Relationship between Late Pleistocene sea‐level variations,carbonate platform morphology and aragonite production (Maldives,Indian Ocean)

A piston core from the Maldives carbonate platform was investigated for carbonate mineralogy, grain‐size distributions, calcium carbonate content and organic carbon. The sedimentary record was linked to Late Pleistocene sea‐level variations, using an age model based on oxygen isotopes obtained from planktonic foramanifera, nannofossil biostratigraphy and ¹⁴C age determinations. The correlation between the sedimentary record and Late Pleistocene sea‐level showed that variations in aragonite and mud during the past 150 000 years were clearly related to flooding and sea floor exposure of the main lagoons of the atolls of the Maldives carbonate platform. Platform flooding events were characterized by strongly increased deposition of aragonite and mud within the Inner Sea of the Maldives. Exposure events, in contrast, can be recognized by rapid decreases in the values of both proxy records. The results show that sediments on the Maldives carbonate platform contain a continuous record of Pleistocene sea‐level variations. These sediments may, therefore, contribute to a better understanding of regional and even global sea‐level changes, and yield new insights into the interplay between ocean currents and carbonate platform morphology.     

Controls on large‐scale patterns of fluvial sandbody distribution in alluvial to coastal plain strata: Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation,Wasatch Plateau,Central Utah,USA

Current models of alluvial to coastal plain stratigraphy are concept‐driven and focus on relative sea‐level as an allogenic control. These models are tested herein using data from a large (ca 100 km long and 300 m thick), continuous outcrop belt (Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation, central Utah, USA). Many channelized fluvial sandbodies in the Blackhawk Formation have a multilateral and multistorey internal character, and they generally increase in size and abundance (from ca 10% to ca 30% of the strata) from base to top of the formation. These regional, low‐resolution trends exhibit much local variation, but are interpreted to reflect progressively decreasing tectonic subsidence in the upper Blackhawk Formation and overlying Castlegate Sandstone. The trend may also incorporate progressively more frequent channel avulsion during deposition of the lower Blackhawk Formation. Laterally extensive coal zones formed on the coastal plain during shallow‐marine transgressions, and define the high‐resolution stratigraphic framework of the lower Blackhawk Formation. Large (up to 25 m thick and 1 to 6 km wide), multistorey, multilateral, fluvial channel‐complex sandbodies that overlie composite erosion surfaces occur at distinct stratigraphic levels, and are interpreted as fluvial incised valley fills. Low amplitude (<30 m) relative sea‐level variations are interpreted as the dominant control on stratigraphic architecture in the lower Blackhawk Formation, which was deposited up to 50 km inland from the coeval shoreline. In contrast, the high‐resolution stratigraphy of the upper Blackhawk Formation is poorly defined, and channelized fluvial sandbodies are poorly organized. Vertical and laterally offset stacking of a small proportion (<10%) of sandbodies produced ‘clusters’ that are not confined by ‘master’ erosion surfaces. Avulsion is interpreted to dominate the stratigraphic architecture of the upper Blackhawk Formation. This data‐driven analysis indicates that alluvial to coastal plain stratigraphic architecture reflects a combination of various allogenic controls and autogenic behaviours. The relative sea‐level control emphasized in sequence stratigraphic models is only rarely dominant.     

Hydrological characteristics of groundwater in a subtropical coastal plain with large variations in salinity: Pimpama,Queensland, Australia

Abstract

The Pimpama coastal plain is situated in southern Moreton Bay, in subtropical eastern Australia. The plain is low lying and tidal and is situated behind a large sand barrier island. Largely due to recent (30 years) drainage networks within the flood plain, surface water quality has declined. Groundwater hydrographs have enabled the determination of different flow systems: a deeper system responding to seasonal weather patterns and a shallower flow system more responsive to individual rainfall events. Elevated potentiometric heads in semi-confined aquifers reflect upward movement of saline to hypersaline groundwaters. However, interaction of this deeper groundwater with shallower groundwater and the surface drains is yet to be determined. Recharge to the shallower system is by direct infiltration while recharge to the deeper system includes a component from landward ranges or bedrock outcrops within the plain. Discrimination between groundwater bodies is possible using salinity, ionic ratios and stable isotopes. Features of groundwater hydrology, the distribution of salinity and variations in water chemistry all suggest that under current conditions infiltration has increased, plus there is a greater landward migration of groundwaters of marine origin.     

Guest editorial

The past decade has witnessed extensive development of measures that examine characteristics of spatial subsets (local spaces) defined with respect to a complete data set (global space). Such procedures have evolved independently in fields such as geography, GIS, cartography, remote sensing, and landscape ecology. Collectively, we label these procedures as local spatial methods. We focus on those methods that share a common goal of identifying subsets whose characteristics are statistically ‘significant’ in some way. We propose the concept of local spatial statistical analysis (LoSSA) both as an integrative structure for existing methods and as a framework that facilitates the development of new local and global statistics. By formalizing what is involved when a particular local statistic is used, LoSSA helps to reveal the key features and limitations of the procedure. These include a consideration of the nature of the spatial subsets, their spatial relationship to the complete data set, and the relationship between a given global statistic and the corresponding local statistics computed for the data set.     

Integrated micro- and macro-scale analyses of Last Glacial Maximum Irish Sea Diamicts from Abermawr and Traeth y Mwnt, Wales, UK

This study is part of a basin-wide re-evaluation of Irish Sea glacigenic deposits which aims to test whether diamicts, collectively known as Irish Sea Tills, represent in situ glacimarine sediments or sediments that have been reworked or deformed by the Last Glacial Maximum Irish Sea Glacier. New results are presented for two key localities at Abermawr and Traeth y Mwnt in Wales. Unlike previous studies in the Irish Sea region that have focused on macro-scale sedimentology and structural analyses, this study combines macro-scale and micro-scale sedimentary analyses. This approach reveals that the dominant diamict facies at Abermawr are subglacially deformed primary (glaci)marine deposits, emplaced by the Irish Sea Glacier. An inland glacial source is unlikely. The Traeth y Mwnt diamicts are likely to be subaqueous in origin, possibly formed in an ice-dammed lake in the Mwnt embayment. There are no indications of subglacial deformation or shearing at Mwnt; deformation structures are related to gravity-driven or density-driven mechanisms.     

Detection of Lateglacial distal tephra layers in the Netherlands

Three distal tephra layers or cryptotephras have been detected within a sedimentary sequence from the Netherlands that spans the last glacial-interglacial transition. Geochemical analyses identify one as the Vedde Ash, which represents the southernmost discovery of this mid-Younger Dryas tephra so far. This tephra was found as a distinct horizon in three different cores sampled within the basin. The remaining two tephras have not been geochemically 'fingerprinted', partly due to low concentrations and uneven distributions of shards within the sequences sampled. Nevertheless, there is the potential for tracing these tephra layers throughout the Netherlands and into other parts of continental Europe. Accordingly, the possibilities for precise correlation of Dutch palaeoenvironmental records with other continental, marine and ice-core records from the North Atlantic region are highlighted.     

Retrieval of aerosol optical thickness for desert conditions using MERIS observations during the SAMUM campaign

Approximately 30% of the land surface is arid, having desert or semi-desert conditions. Aerosol originating from these regions plays a significant role in climate and atmospheric chemistry of the atmosphere. Retrieving aerosol properties from space-borne platforms above desert conditions, where the surface reflectance is usually very bright, is a challenging task. The proportion of the surface to top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance can reach values over 90%, especially for wavelength above 500 nm. For these reasons detailed knowledge of aerosol and surface optical properties from these regions is required to separate atmosphere from intrinsically bright surfaces.
An approach to retrieve aerosol properties over arid and semi-arid regions based on the Bremen Aerosol Retrieval (BAER) has been developed and validated within the Dust Aerosol Retrievals from Space-Born Instruments (DREAMS) Project, which is part of the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment ( SAMUM, 2006 ). Combining measurements of the backscattered radiation from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument aboard Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) and ground-based measurements in Morocco in radiation closure experiments yields the aerosol optical properties of mineral dust at selected locations.     

Insights into subglacial processes inferred from the micromorphological analyses of complex diamicton stratigraphy near Illmensee‐Lichtenegg,Höchsten,Germany

Menzies, J. & Ellwanger, D. 2010: Insights into subglacial processes inferred from the micromorphological analyses of complex diamicton stratigraphy near Illmensee‐Lichtenegg, Höchsten, Germany. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00194.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Investigations of a 30‐m‐high section of Pleistocene sediments at Illmensee‐Lichtenegg, Höchsten in Baden‐Württemberg provide detailed information on subglacial conditions beneath the Rhine Glacier outlet of the Alpine ice sheet in southern Germany. The sediment exposure extends from an upper cemented sand and gravel (Deckenschotter) into diamictic units that extend down to weathered Molasse bedrock. The exposure reveals sediments symptomatic of active syndepositional stress/strain processes ongoing beneath the ice sheet. Macrosedimentology reveals diamicton subfacies units and a strong uni‐direction of ice motion based on clast fabric analyses. At the microscale level, thin‐section analyses provide a substantially clearer picture of the dynamics of subglacial sediment deformation and till emplacement. Evidence based on detailed micromorphological analyses reveals microstructural strain and depositional markers that indicate a subglacial environment of ongoing soft bed deformation in which the diamictons can be readily identified as subglacial tills. Within this subglacial environment, distinct changes in pore‐water pressure and sediment rheology can be detected. These changes reveal fluctuating conditions of progressive, non‐pervasive deformation associated with rapid changes in effective stress and shear strain leading to till emplacement. This site, through the application of micromorphology, increases our understanding of localized subglacial conditions and till formation.     

Formation of a stratified subglacial ‘till’ assemblage by ice‐marginal thrusting and glacier overriding

Ó Cofaigh, C., Evans, D. J. A. & Hiemstra, J. F. 2010: Formation of a stratified subglacial ‘till’ assemblage by ice‐marginal thrusting and glacier overriding. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00177.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. A thick sequence of glaciotectonically stacked till and outwash is preserved in a coastal embayment at Feohanagh, southwest Ireland. The sequence contains a variety of diamicton lithofacies, including laminated, stratified and massive components, but stratified diamictons dominate. Stratification/lamination is imparted by the presence of numerous closely spaced subhorizontal and anastomosing partings, which give a fissile appearance to the diamictons. Many partings are the result of sandy or thin gravelly layers within the diamictons. Some diamictons contain interbeds and lenses of sand, mud and gravel, which still preserve the original stratification. The sequence at Feohanagh is the product of a two‐stage depositional process in which initial glaciolacustrine sedimentation in an ice‐dammed lake was followed by glaciotectonic thrusting and overriding, during which the lake sediments were reworked and variably deformed. Similar late Quaternary sequences of glaciotectonically stacked stratified sediments and till have been described from around the coastal margins of Ireland and Britain, where they constitute glaciotectonite–subglacial traction till continuums rather than true lodgement tills as traditionally implied. Thick stratified diamicton assemblages are likely to occur in areas where steep topography provides pinning points for the glacier margin to stabilize and deliver large volumes of sediment into a glaciolacustrine or glaciomarine setting before proglacial and subglacial reworking of the sediment pile. The resulting geological–climatic unit, often defined as ‘till’, will contain a large amount of stratified and variably deformed material (laminated and stratified diamictons will be common), including intact sediment rafts, reflecting low strain rates and short sediment transport distances.