Dust supply from river floodplains: the case of the lower Huang He (Yellow River) recorded in a loess–palaeosol sequence from the Mangshan Plateau

The Mangshan Plateau is located on the south bank of the Huang He (Yellow River) just west of the city of Zhengzhou, well outside the Loess Plateau in central China. Mixing models of the grain‐size data indicate that the loess deposits are mixtures of three loess components. Comparison of the mixing model with existing models established for a series of loess–palaeosol sequences from the Loess Plateau indicates that the Mangshan loess has been supplied from a proximal dust source, the Huang He floodplain, during major dust outbreaks. The high accumulation rates, the composition of the loess components, and especially the high proportions of a sandy loess component support this. Owing to the exceptionally high accumulation rates, the Mangshan grain size, magnetic susceptibility and carbonate records provide a high‐resolution archive of environmental and climate change. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The emergence of magnetic flux

This paper first summarizes the morphology and dynamics of emerging flux regions and arch filament systems and then discusses detailed observations of a particular active region with emerging magnetic flux.The central part of the growing active region shows abnormal granulation and a weak magnetic field that, locally, is transverse. In the border zone, strong downward flows occur in the chromopshere and photosphere (small features with strong magnetic fields (faculae, pores) are formed here.) Near the leading and following edge, sunspots are formed by the coalescence of such small magnetic elements.The observational data are interpreted by means of a heuristic model of an emergent magnetic loop-shaped bundle consisting of many flux tubes. In this model we incorporate the theory of convective collapse and the buoyancy of flux tubes. The observed complexity in the structure and dynamics, including strong transverse fields and velocity shear, is attributed to the emergence of several flux regions within the active region at different orientations.     

Leaching mechanisms of oxyanionic metalloid and metal species in alkaline solid wastes: A review

An overview is presented on possible mechanisms that control the leaching behaviour of the oxyanion forming elements As, Cr, Mo, Sb, Se, V and W in cementituous systems and alkaline solid wastes, such as municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash, fly ash and air pollution control residues, coal fly ash and metallurgical slags. Although the leachability of these elements generally depends on their redox state, speciation measurements are not common. Therefore, experimental observations available in the literature are combined with a summary of the thermal behaviour of these elements to assess possible redox states in freshly produced alkaline wastes, given their origin at high temperature. Possible redox reactions occurring at room temperature, on the other hand, are reviewed because these may alter the initial redox state in alkaline wastes and their leachates. In many cases, precipitation of oxyanions as a pure metalate cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for their leaching behaviour. It is therefore highly likely that adsorption and solid solution formation with common minerals in alkaline waste and cement reduce the leachate concentration of oxyanions below pure-phase solubility.     

Distribution of trace and major elements in sediment and pore waters of the Lena Delta and Laptev Sea

Sediment cores collected during the SPASIBA expedition in 1991 were analysed for their trace- and major element concentrations. Leachable (0.1 N HCl) as well as residual concentrations were determined. Fe and Mn were measured in the interstitial waters to characterize redox conditions. Lateral distribution patterns of solid phase Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn show a small increase in concentration from the Lena Delta in seaward direction. In general concentrations of these metals are very low and similar to natural background values. With some exceptions, solid phase profiles with depth of all investigated elements do not show strong variations. No enrichment of Pb and Zn in surface layers was found. Remobilization processes and transport of particles enriched in Mn are responsible for Mn accumulation in a particular area. Pore-water concentrations of dissolved Mn in the latter sediments are very high (> 700 μM) and suggest strong Mn reduction directly below the sediment-water interface. In contrast to Mn, the depth profiles of Cd show a surface layer with lower concentrations and an increase deeper down the sediment. The C/N ratio in the sediment decreases from 13 in the Lena mouth to 9 in the more marine part of the Laptev Sea. Surface sediments in the Laptev Sea are very uniform and homogeneous and show only small concentration gradients.     

Late Holocene linkages between decade–century scale climate variability and productivity at Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Microlaminated sediment cores from the Kalya slope region of Lake Tanganyika provide a near-annually resolved paleoclimate record between ∼∼2,840 and 1,420 cal. yr B.P. demonstrating strong linkages between climate variability and lacustrine productivity. Laminae couplets comprise dark, terrigenous-dominated half couplets, interpreted as low density underflows deposited from riverine sources during the rainy season, alternating with light, planktonic diatomaceous ooze, with little terrigenous component, interpreted as windy/dry season deposits. Laminated portions of the studied cores consist of conspicuous dark and light colored bundles of laminae couplets. Light and dark bundles alternate at decadal time scales. Within dark bundles, both light and dark half couplets are significantly thinner than within light bundles, implying slower sediment accumulation rates during both seasons over those intervals.Time series analyses of laminae thickness patterns demonstrate significant periodicities at interannual–centennial time scales. Longer time scale periodicities (multidecadal to centennial scale) of light and dark half couplet thicknesses are coherent and in some cases are similar to solar cycle periods on these time scales. Although laminae thickness cycles do not strongly covary with the actual Δ¹⁴C record for this same time period, two large Δ¹⁴C anomalies are associated with substantial decreases in both light and dark laminae thickness. In contrast to the multidecadal– centennial time scale, significant annual to decadal periodicities, which are broadly consistent with ENSO/PDO forcing and their impact on East African climate, are not coherent between light and dark half couplets. The coherency of light–dark couplets at decadal–centennial time scales, but not at shorter time scales, is consistent with a model of a long-term relationship between precipitation (recorded in wet season dark laminae thickness) and productivity (light laminae thickness), which is not manifest at shorter time scales. We hypothesize that this coupling results from long-term recharging of internal nutrient loading during wet periods (higher erosion of soil P) and reduced loading during drought intervals. The relationship is not expressed on short time scales during which the dominant control on productivity is wind-driven, dry season upwelling, which is uncorrelated with wet-season precipitation. Our record greatly extends the temporal record of this quasi-periodic behavior throughout the late Holocene and provides the first evidence linking decade- to century-scale episodes of enhanced productivity to enhanced precipitation levels and nutrient recharge in a productive tropical lake.     

Old inherited origin for the present near-bimodal topography of Africa

Africa’s landscape is dominated by a manifold of second-order epeirogenic structures superimposed on a first-order bimodal topography. Bivariate regression analysis of Africa’s surface topography shows that this is a complexly folded surface with regionally elevated areas in southern and eastern Africa, and a topographically low northern and western Africa. The apparent spatial relationships between these features are analysed using anomaly correlation between surface topography and free-air gravity anomalies. Occurrences of positively correlated features between gravity and topography in Africa are found to be limited to second-order epeirogenic features. Geophysical modelling and geologic evidence indicate that Africa’s bimodal topography is genetically distinct from these second-order features, and linked to sources as deep as the sublithospheric mantle. The age, measured and modelled elevation of the bimodal topography require that topographic uplift of south-central Africa be episodic. We infer from our findings together with relative sea-level changes, that the near-bimodality of Africa’s topography is an ancient feature inherited at least from upper Paleozoic times. Our reconstructed paleotopography suggests that Africa was largely a low-lying continent dominated by its cratons, and that basement distribution disregards the present-day uplift patterns of Africa.     

Early Archean processes: evidence from the South African Kaapvaal craton and its greenstone belts (extended abstract)

Geologie en Mijnbouw -     

A parameterisation for the threshold shear velocity to initiate deflation of dry and wet sediment

A new parameterisation for the threshold shear velocity to initiate deflation of dry and wet particles is presented. It is based on the balance of moments acting on particles at the instant of particle motion. The model hence includes a term for the aerodynamic forces, including the drag force, the lift force and the aerodynamic-moment force, and a term for the interparticle forces. The effect of gravitation is incorporated in both terms. Rather than using an implicit function for the effect of the aerodynamic forces as reported earlier in literature, a constant aerodynamic coefficient was introduced. From consideration of the van der Waals force between two particles, it was further shown that the effect of the interparticle cohesion force between two dry particles on the deflation threshold should be inversely proportional to the particle diameter squared. The interparticle force was further extended to include wet bonding forces. The latter were considered as the sum of capillary forces and adhesive forces. A model that expresses the capillary force as a function of particle diameter squared and the inverse of capillary potential was deduced from consideration of the well-known model of Fisher and the Young–Laplace equation. The adhesive force was assumed to be equal to tensile strength, and a function which is proportional to particle diameter squared and the inverse of the potential due to adhesive forces was derived. By combining the capillary-force model and the adhesive force model, the interparticle force due to wet bonding was simplified and written as a function of particle diameter squared and the inverse of matric potential. The latter was loglinearly related to the gravimetric moisture content, a relationship that is valid in the low-moisture content range that is important in the light of deflation of sediment by wind. By introducing a correction to force the relationship to converge to zero moisture content at oven dryness, the matric potential–moisture content relationship contained only one unknown model parameter, viz. moisture content at −1.5 MPa. Working out the model led to a rather simple parameterisation containing only three coefficients. Two parameters were incorporated in the term that applies to dry sediment and were determined by using experimental data as reported by Iversen and White [Sedimentology 29 (1982) 111]. The third parameter for the wet-sediment part of the model was determined from wind-tunnel experiments on prewetted sand and sandy loam aggregates. The model was validated using data from wind-tunnel experiments on the same but dry sediment, and on data obtained from simulations with the model of Chepil [Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 20 (1956) 288]. The experiments showed that soil aggregates should be treated as individual particles with a density equal to their bulk density. Furthermore, it was shown that the surface had to dry to a moisture content of about 75% of the moisture content at −1.5 MPa before deflation became sustained. The threshold shear velocities simulated with our model were found to be in good agreement with own observations and with simulations using Chepil's model.