Drainage patterns in southeast Queensland: the key to concealed geological structures?

Southeast Queensland's geomorphology is characterised by northwest – southeast-trending trunk drainage channels and highlands that strongly correlate with the distribution of geological units and major faults. Other geomorphological trends strongly coincide with subsidiary faults and geological domains. Australia is presently under compressional stress. Seismicity over the past 130 years records 56 earthquakes of >2 magnitude indicating continuing small-scale earth movements in the Moreton region. Highlands in this region are dominated by Paleozoic to Triassic metamorphic and igneous rocks, and are generally 20 – 80 km from the coastline. Coastal lowlands are largely dominated by Mesozoic sedimentary basins and a veneer of surficial sediments. The eastern coast of Australia represents a passive margin; crustal sag along this margin could be expected to produce relatively short, high-energy, eastward-flowing drainage systems. We performed a geomorphological analysis to characterise the drainage patterns in southeast Queensland and identify associations with geological features. Anomalous channel, valley and escarpment features were identified, which failed to match the anticipated drainage model and also lacked obvious geological control. Despite their proximity to the coast (base level), these features include areas where drainage channels flow consistently away from, or parallel to, the coastline. Although many channels do coincide with geological structures, the drainage anomalies cannot be directly related to known structural discontinuities. Anomalous drainage patterns are suggested to indicate previously unidentified structural features and in some cases relatively young tectonic control on the landscape. Recent seismicity data have also been analysed to assess spatial correlations between earthquakes and geomorphological features. Our results show that structure largely controls drainage patterns in this region, and we suggest that a presently unmapped and potentially active, deep-seated structure may exist parallel to the coast in the northern coastal region. We propose that this structure has been associated with uplift in the coastal region of southeast Queensland since mid-Cenozoic times.     

Lithological heterogeneity in a back-barrier sand island: Implications for modelling hydrogeological frameworks

Sediment mineralogy, quartz-grain surface-textures, grain-size analysis, bore-hole logging and ground penetrating radar are combined to develop a three dimensional stratigraphic model of a back-barrier sand island in southeast Queensland, Australia. The island consists of an unconsolidated sedimentary pile above an erosional bounding surface at the top of the underlying bedrock. The stratigraphy is complex, recording the shift in depositional environments from fluvio-deltaic to strandplain, via estuarine stages of evolution. The back-barrier island deposits are correlated with the stratigraphy of the adjacent coastal plain to the west and the barrier island to the east. Extrapolation of optically stimulated luminescence dates obtained from the barrier island combined with direct dating of the back-barrier island sediments is used to constrain the depositional age and chronology of the back-barrier island stratigraphy. The modern depositional environment evolved from a chenier plain into a barrier island system by the flooding of an interdune swale and development of a shore-parallel back-barrier tidal lagoon. The lithological heterogeneity of the back-barrier island succession was controlled by the presence of a bedrock incised palaeovalley and changes in relative sea-level.Sedimentary facies associations constrain the spatial distribution of hydraulic properties controlled by lithological heterogeneity. Post-depositional alteration horizons are integrated with the facies model to account for the effects of weathering and diagenesis on hydraulic behaviour. The derived hydrostratigraphy describes a vertically stacked, dual aquifer, island groundwater system consisting of a semi-confined palaeovalley aquifer overlain by an unconfined strand-plain aquifer.Hydrostratigraphic analysis based on sedimentary facies associations, integrated with post-depositional alteration characteristics reveals great complexity of groundwater systems within small island settings. The facies modelling approach employed in this study more accurately estimates the distribution of lithological heterogeneity and the associated variations in hydraulic properties in the sedimentary pile.     

Geological controls on radon potential in England

Radon exposure is a chronic and serious geohazard but with the correct knowledge of its distribution provided by an accurate radon potential map, this risk to human health can be reduced through well directed radon testing programmes and building control regulations.     

Is there a role for potential supervised injection facilities in Victoria,British Columbia,Canada?

Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are medical facilities where injection drug users can inject their illicit drugs under the supervision of nurses and doctors. Currently, there is only one legal SIF in operation in North America and it has been operating in Vancouver, British Columbia for over a decade. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the current facility needs to be expanded to other locations in British Columbia, Canada. We employ mathematical modeling to estimate the number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C infections prevented based on the available secondary data. Additionally, we also estimate the number of prevented overdose deaths attributable to the SIF. With very conservative estimates, it is predicted that establishing two SIFs locations outside Vancouver in British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria, is cost-effective, with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.25:1. It appears that expanding SIFs to Victoria could offer significant savings for local health care institutions.     

Pathways of runoff and sediment transfer in small agricultural catchments

Simultaneous field monitoring of runoff and suspended sediment loads from a 30 ha, artificially‐drained, mixed‐agricultural catchment in Herefordshire, UK indicates field drains are the dominant pathway for the transfer of runoff and sediment to the stream. Surface runoff pathways draining 6·2% of the catchment area transported around 1% of the catchment sediment load, while subsurface runoff in field drains draining 26·5% of the catchment transported around 24% of the sediment load. The explanations offered here for the dominance of drainflow—the spatial limitation of surface runoff generation and low hillslope‐stream connectivity of surface runoff compared with subsurface runoff—are also likely to apply to other artificially‐drained lowland agricultural catchments in the UK. These catchments are usually on poorly‐drained soils, and land management can have a considerable effect on the operation of runoff pathways and the transfer of sediment from hillslope to stream. As a result, subsurface inputs may also dominate sediment transfers in other underdrained catchments. The focus on sediment and pollutant losses via surface runoff pathways means that pollution inputs from subsurface, preferential pathways have been unfairly neglected, and it may be more important to focus on subsurface sediment and sediment‐associated pollution inputs for mitigation rather than inputs from surface pathways. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment delivery from agricultural land to rivers via subsurface drainage

Diffuse sources of sediment and sediment‐associated nutrients are of increasing environmental concern because of their impacts on receiving water courses. The aim of the research reported here was to monitor the outflow from four field (land) drains at two farms in the English Midlands in order to estimate the quantity of sediment delivered to the local rivers and the most likely sources and processes involved. A multiparameter sediment unmixing model was employed, using environmental magnetic, geochemical and radionuclide tracers in order to determine the most likely origin of sediments transported through the drains. Results demonstrated that there was a generally linear relationship between drainflow sediment loss and drainflow volume and that the majority (>70%) of the sediment exported from the drains was derived from topsoil. Macropore flow through heavily cracked soils is supported by the data to be the most likely means of sediment delivery to the drains. In one catchment, drains contributed over 50% of the annual sediment budget. Spatial and temporal variations in the sources of sediment reaching one drain outlet were investigated in detail. A link between soil moisture deficit (SMD) and the frequency of high‐intensity rainfall events was used to explain the appearance and persistence of a new sediment source in this drain after October 1998. It is concluded that field drains have the potential to be significant conduits of sediment and agrochemicals in a wide variety of environments in the UK. It is also suggested that this potential may increase if projected climate change leads to more intense rainfall events and increases in SMD across a greater area of the UK. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of rural land use on streamwater nutrients and their ecological significance

Concentrations and loads of N and P fractions were examined for lowland rivers, the Wye and Avon, draining a range of representative agricultural land-use types in two major UK river basins. Data collected over a 2-year period demonstrated important diffuse agricultural source contributions to N and P loads in these rivers. Ground water provided a major source of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) loads, whereas near-surface sources provided a major contribution to total phosphorus (TP) loads. In terms of aquatic ecology, concentrations of nutrients, at times of eutrophication risk (spring and summer low flows) were of key environmental and management significance. Agricultural diffuse sources provided the major source of long-term P loads across the two basins. However, the results demonstrated the dominance of point-source contributions to TP and SRP concentrations at times of ecological risk. Point sources typically ‘tip the balance’ of dissolved inorganic P (soluble reactive P, SRP) above the 100 μg l⁻¹ guideline value indicative of eutrophication risk. The significance of point sources for TP and SRP concentrations was shown by (a) the strong correlations between TP, SRP and B concentrations, using B as a tracer of sewage effluent, (b) the dominant contribution of SRP to TP concentrations and (c) the predominant pattern of dilution of SRP and B with flow. The clean Chalk streams draining low intensity grassland in areas of the Avon with sparse human settlement were oligotrophic and P limited with low SRP concentrations under spring and summer baseflows attributable to groundwater sources. The data provide important insights into the ecological functioning of different lowland stream systems. There was evidence of greater SRP losses and N-limitation in a stream which drains a pond system, demonstrating the importance of longer water residence times for biological nutrient uptake.