Deformation styles as a key for interpreting glacial depositional environments

Lithostratigraphical and lithofacies approaches used to interpret glacial sediments often ignore deformation structures that can provide the key to environment of formation. We propose a classification of deformation styles based on the geometry of structures rather than inferred environment of formation. Five styles are recognised: pure shear (P), simple shear (S), compressional (C), vertical (V) and undeformed (U). These dictate the first letter of the codes; the remaining letters conveying the evidence. This information can be used to reconstruct palaeostress fields and to infer physical properties of sediments when they deformed. Individual structures are not diagnostic of particular environments but the suite of structures, their relative scale, stratigraphical relationships, and orientation relative to palaeoslopes and to palaeoice‐flow directions can be used to infer the environment in which they formed. This scheme is applied at five sites in west Wales. The typical succession is interpreted as subglacial sediments overlain by meltout tills, flow tills and sediment flows. Paraglacial redistribution of glacial sediments is widespread. Large‐scale compressional deformation is restricted to sites where glaciers readvanced. Large‐scale vertical deformation occurs where water was locally ponded near the ice margin. There is no evidence for glaciomarine conditions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anomalous geochemical provenance and weathering history of Plio-Pleistocene glaciomarine fjord strata, Bardin Bluffs Formation, East Antarctica

Major and trace element chemical analyses of the Plio‐Pleistocene Bardin Bluffs Formation, on the margin of a major ice‐stream of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, yield an anomalous chemically altered sediment composition. The Bardin Bluffs Formation of the Pagodroma Group is one of the key deposits on the Antarctic continent recording glaciomarine sedimentation under open marine fjord conditions as recently as the Plio‐Pleistocene. In modern fjords occupied by outlet glaciers of ice sheets, the composition of fine‐grained terrigenous sediments approaches that of unweathered rock types exposed upstream. In the Bardin Bluffs Formation, average abundances of stable elements (Ti, Al, Zr) approach average upper crustal compositions and the element ratios are consistent with sediments with a cratonic source, implying glacial dispersal from a large shield area through the Lambert Glacier drainage system. Interestingly, the chemical index of alteration (CIA) of these sediments has values similar to those of average shales formed under conditions of chemical weathering. The sediments are particularly depleted in silicate Ca, which has been observed elsewhere in glacial muds sourced from pre‐glacial saprolites. The anomalous chemistry of the Bardin Bluffs Formation can be explained by a sequence of events, involving chemical weathering prior to glacial expansion and erosion. The presence of a remnant 1·5 m deep late Neogene weathering profile at the base of the Bardin Bluffs sequence corroborates this conclusion. Supply of large quantities of chemically weathered materials to Antarctic marginal basins requires at least partial deglaciation of the continent and was previously regarded as uncharacteristic for late Neogene Antarctica.     

湘东南—赣西地区加里东期沉积演化特征

通过对研究区加里东期沉积物的野外地质调查、剖面横向对比和岩相古地理编图,发现研究区加里东期主要发育五种沉积相类型,分别为碳酸盐岩陆棚相、碎屑岩—碳酸盐岩混积陆棚相、冰海相、欠补偿型硅质岩—页岩盆地相和补偿型浊积岩盆地相。剖面横向对比显示,研究区加里东期沉积物由西向东为连续相变沉积,横向上各种沉积相指状交叉、相互过渡;岩相古地理研究表明,加里东期湘东南—赣西地区主要发育硅质岩—页岩盆地相和浊积岩盆地相两大相带,从南华纪—奥陶纪时期两大相带的发育规模略有差异,在两大相带的结合部往往发育两种沉积相的交叉过渡带。笔者认为该区沉积相的过渡性质对探讨华南洋加里东期属性的问题有重要意义。     

Weichselian sediments at Foss‐Eikeland,Jæren (southwest Norway): sea‐level changes and glaciation history

The Jæren area in southwestern Norway has experienced great changes in sea‐levels and sedimentary environments during the Weichselian, and some of these changes are recorded at Foss‐Eikeland. Four diamictons interbedded with glaciomarine and glaciofluvial sediments are exposed in a large gravel pit situated above the post‐glacial marine limit. The interpretation of these sediments has implications for the history of both the inland ice and the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream. During a Middle Weichselian interstadial, a large glaciofluvial delta prograded into a shallow marine environment along the coast of Jæren. A minor glacial advance deposited a gravelly diamicton, and a glaciomarine diamicton was deposited during a following marine transgression. This subsequently was reworked by grounded ice, forming a well‐defined boulder pavement. The boulder pavement is followed by glaciomarine clay with a lower, laminated part and an upper part of sandy clay. The laminated clay probably was deposited under sea‐ice, whereas more open glaciomarine conditions prevailed during deposition of the upper part. The clay is intersected by clastic dykes protruding from the overlying, late Weichselian till. Preconsolidation values from the marine clay suggest an ice thickness of at least 500 m during the last glacial phase. The large variations in sea‐level probably are a combined effect of eustasy and glacio‐isostatic changes caused by an inland ice sheet and an ice stream in the Norwegian Channel. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

拉萨北部旁多群坠石沉积的发现及其意义

报道了新发现的旁多群中部的打鲁雄剖面及其含有典型坠石的沉积特征。该剖面旁多群中部以陆源碎屑少、悬浮泥质沉积为主的欠补偿的深水盆地相沉积为特征，同时夹有水下冰碛岩、重力流沉积等。纹层状一薄层状的粘土质岩层内分布着粒径是基质的100-1000倍的棱角状一次棱角状、长轴垂直近垂直于纹层面或层面的碎屑和砾石。砾石上下的泥质岩具有顶凸下挠的现象。碎屑和砾石及其对上下地层的影响表明其为坠石沉积。旁多群中指示冰川、冰筏沉积作用存在的坠石的发现，有力地证明了青藏高原石炭纪——二叠纪冈瓦纳相地层形成于受到冈瓦纳大陆冰川影响的海相环境。     

拉萨林周地区下二叠统旁多群地层层序、岩石学特征及其成因的研究

西藏拉萨林周地区的下二叠统旁多群的地层层序以前并不十分清楚，其中“杂砾岩”的成因也争议很大。通过详细的野外地质调查和研究，在林周旁多地区新发现了其中部的含有坠石的纹层状粘土岩，并建立了旁多群中部和上部的地层序列。旁多群中部以陆源碎屑少、悬浮泥质为主的欠补偿深水盆地相沉积为特征，而上部以陆源碎屑丰富的滨、浅海相沉积为特征。旁多群自下而上反映了两期岩浆构造事件：第一期发生在该群中部沉积之初，伴随着基性玄武岩的喷发，该群中部沉积时，盆地进入裂谷鼎盛时期，随后进入以旁多群上部为代表的裂谷充填阶段；第二期构造事件可能发生在旁多群和乌鲁龙组沉积之交，乌鲁龙组沉积物中含有大量的长石碎屑、火山岩岩屑和凝灰质沉积岩，指示这期岩浆构造活动的存在。旁多群中的坠石沉积指示旁多群的形成背景是裂谷构造环境下的冰海相。旁多群中的杂砾岩按照成因可以划分为：具有正粒序结构的杂砾岩，为重力流沉积岩，反映侧向水流的搬运；不具有正粒序结构的厚层块状、含有坠石沉积的杂砾岩，为水下冰碛岩，反映冰川、冰筏作用存在，指示大陆上有冰川作用。这种分类和命名有助于石炭-二叠纪冰川发育过程和旋回性的研究，也有助于提高冰海相地层的划分和对比的可靠性和精度。     

Late-Pleistocene tidewater glaciers and glaciomarine sequences from north County Mayo,Republic of Ireland

Late-Pleistocene deposits in north County Mayo were deposited in three main glacigenic environments. 1. Drumlins and basal tills were formed when ice moved from the Irish lowlands and local mountain catchments into Donegal Bay. 2. Gilbert-type deltas accumulated up to 80m I.O.D. on the lowlands and subaqueous moraines formed across minor valleys when marine-based ice grounded inland. 3. A thick drape of fossiliferous glaciomarine mud along the coastal fringe was deposited from meltwater plumes and by ice-rafting immediately outside of these ice limits. The muds contain an Elphidium clavatum-dominated, low-diversity microfauna which is characteristic of cold-water conditions adjacent to glacier termini. Valves of Macoma calcarea from the mud have been ¹⁴C dated at 16940 ± 120 and 17300 ± 100 BP. The high-level delta complex was deposited from tidewater glaciers in a peripheral depression adjacent to the drumlin ice limits of north County Mayo. Although the field evidence cannot be used to determine former sea level history with any accuracy, it poses general problems for sea level history and isostatic effects of the last major ice sheet in the west of Ireland. Raised glaciomarine sequences commonly occur in close association with drumlin ice limits elsewhere in Ireland and represent marine transgressions prior to glacial unloading. It is suggested that the magnitudes and patterns of crustal depression are greater and geometrically more complex at the margins of ice sheets in Ireland than hitherto realised.     

Input of Glaciomarine Sediments along the East Antarctic Continental Margin; Depositional Processes on the Cosmonaut Sea Continental Slope and Rise and a Regional Acoustic Stratigraphic Correlation from 40° W to 80° E

Multichannel seismic reflection data from the Cosmonaut Sea margin of East Antarctica have been interpreted in terms of depositional processes in the continental slope and rise area. A major sediment lens is present below the upper continental rise along the entire Cosmonaut Sea margin. The lens probably consists of sediments supplied from the shelf and slope, being constantly reworked by westward flowing bottom currents, which redeposited the sediments into a large scale drift deposit prior to the main glaciogenic input along the margin. High-relief semicircular or elongated depositional structures are also found on the upper continental rise stratigraphically above the regional sediment lens, and were deposited by the combined influence of downslope and alongslope sediment transport. On the lower continental rise, large-scale sediment bodies extend perpendicular to the continental margin and were deposited as a result of downslope turbidity transport and westward flowing bottom currents after initiation of glacigenic input to the slope and rise. We compare the seismostratigraphic signatures along the continental margin segments of the adjacent Riiser Larsen Sea, the Weddell Sea and the Prydz Bay/Cooperation Sea, focussing on indications that may be interpreted as a preglacial-glaciomarine transition in the depositional environment. We suggest that earliest glaciogenic input to the continental slope and rise occurred in the Prydz Bay and possibly in the Weddell Sea. At a later stage, an intensification of the oceanic circulation pattern occurred, resulting in the deposition of the regional plastered drift deposit along the Cosmonaut Sea margin, as well as the initiation of large drift deposits in the Cooperation Sea. At an even later stage, possibly in the middle Miocene, glacial advances across the continental shelf were initiated along the Cosmonaut Sea and the Riiser Larsen Sea continental margins.     

A critical review and re-investigation of the Pleistocene deposits between Cranfield Point and Kilkeel,Northern Ireland: Implications for regional sea-level models and glacial reconstructions of the northern Irish Sea basin

The coastline of County Down includes sites that are pivotal to understanding the history of the last glaciation of the northern Irish Sea Basin in relation to relative sea level and regional glacial readvances. The cliff sections display evidence that has been used to underpin controversial models of glaciomarine sedimentation in isostatically-depressed basins followed by emergent marine and littoral environments. They also provide crucial evidence claimed to constrain millennial-scale ice sheet oscillations associated with uniquely large and rapid sea-level fluctuations. This paper reviews previous work and reports new findings that generally supports the ‘terrestrial’ model of glaciation, involving subglacial accretion and deformation of sediment beneath grounded ice. Deep troughs were incised into the till sheet during a post Late Glacial Maximum draw-down of ice into the Irish Sea Basin. Ice retreat was accompanied by glaciomarine accretion of mud in the troughs during a period of high relative sea level. The trough-fills were over-ridden, compacted, deformed and truncated during a glacial re-advance that is correlated with the Clogher Head Readvance. Grounding-line retreat accompanied by rapid subaqueous ice-proximal sedimentation preserved a widespread subglacial stone pavement. Raised beach gravels cap the sequence. The evidence supports an uninterrupted fall in relative sea level from c. 30?m that is consistent with sea level curves predicted by current glacio-isostatic adjustment modelling. Critical evidence previously cited in support of subaerial dissection of the troughs, and hence rapid fall and rise in relative sea level prior to the deposition of the glaciomarine muds, is not justified.     

Origin of blocky aragonite cement in Cenozoic glaciomarine sediments,McMurdo Sound,Antarctica

Inorganic aragonite occurs in a wide spectrum of depositional environments and its precipitation is controlled by complex physio-chemical factors. This study investigates diagenetic conditions that led to aragonite cement precipitation in Cenozoic glaciomarine deposits of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. A total of 42 sandstones that host intergranular cement were collected from the CIROS-1 core, located proximal to the terminus of Ferrar Glacier. Standard petrography, Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis reveal a prominent aragonite cement phase that occurs as a pore-filling blocky fabric throughout the core. Oxygen isotope compositions (δ¹⁸O = −30·0 to −8·6‰ Vienna Pee-Dee Belemnite) and clumped isotope temperatures (TΔ₄₇ = 13·1 to 31·5°C) determined from the aragonite cements provide precise constraints on isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O_w) of the parent fluid, which mostly range from −10·8 to −7·2‰ Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water. The fluid δ¹⁸O_w values are consistent with those of pore water, previously identified as cryogenic brine in the nearby AND-2A core. Petrographic and geochemical data suggest that aragonite cement in the CIROS-1 core precipitated from a similar brine. The brine likely formed and infiltrated sediments in flooded glacial valleys along the western margin of McMurdo Sound during the middle Miocene Climatic Transition, and subsequently flowed basinward in the subsurface. Consequently, the brine forms as a longstanding subsurface fluid that has saturated Cenozoic sediments below southern McMurdo Sound since at least the middle Miocene. Aragonite cementation in the CIROS-1 core is interpreted to reflect its proximal position to sites of brine formation and greater likelihood of experiencing brines with sustained high carbonate saturation states and Mg/Ca ratios. This unusual occurrence expands the range of known natural occurrences of aragonite cement. Given the potential for cryogenic brine formation in glaciomarine settings, blocky aragonite, as the end member of the spectrum of aragonite cement morphology, may be more widespread in glaciomarine sediments than currently thought.