Beaver dam analogues drive heterogeneous groundwater–surface water interactions

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are a cost-effective stream restoration approach that leverages the recognized environmental benefits of natural beaver dams on channel stability and local hydrology. Although natural beaver dams are known to exert considerable influence on the hydrologic conditions of a stream system by mediating geomorphic processes, nutrient cycling, and groundwater–surface water interactions, the impacts of beaver-derived restoration methods on groundwater–surface water exchange are poorly characterized. To address this deficit, we monitored hyporheic exchange fluxes and streambed porewater biogeochemistry across a sequence of BDAs installed along a central Wyoming stream during the summer of 2019. Streambed fluxes were quantified by heat tracing methods and vertical hydraulic gradients. Biogeochemical activity was evaluated using major ion porewater chemistry and principal component analysis. Vertical fluxes of approximately 1.0 m/day were observed around the BDAs, as was the development of spatially heterogeneous zones of nitrate production, groundwater upwelling, and anaerobic reduction. Strong contrasts in hyporheic zone processes were observed across BDAs of differing sizes. This suggests that structures may function with size-dependent behaviour, only altering groundwater–surface water interactions after a threshold hydraulic step height is exceeded. Patterns of hyporheic exchange and biogeochemical cycling around the studied BDAs resemble those around natural beaver dams, suggesting that BDAs may provide comparable benefits to channel complexity and near-stream function over a 1-year period.     

Influence of large-diameter pipe pile driving on surrounding marine soils and adjacent submarine pipelines

Abstract

With the large-scale development and utilization of ocean resources and space, it is inevitable to encounter existing submarine facilities in pile driving areas, which necessitates a safety assessment. In this article, by referring to a wharf renovation project as a reference, the surrounding soil response and buried pipe deformation during pile driving in a near-shore submarine environment are investigated by three-dimensional (3D) numerical models that consider the pore water effect. Numerical studies are carried out in two different series: one is a case of a single pile focusing on the effect of the minimum plane distance of the pile–pipe, and the other is a case of double piles focusing on the effect of the pile spacing.     

Mais comment s'écoule donc un glacier ? Aperçu historique

Ice and snow have often helped physicists understand the world. On the contrary it has taken them a very long time to understand the flow of the glaciers. Naturalists only began to take an interest in glaciers at the beginning of the 19th century during the last phase of glacier advances. When the glacier flow from the upslope direction became obvious, it was then necessary to understand how it flowed. It was only in 1840, the year of the Antarctica ice sheet discovery by Dumont d'Urville, that two books laid the basis for the future field of glaciology: one by Agassiz on the ice age and glaciers, the other one by canon Rendu on glacier theory. During the 19th century, ice flow theories, adopted by most of the leading scientists, were based on melting/refreezing processes. Even though the word ‘fluid’ was first used in 1773 to describe ice, more the 130 years would have to go by before the laws of fluid mechanics were applied to ice. Even now, the parameter of Glen's law, which is used by glaciologists to model ice deformation, can take a very wide range of values, so that no unique ice flow law has yet been defined. To cite this article: F. Rémy, L. Testut, C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Cretaceous and Tertiary terrane accretion in the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes of Ecuador

New field, geochronological, geochemical and biostratigraphical data indicate that the central and northern parts of the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes of Ecuador comprise two terranes. The older (Pallatanga) terrane consists of an early to late (?) Cretaceous oceanic plateau suite, late Cretaceous marine turbidites derived from an unknown basaltic to andesitic volcanic source, and a tectonic mélange of probable late Cretaceous age. The younger (Macuchi) terrane consists of a volcanosedimentary island arc sequence, derived from a basaltic to andesitic source. A previously unidentified, regionally important dextral shear zone named the Chimbo-Toachi shear zone separates the two terranes. Regional evidence suggests that the Pallatanga terrane was accreted to the continental margin (the already accreted Cordillera Real) in Campanian times, producing a tectonic mélange in the suture zone. The Macuchi terrane was accreted to the Pallatanga terrane along the Chimbo-Toachi shear zone during the late Eocene, probably in a dextral shear regime. The correlation of Cretaceous rocks and accretionary events in the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador and Colombia remains problematical, but the late Eocene event is recognised along the northern Andean margin.     

SHRIMP Age and Geochemistry of the Bikou Volcanic Terrane: Implications for Neoproterozoic Tectonics on the Northern Margin of the Yangtze Craton

The Bikou volcanic terrane is predominated by subalkaline tholeiitic lavas. Rock samples display lower initial ratios of Sr and Nd, 0.701248-0.704413 and 0.511080-0.512341 respectively. 207Pb and 208Pb are significantly enriched in the lavas. Most samples have positive εNd, which indicates that the magma was derived from EM-type mantle source, while a few samples with negative εNd indicate that there was contamination in the magma evolution. Magma differentiation is demonstrated by variations of LREE and LILE from depletion to enrichment. Additionally, normalized REE patterns and trace elements showed that lavas from the Bikou volcanic terrane have similar characteristics to those of basalts in arc settings caused by subduction and collision. Analyses showed that the Bikou volcanic terrane is a volcanic arc. New evidence proved that the Hengdan Group, north of the Bikou arc, is a turbidite terrane filling a forearc basin. Consequently, the Bikou volcanic terrane and the Hengdan turbidite terrane const     

Terrane assembly and geodynamic evolution of central–western Hoggar: a synthesis

After a review of the rock sequences and evolution of the eastern and central terranes of Hoggar, this paper focusses on the Neoproterozoic subduction-related evolution and collision stages in the central–western part of the Tuareg shield. Rock sequences are described and compared with their counterparts identified in the western and the eastern terranes exposed in Hoggar and northern Mali. The Pharusian terrane that is described in detail, is floored in the east by the Iskel basement, a Mesoproterozoic arc-type terrane cratonized around 840 Ma and in the southeast by Late Paleoproterozoic rock sequences (1.85–1.75 Ga) similar to those from northwestern Hoggar. Unconformable Late Neoproterozoic volcanosedimentary formations that mainly encompass volcanic greywackes were deposited in troughs adjacent to subduction-related andesitic volcanic ridges during the c. 690–650 Ma period. Abundant arc-related pre-collisional calc-alkaline batholiths (650–635 Ma) intruded the volcanic and volcaniclastic units at rather shallow crustal levels prior to collisional processes. The main E–W shortening in the Pharusian arc-type crust occurred through several stages of transpression and produced overall greenschist facies regional metamorphism and upright folding, thus precluding significant crustal thickening. It was accompanied by the shallow emplacement of calc-alkaline batholiths and plutons. Ages of syn-collisional granitoids range from 620 Ma in the western terranes, to 580 Ma in the Pharusian terrane, thus indicating a severe diachronism. After infill of molassic basins unconformable above the Pan-African greenschists, renewed dextral transpression took place in longitudinal domains such as the Adrar fault. The lithology, volcanic and plutonic suites, deep greenschist facies metamorphism, structures and kinematics from the Adrar fault molassic belt previously considered as Neoproterozoic are described in detail. The younger late-kinematic plutons emplaced in the Pharusian terrane at 523 Ma [Lithos 45 (1998) 245] relate to a Cambrian tectonic pulse that post-dates molasse deposition. The new geodynamic scenario presented considers several paleosubductions. The major east-dipping subduction, corresponding to the closure of a large Pan-African oceanic domain in the west (680–620 Ma) post-dates an older west-dipping “Pharusian” subduction (690–650 Ma?) to the east of the eastern Pharusian terrane. Such a diachronism is suggested by the 690 Ma old eclogites of the western part of the LATEA terrane of central Hoggar [J. African Earth Sci. this volume (2003)] that are nearly synchronous with the building up of the Pharusian terrane, thus suggesting that the 4°50^′ lithospheric fault represents a reactivated cryptic suture.     

滇西南南段组和拉巴群地质时代及构造背景

南段组和拉巴群出露于昌宁-孟连构造带内,是临沧地体的组成部分。通过南畔、阿里、南段、海邦和团结吊桥剖面研究,拉巴群可分为5个岩性段,归上石炭统至二叠系,南段组属下石炭统。临沧地体为一稳定的微陆块,二叠纪晚期增生到澜沧江岛弧的西缘。     

Metamorphism and metamorphic K–Ar ages of the Mesozoic accretionary complex in Northland, New Zealand

Abstract A southwest dipping Mesozoic accretionary complex, which consists of tectonically imbricated turbiditic mudstone and sandstone, hemipelagic siliceous mudstone, and bedded cherts and basaltic rocks of pelagic origin, is exposed in northern North Island, New Zealand. Interpillow limestone is sometimes contained in the basaltic rocks. The grade of subduction‐related metamorphism increases from northeast to southwest, indicating an inverted metamorphic gradient dip. Three metamorphic facies are recognized largely on the basis of mineral parageneses in sedimentary and basaltic rocks: zeolite, prehnite‐pumpellyite and pumpellyite‐actinolite. From the apparent interplanar spacing d₀₀₂ data for carbonaceous material, which range from 3.642 to 3.564 Å, the highest grade of metamorphism is considered to have attained only the lowermost grade of the pumpellyite‐actinolite facies for which the highest temperature may be approximately 300°C. Metamorphic white mica K–Ar ages are reported for magnetic separates and <2 µm hydraulic elutriation separates from 27 pelitic and semipelitic samples. The age data obtained from elutriation separates are approximately 8 m.y. younger, on average, than those from magnetic separates. The age difference is attributed to the possible admixture of nonequilibrated detrital white mica in the magnetic separates, and the age of the elutriation separates is considered to be the age of metamorphism. If the concept, based on fossil evidence, of the subdivision of the Northland accretionary complex into north and south units is accepted, then the peak age of metamorphism in the north unit is likely to be 180–130 Ma; that is, earliest Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous, whereas that in the south unit is 150–130 Ma; that is, late Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous. The age cluster for the north unit correlates with that of the Chrystalls Beach–Taieri Mouth section (uncertain terrane), while the age cluster for the south unit is older than that of the Younger Torlesse Subterrane in the Wellington area, and may be comparable with that of the Nelson and Marlborough areas (Caples and Waipapa terranes).     

Fold-Thrust-Belt Structure of the Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt: A Proposed Correlation Between India and Antarctica in Gondwana

The Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt along the east coast of India shares a thrusted lower contact with the surrounding cratons. The thrust, known as the Terrane Boundary shear zone, is associated with two large lateral ramps resulting in a curved outline on the northwestern corner of the mobile belt. The Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt is divided into two lithotectonic units, the Lathore Group and the Turekela Group, based on their lithological assemblages and deformational history. On the basis of published data from a Deep Seismic Sounding (DSS) profile of the Eastern Ghats crust, the Terrane Boundary Shear Zone is considered to be listric in nature and acts as the sole thrust between craton and mobile belt. The Lathore and Turekela Groups are nappes. With this structural configuration the NW part is described as a fold thrust belt. However, the thrusting postdates folding and granulite metamorphism that occurred in the Eastern Ghats, as in the Caledonide type of fold thrust belt of NW Scotland. The Terrane Boundary Shear Zone is interpreted to be contiguous with the Rayner-Napier boundary of the Enderby Land in a Gondwana assembly.     

‘Committing to Place’ at the Local Scale: the potential of youth education programs for promoting community participation in regional natural resource management

Emerging approaches to environmental governance require a greater level of community participation than did previous approaches in which these responsibilities largely rested with government agencies. There is consequently a need for increased engagement with NRM among a broad community sector. This paper examines initiatives by two prominent government agencies, the Murray–Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) and the National Museum of Australia (NMA), to engage school children from regional communities using education programs that focus on place and environmental health. We focus on the MDBC's International Riverhealth Conference held in Mildura in 2003 and the associated Murray–Darling Basin TalkBack Classroom sponsored by the NMA and the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO). We explore how key themes of local scale, place-based identities, youth voice and critical engagement are developed in these programs and consider how they relate to the environmental agency of children. We then reflect on the potential for the kinds of environmental agency promoted through these programs to help build the capacity of local communities to progress larger goals of environmental restoration and sustainability in the Murray–Darling Basin. The evaluation research reported here forms part of the Committing to Place research project, an Australian Research Council Linkage grant involving the University of Tasmania, the National Museum of Australia and the Murray–Darling Basin Commission.