Anomalous luminescence of subglacial sediment at Haut Glacier d'Arolla,Switzerland – a consequence of resetting at the glacier bed?     

DARREL A. SWIFT  DAVID C. W. SANDERSON  PETER W. NIENOW  ROBERT G. BINGHAM  IAN C. COCHRANE 《Boreas: An International Journal of Quaternary Research》2011,40(3):446-458

Swift, D. A., Sanderson, D. C. W., Nienow, P. W., Bingham, R. G. & Cochrane, I. C. 2010: Anomalous luminescence of subglacial sediment at Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland – a consequence of resetting at the glacier bed? Boreas, Vol. 40, pp. 446–458. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00196.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Luminescence has the potential to elucidate glacial geomorphic processes because primary glacial sediment sources and transport pathways are associated with contrasting degrees of exposure to light. Most notably, sediment entrained from extraglacial sources should be at least partially reset, whereas sediment produced by glacial erosion of subglacial bedrock should retain substantial luminescence commensurate with a geological irradiation history. We set out to test the validity of this assumption at Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland using sediment sampled extraglacially and from the glacier bed. Contrary to our expectations, the subglacial samples exhibited natural signals that were substantially lower than those of other sample groups, and further (albeit limited) analyses have indicated no obvious differences in sample‐group luminescence characteristics or behaviour that could account for this observation. For glaciological reasons, we can eliminate the possibilities that the subglacial sediment has been extraglacially reset or exposed in situ to heat or light. We therefore advocate investigation of possible resetting processes related to subglacial crushing and grinding, and speculate that such processes, if more generally present, may enable the dating of subglacially deposited tills using luminescence‐based techniques.  相似文献   

Stegosaur tracks and the persistence of facies — the Lower Cretaceous of Western Australia     

DAVID PAGE 《Geology Today》1998,14(2):71-74

Sometimes between January and June 1996, the only known stegosaur tracks were stolen from Broome in north-western Australia (Fig. 1). Vandalism or loss of any type material is always to be lamented, yet there is good cause to suspect that the trackmaker at Broome was not a stegosaur. The reasons why this should be so relate to some of the factors involved in the formation of dinosaur trace fossils and the difficulties encountered in their interpretation. The stratigraphy at Broome is notable for preserving evidence of potential Wealden-type deposition in Australia.  相似文献   

Intermediate time error growth and predictability: tropics versus mid-latitudes     

By DAVID M. STRAUS  DAN PAOLINO 《地球，A辑:动力气象学与海洋学》2009,61(5):579-586

The evolution of identical twin errors from an atmospheric general circulation model is studied in the linear range (small errors) through intermediate times and the approach to saturation. Between forecast day 1 and 7, the normalized error variance in the tropics is similar to that at higher latitudes. After that, tropical errors grow more slowly. The predictability time τ taken for tropical errors to reach half their saturation values is larger than that for mid-latitudes, especially for the planetary waves, thus implying greater potential predictability in the tropics.
The discrepancy between mid-latitude and tropical τ is more pronounced at 850 hPa than at 200 hPa, is largest for the planetary waves, and is more pronounced for errors arising from wave phase differences (than from wave amplitude differences).
The spectra of the error in 200 hPa zonal wind show that for forecast times up to about 5 d, the tropical error peaks at much shorter scales than the mid-latitude errors, but that subsequently tropical and mid-latitude error spectra look increasingly similar.
The difference between upper and lower level tropical τ may be due to the greater influence of mid-latitudes at the upper levels.  相似文献   

The ice-dammed lakes of Ossian Sarsfjellet (Svalbard): their geomorphology and significance     

MATTHEW R. BENNETT  MICHAEL J. HAMBREY  DAVID HUDDART  NEIL F. GLASSER  KEVIN CRAWFORD 《Boreas: An International Journal of Quaternary Research》1998,27(1):25-43

The tidewater glacier complex of Kongsvegen/Kronebreen, at the head of Kongsfjorden in north-west Spitsbergen, has advanced rapidly several times since its Neoglacial maximum. Two such advances, 1869 and 1948, are well constrained in time and space and are widely interpreted as glacier surges. During the 1869 advance an ice-dammed lake formed on the western side of Ossian Sarsfjellet. This ice-dammed lake is associated with a thrust moraine complex. Four lake levels are identified, two of which are associated with rock-cut shorelines implying a degree of lake stability. The history of this lake, the nature of the ice dam and its relationship to the thrust moraine complex are discussed. The lake history spanning 28 to 35 years is used to assess the ice-marginal dynamics of the Kongsvegen/Kronebreen glacier. It is concluded that, contrary to previous suggestions, the rapid advance of this tidewater glacier may simply be an example of a non-climatic ice-marginal fluctuation, of the type common to tidewater glacier, as opposed to a glacier surge. A second ice-dammed lake, to the east of Ossian Sarsfjellet, formed sometime after 1869 as the ice retreated, and still exists today. This largely supraglacial lake is associated with a very different geomorphological assemblage, which has a poor long-term preservation potential. The geomorphological characteristics of the two lakes on Ossian Sarsfjellet are compared and used to discuss the problems associated with the recognition of ice-dammed lakes within the Pleistocene record. On the basis of the evidence presented here, ice-dammed lakes may be more common during deglaciation than currently suggested.  相似文献   

John MacCulloch: precursor of the British 'Geological Survey'     

DAVID A. CUMMING 《Geology Today》1985,1(4):124-125

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Non-methane volatile organic compound flux from a subarctic mire in Northern Sweden     

KRISTINA BÄCKSTRAND  PATRICK M. CRILL  MIKHAIL MASTEPANOV  TORBEN R. CHRISTENSEN  DAVID BASTVIKEN 《Tellus. Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology》2008,60(2):226-237

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Promoting local geological     

DAVID J. M. ROWE 《Geology Today》1990,6(3):91-91

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Diagenetic formation of gypsum and dolomite in a cold‐water coral mound in the Porcupine Seabight,off Ireland     

HANS PIRLET  LAURA M. WEHRMANN  BENJAMIN BRUNNER  NORBERT FRANK  JAN DEWANCKELE  DAVID VAN ROOIJ  ANNELEEN FOUBERT  RUDY SWENNEN  LIEVEN NAUDTS  MATTHIEU BOONE  VEERLE CNUDDE  JEAN‐PIERRE HENRIET 《Sedimentology》2010,57(3):786-805

Authigenic gypsum was found in a gravity core, retrieved from the top of Mound Perseverance, a giant cold‐water coral mound in the Porcupine Basin, off Ireland. The occurrence of gypsum in such an environment is intriguing, because gypsum, a classic evaporitic mineral, is undersaturated with respect to sea water. Sedimentological, petrographic and isotopic evidence point to diagenetic formation of the gypsum, tied to oxidation of sedimentary sulphide minerals (i.e. pyrite). This oxidation is attributed to a phase of increased bottom currents which caused erosion and enhanced inflow of oxidizing fluids into the mound sediments. The oxidation of pyrite produced acidity, causing carbonate dissolution and subsequently leading to pore‐water oversaturation with respect to gypsum and dolomite. Calculations based on the isotopic compositions of gypsum and pyrite reveal that between 21·6% and 28·6% of the sulphate incorporated into the gypsum derived from pyrite oxidation. The dissolution of carbonate increased the porosity in the affected sediment layer but promoted lithification of the sediments at the sediment‐water interface. Thus, authigenic gypsum can serve as a signature for diagenetic oxidation events in carbonate‐rich sediments. These observations demonstrate that fluid flow, steered by environmental factors, has an important effect on the diagenesis of coral mounds.  相似文献   

Modelling tidal current‐induced bed shear stress and palaeocirculation in an epicontinental seaway: the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin,Central Europe     

ANDREW J. MITCHELL  DAVID ULIČNÝ  GARY J. HAMPSON  PETER A. ALLISON  GERARD J. GORMAN  MATTHEW D. PIGGOTT  MARTIN R. WELLS  CHRISTOPHER C. PAIN 《Sedimentology》2010,57(2):359-388

Lower to Middle Turonian deposits within the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (Central Europe) consist of coarse‐grained deltaic sandstones passing distally into fine‐grained offshore sediments. Dune‐scale cross‐beds superimposed on delta‐front clinoforms indicate a vigorous basinal palaeocirculation capable of transporting coarse‐grained sand across the entire depth range of the clinoforms (ca 35 m). Bi‐directional, alongshore‐oriented, trough cross‐set axes, silt drapes and reactivation surfaces indicate tidal activity. However, the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin at this time was over a thousand kilometres from the shelf break and separated from the open ocean by a series of small islands. The presence of tidally‐influenced deposits in a setting where co‐oscillating tides are likely to have been damped down by seabed friction and blocked by emergent land masses is problematic. The Imperial College Ocean Model, a fully hydrodynamic, unstructured mesh finite element model, is used to test the hypothesis that tidal circulation in this isolated region was capable of generating the observed grain‐size distributions, bedform types and palaeocurrent orientations. The model is first validated for the prediction of bed shear stress magnitudes and sediment transport pathways against the present‐day North European shelf seas that surround the British Isles. The model predicts a microtidal to mesotidal regime for the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin across a range of sensitivity tests with elevated tidal ranges in local embayments. Funnelling associated with straits increases tidal current velocities, generating bed shear stresses that were capable of forming the sedimentary structures observed in the field. The model also predicts instantaneous bi‐directional currents with orientations comparable with those measured in the field. Overall, the Imperial College Ocean Model predicts a vigorous tide‐driven palaeocirculation within the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin that would indisputably have influenced sediment dispersal and facies distributions. Palaeocurrent vectors and sediment transport pathways however vary markedly in the different sensitivity tests. Accurate modelling of these parameters, in this instance, requires greater palaeogeographic certainty than can be extracted from the available rock record.  相似文献   

Deciphering the depositional environment of the laminated Crato fossil beds (Early Cretaceous,Araripe Basin,North‐eastern Brazil)     

ULRICH HEIMHOFER  DANIEL ARIZTEGUI  MARC LENNIGER  STEPHEN P. HESSELBO  DAVID M. MARTILL  ARISTOTELES M. RIOS‐NETTO 《Sedimentology》2010,57(2):677-694

The laminated limestones of the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of the Araripe Basin (North‐eastern Brazil) are world‐famous for their exceptionally well‐preserved and taxonomically diverse fossil fauna and flora. Whereas the fossil biota has received considerable attention, only a few studies have focused on the sedimentary characteristics and palaeoenvironmental conditions which prevailed during formation of the Crato Fossil Lagerstätte. The Nova Olinda Member represents the lowermost and thickest unit (up to 10 m) of the Crato Formation and is characterized by a pronounced rhythmically bedded, pale to dark lamination. To obtain information on palaeoenvironmental conditions, sample slabs derived from three local stratigraphic sections within the Araripe Basin were studied using high‐resolution multiproxy techniques including detailed logging, petrography, μ‐XRF scanning and stable isotope geochemistry. Integration of lithological and petrographic evidence indicates that the bulk of the Nova Olinda limestone formed via authigenic precipitation of calcite from within the upper water column, most probably induced and/or mediated by phytoplankton and picoplankton activity. A significant contribution from a benthonic, carbonate‐secreting microbial mat community is not supported by these results. Deposition took place under anoxic and, at least during certain episodes, hypersaline bottom water conditions, as evidenced by the virtually undisturbed lamination pattern, the absence of a benthonic fauna and by the occurrence of halite pseudomorphs. Input of allochthonous, catchment‐derived siliciclastics to the basin during times of laminite formation was strongly reduced. The δ¹⁸O values of authigenic carbonate precipitates (between ?7·1 and ?5·1‰) point to a ¹⁸O‐poor meteoric water source and support a continental freshwater setting for the Nova Olinda Member. The δ¹³C values, which are comparatively rich in ¹³C (between ?0·1 and +1·9‰), are interpreted to reflect reduced throughflow of water in a restricted basin, promoting equilibration with atmospheric CO₂, probably in concert with stagnant conditions and low input of soil‐derived carbon. Integration of lithological and isotopic evidence indicates a shift from closed to semi‐closed conditions towards a more open lake system during the onset of laminite deposition in the Crato Formation.  相似文献