Corundum-bearing Garnet Clinopyroxenites at Beni Bousera (Morocco): Original Plagioclase-rich Gabbros Recrystallized at Depth within the Mantle?

The Beni Bousera ultramafic massif, Morocco, is composed ofperidotite with subordinate garnet pyroxenitc units which belongto two different families: (1) the Type I pyroxenites, whichare characterized by an Fe-enrichment trend; and (2) the TypeII pyroxenites, which are characterized by high but nearly constantMg/Fe ratios and highly variable concentrations of Ca and Al;the latter family includes corundum-bearing garnet pyroxeniteswhich resemble the peraluminous eclogites and grospydites describedas xenoliths in kimberlite diatremes. The Type II pyroxenites appear as layered sheets in the peridotite,and have granuloblastic metamorphic texture. They contain aprimary association of a coarse-grained assemblage (cpx + gt;cpx + gt + sp; cpx + gt + co), and a variety of secondary andtertiary associations includ ng clinopyrox-ene, orthopyroxene,olivine, spinel, corundum, sapphirine, plagioclase, and amphibole.The primary assemblage in the corundum-bearing pyroxenite ischaracterized by clinopyroxene rich in A1₂O₃ (up to 20 wt%),and poor in Na₂O (generally less than 2 wt.%). The clinopyroxenephase is therefore richer in the Ca-Ts molecule than in thejadeite molecule. On the other hand, the composition of theprimary and secondary clinopyroxene and garnet phases showsstrong variation across the pyroxenite sheets. These variationsexpress compositional variations of the rock system across thesheets. The cpx-gt associations indicate high temperatures (1200–1350?C) in the central parts of the sheets. The crystallizationpressure may have reached at least 20 kb in the corundum-bearingassemblages. The bulk-rock composition and the compatible element's behaviourin the Type II pyroxenite sheets suggest that the modal andcryptic layering mainly resulted from igneous fractionationprocesses. The REE patterns of corundum-bearing Type II pyroxeniteare characterized by low concentrations of HREE and by significantEu anomalies. These, together with the high bulk-rock Sr/Ndratios, suggest that plagioclase segregation may have playeda significant part in the rock genesis. These geochemical featuresare similar to those described, in the literature, in some low-pressure,plagioclase-bearing adcumulates (e.g., in the crustal sequenceof the Oman ophiolite). They are quite different from thoseobserved in the Type I pyroxenite sheets in the Beni Bouseramassif, whose geochemistry suggests that plagioclase playedno part in the fractionation process, whereas garnet probablyfractionated as an early igneous phase. The Type II pyroxenitesheets have a primary isotopic signature similar to MORB, basedon the composition of leached clinopyroxene. It is concluded that the Mg-rich Type II pyroxenite sheets resultedultimately from the fractionation of a basaltic melt at lowpressure, and from the accumulation of olivine, clinopyroxene,and plagioclase along dykes cross-cutting the surrounding peridotite.The close similarities with the geochemical features in theOman ophiolite lead us to suggest that these processes may havebeen operative in an oceanic crustal environment. The high-pressureand high-temperature crystallization of the ‘primary’cpx+gt + co assemblage was achieved deep in the mantle, aftersubduction and/or dragging down in convection currents of thisparticular piece of the (oceanic?) lithosphere. Further ascentmay have resulted in partial melting of peridotite and/or pyroxenite,and in the emplacement of the Type I pyroxenite sheets.     

Age and extent of the Scandinavian ice sheet in northwest Russia

The last glacial maximum (LGM) of the Scandinavian ice sheet in the Arkhangelsk region has been identified morphologically as ridges and hummocks in an otherwise flat topography. Stratigraphically the limit is marked by the presence of till above Mikhulinian (last interglacial) sediments inside the ridges and by the absence of till outside the ridges. During the LGM, ice flowed into the region from the north and northwest forming a lobe in the Dvina-Vaga depression. The continuation northward, northeast of Arkhangelsk, is still somewhat uncertain, but evidence suggests that the outer margin of the Scandinavian ice sheet was situated in the Mezen drainage basin. Luminescence and radiocarbon dates suggest that the maximum position was attained after some 17 ka ago, and that deglaciation started close to 15 ka ago. This age for the maximum position is younger than the maximum position in the western peripheral areas of the Scandinavian ice sheet. This may be accounted for by initial ice build-up in the west followed by a successive migration of the ice divide(s) to the east as ice growth continued. Deglaciation was either by lateral retreat or isolation of dead ice masses causing areal downwasting.     

Anatomy of a subaqueous ice-contact fan and delta complex, Middle Pleistocene, North-west Germany

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the high‐resolution facies architecture of the Middle Pleistocene Porta subaqueous ice‐contact fan and delta complex, deposited on the northern margin of glacial Lake Weser (North‐west Germany). A total of 10 sand and gravel pits and more than 100 wells were examined to document the complex facies architecture. The field study was supplemented with a ground‐penetrating radar survey and a shear‐wave seismic survey. All collected sedimentological and geophysical data were integrated into a high‐resolution three‐dimensional geological model for reconstructing the spatial distribution of facies associations. The Porta subaqueous fan and delta complex consist of three fan bodies deposited on a flat lake‐bottom surface at the margin of a retreating ice lobe. The northernmost fan complex is up to 55 m thick, 6·2 km wide and 6·5 km long. The incipient fan deposition is characterized by high‐energy flows of a plane‐wall jet. Very coarse‐grained, highly scoured jet‐efflux deposits with an elongate plan shape indicate a high Froude number, probably >5. These jet‐efflux sediments are deposited in front of a large ～3·2 km long, up to 1·2 km wide, and up to 25 m deep flute‐like scour, indicating the most proximal erosion and bypass area of the jet that widens and deepens with distance downstream to the region of maximum turbulence (approximately five times the conduit diameter). Evidence for subsequent flow splitting is given by the presence of two marginal gravel fan lobes, deposited in front of 1·3 to 2·5 km long flute‐like scours, that are 0·8 to 1 km wide and 7 to 20 m deep. In response to continued aggradation, small jets developed at the periphery of these bar‐like deposits and filled in the low areas adjacent to the original superelevated regions, locally raising the depositional surface and characterized by large‐scale trough cross‐stratified sand and pebbly sand. The incision of an up to 1·2 km wide and up to 35 m deep channel into the evolving fan is attributed to a catastrophic drainage event, probably related to a lake outburst and lake‐level fall in the range of 40 to 60 m. At the mouth of this channel, highly scoured jet‐efflux deposits formed under hydraulic‐jump conditions during flow expansion. Subsequently, Gilbert‐type deltas formed on the truncated fan margin, recording a second lake‐level drop in the range of 30 to 40 m. These catastrophic lake‐level falls were probably caused by rapid ice‐lobe retreat controlled by the convex‐up bottom topography of the ice valley.     

Sedimentary facies and geomorphic evolution of a blocked‐valley lake: Lake Futululu,northern Kwazulu‐Natal,South Africa

Blocked‐valley lakes are formed when tributaries are impounded by the relatively rapid aggradation of a large river and its floodplain. These features are common in the landscape, and have been identified in the floodplains of the Solimões‐Amazon (Brazil) and Fly‐Strickland Rivers (Papua New Guinea), for example, but their inaccessibility has resulted in studies being limited to remotely sensed image analysis. This paper documents the sedimentology and geomorphic evolution of a blocked‐valley lake, Lake Futululu on the Mfolozi River floodplain margin, in South Africa, while also offering a context for the formation of lakes and wetlands at tributary junctions. The study combines aerial photography, elevation data from orthophotographs and field survey, and longitudinal sedimentology determined from a series of cores, which were sub‐sampled for organic content and particle size analysis. Radiocarbon dating was used to gauge the rate and timing of peat accumulation. Results indicate that following the last glacial maximum, rising sea‐levels caused aggradation of the Mfolozi River floodplain. By 3980 years bp , aggradation on the floodplain had impounded the Futululu drainage line, creating conditions suitable for peat formation, which has since occurred at a constant average rate of 0·13 cm year^?1. Continued aggradation on the Mfolozi River floodplain has raised the base level of the Futululu drainage line, resulting in a series of back‐stepping sedimentary facies with fluvially derived sand and silt episodically prograding over lacustrine peat deposits. Blocked‐valley lakes form where the trunk river has a much larger sediment load and catchment than the tributary stream. Similarly, when the relative difference in sediment loads is less, palustrine wetlands, rather than lakes, may be the result. In contrast, where tributaries drain a steep, well‐connected catchment, they may impound much larger trunk rivers, creating lakes or wetlands upstream.     

The Recreational Value of In-Stream Flows

The decision in 1988 by the Rangitikei-Wanganui Catchment Board to allocate flows away from use for electricity generation into recreation use brought into focus the conflict between market and non-market valuation of river uses. The travel cost method (TCM) of non-market valuation is used to estimate the in-stream recreation values of the Upper Wanganui and Whakapapa rivers.     

Controls on Holocene deep‐water sedimentation in the northern Gioia Basin,Tyrrhenian Sea

The northern Gioia Basin of the south‐east Tyrrhenian Sea is a slope basin, ～ 20 km wide and ～ 50 km long, with a bathymetry of ≤ 1300 m, bounded by the Calabro‐Sicilian landmass and the Aeolian Island Arc. Coarse sediment is supplied from the Calabrian margin, where the shelf is very narrow to non‐existent, whereas the wider shelf on the Sicilian margin prevents supply by storing river‐fed sediments. The basin is dominated by the Gioia–Mesima canyon/channel system paralleled by a tongue‐shaped depositional lobe. Multibeam bathymetric surveys, sea floor reflectivity data and airgun seismic profiles reveal the recent evolution of the submarine system. Slope canyons and basin‐floor levéed channels formed where major rivers built deltas at the shelfless Calabrian margin and strong hyperpycnal flows predominated. The channels are a few hundred metres wide and a few tens of metres deep, with a downslope change from a straight to meandering pattern where the slope gradient decreases from 3·2% to 1·7%. The Mesima Channel has its lower segment abandoned because of avulsion and crevasse‐splay formation at an upslope bend. The adjacent Gioia Channel has had its upper segment straightened and lower segment entrenched because of erosional deepening of the Stromboli Valley into which it debouches and which acts as the local base level. Overbank features include levées, coalescent splays and ‘yazoo’ channels; their nature and surface characteristics depend upon the magnitude and sediment grain‐size of spill‐over flows. On an adjoining narrow shelf sliver of the Calabrian margin, in contrast, the coalescing plumes of sediment suspension supplied by an array of smaller coastal streams were apparently spilling over the shelf edge, scouring a funnel‐shaped bypass depression with chutes and forming an elongate, non‐channellized depositional lobe at the slope base. The study demonstrates the impact of sediment source type, shelf width, basin‐floor gradient and base‐level change on the style of deep‐water sedimentation.