Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the middle Jurassic Tarbert Formation, Oseberg South area (northern North Sea)

This paper describes the development of a regressive-to-transgressive shoreline wedge within the Middle Jurassic Tarbert Formation in the Oseberg South area (northern North Sea), as interpreted from core and log data from more than hundred wells. The wedge is described in terms of four facies associations (FA1–FA4). The lower, regressive portion of the wedge (FA1–FA2) contains both coarsening upward wave/storm-dominated shoreline deposits as well as coal-bearing paralic deposits, and was deposited during ascending regression. The upper, transgressive portion of the wedge (FA3–FA4) is characterised by wave-dominated estuarine deposits, exhibiting an upward change from inner to central to outer estuarine deposits. In contrast to some earlier studies, it is argued that this part was deposited during accretionary transgression. The present study documents an estuarine system that developed without any preceding fall of relative sea level and valley incision. It is argued that differential fault-induced subsidence created a broad gentle sag wherein one or several estuarine systems developed as the depositional system became transgressive. The subtle fault-induced subsidence is related to the tectonic evolution in the North Sea Basin.     

The influence of basin setting and turbidity current properties on the dimensions of submarine lobe elements

Submarine lobes have been identified within various deep-water settings, including the basin-floor, the base of slope and the continental slope. Their dimensions and geometries are postulated to be controlled by the topographic configuration of the seabed, sediment supply system and slope gradient. Ten experiments were conducted in a three-dimensional-flume to study the depositional characteristics of submarine lobes associated with: (i) different basin floor gradients (0 to 4°); (ii) different sediment concentrations of the parent turbidity current (11 to 19% vol); and (iii) varying discharge (25 to 40 m³ h⁻¹). Most runs produced lobate deposits that onlapped onto the lower slope. Deposit length was proportional to basin-floor angle and sediment volume concentration. A higher amount of bypass is observed in the proximal area as the basin-floor angles get steeper and sediment concentrations higher. Deposits of runs with lower discharge could be traced higher upslope while runs with higher discharge produced an area of low deposition behind the channel mouth, i.e. discharge controlled whether lobe deposits were attached or detached from their channel-levée systems. A particle-advection-length scale analysis suggests that this approach can be used as a first order estimation of lobe element length. However, the estimations strongly depend on the average grain size used for calculations (for example, silt is still actively transported after all sand has been deposited) and the method cannot be used to locate the main depocentre. Furthermore, attempted reconstructions of turbidity current velocities from natural systems suggest that the method is not appropriate for use in inversions from more complex composite bodies such as lobes.     

Climate variability and maize production in Cameroon: Simulating the effects of extreme dry and wet years

The effects of interyear variability of extreme rainfall events on maize yields at locations in Cameroon, in central‐west sub‐Saharan Africa were investigated through a simulation assessment combining a weather generator with a crop growth model. This study analyzes the potential of using dry/wet year predictions to reduce risk in subsistence agricultural production associated with climate variability at the site level. Weather data sets from eight provincial study localities were classified into three precipitation scenarios – dry (lower threshold), normal and wet (upper threshold) years. According to the modelling results, there is a less than 12 per cent variance in mean maize yields across six out of the eight localities when planting occurs in March, May and August. The variance is equivalent to approximately 100–300 kg per ha, which represents a significant amount of food in the household security of the majority impoverished sectors of rural and urban society, and which could greatly impact the socioeconomic activities of the entire populace. The results lead to the conclusion that all extreme dry and wet years are not equal in terms of their regional manifestation. This calls for precise monthly and sub‐seasonal local level forecasts and the effective dissemination of this information to farming communities in Cameroon, thereby facilitating the adaptive management of indigenous cropping practices and reducing their vulnerability to climate related disasters.     

A Special Issue on Geomathematics for Real-Time Mining

Mathematical Geosciences -     

Solar Influence on Global and Regional Climates

The literature relevant to how solar variability influences climate is vast—but much has been based on inadequate statistics and non-robust procedures. The common pitfalls are outlined in this review. The best estimates of the solar influence on the global mean air surface temperature show relatively small effects, compared with the response to anthropogenic changes (and broadly in line with their respective radiative forcings). However, the situation is more interesting when one looks at regional and season variations around the global means. In particular, recent research indicates that winters in Eurasia may have some dependence on the Sun, with more cold winters occurring when the solar activity is low. Advances in modelling “top-down” mechanisms, whereby stratospheric changes influence the underlying troposphere, offer promising explanations of the observed phenomena. In contrast, the suggested modulation of low-altitude clouds by galactic cosmic rays provides an increasingly inadequate explanation of observations.     

Metals in sediments and fish from Sea Lots and Point Lisas Harbors, Trinidad and Tobago

Concentrations of heavy metals were determined in nearshore marine sediments and fish tissue from Sea Lots area on the west coast, at Caroni Lagoon National Park, and in the Point Lisas harbor, Trinidad. The most dominant metals found in sediments were Al, Fe and Zn with mean concentrations highest at Sea Lots (Al-39420 μg/g; Fe-45640 μg/g; Zn-245 μg/g), when compared to sediments from Point Lisas (Al-11936 μg/g; Fe-30171 μg/g; Zn-69 μg/g) and Caroni (Al-0400 μg/g; Fe-19000 μg/g; Zn-32 μg/g), High concentration of Cu, Al, Fe and Zn were also detected in fish tissue from Point Lisas and Caroni. Metal concentrations in fish tissue showed significant correlation with sediment metals concentration, which suggests that tissue levels are influenced by sediment concentration. Of the metals, only Zn, Hg and Cu had a bioaccumulation factor (BAF) greater than one, which suggests a high bioaccumulation potential for these metals.     

Stalagmite growth perturbations from the Kumaun Himalaya as potential earthquake recorders

The central part of the Himalaya (Kumaun and Garhwal Provinces of India) is noted for its prolonged seismic quiescence, and therefore, developing a longer-term time series of past earthquakes to understand their recurrence pattern in this segment assumes importance. In addition to direct observations of offsets in stratigraphic exposures or other proxies like paleoliquefaction, deformation preserved within stalagmites (speleothems) in karst system can be analyzed to obtain continuous millennial scale time series of earthquakes. The Central Indian Himalaya hosts natural caves between major active thrusts forming potential storehouses for paleoseismological records. Here, we present results from the limestone caves in the Kumaun Himalaya and discuss the implications of growth perturbations identified in the stalagmites as possible earthquake recorders. This article focuses on three stalagmites from the Dharamjali Cave located in the eastern Kumaun Himalaya, although two other caves, one of them located in the foothills, were also examined for their suitability. The growth anomalies in stalagmites include abrupt tilting or rotation of growth axes, growth termination, and breakage followed by regrowth. The U-Th age data from three specimens allow us to constrain the intervals of growth anomalies, and these were dated at 4273?±?410 years BP (2673–1853 BC), 2782?±?79 years BP (851–693 BC), 2498?±?117 years BP (605–371 BC), 1503?±?245 years BP (262–752 AD), 1346?±?101 years BP (563–765 AD), and 687?±?147 years BP (1176–1470 AD). The dates may correspond to the timings of major/great earthquakes in the region and the youngest event (1176–1470 AD) shows chronological correspondence with either one of the great medieval earthquakes (1050–1250 and 1259–1433 AD) evident from trench excavations across the Himalayan Frontal Thrust.