Fluvial incisions in the North‐Western Pyrenees (Aspe Valley): Dissection of a former planation surface and some tectonic implications

Dissected remnants of a high elevation low relief surface (HELRS) are encountered all along the Pyrenean range. All authors agree that the HELRS was shaped during the post‐shortening evolution of the belt, but doubt remains on its original elevation. Notably, whether a post‐shortening uplift event occurred after the generation of the Pyrenean planation surface is still debated. Based on a geomorphological study of the entrenchment of the Aspe River in the North‐Western Pyrenees, we describe a post‐Oligocene multi‐stage dissection of the HELRS linked to a regional post‐shortening uplift. Each incision stage is recorded by erosional triangular facets and associated stepped remnants of former smooth topographies. Compared analysis of patterns of incision in the Axial Zone and its northern border allows to evidence differential vertical motions. We discuss the forcing mechanism(s) that controlled this morphological evolution.     

Neogene upper‐crustal cooling of the Olympus range (northern Aegean): major role of Hellenic back‐arc extension over propagation of the North Anatolia Fault Zone

The North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) is one of the most hazardous active faults on Earth, yet its Pliocene space‐time propagation across the north Aegean domain remains poorly constrained. We use low‐temperature multi‐thermochronology and inverse thermal modelling to quantify the cooling history of the upper crust across the Olympus range. This range is located in the footwall of a system of normal faults traditionally interpreted as resulting from superposed Middle–Late Miocene N–S stretching, related to the back‐arc extension of the Hellenic subduction zone, and a Pliocene‐Quaternary transtensional field, attributed to the south‐westward propagation of the NAFZ. We find that accelerated exhumational cooling occurred between 12 and 6 Ma at rates of 15–35 °C Ma^?1 and decreased to <3 °C Ma^?1 by 8–6 Ma. The absence of significant Plio‐Pleistocene cooling across Olympus suggests that crustal exhumation there is driven by late Miocene back‐arc extension, while the impact of the NAFZ remains limited.     

On the age calibration of the geomagnetic polarity timescale

Knowledge of the age of undated events is not null if a time-order relationship can be found among these events. The knowledge of such a time-ordered sequence can be formalized by using non-informative (uniform) prior probability densities for the ages of undated events and Bayes' theorem to introduce the time-order relationship condition. We show that the conditional probability densities of the ages of events of unknown age are given by various forms of Euler's beta distribution. These distributions yield an estimate of the probability for an undated event to occur in a given age interval.
  We use this method to propose appropriate probabilistic representations of our actual knowledge of the dating of the magnetic polarity reversals during the Cenozoic. These representations take into account the uncertainties arising from irregularities in accretion process and from the quality of a few calibration points. Both types of uncertainties generate large ambiguities in the age of magnetic reversals, which should be taken into consideration when the geomagnetic polarity timescale is used for dating purposes. We propose to use the entropy function to quantify these ambiguities.     

Dense collection areas and terrestrial alteration of meteorites in the Atacama Desert

In the last 15 years, more than 2700 meteorites have been recovered and officially classified from the Atacama Desert. Although the number of meteorites collected in the Atacama has risen, the physical and climatic properties of the dense collection areas (DCAs) have not been fully characterized. In this article, we compiled the published data of all classified meteorites found in the Atacama Desert to (i) describe the distribution by meteorite groups, (ii) compare the weathering degree of chondrites among different Atacama DCAs and other hot and cold deserts, and (iii) determine the preservation conditions of chondrites in the main Atacama DCAs in relation with the local climatic conditions. The 35 DCAs so far identified in the Atacama Desert are located in three main morphotectonic units: The Coastal Range (CR), Central Depression (CD), and Pre-Andean Range/Basement. A comparison with reported weathering data from other cold and hot deserts indicates that the mean terrestrial weathering of Atacama chondrites (W1–2), displays less alteration than other hot deserts (W2–3) and resembles the weathering distribution of the Antarctic meteorites (W1–2). The highest abundance of Atacama chondrites with low weathering (≤W2) is localized in the CD (78.8%, N = 1435), which is protected from the coastal fog influence and seasonal rainfalls and displays the oldest surfaces in the Atacama Desert. The morphogenetic classification based on present-day temperatures and precipitations of the main Atacama DCAs reveals similar regional/subregional climatic conditions in the most productive areas and a truly productive surface for meteorite recovery between 5% and 58% of the quadrangles formally defined for each Atacama DCA. Our morphogenetic classification lacks consideration of some meteorological parameters such as the coastal fog, so it cannot fully explain the differences in weathering patterns among CR chondrites. Future studies of chondrite preservation in the Atacama DCAs should consider other meteorological variables such as relative humidity, specific humidity, or dew point, in combination with exposure ages of meteorites and its surfaces.     

Hydrogen emissions from Erebus volcano, Antarctica

The continuous measurement of molecular hydrogen (H₂) emissions from passively degassing volcanoes has recently been made possible using a new generation of low-cost electrochemical sensors. We have used such sensors to measure H₂, along with SO₂, H₂O and CO₂, in the gas and aerosol plume emitted from the phonolite lava lake at Erebus volcano, Antarctica. The measurements were made at the crater rim between December 2010 and January 2011. Combined with measurements of the long-term SO₂ emission rate for Erebus, they indicate a characteristic H₂ flux of 0.03?kg s^–1 (2.8?Mg? day^–1). The observed H₂ content in the plume is consistent with previous estimates of redox conditions in the lava lake inferred from mineral compositions and the observed CO₂/CO ratio in the gas plume (～0.9 log units below the quartz–fayalite–magnetite buffer). These measurements suggest that H₂ does not combust at the surface of the lake, and that H₂ is kinetically inert in the gas/aerosol plume, retaining the signature of the high-temperature chemical equilibrium reached in the lava lake. We also observe a cyclical variation in the H₂/SO₂ ratio with a period of ～10?min. These cycles correspond to oscillatory patterns of surface motion of the lava lake that have been interpreted as signs of a pulsatory magma supply at the top of the magmatic conduit.     

Comparison of LiDAR waveform processing methods for very shallow water bathymetry using Raman,near‐infrared and green signals

Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) bathymetry appears to be a useful technology for bed topography mapping of non‐navigable areas, offering high data density and a high acquisition rate. However, few studies have focused on continental waters, in particular, on very shallow waters (<2 m) where it is difficult to extract the surface and bottom positions that are typically mixed in the green LiDAR signal. This paper proposes two new processing methods for depth extraction based on the use of different LiDAR signals [green, near‐infrared (NIR), Raman] of the SHOALS‐1000T sensor. They have been tested on a very shallow coastal area (Golfe du Morbihan, France) as an analogy to very shallow rivers. The first method is based on a combination of mathematical and heuristic methods using the green and the NIR LiDAR signals to cross validate the information delivered by each signal. The second method extracts water depths from the Raman signal using statistical methods such as principal components analysis (PCA) and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. The obtained results are then compared to the reference depths, and the performances of the different methods, as well as their advantages/disadvantages are evaluated. The green/NIR method supplies 42% more points compared to the operator process, with an equivalent mean error (?4·2 cm verusu ?4·5 cm) and a smaller standard deviation (25·3 cm verusu 33·5 cm). The Raman processing method provides very scattered results (standard deviation of 40·3 cm) with the lowest mean error (?3·1 cm) and 40% more points. The minimum detectable depth is also improved by the two presented methods, being around 1 m for the green/NIR approach and 0·5 m for the statistical approach, compared to 1·5 m for the data processed by the operator. Despite its ability to measure other parameters like water temperature, the Raman method needed a large amount of reference data to provide reliable depth measurements, as opposed to the green/NIR method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamique et modélisation des crues dans le bassin du Mono à Nangbéto (Togo/Bénin)

Résumé

Les inondations des dernières années en Afrique de l’Ouest rendent nécessaire la prévision hydrologique pour réduire la vulnérabilité des populations. Nous avons étudié la dynamique des crues dans le bassin du Mono en amont du barrage de Nangbéto (Togo et Bénin) par des méthodes statistiques et déterministes. L’augmentation des précipitations au cours de la décennie 1990 et la mise en eau du barrage de Nangbéto en 1988 ont modifié le régime du Mono, dont les débits d’étiages ont augmenté. Les débits entrants et sortants du barrage sont équivalents, même lors des crues. Les maximums annuels des débits entrants peuvent être modélisés par une distribution des valeurs extrêmes (GEV) de type Fréchet, tandis que ceux des débits sortants, suivent une loi GEV de type Weibull (bornée). Le mécanisme dominant de génération des crues dans le bassin est la montée progressive des eaux associée à l’augmentation de la saturation des sols. L’analyse des débits de crue entre 1988 et 2010 n’a pas montré d’augmentation de la magnitude ou de la fréquence des crues. Le modèle GR4J reproduit bien les débits de crues en période calage, mais ces critères de performance se dégradent lorsque l’on s’en éloigne. Dans ces conditions, l’utilisation de ce modèle pour évaluer les risques futurs de crues serait hasardeuse et il est nécessaire d’envisager d’autres types d’approches.     

The snowball Earth aftermath: Exploring the limits of continental weathering processes

Carbonates capping Neoproterozoic glacial deposits contain peculiar sedimentological features and geochemical anomalies ascribed to extraordinary environmental conditions in the snowball Earth aftermath. It is commonly assumed that post-snowball climate dominated by CO₂ partial pressures several hundred times greater than modern levels, would be characterized by extreme temperatures, a vigorous hydrological cycle, and associated high continental weathering rates. However, the climate in the aftermath of a global glaciation has never been rigorously modelled. Here, we use a hierarchy of numerical models, from an atmospheric general circulation model to a mechanistic model describing continental weathering processes, to explore characteristics of the Earth system during the supergreenhouse climate following a snowball glaciation. These models suggest that the hydrological cycle intensifies only moderately in response to the elevated greenhouse. Indeed, constraints imposed by the surface energy budget sharply limit global mean evaporation once the temperature has warmed sufficiently that the evaporation approaches the total absorbed solar radiation. Even at 400 times the present day pressure of atmospheric CO₂, continental runoff is only 1.2 times the modern runoff. Under these conditions and accounting for the grinding of the continental surface by the ice sheet during the snowball event, the simulated maximum discharge of dissolved elements from continental weathering into the ocean is approximately 10 times greater than the modern flux. Consequently, it takes millions of years for the silicate weathering cycle to reduce post-snowball CO₂ levels to background Neoproterozoic levels. Regarding the origin of the cap dolostones, we show that continental weathering alone does not supply enough cations during the snowball melting phase to account for their observed volume.