The Pliocene‐Pleistocene boundary in Southeastern Australia

In southwest Victoria thin sequences of upper Cainozoic marine to non‐marine mainly calcareous sediments occur at Portland and in the Glenelg River valley near Dartmoor. At Portland the Whalers Bluff Formation is shown to lie wholly within foraminiferal zone N19 (early Pliocene) which has age limits of about 3.0 to 4.8 m.y. Basalts overlying this formation give consistent K‐Ar ages averaging 2.51 ± 0.04 m.y.

In the Glenelg River valley, subaerial basalts yielding K‐Ar ages of 2.24 to 2.46 m.y. are overlain by shallow neritic sands and littoral calcarenites which belong to the type Werrikooian of F. A. Singleton, here included in the Werrikoo Limestone. Some distance above the base of the Werrikoo Limestone, Globorotalia truncatulinoides appears, the incoming of which defines the base of planktonic foraminiferal zone N22. The base of zone N22 closely approximates the beginning of the Pleistocene defined as the base of the Calabrian stage in Italy, and has an age of about 1.7 m.y. Thus the Werrikoo Limestone was deposited during late N21 and N22 time, straddling the Pliocene‐Pleistocene boundary and providing a reference standard for southeastern Australia as a whole.

It is shown that the Whalers Bluff Formation and the Werrikoo Limestone are separated in both space and time, contrary to the conclusions of earlier workers.     

The Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary： An age-old correlative enigma

The Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary interval has been problematic since the start of stratigraphic study. This is reflected in different stage names being employed in Boreal and Tethyan realms below and above the putative boundary. Despite attempts at homogenisation where stage terminology is concerned, correlative precision over long distances at or close to a boundary has not yet been achieved. But the new Berriasian/ J-K boundary working-group of the Cretaceous Subcommission is now attempting to remedy this situation.     

Palynology of Triassic–Jurassic boundary sections in northern Switzerland

A first palynostratigraphic scheme of Upper Triassic deposits in northern Switzerland was established based on spore-pollen associations and dinoflagellate cyst records from the upper part of the Upper Triassic Klettgau Formation and the lower part of the Lower Jurassic Staffelegg Formation. Drill cores from the Adlerberg region (Basel Tabular Jura) and from Weiach (northern part of Canton Zurich) as well as from an outcrop at the Chilchzimmersattel (Basel Folded Jura) were studied and five informal palynological associations are distinguished. These palynological associations correlate with palynological association of the Central European Epicontinental Basin and the Tethyan realm and provide a stratigraphic framework for the uppermost Triassic sediments in northern Switzerland. Throughout the uppermost Triassic to Jurassic palynological succession a remarkable prominence of Classopollis spp. is observed. Besides Classopollis spp. the three Rhaetian palynological associations A to C from the Upper Triassic Belchen Member include typical Rhaetian spore-pollen and dinoflagellate taxa (e.g., Rhaetipollis germanicus, Geopollis zwolinskae, Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica, and Dapcodinium priscum). Association B differs from association A in a higher relative abundance of the sporomorph taxa Perinopollenites spp. and the consistent occurrence of Granuloperculatipollis rudis and Ricciisporites tuberculatus. Spore diversity is highest in the late Rhaetian palynological association C and includes Polypodiisporites polymicroforatus. A Rhaetian age for the Belchen Member is confirmed by palynological associations A–C, but there is no record of the latest Rhaetian and the earliest Jurassic. In contrast to the Rhaetian palynological associations the Early Jurassic associations W and D include Pinuspollenites spp., Trachysporites fuscus (in association W), and Ischyosporites variegatus. In the view of the end-Triassic mass extinction and contemporaneous environmental changes the described palynofloral succession represents the pre-extinction phase (associations A and B) including a distinct transgression, the extinction phase (association C) associated with a regression, and the post-extinction phase (association W).     

Was the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary placed at the wrong stratigraphic level?

In 1985 the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary was designated at the base of the claystone, overlying bed e in the Vrica Section, Italy. This followed a recommendation that the boundary should be at the first physical horizon below the first appearance of Cytheropteron testudo. There is evidence that this supposed ‘cold guest’ has been mis-identified, and it raises the serious question as to whether the boundary could have been better placed.     

Mammalian femora across the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in eastern Montana

Our understanding of latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleogene mammalian evolution is based almost entirely on the dental fossil record. Mammalian postcranial fossils are rare and mostly found as isolated elements in latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleogene vertebrate microfossil assemblages of North America. Although placing these fossils in a tooth-based taxonomic framework is difficult, they can provide insight into locomotor diversity and habitat preference to complement diet reconstructions and diversity estimates from dental fossils. Here, we describe 64 femora of mammals recovered from latest Cretaceous (Lancian) and earliest Paleogene (Puercan) localities in eastern Montana. We sorted these based on morphology and size (morphotypes). In some cases, morphotypes were tentatively assigned to dentally based taxa that are known from these strata.Although our resulting femoral dataset is small relative to the study area's dental dataset, we show several key findings. First, there is a greater morphological diversity of multituberculate femora than previously recognized, especially in the latest Cretaceous sample. In contrast, metatherians, which have a high relative abundance in Lancian Hell Creek Formation dental assemblages, are absent from our postcranial samples; eutherian femora are only present in the Puercan assemblages. Second, we record a minor decrease in morphotype richness across the K–Pg boundary that is associated with an increase in mean specimen size, due to the appearance of a few significantly larger-bodied, immigrant taxa. Among the eutherians, there are two specimens of larger-bodied early Puercan archaic ungulates, a very large specimen of a middle/late Puercan taeniodont, pantodont, or triisodontid, as well as a specimen possibly attributed to a “plesiadapiform” archaic primate. Third, preliminary functional morphologic analyses of the more complete specimens suggest that locomotor diversity increased from mainly arboreal or terrestrial/saltatorial multituberculates in the latest Cretaceous to include a fossorial multituberculate and potentially an arboreal eutherian in the early Paleocene. These patterns parallel those previously reported from a dental dataset and indicate that postcranial data are valuable as an independent means to test hypotheses of taxonomic and ecomorphological diversity across the K–Pg boundary.     

Biostratigraphy of a Paleocene–Eocene Foreland Basin boundary in southern Tibet

This study of the Paleocene–Eocene boundary within a foreland basin of southern Tibet, which was dominated by a carbonate ramp depositional environment, documents more complex environmental conditions than can be derived from studies of the deep oceanic environment. Extinction rates for larger foraminiferal species in the Zongpu-1 Section apply to up to 46% of the larger foraminiferal taxa. The extinction rate in southern Tibet is similar to rates elsewhere in the world, but it shows that the Paleocene fauna disappeared stepwise through the Late Paleocene, with Eocene taxa appearing abruptly above the boundary. A foraminifera turnover was identified between Members 3 and 4 of the Zongpu Formation—from the Miscellanea–Daviesina assemblage to an Orbitolites–Alveolina assemblage. The Paleocene and Eocene boundary is between the SBZ 4 and SBZ 5, where it is marked by the extinction of Miscellanea miscella and the first appearance of Alveolina ellipsodalis and a large number of Orbitolites. Chemostratigraphically, the δ13C values from both the Zongpu-1 and Zongpu-2 Sections show three negative excursions in the transitional strata, one in Late Paleocene, one at the boundary, and one in the early Eocene. The second negative excursion of δ13C, which is located at the P–E boundary, coincides with larger foraminifera overturn. These faunal changes and the observed δ13C negative excursions provide new evidence on environmental changes across the Paleocene–Eocene boundary in Tibet.     

The Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition： characterization and proposed guide for the defining boundary

The mid-Pleistocene transition （MPT, c. 1.2 to 0.5 Ma） records fundamental changes in Earth＇s climate state, where low-amplitude 41-kyr obliquity-dominated cycles gave way progressively to the high-amplitude, quasiperiodic （c. 100-kyr） fluctuations that characterize the later Pleistocene and Holocene. We use wavelet analysis on the LR04 δ^l8O benthic foraminiferal stack to confirm low-frequency power as early as 1.25-1.20 Ma, determine the persistence of obliquity-dominated cyclicity through and beyond the MPT, and reveal new levels of complexity in climate evolution.     

Recovering data in groundwater: boundary conditions and Wells’ positions and fluxes

In this paper, we present an original methodology for recovering boundary conditions and hydraulic parameters in an aquifer domain. Boundary data are identified from the knowledge of over-specified boundary data on another part of the boundary. Then parameters, here wells’ positions and fluxes, are recovered by the use of the reciprocity principle (Andrieux and Ben Abda, Mech Res Commun 20:415–420, 1993; Andrieux and Ben Abda, Inverse Probl 12:553–564, 1996). The boundary recovering method is based on the minimization of an energy-like error functional (Andrieux et al., Inverse Probl 22:115–133; Baranger and Andrieux, 2010).     

Methane fluxes on the water–atmosphere boundary in the Sea of Okhotsk

Doklady Earth Sciences - High variability in methane fluxes at the water–atmosphere boundary was found for the first time for the period 1990–2016 using expeditionary data. Variability...     

A general polynomial solution to convection–dispersion equation using boundary layer theory

A number of models have been established to simulate the behaviour of solute transport due to chemical pollution, both in croplands and groundwater systems. An approximate polynomial solution to convection–dispersion equation (CDE) based on boundary layer theory has been verified for the use to describe solute transport in semi-infinite systems such as soil column. However, previous studies have only proposed low order polynomial solutions such as parabolic and cubic polynomials. This paper presents a general polynomial boundary layer solution to CDE. Comparison with exact solution suggests the prediction accuracy of the boundary layer solution varies with the order of polynomial expression and soil transport parameters. The results show that prediction accuracy increases with increasing order up to parabolic or cubic polynomial function and with no distinct relationship between accuracy and order for higher order polynomials (\(n\geqslant 3\)). Comparison of two critical solute transport parameters (i.e., dispersion coefficient and retardation factor), estimated by the boundary layer solution and obtained by CXTFIT curve-fitting, shows a good agreement. The study shows that the general solution can determine the appropriate orders of polynomials for approximate CDE solutions that best describe solute concentration profiles and optimal solute transport parameters. Furthermore, the general polynomial solution to CDE provides a simple approach to solute transport problems, a criterion for choosing the right orders of polynomials for soils with different transport parameters. It is also a potential approach for estimating solute transport parameters of soils in the field.     

Environmental changes and carbon cycle perturbations at the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in northern Switzerland

The Triassic–Jurassic boundary is characterized by strong perturbations of the global carbon cycle, triggered by massive volcanic eruptions related to the onset of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. These perturbations are recorded by negative carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) which have been reported worldwide. In this study, Triassic–Jurassic boundary sections from the southern margin of the Central European Basin (CEB) located in northern Switzerland are analyzed for organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes in combination with particulate organic matter (POM) analyses. We reconstruct the evolution of the depositional environment from Late Triassic to Early Jurassic in northern Switzerland and show that observed negative shifts in δ¹³C of the total organic carbon (δ¹³C_TOC) in the sediment are only subordinately influenced by varying organic matter (OM) composition and primarily reflect global changes in the carbon cycle. Based on palynology and the stratigraphic positions of isotopic shifts, the δ¹³C_TOC record of the studied sections is correlated with the GSSP section at Kuhjoch (Tethyan realm) in Austria and with the St. Audrie’s Bay section (CEB realm) in southwest England. We also show that in contrast to POM analyses the applicability of organic carbon/total nitrogen (OC/TN) atomic ratios and stable isotopes of total nitrogen (δ¹⁵N_TN) for detecting changes in source of OM is limited in marginal depositional environments with frequent changes in lithology and OM contents.     

“Sub-Triticites Beds” of the Donskaya Luka and lower boundary of the Kasimovian Stage

Micro- and macrofauna remains were studied from transitional deposits of Moscovian and Kasimovian Stages in the Donskaya Luka (Volgograd Region). The preliminary analysis of microfauna showed that “sub-Triticites Beds” of the Donskaya Luka contain fusulinid and conodont assemblages enabling correlation of the Middle and Upper Carboniferous deposits in the study region with the type sections of Moscow area and Donbass. Conodonts from the “sub-Triticites Beds” stratotype were studied for the first time. As is established, upper part of the Sukhov Fm. and the base of the Seleznev Fm. belong to the Protriticites pseudomontiparus-Obsoletes obsoletus Zone. Based on fusulinids, higher parts of the Seleznev Fm. belong to the Montiparus Zone of the Khamovnikian Substage, whereas conodonts suggest their correlation with lower part of the Khamovnikian Substage, i.e., with the Ratmirovo Fm. or a basal part of the Neverovo Fm. Middle part of the Seleznev Fm. is correlated to middle cycle of the Neverovo Fm. of the Khamovnikian Substage in Moscow area. The Middle-Upper Carboniferous boundary deposits of the Donskaya Luka are represented by deposits of extremely shallow-water settings and contain only sporadic microfauna. These sections cannot be considered as possible candidates for the GSSP of the Kasimovian Stage base.     

The lower boundary of the Adelaide system and older basement relationships in south Australia∗

The stratigraphical problem of defining the lower boundary of the Adelaide System is discussed in relation to the geology of several critical areas in the Adelaide Geosyncline and adjacent shelf‐platform.

The Precambrian stratigraphical succession and geological history is outlined with the aid of Rb/Sr age‐determinations made by Dr W. Compston of the Australian National University.

It is concluded that the lower boundary of the Adelaide System is related to the collapse of older basement positive areas on which a regional erosional surface had developed. This surface is defined by the Callanna Beds, the oldest deposits of Willouran age. Willouran sedimentation began some time between 1,340 m.y. and 1,490 m.y. ago. Erosion of the basement rocks probably occupied a major early part of this time interval.     

Nitrogen isotope chemostratigraphy across the Permian–Triassic boundary at Chaotian,Sichuan, South China

Nitrogen isotopic compositions of upper Permian to lowermost Triassic rocks were analyzed at Chaotian in northern Sichuan, South China, in order to clarify changes in the oceanic nitrogen cycle around the Permian–Triassic boundary (P–TB) including the entire Changhsingian (Late Late Permian) prior to the extinction. The analyzed ca. 40 m thick interval across the P–TB at Chaotian consists of three stratigraphic units: the upper Wujiaping Formation, the Dalong Formation, and the lowermost Feixianguan Formation, in ascending order. The upper Wujiaping Formation, ca. 10 m thick, is mainly composed of dark gray limestone with diverse shallow-marine fossils such as calcareous algae and brachiopods, deposited on the shallow shelf. In contrast, the overlying Dalong Formation, ca. 25 m thick, is mainly composed of thinly bedded black mudstone and siliceous mudstone containing abundant radiolarians, deposited on the relatively deep slope/basin. Absence of bioturbation, substantially high total organic carbon contents (up to 15%), and abundant occurrence of pyrite framboids in the main part of the Dalong Formation indicate deposition under anoxic condition. The lowermost Feixianguan Formation, ca. 5 m thick, is composed of thinly bedded gray marl and micritic limestone with minor fossils such as ammonoids and conodonts, deposited on the relatively shallow slope. δ¹⁵N_TN values are in positive values around +1 to +2‰ in the upper Wujiaping Formation implying denitrification and/or anammox in the ocean. δ¹⁵N_TN values gradually decrease to −1‰ in the lower Dalong Formation and are consistently low (around 0‰) in the middle Dalong to lowermost Feixianguan Formation. No clear δ¹⁵N_TN shift is recognized across the extinction horizon. The consistently low δ¹⁵N_TN values suggest the enhanced nitrogen fixation in the ocean during the Changhsingian at Chaotian. Composite profiles based on previous and the present studies demonstrate the substantial δ¹⁵N variation on a global scale in the late Permian to earliest Triassic; a systematic δ¹⁵N difference by low and high latitudes is particularly clarified. Although the enhanced nitrogen fixation throughout the Changhsingian at Chaotian was likely a regional event in northwestern South China, the composite δ¹⁵N profiles imply that the sea area in which fixed nitrogen is depleted has gradually developed worldwide in the Changhsingian, possibly acting as a prolonged stress to shallow-marine biota.     

Correlation of the Early Permian faunas of Gondwana : Implications for the Gondwanan Carboniferous‐Permian boundary

In an attempt to elucidate their ages, the often incomplete and poorly known early Permian marine faunas and sequences of India, Tibet, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Oman are compared with those of the Perth, Carnarvon and Canning Basins of Western Australia, where faunas are documented and in sequence, and stratigraphic relationships between units are clear. This comparison indicates that the faunas discussed are Latest Asselian or younger in age, and that most of the underlying glacial beds are probably Early Permian (Asselian) in age. By implication, the Permo‐Carboniferous boundary for Gondwana is considered to lie at or near the base of Unit II/Stage 2 and equivalent palynomorph zones throughout Gondwana.     

Effect of sand grain size and boundary condition on the swelling behavior of bentonite–sand mixtures

Deep geological repository is a favorable choice for the long-term disposal of nuclear wastes. Bentonite–sand mixtures have been proposed as the potential engineered barrier materials because of their suitable swelling properties and good ability to seal under hydrated repository conditions. To investigate the effects of sand grain size on the engineering performance of bentonite–sand mixtures, we prepare five types of bentonite–sand mixtures by mixing bentonite with sand of varying particle size ranges (0.075–0.25 mm, 0.25–0.5 mm, 0.5–1 mm, 1–2 mm and 2–5 mm, respectively). We carry out sequential oedometer tests under different simulated repository conditions, including constant vertical stress (CVS), constant stiffness (CS) and constant volume (CV) conditions. The microstructural heterogeneity and anisotropy of these soil mixtures are characterized through the quantitative analysis of micro-CT scanning results. Experimental results reveal that both sand grain size and boundary condition significantly influence the swelling of soil mixtures. Under three conditions, the temporal evolutions of swelling stress and strain follow similar trends that they increase faster at the beginning and gradually stabilize afterward. Comparing the ultimate values, swelling strains follow CVS?>?CS?>?CV, while swelling stresses follow CV?>?CS?>?CVS. Under CS boundary conditions, as the stiffness coefficient increases, the swelling pressure increases and the swelling strain decreases. CT results further indicate that mixtures with larger sand inclusions are more structurally heterogeneous and anisotropic, resulting in increased inter-particle friction and collision and a higher energy dissipation during the swelling process. Moreover, the non-uniform distribution of bentonite in local zones would be intensified, which plays an important role in compromising swelling behavior. Therefore, soil samples mixed with larger sand particles present a smaller swelling stress and strain values. This study may guide the choice of engineered barrier materials toward an improved design and assessment of geological repository facilities.

     

Paleoenvironments and geochemistry across a continuous Permian–Triassic boundary section at B?kk Mountains,Hungary

The Bálvány North Permian-Triassic boundary sediments were deposited on a carbonate platform in the tropical part of the western Paleo Tethys ocean.The overall elemental geochemistry of the detailed two-metre-thick section across the boundary that we studied shows that the clastic content of the sediments came from dominantly silica-rich continental sources though with some more silica-poor inputs in the uppermost Permian and lowest Triassic limestones as shown by Ni/Al and Nb/Ta ratios.These inputs bracket, but do not coincide with, the main extinctions and associated C, O and S changes.Increased aridity at the Permian-Triassic boundary with increased wind abrasion of suitable Ti-bearing heavy minerals accounts for both the high Ti/Al and Ti/Zr ratios.Various geochemical redox proxies suggest mainly oxic depositional conditions, with episodes of anoxia, but with little systematic variation across the Permian–Triassic extinction boundary.The lack of consistent element geochemical changes across the Permian-Triassic boundary occur not only in adjacent shallower-water marine sections, and in other marine sections along the SW Tethys margin such as the Salt Range sections in Pakistan, but also in deeper shelf and oceanic sections, and in non-marine African and European continental sediments.In the absence of significant changes in physical environments, chemical changes in the atmosphere and oceans,reflected in various isotopic changes, drove the Permian–Triassic extinctions.     

The Albian–Cenomanian boundary at Eggardon Hill,Dorset (England): an anomaly resolved?

Re-examination of the classic exposures of the Eggardon Grit (topmost Upper Greensand Formation) at Eggardon Hill, Dorset shows that the upper part of this unit has a more complex stratigraphy than has been previously recognised. The Eggardon Grit Member, as described herein, is capped by a hardground and associated conglomerate, and is entirely of Late Albian age. The hardground is probably the lateral equivalent of the Small Cove Hardground, which marks the top of the Upper Greensand succession in southeast Devon. The conglomerate is overlain by a thin sandy limestone containing Early Cenomanian ammonites. This limestone is almost certainly the horizon of the Early Cenomanian ammonite fauna that has previously been attributed to the top of the Eggardon Grit. The limestone is regarded as a thin lateral equivalent of the Beer Head Limestone Formation (formerly Cenomanian Limestone) exposed on the southeast Devon coast. The fauna of the limestone at Eggardon suggests that it is probably the age equivalent to the two lowest subdivisions of the Beer Head Limestone in southeast Devon, with a remanié fauna of the Pounds Pool Sandy Limestone Member combined with indigenous macrofossils of the Hooken Nodular Limestone Member. The next highest subdivision of the Beer Head Limestone in southeast Devon (Little Beach Bioclastic Limestone Member), equates with the ammonite-rich phosphatic conglomerate of the ‘Chalk Basement Bed’, which caps the Beer Head Limestone at Eggardon, and which was previously regarded as the base of the Chalk Group on Eggardon Hill.Petrographic analysis of the Eggardon Grit shows that lithologically it should more correctly be described as a sandy limestone rather than sandstone. The original stratigraphical definition of the unit should probably be modified to exclude the softer, nodular calcareous sandstones that have traditionally been included in the lower part of the member.Without the apparently clear evidence of unbroken sedimentation across the Albian–Cenomanian boundary, suggested by the previous interpretation of the Eggardon succession, it is harder to argue for this being a prevalent feature of Upper Greensand stratigraphy in southwest England. Correlation of the Eggardon succession with successions in Dorset and southeast Devon reveals a widespread regional break in sedimentation at the Albian–Cenomanian boundary. The sand-rich facies above this unconformity represent the true base of the Chalk Group, rather than the ‘Chalk Basement Bed’ of previous interpretations.Selected elements of regionally important Upper Greensand ammonite faunas previously reported from Shapwick Quarry, near Lyme Regis, and Babcombe Copse, near Newton Abbot, are newly figured herein.