Optically stimulated luminescence dating as a tool for calculating sedimentation rates in Chinese loess: comparisons with grain-size records

Understanding loess sedimentation rates is crucial for constraining past atmospheric dust dynamics, regional climatic change and local depositional environments. However, the derivation of loess sedimentation rates is complicated by the lack of available methods for independent calculation; this limits interpretation of the environmental changes revealed by the loess record. In particular, while the Quaternary/Neogene Chinese loess and Red Clay sequences have the potential to provide detailed records of past sedimentation and climate change, there is great uncertainty concerning: (i) the influences on sediment grain‐size and accumulation; and (ii) their relationship through time and across the depositional region. This uncertainty has led to the widespread use of assumptions concerning the relationship between sedimentation rate and grain‐size in order to derive age models and climate reconstructions. To address this uncertainty, detailed independent age models, based on optically stimulated luminescence dating, undertaken at 10 to 40 cm intervals at five sections across the Loess Plateau in China, have been used to calculate sedimentation rates and make comparisons with grain‐size changes over the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The results demonstrate that sedimentation rates are site specific, extremely variable over millennial timescales and that this variation is often not reflected in grain‐size changes. In the central part of the Loess Plateau, the relationship between grain‐size and sedimentation rate appears most complex, suggesting an interplay between local conditions at source and sink and a changing emplacement mechanism. This observation further undermines the common use of loess sedimentation age models that rely on a derived relationship between grain‐size and sedimentation rate from a type section. The results also highlight the difficulty in assigning specific environmental causes to sedimentation rate changes and, to a lesser extent, grain‐size shifts.     

Time Scales of Crystal Fractionation in Magma Chambers--Integrating Physical, Isotopic and Geochemical Perspectives

A simple heat balance model for an evolving magma chamber isused to make predictions of the time scales for magma differentiation,which are compared with geological and isotopic constraintson the rates of crystallization and differentiation. In a 10km³ magma chamber releasing thermal energy at a rate of 100MW, basalt and rhyolite magmas should reach 50% crystallizationafter     

Lateglacial varve chronology and biostratigraphy of lakes Holzmaar and Meerfelder Maar, Germany

In this paper we briefly compare previously published data on four lateglacial sediment profiles from lakes Holzmaar and Meerfelder Maar in the Eifel region. Two of these profiles (one from each lake) are varvedated, whereas the other two pollen profiles are on depth scales. In general, the palynological signal in all profiles compares well, proving the regional validity of the individual data sets. There are some discrepancies between Holzmaar and Meerfelder Maar, however, mainly concerning varve dating of major lateglacial features, and these are explained after detailed correlation using a combination of varve dating and palynological signals. The result is a consistent varve-dated biostratigraphy for the Lateglacial in the Eifel region. Moreover, it is demonstrated that a combination of varve chronology and high resolution palynostratigraphy in several lake profiles enables even gaps of a few decades up to a few centuries to be detected, thus providing a valuable tool for precise regional palaeoenvironmental study. This multi-core study on two lakes from the same region demonstrates the likelihood of undetected errors in single-core studies on non-varved sediments.     

Physiological adaptations in Coleoptera on Spitsbergen

Metabolic rates and Q₁₀ values were determined for three species of Spitsbergen Coleoptera, Amara quenseli, Simplocaria metallica and Rhynchaenus flagellum . The beetles had metabolic rates which were elevated compared to values of Coleoptera from other regions. This is interpreted as an adaptation to the prevailing low temperatures and short activity period on Spitsbergen.
A. quenseli had rates of water loss comparable to values of beetles in temperate and tropical xeric habitats, indicating that the habitat of the beetles on Spitsbergen at least occasionally is xeric.
Determination of cold-hardiness parameters such as supercooling point and haemolymph melting point of A. quenseli beetles revealed that the beetles had values corresponding to those of active insects in the temperate and tropical region. They had no thermal hysteresis factors. Thus, during summer they show no physiological adaptations to cold.     

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of glacial sediments from Arctic Russia - depositional bleaching and methodological aspects

Optical dating has been extensively used for stratigraphical correlation in the reconstruction of Eurasian ice-sheet dynamics and palaeoenvironmental changes during the last glaciation. In recent terrestrial studies in Arctic Russia, Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) is the main chronological tool, and has been used across the whole of the Eurasian north. We report new OSL ages obtained on glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments from the Arkhangelsk and Taymyr regions of Arctic Russia and discuss the characteristics of the quartz OSL signal in terms of its saturation limit, variability among samples from the same location, and initial signal resetting in different depositional environments. It is shown that effect of partial bleaching in our mainly Weichselian samples is trivial because: modern analogues are well zeroed; there is good agreement between OSL and ¹⁴C ages in young samples; and skewness in the dose distribution of relatively older samples is mainly due to varying shapes of the growth curves. The overall reliability of the OSL ages from Arctic Russia, when compared with the limited independent age controls available, appears to be good.     

Side-scan targets in Lake Superior—evidence for bedforms and sediment transport

A high-resolution side-scan sonar survey of the lake bed off the Keweenaw Peninsula, Lake Superior, demonstrates that bottom currents are affecting lake bed morphology at depths up to 240 m. Numerous lineations which run parallel to the shore appear to be sand ribbons. A field of sedimentary furrows which occurs in one area demonstrates the long-term directional stability of the near-bottom flow. Large (100–300 m in diameter, 2–5 m deep), unusual ring-like or arcuate depressions are common throughout the western half of Lake Superior. These rings themselves do not appear to have been formed by bottom currents, but may have developed as water was released by the rapid compaction of glacial sediments which underlie the lake bed. Off the Keweenaw Peninsula the forms of the rings have been modified by bottom currents. The bottom currents which have modified the lake bed are probably generated when storms cross the lake at times when it is poorly stratified.     

Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of dolomite types and the origin of ferroan dolomite in the Trenton Formation, Ordovician, Michigan Basin, U.S.A.

Three major types of dolomite occur in the Trenton Formation (Mid-Ordovician) of the Michigan Basin. These are: (1) ‘regional dolomite’ which is confined to the extreme western edge of the basin; (2) ‘cap dolomite’ which occurs in the upper portion of the Trenton and is confined to the basin's southern margin; and (3) ‘fracture-related’ dolomite which occurs in association with both large- and small-scale faults and fractures. These three dolomite types can be distinguished from one another by their major element chemistry, oxygen isotope ratios and rock texture. The regional dolomite is fine-grained, has <0.34 mol% FeCO₃, and mean δ¹⁸O of ?6·8‰_OPBD. The cap dolomite is texturally similar to regional dolomite but contains 3–13·0 mol% FeCO₃ and has a mean δ¹⁸O of ?7·7‰. Fracture-related dolomites are coarse-grained, low in iron, and have the most depleted δ¹⁸O ratios (x?=–9·0%_PDB). Petrographic relationships imply that the regional dolomite, formed prior to the cap dolomite probably during early diagenesis. The cap dolomite formed at relatively shallow depths as a result of the interaction of the overlying Utica Shale and the Trenton Limestone. Fracture-related dolomites post-date the cap dolomite and formed during deeper burial. A temperature of precipitation of approximately 80°C was calculated for fracture-related dolomites using oxygen isotope data. The distribution of the cap dolomite was controlled by the availability of Fe^2? which was in turn controlled by the availability of S^2?. In the centre of the basin Trenton-Utica deposition was continuous. The upper Trenton contained relatively high concentrations of organic matter which was used by sulphate reducing bacteria to produce H_2S from seawater sulphate. The precipitation of iron sulphides (pyrite + iron monosulphide) followed and used up most of the available Fe^2?. As a result only small amounts of ferroan dolomite formed. On the periphery of the basin, subaerial exposure resulted in the oxidation of most of the available organic matter. Sulphate reducing bacteria were therefore limited and produced limited amounts of H₂S. As a result only a minor amount of iron sulphide (iron monosulphide) formed. The remaining Fe^2- was then available for the formation of the ferroan cap dolomite. This model is supported by the following: (1) In the southern margin of the basin, the contact between Trenton cap dolomite and the overlying Utica Shale is sharp and probably unconformable. In the centre of the basin the contact is gradational. (2) In the centre of the basin, the total organic carbon content in the upper Trenton is an order of magnitude higher than in the cap dolomite. (3) The whole-rock concentration of iron is high in both the cap dolomite and in slightly dolomitized equivalent beds in the basin centre. (4) Iron sulphides are abundant in the centre of the basin and mostly in the form of pyrite. In the cap dolomite, iron sulphide is minor and primarily in the form of iron monosulphide.     

The Stability of Sodalite in a Synthetic Syenite plus Aqueous Chloride Fluid System

Natural feldspathoidal syenites may be approximated by assemblagescontaining some or all of the phases sodalite, nepheline, oneor two alkali feldspars, and aqueous chloride fluid in the systemNaAISi₃O₈-KAISi₃O₈-NaAISiO₄-KAISiO₄-NaCI-KCI-H₂O. The stabilityof sodalite in these assemblages was studied in the range 500–700°C and 600–2000 bars fluid pressure. Sodalite appears to be a stable phase on the vapor-saturatedliquidus in this system over a wide range of pressure. At or near the vapor-saturated liquidus minimum in this system,three distinct types of sodalite-bearing syenite can crystallize.Nepheline-sodalite-one alkali feldspar rocks, nepheline-sodalite-twoalkali feldspars rocks and sodalite-analcime-bearing rocks crystallizebelow 1600 bars, between 1600 and 2750 bars and above 2750 barsfluid pressure, respectively. The effects of closed-system cooling on the assemblage sodalite-nepheline-twoalkali feldspars-aqueous fluid are different and distinguishablefrom the effects of metasomatism. Closed-system cooling resultsin replacement of K-feldspar by albite, feldspathoids remainingnearly unchanged, while metasomatism generally results in sismultaneousenrichment or impoverishment in sodalite plus K-feldspar.