Deep distributary channels and giant bedforms in the Upper Carboniferous of the Central Pennines, northern England

Channels, with maximum depths of over 40 m, have been cut into the top of a coarsening upward sequence, in the Upper Carboniferous of northern England. The channels are interpreted as deep, distributaries cut into delta slope deposits. Giant cross-bed sets, up to 40 m thick, are the major channel infilling facies. Internal erosion surfaces occur within the giant cross-beds and some are draped by micaceous, silty sandstone. Previously interpreted as deltaic sedimentation units, the cross-beds are now thought to have been produced mainly by side attached, alternate bars and the drapes are interpreted as low stage deposits. Cosets of medium scale cross-beds overlie the giant cross-beds. These are thought to be deposits of dunes and smaller bars on top of the transverse bars and in the shallower parts of the distributary. The giant cross-beds are commonly underlain by unlaminated sandstone but may be underlain by undulatory bedding. The latter was apparently produced by ridges, parallel to the current, spaced between 9 and 23 m apart. The north of England appears to have had a major river by present day standards, for at least part of the upper Carboniferous.     

Synthesis of Fe-pumpellyite and its stability relations with epidote

Hydrothermal synthesis of Fe-pum-pellyites was conducted using high pressure cold-seal apparatus and solid oxygen buffering techniques at temperatures between 250°C and 550°C and 2.0–9.1 kbar P_fluid. Fe-pumpellyites were synthesized from partially crystalline gel mixtures of compositions: 4CaO - 2.1Al₂O₃_1.5FeO - 0.3MgO - 6SiO₂ (II) and 3CaO - 1.5 Al₂O₃ - 2.7FeO - 0.3MgO - 6SiO₂ (III) in the presence of excess H₂O at P_fluid of 5–9.1 Kbar, temperatures between 275°C and 325°C, and f_O2 defined by the QFM and HM buffers; for both of these compositions (II and III), the condensed synthetic run products included minor 7Å chlorite ± garnet ± Fe-oxide. The cell dimensions and aggregate refractive index (a= 19.13(2)Å, b= 5.940(4)Å, c= 8.847(5)Å, ±= 97.37(6)±, and n= 1.702(2)) of the pum-pellyite synthesized from the bulk composition II mix are compatible with those of natural pumpellyites containing similar total Fe contents. Attempts at synthesizing Fe-pumpellyites from a Mg-free bulk composition were not successful; these results are consistent with the total absence of natural Mg-free pumpellyites. The higher temperature, higher oxygen fugacity assemblages of the equivalent bulk compositions (II and III) consist of epidote ± minor amounts of chlorite, garnet, quartz, hematite, and magnetite. The results of these synthesis experiments accord with the mineral parageneses observed in low-grade metabasites which imply that Fe-pumpellyites are replaced by epidote with increasing temperature and/or f_O2 and that Fe³⁺ is preferentially partitioned into epidote with respect to coexisting pum-pellyite. In addition, these synthesis experiments indicate that Fe-bearing pumpellyites crystallize at and are stable to lower temperatures than more aluminous pumpellyites—a result also consistent with natural systems.     

A multi‐dating approach applied to proglacial sediments attributed to the Most Extensive Glaciation of the Swiss Alps

Dehnert, A., Preusser, F., Kramers, J. D., Akçar, N., Kubik, P. W., Reber, R. & Schlüchter, C. 2010: A multi‐dating approach applied to proglacial sediments attributed to the Most Extensive Glaciation of the Swiss Alps. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 620–632. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00146.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The number and the timing of Quaternary glaciations of the Alps are poorly constrained and, in particular, the age of the Most Extensive Glaciation (MEG) in Switzerland remains controversial. This ice advance has previously been tentatively correlated with the Riss Glaciation of the classical alpine stratigraphy and with Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 (186–127 ka). An alternative interpretation, based on pollen analysis and stratigraphic correlations, places the MEG further back in the Quaternary, with an age equivalent to MIS 12 (474–427 ka), or even older. To re‐evaluate this issue in the Swiss glaciation history, a multi‐dating approach was applied to proglacial deltaic ‘Höhenschotter’ deposits in locations outside the ice extent of the Last Glacial Maximum. Results of U/Th and luminescence dating suggest a correlation of the investigated deposits with MIS 6 and hence with the Riss Glaciation. Cosmogenic burial dating suffered from large measurement uncertainties and unusually high ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be ratios and did not provide robust age estimates.     

Interannual variability of annual streamflow and the Southern Oscillation in Costa Rica

Abstract

This study illustrates the association between annual and seasonal streamflow characteristics on six Costa Rican rivers and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). Annual discharge from rivers within the Pacific watershed are clearly positively associated with contemporary values of the SOI and experience significant reductions in both mean and variance in El Ninõ years. The considerable practical implications of this finding to a country in which over 60% of national electrical power comes from hydroelectric schemes is illustrated using quantile estimates from various models. Rivers draining towards the Caribbean show less clear and coherent patterns of associations. The observed associations with seasonal flows on some rivers appear to be the opposite of those on the Pacific, and may even vary during the course of a year at a site. The exact nature of the response seems to be closely related to the elevation of the gauge site. The larger the proportion of the basin at elevations above about 500–1000 m the greater the similarity to the Pacific pattern, suggesting that the marked topographic divide between the two coastal watersheds does not correspond to the divide in associations between streamflow and the SOI.     

The harp seal (Phoca groenlandica Erxleben) in Denmark, southern Scandinavia, during the Holocene

The harp seal ( Phoca groenlandica ) is a low-arctic species that is currently a rare visitor to Danish waters. However, bone remains from archaeological and geological deposits in Denmark and the Baltic Sea testify to a regular presence of harp seals in this region during the mid-Holocene. The paradox of the presence of a low-arctic seal species in southern Scandinavia during the mid-Holocene thermal maximum has been widely discussed. In order to improve the Holocene chronology for the presence of harp seal in Denmark, 24 bone remains of the species were radiocarbon dated. The oldest date is around 4100 cal. yr BC, indicating that the harp seal arrived several millennia after fully marine conditions were established in Danish waters. The majority of the dated specimens fall within two age groups, one centred around 3900 cal. yr BC (11 dates), the other around 2700 cal. yr BC (7 dates). It is argued that these two groups may reflect periods with suitable living conditions for the harp seal in Danish waters and that this is connected with an enhanced inflow of high-salinity North Sea water and higher biological productivity. Six dates show a scattered distribution between c . 1400 cal. yr BC and c . AD 1000, suggesting sporadic visits of the harp seal to Danish waters during the late Holocene.