Cross‐cutting moraines reveal evidence for North Atlantic influence on glaciers in the tropical Andes

Surface exposure dating of boulders on an exceptionally well‐preserved sequence of moraines in the Peruvian Andes reveals the most detailed record of glaciation heretofore recognised in the region. The high degree of moraine preservation resulted from dramatic changes in the flow path of piedmont palaeoglaciers at the southern end of the Cordillera Blanca (10° 00′ S, 77° 16′ W), which, in turn, generated a series of cross‐cutting moraines. Sixty ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages indicate at least four episodes of palaeoglacier stabilisation (>65, ca. 65, ca. 32 and ca. 18–15 ka) and several minor advances or stillstands on the western side of the Nevado Jeulla Rajo massif. The absence of ages close to the global Last Glacial Maximum (ca. 21 ka) suggests that if an advance culminated at that time any resulting moraines were subsequently overridden. The timing of expanded ice cover in the central Peruvian Andes correlates broadly with the timing of massive iceberg discharge (Heinrich) events in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting a possible causal connection between southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone during Heinrich events and a resultant increase in precipitation in the tropical Andes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contrasting conditions preceding MIS3 and MIS2 Heinrich events

This paper presents an integrated multi-tracer study performed on piston cores recovered in the glacial ice-rafted detritus belt, stretching from Newfoundland to the Irish margin across the North Atlantic (40–55°N), in order to compare in detail the internal structure of each Heinrich event (HE). These tracers are IRD counts (quartz, dolomite, volcanic grains), their Nd isotopic composition and Ar–Ar datings of individual hornblende grains. A focus on the detailed structure of HE confirms that all intervals of massive sediment flux, specifically Heinrich layers HL1-to-5 (HLs), were dominated by North American, Laurentide ice-sheet surges from Hudson Strait, that are evident as far east as the Bay of Biscay (European margin). The sequences of events leading up to the HLs, however, present significant dissimilarities. One important difference is that HL2 and HL1 were preceded by “precursor events” (increases in the number of lithic grains per gram from non-Laurentide sediment sources). Sediment debris derived from near-simultaneous iceberg releases originating from the European ice-sheet are only detectable close to the European margin. In contrast there are no comparable precursor events before HL5 and HL4. This observation implies that precursor events are unlikely to be mechanistically linked to the triggering of HEs. The similarity of the HLs, against contrasting background conditions, is a significant observation that should add constraints to their origin.     

Growth patterns of the last ice age coral terraces at Huon Peninsula

At Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea, prolific coral growth during the last-glacial was episodic and in response to a series of sea-level rises. The resultant step-like coral terraces are currently situated from 20 m up to 140 m above sea-level due to continuous tectonic uplift of the Peninsula. The sea-level rises were in response to periodic partial disintegration of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets associated with severe climate swings and occurred within decadal timescales. The relatively rapid 15 m to 35 m rise in sea-levels exposed new head-room for corals to colonize. The resulting terrace structures contain individual corals that do not appear to have grown sequentially in time and with elevation. Additionally, following the peak, sea level fell relatively slowly over several thousand years and corals grew and filled in the flanks of the terrace such that younger corals now occupy lower elevations. We have labeled these structures “pack-up” reefs. This is in contrast to coral terraces formed during major sea-level rises from glacial to interglacial or glacial to interstadial transitions where the rate of sea level rise is commensurate with coral growth rates and corals can keep up with sea-level rise by growing on top of each other in a time orderly sequence. Deriving sea-level information from pack-up terraces is difficult and is likely to be ambiguous. The periodic fluctuations in climate were associated with atmospheric radiocarbon swings that seem to have varied smoothly with time. The same corals that show a scatter in stratigraphic temporal ordering appear regularly distributed in time and with radiocarbon content attesting to the veracity of the age measurements and at the same time confirm the disordered distribution of corals in “pack-up” type reefs.     

新疆伊犁盆地黄土古气候记录与Heinrich事件对比分析

伊犁盆地作为中国黄土高原与欧洲黄土区的过渡区域,其第四纪古气候研究对于揭示全球气候驱动及耦合机制具有重要的意义.通过对伊犁盆地塔勒德晚更新世黄土-古土壤剖面粒度、低频磁化率及地球化学元素分析,探讨了西风区黄土-古土壤序列中古气候指标变化特征及记录的全球气候突变事件.结果表明:古土壤层中粒径10μm颗粒物含量明显高于黄土层,与之相反的是古土壤层中的低频磁化率、Zr/Rb值和元素Ti含量均小于黄土层,且元素Ti含量与Zr/Rb间具有较高的相关性.黄土-古土壤剖面中古气候代用指标清晰的记录了6次Heinrich(H)事件及Younger Drays(YD)事件,但YD事件、H1、H2、H5和H6事件变幅较H3和H4事件显著,古气候指标与格陵兰冰芯δ18O、季风区李家塬粒度和洛川、西峰及环县Zr/Rb值均具有较好的一致性,所记录的气候事件较李家塬、洛川、西峰更为显著.结合已有研究说明,Heinrich和D-O旋回等气候事件是由西风区向季风区传递的,MIS3阶段温度的升高和常年受西风的影响是造成塔勒德气候环境变化特征的主要控制因素.     

Were the hydraulic parameters of Precambrian rivers different?

Palaeohydraulic estimates have been made using time-tested standard empirical formula involving channel dimensions, especially channel depth, in four Indian Proterozoic fluvial formations. These are the Mesoproterozoic Ramdurg, younger Mesoproterozoic Muchkundi and Neoproterozoic Cave Temple Arenite in Karnataka, and Upper Rewa Sandstone in central India. The basic data came from direct measurement of decompacted thicknesses of completely preserved channel-fills or bedforms, and more commonly of cross-sets. The result, in combination with data derived by others in a similar way from a few other Precambrian fluvial formations helps to provide a new insight into the palaeohydraulics of Precambrian rivers.River gradients appear to have been steeper during the Precambrian; the possibly continuous range of variation in river gradients from alluvial fans to the plains, as a whole shifted to higher values during the Precambrian epoch. The likely reason is a greater possibility of sediment bypassing on vegetation-free land. Concomitant downstream increase in discharge was enhanced in Precambrian rivers due to lack of withdrawal of groundwater through biogenic activity. Precambrian rivers were commonly ephemeral, but downstream the ephemerality index was reduced and some rivers might have been perennial where they debouched into standing bodies of water. The Precambrian river deposits studied generally had smaller width and depth with respect to Phanerozoic and modern rivers, possibly due to unstable substratum causing surface run-off tended to be impelled along multiple independent minor channels.     

Heinrich event 4 and Dansgaard/Oeschger events 5–10 recorded by high-resolution speleothem oxygen isotope data from central China

A 50-yr resolution reconstruction of climate and environment variability during the period 43–14 ka was developed using 26 high-precision U/Th dates and 390 oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) data of a stalagmite (SJ1) collected from Songjia Cave in central China, which is close to the northwestern boundary of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM). The δ¹⁸O record in SJ1 displays significant millennial-scale changes that correlate well in timing and duration with Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) events 5–10 and Heinrich event 4 (H4) identified in high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Four ²³⁰Th dates constrain the H4 event precisely to the period of 39.7 to 38.3 ka. Notable centennial variations of the ASM activity could be observed within the H4 event. The magnitude and duration of D/O event 4.1 recorded in SJ1 are similar to those archived in east China but different from those documented in southwest China, suggesting that the manifestation of this event may be regionally different. The timing, duration and structure of D/O events 5–10 and Heinrich event 4 suggest that temperature changes in both hemispheres have exerted significant influences on the ASM variations in central China.     

南海西北部陆坡H1事件的磁学记录

Heinrich 1（H1）事件,是末次冰消期内一个重要的千年尺度的古气候事件。南海不同海域沉积物磁学性质对H1事件的响应存在差异,因而磁学参数的多解性应予以关注。本文选取南海西北部陆坡具有良好年龄框架的PC338岩芯顶部370 cm段（底部年龄20.5 ka B.P.）,进行详细的磁学性质分析,并利用IRM获得曲线组分分离方法和高场磁化率值等参数,试图为区域气候变化的沉积物磁学响应给出合理解释。结果表明,在H1事件发生时,碎屑成因的磁铁矿（IRM_（C2+C3））和顺磁性组分（χ_p）明显降低,这反映了源区化学风化的减弱,指示南海北部冷干的气候条件;另外,H1事件发生时,南海西北部陆坡的赤铁矿含量较高,这与海平面降低造成的红河源区的赤铁矿输入增多和暴露的大陆架处于氧化条件有关。H1事件时期,东亚季风区呈现末次冰消期以来最干旱的气候特征,主要受控于大西洋经向翻转环流的减弱迫使热带辐合带南移和热带太平洋类La Niña的气候条件这两个因素。

     

Were glacial iceberg surges in the North Atlantic triggered by climatic warming?

High-resolution physical, mineralogical, sedimentological and micropalaeontological studies were carried out on North Atlantic cores from the Reykjanes Ridge at 59°N and from the region southwest of the Faeroe Islands. All core sites are situated along the pathway of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and the various parameters measured display similar features. Previously identified carbonate oscillations [Keigwin and Jones (1994) J. Geophys. Res., 99, 12397-12410] in the time span back to the Marine Isotope Stage 5-4 transition and Late Glacial lithic events [Bond and Lotti (1995) Science, 267, 1005-1010], such as the Heinrich ice-rafting events, are all represented in the core records. Long-term trends and higher-frequency changes in ISOW intensity were reconstructed on the basis of various independent proxy records. The long-term trends in circulation match theoretical orbitally forced insolation changes. Our observed links between ice-rafted detritus (IRD) input, variations in sea surface temperature (SST) and circulation at greater depth point to the need to re-examine the origin of IRD events. We suggest that these events may have been triggered by enhanced, partly sub-surface, heat transport to the north. Enhanced northward heat transport may have caused bottom melting of floating outlet glaciers and ice shelves, leading to increased iceberg discharge and ice sheet destabilization. This discharge resulted in lower SST’s and a lower temperature over Greenland. Thus, as shown by our records, this scenario implies a temporary de-coupling of surface processes and circulation at greater depth. A key feature is the occurrence of a saw-tooth pattern in the marine data, which is similar to the Greenland ice core records. Moreover, the ‘warming’ theory of IRD events would explain the observed ‘out-of-phase’ relationship between the Greenland and Antarctic ice core records and also the rapid establishment of higher temperatures over Greenland immediately after the cold phases (stadials) of the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles.