Quaternary stratigraphy of the buried valleys of the lower Red Deer River,Alberta, Canada

The Quaternary fills of the buried valleys of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan have provided a wealth of information for the reconstruction of the glacial-interglacial record of the western plains of Canada, and this paper reports on the previously unstudied stratigraphy of the buried Calgary Valley and its former tributaries in the lower Red Deer River area. We attempt to differentiate Empress Group sediments, which potentially relate to pre-glacial, interglacial/ interstadial and post-glacial lake and river deposition, using sedimentology, stratigraphy and palaeoecology. Twenty-nine stratigraphical logs indicate that Empress Group sediments have infilled a considerably large area of badlands and tributary coulees that once drained into the Calgary Valley, located 15 km to the north of Dinosaur Provincial Park. Radiocarbon dates of 52.4 ka, 27.4 ka and > 42.4 ka and glacially modified quartz grains suggest that at least some of the valley fills date to interglacial or interstadial periods and may be mid-Wisconsinan in age. However, outcrops of an older till overlying other valley fills suggest that the buried valleys were only partially excavated during interglacials/interstadials and that older (even pre-glacial) sediments could have survived. Subglacial channels, recognisable on air photographs, largely coincide with buried valley positions due to the preferential excavation of the Quaternary sediment by meltwater and are filled with post-glacial lake sediment from which a radiocarbon date of 16 ka BP was obtained. Pre-glacial and glacial/post-glacial Empress Group sediments are lithologically indistinct but cover a large time span in southern Alberta.     

Timing and tectonic setting of Grenvillian metamorphism—constraints from a transect along Georgian Bay,Ontario*

Systematic mapping of a transect along the well-exposed shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario, combined with the preliminary results of structural analysis, geochronology and metamorphic petrology, places some constraints on the geological setting of high-grade metamorphism in this part of the Central Gneiss Belt. Correlations within and between map units (gneiss associations) have allowed us to recognize five tectonic units that differ in various aspects of their lithology, metamorphic and plutonic history, and structural style. The lowest unit, which forms the footwall to a regional decollement, locally preserves relic pre-Grenvillian granulite facies assemblages reworked under amphibolite facies conditions during the Grenvillian orogeny. Tectonic units above the decollement apparently lack the early granulite facies metamorphism; out-of-sequence thrusting in the south produced a duplex-like structure. Two distinct stages of Grenvillian metamorphism are apparent. The earlier stage (c. 1160–1120 Ma) produced granulite facies assemblages in the Parry Sound domain and upper amphibolite facies assemblages in the Parry Island thrust sheet. The later stage (c. 1040–1020 Ma) involved widespread, dominantly upper amphibolite facies metamorphism within and beneath the duplex. Deformation and metamorphism recently reported from south and east of the Parry Sound domain at c. 1100–1040 Ma have not yet been documented along the Georgian Bay transect. The data suggest that early convergence was followed by a period of crustal thickening in the orogenic core south-east of the transect area, with further advance to the north-west during and after the waning stages of this deformation.     

The significance of Messinian occurrences of Globorotalia margaritae and Globorotalia puncticulata in Sicily

Globorotalia puncticulata and Globorotalia margaritae are critical species that define internationally recognized planktonic foraminiferal biozones in the Pliocene. These biozones are defined from stratotype sections on Sicily and their fauna are commonly considered to have been introduced to the Mediterranean after an influx of Atlantic water that terminated the late Miocene desiccation of the basin. Herein new discoveries of these species in rocks that predate the late Miocene desiccation are described. These data are supported by magneto- and lithostratigraphy that have been integrated at a single continuous section. Not only do these discoveries question the existing foraminiferal biozone stratigraphy, they also suggest new models for the dispersal of planktonic species. It is proposed that Globorotalia puncticulata and perhaps even Globorotalia margaritae evolved in the Mediterranean during earliest Messinian times (during or before chron C3Bn1n) and dispersed into the Atlantic. This suggests that a marine connection remained between the two sea areas until at least chron C3An.1n. Using the existing geomagnetic polarity time scale, these occurrences are some 2 Myr earlier than previously recorded in the Mediterranean. The distribution of G. margaritae and G. puncticulata in Mediterranean sections is likely to reflect palaeoenvironment or the preservation of deposits rather than the absolute age of the sediments.     

Field,petrophysical and carbon isotope studies on the Lapland Granulite Belt: implications for deep continental crust

The Palaeoproterozoic Lapland Granulite Belt is a seismically reflective and electrically conductive sequence of deep crustal (6–9 kbar) rocks in the northern Fennoscandian Shield. It is composed of garnet-sillimanite gneisses (khondalites) and pyroxene granulites (enderbites) which in certain thrust sheets form about 500 m thick interlayers. The structure was formed by the intrusion of intermediate to basic magmas into turbiditic sedimentary rocks under granulite facies metamorphism accompanied by shearing of the deep crust about 1.93–1.90 Gyr ago (Gal. Granulites were upthrust 1.90–1.87 Ga and the belt was divided by crustal scale duplexing into four structural units whose layered structure was preserved. The thrust structures are recognized by the repetition of lithological ensembles and by discordant structural patterns well distinguishable in airborne magnetic and electromagnetic data. Thrusting gave rise to clockwise pressure-temperature evolution of the belt. However, some basic rocks possibly record an isobaric cooling path. The low bulk resistivity of the belt (200–1000 Ωm) is caused by interconnected graphite and subordinate sulphides in shear zones. On the basis of carbon isotope ratios this graphite is derived mostly from sedimentary organic carbon. The seismic reflectivity of the belt may be caused by velocity and density differences between pyroxene granulites and khondalites, as well as by shear zones.     

Obtaining basic simulation data for a heterogeneous field with stratified marine soils

Thinly stratified sedimentary deposits in a heterogeneous field were investigated to obtain basic physical data for the simulation of water flow. A procedure is described which translates a thinly stratified soil profile into a number of functional layers using functional hydrological properties. A functional layer is defined as a combination of one or more soil horizons and should (i) be recognizable during a soil survey using an auger and (ii) show significantly different functional hydrological properties when compared with another functional layer. This procedure gave three easily recognizable functional layers. Sets of hydrological characteristics of these three functional layers were obtained by physical measurements of the soil and by estimation, using textural data for classification into a standard Dutch series. The performance of several combinations of these sets was tested by comparing simulated and measured soil matric potentials for seven plots during one year. The best simulation results were obtained if measured soil hydraulic characteristics were used for relatively homogeneous functional layers and if the soil hydraulic characteristics were estimated at each location for the most heterogeneous layer.     

Nutrient (P, N) dynamics in the southwestern Kattegat, Scandinavia: sedimentation and resuspension effects

 The yearly nutrient supply from land and atmosphere to the study area in SW Kattegat is 10 900 tons of N and 365 tons of P. This is only few percent of the supply from adjacent marine areas, as the yearly transport through the study area is 218 000 tons of N and 18 250 tons of P. Yearly net deposition makes up 1340 tons of N (on average 2.5 g m^–2 yr^–1) and 477 ton of P (on average 0.9 g m^–2 yr^–1). Shallow-water parts of the study area have no net deposition because of frequent (>35% of the year) resuspension. Resuspension frequency in deep water is <1% of the year. Resuspension rates, as averages for the study area, are 10–17 times higher than net deposition rates. Because of resuspension, shallow-water sediments are coarse lag deposits with small amounts of organic matter (1.1%) and nutrients (0.04% N and 0.02% P). Deep-water sediments, in contrast, are fine grained with high levels of organic matter (11.7%) and nutrients (0.43% N and 0.15% P). Laboratory studies showed that resuspension changes the diffusive sediment water fluxes of nutrients, oxygen consumption, and penetration into the sediment. Fluxes of dissolved reactive phosphate from sediment to water after resuspension were negative in organic-rich sediments (13.2% organic matter) with low porosity (56) and close to zero in coarse sediments with a low organic matter content (2.3%) and high porosity (73). Fluxes of inorganic N after resuspension were reduced to 70% and 0–20% in relation to the rates before resuspension, respectively. Received: 10 July 1995 · Accepted: 19 January 1996     

Application of beam forming techniques to measurements of acoustic scattering from the ocean bottom

Signals from an explosive source backscattered from the seafloor and received at long range by hydrophones of a towed array are processed to estimate the directional distribution of energy for a given time increment. As assembly of these data shows the time and amplitude of scattering features, and after conversion to distance, the geographic location of the return. A frequency-domain beam-forming procedure is used in which beam levels are averaged over a given band of a broad-band source. The processing is applied to experimental data obtained in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. The major backscattering occurred at the Baconi Seamounts and the coastal margin of Sardinia.     

Water transport from the North-east Irish Sea to western Scottish coastal waters: Further observations from time-trend matching of Sellafield radiocaesium

Radiocaesium isotopes, discharged into the North-east Irish Sea from the Sellafield (formerly Windscale) nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Cumbria, have been employed as flow monitors to update and extend the record of coastal water movement from the Irish Sea to the Clyde Sea area and, further north, to Loch Etive. The temporal trends in radiocaesium levels have been used to determine the extent of water mixing en route and to define mean advection rates. Flow conditions from the Irish Sea have changed considerably since the mid-1970s, the residence time of northern Irish Sea waters being ～12 months during 1978–1980 inclusive. Average transport times of four and six months are estimated for the Sellafield to Clyde and Sellafield to Etive transects respectively. Sellafield ¹³⁷Cs levels in seawater were diluted by factors of 27 and 50 respectively during current movement to the Clyde and Etive areas. The decrease in salinity-corrected ¹³⁷Cs concentrations between the Clyde and Etive suggests that dilution by Atlantic water occurs, the latter mainly entering the Firth of Lorne from the west. The majority (～94%) of the radiocaesium supply to Loch Etive enters the Firth of Lorne via the portion of the coastal current circulating west of Islay, only ～6% arriving via the Sound of Jura.     

Nitrogen uptake,ammonium oxidation and nitrous oxide (N2O) levels in the coastal waters of western Cook Strait,New Zealand

Vertical measurements of $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$, $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ and N₂O concentrations, $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ and $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ uptake, and $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ oxidation rates were measured at 5 sites in western Cook Strait, New Zealand, between 31 March and 3 April 1983. Nitrate increased with depth at all stations reaching a maximum of 10.5 μg-atom $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{N l}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$ at the most strongly stratified station whereas $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ was relatively constant with depth at all stations (～0.1 μg-atom $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{N l}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$). The highest rates of $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ oxidation generally occurred in the near surface waters and decreased with depth. N₂O levels were near saturation with respect to the air above the sea surface and showed no obvious changes during 24 h incubation. $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ oxidation by nitrifying bacteria may account for about 30% of the total $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ utilization (i.e. bacterial+agal) and, assuming oxidation through to $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$, may supply about 40% of the algal requirements of $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ in the study area. These results suggest that bacterial nitrification is of potential importance to the nitrogen dynamics of the western Cook Strait, particularly with respect to the nitrogen demands of the phytoplankton.