Fluvial and permafrost history of the lower Lena River,north-eastern Siberia,over late Quaternary time

Arctic warming and permafrost thaw visibly expose changes in the landscape of the Lena River delta, the largest Arctic delta. Determining the past and modern river regime of thick deltaic deposits shaping the Lena River mouth in north-eastern Siberia is critical for understanding the history of delta formation and carbon sequestration. Using a 65 m long sediment core from the delta apex a set of sedimentological techniques is applied to aid in reconstructing the Lena River history. The analysis includes: (i) grain-size measurements and the determination of the bedload composition; (ii) X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffractometry, and magnetic susceptibility measurements and heavy mineral analysis for tracking mineral change; (iii) pH, electrical conductivity, ionic concentrations, and the δ¹⁸O and δD stable isotope composition from ground ice for reconstructing permafrost formation. In addition; (iv) total and dissolved organic carbon is assessed. Chronology is based on; (vi) radiocarbon dating of organic material (accelerator mass spectrometry and conventional) and is complemented by two infrared – optically stimulated luminescence dates. The record stretches back approximately to Marine Isotope Stage 7. It holds periods from traction, over saltation, to suspension load sedimentation. Minerogenic signals do not indicate provenance change over time. They rather reflect the change from high energy to a lower energy regime after Last Glacial Maximum time parallel to the fining-up grain-size trend. A prominent minimum in the ground ice stable isotope record at early Holocene highlights that a river arm migration and an associated refreeze of the underlying river talik has altered the isotopic composition at that time. Fluvial re-routing might be explained by internal dynamics in the Lena River lowland or due to a tectonic movement, since the study area is placed in a zone of seismic activity. At the southern Laptev Sea margin, onshore continental compressional patterns are bordering offshore extensional normal faults.     

Stable isotope characterization of pedogenic and lacustrine carbonates from the Chinese Tian Shan: Constraints on the Mesozoic–Lower Cenozoic palaeoenvironmental evolution

In the Mesozoic–Cenozoic continental deposits of the Tian Shan area, two main levels containing pedogenic carbonates have been identified on both the southern and northern foothills of the range: one in the Upper Jurassic series and one in the Upper Cretaceous–Lower Palaeocene series. In order to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental and palaeotopographic characteristics of the Tian Shan area during these two periods, we measured the oxygen and carbon isotope composition of these pedogenic carbonates (calcrete and nodules). The stable isotope compositions are homogeneous: most δ¹⁸O values are between 21 and 25‰ and most δ¹³C values are between −4 and −6‰. No distinction can be made between the calcrete and nodule isotopic compositions. The constancy of isotopic values across the Tian Shan is evidence of a development of these calcification features in similar palaeoenvironmental conditions. The main inference is that no significant relief existed in that area at the Cretaceous−Palaeogene boundary, implying that most of the present relief developed later, during the Cenozoic. In addition to the pedogenic carbonates, few beds of limestones interstratified in the Jurassic series of the southern foothills display oxygen and carbon isotope compositions typical of lacustrine carbonates, ruling out brackish water incursion at that period in the region.     

撞击事件对古环境的影响——来自ODP1144站A孔样品的证据

本文通过对ODP1144站A孔BM界线附近样品中微玻璃陨石的挑选和研究,确定在中更新世曾发生过地外物体撞击地球的灾变事件。样品中浮游有孔虫壳体碳氧同位素的对比研究表明,在微玻璃陨石事件发生的后期,曾发生了浮游有孔虫壳体碳氧同位素组成的变化,表现为^δ13 C值的降低和^δ18 O值的增加。文中还探讨了其形成的原因。     

Organic facies and depositional palaeoenvironment of lignites from Rio Maior Basin (Portugal)

The Rio Maior Basin (Portugal) is a tectonic depression, filled by a Pliocene sequence that comprises, from floor to roof: (i) kaoliniferous fine sands, (ii) diatomites and lignites, (iii) recent deposits of sandstone and clay. The diatomites and lignites form a small dissimetric syncline with alternating seams. Ten lignite seams were identified and named from floor to roof as F, E, D, C.2, C.1, C, B, A, a and a′. Seams A, D, E and F are considered to be the main seams.The organic fraction consists mainly of macerals of the huminite group, with small percentages of inertinite and liptinite groups. However, the petrographic composition of each seam is distinct, particularly with regards to macerals of the huminite and liptinite groups.Calculation of petrographic indices permitted to plot the coals in facies and palaeoenvironment diagrams. Five facies have been defined: (i) aquatic, (ii) herbaceous swamp, (iii) mixed swamp with forest and herbaceous vegetation, (vi) forest swamp (wetter) and (v) forest swamp (drier).These lignites are humic coals formed from organic matter of terrestrial origin. The peat biomass at the origin of these coals formed from a very diverse vegetation comprising gymnosperms and angiosperms. In seams F, and occasionally in seams E and D, Botryococcus algae have also contributed to the biomass. Peat deposition corresponded to a rheotrophic hydrological regime: the water level always remained above the topographic surface of the basin. Nevertheless, during the deposition of seam A in the northern part of the basin, the water level was slightly below the topographic surface. The organic matter was preserved in anaeorobic conditions.     

Natural Magnetic Archives of Past Global Change

Rock magnetic parameters of sediments reflect palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic conditions during deposition in the marine and in the continental realm. The processes which lead to enhancement or degradation of the magnetic properties are well known – though not completely understood. They include variable terrigenous material influx, organic and inorganic in situ formation of ferromagnetic minerals and diagenetic destruction of these minerals. Cyclical changes in the magnetic mineral assemblages occurring at the orbital periodicities involved in standard Milankovitch theory have been observed in numerous sedimentary records, at least during the last seven million years. This confirms the relationship between rock magnetism and past global change. Quantitative interpretation of the magnetic signals, however, is still in its infancy and is hampered by the complex interplay of the signal formation processes.     

Variability in biomarkers of different saline basins in China

42 samples (sediments and crude oils) from 5 different saline/hypersaline basins of China were examined using variety of geochemical techniques. A pronounced even over odd distribution ofn-alkanes is observed for the Ejinur, Jianghan samples. Abundance of isoprenoid alkanes, dominated by phytane (C₂₀ up to 20 per cent in EOM), and C₂₅ and C₃₀ components is another outstanding feature of these studied lacustrine hypersaline settings, indicating important contributuions from archaebacteria. Gammacerane is a major component of some Eocene Jiangham samples and Cretaceous Taian sediments. Absolute concentration of phytane and gammacerane appears to be linearly related to chlorine and residual (reduced) sulfur contents of sediments from Jianghan basin, suggesting sulfur incoporation might have played an important role in the enhacement of these biomarkers in the anoxic hypersaline, alkaline settings. Wide range of organic sulfur compounds in immature samples of Jianghan Basin reflects a significant pathway for sulfur incorporation under hypersaline, extremely anoxic/reducing conditions, although for some structures a direct origin from some sulfur archaebacteria can not be excluded. Brackish salt marsh sediment and oil from Lenghu depression contain abundant lupane, strong OEP inn-alkane series, and predominance of C₂₉ steranes, suggesting a markedly input from vascular higher plants. The marginal marine evaporate sediments from the hypersaline Triassic Yangtze Platform is unique for its predominant, complete series of isoprenoid alkanes up to C₃₆ (abundant) and C₄₀ (trace). These long-chain isoprenoids are probably derived from phytoplanktons in addition to archaebacteria. The marked difference in biomarker distributions from the various suites of samples support that application of these biomarkers to help effectively characterize different saline basins. The molecular variation is, however, not only due to their discrepancy in biological sources, but also the extension of sulfate reduction and the availability of metal ions during early diagenesis.     

珠江三角洲PRD05孔的高分辨率介形类记录与晚第四纪古环境重建*

对珠江三角洲西江河口附近PRD05孔（113°11′ 02″E,22°31′24″N）的岩性和介形类的高分辨率分析表明,受海平面变化和河流作用的影响,研究区晚第四纪经历了多次环境变化。26600\{a BP\}以前为河流环境,底部为河道沙砾沉积,随后水动力条件减弱,发育河漫滩沉积。26600—13400\{a BP\} 前期发育泛滥平原相沉积,后期受末次冰期的影响,本区暴露地表遭受风化剥蚀,泛滥平原相沉积的上部风化成杂色黏土。珠江口地区冰后期海侵应开始于约13400\{a BP\}。13400—9000\{a BP\}为海侵初期,本区形成沼泽相沉积。9000—4850\{a BP\}为全新世大海侵时期,本区为持续的河口海湾环境,发育以海相—半咸水型为主的介形类动物群,发生了3次小规模的海平面波动,导致水体条件发生变化,从而影响了介形类动物群的组成和丰度。最大海侵发生于7500—7140\{a BP\}之间,PRD05孔主要介形类属种的丰度在这一阶段达到全新世最大值。4850\{a BP\}以来为持续海退期,河流作用增强,本区逐渐转变为上三角洲平原环境。     

Morphometric analysis of sediment conduits on a bathymetric high: Implications for palaeoenvironment and hydrocarbon prospectivity

Canyons and other sediment conduits are important components of the deep‐water environment and are the main pathways for sediment transport from the shelf to the basin floor. Using 3‐D and 2‐D seismic reflection data, seismic facies and statistical morphometric analyses, this study showed the architectural evolution of five canyons, two slide scars and four gullies on the southern part of the Loppa High, Barents Sea. Morphometric parameters such as thalweg depth (lowest point on a conduit's base), wall depth (middle point), height, width and base width, sinuosity, thalweg gradient, aspect ratio (width/height) and cross‐sectional area of the conduits were measured at intervals of 250‐m perpendicular to the conduits’ pathways. Our results show that the canyons and slide scars in the study area widen down slope, whereas the gullies are narrow and short with uniform widths. The sediment conduits in the study area evolved in three stages. The first stage is correlated with a time when erosion and bypass were dominant in the conduits, and sediment transferred to the basin in the south. The second stage occurred when basin subsidence was prevalent, and a widespread fine‐grained sequence was deposited as a drape blanketing the canyons and other conduits. A final stage occurred when uplift and glacial erosion configured the entire southern Loppa High into an area of denudation. Our work demonstrates that the morphometric parameters of the canyons, slide scars and gullies generally have increasing linear trends with down‐slope distance, irrespective of their geometries. The morphometric analysis of the sediment conduits in the study area has wider applications for understanding depositional processes, reservoir distribution and petroleum prospectivity in frontier basins.     

准噶尔盆地的侏罗系

简介了准噶尔盆地周边侏罗系各岩组的沉积特征及所含生物群面貌。根据生物群纵向演变规律和横向对比，将八道湾组的时代归于早侏罗世早期，不排除其底部为晚三叠世的可能；三工河组为早侏罗世晚期至中侏罗世早期；头屯河组与盆地东北缘五彩湾组相当，属中侏罗世晚期。早、中侏罗世准噶尔盆地气候温暖潮湿，盆地边缘以河流沼泽相为主，是重要成煤时期，中侏罗世晚期以后，盆地开始抬升，盆地边缘以河流相为主，气候变干热，除东北缘外，生物贫乏；晚侏罗世时，盆地受燕山运动影响，激烈抬升，边缘形成河流相或山麓河流相粗碎屑沉积，伴随有强烈的火山活动。