Distribution of calcareous nannoplankton in surface sediments along the northern KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

The coccolith assemblages from seafloor sediments over the inner shelf in the northern region of the KwaZulu- Natal Bight on the east coast of South Africa were identified and their distribution determined. In all, 29 Recent species and taxonomic groups, as well as 29 reworked species were recorded. The distribution of the Recent species appears to be governed by environmental features that have been documented in other studies: temperature, salinity, nutrient concentration and water circulation pattern, which reveals the long-term existence of a circulation cell in the sector between Durban Bay and the Thukela River. The outer edge of the cell consists of nutrient-enriched mixed layers and is characterised by an enhanced abundance of Gephyrocapsa oceanica, whereas the central region consists of a stratified nutrient-depleted water mass with elevated abundance of Umbilicosphaera sibogae, Florisphaera profunda, and a group of umbelliform species. The elevated levels of G. oceanica, coupled with the rarity of U. sibogae, F. profunda and the umbelliform species, confirm the presence of a permanent upwelling cell off Richards Bay. The maximum abundance of F. profunda found between Richards Bay and Lake Nhlabane indicates a region of nutrient-depleted (except for nitrite) conditions.     

Effects of Column Diameter on Setting Behavior of Dredged Slurry in Sedimentation Experiments

This article investigates the influence of dimensions of a settling column on the settling mode and the settling rate. End conditions of the settling stage in the hindered settling were also analyzed. It was found that the settling mode in a column with a smaller diameter tends to be consolidation settling. The effect of a settling column wall decreases with increasing column diameter, and it can be ignored provided the column diameter is larger than 14.5 centimeters. For the difference in initial water content, the settling behavior of the slurry develops a different sensitivity to the diameter effect. The influence of column diameter reduces as the initial water content of the slurry becomes higher. It is suggested that the internal diameter of the column used in a sedimentation experiment should be 14.5 centimeters.     

Sequence stratigraphy of the Berriassian-Lower Aptian deposits of West Siberia

The geological structure and conditions of formation of a Lower Cretaceous clinoform complex in West Siberia are examined based on sequence stratigraphy. The regional Berriasian-Hauterivian clinoforms are interpreted as third-order sequences, and their formation should be considered in terms of the Depositional Sequence III model. Productive beds of both shallow and deep marine as well as continental genesis formed mostly in a regressive basin and belong to the highstand systems tracts.     

6600 years of earthquake record in the Julian Alps (Lake Bohinj,Slovenia)

Sequences of lake sediments often form long and continuous records that may be sensitive recorders of seismic shaking. A multi‐proxy analysis of Lake Bohinj sediments associated with a well‐constrained chronology was conducted to reconstruct Holocene seismic activity in the Julian Alps (Slovenia). A seismic reflection survey and sedimentological analyses identified 29 homogenite‐type deposits related to mass‐wasting deposits. The most recent homogenites can be linked to historical regional earthquakes (i.e. 1348 ad , 1511 ad and 1690 ad ) with strong epicentral intensity [greater than ‘damaging’ (VIII ) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale]. The correlation between the historical earthquake data set and the homogenites identified in a core isolated from local stream inputs, allows interpretation of all similar deposits as earthquake related. This work extends the earthquake chronicle of the last 6600 years in this area with a total of 29 events recorded. The early Holocene sedimentary record is disturbed by a seismic event (6617 ± 94 cal yr bp ) that reworked previously deposited sediment and led to a thick sediment deposit identified in the seismic survey. The period between 3500 cal yr bp and 2000 cal yr bp is characterized by a major destabilization in the watershed by human activities that led to increases in erosion and sedimentation rates. This change increased the lake's sensitivity to recording an earthquake (earthquake‐sensitivity threshold index) with the occurrence of 72 turbidite‐type deposits over this period. The high turbidite frequency identified could be the consequence of this change in lake earthquake sensitivity and thus these turbidites could be triggered by earthquake shaking, as other origins are discarded. This study illustrates why it is not acceptable to propose a return period for seismic activity recorded in lake sediment if the sedimentation rate varies significantly.     

Paleogene stratigraphy of Kutch,India: an update about progress in foraminiferal biostratigraphy

The Paleogene sections of Kutch are the reference for the regional chronostratigraphic units of India. The ages of these dominantly shallow marine carbonates are mainly based on larger benthic foraminifera (LBF). The taxonomic revisions of the LBF and the progressively refined shallow benthic zonations (SBZ) have necessitated the present study on updating the stratigraphy of the area. The sedimentation in Kutch commenced with the deposition of volcaniclastics in terrestrial environments in the Paleocene. The marine transgression in SBZ 5/6 deposited finer clastics and carbonates, designated as Naredi Formation, in early Eocene. There is no evidence of marine Paleocene in Kutch. A major hiatus spanning SBZ 12 to SBZ 16 was followed by the development of a carbonate platform and deposition of Harudi Formation – Fulra Limestone during the Bartonian, SBZ 17. The hiatus corresponds to a widespread stratigraphic break in Pakistan and India to Australia, referred as the ‘Lutetian Gap.’ The Maniyara Fort Formation is assigned to SBZ 22 B and SBZ 23, and its age is revised to Chattian. Climate played a major role in building up of the Paleogene stratigraphic succession of Kutch, the carbonates formed during the warming intervals and the stratigraphic gaps were in the intervening cooling periods.     

Deformation patterns of upper Quaternary strata and their relation to active tectonics,Po Basin,Italy

Despite increased application of subsurface datasets below the limits of seismic resolution, reconstructing near‐surface deformation of shallow key stratigraphic markers beneath modern alluvial and coastal plains through sediment core analysis has received little attention. Highly resolved stratigraphy of Upper Pleistocene to Holocene (Marine Isotope Stage 5e to Marine Isotope Stage 1) alluvial, deltaic and coastal depositional systems across the southern Po Plain, down to 150 m depth, provides an unambiguous documentation on the deformation of previously flat‐lying strata that goes back in time beyond the limits of morphological, historical and palaeoseismic records. Five prominent key horizons, accurately selected on the basis of their sedimentological characteristics and typified for their fossil content, were used as highly effective stratigraphic markers (M1 to M5) that can be tracked for tens of kilometres across the basin. A facies‐controlled approach tied to a robust chronology (102 radiocarbon dates) reveals considerable deformation of laterally extensive nearshore (M1), continental (M2 and M3) and lagoon (M4 and M5) marker beds originally deposited in a horizontal position (M1, M4 and M5). The areas where antiformal geometries are best observed are remarkably coincident with the axes of buried ramp anticlines, across which new seismic images reveal substantially warped stratal geometries of Lower Pleistocene strata. The striking spatial coincidence of fold crests with the epicentres of historic and instrumental seismicity suggests that deformation of marker beds M1 to M5 might reflect, in part at least, syntectonically generated relief and, thus, active tectonism. Precise identification and lateral tracing of chronologically constrained stratigraphic markers in the ¹⁴C time window through combined sedimentological and palaeoecological data may delineate late Quaternary subsurface stratigraphic architecture at an unprecedented level of detail, outlining cryptic stratal geometries at the sub‐seismic scale. This approach is highly reproducible in tectonically active Quaternary depositional systems and can help to assess patterns of active deformation in the subsurface of modern alluvial and coastal plains worldwide.     

Evidence for centennial-scale Lateglacial and early Holocene climatic complexity from Quoyloo Meadow,Orkney, Scotland

The influence of the North Atlantic on the margins of Europe means the region is particularly sensitive to changes in the ocean–atmospheric system. During the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (16–8 cal ka bp ) this system was repeatedly disrupted, leading to a series of abrupt and short-lived shifts in climate. Despite much research, the number and magnitude of these ‘centennial-scale’ events is not well understood. To address this, we expand upon investigations at Quoyloo Meadow, Orkney, Scotland, one of the best chronologically constrained palaeoclimate records in northern Britain. By coupling stable isotope and chironomid fossil analyses with existing data, this study identifies multiple phases of centennial-scale disturbance at: c. 14.0, 11.1, 10.8, 10.5, 10.45 and 10.3 cal ka bp , with the events at 14.0 and 10.3 exhibiting a particularly pronounced cold-climate signature. During the Holocene, the strongest response to climate forcing was at c. 10.3–10.0 cal ka bp , expressed as a two-stage drop in mean July temperatures, a shift in pollen spectra indicative of ‘less-stable’ climatic regimes, and a depletion in δ¹⁸O values. We interpret this as the first reliably dated incidence of the ‘10.3-ka event’ in the British Isles and consider the wider impact of this climatic reversal in other Holocene records.     

Testing the consistency of Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum spatial correlations in temperature proxy records

Holocene temperature proxy records are commonly used in quantitative synthesis and model-data comparisons. However, comparing correlations between time series from records collected in proximity to one another with the expected correlations based on climate model simulations indicates either regional or noisy climate signals in Holocene temperature proxy records. In this study, we evaluate the consistency of spatial correlations present in Holocene proxy records with those found in data from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Specifically, we predict correlations expected in LGM proxy records if the only difference to Holocene correlations would be due to more time uncertainty and more climate variability in the LGM. We compare this simple prediction to the actual correlation structure in the LGM proxy records. We found that time series data of ice-core stable isotope records and planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca ratios were consistent between the Holocene and LGM periods, while time series of Uk'37 proxy records were not as we found no correlation between nearby LGM records. Our results support the finding of highly regional or noisy marine proxy records in the compilation analysed here and suggest the need for further studies on the role of climate proxies and the processes of climate signal recording and preservation.     

山东北部全新世的人地关系演变: 以海岸变迁和海盐生产为例

根据先秦考古遗址地理分布的分析和郭井子贝壳堤的发掘和调查,复原了6.5~5.0kaB.P. ,4.5~4.0kaB.P.和3.4~2.1kaB.P.的3条海岸线,它们大致与现代海岸线平行分布,年代自南向北逐渐年轻,揭示了山东北部地区全新世海侵和海退过程的主要环节,恢复了全新世海岸变迁的具体历程。对寿光大荒北央遗址出土盔形器内壁凝结物的XRF和XRD分析证明,本区沿海商周时期遗址出土的盔形器应是制盐器具,而沿海盔形器密集分布区与6.5~5.0kaB.P.的海岸线基本重合,表明商周时期海盐生产地域应在6.5~5.0kaB.P.和3.4~2.1kaB.P.的两条海岸线之间。本区的海盐生产与海岸变迁密切相关,人类适应环境和开发资源的主要手段就是从事海盐生产。在6.5~4.0kaB.P. ,人类在滨海地带有了初步的海盐生产,开始了适应环境和利用自然资源的最早尝试,在3.4~2.1kaB.P. ,人类又开始开采地下卤水生产海盐,使现今海拔9~10m以下的广阔地区成为产盐区。本区内陆的山前平原地带则是海盐的主要消费区,也是产盐区所需粮食和各种生产生活用品的供应区。这一分析对研究本区先秦时期的聚落功能演变具有重要意义,也是研究本区全新世人地关系演变的关键视角。     

广州城区晚全新世环境变迁与人类活动

对广州市越秀区解放中路考古遗址剖面进行了年代学、岩性、硅藻和软体动物鉴定等研究,发现广州珠江北岸古城区南部在先秦时期为河道及河口湾湿地/洼地;因河流-河涌的淡水注入使河口盐度降低,故而沉积物中未见较高盐度的微体生物,仅发现了河口型咸水-半咸水硅藻;此时堆积的贝壳大多为淡水种,半咸水种少见,表明先秦(东周)时期,广州地区...