Mud dispersal across a Cretaceous prodelta: Storm‐generated,wave‐enhanced sediment gravity flows inferred from mudstone microtexture and microfacies

Determining sediment transport direction in ancient mudrocks is difficult. In order to determine both process and direction of mud transport, a portion of a well‐mapped Cretaceous delta system was studied. Oriented samples from outcrop represent prodelta environments from ca 10 to 120 km offshore. Oriented thin sections of mudstone, cut in three planes, allowed bed microstructure and palaeoflow directions to be determined. Clay mineral platelets are packaged in equant, face‐face aggregates 2 to 5 μm in diameter that have a random orientation; these aggregates may have formed through flocculation in fluid mud. Cohesive mud was eroded by storms to make intraclastic aggregates 5 to 20 μm in diameter. Mudstone beds are millimetre‐scale, and four microfacies are recognized: Well‐sorted siltstone forms millimetre‐scale combined‐flow ripples overlying scoured surfaces; deposition was from turbulent combined flow. Silt‐streaked claystone comprises parallel, sub‐millimetre laminae of siliceous silt and clay aggregates sorted by shear in the boundary layer beneath a wave‐supported gravity flow of fluid mud. Silty claystone comprises fine siliceous silt grains floating in a matrix of clay and was deposited by vertical settling as fluid mud gelled under minimal current shear. Homogeneous clay‐rich mudstone has little silt and may represent late‐stage settling of fluid mud, or settling from wave‐dissipated fluid mud. It is difficult or impossible to correlate millimetre‐scale beds between thin sections from the same sample, spaced only ca 20 mm apart, due to lateral facies change and localized scour and fill. Combined‐flow ripples in siltstone show strong preferred migration directly down the regional prodelta slope, estimated at ca 1 : 1000. Ripple migration was effected by drag exerted by an overlying layer of downslope‐flowing, wave‐supported fluid mud. In the upper part of the studied section, centimetre‐scale interbeds of very fine to fine‐grained sandstone show wave ripple crests trending shore normal, whereas combined‐flow ripples migrated obliquely alongshore and offshore. Storm winds blowing from the north‐east drove shore‐oblique geostrophic sand transport whereas simultaneously, wave‐supported flows of fluid mud travelled downslope under the influence of gravity. Effective wave base for sand, estimated at ca 40 m, intersected the prodelta surface ca 80 km offshore whereas wave base for mud was at ca 70 m and lay ca 120 km offshore. Small‐scale bioturbation of mud beds co‐occurs with interbedded sandstone but stratigraphically lower, sand‐free mudstone has few or no signs of benthic fauna. It is likely that a combination of soupground substrate, frequent storm emplacement of fluid mud, low nutrient availability and possibly reduced bottom‐water oxygen content collectively inhibited benthic fauna in the distal prodelta.     

Distribution of trace metals in stream sediments along the Trans-Amazonian Federal Highway,Pará State,Brazil

A total of 64 sediment samples were collected along a stretch of about 988 km of the Trans-Amazonian Federal Highway, between Marabá and Itaituba, Pará State, in order to characterize the distribution of metals and trace elements. Due to the lithological and geological diversity along this stretch of the Amazon, the study region was divided in three distinct tracks. Statistical data analysis (Spearman correlation and Principal Factor Analysis) shows strong signature and predominance of regional rocks chemistry, such as mafic-ultramafic-bearing elements (Ni and Cr) and hydrothermalism-bearing elements such as Cu and Pb. Enrichment factors were calculated for three different normalizer agents: 1) Fe and Mn, representing the Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides, 2) Al representing clay minerals, and 3) organic matter (OM). The Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides showed to be the most proficient metal carrier among the geological matrices, likely due to the larger lithological diversity. On the other hand, OM positively correlated to trace element distribution.     

青海省都兰县阿拉克湖地区水系沉积物地球化学特征及找矿方向

分析了区内的水系沉积物地球化学参数特征及其元素的相关性,认为元素(地球化学)异常(高值区)严格受东昆中断裂带、东昆南断裂带、布青山南坡乌断裂带,以及阿尼玛卿蛇绿岩带和东昆中蛇绿岩带,古-中元古代地层、岩体接触带、热液活动、脉岩等因素联合控制。根据异常特征与成矿地质条件,圈定了找矿远景区5个,且为该区下一步的找矿工作指明了方向。     

基于Budyko假设和分形理论的水沙变化归因识别——以北洛河流域为例

全球气候变化及人类活动深刻影响了区域水文过程,进行水沙变化归因识别对流域生态保护和高质量发展尤为重要。基于Budyko假设和分形理论,采用弹性系数法,对北洛河流域上（丘陵沟壑区）、中（土石山林—高塬沟壑区）、下游（渭北旱塬农区）3种不同地貌和植被类型区1959—2019年的水、沙通量变化进行归因分析。结果表明,北洛河上、中、下游径流量均显著减少,由20世纪60年代的35 mm、32 mm、34 mm,减少到21世纪10年代的19 mm、24 mm、6 mm,60 a减少率分别为0.3 mm a^-1、0.2 mm a^-1、0.4 mm a^-1。上游输沙量极显著减少,中游降低趋势不显著,下游显著减少,由20世纪60年代的99×10⁶ t、8×10⁶ t、3×10⁶ t,减少到21世纪10年代的10×10⁶ t、3×10⁶ t、0.3×10⁶ t,60 a减少率分别为1.5×10⁶ t a^-1、0.04×10⁶ t a^-1、0.1×10⁶ t a^-1。20世纪70年代以来,上游径流变化逐渐受人类活动影响,且影响程度逐渐增强,21世纪10年代人类活动贡献率达66.3%;气候变化是中游径流变化的主控因子,21世纪10年代降雨和潜在蒸散发的贡献率分别为77.0%和20.2%;下游径流减少主要为人类活动影响,21世纪10年代其贡献率为64.3%。对比20世纪60年代流域输沙量变化始终受人类活动主导,21世纪10年代人类活动对上、中、下游输沙量减少的贡献率分别为80.7%、59.2%和92.7%。上游人类活动对输沙量减少的贡献中,退耕还林等沟坡措施和沟道工程措施分别为39.0%、42.7%,中、下游人类活动贡献的估算结果反映出高植被覆盖区和农区汲水灌溉对区域水、沙的影响特征。     

典型黄土坡面土壤侵蚀特征及径流流速空间变化试验研究

为了明确土壤性质对坡面侵蚀方式作用机制的影响,本研究采用室内模拟降雨试验,选取黄土高原典型暴雨强度,在不同坡度条件下,对两种黄土的坡面侵蚀方式、形态特征、产流产沙过程及其相应径流流速的变化规律进行了研究。结果表明,绥德土径流量明显高于安塞土,10º、15º和20º时前者的平均径流量分别比后者高出51.1%、55.5%和63.0%,且前者更易形成细沟,使得其平均含沙量和平均产沙率分别是后者的1.14~3.59倍和2.50~8.48倍。在片蚀阶段,与绥德土相比,安塞土的含沙量较高,后者的平均含沙量是前者的1.24~1.73倍,但两种土壤的含沙量和产沙规律相同,均表现为先快速增加到最大值,然后逐渐降低到相对稳定状态,该现象证明片蚀的初期阶段主要受控于径流输沙能力,后期受径流的剥蚀能力控制。在细沟侵蚀阶段,绥德土细沟发育以沟头溯源侵蚀为主,崩塌作用频繁,该侵蚀形式不仅控制着细沟形态的总体特征,也导致含沙量和产沙率均急剧增加,该阶段平均含沙量是相应片蚀阶段的3.25~4.34倍。细沟沟口下方坡面存在明显的泥沙沉积带,表明细沟集中水流的搬运能力远高于坡面漫流,细沟侵蚀主要受径流输沙能力控制。两种土壤的径流流速均表现为坡面下部高于坡面上部,径流稳定后高于径流稳定前,总体来看,绥德土和安塞土上坡和径流稳定后的平均流速分别是下坡和径流稳定前的1.4倍、1.25倍和1.75倍、1.29倍,此外细沟侵蚀或侵蚀强度与微地貌形态之间的互馈作用对径流流速也有较大影响。     

农田近地表风沙流风程效应变化特征研究

风沙流的风程效应研究是定量获取风沙流沿程变化的核心和难点,风程效应是指输沙率随沙床表面或地块长度的增加而不断增大,而后趋于稳定的变化特征,饱和输沙率（f_max）和饱和路径长度（L_sat）是风程效应的重要参数。采用自动连续称重式集沙仪,以河北坝上地区康保县境内典型旱作农田为研究对象,观测了2017、2018年和2021年内4次典型风蚀事件,分析近地表5 cm高度风沙流的风程效应在5 min时间尺度下的变化特征。结果表明：（1） 近地表输沙通量随风程距离的增大而增大。（2） 4次风蚀事件中L_sat的变化范围在11~280 m之间,并存在明显差异,其变化与风速无关。（3） 近地表风沙流的f_max与风速（U）呈幂函数关系。（4） 风程效应的变化特征与地表可蚀性因子、地表微地貌变化有着紧密联系,未来应对不同的土壤类型和质地农田的风程效应进行深入研究。     

Effects of the Soil Heat Flux Estimates on Surface Energy BalanceClosure over a Semi-Arid Grassland

Soil heat flux is important for surface energy balance (SEB), and inaccurate estimation of soil heat flux often leads to surface energy imbalance. In this paper, by using observations of surface radiation fluxes and soil temperature gradients at a semi-arid grassland in Xilingguole, Inner Mongolia, China from June to September 2008, the characters of the SEB for the semi-arid grassland were analyzed. Firstly, monthly averaged diurnal variations of SEB components were revealed. A 30-min forward phase displacement of soil heat flux (G) observed by a fluxplate at the depth of 5-cm below the soil surface was conducted and its effect on the SEB was studied. Secondly, the surface soil heat flux (Gs) was computed by using harmonic analysis and the effect of the soil heat storage between the surface and the fluxplate on the SEB was examined. The results show that with the 30-min forward phase displacement of observed G, the slope of the ordinary linear regression (OLR) of turbulent fluxes (H+LE) against available energy (Rn–G) increased from 0.835 to 0.842, i.e., the closure ratio of SEB increased by 0.7%, yet energy imclosure of 15.8% still existed in the SEB. When Gs, instead of G was used in the SEB equation, the slope of corresponding OLR of (H+LE) against (Rn–Gs) reached 0.979, thereby the imclosure ratio of SEB was reduced to only 2.1%.     

Changes to sediment sources following wildfire in a forested upland catchment,southeastern Australia

Few investigations link post‐fire changes to sediment sources and erosion processes with sediment yield response at the catchment scale. This linkage is essential if downstream impacts on sediment transport after fire are to be understood in the context of fire effects across different forest environments. In this study, we quantify changing source contributions to fine sediment (<63 µm) exported from a eucalypt forest catchment (136 ha) burnt by wildfire. The study catchment is one of a pair of research catchments located in the East Kiewa River valley in southeastern Australia that have been the subject of a research program investigating wildfire effects on runoff, erosion, and catchment sediment/nutrient exports. This previous research provided the opportunity to couple insights gained from a range of measurement techniques with the application of fallout radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex to trace sediment sources. It was found that hillslope surface erosion dominated exports throughout the 3·5‐year post‐fire measurement period. During this time there was a pronounced decline in the proportional surface contribution from close to 100% in the first six months to 58% in the fourth year after fire. Over the study period, hillslope surface sources accounted for 93% of the fine sediment yield from the burnt catchment. The largest decline in the hillslope contribution occurred between the first and second years after fire, which corresponded with the previously reported large decline in sediment yield, breakdown of water repellency in burnt soils, substantial reduction in hillslope erodibility, and rapid surface vegetation recovery. Coupling the information on sediment sources with hillslope process measurements indicated that only a small proportion of slopes contributed sediment to the catchment outlet, with material derived from near‐channel areas dominating the post‐fire catchment sediment yield response. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.