The Middle–Late Jurassic forced regression and disconformity in central Portugal: eustatic, tectonic and climatic effects on a carbonate ramp system

Abstract Successions across the Middle–Upper Jurassic disconformity in the Lusitanian Basin (west‐central Portugal) are highly varied, and were probably developed on a large westward‐inclined hangingwall of a half‐graben. The disconformity is preceded by a complex forced regression showing marked variations down the ramp, and provides an example of the effects of rapid, relative sea‐level falls on carbonate ramp systems. In the east, Middle Jurassic inner ramp carbonates (‘Candeeiros’ facies) are capped by a palaeokarstic surface veneered by ferruginous clays or thick calcretes. In the west, mid‐outer ramp marls and limestones (‘Brenha’ facies) are terminated by two contrasting successions: (1) a sharp‐based carbonate sandbody capped by a minor erosion surface, overlain by interbedded marine–lagoonal–deltaic deposits with further minor erosion/exposure surfaces; (2) a brachiopod‐rich limestone with a minor irregular surface, overlain by marls, lignitic marls with marine and reworked non‐marine fossils and charophytic limestones, with further minor irregular surfaces and capped by a higher relief ferruginous erosional surface. The age ranges from Late Bathonian in the east to Late Callovian in the west. This disconformity assemblage is succeeded by widespread lacustrine–lagoonal limestones with microbial laminites and evaporites (‘Cabaços’ facies), attributed to the Middle Oxfordian. Over the whole basin, increasingly marine facies were deposited afterwards. In Middle Jurassic inner‐ramp zones in the east, the overall regression is marked by a major exposure surface overlain by continental sediments. In Middle Jurassic outer‐ramp zones to the west, the regression is represented initially by open‐marine successions followed by either a sharp marine erosion surface overlain by a complex sandbody or minor discontinuities and marginal‐marine deposits, in both cases capped by the major lowstand surface. Reflooding led to a complex pattern of depositional conditions throughout the basin, from freshwater and brackish lagoonal to marginal‐ and shallow‐marine settings. Additional complications were produced by possible tilting of the hangingwall of the half‐graben, the input of siliciclastics from westerly sources and climate change from humid to more seasonally semi‐arid conditions. The Middle–Late Jurassic sea‐level fall in the Lusitanian Basin is also recorded elsewhere within the Iberian and other peri‐Atlantic regions and matches a transgressive to regressive change in eustatic sea‐level curves, indicating that it is related in part to a global event.     

Time lag of syntectonic sedimentation across an alluvial basin: theory and example from the Ebro Basin, Spain

We propose and test a conceptual framework for evaluating the relative timing of different types of sedimentary indicators of tectonism in alluvial foreland basin settings. We take the first occurrence of a detrital grain from a newly exposed source‐area lithology to provide the best indicator of the onset of tectonic uplift in the source area. Source‐area unroofing may lag behind initial uplift because of the type, thickness and structure of rocks in the uplifted mountain block, drainage patterns and climate. However, once exposed, advective transport disperses grains quickly throughout fluvial systems. Because of increased subsidence rate from thrust belt loading, an increase in sedimentation rate begins coincident with tectonic load emplacement within the flexural half‐width of the basin. However, farther out into the basin increased sedimentation rates lag behind the composition signal because of time lags associated with propagation of the thrust load and attendant sediment loads into the basin. The progradation of syntectonic gravel lags behind all of these signals as a direct function of the relative proportion of gravel fraction within transported sediment and rates and geometry of subsidence, which selectively traps the coarsest grain‐size fractions in the most proximal parts of the basin. We demonstrate this signal attenuation in the syntectonic Horta–Gandesa alluvial system (late Eocene–Oligocene), exposed along the southeast margin of the Ebro Basin, Spain. The results demonstrate that: (1) the time spans between the compositional signal and the progradation of the gravel front can be geologically significant, on the order of more than a million years within as little as 20 km of the thrust front; and (2) time lags between the signals increase with distance away from the deformation front. No lag time was observed between the first appearance of a new clast composition and the arrival of gravel front when the thrust front was within a few tens of metres from the depositional site. In contrast, the time lag was 0.5–1 Myr when the thrust front was about 5–6 km away and it increased to >1 Myr when the deformation front was about 8 km away. At the most extreme position, when the thrust front was 15–20 km away, the gravel front never reached the study area.     

Horizontal patterns of water temperature and salinity in an estuarine tidal channel: Ria de Aveiro

This work presents results from two complementary and interconnected approaches to study water temperature and salinity patterns in an estuarine tidal channel. This channel is one of the four main branches of the Ria de Aveiro, a shallow lagoon located in the Northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Longitudinal and cross-sectional fields of water temperature and salinity were determined by spatial interpolation of field measurements. A numerical model (Mohid) was used in a 2D depth-integrated mode in order to compute water temperature and salinity patterns. The main purpose of this work was to determine the horizontal patterns of water temperature and salinity in the study area, evaluating the effects of the main forcing factors. The field results were depth-integrated and compared to numerical model results. These results obtained using extreme tidal and river runoff forcing, are also presented. The field results reveal that, when the river flow is weak, the tidal intrusion is the main forcing mechanism, generating saline and thermal fronts which migrate with the neap/spring tidal cycle. When the river flow increases, the influence of the freshwater extends almost as far as the mouth of the lagoon and vertical stratification is established. Results of numerical modelling reveal that the implemented model reproduces quite well the observed horizontal patterns. The model was also used to study the hydrology of the study area under extreme forcing conditions. When the model is forced with a low river flow (1 m³ s⁻¹) the results confirm that the hydrology is tidally dominated. When the model is forced with a high river flow (1,000 m³ s⁻¹) the hydrology is dominated by freshwater, as would be expected in such an area.     

Seismic evaluation of concrete dams via continuum damage models

In this paper a general methodology for the analysis of large concrete dams subjected to seismic excitation is outlined. It is valid both for gravity dams (2D representation) and arch dams (3D representation). The method allows for non-linear material behaviour of the dam, ‘transparent fictitious boundaries’ for dealing properly with in-coming and out-going seismic waves, and an efficient procedure to deal with dam-soil-fluid interaction. The mechanical behaviour of concrete is modelled using an isotropic damage model which allows for tension and compression damage, and exhibits stiffness recovery upon load reversals. Emphasis is placed in the treatment of fluid-structure interaction, regarding both formulation and efficiency aspects. A gravity dam and an arch dam are analysed subjected to artificially generated earthquakes of different intensities, and the results are used to study the degree of (un)safety of the dams.     

Nutrient exchange between subtropical lagoons and the marine environment

The tidal exchange of ammonia-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total organic carbon between coastal lagoons and the marine environment were determined. Constituent measurements were made in Huizache-Caimanero Lagoon in Northwest Mexico over 24-h sampling periods during both dry and wet seasons. The exchange of these nutrients was also compared to exchanges in estuarine marshes of other latitudes. High exchange rates were found to be associated to extreme climatic events.     

Iron,manganese and trace metal concentrations in seaweeds from the central west coast of the Gulf of California

Concentrations of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in four macroalgae species (Ulva lactuca, Chondracanthus squarrulosus, Sargassum sinicola and Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis) were obtained for the first time from the central part of the west coast of the Gulf of California. Generally, no differences in metal concentrations were found among the different seaweed species, although spatial differences were apparent. Iron, Mn and Cu exhibited higher concentrations at the stations located in front of Angel de la Guarda Island, probably because of high vertical mixing processes present in the zone. The results were compared with dissolved metal concentrations reported for the Gulf of California (Cd, Mn and Fe) and the North Pacific Ocean. The resulting linear regression of the results vs. North Pacific Ocean concentrations indicated that the levels of Cu, Ni and Zn measured in this study were within its 95% confidence level. Furthermore, this comparison was capable of detecting dissolved Fe and Mn enrichments in Gulf of California waters relative to the North Pacific Ocean concentrations. Calculations of total masses of metals associated with algal biomass on the west coast of the Gulf of California indicated that the lowest masses were represented by Cu (108 ± 25 kg) and Ni (184 ± 52 kg), whereas Pb (1.1 ± 0.6 ton) and Fe (10.9 ± 8.5 ton) were the elements with the highest associated masses.     

The sinking of Mexico City: Its effects on soil properties and seismic response

Extensive pumping to extract water from Mexico City's subsoil has caused regional sinking. Water pumping produces regional consolidation which increases effective stresses acting on the subsoil modifying its static and dynamic properties. As the soil properties change, so does their dynamic response. Approximate expressions to estimate the future changes in soil properties are proposed. Also, this paper puts forth new evidence to illustrate these changes and presents estimates of future settlements in central Mexico City, using a soil consolidation model that overcomes some of the limitations of Terzaghi's theory. Results of an analysis to estimate the effects of the evolution of the subsoil's dynamic properties are illustrated by means of seismic analyses performed on a couple of sites in an old lake bed in Mexico City.     

Mound breakwaters under oblique wave attack; a working hypothesis

A first approach to the behaviour, flow characteristics and stability, of mound breakwaters under oblique wave attack is undertaken by assuming that oblique incidence only affects the slope angle. For run-up and run-down this approach shows a reasonable degree of agreement with experimental data for small incidence angles (say up to 45°) becoming unreliable for large incidence angles.     

First-order impacts on winter and summer crops assessed with various high-resolution climate models in the Iberian Peninsula

The first-order or initial agricultural impacts of climate change in the Iberian Peninsula were evaluated by linking crop simulation models to several high-resolution climate models (RCMs). The RCMs provided the daily weather data for control, and the A2 and B2 IPCC scenarios. All RCMs used boundary conditions from the atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) HadAM3 while two were also bounded to two other AGCMs. The analyses were standardised to control the sources of variation and uncertainties that were added in the process. Climatic impacts on wheat and maize of climate were derived from the A2 scenario generated by RCMs bounded to HadAM3. Some results derived from B2 scenarios are included for comparisons together with impacts derived from RCMs using different boundary conditions. Crop models were used as impact models and yield was used as an indicator that summarised the effects of climate to quantify initial impacts and differentiate among regions. Comparison among RCMs was made through the choice of different crop management options. All RCM-crop model combinations detected crop failures for winter wheat in the South under control and future scenarios, and projected yield increases for spring wheat in northern and high altitude areas. Although projected impacts differed among RCMs, similar trends emerged for relative yields for some regions. RCM-crop model outputs compared favourably to others using European Re-Analysis data (ERA-15), establishing the feasibility of using direct daily outputs from RCM for impact analysis. Uncertainties were quantified as the standard deviation of the mean obtained for all RCMs in each location and differed greatly between winter (wheat) and summer (maize) seasons, being smaller in the latter.