EXTRACTING FEATURES OF ALLUVIAL FAN AND DISCUSSING LANDFORMS EVOLUTION BASED ON HIGH-RESOLUTION TOPOGRAPHY DATA: TAKING ALLUVIAL FAN OF LAOHUSHAN ALONG HAIYUAN FAULT ZONE AS AN INSTANCE

Range-front alluvial fan deposition in arid and semiarid environments records vast amounts of climatic and tectonic information. Differentiating and characterizing alluvial fan morphology is an important part in Quaternary alluvial fan research. Traditional method such as field observations is a most important part of deciphering and mapping the alluvial fan. Large-scale automatically mapping of alluvial fan stratigraphy before traditional field observations could provide guidance for mapping alluvial fan morphology, thus improving subsequent field work efficiency. In this research, high-resolution topographic data were used to quantify relief and roughness of alluvial fan within the Laohushan. These data suggest that mean surface roughness plotted against the size of the moving window is characterized by an initial increase in surface roughness with increased window size, but it shows no longer increase as a function of windows size. These data also suggest that alluvial fans in this study site smooth out with time until a threshold is crossed where roughness increases at greater wavelength with age as a result of surface runoff and headward tributary incision into the oldest surfaces which suggests the evolution process of alluvial fan. Researchers usually differentiate alluvial morphology by mapping characteristics of fan surface in the field by describing surface clast size, rock varnish accumulation, and desert pavement development and analysis of aerial photographs or satellite imagery. Recently, the emergence of high-resolution topographic data has renewed interest in the quantitative characterization of alluvial and colluvium landforms. Surface morphology that fan surface initially tends to become smoother with increasing age due to the formation of desert pavement and the degradation of bar-and-swale topography and subsequently, landforms become more dissected due to tectonics and climatic change induced increased erosion and channelization of the surface with time is widely used to distinguish alluvial fan types. Those characteristics would reflect various kinds of morphology metrics extracted from high-resolution topographic data. In the arid and semiarid regions of northwestern China, plenty of alluvial fans are preserved completely for lack of artificial reforming, and there exists sparse surface vegetation. In the meantime, range-front alluvial fan displaced by a number of active faults formed a series of dislocated landforms with different offsets which is a major reference mark in fault activity research. In this research, six map units(Qf₆-Qf₁), youngest to oldest, were observed in the study area by mapping performed by identifying geomorphic features in the field that are spatially discernible using hill-shade and digital orthophoto map. Alluvial fan relief and roughness were computed across multiple observation scales(2m×2m to 100m×100m)based on the topographic parameters of altitude difference and standard deviation of slope, curvature and aspect. In this research, mean relief keeps increasing with increased window size while mean surface roughness is characterized by a rapid increase over wavelengths of 6~15m, representing the typical length scale of bar-and-swale topography. At longer wavelengths, surface roughness values increase by only minor amounts, suggesting the topographic saturation length is 6~15m for those fan surfaces in which saturation length of standard deviation of curvature is less than 8m. Box and whisker plot of surface roughness averaged over 8m² for each alluvial fan unit in the study area suggests that the pattern of surfaces smoothing out with age and then starting to become rougher again as age increases further beyond Qf₄ or Qf₃ unit. The younger alluvial fan is characterized by prominent bar-and-swale while the older alluvial fan is characterized by tributaries headward incision. Cumulative frequency distributions of relief and surface roughness in Figure 8 are determined in an 8m by 8m moving window for the comparison of six alluvial fan units in the northeast piedmont of Laohushan. From these distributions we know that Qf₆ and Qf₁ reflect the prominent relief which is related to bar-and-swale and tributaries headward incision respectively, while Qf₄ and Qf₃ reflect the moderate relief which is related to subdued topography. Surface roughness, in addition to facilitating the characterization of individual fan units, lends insight to alluvial landform development. We summarize an alluvial landform evolutionary scheme which evolves four stages depending on characteristics of alluvial fan morphology development and features of relief and roughness. The initial stage in this study site is defined as the active alluvial fan channels with bars of coarse cobbles and boulders and swales consisting of finer-grained pebbles and sand which could be reflected by high mean relief and mean roughness values. As time goes, bar-and-swale topography is still present, but an immature pavement, composed of finer grained clasts, has started to form. In the third stage, the bar-and-swale topography on the fan surface is subdued, yet still observable, with clasts ranging from pebbles to cobbles in size and there exists obvious headward tributary incision. Eventually, tributary channels form from erosion by surface runoff. Headward incision of these tributaries wears down the steep walls of channels that are incised through the stable, planar surface, transforming the oldest alluvial landforms into convex hillslopes, leaving only small remnants of the planar surface intact. Those evolutionary character suggests that alluvial fans in this area smooth out with time, however, relief or roughness would be translated to increase at greater wavelength with age until a threshold is crossed. This research suggests that relief and roughness calculated from high-resolution topographic data of this study site could reflect alluvial fan morphology development and provide constraint data to differentiate alluvial fan unit.     

Width control on event-scale deposition and evacuation of sediment in bedrock-confined channels

In mixed bedrock–alluvial rivers, the response of the system to a flood event can be affected by a number of factors, including coarse sediment availability in the channel, sediment supply from the hillslopes and upstream, flood sequencing and coarse sediment grain size distribution. However, the impact of along-stream changes in channel width on bedload transport dynamics remains largely unexplored. We combine field data, theory and numerical modelling to address this gap. First, we present observations from the Daan River gorge in western Taiwan, where the river flows through a 1 km long 20–50 m wide bedrock gorge bounded upstream and downstream by wide braidplains. We documented two flood events during which coarse sediment evacuation and redeposition appear to cause changes of up to several metres in channel bed elevation. Motivated by this case study, we examined the relationships between discharge, channel width and bedload transport capacity, and show that for a given slope narrow channels transport bedload more efficiently than wide ones at low discharges, whereas wider channels are more efficient at high discharges. We used the model sedFlow to explore this effect, running a random sequence of floods through a channel with a narrow gorge section bounded upstream and downstream by wider reaches. Channel response to imposed floods is complex, as high and low discharges drive different spatial patterns of erosion and deposition, and the channel may experience both of these regimes during the peak and recession periods of each flood. Our modelling suggests that width differences alone can drive substantial variations in sediment flux and bed response, without the need for variations in sediment supply or mobility. The fluctuations in sediment transport rates that result from width variations can lead to intermittent bed exposure, driving incision in different segments of the channel during different portions of the hydrograph. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Quaternary alluvial fans in the Gobi of southern Mongolia: evidence for neotectonics and climate change

Alluvial fans in southern Monglia occur along a group of narrow discontinuous mountain ranges which formed as transpressional uplifts along a series of strike-slip faults. They provide information on the nature of neotectonic activity in the eastern Gobi Altai range and on palaeoclimate change. Alluvial fan formation was dominated by various geomorphological processes largely controlled by climatic changes related to an increase in aridity throughout late Quaternary times. Their sedimentology shows that initially they experienced humid conditions, when the sedimentary environments were dominated by perennial streams, followed by a period of increasing aridity, during which coarse fanglomerates were deposited in alluvial fans by ephemerial streams and active-layer structures were produced by permafrost within the alluvial fan sediments. With climatic amelioration during early Holocene times, the permafrost degraded and fan incision and entrenchment dominated. Sedimentation was then confined to the upper reaches of the fans, adjacent to steep mountain slopes, and within the entrenched channels. The alluvial fans have been neotectonically deformed, faulted and their surface warped by small thrust faults that propagate from the mountain fronts into their forelands. Localised uplift rates are in the order of 0.1 to 1 m Ka⁻¹. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The 1996 Biescas campsite disaster in the Central Spanish Pyrenees,and its temporal and spatial context

On the evening of the 7 August 1996 an intense storm occurred over the Arás catchment near Biescas in the central Pyrenees. Eighty-seven people were killed as a result of the subsequent flood, which hit a campsite located on the alluvial fan at the outlet of the 18·8 km² catchment. This paper presents the main results of a hydromorphological study of the event. The Betés subcatchment received the most intense rainfall, estimated at somewhat in excess of 250 mm, which resulted in a peak flow from this tributary of 300 m³ s⁻¹. Just downstream from the Betés river junction, flow in the main channel reached 400 m³ s⁻¹, increasing to around 500 m³ s⁻¹ further downstream. Rainfall in the larger Aso tributary was less intense, and in the head reaches flow remained within-bank, representing a one in two-year return period event. Flow from this tributary did not exceed 100 m³ s⁻¹, indicating that the Betés subcatchment supplied some 75% of the flow from just 28·7% of the catchment area. The extreme flows caused the collapse of a series of sediment trap dams in the Arás channel downstream of the Betés junction. This resulted in the addition of 68 000 m³ of sediment to an already disastrous event. Data from other rain gauges in the area showed both the extremely local nature of the event, and the problems of return period analysis for such storms, whose peaks are rarely observed at gauges. Together with the high geomorphological risks of the zone, this leads to the conclusion that a new method of spatial and temporal risk analysis is required for infrastructure planning. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

洪积扇砂砾岩储层岩石相渗流特征及剩余油分布规律

洪积扇砂砾岩储层岩石类型复杂多样,不同岩石相的含油性、渗流性能及油水运动存在差异,以此可以寻找砂砾岩油藏开发后期的剩余油.研究表明:通过野外考察和岩心观察及FMI测井分析,砂砾岩储层可以划分出7种类型的岩石相,其中片流成因的交错层理—细砾岩相和平行层理砂岩相大孔粗喉,饱含油,渗流性能最佳,注水开发快速水进;杂基颗粒支撑...     

东非鲁伍马盆地窄陆架背景下的深水沉积体系

通过岩心、钻井、地震等资料以及物源分析,详细研究了东非鲁伍马盆地构造及沉积演化特征,初步提出了研究区窄陆架背景之下的沉积体系模式。研究认为,鲁伍马盆地陆坡较陡峭且峡谷水道非常发育,而深海平原地形趋于平缓,这有利于形成大型海底扇沉积体系。鲁伍马盆地沉积主要受控于鲁伍马河水系,尤其从渐新世开始受区域隆升影响,导致盆地西缘遭受抬升剥蚀,沉积物源供应充足,加之鲁伍马河水系较为发育,并伴随全球性海退,形成了庞大的向海推进的鲁伍马三角洲沉积体系,这也为海底扇的发育提供了丰富的物源,使得研究区发育了鲁伍马三角洲—水道—海底扇复合沉积体系。     

黄河冲积平原灌溉入渗研究

黄河冲积平原面积广大,农田灌溉频繁,灌水量大,在地下水资源评价时对灌溉入渗系数取值困难。本文在现场灌溉入渗试验的基础上,分析包气带岩性及结构、水位埋深、灌溉水量对灌溉入渗系数的影响,总结提出了多种条件下灌溉入渗系数的取值范围。在单位灌水量40～60m3／亩和水位埋深小于4m、4～8m、大于8m的井灌区中,当包气带岩性为粉土、粉砂时,灌溉入渗系数可分别取值0．21～O．10、0．10—0．05、0．05～0;当包气带岩性夹有粉质粘土层时,灌溉入渗系数可分别取值0．15～0．09、0.09—0．05、0．05～0。在单位灌水量较大的渠灌区,灌溉入渗系数可按单位灌水量的增大倍数而增加,由此为黄河冲积平原区地下水补给量计算中灌溉入渗系数的确定提供了依据。     

湿地扇扇中辫状水道沉积微相-岩石相划分方法

综合应用岩心、测井、分析化验等资料,对湿地扇扇中辫状水道粗碎屑沉积特征进行了详细研究,提出了沉积微相-岩石相的划分方法。根据不同岩石相的物性、电性及含油性特征,将扇中辫状水道微相细分为辫状水道砂砾岩相、辫状水道粗砂岩相和辫状水道细砂岩相。研究结果表明,沉积微相-岩石相对油水分布具有明显的控制作用,其中以辫状水道砂砾岩相单井日产油能力最高,辫状水道粗砂岩相次之,辫状水道细砂岩相最低,比较符合油田的开发实际。辫状水道粗砂岩相因物性最好,剩余油丰度高,可作为下一步挖潜的主要目标。     

黄骅坳陷北部马头营凸起馆陶组砂体成因及展布特征

综合运用钻井岩心、测井、三维高分辨率地震等资料,对渤海湾盆地黄骅坳陷北部马头营凸起馆陶组砂体成因及展布特征进行了系统的研究。结果表明:馆陶组沉积前期发育2条规模大、延伸较远,呈近NS、NNW—SSE展布的沟槽,指示物源主要来源于北部燕山褶皱带。馆陶组为冲积扇-辫状河-曲流河沉积序列;馆三下段为冲积扇扇中辫状河道和河道间漫流相,发育扇中辫状河道成因砂体;馆三上段为辫状河道和泛滥平原相,发育河床滞留沉积和心滩成因砂体;馆二段和馆一段为曲流河沉积,河床滞留沉积、边滩、决口扇和天然堤是主要的砂体成因类型。馆陶组可划分为3个长期旋回,7个中期旋回,16~19个短期旋回;以短期旋回为单元,建立了馆二段等时地层对比的高分辨层序地层格架;层序格架控制着砂体的分布模式,馆二段短期旋回的下部砂岩发育,是主要的储集层。层控测井约束反演提高了馆二段薄互层河道砂体预测的精度,馆二段各砂层组反演预测平面砂地比反映河道砂体呈NE—SW向的展布特征。     

鄂尔多斯盆地三叠系延长组长7段浊积扇对油气聚集的控制

鄂尔多斯盆地三叠系延长组长7段为湖盆环境,盆地深湖区以深湖泥岩沉积为背景,普遍发育浊流沉积,沉积范围广、厚度大,近源的先天优势使其成为油气充注的最先储集单元。弄清浊积扇的沉积特征及不同微相形成的砂体对油气聚集具有重要意义。通过野外剖面分析与岩心观察统计,对浊积扇微相进行精细划分,明确浊积岩的形状、展布与沉积特征。根据前人研究成果,将有固定补给水道的浊积扇和无固定补给水道的浊积扇划分为坡移浊积扇和滑塌浊积扇。通过单砂体厚度、浊积岩类型与发育位置的不同,将坡移浊积扇划分为内扇、中扇、外扇3个亚相和主沟道、溢岸沉积等6个微相;滑塌浊积扇相划分出中心扇和边缘扇2个亚相。浊积扇微相的划分及其成因的讨论能够指导测井对有利砂体的解释,区分不同的油气储集体,为寻找有利油气储层的分布提供依据。