A sonic well log of the basement complex of the Walvis Ridge

A sonic well log was obtained within the basement complex of the Walvis Ridge during Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 74. The top of the basement complex is characterized by smooth acoustic reflectors. The rocks recovered within the basement complex consist of basalts with intercalated sediments. According to the log ∼-50% of the upper 75 m of basement are igneous rocks and the other 50% sedimentary. Sonobuoy results indicate that the ratio of sediments to basalt increases with depth for an additional 225 m until a typical oceanic velocity structure is observed. Paleontological results suggest that the processes forming this upper 300 m of the basement complex was accomplished within a short time interval.     

Measures of variability for geological data

Diverse global and local measures of variability appear in the geological literature and, along with methods used to apply them, have been subject to some debate. Measures of variability for three data types—replicate, locational, and compositional—are considered; the source and nature of the variability determine the appropriate type of measure. To illustrate the effects of these measures and expose their inadequacy when improperly applied, the variability of a three-column data set is interpreted under three different suppositions. Geologists need to be aware of the confusion and misleading results that can develop from the use of variance as a measure of variability for locational or compositional data.     

A probabilistic calibration of climate sensitivity and terrestrial carbon change in GENIE-1

In order to investigate Last Glacial Maximum and future climate, we “precalibrate” the intermediate complexity model GENIE-1 by applying a rejection sampling approach to deterministic emulations of the model. We develop ~1,000 parameter sets which reproduce the main features of modern climate, but not precise observations. This allows a wide range of large-scale feedback response strengths which generally encompass the range of GCM behaviour. We build a deterministic emulator of climate sensitivity and quantify the contributions of atmospheric (±0.93°C, 1σ) vegetation (±0.32°C), ocean (±0.24°C) and sea–ice (±0.14°C) parameterisations to the total uncertainty. We then perform an LGM-constrained Bayesian calibration, incorporating data-driven priors and formally accounting for structural error. We estimate climate sensitivity as likely (66% confidence) to lie in the range 2.6–4.4°C, with a peak probability at 3.6°C. We estimate LGM cooling likely to lie in the range 5.3–7.5°C, with a peak probability at 6.2°C. In addition to estimates of global temperature change, we apply our ensembles to derive LGM and 2xCO₂ probability distributions for land carbon storage, Atlantic overturning and sea–ice coverage. Notably, under 2xCO₂ we calculate a probability of 37% that equilibrium terrestrial carbon storage is reduced from modern values, so the land sink has become a net source of atmospheric CO₂.     

Local and regional components of western Aegean deformation extracted from 100 years of geodetic displacement measurements

Our objectives are as follows. First, we wish to develop a methodology to recover the long-term component of deformation from any set of distributed, time-averaged geodetic strain measurements that were subject to seismic disturbance, given a catalogue of local seismicity that occurred during the measurement period. Second, using seismic and geodetic data sets that span approximately 100 years, we apply this technique in the western Aegean to assess the role of local seismicity in regional deformation. The methodology is developed using a model for crustal deformation constructed from a long-term, smooth regional strain field combined with instantaneous, local perturbations from upper-crustal earthquakes approximated by static elastic dislocations. By inverting geodetic displacements for the smooth field while simultaneously floating influential but uncertain earthquake source parameters, an estimate of the regional component of deformation that is approximately independent of the seismicity can be made. In the western Aegean we find that the horizontal component of regional deformation can be described with minor inaccuracy by a quadratic relative displacement field. The principal horizontal extensional axes calculated from the regionally smooth displacement field agree in orientation with the T-axes of earthquakes in the region. These observations indicate that the instantaneous elastic strain of the 10 km thick seismogenic layer is driven by a stress field that is smooth on the scale of the geodetic network as a whole, 200-300 km.     

Lacustrine Sedimentary Organic Matter Records of Late Quaternary Paleoclimates

Identification of the sources of organic matter in sedimentary records provides important paleolimnologic information. As the types and abundances of plant life in and around lakes change, the composition and amount of organic matter delivered to lake sediments changes. Despite the extensive early diagenetic losses of organic matter in general and of some of its important biomarker compounds in particular, bulk identifiers of organic matter sources appear to undergo minimal alteration after sedimentation. Age-related changes in the elemental, isotopic, and petrographic compositions of bulk sedimentary organic matter therefore preserve evidence of past environmental changes.We review different bulk organic matter proxies of climate change in tropical and temperate sedimentary records ranging in age from 10-500 ka. Times of wetter climate result in enhanced algal productivity in lakes as a consequence of greater wash-in of soil nutrients, and these periods are recorded as elevated Rock-Eval hydrogen indices, lowered organic C/N ratios, less negative organic 13C values, and increased organic carbon mass accumulation rates. Lowering of lake water levels, which typically depresses algal productivity, can also cause an apparent increase in organic carbon mass accumulation rates through suspension of sediments from lake margins and redeposition in deeper basins. Alternations between C3 and C4 watershed plants accompany climate changes such as glacial/interglacial transitions and wet/dry cycles, and these changes in land-plant types are evident in 13C values of organic matter in lake sediments. Changes in climate-driven hydrologic balances of lakes are recorded in D values of sedimentary organic matter. Visual microscopic examination of organic matter detritus is particularly useful in identifying changes in bulk organic matter delivery to lake sediments and therefore is important as an indicator of climate changes.     

<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of the eruptive history of Mount Erebus,Antarctica: summit flows,tephra, and caldera collapse

Eruptive activity has occurred in the summit region of Mount Erebus over the last 95 ky, and has included numerous lava flows and small explosive eruptions, at least one plinian eruption, and at least one and probably two caldera-forming events. Furnace and laser step-heating ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages have been determined for 16 summit lava flows and three englacial tephra layers erupted from Mount Erebus. The summit region is composed of at least one or possibly two superimposed calderas that have been filled by post-caldera lava flows ranging in age from 17 ± 8 to 1 ± 5 ka. Dated pre-caldera summit flows display two age populations at 95 ± 9 to 76 ± 4 ka and 27 ± 3 to 21 ± 4 ka of samples with tephriphonolite and phonolite compositions, respectively. A caldera-collapse event occurred between 25 and 11 ka. An older caldera-collapse event is likely to have occurred between 80 and 24 ka. Two englacial tephra layers from the flanks of Mount Erebus have been dated at 71 ± 5 and 15 ± 4 ka. These layers stratigraphically bracket 14 undated tephra layers, and predate 19 undated tephra layers, indicating that small-scale explosive activity has occurred throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene eruptive history of Mount Erebus. A distal, englacial plinian-fall tephra sample has an age of 39 ± 6 ka and may have been associated with the older of the two caldera-collapse events. A shift in magma composition from tephriphonolite to phonolite occurred at around 36 ka.Editorial responsibility: Julie Donnelly-Nolan     

Contemporary and Post-glacial Rates of Aeolian Deposition in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada

Contemporary and post-glacial rates of aeolian deposition are determined for three small catchments that straddle the alpine-subalpine ecotone in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. From process measurement over a single year, the mean annual regional (allochthonous) rate of aeolian deposition for the catchments is estimated to be approximately 11 g m⁻². The average rate of annual deposition over the post-glacial period is calculated from the soil profiles to be c . 6 g m⁻², although fallout rates are likely to have varied significantly over the Holocene epoch due to changes in climate and catchment conditions. It would appear that the vegetated ground strata in these catchments are net receivers of aeolian dust fallout. Consequently, many of the soils are cumulic in nature and protect the bedrock in these catchments from subaerial weathering. These results have implications for sediment transfers in alpine and sub-alpine environments in southwestern British Columbia.     

How turbidity current frequency and character varies down a fjord‐delta system: Combining direct monitoring,deposits and seismic data

Submarine turbidity currents are one of the most important processes for moving sediment across our planet; they are hazardous to offshore infrastructure, deposit petroleum reservoirs worldwide, and may record tsunamigenic landslides. However, there are few studies that have monitored these submarine flows in action, and even fewer studies that have combined direct monitoring with longer‐term records from core and seismic data of deposits. This article provides one of the most complete studies yet of a turbidity current system. The aim here is to understand what controls changes in flow frequency and character along the turbidite system. The study area is a 12 km long delta‐fed fjord (Howe Sound) in British Columbia, Canada. Over 100 often powerful (up to 2 to 3 m sec^?1) events occur each year in the highly‐active proximal channels, which extend for 1 to 2 km from the delta lip. About half of these events reach the lobes at the channel mouths. However, flow frequency decreases rapidly once these initially sand‐rich flows become unconfined, and only one to five flows run out across the mid‐slope each year. Many of these sand‐rich, channelized, delta‐sourced flows therefore dissipated over a few hundred metres, once unconfined, rather than eroding and igniting. Upflow migrating bedforms indicate that supercritical flow dominated in the proximal channels and lobes, and also across the unconfined mid‐slope. These supercritical flows deposited thick sand beds in proximal channels and lobes, but thinner and finer beds on the unconfined mid‐slope. The distal flat basin records far larger volume and more hazardous events that have a recurrence interval of ca 100 years. This study shows how sand‐rich delta‐fed flows dissipate rapidly once they become unconfined, that supercritical flows dominate in both confined and unconfined settings, and how a second type of more hazardous, and much less frequent event is linked to a different scale of margin failure.     

Uranium-series and AMS C studies of modern phosphatic pellets from Peru shelf muds

Recent sediments and separated phosphate pellets ( 125–500 μm in diameter) from the Peru shelf have been analyzed for uranium decay-series isotopes and ¹⁴C in order to determine age relationships and mineralization rates. Uranium-series ages of pellets separated from one box core are significantly higher than AMS radiocarbon ages determined for the same pellets. These differences appear to be a consequence of mixing of an older generation of pellets with ones which are more recently formed. Postdepositional adsorption of reactive elements such as thorium and protactinium onto pellet surfaces may also contribute to the observed discordancy with radiocarbon ages.

Sediment radiocarbon and ²¹⁰Pb sediment results, as well as some trends in the uranium-series data, suggest that high concentrations of phosphate pellets have accumulated in some Peru shelf sediments without extensive reworking. Individual pellets apparently form very quickly, on time scales of a few years. Estimated authigenic uptake rates of phosphorus into pellets ranges from 0.5 to 9.40 μmol-P cm^{− 2} yr^{− 1}, somewhat higher than rates measured for nodules from the same area. This is consistent with observations that pelletal morphologies predominate over nodular forms within ancient phosphorite deposits.