Depositional processes on oceanic island shelves – Evidence from storm‐generated Neogene deposits from the mid‐North Atlantic

Oceanic islands – such as the Azores in the mid‐North Atlantic – are periodically exposed to large storms that often remobilize and transport marine sediments along coastlines, and into deeper environments. Such disruptive events create deposits – denominated tempestites – whose characteristics reflect the highly dynamic environment in which they were formed. Tempestites from oceanic islands, however, are seldom described in the literature and little is known about storm‐related sediment dynamics affecting oceanic island shelves. Therefore, the geological record of tempestite deposits at oceanic islands can provide invaluable information on the processes of sediment remobilization, transport and deposition taking place on insular shelves during and after major storms. In Santa Maria Island (Azores), a sequence of Neogene tempestite deposits was incorporated in the island edifice by the ongoing volcanic activity (thus preserved) and later exposed through uplift and erosion. Because it was overlain by a contemporary coastal lava delta, the water depth at the time of deposition could be inferred, constituting an excellent case‐study to gain insight on the still enigmatic processes of insular shelf deposition. Sedimentological, palaeontological, petrographic and palaeo‐water depth information allowed the reconstruction of the depositional environment of these sediments. The sequence typifies the characteristics of a tempestite (or successive tempestites) formed at ca 50 m depth, in a steep, energetic open insular shelf, and with evidence for massive sediment remobilization from the nearshore to the middle or outer shelf. The authors claim that cross‐shelf transport induced by storm events is the main process of sediment deposition acting on steep and narrow shelves subjected to high‐energetic environments, such as the insular shelves of open‐sea volcanic islands.     

东山乌礁湾海滩表层沉积物粒度时空变化分析

为了进一步了解海岛岬湾海岸表层沉积物粒度的时空分布特征和形成机制,作者以福建东山岛乌礁湾为典型研究区,通过秋、春、夏3个不同季节海滩表层沉积物的采集和点位测量,综合应用激光法和筛析法进行粒度测定。结果表明,东山乌礁湾海滩表层沉积物以0.16～0.50 mm之间的中、细砂为主,并含有少量的粗砂和细砾,这与区域砂质沉积背景有关;湾内从南到北剖面沉积物粒径由粗砂到细砂逐渐变细,主要受剖面地形、局地物源、季节性风浪作用和近岸往复水动力的影响。时间变化上,各取样站位表现出沉积物粒径粗、细不同程度的多种变化趋势,以秋季为参考,整体上表现为由南到北粒级的变小、增大和稳定,这与东北、南南西季风影响下的浪、潮作用以及沿岸流系格局变化下的水动力环境有关。     

Morphological controls on the downstream passage of a sediment wave in a gravel-bed stream

Sediment waves in river systems have been widely reported, although few studies have examined the interaction between these waves and the morphology of the reaches through which they pass. This interaction determines how waves are modified as they propagate downstream. This study documents the origin and downstream passage of an avulsion-generated sediment wave through a 374 m study reach of the Allt Dubhaig, Scotland. A nested survey framework was adopted, with volumes calculated from cross-sections spaced between 10 and 40 m apart documenting the origin and downstream passage of the wave. The wave moved through an intensively (c. 1 m cross-section spacing) monitored 120 m stretch (Reach A) within the study reach, allowing assessment of sediment exchanges between the incoming wave and the local morphology. Successive surveys show the movement of the wave through and out of the reach, and also that areas where wave sediment was deposited did not always correspond with areas of subsequent erosion. Reach A was divided into three morphologically distinct sub-reaches (1A, 2A and 3A) within which sediment fluxes and the three-dimensional distribution of erosion/deposition were estimated. Sediment wave input into 1A and 2A (relatively stable sub-reaches) caused forced bar aggradation and erosion of sediment from elsewhere within the reach, which then became part of the wave. The downstream transfer of this sediment into unstable 3A caused aggradation and, in response, widespread erosion which increased the magnitude of the sediment wave as it exited reach A. Sediment exchange between the recipient reach and the wave depends upon local morphological stability and is a crucial process affecting wave magnitude and attenuation. The macroscale sediment wave interacted with, rather than overwhelmed, the recipient morphology. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Weathering,erosion and sediment composition in a high‐gradient river,Calabria, Italy

Source rock lithology and immediate modifying processes, such as chemical weathering and mechanical erosion, are primary controls on fluvial sediment supply. Sand composition and Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) of parent rocks, soil and fluvial sand of the Savuto River watershed, Calabria (Italy), were used to evaluate the modifications of source rocks through different sections of the basin, characterized by different geomorphic processes, in a sub‐humid Mediterranean climate. The headwaters, with gentle topography, produce a coarse‐grained sediment load derived from deeply weathered gneiss, having sand of quartzofeldspathic composition, compositionally very different from in situ degraded bedrock. Maximum estimated CIA values suggest that source rock has been affected significantly by weathering, and it testifies to a climatic threshold on the destruction of the bedrock. The mid‐course has steeper slopes and a deeply incised valley; bedrock consists of mica‐schist and phyllite with a very thin regolith, which provides large cobble to very coarse sand sediments to the main channel. Slope instability, with an areal incidence of over 40 per cent, largely supplies detritus to the main channel. Sand‐sized detritus of soil and fluvial sand is lithic. Estimated CIA value testifies to a significant weathering of the bedrock too, even if in this part of the drainage basin steeper slopes allow erosion to exceed chemical weathering. The lower course has a braided pattern and sediment load is coarse to medium–fine grained. The river cuts across Palaeozoic crystalline rocks and Miocene siliciclastic deposits. Sand‐sized detritus, contributed from these rocks and homogenized by transport processes, has been found in the quartzolithic distal samples. Field and laboratory evidence indicates that landscape development was the result of extensive weathering during the last postglacial temperature maximum in the headwaters, and of mass‐failure and fluvial erosional processes in the mid‐ and low course. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

夏季珠江口沉积物中营养盐剖面分布和界面交换通量

通过对夏季珠江口区域沉积物间隙水营养盐剖面分析,调查了营养盐含量分布和特征,探讨了有机物的降解特性、营养盐的底部通量估算和作用.结果表明,珠江口沉积物间隙水中营养盐以高含量铵盐为主要的存在形式,沉积物中有机物的降解反应主要在厌氧状态下进行,底部水体铵盐的增加来源于底部沉积物有机质的降解释放,而且对水体的营养盐循环有较大的贡献.     

青海省都兰县查哈西里地区地球化学异常特征及成矿远景评述

通过1：5万水系沉积物的地球化学测量,对查哈西里地区Au、Cu等16种元素的地球化学特征进行了初步分析.综合元素富集程度、分异程度、叠加强度,发现Au、Cu、Ni、Cr、Co在研究区内有富集成矿的可能,是研究区主要成矿元素.根据异常特征与成矿地质条件,推断区内为构造蚀变岩型Au-Cu多金属矿床及热液蚀变型Cu-Ni多金属矿床.优选出4处成矿远景区,即科德日特-巴嘎哈尔散金铜多金属成矿远景区、查干热格沟铜多金属成矿远景区、乌兰可镍多金属成矿远景区和马尼特沟南铁镍多金属成矿远景区.     

Soil erosion and sediment transport in Tanzania: Part II – sedimentological evidence of phased land degradation

Soil resources in parts of Tanzania are rapidly being depleted by increased rates of soil erosion and downstream sediment transport, threatening ecosystem health, water and livelihood security in the region. However, incomplete understanding to what effect the dynamics of soil erosion and sediment transport are responding to land-use changes and climatic variability are hindering the actions needed to future-proof Tanzanian land-use practices. Complementary environmental diagnostic tools were applied to reconstruct the rates and sources of sedimentation over time in three Tanzanian river systems that have experienced changing land use and climatic conditions. Detailed historical analysis of sediment deposits revealed drastic changes in sediment yield and source contributions. Quantitative sedimentation reconstruction using radionuclide dating showed a 20-fold increase in sediment yield over the past 120 years. The observed dramatic increase in sediment yield is most likely driven by increasing land-use pressures. Deforestation, cropland expansion and increasing grazing pressures resulted into accelerating rates of sheet erosion. A regime shift after years of progressive soil degradation and convergence of surface flows resulted into a highly incised landscape, where high amounts of eroded soil from throughout the catchment are rapidly transported downstream by strongly connected ephemeral drainage networks. By integrating complementary spatial and temporal evidence bases, this study demonstrated links between land-use change, increased soil erosion and downstream sedimentation. Such evidence can guide stakeholders and policy makers in the design of targeted management interventions to safeguard future soil health and water quality.     

海洋沉积物重金属生态风险评价方法比较及实例验证——以莱州湾为例

利用2016年8月份莱州湾沉积物中Hg、Cd、Pb、Cu、As、Cr、Zn监测数据,分别利用单因子污染指数法、潜在生态风险指数法、地积累指数法、沉积物质量基准法、尼梅罗综合指数法、污染负荷指数法等6种沉积物重金属风险评价方法进行评价,以比较沉积物重金属生态风险评估方法的适用性与局限性。结果表明,莱州湾表层沉积物中,重金属Hg、Cd、Pb、Cu、As、Cr和Zn含量分别为0.077 4 mg/kg、0.169 mg/kg、12.1 mg/kg、11.9 mg/kg、11.6 mg/kg、31.1 mg/kg、45.3 mg/kg。不同方法在莱州湾沉积物风险评价结果上存在差异。单因素评价方法中,单因子污染指数法、潜在生态危害指数法、尼梅罗综合指数法的评价结果适中,地累积指数法评价结果偏轻,沉积物质量基准法评价结果偏重。Hg、As、Cd元素的污染评价结果均较大,为主要的污染元素;综合因素评价方法中,污染负荷指数法评价结果风险偏轻,潜在生态危害指数法评价结果适中,内梅罗综合指数法评价结果则倾向偏重。沉积物重金属含量与底栖生物的丰度、生物量的pearson相关系数表明,Hg与底栖生物的生物量呈现显著负相关。6种方法都有自身优缺点和适用范围,但潜在生态危害指数法更适合莱州湾沉积物重金属风险评价。     

The impact of shrimp trawling and associated sediment resuspension in mud dominated, shallow estuaries

To address the relative importance of shrimp trawling on seabed resuspension and bottom characteristics in shallow estuaries, a series of disturbance and monitoring experiments were conducted at a bay bottom mud site (2.5 m depth) in Galveston Bay, Texas in July 1998 and May 1999. Based on pre- and post-trawl sediment profiles of ⁷Be; pore water dissolved oxygen and sulfide concentration; and bulk sediment properties, it was estimated that the trawl rig, including the net, trawl doors, and “tickler chain,” excavate the seabed to a maximum depth of approximately 1.5 cm, with most areas displaying considerably less disturbance. Water column profile data in the turbid plume left by the trawl in these underconsolidated muds (85–90% porosity; <0.25 kPa undrained shear strength) demonstrate that suspended sediment inventories of up to 85–90 mg/cm² are produced immediately behind the trawl net; an order of magnitude higher than pre-trawl inventories and comparable to those observed during a 9–10 m/s wind event at the study site. Plume settling and dispersion caused suspended sediment inventories to return to pre-trawl values about 14 min after trawl passage in two separate experiments, indicating particles re-settle primarily as flocs before they can be widely dispersed by local currents. As a result of the passage of the trawl rig across the seabed, shear strength of the sediment surface showed no significant increase, suggesting that bed armoring is not taking place and the trawled areas will not show an increase in critical shear stress.     

东太平洋深海沉积物小于2μm组分的稀土元素地球化学特征

用等离子光谱测定了东太平洋９个深海沉积物样品的小于２μｍ组分及全岩的稀土元素,结果显示,小于２μｍ组分及全岩的稀土元素组成均受控于沉积物类型,而二者之间稀土元素组成的差异在钙质和硅质沉积物中出现相反的趋势。元素相分析和稀土元素赋存状态分析表明,这种差异主要由于沉积物物质组成的不同所致,表面在化学组成上,主要与ＭｎＯ,Ａｌ２Ｏ３Ｆｅ２Ｏ３,ＣａＯ含量的变化有关,大多数样品在小于２μｍ组分的稀土组成