A preliminary study of the dynamics of a modern draa, Algodones, southeastern California, USA

A transverse crescentic draa in the Algodones dune field, California, was monitored for a year using surface process mapping, aerial photography and supplemental wind measurement. The draa is oriented by the long-term resultant wind, whereas its superimposed features are in equilibrium with the bedform-modified secondary airflow. Surface airflow and the movement of superimposed bedforms is typically oblique or parallel to the draa brinkline, particularly on the lee slope. Comparison of measurements of draa movement and sand deposition on the lee slope, with expected rates calculated from wind data and draa size, confirm that there is a significant component of sand flow parallel to the draa brinkline. The internal structure being generated at the base of the draa lee slope is inferred from the surface processes active there. Within the space of a kilometer two types of compound cross-strata, separated by an area of simple cross-strata, are being produced. This has significant implications for interpretations of ancient aeolian strata. Variations in internal structure types found in lateral sequence may be generated by one complex bedform, and these cross-strata may be simple or compound. Second-order bounding surface orientations indicate resultant primary palaeowind directions; compound cross-strata dip directions indicate secondary flow conditions. The existence of cross-strata dip directions oblique or perpendicular to the second-order surface indicates longitudinal secondary flow on the lee face, but not necessarily a longitudinal or oblique draa. Without further detailed knowledge about various draa configurations and behaviour, stratification attributed to draas can be used only to interpret activity on the lower draa lee face.     

Wolf Volcano, Galapagos Archipelago: Melting and Magmatic Evolution at the Margins of a Mantle Plume

Wolf volcano, an active shield volcano on northern Isabela Islandin the Galápagos Archipelago, has undergone two majorstages of caldera collapse, with a phase of partial calderarefilling between. Wolf is a typical Galápagos shieldvolcano, with circumferential vents on the steep upper carapaceand radial vents distributed in diffuse rift zones on the shallower-slopinglower flanks. The radial fissures continue into the submarineenvironment, where they form more tightly focused rift zones.Wolf's magmas are strikingly monotonous: estimated eruptivetemperatures of the majority of lavas span a total of only 22°C.This homogeneity is attributed to buffering of magmas as theyascend through a thick column of olivine gabbroic mush thathas been deposited from a thin, shallow (<2 km deep) subcalderasill that is in a thermochemical steady state. Wolf's lavashave the most depleted isotopic compositions of any historicallyactive intraplate ocean island volcano on the planet and haveisotopic compositions (except for ³He/⁴He) indistinguishablefrom mid-ocean ridge basalt erupted from the GalápagosSpreading Center (GSC) 250–410 km away from the peak ofinfluence of the Galápagos plume. Wolf's lavas are enrichedin incompatible trace elements and have systematic major elementdifferences relative to GSC lavas, however. Wolf's magmas resultfrom lower extents of melting, deeper melt extraction, and agreater influence of garnet compared with GSC magmas, but Wolfand the GSC share the same sources. These melt generation conditionsare attributed to melting in a thermal and mechanical boundarylayer of depleted asthenosphere at the margins of the Galápagosplume. The lower degrees of melting and extraction from deeperlevels result from a thicker lithospheric cap at Wolf than existsat the GSC. KEY WORDS: caldera; Galápagos; mush; partial melting; plume     

Lithostratigraphy of the Late Saalian to Middle Weichselian Skærumhede Group in Vendsyssel, northern Denmark

The Quaternary sedimentary succession in Vendsyssel, northern Denmark, contains a unique, high‐resolution record of the last interglacial and glacial periods. There is still much debate, however, about the timing and ice extent in this southwestern part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, particularly during the Middle Weichselian. In this study, a detailed lithostratigraphical subdivision is established for the Late Saalian to Middle Weichselian Skærumhede Group on the basis of numerous, up to 250 m deep, boreholes in Vendsyssel. The sediments mainly consist of marine clays, glaciolacustrine sediments and tills, and the total thickness of the Skærumhede Group is up to 140 m. Marine intervals have been used as stratigraphical marker units to separate the formations indicative of ice‐sheet activity in Vendsyssel, and the timing of the events has been constrained by a large number of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon ages. The Skærumhede Group is subdivided into seven formations and two members, reflecting shifts between marine and terrestrial sedimentation caused by fluctuations of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet and changes in sea level. The lowermost Skærumhede Till Formation was deposited directly on top of the bedrock during the Warthe advance c. 160–140 kyr BP. Above, there are fine‐grained marine sediments, subdivided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Skærumhede Clay Formations. The marine formations are separated by the Brønderslev Formation related to the Sundsøre ice advance from the north c. 65–60 kyr BP, and the Åsted Formation, deposited during the Ristinge advance from an east–southeastern direction c. 55–50 kyr BP. The uppermost formation in the group is the Lønstrup Klint Formation, which is an upwards‐coarsening sequence of mainly glaciolacustrine sediments deposited prior to the Kattegat advance c. 30–29 kyr BP. The new evidence from Vendsyssel has shown that the Skærumhede Group covers a large area, and that it can be used as a regional stratigraphical marker horizon. Furthermore, it contributes to a better understanding of the timing and extent of glacial events during the Late Saalian to Middle Weichselian in southwest Scandinavia.     

Litho- and chronostratigraphy of the Late Weichselian in Vendsyssel, northern Denmark, with special emphasis on tunnel-valley infill in relation to a receding ice margin

Lithostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of samples from 18 deep boreholes in Vendsyssel have resulted in new insight into the Late Weichselian glaciation history of northern Denmark. Prior to the Late Weichselian Main advance c. 23–21 kyr BP, Vendsyssel was part of an ice‐dammed lake where the Ribjerg Formation was deposited c. 27–23 kyr BP. The timing of the Late Weichselian deglaciation is well constrained by the Main advance and the Lateglacial marine inundation c. 18 kyr BP, and thus spans only a few millennia. Rapid deposition of more than 200 m of sediments took place mainly in a highly dynamic proglacial and ice‐marginal environment during the overall ice recession. Mean retreat rates have been estimated as 45–50 m/yr in Vendsyssel with significantly higher retreat rates between periods of standstill and re‐advance. The deglaciation commenced in Vendsyssel c. 20 kyr BP, and the Troldbjerg Formation was deposited c. 20–19 kyr BP in a large ice‐dammed lake in front of the receding ice sheet, partly as glaciolacustrine sediments and partly as rapid and focused sedimentation in prominent ice‐contact fans, which make up the Jyske Ås and Hammer Bakker moraines. In the northern part of central Vendsyssel, at least four generations of north–south orientated tunnel valleys are identified, each generation related to a recessional ice margin. This initial deglaciation was interrupted by a major re‐advance from the east c. 19 kyr BP, which covered most of Vendsyssel. An ice‐dammed lake formed in front of the ice sheet as it retreated towards the east; the Morild Formation was deposited here c. 19–18 kyr BP. Related to this stage of deglaciation, eight ice‐marginal positions have been identified based on the distribution of large tunnel‐valley systems and pronounced recessional moraines. The Morild Formation consists of glaciolacustrine sediments, including the sediment infill of more than 190 m deep tunnel valleys, as well as the sediments in recessional moraines, which were formed as ice‐contact sedimentary ridges, possibly in combination with glaciotectonic deformation. The character of the tunnel‐valley infill sediments was determined by proximity to the ice margin. During episodes of rapid retreat of the ice margin, tunnel valleys were quickly abandoned and filled with fine‐grained sediments in a distal setting. During slow retreat of the ice margin, tunnel valleys were filled in an ice‐proximal environment, and the infill consists of alternating layers of fine‐ to coarse‐grained sediments. At c. 18 kyr BP, Vendsyssel was inundated by the sea, when the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream broke up, and a succession of marine sediments (Vendsyssel Formation) was deposited during a forced regression.     

Fields as a framework for integrating GIS and environmental process models. Part 2: Specifying field variables

In Part 1 of this paper, the concept of a field variable was described. In Part 2, the way in which a field variable might be specified is outlined. Field variables can be declared like other data types in any standard computing language. Specifications of field variables must include several special properties which are used to express the relationship between the physical field and the discrete data model. Field variable properties determine how the spatial data can be manipulated. For example, specifying a cellgrid spatial data model requires information about grid orientation and origin and the size of cells, while specifying a polygon data model requires information about the minimum distance over which variation is recorded. In either case, this information can be used to select appropriate conversion procedures between spatial data models using similarly specified conversion matrices and rules. The use of field variables has pedagogic as well as practical value. New operations allowed include field functions such as those for determining integrals, slope, and aspect, and reserved variables such as latitude and longitude.     

Palaeoenvironments in the Skagerrak-Kattegat basin in the eastern North Sea during the last deglaciation

The study of a c. 18 m thick Late Weichselian- Early Holocene (isotope stage 2/1) marine succession (original water depth 100–150 m) from the Skagen 3 borehole, northern Denmark, has led to a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental changes during the last deglaciation. The palaeoenvironmental interpretation is based on benthic foraminifera, stable isotope composition and lithology, whereas the chronostratigraphy and sedimentation rates are based on AMS radiocarbon dates. Marine conditions were established in the area at between 15 000 and 14 500 BP (reservoir corrected ¹⁴C years), and the first influence of Atlantic water masses imported through the Norwegian Channel is registered from 13 100 BP to 10 900BP (the Bølling- Allerrad interstadial complex). This was followed by the Younger Dryas cooling event between 10 900 and 10 100 BP. The hydrographic change at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition after the Younger Dryas occurred in two stages. Arctic/subarctic deep-water assemblages persisted continuously at Skagen after the first stage at 10 200 BP, while cold boreal assemblages existed in shallower water environments in the Kattegat-Skagerrak basin during the same period of time. The slight warming in the early Holocene seems to have been interrupted by a short-term cooling at about 9700–9600 BP. Finally, at 9600 BP the arrival of warm Atlantic water masses created full-interglacial conditions in the whole region.     

Late Holocene Fluvial Change in a Tufa-depositing Stream: Davys Creek,New South Wales,Australia

Tufas are constructional landforms composed of calcium carbonate. They are common in karst terrains, and are known worldwide as useful archives of palaeoenvironmental information. In the case of fluvial tufas, these carbonate deposits experience net aggradation when environmental conditions are stable, whilst incision through the deposits occurs when conditions become wetter. In this study, the first of its type in temperate Australia, we used geomorphological and sedimentological evidence preserved in fossil tufas and alluvial terraces to investigate the fluvial history of Davys Creek (NSW, Australia). The nature and timing of fluvial changes along two quasi-independent reaches of the creek were synchronous, suggesting the operation of externally driven processes rather than local internal fluvial adjustments. Following a period of sustained aggradation, rapid incision occurred along the creek between 1500 and 1600 years before present ( bp ) in response to a shift to a moister climate. This was succeeded by a second major aggradation event (1500 years bp to 150 years bp ), then subsequent incision following the arrival of Europeans at 150 years bp.