Bromide distribution characteristics of different Zechstein 2 rock salt sequences of the Southern Permian Basin: a comparison between bedded and domal salts

The bromide profile of the bedded Zechstein 2 rock salts in the Southern Permian Basin is characterized by a continuous increase in the bromide contents from base to top, indicating progressive evaporation of sea water. Former studies have suggested that the bromide distribution in domal salts is more irregular, raising such questions as whether there is a causal relationship between bromide distribution and deformation‐related processes or whether various halite types with different primary bromide contents account for such irregularities. In this study, the bromide distribution of a defined stratigraphic section (Hauptsalz) of the Zechstein 2 was investigated in three salt deposits, with bedded salt (Teutschenthal) compared with domal salts (Morsleben and Gorleben). Furthermore, two different halite types (Kristallbrocken, matrix) were distinguished during sampling. Comparison between the locations reveals that: (i) the characteristic trend of the bromide profile was generally preserved in both the bedded and the more intensely deformed domal salts; (ii) the dispersion of bromide contents along the running average curve is lower in domal salt, especially in the lower half of the Hauptsalz; and (iii) the Kristallbrocken are absent in the lower half of the Hauptsalz of Morsleben and Gorleben. The absence of the Kristallbrocken and the lower dispersion of the bromide contents in the domal salts are clear indications for the influence of salt migration‐related processes on the bromide distribution characteristics. It shows that these processes are associated with a redistribution of bromide, which eventually results in a homogenization of the originally varying bromide contents. On the other hand, preservation of the characteristic trend in the bromide profiles indicates that large‐scale brecciation, folding processes or circulating bromide‐rich fluids played only a minor role during the formation of the salt domes. Selective sampling of the Kristallbrocken and matrix halite displays a disparity in bromide content that is not consistent between the studied locations. These specific phenomena might be related to different depositional locations in the Zechstein Basin or to post‐depositional processes.     

Environmental history of southern Patagonia unravelled by the seismic stratigraphy of Laguna Potrok Aike

Laguna Potrok Aike, located in southernmost Patagonia (Argentina, 52°S) is a 100 m deep hydrologically closed lake that probably provides the only continental southern Patagonian archive covering a long and continuous interval of several glacial to interglacial cycles. In the context of the planned ‘International Continental Scientific Drilling Program’ initiative ‘Potrok Aike Maar Lake Sediment Archive Drilling Project’, several seismic site surveys that characterize in detail the sedimentary subsurface of the lake have been undertaken. Long sediment cores recovered the material to date and calibrate these seismic data. Laguna Potrok Aike is rimmed steeply, circular in shape with a diameter of ∼3·5 km and is surrounded by a series of subaerial palaeoshorelines, reflecting varying lake-level highstands and lowstands. Seismic data indicate a basinwide erosional unconformity that occurs consistently on the shoulder of the lake down to a depth of −33 m (below 2003 ad lake level), marking the lowest lake level during Late Glacial to Holocene times. Cores that penetrate this unconformity comprise Marine Isotope Stage 3-dated sediments (45 kyr bp ) ∼3·5 m below, and post-6800 cal yr bp transgressional sediments above the unconformity. This Middle Holocene transgression following an unprecedented lake-level lowstand marks the onset of a stepwise change in moisture, as shown by a series of up to 11 buried palaeoshorelines that were formed during lake-level stillstands at depths between −30 and −12 m. Two series of regressive shorelines between ∼5800 to 5400 and ∼4700 to 4000 cal yr bp interrupt the overall transgressional trend. In the basin, mound-like drift sediments occur after ∼6000 cal yr bp, documenting the onset of lake currents triggered by a latitudinal shift or an increase in wind intensity of the Southern Hemispheric Westerlies over Laguna Potrok Aike at that time. Furthermore, several well-defined lateral slides can be recognized. The majority of these slides occurred during the mid-Holocene lake-level lowering when the slopes became rapidly sediment-charged because of erosion from the exposed shoulder sediments. Around 7800 and 4900 cal yr bp , several slides went down simultaneously, probably triggered by seismic shaking.     

Early Pleistocene sediments on Store Koldewey,northeast Greenland

Bennike, O., Knudsen, K. L., Abrahamsen, N., Böcher, J., Cremer, H. & Wagner, B. 2010: Early Pleistocene sediments on Store Koldewey, northeast Greenland. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 603–619. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00147.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Marine Quaternary deposits, here named the Store Koldewey Formation, are found at ～120 m above sea level in northeast Greenland (76°N). The sequence is referred to the Olduvai normal polarity subchron at 1.95–1.78 Ma BP based on palaeomagnetic studies (palaeomagnetically reversed), amino acid epimerization ratios and evidence from marine and non‐marine fossils. The sediments and the fauna show that the sequence was deposited on a mid or inner shelf, and some elements of the marine mollusc and foraminiferal assemblages indicate water temperatures between ?1 and +1 °C and seasonal sea ice cover during deposition. Mean summer air temperatures were around 6 °C higher than at present, as demonstrated by the occurrence of southern extralimital terrestrial species. Well‐preserved remains of land plants indicate that the adjacent land area was dominated by sub‐arctic forest‐tundra with the trees Larix and Betula, shrubs, herbs and mosses. Most of the species represented as fossils have recent circumpolar geographical ranges. An extinct brachiopod species and an extinct gastropod species have been found, but the other macrofossils are referred to extant species. The brachiopod is erected as a new genus and species, Laugekochiana groenlandica. Correlation of the Koldewey Formation with the Île de France Formation farther to the north is suggested. Member A of the Kap København Formation in North Greenland is referred to the Late Pliocene, whereas Member B of the Kap København Formation is suggested to be slightly older than the Store Koldewey Formation.     

A Holocene seabird record from Raffles Sø sediments, East Greenland, in response to climatic and oceanic changes

A 3.5-m-long sediment sequence from a lake on Raffles Ø, off Liverpool Land, East Greenland, was investigated for chronology, lithology, palynology and biogeochemistry. Radiocarbon-dating of plant remains and the lithology of the sediment succession indicate continuous sedimentation since deglaciation of the area prior to 10000 cal. yr BP. The postglacial palynological record shows little variation and evidence of a wind-transported pollen supply, both resulting from the geographical characteristics of Raffles Ø. Significant variations in the biogeochemical data reflect changes in aquatic bioproduction. These changes depend to some extent on climatic changes; however, they are mainly due to variations in seabird breeding colonies in the catchment which influence nutrient and cadmium supply to the lake. Large seabird breeding colonies were present between 7500 and 1900, from 1000 to 500, and since c. 100 cal. yr BP. Their absence prior to 7500 cal. yr BP may be the result of unsuitable feeding conditions close to Raffles Ø caused by a too dense or too open sea-ice cover. In contrast, between 1900 and 1000 and from 500 to 100 cal. yr BP, the seabird settlement was probably restricted by an insufficiently long breeding season due to cold climate conditions in East Greenland.     

Thermal regime of a valley glacier, Erikbreen, northern Spitsbergen

The thermal regime of the valley glacier, Erikbreen, northern Spitsbergen (79°40'N, 12°30'E) was studied using radio-echo sounding and temperature measurements from eight boreholes ranging from 13.5 to 24 m. Radar images indicate a glacier with a two-layered thermal structure. A surface layer of cold ice, 20 to 60 m thick along the centre flow line, extends from an altitude above equilibrium line to the glacier front. This layer represents 20 to 35% of the glacier thickness, except at the floating front, where the cold layer is about 50%. The ice beneath the cold surface layer is interpreted to be temperate. Cold-based areas exist near the glacier margin and in some locations in the accumulation area; the ice is interpreted to be entirely temperate in central parts of the accumulation area at high altitude. Freezing of temperate ice at the base of the cold surface layer is probably the main mechanism of cold ice formation in the frontal parts of Erikbreen. Calculated heat fluxes based on the borehole measurements show that a steady state cold layer 25 to 30 m thick is likely, assuming a surface melting of 1.7 m/y and a maximum water content of 3%. In the frontal parts the calculated mean annual upward heat flux at 10 to 15 m depth is roughly 0.6 W/m².     

DECOMPOSITION OF MULTICOMPONENT SEISMIC DATA INTO PRIMARY P- AND S-WAVE RESPONSES1

Inversion of multicomponent seismic data can be subdivided in three main processes: (1) Surface-related preprocessing (decomposition of the multicomponent data into ‘primary’ P-and S-wave responses). (2) Prestack migration of the primary P- and S-wave responses, yielding the (angle-dependent) P-P, P-S, S-P and S-S reflectivity of the subsurface. (3) Target-related post-processing (transformation of the reflectivity into the rock and pore parameters in the target). This paper deals with the theoretical aspects of surface-related preprocessing. In a multicomponent seismic data set the P- and S-wave responses of the subsurface are distorted by two main causes: (1) The seismic vibrators always radiate a mixture of P- and S-waves into the subsurface. Similarly, the geophones always measure a mixture of P- and S-waves. (2) The free surface reflects any upgoing wave fully back into the subsurface. This gives rise to strong multiple reflections, including conversions. Therefore, surface-related preprocessing consists of two steps: (1)Decomposition of the multicomponent data (pseudo P- and S-wave responses) into true P- and S-wave responses. In practice this procedure involves (a) decomposition per common shot record of the particle velocity vector into scalar upgoing P- and S-waves, followed by (b) decomposition per common receiver record of the traction vector into scalar downgoing P- and S-waves. (2) Elimination of the surface-related multiple reflections and conversions. In this procedure the free surface is replaced by a reflection-free surface. The effect is that we obtain ‘primary’ P-and S-wave responses, that contain internal multiples only. An interesting aspect of the procedure is that no knowledge of the subsurface is required. In fact, the subsurface may have any degree of complexity. Both the decomposition step and the multiple elimination step are fully determined by the medium parameters at the free surface only. After surface-related preprocessing, the scalar P- and S-wave responses can be further processed independently by existing scalar algorithms.     

HOLOCENE ROCKWALL RETREAT AND THE ESTIMATION OF ROCK GLACIER AGE, PRINS KARLS FORLAND, SVALBARD

This paper presents a simple analytical model for estimating rock glacier age by coupling the ratio of frontal advance to total rock glacier length and the ratio of debris volume in the rock glacier to present debris flux in the talus cone–rock glacier transition zone. The model was applied to two rock glaciers at Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard. By assuming volumetric debris contents in the deforming layer of the rock glacier of between 0.3 and 0.4, we obtained age estimates for the rock glaciers of between 12 ka and 24 ka. The corresponding average rockwall retreat rates are between 0.30 and 0.62 mm a^‐1. Considering the limitations of the model, we suggest a minimum age of 13 ka for the initiation of rock glacier development. Using this age, rockwall retreat rates for the seven rock glaciers investigated at Prins Karls Forland are between 0.13 and 0.64 m ka^‐1 (assuming the volumetric debris content for the whole rock glacier/talus cone is 0.35). The model requires further testing on other datasets, better field estimates of the debris content and depth of the deforming layer, and could also benefit from the inclusion of an unsteady debris supply function in order to refine age estimates.     

Chironomids as indicators of the Holocene climatic and environmental history of two lakes in Northeast Greenland

Schmidt, S., Wagner, B., Heiri, O., Klug, M., Bennike, O. & Melles, M. 2010: Chironomids as indicators of the Holocene climatic and environmental history of two lakes in Northeast Greenland. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00173.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Two Holocene sediment sequences from arctic lakes on Store Koldewey, an island in Northeast Greenland, were investigated for fossil chironomid assemblages. A total of 18 and 21 chironomid taxa were identified in 290‐ and 252‐cm‐long sediment sequences from Duck Lake and Hjort Lake, respectively. The chironomid assemblages were very similar in the two lakes. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to compare fossil chironomid assemblages from Store Koldewey with chironomid assemblages and environmental conditions presently found in Canadian Arctic lakes and, hence, to infer environmental changes for Northeast Greenland. The first chironomids appeared at c. 9500 cal. a BP in Hjort Lake, and 500 years later in Duck Lake. Taxa typical for cold and nutrient‐poor arctic lakes dominated the earliest assemblages. Chironomid assemblages with taxa typical of higher summer air temperatures and lakes with higher nutrient availability occur between 8000 and 5000 cal. a BP. This period probably marks the regional Holocene thermal maximum, which is relatively late compared with some palaeoenvironmental records from East Greenland. One possible reason could be the location of Store Koldewey at the very outer coast, with local climatic conditions strongly influenced by the cold East Greenland Current. From around 5000 cal. a BP, chironomid assemblages in Duck Lake and Hjort Lake again became more typical of those presently found in Northeast Greenland, indicating relatively cold and nutrient‐poor conditions. This shift coincides with an increase of ice‐rafting debris off East Greenland and an intensification of the East Greenland Current.