Stratal attributes and evolution of asymmetric inner- and outer-bend levee deposits associated with an ancient deep-water channel-levee complex within the Isaac Formation, southern Canada

Isaac Channel 3 is a rare outcrop example of a perpendicular cut through a sinuous deep-water channel, and also where levee deposits formed on opposite sides of the channel are well exposed. Strata flanking the outer- and inner-bend margin of the channel show important differences in lithofacies, architecture and association with channel-fill strata. Proximal outer-bend levee deposits are sand-rich (N:G up to 0.68) and comprise medium- to thick-bedded, T_a-d turbidites interstratified with thinly-bedded, T_cd turbidites. The thicker-bedded deposits show lateral variation in grain size and thickness over hundreds of meters whereas thin-bedded strata thin and fine negligibly over similar distances. The distal outer-bend levee (up to 700 m laterally away from the channel) consists predominantly of thin-bedded turbidites interstratified with up to 5 m thick coarse-grained splay deposits. In contrast to the outer-bend, the inner-bend levee deposits are significantly more mud-rich (N:G as low as 0.15) and consist mostly of thin-bedded, T_cd turbidites with less common thicker-bedded, T_a-d turbidites. Lateral thinning and fining trends associated with these less common thicker-bedded deposits occur more rapidly than their outer-bend counterparts.Erosion associated with lateral migration of the channel axis produced a sharp contact along the outer-bend channel margin causing coarse-grained channel-fill deposits to be in erosional contact with levee deposits. This suggests that the crest of the outer-bend levee was elevated above the channel floor and produced a channel margin upon which channel-fill strata onlapped. Positive topography is interpreted to have developed by overspilling processes that deposited abundant sand on the outer-bend levee while the majority of the flow continued through the channel bend and bypassed to areas further downslope. In contrast, some thick-bedded, amalgamated channel-fill deposits in the axial channel area grade laterally over 140 m into thinly-bedded turbidites on the inner-bend levee. The lack of channel-fill on lap relationships implies that topography along the inner bend was sufficiently subtle that at least some flows were able to expand laterally and over the overbank area without becoming separated from the main throughgoing channel flow.Stratal relationships observed in Isaac Channel Complex 3 suggests three main episodes of channel-levee growth that were each initiated by a period of increased levee relief followed by channel filling and distal levee deposition. This consistent depositional history points to the regular variations, in both time and space, of sediment transport and deposition in a deep-marine sinuous channel-levee system.     

Storm Event Beds in a Paleoproterozoic Rift Basin, Aravalli Supergroup, Rajasthan, India

Storm event beds in the Paleoproterozoic riftogenic sedimentary succession of Aravalli Supergroup are described from a 12.8 m-thick sandstone-mudstone interbedded unit in Zawar area, Rajasthan, India. The storm event beds include different primary structural assemblages indicating deposition from waning storm current. Sequential arrangement of beds with characteristic primary structural assemblages suggests deposition under a transgressive phase, and overall retrogradational evolution of the storm-succession provides evidence in favour of faster downsagging of the basin floor. The Pb-Zn sulphide ore bearing sedimentary succession of Zawar records repeated downsagging and exhumation of the basin floor in the frame of continental rift tectonics.     

Taxonomy and affinity of Early Mesoproterozoic megascopic helically coiled and related fossils from the Rohtas Formation, the Vindhyan Supergroup, India

A well preserved assemblage of compressed, straight, circular to sinuously coiled megascopic and helical carbonaceous fossils and other varied megascopic morphoforms are known from the Early Mesoproterozoic Rohtas Formation, Semri Group within Vindhyan Supergroup exposed in Katni district of central India. These megascopic remains are preserved as impressions, compressions, partially mineralized remains, and/or epi-relief. Some of the forms are typical filamentous empty sheaths and others are trichomes, with cell like entities under various stages of degradation. This study, based on fresh collections and also of the topotype material of the helically coiled megascopic fossils, straight forms and related fossilized remains occurring as epi-relief from Katni indicate that the two morphotaxa are distinct entities and possibly appear to be prokaryotes. Grypania spiralis and Katnia singhii are most likely of cyanobacterial origin. Spirally coiled and circular fossils, with epi-relief, and which probably represents a tissue grade organism, are considered as Spiroichnus beerii Mathur, 1983. Linear sheet-like carbonaceous solitary form has been placed in the morphotaxon Proterotainia and described as P. katniensis n. sp. Certain rare circular, carbonaceous forms are considered as Chuaria sp. A few circular disc-like forms found in the assemblage are treated as dubiofossils.     

Proterozoic Rifting in the Pranhita-Godavari Valley: Implication on India-Antarctica Linkage

The Pranhita-Godavari (PG) Valley, a major lineament within the South Indian cratonic province, that preserves sediment dominated deposits spanning from Mesoproterozoic to Mesozoic, appears to be a key element in supercontinent reconstruction. The sedimentary basins of the Valley include a thick succession of Early Mesoproterozoic to Late Neoproterozoic rocks, the Godavari Supergroup, which is unconformably overlain by the Late Palaeozoic-Mesozoic Gondwana sequence. The Godavari Supergroup is internally punctuated by several regional and interregional unconformities into a number of unconformity-bound sequences having group level and subgroup level status. The lithostratigraphic attributes of the succession indicate multiple events of fault controlled sedimentation marked by transgression and regression, as well as uneven rates of uplift and subsidence of the basin floor in an extensional tectonic regime. The amplitude of translation of the unconformity surfaces across the base level attests to collective role of tectonic movement and sea level changes in building the stratigraphic framework of the Valley. The stratigraphic framework and depositional systems, such as fan and fan-deltas, together with local outburst of felsic volcanism further indicate repeated rifting of the craton.Geochronologic data indicate that the rift basin started to open in Early Mesoproterozoic, concomitantly with the breakup of the Mesoproterozoic supercontinent during which the India and East Gondwana fragments were separated. The spatial variation in the declivity of the unconformity surfaces, and the trend of thickness variation of the unconformity-bound sequences point that the basin deepened and opened towards southeast to join an ocean that developed between the South Indian craton and East Antarctica. The contractional deformation structures preserved in several lithounits were produced under NE-SW directed regional compression during Late Neoproterozoic basin inversion.     

朝鲜平南盆地祥原超群的沉积时代与拉伸纪早期碳同位素负漂移

朝鲜平南盆地与东华北克拉通(中朝克拉通)中新元古代盆地的对比存在争议,准确厘定相关沉积建造的沉积时限是解决这些争议的关键。朝鲜平南盆地的地层主体为祥原超群,从下往上依次为直岘群、祠堂隅群、默川群、灭恶山群和燕滩群。直岘群是祥原超群的最下部层位,大部分由陆源碎屑岩组成。从平南盆地"北部型"和"南部型"直岘群碎屑岩中分选锆石,测得LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄,限定祥原超群沉积时代晚于1100Ma,并且得出所谓的"北部型"和"南部型"地层没有时代和物源差异。鉴于默川群的基性岩床时代为~900Ma,祥原超群的沉积时代为新元古代早期(1000~900Ma),燕滩群的时代可能稍晚。这说明平南盆地与华北徐淮盆地和旅大盆地等同时。祥原超群碳酸盐岩样品的δ~(13)C值数据表明,默川群时期碳同位素发生了负漂移(δ~(13)C值为-6‰~-5‰)。鉴于侵入到默川群的基性岩床的时代为~900Ma,我们认为该碳同位素(δ~(13)C值)负漂移略早于~900Ma,可能与同一时期的岩浆活动有关。     

Subsidence Analysis and Burial History of the Late Carboniferous to Early Jurassic Soutpansberg Basin, Limpopo Province, South Africa

The subsidence history of the Soutpansberg Basin was reconstructed by a tectonic subsidence analysis coupled with backstripping calculations based on data of newly interpreted sequence boundaries. Furthermore,burial and time plots were constructed in order to understand the burial and thermal history of the basin. Input data were based on facies,lithostratigraphic models and tectonic interpretations. The studied succession is up to 1000 m and is underlain by the Achaean Limpopo Mobile Belt. The subsidence within the basin supports the primary graben system which must have been centred within the present basins,and later became a region of faulting. The subsidence and burial history curves suggests two phases of rapid subsidence during the Early-Late Permian(300–230 Ma) and Middle Triassic(215–230 Ma). The areas of greater extension subsided more rapidly during these intervals. Two slow subsidence phases are observed during the Late Triassic(215–198 Ma) and Early Jurassic(198–100 Ma). These intervals represent the post-rift thermal subsidence and are interpreted as slow flexural subsidence. Based on these observations on the subsidence curves,it is possible to infer that the first stage of positive inflexion(300 Ma) is therefore recognised as the first stage of the Soutpansberg Basin formation.     

The Horto-Baratinha itabirite-hosted iron ore: A basal fragment of the Espinhaço basin in the eastern São Francisco Craton

The Horto-Baratinha (HBD) iron ore deposit is located at the eastern border of São Francisco Craton, comprising BIF-hosted high-grade bodies (>60 wt.% Fe) associated with polydeformed quartz-mica-schists, amphibole-schist of Statherian maximum deposition age, enclosed by Statherian granitoids of the Borrachudos Suite and Neoarchean gneiss. All the sequence is crosscut by undeformed dikes and sills of pegmatitic bodies probably formed during Late Ediacaran-Cambrian. The metasedimentary sequence is stratigraphically correlatable with the Orosirian-Statherian Serra da Serpentina and Serra de São José Groups that comprise the basal units of the Espinhaço Supergroup and was intensively segmented into distinct tectonic blocks. The sedimentary/diagenetic bedding of the metamorphosed BIF (itabirite) is generally transposed by an axial planar schistosity. The lamellar hematite from itabirite is the oldest iron oxide generation, which was formed during the syn-deformational stage, parallel-oriented to the rock foliation. The (keno)magnetite grains from itabirite, iron ore and pegmatite bodies developed as idioblasts that grew over the foliation formed during late and post-deformational stages. Magnetite oxidizes subsequently to martite and granular hematite. Coarse lamellar hematite crystals randomly oriented in the border of the pegmatitic bodies also formed during the post-deformational stage due to hydrothermal reaction with itabirite. The country rocks have undergone at least three stages of deformation developed during the syn-collisional and late-collisional (Ediacaran to early-Cambrian) phases of the Brasiliano Orogeny: stage 1 with the development of a pervasive foliation (S₁), parallel to axial plane to tight folds and transposition of all sedimentary structures; stage 2 with folding of S₁; stage 3 with refolding of S₁. Both fold systems interfere with each other making up a dome and basin refolding shape. During the late-collisional (Ediacaran to early-Cambrian) and post-collisional/gravitational collapse (Cambrian) the sequence was intruded by anatectic pegmatitic bodies, which are part of the Eastern Brazilian Pegmatite Province, one of the most significant pegmatitic regions worldwide. The fluid related with these intrusions could be related with the Si leaching, crystallization of magnetite and granular hematite, and consequent formation of high-grade iron bodies.     

Assessment of trace metal and rare earth elements contamination in rivers around abandoned and active mine areas. The case of Lubumbashi River and Tshamilemba Canal,Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Active and abandoned mine activities constitute the sources of deterioration of water and soil quality in many parts of the world, particularly in the African Copperbelt regions. The accumulation in soils and the release of toxic substances into the aquatic ecosystem can lead to water resources pollution and may place aquatic organisms and human health at risk. In this study, the impact of past mining activity (i.e., abandoned mine) on aquatic ecosystems has been studied using ICP-MS analysis for trace metals and Rare Earth Elements (REE) in sediment samples from Lubumbashi River (RL) and Tshamilemba Canal (CT), Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Soil samples from surrounding CT were collected to evaluate trace metal and REE concentrations and their spatial distribution. The extent of trace metal contamination compared to the background area was assessed by Enrichment Factor (EF) and Geoaccumulation Index (I_geo). Additionally, the trace metal concentrations probable effect levels (PELs) for their potential environmental impact was achieved by comparing the trace metal concentrations in the sediment/soil samples with the Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs). Spearman's Rank-order correlation was used to identify the source and origin of contaminants. The results highlighted high concentrations of trace metals in surface sediments of CT reaching the values of 40152, 15586, 610, 10322, 60704 and 15152 mg kg⁻¹ for Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Fe and Mn, respectively. In the RL, the concentrations reached the values of 24093, 2046, 5463, 3340, 68290 and 769 mg kg⁻¹ for Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Fe and Mn, respectively. The ΣREE varied from 66 to 218 and 142–331 mg kg⁻¹ for CT and RL, respectively. The soil samples are characterized by variable levels of trace metals. The EF analysis showed “extremely severe enrichment” for Cu and Co. However, no enrichment was observed for REE. Except for Mo, Th, U, Eu, Mo, Ho and Tm for which Igeo is classified as “moderately polluted and/or unpolluted”, all elements in different sites are classified in the class 6, “extremely polluted”. The trace metal concentrations in all sampling sites largely exceeded the SQGs and the PELs for the Protection of Aquatic Life recommendation. Cu and Co had positive correlation coefficient values (r = 0.741, P < 0.05, n = 14). This research presents useful tools for the evaluation of water contamination in abandoned and active mining areas.     

Stratigraphic record in the transition from basin floor to continental slope sedimentation in the ancient passive-margin Windermere turbidite system

Well-exposed, vertically dipping, glacially polished outcrops of the Neoproterozoic Windermere Supergroup in the southern Canadian Cordillera include basin-floor deposits of the Upper Kaza Group overlain by slope channel complexes of the Isaac Formation. Within the 2·5 km thick Kaza and Isaac succession is an up to 360 m thick interval composed of diverse deep-water stratal elements including scour and interscour deposits, distributary channels, fine-grained turbidites, terminal splays, mass-transport deposits, erosional and levéed channels and avulsion splays, which collectively were formed during the development of an ancient passive-margin channel-lobe system. The proportion and vertical and lateral arrangement of stratal elements reveal three distinct complexes. The lower complex, consisting mostly of distributary channels and small and large scours, is interpreted to represent the detachment of lobes from an upflow levéed channel, wherein a well-developed channel-lobe transition zone was formed by efficient, siliciclastic flows during a period of sustained transport bypass and limited deposition coincident with the onset of falling relative sea level. The middle, comparatively thicker and more sandstone-rich complex, comprises distributary channel fills, fine-grained turbidites and lesser terminal splays that are interspersed with small scours, capped by a slope levéed channel filled with coarser-grained siliciclastic sediment. The abundance of basin-floor elements suggests negligible separation between the levéed channel and lobe, and therefore a poorly-developed channel-lobe transition zone, resulting from inefficient, siliciclastic-rich depositional flows that became dominant during lowstand and/or ensuing transgression. The stratal makeup of the upper complex resembles the lower detached complex, suggesting a return to efficient flows, and an abrupt change to mixed carbonate–siliciclastic sediments associated with highstand conditions. Accordingly, the stratigraphic architecture and stacking pattern of the Kaza–Isaac interval, which relate to the formation of multiple channel-lobe transition zones, were controlled by temporal changes in sediment supply and flow characteristics during the long-term progradation of the Laurentian continental margin.