Recent, arctic deltaic sedimentation: Olivier Islands, Mackenzie Delta, North-west Territories, Canada

Despite a low tidal range and relatively low wave conditions, the Mackenzie Delta is not prograding seaward but rather is undergoing transgressive shoreface erosion and drowning of distributary channel mouths. In the Olivier Islands region of the Mackenzie Delta the resultant morphology consists of a network of primary and secondary channels separated by vegetated islands. New ground is formed through channel infilling and landward-directed bar accretion. This sedimentation is characterized by seven sedimentary facies: (1) hard, cohesive silty clay at the base of primary channels which may be related to earlier, offshore deposition; (2) ripple laminated sand beds, believed to be channel-fill deposits; (3) ripple laminated sand and silt, interpreted as flood-stage subaqueous bar deposits; (4) ripple laminated or wavy bedded sand, silt and clay, representing the abandonment phase of channel-fill deposits and lateral subaqueous bar deposition from suspension settling; (5) a well sorted very fine sand bed, presumed to result from a single storm event; (6) parallel or wavy beds of rooted silt, sand and clay, interpreted as lower energy emergent bar deposits; and (7) parallel or wavy beds of rooted silt and clay, believed to represent present-day subaerial bar aggradation. The distribution of sedimentary facies can be interpreted in terms of the morphological evolution of the study area. Initial bar deposition of facies 3 and channel deposition of facies 2 was followed by lateral and upstream bar sedimentation of facies 3 and 4 which culminated with the deposition of the storm bed of facies 5. Facies 6 and 7 signify bar stabilization and abandonment. Patterned ground formed by thermal contraction and preserved in sediments as small, v-shaped sand wedges provides the most direct sedimentological indicator of the arctic climate. However, winter ice and permafrost also govern the stratigraphic development of interchannel and channel-mouth deposits. Ice cover confines flow at primary channel mouths, promoting the bypassing of sediments across the delta front during peak discharge in the spring. Permafrost minimizes consolidation subsidence and accommodation in the nearshore, further enhancing sediment bypass. Storms limit the seaward extent of bar development and promote a distinctive pattern of upstream and lateral island growth. The effects of these controls are reflected in the vertical distribution of facies in the Olivier Islands. The sedimentary succession differs markedly from that of a low-latitude delta.     

Sedimentology and architecture of the Douglas Creek terminal splay,Lake Eyre,central Australia

Douglas Creek terminal splay, sited on the western shoreline of Lake Eyre North, central Australia, covers a surface area of approximately 4 km² with a down‐system length of 2·5 km from the distributary channels terminus to the splay fringe. Two distributary channels feed two sediment lobes which have amalgamated to form the terminal splay. Three primary facies associations have been identified sub‐dividing the creek terminus into distributary channel, proximal and distal splay sections. Proximal splay sediments are characterized by erosionally based, relatively thick (> 100 mm), stacked sheets of coarse to medium sand which commonly display trough and planar cross‐bedding, whereas the distal splay is characterized by thin (generally < 50 mm) massive beds of very fine sand, silt and clay. The change in splay sedimentology is interpreted as reflecting the transition from bedload‐dominated deposition to suspended load‐dominated deposition from decelerating sheetfloods as they spread out from the channel onto the dry lake bed. A proximal to distal splay transition zone is also noted where deposits of both facies associations interfinger laterally and vertically. In scale, geometry and facies associations, the Douglas Creek terminal splay is very different to the often cited Neales terminal splay complex located 70 km to the north. It is suggested that these architectural differences reflect variations in discharge volume, input sediment distribution and the degree of vegetation cover. Understanding the variation in terminal splay architecture has very significant implications for the modelling of analogous subsurface petroleum systems, which at present relies on few modern‐day analogues.     

Tectonic setting and sedimentology of Ganga River sediments, India

The Ganga basin provides a present-day example of a peripheral foreland basin. The course of the river is controlled by Himalayan tectonics. Three main types of architectural elements, such as channels (CH), sandy bedforms (SB) and overbank fines (OF) have been developed in Ganga River sediments. The channels (CH) include gravelly (Gs) and sandy channel (Ss) lithofacies. The sandy bedforms (SB) include trough cross-stratified (St), planar cross-stratified (Sp), horizontal stratified (Sh), sandy massive (Sm) and climbing ripple cross-laminated (Sr) lithofacies, all of which are active channel deposits. The overbank fines (OF) include massive silt and clay (Fm), parallel laminated silt and clay (FI) and climbing ripple cross-laminated (Sr) lithofacies. Mega units have been developed in the lower part of the active channel deposits, while small units have been developed in the upper part of active channel deposits, in inactive channel deposits and overbank fines. This study illustrates the seasonal and tectonic control on sedimentation. Petrofacies studies of the sediments indicate a recycled orogen provenance. The sediments are derived from rapidly uplifted fault blocks comprising granite, gneiss and basic and ultrabasic rocks. Lack of textural and compositional maturity suggests a local source of derivation. The principal control on sand composition is source lithology. The hot and humid climate may slightly increase the content of quartz in sand derived from reworked foreland basin sediments. but the effect is neither sufficient to shift the sand compositions out of the recycled orogen field nor does it obscure composition mixing patterns.     

Glacial lake sedimentation, Austerdalsisen, Norway

Sediments deposited in a lake at the front of a glacier in the Svartisen area, Norway, have been studied between 1957 and 1974. Until 1959, they were almost completely covered by an outwash plain (sandur), but subsequent erosion has exposed glacial lake sediments more than 70 m deep within a rock basin about 2·5 km long and 1 km wide. The basin was filled by sand and silt carried from beneath the glacier Austerdalsisen by two rivers, each of which deposited a delta in the lake. As the deltas advanced, laminated pro-delta silt was covered by crossbeds of fine sand and silt, and by near-horizontal sheets of fine sediments laid down between the delta-fronts and the distal end of the rock basin. Although both slumping and loading caused minor disturbance of sediments at the lake floor, deformation was of local significance only. Movement of a mass of sediment across the floor, probably triggered by a ‘seismic event’ related to movement of the glacier or to calving at the floating tongue, created a recumbent fold in laminated sand and silt, but transfer of sediment over the lake bed was rare once it had been deposited. Varves are not common at Austerdalsisen, indicating that water temperature, lake chemistry or variations of water and sediment discharge from the glacier were unfavourable for their formation; rhythmic deposition from density flows of sediments carried from beneath the glacier rarely occurred within the Austerdalsisen basin.     

Alluvial deposits of a mud-dominated stream: the Red River, Manitoba, Canada

Abstract The Red River, Manitoba, is a mud‐dominated, meandering stream that occupies a shallow valley eroded into a clay plain. The valley‐bottom alluvium is the product of incision and lateral migration of river meanders. As revealed by a transect of five boreholes located across the floodplain at each of two successive river meanders, the alluvial deposits range from about 15 to 22 m thick and are composed primarily of silt. Sedimentary structures in the cores are weakly defined and consist mostly of beds of massive silt, thick (>0·4 m) massive silt and disturbed silt. Interlaminated sand and silt, and sand beds form relatively minor deposits, principally within the lower half of the alluvium, and thin beds of medium‐coarse sand and pea gravel can be present locally within the lower metre of the alluvium. The alluvium is interpreted to consist of overbank deposits from 0 to 2–3 m depth, oblique accretion deposits from 2–3 to 8–12 m depth and oblique accretion and/or channel deposits from 8–12 m to the base of the sequence. The massive bedding within the oblique accretion deposits is interpreted to represent the remnants of couplet deposits that were initially composed of interbedded, muddy silt and sand‐sized silt aggregates, as is consistent with the contemporary bank sedimentation. The post‐depositional disintegration and/or compaction of the aggregates has caused the loss of the sand‐sized texture. The disturbed silt beds are interpreted as slump structures caused by large‐scale rotational failures along the convex banks. Overall, the Red River represents a portion of a continuum of muddy, fine‐grained streams; where the alluvium lacks a distinct coarse unit, oblique accretion deposits form a majority of the floodplain, and large‐scale slump features are present.     

渤海中部表层沉积物分布特征与粒度分区

为了解渤海中部海区表层沉积物分布特征与物质来源和水动力环境的关系,高密度采集了海区1448个表层沉积物样品,并进行粒度参数的相关分析。结果表明,研究区表层沉积物类型主要有砾石、砂质砾、砾质砂、砂、粉砂质砂、砂质粉砂、粉砂、黏土质粉砂、砂-粉砂-黏土和粉砂质黏土10种类型。海区中分布范围最广泛的是粉砂质砂和黏土质粉砂,而砾石和粉砂的分布范围相对较小。海区主要由老铁山水道、冲刷槽砂砾区、渤中砂质浅滩和辽东砂质浅滩、渤中粉砂质平原、渤海湾黏土层粉砂三角洲平原和渤西滨岸倾斜砂质平原五个沉积物粒度分区。主导海区沉积物分布模式的动力机制是进入渤海的黄海暖流余脉形成的渤海环流,另外,渤海海峡强潮流、辽东湾环流和莱州湾环流也是控制区域表层沉积物的重要动力因素。这些动力驱动因素促成了渤海物质与黄海物质之间“北进南出”的交换模式。     

Turbidites and iron formations, Beardmore-Geraldton, Ontario: application of a combined ramp/fan model to Archaean clastic and chemical sedimentation

Sandy turbidites, grain flows, conglomeratic mass-flows and oxide-facies iron formation are present in the late Archaean Beardmore-Geraldton terrain, a metasedimentary belt which extends for at least 80 km in an E-W direction. The marine portion of this basin contains four lithofacies associations (LA): (1) Thinbedded, iron formation-clastic sediment association. This association represents a continuum of deposit types containing iron formation; subtypes are defined on the basis of bedding attributes and the proportion of iron formation to sand/silt. (2) Thin-bedded, turbidite-dominated association. These sediments consist mostly of silt/sand beds which either show no vertical trends, or thin and fine upwards over a few metres. (3) Medium-bedded, turbidite-dominated association. Most of these sediments are medium to coarsegrained, vertically unstructured sand sequences with occasional structured intervals. (4) Thick-bedded association. This is dominated by poorly graded sands up to 7–8 m in thickness. Sand beds are characterised by a thin basal zone of coarse sand and pebbles, a large central interval containing a mixture of medium and coarse sand, and a thin upper zone of fine sand/silt. The overall depositional system was initiated by transport of sediment by braided streams to the strand area where it accumulated in distributary mouth bars. We infer a nearshore break in slope, locally with large channels (LA 4) extending from close to the strand line across deltaic surfaces to the deeper portions of submarine fans (structured portions of LA 3). However, many deltaic surfaces probably were not tapped by major channels, but merged downslope into a submarine ramp. Sediment was transported across the ramp by slump events and sheet-like grain flows (unstructured portions of LA 3). Iron formation and LA 2 sediments probably accumulated both in upper-mid ramp areas with low sediment delivery rates, and distal to fan-ramp successions. As major streams on the braid plain changed position, associated submarine channels and slump-fed ramp deposits also would have shifted laterally. This produced overlap of different facies associations in both the fan and ramp environments, which may explain why observed vertical trends in bedding are limited to several metres. We suggest that on narrow, active Archaean cratonic margins, additional non-regular processes such as variations in sediment supply related to periods of heightened pyroclastic activity, and seismic activity associated with the arc, also contributed to the lack of vertically structured sequences. Turbidite sequences in such environments in general may contain important contributions from both submarine ramp and submarine fan sedimentation.     

雷州半岛红树林湿地表层沉积物粒度分布特征

对采自雷州半岛8个红树林湿地典型分布区的37个表层沉积物样品进行粒度分析,结果显示:(1)研究区表层沉积物粒度组成粉砂含量最高,占52. 9%;其次为砂,占27. 8%;黏土含量最低,占19. 3%。(2)研究区表层沉积物有砂质粉砂、黏土质粉砂、砂和粉砂质砂4种类型,其中砂质粉砂和黏土质粉砂主要分布在南山、高桥和观海长廊等地,砂和粉砂质砂主要分布在特呈岛、企水等地。(3)研究区沉积物平均粒径为5. 7,沉积物颗粒整体偏细;分选系数平均值为1. 90,分选较差;偏态平均值为-0. 14,为负偏;峰态平均为1. 07,峰态等级为中等。(4)通过系统聚类分析方法将研究区沉积环境分为三种类型,不同沉积环境水动力条件和环境特征差异明显。(5)沉积物砂粒含量与有机质含量、盐度呈极显著的负相关关系,与p H值呈正相关;粉砂含量与有机质含量、盐度呈极显著正相关,与p H值呈负相关;黏土含量与有机质含量、盐度正呈相关,与p H值则呈负相关。     

The alluvial architecture of a suspended sediment dominated meandering river: the Río Bermejo,Argentina

The alluvial architecture of fine‐grained (silt‐bed) meandering rivers remains poorly understood in comparison to the extensive study given to sand‐bed and gravel‐bed channels. This paucity of knowledge stems, in part, from the difficulty of studying such modern rivers and deriving analogue information from which to inform facies models for ancient sediments. This paper employs a new technique, the parametric echosounder, to quantify the subsurface structure of the Río Bermejo, Argentina, which is a predominantly silt‐bed river with a large suspended sediment load. These results show that the parametric echosounder can provide high‐resolution (decimetre) subsurface imaging from fine‐grained rivers that is equivalent to the more commonly used ground‐penetrating radar that has been shown to work well in coarser‐grained rivers. Analysis of the data reveals that the alluvial architecture of the Río Bermejo is characterized by large‐scale inclined heterolithic stratification generated by point‐bar evolution, and associated large‐scale scour surfaces that result from channel migration. The small‐scale and medium‐scale structure of the sedimentary architecture is generated by vertical accretion deposits, bed sets associated with small bars, dunes and climbing ripples and the cut and fill from small cross‐bar channels. This style of alluvial architecture is very different from other modern fine‐grained rivers reported in the literature that emphasize the presence of oblique accretion. The Río Bermejo differs from these other rivers because it is much more active, with very high rates of bank erosion and channel migration. Modern examples of this type of highly active fine‐grained river have been reported rarely in the literature, although ancient examples are more prevalent and show similarities with the alluvial architecture of the Río Bermejo, which thus represents a useful analogue for their identification and interpretation. Although the full spectrum of the sedimentology of fine‐grained rivers has yet to be revealed, meandering rivers dominated by lateral or oblique accretion probably represent end members of such channels, with the specific style of sedimentation being controlled by grain size and sediment load characteristics.     

内蒙古东部两大沙地土壤理化特性沙漠化演变规律的比较

为了了解不同地带沙地土壤理化特性沙漠化演变规律的差异及其机制,研究比较了科尔沁沙地和呼伦贝尔沙地土壤理化特性的沙漠化演变特征,得到以下结论:沙漠化过程中,2个沙地的土壤黏粉粒含量均大幅度下降,沙粒含量明显增加,但科尔沁沙地土壤机械组成的变化幅度要大于呼伦贝尔沙地,而且前者黏粉粒主要释放期早于后者;科尔沁沙地土壤温度趋于...     

Avulsions, channel evolution and floodplain sedimentation rates of the anastomosing upper Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada

Ages of channels of the anastomosing upper Columbia River, south‐eastern British Columbia, Canada, were investigated in a cross‐valley transect by ¹⁴C dating of subsurface floodplain organic material from beneath levees. The avulsion history within the transect was deduced from these data, and morphological stages in channel development were recognized. Additionally, floodplain sedimentation rates were established. The new data demonstrate that the upper Columbia River is a long‐lived, dynamic anastomosing system. Results show that anastomosis at the study location has persisted since at least 2700 cal. years BP, with avulsions occurring frequently. At least nine channels have formed in the studied cross‐valley transect within the past 3000 years. Channel lifetimes from formation to abandonment appear to be highly variable, ranging from approximately 800 to 3000 years. Log jams provoking avulsions and/or silting up of old channels are proposed as reasons for this variability. Long‐term average floodplain sedimentation rates appear to be significantly lower than previously proposed by Smith (1983, Int. Assoc. Sedimentol. Spec. Publ., 6, 155–168). A long‐term (4550 years) average of 1·75 mm year^?1 (after compaction) was based on ¹⁴C dates, while a short‐term sedimentation rate of 0·8 mm was determined for a single, relatively small, seasonal flood in 1994 using sediment traps. However, short‐term sedimentation rates vary considerably over the floodplain, with levees aggrading up to four times faster than floodbasins. Channels of the upper Columbia River anastomosed reach follow a consistent pattern in their development, with each stage being characterized by different morphology and processes. Channel evolution comprises the following succession: (1) avulsion stage, in which a crevasse splay channel deepens by scour and levee sedimentation; (2) widening and deepening stage, in which bank slumping and bed scouring dominates; (3) infilling stage, in which either channel narrowing (bank accretion) or channel shallowing (bed accretion) takes place; and (4) abandonment stage, in which the residual (remnant) channel is filled exclusively by silt, clay and organic material. Vertical stacking (super‐ imposition) of active channels on recent channel‐fill sand bodies is a notable feature of the upper Columbia River, which suggests that reoccupation of residual channels is a common process.     

上海市近岸海域表层沉积物类型与元素丰度相关关系特征

通过上海市近岸海域多目标区域地球化学调查,共采集947件表层沉积物样品,分析测试了52种化学元素以及pH值和有机碳等指标。总结了该区域表层沉积物及深层沉积物类型和分布特征,沉积物类型主要为细砂、粉砂质砂、砂质粉砂、粉砂、粘土质粉砂,其中粘土质粉砂分布最为广泛。元素含量与砂含量呈正相关的元素主要为SiO2、Sr、Na2O等。其它指标大都与粘土含量呈正相关关系。     

Deep-water sediment wave fields, bottom current sand channels and gravity flow channel-lobe systems: Gulf of Cadiz, NE Atlantic

Abstract A study of the seafloor of the Gulf of Cadiz west of the Strait of Gibraltar, using an integrated geophysical and sedimentological data set, gives new insights into sediment deposition from downslope thermohaline bottom currents. In this area, the Mediterranean Outflow (MO) begins to mix with North Atlantic waters and separates into alongslope geostrophic and downslope ageostrophic components. Changes in bedform morphology across the study area indicate a decrease in the peak velocity of the MO from >1 m s^?1 to <0·5 m s^?1. The associated sediment waves form a continuum from sand waves to muddy sand waves to mud waves. A series of downslope‐oriented channels, formed by the MO, are found where the MO starts to descend the continental slope at a water depth of ≈700 m. These channels are up to 40 km long, have gradients of <0·5°, a fairly constant width of ≈2 km and a depth of ≈75 m. Sand waves move down the channels that have mud wave‐covered levees similar to those seen in turbidite channel–levee systems, although the channel size and levee thickness do not decrease downslope as in typical turbidite channel systems. The channels terminate abruptly where the MO lifts off the seafloor. Gravity flow channels with lobes on the basin floor exist downslope from several of the bottom current channels. Each gravity flow system has a narrow, slightly sinuous channel, up to 20 m deep, feeding a depositional lobe up to 7 km long. Cores from the lobes recovered up to 8·5 m of massive, well‐sorted, fine sand, with occasional mud clasts. This work provides an insight into the complex facies patterns associated with strong bottom currents and highlights key differences between bottom current and gravity flow channel–levee systems. The distribution of sand within these systems is of particular interest, with applications in understanding the architecture of hydrocarbon reservoirs formed in continental slope settings.     

Late Quaternary palaeoenvironment of northern Guatemala: evidence from deep drill cores and seismic stratigraphy of Lake Petén Itzá

Long sediment cores were collected in spring 2006 from Lake Petén Itzá, northern Guatemala, in water depths ranging from 30 to 150 m, as part of an International Continental Scientific Drilling Program project. The sediment records from deep water consist mainly of alternating clay, gypsum and carbonate units and, in at least two drill sites, extend back >200 kyr. Most of the lithostratigraphic units are traceable throughout the basin along seismic reflections that serve as seismic stratigraphic boundaries and suggest that the lithostratigraphy can be used to infer regional palaeoenvironmental changes. A revised seismic stratigraphy was established on the basis of integrated lithological and seismic reflection data from the basin. From ca 200 to ca 85 ka, sediments are dominated by carbonate‐clay silt, often interbedded with sandy turbidites, indicating a sediment regime dominated by detrital sedimentation in a relatively humid climate. At ca 85 ka, an exposure horizon consisting of gravels, coarse sand and terrestrial gastropods marks a lake lowstand or partial basin desiccation, indicating dry climate conditions. From ca 85 to ca 48 ka, transgressive carbonate‐clay sediments, overlain by deep‐water clays, suggest a lake level rise and subsequent stabilization at high stage. From ca 48 ka to present, the lithology is characterized by alternating clay and gypsum units. Gypsum deposition correlates with Heinrich Events (i.e. dry climate), whereas clay units coincide with more humid interstadials.     

Geomorphic evolution and stratigraphy of Price and Capers Inlets, South Carolina

A three-dimensional model for a tidal inlet-barrier island depositional system was constructed through examination of 37 vibracores and 10 auger drill holes on Capers and Dewees Islands, South Carolina. Two cycles of southerly inlet migration and subsequent abandonment resulted in beach ridge truncation on the northern ends of both barriers. Historical evidence indicates that these tidal inlets migrated 1.5 km to the south owing to a dominant north-south longshore transport direction. The hydraulic inefficiency of these over-extended inlet channels caused shorter, more northerly-oriented channels to breach through the ebbtidal deltas. After inlet reorientation, large wave-formed swash bars migrated landward closing former inlet channels. Weakened tidal currents through the abandoned channels permitted clay plugs to form thick impermeable seals over active channel-fill sand and shell. Price and Capers Inlets formed during the onset of the Holocene transgression following submergence of the ancestral Plio-Pleistocene Santee River drainage system. Coarse, poorly sorted inlet-deposited sand disconformably overlies Pleistocene estuarine clay and is capped by a dense clay plug. Shoreline reorientation and landward retreat of a primary barrier island chain occurred between the first and second cycles of inlet-channel migration and abandonment. Beach ridges prograded seaward over the first inlet sequence. A second cycle of inlet migration truncated the northernmost portion of these beach ridges and scoured into the clay plug of the earlier inlet deposit. Abandonment of this channel resulted in deposition of a second abandoned inlet-channel clay plug. Abandoned tidal inlet channels exhibit U-shaped strike and crescentic- to wedge-shaped dip geometries. Basal, poorly sorted inlet sands are sealed beneath impermeable, abandoned-channel silt and clay, washover deposits, and salt marsh. Multiple episodes of inlet migration and abandonment during a rising sea-level deposited stacked inlet-fill sequences within the barrier islands. The resultant stratigraphy consists of interlayered, fining-upward, active inlet-fill sand overlain by thicker abandoned inlet-fill clay plugs. These clay plugs form impermeable zones between adjacent barrier island sand bodies. Shoreline transgression would remove the uppermost barrier island deposits, sealing the inlet-fill sequences between Pleistocene estuarine clay and shoreface to shelf silt and clay.     

白洋淀漕河全新世早期古洪水事件的沉积特征及气候背景

古洪水沉积物是研究地史时期极端降水事件和古环境演化的重要载体。基于地质记录开展古洪水重建研究,可以为揭示区域洪水历史过程及机制提供依据,对水资源利用和工程建设等具有重要的现实意义。本文以漕河古河道北岸出露较好的李迪城村剖面为研究对象,综合地层序列、野外沉积特征、沉积构造及沉积物粒度分析,对白洋淀地区漕河古河道沉积记录的古洪水事件进行了识别,发现该剖面具有以下主要特征:古洪水沉积层与下伏地层存在明显的冲刷侵蚀面,沉积体形态呈透镜状,由泥砾、炭屑、双壳类及灰黑色粉细砂混杂组成,发育中小型交错层理;洪水沉积物粒度指标(中值粒径、砂含量、黏土/粉砂值及Q90)表现为高值,以细砂为优势组分,含混杂的粉砂及少量黏土,分选较差;古洪水沉积层中古树与双壳类集中埋藏,呈定向排列,其指示的方向与遥感影像揭示的古河道方向一致。通过该剖面沉积特征及地层AMS ¹⁴C年代分析,确定漕河在全新世早期约10.8~9.6 ka BP发生了4期古洪水事件,这4期古洪水事件可以与该时期华北地区其它古洪水事件进行对比。当时正值全新世早期,东亚夏季风增强,为气温和降水频繁波动上升时期,据此推断白洋淀地区全新世早期的古洪水事件是当时气候背景下的产物。     

Holocene drainage systems of the English Fenland: roddons and their environmental significance

The roddons of the English Fenlands are fossilised silt and sand-filled tidal creek systems of mid- to late-Holocene age, incised into contemporaneous clay deposits. However, anthropogenic change (drainage and agriculture) has caused the former channels to become positive topographical features. Three stratigraphically discrete generations of roddon have been discriminated. They all show well-developed dendritic meander patterns, but there is little or no evidence of sand/silt infill during meandering; thus, unlike modern tidal creeks and rivers they typically lack laterally stacked point bar deposits, suggesting rapid infill. Major “trunk” roddons are rich in fine sands and there is little change in grain size from roddon mouth to the upper reaches, suggesting highly effective sand transport mechanisms and uniform conditions of deposition. Tributaries are silt-rich, while minor tributaries also have a significant clay component. During infill, active drainage networks appear to have been choked by sediment, converting mudflat/salt-marsh environments into widespread peat-forming freshwater reed swamps.     

人类活动影响下伶仃洋沉积格局演变特征

根据2016年伶仃洋128个表层沉积物粒度参数以及前人对伶仃洋表层沉积物的研究成果,结合Flemming沉积动力判别图解和粒径趋势分析模型（GSTA）,分析伶仃洋40年来的沉积格局演变特征,并探讨了人类活动在伶仃洋沉积格局演变中的作用。结果显示:1）2016年,伶仃洋表层沉积物中粉砂组分含量最多（56.67%）,黏土组分含量其次（26.08%）,砂含量最少（17.23%）,湾内表层沉积物总体较细,主要有砂、砂—粉砂—黏土、砂质粉砂、粉砂质砂和黏土质粉砂5种类型,各类型沉积物呈现斑块状分布。2）近40年来,伶仃洋表层沉积物的平均粒径、粒级组分的空间格局发生了显著变化,从之前的条带状分布变为斑块状分布,但沉积格局的剧烈演变主要集中于2004—2016年这十多年间,Flemming三角图分区变化显示出40年来伶仃洋沉积环境整体表现出动力增强的趋势。3）受人类大规模采砂影响,中滩区域原有的完整沉积中心被分散,分别向北和向南形成“两格局、三中心”的新型沉积模式,从而改变伶仃洋的沉积物源—汇过程。4）伶仃洋沉积物空间分布、沉积动力环境、运移趋势等特征的变化与采砂、航道浚深等人类活动有着密切的联系,反映出人类工程活动已成为影响伶仃洋沉积格局演变的重要因素。     

Fluvial processes and facies sequences in the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River, Canada

The South Saskatchewan River has a long term average discharge of 275 m³/sec, with flood peaks in the range of 1500 to 3800 m³/sec. South of Saskatoon, the four major types of geomorphological elements recognised are channels, slipface-bounded bars, sand flats and vegetated islands and floodplains. Major channels are 3-5 m deep, up to 200 m wide, and flow around sand flats which are 50-2000 m long, and around vegetated islands up to 1 km long. At areas of flow expansion, long straight-crested cross-channel bars form. During falling stage, a small part of the crest of the cross-channel bar may become emergent, and act as a nucleus for downstream and lateral growth of a new sand flat. The dominant channel bedforms are dunes, which deposit trough cross bedding. Cross-channel bars deposit large sets of planar tabular cross bedding. Sand flats that grow from a nucleus on a cross-channel bar are mostly composed of smaller planar tabular sets, with some parallel lamination, trough cross-bedding, and ripple cross-lamination. A typical facies sequence related to sand flat growth would consist of in-channel trough cross-bedding, overlain by a large (1-2 m) planar tabular set (cross-channel bar), overlain in turn by a complex association mostly of small planar tabular cross-beds, trough cross-beds and ripple cross-lamination. By contrast, a second stratigraphic sequence can be proposed, related only to channel aggradation. It would consist dominantly of trough cross-beds, decreasing in scale upward, and possible interrupted by isolated sets of planar tabular cross-bedding if a cross-channel bar formed, but failed to grow into a sand flat. During final filling of the channel, ripple cross-lamination and thin clay layers may be deposited. In the S. Saskatchewan, these sequences are a minimum of 5 m thick, and are overlain by 0.5-1 m of silty and muddy vertical accretion deposits.     

Quaternary deposits in southwestern Afghanistan

Geologic evidence in the closed Seistan Basin of southwestern Afghanistan and adjacent parts of Iran and Pakistan indicates that a lake as much as 65,000 sq km in size occupied this closed depression during Pleistocene time. The deposits consist mostly of lacustrine silt and clay and have a maximum observed thickness of about 250 m. A layer of alluvial gravels overlies the sequence. The deposits are probably early or middle Pleistocene in age; they are old enough to have sustained nearly 300 m of erosion over large areas but are not faulted or detectably folded in the central part of the basin although they are upwarped along the west edge of the basin.Sand dunes cover extensive areas of the basin. Dune orientation shows that the strong surface winds enter the basin blowing toward the south-southeast and then are deflected to the east, apparently as a response to mountains bordering the basin on its south side. The Gawdezereh, a large deflation depression, may be a result of an augmented excavation ability of winds that oc urs where turbulence is created along a zone of deflection.