Lower Cretaceous magnetic stratigraphy in Umbrian pelagic carbonate rocks

Summary. A record of geomagnetic field polarity for the Barremian, Aptian and Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous has been derived in three over-lapping sections of pelagic carbonate rocks in the Umbrian Apennines of northern Italy. The remanence carrier in the greyish-white Majolica limestone and Fucoid Marls is magnetite, with haematite also an important constituent in a zone of 'couches rouges' within the Fucoid Marls. The weak remanent magnetizations were measured with a cryogenic magnetometer. Alternating field or thermal demagnetization was used to isolate the characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) in 655 specimens from 248 stratigraphic levels. The samples respond positively to a tectonic fold test, indicating that the ChRM predates the Late Tertiary folding of the Umbrian sequence. The magnetic stratigraphy derived from variations of virtual geomagnetic pole latitude clearly defines the recognizable reversal pattern associated with Mesozoic marine magnetic anomalies M0 to M4. The sections have been zones palaeontologically on the basis of planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil assemblages. The ages of magnetic anomalies M0 to M4 determined in this way are somewhat older than those in the reversal time scale of Larson & Hilde (1975). Anomaly M0 is located in the Early Aptian, close to the Aptian/Barremian boundary. A long period of normal polarity in the Aptian and Albian corresponds to the early part of the Cretaceous magnetic quiet zone. It is interrupted in the Late Aptian by a reversal which we find in only one of the Fucoid Marl sections, and which has not been reported in oceanic magnetic anomaly investigations.     

Geochemical constraints on the Palaeocene–Miocene evolution of eastern Azerbaijan,with implications for the South Caspian basin and eastern Paratethys

Fine‐grained Palaeogene–early Neogene strata of the South Caspian basin, specifically the Oligocene–Lower Miocene Maikop Series, are responsible for the bulk of hydrocarbon generation in the region. Despite the magnitude of oil and gas currently attributed to the source interval offshore, geochemical evaluation of 376 outcrop samples from the northern edge of the Kura basin (onshore eastern Azerbaijan) indicates that depositional conditions in these proximal strata along the basin margins were dominantly oxic to mildly suboxic/anoxic throughout three major depositional stages: the Palaeocene–Eocene, Oligocene–early Middle Miocene and late Middle–Late Miocene. Palaeocene–Eocene samples have low average total organic carbon (TOC) values (0.3%), with higher total inorganic carbon (TIC) values (average=2.6%), extremely low sulphur content (0.2%) and relatively high detrital input as indicated by Fe/Al and Ti/Al ratios. C–S–Fe associations, along with relatively lower concentrations of redox‐sensitive trace elements (e.g. V, Ni, Mo, U) indicate dominantly oxic environments of deposition during much of the Palaeocene–Eocene. A pronounced geochemical shift occurred near the Eocene–Oligocene boundary, and continued through the Early Miocene. Specifically, this interval is characterized by a distinct increase in TOC (ranging from 0.1 to 6.3% with an average of 1.5%), C–S–Fe associations that reveal an abrupt relative increase of carbon and sulphur with respect to iron‐dominated Palaeocene–Eocene samples, and higher concentrations of redox‐sensitive trace metals. These changes suggest that a shift away from unrestricted marine conditions and towards more variable salinity conditions occurred coincident with the initial collision of the Arabian plate and partial closure of the Paratethys ocean. Despite periodic basin restriction, the majority of Upper Eocene–Lower Miocene strata in the northern Kura basin record oxic to slightly dysoxic conditions.     

Late Triassic tectonic inversion in the upper Yangtze Block: Insights from detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology from south‐western Sichuan Basin

The Sichuan Basin and the Songpan‐Ganze terrane, separated by the Longmen Shan fold‐and‐thrust belt (the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau), are two main Triassic depositional centres, south of the Qinling‐Dabie orogen. During the Middle–Late Triassic closure of the Paleo‐Tethys Ocean, the Sichuan Basin region, located at the western margin of the Yangtze Block, transitioned from a passive continental margin into a foreland basin. In the meantime, the Songpan‐Granze terrane evolved from a marine turbidite basin into a fold‐and‐thrust belt. To understand if and how the regional sediment routing system adjusted to these tectonic changes, we monitored sediment provenance primarily by using detrital zircon U‐Pb analyses of representative stratigraphic samples from the south‐western edge of the Sichuan Basin. Integration of the results with paleocurrent, sandstone petrology and published detrital zircon data from other parts of the basin identified a marked change in provenance. Early–Middle Triassic samples were dominated by Neoproterozoic (~700–900 Ma) zircons sourced mainly from the northern Kangdian basement, whereas Late Triassic sandstones that contain a more diverse range of zircon ages sourced from the Qinling, Longmen Shan and Songpan‐Ganze terrane. This change reflects a major drainage adjustment in response to the Late Triassic closure of the Paleo‐Tethys Ocean and significant shortening in the Longmen Shan thrust belt and the eastern Songpan‐Ganze terrane. Furthermore, by Late Triassic time, the uplifted northern Kangdian basement had subsided. Considering the eastward paleocurrent and depocenter geometry of the Upper Triassic deposits, subsidence of the northern Kangdian basement probably resulted from eastward shortening and loading of the Songpan‐Ganze terrane over the western margin of the Yangtze Block in response to the Late Triassic collision among Yangtze Block, Yidun arc and Qiangtang terrane along the Ganze‐Litang and Jinshajiang sutures.     

Tectonic and oceanographic process interactions archived in Late Cretaceous to Present deep‐marine stratigraphy on the Exmouth Plateau,offshore NW Australia

Deep‐marine deposits provide a valuable archive of process interactions between sediment gravity flows, pelagic sedimentation and thermohaline bottom‐currents. Stratigraphic successions can also record plate‐scale tectonic processes (e.g. continental breakup and shortening) that impact long‐term ocean circulation patterns, including changes in climate and biodiversity. One such setting is the Exmouth Plateau, offshore NW Australia, which has been a relatively stable, fine‐grained carbonate‐dominated continental margin from the Late Cretaceous to Present. We combine extensive 2D (~40,000 km) and 3D (3,627 km²) seismic reflection data with lithologic and biostratigraphic information from wells to reconstruct the tectonic and oceanographic evolution of this margin. We identified three large‐scale seismic units (SUs): (a) SU‐1 (Late Cretaceous)—500 m‐thick, and characterised by NE‐SW‐trending, slope‐normal elongate depocentres (c. 200 km long and 70 km wide), with erosional surfaces at their bases and tops, which are interpreted as the result of contour‐parallel bottom‐currents, coeval with the onset of opening of the Southern Ocean; (b) SU‐2 (Palaeocene—Late Miocene)—800 m‐thick and characterised by: (a) very large (amplitude, c. 40 m and wavelength, c. 3 km), SW‐migrating, NW‐SE‐trending sediment waves, (b) large (4 km‐wide, 100 m‐deep), NE‐trending scours that flank the sediment waves and (c) NW‐trending, 4 km‐wide and 80 m‐deep turbidite channel, infilled by NE‐dipping reflectors, which together may reflect an intensification of NE‐flowing bottom currents during a relative sea‐level fall following the establishment of circumpolar‐ocean current around Antarctica; and (c) SU‐3 (Late Miocene—Present)—1,000 m‐thick and is dominated by large (up to 100 km³) mass‐transport complexes (MTCs) derived from the continental margin (to the east) and the Exmouth Plateau Arch (to the west), and accumulated mainly in the adjacent Kangaroo Syncline. This change in depositional style may be linked to tectonically‐induced seabed tilting and folding caused by collision and subduction along the northern margin of the Australian plate. Hence, the stratigraphic record of the Exmouth Plateau provides a rich archive of plate‐scale regional geological events occurring along the distant southern (2,000 km away) and northern (1,500 km away) margins of the Australian plate.     

Fault-proximal stratigraphic record of episodic extension and oblique inversion, Bisbee basin, southwestern New Mexico, USA

Tectonic inversion models predict that stratigraphic thickening and local facies patterns adjacent to reactivated fault systems should record at least two phases of basin development: (1) initial extension‐related subsidence and (2) subsequent shortening‐induced uplift. In the central Peloncillo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico, thickness trends, distribution, and provenance of two major stratigraphic intervals on opposite sides of a northwest‐striking reverse fault preserve a record of Early Cretaceous normal displacement and latest Cretaceous–Paleogene reverse displacement along the fault. The Aptian–Albian Bisbee Group thickens by a factor of three from the footwall to the hanging‐wall block, and the Late Cretaceous?–Eocene Bobcat Hill Formation is preserved only in the footwall block. An initial episode of normal faulting resulted in thickening of upper Aptian–middle Albian, mixed siliciclastic and carbonate deposits and an up section change from coarse‐grained deltas to shallow‐marine depositional conditions. A second episode of normal faulting caused abrupt thickening of upper Albian, quartzose coastal‐plain deposits across the fault. These faulting episodes record two events of extension that affected the northern rift shoulder of the Bisbee basin. The third faulting episode was oblique‐slip, reverse reactivation of the fault and other related, former normal faults. Alluvial and pyroclastic deposits of the Bobcat Hill Formation record inversion of the Bisbee basin and development of an intermontane basin directly adjacent to the former rift basin. Inversion was coeval with latest Cretaceous–Paleogene shortening and magmatism. This offset history offers significant insight into extensional basin tectonics in the Early Cretaceous and permits rejection of models of long‐term Mesozoic shortening and orogen migration during the Cretaceous. This paper also illustrates how episodes of fault reactivation modify, in very short distances (<10 km), regional patterns of subsidence, the distribution of sediment‐source areas, and sedimentary depositional systems.     

Cretaceous continental margin evolution revealed using quantitative seismic geomorphology,offshore northwest Africa

The application of high‐resolution seismic geomorphology, integrated with lithological data from the continental margin offshore The Gambia, northwest Africa, documents a complex tectono‐stratigraphic history through the Cretaceous. This reveals the spatial‐temporal evolution of submarine canyons by quantifying the related basin depositional elements and providing an estimate of intra‐ versus extra‐basinal sediment budget. The margin developed from the Jurassic to Aptian as a carbonate escarpment. Followed by, an Albian‐aged wave‐dominated delta system that prograded to the palaeo‐shelf edge. This is the first major delivery of siliciclastic sediment into the basin during the evolution of the continental margin, with increased sediment input linked to exhumation events of the hinterland. Subaqueous channel systems (up to 320 m wide) meandered through the pro‐delta region reaching the palaeo‐shelf edge, where it is postulated they initiated early submarine canyonisation of the margin. The canyonisation was long‐lived (ca. 28 Myr) dissecting the inherited seascape topography. Thirteen submarine canyons can be mapped, associated with a Late Cretaceous‐aged regional composite unconformity (RCU), classified as shelf incised or slope confined. Major knickpoints within the canyons and the sharp inflection point along the margin are controlled by the lithological contrast between carbonate and siliciclastic subcrop lithologies. Analysis of the base‐of‐slope deposits at the terminus of the canyons identifies two end‐member lobe styles, debris‐rich and debris‐poor, reflecting the amount of carbonate detritus eroded and redeposited from the escarpment margin (blocks up to ca. 1 km³). The vast majority of canyon‐derived sediment (97%) in the base‐of‐slope is interpreted as locally derived intra‐basinal material. The average volume of sediment bypassed through shelf‐incised canyons is an order of magnitude higher than the slope‐confined systems. These results document a complex mixed‐margin evolution, with seascape evolution, sedimentation style and volume controlled by shelf‐margin collapse, far‐field tectonic activity and the effects of hinterland rejuvenation of the siliciclastic source.     

Sequence architecture and depositional evolution of the northern continental slope of the South China Sea: responses to tectonic processes and changes in sea level

The continental slopes of the South China Sea (SCS), the largest marginal sea on the continental shelf of Southeast Asia, are among the most significant shelf‐margin basins in the world because of their abundant petroleum resources and a developmental history related to sea floor spreading since Late Oligocene time. Based on integrated analyses of seismic, well‐logging and core data, we systematically document the sequence architecture and depositional evolution of the northern continental slope of the SCS and reveal its responses to tectonism, sea‐level change and sediment supply. The infill of this shelf‐margin basin can be divided into seven composite sequences (CS1–CS7) that are bounded by regional unconformities. Composite sequences CS3 to CS7 have formed since Late Oligocene time, and each of them generally reflects a regional transgressive–regressive cycle. These large cycles can be further divided into 20 sequences that are defined by local unconformities or transgressive–regressive boundaries. Depositional–geomorphological systems represented on the continental slope mainly include shelf‐edge deltas, prodelta‐slope fans, clinoforms of the shelf‐margin slope, unidirectionally migrating slope channels, incised slope valleys, muddy slope fans, slope slump‐debris‐flow complexes and large‐scale soft‐sediment deformation of bedding. Changing sea levels, reflected by evidence from sequence architecture in the study area, are generally comparable with those of the Haq (1987) global sea level curve, whereas the regional transgressions and regressions were apparently controlled by tectonic uplift and subsidence. Composite sequences CS3 and CS4 formed from Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene time and represent continental‐slope deposition during a time of northwest‐northeast seafloor spreading and subsequent development of sub‐basins in the southwest‐central SCS. The development of composite sequences CS5 to CS7 after Middle Miocene time was obviously influenced by the Dongsha Movement during convergence between the SCS and Philippine Sea plates. Climatic variations and monsoon intensification may have enhanced sediment supply during Late Oligocene‒Early Miocene (25–21 Ma) and Late Pliocene‒Pleistocene (3–0.8 Ma) times. This study indicates that shelf‐edge delta and associated slope fan systems are the most important oil/gas‐bearing reservoirs in the SCS continental‐slope area.     

The interior rifts of the Yemen - analysis of basin structure and stratigraphy in a regional plate tectonic context

The full extent of Mesozoic rift basins within interior Yemen has only recently been established. This work presents a detailed documentation of the stratigraph)., structure and basin development of the Marib-Shabwa and Sirr-Sayun basins, and the Jeza Trough. Yemen is located at the south-western margin of the Arabian Plate, which for most of its early geological history formed part of the northern passive margin of Gondwanaland. Mesozoic break up of the super-continent was associated with major rifting in the Late Jurassic (main phase) and Early Cretaceous. Orientation of the rift basins reflects an inheritance from deep-seated Precambrian structural trends which cross the Arabian Plate. The resultant structure of basement highs, tilted fault blocks, marginal terraces and central graben highs is illustrated in a series of detailed cross-sections. A comprehensive stratigraphic framework has also been established for the Jurassic and Cretaceous basin-fill, enabling thickness and facies variations to be analysed. This reveals a clear shift in the main period of fault-related, high sediment accumulation rates, both within and across the three interior basins of Yemen. In the western Marib-Shabwa Basin, the fill is dominantly Late Jurassic, whilst the eastern Shabwa Basin and Sirr-Sayun Basin exhibit a progressively increased, and younger, Early Cretaceous fill. The main period of fault-related sedimentation in the most easterly basin, the Jeza Trough, is wholly Cretaceous. Plate tectonic reconstructions of the area for this period have documented the separation and subsequent north-eastward movement of the Indian Plate, away- from Africa-Arabia. We believe this may have been the causal mechanism in the progressive eastward migration of rift activity in the Yemen.     

Late glacial palaeoceanography of Hinlopen Strait, northern Svalbard

Timing and structure of the Late and post-glacial development of the northern Svalbard margin, together with the initial influx of Atlantic water into the Arctic Ocean are still very poorly constrained. We investigated a sediment core (NP94-51) from a high accumulation area on the continental shelf north of Hinlopen Strait with the purpose of resolving the timing and structure of the last deglaciation. Detailed analyses of ice-rafted detritus, benthic and planktonic foraminiferal fauna, diatom flora, grain size and radiocarbon dates are used to reconstruct the palaeoceanographic evolution of the area. Our results indicate that the disintegration of Hinlopen Strait ice and possibly the northern margin of the Svalbard Ice Sheet commenced between 13.7 and 13.9 ¹⁴C Ky BP. Influx of subsurface Atlantic waters into the area (12.6 ¹⁴C Ky BP) and the retreat of the sea ice cover, with the accompanying opening of the surface waters (10.8 ¹⁴C Ky BP), happened at different times and both much later than the disintegration of the ice sheets. The transition into the Holocene shows a two-step warming.     

Drainage response to Arabia–Eurasia collision: Insights from provenance examination of the Cyprian Kythrea flysch (Eastern Mediterranean Basin)

The Cenozoic geodynamics of the north‐eastern Mediterranean Basin have been dominated by the subduction of the African Plate under Eurasia. A trench‐parallel crustal‐scale thrust system (Misis–Kyrenia Thrust System) dissects the southern margin of the overriding plate and forms the structural grain and surface expression of northern Cyprus. Late Eocene to Miocene flysch of the Kythrea (De?irmenlik) Group is exposed throughout northern Cyprus, both at the hanging‐wall and foot‐wall of the thrust system, permitting access to an extensive Cenozoic sedimentary record of the basin. We report the results of a combined examination of detrital zircon and rutile U–Pb geochronology (572 concordant ages), coupled with Th/U ratios, Hf isotopic data and quantitative assessment of grain morphology of detrital zircon from four formations (5 samples) from the Kythrea flysch. These data provide a line of independent evidence for the existence of two different sediment transportation systems that discharged detritus into the basin between the late Eocene and late Miocene. Unique characteristics of each transport system are defined and a sediment unmixing calculation is demonstrated and explained. The first system transported almost exclusively North Gondwana‐type, Precambrian‐aged detrital zircon sourced from siliciclastic rock units in southern Anatolia. A different drainage system is revealed by the middle to late Miocene flysch sequence that is dominated by Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic‐aged detrital zircon, whose age range is consistent with the magmatic episodicity of southeast Anatolia, along the Arabia–Eurasia suture zone. Deposition of these late Miocene strata took place thereupon closure of the Tethyan Seaway and African–Eurasian faunal exchange, and overlap in time with a pronounced uplift of eastern Anatolia. Our analytical data indicate the onset of prominent suture‐parallel sediment transport from the collision zone of south‐eastern Anatolia into the Kyrenia Range of northern Cyprus, marking the drainage response to the continental collision between Arabia and Eurasia.     

Relative sea-level control on the building of two distinct shelf-margin clinothems on the late-Quaternary Pearl River margin: Insights from numerical stratigraphic forward modelling

As one of the most important forcing factors, relative sea-level changes exert a major influence on the building of shelf-margin clinothems. However, it is still not well understood how these changes control the growth of shelf edges and the condition of sediments transporting into deep water, especially over the individual-clinothem scale of several 100 ky. On the late-Quaternary Pearl River margin, there are two distinct shelf-margin clinothems: SQ3 and SQ4. They have different shelf-edge trajectories (slight rising vs. steep rising) and different styles of deep-water deposition (fan lobes consisting mainly of MTDs vs. fan lobes consisting mainly of turbidites). This work takes those SQ3 and SQ4 as study objects and runs a total of 136 experiments from the Dionisos stratigraphic forward model to investigate how relative sea-level changes control the trajectories of shelf edges and the volumes of MTDs in deep water over the individual-clinothem scale. Our quantitative results suggest that under the geological background of high sediment supply on the late-Quaternary Pearl River margin, the duration of highstand systems tracts (HST) relative to lowstand systems tracts (LST) or forced regressive systems tracts (FST) has a significant influence on the building of individual shelf-margin clinothems. If the relative duration of HST is either very short or very long, slight-rising shelf-edge trajectories and large-volume MTDs would be formed, whereas if the relative duration of HST is comparable with LST or FST, steep-rising shelf-edge trajectories and limited MTDs would be formed. Through the constrains of the model set to the real geological condition of the SQ3 and SQ4 clinothems, it is found that SQ3 was caused by the quite long relative duration of HST, which made highstand deltaic systems advance over the pre-existing shelf-slope break, leading to significant accretion and instability of the shelf edge and thus, giving rise to the formation of slight-rising shelf-edge trajectories and fan lobes with high MTDs contents. SQ4, however, formed as a result of the comparable durations of HST, LST, and FST, which made highstand deltaic systems advance to but not beyond the previous shelf-slope break allowing the subsequent FST to be directly perched on the clinoform slope. Such building processes did not drive pronounced accretion and instability of the shelf edge and thus, caused the formation of steep-rising shelf-edge trajectories and fan lobes with low MTDs contents.     

Along‐strike variability in shelf‐margin morphology and accretion pattern: An example from the northern margin of the South China Sea

Interplays among diachronous tectonism, uneven sediment supply, and local marine hydraulic processes make the northern margin of the South China Sea (SCS) an ideal location to investigate the complexity of along‐strike variability in shelf margins. This study examines shelf‐margin morphology, stratigraphy, and sedimentation from the northern SCS using multichannel seismic reflection profiles complemented with the data from commercial and ocean drilling sites. Analysis of seismic reflection profiles reveals three categories of shelf‐margin cross‐sectional profiles, the concave‐up, linear, and sigmoidal, according to which five margin sectors were recognized. Results show that these margin segments differ in relief, shelf‐edge trajectory, submarine canyon development, and long‐term accretion pattern. The westernmost margin sector, or the Yinggehai (YGH)‐western Qiongdongnan (QDN) margin, has appeared to be supply dominated since its commencement at ca. 10.5 Ma, which is characterized by well‐developed prograding clinoforms, low‐angle shelf‐edge trajectories, and an absence of canyons. Presence of concave‐up profiles is also suggestive of high sediment influx. In contrast, the eastern QDN margin was primarily regulated by local subsidence and faulting, leading to a stationary shelf‐edge migrating pattern and linear upper‐slope morphology. Densely distributed slope‐confined gullies indicate the margin’s disequilibrium and erosive nature. Further east, the Pearl River Mouth (PRM) margin formed much earlier (ca. 30 Ma) and experienced a more complicated accretion history, including three phases which were dominated by sequential marginal faulting (before ca. 30 Ma), basement structure (ca. 30–23 Ma), and sediment supply (ca. 23 Ma to the present). The overall sigmoidal morphology and truncated stratigraphy of this margin probably resulted from the sculpting of local marine processes, especially ocean currents and internal waves. The exception of the central PRM margin where concave‐up profiles develop is mainly related to canyon erosion. Overall, this study highlights the vital role of local forcing factors in controlling along‐margin variations and determining the final fates of different margin segments. A comparison between the northern SCS and other well‐established examples reveals that concave‐upward shelf‐margin shapes, which are usually associated with high sediment supply, little influence from hydraulic regimes, or sometimes, high degree of canyon development, may be an indicator of good reservoir potential beyond the shelf edge.     

Characteristics of the wedge-top depozone of the southern Taiwan foreland basin system

The wedge‐top depozone in the southern Taiwan foreland basin system is confined by the topographic front of the Chaochou Fault to the east and by a submarine deformation front to the west. The Pingtung Plain, Kaoping Shelf and Kaoping Slope constitute the main body of the wedge‐top depozone. In a subaerial setting, the alluvial and fluvial sediments accumulate on top of the frontal parts of the Taiwan orogenic wedge to form the Pingtung Plain proximal to high topographic relief. In a submarine setting, fine‐grained sediments accumulate on the Kaoping Shelf and dominant mass‐wasting sediment forms the Kaoping Slope. Wedge‐top sediments are deformed into a series of west‐vergent imbricated thrusts and folds and associated piggyback basins. A major piggyback basin occurs in the Pingtung Plain. Four smaller piggyback basins appear in the shelf–slope region. Many small‐sized piggyback basins developed over ramp folds in the lower slope region. Pliocene–Quaternary deep marine to fluvial sediments about 5000 m thick have been deposited on top of the frontal orogenic wedge in southern Taiwan. Sedimentary facies shows lateral variations from extremely coarse fluvial conglomerates proximal to the topographic front (Chaochou Fault) to fine‐grained deep marine mud close to the deformation front near the base of the slope. The stratigraphic column indicates that offshore deep‐water mud is gradationally overlain by shallow marine sands and then fluvial deposits. The transverse cross‐section of the wedge‐top depozone in the southern Taiwan is a doubly tapered prism. The northern boundary of the wedge‐top depozone in southern Taiwan is placed along the southern limit of the Western Foothills where the frontal orogenic wedge progressively changes southward to a wedge‐top depozone (Pingtung Plain), reflecting ongoing southward oblique collision between the Luzon Arc and the Chinese margin. The wedge‐top depozone is bounded to the south by the continent–ocean crust boundary. The deep slope west of the Hengchun Ridge can be viewed as an infant wedge‐top depozone, showing initial mountain building and the beginning of wedge‐top depozone.     

The Western Irish Namurian Basin reassessed

ABSTRACT Current basin models for the Western Irish Namurian Basin (WINB) envisage an elongate trough along the line of the present‐day Shannon Estuary that was infilled with clastic sediments derived from a hinterland that lay to the W or NW. This paper argues for an alternative basin configuration with source areas to the SW supplying sediment to a basin where deepest water conditions were in northern County Clare. Rapid subsidence along the present‐day Shannon Estuary ponded sediment in this area throughout the early Namurian and, only with the rapid increase of sedimentation rates within the mid‐Namurian (Kinderscoutian Stage), were substantial amounts of sediment able to prograde to the NE of the basin. This alternative model better explains the overwhelming predominance of NE‐directed palaeocurrents in the Namurian infill, but requires fundamental revisions to most aspects of current depositional models. Deep‐water black shales (Clare Shale Formation) initially accumulated throughout the region and were progressively downlapped by an unconfined turbidite system (Ross Formation) prograding to the NE. This in turn was succeeded by an unstable, siltstone‐dominated slope system (Gull Island Formation) characterized by large‐scale soft‐sediment deformation, which also prograded to the NE. In the northern‐most basin outcrops, in northern County Clare, this early phase of basin infill was developed as a condensed succession of radiolarian‐rich black shales, minor turbiditic sandstones and undisturbed siltstones. The new basin model envisages the northern exposures of County Clare to be a distal, basin floor succession whereas the traditional model considers it a relatively shallow, winnowed, basin margin succession. Later stages of basin infill consist of a series of deltaic cycles that culminate in major, erosive‐based sandstone bodies (e.g. Tullig Sandstone) interpreted either as axial, deltaic feeder channels or incised valley fills genetically unrelated to the underlying deltaic facies. Within the context of the new basin model the former alternative is most likely and estimated channel depths within the Tullig Sandstone indicate that the basal erosive surface could have been generated by intrinsic fluvial scour without recourse to base‐level fall. The northerly flowing Tullig channels pass down‐dip into isolated channel sandbodies interbedded with wave‐dominated strata that suggest the deltas of the WINB were considerably more wave‐influenced than hitherto proposed. The retreat of the Tullig delta during sea‐level rise saw the rapid southerly retrogradation of parasequences, as may be expected if the basin margin lay to the SW of the present‐day outcrops.     

Triassic to Early Jurassic climatic trends recorded in the Jameson Land Basin,East Greenland: clay mineralogy,petrography and heavy mineralogy

During the Early Triassic the Jameson Land Basin (Central East Greenland) was located around 30° N, in the Northern arid belt, but by the Early Jurassic was positioned at a latitude of approximately 50° N. This study examines the record of this transition through a largely continental succession using clay mineralogy, sedimentology, petrography and heavy mineralogy. The Jameson Land Basin is aligned north–south and is 280 km long and 80 km wide. Following an Early Triassic marine phase the basin was filled by predominantly continental sediments. The Early‐to‐Late Triassic succession comprises coarse alluvial clastics (Pingo Dal Formation) overlain by a succession of fine‐grained evaporite‐rich playa/lacustrine sediments (Gipsdalen Formation), indicative of arid climatic conditions. The overlying buff, dolomitic and then red lacustrine mudstones with subordinate sandstones (Fleming Fjord Formation) record reduced aridity. The uppermost Triassic grades into dark organic‐rich, and in places coaly, mudstones and buff coarse‐grained sandstones of lacustrine origin that belong to the Kap Stewart Group, which spans the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, and appear to record more humid climatic conditions. Clay mineralogy analyses highlight significant variations in the kaolinite/illite ratio, from both mudstone and sandstone samples, through the Triassic and into the earliest Jurassic. Complementary heavy mineral analyses demonstrate that the variations recognised in clay mineralogy and sandstone maturity through the Triassic–Early Jurassic succession are not a product of major provenance change or the effect of significant diagenetic alteration. The observed variations are consistent with sedimentological evidence for a long‐term trend towards more humid conditions through the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, and the suggestion of a significant pluvial episode in the mid‐Carnian.     

Clinoform nucleation and growth in coarse-grained deltas, Loreto basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico: a response to episodic accelerations in fault displacement

We investigate the controls on the architecture of coarse‐grained delta progradational units (PUs) in the Pliocene Loreto basin (Baja California Sur, Mexico), a half‐graben located on the western margin of the Gulf of California. Dorsey et al. (1997b) argued that delta progradation and transgression cycles in the basin were driven by episodic fault‐controlled subsidence along the basin‐bounding Loreto fault. Here we test this hypothesis by a detailed analysis of the sedimentary architecture of 11 exceptionally well‐exposed, vertically arranged fluvio‐deltaic PUs, each of which shows lateral facies transition from proximal alluvial facies palaeo‐seaward into distal pro‐delta facies. Of these 11 PUs, seven exhibit a lateral transition from a shoal water to Gilbert‐delta facies associations as they are traced palaeo‐seaward. This transition is characterised by down‐transport development of foresets, which grow in height up to 35 m. Foreset units thicken in a basinward direction, with initially an oblique topset–foreset geometry that becomes increasingly sigmoidal. Each delta is capped by a shell bed that records drowning of the delta top. This systematic transition in delta architecture records increasing water depth through time during individual episodes of progradation. A mechanism that explains this transition is an accelerating rate of fault‐controlled subsidence during each PU. During episodes of low slip rate, shoal‐water deltas prograde across the submerged topography of the underlying delta unit. As displacement rate accelerates, increasing bathymetry at the delta front leads to steepening of foresets and initiation of Gilbert deltas. Subsequent delta drowning results from sediment starvation at the shoreline at high slip rates because of sediment trapping upstream. The observed delta architecture suggests that the long‐term (>100 kyr) history of slip on the Loreto fault was characterised by repetitive episodes of accelerating displacement accumulation. Such episodic fault behaviour is most likely to be because of variations in temporal and spatial strain partitioning between the Loreto fault and other faults in the Gulf of California. A physical explanation for the acceleration phenomenon involves evolving frictional properties on the episodically active Loreto fault.     

Earliest sea-floor spreading magnetic anomalies in the north Arabian Sea and the ocean-continent transition

Magnetic and gravity data collected during a GLORIA survey of the Indus Fan provide new information on the earliest sea-floor spreading history of the Arabian Sea. A negative gravity anomaly correlates with the buried Laxmi Ridge. This ridge is interpreted here to be a sliver of continental crust adjacent to the oceancontinent transition which bounds thinned, probably intruded, transitional crust to the NE. The oldest sea-floor spreading anomaly is anomaly 28 (65-66 Ma), breakup occurring at the time of the Deccan Traps volcanic event. The earliest oceanic crust formed from two phases of rift propagation which accommodates the angular disparity between the E-W trending anomalies in the western Arabian Sea and the NE-SW trending western part of the Laxmi Ridge. Flow-line projection shows that the Laxmi ridge forms the conjugate structure to the northern Mascarene Plateau margin.     

Source to sink relations between the Tian Shan and Junggar Basin (northwest China) from Late Palaeozoic to Quaternary: evidence from detrital U‐Pb zircon geochronology

The tectonic evolution of the Tian Shan, as for most ranges in continental Asia is dominated by north‐south compression since the Cenozoic India‐Asia collision. However, precollision governing tectonic processes remain enigmatic. An excellent record is provided by thick Palaeozoic – Cenozoic lacustrine to fluvial depositional sequences that are well preserved in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin and exposed along a foreland basin associated to the Late Cenozoic rejuvenation of the Tian Shan ranges. U/Pb (LA‐ICP‐MS) dating of detrital zircons from 14 sandstone samples from a continuous series ranging in age from latest Palaeozoic to Quaternary is used to investigate changes in sediment provenance through time and to correlate them with major tectonic phases in the range. Samples were systematically collected along two nearby sections in the foreland basin. The results show that the detrital zircons are mostly magmatic in origin, with some minor input from metamorphic zircons. The U‐Pb detrital zircon ages range widely from 127 to 2856 Ma and can be divided into four main groups: 127–197 (sub‐peak at 159 Ma), 250–379 (sub‐peak at 318 Ma), 381–538 (sub‐peak at 406 Ma) and 543–2856 Ma (sub‐peak at 912 Ma). These groups indicate that the zircons were largely derived from the Tian Shan area to the south since a Late Carboniferous basin initiation. The provenance and basin‐range pattern evolution of the southern margin of Junggar Basin can be generally divided into four stages: (1) Late Carboniferous – Early Triassic basin evolution in a half‐graben or post‐orogenic extensional context; (2) From Middle Triassic to Upper Jurassic times, the southern Junggar became a passively subsiding basin until (3) being inverted during Lower Cretaceous – Palaeogene; (4) During the Neogene, a piedmont developed along the northern margin of the North Tian Shan block and Junggar Basin became a true foreland basin.     

A late Pleistocene and Holocene mineral magnetic record from sediments of Lake Aibi,Dzungarian Basin,NW China

We studied mineral magnetic properties of a 6-m-long, late Pleistocene through Holocene sediment sequence from Lake Aibi in Dzungaria (Zunggary, Junggar), northern Xinjiang, China. Results were used to infer environmental changes and are compared with previously studied cores from Lake Manas. Both water bodies occupy the deepest parts of the Dzungarian Basin and are remnants of large Holocene lakes. During the Late Pleistocene, the magnetic mineralogy in both lakes was dominated by detrital, iron oxide minerals. Oxic conditions, which dominated during sedimentation and early diagenesis, persisted over the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Later, during the middle Holocene, lake bottom conditions enabled authigenic formation of iron sulphide minerals such as pyrite (FeS₂) in Lake Aibi, and pyrite and greigite (Fe₃S₄) in Lake Manas. This iron sulphide mineralogy suggests increased biological activity in stagnant, anoxic bottom waters. Anoxic bottom conditions started about 9.8 cal kyr BP in Lake Manas and at about 7.2 cal kyr BP in Lake Aibi. A short dry event recorded in Lake Manas between 6.8 and 5.2 cal kyr BP is not clearly observed in Lake Aibi. In the late Holocene, i.e. the last 2.8 cal kyr, sediments of both lakes are again characterised by iron oxides, suggesting well-mixed, shallow water bodies. For this recent period, it seems that the detrital material in the two lakes had a common origin. Magnetic properties of sediments in Lakes Aibi and Manas show broadly similar environmental evolution during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Nevertheless, despite the close proximity of the two lakes (~200 km) in the same basin, they display some different magnetic properties and record environmental changes at different times.