Buried scour marks as indicators of palaeo-current direction at the Mary Rose wreck site

A 3-dimensional seismic reflection survey (using a Chirp source) of the excavated Mary Rose wreck site (King Henry VIII's flagship, wrecked in 1545) was conducted in the East Solent, off the south coast of England. The high resolution geophysical survey identified two ‘brightspot' anomalies, buried to a depth of 4–5 m, trending east–west adjacent to the western margin of the excavation hole. These anomalous reflectors are interpreted as infilled palaeo-scour features associated with the wrecking and subsequent degradation of the Mary Rose. The features were previously unrecognized on the site, and to the authors' knowledge this is the first time that such preserved longitudinal palaeo-scour marks have been recognized in the sedimentary record. Implications associated with the preservation and identification of the scour features are discussed.     

The fission track records of the Estherville,Nakhla and Odessa meteorites

Investigation of fossil charged-particle track densities in various mineral phases of three meteorites—Estherville, Nakhla and Odessa—coupled with U content determination, has led to the evaluation of various contributions to the total fossil track density, including those due to the spontaneous fission of ²³⁸U and ²⁴⁴Pu. A fission-track age for Estherville of around 4 × 10⁹ yr is found, which is thought to reflect slow cooling of the parent body. A Pu track excess of (106 ± 9): 1 over the spontaneous fission of ²³⁸U is found in Odessa diopside, which is larger than may be allówed on a simple ‘continuous synthesis’ model for the production of heavy elements prior to solar system formation. Possible explanations for this value are discussed, including fractionation of Pu relative to U. No detectable U was found in Nakhla diopside, and a measurable contribution of track densities from the fission of superheavy elements is ruled out on the basis of track-length measurements and laboratory calibration with Fe ions.     

Late Pleistocene rock-basin lakes in South Wales

Laminated silts and clays recovered by coring and drilling in Swansea Bay are shown to be of lacustrine origin. Similar deposits penetrated by boreholes onshore in the Swansea area have also been ascribed to a lacustrine origin by several authors; a map showing the shape and distribution of five lakes in this area has been produced. Stratigraphic relationships and palynological evidence indicate that the lacustrine conditions probably lasted from about 16,000 to 10,000 years B.P.     

西藏高原洞穴碎屑沉积的电镜扫描研究

应用电镜扫描石英颗粒结构分析,对西藏高原洞穴碎屑沉积及其相关的地表沉积物进行了研究。其结论是:绝大部分样品的物质来源于附近的火成岩和变质岩基岩,这些沉积物的石英颗粒表面并未显示经受冰川的、河流的或风的搬运作用所造成的变形痕迹,也缺乏成土作用或热带湿热环境的化学变形证据。很明显,目前的环境难于在石英颗粒表面产生物理的或化学的结构形态。      

The sedimentology of river confluences

Channel confluences are key nodes within large river networks, and yet surprisingly little is known about their spatial and temporal evolution. Moreover, because confluences are associated with vertical scour that typically extends to several times the mean channel depth, the deposits associated with such scours should have a high preservation potential within the rock record. Paradoxically, such scours are rarely observed, and their preservation and sedimentological interpretation are poorly understood. The present study details results from a physically‐based morphodynamic model that is applied to simulate the evolution and alluvial architecture of large river junctions. Boundary conditions within the model were defined to approximate the junction of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers, Bangladesh, with the model output being supplemented by geophysical datasets collected at this junction. The numerical simulations reveal several distinct styles of sedimentary fill that are related to the morphodynamic behaviour of bars, confluence scour downstream of braid bars, bend scour and major junction scour. Comparison with existing, largely qualitative, conceptual models reveals that none of these can be applied simply, although elements of each are evident in the deposits generated by the numerical simulation and observed in the geophysical data. The characteristics of the simulated scour deposits are found to vary according to the degree of reworking caused by channel migration, a factor not considered adequately in current conceptual models of confluence sedimentology. The alluvial architecture of major junction scours is thus characterized by the prevalence of erosion surfaces in conjunction with the thickest depositional sets. Confluence scour downstream of braid bar and bend scour sites may preserve some large individual sets, but these locations are typically characterized by lower average set thickness compared to major junction scour and by a lack of large‐scale erosional surfaces. Areas of deposition not related to any of the specific scour types highlighted above record the thinnest depositional sets. This variety in the alluvial architecture of scours may go some way towards explaining the paradox of ancient junction scours, that while abundant large scours are likely in the rock record, they have been reported rarely. The present results outline the likely range of confluence sedimentology and will serve as a new tool for recognizing and interpreting these deposits in the ancient fluvial record.