Age constraints on the evolution of the Austroalpine basement to the south of the Tauern Window

The Austroalpine basement to the south of the Tauern Window once was part of the northern margin of Gondwana. It includes the “Altkristallin” and the phyllitic Thurntaler Complex. In the Altkristallin (AMU, MPU), suites of arc-related metamafic sequences occur together with calc-alkaline metagranite. SHRIMP U–Pb dating of zircon from calc-alkaline metagranite associated with an eclogitic amphibolite give an age of 470 ± 3 Ma interpreted as the age of protolith emplacement. In the Thurntaler Complex, metaporphyroids occur together with tholeiitic as well as alkaline within-plate basalt-type metabasite. The metaryholites of this association give a crystallization SHRIMP age of 477 ± 4 Ma, which suggests contemporaneity of arc-related and extensional settings in the Austroalpine basement units. The age data demonstrate widespread magmatic activity associated with the Early-Ordovician amalgamation at the end of the 550–470 Ma subduction–accretion–collision cycle. The Pb–Pb and U–Pb systematics of step-wise leached staurolite and kyanite from the peak-metamorphic assemblage of the Altkristallin indicate that (1) step-wise leaching of staurolite and kyanite yields the age of inclusions rather than the host; (2) zircon inclusions in staurolite suggest an Ordovician or older age for the precursor of the staurolite-schists; (3) the weighted average of the ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U data of the various leaching steps yields a Variscan age for the inclusions (ilmenite, biotite, and andesine). Since these inclusions are part of the metamorphic mineral assemblage, this age provides a minimum estimate for staurolite growth, i.e., metamorphism. Thus, the Pb–Pb and U–Pb systematics of staurolite provide evidence for a Variscan metamorphism of the Austroalpine basement, e.g., MPU, AMU and Thurntaler Complex, to the south of the Tauern Window.     

Deciphering signals of late Holocene fluvial and aeolian supply from a shelf sediment depocentre off Senegal (north‐west Africa)

High‐resolution climatic records of the late Holocene along the north‐west African continental margin are scarce. Here we combine sediment grain size, elemental distribution and mineral assemblage data to trace dust and riverine sources at a shallow‐marine sediment depocentre in the vicinity of the Senegal River mouth. The aim is to understand how these terrigenous components reflect climate variability during the late Holocene. Major element contents were measured and mineral identification was performed on three sub‐fractions of our sediment core: (i) fluvial material < 2 µm, (ii) aeolian material of 18–63 µm and (iii) a sub‐fraction of dual‐origin material of 2–18 µm. Results show that more than 80% of the total Al and Fe terrigenous bulk content is present in the fluviogenic fraction. In contrast, Ti, K and Si cannot be considered as proxies for one specific source off Senegal. The Al/Ca ratio, recording the continental river runoff, reveals two dry periods from 3010 to 2750 cal a BP and from 1900 to 1000 cal a BP, and two main humid periods from 2750 to 1900 cal a BP and from 1000 to 700 cal a BP. The match between (i) intervals of low river runoff inferred by low Al/Ca values, (ii) reduced river discharge inferred by integrated palynological data from offshore Senegal and (iii) periods of enhanced dune reactivation in Mali confirms this interpretation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene evolution of mud depocentres on a high-energy, low-accumulation shelf (NW Iberia)

The high-energy, low-accumulation NW Iberian shelf features three confined Holocene mud depocentres. Here, we show that the evolution of such depocentres follows successive steps. The flooding of inner shelf zones and river catchment areas by the late deglacial sea-level rise provided the precondition for shelf mud deposition. Following this, the Holocene deceleration of the sea-level rise caused a rapid refill of the accommodation space within river valleys. Subsequently, the export of major amounts of fines was initiated. The initial onset and loci of shelf mud deposition were related to deposition-favouring conditions in mid-shelf position or to the presence of morphological highs, which act as sediment traps by providing protection against stronger hydrodynamic energy. The detailed reconstruction of the Holocene depocentre evolution shows for the first time that the expansion of such shelf mud deposits cannot only occur by linear growth off the associated sediment source. Rather, they might develop around centres that are fully disconnected from the source of original sediment supply, and expand later into specific directions. Based on these differences and on the connection of the individual mud depocentres to the material source we propose a conceptual subdivision of the group “mid-shelf mud depocentres”.     

Late Quaternary climatic events and sea-level changes recorded by turbidite activity, Dakar Canyon, NW Africa

The relationship of sea-level changes and short-term climatic changes with turbidite deposition is poorly documented, although the mechanisms of gravity-driven sediment transport in submarine canyons during sea-level changes have been reported from many regions. This study focuses on the activity of the Dakar Canyon off southern Senegal in response to major glacial/interglacial sea-level shifts and variability in the NW-African continental climate. The sedimentary record from the canyon allows us to determine the timing of turbidite events and, on the basis of XRF-scanning element data, we have identified the climate signal at a sub-millennial time scale from the surrounding hemipelagic sediments. Over the late Quaternary the highest frequency in turbidite activity in the Dakar Canyon is confined to major climatic terminations when remobilisation of sediments from the shelf was triggered by the eustatic sea-level rise. However, episodic turbidite events coincide with the timing of Heinrich events in the North Atlantic. During these times continental climate has changed rapidly, with evidence for higher dust supply over NW Africa which has fed turbidity currents. Increased aridity and enhanced wind strength in the southern Saharan-Sahelian zone may have provided a source for this dust.     

Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield and connectivity in a semi-arid catchment with the WASA-SED model

Abstract

Rainfall–runoff induced soil erosion causes important environmental degradation by reducing soil fertility and impacting on water availability as a consequence of sediment deposition in surface reservoirs used for water supply, particularly in semi-arid areas. However, erosion models developed on experimental plots cannot be directly applied to estimate sediment yield at the catchment scale, since sediment redistribution is also controlled by the transport conditions along the landscape. In particular, representation of landscape connectivity relating to sediment transfer from upslope areas to the river network is required. In this study, the WASA-SED model is used to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of water and sediment connectivity for a semi-arid meso-scale catchment (933 km²) in Brazil. It is shown how spatial and temporal patterns of sediment connectivity within the catchment change as a function of landscape and event characteristics. This explains the nonlinear catchment response in terms of sediment yield at the outlet.

Citation Medeiros, P. H. A., Güntner, A., Francke, T., Mamede, G. L. & de Araújo, J. C. (2010) Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield and connectivity in a semi-arid catchment with the WASA-SED model. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(4), 636–648.     

Reply to ‘Comment on “The beginnings of hydrous mantle wedge melting” by Till et al.’ by Stalder

The comment of Stalder raises three main concerns regarding the interpretation of the experiments presented by Till et al. (2012): (1) our inability to uniquely distinguish between high-pressure hydrous silicate melt and solute-rich aqueous fluid leads to the incorrect interpretation of phase relations, (2) the temperature interval over which hydrous melting takes places is inordinately large and contrary to expectations, and/or (3) the possibility that the system may be above the second critical end point (SCEP) in this H₂O-rich silicate system has been insufficiently discussed. In this reply, we provide clarification on these concerns and argue that with the extent of knowledge available today, the chemical characteristics of our experimental products at 3.2 and 4?GPa evince the presence of a silicate melt at temperatures <1,000?°C and we are below the SCEP in the peridotite–H₂O system at the P–T conditions of our experiments. If in fact the quench observed in our experiments does represent that of a supercritical (SC) fluid, then our data suggest Mg and Fe are highly soluble in SC fluids at the P–T conditions of the base of the mantle wedge below arc volcanoes. Therefore, our results would require a significant change in thinking about the chemical compositional characteristics of SC fluids.     

The high-supply,current-dominated continental margin of southeastern South America during the late Quaternary

The continental margin off the La Plata Estuary (SE South America) is characterized by high fluvial sediment supply and strong ocean currents. High-resolution sediment-acoustic data combined with sedimentary facies analysis, AMS-¹⁴C ages, and neodymium isotopic data allowed us to reconstruct late Quaternary sedimentary dynamics in relation to the two major sediment sources, the La Plata Estuary and the Argentine margin. Sediments from these two provinces show completely different dispersal patterns. We show that the northward-trending La Plata paleo-valley was the sole transit path for the huge volumes of fluvial material during lower sea levels. In contrast, material from the Argentine margin sector was transported northwards by the strong current system. Despite the large sediment volumes supplied by both sources, wide parts of the shelf were characterized by either persistent non-deposition or local short-term depocenter formation. The location and formation history of these depocenters were primarily controlled by the interplay of sea level with current strength and local morphology. The high sediment supply was of secondary importance to the stratigraphic construction, though locally resulting in high sedimentation rates. Thus, the shelf system off the La Plata Estuary can be considered as a hydrodynamic-controlled end-member.     

Assessment of the geometry and volumes of small surface water reservoirs by remote sensing in a semi-arid region with high reservoir density

Water fluxes in highly impounded regions are heavily dependent on reservoir properties. However, for large and remote areas, this information is often unavailable. In this study, the geometry and volume of small surface reservoirs in the semi-arid region of Brazil were estimated using terrain and shape attributes extracted by remote sensing. Regression models and data classification were used to predict the volumes, at different water stages, of 312 reservoirs for which topographic information is available. The power function used to describe the reservoir shapes tends to overestimate the volumes; therefore, a modified shape equation was proposed. Among the methods tested, four were recommended based on performance and simplicity, for which the mean absolute percentage errors varied from 24 to 39%, in contrast to the 94% error achieved with the traditional method. Despite the challenge of precisely deriving the flooded areas of reservoirs, water management in highly reservoir-dense environments should benefit from volume prediction based on remote sensing.