A mid to late Holocene record of palaeoclimatic changes from Nal Sarovar: a palaeodesert margin lake in western India

With a view to obtain palaeoclimatic data from a climatically sensitive region we have studied core samples from Nal Sarovar, a large shallow lake lying within the palaeodesert margin of Thar in western India. A combination of C/N ratios and δ¹³C on a radiocarbon-dated core section have been used as climatic proxies. A high-resolution record extending back to ca. 6.6 ka BP has been reconstructed. The data indicate that, in the past, climate has varied from drier to wetter than present on time-scales of few hundreds to few thousands of years. There are, however, significant differences on the timing of these wet and dry periods, when compared with the available data from lakes farther north, in Rajasthan. Further, it looks unlikely that during the 6.6 ka the catchment areas of Nal Sarovar experienced such a significant increase in rainfall as has been suggested for the Rajasthan lakes. Interestingly, drier periods in Nal Sarovar data appear to correlate well with periods of glacier expansion in Eurasia indicating that the palaeoclimatic variations recorded in Nal Sarovar are a regional feature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biostratigraphy,sedimentology and palaeobathymetry of Waulsortian buildups and peri-Waulsortian rocks during the late Tournaisian regression,Dinant area,Belgium

Recent revision of the biostratigraphy allows the recognition of a stratigraphic entity (here termed Freyrian) between the base of the Moliniacian stage and the base of the Viséan and simplifies sedimentological interpretation of late Tournaisian events around Dinant, in Belgium. Petrographic analysis of Freyrian rocks in Waulsortian buildups and peri-Waulsortian facies reveals a pattern of carbonate sedimentation related to the submarine topography developed by the buildups, and to sea-level changes. Graded beds and thin layers of grainstone in the predominantly fine-grained peri-Waulsortian sediments represent influxes derived mainly from nearby buildups during a period of shallowing. Using the sequence of foraminiferan assemblages which colonized the buildups as a stratigraphic scale, the earlier influxes are shown to have occurred only close to the presumed source, whereas later influxes extended further and marked the culmination of the shallowing phase. Deposition during the latter part of the Freyrian appears to have occurred in rather deeper, less disturbed water. The Moliniacian and Viséan boundary stratotypes, both in peri-Waulsortian facies, are critically assessed because almost all the stratigraphically useful foraminiferans occur in the rare grainstones resulting from sediment influxes. Tetrataxis was one of the few foraminiferans to colonize proximal peri-Waulsortian areas and appears to have ranged to a water depth of about 200 m. Downslope diachronism of colonization is interpreted as evidence of a sea-level fall of about 140 m and is used to draw a sea-level curve for this late Tournaisian regression. Using the same depth scale, microbial coating extended to about 300 m and its development appears to have been related to low sedimentation rates rather than photic conditions. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extraction of organochlorine pesticides in sediments using soxhlet,ultrasonic and accelerated solvent extraction techniques

The application of soxhlet, ultrasonic and accelerated solvent extraction techniques to the analysis of six organochlorine pesticides (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, o, p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT and p, p'-DDE) in Taihu Lake sediment samples is described. It was found that the limits of quantification ranged from 0.002μgg-1 to 0.004μgg-1, and the recoveries of organochlorine pesticides with the three extraction techniques were acceptable (>80.7%). With a mass selective detector, better results were obtained by accelerated solvent extraction using hexane-acetone (1:1) as compared with soxhlet and ultrasonic extraction. It was shown that the accelerated solvent extraction was the optimum technique for the analysis of organochlorine pesticides in sediments. The general features of the three extraction techniques are also presented.     

企鹅粪土层中石英砂表面的化学溶蚀形貌及实验模拟

利用电镜扫描的方法分析了南极阿德雷岛Y2湖企鹅粪土沉积层中石英砂微形貌的特征,发现在企鹅粪含量高的沉积层中石英砂表面具有明显的碗状溶蚀坑等化学溶蚀特征,这一溶蚀特征在Y2湖企鹅粪含量低的沉积层和研究区的其他未受企鹅粪影响的沉积环境中均未明显出现。为了揭示这一特殊化学溶蚀现象的作用机制,根据Y2湖企鹅粪土沉积层自然沉积环境,通过条件实验确定在实验室内使用酸性较高的氟溶液(1mol.L-1HF溶液)对石英砂进行溶蚀实验,通过对比分析发现,实验室模拟条件下可以得到与企鹅粪土沉积层中石英砂相近的表面微形貌特征,这表明它们是在相似的过程中形成的。企鹅粪土沉积层酸性高氟环境中可能存在的HF酸化学溶蚀作用是形成企鹅粪土层中石英砂表面特有溶蚀坑的主要原因。在南极特殊的自然条件下碗状溶蚀坑与企鹅粪之间存在一定的因果关系,从而使石英砂的表面微形貌分析成为南极企鹅生态研究的一种新的辅助手段。     

冲绳海槽中南部不同环境表层沉积物质来源

对冲绳海槽中南部3种不同沉积环境(东海外陆架、东海陆坡和冲绳海槽)表层沉积物进行了稀土等元素地球化学分析,结果显示,冲绳海槽和陆坡表层沉积物具有与台湾物质来源类似的稀土元素配分模式,La/Sm-Gd/Yb散点图也显示海槽和陆坡沉积物主要分布在台湾物源端元区,表明冲绳海槽中南部海槽和陆坡表层沉积物主要来源于台湾,而外陆架...     

Organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes in surface sediments from the western Arctic Ocean and their implications for sedimentary environments

1 IntroductionFor several reasons, the Arctic Ocean and itsmarginal seas are key areas for understanding ocean-ic circulation and global climate system ( Clark,1982; Hansen et al., 1983; Walsh et al., 1996;Overpeck et al., 1997). First, the Arctic Ocean i…     

Pyrite Formation in Organic-rich Clay, Calcitic and Coal-Forming Environments

The early diagenetic characteristics of pyrite formation processes in a Miocene freshwater sequence of mixed sediments （coal fragments in clays, sandstones or shales） alternating with continuous brown coal layers was investigated. Based on abundant minerals, the following main sedimentary environments were distinguished： the illite-montmorillonitic （I-M）, calcitic （Ct） and coal-forming environment （CL）. For these hydrogeochemically differing environments the effects of limiting factors on the pyrite formation process （availability of sulphate and Fe, amount of organic matter and participation of organic sulphur） were assessed by correlation analysis. Significant differences in the effects of these limiting factors in the particular environments were observed. These differences were explained taking in account the different oxidative activity, Fe-complex and surface complex forming properties of humic substances in dependence of pH of environment and the abundance of sorptionally active clay minerals. In environments having a relatively low pH and containing clay minerals （I-M- and CL-environments） the oxidative activity of humic substances （Hs） on pyrite precursors was greatly prevented however pyrite formation depended on reactive Fe availability as the consequence of complex formation. On the contrary, in environments with a relatively high pH, as it was the calcitic, the oxidative activity of Hs was greatly enhanced, thus oxidizing the sulfur precursors of pyrite. The oxidation degree of organic matter was probably also a consequence of the differing activity of the humic electron-acceptors.     

Heavy metals in the hydrological cycle: Trends and explanation

This paper reviews the major sources and transport characteristics of heavy metals in the hydrological cycle. It is demonstrated that heavy metal releases to the environment have changed from 19th and early 20th century production-related activities to consumption-oriented factors in more recent times. The relative roles of particle size, sorption and desorption processes, partitioning and the chemical speciation of heavy metals on fine sediments are identified to understand the likely fate of heavy metals released into fluvial systems. It is argued that the spatial and temporal distribution of heavy metals in the river corridor depends not only on an understanding of metal solubility and speciation, but also on an understanding of sediment dynamics which control, for example, floodplain alluviation and the accumulation of metals in the bottom sediments of contaminated rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Existing long- and short-term records are examined to identify the current state of knowledge about the factors which affect heavy metal releases into aquatic environments. With limited exceptions, it is shown that few long-term studies of trends in heavy metal transport are available although, for some major rivers, limited data on trends in metal concentration exists. Palaeolimnological reconstruction techniques, based on an analysis of lake and reservoir sediments, are identified as a possible means of supplementing monitored records of heavy metal transport. Although numerous studies have suggested that trends in atmospheric contamination, mining and urbanization may be identified in the bottom sediment record, other research has shown that the radionuclide-based chronology and the heavy metal distribution within the sediment are more likely to be a function of post-depositional remobilization than the history of metal loading to the basin. Despite these limitations, it is shown that the incorporation of reservoir bottom sediment analysis into a heavy metal research programme, based in river corridors of Midland England, provides an opportunity to identify and quantify the relative contribution of point and non-point contributions to the heavy metal budget and to relate trends in metal contamination to specific periods of catchment disturbance.     

东太平洋海盆430柱沉积物特征与地层

对东太平洋海盆 ４３０ 柱沉积物的组分、古生物、结构构造以及古地磁、铀系等进行研究后, 将沉积物进行分类、命名与分层, 并确定其年代。研究表明, 本柱由下至上的沉积物分别为含沸石粘土、深海粘土、硅质粘土和钙质粘土。该柱中存在 ４ 个沉积间断, 其中在 ３２５ ｃｍ附近层位有一厚约 １０ ｃｍ 的多金属结核层,此界面为中中新世至晚上新世的沉积间断,它在 Ｃ Ｃ区内普遍存在, 持续时间长, 分布范围广。反映此时南极底层流十分强盛, 对东太平洋 Ｃ Ｃ 区的沉积作用和多金属结核形成与发育产生重要的影响。     

Generation of rhyolite magmas by melting of subducting sediments in Shodo-Shima island, Southwest Japan, and its bearing on the origin of high-Mg andesites

Abstract Geochemical characteristics of rhyolites from the Miocene Setouchi volcanic belt in the Southwest Japan arc were examined. The following observations may be best explained by the derivation of rhyolite magmas by melting of subducting sediments as follows. (i) Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions of Setouchi rhyolites are close to those of the local trench-fill sediments; (ii) major element compositions of rhyolites are identical to those of experimentally produced sediment melts; and (iii) concentrations of incompatible elements in rhyolites are consistent with partial melting of the local trench-fill sediments in the presence of residual garnet. Furthermore, trace element and isotope signatures of Setouchi high-Mg andesites can be also rationalized by interaction of such rhyolitic sediment melts with overlying mantle peridotites.