Patterns of deposition from experimental turbidity currents with reversing buoyancy

Turbidity currents are turbulent, sediment‐laden gravity currents which can be generated in relatively shallow shelf settings and travel downslope before spreading out across deep‐water abyssal plains. Because of the natural stratification of the oceans and/or fresh water river inputs to the source area, the interstitial fluid within which the particles are suspended will often be less dense than the deep‐water ambient fluid. Consequently, a turbidity current may initially be denser than the ambient sea water and propagate as a ground‐hugging flow, but later reverse in buoyancy as its bulk density decreases through sedimentation to become lower than that of the ambient sea water. When this occurs, all or part of the turbidity current lofts to form a buoyant sediment‐laden cloud from which further deposition occurs. Deposition from such lofting turbidity currents, containing a mixture of fine and coarse sediment suspended in light interstitial fluid, is explored through analogue laboratory experiments complemented by theoretical analysis using a ‘box and cloud’ model. Particular attention is paid to the overall deposit geometry and to the distributions of fine and coarse material within the deposit. A range of beds can be deposited by bimodal lofting turbidity currents. Lofting may encourage the formation of tabular beds with a rapid pinch‐out rather than the gradually tapering beds more typical of waning turbidity currents. Lofting may also decouple the fates of the finer and coarser sediment: depending on the initial flow composition, the coarse fraction can be deposited prior to or during buoyancy reversal, while the fine fraction can be swept upwards and away by the lofting cloud. An important feature of the results is the non‐uniqueness of the deposit architecture: different initial current compositions can generate deposits with very similar bed profiles and grading characteristics, highlighting the difficulty of reconstructing the nature of the parent flow from field data. It is proposed that deposit emplacement by lofting turbidity currents is common in the geological record and may explain a range of features observed in deep‐water massive sands, thinly bedded turbidite sequences and linked debrites, depending on the parent flow and its subsequent development. For example, a lofting flow may lead to a well sorted, largely ungraded or weakly graded bed if the fines are transported away by the cloud. However, a poorly sorted, largely ungraded region may form if, during buoyancy reversal, high local concentrations and associated hindered settling effects develop at the base of the cloud.     

南昌市区与城郊盛夏温度对比观测与分析

通过对南昌市区和城郊1个月的对比观测与分析,发现了造成南昌市盛夏城区最高气温比城郊高的一些原因,并对南昌市盛夏高温预报服务提出了参考建议。     

Comparison of stress-dependent geophysical,hydraulic and mechanical properties of synthetic and natural sandstones for reservoir characterization and monitoring studies

Synthetic rock samples can offer advantages over natural rock samples when used for laboratory rock physical properties studies, provided their success as natural analogues is well understood. The ability of synthetic rocks to mimic the natural stress dependency of elastic wave, electrical and fluid transport properties is of primary interest. Hence, we compare a consistent set of laboratory multi-physics measurements obtained on four quartz sandstone samples (porosity range 20–25%) comprising two synthetic and two natural (Berea and Corvio) samples, the latter used extensively as standards in rock physics research. We measured simultaneously ultrasonic (P- and S-wave) velocity and attenuation, electrical resistivity, permeability and axial and radial strains over a wide range of differential pressure (confining stress 15–50 MPa; pore pressure 5–10 MPa) on the four brine saturated samples. Despite some obvious physical discrepancies caused by the synthetic manufacturing process, such as silica cementation and anisotropy, the results show only small differences in stress dependency between the synthetic and natural sandstones for all measured parameters. Stress dependency analysis of the dry samples using an isotropic effective medium model of spheroidal pores and penny-shaped cracks, together with a granular cohesion model, provide evidence of crack closure mechanisms in the natural sandstones, seen to a much lesser extent in the synthetic sandstones. The smaller grain size, greater cement content, and cementation under oedometric conditions particularly affect the fluid transport properties of the synthetic sandstones, resulting in lower permeability and higher electrical resistivity for a similar porosity. The effective stress coefficients, determined for each parameter, are in agreement with data reported in the literature. Our results for the particular synthetic materials that were tested suggest that synthetic sandstones can serve as good proxies for natural sandstones for studies of elastic and mechanical properties, but should be used with care for transport properties studies.     

Local and regional constraints on relative sea-level changes in southern Isle of Skye,Scotland, since the Last Glacial Maximum

New relative sea-level (RSL) data constrain the timing and magnitude of RSL changes in the southern Isle of Skye following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We identify a marine limit at ~23 m OD, indicating RSL ~20 m above present c. 15.1 ka. Isolation basin data, supported by terrestrial and marine limiting dates, record an RSL fall to 11.59 m above present by c. 14.2 ka. This RSL fall occurs across the time of global Meltwater Pulse 1A, supporting recent research on the sources of ice melting. Our new data also help to resolve some of the chronological issues within the existing Isle of Skye RSL record and provide details of the sub-Arctic marine environment associated with the transition into Devensian Lateglacial climate at c. 14.5 k cal a bp , and the timing of changes in response to the Loch Lomond Stadial climate. Glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) model predictions of RSL deviate from the RSL constraints and reflect uncertainties in local and global ice models used within the GIA models. An empirical RSL curve provides a target for future research.