Replicability and variability of the recent macrofossil and proxy-climate record from raised bogs: field stratigraphy and macrofossil data from Bolton Fell Moss and Walton Moss,Cumbria, England

Replication of results is a basic tenet of science, but in palaeoecology this is very time-consuming and the ‘signal’ is subject to ‘noise’. The derivation of proxy-climate signals from ombrotrophic peat was carried out originally using samples from open peat faces where the stratigraphic relationships could be easily observed. Now that such sections are rare and often degraded there is a need to demonstrate that data can be replicated from core profiles. Ten short cores taken from two adjacent bogs have been analysed for macrofossils and show a coherent series of changes, which are also similar to previous profiles from the same sites. It is concluded that variation between profiles is slight and less than observations of present vegetation mosaics might suggest. Recommendations for a standard approach to fieldwork on raised bogs that emphasises the utility of subfossil pool layers are proposed and the need for a secure chronology is stressed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reversibility of radiocaesium sorption on illite

Adsorption of trace amounts of radiocaesium on NH₄-, K-, and Na-saturated Fithian illite and subsequent desorption by 1 M NH₄ showed that a substantial amount of radiocaesium (44%, 46%, and 91% for NH₄-, K-, and Na-illite, respectively) cannot be desorbed after only 5 min of adsorption. Our results suggest that this instantaneous fixation is caused by the collapse of the frayed edges of the clay mineral and the relatively high concentration of radiocaesium building up in solution in the batch desorption experiments. Consequently, commonly applied high-NH₄ extractions underestimate truly exchangeable amounts of radiocaesium in soils and sediments containing illitic clay minerals. The rate of desorption of trace amounts of radiocaesium from the solids using high NH₄ or Cs concentrations has a half-life of about 2 yr, reflecting radiocaesium desorption from (partially) collapsed interlayers. Extraction of radiocaesium from illite after 5 min of contact time with a Cs-selective adsorbent or a 1 × 10^-6 M CsCl solution shows that 100% of the bound radiocaesium is readily available. The desorption rate in the presence of a Cs-selective adsorbent has a half-life of about 0.2 yr. Desorption of radiocaesium from illite using different ammonium concentrations shows that radiocaesium partitioning follows reversible ion-exchange theory if the NH₄ concentration is below 1 × 10^-4 M, and sufficient time (weeks) is allowed for the reaction to proceed. Thus, radiocaesium sorption reversibility in the natural environment is much higher than generally assumed, and equilibrium solid/liquid partitioning may be assumed for the long-term modelling of radiocaesium mobility in the natural environment. In the particular case of anoxic freshwater sediments with very high NH₄ concentrations in the pore waters (up to several mmol.L^-1), collapse of the frayed edges of illite may occur, influencing radiocaesium partitioning. If collapse occurs before radiocaesium adsorbs to illite, high caesium sorption reversibility as measured by high-NH₄ extraction can be expected because further collapse of the frayed edges during the extraction procedure will be limited. This effect has indeed been observed earlier in the extraction of radiocaesium from anoxic freshwater sediments with high-NH₄ solutions and was as yet unexplained.     

Mobile evaporite controls on the structural style and evolution of rift basins: Danish Central Graben,North Sea

The Southern Tail‐End Graben, Danish Central Graben, is characterized by a lateral variation in the thickness and mobility of pre‐rift Zechstein Supergroup evaporites, allowing investigation of how supra‐basement evaporite variability influences rift structural style and tectono‐stratigraphy. The study area is divided into two structural domains based on interpretations of the depositional thickness and mobility of the Zechstein Supergroup. Within each domain, we examine the overall basin morphology and the structural styles in the pre‐Zechstein and supra‐Zechstein (cover) units. Furthermore, integration of two‐way travel‐time (TWT)‐structure and ‐thickness maps allows fault activity and evaporite migration maps to be generated for pre‐ and syn‐rift stratal units within the two domains, permitting constraints to be placed on: (i) the timing of activity on pre‐Zechstein and cover faults and (ii) the onset, duration and migration direction of mobile evaporites. The northern domain is interpreted to be free from evaporite‐influence, and has developed in a manner typical of brittle‐only, basement‐involved rifts. Syn‐rift basins display classical half‐graben geometries bounded by thick‐skinned faults. In contrast, the southern domain is interpreted to be evaporite‐influenced, and cover structure reflects a southward increase in the thickness and mobility of the Zechstein Supergroup evaporites. Fault‐related and evaporite‐related folding is prominent in the southern domain, together with variable degrees of decoupling of sub‐Zechstein and cover fault and fold systems. The addition of mobile evaporites to the rift results in: (i) complex and spatially variable modes of tectono‐stratigraphic evolution; (ii) syn‐rift stratal geometries which are condensed above evaporite swells and over‐thickened in areas of withdrawal; (iii) compartmentalized syn‐rift depocentres; and (iv) masking of rift‐related megasequence boundaries. Through demonstrating these deviations from the characteristics of rifts free from evaporite influence, we highlight the first order control evaporites may exert upon rift structural style and the distribution and thicknesses of syn‐rift units.     

The Quaternary evolution of the Gulf of Corinth, central Greece: coupling between surface processes and flow in the lower continental crust

The Gulf of Corinth in central Greece is an active normal fault zone with particularly clear evidence of isostatic footwall uplift, constrained by Quaternary marine terraces, and hanging-wall subsidence and sedimentation. It is bounded to the south by a Pliocene to Early Pleistocene sedimentary basin, which is now eroding into the Gulf. Previous work has suggested that the relief across this region has increased dramatically since the Early Pleistocene, due to the isostatic response to increased rates of footwall erosion and hanging-wall sedimentation. It is indeed assumed here that incision accompanying the draw-down of global sea-level at 0.9 Ma, during the first major Pleistocene glaciation, initiated the erosion of the basin south of the Gulf of Corinth and so abruptly increased the sedimentation rate in the Gulf. The resulting transient thermal and isostatic response to these changes is modelled, with the subsiding depocentre and eroding sediment source coupled by flow in the lower continental crust. The subsequent enhancement of relief, involving an increase in bathymetry from near zero to 900 m and 500 m of uplift of the eroding land surface in the sediment source, is shown to be a direct consequence of this change. The model is sensitive to the effective viscosity of the lower crust, and can thus resolve this parameter by matching observations. A value of 6×10¹⁹ Pa s is indicated, suggesting a viscosity at the Moho no greater than 10¹⁸ Pa s. Similar transient topographic effects caused by increased rates of sedimentation and erosion are likely to be widespread within the geological record, suggesting that this coupling process involving flow in the weak lower crust may be of major geological and geomorphological importance.     

Subsidence in the super-deep Pattani and Malay basins of Southeast Asia: a coupled model incorporating lower-crustal flow in response to post-rift sediment loading

Two Early Cenozoic rifts in Southeast Asia (beneath the Pattani and Malay basins) experienced only limited upper-crustal extension (β≤1.5); yet very thick post-rift sequences are present, with 6–12 km of Late Cenozoic terrestrial and shallow-marine sediment derived from adjacent sources. Conventional post-rift backstripping requires depth-dependent lithospheric thinning by β=2–4 to explain these tremendous thicknesses. We assess an alternative explanation for this post-rift subsidence, involving lower-crustal flow from beneath these basins in response to lateral pressure-gradients induced by the sediment loads and the negative loads arising from the erosion of their sediment sources. We calculate that increased rates of erosion in western Thailand in the Early Miocene placed the crust in a non-steady thermal state, such that the depth (and thus, the pressure) at the base of the brittle upper crust subsequently varied over time. Following such a perturbation, thermal and mass-flux steady-state conditions took millions of years to re-establish. In the meantime, the lateral pressure-gradient caused net outflow of lower crust, thinning the crust beneath the depocentre by several kilometres (mimicking the isostatic effect of greater crustal extension having occurred beforehand) and thickening it beneath the sediment source region. The local combination of hot crust and high rates of surface processes, causing lower-crustal flow to be particularly vigorous and thus making its effects more readily identifiable, means that the Pattani and Malay basins represent a set of conditions different from basins in many other regions. However, lower-crustal flow induced by surface processes will also occur to some extent, but less recognisably, in many other continental crustal provinces, but its effects may be mistaken for those of other processes, such as larger-magnitude stretching and/or depth-dependent stretching.     

Variability in the speciation of iron in the northern North Sea

Variations in the speciation of iron in the northern North Sea were investigated in an area covering at least two different water masses and an algal bloom, using a combination of techniques. Catalytic cathodic stripping voltammetry was used to measure the concentrations of reactive iron (Fe_R) and total iron (Fe_T) in unfiltered samples, while dissolved iron (Fe_D) was measured by GFAAS after extraction of filtered sea water. Fe_R was defined by the amount of iron that complexed with 20 μM 1-nitroso-2-napthol (NN) at pH 6.9. Fe_T was determined after UV-digestion at pH 2.4. Concentrations of natural organic iron complexing ligands and values for conditional stability constants, were determined in unfiltered samples by titration. Mean concentrations of 1.3 nM for Fe_R, 10.0 nM for Fe_T and 1.7 nM for Fe_D were obtained for the area sampled. Fe_R concentrations increased towards the south of the area investigated, as a result of the increased influence of continental run off. Fe_R concentrations were found to be enhanced below the nutricline (below 40 m) as a result of the remineralisation of organic material. Enhanced levels of Fe_T were observed in some surface samples and in samples collected below 30 m at stations in the south of the area studied, thought to be a result of high concentrations of biogenic particulate material and the resuspended sediments respectively. Fe_D concentrations varied between values similar to those of Fe_T in samples from the north of the area to values similar to those of Fe_R in the south. The bloom was thought to have influenced the distribution of both Fe_R and Fe_T, but less evidence was observed for any influence on Fe_R and Fe_D. The concentration of organic complexing ligands, which could possibly include a contribution from adsorption sites on particulate material, increased slightly in the bloom area and in North Sea waters. Iron was found to be fully (99.9%) complexed by the organic complexing ligands at a pH of 6.9 and largely complexed (82–96%) at pH 8. The ligands were almost saturated with iron suggesting that the ligand concentration could limit the concentration of iron occurring as dissolved species.     

A Wet/Wet Differential Pressure Sensor for Measuring Vertical Hydraulic Gradient

Vertical hydraulic gradient is commonly measured in rivers, lakes, and streams for studies of groundwater–surface water interaction. While a number of methods with subtle differences have been applied, these methods can generally be separated into two categories; measuring surface water elevation and pressure in the subsurface separately or making direct measurements of the head difference with a manometer. Making separate head measurements allows for the use of electronic pressure sensors, providing large datasets that are particularly useful when the vertical hydraulic gradient fluctuates over time. On the other hand, using a manometer-based method provides an easier and more rapid measurement with a simpler computation to calculate the vertical hydraulic gradient. In this study, we evaluated a wet/wet differential pressure sensor for use in measuring vertical hydraulic gradient. This approach combines the advantage of high-temporal frequency measurements obtained with instrumented piezometers with the simplicity and reduced potential for human-induced error obtained with a manometer board method. Our results showed that the wet/wet differential pressure sensor provided results comparable to more traditional methods, making it an acceptable method for future use.