Landform and sediment imprints of fast glacier flow in the southwest Laurentide Ice Sheet

Evidence for former fast glacier flow (ice streaming) in the southwest Laurentide Ice Sheet is identified on the basis of regional glacial geomorphology and sedimentology, highlighting the depositional processes associated with the margin of a terrestrial terminating ice stream. Preliminary mapping from a digital elevation model of Alberta identifies corridors of smoothed topography and corridor‐parallel streamlined landforms (megaflutes to mega‐lineations) that display high levels of spatial coherency. Ridges that lie transverse to the dominant streamlining patterns are interpreted as: (a) series of minor recessional push moraines; (b) thrust block moraines or composite ridges/hill–hole pairs constructed during readvances/surges; and (c) overridden moraines (cupola hills), apparently of thrust origin. Together these landforms demarcate the beds and margins of former fast ice flow trunks or ice streams that terminated as lobate forms. Localised cross‐cutting and/or misalignment of flow sets indicates temporal separation and the overprinting of ice streams/lobes. The fast‐flow tracks are separated by areas of interlobate or inter‐stream terrain in which moraines have been constructed at the margins of neighbouring (competing) ice streams/outlet glaciers; this inter‐stream terrain was covered by more sluggish, non‐streaming ice during full glacial conditions. Thin tills at the centres of the fast‐flow corridors, in many places unconformably overlying stratified sediments, suggest that widespread till deformation may have been subordinate to basal sliding in driving fast ice flow but the general thickening of tills towards the lobate terminal margins of ice streams/outlet glaciers is consistent with subglacial deformation theory. In this area of relatively low relief we speculate that fast glacier flow or streaming was highly dynamic and transitory, sometimes with fast‐flowing trunks topographically fixed in their onset zones and with the terminus migrating laterally. The occurrence of minor push moraines and flutings and associated landforms, because of their similarity to modern active temperate glacial landsystems, are interpreted as indicative of ice lobe marginal oscillations, possibly in response to seasonal climatic forcing, in locations where meltwater was more effectively drained from the glacier bed. Further north, the occurrence of surging glacier landsystems suggests that persistent fast glacier flow gave way to more transitory surging, possibly in response to the decreasing size of ice reservoir areas in dispersal centres and also locally facilitated by ice‐bed decoupling and drawdown initiated by the development of ice‐dammed lakes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climatic control of the surge periodicity of an Icelandic outlet glacier

Surging outlet glaciers are important in draining large ice caps, but the mechanisms controlling surge periodicities are poorly known. We investigated a sediment sequence from the glacier‐fed Lake Lögurinn in eastern Iceland, and our unique annually resolved data, based on sedimentary varves, imply that Eyjabakkajökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, began surging about 2200 cal a BP (before 1950 AD). Approximately 1700 cal a BP, the glacier started to surge at a uniform 34‐ to 38‐year periodicity that prevailed until the coldest part of the Little Ice Age when the periodicity almost halved to 21–23 years. Since the late 1800 s the surge periodicity of Eyjabakkajökull has returned to a longer period of 35–40 years. We suggest that surge periodicities of Eyjabakkajökull are forced by climatically driven mass balance changes, which may be a common forcing factor for similar surge‐type outlet glaciers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Age and nature of Cryogenian diamictites at Aksu,Northwest China: implications for Sturtian tectonics and climate

The Neoproterozoic succession in the Aksu region of northwestern China forms an unconformable boundary with the lower Precambrian Aksu basement group and consists of the Qiaoenbrak, Yuermeinak, Sugetbrak, and Chigebrak Formations. The two lowermost units include distinct glaciogenic diamictites that indicate distinct episodes of glaciation. In this study, we report the LA-ICP-MS U–Pb ages of detrital zircons and geochemical data from the lower Neoproterozoic strata. The age of the detrital zircon constrains the maximum depositional age to between 769 ± 10 and 727 ± 8 Ma for the Qiaoenbrak diamictites, which are associated with the Kaigas glaciation that occurred during the early Cryogenian period. The youngest detrital zircon age of 719 ± 9 Ma corresponds to the maximum depositional age of the Yuermeinak diamictites, which are associated with the Sturtian glaciation. The detrital zircons from the lower Neoproterozoic strata in the Aksu area indicated four peak ages of 2484, 1948, 861, and 647–581 Ma, which are consistent with the major tectonic episodes in the Tarim Block. The peak age of 2484 Ma represents an Archaean basement, which participated in the worldwide continental nuclei growth event from the late Neoarchaean to the early Palaeoproterozoic. The peak age of 1948 Ma may be associated with the assembly of the Columbia supercontinent, and the 861 and 647–581 Ma are likely associated with the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent. The combination of geological and geochemical characteristics between the Qiaoenbrak Formation and Aksu Group indicates that the Qiaoenbrak Formation may be penecontemporaneous with the Aksu Group in an active continental margin tectonic setting. Following the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent, the margin of the Aksu evolved into a passive margin and the Yuermeinak and Sugetbrak Formations were deposited.     

Occurrence of ice-rafted erratics and the petrology of the KR1 seamount trail from the Australian–Antarctic Ridge

ABSTRACT

A multi-disciplinary study of the KR1 segment of the Australian–Antarctic Ridge has been conducted since 2011. We present geochemical and age dating results for samples dredged from three sites on the KR1 seamount trail. The majority of the samples are alkaline ocean island basalts with subdominant enriched tholeiites. The samples from the DG05 bathymetric depression include ice-rafted erratics from Antarctica, which consist of gabbro, diabase, various granitoids, volcanic rocks such as trachyte and rhyolite and deformed or undeformed sedimentary rocks. The main provenance of glacial erratics is considered to be the Ross Sea region. However, Carboniferous to Cretaceous ages of erratics indicate that some of these may originate from the western regions of West Antarctica. Based on the size and topography of the volcanic features and geochemical characteristics of the alkaline ocean island basalts (La/Sm_N = 2.62–3.88; Tb/Yb_N = 1.54–2.67) and the enriched tholeiites, the KR1 seamount trail is interpreted to be a submarine hotspot chain that is the product of alkaline volcanic eruption and seafloor spreading.     

成都平原区成都粘土的粒度特征及其成因意义

对成都平原区内5个代表性的第四系剖面上的成都粘土进行了系统的粒度分析。结果表明,成都粘土以粉砂颗粒（5～50μm）为主,平均粒径约为7．1—7．3φ（7．4—6．6μm）,缺少粗尾,〉63μm颗粒的含量很少,以细颗粒物质为主,呈双峰分布。其粒度分布及粒度参数特征与北方黄土及甘孜黄土非常相似,而与河流相沉积物有很大差异,表明成都粘土属于风成堆积。根据光释光测年（OSL）结果,成都平原区的成都粘土是晚更新世中期至晚期末次冰期堆积物,其物质主体是远源的。     

红青三维立体地形地质图的制作及其地质应用

应用红青滤色三维立体图对制作立体地形图是一个十分重要而简单的方法。文中简述了红青滤色立体图的原理,应用SRTM-DEM数据制作红青滤色三维立体地形图,结合地质图获得红青滤色三维立体地形地质图。立体地形地质图是地质填图成果的直观形象,是活动构造地貌研究的重要工具。     

ESR and Th/U dating of speleothems from Aladağlar Mountain Range (AMR) in Turkey

Electron spin resonance (ESR) and ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ages of speleothem samples collected from karstic caves located around 3000 m elevation in the Alada?lar Mountain Range (AMR), south-central Turkey, were determined in order to provide new insight and information regarding late Pleistocene climate. ESR ages were validated with the ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ages of test samples. The ESR ages of 21 different layers of six speleothem samples were found to range mostly between about 59 and 4 ka, which cover the Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) MIS 3 to MIS 1. Among all, only six layers appear to have deposited during MIS 8 and 5. Most of the samples dated were deposited during the late glacial stage (MIS 2). It appears that a cooler climate with a perennial and steady recharge was more conducive to speleothem development rather than a warmer climate with seasonal recharge in the AMR during the late Quaternary. This argument supports previous findings that suggest a two -fold increase in last glacial maximum mean precipitation in Turkey with respect to the present value.     

Last glacial maximum environments in northwestern Patagonia revealed by fossil small mammals

Comparisons of historical and modern assemblages of mammals can yield important insights into patterns and processes of environmental change. Here, we present the first analyses of small mammal assemblages present in northern Patagonia during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Using remains obtained from owl pellets excavated from an archeological cave site (Arroyo Corral I, levels VII–V, carbon dates of 22,400–21,530 cal yr BP), we generate estimates of the minimum number of individuals for all species detected; these estimates, in turn are used to determine relative species abundances. Comparisons of these data with similar analyses of small mammal remains obtained from a second archeological site (ACoII, levels IV–V, carbon dates of 10,010–9220 cal yr BP) as well as from modern owl pellets reveal pronounced changes in relative species abundance since the LGM. In particular, Euneomys chinchilloides and Ctenomys sociabilis – the predominant species during the LGM – declined markedly, suggesting a change from open, bare habitat punctuated by patches of wet meadows and shrubs to the more densely vegetated mosaic of ecotone habitats found in this region today. These data provide important new insights into the environmental changes that have occurred in northern Patagonia over the last 20,000 years.     

面向地貌学本源的DEM增值理论框架与构建方法

数字高程模型（DEM）在表达地貌形态、认知地表过程、揭示地学机理等研究中发挥着基础性的作用,是重要的地理空间数据模型,广泛地应用于地学分析与建模中。但是,传统DEM具有属性单一的天然缺陷,难以支撑面向地学过程与机理挖掘的地球系统科学研究。亟待在传统DEM的基础上实现其数据模型的增值,服务于新地貌学研究范式和新对地观测技术背景下的数字地形建模与分析。立足于以上问题,本文构建了DEM增值的理论框架,主要包括DEM增值的概念、内涵、内容、类别、不同增值类别之间的相互关系,以及此理论框架的研究意义和应用范畴。提出了DEM增值的构建方法,包含：① 强调地上地下一体化、时间空间相耦合的DEM空间维度和时间维度增值方法;② 重视地下、地表和地上物质构成,形态属性耦合的物质属性和形态属性增值方法;③ 顾及自然过程、人工作用的地物对象、地貌形态的地物要素和形体要素增值方法。最后,分别以数字阶地模型、数字坡地模型和数字流域模型为例,阐释DEM在面向地貌学本源问题时的不同增值方法及应用场景。期望通过对DEM进行维度、属性和要素3个层面的增值,实现现代对地观测技术背景下数字高程模型表达方法的突破,并支撑知识驱动的数字地貌问题分析。     

Evolution of Topography,Drainage and Biogeography in East Asia during the Cenozoic: Summary of the Third Conference on Earth System Science

Drastic changes in the deep Earth processes and paleoenvironments on the surface occurred in Asia and surrounding regions during the Cenozoic. Driven by India-Asia collision and Pacific plate subduction, the Tibet Plateau region in the west gained its high elevation, whereas lithosphere in east China lost its thickness, and West Pacific margin seas opened, all of which led to the establishment of the present-day topography and drainage pattern. These tectonic-geomorphic processes interplayed with global cooling, re-organization of northern westerlies, Asian monsoon regime and biogeography in this region, which have become the frontier topics in earth sciences.