Large-scale environmental influences on the benthic macroinfauna of the southern Gulf of Mexico

The influence of large-scale natural disturbance from winter storms (‘northers’) and river runoff on the macrobenthic community structure of the southern Gulf of Mexico was investigated in both carbonate and transitional carbonate–terrigenous sedimentary environments. Samples of the infauna were obtained in three seasons from 13 stations from two 250 km transects along 80–170 and 20–50 m water depth. Samples after the northers season had the lowest total number of families and individuals, 114 and 2940, respectively, compared to the dry and rainy seasons with 129 and 132 families and 11580 and 15266 individuals, respectively. Spatial patterns of macroinfauna composition varied across and along the shelf as a response to sedimentary environments and depth. Coarser sediments from the carbonate area harboured the highest mean densities per station with 500–24,000 individuals m⁻² and 108–122 families in total, compared to the transitional sediment with 500–8200 individuals m⁻² and 56–74 families across the three seasons. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques demonstrated that low densities and number of taxa were associated with winter storms, but storm influence was dependent on depth and sediment type. Multiple linear regression analysis and BIOENV analysis indicated that sediment mean grain size, percentage of clay and organic matter best explained the macroinfauna spatial patterns, although BIOENV indicated that depth has an overriding role. An increase in densities of opportunistic taxa (numerous polychaetes of small sizes) was observed four months after the ‘northers’ and this was more evident in the area of carbonate sediment. Additionally a combined disturbance from northers and river runoff is suspected to be responsible for a naturally impoverished macroinfauna community in the transitional sedimentary environment.     

Mid-Holocene evolution and paleoenvironments of the shoreface–offshore transition, north-eastern Argentina: New evidence based on benthic microfauna

A sedimentary record spanning 5792–5511 cal yr BP and 3188–2854 cal yr BP was recovered at 36° 45′ 43″ S–56 ° 37′ 13″ W, south-west South Atlantic. The sedimentological features and micropaleontological (benthic foraminifera and ostracoda) content were analyzed in order to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions. Considerable environmental fluctuations are indicated by all these proxies. Five different stages were distinguished: Stage 1 (ca. 5800–5000 cal yr BP) consists of muddy sand with abundant microfossils. In this interval, species typical for inner marine shelf environments maintained a high abundance. Stage 2 consists of plastic light greenish grey clays barren of microfossils, and probably represents fluvial input from the de la Plata River to the shelf contemporaneous of a lowering of sea level. Stage 3 is composed of brownish yellow sandy silts, and represents increasing marine conditions in the area as reflected by higher faunal diversity and typical foraminifera of inner shelf environments. Stage 4 is made of homogeneous mud, barren of microfossil, which represents a new pulse of fluvial input to the shelf in consequence of a new fall in sea level. The final part of the core (Stage 5) is a coarsening upward sequence, grading from greeny brown clayey sandy silts to coarse shelly sands and represents the modern sedimentation in the area. This interpretation strengthens the stepped model of late-Holocene sea-level fall between 5511–5792 cal yr BP and 2854–3188 cal yr BP in Buenos Aires coast, and agrees with the relative sea-level history previously proposed by some authors from western South Atlantic coasts.     

华南沿海地区全新世海平面变化特征

１海平面变化特征１．１全新世中期海侵根据地层中所含硅藻属种雷州半岛海康南田乡一１５ｍ钻孔岩芯，含有丰富的硅藻，主要属种是①：具槽直链藻（Ｍｅｌｏｓｉｒａ　ｓｕｌｃａｔａ（Ｅｈｒ）Ｋｕｔｚ）、范氏回箱藻（Ｐｙｘｉｃｌｉｃｕｌａ　ｗｅｙｐｒｅｃｈｔｉｉＧｒｕｎ）、条纹小环藻（Ｃｙｃｌｏｔｅｌｌａｓｔｒｉａｔａ（Ｋｕｔｚ）Ｇｒｕｎ）、流水双菱藻（ＳｕｒｉｒｅｌｌａｆｌｕｍｉｎｅｎｓｉｓＧｒｕｎ）。上述硅藻主要是海相生活属种，今日南田乡已距离海岸线５ｋｍ。徐闻海安西侧一１８．５ｍ钻孔岩芯中的硅藻除上述属…     

Benthic nutrient fluxes in the intertidal flat within the Changjiang （Yangtze River） Estuary

In an annual cycle from March 2005 to February 2006, benthic nutrient fluxes were measured monthly in the Dongtan intertidal flat within the Changjiang （Yangtze River） Estuary. Except for NH4^＋, there always showed high fluxes from overlying water into sediment for other four nutrients. Sediments in the high and middle marshes, covered with halophyte and consisting of macrofauna, demonstrated more capabilities of assimilating nutrients from overlying water than the low marsh. Sampling seasons and nutrient concentrations in the overlying water could both exert significant effects on these fluxes. Additionally, according to the model provided by previous study, denitrification rates, that utilizing NO3- transported from overlying water （Dw） in Dongtan sediments, were estimated to be from -16 to 193 μmol·h^-1·m^-2 with an average value of 63 μmol·h^-1·m^-2 （n=18）. These estimated values are still underestimates of the in-situ rates owing to the lack of consideration of DN, i.e., denitrification supported by the local NO3^- production via nitrification.     

南海北部深水盆地沉积-构造的差异性及其油气意义

南海北部深水区自西向东依次分布着琼东南盆地、珠江口盆地、台西南盆地等新生代被动陆缘盆地,这些盆地经历了大致相当的从裂陷到坳陷的构造演化史,但在张裂活动过程中存在着明显的沉积-构造的差异性。构造沉降特征分析显示:在同一构造带上自西向东有盆地主要构造沉降发生的时段逐步变晚的趋势;在不同构造带上自北向南有盆地主要构造沉降发生的时段逐步变晚的趋势。这种沉积-构造的差异性对烃源岩的发育类型、分布及生储盖组合等方面有明显的控制作用,表现为:裂谷期构造沉降幅度大的盆地,陆相烃源岩发育,以陆生陆储陆盖型成藏组合为主;裂后期构造沉降幅度大的盆地,海相烃源岩发育规模较大,海生海储海盖型成藏组合及混生海储海盖型生储盖组合所占分量逐渐增多。推测渐新统湖相-湖沼相及海陆过渡相源岩和中新统海相烃源岩应是南海北部深水区油气的主要来源,陆生海储海盖型、海生海储海盖型及混生海储海盖型生储盖组合应是深水区基本生储盖组合类型。     

Facies distribution of the Lower Cambrian cryptic microbial and epibenthic archaeocyathan-microbial communities, western Anti-Atlas, Morocco

Marine microbial communities recorded in the Moroccan Anti‐Atlas were unaffected across the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian transition. A stromatolite‐dominated consortium was replaced at the beginning of the Atdabanian (ca 20 Myr after the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian boundary) by shelly metazoan and thromboid consortia, which contain the oldest biostratigraphically significant fossils of the Moroccan Cambrian. The associated collapse of microbial mat (stromatolitic) growth appears to coincide with a change from pre‐Atdabanian shallow‐water restricted conditions into Atdabanian deeper, open‐sea conditions. It is postulated that this environmental change led to an episode of improved water circulation over carbonate platform interiors, promoting shelly metazoan immigration into the region. The Tiout/Amouslek lithostratigraphic contact in the early Atdabanian marks the end of an episodically unstable seafloor as suggested by the abundance of slumping and sliding structures, and synsedimentary microfaults and cracks recorded in the underlying Tiout Member. Concurrent with the transition is the occurrence of a network of cryptic fissures and cavities that provided habitats for a coelobiontic chemosynthetic–heterotrophic microbial community composed of stromatolitic crusts, Renalcis–Epiphyton–Girvanella intergrowths, and Kundatia thalli. In the overlying Amouslek Formation, archaeocyathan–thromboid reefs were constrained by substrate stability, water depth and subsidence rate. Four reef geometries are distinguished: (i) patch reefs surrounded by shales, (ii) bioherms in which flank beds intercalate laterally with carbonate and shale inter‐reef sediments, (iii) biostromes or low‐relief structures formed as a result of lateral accretion of patch reefs, and (iv) kalyptrate complexes that nucleated because of a marked tendency for aggregation, and in which patch reefs and bioherms occur stacked together bounded by clay–marl–silt seams.     

青海热水柴达尔井田构造组合型式

柴达尔井田构造可分为压缩机制的推覆构造与伸展机制的断块体两类。南北F0为逆冲型的控制性边界断裂，井田内部一系列小型弧形构造为逆掩型浅层断裂；F1、F2、F17，是拉伸作用下的同沉积正断层，切断煤系基底T3地层。其动力机制为印度板块向北推移、西伯利亚板块向南运移发生对挤，脆一韧性剪切变形导致了井用现有的构造组合形式。     

海拉尔盆地含油气系统

海拉尔盆地为中－新生代的断陷－坳陷型盆地，其发育演化主要经历了地壳隆起、断陷、坳陷、萎缩四个阶段。根据对成藏要素分析，确定出以凹陷为单元的三类含油气系统，各含油气系统都有各自的形成和分布规律。按其空间展布，又可划分为同期并列式、同期交叉式、异期叠合式三种组合形式。这些形式的有效组合，构成了海拉尔盆地内有利的油气聚集带。