Radiocarbon-dating of transitions between marine and lacustrine sediments and their relation to the development of lakes

In three different areas in western Norway, large errors are obtained in the radiocarbon dates from lacustrine sediments close to marine/lacustrine sediment boundaries. Differences occur between radiocar-bon and pollenanalytic dates and between dates at isolation/ingression contacts for lakes of the same altitude above the present sea level. Younger radiocarbon dates are also obtained below older ones in undisturbed sediments. When divergent dates occur, the radiocarbon dates always seem to be the youngest. Large differences are also found between NaOH soluble and insoluble fractions of the same sediment samples. Insoluble fractions generally yield younger dates than the soluble. Differences are not found, however, for dates younger than about 8,000 B.P. The dating errors are connected to periods with more oligotrophic conditions with isoetides. Their roots penetrate older sediments. Due to contamination of the organic part of the sediment from partly decomposed roots, some radiocarbon dates will be too young. The isoetide vegetation and the dating errors disappear when the lakes become dystrophic.     

THE STUDY OF ARENACEOUS SEDIMENTS BY MEANS OF ACETATE REPLICAS

The present paper describes the use of cellulose acetate replicas in the study of silicate rocks, particularly indurated sandstones. The procedure of Boardman and Utgaard (1964) for the reproduction of surface structures of polished limestone slabs for the study of Paleozoic Bryozoa, was modified and applied on silicate rocks using HF instead of formic acid as the etching agent. The polished slabs are etched with 40 % HF for 5–10 seconds and then washed, dried, wetted with acetone and gently pressed towards a mount of cellulose acetate. After drying, the specimen is quickly removed and an imprint is left on the acetate peel. By using thick (1.6 mm) cellulose acetate sheets no mounting on glass slides is needed, and the replica can be studied directly under the microscope or be used as a photographic negative.     

MIS 3 marine and lacustrine sediments at Kriegers Flak,southwestern Baltic Sea

Anjar, J., Larsen, N. K., Björck, S., Adrielsson, L. & Filipsson, H. L. 2010: MIS 3 marine and lacustrine sediments at Kriegers Flak, southwestern Baltic Sea. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00139.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Sediment cores from the Kriegers Flak area in the southwestern Baltic Sea show a distinct lithological succession, starting with a lower diamict that is overlain by a c. 10 m thick clay unit that contains peat, gyttja and other organic remains. On top follows an upper diamict that is inter‐layered with sorted sediments and overlain by an upward‐coarsening sequence with molluscs. In this paper we focus on the clay unit, which has been subdivided into three subunits: (A) lower clay with benthic foraminifera and with diamict beds in the lower part; (B) thin beds of gyttja and peat, which have been radiocarbon‐dated to 31–35 ¹⁴C kyr BP (c. 36–41 cal. kyr BP); and (C) upper clay unit. Based on the preliminary results we suggest the following depositional model: fine‐grained sediments interbedded with diamict in the lower part (subunit A) were deposited in a brackish basin during a retreat of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, probably during the Middle Weichselian. Around 40 kyr BP the area turned into a wetland with small ponds (subunit B). A transgression, possibly caused by the damming of the Baltic Basin during the Kattegat advance at 29 kyr BP, led to the deposition of massive clay (subunit C). The data presented here provide new information about the paleoenvironmental changes occurring in the Baltic Basin following the Middle Weichselian glaciation.     

Thickness evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Late Weichselian in Nordfjord, western Norway: evidence from ice-flow modeling

Winguth, C., Mickelson, D. M., Larsen, E., Darter, J. R., Moeller, C. A. & Stalsberg, K. 2005 (May): Thickness evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Late Weichselian in Nordfjord, western Norway: evidence from ice-flow modeling. Boreas , Vol. 34, pp. 176–185. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.
Results from experiments with a two-dimensional ice-flow model, applied along a west-east transect in western Norway, provide new constraints on the thickness evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet throughout the Late Weichselian glaciation and deglaciation. Investigations took place along an E-W flowline of the former ice sheet at c. 62N, from the modern glacier Jostedalsbreen, through the Nordfjord, and across the continental shelf. A paleoclimate record from Kråkenes, which is located directly at the flowline, provides temperature and precipitation information for the time between 13 800 and 9200 cal. yr BP. LGM climate conditions for the study area are estimated from various GCM studies. The GISP2 δ¹⁸O record has been tuned to the local data in order to provide a continuous temperature record as input for time-transgressive model runs. The results of all experiments suggest that the ice did not cover the highest mountain peaks in this area, and that nunataks persisted throughout the Late Weichselian glaciation. These findings are in contrast to results from many previous model studies and other ice-sheet reconstructions, but agree well with minimum thickness estimates from cosmogenic dating and with vertical ice limits inferred from lower block field boundaries and trimlines.     

Climate variability and glacial processes in eastern Iceland during the past 700 years based on varved lake sediments

Striberger, J., Björck, S., Ingólfsson, Ó., Kjær, K. H., Snowball, I. & Uvo, C. B. 2010: Climate variability and glacial processes in eastern Iceland during the past 700 years based on varved lake sediments. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00153.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Properties of varved sediments from Lake Lögurinn in eastern Iceland and their link to climate and glacial processes of Eyjabakkajökull, an outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull icecap, were examined. A varve chronology, which covers the period AD 1262–2005, was constructed from visual observations, high‐resolution images, X‐ray density and geochemical properties determined from X‐radiography and X‐ray fluorescence scanning. Independent dating provided by ¹³⁷Cs analysis and eight historical tephras verify the varve chronology. The thickness of dark‐coloured seasonal laminae, formed mainly of coarser suspended matter from the non‐glacial river Grímsá, is positively correlated (r=0.70) with winter precipitation, and our 743‐year‐long varve series indicates that precipitation was higher and more varied during the later part of the Little Ice Age. Light‐coloured laminae thickness, controlled mainly by the amount of finer suspended matter from the glacial river Jökulsáí Fljótsdal, increased significantly during the AD 1972 surge of Eyjabakkajökull. As a consequence of the surge, the ice‐dammed Lake Háöldulón formed and recurrently drained and delivered significant amounts of rock flour to Lake Lögurinn. Based on these observations, and the recurring cyclic pattern of periods of thicker light‐coloured laminae in the sediment record, we suggest that Eyjabakkajökull has surged repeatedly during the past 743 years, but with an increased frequency during the later part of the Little Ice Age.     

Middle to Late Weichselian Norwegian Channel Ice Stream deposits and morphology on Jæren, southwestern Norway and the eastern North Sea area

Glacial lineations on a bank area and a coastal lowland, both bordering the Norwegian Channel, are studied with regard to morphology and distribution by means of side-scan sonar data, detailed digital maps and fieldwork. Their genesis and age are further elucidated through stratigraphic and sedimentologic information from excavations in one typical coast-parallel drumlin. Four excavated sections revealed four lithologic units: Prodeltaic glaciomarine sand, glaciofluvial gravel, glaciomarine diamicton and deformation till. After Middle Weichselian delta progradation, glaciomarine diamicton was deposited and later subglacially reworked by a northwards flowing glacier. The two upper diamictons form the main volume of the ridge, which is interpreted as a drumlin, and imply a reinterpretation of the Jæren part of the so-called Lista moraine. Preconsolidation of glaciomarine diamicton suggests a maximum ice thickness of 500 m during drumlin formation, indicating an ice surface slope of 1 m/km. The occurrence of sediments that provided low basal shear stresses, and the orientation of drumlins and megaflutes indicating ice confluence both point to high glacier flow velocities and suggest that an ice stream, rather than a slower moving part of the ice sheet, occupied the Norwegian Channel during the Late Weichselian maximum. Deformation till overlying, more or less, undeformed glaciomarine diamicton suggests that high glacier velocities during periods of low driving stresses were possible due to a subglacial deformable layer.     

Melting of a Hydrous Mantle: I. Phase Relations of Natural Peridotite at High Pressures and Temperatures with Controlled Activities of Water, Carbon Dioxide, and Hydrogen

Four natural peridotite nodules ranging from chemically depletedto Fe-rich, alkaline and calcic (SiO₂=43?7–45?7 wt. percent, Al₂O3=1?6O–8?21 wt. per cent, CaO=0?70–8?12wt. per cent,alk=0?10–0?90 wt. per cent and Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺)=0?94–0?85)have been investigated in the hypersolidus region from 800?to 1250?C with variable activities of H₂O, CO₂, and H₂. Thevapor-saturated peridotite solidi are 50–200?C below thosepreviously published. The temperature of the beginning of meltingof peridotite decreases markedly with decreasing Mg/(Mg+Fe)of the starting material at constant CaO/Al₂O₃. Conversely,lowering CaO/Al₂O₃ reduces the temperature at constant Mg/(Mg+Fe)of the starting material. Temperature differences between thesolidi up to 200?C are observed. All solidi display a temperatureminimum reflecting the appearance of garnet. This minimum shiftsto lower pressure with decreasing Mg/(Mg+Fe) of the startingmaterial. The temperature of the beginning of melting decreasesisobarically as approximately a linear function of the mol fractionof H₂O in the vapor (X_H2O). The data also show that some CO₂may dissolve in silicate melts formed by partial melting ofperidotite. Amphibole (pargasitic hornblende) is a hypersolidus mineralin all compositions, although its P/T stability field dependson bulk rock chemistry. The upper pressure stability of amphiboleis marked by the appearance of garnet. The vapor-saturated (H₂O) liquidus curve for one peridotiteis between 1250? and 1300?C between 10 and 30 kb. Olivine, spinel,and orthopyroxene are either liquidus phases or coexist immediatelybelow the temperature of the peridotite liquidus. The data suggest considerable mineralogical heterogeneity inthe oceanic upper mantle because the oceanic geotherm passesthrough the P/T band covering the appearance of garnet in variousperidotites. The variable depth to the low-velocity zone is explained byvariable a_H2O conditions in the upper mantle and possibly alsoby variations in the composition of the peridotite itself. It is suggested that komatiite in Precambrian terrane couldform by direct melting of hydrous peridotite. Such melting requiresabout 1250?C compared with 1600?C which is required for drymelting. The genesis of kimberlite can be related to partial meltingof peridotite under conditions of (). Such activities of H₂Oresult in melting at depths ranging between 125 and 175 km inthe mantle. This range is within the minimum depth generallyaccepted for the formation of kimberlite.     

Melting of a Hydrous Mantle: II. Geochemistry of Crystals and Liquids Formed by Anatexis of Mantle Peridotite at High Pressures and High Temperatures as a Function of Controlled Activities of Water, Hydrogen, and Carbon Dioxide

The system peridotite-H₂O-CO₂ serves as a simplified model forthe phase relations of mantle peridotite involving more thanone volatile component. Run products obtained in a study ofphase relations of four mantle peridotites in the presence ofH₂O- and (H₂O+CO₂)-bearing vapors and with controlled hydrogenfugacity (f_H2) at high pressures and temperatures have beensubjected to a detailed chemical investigation, principallyby the electron microprobe. Mg/(Mg+Fe) of all phases generally increases with increasingtemperature and with increasing Mg/(Mg+Fe) of the starting material.This ratio appears to decrease with increasing pressure forolivine, and for amphibole coexisting with garnet. DecreasingfH₂from that of IW buffer to that of MH buffer decreases Mg/(Mg+Fe)of the partial melt from approximately 0?85 to approximately0?50, whereas the Fo content of coexisting olivine increasesslightly less than 3 per cent and the Mg/(Mg+Fe) of clinopyroxeneincreases about 4 per cent. However, the variations in Fo contentof olivines are within those observed in olivines from naturalmantle peridotite. The chemistry of other silicate mineralsdoes not significantly reflect variations of fH₂. Consequently,the peridotite mineralogy and/or chemistry is not a good indicatorfor the fH₂ conditions during crystallization. All crystalline phases, except amphibole, and to some extentgarnet, show increasing Cr content with increasing temperatureand increasing Cr content of the starting material, resultingin a positive correlation with Mg/(Mg+Fe). Partial melts aredepleted in Cr₂O₃ relative to the crystalline phases. High Mg/(Mg+Fe)and Cr₂O₃ are thus expected in crystal residues after partialmelting. The absolute values depend on degree of melting andthe composition of the parent peridotite.     

Melting of a Hydrous Mantle: II. Geochemistry of Crystals and Liquids Formed by Anatexis of Mantle Peridotite at High Pressures and High Temperatures as a Function of Controlled Activities of Water, Hydrogen, and Carbon Dioxide

The system peridotite-H₂O–CO₂ serves as a simplified modelfor the phase relations of mantle peridotite involving morethan one volatile component. Run products obtained in a studyof phase relations of four mantle peridotites in the presenceof H₂O- and (H₂O+CO₂)- bearing vapors and with controlled hydrogenfugacity (f_H2) at high pressures and temperatures have beensubjected to a detailed chemical investigation, principallyby the electron microprobe. Mg/(Mg+Fe) of all phases generally increases with increasingtemperature and with increasing Mg/(Mg+Fe) of the starting material.This ratio appears to decrease with increasing pressure forolivine, and for amphibole coexisting with garnet. Decreasingf_H2 from that of IW buffer to that of MH buffer decreases Mg/(Mg+Fe)of the partial melt from approximately 0-85 to approximately0.50, whereas the Fo content of coexisting olivine increasesslightly less than 3 per cent and the Mg/(Mg+Fe) of clinopyroxeneincreases about 4 per cent. However, the variations in Fo contentof olivines are within those observed in olivines from naturalmantle peridotite. The chemistry of other silicate mineralsdoes not significantly reflect variations of f_H2. Consequently,the peridotite mineralogy and/or chemistry is not a good indicatorfor the f_H2 conditions during crystallization. All crystalline phases, except amphibole, and to some extentgarnet, show increasing Cr content with increasing temperatureand increasing Cr content of the starting material, resultingin a positive correlation with Mg/(Mg+Fe). Partial melts aredepleted in Cr₂O₃ relative to the crystalline phases. High Mg/Mg+Fe)and Cr₂O₃ are thus expected in crystal residues after partialmelting. The absolute values depend on degree of melting andthe composition of the parent peridotite. Liquids formed by anatexis of mantle peridotite are andesiticunder conditions of X_H2O^v > 0.6 to at least 25 kb total pressureand to more than 200?C above the peridotite solidus. This observationsupports numerous suggestions that andesite genesis in islandarcs may result from partial melting of underlying peridotitemantle. In contrast to basaltic rocks, the absence of amphibole(paragasitic hornblende) does not affect the silica-saturatednature of the liquids. Increasing K₂O content of the startingmaterial (up to 1 wt. per cent K₂O) results in increasing potassiumcontent of the amphibole (1 wt. per cent K₂O) as well as theappearance of phlogopite. The liquid under these conditionsis relatively K₂0-poor (less than 1 wt. per cent K₂O). Partial melts are olivine normative with X_H2O 0.5, and initialliquids contain normative ol and ne at X_H2O 0.4. The alkalinityof these liquids increases with decreasing X_H2O below valuesof 0.5. The (ol+opx)-normative liquids resemble oceanic basaltswhereas (ol+ne)-normative liquids resemble olivine nepheliniteand melilite basalt. Low aHlo and high a_Co2 conditions may bethose under which kimberlites and related rocks are formed inthe mantle.