THE STUDY OF ARENACEOUS SEDIMENTS BY MEANS OF ACETATE REPLICAS

The present paper describes the use of cellulose acetate replicas in the study of silicate rocks, particularly indurated sandstones. The procedure of Boardman and Utgaard (1964) for the reproduction of surface structures of polished limestone slabs for the study of Paleozoic Bryozoa, was modified and applied on silicate rocks using HF instead of formic acid as the etching agent. The polished slabs are etched with 40 % HF for 5–10 seconds and then washed, dried, wetted with acetone and gently pressed towards a mount of cellulose acetate. After drying, the specimen is quickly removed and an imprint is left on the acetate peel. By using thick (1.6 mm) cellulose acetate sheets no mounting on glass slides is needed, and the replica can be studied directly under the microscope or be used as a photographic negative.     

Thickness evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Late Weichselian in Nordfjord, western Norway: evidence from ice-flow modeling

Winguth, C., Mickelson, D. M., Larsen, E., Darter, J. R., Moeller, C. A. & Stalsberg, K. 2005 (May): Thickness evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Late Weichselian in Nordfjord, western Norway: evidence from ice-flow modeling. Boreas , Vol. 34, pp. 176–185. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.
Results from experiments with a two-dimensional ice-flow model, applied along a west-east transect in western Norway, provide new constraints on the thickness evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet throughout the Late Weichselian glaciation and deglaciation. Investigations took place along an E-W flowline of the former ice sheet at c. 62N, from the modern glacier Jostedalsbreen, through the Nordfjord, and across the continental shelf. A paleoclimate record from Kråkenes, which is located directly at the flowline, provides temperature and precipitation information for the time between 13 800 and 9200 cal. yr BP. LGM climate conditions for the study area are estimated from various GCM studies. The GISP2 δ¹⁸O record has been tuned to the local data in order to provide a continuous temperature record as input for time-transgressive model runs. The results of all experiments suggest that the ice did not cover the highest mountain peaks in this area, and that nunataks persisted throughout the Late Weichselian glaciation. These findings are in contrast to results from many previous model studies and other ice-sheet reconstructions, but agree well with minimum thickness estimates from cosmogenic dating and with vertical ice limits inferred from lower block field boundaries and trimlines.     

Middle to Late Weichselian Norwegian Channel Ice Stream deposits and morphology on Jæren, southwestern Norway and the eastern North Sea area

Glacial lineations on a bank area and a coastal lowland, both bordering the Norwegian Channel, are studied with regard to morphology and distribution by means of side-scan sonar data, detailed digital maps and fieldwork. Their genesis and age are further elucidated through stratigraphic and sedimentologic information from excavations in one typical coast-parallel drumlin. Four excavated sections revealed four lithologic units: Prodeltaic glaciomarine sand, glaciofluvial gravel, glaciomarine diamicton and deformation till. After Middle Weichselian delta progradation, glaciomarine diamicton was deposited and later subglacially reworked by a northwards flowing glacier. The two upper diamictons form the main volume of the ridge, which is interpreted as a drumlin, and imply a reinterpretation of the Jæren part of the so-called Lista moraine. Preconsolidation of glaciomarine diamicton suggests a maximum ice thickness of 500 m during drumlin formation, indicating an ice surface slope of 1 m/km. The occurrence of sediments that provided low basal shear stresses, and the orientation of drumlins and megaflutes indicating ice confluence both point to high glacier flow velocities and suggest that an ice stream, rather than a slower moving part of the ice sheet, occupied the Norwegian Channel during the Late Weichselian maximum. Deformation till overlying, more or less, undeformed glaciomarine diamicton suggests that high glacier velocities during periods of low driving stresses were possible due to a subglacial deformable layer.     

Palaeopedological marker horizons in northern central Europe: characteristics of Lateglacial Usselo and Finow soils

Lateglacial buried soil horizons, which occur widely in sandy aeolian sequences of northern central Europe, were analysed in order to evaluate their regional pedostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental potential. Data on stratigraphy, sedimentology, pedology, geochronology and palaeobotany from 29 palaeosol-bearing profiles at terrestrial sites are presented. Greyish Ahb and Eb horizons occur, as well as brownish Bwb and BwAhb horizons. They are 5–30 cm thick, showing similar pedological properties except colour, and they frequently bear charcoal typically from pine. Soil classification results in Albic Arenosols (Dystric) and Brunic Arenosols (Dystric) representing palaeosols of the Usselo and Finow types, respectively. Radiocarbon dating of the palaeosols reveals a dominance of Allerød ages followed by Younger Dryas and Preboreal ages. Most luminescence ages on overlying aeolian sands date into the Allerød–Younger Dryas interval. Mapping of all Usselo and Finow soil occurrences ( n =96) in northern central Europe known so far reveals a nearly closed Finow soil province between Usselo soil areas in NW Germany and central Poland, mainly situated in NE Germany. Most Usselo soils compiled contain charcoal, indicating widespread and repeated fires. Recent claims that the Usselo soil represents an event layer from rapid aeolian sedimentation caused by an extraterrestrial impact is rejected. Instead, both Usselo and Finow soils can be assumed to be pedostratigraphical marker horizons in northern central Europe and beyond.     

Late Weichselian sea level changes at Sotra, Hordaland, western Norway

Sediments from twenty-eight basins were surveyed; ten of these basins with a representative lithostrati-gfaphy wee studied to determine their isolation from the sea during Late Weichselian. Diatom analysis was used to determine salinity changes, which were dated by pollen analysis and the radiocarbon method. The area was deglaciated in the early Boiling, and a regression of about 5 m followed. A transgression of more than 10 m started in late Boiling and terminated in middle Younger Dryas, with a transgression maximum between 38.2 and 40 m above present sea level. All the investigated basins were finally isolated in late Younger Dryas/early Preboreal, during a rapid regression. Repeated cycles of chinophilous/ chinophobous plant communities in the area reflect climatic changes in the period. No evidence of an Older Dryas ice readvance was found.     

The genesis of nodular limestones in the Ordovician and Silurian of the Oslo Region (Norway)

Nodular limestones have been studied from the Lower Chasmops Shale (Middle Ordovician) and the Rytteráker Formation (Lower Silurian). Observations on nodule-host-rock relations and variations of ferroan/non-ferroan calcite cements help explain the role of precipitation, dissolution and redistribution of carbonate. Distribution and frequency of nodules depends on environmental parameters such as carbonate/clay ratio, grain size distribution and bioturbation, though final shapes are the result of pressure-dissolution and cleavage.     

Fluid flow in sedimentary basins: model of pore water flow in a vertical fracture

Open fractures provide high-permeability pathways for fluid flow in sedimentary basins. The potential for flow along permeable or open fractures and faults depends on the continuity of flow all the way to the surface except in the case of convective flow. Upward flowing fluid cools and may cause cementation due to the prograde solubility of quartz, but in the case of carbonates such flow may cause dissolution. The rate and duration of these processes depend on the mechanisms for sustaining fluid flow into the fracture, the geometries of fracture and sedimentary beds intersected, permeability, pressure and temperature gradients. Heat loss to the adjacent sediments causes sloping isotherms which can induce non-Rayleigh convection. To analyse these problems we have used a simple model in which a single fracture acts as a pathway for vertically moving fluid and there is no fluid transport across the walls of the fracture except near its inlet and outlet. Four mechanisms for fluid flow into the lower part of the fracture are considered: decompression of pore water; compaction of intersected overpressared sediments; focusing of compaction water derived from sediments beneath the fracture; and finally focusing of pore water moving through an aquifer. Water derived from the basement is not considered here. We find that sustained flow is unlikely to have velocities much higher than 1–100 m/yr, and the flow is laminar. The temperature of the fluid expelled at the top of the fracture increases by less than 1% and the vertical temperature gradient in the fracture remains close to the geothermal gradient. Where hot water is introduced from basement fractures (hydrothermal water) during tectonic deformation, much higher velocities may be sustained in the overlying sediments, but here also this depends on the permeability near the surface. Most of the cooling of water with (ore) mineral precipitation will then occur near the surface. In most cases, pore water decompression and sediment compaction will yield only very limited pore water flux with no significant potential for cementation or heating of the sediments adjacent to the fracture. Focusing of compaction water from sediments beneath the fracture or from an intersected aquifer can yield fluxes high enough to cement an open fracture significantly but the flow must be sustained for a very long time. For velocities of 1–100 m/yr, it takes typically 0.3–30 Myr to cement a fracture by 50%. The highest velocities may be obtained when a fracture extends all the way to the surface or sea floor. When a fracture does not reach the sediment surface, the flow velocity is reduced by the displacement of water in the sediments near the top of the fracture. The flow into the fracture from the sediments may often be rate limiting rather than the flow on the fracture. Sedimentary rocks only a few metres from the fracture will receive a much lower flux than the fracture. The fracture will therefore close due to cementation before significant amounts of silica can be introduced into adjacent sandstones. The isotherm slope in the adjacent sediments will in most cases be less than 10–20°. Non-Rayleigh convection velocities in the sediments adjacent to the fracture are too small to cause any significant diagenetic reactions such as quartz cementation. These quantifications of fluid flow in fractures in sedimentary basins are important in terms of constraining models for diagenesis, heat transport and formation of ore minerals in a compaction-driven system.     

Data Transformation as a Means to obtain Reliable Consensus Values for Reference Materials

Two different methods for estimating modal values of skewed distributions have been applied to round robin data on reference materials. The first method involves polynomial fitting to a histogram, and the second is confined to data transformation to overcome the problems connected with treatment of data characterized by skewed distributions. The transformation method (Gamma) allows the construction of a confidence interval which is non-symmetrical with respect to the central value of skewed distributions.     

Recurrent interaction between the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream and terrestrial‐based ice across southwest Norway

The occurrence of till beds alternating with glaciomarine sediment spanning oxygen isotope stages 6 to 2, combined with morphological evidence, shows that the southwestern fringe of Norway was inundated by an ice stream flowing through the Norwegian Channel on at least four occasions, the last time being during the Late Weichselian maximum. All marine units are deglacial successions composed of muds with dropstones and diamictic intrabeds and a foraminiferal fauna characteristic of extreme glaciomarine environments. Land‐based ice, flowing at right angles to the flow direction of the ice stream, fed into the ice stream along an escarpment formed by erosion of the ice stream. Each time the ice stream wasted back, land‐based ice advanced into the area formerly occupied by the ice stream. During the last deglaciation of the ice stream (c. 15 ka BP), the advance of the land‐based ice occurred immediately upon ice stream retreat. As a result, the sea was prevented from inundating the upland areas, allowing most of the glacioisostatic readjustment to occur before the land‐based ice melted back at about 13 ka BP. This explains the low Late Weichselian sea levels in the area (10–20 m) compared with those of the Middle Weichselian and older sea‐level high stands (～200 m). Regional tectonic movements cannot explain the location of the observed marine successions. The highest sea level recorded (>200 m) is represented by glaciomarine sediments from the Sandnes interstadial (30–34 ka BP). Older interstadial marine sediments are found at somewhat lower levels, possibly as a result of subsequent glacial erosion in these deposits. Ice streams developed in the Norwegian Channel during three Weichselian time intervals. This seems to correspond to glacial episodes both to the south in Denmark and to the north on the coast of Norway, although correlations are somewhat hampered by insufficient dating control.