Field reconnaissance of the Anti-Atlas coastline, Morocco: Fluvial and marine evidence for Late Cenozoic uplift

The available evidence regarding the disposition and chronology of Pliocene–Pleistocene fluvial terraces, coastal rock flats, raised beaches and lacustrine sediments adjoining the Anti-Atlas coastline of Morocco has been reviewed and supplemented by additional information from our own field reconnaissance. It is thus suggested that the study region has experienced uplift by  130 m since the Mid-Pliocene climatic optimum ( 3.1 Ma), by  90 m since the latest Pliocene ( 2 Ma), and by  45 m since the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution ( 0.9 Ma). Each of these phases of uplift correlates with a phase of global climate change known independently, and it is thus inferred that the observed uplift is being driven by climate through mechanisms such as erosional isostasy and the associated induced lower-crustal flow. Numerical modelling of the observed uplift history indicates that the mobile lower-crustal layer in the study region is  9 km thick, with a temperature at its base of  500 °C. The base of this mobile layer is inferred to be at  24 km depth, the deepest crust consisting of a layer of mafic underplating that does not flow under ambient conditions. The principal landform in the study region, the coastal rock platform at  60 m a.s.l., thus formed during a succession of interglacial marine highstands in the late Early Pleistocene when uplift rates were low. Although control on the ages of young sediments and landforms is currently extremely limited, being dependent on regional correlation schemes rather than on absolute dating, the study region fits the pattern, emerging worldwide, that climate change is driving the systematic growth of topographic relief evident during the Late Cenozoic.     

Comment on “Luminescence chronology of the Sankosh river terraces in the Assam–Buthan foothills of the Himalayas: Implications to climate and tectonics” by Quaternary Geochronology 72, 101364

In a study of which the main objective was to assess the impact of climate change and tectonics on the formation of river terraces along the Sankosh River, the eastern foreland of the Himalayas, the authors obtained geochrono-logical data using luminescence technique. Four strath river terraces (T4–T1) were distinguished within the valley bottom, and alluvial sediments from three terraces (T4, T2 and T1) were dated to the age range from 143 to 14 ka. The alluvial mantels of river terraces were then linked to the scheme of glacial-interglacial cycle. The paper, however, suffers from few inconsistent and missing information, and the assessment on the landscape evolution of the river valley is incomprehensive. The authors relied on feldspars and therefore the IRSL method was used, but “OSL ages” are discussed at the end. They state that (i) tectonics creates space for sediment accommodation and (ii) the luminescence ages flank deposition and incision phases. Despite the fact that the statements are questionable, the ways these happen are not elucidated within the paper. Due to the lack of geochronological data for T3 terrace, its formation is very enigmatic. It is even more mysterious in the light of the data for the other terraces, but the authors made no attempt to explain this riddle. However, that certain inability of reconstructing the history of T3 would shed a shadow on the robustness of the ages obtained.     

The effect of lithology on valley width,terrace distribution,and bedload provenance in a tectonically stable catchment with flat‐lying stratigraphy

How rock resistance or erodibility affects fluvial landforms and processes is an outstanding question in geomorphology that has recently garnered attention owing to the recognition that the erosion rates of bedrock channels largely set the pace of landscape evolution. In this work, we evaluate valley width, terrace distribution, and bedload provenance in terms of reach scale variation in lithology in the study reach and discuss the implications for landscape evolution in a catchment with relatively flat‐lying stratigraphy and very little uplift. A reach of the Buffalo National River in Arkansas was partitioned into lithologic reaches and the mechanical and chemical resistance of the main lithologies making up the catchment was measured. Valley width and the spatial distribution of terraces were compared among the different lithologic reaches. The surface grain size and provenance of coarse (2–90 mm) sediment of both modern gravel bars and older terrace deposits that make up the former bedload were measured and defined. The results demonstrate a strong impact of lithology upon valley width, terrace distribution, and bedload provenance and therefore, upon landscape evolution processes. Channel down‐cutting through different lithologies creates variable patterns of resistance across catchments and continents. Particularly in post‐tectonic and non‐tectonic landscapes, the variation in resistance that arises from the exhumation of different rocks in channel longitudinal profiles can impact local base levels, initiating responses that can be propagated through channel networks. The rate at which that response is transmitted through channels is potentially amplified and/or mitigated by differences between the resistance of channel beds and bedload sediment loads. In the study reach, variation in lithologic resistance influences the prevalence of lateral and vertical processes, thus producing a spatial pattern of terraces that reflects rock type rather than climate, regional base level change, or hydrologic variability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

26Al and 10Be dating of late pleistocene and holocene fill terraces: a record of fluvial deposition and incision,Colorado front range

Cosmogenic ²⁶Al, ¹⁰Be, and ¹⁴C dating of fluvial fill terraces in steep canyons of the Colorado Front Range provides a temporal framework for analysing episodic aggradation and incision. Results from Boulder Canyon show that terrace heights above the modern channel (grade) can be divided into: (1) Bull Lake (≳100 ka; 20–15 m above grade); (2) Pinedale (32–10 ka; 15–4 m above grade); and (3) Holocene age (<4 m above grade). No pre‐Bull Lake deposits are preserved along Boulder Canyon, and only three small remnants >15 m above grade record Bull Lake deposition. Well‐preserved terraces of Pinedale age suggest that the range of terrace height above grade reflects short‐term fluctuations in the river profile during periods of rapidly changing stream load and power. Net river incision apparently occurred during transitions to interglacial periods. Soil development and stratigraphic position, along with limited cosmogenic and ¹⁴C dating, suggest that ∼130 ka terraces in Boulder Canyon correlate with the Louviers Alluvium, and that 32 to 10 ka fills in the canyon correlate with the Broadway Alluvium on the adjacent High Plains. Late Pleistocene incision rates (∼0·15 m ka⁻¹) along Boulder Canyon exceed pre‐late Pleistocene incision rates, and are higher than middle to late Pleistocene incision rates (∼0·04 m ka⁻¹) on the High Plains. This study provides an example of how modern geochronologic techniques allow us to understand better rivers that drain glaciated catchments. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

OSL chronology of Quaternary terraced deposits outcropping between Mt. Etna volcano and the Catania Plain (Sicily,southern Italy)

In this paper we tested the applicability of the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) technique through Single-Aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol, on single grain quartz extracted from alluvial–coastal sediments. Five samples were collected from deposits belonging to a flight of seven orders of coastal–alluvial terraces outcropping in the area between Mt. Etna volcano and the Catania Plain (Sicily, southern Italy), at the front of the Sicilian fold and thrust system. After various performance tests, we obtained OSL ages ranging between 240 ± 12 and 80 ± 4 ka, consistent with the normal evolutionary model of a terraced sequence, moving from the highest to the lowest elevation. Obtained data allowed us to determine a mean uplift rate of 1.2 mm/year during the last 240 ka, mostly related to regional uplift processes coupled with sea-level changes. Moreover, terraces belonging to the two highest orders are folded, forming a large anticline. According to our results, the frontal thrust of the Sicilian chain was active between 236 and 197 ka ago, even though seismological and geodetic data suggest current activity to the back.     

晋陕峡谷基座阶地沉积物释光测年方法的比较研究

黄河的系列阶地是其发育过程中最直接的遗迹记录,确定阶地的精确形成年代是研究其地貌演化最重要的关键问题之一。尽管以往对黄河阶地进行了大量的测年研究,尤其是光释光测年,但对各测年方法结果可靠性的比较相对较少。本研究选择黄河晋陕峡谷黑峪口地区的一个典型基座阶地,对其沉积物进行多方法的光释光测年研究,包括应用于细粒（FG）石英与粗粒（CG）石英的单片剂量再生法（OSL-SAR）和应用于粗粒钾长石的红外后多步高温红外法（MET-pIRIR）;同时,测定了现代黄河河流样品不同释光信号的残余剂量。结果表明,粗粒和细粒石英具有不同的光释光性质,细粒石英的光释光性质具有更多的快组分、更高的饱和剂量和热稳定性等使其更适合光释光OSL-SAR方法测年。尽管现代样品的细颗粒比粗颗粒有更大的光释光（SAR-OSL）残余剂量,但阶地样品的细颗粒SAR-OSL年龄与地层层序的一致性表明细颗粒的光释光年代是可靠的。现代样品粗颗粒石英的光释光信号晒退较彻底,但阶地样品的粗颗粒石英SAR-OSL年龄与地层的不一致性和其较大的离散性,表明其SAR-OSL年龄的可靠性不如细颗粒石英。根据细粒石英的SAR-OSL年龄,研究阶地的形成年龄为64.7±2.5 ka。现代样品中的MET-pIRIR和回授光释光信号（TT-OSL）晒退不彻底,阶地沉积物样品钾长石的MET-pIRIR年龄远高于其对应的石英SAR-OSL年龄,并大于其上覆马兰黄土的年代上限。本研究说明在进行其他黄河阶地释光测年时,应同时应用粗粒和细粒石英,通过分析其光释光性质和样品的地貌沉积过程来确定其可靠性。在对阶地沉积物应用石英的TT-OSL和钾长石MET-pIRIR方法测年时需要特别谨慎。

     

SLIP OFFSET ALONG STRIKE-SLIP FAULT DETERMINED FROM STREAM TERRACES FORMATION

Slip rate is one of the most important parameters in quantitative research of active faults. It is an average rate of fault dislocation during a particular period, which can reflect the strain energy accumulation rate of a fault. Thus it is often directly used in the evaluation of seismic hazard. Tectonic activities significantly influence regional geomorphic characteristics. Therefore, river evolution characteristics can be used to study tectonic activities characteristics, which is a relatively reliable method to determine slip rate of fault. Based on the study of the river geomorphology evolution process model and considering the influence of topographic and geomorphic factors, this paper established the river terrace dislocation model and put forward that the accurate measurement of the displacement caused by the fault should focus on the erosion of the terrace caused by river migration under the influence of topography. Through the analysis of the different cases in detail, it was found that the evolution of rivers is often affected by the topography, and rivers tend to migrate to the lower side of the terrain and erode the terraces on this side. However, terraces on the higher side of the terrain can usually be preserved, and the displacement caused by faulting can be accumulated relatively completely. Though it is reliable to calculate the slip rate of faults through the terrace dislocation on this side, a detailed analysis should be carried out in the field in order to select the appropriate terraces to measure the displacement under the comprehensive effects of topography, landform and other factors, if the terraces on both sides of the river are preserved. In order to obtain the results more objectively, we used Monte Carlo method to estimate the fault displacement and displacement error range. We used the linear equation to fit the position of terrace scarps and faults, and then calculate the terrace displacement. After 100, 000 times of simulation, the fault displacement and its error range could be obtained with 95%confidence interval. We selected the Gaoyan River in the eastern Altyn Tagh Fault as the research object, and used the unmanned air vehicle aerial photography technology to obtain the high-resolution DEM of this area. Based on the terrace evolution model proposed in this paper, we analyzed the terrace evolution with the detailed interpretation of the topography and landform of the DEM, and inferred that the right bank of the river was higher than the left bank, which led to the continuous erosion of the river to the left bank, while the terraces on the right bank were preserved. In addition, four stages of fault displacements and their error ranges were obtained by Monte Carlo method. By integrating the dating results of previous researches in this area, we got the fault slip rate of(1.80±0.51)mm/a. After comparing this result with the slip rates of each section of Altyn Tagh Fault studied by predecessors, it was found that the slip rate obtained in this paper is in line with the variation trend of the slip rate summarized by predecessors, namely, the slip rate gradually decreases from west to east, from 10~12mm/a in the middle section to about 2mm/a at the end.     

长江三峡阶地的成因机制

根据对长江三峡阶地堆积物进行的野外调查与室内分析发现三峡阶地的成因具有以下特点:构成阶地上部的河漫滩相堆积、中部的冲积砾石层与作为阶地基座的基岩平台是在不同时期形成的;阶地上部河漫滩相堆积是在中全新世气候温暖、长江三峡高水位条件下形成的.因此,长江三峡阶地是在构造上升的基础上由于气候及长江三峡流量及水位变化而形成的,并非一定是间歇性构造上升的标志.     

阿尔金北缘断裂雁丹图、长草沟河流阶地与构造抬升

宽谷及宽谷阶地的形成与流域内的构造抬升活动密切相关。文中在考察阿尔金北缘断裂东段雁丹图与长草沟宽谷的基础上 ,结合古气候资料 ,探讨了晚更新世晚期以来两地河流阶地所反映的构造抬升。雁丹图自约 16 1kaBP以来发育了 3级堆积阶地 (T1,T2 与T3) ,并出露埋藏主要宽谷。 3级阶地面年龄分别约为 16 1ka ,12 8ka ,6 2ka ,反映了 3次构造抬升的存在 ,代表了 3次构造抬升发生的时间。雁丹图自约 16 1kaBP以来的构造抬升速率约为 4 8～ 4 5mm/a ;12 8～ 6 2kaBP间的抬升速率约 6 4mm/a ;6 2kaBP以来为 3 1mm/a。长草沟在 7kaBP以来有 4级阶地发育 (T3,T2 ,T′1与T1) ,均为堆积阶地 ,并出露埋藏宽谷。其中T3与T2 出露埋藏主要宽谷 ,T′1与T1出露埋藏次要宽谷。T3,T2与T′13级阶地的阶地面年龄分别约为 7ka ,3ka,2 5ka。 4级阶地反映 2次构造抬升 ,一次在约 7kaBP ,一次在 3kaBP左右。自 7 0kaBP以来长草沟的抬升速率约为 5 9mm/a ,在 7～ 3     

Assessment of the natural and anthropogenic sources of chemical elements in alluvial soils from the Drava River using multivariate statistical methods

The objectives of this study are as follows: (a) an assessment of the geochemical background signature of the Drava Valley before the industrial revolution; (b) an evaluation of anthropogenic geochemical influences on the alluvial plains and river terraces in the valley; and (c) a determination of the spatial distribution of trace elements in the alluvial soils of the Drava River downstream of the Austrian–Slovenian border to the confluence of Mura and Drava Rivers.