Origin of subaerial Holocene calcareous crusts: role of algae, fungi and sparmicritisation

The Pleistocene Miami Limestone that crops out on the lower Florida Keys is overlain by thin (16 cm or less), discontinuous, Holocene calcareous crusts (caliche) that are usually laminated, composed dominantly of calcite micrite and may or may not incorporate part of the underlying limestone. Both allochems and sparry calcite cement in the former unit contain endolithic algae and fungi, borings and unicellular algae. Biogenic structures identical to those in the Miami Limestone also occur in the calcareous crusts but are somewhat less abundant in the latter unit versus the former unit. The calcareous crusts were formed in the vadose diagenetic environment. Some of the CaCO₃ necessary for the micrite that comprises the bulk of the crusts was probably derived from solution of carbonate from a soil cover and some from wind blown salt spray. Most of the micrite, however, was formed by replacement of the uppermost portions of the Miami Limestone. Replacement involved micritisation of allochems and a previously unreported process, sparmicritisation, the degrading recrystallization of sparry calcite to micrite. Minor sparmicritisation was caused by micrite calcification of endolithic fungi or algae within sparry calcite cement or by micrite precipitation in empty borings within such cement. Most sparmicritisation took place by dissolution of sparry calcite and concomitant precipitation of micrite in the space occupied previously by the dissolved spar. Such sparmicritisation is interpreted to be caused by chemical reactions involving the crystals, pore water which is moving slowly but steadily and organic compounds released during bacterial decomposition of fungi, algae or both. It is recognized that sparmicritisation occurs in the marine diagenetic environment and is not, therefore, necessarily indicative of vadose diagenesis. Incomplete sparmicritisation is responsible for some of the clotted textures typically found within calcareous crusts and may explain such textures in many other carbonate rock types. A combination of sparmicritisation and micritisation has probably greatly influenced the porosity of many reefs and, in some cases, led to the formation of ‘micritic reefs’.     

SEDIMENTS FORMING THE BED AND BANKS OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THEIR EFFECT ON RIVER MIGRATION

Physiographic features and depositional history of the sediments forming the bed and banks of the lower 200 miles of the Mississippi River are summarized. From mile 200- 160 the river is scouring into coarse substratum sands, between miles 160 and 80 into Pleistocene clays, and between mile 80 and 0 chiefly into prodelta and interdistributary clays. Point-bar accretion averages 500 acres per river mile in the uppermost segment, 200 acres per river mile in the middle segment, and 30 acres per river mile in the lower- most segment. The occurrence of bends caused by faulting or formed during seaward growth of the delta, and the occasional existence of coarse materials in the path of the stream are significant factors in the initiation of meanders. The composition of the bed and banks, and the length of channel occupation are important in the rate and extent of migration. Migration of the river between miles 0 and.160 has been and should continue to be very slow.     

The Mineralogy and Petrology of the Transition from the Lower to Upper Sillimanite Zone in the Oquossoc Area, Maine

Systematic changes in the assemblages and compositions of mineralssuggest that the transition from lower to upper sillimanitezone in the Oquossoc area, Maine, is marked by the reaction Staurolite+Sodic Muscovite+QuartzSillimanite+Biotite+K-richerMuscovite+Albite+Garnet+H₂O. Moreover, the mineralogic data for the silicates suggest thatH₂ O is buffered by some of the assemblages present but PH₂O<P_total. A consideration of the equilibria among the opaqueminerals enables a calculation of the composition of the fluidphase assuming specific PT conditions and that P_fluid = P_total.At several reasonable PT conditions the calculated fluid phaseis reasonable in terms of the model for P_H2O based upon thesilicate equilibria. Probable PT conditions for the metamorphism considered in thisstudy range from 575 to 630°C and 3 to 5 kb.     

RECOGNITION OF A BIOFILM AT THE SEDIMENT–WATER INTERFACE OF AN ACID MINE DRAINAGE-CONTAMINATED STREAM,AND ITS ROLE IN CONTROLLING IRON FLUX

Material collected over a month on plates attached to the bed of the Afon Goch, Anglesey, a stream highly contaminated by acid mine drainage (AMD), was either examined intact by electron microscopy or suspended and cultured to reveal the presence of microbiota. Certain of the aerobic microbiota were identified, the genus Pseudomonas formed the commonest isolate and cultures of Serratia plymuthica were grown in order to compare the biofilms formed with the material collected in the Afon Goch. The material at the sediment–water interface of the Afon Goch was of similar underlying morphology to that of the cultured biofilms. However, the former had a superficial granular coating of equidimensional (60–100 nm) and evenly spaced iron rich particles (determined by X-ray microanalysis). The sediment–water interface of this AMD-contaminated stream is therefore best described as a highly contaminated biofilm. Evidence from previous work suggests that the streambed is active in iron removal from the water column. The intimate association of iron with microbiota at the streambed, therefore, implies that iron flux prediction may not be possible from physical and chemical data alone but requires knowledge of biofilm physiology and ecology. Microbially mediated metal precipitation, both by single bacteria and by biofilms, has been reported elsewhere but mass balance considerations suggest that this explanation cannot hold good for the large amounts of iron hydroxide depositing from waters of the prevalent pH and redox status. Filtered stream water analyses indicate the presence of colloidal iron hydroxide and also its removal downstream where ochreous (iron hydroxide rich) material accumulates. The process of iron immobilization is likely to be the attraction and physical trapping of colloidal iron hydroxide by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which constitute the matrix of biofilms. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluvial and submarine morphodynamics of laminar and near‐laminar flows: a synthesis

The interaction of flow with an erodible bed in alluvial rivers and deep‐sea channels gives rise to a wide range of self‐formed morphologies, including channels, ripples, dunes, antidunes, alternate bars, multiple‐row bars, meandering and braiding. As the flow is invariably turbulent in field manifestations of these morphologies, there has been a tendency to assume that turbulence is necessary for them to form. While turbulence undoubtedly has an important influence when it is present, it is not necessary for any of these features. Indeed, all of these features can be formed by the morphodynamic interaction of purely laminar or nearly laminar flow with an erodible bed. This paper provides a survey and synthesis of a wide range of laminar or near‐laminar flow analogues of morphologies observed in the field. Laminar‐flow analogues of turbulent‐flow morphologies cannot and should not be expected to satisfy dynamic similarity in terms of all relevant dimensionless parameters. What is of more significance is the convergence of the underlying physics. It is illustrated in this paper that many existing theoretical frameworks for the explanation of turbulent‐flow morphodynamics require only relatively minor modification in order to adapt them to laminar flows.     

The tail of the Storegga Slide: insights from the geochemistry and sedimentology of the Norwegian Basin deposits

Deposits within the floor of the Norwegian Basin were sampled to characterize the deposition from the Storegga Slide, the largest known Holocene‐aged continental margin slope failure complex. A 29 to 67 cm thick veneer of variable‐coloured, finely layered Holocene sediment caps a homogeneous, extremely well‐sorted, poorly consolidated, very fine‐grained, grey‐coloured sediment section that is >20 m thick on the basin floor. This homogeneous unit is interpreted to represent the uppermost deposits generated by a gravity flow associated with the last major Storegga Slide event. Sediments analogous to the inferred source material of the slide deposits were collected from upslope on the Norwegian Margin. Sediments sampled within the basin are distinguishable from the purported source sediments, suggesting that size sorting has significantly altered this material along its flow path. Moreover, the very fine grain size (3·1 ± 0·3 μm) suggests that the >20 m thick homogeneous unit which was sampled settled from suspension after the turbulent flow was over. Although the turbulent phase of the gravity flow that moved material out into the basin may have been brief (days), significantly more time (years) is required for turbid sediments to settle and dewater and for the new sea floor to be colonized with a normal benthonic fauna. Pore water sulphate concentrations within the uppermost 20 m of the event deposit are higher than those normally found in sea water. Apparently the impact of microbial sulphate reduction over the last ca 8·1 cal ka bp since the re‐deposition of these sediments has not been adequate to regenerate a typical sulphate gradient of decreasing concentration with sub‐bottom depth. This observation suggests low rates of microbial reactions, which may be attributed to the refractory carbon composition in these re‐deposited sediments.     

The Late-Devensian proglacial Lake Humber: new evidence from littoral deposits at Ferrybridge, Yorkshire, England

Proglacial Lake Humber is of UK national significance in terms of landscape drainage and development of the British Ice Sheet (BIS) during Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2), yet it is poorly understood in terms of its dynamics and timing. Sands and gravels exposed at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire, UK, are interpreted as part of the Upper Littoral sands and gravels related to a high-level Lake Humber, which inundated the Humber Basin to ∼30 m OD during MIS 2. Excavations exposed well-rounded gravels of local origin extending downslope from the 27.5 m OD contour and interbedded sands and fine gravels, which are interpreted as the coarse littoral deposits and nearshore associated deposits. A sample from the distal sands returned an Optically Stimulated Luminescence age of 16.6±1.2 kyr, providing the first direct age for the high-level lake and for when North Sea Basin ice must have blocked the Humber Gap. An underlying sequence included a diamicton dated to after 23.3 ±1.5 kyr and before 20.5±1.2 kyr, indicating that the Late Devensian ice reached at least 15 km south of the Escrick Moraine prior to the high-level lake. Previous to both the high-level lake and this ice advance, loess found at the two sites investigated indicates a long period of loess deposition earlier in MIS 2. These new data for the history of Lake Humber are discussed in the context of ice-marginal oscillations in both the Vale of York and the North Sea Basin.     

Sea‐level rise,depth‐dependent carbonate sedimentation and the paradox of drowned platforms

A mathematical model of carbonate platform evolution is presented in which depth‐dependent carbonate growth rates determine platform‐top accumulation patterns in response to rising relative sea‐level. This model predicts that carbonate platform evolution is controlled primarily by the water depth and sediment accumulation rate conditions at the onset of relative sea‐level rise. The long‐standing ‘paradox of a drowned platform’ arose from the observation that maximum growth rate potentials of healthy platforms are faster than those of relative sea‐level rise. The model presented here demonstrates that a carbonate platform could be drowned during a constant relative sea‐level rise whose rate remains less than the maximum carbonate production potential. This scenario does not require environmental changes, such as increases in nutrient supply or siliciclastic sedimentation, to have taken place. A rate of relative sea‐level rise that is higher than the carbonate accumulation rate at the initial water depth is the only necessary condition to cause continuous negative feedbacks to the sediment accumulation rates. Under these conditions, the top of the carbonate platform gradually deepens until it is below the active photic zone and drowns despite the strong maximum growth potential of the carbonate production factory. This result effectively resolves the paradox of a drowned carbonate platform. Test modelling runs conducted with 2·5 m and 15 m initial sea water depths at bracketed rates of relative sea‐level rise have determined how fast the system catches up and maintains the ‘keep‐up’ phase. This is the measure of time necessary for the basin to respond fully to external forcing mechanisms. The duration of the ‘catch‐up’ phase of platform response (termed ‘carbonate response time’) scales with the initial sea water depth and the platform‐top aggradation rate. The catch‐up duration can be significantly elongated with an increase in the rate of relative sea‐level rise. The transition from the catch‐up to the keep‐up phases can also be delayed by a time interval associated with ecological re‐establishment after platform flooding. The carbonate model here employs a logistical equation to model the colonization of carbonate‐producing marine organisms and captures the initial time interval for full ecological re‐establishment. This mechanism prevents the full extent of carbonate production to be achieved at the incipient stage of relative sea‐level rise. The increase in delay time due to the carbonate response time and self‐organized processes associated with biological colonization increase the chances for platform drowning due to deepening of water depth (> ca 10 m). Furthermore this implies a greater likelihood for an autogenic origin for high‐frequency cyclic strata than has been estimated previously.