Bedforms produced by fine, cohesionless, granular and flakey sediments under subcritical water flows

Experiments have been conducted in a 10 m long laboratory flume to investigate the bedforms which develop from fine, cohesionless sediment beds. Two grades of near uniformly sized silica grains (of median nominal diameters 15 and 66 μm) and six grades of micaceous flakes (ranging in median nominal diameter from 15.5 to 76 μm) were used. A steady subcritical water discharge, which was increased in steps after several hours, was applied to a flat bed of each grade. The developing bedform sequence for fine granular beds was identified as many small-sized primary ripples, isolated primary, transverse primary, secondary ripples and then possibly dunes; this development was almost the same as that observed for coarser grains. The sequence for fine flake beds differed from grains. Only the single bedform type of parting lineations was observed; with increased discharge, the lineations began to oscillate and eventually enter into fluid suspension. The low discharge parallel lineations were thought to be generated by ‘streaks’ or lanes of transversely alternate high and low velocity fluid which have been reported to exist in the viscous sub-layer of a turbulent-smooth boundary, whilst the higher discharge wandering lineations were attributed to low velocity streak ‘bursts’.     

A cine-camera technique for process measurement on a ridge and runnel beach

Previous attempts to quantify beach processes with techniques involving direct measurement have met with varying degrees of success. Problems encountered can be attributed to three main areas of difficulty: (1) the rapidity of change in both process operation and the subsequent production and development of bed forms; (2) the inclement nature of the weather conditions during which the most rapid beach changes take place; (3) interference with the flows being measured, by the equipment. A photographic method is described here, which to a great extent overcomes these problems, and can be operated cheaply by a solitary field investigator.     

Recent sand volcanoes in the sand of a dike under construction

Sand volcanoes are small volcano-like features. They range in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres. Five volcanoes with a maximum diameter of 2 m were observed during the construction of a dike on the coast of Northwestern Germany. The cones reached heights of about 15 cm with craters in the middle. The rise of the volcanoes is explained by de-watering of sediment.     

Miscibility of Tremolite and Hornblende in Progressive Skagit Metamorphic Suite, North Cascades, Washington

Tremolite-hornblende relationships are reported for high gradeand relatively low grade zones within the Barrovian type SkagitSuite, using rocks that range widely enough in composition toqualify as potential hosts of any calcic amphibole from practicallyA1-free to A1-rich types. Out of over 100 samples analysed bymicroprobe, 22 representative analyses are listed, with end-membercalculations. In the sillimanite grade core of the Skagit Suite, calcic amphibolesfrom various, commonly metasomatized metamorphic ultramaficsand genetically related hornblendites, from amphibolites, schistsand gneisses, and from some metamorphosed impure dolomites showcontinuous solid solution between tremolite and highly aluminoushornblendes ranging from almost Fe-free to moderately Fe-richtypes. A1_total/A1^IV is nearly constant and approximates 1?44.The second group of calcic amphiboles studied is from the lower-mediumrange of the epidote amphibolite facies (comprehensively defined),that is, from near and above the oligoclase isograd. Host rocksare variously metasomatized meta-peridotites, and amphibolitesand schists. There is a large compositional gap between analysesof tremolites and of moderately to highly aluminous hornblendes.A1_total/A1^IV approximates 1?73 both in the tremolite and hornblendefields, as against 1?44 at high grade. Fe-poor hornblendes,such as are stable at high grade, were not found at the lowergrade. At both grades, Al shows good overall correlation withNa+K, with A occupancy, and with Ti (with more Ti at high grade). The compositional gap between tremolite and hornblende analysesfrom the lower grade rocks does not necessarily define a solvusbecause no tremolite-hornblende pairs were found. Rather, theanalyses provide outer limits on the possible width of a solvusat this grade (T). However, certain data suggest that a truemiscibility gap not only exists but probably is not a greatdeal narrower than the gap between the actual analyses. Besides,the proposed restriction on A1/Fe ratios at this grade wouldreduce the probability of finding tremolite-hornblende pairs.     

The Fish Canyon Magma Body, San Juan Volcanic Field, Colorado: Rejuvenation and Eruption of an Upper-Crustal Batholith

More than 5000 km³ of nearly compositionally homogeneous crystal-richdacite (     

Neotectonics, sea-level changes and biological evolution in the Fennoscandian Border Zone of the southern Kattegat Sea

Shallow seismic data and vibrocore information, sequence stratigraphic and faunal evidence have been used for documentation of Late Weichselian reactivation of faulting in the south central Kattegat, southern Scandinavia. The study area is situated on the Fennoscandian Border Zone, where tectonic activity has been recurrent since Early Palaeozoic time and still occurs, as shown by present earthquake activity. New data from the area south of the island of Anholt show that after deglaciation fast isostatic rebound resulted in reactivation of a NW-SE striking normal fault system. This tectonic episode is dated to a period starting shortly before 15.0 cal. ka BP and ending around 13.5 cal. ka BP, after regression had already reached a level of about 30 m b.s.l. The vertical displacement associated with the faulting was in the order of 20 m. More generally, the results support the previously reported late Weichselian sea-level highstand, which was followed by forced regression until the eustatic sea-level rise surpassed the rate of glacio-isostatic rebound in early Preboreal. Our findings further imply that drainage of the Baltic Ice Lake through the Øresund at c. 15 cal. ka BP (Bergsten & Nordberg 1992) may have been triggered by tectonic activity in this region.     

Temporal Evolution of Boron Flux in the NE Japan and Izu Arcs Measured by Ion Microprobe from the Forearc Tephra Record

The enrichment of boron relative to similarly incompatible elements,such as Be, in arc volcanic rocks has been used as a proxy forthe involvement of slab flux in petrogenesis. New ion microprobeanalyses of single glass shards in tephra layers recovered bythe Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) in the Izu and NE Japan forearcbasins now allow the temporal variation in slab flux to be chartedsince 7 and 5 Ma, respectively. B/Be ratios are typically <70in NE Japan and <130 in Izu, with no single grain exceeding200. Although moderate to high for modern arcs, these valuesare much less than those recorded in the Marianas and Tongaat 3–4 Ma, shortly after the start of rifting of theirback-arc basins. This observation suggests that the peak B/Bevalues seen in Tonga and the Marianas are related to the tectonicsof slab roll-back and basin opening, rather than changes inthe dynamics of the Pacific Plate. There is no temporal trendto enrichment in the high field strength elements (HFSE) orrare earth elements (REE) in either Izu or NE Japan since 7Ma, although the two elemental groups do show clear positivecorrelation. A lack of correlation between REE, HFSE and B/Besuggests that slab flux is not the only control on melting inthese arcs.     

AN EVALUATION OF SEVERAL TURBULENCE SCHEMES FOR THE PREDICTION OF MEAN AND TURBULENT FIELDS IN COMPLEX TERRAIN

A prognostic three-dimensional mesoscale model has been developed andused in one- and two-dimensional modes to evaluate ten local turbulenceclosure schemes. The schemes ranged from first-order to the two-equationprognostic schemes. Predictions by the models were compared for aone-dimensional convective boundary layer using mixed layer scaling andmeasurements to interpret the results. Two-dimensional simulations were alsoperformed for a sea-breeze flow and for flow over a hill. The results showedthat for all of the models considered, minor differences were produced in themean meteorological fields and in the vertical scalar fluxes, but majordifferences were apparent in the velocity variances and dissipation rate.Predicted tracer concentrations were very sensitive to the turbulence modelformulation for dispersion from a point source in the convective boundarylayer, particularly for the prediction of maximum concentrations. Predictedtracer concentrations from a surface volume source for the two-dimensionalsimulations were similar for all models, although the degree of mixing in themorning growth period produced some differences. Generally, good results forthe mean meteorological fields can be obtained with first-order schemes, evenif they underpredict the magnitude of turbulence in the convective boundarylayer, and reasonable tracer concentrations can also be obtained with thesemodels provided near-source effects are not important. The two-equationprognostic models performed best for the prediction of turbulence in theconvective boundary layer.     

Geostrophic sand ridge, dune fields and associated bedforms from the Northern KwaZulu-Natal shelf, south-east Africa

Subaqueous dunes are formed on the KwaZulu-Natal outer-shelf due to sediment transport by the Agulhas Current (geostrophic current). These dunes occur within two dune fields at depths of ? 35 to ? 70 m. The net sediment transport direction is south, but short-period reversals form northward-migrating bedforms. The dune fields are physically bounded by late Pleistocene beachrock and aeolianite ledges. A bedform hierarchy has been recognized in the dune fields comprising a system of three generations of climbing bedforms. The outer dunefield has given rise to a sand ridge (H=12 m; L=4 km; W=1.1 km; and an 8° lee slope) whereas the inner dune fields have achieved large-scale dune status. Bedload parting zones within the dune fields occur where the sediment transport direction switches from north to south due to reversals in the geostrophic flow; these zones occur at depths of ? 60, ? 47 and ? 45 m. An interpretative stratigraphic model is presented on what such geostrophite deposits would look like in the ancient sedimentary record.