Lateral migration,thermoluminescence chronology and colour variation of longitudinal dunes near Birdsville in the Simpson Desert,central Australia

The longitudinal dunes of the Simpson Desert, in the vicinity of Birdsville, have been reworked largely during the Holocene from dunes deposited up to 80000 years ago or earlier. The widespread asymmetry of these roughly northward-trending dunes, with steeper eastern faces and more gentle western faces, supports wind-rose data showing sand-transporting winds from the southwest obliquely intersecting the dunes. While this suggests a change in the wind pattern since the dune field was oriented, it does not indicate that the dunes are necessarily shifting leeward (eastward) as a consequence. It is hypothesized that the direction of migration is controlled by the extent to which the dunes are vegetated. Relatively well-vegetated dunes can accrete sand on their gentle stoss slopes and erode on their lee slopes causing them to shift westward and hence obliquely into the wind, a condition that probably prevails in wetter regions and during episodes of relatively humid climate. In contrast, in very dry areas or during arid phases, sand can move unimpeded up a sparsely vegetated stoss face and over the crest to form an avalanche or slip face on the lee side, thereby causing the dunes to shift eastward. Despite evidence that longitudinal dune crests can shift laterally to some extent, the dunes in the western part of the Simpson Desert have not migrated, either westward or eastward, more than 100m or so from their Pleistocene cores. Aeolian transport and partial or complete removal of iron cutans from around quartz grains results in dunes of widely varying colour yet of similar age.     

Grain-size features of a Miocene loess-soil sequence at Qinan: Implications on its origin

In northern China, the Quaternary loess-soil se-quences[1] and the Hipparion Red-Earth Formation in the eastern Loess Plateau[2―6] provide a continental climate record for the past 8 Ma. The recently reported Miocene[7] and Pliocene[8] loess-soil sequences near Qinan constitute an eolian record of the western Loess Plateau from 22 to 3.5 Ma. Earlier studies[9] place the Miocene loess deposits into the so-called Gansu Sys-tem. Our investigations show that the Gansu System contains inde…     

Surface properties of stabilizing coastal dunes: combining spectral and field analyses

The coastal dunes of Israel have been undergoing a process of stabilization since 1948. One of the major features of this process is a change in the surface properties of the dunes – the development of a biological soil crust (BSC), and a change in the properties of the sand grains themselves. In Ashdod, at the southern coastal plain of Israel, sand properties that include the BSC, their fines (silt and clay) content and free iron-oxide (indicating their degree of rubification) have been analysed in detail using field and lab spectroscopy methods. In addition, sand erosion and deposition were measured using erosion pins to determine their effect on the presence of the above-mentioned factors. It was found that the BSC over these dunes is comprised of green algae that differs in its reflectance spectra from cyanobacterial crust, especially in the blue band. The crust was found to be particularly developed in the stable areas (mainly the interdunes) and on the north-facing slopes rather than on the south-facing slopes. A positive correlation was found between the crust fines and chlorophyll content, with stable areas showing more developed BSC. The stable areas showed also a lower albedo and slightly more developed reddish colour, indicating a slightly higher rate of rubification. This study demonstrates that the intensity of sand erosion/deposition rates affects soil properties, with the BSC being the fastest to react to the stabilization process (months to several years), followed by the content of fine particles (several years to a decade), whereas the rubification process is a much weaker marker and may need much longer time periods to develop (decades to centuries).     

Metallogenic focus-area and superlarge mineral deposits in the bordering zones between China,Russia and Mongolia

Two deep-sea cores in the northwest Pacific have been analysed for sedimentology, mineralogy and environmental magnetism. The results show that after eliminating the interference from volcanism, several proxies such as quartz content, mass susceptibility and anhysteretic magnetic remanence can be used to indicate the eolian deposit from East Asia, and provide information on paleo-atmospheric circulation. A comparison of eolian record in Cure RC10-175 with its oxygen isotopic curve has revealed that the peaks of eolian accumulation occurred at the climatic “optimum” of the Holocene and the last interglaciation, showing the fairly complex nonlinear relationship between continental/pelagic eolian records and the global glacial cycles as well as within the climatic and environmental system. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 9291104)     

Sea level,climate change and coastal evolution in Morar,northwest Scotland

Analyses of geomorphologically contrasting sites in Morar, NW Scotland, describe the forcing mechanisms of coastal change. Isolation basins (i.e. basins behind rock sills and now isolated from the sea following isostatic uplift) accumulated continuous marine and freshwater sediments from c.12 to 2 ka BP. Raised dune, marsh and wetland sites register breaching, migration and stability of dunes from c. 9 to 2 ka BP. High-resolution methods designed to address issues of macroscale and microscale sea-level changes and patterns of storminess include 1-mm sampling for pollen, dinocyst and diatom analyses, infra-red photography, X-ray photography and thin-section analysis. The data enhance the record of relative sea-level change for the area. Major phases of landward migration of the coast occurred during the period of low sea-level rise in the mid-Holocene as the rate of rise decreased from c. 3 to < 1 mm/year. Relative sea-level change controls the broad pattern of coastal evolution at each site; local site-specific factors contribute to short-term process change. There is no record of extreme events such as tsunami. Within a system of dynamic metastable equilibrium, the Holocene records show that site-specific factors determine the exact timing of system breakdown, e.g. dune breaching, superimposed on regional sea-level rise. The global average sea-level rise of 3 to 6 mm/yr by AD 2050 predicted by IPCC would only partly be offset in the Morar area by isostatic uplift of about 1 mm/yr. A change from relative sea-level fall to sea-level rise, in areas where the regional rate of uplift no longer offsets global processes, is a critical factor in the management of coastal resources.     

兰州地区新近纪地层的沉积相与古环境记录

兰州地区位于黄土和青藏高原的过渡带,其第三纪地层对研究风尘沉积发育和青藏高原隆升都有着特殊的意义。本研究以0.25 m为间距对厚度210 m的兰州皋兰山剖面的新近纪地层采集样品901个,在实验室对试验样品进行前处理后对其进行了粒度、磁化率和色度测试。用粒度分布函数的方法分离了沉积物的各成因组分,确定了风成组分和水成组分在全剖面沉积物中所占的百分比。结合色度和磁化率的实验结果分析表明,皋兰山剖面地层以风尘沉积为主,其间夹有河流相沉积的约15层砂岩。古环境的恢复表明,兰州地区从至少约7 Ma开始,沉积地层经历了由河湖相向风尘沉积转变,气候干旱化开始,与黄土高原风尘序列堆积底界8～7 Ma基本一致。6～5.2 Ma构造稳定,是比较开阔的平原环境,并且气候条件比较湿热;5.2～3.5 Ma间构造波动比较频繁,形成了间隔性的河流相砂岩沉积,而在气候表现为干冷;自3.5 Ma开始,兰州地区发生相对构造沉陷,五泉砾岩层的发育是对青藏运动A幕的具体响应。     

Land use changes and sea level rise may induce a “coastal squeeze” on the coasts of Veracruz,Mexico

“Coastal squeeze” refers to the process in which coastal ecosystems are threatened by the combination of sea level rise (SLR) and the presence of a physical barrier, such as human infrastructure. This situation prevents the landward migration of ecosystems and species, as the coastline moves inland, and they are thus exposed to local extinction. Our objective was to explore coastal squeeze in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, through the study of urban expansion on the coast, an analysis of coastline geodynamics, and a projection of the potential effect of SLR on the distribution of two focal plant species which are endemic to the coastal dunes of Mexico. Urbanization of the coast, parallel to the shoreline, has been taking place increasingly rapidly, displacing ecosystems, both natural (mangroves, beaches and coastal dunes) and transformed (cultivated fields and pastures). Taking into consideration the geodynamic trends of the coastline and an analysis of its historical evolution, it can be seen that the coastal strip is eroding at rates that vary from slow to very rapid. Finally, the results of ecological niche modeling indicate that, under scenarios of SLR, the potential distribution of the two focal species would diminish: Chamaecrista chamaecristoides by 6–28%, and Palafoxia lindenii by 2–15%. These results indicate that “coastal squeeze” is likely in the study area, and that measures to limit or mitigate this process are required. Such measures could include urbanization programs which limit development to appropriate zones, the restoration and rehabilitation of deteriorated ecosystems and the conservation of those ecosystems which are still healthy.     

Scales and causes of heterogeneity in bars in a large multi‐channel river: Río Paraná, Argentina

To date, published studies of alluvial bar architecture in large rivers have been restricted mostly to case studies of individual bars and single locations. Relatively little is known about how the depositional processes and sedimentary architecture of kilometre‐scale bars vary within a multi‐kilometre reach or over several hundreds of kilometres downstream. This study presents Ground Penetrating Radar and core data from 11, kilometre‐scale bars from the Río Paraná, Argentina. The investigated bars are located between 30 km upstream and 540 km downstream of the Río Paraná – Río Paraguay confluence, where a significant volume of fine‐grained suspended sediment is introduced into the network. Bar‐scale cross‐stratified sets, with lengths and widths up to 600 m and thicknesses up to 12 m, enable the distinction of large river deposits from stacked deposits of smaller rivers, but are only present in half the surface area of the bars. Up to 90% of bar‐scale sets are found on top of finer‐grained ripple‐laminated bar‐trough deposits. Bar‐scale sets make up as much as 58% of the volume of the deposits in small, incipient mid‐channel bars, but this proportion decreases significantly with increasing age and size of the bars. Contrary to what might be expected, a significant proportion of the sedimentary structures found in the Río Paraná is similar in scale to those found in much smaller rivers. In other words, large river deposits are not always characterized by big structures that allow a simple interpretation of river scale. However, the large scale of the depositional units in big rivers causes small‐scale structures, such as ripple sets, to be grouped into thicker cosets, which indicate river scale even when no obvious large‐scale sets are present. The results also show that the composition of bars differs between the studied reaches upstream and downstream of the confluence with the Río Paraguay. Relative to other controls on downstream fining, the tributary input of fine‐grained suspended material from the Río Paraguay causes a marked change in the composition of the bar deposits. Compared to the upstream reaches, the sedimentary architecture of the downstream reaches in the top ca 5 m of mid‐channel bars shows: (i) an increase in the abundance and thickness (up to metre‐scale) of laterally extensive (hundreds of metres) fine‐grained layers; (ii) an increase in the percentage of deposits comprised of ripple sets (to >40% in the upper bar deposits); and (iii) an increase in bar‐trough deposits and a corresponding decrease in bar‐scale cross‐strata (<10%). The thalweg deposits of the Río Paraná are composed of dune sets, even directly downstream from the Río Paraguay where the upper channel deposits are dominantly fine‐grained. Thus, the change in sedimentary facies due to a tributary point‐source of fine‐grained sediment is primarily expressed in the composition of the upper bar deposits.     

Archean to Recent aeolian sand systems and their sedimentary record: Current understanding and future prospects

The sedimentary record of aeolian sand systems extends from the Archean to the Quaternary, yet current understanding of aeolian sedimentary processes and product remains limited. Most preserved aeolian successions represent inland sand‐sea or dunefield (erg) deposits, whereas coastal systems are primarily known from the Cenozoic. The complexity of aeolian sedimentary processes and facies variability are under‐represented and excessively simplified in current facies models, which are not sufficiently refined to reliably account for the complexity inherent in bedform morphology and migratory behaviour, and therefore cannot be used to consistently account for and predict the nature of the preserved sedimentary record in terms of formative processes. Archean and Neoproterozoic aeolian successions remain poorly constrained. Palaeozoic ergs developed and accumulated in relation to the palaeogeographical location of land masses and desert belts. During the Triassic, widespread desert conditions prevailed across much of Europe. During the Jurassic, extensive ergs developed in North America and gave rise to anomalously thick aeolian successions. Cretaceous aeolian successions are widespread in South America, Africa, Asia, and locally in Europe (Spain) and the USA. Several Eocene to Pliocene successions represent the direct precursors to the present‐day systems. Quaternary systems include major sand seas (ergs) in low‐lattitude and mid‐latitude arid regions, Pleistocene carbonate and Holocene–Modern siliciclastic coastal systems. The sedimentary record of most modern aeolian systems remains largely unknown. The majority of palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of aeolian systems envisage transverse dunes, whereas successions representing linear and star dunes remain under‐recognized. Research questions that remain to be answered include: (i) what factors control the preservation potential of different types of aeolian bedforms and what are the characteristics of the deposits of different bedform types that can be used for effective reconstruction of original bedform morphology; (ii) what specific set of controlling conditions allow for sustained bedform climb versus episodic sequence accumulation and preservation; (iii) can sophisticated four‐dimensional models be developed for complex patterns of spatial and temporal transition between different mechanisms of accumulation and preservation; and (iv) is it reasonable to assume that the deposits of preserved aeolian successions necessarily represent an unbiased record of the conditions that prevailed during episodes of Earth history when large‐scale aeolian systems were active, or has the evidence to support the existence of other major desert basins been lost for many periods throughout Earth history?     

流动沙丘水分深层入渗量与降雨的关系

为分析流动沙丘水分深层入渗与降雨的关系,采用YWB-01型水分深层渗漏记录仪,运用土壤水动力学原理,研究了毛乌素沙地流动沙丘降雨入渗水分传递过程及地表以下150 cm深度入渗补给特征.结果表明:流动沙丘深层土壤水分来源主要为降雨入渗,2010年入渗补给量为141.4 mm,2011年为355.8 mm,分别占同期降雨量的55.1%和68.2%.深层入渗主要补给期为5—11月,期间补给量占全年总量的95%.当土壤水分条件保持在田间持水量范围之内时,降雨过程对土壤150 cm深度的补给作用主要受降雨量和降雨强度的影响,入渗量与降雨量呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),降雨通常在30~48 h后渗透补给到150 cm深层土壤,入渗补给速率在前3~5 h呈快速上升趋势,3~8 h左右达到最大值,此后缓慢下降,整个入渗补给过程可以持续96 h以上.