Paleomagnetism of Cretaceous units of the Mametchinskiy Peninsula, Kuyul Region, Northeastern Russia: implications for development and evolution of the Northwest Pacific Basin

The northernmost part of the Kamchatka Peninsula of northeastern Russia, located along the northwestern margin of the Bering Sea, consists of zones of complexly deformed accreted terranes. Progressing from the northwestern Bering Sea inland are the Olyutorskiy, Ukelayat, and Koryak superterranes, which were accreted to the Okhotsk–Chukotsk volcanic–plutonic belt (OChVB) during the Campanian–Maastrichtian (Koryak) to Middle Eocene (Olyutorskiy), respectively. To constrain the accretion paleolatitude of the Koryak superterrane, we paleomagnetically sampled a sedimentary series on the Mametchinskiy Peninsula. At the Mametchinskiy Peninsula, in the northeastern Penzhinskaya Guba (61.45° N, 163.75° E), a gently deformed, well-bedded section of fine-grained Lower to lower Upper Cretaceous turbidites, the Mametchinskaya and Tylakrylskaya Formations are exposed. These strata, which represent the lower part of the sedimentary cover of the terranes in this region and the forearc of OChVB, were sampled at 39 sites (three to seven samples per site). Within the Ainyn terrane, more than 1000 m of section of Cenomanian–Turonian age was sampled at a basal locality (sample groups I and II, sites 1–18, 19–29) and at an upper locality of Valanginian–Barremian age (sample group III, sites 30–39) along the western shore of the Peninsula. Thermal demagnetization and principal component analysis of the demagnetization data show lower-temperature (A) and higher-temperature (B) magnetic components. Although group III samples did not display a coherent A component, the A component of group I and II samples was observed as a single-polarity lower-unblocking temperature component generally removed by 100–400 °C. This component failed the fold test at the 95% confidence level. With respect to direction, the A component is similar to both the present-day field and axial–geocentric dipole directions expected at this site. The B component was observed during thermal demagnetization steps up to 580 °C and was always of downward-directed inclination. Coherence of bedding corrections within each section do not allow statistically meaningful fold tests within groups I, II or III. Assuming the B component represents a Cretaceous magnetization, two overall models are proposed. In the first model (preferred), with the highest clustering of directions (k-value=36.7, N (sites)=36), indicates significant poleward motion of the Ainyn terrane (observed paleolatitude λ_M1=61.0±6.5°; expected North America plate reference site paleolatitude λ_E=74.0±3.5°). In the second model, no significant poleward displacement is implied (λ_M2=72.0±9.6).     

Periglacial landscape evolution and environmental changes of Arctic lowland areas for the last 60 000 years (western Laptev Sea coast, Cape Mamontov Klyk)

Non-glaciated Arctic lowlands in north-east Siberia were subjected to extensive landscape and environmental changes during the Late Quaternary. Coastal cliffs along the Arctic shelf seas expose terrestrial archives containing numerous palaeoenvironmental indicators (e.g., pollen, plant macro-fossils and mammal fossils) preserved in the permafrost. The presented sedimentological (grain size, magnetic susceptibility and biogeochemical parameters), cryolithological, geochronological (radiocarbon, accelerator mass spectrometry and infrared-stimulated luminescence), heavy mineral and palaeoecological records from Cape Mamontov Klyk record the environmental dynamics of an Arctic shelf lowland east of the Taymyr Peninsula, and thus, near the eastern edge of the Eurasian ice sheet, over the last 60 Ky. This region is also considered to be the westernmost part of Beringia, the non-glaciated landmass that lay between the Eurasian and the Laurentian ice caps during the Late Pleistocene. Several units and subunits of sand deposits, peat–sand alternations, ice-rich palaeocryosol sequences (Ice Complex) and peaty fillings of thermokarst depressions and valleys were presented. The recorded proxy data sets reflect cold stadial climate conditions between 60 and 50 Kya, moderate inderstadial conditions between 50 and 25 Kya and cold stadial conditions from 25 to 15 Kya. The Late Pleistocene to Holocene transition, including the Allerød warm period, the early to middle Holocene thermal optimum and the late Holocene cooling, are also recorded. Three phases of landscape dynamic (fluvial/alluvial, irregular slope run-off and thermokarst) were presented in a schematic model, and were subsequently correlated with the supraregional environmental history between the Early Weichselian and the Holocene.     

On the variation in geocryological,landscape and hydrological conditions in the Arctic zone of East Siberia in connection with climate warming

We examine the interaction of the ice complex with the coastal waters of the Arctic seas and with the waters of the land surface of East Siberia. We report on the development of cryogenic processes which are hazardous for the existence of residential centers on this territory under global climate warming.     

Chronology of Hydrothermal Activity Within the Yubileynoye Ore Field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 20°08′ N)

This paper reports on the integrated geochronological and geochemical methods used in studying the ore deposits and metalliferous sediments of the Yubileinoye field. This study gives the opportunity to carry out cross dating of hydrothermal deposits, including the ²³⁰Th/U dating of sulfides, the ²³⁰Th, ¹⁴C dating, and foraminiferal analysis of the sediments, and, on this basis, to reconstruct hydrothermal activity over time. It was established that the ores started forming about 100 000–123 000 years ago and were renewed 4–5 times with a frequency of 10–20 ka. As a result, the complex of pyrite-marcasite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite ores and the associated metal-bearing and ore-bearing sediments with consistent geochemical specialization were formed. The integrated geochronological and geochemical studies of the ores and sediments allow us to obtain detailed data on evolution of the hydrothermal ore-formation not only in the certain areas but also for the entire Mid-Atlantic Ridge.