Interactions between barotropic tides and mesoscale processes in deep ocean and shelf regions

Ocean Dynamics - The interactions between barotropic tides and mesoscale processes were studied using the results of a numerical model in which tidal forcing was turned on and off. The research...     

Shoal‐water deltas in high‐accommodation settings: Insights from the lacustrine Valimi Formation (Gulf of Corinth,Greece)

The stratigraphic architecture of shoal‐water deltaic systems developed in low‐accommodation settings is relatively well‐known. In contrast, the features of shoal‐water deltas developed in high‐accommodation settings remain relatively poorly documented, especially when compared with the available data sets for Gilbert‐type deltaic systems developed in the same settings. The lacustrine Valimi Formation (Gulf of Corinth, Greece) provides an opportunity to investigate the facies assemblage and architectural style of shoal‐water deltaic systems developed in high‐accommodation settings. The studied interval accumulated during the Pliocene and Pleistocene and represents part of the early syn‐rift Gulf of Corinth succession. Six facies associations, each described in terms of depositional processes and geometries, have been identified and interpreted to represent a range of proximal to distal deltaic sub‐environments: delta plain, distributary channel, mouth‐bar, delta front, prodelta and open lake. The facies associations and their architectural elements reveal characteristics which are not common in traditionally described shoal‐water deltas. Of note, different facies arrangements are observed in the distributary channels in different sectors of the delta, passing from thick single‐storey channel fills embedded within delta‐plain fines in landward positions, to thin, amalgamated and multi‐storey channels closer to the river mouth. This study proposes a new depositional model for shoal‐water deltas in high‐accommodation settings documenting, for the first time, that shoal‐water delta deposits can form a substantial part of stratigraphic successions that accumulate in these settings. The proposed depositional model provides new criteria for the recognition and interpretation of these deposits; the results of this study have applied significance for reservoir characterization.     

Microbial deposits in the aftermath of the end‐Permian mass extinction: A diverging case from the Mineral Mountains (Utah,USA)

The Lower Triassic Mineral Mountains area (Utah, USA) preserves diversified Smithian and Spathian reefs and bioaccumulations that contain fenestral‐microbialites and various benthic and pelagic organisms. Ecological and environmental changes during the Early Triassic are commonly assumed to be associated with numerous perturbations (productivity changes, acidifica‐tion, redox changes, hypercapnia, eustatism and temperature changes) post‐dating the Permian–Triassic mass extinction. New data acquired in the Mineral Mountains sediments provide evidence to decipher the relationships between depositional environments and the growth and distribution of microbial structures. These data also help to understand better the controlling factors acting upon sedimentation and community turnovers through the Smithian–early Spathian. The studied section records a large‐scale depositional sequence during the Dienerian(?)–Spathian interval. During the transgression, depositional environments evolved from a coastal bay with continental deposits to intertidal fenestral–microbial limestones, shallow subtidal marine sponge–microbial reefs to deep subtidal mud‐dominated limestones. Storm‐induced deposits, microbialite–sponge reefs and shallow subtidal deposits indicate the regression. Three microbialite associations occur in ascending order: (i) a red beds microbialite association deposited in low‐energy hypersaline supratidal conditions where microbialites consist of microbial mats and poorly preserved microbially induced sedimentary structure; (ii) a Smithian microbialite association formed in moderate to high‐energy, tidal conditions where microbialites include stromatolites and associated carbonate grains (oncoids, ooids and peloids); and (iii) a Spathian microbialite association developed in low‐energy offshore conditions that is preserved as multiple decimetre thick isolated domes and coalescent domes. Data indicate that the morphologies of the three microbialite associations are controlled primarily by accommodation, hydrodynamics, bathymetry and grain supply. This study suggests that microbial constructions are controlled by changes between trapping and binding versus precipitation processes in variable hydrodynamic conditions. Due to the presence of numerous metazoans associated with microbialites throughout the Smithian increase in accommodation and Spathian decrease in accommodation, the commonly assumed anachronistic character of the Early Triassic microbialites and the traditional view of prolonged deleterious conditions during the Early Triassic time interval is questioned.     

Information content of snow hydrological signatures based on streamflow,precipitation and air temperature

Hydrological signatures that represent snow processes are valuable to gain insights into snow accumulation and snow melt dynamics. We investigated five snow signatures. Considering inter-annual average of each calendar day, two slopes derived from the relation between streamflow and air temperature for different periods and streamflow peak maxima are used as signatures. In addition, two different approaches are used to compute inter-annual average and yearly snow storage estimates. We evaluated the ability of these signatures to characterize average (a) snow melt dynamics and (b) snow storage. They were applied in 10 Critical Zone Observatory catchments of the Southern Sierra mountains (USA) characterized by a Mediterranean climate. The relevance and information content of the signatures are evaluated using snow depth and snow water equivalent measurements as well as inter-catchment differences in elevation. The slopes quantifying the relations between streamflow and air temperature and the date of streamflow peak were found to characterize snow melt dynamics in terms of snow melt rates and snow melt affected areas. Streamflow peak dates were linked to the period of highest snow melt rates. Snow storage could be estimated both on average, considering all years, and for each year. Snow accumulation dynamics could not be characterized due to the lack of streamflow response during the snow accumulation period. The signatures were found potentially valuable to gain insights into catchment scale snow processes. In particular, when comparing catchments or observed and simulated data, they could provide insights into differences in terms of (a) snow melt rate and/or snow melt affected area over the snow melt season and (b) average or yearly snow storage. Requiring only widely available data, these hydrological signatures can be valuable for snow processes characterization, catchment comparison/classification or model development, calibration or evaluation.     

Anisotropy of P-wave Velocity in the Upper Crust of the Central External Dinarides

The anisotropy of Pg-wave velocity in the area of the central External Dinarides is measured by using arrival time data as reported by local and regional seismological stations. The observed velocity varies between 5.73 km/s (in the ESE-WNWdirection) and 6.20 km/s (in the SSW-NNE direction), indicating azimuthal anisotropy with symmetry axis azimuths of 23°±n 90°. These closely match the orientation of the principal stress axes in the region, as revealed by analyses of available fault-plane solutions. The observed anisotropy may be modelled by assuming a system of vertical/subvertical cracks in the upper crust, aligned under the influence of the regional tectonic stress field.     

Zircon U–Pb geochronology,major-trace elements and Sr–Nd isotope geochemistry of Mashhad granodiorites (NE Iran) and their mafic microgranular enclaves: evidence for magma mixing and mingling

ABSTRACT

Mashhad granitoids and associated mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs), in NE Iran record late early Mesozoic magmatism, was related to the Palaeo-Tethys closure and Iran-Eurasia collision. These represent ideal rocks to explore magmatic processes associated with Late Triassic closure of the Palaeo-Tethyan ocean and post-collisional magmatism. In this study, new geochronological data, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr–Nd isotope data are presented for Mashhad granitoids and MMEs. LA–ICP–MS U–Pb dating of zircon yields crystallization ages of 205.0 ± 1.3 Ma for the MMEs, indicating their formation during the Late Triassic. This age is similar to the host granitoids. Our results including the major and trace elements discrimination diagrams, in combination with field and petrographic observations (such as ellipsoidal MMEs with feldspar megacrysts, disequilibrium textures of plagioclase), as well as mineral chemistry, suggest that MMEs formed by mixing of mafic and felsic magmas. The host granodiorite is a felsic, high K calc-alkaline I-type granitoid, with SiO₂ = 67.5–69.4 wt%, high K₂O (2.4–4.2 wt%), and low Mg# (42.5–50.5). Normalized abundances of LREEs and LILEs are enriched relative to HREEs and HFSEs (e.g. Nb, Ti). Negative values of whole-rock εNd_(t) (?3 to ?2.3) from granitoids indicate that the precursor magma was generated by partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle with some contributions from old lower continental crust. In the MMEs, SiO₂ (53.4–58.2 wt%) is lower and Ni (3.9–49.7 ppm), Cr (0.8–93.9 ppm), Mg# (42.81–62.84), and εNd_(t) (?2.3 to +1.4) are higher than those in the host granodiorite, suggesting a greater contribution of mantle-derived mafic melts in the genesis of MMEs.     

Water intrusions and particle signatures in the Black Sea: a Biogeochemical-Argo float investigation

Continuous observations during 3 years with a vertical resolution of 1 dbar from two Bio-Argo floats in the Black Sea that were equipped with oxygen optodes, chlorophyll fluorometers, and backscattering sensors are analyzed. The particle backscattering coefficient, b _bp provides a proxy for the concentration of suspended particles. The observations clearly identify thermal and b _bp intrusions down to ~700–800 m in the Bosporus inflow area. In this area, b _bp is more than five times larger than elsewhere, which could indicate bacterial abundance and possible biological involvement in the precipitation of Mn-containing particles. The b _bp anomalies become much shallower than the temperature anomalies with increasing distance to the east of the strait. Their maxima are located between the onset of the suboxic zone and the upper part of the anoxic layer. Unlike well-known intrusions that are caused by inflow, open ocean intrusions are shallower and often characterized by multiple layers of backscatter maxima with thicknesses of only 15–20 m. The ratio between backscattering coefficients measured at two wavelengths, which gives a proxy for particle size, shows that the relative amount of larger size particles in the anoxic layer increases with depth. The particle concentrations and their size distribution display different vertical variability, which indicates the complex transformation of biological matter. The lower concentration of particles and lower chlorophyll-a during the extremely warm 2016 reveals an overall positive correlation between the two properties. The trends in the particle backscattering coefficient in the suboxic zone during 2013–2016 could indirectly reveal a biogeochemical response to temperature changes.     

High‐resolution multi‐component distributed acoustic sensing

Distributed acoustic sensing uses an optical fibre together with an interrogator unit to perform strain measurements. The usage of distributed acoustic sensing in geophysics is attractive due to its dense spatial sampling and low operation cost if the optical fibre is freely accessible. In the borehole environment, optical fibres for distributed acoustic sensing are often readily available as a part of other sensing tools, such as for temperature and pressure. Although the distributed acoustic sensing system promises great potential for reservoir monitoring and surface seismic acquisition, the single axial strain measurement of distributed acoustic sensing along the fibre is inadequate to fully characterise the different wave modes, thus making reservoir characterisation challenging. We propose an acquisition system using five equally spaced helical optical fibres and a straight optical fibre to obtain six different strain projections. This system allows us to reconstruct all components of the 3D strain tensor at any location along the fibre. Analysing the condition number associated with the geometry of the optical fibre, we can systematically search for the optimum design parameters for our configuration. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method to successful reconstruction of the full strain tensor from elastic wavefields of arbitrary complexity.