investigated and quantified. Lithologies are dominated by grain‐supported textures, and were to a large part deposited in high‐energy, reef or reef slope environments. Quantitative analyses allow 11 microfacies to be defined, including mixed skeletal packstone and grainstone, mudstone‐wackestone, coral packstone, coral grainstone, coralline algal grainstone, coral‐algal packstone, coralline algal packstone, Halimeda grainstone, microbialite and caliche. Microbialites, that are common in cavities of younger, post‐glacial deposits, are rare in pre‐last glacial maximum core sections, possibly due to a lack of open framework suitable for colonization by microbes. In pre‐last glacial maximum deposits of holes M0032A and M0033A (>20 kyr bp ), marine diagenetic features are dominant; samples consist largely of aragonite and high‐magnesium calcite. Holes M0042A and M0057A, which contain the oldest rocks (>169 kyr bp ), are characterized by meteoric diagenesis and samples mostly consist of low‐magnesium calcite. Holes M0042A, M0055A and M0056A (>30 kyr bp ), and a horizon in the upper part of hole M0057A, contain both marine and meteoric diagenetic features. However, only one change from marine to meteoric pore water is recorded in contrast with the changes in diagenetic environment that might be inferred from the sea‐level history. Values of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon are consistent with these findings. Samples from holes M0032A and M0033A reflect largely positive values (δ¹⁸O: ?1 to +1‰ and δ¹³C: +1 to +4‰), whereas those from holes M0042A and M0057A are negative (δ¹⁸O: ?4 to +2‰ and δ¹³C: ?8 to +2‰). Holes M0055A and M0056A provide intermediate values, with slightly positive δ¹³C, and negative δ¹⁸O values. The type and intensity of meteroric diagenesis appears to have been controlled both by age and depth, i.e. the time available for diagenetic alteration, and reflects the relation between reef deposition and sea‐level change.     

Sedimentary evolution and environmental history of Lake Van (Turkey) over the past 600 000 years

The lithostratigraphic framework of Lake Van, eastern Turkey, has been systematically analysed to document the sedimentary evolution and the environmental history of the lake during the past ca 600 000 years. The lithostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy of a 219 m long drill core from Lake Van serve to separate global climate oscillations from local factors caused by tectonic and volcanic activity. An age model was established based on the climatostratigraphic alignment of chemical and lithological signatures, validated by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. The drilled sequence consists of ca 76% lacustrine carbonaceous clayey silt, ca 2% fluvial deposits, ca 17% volcaniclastic deposits and 5% gaps. Six lacustrine lithotypes were separated from the fluvial and event deposits, such as volcaniclastics (ca 300 layers) and graded beds (ca 375 layers), and their depositional environments are documented. These lithotypes are: (i) graded beds frequently intercalated with varved clayey silts reflecting rising lake levels during the terminations; (ii) varved clayey silts reflecting strong seasonality and an intralake oxic–anoxic boundary, for example, lake‐level highstands during interglacials/interstadials; (iii) CaCO₃‐rich banded sediments which are representative of a lowering of the oxic–anoxic boundary, for example, lake level decreases during glacial inceptions; (iv) CaCO₃‐poor banded and mottled clayey silts reflecting an oxic–anoxic boundary close to the sediment–water interface, for example, lake‐level lowstands during glacials/stadials; (v) diatomaceous muds were deposited during the early beginning of the lake as a fresh water system; and (vi) fluvial sands and gravels indicating the initial flooding of the lake basin. The recurrence of lithologies (i) to (iv) follows the past five glacial/interglacial cycles. A 20 m thick disturbed unit reflects an interval of major tectonic activity in Lake Van at ca 414 ka bp . Although local environmental processes such as tectonic and volcanic activity influenced sedimentation, the lithostratigraphic pattern and organic matter content clearly reflect past global climate changes, making Lake Van an outstanding terrestrial archive of unprecedented sensitivity for the reconstruction of the regional climate over the last 600 000 years.     

Late Neogene–Quaternary evolution of the intermontane Clusone Basin (Southern Alps,Italy): integration of seismic and geological data

In the Clusone Basin (a large intermontane basin filled by thick late Neogene–Quaternary sediments in the Middle Val Seriana, Southern Alps), two high‐resolution seismic profiles have been acquired in order to reconstruct the geometries of the sediments that fill the depression, with a maximum thickness of more than 200 m as documented by available well data, and to define their relationships with the bedrock, consisting of Late Triassic carbonates. In addition to standard seismic reflection processing, a seismic refraction inversion technique has been applied. The integration of geological (both surface and well data) and seismic data indicates a complex history of the drainage patterns of the Clusone Basin, documenting a shift of the Serio River from a palaeodrainage toward the southeast (Val Borlezza) to the present situation, toward the south (Val Seriana): between the older and the present‐day drainages an important depositional stage occurred, as documented by the thick sediments that fill the Clusone Basin, controlling the capture of the Serio River along the Val Seriana. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

西藏崩错似斑状正长花岗岩锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其构造意义

崩错似斑状正长花岗岩构造上处于北冈底斯东段,岩体侵位的最新地层为中—晚侏罗世拉贡塘组。其中似斑状正长花岗岩的LA-ICP-MS锆石~(206)Pb/~(238)U年龄为116.7±1.2 Ma,时代为早白垩世中期。岩石具高SiO_2、富Al_2O_3和K_2O,贫TiO_2、MgO、CaO特征,A/CNK=0.94～1.91(平均1.16),属于高钾钙碱性—钾玄岩系列过铝质岩石。(La/Yb)_N为1.22～9.62,δEu=0.04～0.38,球粒陨石标准化稀土元素分布型式为轻稀土轻度富集的U亏损型。大离子亲石元素及高场强元素Rb、K、Th、Ta、Ce相对富集,Nb相对亏损,Ba、Sr、P、Ti强烈亏损,显示具同碰撞型花岗岩特征,成岩岩浆源自地壳。结合最新资料及本文研究成果,初步认为崩错地区似斑状正长花岗岩可能形成于冈底斯带与羌塘地块陆—陆碰撞构造背景,是碰撞过程中下地壳增厚并部分发生熔融的产物,同时也表明班公湖—怒江新特提斯洋俯冲结束的时间应早于116 Ma。结合本区域年龄成果,在崩错地区班公湖—怒江新特提斯洋俯冲结束,并开始发生冈底斯带与羌塘地块陆—陆碰撞的时间为120 Ma左右。     

A study of the seismic response of the city of Benevento (Southern Italy) through a combined analysis of seismological and geological data

A previous analysis [Improta, L., G. Di Giulio, and A. Rovelli (2005). Variations of local seismic response in Benevento (Southern Italy) using earthquakes and ambient noise recordings, J. Seism. 9, 191–210.] of small magnitude earthquakes recorded at 12 sites within the city of Benevento has stressed the significant role played by near-surface geology in causing variability of the ground motion. In this paper, we extend the study of the seismic response from 12 sites to the entire urban area. Based on inferences from the comparison at the 12 sites between earthquake and ambient vibration results, we have collected ambient noise at about 100 sites within the city, intensifying measurements across the main shallow geological variations. We use borehole data to interpret ambient noise H/V spectral ratios in terms of near-surface geology comparing H/V curves to theoretical transfer functions of 1D models along five well-constrained profiles.

On the basis of geological, geotechnical, and seismic data, we identify three main typologies of seismic response in the city. Each type of response is associated to zones sharing common soil conditions and similar soil classes according to building codes for seismic design. Moreover, we find that the spatial variation of the seismic response in the ancient town area is consistent with the damage pattern produced by a very destructive, well-documented historical earthquake that struck the city in 1688, causing MCS intensity of IX–X in Benevento.

Finally, we use ground motions recorded during the experiment by Improta et al. [Improta, L., G. Di Giulio, and A. Rovelli (2005). Variations of local seismic response in Benevento (Southern Italy) using earthquakes and ambient noise recordings, J. Seism. 9, 191–210.] to generate synthetic seismograms of moderate to strong (Mw 5.7, Molise 2002 and Ms 6.9, 1980 Irpinia) earthquakes. We calibrate the random summation technique by Ordaz et al. [Ordaz, M., J. Arboleda, and S.K. Singh (1995). A scheme of random summation of an Empirical Green's Function to estimate ground motions for future large earthquakes, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 85, 1635–1647.] using recordings of these earthquakes available in Benevento. After a satisfactory fit between observed and synthetic seismograms, we compute response spectra at different sites and speculate on effects of the geology class at large level of shaking, including soil nonlinearity. We find that large discrepancies from design spectra prescribed by seismic codes can occur for a wide sector of Benevento, especially for periods < 0.5 s.     

Sr and Nd isotopes as tracers of clastic sources in Lake Le Bourget sediment (NW Alps, France) during the Little Ice Age: Palaeohydrology implications

Geochemical methods (major elements and Sr, Nd isotopes) have been used to (1) characterize Lake Le Bourget sediments in the French Alps, (2) identify the current sources of the clastic sediments and estimate the source variability over the last 600 years. Major element results indicate that Lake Le Bourget sediments consist of 45% clastic component and 55% endogenic calcite. In addition, several individual flood levels have been identified during the Little Ice Age (LIA) on the basis of their higher clastic content (> 70%).Potential sources of Lake Le Bourget clastic sediments have been investigated from Sr and Nd isotope compositions. The sediments from the Sierroz River and Leysse River which are mainly derived from the Mesozoic Calcareous Massifs are characterised by lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and slightly lower ?_Nd(0) ratios than the Arve River sediments which are derived from the Palaeozoic Mont-Blanc External Crystalline Massifs. The Rhône River appears to have been the main source of clastic sediments into the lake for the last 600 years, as evidenced by a similar Sr and Nd isotopic compositions analyzed in core B16 sediments (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.719, ?_Nd(0) = − 10) and in the sediments of the Rhône River (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.719, ?_Nd(0) = − 9.6).The isotopic signatures of flood events and background samples from core B16 in Lake Le Bourget are also similar. This indicates that prior to ∼ 1800, the inputs into the lake have remained relatively homogeneous with the proportion of clastic component mainly being a function of the palaeohydrology of the Rhone River. Early human modification (deforestation and agriculture) of the lake catchment before the 1800s appears to have had little influence on the source of clastic sediments.     

Global Radiation and Onset of Stratification as Forcing Factors of Seasonal Carbonate and Organic Matter Flux Dynamics in a Hypertrophic Hardwater Lake (Sacrower See,Northeastern Germany)

A 2-year (October 2003–October 2005) high-resolution sediment trap study was conducted in Sacrower See, a dimictic hardwater lake in northeastern Germany. Geochemical and diatom data from sediment trap samples were compared with a broad range of limnological and meteorological parameters to quantify the impact of single parameters on biochemical calcite precipitation and organic matter production. Our goals were to disentangle how carbonaceous varves and their sublaminae form during the annual cycle to better understand the palaeorecords and to detect influences of dissolution, resuspension as well as of global radiation and stratification on lake internal particle formation. Total particle fluxes in both investigated years were highest during spring and summer. Sedimentation was dominated by autochthonous organic matter and biochemically precipitated calcite. Main calcite precipitation occurred between April and July and was preceded and followed by smaller flux peaks caused by resuspension during winter and blooms of the calcified green algae Phacotus lenticularis during summer. In some of the trap intervals during summer up to 100% of the precipitated calcite was dissolved in the hypolimnion. High primary production due to stable insolation conditions in epilimnic waters began with stratification of the water column. Start and development of stratification is closely related to air and water surface temperatures. It is assumed that global radiation influences the onset and stability of water column stratification and thereby determining the intensity of primary production and consequently of timing and amount of calcite precipitation which is triggered by phytoplanktonic CO₂ consumption. Sediment fluxes of organic matter and calcite are also related to the winter NAO-Index. Therefore these fluxes will be used as a proxy for ongoing reconstruction of Holocene climate conditions.     

Intercomparison of PIXE and ICP‐AES Analyses of Aeolian Dust from Owens (Dry) Lake,California

Particle‐induced X‐ray emission (PIXE) and ICP‐AES can be combined to obtain a wider range of detected elements, augment previous data and/or to verify measured concentrations of heavy and trace metals in geological samples. Intercomparison of data sets generated by multiple techniques is challenging due to the differing processes and methods of each technique. Here, we compare elemental data obtained by both techniques for aeolian dust from Owens (Dry) Lake, California. Nineteen elements were detected by PIXE, sixteen by ICP‐AES and ten elements were detected by both techniques. Statistical analyses of data set groupings illustrated which parameters differed significantly between PIXE and ICP‐AES. Relative variation (%) showed that PIXE gave higher concentrations than ICP‐AES for Al, As, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, Sr, Ti and Zn in all samples. For As, Cu, Sr and Zn, relative variation was variable between the techniques. PIXE detection limits exceeded ICP‐AES concentrations for Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Pb and Mo. Low ICP‐AES percentage recoveries of Al, Fe, K, Mn and Ti for NIST SRM 2710 indicated incomplete dissolution during digestion (EPA Method 3050B), since elements were bound in silicate structures. Variability between the two data sets is explained by differences between analytical techniques, sample preparation methods and/or variability in sample matrices.