Spatially irregular sedimentation in a small, morphologically complex lake: implications for paleoenvironmental studies

A sub-bottom acoustic survey of Devil Lake on the Canadian Shield in southern Ontario reveals three acoustic facies: (I) a moderately acoustically transparent, laminated sequence interpreted as a glacilacustrine deposit in glacial Lake Iroquois or a subsequent phase in water depths up to 200 m greater than at present, (II) a transitional more transparent, less layered facies interpreted as being deposited in a more distal glacial lake from erosion of sediment in the watershed exposed by the failure of the ice dam and lowering of the glacial lake before stabilization by the development of forests, and (III) an acoustically transparent facies with similar transmissivity to the water column, interpreted as Holocene gyttja. Each is spatially variable in extent and thickness in response to those processes. There is only a very weak relation between sediment thickness and the water depth in which it was deposited. Wave processes prevent deposition in water depths less than about 6 m and evidence of erosion to the greatest depths of the lake (>40 m) is pervasive. The data demonstrate the value of acoustic survey in assessing lacustrine processes and the history of lakes, and the significance of such documentation in planning a coring program and in interpreting the results.     

Subfossil Chironomidae from Lake Tanganyika, East Africa. 2. Chironominae (Chironomini and Tanytarsini)

Analysis of subfossil remains of larval Chironomidae in 38 surface-sediment samples from between 53 and 189 meter depth in Lake Tanganyika (East Africa) yielded 77 morphotypes, among which 7 Tanypodinae, 19 Orthocladiinae, and 51 Chironominae. Character-state differences between these morphotypes resemble differences at the species level in the better-known Holarctic fauna, hence we consider most of our Lake Tanganyika morphotypes equivalent to morphological species. Individual morphotypes were identified to species, genus, or tribe level depending on current alpha-taxonomic knowledge on the larvae of the group concerned, and the taxonomic resolution of preserved diagnostic features. This paper presents taxon diagnoses and an illustrated key to the Chironominae (Chironomini and Tanytarsini) in this collection. As the living chironomid fauna of Lake Tanganyika has never been comprehensively studied, we also briefly discuss faunistic aspects, and the ecology of the recovered species and genera in relation to benthic habitat diversity in Lake Tanganyika.     

晚更新世以来青海北部的人类活动与湖泊演变

作为高海拔生态环境的青海北部是青藏高原的重要组成部分。晚更新世晚期以来 ,青海北部气候环境一直处于冷暖、干湿波动过程之中 ,湖泊水域也发生了相应的扩张和收缩 ,成为高原人类迁移和发展的自然背景。约 3 0kaB .P .,在晚期智人出现和迁徙的关键时期 ,青海北部开始有了最早的人类活动 ;更新世末—全新世初 ,气候转暖 ,古人类再次来到青海北部 ;进入全新世中期 ,气候暖湿 ,湖水位回升 ,细石器技术变得十分普通 ,青海北部的人类活动渐趋频繁。     

北京地区3500a来的气候与环境变迁——兼论昆明湖的沧桑

通过对北京颐和园昆明湖中沉积物的沉积特征的研究,结合历史记载,对昆明湖水域的形成时间和发展过程有了深入的了解,据此对北京地区3500a以来的气候与环境变迁作出了科学的划分,为探讨北京地区未来的气候变化趋势将会有所启迪。     

云南泸沽湖畔石炭系-二叠系生物地层再研究

着重讨论沪沽湖畔相当于石炭系(三分)上统马平阶地层的划分和对比。认为其大部属于我国二叠系(三分)的下二叠统紫松阶(阿瑟尔阶—萨克马尔阶)，上部的硅质页岩已进入隆林阶(亚丁斯克阶)。根据岩性特征及古生物混生现象，推测除顶部外，大部为斜坡相沉积。其中的部分生物应是再沉积产物。     

广州东山湖宏观异常的判定及启示

2001年10月底广州东山湖水面出现宏观异常现象，市民怀疑为地震前兆异常。经过对异常的调查落实，结合广东省地震形势及前兆资料的分析研究，准确判断东山湖的异常现象并非地震宏观异常现象，消除了市民的不安与恐慌。     

Exploration and discovery in Yellowstone Lake: results from high-resolution sonar imaging, seismic reflection profiling, and submersible studies

‘No portion of the American continent is perhaps so rich in wonders as the Yellow Stone’ (F.V. Hayden, September 2, 1874)Discoveries from multi-beam sonar mapping and seismic reflection surveys of the northern, central, and West Thumb basins of Yellowstone Lake provide new insight into the extent of post-collapse volcanism and active hydrothermal processes occurring in a large lake environment above a large magma chamber. Yellowstone Lake has an irregular bottom covered with dozens of features directly related to hydrothermal, tectonic, volcanic, and sedimentary processes. Detailed bathymetric, seismic reflection, and magnetic evidence reveals that rhyolitic lava flows underlie much of Yellowstone Lake and exert fundamental control on lake bathymetry and localization of hydrothermal activity. Many previously unknown features have been identified and include over 250 hydrothermal vents, several very large (>500 m diameter) hydrothermal explosion craters, many small hydrothermal vent craters (1–200 m diameter), domed lacustrine sediments related to hydrothermal activity, elongate fissures cutting post-glacial sediments, siliceous hydrothermal spire structures, sublacustrine landslide deposits, submerged former shorelines, and a recently active graben. Sampling and observations with a submersible remotely operated vehicle confirm and extend our understanding of the identified features. Faults, fissures, hydrothermally inflated domal structures, hydrothermal explosion craters, and sublacustrine landslides constitute potentially significant geologic hazards. Toxic elements derived from hydrothermal processes also may significantly affect the Yellowstone ecosystem.     

Neuzeitlicher Schadstofftrend: Polycylische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAK) in aquatischen und terrestrischen Sedimenten

A Recent Contamination Trend: Polycylic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Aquatic and Terrestrial Sediments Concentrations of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in aquatic sediments of small, medium‐sized or very large inland lakes, of estuaries as well as in terrestrial sediments from Germany, the UK, Finland, and the USA were plotted in 10 trend curves over the period from 1800 to 1990. The segments of the bore cores were dated for their deposition age. For comparability of the results, the trend is preferentially shown by the guide parameter fluoranthene. Until the 19th century, a constant background value of C_Fluo = 10…50 μg/kg was observed in all regions. Then a steep increase in concentration followed, reaching in the aquatic sediments a maximum in the period 1940 to 1965, while the individual fluoranthene values ranged widely from 90 to 2400 μg/kg. In several regions, a more or less distinct decrease superseded this maximum, although this development did not appear in terrestrial sediments, in one estuary, and in remote forest lakes in Finland. The trend curves reflect the atmospheric deposition of PAHs in airborne dust and in some cases the import through runoff via rivers. Thus, the sediment profiles depict the development of air pollution by pyrogenic contaminants over more than a century. Sediment profiles from rivers can be used only with a high degree of reservation, because of the irregularity and low representativity of the sedimentation.     

Estimating palaeowind strength from beach deposits

Abstract The geological record of past wind conditions is well expressed in the coarse gravel, cobble and boulder beach deposits of Quaternary palaeolakes in the Great Basin of the western USA and elsewhere. This paper describes a technique, using the particle‐size distribution of beach deposits, to reconstruct palaeowind conditions when the lakes were present. The beach particle technique (BPT) is first developed using coarse beach deposits from the 1986–87 highstand of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, combined with instrumental wind records from the same time period. Next, the BPT is used to test the hypothesis that wind conditions were more severe than at present during the last highstand of Lake Lahontan (≈ 13 ka), which only lasted a decade or two at most. The largest 50 beach clasts were measured at nine beach sites located along the north, west and south sides of Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, all of which formed in 1986–87. At these sites, the largest clast sizes range from 10 to 28 cm (b‐axis), and fetch lengths range from 25 to 55 km. Nearshore wave height was calculated by assuming that the critical threshold velocity required to move the largest clasts represents a minimum estimate of the breaking wave velocity, which is controlled by wave height. Shoaling transformations are undertaken to estimate deep‐water wave heights and, ultimately, wind velocity. Wind estimates for the nine sites, using the BPT, range from 6·5 to 17·4 m s^?1, which is in reasonable agreement with the instrumental record from Salt Lake City Airport. The same technique was applied to eight late Pleistocene beaches surrounding the Carson Sink sub‐basin of Lake Lahontan, Nevada. Using the BPT, estimated winds for the eight sites range from 9·7 to 27·1 m s^?1. The strongest winds were calculated for a cobble/boulder beach with a fetch of 25 km. Instrumental wind records for the 1992–99 period indicate that wind events of 9–12 m s^?1 are common and that the strongest significant wind event (≥ 9 m s^?1 for ≥ 3 h) reached an average velocity of 15·5 m s^?1. Based on this preliminary comparison, it appears that the late Pleistocene western Great Basin was a windier place than at present, at least for a brief time.