Microstructural interpretations of modern and Pleistocene subglacially deformed sediments: the relative role of parent material and subglacial processes

Analysis of till micromorphology represents a relatively new technique that has been used most frequently to infer the importance of subglacial shear in till genesis. This study aims to calibrate the technique by comparing Pleistocene tills from United Kingdom with a modern till (the UpB till) from beneath Ice Stream B, West Antarctica. Despite the fact that all of the tills examined have been interpreted as deforming‐bed deposits, the modern till has significantly less abundant and diverse microstructures than those found in the Pleistocene tills. Seventeen examined thin‐sections of the UpB till contain recognisable microstructures over only 0–30% of individual thin‐section area. The most common microstructures are: (i) birefringent clay patterns that are interpreted as shear zones and (ii) adherent matrix structures, which we interpret as uncomminuted remnants of the parent glacial/glaciomarine diamictons. Fourteen thin‐sections of the Pleistocene tills were covered by microstructures in 10–95% of their area. The Pleistocene microstructures include birefringent clays and adherent matrix structures, as in the UpB till, but also laminations and deformed pods made of chalk and sorted sediments. We conclude that the same till‐forming process, i.e. subglacial deformation, may result in distinctly different till micromorphology. This is a consequence of the fact that microstructural characteristics are strongly influenced by factors other than shear deformation. We identify three controls that may be important for forming contrasting microstructural assemblages: (i) strain magnitude, (ii) the degree of heterogeneity of parent material, and (iii) relative importance of sediment sorting by flowing water in the subglacial environment. Thus till micromorphology is sensitive to multiple factors, which with proper calibration may enhance the existing capability to interpret past subglacial conditions from microstructures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microstructural evidence of low‐strain,time‐transgressive subglacial deformation

Microstructural analyses were used to investigate the formation of a macroscale‐massive till at Knud Strand in Denmark. More than 100 thin sections were examined and microstructures mapped and counted for quantitative comparison and interpretation. Microstructures indicative of both brittle (grain lineations, edge‐to‐edge crushed grains) and ductile (turbate structures) deformation are evenly distributed in vertical profiles through the till, suggesting that strain contributed to its formation. Discrete shears (grain lineations and plasmic fabric) probably accommodated most deformation, whereas rotational deformation was less prominent. The microshear geometry fits the predicted Coulomb–Mohr failure criterion, indicating that till behaves as a plastic material. Strain estimate of ca. 10¹ from micromorphological proxies is two–three orders of magnitude lower than expected if the till was subjected to pervasive deformation. A hybrid of lodgement and time‐transgressive deformation is envisaged as the till‐forming processes. Our data suggest that even abundant evidence of microscale deformation at continuing high levels of strain may only record the latest process of deposition and deformation and therefore not fully reflect the complexity of till genesis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An investigation of subglacial shear zone processes from Weybourne,Norfolk, UK

The glacial sediments of north Norfolk are a type site for subglacial deforming bed sediments. This investigation focussed on subglacial shear zone process at the field and thin section scale, in order to understand subglacial processes, as well as considering the implications for regional stratigraphies. The sandy and chalky tills from three sites (within 1 km) at Weybourne, Norfolk, showed evidence for subglacial deformation associated with simple shear, producing extension, compression and rotation. It was demonstrated how these processes interacted to cause chalk fragmentation and predictable fabric strengths (dependant on sorting and grain size). It is suggested that the ‘Marly Drift’ is a diachronous unit, and the resultant stratigraphy at Weybourne reflects one deformation till, resulting from a series of ice advances, but with a lithology derived from the local chalk bed rock (with some far travelled erratics), which have undergone different degrees of chalk fragmentation reflecting the nature and duration of the subglacial deformation.     

Till kinematics in the Stargard drumlin field,NW Poland constrained by microstructural proxies

Deciphering the relationships between streamlined subglacial landforms and deposits therein helps to constrain the dynamics of past ice sheets. Here we present microstructural analyses of till from the largest drumlin field in the North European Lowland generated by a major palaeo-ice stream of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet. Data derived from thin sections and X-ray microtomography (μCT) reveal multiple microstructures including microshears, circular structures, grain stacks and crushed grains. Long axes of micro-clasts measured in thin sections are directionally clustered and have low, down-ice-oriented dip angles. Some samples reveal subordinate clustering oriented at high angles to the main direction. The μCT data show low clustering strengths of clasts and no systematic fabric pattern in the entire set of samples. There is no correspondence between the clast orientations and the directions of drumlin long axes, suggesting that the till is antecedent in relation to the drumlin-shaping process. The observations indicate spatially and temporally variable, shallow-seated brittle and ductile deformation controlled by porewater pressure fluctuations and generated time-transgressively parallel to till accretion. Consistently with previous studies, the data suggest that the Stargard drumlins are erosional remnants of a pre-existing terrain shaped by material removal from the inter-drumlin areas.     

Provenance and depositional environments of Quaternary sediments from the western North Sea Basin

As the majority of the data on Quaternary sediments from the North Sea Basin are seismostratigraphical, we analysed the Elsterian Swarte Bank Formation, the Late Saalian Fisher Formation and the Late Weichselian (Dimlington Stadial) Bolders Bank Formation in order to determine genesis and provenance. The Swarte Bank Formation is a subglacial till containing palynomorphs from the Moray Forth and the northeastern North Sea, and metamorphic heavy minerals from the Scottish Highlands. The Fisher Formation was sampled from the northern and central North Sea. In the north, it is interpreted as a subglacial till, with glaciomarine sediments cropping out further south. These sediments exhibit a provenance signature consistent with the Midland Valley of Scotland, the Eocene of the North Sea Basin, the Grampian Highlands and northeast Scotland. The Bolders Bank Formation is a subglacial till containing palynomorphs from the Midland Valley of Scotland, northern Britain, and a metamorphic heavy‐mineral suite indicative of the Grampian Highlands, Southern Uplands and northeast Scotland. These data demonstrate that there was repeated glaciation of the North Sea Basin during the Middle and Late Pleistocene, with ice sheets originating in northern Scotland. There was no evidence for a Scandinavian ice sheet in the western North Sea basin. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

四川九龙里伍铜矿主要矿石矿物扫描电镜能谱分析

运用扫描电镜能谱分析(SEM+EDS)方法对里伍铜矿主要矿石矿物的研究表明:闪锌矿中含有质量分数大于8%的Fe元素,黄铜矿和磁黄铁矿中含有少量的Cr元素。在矿石样品中首次发现硒铋矿的类质同像矿物、自然铋及核燃料氧化物。     

Neoglacial (<3000 years) till and flutes at Saskatchewan Glacier,Canadian Rocky Mountains,formed by subglacial deformation of a soft bed

Understanding the processes that deposit till below modern glaciers provides fundamental information for interpreting ancient subglacial deposits. A process‐deposit‐landform model is developed for the till bed of Saskatchewan Glacier in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The glacier is predominantly hard bedded in its upper reaches and flows through a deep valley carved into resistant Palaeozoic carbonates but the ice margin rests on a thick (<6 m) soft bed of silt‐rich deformation till that has been exposed as the glacier retreats from its Little Ice Age limit reached in 1854. In situ tree stumps rooted in a palaeosol under the till are dated between ca 2900 and 2700 yr bp and record initial glacier expansion during the Neoglacial. Sedimentological and stratigraphic observations underscore the importance of subglacial deformation of glaciofluvial outwash deposited in front of the advancing glacier and mixing with glaciolacustrine carbonate‐rich silt to form a soft bed. The exposed till plain has a rolling drumlinoid topography inherited from overridden end moraines and is corrugated by more than 400 longitudinal flute ridges which record deformation of the soft bed and fall into three genetically related types: those developed in propagating incipient cavities in the lee of large subglacial boulders embedded in deformation till, and those lacking any originating boulder and formed by pressing of wet till up into radial crevasses under stagnant ice. A third type consists of U‐shaped flutes akin to barchan dunes; these wrap around large boulders at the downglacier ends of longitudinal scours formed by the bulldozing of boulders by the ice front during brief winter readvances across soft till. Pervasive subglacial deformation during glacier expansion was probably facilitated by large boulders rotating within the soft bed (‘glacioturbation’).     

应用扫描电镜-X射线衍射-电子探针技术研究河南淅川绿松石矿物学特征

河南省淅川县位于我国重要绿松石产区——秦岭东部绿松石矿区东延部分,与淅川毗邻的许多早期考古遗址中出土了大量的绿松石制品,因此淅川绿松石的矿料流布受到许多考古学者的关注。研究淅川绿松石的矿物学特征有助于完善我国不同矿区绿松石矿物学研究,为追溯我国早期绿松石文物的矿料来源提供重要的数据支撑。本文利用偏光显微镜观察、扫描电镜、粉晶X射线衍射等技术对淅川绿松石进行结构研究,辅以电子探针、背散射电子图像观察等方法研究了淅川绿松石的矿物组合。结果表明:淅川绿松石主要由细小的鳞片状、短柱状、板片状微晶集合体组成,可见环带状、结核状、碎斑碎粒状结构;通过对比不同样品的微晶结构,可知其微晶的大小、晶型和分布状态会影响淅川绿松石集合体的致密程度和颜色;淅川绿松石集合体中常见石英、玉髓和铁氧化物,部分样品含有硫磷铝锶矿。通过对比其他矿区绿松石矿物组合,发现淅川绿松石与湖北地区的绿松石矿物组成相近,主要杂质为石英、褐铁矿,明显区别于安徽地区以高岭石为主要杂质矿物的绿松石。     

The use of mineral magnetic analyses in the study of glacial diamicts: A pilot study

Mineral magnetic methods of characterising glacial diamicts and their associated sediments are applied to deposits within the Manx Quaternary sequence. The possible advantages of these techniques over more traditional methods of sediment characterisation are outlined, and the results obtained in a pilot study are examined. Results show that both distinctions and similarities exist within the magnetic mineral assemblages of the four diamict units studied. The possible implications of these results for interpreting the Late Quaternary history of the Isle of Man and the future potential of the techniques are briefly discussed.     

Formation of subglacial till under transient bed conditions: deposition, deformation, and basal decoupling under a Weichselian ice sheet lobe, central Poland

A multi-proxy approach involving a study of sediment architecture, grain size, grain roundness and crushing index, petrographic and clay mineral composition, till fabric and till micromorphology was applied to infer processes of till formation and deformation under a Weichselian ice sheet at Kurzetnik, Poland. The succession consists of three superposed till units overlying outwash sediments deformed at the top. The textural characteristics of tills vary little throughout the till thickness, whereas structural appearance is diversified including massive and bedded regions. Indicators of intergranular bed deformation include overturned, attenuated folds, boudinage structures, a sediment-mixing zone, grain crushing, microstructural lineations, grain stacking and high fabric strength. Lodgement proxies are grooved intra-till surfaces, ploughing marks and consistently striated clast surfaces. Basal decoupling by pressurized meltwater is indicated by undisturbed sand stringers, sand-filled meltwater scours under pebbles and partly armoured till pellets. It is suggested that the till experienced multiple transitions between lodgement, deformation and basal decoupling. Cumulative strain was high, but the depth of (time-transgressive) deformation much lower (centimetre range) than the entire till thickness ( ca 2 m) at any point in time, consistent with the deforming bed mosaic model. Throughout most of ice overriding, porewater pressure was high, in the vicinity of glacier floatation pressure indicating that the substratum, consisting of 11 m thick sand, was unable to drain subglacial meltwater sufficiently.     

Stratigraphy and sedimentology of Devensian (Dimlington Stadial) glacial deposits,east Yorkshire,England

The stratigraphy and sedimentology of the glacial deposits exposed along the coast of east Yorkshire are reviewed. Critical sections at Filey Brigg, Barmston and Skipsea are examined to reassess the stratigraphy of Devensian Dimlington Stadial glacial deposits in the light of recent developments in glacial sedimentology. Sedimentary and glaciotectonic structures studied in the field and by using scanning electron microscopy are emphasised. Two hypotheses are considered for the genesis of the interbedded diamictons and stratified sediments. The first involves the deposition of lodgement till and/or deformation till followed by meltout till, which was overridden to produce more deformation till, reflecting periods of ice stagnation punctuated by glacier thickening. The second hypothesis, which is favoured on the basis of field evidence and micromorphology, involves the vertical accretion of a deforming till layer associated with cavity/channel or tunnel valley fills, beneath active ice. At Barmston the upper part of the diamicton contains elongate pendant structures containing gravels, indicating that the diamicton was saturated and able to flow. The diamictons, therefore, represent a complex sequence of tills deposited and deformed by active ice during the Dimlington Stadial. Previously published stratigraphical schemes involving classifications of multiple tills in east Yorkshire should be simplified and it is more appropriate to assign these to a single formation, the Skipsea Till Formation. Rhythmic glaciolacustrine and proglacial glaciofluvial sediments overlie the tills at Barmston and Skipsea. These were deposited in sag basins during deglaciation as the tills settled and deformed under thickening sediment and as buried ice melted out. Extensive sands and gravels cap the succession and were deposited on a sandur during the later stages of deglaciation.     

矿物自动定量分析系统的基本原理及其在岩矿研究中的应用 ——以捷克泰思肯公司TIMA为例

近年来,矿物自动定量分析系统已广泛应用于地质、石油、矿业、冶金、考古和环境等领域,而中国对该系统在岩矿科研领域的应用则刚刚起步.文章以捷克泰思肯电镜公司(TESCAN)的全自动矿物分析系统TIMA(TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyzer)为例,简述了该系统的基本原理、硬件和软件组成.TIM...     

和田软玉的化学成分和显微结构研究

采用场发射扫描电子显微镜（FE-SEM）系统对产自新疆和田的软玉样品的主要矿物组成、化学成分、显微结构等进行了较详细的研究,并与产自中国青海、辽宁、河南及韩国的软玉样品进行了比较。结果表明,各产地软玉样品的矿物组成、化学成分和显微结构有一定的差异。和田软玉样品中含有镁质绿泥石,而辽宁软玉样品中含有较多的闪锌矿,青海软玉样品中有含Zr元素矿物的颗粒,河南软玉样品中有含La与Ce元素较高矿物的颗粒;对纯度较高的软玉样品,仅依靠主成分很难区分其产地,但依靠其微量元素成分却能起到较好的鉴别作用;和田软玉样品中透闪石的显微结构较致密,纤维尺寸要小于其它产地软玉样品的。以上信息对确定软玉的产地具有较好的参考意义。     

Holocene colluvial (debris‐flow and water‐flow) processes in eastern Norway: stratigraphy,chronology and palaeoenvironmental implications

Very little is known about the temporal pattern and the palaeoenvironmental implications of Holocene colluvial processes (debris‐flow and water‐flow processes) in eastern Norway. In this study, well‐dated sedimentary successions from 19 deep excavations are used to reconstruct Holocene colluvial activity in upper Gudbrandsdalen, eastern Norway. Following deglaciation, debris‐flow and water‐flow events have been common in upper Gudbrandsdalen throughout the Holocene, with 62% of the recognised debris‐flow and water‐flow units deposited prior to 5000 cal. yr BP. Relatively high colluvial activity is recorded at ca. 8600–7400, 2400–1900 and 800–400 cal. yr BP, with a conspicuous peak at ca. 8500–8100. Periods of relatively low colluvial activity are recorded at ca. 7100–6500, 5900–5300 and 3500–2500 cal. yr BP. Two different weather situations, unusually heavy rains and warm periods during the snowmelt season, are responsible for triggering colluvial processes in this area. These different weather situations may in turn be related to different climatic conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subglacial emplacement of tills and meltwater deposits at the base of overdeepened bedrock troughs

The sedimentary infills of subglacially eroded bedrock troughs in the Alps are underexplored archives for the timing, extent and character of Pleistocene glaciations but may contain excellent records of the Quaternary landscape evolution over several glacial–interglacial cycles. The onset of sedimentation in these bedrock troughs is often reflected by diamicts and gravels directly overlying bedrock in the deepest basin segments. Subglacial or proglacial depositional environments have been proposed for these coarse‐grained basal units but their characteristics and origin remain controversial. This article presents results from drill cores that recovered a coarse‐grained basal unit in a major buried bedrock‐trough system in the Lower Glatt Valley, northern Switzerland. The excellent core recovery allowed a detailed study combining macroscopic, microscopic and geochemical methods and gives unprecedented insights into the transition from erosion to deposition in overdeepened bedrock troughs. These results show that the basal infill comprises diamicts, interpreted as subglacial tills, separated by thin sorted interbeds, originating from subglacial cavity deposition. The stacking of these units is interpreted to represent repeated switching between a coupled and decoupled ice–bed‐interface indicating an ever‐transforming mosaic of subglacial bed conditions. Decoupling in response to high basal water pressures is probably promoted by the confined subglacial hydraulic conditions resulting from the bedrock acting as aquitards, the narrow reverse sloping outlet and a large catchment area. While stratigraphic and lithological evidence suggests that erosion and the onset of basal sedimentation occurred during the same glaciation, different scenarios for the relative timing of infilling in relation to formation and glaciation of the bedrock trough are discussed. Overlying deltaic and glaciolacustrine sediments suggest deposition during subsequent deglaciation of the bedrock trough. The basal sediment characteristics are in agreement with previous reports in hydrogeological and seismic exploration and suggest the occurrence of similar basal successions in other subglacially overdeepened basins in the Alps and elsewhere.     

Sand,hearths, lithics and a bit of bioturbation: Site formation processes at Umhlatuzana rockshelter,South Africa

Umhlatuzana rockshelter is known for its continuous record of Middle and Later Stone Age lithic assemblages. This study presents multiproxy geoarchaeological data (micromorphology, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy) to reconstruct the depositional and post-depositional history of the site. Although the Stone Age deposits macroscopically appear homogeneous, micromorphological analysis reveals the existence of primary, unaltered depositional microlayering throughout the sequence. Sediments related to combustion activities on-site are observed in both the Holocene and Pleistocene deposits. Post-depositional geochemical alterations result in the formation of several phosphatic minerals that significantly affect the site's preservation conditions. One of those is vashegyite, a rare magnesium phosphate mineral related to acidic and moist sedimentary environments. Bioturbation features are prominent at the microscale, but sediment mixing does not seem to affect the vertical distribution of the artifacts. The observation of horizontal microlayering in both the Pleistocene and Holocene illuminates the dominant mechanism of sedimentation throughout the site's 70,000-year occupational history. It moreover shows that the lithics can be analysed as coherent assemblages.     

河南小关低品位铝土矿矿物成分的扫描电镜研究

本文用扫描电子显微镜和能量色散谱仪对河南小关低品位铝土矿的主要矿物成分及其微观结构进行了观察分析,并与高品位铝土矿进行了比较,发现有如下特点:低品位铝土矿的矿物成分复杂,常见多种矿物共生;铝矿物主要为硬水铝石,晶体化程度较差,或晶形不完整,结构比高品位铝土矿致密;淋滤次生孔洞及结晶完好的次生软水铝石晶体较少。     

Magnetic properties as indicators of pedogenic and pyrogenic processes at the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 14

In geoarchaeological studies, there is an issue with distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic signals in pedological paleoarchives. With the pedostratigraphy of the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 14, this issue is reflected by problems with the determination of features of pedogenic and pyrogenic processes. This issue was addressed by means of a thorough analysis of the magnetic properties of paleosols accompanied by micromorphological observations. Most of the humic samples were shown to be a result of pedogenesis, but two samples (a Paleolithic hearth sample and a sample from paleosol IIc) had features of intensely burnt material. The difference in the typical intensity of large-scale (natural or human-induced) and local-scale anthropogenic fire allowed for suggesting that the magnetic properties of the burnt sample were the result of an anthropogenically controlled fire event, that is, a hearth. This study shows that the magnetic properties of paleosols can be used to differentiate anthropogenic activity, in particular—burning, from pedogenic processes. This indicator is especially helpful in finding disturbed combustion features when the hearth structure is lost. This methodology used to demonstrate the local human-induced pyrogenic effect at the Upper Paleolithic site can contribute to the discussion of the niche construction effect of human activities in the Pleistocene.     

云南大理点苍山末次冰期冰碛物石英砂扫描电镜形态特征分析

云南大理点苍山是大理冰期的命名地,保存有确切的末次冰期冰川作用遗迹.对点苍山冰碛物石英砂进行了扫描电镜形态特征分析,获得了其石英砂形态特征及其频率,并在冰川成因的典型特征的频率上取得了新的认识.扫描电镜分析表明,点苍山冰碛物石英砂形态特征主要为：石英砂形状主要为次棱角状、尖棱角状和多棱角状,边缘多可见次棱脊和棱脊磨损,表面起伏度高;机械特征主要有贝壳状断口、平行解理面、裂隙、粘附碎片、擦痕、机械V形坑;化学特征主要有蚀坑和蚀缝、蜂窝状溶蚀表面、无定形硅沉淀和硅质薄膜.在石英砂表面与冰川作用密切相关的擦痕的频率为8%～32%;粘附碎片的频率为16%～40%;裂隙的频率为12%～32%.通过对点苍山冰碛物的石英砂扫描电镜分析,得出该第四纪海洋性冰斗冰川和悬冰川的石英砂形态特征及其频率.该冰碛物石英砂原始形态特征明显,机械特征频率不高,是近源堆积的冰碛物石英砂的典型形态特征.