New unspiked K–Ar ages of volcanic rocks of the central and western sector of the Aeolian Islands: reconstruction of the volcanic stages

A geochronological study of the Filicudi, Salina, Lipari and Vulcano Islands (Aeolian Archipelago) using the unspiked potassium–argon technique provides new age data which, combined with stratigraphic correlation, better constrain the temporal evolution of volcanism. The unspiked K–Ar age of the oldest exposed lavas on Filicudi, 219±5 ka, is significantly younger than the previous estimation of 1.02 Ma. In the general context of Aeolian volcanism, this new date suggests that the volcanism of the western sector of the Aeolian Archipelago is younger than previously thought. Geochronological data point out on the rapid transition from calc–alkaline to potassic volcanism. The distribution of the K–Ar ages within the Salina–Lipari–Vulcano group shows that the volcanism started on Lipari and propagated over time northward on Salina and southward on Vulcano. Geochronological and geophysical data suggest that the onset of volcanism in the central sector of the Aeolian Arc may be due to a mantle upwelling structure located below Lipari. A change in the style of the eruptions occurred in the Salina–Lipari–Vulcano system at about 100 ka from the present. Low-energy magmatic eruptions occurred between 188 and about 100 ka. From about 100 ka to the present, higher-energy eruptions and low-energy events due to magma–water interaction also occurred. This change in the style of activity, together with the appearance of evolved products (i.e. rhyolites) during the last 50 ka, is consistent with the formation of magmatic reservoirs located at shallower depth with respect to those of the 188–100-ka period. The new geochronological data and available petrological models reveal that a change in the deep source of the primary magmas occurred in a relatively short time interval.     

Speleothems in a north Cuban cave register sea‐level changes and Pleistocene uplift rates

A flight of marine terraces along the Cuban coast records Quaternary sea‐level highstands and a general slowly uplifting trend during the Pleistocene. U/Th dating of these limestone terraces is difficult because fossil reef corals have been affected by open system conditions. Terrace ages are thus often based on geological and geomorphological observations. In contrast, the minimum age of the terraces can be constrained by dating speleothems from coastal mixing (flank margin) caves formed during past sea‐level highstands and carving the marine limestones. Speleothems in Santa Catalina Cave have ages >360 ka and show various cycles of subaerial–subaqueous corrosion and speleothem growth. This suggests that the cave was carved during the MIS 11 sea‐level highstand or earlier. Some stalagmites grew during MIS 11 through MIS 8 and were submerged twice, once at the end of MIS 11 and then during MIS 9. Phreatic overgrowths (POS) covering the speleothems suggest anchialine conditions in the cave during MIS 5e. Their altitude at 16 m above present sea level indicates a late Pleistocene uplift rate of <0.1 mm/ka, but modelling also shows uplift to have been insignificant over a long timespan during the middle Pleistocene since the cave was carved. Our study shows that some flank margin caves in the region of Matanzas are older than commonly believed (i.e. MIS 11 rather than MIS 5). These caves not only can be preserved but are good markers of interglacial sea‐level highstands, more reliable than marine abrasion surfaces. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pollen record of the last 280 ka from deep sea sediments of the northern South China Sea

Environmental history of the northern continental shelf of the South China Sea during the last 280 ka BP, e.g. Marine Isotope Stages 1–8 (MIS 1–8) was reconstructed based on pollen record from the top 225m of ODP 1144 Site. During the interglacial periods, pollen assemblages are predominated by pine similar to those of the present day indicating that the environment of the interglacial periods was more or less close to that of today. Nevertheless, those from glacial periods are characterized by a large amount of herbaceous pollen, e.g.Artemisia, Gramineae, Cyperaceae, etc. inferring that grassland covered the merged continental shelf when the sea level lowered and the continental shelf was exposed. The exposed areas of the shelf were insignificant before MIS 5, but enlarged since MIS 4 and reached its maximum during MIS 2 according to ratios of pollen percentages between pine and herbs. The history of different exposure of the shelf can be compared with transgression records of the coastal areas of China and might result from neotectonic movement of Chinese continent. Some changes also took place in the components of grassland growing on the shelf during glaciations. Gramineae is the main element at MIS 8. ThenArtemisia increased upwards the profile and at last became the main component at the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 2). Such changes in vegetation might be in response to cooler and drier climate.     

Timing and duration of the Last Interglacial: evidence for a restricted interval of widespread coral reef growth

We report new mass spectrometric U-series ages for eight Last Interglacial fossil reefs along the continental margin of Western Australia. Corals were selected in growth position from localities that are characterized by apparently low levels of diagenesis and relative tectonic stability so that the fossil reefs provide critical information on Last Interglacial sea-levels without requiring corrections for tectonic movements. In addition, we have improved the constraint on the timing of onset of reef growth by recovering drill core coral from the base of the reefs. Uranium and thorium isotopes were measured with high levels of precision, leading to improvements in age resolution and allowing samples which have undergone diagenetic exchange of uranium and thorium to be more easily identified and discarded. These data supplement our previous results for Rottnest Island and Leander Point, leading to more than seventy mass spectrometric U-series ages from which constraints can be placed on the timing, duration and character of the Last Interglacial sea-level highstand. Reliable ages show that reef growth started contemporaneously at 128 ± 1 ka along the entire Western Australian coastline, while relative sea-levels were at least 3 m above the present level. Because Western Australia is located far from the former Penultimate Glacial Maximum ice sheets and are not significantly effected by glacial unloading, these data constrain the timing of onset of the Last Interglacial period to 128 ± 1 ka, assuming reef growth started soon after sea-level approached interglacial levels. A unique regressive reef sequence at Mangrove Bay constrains the timing of termination of the Last Interglacial period to 116 ± 1 ka. The major episode of reef building, however, both globally and locally along the Western Australian coast, is restricted to a very narrow interval occurring from 128 ka and 121 ka, suggesting that global ocean surface temperatures were warm and/or sea-levels were stable enough to allow prolific reef growth only during the earlier part of the Last Interglacial.     

K-feldspar IRSL dating of a Pleistocene river terrace staircase sequence of the Lower Tejo River (Portugal,western Iberia)

We present the results of K-feldspar IRSL dating of the four lower terraces (T3–T6) of the Portuguese Tejo River, in the Arripiado-Chamusca area. Terrace correlation was based upon: a) analysis of aerial photographs, geomorphological mapping and field topographic survey; b) sedimentology of the deposits; and c) luminescence dating. Sediment sampled for luminescence dating gave unusually high dose rates, of between 3.4 and 6.2 Gy/ka and, as a result, quartz OSL was often found to be in saturation. We therefore used the IRSL signal from K-feldspar as the principal luminescence technique. The K-feldspar age results support sometimes complex geomorphic correlations, as fluvial terraces have been vertically displaced by faults (known from previous studies). Integration of these new ages with those obtained previously in the more upstream reaches of the Tejo River in Portugal indicates that the corrected K-feldspar IRSL ages are stratigraphically and geomorphologically consistent over a distance of 120 km along the Tejo valley. However, we are sceptical of the accuracy of the K-feldspar ages of samples from the T3 and T4 terraces (with uncorrected D_e values >500 Gy). In these cases the Dose Rate Correction (DRC) model puts the natural signals close to luminescence saturation, giving a minimum corrected D_e of about 1000 Gy, and thus minimum terrace ages; this may even be true for those doses >200 Gy. Luminescence dating results suggest that: T3 is older than 300 ka, probably ca. 420–360 ka (～Marine Isotope Stage [MIS]11); T4 is ca. 340–150 ka (～MIS9-6); T5 is 136–75 ka (～MIS5); T6 is 60–30 ka (MIS3); an aeolian sand unit that blankets T6 and some of the older terraces is 30–≥12 ka. Collectively, the luminescence ages seem to indicate that regional river downcutting events may be coincident with periods of low sea level (associated, respectively, with the MIS10, MIS6, MIS4 and MIS2).     

Volcanological implications of crystal-chemical variations in clinopyroxenes from the Aeolian Arc, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy)

Crystal chemistry and structural data for clinopyroxene from the Aeolian islands (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) were determined with the aim of obtaining geobarometric information and exploring implications for the structure of volcanic plumbing systems. Cell and M1 site volumes for clinopyroxenes, which are known to decrease with increasing pressure of crystallization, revealed variable values, both within some single islands and along the entire arc, indicating polybaric conditions of crystallization. The lowest cell and M1 volumes were found at Filicudi, plotting close to values of clinopyroxenes from high-pressure ultramafic xenoliths entrained in alkali basalts. Indications of high-pressure crystallization were also found at Salina and, to a lesser extent, at Alicudi, all situated in the western sector of the Aeolian Arc. The central and eastern islands of Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea and Stromboli generally show higher values of cell parameters, suggesting crystallization in shallow magma chambers. These islands are characterized by the occurrence of large calderas, which are apparently lacking at Salina and Filicudi. Time-related variations were observed for cell and M1 volumes of clinopyroxene for some islands. At Salina, the early-erupted products display low values of cell parameters with respect to later activity, thus indicating a decrease in crystallization pressure with time. A similar, although less striking, pattern is observed at Alicudi and Lipari. An overall increase in cell parameters with time was observed at the scale of the entire arc. The observed variations in clinopyroxene structural parameters highlight the significance of pyroxene crystal chemistry for petrogenetic and volcanological interpretation. Correlation with time and the structural characteristics of volcanoes suggest significant regional and temporal modifications in the plumbing systems of Aeolian volcanoes. Clinopyroxenes from Filicudi and the older Salina crystallized at high pressure in deep magma chambers, in the lower crust or at the mantle-crust boundary. The lower crystallization pressure in the younger Salina is interpreted as evidence of upward migration of magma chambers with time. Similar evolution can be envisaged for Alicudi. Instead, the entire evolutionary history of the central and eastern islands was dominated by low-pressure crystallization, with formation of calderas and generation of abundant acid products that are scarce or absent in the western islands. Evolution of the plumbing system of single volcanoes and of the Aeolian arc in general is probably related to modification of stress regimes and/or thinning of the arc basement, due to the effect of uprising mantle material above the Ionian subduction zone.     

Structural features of Panarea volcano in the frame of the Aeolian Arc (Italy): Implications for the 2002–2003 unrest

Panarea, characterized by gas unrest in 2002–2003, is the volcanic island with the least constrained structure in the eastern-central Aeolian Arc (Italy). Based on structural measurements, we define here its deformation pattern relative to the Arc. The main deformations are subvertical extension fractures (63% of data), normal faults (25%) and dikes (12%). The mean orientation of the extension fractures and faults is N38°E, with a mean opening direction of N135° ± 8°, implying extension with a moderate component of dextral shear. These data, matched with those available for Stromboli volcano (pure opening) and Vulcano, Lipari and Salina volcanoes (predominant dextral motions) along the eastern-central Arc, suggest a progressive westward rotation of the extension direction and an increase in the dextral shear. The dextral shear turns into compression in the western arc. The recent unrest at Panarea, coeval to that of nearby Stromboli, may also be explained by the structural context, as both volcanoes lie along the portion of the Arc subject to extension.     

A qualitative assessment of seismic risk along the Peninsular coast of India, south of 19°N

Many earthquakes have been recorded from the coastal margin of the Indian peninsular shield during the last 200 years. Largely made up of Precambrian assemblages with variable cover of Jurassic to Quaternary sedimentary rocks and Cretaceous-Eocene volcanics, the peninsular shield was long held to be aseismic. Recent measurements, however, show that this continental fragment is being pushed northeastward by the Carlsberg and Central Indian ridges; and the Indo-Myanmar subduction zone is exerting vigorous slab pull towards the east. Repeated cycles of sea level change during the Quaternary have also induced continuing hydro-isostatic adjustment due to variable melt water loading in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea. All these forces produce space-time fluctuations of strain around many small to large faults, which occur in the upper crust of the shield. Some of the faults have been intermittently active (during the past 100 kyr); others were active earlier. Although the Shillong plateau and the associated hill ranges of northeastern India and Myanmar are subject to the maximum seismic hazard, the peninsular coast is also vulnerable to intermittent seismicity. We present illustrative evidence of some active faults, which are recognisable (a) on coastal land by displaced Pleistocene weathered cover, hot springs, leakages of native mercury and allochthonous geochemical anomalies of base metals and (b) offshore below the inner shelf by horst-shaped uplifted segments and intra-formational slump folds on and below the top shallow seismic (3.5 kHz) reflector. On the other hand, there are long stretches of the east coast at Vishakhapatnam and Manappad Point, which do not show active faults. Step-like marine terraces, which occur up to+6 m above the low tide level (LTL) preserve records of relative sea level fluctuations during the Holocene and the Last Interglacial. In such sectors, absence of tectonic disturbance during the last 100 ka is also corroborated by lateral continuity of shallow seismic reflectors below the inner shelf over many kilometers. Since authentic historical (200–1000 years B.P.) records of seismicity along the Peninsular coast are virtually unavailable, the likely recurrence interval between earthquakes in each sector cannot be gauged. We, therefore, propose a scale of seismic risk, based on geometry of the mappable faults and available seismic records of the last two centuries. These could be used in combination to rank the densely populated coastal tracts sector-wise.     

Late Quaternary deformation history of the volcanic edifice of Panarea,Aeolian Arc,Italy

A series of raised palaeoshorelines is documented along the emergent coastal slopes of Panarea and surrounding islets at elevations of 115 (palaeoshoreline Ia) and 100 m a.s.l. (Ib), 62.5 m (II), 35 m (III), 12 m (IV), 10–12 (Va) and 5 m (Vb). According to stratigraphic constraints and cross-cutting relationships, these palaeoshorelines are correlated with discrete high sea-level stillstands during marine oxygen-isotope stages (MIS) 5e, 5c, 5a and 3. Coastal elevation changes suggest the occurrence of a long-term, sustained uplift trend of the volcanic edifice since the last interglacial (last 124 ka). The uplift rates are not constant but display a progressive deceleration from maximum values of 1.5–1.58 m/ka, in the period between 124 and 100 ka, down to the lowest values of 0.66–0.69 m/ka, which tend to be constant starting from 81 ka BP. The long-term deformation pattern of Panarea suggests that a transitory, volcano-related component of uplift interplayed with the regional tectonic component affecting the sub-volcanic basement, which has undergone a persistent and widespread uplift since the mid-Pleistocene. The volcano-related component of uplift, prevailing between 124 and 100–81 ka, is interpreted as the result of visco-elastic deformation mechanisms which characterize the progressive re-equilibration of the shallow magmatic system following the incoming quiescence of the volcanic edifice. The long-term uplift values at Panarea are higher than in the main portion of the western-central Aeolian Arc, where a mean uplift rate of 0.34 m/ka was estimated since the last interglacial (last 124 ka). Such a pattern of deformation on a regional scale may be a response to active deformation processes connected with the southeastward rollback of the subducting Ionian slab which is still active only in correspondence with the eastern sector of the Aeolian Arc (including Panarea). In the short-term, a localized submergence trend has been documented at the nearby islet of Basiluzzo for the last 2,000 years, likely connected to neo-tectonic movements along main NE–SW trending faults.     

Monte guardia sequence: a late-pleistocene eruptive cycle on Lipari (Italy)

This paper documents a complex sequence of interbedded lapilli-fall, base-surge, and pyroclastic-flow deposits, here named the Monte Guardia sequence, that erupted from volcanic centers in the southern part of Lipari (Aeolian Island Arc). Radiocarbon data from ash-flow tuffs above and below this sequence bracket its eruption between 22,600 and 16,800 years ago. Geologic evidence, however, suggests that this single eruptive cycle had a more restricted duration of years to tens-of-years. The basis for our interpretations comes from data measured at 38 detailed sections located throughout the island. The Monte Guardia sequence rests on a series of lower rhyolitic endogenous domes in the southern part of Lipari and it covers the oldest lavas, lahars, and pyroclastic flows in the north. Only in the northeast part of the island is it covered by younger deposits which there consist of lapilli tuffs and lavas of the Monte Pilato rhyolitic cycle. The deposit ranges in thickness from more than 60 m surrounding the vents in the south to less than a few decimeters at 10 km distance in the north. Throughout most of the island the Monte Guardia sequence overlies a thin andesitic lapilli-fall layer which is a key bed for correlation. This lapilli tuff probably erupted from a volcanic center on another island of the Aeolian Arc (possibly Salina). The principal activity of the Monte Guardia sequence started with an explosion that formed a continuous breccia blanket covering most of the island. Some pumiceous blocks within this breccia are composed of alternating bands of acidic and andesitic composition suggesting that the initiation of pyroclastic activity could have been triggered by magma mixing. Typical Monte Guardia sequence consists of explosive products that grade from magmatic (pumice-fall) to phreatomagmatic (base-surge) character. The eruptive cycle is characterized by a number of energy decreasing megarhythms that start with a lapilli-fall bed and end with a base-surge set that progresses through sand-wave, massive, and planar beds. Isopach maps of the fall and surge deposits indicate that both types were directed to the northwest by prevailing winds. Existing topographic relief was an additional factor that affected the emplacement of surge products. At the end of the cycle andesitic pyroclastic flows and rhyolitic endogenous domes were emplaced above the Monte Guardia deposits near the vent.     

Luminescence chronology from the Verkhoyansk Mountains (North-Eastern Siberia)

This study presents new dating results from the Verkhoyansk Mountains in northeastern Siberia. Pleistocene sediments of aeolian and glacial origin have been studied and dated by infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL). The chronostratigraphy of this vast area is mainly based on radiocarbon dating up to now. Aeolian sediments are widespread in the foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains. IRSL-dating results indicate two major periods of increased accumulation between 33 and 24 ka and between 13 and 9 ka. A new stratigraphy of Pleistocene glaciations in this area has been developed. Up to five end moraines have been identified in two catchments areas. IRSL was applied to date the sandy and silty sediments covering the glacial deposits in order to get minimum ages. Furthermore, glacial and glacio-fluvial deposits were also sampled from a few locations. According to the IRSL dating results, the uppermost end moraine was deposited prior to 50 ka. The three outermost moraines might have been formed during Early Weicheslian to Saalian times. It is very likely that no major glaciers reached the foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, MIS 2).     

OSL and radiocarbon dating of a core from the Bohai Sea in China and implication for Late Quaternary transgression pattern

The Bohai Sea is a semi-enclosed continental shelf sea in northern China. Three transgression layers have been identified from the Late Quaternary strata in the western Bohai Sea and the coastal regions, which provide critical information on Late Quaternary sea-level fluctuations and landscape development. The three transgression layers were previously assigned to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 1 (transgression 1, T1), MIS 3 (T2) and MIS 5 (T3), respectively, mainly based on ¹⁴C dating. However, this chronological framework aroused an enigma that the regional sea level in MIS 3 was even higher than that of MIS 5, conflicting with the context of global sea-level pattern. In order to clarify this issue, here quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating (four samples) was used to constrain the T2 chronology of borehole TJC-1 from the western Bohai Sea. Radiocarbon samples (eight) of peaty sediments were also measured for reference and comparison. All the four OSL samples showed saturation ages of >80 ka, suggesting that the T2 layer should have formed at least in MIS 5, instead of in MIS 3. Radiocarbon ages in T2 should have been severely underestimated, with a saturation age range of 22–30 cal ka BP, similar to all the previous published radiocarbon ages. The renewed OSL chronological framework for Late Quaternary transgressions in the western Bohai Sea is in better compliance with the history of global sea-level change.     

The rate of fluvial incision during the Late Quaternary period in the Abukuma Mountains, northeast Japan, deduced from tephrochronology

Abstract River incision into bedrock results in the decrease of burial depths, which can be of critical importance, for example, in the safe long‐term storage of high‐level radioactive waste. For the long‐term prediction of river erosion, it is essential to know the rate of incision during the Late Quaternary period. In the Abukuma Mountains on the forearc side of northeast Japan, a low‐relief peneplain that was uplifted in the Pliocene period is widely developed. Degradational fluvial terraces that are discontinuously distributed along draining rivers are scattered in the study area. The fluvial sediments were mainly transported from the summit regions as debris flows or hyperconcentrated flows. The terrace deposits are capped by a series of eolian veneers containing key tephra beds. From the oldest to the youngest, these tephra beds are the 150–125 ka Iizuna–Kamitaru tephra, the 135–125 ka Hiuchigatake–Tagashira tephra, the 120 ka Adatara–Dake tephra, the 70–80 ka Bandai–Hayama‐2 tephra, the 45 ka Numazawa–Mizunuma tephra and the 42 ka Bandai–Hayama‐1 tephra. Using tephrochronological data, the terraces are divided into three groups: higher, middle and lower. The ages of formation of the higher, middle and lower terraces are estimated to be within marine isotope stage (MIS) 6, MIS 5.4–5.2 and MIS 3 to MIS 2, respectively. The incision rate, calculated from the relative height between the terrace surface and present‐day valley floor fill, is 1.5–0.8 m/10 000 years in the elevations from 350 to 700 m. The calculated rate does not show significant differences between the higher, middle and lower terraces. All the relative heights decrease with increasing elevation, because the erosional rates of streams in the upper reaches are lower than those in downstream reaches where the discharge rates are higher. This value can be regarded as an estimate of the rate of incision in granitic mountains where there is no volcanic or distinct tectonic activity.     

26Al and 10Be dating of late pleistocene and holocene fill terraces: a record of fluvial deposition and incision,Colorado front range

Cosmogenic ²⁶Al, ¹⁰Be, and ¹⁴C dating of fluvial fill terraces in steep canyons of the Colorado Front Range provides a temporal framework for analysing episodic aggradation and incision. Results from Boulder Canyon show that terrace heights above the modern channel (grade) can be divided into: (1) Bull Lake (≳100 ka; 20–15 m above grade); (2) Pinedale (32–10 ka; 15–4 m above grade); and (3) Holocene age (<4 m above grade). No pre‐Bull Lake deposits are preserved along Boulder Canyon, and only three small remnants >15 m above grade record Bull Lake deposition. Well‐preserved terraces of Pinedale age suggest that the range of terrace height above grade reflects short‐term fluctuations in the river profile during periods of rapidly changing stream load and power. Net river incision apparently occurred during transitions to interglacial periods. Soil development and stratigraphic position, along with limited cosmogenic and ¹⁴C dating, suggest that ∼130 ka terraces in Boulder Canyon correlate with the Louviers Alluvium, and that 32 to 10 ka fills in the canyon correlate with the Broadway Alluvium on the adjacent High Plains. Late Pleistocene incision rates (∼0·15 m ka⁻¹) along Boulder Canyon exceed pre‐late Pleistocene incision rates, and are higher than middle to late Pleistocene incision rates (∼0·04 m ka⁻¹) on the High Plains. This study provides an example of how modern geochronologic techniques allow us to understand better rivers that drain glaciated catchments. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconstructing fluvial incision rates based on palaeo-water tables in chalk karst networks along the Seine valley (Normandy,France)

Quantifying rates of river incision and continental uplift over Quaternary timescales offer the potential for modelling landscape change due to tectonic and climatic forcing. In many areas, river terraces form datable archives that help constrain the timing and rate of valley incision. However, old river terraces, with high-level deposits, are prone to weathering and often lack datable material. Where valleys are incised through karst areas, caves and sediments can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution because they can record the elevation of palaeo-water tables and contain preserved datable material. In Normandy (N. France), the Seine River is entrenched into an extensive karstic chalk plateau. Previous estimates of valley incision were hampered by the lack of preserved datable fluvial terraces. A stack of abandoned phreatic cave passages preserved in the sides of the Seine valley can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution of the region. Combining geomorphological observations, palaeomagnetic and U/Th dating of speleothem and sediments in eight caves along the Lower Seine valley, we have constructed a new age model for cave development and valley incision. Six identified cave levels up to ∼100 m a.s.l. were formed during the last ~1 Ma, coeval with the incision of the Seine River. Passage morphologies indicate that the caves formed in a shallow phreatic/epiphreatic setting, modified by sediment influxes. The valley's maximum age is constrained by the occurrence of late Pliocene marine sand. Palaeomagnetic dating of cave infills indicates that the highest-level caves were being infilled prior to 1.1 Ma. The evidence from the studied caves, complemented by fluvial terrace sequences, indicates that rapid river incision occurred during marine isotope stage (MIS) 28 to 20 (0.8–1 Ma), with maximal rates of ~0.30 m ka⁻¹, dropping to ~0.08 m ka⁻¹ between MIS 20–11 (0.8–0.4 Ma) and 0.05 m ka⁻¹ from MIS 5 to the present time. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluvial incision and coarse gravel redistribution across the modern Dead Sea shelf as a result of base-level fall

Global eustatic lowstands can expose vast areas of continental shelves, and occasionally the shelf edge and the continental slope. The degree of fluvial connectivity to receding shores influences the redistribution of sediments across these emerging landscapes. Shelf and slope emergence in the Dead Sea since the middle of the 20th century, offers a rare opportunity to examine evolution of stream connectivity in response to continuous base-level decline. We characterize the connectivity evolution of two streams, using high-resolution time series of aerial imagery and elevation models, field mapping, and grain-size analyses. Our rich spatiotemporal dataset of evolving channel geomorphology, sediment transport conditions, and sediment redistribution, allows calculating potential coarse sediment mobility in response to base level decline. Following shelf emergence, alluvial fans first prograded onto the low-gradient shelf under unfavourable conditions for transporting coarse sediment to the regressing shoreline. Then, with shelf and slope emergence, the two adjacent streams evolved differently. The smaller, more arid watershed still maintains its highstand delta progradation on the shelf and is practically disconnected from the receding lake. The larger catchment, heading in wetter environments and having a narrower shelf, has incised the shelf and renewed and gradually intensified the sediment transport from the highstand to the lowstand delta. Sediment mobilization to lowstand shorelines is controlled by the evolution of the channel profile and by the average speed of gravel transport (10s-100s m yr^-1). These findings from the Dead Sea are relevant to fluvial processes operating on continental shelves during glacial maxima. Streams would have commonly stored high proportions of their coarse sediment on the continental shelves rather than efficiently connecting with the lowstand level. Additionally, differences in sediment routing patterns should exist among nearby streams, primarily due to continental margin geometry and watershed hydrology. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New evidence of sea‐level lowstands and paleoenvironment during MIS 6 and 4 in the Cantabrian coastal karst: the Cobiheru cave (North Iberia)

The geomorphological evolution of the Cobiheru Cave shows the influence of the non‐carbonate coastal mountain ranges on coastal karst evolution, as well as the temporal distribution of the cold‐adapted fauna sites in the Cantabrian Coast. Geomorphological observation and uranium/thorium (U/Th) dating lead to the construction of an evolution model. The model comprises two episodes of cave deposition occurring at c. 60–70 and 130–150 ka, linked to cold climate conditions, global sea‐level lowstands and the erosion of alluvial fans that covered the karst. Moreover, the comparison between the Cobiheru record and some raised beaches identified in previous studies sets the beginning of the sea‐level lowering in the Cantabrian Sea during the marine isotope stages (MIS) 5–4 transition. Two palaeoenvironments are inferred based on finding Equus ferus and Elona quimperiana. A wet deciduous forest would have developed on the emerged marine terrace of the Cobiheru Cave since at least the Middle Pleistocene, and an open landscape with scarce vegetation would have been present at c. 65 ka. The erosional event identified in the Cobiheru Cave helps to understand the temporal distribution of cold‐adapted mammals located in the Asturias region. The probable sites of cold‐adapted fauna developed in caves and alluvial fans would have disappeared after 65 ka. Therefore, palaeontological and palaeoclimate research based on cold‐adapted mammals suggests the occurrence of an hiatus in the palaeontological record prior to 50 ka. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geology and petrology of Mahukona Volcano,Hawaii

The submarine Mahukona Volcano, west of the island of Hawaii, is located on the Loa loci line between Kahoolawe and Hualalai Volcanoes. The west rift zone ridge of the volcano extends across a drowned coral reef at about-1150 m and a major slope break at about-1340 m, both of which represent former shoreines. The summit of the volcano apparently reached to about 250 m above sea level (now at-1100 m depth) did was surmounted by a roughly circular caldera. A econd rift zone probably extended toward the east or sutheast, but is completely covered by younger lavas from the adjacent subaerial volcanoes. Samples were vecovered from nine dredges and four submersible lives. Using subsidence rates and the compositions of flows which drape the dated shoreline terraces, we infer that the voluminous phase of tholeiitic shield growth ended about 470 ka, but tholeiitic eruptions continued until at least 435 ka. Basalt, transitional between tholeiitic and alkalic basalt, erupted at the end of tholeiitic volcanism, but no postshield-alkalic stage volcanism occurred. The summit of the volcano apparently subcided below sea level between 435 and 365 ka. The tholeiitic lavas recovered are compositionally diverse.     

Cenozoic history of the Bering Sea and its northwestern margin

Tectonic reconstructions based on the geodynamic analysis of geologic, paleomagnetic, structural and kinematic data of Cenozoic age from the western Bering Sea region are proposed in the present paper. The most active tectonic and magmatic processes took place in the Komandorsky segment of the Bering Sea, exemplified by the Late Cretaceous–Early Eocene Olutorsky Arc and Eocene–Oligocene Govena–Karaginsky Arc, which was built on the structures of the Olutorsky Arc. A model of the complex collision of these two arcs with the paleocontinental margin, which considers rotations of the geological blocks from the various structural zones of the western margin of the Bering Sea in the horizontal plane (paleomagnetic data), was proposed by the authors. According to this model the collision of the flanks of the Olutorsky and Govena–Karaginsky arcs took place in the Eocene, before the collision of the central parts in the Miocene.     

A long-term rock uplift rate for eastern Crete and geodynamic implications for the Hellenic subduction zone

The island of Crete in the forearc of the Hellenic subduction zone has a rugged topography with local relief exceeding 2 km. Based on the elevation of marine shorelines, rates of rock uplift during the Late Holocene were previously estimated to range between 1 and 4 mm/a in different parts of the island. These rates may, however, not be representative for longer timescales, because subduction earthquakes with up to 9 m of vertical coseismic displacement have affected Crete in the Late Holocene. Here we use a well preserved sequence of marine terraces near Kato Zakros in eastern Crete to determine the rate of rock uplift over the last ∼600 ka. Field investigations and topographic profiles document a flight of more than 13 marine bedrock terraces that were carved into limestones of the Tripolitza unit. Preliminary age constraints for the terraces were obtained by ¹⁰Be exposure dating of rare quartz-bearing sandstone clasts, which are present on some terraces. The ¹⁰Be ages of these samples, which have been corrected for an inherited nuclide component, yielded exposure ages between ∼100 ka and zero. Combined with geomorphologic evidence the two oldest ¹⁰Be ages suggest that the terraces T₄ and T₅, with shoreline angles at an elevation of ∼68 and ∼76 m above sea level, respectively, formed during the marine isotope stage 5e about 120 ka ago. The correlation of the higher terraces (T₆ to T₁₃) with regional sea-level highstands indicates sustained rock uplift at a rate of ∼0.5 m/ka since at least ∼600 ka. As normal faulting has dominated the tectonics of Crete during the last several million years, upper crustal shortening can be ruled out as a cause for rock uplift. We argue that the sustained uplift of the island results from the continuous underplating of sediments, which are transferred from the subducting African plate to the base of the crust beneath Crete.