Crustal structure of the northern Levant region: multiple source Werner deconvolution estimates for Bouguer gravity anomalies

The opening of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and the collision of the Arabian plate with the jigsaw southern margin of the Anatolian plate have sheared the Sinai-Levant microplate off the NW part of the Arabian plate, and created the left-lateral Dead Sea (Levant) transform fault. The structural setting of the northern Levant region, particularly Lebanon and the Palmyrides, has been complicated by detachments along incompetent evaporitic horizons, roughly separating the post-Triassic succession from the underlying crustal material. The interpretation of the multiple source Werner deconvolution (MSWD) estimates of Bouguer gravity profiles, which were separately calculated for Syria and Lebanon, integrated with the available geological and geophysical results leads to the following interpretations: (1) the crust of Syria thickens southeastwards from approximately 32 km under the Al-Ghab Graben to >36 km under the Aleppo high, the Palmyride fold belt and the Rutbah high; (2) the lower-crustal (basaltic) layer thickens northwestwards from the hinterland to the Al-Ghab graben at the expense of the overlying andesitic layer; (3) the Mid-Beqa'a fault is delineated by the MSWD estimates in Lebanon and its NE extension in Syria; (4) the Phanerozoic section in the southwesternmost parts of the Palmyrides is ∼ 13 km thick, and the shortening there could exceed 30 km; (5) the Palmyride fold belt, and the Serghaya and Mid-Beqa'a faults could have accounted for about 70 km of the 105 km left-lateral displacement along the southern segment of the Dead Sea transform fault system, without transmission to the Syrian (northern) segment of the fault system; (6) the splitting of the Dead Sea transform fault in the Kuleh Depression into the Serghaya. Mid-Beqa'a, Yammouneh and Roum faults could be explained by the rotation of the detached post-Triassic succession over a stable deep left-lateral fracture of the Dead Sea fault in the underlying crustal material.     

Helium, carbon dioxide and oxygen soil gases: Small-scale variations over fractured ground

To investigate the control on small-scale variation of He in soil gas exercised by minor fracturing, shallow surveys have been carried out over a cave system formed along an approximately orthogonal set of fractures in Devonian limestone in southwest England. The possibilities that He variation could be related to deep-seated, major fractures or hidden mineralisation, and that other soil gases may also be affected by minor fracturing were assessed by contemporary surveys for CO₂ and O₂. Comparisons of soil gas values with variations in electrical apparent resistivity were also carried out. Location of fractures with direct connection to the cave system was determined by spiking the cave atmosphere with He and then resurveying after equilibration.The results for CO₂ and O₂ show anomalies of low magnitude (with respect to atmospheric concentrations), and although they display an antithetic relationship, this is generally poor. There is also no strong correlation with the results of the He surveys either before or after spiking, or with the apparent resistivity values. Moreover, anomalies in CO₂ + O₂ do not support the pattern of variation shown by the individual gases. These negative results suggest the absence of deep-seated fractures or hidden mineralisation, and show that CO₂ and O₂ values are independent of minor fracturing. The origin of the variation is attributed to bacteriological productivity.He soil gas concentrations were obtained as disequilibrium values relative to Field Atmospheric Air (ΔHe/ppb-FAA). Positive ΔHe values were generally found to correlate with areas of thin, dry soil cover, enhancement occurring along fracture lines. Negative ΔHe values were also found to correlate with fracture lines, but in these areas the fractures are overlain by a thick soil cover with a high moisture content. It is considered that distinctions can be drawn between water-conducting and dry fractures, and that negative ΔHe values are likely only to be encountered with shallow soil gas samples. Results of spiking with He show a clear distribution of enhanced values along the set of orthogonal fractures, irrespective of the sign of the natural He anomaly. It is considered, therefore, that major deep-seated fractures may result in positive He anomalies superimposed upon negative ΔHe values. This implies that He anomalies must always be related to a local datum value. It is concluded that resolution of interacting variables in the interpretation of soil gas data is facilitated by integrated soil gas surveys.     

The Biscuit Brook and Neversink Reservoir watersheds: Long-term investigations of stream chemistry,soil chemistry and aquatic ecology in the Catskill Mountains,New York,USA, 1983–2020

This data note describes the Biscuit Brook and Neversink Reservoir watershed long-term monitoring data that includes: 1) stream discharge, (1983–2020 for Biscuit Brook and 1937–2020 for the Neversink Reservoir watershed), 2) stream water chemistry, 1983–2020, at 4 stations, 3) fish survey data from 16 locations in the watershed 1990–2019, 4) soil chemistry data from 2 headwater sub-watersheds, 1993–2012 and 5) periodic stream water chemistry sampling data from 364 locations throughout the watershed, 1983–2020. The Neversink Reservoir watershed in the Catskill Mountains of New York, USA drains an area of 172.5 km². The watershed feeds one of six reservoirs in New York City's West of Hudson water supply, which accounts for about 90% of the city's water supply. Biscuit Brook is a 9.63 km² tributary sub-watershed within the Neversink Reservoir watershed.     

Quantification of bedform dynamics and bedload sediment flux in sandy braided rivers from airborne and satellite imagery

Images from specially-commissioned aeroplane sorties (manned aerial vehicle, MAV), repeat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys, and Planet CubeSat satellites are used to quantify dune and bar dynamics in the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River, Canada. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) techniques and application of a depth-brightness model are used to produce a series of Digital Surface Models (DSMs) at low and near-bankfull flows. A number of technical and image processing challenges are described that arise from the application of SfM in dry and submerged environments. A model for best practice is presented and analysis suggests a depth-brightness model approach can represent the different scales of bedforms present in sandy braided rivers with low-turbidity and shallow (< 2 m deep) water. The aerial imagery is used to quantify the spatial distribution of unit bar and dune migration rate in an 18 km reach and three ~1 km long reaches respectively. Dune and unit bar migration rates are highly variable in response to local variations in planform morphology. Sediment transport rates for dunes and unit bars, obtained by integrating migration rates (from UAV) with the volume of sediment moved (from DSMs using MAV imagery) show near-equivalence in sediment flux. Hence, reach-based sediment transport rate estimates can be derived from unit bar data alone. Moreover, it is shown that reasonable estimates of sediment transport rate can be made using just unit bar migration rates as measured from 2D imagery, including from satellite images, so long as informed assumptions are made regarding average bar shape and height. With recent availability of frequent, repeat satellite imagery, and the ease of undertaking repeat MAV and UAV surveys, for the first time, it may be possible to provide global estimates of bedload sediment flux for large or inaccessible low-turbidity rivers that currently have sparse information on bedload sediment transport rates. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.