Geomorphic evolution of the Qingshuigou channel of the Yellow River Delta in response to changing water and sediment regimes and human interventions

Delta channels are important landforms at the interface of sediment transfer from terrestrial to oceanic realms and affect large, and often vulnerable, human populations. Understanding these dynamics is pressing because delta processes are sensitive to climate change and human activity via adjustments in, for example, mean sea level and water/sediment regimes. Data collected over a 40-year period along a 110-km distributary channel of the Yellow River Delta offer an ideal opportunity to investigate morphological responses to changing water and sediment regimes and intensive human activity. Complementary data from the delta front provide an opportunity to explore the interaction between delta channel geomorphology and delta-front erosion–accretion patterns. Cross-section dimensions and shape, longitudinal gradation and a sediment budget are used to quantify spatial and temporal morphological change along the Qingshuigou channel. Distinctive periods of channel change are identified, and analysis provides a detailed understanding of the temporal and spatial adjustments of the channel to specific human interventions, including two artificial channel diversions and changes in water and sediment supply driven by river management, and downstream delta-front development. Adjustments to the diversions included a short-lived period of erosion upstream and significant erosion in the newly activated channel, which progressed downstream. Channel geomorphology widened and deepened during periods when management increased water yield and decreased sediment supply, and narrowed and shallowed during periods when management reduced water yield and the sediment load. Changes along the channel are driven by both upstream and downstream forcing. Finally, there is some evidence that changing delta-front erosion–accretion patterns played an important role in the geomorphic evolution of the deltaic channel; an area that requires further investigation. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time scales and length scales in magma ?ow pathways and the origin ofmagmatic Ni-Cu-PGE ore deposits

Ore forming processes involve the redistribution of heat, mass and momentum by a wide range of processes operating at different time and length scales. The fastest process at any given length scale tends to be the dominant control. Applying this principle to the array of physical processes that operate within magma flow pathways leads to some key insights into the origins of magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide ore deposits. A high proportion of mineralised systems, including those in the super-giant Noril'sk-Talnakh camp, are formed in small conduit intrusions where assimilation of country rock has played a major role. Evidence of this process is reflected in the common association of sulfides with varitextured contaminated host rocks containing xenoliths in varying stages of assimilation. Direct incorporation of S-bearing country rock xenoliths is likely to be the dominant mechanism for generating sulfide liquids in this setting. However, the processes of melting or dissolving these xenoliths is relatively slow compared with magma flow rates and, depending on xenolith lithology and the composition of the carrier magma, slow compared with settling and accumulation rates. Chemical equilibration between sulfide droplets and silicate magma is slower still, as is the process of dissolving sulfide liquid into initially undersaturated silicate magmas. Much of the transport and deposition of sulfide in the carrier magmas may occur while sulfide is still incorporated in the xenoliths, accounting for the common association of magmatic sulfide-matrix ore breccias and contaminated "taxitic" host rocks. Effective upgrading of so-formed sulfide liquids would require repetitive recycling by processes such as reentrainment, back flow or gravity flow operating over the lifetime of the magma transport system as a whole. In contrast to mafic-hosted systems, komatiite-hosted ores only rarely show an association with externally-derived xenoliths, an observation which is partially due to the predominant formation of ores in lava flows rather than deep-seated intrusions, but also to the much shorter timescales of key component systems in hotter, less viscous magmas. Nonetheless, multiple cycles of deposition and entrainment are necessary to account for the metal contents of komatiite-hosted sulfides. More generally, the time and length scale approach introduced here may be of value in understanding other igneous processes as well as non-magmatic mineral systems.     

Low-temperature isotopic exchange in obsidian: Implications for diffusive mechanisms

While a great deal is known about the interaction between water and rhyolitic glasses and melts at temperatures above the glass transition, the nature of this interaction at lower temperatures is much more poorly understood. This paper presents the results of a series of isotopic exchange experiments aimed at further elucidating this process and determining the extent to which a point-by-point analysis of the D/H or ¹⁸O/¹⁸O isotopic composition across the hydrated rim on a geological or archaeological obsidian sample can be used as a paleoclimatic monitor. Experiments were performed by first hydrating the glass for 5 days in water of one isotopic composition, followed by 5 days in water of a second composition. Because waters of near end-member compositions were used (nearly pure ¹H₂¹⁶O, ¹H₂¹⁸O, and D₂¹⁶O), the relative migration of each species could be ascertained easily by depth-profiling using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Results suggest that, during hydration, both the isotopic composition of the waters of hydration, as well as that of intrinsic water remaining from the initial formation of the glass vary dramatically, and a point-by-point analysis leading to paleoclimatic reconstruction is not feasible.     

Preservation of a heavily bored belemnite rostrum from the upper Maastrichtian of north-east Belgium

The robust calcite rostra (or guards) of belemnites were attractive substrates for some boring organisms in the Mesozoic. The rostra of belemnitellid coleoids are common at certain levels within the Gulpen and Maastricht formations of the extended type area of the Maastrichtian Stage (Upper Cretaceous) in the south-east Netherlands and north-east Belgium. A range of episkeletozoans have been reported from these substrates hitherto. A new specimen preserved as a natural mould in flint from the province of Liège, north-east Belgium, is distinctive, preserving a dense three-dimensional infestation of long, slender, unbranched and unsculptured borings of constant diameter, Trypanites? isp. These may be the spoor of polychaetes. Variations in diameter between borings suggests that the traces in this specimen may represent four separate infestations.     

The alteration of olivine in basaltic and associated lavas

Olivines which cool under oxidizing conditions exsolve iron oxides at high temperature, and at low temperatures break down to essentially chloritic materials. Olivines which cool under non-oxidizing conditions alter at intermediate temperatures to complex assemblages of chlorite and interstratified phyllosilicates containing a smectite. Alteration under oxidizing conditions at low temperature, probably below 140° C, produces iddingsite, an orientated assemblage of goethite and interstratified phyllosilicates also containing a smectite.Post-deuteric alteration extends or initiates the breakdown of olivine to phyllosilicate mixtures often resulting in widespread movement of materials through the flow. Post-deuteric alteration of iddingsite produces strongly pleochroic, highly ordered varieties which eventually break down to green phyllosilicate assemblages.Weathering of olivine may produce orientated assemblages similar to deuteric forms of iddingsite. Weathering of green alteration products results in oxidation and the liberation of discrete iron hydroxides.Alteration in all cases requires exchange of material between interstitial components and olivine. During deuteric alteration, plagioclase and pyroxene are usually unaffected.     

British–Irish Ice Sheet and polar front history of the Goban Spur,offshore southwest Ireland over the last 250 000 years

Deep Sea Drilling Program (DSDP) Site 548 was cored in 1984 at a water depth of 1256 m on the Goban Spur, offshore southwest Ireland. Coring retrieved a ~100-m-thick Pleistocene contourite sequence. This study uses planktonic foraminiferal assemblage and benthic foraminiferal oxygen isotope analyses to establish an age model for the upper 40 m of this core. This site's multidisciplinary analyses of planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, lithic grains, facies and calcium carbonate concentration reveal a 250 000-year record of the North Atlantic polar front variability and British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) history. The sequence is characterized by alternations of ice rafted debris (IRD) laden pelagic mud facies with calcium carbonate-rich silty sand contourite facies that track glacial/interglacial cycles. The polar front migrated southward across the area several times during glacial maxima and stadial periods, while warmer Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) flowed northward across the region during interglacial and interstadial periods depositing contourites. Lithic analyses reveal a complex history of IRD deposition associated with iceberg calving from the Laurentide Ice Sheet and northwest European ice sheets, mainly the BIIS. Comparison between the Goban Spur (DSDP Site 548) and the Celtic Margin (MD03-2692) and central North Atlantic Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1308 suggests differences between the ‘non-Laurentide Ice Sheet’ Heinrich Events (HE) 6 and 3 at the Goban Spur, with IRD from the BIIS being prominent during HE 6 and IRD from other European ice sheets north of the BIIS likely being more dominant during HE 3. The nature of lithics in IRD-rich horizons during Terminations 3, 3A, 2 and 1 suggests significant iceberg calving episodes preceding BIIS retreat during the onset of interstadial intervals.     

Fossils explained 78

The coastal town of Margate in north Kent, south-east England, is geologically well known, with extensive cliffs of chalk with locally common Upper Cretaceous fossils. But to the ichnologist the modern beach is at least as fascinating, with a trinity of borings in chalk clasts and mollusc shells posing interesting questions relevant to palaeoecology and taphonomy.     

A GIS-based methodology for hazard mapping of small volume pyroclastic density currents

We present here a methodology implemented within a geographical information system (GIS) for hazard mapping of small volume pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). This technique is implemented as a set of macros written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) that run within GIS-software (i.e. ArcGIS). Based on the energy line concept, we calibrated an equation that relates the volume (V) and the mobility (ΔH/L) of single PDCs using data from Soufrière Hills volcano (Montserrat) and Arenal volcano (Costa Rica). Maximum potential run-outs can be predicted with an associated uncertainty of about 30%. Also based on the energy line concept and with data from Soufrière Hills volcano and Mt. St. Helens (USA), we were able to calibrate an equation that predicts the flow velocity as a function of the vertical distance between the energy line and the ground surface (Δh). Velocities derived in this way have an associated uncertainty of 3 m s⁻¹. We wrote code to implement these equations and allow the automatic mapping of run-out and velocity with the inputs being (i) the height and location of the vent (ii) the flow volume and (iii) a digital elevation model (DEM) of the volcano. Dynamic pressure can also be estimated and mapped by incorporating the density of the pyroclastic density current (PDC). This computer application allows the incorporation of uncertainties in the location of the vent and of statistical uncertainties expressed by the 95% confidence limits of the regression model. We were able to verify predictions by the proposed methodology with data from Unzen volcano (Japan) and Mayon volcano (The Philippines). The consistencies observed highlight the applicability of this approach for hazard mitigation and real-time emergency management.     

A simple and general methodology to calibrate seismic instruments for debris flow quantification: application to Cotopaxi and Tungurahua volcanoes (Ecuador)

Debris flows are hazardous phenomena occurring at volcanoes, and monitoring them has proved as challenging as imperative in several cases. The use of seismic instruments to measure and study the physical properties of debris flows has witnessed significant progress in the last years, with the use of improved sensors, innovative methodologies and high-resolution analysis. However, the application of such studies to the practical task of providing early warnings remains limited by the significant amount of infrastructural and technological resources commonly required for their deployment. In Ecuador, debris flows at volcanoes are detected by means of seismic instruments which are usually part of broader monitoring networks, thus requiring calibration to provide quantitative information about the flows and feed early-warning systems. In the present work, a theoretical approach based on the Buckingham Π-theorem is used to determine an expression that linearly correlates the seismic signal produced by a transiting debris flow with its discharge rate, for instruments installed in different substrata and at variable distances from the drainage. The expression is experimentally tested with Acoustic Flow Monitors and Broad-band seismometers installed in the vicinity of drainages at Tungurahua and Cotopaxi volcanoes, where actual debris flows occurred in relation to eruptive activity. The experiments consist in comparing the measured peak amplitude values of the seismic signal envelopes with the estimated peak discharge rates of several events. The results confirm the validity of the theoretical expression with linear correlations observed between the seismic amplitudes and the discharge rates, thus defining calibration expressions that can be generally applied to varied environments and instruments. The seismic instruments calibrated through this methodology can provide instantaneous and reliable predictions of debris flow discharge rates within less than an order of magnitude and only requiring limited data processing and storage. Such level of prediction could help to improve early warning systems based on seismic instruments installed in locations where more developed instrumental arrays are unavailable or unpractical.