Sequence stratigraphy and architecture of a late Early–Middle Aptian carbonate platform succession from the western Maestrat Basin (Iberian Chain, Spain)

The attributes of a ‘four-systems-tract’ sequence are at times difficult to identify in outcrop-scale carbonate successions. Poor exposure conditions, variable rates of sediment production, erosion and/or superposition of surfaces that are intrinsic to the nature of carbonate systems frequently conceal or remove its physical features. The late Early–Middle Aptian platform carbonates of the western Maestrat Basin (Iberian Chain, Spain) display facies heterogeneity enabling platform, platform-margin and slope geometries to be identified, and provide a case study that shows all the characteristics of a quintessential four systems tract-based sequence. Five differentiated systems tracts belonging to two distinct depositional sequences can be recognized: the Highstand Systems Tract (HST) and Forced Regressive Wedge Systems Tract (FRWST) of Depositional Sequence A; and the Lowstand Prograding Wedge Systems Tract (LPWST), Transgressive Systems Tract (TST) and subsequent return to a highstand stage of sea-level (HST) of Depositional Sequence B. An extensive carbonate platform of rudists and corals stacked in a prograding pattern marks the first HST. The FRWST is constituted by a detached, slightly cross-bedded calcarenite situated at the toe of the slope in a basinal position. The LPWST is characterized by a small carbonate platform of rudists and corals downlapping over the FRWST and onlapping landwards. The TST exhibits platform backstepping and marly sedimentation. Resumed carbonate production in shelf and slope settings characterizes the second HST. A basal surface of forced regression, a subaerial unconformity, a correlative conformity, a transgressive surface and a maximum flooding surface bound these systems tracts, and are well documented and widely mappable across the platform-to-basin transition area analyzed. Moreover, the sedimentary succession studied is made up of four types of parasequence that constitute stratigraphic units deposited within a higher-frequency sea-level cyclicity. Ten lithofacies associations form these basic accretional units. Each facies assemblage can be ascribed to an inferred depositional environment in terms of bathymetry, hydrodynamic conditions and trophic level. The architecture of the carbonate platform systems reflects a flat-topped non-rimmed depositional profile. Furthermore, these carbonate shelves are interpreted as having been formed in low hydrodynamic conditions. The long-term relative fall in sea-level occurred during the uppermost Early Aptian, which subaerially exposed the carbonate platform established during the first HST and resulted in the deposition of the FRWST, is interpreted as one of global significance. Moreover, a possible relationship between this widespread sea-level drop and glacio-eustasy seems plausible, and could be linked to the cooling event proposed in the literature for the late Early Aptian. Because of the important implications in sequence stratigraphy of this study, the sedimentary succession analyzed herein could serve as an analogue for the application of the four-systems-tract sequence stratigraphic methodology to carbonate systems.     

Large-scale distributed deformation controlled topography along the western Africa–Eurasia limit: Tectonic constraints

In the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, the main geomorphic features, mountain ranges and basins, seems to be arranged in several directions whose origin can be related to the N–S plate convergence which occurred along the Cantabro–Pyrenean border during the Eocene–Lower Miocene time span. The Iberian Variscan basement accommodated part of this plate convergence in three E–W trending crustal folds as well as in the reactivation of two left-lateral NNE–SSW strike-slip belts. The rest of the convergence was assumed through the inversion of the Iberian Mesozoic Rift to form the Iberian Chain. This inversion gave rise to a process of oblique crustal shortening involving the development of two right lateral NW–SE shear zones. Crustal folds, strike-slip corridors and one inverted rift compose a tectonic mechanism of pure shear in which the shortening is solved vertically by the development of mountain ranges and related sedimentary basins. This model can be expanded to NW Africa, up to the Atlasic System, where N–S plate convergence seems also to be accommodated in several basement uplifts, Anti-Atlas and Meseta, and through the inversion of two Mesozoic rifts, High and Middle Atlas. In this tectonic situation, the microcontinent Iberia used to be firmly attached to Africa during most part of the Tertiary, in such a way that N–S compressive stresses could be transmitted from the collision of the Pyrenean boundary. This tectonic scenario implies that most part of the Tertiary Eurasia–Africa convergence was not accommodated along the Iberia–Africa interface, but in the Pyrenean plateboundary. A broad zone of distributed deformation resulted from the transmission of compressive stresses from the collision at the Pyrenean border. This distributed, intraplate deformation, can be easily related to the topographic pattern of the Africa–Eurasia interface at the longitude of the Iberian Peninsula.Shortening in the Rif–Betics external zones – and their related topographic features – must be conversely related to more “local” driven mechanisms, the westward displacement of the “exotic” Alboran domain, other than N–S convergence. The remaining NNW–SSE to NW–SE, latest Miocene up to Present convergence is also being accommodated in this zone straddling Iberia and Morocco, at the same time as a new ill-defined plate boundary that is being developed between Europe and Africa.     

Recent sediment transport and accumulation on the NW Iberian margin

Five transects across the NW Iberian margin were studied in the framework of the EU-funded Ocean Margin EXchange II (OMEX II) project, to determine and establish recent sediment and organic carbon transport and accumulation processes and fluxes.On the Galician shelf and shelf edge, resuspension of sediments resulting in well-developed bottom nepheloid layers was observed at all stations, but transport of suspended sediment appears largely confined to the shelf. On the continental slope, only very dilute bottom nepheloid layers were present, and intermediate nepheloid layers were only occasionally seen. This suggests that cross-slope transfer of particles is limited by the prevailing northerly directed shelf and slope currents.Optical backscatter and ADCP current measurements by the BOBO lander, deployed at 2152 m depth on the Galician slope, indicated that particles in the bottom boundary layer were kept in suspension by tidal currents with highest speeds between 15–25 cm s⁻¹. Net currents during the recording period August 6th–September 10th 1998, were initially directed along-slope toward the NNW, but later turned off-slope toward the SW.The separation of the water masses on the slope from the sediment-laden shelf water by the along-slope current regime is reflected in the recent sedimentary deposits of the Galician shelf and slope. Apart from compositional differences, shelf deposits differ from those on the slope by their higher flux of excess ²¹⁰Pb (0.57–5.37 dpm cm⁻²y⁻¹ versus 0.11–3.00 dpm cm⁻²y⁻¹), a much higher sediment accumulation rate (315.6–2295.9 g m⁻²y⁻¹ versus 10.9–124.7 g m⁻²y⁻¹) and organic carbon burial rate (1.01–34.30 g m⁻²y⁻¹ versus 0.01–0.69 g m⁻²y⁻¹).In contrast to the observations on the Galician margin, pronounced nepheloid layers occurred in the Nazaré Canyon, which extended to considerably greater water depths. This indicates that significantly greater transport of fine-grained particles in both the INL and the BNL was occurring within the canyon, as reflected in the exceptionally high ²¹⁰Pb excess flux (up to 34.09 dpm cm⁻²y⁻¹), mass accumulation rates (maximum 9623.1 g m⁻²y⁻¹) and carbon burial fluxes (up to 180.91 g m⁻²y⁻¹) in the sediment. However, radioisotope fluxes in the lower canyon were only slightly higher than at comparable depths on the Galician margin. This suggests that transport and rapid accumulation is focused on the upper and middle part of the canyon, from where it is episodically released to the deep sea. Compared to the Galician margin, the Nazaré Canyon may be considered as an important organic carbon depocenter on short time-scales, and a major conduit for particulate matter transport to the deep sea on >100 y time-scales.     

Late Pleistocene climate of the northern Iberian Peninsula: New insights from palaeoglaciers at Fuentes Carrionas (Cantabrian Mountains)

New ¹⁰Be dates for glacial landforms in the Fuentes Carrionas area (Cantabrian Mountains, nothern Spain) are presented. Mapped and dated landforms in Fuentes Carrionas made possible a palaeoglacier reconstruction for four glacial stages. Results were compared to other nearby palaeoenvironmental proxies, so a final approximation on the mean annual temperature and annual precipitation that caused the four glacial advance stages is proposed. Glaciers reached their maximum extension at 36 ka, in a cold and dry environment. A second advance stage took place between 18.5 and 19.5 ka, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), when glaciers advanced in a wet environment, with positive rainfall anomalies. A third glacial advance was dated during the Oldest Dryas, in which climate shifted to extremely cold and dry conditions. Finally, a last stage has been identified and proposed to the Younger Dryas, in which precipitation anomalies are negligible. Our results confirm some of the previously made palaeoglacial and palaeoenvironmental inferences for the Iberian Peninsula, as well as provide valuable and accurate anomalies, which are useful for climate modelling.     

成长型城市群产业生态化时空演化特征及其影响因素——以山东半岛城市群为例

该文以山东半岛城市群作为研究对象,构建产业生态化综合评价指标体系,运用熵值法与主成分分析方法,探讨了山东半岛城市群产业生态化总体水平的时空分异特征及影响因素。结果表明:2004—2016年,山东半岛城市群产业生态化呈现上升趋势,山东半岛城市群产业生态化发展水平不断提高;山东半岛城市群产业生态化空间分异现象显著,形成了以济南和青岛为核心的两极化发展特征;山东半岛城市群产业生态化发展水平的区域化现象愈加明显,呈现出NE—SW走向的不均衡发展;山东半岛城市群产业生态化发展影响因素为区域经济发展水平、政府监管水平、外资利用差异以及区域科学技术差异。     

Interdecadal variation of precipitation days in August in the Korean Peninsula

The present study examines a climate regime shift in the time series of the number of rainy days during August in the Korean Peninsula. The statistical change-point analysis indicates that a significant shift occurred in the time series around 1998, providing a rationale to divide it into two parts: 1975–1997 for the shorter rainy-day period and 1998–2012 for the longer rainy-day period. To examine the cause of recent rapid increases in the number of days with precipitation in August in the Korean Peninsula, differences in the averages of large-scale environments between the 1998–2012 period and the 1975–1997 period were analyzed.The differences in stream flows showed that anomalous cyclones were reinforced in the East Asian continent while anomalous anticyclones were reinforced in the western North Pacific at all layers of the troposphere. The anomalous anticyclones reinforced in the western North Pacific were associated with the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) developed a little more toward the Korean Peninsula recently. Consequently, the Korean Peninsula has been affected by anomalous south westerlies that supplied warm and humid airs from low tropical regions to the Korean Peninsula. The vertical thermal instability (warm anomaly at lower-level and cold anomaly at middle and upper-level) developed near the Korean Peninsula. In addition, upper tropospheric jets were reinforced further recently near the Korean Peninsula to provide good environments for development of upward flows. The frequency of TCs that affect the Korean Peninsula in August also increased rapidly since 1998.     

Structural and kinematic analysis of the Corredoiras detachment: evidence for early Variscan synconvergent extension in the Ordenes Complex, NW Spain

 An important detachment is described in the allochthonous Ordenes Complex, in the NW Iberian Massif, and its meaning is related to the kinematics of contemporaneous convergent structures. The Corredoiras Detachment (CD) separates a hangingwall unit, characterised by a medium-pressure metamorphic gradient, from a footwall high-pressure and high-temperature unit and an underlying ophiolitic unit. An associated ductile shear zone, nearly 2000 m thick, developed in the lower part of the hangingwall unit, where the Corredoiras Orthogneiss, a Lower Ordovician metagranite, was progressively transformed into augengneisses, mylonitic and ultramylonitic gneisses. The attitude of the stretching and mineral lineation in the mylonites varies due to late refolding at map scale, but the sense of movement can be estimated, being roughly top to the SE. According to crosscutting relationships, the CD developed subsequent to the thrusting of the high-pressure/high-temperature unit onto the ophiolitic unit, and prior to younger extensional detachments, upright folding and strike-slip tectonics. The geometric relationships of the CD with the previous structures in the footwall unit, the subtractive character of the metamorphic gap between its hangingwall and footwall, and the available isotopic data suggest that the CD is an early Variscan, ductile extensional detachment, the movement of which was roughly simultaneous with the onset of thrusting of the allochthonous complexes over their relative autochthon. Received: 17 November 1998 / Accepted: 4 April 1999     

雷州半岛红树林边缘效应及其对海岸有机碳库的影响

作为滨海湿地与邻近海区之间物质循环、能量和物种流动及其相互作用的重要界面,红树林的边缘效应对研究海陆生态系统相互作用,滨海湿地生物地貌形成过程以及海岸带有机碳库分布格局等方面的具有重要意义。文章以雷州半岛东岸红树林4种典型地貌分布区为重点,通过调查红树林前缘光滩,林缘及林内植被及土壤理化特征的变化,探讨红树林边缘效应的表现及其对土壤有机碳库的影响。结果表明,不同地貌类型红树林边界区的群落结构及土壤理化因子分布特征有所不同。边界区群落特征表现为林缘的冠层低于林内,叶面积指数低于林内,物种丰富度林内高于林缘(除河口区外),且林缘的植被盖度受风浪影响显著,表现出河口区>内湾区>岛屿区>前沿浪击区。土壤理化性质边缘效应表现为林缘的pH值、粒度低于光滩,氧化还原电位、盐度高于光滩(除内湾区外),而林内的土壤理化性质波动较大,可能受林缘植被演替及地貌双重影响。不同地貌单元红树林边界区的土壤表层有机碳含量,有机碳密度均表现为林内>林缘>光滩。综合影响表层土壤有机碳的主要生物及非生物因子进行主成分分析和相关分析,结果显示土壤表层有机碳密度与环境第一主成分呈显著负相关,即受植被盖度,叶面积指数和土壤pH因子影响密切。红树林土壤有机碳沉积虽然受到不同水文地貌的影响,但总体而言,红树林初级生产输入和土壤酸性环境对红树林林下土壤有机碳库的富存贡献显著。     

胶东半岛地下水库水资源调蓄研究

胶东半岛是山东省的缺水地区,建设地下水库是提高该区水资源供应能力和改善生态环境的有效措施。该文系统分析了在胶东半岛建设地下水库的可行性及其水资源和生态环境意义,认为该区建设地下水库可大幅度提高水资源调蓄能力,解除海水入侵之患,生态环境得以逐步改善,其水资源效益、环境效益十分明显。     

High resolution WRF climatic simulations for the Iberian Peninsula: Model validation

A high resolution atmospheric modelling study was done for a 20-year recent historical period. The dynamic downscaling approach adopted used the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM) to drive the WRF running in climate mode. Three online nested domains were used covering part of the North Atlantic and Europe, with a resolution 81 km, and reaching 9 km in the innermost domain which covers the Iberian Peninsula.This paper presents the validation of the WRF configuration, which is based on historic simulations between 1986 and 2005 and observational datasets of near surface temperature and precipitation for the same period. The validation was done in terms of comparison of probability distributions between model results and observations, as daily climatologies, spatially averaged inside subdomains obtained with cluster analysis of the observations, for each of the four seasons. In addition, Taylor diagrams are presented for each of the seasons and subdomains. This validation approach was repeated with the results of a new WRF simulation with the same parameterisations but forced by the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The capacity of the MPI-ESM driven WRF configuration to compare with observations and in a manner similar to the ERA-Interim driven WRF, ensures the capacity of the configuration for climate and climate change studies.Considering the difficulty to simulate extremes in long term simulations, the results showed a comfortable comparison of both models (forced by climate model and reanalysis results) with observations. This provides us confidence on the continuity of using the MPI-ESM driven WRF configuration for climate studies.