Zeolitic diagenesis of late Quaternary fluviolacustrine sediments and associated calcrete formation in the Lake Bogoria Basin, Kenya Rift Valley

Late Quaternary fluviolacustrine siltstones, mudstones and claystones (Loboi Silts) on the northern margins of the saline, alkaline Lake Bogoria in the Kenya Rift Valley contain up to c. 40% authigenic analcime and minor natrolite. The zeolitic sediments are reddish brown and up to 1 m thick. The amount of analcime increases upward in the profile, but decreases with distance from the lake. The altered sediments show many pedogenic features including zeolitic root mats, rootmarks, concretions and carbonate rhizoliths. Residual patches of calcrete locally cap the zeolitic rocks. The profile is interpreted as an exhumed palaeosol and land surface on the former margins of the lake. The analcime occurs as submicroscopic (0–5–2–5 μ.m) subhedral and euhedral crystals, which have an average Si/A 1 ratio of 2–33 (as determined by X-ray microanalysis) or 2–18 (d-value of 639 analcime peak). The analcime formed in lake marginal sediments (soils) by reaction of silicate detritus with Na₂CO₃ rich pore waters concentrated close to the land surface by evaporative pumping and evapotranspiration. Poorly ordered clay minerals were probably the main reactants. Authigenic illite may have been a by-product of the reactions. Chemical analyses suggest that pore waters supplied some of Na⁺, and possibly K⁺ and SiO₂. The associated calcrete and rhizoliths were formed during or shortly after the main period of zeolitic alteration. The Ca²⁺ may have originated from infiltrating dilute runoff and groundwater. Authigenic smectite was precipitated in open porosity following analcime formation. The zeolitic alteration at Lake Bogoria provides a relatively recent analogue for lake marginal zeolites found in many ancient saline, alkaline lake sediments.     

The association of gold with calcrete

The discovery that Au accumulates in calcrete (pedogenic carbonate or caliche) was made in 1987 by CSIRO. Calcrete is a general term describing accumulation of alkaline earth metals in soils of arid and semi-arid terrains around the world. The principal constituent of calcrete is calcite while Au is a noble metal. Calcrete has been a significant tool in a number of Au deposit discoveries, so understanding the mechanisms by which these diametrically different components come together is valuable for enhancing future discovery. Numerous laboratory experiments, case histories and exploration models have been published (most from Australia) yet we do not fully understand the mechanisms involved. It is timely, therefore, twenty-five years on since the first publication of this phenomenon, to review this highly unusual but economically important association.Critical to any review on Au in calcrete is to first consider calcretes themselves. The nature of a particular calcrete, where it has formed and mode of formation is relevant to how, where and why Au accumulates within it. This review commences with a background, nomenclature, history, classification and some examples of calcrete types found near Au deposits. How calcretes form, their origins and the role of biota is considered. Their locations in the regolith and landscape, as well as exploration models for Au in calcrete are discussed. A section on the chemistry of Au in calcretes details what we know about possible mechanisms of formation and considers what laboratory experiments on microorganisms and abiotic experiments tell us. Following on is a summary of practical aspects of identifying, collecting and analysing samples for exploration purposes. Selected mineral exploration case histories are described and how they fit into models of exploration and different regolith settings. Concluding sections include a summary and implications of this accumulated knowledge to discovering Au deposits.     

The application of fluid inclusions to migration of oil and diagenesis in petroleum reservoirs

Fluid inclusions can be used to interpret thermal history and petroleum maturation and migration relative to burial history. Temperature, pressure and composition data collected from fluid inclusions are used to determine the environment of diagenesis and the timing of cementation and migration. Cements in petroleum reservoirs contain both oil and aqueous fluid inclusions. Fluorescence spectroscopy is used to identify oil inclusions and to determine the maturity of entrapped oil. The lifetime of fluorescence induced by a pulsed laser is related to the API gravity of entrapped oil. Interpretation of fluid inclusion data depends on knowing the origin of fluid inclusions and the probability that they survive in the burial environment. Those aspects of fluid inclusion study are investigated by synthesizing oil and aqueous inclusions in calcite crystals in laboratory experiments. Examples of how fluid inclusions are used to determine the physico-chemical environments of diagenesis in petroleum reservoirs and the timing of cementation and migration are given for the Wealden Basin, England, the Mishrif Formation, Dubai, the Smackover Formation, Gulf Coast, U.S.A. and Jurassic sandstones, offshore Norway. In the Wealden Basin, temperature data from fluid inclusions are used to determine that oil migration occurred in the Cretaceous and that the reservoir rocks have been uplifted to varying degrees at a time after migration. Distribution of oil inclusions indicates that generation and migration of oil was principally in the western part of the basin. The geochemistry of oil inclusions in calcite cements from the Mishrif Formation, Dubai, are used to determine the type and maturity of entrapped oil. Temperature data from oil and water inclusions are used to relate reservoir diagenesis to burial history and the migration of oil. In deep Smackover reservoirs oil contains H₂S. The origin of the H₂S is examined by study of fluid inclusions containing H₂S. In Jurassic sandstones, offshore Norway, fluid inclusion studies show that silica cementation is related to burial depth whereas a later calcite cementation originated from invasion of a hot fluid.     

Revealing hidden structures: The application of cathodoluminescence and back-scattered electron imaging to dating zircons from lower crustal xenoliths

The use of cathodoluminescence (CL) and/or back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging techniques with in situ ion probe analyses of zircons can help unravel complex crustal histories of metamorphic rocks that otherwise might remain elusive. Using these techniques we have imaged zircons from three lower crustal xenolith suites that have previously been dated by SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe). In all three cases, the zircons are featureless in transmitted light but CL and BSE reveal internal structures that correlate with distinct growth events. Generally, CL and BSE images reveal similar structures, with CL showing finer detail. Neither imaging technique is capable of delineating all growth features in every sample and the best results are obtained using a combination of the two techniques. Igneous cores in zircons commonly emit a different color CL emission. In many cases zoning in the cores is truncated, indicating that the zircons either spent time in the supracrustal environment after their initial crystallization and prior to the granulite facies event (s) or that part of the core zircon was resorbed during the subsequent metamorphic event. Metamorphic rims, when present, are commonly 10 to 30 μm thick, and are nearly always unzoned and featureless.

Igneous cores and metamorphic overgrowths commonly have distinctive CL emission spectra and trace element concentrations. However, the CL spectra can only be used to qualify chemical differences, as a linear relationship has not been shown to exist between CL intensity and trace element concentration in natural zircons. In many cases the Hf, Y, P, U and the heavy rare-earth elements (HREEs) concentrations can be correlated to igneous and metamorphic growth using a combination of CL and BSE imaging techniques and in situ trace element analyses with either the electron microprobe or PIXE (particle induced X-ray emission).     

Progress in application of cathodoluminescence (CL) in sedimentary petrology

Summary ¶Significant progress has been made in cathodoluminescence (CL) studies in the last three decades due to the application of enhanced methods such as high-resolution spectroscopy. The luminescence of all detrital and diagenetic minerals such as quartz, feldspar, phyllosilicates, carbonates, apatites, zircons etc. can now be quantitatively characterized by spectroscopy. For siliciclastic sediments, the potential for provenance studies has been explored because varying conditions at the time of formation (e.g. of quartz and zircons) might be encoded within the CL and therefore provide fingerprints for particular grain populations. Different cement generations allow a cement stratigraphy to be established and the deconvolution of the diagenetic history of carbonate and clastic sediments. CL investigations of carbonate, apatite and – with some limitations – siliceous biogenic skeletons provide evidence of growth zonation (ontogenetic cyclicities and changes in spatial distribution) and diagenesis (intra-skeleton cementation and recrystallization).However, further research using CL is required to fully understand detrital components, primary and secondary mineralization in sedimentary deposits and biogenic materials. We present here an, admittedly incomplete, overview of these developments.Received March 6, 2002; revised version accepted January 30, 2003 Published online June 12, 2003     

探地雷达在古墓遗址探测中的应用——以北京市通州区古墓群探测为例

探地雷达是一种无损探测技术,数据采集速度快,图像直观,在地下考古探测中的作用越来越大.本文以北京市通州区古墓群为目标,利用探地雷达首先在已发现但未开挖的古墓上进行探测,分析探地雷达图像中古墓的的典型异常特征;在未知区域进行探测,找出图像中有古墓反射特征的异常区域,并用洛阳铲进行验证.通过验证,探地雷达探测结果与实际开挖验证的结果比较一致.实践表明,探地雷达技术对探测古墓遗址具有很好的效果.     

A microbial pathway for the formation of gold-anomalous calcrete

The formation of pedogenic carbonate (calcrete) in terrestrial environments is commonly mediated by microorganisms. In Australia, Au-anomalous calcrete is an important sampling medium for geochemical exploration, but current models describing its formation do not include a confirmed microbial component. This study demonstrates that bacterial communities in calcareous sands from dunes overlying the Barns Gold Deposit in semi-arid South Australia, are capable of mediating the biomineralisation of Au-anomalous carbonates. Bacterial enrichment cultures obtained from calcareous sands at three depths (0.1, 0.64 and 2.1 m, plus abiotic control) were incubated in urea and Ca²⁺-containing growth media (pH 8), unamended and amended with Au (100 parts-per-billion, ppb) as Au–aspartic-acid complex. During the incubation of the enrichment cultures urea was turned over to NH₄⁺ within 96 h to 220 h. The solution pH increased concurrently by approximately 1.2 units, and Au-anomalous Ca-carbonate crystallites were precipitated on cells, which functioned as nucleation sites; no carbonate precipitation was observed in abiotic controls. Compared to the medium, Au was strongly enriched in these carbonates and appeared to be uniformly dispersed in the individual crystallites, as shown using LA-ICP-MS; a similar distribution is present in naturally occurring Au-anomalous calcrete. Phylogenetic 16S rRNA PCR DGGE analyses, shotgun cloning and functional microbial analyses (BioLog, ureC quantitative PCR) demonstrated that naturally occurring and culture-enriched bacterial communities were dominated by alkaliphylic, halotolerant Bacillus spp. The indigenous bacterial communities were capable of utilising amino acids (including l-aspartic acid) and urea, which appears to lead to the destabilisation of the Au–amino acid complexes and concomitant co-precipitation of Au in the Ca-carbonates. In conclusion, a model combining geomicrobial– with evapotranspiration– and plant-based components is likely to best describe the formation of (Au-anomalous) calcrete in semi-arid and arid zones.     

The anatomy of an early Dinantian terraced floodplain: palaeo-environment and early diagenesis

The lowermost Carboniferous rocks in the Cockburnspath area of east Berwickshire (southern Scotland) are interpreted as coastal floodplain sediments. A lower mudstone-dominated unit is composed of silty mudstones and shales with subordinate sandstones and argillaceous ferroan dolomites (cementstones). These are interpreted as distal floodplain sediments with periodic crevasse-splay deposition. The dark grey colour of the mudrocks suggests deposition in reducing conditions, probably in floodplain lakes. Most of the cementstones are concretionary, some with septarian cracks, suggesting an early diagenetic origin. An immature palaeosol suggests periodic pedogenesis under improved drainage. A synsedimentary erosion surface indicates incision of a valley into the floodplain, presumably in response to base-level lowering. An upper sandstone-dominated unit starts with fine-grained rippled sandstones, cut by small channel sandstones. These are interpreted as floodplain lake deposits fed by crevasse channels. A distinctive conglomerate with cementstone clasts, wood fragments and fish remains is interpreted as a major overbank deposit, dumped into a pre-existing floodplain lake. A bivalve fauna was established in the overlying mudstones, followed by a thin limestone with a restricted marine fossil assemblage, showing that seawater flooding of the lakes occurred at times. Mudrocks throughout the sequence contain no pyrite, except for the marine band which has an organic-carbon/sulphur ratio and degree of pyritization value typical of marine sediments. The concretionary cementstones have δ¹³C values around —4 to —6%^0/00 PDB which are interpreted as indicative of anaerobic oxidation of organic matter. The combined geochemical data suggest a significant involvement of iron reduction in cementstone formation, although the δ¹³C values are ambiguous in assessing the relative involvement of methanogenesis and methane oxidation. Limited seawater inundation of the floodplains might have supplied magnesium and calcium ions for dolomite formation assuming that any H₂S derived as a result of sulphate reduction was oxidized by iron reduction. Alternatively a weathering source for solutes might have been involved.     

湘北杨家坪中新元古宇和下古生界的近变质作用与成岩作用

运用伊利石结晶度、K云母晶格常数b0、应变值τ、颗粒大小分布与矿物组合分析等低温变质指示数据对湘北杨家坪剖面中晚元古宇和下古生界的近变质作用和成岩作用进行了研究。Kisch国际标样用于校正伊利石结晶度的测定。中晚元古宇伊利石结晶度Kübler指数范围为:0.21~0.24°Δ2θ,而下古生界为0.28~0.67°Δ2θ。表明近变质作用影响了中晚元古宇和部分下古生界。按照Kisch国际标样的成岩/变质界限(0.21~0.38°Δ2θ,CuKα),将剖面划分为北部近变质带和中南部成岩带。由绿泥石化学成分地质温度计估计近变质峰期温度约为260℃。K云母晶格常数b0值变化范围0.9000~0.9045nm,平均为0.9017nm,表明近变质作用处于中压-中低压力范围。近变质带伊利石(主要是中晚元古宇)的多型为2M1型,而成岩带伊利石(主要是下古生界)的多型为2M1+1M混合类型。平均对数粒度与对数方差之积(GLR)称为对数总成熟效应具有不同的两组分布特征即近变质作用区(GLR1.88)与成岩作用区(GLR1.88),这是一个新的发现。后变质作用的构造应力不仅可产生断层,而且可引起矿物的应变,从而导致衍射峰的宽化,使得近变质带伊利石结晶度值次生变大到成岩值范畴。与剖面南部地区(长沙-澧陵-浏阳,黄土店-仙溪,沅古坪)比较,杨家坪剖面中晚元古宇和下古生界经历了中压-中低压近变质作用和成岩作用的影响。这一结果与多数前人认为的"元古宇板溪群处于绿片岩相或亚绿片岩相或低绿片岩相而震旦到下古生界为沉积盖层"的观点不同。     

The diagenesis of carbohydrates by hydrogen sulfide

Carbohydrates react with hydrogen sulfide under low temperature (100° to 200°C) yielding a variety of organosulfur compounds including thiophenes, thiols, sulfides and sulfones. A polymer is also produced, whose elemental composition is within the range of natural coals. When reductive dehydration is carried out in the presence of hydrocarbon, organosulfur compounds are formed in the carbon number range of the hydrocarbon used. In these processes, an active hydrogen transfer catalyst is produced which facilitates the passage of hydrogen between normal paraffins and saccharide units, distributing sulfur between these two families primarily in the form of thiophene rings. The simplicity of these systems—H₂S, carbohydrates, H₂O, hydrocarbon—and the facility of the chemistry would suggest that the carbohydrates and hydrogen sulfide may be important agents in the diagenetic processes leading to petroleum and coal. Carbohydrate reduction by hydrogen sulfide may constitute an important route through which certain organosulfur compounds found in petroleum and coal entered these materials in early diagenesis.     

基准面旋回对砂岩成岩作用的控制——以鄂尔多斯盆地西南缘汭水河延长组露头为例

以鄂尔多斯盆地西南缘汭水河露头剖面延长组长9-长7辫状河三角洲沉积为例,重点讨论三级层序界面上下的砂岩储层成岩特征.通过大量的铸体薄片鉴定,扫描电镜、X衍射等实验分析,发现汭水河延长组露头剖面层序界面对砂岩储层成岩具有控制作用,基准面下降半旋回内填隙物以浊沸石为主,基准面上升半旋回内以方沸石为主,孔隙主要为溶蚀填隙物形成的次生孔隙,界面之上面孔率好于界面之下的面孔率,有利于储层发育.     

Markov chain analysis applied to an ancient alluvial plain succession

Markov chain analysis is a comparatively simple statistical technique for the detection of repetitive processes in space or time. Coal measure cyclothems or fluvial fining-upward cycles are good examples of sedimentary successions laid down under the control of Markovian processes. Analyses of stratigraphic sections commence with a transition count matrix, a two-dimensional array in which all possible vertical lithologic transitions are tabulated. Various probability matrices may be derived from this raw data, and these are then subjected to chi-square tests to determine the presence or absence of the Markov property. This technique is applied to four types of stratigraphic succession which occur in the Devonian rocks of Prince of Wales Island, Arctic Canada. (1) A conglomerate succession of alluvial fan origin. Markov analysis is of little or no assistance in the interpretation of these rocks, in which only two principal lithologies are present. (2) A conglomerate-sandstone succession. Fluvial fining-upward cycles are detectable by visual examination of the sections and are strongly indicated by Markov analysis. (3) A sandstone-carbonate succession, of marginal marine origin, and including both marine and non-marine strata. Cyclicity is weak in these rocks, but analysis suggests that regressions took place much more rapidly than transgressions during their period of deposition. (4) A succession in which the relative proportions of the various lithologies vary markedly with age. The varying nature of the cyclic tendencies is emphasized in this case by dividing the succession into two subintervals, for the purpose of analysis.     

塔巴庙上古生界砂岩储层成岩作用对孔隙结构的影响

通过研究砂岩储层成岩作用对孔隙结构的影响,证实了引起砂岩储层中的低孔、低渗,已为成岩作用的关键因素。早期强烈的机械压实和胶结作用造成砂岩储层原生孔隙不发育,孔喉配位数以0为主,少量可发育1条~2条喉道,孔隙度损失38%~25%。随后的千枚岩岩屑及其它碎屑矿物的溶蚀和蚀变作用,形成了粒间溶孔、粒内微孔、粒内蜂窝状溶孔以及高岭石晶间隙等,此类孔隙半径一般在8μm~20μm,喉道半径在5μm~10μm,平均孔喉比在2~5左右。但其具有数量多,规模大的特点,一般占总孔隙度的70%以上,对各层段砂岩储层储集性能有一定的改善。保留下来的主要是砂岩储层储集空间类型,有极少量的原生粒间孔主要分布在下石盒子组。     

The Hungtsaiping landslides: from ancient to recent

A large and deep-seated landslide at Hungtsaiping was triggered by the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake with the magnitude of 7.3. Extensive site investigations for the landslide were conducted including field reconnaissance, geophysical exploration, borehole logs, and laboratory experiments. Thick colluvium was found around the landslide area and indicated the occurrence of a large ancient landslide. The Hungtsaiping area involves at least two large landslides events, an ancient rockslide and the 1999 colluvium slide. With the consideration of a source collapse mass, the two landslides in sequence are reasonably reproduced by the distinct element modeling. The modeling is calibrated by rock mass strength behavior through a procedure with the Hoek?CBrown failure criterion, statistical experimental design, and optimization techniques. The mechanism of the 1999 landslide that cannot be revealed by the underground exploration data alone is clarified. The proposed procedure enables a rational and efficient way to determine micro-parameters for the distinct element modeling of landslides.     

The origin and diagenesis of cherts from Cyprus

The Troodos Massif of Cyprus is overlain by a variety of cherts in pelagic chalks, volcanogenic sediments, radiolarites and radiolarian mudstones, all of Campanian to Upper Eocene age. There are two chert types, granular chert and vitreous chert. X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the silica polymorphs, disordered cristobalite and quartz. Silicification of the chalks varies from incipient, to bedded, granular cherts, all with disordered cristobalite as the main silica phase. Quartzitic cherts are restricted to the base of Upper Palaeocene and Lower Eocene calciturbidite beds. Disordered cristobalite predominates in the radiolarian mudstones at the foot of the sequence. The form of disordered cristobalite in cavities ranges from microspherules of radiating bladed crystals, the ‘lepispheres’ of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) to bladed overgrowths, and fibrous silica. In contrast, within the fine grained matrix, the disordered cristobalite takes the form of partly coalescent crude microgranules and microspherules. Most of the chalcedonic quartz in Cyprus is derived by recrystallization of previously inorganically precipitated disordered cristobalite rather than by direct precipitation. According to the concept of impurity-controlled maturation the composition of host sediment controls the incorporation of exchangeable cations and other impurities into inorganically precipitated disordered cristobalite. With time (up to 100 million years) internal solid state reorganization of the disordered cristobalite is accompanied by gradual expulsion of impurities, until the cristobalite dissolves followed by quartz precipitation. Complete conversion to quartz takes place first in porous calcareous sediments free of impurities, as in the Cyprus calciturbidites; in fine grained clay-rich sediments, like Cyprus radiolarian mudstones, disordered cristobalite persists much longer. Impurity-controlled maturation also helps explain the diagenesis of Cyprus chert nodules.     

The control of cathodoluminescence in dolomite by iron and manganese

Variations in the cathodoluminescent properties of carbonates are usually attributed to differing proportions of manganese (Mn²⁺) as the most important activator, and iron (Fe²⁺) as the main inhibitor of luminescence. Interactions between manganese and iron concentrations and the luminescent properties of dolomite are demonstrated by petrographic and chemical analyses of 86 samples of dolomite representing a range of depositional environments and ages (Cambrian to Cretaceous) and a wide geographical distribution (North America and Europe). Iron and manganese are positively correlated in the dolomites, with the former showing a greater range of variation. Very small amounts of manganese are sufficient to activate the luminescence and as little as 100 ppm Mn²⁺ is present in highly luminescing samples. The intensity of luminescence is not proportional to the manganese concentration. Iron begins to quench luminescence as its concentration reaches 10,000 ppm. Above that level, luminescence is rapidly lost and total extinction occurs among samples containing more than 15,000 ppm Fe²⁺, regardless of the manganese concentration.     

The causes and petrological significance of cathodoluminescence emissions from alkali feldspars

The cathodoluminescence (CL) of a variety of alkali feldspars from South Greenland has been examined in an attempt to understand the causes of the CL and its petrological significance. Analytical methods have included CL spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to correlate the presence of certain CL emissions to the presence of certain trace element and point defects. Where possible, blue and red luminescent fractions of the same rock samples have been separated and analysed separately. Blue CL appears to relate to the presence of electron holes on bridging oxygens, particularly on the Al-O-Al bridge, as determined from EPR studies. No correlation with other proposed activators for blue CL such as Eu²⁺, Ga³⁺ or Ti⁴⁺ was observed. Some blue luminescent feldspars also have an emission in the infra-red (IR), invisible during normal visible CL petrography. The red and IR CL emissions correspond to features in EPR spectra attributed to Fe³⁺ and support previous suggestions that Fe³⁺ is related to this emission. However, our studies indicate that the visible red CL relates specifically to Fe³⁺ on the T1 site, whereas the equivalent CL from disordered feldspars lies in the IR. The difference between red and IR CL emissions therefore relates to the state of Fe³⁺ order across the tetrahedral sites. These data allow more meaningful interpretations of CL as a petrographic tool in alkali feldspar-bearing rocks. Received: 5 March 1998 / Accepted: 23 November 1998     

The effects of diagenesis on the redistribution of strontium isotopes in shales

The rubidium-strontium method has often been used in attempts to date shales, but has yielded mixed results. In order to explore the effects of diagenesis on this system, samples of a Miocene shale section collected from an oil well drilled in coastal Louisiana were separated into fractions and analyzed for Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶, Rb and Sr. The diagenetic changes involve the destruction of detrital mica and feldspar and the formation of an illite-rich clay from smectite. Strontium from interstitial waters, calcium carbonate and adsorbed on the clay minerals is released and then sequestered by the newly forming phases, together with the strontium mobilized from the silicate minerals. Attending these changes there is a trend towards the homogenization of the shale with respect to its strontium isotopes, but diagenesis and homogenization are not complete in the deepest part (5523 m) of the section studied. Therefore, the interpretation of rubidium-strontium shale dates remains uncertain, but the dates in many cases most probably represent the time equal to or younger than the time of the major construction of new phases and the attendant homogenization of the strontium isotopes.     

Rates of trace metal and nutrient diagenesis in an intertidal creek bank

Carbon mineralization in marine sediments is a key process involved in the cycling of carbon, nutrients and trace metals. However, as marine sediments are usually diffusion dominated, the pace of element and nutrient cycling is slow, because consumption of oxidants and/or nutrients in the pore waters via microbial activity often outpaces resupply. Adding an advective flow component to such a system should change the biogeochemical dynamics considerably. Numerical simulations show that shallow coastal aquifers affected by tidal forces can establish ground water velocities of up to 7 cm h⁻¹, driving a circulation of sea water through the sediments with subsequent discharge. Although known to enhance solute exchange, the impact of advection on early diagenesis has not received much attention.To address this issue we mapped the interstitial water chemistry down to 2.5 m sediment depth along a transect on an intertidal creek bank that is subject to a periodic advective flow. Additionally a recently developed hydrogeological simulation of the creek bank was applied to calculate ages of the sampled pore waters. Sample ages obtained were used to quantify (flow path integrated) production or depletion rates for trace metals, nutrients, and sulphate.We find young sea water percolating relatively fast through sediments close to the creek showing strong signs of alteration, whereas pore waters from diffusion dominated regions are less altered. The increase in inorganic nutrients and some trace elements along the flow path requires high rates of turnover. Sulphate, molybdenum, and uranium are almost completely depleted after 200 days, while dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), ammonia, and manganese increase. Averaged production rates for DIC appear to be three times higher when advection dominated the subsurface flow regime. Our results demonstrate that sites dominated by advection generally show signs of faster rates of diagenetic reactions.