MEASURING AND MODELLING OF SOIL WATER DYNAMICS AND RUNOFF GENERATION IN AN AGRICULTURAL LOESSIAL HILLSLOPE

Surface runoff may be generated when the rainfall intensity exceeds the infiltration capacity, or when the soil profile is saturated with water. Indications exist that both types of overland flow may occur in hilly agricultural loess regions. Here, for a loessial hillslope under maize in the southern part of The Netherlands, it was shown, with pressure head and runoff measurements, that Hortonian overland flow occurs during typical summer rain events. Surface runoff was initiated after saturation of the top 5–10 cm of the soil. Deeper in the soil, unsaturated conditions prevailed while runoff took place. Peak runoff discharges at the outlet of the subcatchment occurred a few minutes after peak rainfall intensities were measured. It appeared that SWMS_2D, a two-dimensional water flow model, was capable in simulating observed pressure head changes and runoff. Simulated potential runoff for the transect studied was higher by a magnitude of three than the measured areal average. This indicates effects of surface ponding, and the probable location of this particular transect in a region with high runoff production.     

Controls and predictability of carbonate facies architecture in a Lower Jurassic three-dimensional barrier-shoal complex (Djebel Bou Dahar, High Atlas, Morocco)

Spatial information on lithofacies from outcrops is paramount for understanding the internal dynamics, external controls and degree of predictability of the facies architecture of shallow‐water carbonate‐platform tops. To quantify the spatial distribution and vertical stacking of lithofacies within an outer‐platform shoal‐barrier complex, integrated facies analysis and digital field technologies have been applied to a high‐relief carbonate platform exposed in the Djebel Bou Dahar (Lower Jurassic, High Atlas, Morocco). The outer platform is characterized by subtidal, cross‐bedded, coarse grainstone to rudstone grading into supratidal, pisoidal packstone‐rudstone with tepees that together formed a 350 to 420 m wide shoal‐barrier belt parallel to the margin. This belt acted as a topographic high separating a restricted lagoon from the subtidal, open marine region. Low‐energy tidal flats developed on the protected flank of the barrier facing the lagoon. Lithofacies patterns were captured quantitatively from outcrop and integrated into a digital outcrop model. The outcrop model enabled rapid visualization of field data and efficient extraction of quantitative data such as widths of facies belts. In addition, the spatial heterogeneity was captured in multiple time slices, i.e. during different phases of cyclic base‐level fluctuations. In general, the lateral continuity of lithofacies is highest when relative water depth increased during flooding of the platform top, establishing low‐energy subtidal conditions across the whole platform, and when the accommodation space was filled with tidal flat facies. Heterogeneity increased during deposition of the relief‐building bar facies that promoted spatial diversification of depositional environments during the initial phases of accommodation space creation. Cycles commonly are composed of a thin transgressive tidal flat unit, followed by coated‐grain rudstone bar facies. Lateral to the bar facies, pisoidal‐grainstone beach deposits accumulated. These bar and beach deposits were overlain by subtidal lagoonal facies or would grow through the maximum flooding and highstand. There the bars either graded into supratidal pisoidal facies with tepees (when accommodation space was filled) or were capped by subaerial exposure (due to a sea‐level fall). Modified embedded Markov analysis was used to test the presence of common ordering in vertical lithofacies stacking in a stationary interval (constant depositional mode). Analysis of individual sections did not reveal any ordering, which may be related to the limited thickness of these sections. Composite sections, however, rejected the null hypothesis of randomness. The addition of stratigraphically significant information to the Markov analysis, such as exposure surfaces and lateral dimensions of facies bodies, strengthens the verdict of unambiguous preferential ordering. Through careful quantitative reconstruction of stratal geometry and facies relationships in fully integrated digital outcrop models, accurate depositional models could be established that enhanced the predictability of carbonate sediment accumulation.     

Cosmic-ray exposure ages of diogenites and the recent collisional history of the howardite,eucrite and diogenite parent body/bodies

Abstract— We determined the cosmic-ray exposure age of 20 diogenites from measured cosmogenic noble gas isotopes and calculated production rates of ³He, ²¹Ne and ³⁸Ar. The production rates were calculated on the basis of the measured chemical composition and the cosmogenic ²²Ne/²¹Ne ratio of each sample. The shielding conditions of each sample were also checked on the basis of the measured ¹⁰Be and ²⁶AI concentrations. The exposure ages range from 6 to 50 Ma but do not form a continuous distribution: ten ages cluster at 21–25 Ma and four at 35–42 Ma. The two diogenite clusters coincide with the 22 Ma and 38 Ma peaks in the exposure age distribution of eucrites and howardites. After the selection from literature data of 32 eucrites and 11 howardites with reliable ages, we find a total of 23 howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) group meteorites at 20–25 Ma and 10 at 35–42 Ma. The shape of the two peaks is consistent with single impact events, and random number statistics show that they are statistically significant at the 99% level. Altogether, this provides strong evidence for two major impact events 22 Ma and 39 Ma ago. Although these two events can explain more than half of all HED exposure ages, it takes at least five impact events to explain all ages <50 Ma. An impact frequency of one per 10 Ma corresponds to projectiles of at least 2–4 km in diameter for Vesta and of 60–300 m for the 100× smaller Vesta-derived “vestoids.” Based on the HED exposure-age distribution, the size distribution of the main-belt asteroids and the difference in size between Vesta and the kilometer size vestoids, we favor Vesta as the major source of HED meteorites, although some of the meteorites may have been ejected from the vestoids rather than directly from Vesta.     

EVALUATION OF VERTICAL AND LATERAL FLOW THROUGH AGRICULTURAL LOESSIAL HILLSLOPES USING A TWO-DIMENSIONAL COMPUTER SIMULATION MODEL

On four hillslopes in the loess region of The Netherlands pressure heads were monitored using stand alone measuring devices. During rain events pressure heads were measured regularly with time intervals of five minutes. Rainfall was recorded with a tipping bucket rainfall gauge. Two-dimensional simulations were executed to simulate water flow through these hillslopes during erosive rain events in summer and winter periods. From these simulations it appeared that vertical flow is dominant during rain events, and that lateral water transport is of minor importance despite distinct layer stratifications. During the selected rain showers, average lateral water movement varied between 1.6 and 4.7% of the total water displacement through the hillslopes. Therefore, it was decided to incorporate a one-dimensional water flow module into the event-based distributed soil erosion and hydrological model LISEM.     

Variability of cold‐water coral mounds in a high sediment input and tidal current regime,Straits of Florida

Cold‐water coral mound morphology and development are thought to be controlled primarily by current regime. This study, however, reveals a general lack of correlation between prevailing bottom current direction and mound morphology (i.e. footprint shape and orientation), as well as current strength and mound size (i.e. footprint area and height). These findings are based on quantitative analyses of a high‐resolution geophysical dataset collected with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle from three cold‐water coral mound sites at the toe of slope of Great Bahama Bank. The three sites (80 km² total) have an average of 14 mounds km^?2, indicating that the Great Bahama Bank slope is a major coral mound region. At all three sites living coral colonies are observed on the surface of the mounds, documenting active mound growth. Morphometric analysis shows that mounds at these sites vary significantly in height (1 to 83 m), area (81 to 6 00 000 m²), shape (mound aspect ratio 0·1 to 1) and orientation (mound longest axis 0 to 180°). The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle measured bottom current data depict a north–south flowing current that reverses approximately every six hours. The tidal nature of this current and its intermittent deviations during reversals are interpreted to contribute to the observed mound complexity. An additional factor contributing to the variability in mound morphometrics is the sediment deposition rate that varies among and within sites. At most locations sedimentation rate lags slightly behind mound growth rate, causing mounds to develop into large structures. Where sedimentation rates are higher than mound growth rates, sediment partially or completely buries mounds. The spatial distribution and alignment of mounds can also be related to gravity mass deposits, as indicated by geomorphological features (for example, slope failure and linear topographic highs) in the three‐dimensional bathymetry. In summary, variability in sedimentation rates, current regime and underlying topography produce extraordinarily high variability in the distribution, development and morphology of coral mounds on the Great Bahama Bank slope.