Composite methodology for interpreting sediment transport pathways from spatial trends in grain size: A case study of the Lithuanian coast

To achieve a more robust interpretation of sediment conditions and transport based on grain size, this study combines the perspectives of two different interpretation techniques that have been developed separately and applied in the literature: (i) ‘grain size trend analysis’ interprets changes between interrelated sampling sites assuming that sediment in the direction of transport should become either coarser, better sorted and more positively skewed, or finer, better sorted and more negatively skewed; and (ii) the ‘population anomalies’ method, which estimates the balance between erosion and accumulation processes at each sampling site based on individual site deviations compared with average values for grain‐size parameters in the area of interest. The simultaneous use of both approaches enables sedimentological conditions and transport alternatives to be distinguished. This improvement is necessary because site‐specific changes and general textural trends provide information that complements the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective. The methods are implemented here using two‐dimensional Geographic Information System tools and illustrated for the Lithuanian coast. Grain‐size characteristics of 712 surface samples of sandy sediments are used to interpret sediment transport pathways and predominant sedimentological conditions in the Lithuanian coastal zone. In general, coast‐parallel sediment transport dominates the entire investigation area, although wave‐induced movement perpendicular to the coastline is inferred in the shallow nearshore zone. The deepest areas offshore are characterized by sea floor erosion in the north, whereas an accumulation zone occurs in the relatively deep central part of the study area.     

Sediment transport patterns determined from grain size parameters: Overview and state of the art

Grain size trends have been applied in many diverse sedimentary environments to determine sediment transport paths, generally coinciding with information from tracer studies, current measurements and the orientation of sedimentary structures. The different methods proposed to date are critically analysed and compared with reference to recent field studies. It is concluded that the two-dimensional methods produce comparable results and may in fact complement each other.In spite of the advances, several problems still exist, which include the sampling method and density, the choice of trend types, the relative weight of grain size parameters and the interpretation of results. These are discussed together with possible solutions.     

Distribution of grain size, clay mineralogy and organic matter of surface sediments from Tirumalairajanar Estuary, Tamilnadu, east coast of India

The aim of this study is to understand the various sources and factors controlling the abundance and distribution of clay minerals, sand, silt, clay and organic matter of the surface sediments of Tirumalairajanar Estuary in two different seasons. The study was undertaken for two seasons, based on ten selected stations all along the estuary, mouth and freshwater zone. Furthermore, along the estuary region, clay and silt were observed and also at few stations in the upstream end. Organic matters in the sediments appeared to be the main mechanisms for the distribution of clay minerals in estuary indicated that the distributions of clay minerals were comparatively higher during postmonsoon than in premonsoon season. The clay mineral assemblage consists mainly of chlorite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite and very scarce gibbsite. The clay from the sediments has been separated and studied for mineral identification using X-ray diffraction analysis. The present study also reveals that sediment texture is one of the main controlling factors for the distribution of organic matter.     

Spatial variations in grain size distribution and selected metal contents in the Xiamen Bay,China

The present work attempts to describe the spatial distribution of heavy metals in the surficial sediments of the Xiamen Bay influencing by the characters of the sediments. In this paper, the distribution of trace metals, as well as the main properties (i.e. grain size, TOC, AVS) based on surface sediments collected at 40 stations across the Xiamen Bay was done. The relation of the sediment properties to heavy metal concentrations was evaluated with Pearson’s correlation analysis. According to the grain size distribution, cluster analysis is used to classify the sampling stations into groups regarding the depositional environment. Basing on the data, the hydrodynamic feature and the contamination of surface sediment by selected metals were discussed. The results show that the distribution of various types of sediments and the variations of their concentrations of heavy metals are controlled largely by the hydrodynamic conditions. As for the surface sediments, Xiamen West Harbour shows a serious situation with Arsenic, Pb and Zn.     

渤海湾西岸CZ01钻孔沉积物粒度端元分析及其气候—海平面变化响应*

沧州地区位于海陆交互的渤海湾西岸,易受到海平面变化和极端气候事件的影响,对于全球气候变化的响应十分敏感。应用非参数化端元分析模型将沧州地区CZ01钻孔中更新世晚期以来的沉积物粒度划分出6个端元并分析其物源,结合已有地质记录,揭示不同时间尺度下各端元对气候—海平面变化的响应。结果表明: (1)EM1(5.01 μm)主要为远源的风尘输入,EM2(13.18 μm)和EM3(39.81 μm)为古黄河所携带的沉积物,EM4(69.18 μm)和EM5(138.04 μm)为海相沉积物,EM6(275.42 μm)可能指示古洪水等极端气候事件。(2)深海氧同位素(MIS)Ⅰ 阶段,气候温暖湿润,EM4+5含量指示渤海海平面整体呈波动上升的趋势并逐渐接近现代海平面。该阶段内由于11.5 ka BP左右的新仙女木事件以及5.1 ka BP左右冷干事件的发生,渤海海平面在稳定上升状态后出现停滞或小幅下降的现象; 而在9.5 ka BP、7.5 ka BP、5.8 ka BP和1.7 ka BP左右,东亚夏季风增强导致降水增加,渤海海平面升高。(3)MIS Ⅵ 阶段北半球气候冷干,150~132 ka BP左右因喜马拉雅运动减弱造成的区域沉降中心转移致使渤海海面升高。MIS Ⅴ 阶段气候波动剧烈: 在间冰期暖期(5a、5c和5e)气候暖湿,渤海海平面上升; 而MIS5b和5d时期渤海海面高度较低。MIS Ⅳ 阶段较MIS5a末期海平面突然下降后趋于稳定,期间出现若干次小规模海侵事件,可能与东亚夏季风频繁变化有关。MIS Ⅲ 阶段至末次冰盛期海平面大幅度下降且存在周期性升降变化,并在46 ka BP左右出现大规模海侵事件。MIS Ⅱ 阶段较MIS Ⅲ 阶段海平面出现小幅度下降,为低海平面时期; 伴随15 ka BP左右冰盛期的结束,东亚夏季风增强,海平面开始上升。渤海海平面180 ka BP以来的变化记录与北半球乃至全球范围内的地质记录存在一致性,与太阳辐射波动引起的冰川消融及东亚夏季风变化密切相关。     

Metals and grain size distributions in soil of the middle Rio Grande basin, Texas USA

 This paper deals with the problem of increased heavy metal constituents in agricultural soils due to the expanded use of fertilizers and elevated atmospheric deposition. It discusses the extent of contamination in soil and establishes an environmental monitoring program in the chosen area of concern in the southern coastal region of Texas. Grain size, pH, and metals (Cu, Cd, Zn, Pb, Ni, Ba, As, Cr, Mn, and Fe) were determined in soils of the middle Rio Grande basin. The soils were mainly of sand texture and alkaline in character. Fine sand constituted the major proportion of the soil, and clay and silt ranged from 8–30% of the soil. Correlations of metal concentrations to grain size and iron contents were performed. Metals, except Cd and Pb, gave positive to negative relationships with decreases in grain size. Silt gave no relationship with metal content while clay and silt had a positive relationship. All these metals had a positive correlation with iron in the soil. The results indicate metals are associated with coarse sand, clay, and iron hydroxides surfaces of the soil. The comparison of metal content in soil of the middle Rio Grande basin with metals from other areas of the world suggests that it is relatively uncontaminated. Received: 14 December 1998 · Accepted: 19 Jaunuary 1999     

A phenomenological numerical approach for investigating grain size evolution in ductiley deforming rocks

The sizes of recrystallised grains in exhumed ductile shear zones are often used to infer conditions of deformation (i.e. stress, strain rate and temperature). Here we present a simple numerical method of calculating the dynamic evolution of grain size during ductile deformation. Our phenomenological method is based on the fact that the dynamic competition between grain growth and recrystallisation will drive grains towards a steady-state size. At each time increment, grain growth and reduction contributions are calculated, with magnitudes which depend on the difference between the current grain size and a desired steady-state grain size. In our models we use a recrystallised grain size piezometer to calculate the steady-state grain size for a given stress. Our numerical routine is incorporated into the SULEC finite element package, allowing us to explore spatial and temporal changes in grain size.As a test, we compare model results to measured grain sizes in quartz layers thinned and recrystallised around rigid garnet porphyroclasts under simple shear dominated deformation in the Alpine Fault Zone of New Zealand. Numerical models are able to replicate observed grain size variations, with boundary conditions consistent with those constrained for the central Alpine Fault Zone.     

Sediments grain size and geo-chemical interpretation of three successive cutoff meanders of the Danube Delta,Romania

The paper presents the results of granulometric and geochemical analyses of the superficial bed sediments of the St. George branch, one of three Danube River distributaries. Three cutoff meander reaches (the Mahmudia, Dunavăţ de Sus (Upper Dunavăţ) and Dunavăţ de Jos (Lower Dunavăţ) meanders, noted here as M, DS and DJ meanders) was selected as an example to analyse the impact of the meanders rectification on the grain size and sediment quality. The cut-offs of the meanders by navigational canals since 1984–1988 caused dramatic changes in the distribution of velocities, discharge and sediment fluxes (Popa, 1997; Panin, 2003, Tiron and Provansal, 2010, Tiron Dutu et al., 2014). The correction of the studied meanders induced different hydro-sedimentary impacts: strong modifications by acceleration of the fluxes through the artificial canals combined with dramatically enhanced deposition in the former meander in two cases (Mahmudia and Dunavăţ de Jos meanders) and slight modifications in Dunavăţ de Sus meander, where the natural channel still keeps almost its initial conveyance capacity. Sediment samples were acquired throughout several cross-sections of both natural and artificial canals of the three rectified meanders, in order to investigate the bed sediment characteristics. Grain size parameters (such as Median, Standard deviation, Skewness) show the predominance of fine fraction (silt and medium/ fine sand), relatively good sorted depending of the sample location (on the natural course of the branch, on the rectification canals or the former meanders. The statistical analysis of chemical data evidenced a high compositional variability, with concentration variation coefficients ranging between 27.4% – Sr and 178.3% – TOC (Total Organic Carbon). Generally, the highest concentrations of terrigenic compounds appear in the samples collected from the rectified natural canals. These results are validated by comparison with aDcp measurements made on each investigated profile.     

Environmental geochemistry of Damodar River basin, east coast of India

 Water and bed sediment samples collected from the Damodar River and its tributaries were analysed to study elemental chemistry and suspended load characteristics of the river basin. Na and Ca are the dominant cations and HCO₃ is the dominant anion. The water chemistry of the Damodar River basin strongly reflects the dominance of continental weathering aided by atmospheric and anthropogenic activities in the catchment area. High concentrations of SO₄ and PO₄ at some sites indicate the mining and anthropogenic impact on water quality. The high concentration of dissolved silica, relatively high (Na+K)/TZ⁺ ratio (0.2–0.4) and low equivalent ratio of (Ca+Mg)/(Na+K) indicate that dissolved ions contribute significantly to the weathering of aluminosilicate minerals of crystalline rocks. The seasonal data show a minimum ionic concentration in the monsoon season, reflecting the influence of atmospheric precipitation on total dissolved solids contents. The suspended sediments show a positive correlation with discharge and both discharge and suspended load reach their maximum value during the monsoon season. Kaolinite is the mineral that is possibly in equilibrium with the water. This implies that the chemistry of the Damodar River water favours kaolinite formation. The concentration of heavy metals in the finer size fraction (<37 μ m) is significantly higher than the bulk composition. The geoaccumulation index values calculated for Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni and Cr are well below zero, suggesting that there is no pollution from these metals in Damodar River sediments. Received: 21 January 1998 · Accepted: 4 May 1998     

Wave-induced nearshore circulation along the Calangute-Candolim beach,Goa, west coast of India

The wave-induced nearshore circulation model suggested by Noda has been modified and applied for three small segments along the coast of Goa. The present model incorporates the prevailing bottom topography and considers its variation along with the radiation stress as the driving force for the circulation. We find that the flow pattern is strongly dependent on bottom topography. While normal incidence of waves results in a cellular pattern of flow, meandering flows prevail for oblique incidence along the coast. The shoreward flows are always located over shoals while the rip currents prevail over channels. The onshore/offshore flows show magnitudes as high as 3·1 m/s, while those alongshore reach a maximum of 1·1 m/s. When compared with field observations these values are slightly higher.     

Coupled changes in sand grain size and sand transport driven by changes in the upstream supply of sand in the Colorado River: Relative importance of changes in bed-sand grain size and bed-sand area

Sand transport in the Colorado River in Marble and Grand canyons was naturally limited by the upstream supply of sand. Prior to the 1963 closure of Glen Canyon Dam, the river exhibited the following four effects of sand supply limitation: (1) hysteresis in sediment concentration, (2) hysteresis in sediment grain size coupled to the hysteresis in sediment concentration, (3) production of inversely graded flood deposits, and (4) development or modification of a lag between the time of a flood peak and the time of either maximum or minimum (depending on reach geometry) bed elevation. Construction and operation of the dam has enhanced the degree to which the first two of these four effects are evident, and has not affected the degree to which the last two effects of sand supply limitation are evident in the Colorado River in Marble and Grand canyons. The first three of the effects involve coupled changes in suspended-sand concentration and grain size that are controlled by changes in the upstream supply of sand. During tributary floods, sand on the bed of the Colorado River fines; this causes the suspended sand to fine and the suspended-sand concentration to increase, even when the discharge of water remains constant. Subsequently, the bed is winnowed of finer sand, the suspended sand coarsens, and the suspended-sand concentration decreases independently of discharge. Also associated with these changes in sand supply are changes in the fraction of the bed that is covered by sand. Thus, suspended-sand concentration in the Colorado River is likely regulated by both changes in the bed-sand grain size and changes in the bed-sand area. A physically based flow and suspended-sediment transport model is developed, tested, and applied to data from the Colorado River to evaluate the relative importance of changes in the bed-sand grain size and changes in the bed-sand area in regulating suspended-sand concentration. Although the model was developed using approximations for steady, uniform flow, and other simplifications that are not met in the Colorado River, the results nevertheless support the idea that changes in bed-sand grain size are much more important than changes in bed-sand area in regulating the concentration of suspended sand.     

Influence of sediment grain size and mineralogy on testate amoebae test construction

Testate amoebae are increasingly used for environmental monitoring as well as paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Paleoecological interpretations of testate amoebae assemblages depend on the understanding of the ecological processes operating today. We then ask the question of the link between testate structure and its environment. This study analyses both the grain size and mineralogical assemblage of tests of common species belonging to the genus Centropyxis and Difflugia. It is concluded that grain size is a limiting factor for test construction, whereas mineral composition is not. Hence, when analyzing agglutinated testate amoebae for paleoenvironmental reconstructions, it should be taken into account the mean grain size of the sediment. A non-appropriate grain-size probably inhibits the development of a testate amoebae specific assemblage.     

四川盆地震旦系裂陷槽内丘滩体研究及其地质意义

四川盆地德阳—安岳裂陷槽的突破,带来了我国单体储量规模最大的安岳气田的发现,随后的研究把该裂陷槽作为主要的生烃中心,其作用主要体现在对烃源岩的贡献上。随着勘探的深入及深层资料品质的提高,在槽内灯影组顶部发现了明显的加厚反射特征存在,结合区域构造演化、地震反射特征、沉积演化等研究,证实了灯影组槽内颗粒丘滩体的存在,创建了震旦系灯影组裂陷槽内颗粒滩沉积新模式,明确了优质储层的形成机制,预测了分布范围,该新目标的发现和落实拓宽了勘探方向,是安岳主体成果向南拓展的重要补充。     

Depositional features in tourist beaches of Chennai Metropolis,SE coast of India: Inferences from grain size studies

The present study was undertaken to examine the depositional and transportation pattern in the tourist beaches of Chennai in SE coast of India. Twenty four samples were analyzed for textural parameters, Linear discriminate function (LDF), C-M plots and heavy/light minerals from beach, berm and dune regions. Results of textural parameters indicate that they are coarse grained in the three regions. Majority of the samples indicate that they are moderately well sorted, symmetrically skewed and leptokurtic. The LDF analysis allowed in identifying areas that are characterized by: (1) beach, (2) shallow agitated environment and (3) fluvial deposits. C-M plots indicate that the sediments in the beaches were deposited from the near shore environment. Heavy mineral analysis suggests that the heavy and light minerals were in the range of 0.5 to 16.9% and 82.08 to 98.14% and the light/dark layers are controlled by the prevailing tidal conditions in the coastal region. It is observed that sand is accumulating from the shallow agitated environment, while the transportation and deposition of sediments is mainly due to the interaction of tidal activities at the same time. C-M plots suggest that the sediments fall in the graded suspension and the saltation activities in the region also facilitate to understand the hydrodynamics of the region suggesting that they are deposited by high-energy activities.     

An extension of the Saltykov method to quantify 3D grain size distributions in mylonites

The estimation of 3D grain size distributions (GSDs) in mylonites is key to understanding the rheological properties of crystalline aggregates and to constraining dynamic recrystallization models. This paper investigates whether a common stereological method, the Saltykov method, is appropriate for the study of GSDs in mylonites. In addition, we present a new stereological method, named the two-step method, which estimates a lognormal probability density function describing the 3D GSD. Both methods are tested for reproducibility and accuracy using natural and synthetic data sets. The main conclusion is that both methods are accurate and simple enough to be systematically used in recrystallized aggregates with near-equant grains. The Saltykov method is particularly suitable for estimating the volume percentage of particular grain-size fractions with an absolute uncertainty of ±5 in the estimates. The two-step method is suitable for quantifying the shape of the actual 3D GSD in recrystallized rocks using a single value, the multiplicative standard deviation (MSD) parameter, and providing a precision in the estimate typically better than 5%. The novel method provides a MSD value in recrystallized quartz that differs from previous estimates based on apparent 2D GSDs, highlighting the inconvenience of using apparent GSDs for such tasks.     

Estimation of surface iron oxide abundance with suppression of grain size and topography effects

Mineral forms of iron oxide, such as hematite, goethite and jarosite, are important because they are widely distributed at the Earth’s surface and because they are used as indicators for mineral exploration. Iron oxide abundance in rocks containing these minerals can be estimated from the absorption depth at wavelengths of around 900 nm in a reflectance spectrum, but this depth is also affected by extraneous factors such as grain size and topography. This paper investigated the effect of grain size on reflectance spectra and proposed a method for estimating iron oxide abundance in surface rocks by using remotely sensed data with suppression of the effects of grain size and topography. Reflectance spectra were measured in a laboratory from rock powder samples of different grain sizes containing iron oxide minerals. While the reflectance increased with decreasing grain size, the presence of ferric iron caused the absorption depth to be almost constant at around 900 nm, irrespective of the chemical composition of the sample. In addition, the difference between the reflectance at 550 nm and 760 nm (Slope) was a function of grain size. Iron oxide abundance can be estimated accurately by MCR-900D, which is the maximum absorption depth at the absorption center after the effect of grain size and topography was suppressed by Slope and the continuum-removal method, which takes the ratio between the original spectrum and its continuum, respectively. Correlation of MCR-900D results with datasets of actual spectral and chemical iron oxide laboratory measurements revealed that the mineral forms also need to be considered. MCR-900D results were significantly correlated with rock samples classified as containing different forms of iron oxide minerals (hematite, goethite and jarosite). Finally, MCR-900D was applied to an AVIRIS dataset for the Cuprite site in Nevada, USA. The results represented the enrichment zones of iron oxide within hydrothermally altered areas.     

The effect of grain size on the Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd speciation and distribution in sediments: a case study of Dongping Lake, China

This paper examines the surface sediments collected from Dongping Lake in China for speciation and distribution of toxic heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd) in different grain size fractions, and for the factors that need to be considered in potential hazard of metals to the environment. Four grain size fractions (<63, 63–78, 78–163 and 163–280 μm), divided in wet condition, and bulk samples less than 280 μm in diameter were analyzed for their distribution, density and appearance. A three-stage extraction procedure following the BCR protocol was used to chemically fractionate metals into “acid soluble”, “reducible”, “oxidizable” and “residual” fractions. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the datasets. The results showed that <63 μm grain size part constitutes the major proportion of the sediments, but its density is the smallest among the four grain size fractions. In general, the metal content curve against grain size presents “S” distribution, and the highest concentrations do not exist in <63 μm grain size. Appearance observation indicates that the adsorbed substance increases gradually along with the decreasing grain size. The dominant speciation of elements and the extent of pollution are responsible for the metal distribution in different grain size sediments. While studying bioavailability and mobilization of metals, it is advisable to take metal speciation, grain size distribution and density into consideration.     

Wind waves and sediment transport regime off the south-central Kerala coast,India

Wind waves in the innershelf of the south-central Kerala coast, south-west India were measured at four locations during different seasons. Simultaneously, numerical models were developed to simulate the wave and sediment transport regime of the innershelf. Strong monsoonal influence is seen in the wave characteristics with greater amplitudes, lower periods and switch-over from SW to SWW–W direction. The net annual longshore sediment transport is southerly in the innershelf and northerly in the surf zone. These counter-directional transports are linked by seasonally reversing the cross-shore transports. In the locations where the transports in the longshore and cross-shore directions are balanced, stable beaches prevail. Erosion/accretion tendency prevails in locations where these transports are not balanced. The southern and northern parts of the coast where onshore transports are predominant could be accreting zones. The erosion/accretion pattern deduced from the sediment transport model corresponds well with the long-term erosion/accretion trend for this coast.