The continent‐ocean transition on the northwestern South China Sea

Rifted margins are created as a result of stretching and breakup of continental lithosphere that eventually leads to oceanic spreading and formation of a new oceanic basin. A cornerstone for understanding what processes control the final transition to seafloor spreading is the nature of the continent‐ocean transition (COT). We reprocessed multichannel seismic profiles and use available gravity data to study the structure and variability of the COT along the Northwest subbasin (NWSB) of the South China Sea. We have interpreted the seismic images to discern continental from oceanic domains. The continental‐crust domain is characterized by tilted fault blocks generally overlain by thick syn‐rift sedimentary units, and underlain by fairly continuous Moho reflections typically at 8–10 s twtt. The thickness of the continental crust changes greatly across the basin, from ~20 to 25 km under the shelf and uppermost slope, to ~9–6 km under the lower slope. The oceanic‐crust domain is characterized by a highly reflective top of basement, little faulting, no syntectonic strata and fairly constant thickness (over tens to hundreds of km) of typically 6 km, but ranging from 4 to 8 km. The COT is imaged as a ~5–10 km wide zone where oceanic‐type features directly abut or lap on continental‐type structures. The South China margin continental crust is cut by abundant normal faults. Seismic profiles show an along‐strike variation in the tectonic structure of the continental margin. The NE‐most lines display ~20–40 km wide segments of intense faulting under the slope and associated continental‐crust thinning, giving way to a narrow COT and oceanic crust. Towards the SW, faulting and thinning of the continental crust occurs across a ~100–110 km wide segment with a narrow COT and abutting oceanic crust. We interpret this 3D structural variability and the narrow COT as a consequence of the abrupt termination of continental rifting tectonics by the NE to SW propagation of a spreading centre. We suggest that breakup occurred abruptly by spreading centre propagation rather than by thinning during continental rifting. We propose a kinematic evolution for the oceanic domain of the NWSB consisting of a southward spreading centre propagation followed by a first narrow ridge jump to the north, and then a younger larger jump to the SE, to abandon the NWSB and create the East subbasin of the South China Sea.     

Zones of impact metamorphism in the crystalline rocks of the Nördlinger Ries crater

Fragments of crystalline basement rocks in suevite, a tuff-like breccia found in the area of the Nördlinger Ries crater, display a continuous gradation of metamorphism. This is interpreted as an effect of the shock waves caused by meteoritic impact, the degree of metamorphism reflecting a radial gradient of pressure and temperature diminishing outward from the point of impact. This phenomenon gives further support to the theory that Ries crater is of meteoritic origin and that suevite is not volcanic in nature. A classification of varying impact facies in crystalline rocks is proposed. It is hoped that the system proposed may prove valid for impact structures in other areas.     

Electromagnetic solutions of higher-dimensional gravity

The variation of spectral index _1.4 ⁵ with luminosity (P _1.4) was investigated for Fanaroff and Riley type II galaxies and also for type I and type I/II galaxies. To reduce the effect of the redshift dependence of luminosity, samples which did not have widely different median redshifts were used and the data was binned into redshift ranges.By a comparison of the median spectral indices in different redshift bins for FRII galaxies, no dependence of spectral index was formed on redshift. However, an increase in spectral index with increasing luminosity was found. The results for FRI and FRI/II galaxies were similar to those for the FRII galaxies.     

Permian Calcareous algae from the Khachik Formation at the Ali Bashi Mountains,NW of Iran

Micropaleontological investigations on Permian successions in the NW of Iran based on algae led to the determination of taxa belonging to some families such as Ungdarellaceae (Ungdarella uralica), Gymnocodiaceae (Gymnocodium bellerophontis and Permocalculus sp.), Dasycladales (Mizzia cf. M. yabei), and some microproblematics (Vermiporella nipponica and Pseudovermiporella sodalica). These investigations are mainly focused on the Khachik Formation at the Ali Bashi Mountains. According to the algal community, a lagoon environment is offered for the studied successions.     

Effects of Tidal Flooding on Juvenile Willows

Tidal wetlands are affected by sea level rise. In the tidal freshwater stretches of estuaries in the temperate zone, willows (Salix spp.) form tidal freshwater forests above the mean high water level. Willows tolerance to prolonged periodic flooding in riverine systems is well documented, whereas effects of tidal flooding on willows are largely unknown. Flooding stress may play a major role in regeneration failure of willows in tidal forest stands along estuarine shores, and juvenile willows might be specifically affected by partial or total submergence. To assess the tolerance of juvenile willows to tidal flooding, we conducted a mesocosm experiment with cuttings from Salix alba and Salix viminalis, which are both characteristic species for tidal freshwater forests in Europe. Cuttings originating from either fresh or brackish tidal forest stands were grown under four tidal treatments with up to a tidal flooding of 60 cm. A general tolerance to a tidal flooding of 60 cm was observed in chlorophyll fluorescence, growth rates, and biomass production in both willow species. Overall, S. alba showed higher leaf and shoot growth, whereas S. viminalis produced more biomass. S. alba with brackish origin performed worst with increasing tidal flooding, suggesting a possible pre-weakening due to stressful site conditions in tidal wetlands at the estuarine brackish stretch. This study demonstrates that juvenile willows of S. alba and S. viminalis tolerate tidal flooding of up to 60 cm. It is concluded that tidal inundation acts as a stress by causing submergence and soil anaerobiosis, but may also act as a subsidy by reestablishing aerobic conditions and thus maintaining willows performance. Therefore, we suggest investigations on Salix tidal flooding tolerance and possible effects of willows on tidal wetland accretion under estuarine field conditions.     

Modelling of membranes in the material point method with applications

The objective of this paper is to formulate and validate an accurate MPM approach for the numerical simulation of the large displacement of membranes containing soil. In the proposed approach, the membrane is discretised by a surface mesh that allows accurate simulation of membrane stresses. The membrane is free to move through a three‐dimensional grid for a continuum consisting of tetrahedral elements. The approach is applied to model a geocontainer being released from a split barge, taking into account the frictional contact between the geotextile and the barge. No‐slip contact is assumed between the geotextile and the soil inside. The effect of geocontainer interaction is investigated by dropping a second container. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Age assignment of a diatomaceous ooze deposited in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment after the Last Glacial Maximum

Reliable dating of glaciomarine sediments deposited on the Antarctic shelf since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is challenging because of the rarity of calcareous (micro‐) fossils and the recycling of fossil organic matter. Consequently, radiocarbon (¹⁴C) ages of the acid‐insoluble organic fraction (AIO) of the sediments bear uncertainties that are difficult to quantify. Here we present the results of three different methods to date a sedimentary unit consisting of diatomaceous ooze and diatomaceous mud that was deposited following the last deglaciation at five core sites on the inner shelf in the western Amundsen Sea (West Antarctica). In three cores conventional ¹⁴C dating of the AIO in bulk samples yielded age reversals down‐core, but at all sites the AIO ¹⁴C ages obtained from diatomaceous ooze within the diatom‐rich unit yielded similar uncorrected ¹⁴C ages between 13 517 ± 56 and 11 543 ± 47 years before present (a BP). Correction of these ages by subtracting the core‐top ages, which probably reflect present‐day deposition (as indicated by ²¹⁰Pb dating of the sediment surface at one core site), yielded ages between ca. 10 500 and 8400 cal. a BP. Correction of the AIO ages of the diatomaceous ooze by only subtracting the marine reservoir effect (MRE) of 1300 a indicated deposition of the diatom‐rich sediments between 14 100 and 11 900 cal. a BP. Most of these ages are consistent with age constraints between 13.0 and 8.0 ka for the diatom‐rich unit, which we obtained by correlating the relative palaeomagnetic intensity (RPI) records of three of the sediment cores with global and regional reference curves. As a third dating technique we applied conventional radiocarbon dating of the AIO included in acid‐cleaned diatom hard parts extracted from the diatomaceous ooze. This method yielded uncorrected ¹⁴C ages of only 5111 ± 38 and 5106 ± 38 a BP, respectively. We reject these young ages, because they are likely to be overprinted by the adsorption of modern atmospheric carbon dioxide onto the surfaces of the diatom hard parts prior to sample graphitisation and combustion for ¹⁴C dating. The deposition of the diatom‐rich unit in the western Amundsen Sea suggests deglaciation of the inner shelf before ca. 13 ka BP. The deposition of diatomaceous oozes elsewhere on the Antarctic shelf around the same time, however, seems to be coincidental rather than directly related. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diversity and distributional patterns of Polychaeta in the deep South Atlantic

This study provides new information about the composition, diversity and zoogeography of abyssal polychaetes in the little-studied South Eastern Atlantic (Angola Basin). During the austral winter of 2000, twenty-five box core samples (total area sampled 6 m²) were taken along a 500-km transect in five work areas at depths exceeding 5000 m. A total of 1047 individuals representing 86 species belonging to 32 families was collected. Well over half the polychaetes (58 species; 67%) appear to be new to science, with the highest number of new species among the Cirratulidae, Paraonidae, Phyllodocidae, Ampharetidae, Opheliidae, and Spionidae. Eight of these new species were among the 16 dominant species in the deep Angola Basin whereas, 32 species (37%) were considered to be rare with only 1–2 individuals collected. Species accumulation curves did not level off at a fixed number of species, indicating that diversity would increase with additional sampling. Polychaete community assemblages among box core samples were highly variable. Ten of the known species are biogeographically widespread outside the Angola Basin whereas five appear to be restricted to the deep Atlantic. Two species have only been recorded in the Southern Ocean, and one in the southern hemisphere. Twenty (35%) of the species considered to be new to science were also found in samples from the deep Southern Ocean, whereas eight of the known species found in the Angola Basin have not been reported from the Southern Ocean to date. Surface deposit feeders and carnivores were the dominant functional groups both in terms of number of individuals and number of species. Necessary steps to further our knowledge of the little-known abyssal ecosystem are discussed.