Quaternary deposits in the Serra da Capivara National Park and surrounding area, Southeastern Piauí state, Brazil

80,000 years of geophysical stratigraphic record at the Serra da Capivara National Park, in northeastern Brazil: Uncovering hidden deposits and landforms at a canyon's floor

The semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil includes the caatinga (scrub forest) biome, of which less than 50% of the original area now survives, and of which less than 1% is legally protected in the form of Conservation Units. The Serra da Capivara National Park, an International Cultural Landmark, is located in the southeastern region of the State of Piaui. It harbors some 130,000 hectares of caatinga with some 400 archeological sites and endemic and endangered plant and animal species from the Brazilian semi-arid ecosystem. Multiand interdisciplinary studies have been conducted in the area since 1970. The current article presents the results of a study which reviewed, organized, systematized, and standardized existing planimetric, hydrological, ecological, geomorphologic, and infrastructural information with the objective of organizing a Geographic Information System (GIS) to manage the Park. The results of the analyses of the Park's legal and land tenure situation showed quite significant overlaps and discrepancies. Its prevailing zoning regime is unsuited to its current ecological needs, while analysis of the available water accumulated in both natural and manmade reservoirs (the only sources of water in the region) recommend new measures and dynamics for managing the Park's fauna. Introduction Brazil has conservation units whose use is subject to a variety of legal characteristics and supervisory agencies. Full conservation units cover 2.61% of Brazil's national territory. Another 5.52% of the national territory is partially protected, allowing for the direct use of its natural resources [1]. Despite efforts in recent years, conservation of legally established areas in Brazil has failed to Management Information Systems, C.A. Brebbia & P. Pascolo (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-815-5 38 Management Information Systems completely achieve its objectives, for a number of reasons: lack of funds and political determination to compensate landowners and squatters still living in full conservation units; lack of funds to effectively enforce established areas; lack of personnel (in both sheer numbers and level of training) under the national agency in charge of this area (the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources, or IBAMA), with a current ratio of 1 employee for every 27,560 hectares; gaps in the relationship between local communities and the objectives of the conservation units; limited research (concluded or under way); confusing legislation and legal framework; lack of capability on the part of public and private organizations in charge of managing protected areas; and lack of monitoring of biological diversity and factors modifying conservation units and areas surrounding them. Despite the numerous problems and inertia, Brazil has made progress in its interest and intent to conserve its biodiversity. The current study presents data from a 30-year scientific experiment in the poorest area of Brazil (with an average monthly family income of some US58.00), the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil, where less than 50% of the original biome remains, the desertification process is expanding, and farming/cattle-raising frontiers, deforestation, and subsistence hunting have fueled the loss of biodiversity. The area studied encompasses the Serra da Capivara National Park, situated in the southeastern region of the State of Piaui, belonging to the morpho-climatic domain of the caatinga, or scrub forest [2] (Figure 1). The Park's 130,000 hectares harbor endemic and endangered animal species [3,4,5]. The flora consists of a mosaic of 5 physiognomic types of caatinga with 70% endemism [6]. 750000 7*0000 770000 780000 790000 800000 Figure 1: General localization Management Information Systems, C.A. Brebbia & P. Pascolo (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-815-5 Management Information Systems 39 The multiand interdisciplinary research began in 1970 under the Museu do Homem Americano (Museum of American Man) Foundation, currently managing the Park in conjunction with the Brazilian government. Since 1992, the Park has been declared an International Cultural Landmark by (UNESCO) due to the wealth and antiquity of its archeological sites and rock paintings [7,8]. The need to enhance data analysis speed and precision in order to improve the Park's management and planning led to the creation of a specific GIS for this conservation unit, with the following objectives: • establish a common work base for all the research developed in the area; • gather together all the accumulated or existing data bases; • begin analysis of the natural or anthropogenic environmental changes; • begin analysis of the distribution and availability of water in the Park, as a resource limiting the ecosystem's dynamics; and • generate a regional model for monitoring and managing renewable natural

The alluvial fan is conical or funnel-shaped alluvium deposited at the edge of the mountains, whose thickness decreases and width increases from the mountains toward the plains (Pourmorad et al. 2021). The average slope of an alluvial fan is about 5°, but may change by more than 25° (Li et al. 2020). The radius of the alluvial fan may vary from less than a few hundred meters to more than 150 km (Tavanaei et al. 2020). Alluvial fan deposits are often red in color due to the fact that they form in an oxidizing environment (Kumar et al. 2020). The shape of these sediments depends on the tectonic and climatic conditions of the region (Bowman 2019). However, most alluvial fan sediments are formed in areas with arid and semi-arid climates with low vegetation, very low rainfall and rapid erosion. These sediments are not specific to the climate and are formed in different regions (Pourmorad and Jahan 2021). Economically, the identification of alluvial fan deposits can be of particular importance. For example, alluvial sediments can be the center of groundwater accumulation, and most groundwater reservoirs within the sedimentary basin are fed by water from alluvial sediments (Zhang et al. 2020). Most of the gold in the world is also extracted from the deposits of ancient alluvial fans in South Africa, which have remained in placer form. In addition, large amounts of uranium placer are extracted from old alluvial sediments in South African sedimentary basins (Sissakian et al. 2020). This book has a comprehensive study of alluvial fan sediments, which seeks to introduce all the sedimentary and geochemical properties of the alluvial fan. Here, an attempt has been made to study and evaluate the alluvial fan sediments of southwestern Iran as a master case with full practical application. A detailed study including sedimentology, lithology, geochemistry and morphotectonics of alluvial fans of southwestern Iran has been described in this book. These studies will contribute significantly to the identification of similar sedimentary environments and will provide a clear view of the environmental, mineral, agricultural and urban hazards of different regions.KeywordsField studiesSamplingLaboratory studiesGeochemical studies

A long-term assessment of fire regimes in a Brazilian ecotone between seasonally dry tropical forests and savannah

The aim of this work was to study the degradation and detoxification of three textile azo dyes (Reactive Red 198, Reactive Red 141 and Reactive Blue 214) by mixed fungal cultures from semi-arid region of Brazilian Northeast. Sediment samples of twenty water reservoirs in the surroundings of Serra da Capivara National Park, area of environmental preservation in the caatinga in the State of Piauí, with semi-arid climate, were evaluated in order to select the consortia of fungi capable to degrade and detoxify these dyes. The mixed fungal culture from Caldeirão Escuridão (CE) reservoir was the most efficient in the degradation and detoxification of the dyes tested.

Late Quaternary deformation and slip rates in the northern San Andreas fault zone at Olema Valley, Marin County, California

ABSTRACTDetailed models already exist that outline physical and temporal relationships in marine and marginal marine strata. Such models are still in their infancy in alluvial deposits. Recognition of tidal and estuarine influence in fluvial strata is critical to the development of high resolution sequence stratigraphic correlations between marine and non‐marine strata. Strata that have previously been interpreted as low energy meandering river deposits contain sedimentary and biogenic structures that suggest a tidal influence. These structures include sigmoidal bedding, paired mud/silt drapes, wavy and lenticular bedding, shrinkage cracks, multiple reactivation surfaces, inclined heterolithic strata, complex compound cross‐beds, bidirectional cross‐beds, and trace fossils including Teredolites, Arenicolites and Skolithos. Although none of these structures is unique to tidal processes, the preponderance of data suggests that fluvial systems have been affected by tidal processes well inland of coeval shoreline deposits. These deposits rarely form a significant proportion of a depositional sequence; however, their occurrence allows time significant surfaces to be extended for tens or even hundreds of kilometres inland from coeval shoreline deposits.In Turonian through Campanian strata exposed in the Kaiparowits Plateau of southern Utah, tidally influenced facies are recognized within at least two distinct stratigraphic levels that were deposited during periods of relatively rapid base level rise. These strata form part of an alluvial transgressive systems tract. Landward of each of the marine transgressive maxima, tidal facies are present in fluvial channels that are completely encased in non‐marine strata at distances up to 65 km inland from a coeval palaeoshoreline. Our work suggests that such deposits may have gone unrecognized in the past, but they form a significant component of alluvial strata in many depositional sequences. Although these tidally influenced fluvial deposits may be difficult to recognize, they are temporally equivalent to marine maximum flooding surfaces and provide a chronostratigraphic correlation between alluvial and nearshore marine deposits.

Stratigraphy and optically stimulated luminescence dating of subaerially exposed Quaternary deposits from two shallow bays in Hong Kong, China

In the Vipava Valley (SW Slovenia), various types of mass movements occur in a geologically and geomorphologically diverse setting. These comprise various types of landslides, creep, and Quaternary slope deposits of carbonate blocks and recent scree deposits. A general geological setting is represented as Mesozoic carbonate overthrust on Paleogene flysch (alternations of mostly sandstones and marlstones), resulting in steep slopes and mass movements. Our study is based on the automatic classification of various litho-geomorphological units including slope deposits, alluvial deposits, steep carbonate cliffs, flysch, two carbonate plateaus, and Quaternary deposits, based on supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification. Several polygons were used for training in the broader valley area, and later, the method was applied to automatically classify the complete area into the abovementioned six units. For input layers, we used data for elevation, slope, terrain ruggedness index (TRI), and curvature. Results show that generally, the method is suitable for classification of the litho-geomorphological units including slope deposits. However, comparison with a more detailed map, comprising mapped various mass movements indicated that the method correctly predicts high Trnovo plateau carbonates, steep carbonate slopes, translational carbonate blocks, and fossil rock avalanche deposits, and alluvial deposits, but is not able to clearly distinguish between flysch and more recent slope deposits of gravel and breccia due to their similar elevation, TRI, and slope values. The Slano blato mudflow and Stogovce landslide are not recognized. Therefore, this automatic classification can be carefully used to create a guidance map of general occurrences of litho-geomorphological units including slope deposits before going to the field, with the aim of delineation of slope deposits so they can be further studied in detail later in the field. However, such a map cannot be used as a direct substitute map for the geological and geomorphological map obtained in the field due to impossibility in distinguishing among the units with the same properties (elevation, slope, and TRI values).

The paper aims to analyse the remediation of soils contaminated by black coal tar and other contaminants in relation to risk limits in the different geological environments. The research was implemented as a case study in one of the most expensive remediation projects of contaminated soils in alluvial sediments, in the locality of a former coking plant Karolina in an industrial city of Ostrava in north-east of the Czech Republic. Based on the level of risk, three contaminated geological environments (layers) were selected, which were examined for chemical limits that must be complied with after remediation using ex situ thermal desorption. Around 1.5 million tons (10,720 wagons of 72 m3 and 14 m) of contaminated soils were dug out, which were subsequently treated ex situ by means of thermal desorption. In total, 12,200 t of contaminants were removed, among which non-polar extractable substances (NPES) amounted to 67.94% (8289 t), benzene to 12.25% (1494 t), naphthalene to 11.27% (1375 t), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to 6.43% (784 t), benzo(a)pyrene to 1.11% (135 t), phenol to 0.82% (99 t), arsenic to 0.16% (20 t) and mercury to 0.02% (3 t). The most hazardous in terms of contact with humans was the top layer of quaternary alluvial fine-grained soils (3664 t of removed contaminants, 30% of all contamination—layer I). However, the most contaminated layer was the lowest, permeable layer of quaternary alluvial gravel sediments (7479 t of removed contaminants, 61% of all contamination—layer III). The contamination penetrated into the highly permeable layer due to gravity and could not migrate further due to the abundance of impermeable Miocene grey–blue clay.

A 10-12 m sequence of late Quaternary deposits from a large river bank section is described. Morphologic, stratigraphic, sedimentologic, palynologic and radiometric analyses demonstrate the presence of both pre-Last Glacial age glacigenic deposits and Last Glacial age fluviatile terrace and alluvial fan deposits. The pre-Last Glacial age till and outwash gravels are associated with 10-30 m high morainic ridges at Blakes Opening and occur throughout the middle Huon and lower Picton valleys. These deposits are strongly chemically weathered and are believed to belong to the Penultimate or to an earlier glacial age. At Blakes Opening the glacigenic deposits are overlain by a stratified sequence of organic-rich fluviatile sands and silts deposited by the Huon river, and by alluvial fan deposits derived by erosion from the adjacent moraines. Most of the fluviatile sands and silts are of early to middle Last Glacial age (70000-30000 B.P.) and the alluvial fan deposits are mainly of late Last Glacial age. The surface soil, an iron podzol, is of Holocene age. Pollen analysis of the organic sands and silts revealed that the vegetation had altered from Wet Sclerophyll Eucalyptus forest to Temperate Rain Forest which reverted to Wet Sclerophyll Eucalyptus forest. Although the influences of possible habitat changes and frequency of firing on the vegetation are discussed, it is concluded that the changes were primarily climatically induced. The vegetation changes probably represent a sequence of climatic changes from drier and colder conditions to moister and warmer conditions with a return to drier and colder conditions. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the moister warmer phase may represent an interstadial of mid Last Glacial age. Observations of glacial and periglacial landforms and deposits in the wider area suggest that during the early glaciation thick valley glaciers occupied the middle Huon and lower Picton valleys, whereas, during the Last Glacial Stage only local cirque and short valley head glaciers were developed at high elevations on Mount Picton and on the South Picton Range.

Paleoenvironmental and geoarchaeologic implications of late quaternary sediments and paleosols: north-central to southwestern San Juan Basin, New Mexico

The Mesopotamian Plain is part of the Mesopotamia which extends for vast area bigger than the plain. The plain is almost flat and vast lowland, which has clearly defined physiographic boundaries with the other surrounding physiographic provinces. The plain is a huge accumulation geomorphologic unit, where the fluvial, lacustrine, and the Aeolian landforms prevail; the fluvial units being the abundant among others. However, estuarine and marine forms also are developed, but restricted to the extreme southeastern reaches of the plain. The Mesopotamian Plain is covered totally by Quaternary sediments among which the fluvial origin is the most prevailing and more specifically the flood plain sediments. The flood plain sediments are the Holocene in age, whereas the Pleistocene sediments are restricted to alluvial fan sediments and river terraces. The flood plain sediments cover majority of the Mesopotamian Plain, whereas the alluvial sediments are restricted to the northern-eastern, western and southern peripheral parts only. Different geomorphological features indicate the Neotectonic activity in the plain, such as migrations of rivers due to growing of subsurface anticlines. The extreme southeastern part is covered by the tidal flat and sabkha sediments. Marshes and shallow depressions are also covered by the Holocene sediments which are contaminated by the Aeolian sediments. Mesopotamian Plain is a part of the Mesopotamian Foredeep which is a part of the Zagros Foreland Basin including the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt. It is large continuously subsiding basin since the Upper Miocene (11.62 Ma). The plain shows no structural features on the surface, except the main fault escarpment representing the part of Abu Jir Active Fault Zone. However, the rolling topography, in the northern parts of the plain indicates subsurface anticlines that are still growing up, such as Balad, Samarra, Tikrit and Baiji anticlines indicating the Neotectonic activity. Moreover, many buried subsurface anticlines are present in different parts of the plain. All of them are growing anticlines and have caused continuous shift to Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their distributaries indicating the Neotectonic activities. The minimum and maximum subsidence amounts in the plain since the Upper Miocene are zero and -2500 m, respectively.

The East Poplar oil field encompasses about 70 mi[sup 2] in the south-central part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Since oil production from the Mississippian Madison Group began in 1952, large quantities of brine (water containing greater than 35,000 mg/L of dissolved solids) have been produced. Most of the brine has been disposed of through injection wells completed in shallower Cretaceous rocks, although some brine has been evaporated in pits. Brine leaking from injection-well casing or evaporation pits has resulted in contamination of shallow water in Quaternary alluvial and glacial deposits along the Poplar River. Electromagnetic geophysical techniques were used to delineate three saline-water plumes in alluvial deposits and one plume in glacial deposits. Data-collection sites were located on 0.1-mi (or sometimes 0.2-mi) centers in grid networks. Apparent conductivity was measured at about [sup [minus]]300 sites within an area of about 19 mi[sup 2]. Vertical and horizontal variations in apparent conductivity were contoured. The apparent-conductivity data were used to locate potential monitoring-well sites. Nineteen monitoring wells were installed during 1992 using hollow-stem augering methods. Water-quality data from these wells, and from eight existing wells, verified the presence of saline water in Quaternary deposits that showed apparent-conductivity anomalies. Specific conductancemore » of water in plume areas is as large as 127,000 [mu]S/cm at 25[degrees]C. Additional data are being collected to further determine the areal extent and rate of movement of saline-water plumes.« less

The research on the process of the development of the alluvium forming coastal plain can be effectively combined with the studies of the adjoining submarine sediments. Fortunately the opportunity to make such an effective work has been offered by the sonic method survey of Osaka Bay in 1962. In this paper, part 1, the writers intend to describe and discuss about the latest Quaternary deposits of Amagasaki area, the western part of Osaka coastal plain north of Osaka Bay.Fig. 2 is the panel diagram showing the final result of compilation of many subsurface data from boring cores. A prominent gravel bed which is named Itami gravel spreads over the whole area. The younger marine and fluvial deposits covering the Itami gravel are treated in this paper. They are so-called “alluvial deposits” and are divided into two parts, the Upper and the Lower, based on the cycle of sedimentation.The base of the “alluvial deposits” is mapped in Fig. 5. The Itami gravel had been entrenched by older rivers which almost coincide in distribution with the present river system and the older channels were buried by the deposition of the “alluvium”. The older river system can be traced to buried channels detected on the surface of the basement of the “alluvial deposits” in Osaka Bay.A line of the buried wave-cut cliff or slope can be recognized somewhat to the north of the present shore line, about 20m below the present sea-level. The cliff is inferred to show the shore line when the Lower part of the “alluvial deposits” was formed.The writers have established the following processes of sedimentation of the “alluvial deposits” of the area.1) Large-scale regression and the deep entrenchment of rivers on the surface of the Itami gravel, Considering the extension of the river channels to the basement of the “alluvial deposits” in Osaka Bay, this inner bay must have been dried up completely at that time. This stage may be identified with the maximum phase of the Wurm Ice Age.2) Starting of transgression, The Lower part of the “alluvial deposits” was formed burying the river floors of the older river system.3) Retardation of transgression. The sea-level retarded at about 20m below the present sea-level. This stage is inferred to be identified with the Allerod oscillation, according to a chronological datum of 14C obtained from the lowest horizon of the Upper part or the top of the Lower part of the “alluvial deposits” in Osaka.4) Rapid re-transgression. The Upper part of the “alluvial deposits” was formed. Wavecut cliffs at the highest sea-level have been preserved about 5m above the present sea-level.The processes stated above almost coincide with those traced in and around Tokyo Bay (HATORI & others, 1962). This fact indicates that the formation of the “alluvial deposits” is closely related to the ecstatic changes of sea-level.