Late Holocene coastal sand movements in the Outer Hebrides, N.W. Scotland

Lithostratigraphical and biostratigraphical investigation of coastal marshes along the Atlantic coast of the Outer Hebrides from Lewis in the north to Barra in the south discloses inland-tapering sand units within marshland areas. The inland extent of each sand unit has been radiometrically dated and the units have been collectively interpreted as a proxy for past coastal storminess. The data appear to indicate that for the study sites investigated, the majority of the sand units were produced during episodes of climate deterioration both prior to and after the well-known period of Medieval warmth (MWP). Many were produced after ca. AD 1400. It is argued that the episodes of sand blow indicated by the deposits may reflect periods of increased cyclogenesis in the Atlantic associated with increased sea ice cover and an increase in the thermal gradient across the North Atlantic region.     

First evidence for episodic flooding events in the arid interior of central Saudi Arabia over the last 60 ka

Although evidence for Quaternary environmental changes in the Arabian Peninsula is now growing, research has mostly been conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in the Sultanate of Oman. There have been virtually no recent studies in Saudi Arabia, especially in the central region such as around Al‐Quwaiayh. In this area there are a series of outwash plains developed along the eastern edge of the Arabian Shield that formed in the late Quaternary. Four sedimentary sections, which are representative of the deposits that have accumulated, have been studied and five luminescence ages obtained. These are the first luminescence ages acquired from Quaternary sediments in central Saudi Arabia. The preserved fluvial deposits in the study area have formed during humid events at ca. 54 ka, ca. 39 ka and ca. 0.8 ka. In more recent times aeolian sands have been encroaching on to the distal parts of the outwash plains. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lessons learnt from a collaborative management programme in coastal Tanzania

The Tanga Coastal Zone Conservation and Development Programme, initiated in 1994, was among the first such projects to make livelihoods improvement a key objective, and to use a community-based approach. It developed an approach to coastal management planning that is broadly satisfactory to both communities and the government. Six fisheries management areas and two mangrove management areas were established. Institutional arrangements for the collaborative approach were strengthened and community leaders and local government officers were trained in a range of relevant skills. A coastal environmental education programme for primary schools involved several thousand schoolchildren, and a gender programme built the confidence of women. Implementation of the management measures was noticeably harder than planning, particularly elimination of destructive fishing methods. Fishers and coastal communities now however have a much greater involvement in, and understanding of, coastal management and consequently a greater sense of ownership.     

The nature of molecular cloud material in interplanetary dust

Eight interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) exhibiting a wide range of H and N isotopic anomalies have been studied by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. These anomalies are believed to have originated during chemical reactions in a cold molecular cloud that was the precursor to the Solar System. The chemical and mineralogical studies reported here thus constitute direct studies of preserved molecular cloud materials. The H and N isotopic anomalies are hosted by different hydrocarbons that reside in the abundant carbonaceous matrix of the IDPs. Infrared measurements constrain the major deuterium (D) host in the D-enriched IDPs to thermally labile aliphatic hydrocarbon groups attached to macromolecular material. Much of the large variation observed in D/H in this suite of IDPs reflects the variable loss of this labile component during atmospheric entry heating. IDPs with elevated ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios contain N in the form of amine (-NH₂) functional groups that are likely attached to other molecules such as aromatic hydrocarbons. The host of the N isotopic anomalies is not as readily lost during entry heating as the D-rich material. Infrared analysis shows that while the organic matter in primitive anhydrous IDPs is similar to that observed in acid residues of primitive chondritic meteorites, the measured aromatic:aliphatic ratio is markedly lower in the IDPs.     

The implications for paleodietary and paleoclimatic reconstructions of intrapopulation variability in the oxygen and carbon isotopes of teeth from modern feral horses

We analyzed the isotopic patterns found in the tooth enamel of modern feral horses from Shackleford Banks, North Carolina (USA), which has a temperate climate and supports primarily C₄ grasslands. Enamel δ¹³C values averaged −4.1‰ with a standard deviation (1σ) of 1.7‰, which corresponds to an average diet of 66 ± 12% C₄ plants. Our results differ from dietary reconstructions from 1978 to 1981, which found that horses consumed 91% C₄ plants. This suggests that horses have increased their consumption of C₃ forbs, likely as a result of the removal of cattle, sheep, and goats from the island. Shackleford surface waters had δ¹⁸O values that averaged −3.3 ± 0.5‰ and −1.3 ± 1.8‰ on the western and eastern ends of the island, respectively. Tooth enamel samples averaged 27.3 ± 1.5‰ and displayed the same range of δ¹⁸O values as surface waters. The variability of both δ¹⁸O and the δ¹³C values among individuals within this population demonstrates that horses from relatively homogenous temperate environments can display a wide range of isotopic values. Given the observed range of isotopic values for modern horses, we suggest that researchers use the mean values of multiple (≥9) equids when attempting to reconstruct average paleodiets and/or paleoenvironmental conditions.     

Origin and palaeo‐environments of calcareous sediments in the Moshaweng dry valley,southeast Botswana

Quaternary sedimentation in the Moshaweng dry valley of southeastern Botswana is evaluated on the basis of geomorphological evolution and sedimentological analyses. Stratigraphic evidence reveals an upper surface (1095 m) containing abundant sil‐calcrete, an intermediate surface (1085 m) in which sil‐calcrete underlies nodular calcrete and lower (1075 m) surface in which sil‐calcrete and nodular calcrete are interbedded. This subdivision is reflected in the geochemical composition of the sediments which show an overall trend of decreasing SiO₂ content (and increasing CaCO₃ content) with depth from the highest to the lowest surface levels. The calcretes and sil‐calcretes represent modifications of pre‐existing detrital Kalahari Group sand and basal Kalahari pebbles which thinned over a Karoo bedrock high. Modification took place during wet periods when abundant Ca⁺⁺‐rich groundwater flowed along the structurally aligned valley system. With the onset of drier conditions, water table fluctuations led to the precipitation of nodular calcretes in the phreatic layer to a depth of about 20 m. A major geochemical change resulted in the preferential silicification of the nodular calcrete deposits. Conditions for silica mobilization may be related to drying‐induced salinity and in situ geochemical differentiation brought about by pebble dissociation towards the top of the sediment pile. As calcretization and valley formation progressed to lower levels, silica release took place on a diminishing scale. Thermoluminescence dating infers a mid‐Pleistocene age for sil‐calcrete formation suggesting that valley evolution and original calcrete precipitation are much older. Late stage dissolution of CaCO₃ from pre‐existing surface calcretes or sil‐calcretes led to the formation of pedogenic case‐hardened deposits during a time of reduced flow through the Moshaweng system possibly during the upper or late Pleistocene. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fold interference patterns in the Late Palaeozoic Anti-Atlas belt of Morocco

We document two phases of folding within the central part of the Late Palaeozoic Anti‐Atlas chain of Morocco. A first generation of SW–NE folds involve a horizontal shortening of 10–20%, accommodated by polyharmonic buckle folding of contrasting wavelengths in Ordovician Jbel Bani quartzites and Devonian Jbel Rich carbonates. A second generation of folds with similar style and wavelengths in an E–W direction lead to complex interference patterns. Dome and basins are developed within the Jbel Rich and within Lower Cambrian dolomites. Both folding phases are related to thick‐skinned uplift of Precambrian basement in a Laramide style. In contrast to the typical Rocky Mountain foreland style, however, cover deformation in the Anti‐Atlas is mostly decoupled from the undying basement along thick incompetent horizons such as the Lower Cambrian Lie‐de‐Vin and Silurian shales.