Sedimentology,provenance and geochronology of the upper Cretaceous–lower Eocene western Xigaze forearc basin,southern Tibet

Located on the southern margin of the Lhasa terrane in southern Tibet, the Xigaze forearc basin records Cretaceous to lower Eocene sedimentation along the southern margin of Asia, prior to and during the initial stages of continental collision with the Tethyan Himalaya in the Early Eocene. We present new measured stratigraphic sections, totalling 4.5 km stratigraphic thickness, from a 60 km E–W segment of the western portion of the Xigaze forearc basin, northeast of the Lopu Kangri Range (29.8007° N, 84.91827° E). In addition, we apply U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology to constrain the provenance and maximum depositional ages of investigated strata. Stratigraphic ages range between ca. 88 and ca. 54 Ma and sedimentary facies indicate a shoaling‐upward trend from deep‐marine turbidites to fluvial deposits. Depositional environments of coeval Cretaceous strata along strike include deep‐marine distal turbidites, slope‐apron debris‐flow deposits and marginal marine carbonates. This along‐strike variability in facies suggests an irregular paleogeography of the Asian margin prior to collision. Paleocene–Eocene strata are composed of shallow marine carbonates with abundant foraminifera such as Nummulites‐Discocyclina and Miscellanea‐Daviesina and transition into fluvial deposits dated at ca. 54 Ma. Sandstone modal analyses, conglomerate clast compositions and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology indicate that forearc detritus in this region was derived solely from the Gangdese magmatic arc to the north. In addition, U–Pb detrital zircon age spectra within the upper Xigaze forearc stratigraphy are similar to those from Eocene foreland basin strata south of the Indus‐Yarlung suture near Sangdanlin, suggesting that the Xigaze forearc was a possible source of Sangdanlin detritus by ca. 55 Ma. We propose a model in which the Xigaze forearc prograded south over the accretionary prism and onto the advancing Tethyan Himalayan passive margin between 58 and 54 Ma, during late stage evolution of the forearc basin and the beginning of collision with the Tethyan Himalaya. The lack of documented forearc strata younger than ca. 51 Ma suggests that sedimentation in the forearc basin ceased at this time owing to uplift resulting from continued continental collision.     

Determination of Mercury in One Hundred and Sixteen Geological and Environmental Reference Materials Using a Direct Mercury Analyser

The mercury content of 116 reference materials (RMs) from ten international organisations was determined in this study, which focused on variability within and between batches of RMs. Direct mercury analysis (DMA) was applied to RMs having Hg contents between 1 and 6300 ng g^?1 and provided good precision and accuracy. Accuracy was demonstrated by the agreement of our results with certified values, while replicates were made to establish the precision. Low within‐batch variability was noted, with precision from 0.1 to 23% (n = 3–5) apparently depending on Hg content and homogeneity, whereas systematic offsets were detected among several batches. Thanks to the analysis of different batches; the homogeneity or heterogeneity of several RMs was shown, and thus, suitable RMs for quality control for Hg determinations could be recommended.     

Hydrochemistry and environmental isotopes of spring water and their relation to structure and lithology identified with remote sensing methods in Wadi Araba,Egypt

Springs located at the historical sites of Wadi Araba (Eastern Desert of Egypt) and emerging from the escarpments of the Northern and Southern Galala Plateaus were investigated. A combination of methods, including hydrochemistry, stable and radioisotope composition, and structural analyses based on satellite data, provided information about the structure of the subsurface and the derived groundwater flow paths. Satellite images reveal karst features within the northern plateau, e.g. conical landforms. Karstic caves were documented along both escarpments. Chemical analysis of floodwater from Wadi Araba indicates higher concentrations of terrestrial salts compared to floodwaters from central and southern parts of the desert. δ¹⁸O and δ²H signatures in spring waters resemble those of floodwater and fall on the global meteoric water line, confirming their fast infiltration with minor influence of evaporation. The aquifer feeding the springs of the Northern Galala Plateau has low retention and the springs dry out quickly, even after heavy rainfall. Contrastingly, ³H activities in springs emerging from the Southern Galala Plateau refer to much slower subsurface passage. With respect to ³H content (3.8 TU) in recent flood waters, the spring water at Southern Galala Plateau contains about 40% recently recharged groundwater. However, its largest spring—the St. Antony spring—discharges water with a radiocarbon age of about 15,000 years. In combination with this spring’s constant and high discharge over a period of several months, that age estimate suggests a large reservoir with moderate to high retention.

     

Timing of the Last-Interglacial High Sea Level on the Seychelles Islands, Indian Ocean

Corals from the Seychelles Islands, Indian Ocean, occur mainly as small coralline algae–vermetid remnants found in cavities adhering to the rock surface, and they rarely attain more than 2 m²in area. Samples ofGoniastreaandPoritesfrom elevations between 1.7 and 6 m above present mean sea level were dated by TIMS²³⁸U–²³⁴U–²³⁰Th techniques. The ages from well-preserved corals lie between 131,000 and 122,000 yr B.P., in agreement with most other observations of the last-interglacial sea level. Field evidence and dating from high marine limestones from two sections at La Digue Island indicate a period of coral buildup until 131,000 yr B.P., followed by a drop in sea level between 131,000 and 122,000 yr B.P.     

Three Spaces of Spatial Cognition

As we move about and interact in the world, we keep track of different spaces, among them the space of navigation, the space immediately around the body, and the space of the body. We review research showing that these spaces are conceptualized differently. Knowledge of the space of navigation is systematically distorted. For example, people mentally rotate roads and land masses to greater correspondence with global reference frames, they mentally align roads and land masses, they overestimate distances near the viewpoint relative to those far from it. These and other distortions indicate that the space of navigation is schematized to elements and spatial relations relative to reference frames and perspective. The space around the body is organized into a mental framework consisting of extensions of the major axes of the body. Times to report objects around the body suggest that the relative accessibility of the axes depends on their perceptual and functional properties and the relation of the body to the world. Finally, times to verify named or depicted body parts indicate that body schemas depend on perceptual and functional significance. Thus, these spaces (and they are not the only ones important to human interaction) differ from one another and are not conceptualized as Euclidean. Rather they are schematized into elements and spatial relations that reflect perceptual and conceptual significance.     

Landforms on Asteroid 25143-Itokawa: A geomorphological perspective on periglacial origin and meltwater history

Asteroid surface geology offers a full range of opportunities for geomorphologists to participate in the analysis of landform distributions, deposit composition, source areas for sediments, age estimations, and the reconstruction of geohydrological records. A recent touchdown (2005) on 25143-Itokawa, a Near Earth Object (NEO), by the Hayabusa Spacecraft provides imagery (released, 2008, by the Japanese Aerospace Agency) that allows the analysis of data relevant to geomorphologists. The abbreviated interpretation of landform distributions on Itokawa discussed below provides a preliminary analysis of landform morphogenesis in a cold climate with near-zero gravity. The analysis generates several questions related to source of water, cause of fluid propagation and explanations of previously unrecognized processes of denudation.     

A model study of tide- and wind-induced mixing in the Columbia River Estuary and plume

A numerical simulation of circulation in the Columbia River estuary and plume during the summer of 2004 is used to explore the mixing involved as river water is transformed into shelf water. The model is forced with realistic river flow, tides, wind stress, surface heat flux, and ocean boundary conditions. Simulated currents and water properties on the shelf near the mouth are compared with records from three moorings (all in 72 m of water) and five CTD sections. The model is found to have reasonable skill; statistically significant correlations between observed and modeled surface currents, temperature, and salinity are all 0.42–0.72 for the mooring records. Equations for the tidally averaged, volume-integrated mechanical energy budget (kinetic and potential) are derived, with attention to the effects of: (i) Reynolds averaging, (ii) a time varying volume due to the free surface, and (iii) dissipation very close to the bottom. It is found that convergence of tidal pressure work is the most important forcing term in the estuary. In the far field plume (which has a volume 15 times greater than that of the estuary), the net forcing is weaker than that in the estuary, and may be due to either tidal currents or wind stress depending on the time period considered. These forcings lead to irreversible mixing of the stratification (buoyancy flux) that turns river water into shelf water. This occurs in both the plume and estuary, but appears to be more efficient (17% vs. 5%), and somewhat greater (4.2 MW vs. 3.3 MW), in plume vs. estuary. This demonstrates the importance of both wind and tidal forcing to watermass transformation, and the need to consider the estuary and plume as part of a single system.     

Climatology of surface and near-bed temperature and salinity on the north-west European continental shelf for 1971–2000

A 30-year (1971–2000) temperature and salinity climatology is presented for surface and near-bed regions of the NW European shelf seas, with a resolution of 1/6^°$1/6^{°}$ longitude by 1/10^°$1/{10}^{°}$ latitude. The data have been extracted from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) data centre and supplemented by additional records from the World Ocean Data Centre (WODC). From the original data, which are irregularly distributed in space and time, the mean monthly temperature and salinity are calculated, as well as the climatic mean annual cycle. The climatology presented here is an improvement upon all existing climatologies presented in the literature for the NW European shelf; covering a wider area on a finer scale and including the surface and near-bed distribution of both temperature and salinity. Comparison of our data with existing climatologies shows good agreement, with differences occurring where our climatology is an improvement. This climatology, which will prove to be valuable to many users in the marine community, will be regularly updated and made available to all users via the ICES data centre.     

Using nitrate to quantify quick flow in a karst aquifer

In karst aquifers, contaminated recharge can degrade spring water quality, but quantifying the rapid recharge (quick flow) component of spring flow is challenging because of its temporal variability. Here, we investigate the use of nitrate in a two-endmember mixing model to quantify quick flow in Barton Springs, Austin, Texas. Historical nitrate data from recharging creeks and Barton Springs were evaluated to determine a representative nitrate concentration for the aquifer water endmember (1.5 mg/L) and the quick flow endmember (0.17 mg/L for nonstormflow conditions and 0.25 mg/L for stormflow conditions). Under nonstormflow conditions for 1990 to 2005, model results indicated that quick flow contributed from 0% to 55% of spring flow. The nitrate-based two-endmember model was applied to the response of Barton Springs to a storm and results compared to those produced using the same model with δ¹⁸O and specific conductance (SC) as tracers. Additionally, the mixing model was modified to allow endmember quick flow values to vary over time. Of the three tracers, nitrate appears to be the most advantageous because it is conservative and because the difference between the concentrations in the two endmembers is large relative to their variance. The δ¹⁸O-based model was very sensitive to variability within the quick flow endmember, and SC was not conservative over the timescale of the storm response. We conclude that a nitrate-based two-endmember mixing model might provide a useful approach for quantifying the temporally variable quick flow component of spring flow in some karst systems.