Diagenetic alteration of smectite in argillaceous sediments of the Rhinegraben (SW Germany)

Clay minerals of about 600 samples from drill cores in the Tertiary shales of the Rhinegraben, were analysed by X-ray diffraction methods. It was found that the abundance of smectite decreases with increasing amounts of mixed layer clays and illites, suggesting a diagenetic alteration of smectite with increasing temperatures of the sediments as was also observed in other sedimentary basins. As for the relation between smectite alteration and temperatures as measured in sample depths, in the marine Graue Schichtenfolge (Middle Oligocene) when temperatures reach 70°C and over, smectite no longer is to be found. In the limnic Bunte Niederröderner Schichten (Upper Oligocene) the maximum temperature of smectite occurrence is about 80°C. These temperatures also fit the results of former field studies of the thermal stability of smectite. In the brackish to limnic Obere and Untere Hydrobienschichten (Lower Miocene) however, smectite seems to have disappeared already at a temperature of over 30°C. Although the smectite distribution in the latter formations may depend partly on its inhomogenous deposition there is also evidence for the diagenetic alteration of smectite in these formations. The rapid disappearance of smectite in these formations was possibly caused by a greater availability of potassium ions since high permeability of these strata provide extraordinarily good mobility of the pore solutions. In the older Lymnäenmergel formation (Upper Eocene) a more advanced stage of smectite alteration is found as compared to the other formations at corresponding temperatures. This is considered to be the consequence of the longer duration of diagenesis and the rock salt inclusions of this saline formation which might have enriched the pore solutions with potassium ions.     

Unravelling the conundrum of river response to rising sea‐level from laboratory to field. Part II. The Fly–Strickland River system,Papua New Guinea

The most recent deglaciation resulted in a global sea‐level rise of some 120 m over ca 12 000 years. A moving boundary numerical model is developed to predict the response of rivers to this rise. The model was motivated by experiments at small scale, which have identified two modes describing the transgression of a river mouth: (i) autoretreat without abandonment of the river delta (no sediment starvation at the topset–foreset break); and (ii) sediment‐starved autoretreat with abandonment of the delta. In the latter case, transgression is far more rapid, and its effects are felt much further upstream of the river mouth. A moving boundary numerical model that captures these features in experimental deltas is adapted to describe the response of the Fly–Strickland River system, Papua New Guinea. In the absence of better information, the model is applied to the case of sea‐level rise without local climate change in New Guinea. The model suggests that: (i) sea‐level rise has forced the river mouth to transgress over 700 km since the last glacial maximum; (ii) sediment‐starved autoretreat has forced enough bed aggradation to block a tributary with a low sediment load and create the present‐day Lake Murray; (iii) the resulting aggradation was sufficient to move the gravel–sand transition on the Strickland River upstream; (iv) the present‐day Fly Estuary may be, in part, a relict river valley drowned by sea‐level rise and partially filled by tidal effects; and (v) the Fly River is presently reforming its bankfull geometry and prograding into the Fly Estuary. A parametric study with the model indicates that sediment concentration during floods plays a key role in determining whether or not, and to what extent, transgression is expressed in terms of sediment‐starved autoretreat. A sufficiently high sediment concentration can prevent sediment‐starved autoretreat during the entire sea‐level cycle. This observation may explain why some present‐day river mouths are expressed in terms of deltas protruding into the sea, and others are wholly contained within embayments or estuaries in which water has invaded landward.     

Late Glacial stable isotope record, radiocarbon stratigraphy, pollen and mollusc analyses from the Geiseltal area, Central Germany

Combined investigations of isotopes, pollen, and molliisc shells were carried out on a Latc Glacial limnic high-resolution sediment sequence from the Geiseltal open-cast mine in Central Gcrmany. The dala confirm thc division of the Late Glacial biozones into two colder (Older and Younger Dryas) and two warmer periods (Bølling, Allcrød), which have already bccn cstablishcd lor the Central and Northern German area. Radiocarbon data, mainly based on wood material, cover a time span between c , 10 800 BP and 12 760 BP, indicating a mean sedimentation rate of c . 2 mm/yr. The stable isotope data (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) reflect the transition periods between the climatic phases as changes in relative air humidity (transition from dry, cold to warmer. more humid conditions). The dominance of evaporation effects, however, is superimposed on any ternpcratiirc aignal throughout the profile. Repeated conversions of the hydrologic regime (silting-up phases. lake-level variations) characterize the specific history of the lake development.