The postglacial environmental development of Raffles Sø, East Greenland: inferences from a 10,000 year diatom record

A 341 cm long sediment sequence was recovered from the unofficially named Raffles Sø on Raffles Ø, outer Scoresby Sund region, East Greenland. The sediment sequence consists in the upper part (0–230 cm) of a stratified gyttja enriched in organic carbon and biogenic silica whereas the lower core part (235–341 cm) is composed of terrigenous, consolidated glacio-limnic sediments. ¹⁴C-AMS measurements indicate that the sediment sequence represents the entire Holocene lake history from 10,030 calibrated radiocarbon years.The geochemical parameters (opal, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN)) and the total diatom concentration show similar developments during the Holocene, and reflect changes in biological production and nutrient input into the lake. These records clearly reveal a broad Holocene TOC-opal-maximum interval between 5200 and 1800 cal. yrs BP.The diatom flora consisted of 66 taxa representing 20 genera but only seven taxa were abundant and, sometimes, these were monospecifically dominant during the Holocene. In the sediment core from Raffles Sø four successive stratigraphical zones can be distinguished. Accumulation of diatom valves began at 9900 cal. yrs BP with a Stephanodiscus minutulus (Kütz.) Cleve and Möller dominated assemblage (stratigraphic zone 1) followed by a diatom flora dominated by Cyclotella pseudostelligera Hustedt and, less frequently, by Diatoma tenuis Agardh (9400 until 5900 cal. yrs BP, zone 2). Cyclotella sp. A, a taxon which belongs to the Cyclotella rossii-comensis-tripartita-complex, was the dominant floral element between 5200 and 1800 cal. yrs BP (zone 3). From 1800 cal. yrs BP, the periphytic taxa Fragilaria capucina var. gracilis (Østr.) Hustedt and F. capucina var. rumpens (Kütz.) Lange-Bertalot attained highest relative abundances, also almost monospecifically (zone 4).The distribution and composition of the diatom assemblages in the sediment record from Raffles Sø probably reflect past variations in the extent of the lake-ice cover during the growing season. More or less ice-free conditions during summer may have prevailed during the early Holocene until ca. 1800 cal. yrs BP, which allowed growth of planktonic diatoms (Cyclotella taxa) in the pelagic lake region. From 1800 cal. yrs BP, colder conditions lead to a perennial lake-ice cover with a small ice-free moat in summer which favored the growth of periphytic, littoral species (Fragilaria capucina varieties).     

渭河流域3 100年前资源退化与人地关系演变

渭河流域全新世古土壤S     

Holocene-emerged notches and tectonic uplift along the Jalisco coast, Southwest Mexico

This paper presents the preliminary results from a study of Holocene-emerged shorelines, marine notches, and their tectonic implications along the Jalisco coast. The Pacific coast of Jalisco, SW Mexico, is an active tectonic margin. This coast has been the site of two of the largest earthquakes to occur in Mexico this century: the 1932 (Mw 8.2) Jalisco earthquake and the 1995 (Mw 8.0) Colima earthquake. Measurement and preliminary radiocarbon dating of emergent paleoshorelines along the Jalisco coast provide the first constraints upon the timing for tectonic uplift. Along this coastline, uplifted Holocene marine notches and wave-cut platforms occur at elevations ranging from ca. 1 to 4.5 m amsl. In situ intertidal organisms dated with radiocarbon, the first ever reported for the Jalisco area, provide preliminary results that record tectonic uplift during at least the past 1300 years BP at an average rate of about 3 mm/year. We propose a model in which coseismic subsidence produced by offshore earthquakes is rapidly recovered during the postseismic and interseismic periods. The long-term period is characterized by slow tectonic uplift of the Jalisco coast. We found no evidence of coastal interseismic and long-term subsidence along the Jalisco coast.     

Geomorphic appraisals of active tectonics associated with uplift of the Gohpur–Ganga section in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The Gohpur–Ganga section is located southwest of Itanagar, India. The study area and its adjacent regions lie between the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and the Himalayan Front Fault (HFF) within the Sub-Himalaya of the Eastern Himalaya. The Senkhi stream, draining from the north, passes through the MBT and exhibits local meandering as it approaches the study area. Here, five levels of terraces are observed on the eastern part, whereas only four levels of terraces are observed on the western part. The Senkhi and Dokhoso streams show unpaired terraces consisting of very poorly sorted riverbed materials lacking stratification, indicating tectonic activity during deposition. Crude imbrications are also observed on the terrace deposits. A wind gap from an earlier active channel is observed at latitude 27°04′42.4″ N and longitude 93°35′22.4″ E at the height of about 35 m from the present active channel of Senkhi stream. Linear arrangements of ponds trending northeast–southwest on the western side of the study section may represent the paleochannel of Dokhoso stream meeting the Senkhi stream abruptly through this gap earlier. Major lineament trends are observed along NNE–SSW, NE–SW and ENE–WSW direction. The Gohpur–Ganga section is on Quaternary deposits, resting over the Siwaliks with angular contact. Climatic changes of Pleistocene–Holocene times seem to have affected the sedimentation pattern of this part of the Sub-Himalaya, in association with proximal tectonism associated with active tectonic activities, which uplifted the Quaternary deposits. Older and younger terrace deposits seem to mark the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary in the study area with the older terraces showing a well-oxidized and semi-consolidated nature compared to the unoxidized nature of the younger terraces.     

Modeling the history of Lake of the Woods since 11,000 cal yr B.P. using GIS

Because of differential isostatic rebound, many lakes in Canada have continued to change their extent and depth since retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Using GIS techniques, the changing configuration and bathymetry of Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Manitoba, and Minnesota were reconstructed for 12 points in time, beginning at 11,000 cal yr B.P. (9.6 ¹⁴C ka B.P.), and were also projected 500 years into the future, based on the assumption that Lake of the Woods continued to have a positive hydrological budget throughout the Holocene. This modeling was done by first compiling a bathymetric database and merging that with subaerial data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). This DEM file was then adjusted by: (1) isobase data derived from Lake Agassiz beaches prior to 9000 cal yr B.P. (8.1 ¹⁴C ka B.P.) and (2) modeled isostatic rebound trend analysis after 9000 cal yr B.P. Just after the end of the Lake Agassiz phase of Lake of the Woods, only the northernmost part of the basin contained water. Differential rebound has resulted in increasing water depth. In the first 3000 years of independence from Lake Agassiz, the lake transgressed >50 km to the south, expanding its area from 858 to 2857 km², and more than doubling in volume. Continued differential rebound after 6000 cal yr B.P. (5.2 ¹⁴C ka B.P.) has further expanded the lake, although today it is deepening by only a few cm per century at the southern end. In addition, climate change in the Holocene probably played a role in lake level fluctuations. Based on our calculation of a modern hydrological budget for Lake of the Woods, reducing runoff and precipitation by 65% and increasing evaporation from the lake by 40% would end overflow and cause the level of the lake to fall below the outlets at Kenora. Because this climate change is comparable to that recorded during the mid-Holocene warming across the region, it is likely that the area covered by the lake at this time would have been less than that determined from differential isostatic rebound alone.     

Impacts of Holocene climatic variations on alluvial fan activity below snowpatches in subarctic Québec

In the Lake Guillaume-Delisle area of subarctic Québec, storm-generated alluvial fans have been active sporadically throughout the Holocene. In this study, we propose that the persistence of late-lying snowpatches in fan catchments during Holocene cold episodes promoted alluvial fan activity by lowering the precipitation threshold required to trigger a torrential event. This hypothesis was tested by characterizing the depositional processes responsible for alluvial fan formation below snowpatches, and by reconstructing the Holocene alluvial fan activity. Stratigraphic and sedimentary analyses conducted on seven alluvial fans revealed that they were deposited by torrential activity leading to waterlaid, transient, or hyperconcentrated deposition. The chronology of the storm-generated alluvial fans — based on 22 radiocarbon dates — indicates that torrential activity was enhanced during the cooler Late Holocene (i.e., after ca. 3500 cal. yr BP). Snowier winters and cooler summers were beneficial to nival activity, allowing the persistence of larger snowpatches throughout the summer and fall seasons. Rainfall-induced thaw of such snowpatches during rainstorm events is inferred to have contributed to alluvial fan activity by increasing water availability. Three peaks of alluvial activity occurred during the Late Holocene (2950–2750, 1900–1400, and 800–300 cal. yr BP) and are indicative of increased storminess resulting in higher fan activity. Increased fan activity during cooler episodes was concurrent with increased runoff activity in the immediate pronival area. This stresses the importance of nivation below snowpatches and pinpoints the role of nivation in enhancing geomorphological activity during period of cooler and more humid climate in subarctic environments.     

珠江三角洲三水盆地早全新世以来 孢粉分析与古环境重建

为了深入探讨珠江三角洲的沉积古环境和古气候历史,在三水市区获取了2个高取芯率的钻孔岩芯,进行了12个AMS 14C测年,并结合孢粉、硅藻等分析结果探讨三水地区全新世的海平面与河流水动力变化,以及古植被演替过程。结果表明：钻孔所在区域全新世沉积总体从9 000 cal. a B.P.左右开始,呈现河流相―河湾相―河口湾相―潮坪相―河口湾相―河漫滩相的演变过程。三水区的早全新世沉积阶段年代最早为9 000 cal. a B.P.左右,表现为河口湾相的淤泥质粉砂沉积,硅藻以淡水种类为主,最高沉积速率为1.6 cm/a。海侵初始时间为8 700 cal. a B.P.左右,最高海平面时间为7 600 cal. a B.P.左右,此时海岸带发育红树林,丘陵山地发育较茂盛的亚常绿热带常绿阔叶林;中―晚全新世阶段（6 500―2 200 cal. a B.P.）,以泥炭粉砂沉积为主,沉积速率为0.2~0.5 cm/a,河口区高潮线附近及河流弯道低洼滩地在5 000 cal. a B.P.前后形成淡水沼泽、河口三角洲边缘区洼地水松林发育。在晚全新世（2 200 cal. a B.P.左右）以来,陆相黏土质沉积指示河口泥沙快速堆积,三角洲平原迅速扩大,沉积速率高达1.7 cm/a。孢粉结果显示次生的芒箕孢子剧增,陆地植被稀疏,人类活动显著增强。     

长江三角洲全新世沉积物光释光测年研究

长江三角洲是研究古海岸沉积环境演化的理想区域。选取长江三角洲平原一支长岩芯钻孔上部55 m层位的沉积物进行光释光(optically stimulated luminescence,OSL)测年研究。根据沉积物粒度特性,在实验前处理过程中,提取100~200 μm或63~100 μm粗颗粒石英矿物进行OSL测年。测年样品的预热坪与剂量恢复实验表明选择180℃作为预热条件较为合适,石英OSL信号衰退曲线以快组分为主。条件实验结果、等效剂量分布以及各测片的循环比、热转移等方法学层面的实验结果表明,OSL测年技术对该孔的沉积物测年具有适应性和可靠性。通过年代—深度关系模型,建立该段地层中全新世以来的年龄框架。依据该孔的年代地层序列并结合前人工作,探讨全新世以来长江三角洲的沉积演化。     

First subfossil records of Daphnia headshields and shells (Anomopoda,Daphniidae) about 10 000 years old from northernmost Greenland,plus Alona guttata (Chydoridae)

Silty pond sediments from Wulff Land in northernmost Greenland, radiocarbon dated 10480 BP, yielded many headshields, shells, and ephippia of Daphnia pulex, and headshields, shells, ephippia, and one postabdomen of Alona guttata. This is the first documentation of recognizable headshields and shells of Daphnia in the fossil record.     

Late Pleistocene–Holocene hydrologic changes in the interfluve areas of the central Ganga Plain, India

Abandoned channel belts, ponds and point bar deposits of palaeochannels in the interfluve regions of the central Ganga Plain suggest changes in the morphohydrologic conditions during the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene. Stratigraphy of these ponds comprises channel sand at the base overlain by shell-bearing clayey silt. The contact of the two facies marks the phase when channels converted into standing water bodies. Point bar deposits of some palaeochannels are overlain by oxidised aeolian sand, indicating that the channel abandonment possibly occurred due to the desiccation and aridity in the region.Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronometry of the pond sediments suggests that the deposition of the basal channel sand started before 13 ka and continued up to 8 ka. The ponds formed around 8–6 ka when the channel activity ceased. Evidence from the point bar deposits also indicates that the fluvial activity in the region ended sometime during 7–5 ka. This was followed by aeolian aggradation. The present study thus suggests that the hydrologic conditions in the Gangetic plains, i.e. initiation of channels and their abandonment, formation of microgeomorphologic features such as ponds and their eventual siltation, were controlled largely by climatic changes (i.e. monsoon changes) supported by tectonic activity. For the past 2 ka, increasing human and related agricultural activity has substantially accentuated the natural siltation rate of ponds.