Palynology, petrography and geochemistry of the Sewickley coal bed (Monongahela Group, Late Pennsylvanian), Northern Appalachian Basin, USA

Forty-two bench samples of the Sewickley coal bed were collected from seven localities in the northern Appalachian Basin and analyzed palynologically, petrographically, and geochemically. The Sewickley coal bed occurs in the middle of the Pittsburgh Formation (Monongahela Group) and is of Late Pennsylvanian age. Palynologically, it is dominated by spores of tree ferns. Tree fern spore taxa in the Sewickley include Punctatisporites minutus, Punctatosporites minutus, Laevigatosporites minimus, Spinosporites exiguus, Apiculatasporites saetiger, and Thymospora spp. In fact, Punctatisporites minutus was so abundant that it had to be removed from the standard counts and recorded separately (average 73.2%). Even when Punctatisporites minutus is removed from the counts, tree fern spores still dominate a majority of the assemblages, averaging 64.4%. Among the tree fern spores identified in the Sewickley coal, Thymospora exhibits temporal and spatial abundance variation. Thymospora usually increases in abundance from the base to the top of the bed. Thymospora is also more abundant in columns that are thick (>100 cm) and low in ash yield (<12.0%, dry basis). Calamite spores (e.g. Calamospora spp., Laevigatosporites minor, and L. vulgaris) are the next most abundant plant group represented in the Sewickley coal, averaging 20%. Contributions from all other plant groups are minor in comparison.Petrographically, the Sewickley coal contains high percentages of vitrinite (average 82.3%, mineral matter-free (mmf)), with structured forms being more common than unstructured forms. In contrast, liptinite and inertinite macerals both occur in low percentages (average 7.7% and 10.0%, respectively). Geochemically, the Sewickley coal has a moderate ash yield (average 12.4%) and high total sulfur content (average 3.4%).Four localities contained a high ash or carbonaceous shale bench. These benches, which may be coeval, are strongly dominated by tree fern spores. Unlike the lower ash benches, they contain low percentages of vitrinite, which mainly occurs as unstructured vitrinite, and higher liptinite and inertinite contents.The accumulated data suggest that the Sewickley paleomire was probably a rheotrophic, planar mire that had a consistent water cover. This is supported by the high vitrinite contents, moderate ash yields, and high total sulfur contents. The high ash and carbonaceous shale benches probably represent either periods of dryness and substrate exposure, or flooding of the mire surface, the duration of which is unknown.     

Snowball morphology and SEM analysis of pedogenic gypsum, southern New Mexico, U.S.A.

Late Quaternary soils in southern New Mexico support previous work that suggested pedogenic gypsum accumulates in successive stages as a function of time, similar to pedogenic carbonate. However, gypsum also occurs as small (0·5–1 mm), powdery spheres that we term snowball morphology. The snowball morphology represents one of the initial stages of pedogenic gypsum development. Scanning electron microscope analyses indicate that soil microorganisms and organic material may play a crucial role in the development of this morphology. However, no trends were found in the crystal habits of gypsum suggesting the snowball morphology forms in a dynamic environment.     

Prediction of annual average sedimentation rates in an estuary using numerical models with verification against core data – Mahurangi Estuary, New Zealand

Modelling sedimentation rates within an estuary over the time scale of years to decades is a difficult undertaking. The complex nature of sediment transport and the compounding errors associated with making predictions over longer time-scales introduce a high degree of uncertainty when predicting the fate of catchment-derived sediments. In this paper a methodology is presented that links catchment and estuary models that simulate the runoff of sediment from catchments and its subsequent dispersal within the estuary to provide estimates of annual sedimentation rates within the estuary. The models are calibrated against short-term field data and the methodology is validated against sedimentation rates obtained from sediment cores.The catchment of the Mahurangi Estuary delivers between 3800 and 39,000 tonnes/yr with an average load of just over 15,000 tonnes/yr being delivered to the estuary. Data from sediment cores show that over 80% of this load is deposited within the estuary resulting in sedimentation rates of 25 mm/yr in the upper estuary and less than 5 mm/yr in the lower sections of the estuary. The methodology predicts these rates of sedimentation across a range of sub environments within the estuary.     

Post‐wildfire changes in suspended sediment rating curves: Sabino Canyon,Arizona

Wildfire has been shown to increase erosion by several orders of magnitude, but knowledge regarding short‐term variations in post‐fire sediment transport processes has been lacking. We present a detailed analysis of the immediate post‐fire sediment dynamics in a semi‐arid basin in the southwestern USA based on suspended sediment rating curves. During June and July 2003, the Aspen Fire in the Coronado National Forest of southern Arizona burned an area of 343 km². Surface water samples were collected in an affected watershed using an event‐based sampling strategy. Sediment rating parameters were determined for individual storm events during the first 18 months after the fire. The highest sediment concentrations were observed immediately after the fire. Through the two subsequent monsoon seasons there was a progressive change in rating parameters related to the preferential removal of fine to coarse sediment. During the corresponding winter seasons, there was a lower supply of sediment from the hillslopes, resulting in a time‐invariant set of sediment rating parameters. A sediment mass‐balance model corroborated the physical interpretations. The temporal variability in the sediment rating parameters demonstrates the importance of storm‐based sampling in areas with intense monsoon activity to characterize post‐fire sediment transport accurately. In particular, recovery of rating parameters depends on the number of high‐intensity rainstorms. These findings can be used to constrain rapid assessment fire‐response models for planning mitigation activities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring directional wave spectra using the 3D-ACM WAVE on fixedand taut-wire moorings

Field data were analyzed from a simultaneous deployment of two 3D-ACM WAVE instruments; one on a fixed seabed frame in the nearshore zone, and the other further offshore on a taut-wire mooring. An intercomparison of measurements of vertical and horizontal wave-orbital currents with pressures was used to evaluate the velocity sensor response under field conditions. Results using the fixed frame have validated the measured horizontal wave-orbital velocities, but found the vertical velocities to be less coherent with the pressure time-series. The influence of the instrument mooring system on the velocity measurements was investigated. The oscillation of the taut-wire mooring was found to influence the magnitude of the measured horizontal wave-orbital velocities and induce a phase lag between velocity and sea-surface elevation. Examination of other data from similar taut-wire moorings indicates a systematic relationship between the length of the mooring cable and the measured phase lag, consistent with the behavior of the mooring system considered as a forced, linearly damped oscillator. A comparison was made between the spectra of wave direction derived from both velocity and pressure data with that derived solely from velocity data. The results show a high coherence for the fixed mooring, but significant directional variability in the higher frequencies (>0.13 Hz) on the taut-wire mooring we employed, which we attribute to the mooring oscillation. The analysis further indicates that on taut-wire moorings, the spectra of wave direction should be resolved solely from velocity data. Using these findings, directional wave spectra were produced for the nearshore and offshore sites from 233 coincident events over a two-month period, and these data are presented in a time-averaged spectral format