Thickness and stable isotopic characteristics of modern seasonal climate-controlled sub-annual travertine laminas in a travertine-depositing stream at Baishuitai, SW China: implications for paleoclimate reconstruction

A continuous high-resolution (monthly) record of stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) in a well-laminated freshwater travertine deposited at Baishuitai, SW China from May 1998 to November 2001 was presented. The travertine exhibits clear annual bands with coupled brown/white color laminations. Throughout field investigation, it was found that the thin (1.5–2.2 mm), brown porous lamina was formed in the monsoonal rainy season from April to September, whereas the thick (5–8 mm), dense white lamina was formed in the dry season from October to March. The comparisons of lamina thickness and stable isotope signals in the travertine with the meteorological records allow us to constrain the relevant geochemical processes in the travertine formation under different climate conditions and to relate climate variables to their physicochemical proxies in the travertine record. Sympathetic variations in lamina thickness, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O along the sampled profile reflect changes in hydrogeochemistry, showing that thin lamina and low δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values occur in warm and rainy seasons. The decreased amount of calcite precipitation and low δ¹³C values during the warm and rainy seasons is caused by dilution of overland flow after rainfall. The low δ¹⁸O values are believed to be related to the rainfall amount effect in subtropical monsoonal regions. This process is thought to be markedly subdued whenever the amount of rainfall is lower than a given threshold. Accordingly, distinct minima in lamina thickness, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O are interpreted to reflect events with above-average rainfall, possibly heavy floods, and vice versa. This study demonstrates the potential of freshwater travertine to provide valuable information on seasonal or even monthly rainfall variations.     

钙华洞穴的形成与保护

钙华洞穴是由钙华或钙华与碳酸盐岩共同形成的封闭或半封闭的空间。按成因,钙华洞穴可分为沉淀型(建造型)和岩溶型(改造型)两种类型。沉淀型钙华洞穴是钙化瀑布发育过程中的产物,是由于水量的分异和流态的变化造成不同位置上CaCO3 沉积量的差异而出现洞穴空间雏型并经进一步发展形成;岩溶型钙华洞穴则是钙华体在溶蚀过程中伴有不同程度的塌陷和再造所致。钙华洞穴小巧玲珑,景观精美奇特,具有较高的观赏性,但由于钙华洞穴的顶板较薄,使其具有较多的不稳定性。另外,洞内的次生碳酸钙形态极易被污染破坏。因此在开发利用时,应对钙华洞穴的稳定性进行科学评价,并加强洞穴生态环境的保护和监测工作。      

响水河钙华形成的水化学特征与碳稳定同位素研究

介绍了贵州小七孔景区的地质构造、气候、植被、水文等自然条件,结合野外监测和室内水化学分析结果,阐述了响水河钙华形成的水化学时空变化,发现钙华沉积主要发生于气温较高,日照强烈的白天.并利用碳稳定同位素分析结果,推断该景区内河成钙华主要是起源于生物成因产生的CO2溶解石灰岩而后在河流下游产生方解石沉积的结果.     

Late Quaternary environmental and human events at En Gedi, reflected by the geology and archaeology of the Moringa Cave (Dead Sea area, Israel)

The Moringa Cave within Pleistocene sediments in the En Gedi area of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment contains a sequence of various Pleistocene lacustrine deposits associated with higher-than-today lake levels at the Dead Sea basin. In addition it contains Chalcolithic remains and 5th century BC burials attributed to the Persian period, cemented and covered by Late Holocene travertine flowstone. These deposits represent a chain of Late Pleistocene and Holocene interconnected environmental and human events, echoing broader scale regional and global climate events. A major shift between depositional environments is associated with the rapid fall of Lake Lisan level during the latest Pleistocene. This exposed the sediments, providing for cave formation processes sometime between the latest Pleistocene (ca. 15 ka) and the Middle Holocene (ca. 4500 BC), eventually leading to human use of the cave. The Chalcolithic use of the cave can be related to a relatively moist desert environment, probably related to a shift in the location of the northern boundary of the Saharo-Arabian desert belt. The travertine layer was U-Th dated 2.46 ± 0.10 to 2.10 ± 0.04 ka, in agreement with the archaeological finds from the Persian period. Together with the inner consistency of the dating results, this strongly supports the reliability of the radiometric ages. The 2.46-2.10 ka travertine deposition within the presently dry cave suggests a higher recharge of the Judean Desert aquifer, correlative to a rising Dead Sea towards the end of the 1st millennium BC. This suggests a relatively moist local and regional climate facilitating human habitation of the desert.     

Holocene hydrological and vegetation changes in southern France inferred by the study of an alluvial travertine system (Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Hérault)

A geobotanical study of the travertine system of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (southern France) was carried out in order to reconstruct the local Holocene environment in a region where the postglacial vegetation history is poorly documented. The travertinisation process has started at ca. 8500 cal. BP, in a landscape dominated by Pinus sylvestris type (probably Pinus nigra sub sp. salzmannii). Around 7000 cal. BP, the travertine system recorded torrential events not evidenced at the regional scale, showing the particularity of the Verdus hydrological regime. More recently, ca. 5100 cal. BP, a lake or a marsh was filled within the Verdus plain, as attested to by sand and silt particles accumulated in the sequence. The present-day vegetation dominated by Quercus ilex, on south facing slopes, was most likely established between the Bronze Age and the Gallo-Roman period correlatively to the decline of Pinus nigra and deciduous Quercus, most probably under human influence.     

Facies character and depositional architecture of hydrothermal travertine slope aprons (Pleistocene,Acquasanta Terme,Central Italy)

Hydrothermal travertines develop various depositional geometries, from tabular to high-relief mounds or aprons with steep slopes, under the control of local topography, location and geometry of the vents, fault activity, hydrology, water physico-chemical properties, rates of thermal water flow and carbonate precipitation rates. This study focuses on two Pleistocene, tens of metres thick, travertine slope aprons accumulated on fluvial terraces in the Tronto River Valley (Acquasanta Terme, Central Italy) to investigate their facies character, geochemical signature, porosity and evolution of the depositional geometry through time.The two travertine aprons consist of four aggradational-progradational units, vertically and laterally stacked with onlap and downlap stratal terminations, separated by erosional unconformities produced by events of non-deposition and erosion, due to temporary interruptions of vent activity, shifts of the vent location and/or deviation of the flow directions. The travertine units include various depositional environments: 1) smooth slope, 2) terraced slope with metre-scale sub-horizontal pools separated by rounded rims and vertical walls, and 3) sub-horizontal, tens of metres wide ponds. Smooth slope clinoforms are made of centimetre to decimetre thick layers of crystalline dendrite cementstone, laminated boundstone and radial coated grain grainstone, precipitated by fast-flowing water on inclined substrates. Rims and walls of terraced slopes are built by crystalline dendrites and laminated boundstone. Sub-horizontal layers of terrace pools and ponds consist of facies precipitated by slow-flowing to standing water (clotted peloidal micrite dendrite, coated bubble boundstone, raft rudstone) associated with radial coated grains and laminated boundstone. Carbonate coated reeds occur in distal ponds adjacent to toe of slopes or overlie packstone/rudstone with travertine intraclasts and substrate extraclasts, marking events of subaerial exposure and erosion. Travertine facies porosity and permeability range from 4 to 21% and 0.03 to 669 mD, respectively, showing no direct correlation. Stable isotope values (δ¹³C: 5.7–9.3‰; δ¹⁸O −9.6‰ to −12.2‰) are similar to other travertines precipitated by thermal water in Central Italy.This study identifies the centimetre-scale travertine facies variability linking it to the environment of deposition and to the depositional geometry of travertine units affected by the substrate topography and lateral shifts of the active springs. Despite the different scale and facies composition, the geometry of aggradational-progradational units of travertine aprons might resemble marine flat-topped high-relief carbonate platforms. Travertine units in the subsurface, if present with sizes that can be seismically resolved, might be wrongly interpreted as carbonate platforms with steep slopes without a detailed facies analysis.     

Origin of pedogenic needle-fiber calcite revealed by micromorphology and stable isotope composition—a case study of a Quaternary paleosol from Hungary

Pedogenic needle-fiber calcite was studied regarding its morphology, texture and stable isotope composition from the paleosol of the Quaternary Várhegy travertine (Budapest, Hungary). The needle-fiber calcite is composed of 40–200 μm long monocrystals. Smooth rods as well as serrated-edged crystals with calcite overgrowths were identified by SEM. Needles have several textural varieties: randomly distributed crystals in vugs and pores with calcite hypocoatings, bundles of subparallel crystals forming coatings around grains and alveolar structure with bridging needles in vugs.The morphological study of needle-fiber calcite suggests that needles are calcified fungal sheaths and produced by fungal biomineralization, a common process in recent and fossil soils and calcretes. The stable isotope composition of needle-fiber calcite (average: δ¹⁸O=-7.1‰ and δ¹³C=-7.3‰ vs. V-PDB) indicates significant incorporation of organically derived CO₂ and probably biological influence on needle genesis. Dissolved host rock travertine and/or atmospheric CO₂ could also contribute some carbon to the acicular calcite.