Cyclicity in the nearshore marine to coastal, Lower Permian, Pebbley Beach Formation, southern Sydney Basin, Australia: a record of relative sea-level fluctuations at the close of the Late Palaeozoic Gondwanan ice age

The Lower Permian (Artinskian to Sakmarian) Pebbley Beach Formation (PBF) of the southernmost Sydney Basin in New South Wales, Australia, records sediment accumulation in shallow marine to coastal environments at the close of the Late Palaeozoic Gondwanan ice age. This paper presents a sequence stratigraphic re‐evaluation of the upper half of the unit based on the integration of sedimentology and ichnology. Ten facies are recognized, separated into two facies associations. Facies Association A (seven facies) comprises variably bioturbated siltstones and sandstones with marine body fossils, interpreted as recording sediment accumulation in open marine environments ranging from lower offshore to middle shoreface water depths. Evidence of deltaic influence is seen in several Association A facies. Facies Association B (three facies) comprises mainly heterolithic, interlaminated and thinly interbedded sandstone and siltstone with some thicker intervals of dark grey, organic‐rich mudstone, some units clearly filling incised channel forms. These facies are interpreted as the deposits of estuarine channels and basins. Throughout the upper half of the formation, erosion surfaces with several metres relief abruptly separate open marine facies of Association A (below) from estuarine facies of Association B (above). Vertical facies changes imply significant basinward shift of environment across these surfaces, and lowering of relative sea level in the order of 50 m. These surfaces can be traced over several kilometres along depositional strike, and are defined as sequence boundaries. On this basis, at least nine sequences have been recognized in the upper half of the formation, each of which is < 10 m thick, condensed, incomplete and top‐truncated. Sequences contain little if any record of the lowstand systems tract, a more substantial transgressive systems tract and a highstand systems tract that is erosionally truncated (or in some cases, missing). This distinctive stacking pattern (which suggests a dominance of retrogradation and progradation over aggradation) and the implied relative sea‐level drop across sequence boundaries of tens of metres are remarkably similar to some other studies of continental margin successions formed under the Neogene icehouse climatic regime. Accordingly, it is suggested that the stratigraphic architecture of the PBF was a result of an Icehouse climate regime characterized by repeated, high‐amplitude cycles of relative sea‐level change.     

Evolution of a Holocene delta driven by episodic sediment delivery and coseismic deformation, Puget Sound, Washington, USA

Episodic, large‐volume pulses of volcaniclastic sediment and coseismic subsidence of the coast have influenced the development of a late Holocene delta at southern Puget Sound. Multibeam bathymetry, ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and vibracores were used to investigate the morphologic and stratigraphic evolution of the Nisqually River delta. Two fluvial–deltaic facies are recognized on the basis of GPR data and sedimentary characteristics in cores, which suggest partial emplacement from sediment‐rich floods that originated on Mount Rainier. Facies S consists of stacked, sheet‐like deposits of andesitic sand up to 4 m thick that are continuous across the entire width of the delta. Flat‐lying, highly reflective surfaces separate the sand sheets and comprise important facies boundaries. Beds of massive, pumice‐ and charcoal‐rich sand overlie one of the buried surfaces. Organic‐rich material from that surface, beneath the massive sand, yielded a radiocarbon age that is time‐correlative with a series of known eruptive events that generated lahars in the upper Nisqually River valley. Facies CF consists of linear sandbodies or palaeochannels incised into facies S on the lower delta plain. Radiocarbon ages of wood fragments in the sandy channel‐fill deposits also correlate in time to lahar deposits in upstream areas. Intrusive, sand‐filled dikes and sills indicate liquefaction caused by post‐depositional ground shaking related to earthquakes. Continued progradation of the delta into Puget Sound is currently balanced by tidal‐current reworking, which redistributes sediment into large fields of ebb‐ and flood‐oriented bedforms.     

A chondrule origin for dusty relict olivine in unequilibrated chondrites

Abstract— We address the origin of “dusty,” metal-bearing relict olivine grains in chondrules. It has been suggested previously that these grains may be either primitive condensates or derived from a previous generation of chondrules. In this paper, we infer the original composition of dusty olivine grains, before they were reduced, and examine the possibility that they were derived from a previous generation of chondrules. Original compositions of dusty grains, including their estimated initial FeO contents and their minor element contents, match closely with compositions of olivines from chondrules in unequilibrated chondrites. In addition, the cores of some dusty grains are unaltered, and the compositions of these cores are also consistent with a chondrule origin. Therefore, we conclude that a derivation from a previous generation of chondrules is a plausible origin for these relicts. Although alternative origins, such as condensates or interstellar grains, cannot be ruled out on the basis of the available data, chondrules are an obvious source, and we suggest that this is the most likely interpretation. If this is the case, it is additional evidence for the importance of recycling of chondrule material in the chondrule-forming region.     

Image‐intensified video results from the 1998 Leonid shower: I. Atmospheric trajectories and physical structure

Abstract— Two‐station electro‐optical observations of the 1998 Leonid shower are presented. Precise heights and light curves were obtained for 79 Leonid meteors that ranged in brightness (at maximum luminosity) from +0.3 to +6.1 astronomical magnitude. The mean photometric mass of the data sample was 1.4 × 10^?6 kg. The dependence of astronomical magnitude at peak luminosity on photometric mass and zenith angle was consistent with earlier studies of faint sporadic meteors. For example, a Leonid meteoroid with a photometric mass of ～1.0 × 10‐⁷ kg corresponds to a peak meteor luminosity of about +4.5 astronomical magnitudes. The mean beginning height of the Leonid meteors in this sample was 112.6 km and the mean ending height was 95.3 km. The highest beginning height observed was 144.3 km. There is relatively little dependence of either the first or last heights on mass, which is indicative of meteoroids that have clustered into constituent grains prior to the onset of intensive grain ablation. The height distribution, combined with numerical modelling of the ablation of the meteoroids, suggests that silicate‐like materials are not the principal component of Leonid meteoroids and hints at the presence of a more volatile component. Light curves of many Leonid meteors were examined for evidence of the physical structure of the associated meteoroids: similar to the 1997 Leonid meteors, the narrow, nearly symmetric curves imply that the meteoroids are not solid objects. The light curves are consistent with a dustball structure.     

An experimental test of Henry's Law in solid metal‐liquid metal systems with implications for iron meteorites

Abstract— Experimental solid metal‐liquid metal partition coefficients have been used to model the crystallization of magmatic iron meteorites and understand the evolution of asteroid cores. However, the majority of the partitioning experiments have been conducted with trace elements doped at levels that are orders of magnitude higher than measured in iron meteorites. Concern about Henry's Law and the unnatural doping levels have been cited as one reason that two recent iron meteorite studies have dismissed the experimental partition coefficients in their modeling. Using laser ablation ICP‐MS analysis, this study reports experimentally determined solid metal‐liquid metal trace element partition coefficients from runs doped down to the levels occurring in iron meteorites. The analyses for 12 trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, Ge, Ir, Os, Pd, Pt, Re, and W) show no deviations from Henry's Law, and these results support decades of experimental work in which the partition coefficients were assumed to be independent of trace element concentration. Further, since our experiments are doped with natural levels of trace elements, the partitioning results are directly applicable to iron meteorites and should be used when modeling their crystallization. In contrast, our new Ag data are inconsistent with previous studies, suggesting the high Ag‐content in previous studies may have influenced the measured Ag partitioning behavior.     

Diagenesis of late Cenozoic diatomaceous deposits and formation of the bottom simulating reflector in the southern Bering Sea*

Diatom ooze and diatomaceous mudstone overlie terrigenous mudstone beds at Leg 19 Deep Sea Drilling Project sites. The diatomaceous units are 300-725 m thick but most commonly are about 600 m. Diagenesis of diatom frustules follows a predictable series of physical and chemical changes that are related primarily to temperature (depth of burial and local geothermal gradient). During the first 300-400 m of burial frustules are fragmented and undergo mild dissolution. By 600 m dissolution of opal-A (biogenic silica) is widespread. Silica reprecipitates abundantly as inorganic opal-A between 600 and 700 m sub-bottom depth. Inorganic opal-A is rapidly transformed by crystal growth to opal-CT. The result is formation of silica cemented mudstone and porcelanite beds. A regional acoustic reflector (called the bottom-simulating reflector, or BSR) occurs near 600 m depth in the sections. This acoustic event marks the upper surface where silicification (cementation) is active. In Bering Sea deposits, opal-A is transformed to opal-CT at temperatures between 35° and 50°C. This temperature range corresponds to a sub-bottom depth of about 600 m and is the area where silicification is most active. Thus, the BSR represents an isothermal surface; the temperature it records is that required to transform opal-A to opal-CT. Deposition of at least 500 m of diatomaceous sediment was required before the temperature at the base of the diatomaceous section was appropriate (35°-50°C) for silica diagenesis to occur. Accordingly, silica diagenesis did not begin until Pleistocene time. Once silicification began, in response to sediment accumulation during the Quaternary, the diagenetic front (the BSR) moved upsection in pace with the upward migrating thermal boundary. X-ray diffractograms and SEM photographs show three silica phases, biogenic opal-A, inorganic opal-A’, and opal-CT. These have crystallite sizes of 11-16 A, 20-27 A, and 40-81 A, respectively, normal to 101. The d(101) reflection of opal-CT decreases with depth of burial at DSDP Site 192. This occurs by solid-state ordering and requires at least 700 m of burial. Most clinoptilolite in Leg 19 cores forms from the diagenesis of siliceous debris rather than from the alteration of volcanic debris as is commonly reported.     

Performance evaluation and work-load estimation for geographic information systems

Abstract

Agencies acquiring GIS hardware and software are faced with uncertainty at two levels: over the degree to which the proposed system will perform the functions required, and over the degree to which it is capable of doing so within proposed production schedules. As the field matures the second concern is becoming more significant. A formal model of the process of acquiring a GIS is presented, based on the conceptual level of defining GIS sub-tasks. The appropriateness of the approach is illustrated using performance data from the Canada Land Data System. It is possible to construct reasonably accurate models of system resource utilization using simple predictors and least squares techniques, and a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning. The model has been implemented in an interactive package for MS-DOS systems.     

Sedimentology and Chronology of Paleogene Coarse Clastic Rocks in East-Central Tibet and Their Relationship to Early Tectonic Uplift

A systematic sedimentological and chronological study of typical Paleogene basins in eastcentral Tibet suggests that the depositional characteristics of extensively developed huge-bedded, purplish-red coarse clastic rocks formed in a tectonic setting of regional thrusting and strike-slipping represent a typical dry and hot subaerial alluvial fan environment formed in a proximal and rapidaccumulating sediment body in debris flows and a fan-surface braided river. Combining results from basin-fill sequences, sequences of coarse clastic rocks, fauna and sporo-pollen associations and thermochronological data, it is conduded that the coarse clastic rocks formed in the period of 54.2- 24.1 Ma, nearly coeval with the formation of Paleogene basins in the northern （Nangqen-Yushu thrust belt）, middle （Batang-Lijiang fault belt）, and disintegration of large basins in the southern （LanpingSimao fold belt） segments of Tibet. The widespread massive-bedded coarse clastic rocks, fold thrusting and strike-slip, thrust shortening, and igneous activities in the Paleogene basins of eastcentral Tibet indicate that an early diachronous tectonic uplift might have occurred in the Tibetan Plateau from Middle Eocene to Oligocene, related to the initial stage of collision of the Indian and Asian plates.     

Impact of lake‐level changes on the formation of thermogene travertine in continental rifts: Evidence from Lake Bogoria,Kenya Rift Valley

Travertine is present at 20% of the ca 60 hot springs that discharge on Loburu delta plain on the western margin of saline, alkaline Lake Bogoria in the Kenya Rift. Much of the travertine, which forms mounds, low terraces and pool‐rim dams, is sub‐fossil (relict) and undergoing erosion, but calcite‐encrusted artefacts show that carbonate is actively precipitating at several springs. Most of the springs discharge alkaline (pH: 8·3 to 8·9), Na‐HCO₃ waters containing little Ca (<2 mg l^?1) at temperatures of 94 to 97·5°C. These travertines are unusual because most probably precipitated at temperatures of >80°C. The travertines are composed mainly of dendritic and platy calcite, with minor Mg‐silicates, aragonite, fluorite and opaline silica. Calcite precipitation is attributed mainly to rapid CO₂ degassing, which led to high‐disequilibrium crystal morphologies. Stratigraphic evidence shows that the travertine formed during several stages separated by intervals of non‐deposition. Radiometric ages imply that the main phase of travertine formation occurred during the late Pleistocene (ca 32 to 35 ka). Periods of precipitation were influenced strongly by fluctuations in lake level, mostly under climate control, and by related changes in the depth of boiling. During relatively arid phases, meteoric recharge of ground water declines, the lake is low and becomes hypersaline, and the reduced hydrostatic pressure lowers the level of boiling in the plumbing system of the hot springs. Any carbonate precipitation then occurs below the land surface. During humid phases, the dilute meteoric recharge increases, enhancing geothermal circulation, but the rising lake waters, which become relatively dilute, flood most spring vents. Much of the aqueous Ca²⁺ then precipitates as lacustrine stromatolites on shallow firm substrates, including submerged older travertines. Optimal conditions for subaerial travertine precipitation at Loburu occur when the lake is at intermediate levels, and may be favoured during transitions from humid to drier conditions.     

Paragenetic Trends of Oxide Minerals in Carbonate-rich Kimberlites, with New Analyses from the Benfontein Sill, South Africa

The relationship among kimberlites, carbonate-rich bodies associatedwith them, and the carbonatites associated with alkalis rockcomplexes are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to theparageneses of oxide minerals in six carbonate-kimberlites:Peuyuk, Tunraq, Wesselton, Liqhobong, De Beers, and Benfontein.New analyses of spinel, limonite, and perovskite from the lowerBenfontein Sill, are consistent with previous reports and canbe divided into (1) early macrocrysts and cores of grains, and(2) late rims and groundmass grains. The evolution of a carbonate-richresiduum with progressive crystallization appears to be typicalof carbonate-rich kimberlite magmas, and is texturally relatedto the two stages of oxide precipitation in these carbonate-kimberlites.Thus, early Mg-ilmenite and Cr-rich spinel are separated byreaction textures and carbonate from later Mg-Al-titanomagnetite,perovskite, and accessory utile and apatite. The spinels spana large range in composition from Mg-Al-chromite to Mg-Al-titanomagnetite,with an intermediate gap. This simplified paragenetic scheme,and in particular the spinel trend, is repeated in the fiveother carbonate-kimberlites reviewed. It may be representativeof the hypabyssal kimberlites in general, and others where fluidizationprocesses did not completely disrupt the crystallization sequence.