Depositional Hiatus Research Articles

Quantitative contributions of different atmospheric circulation systems to Holocene aeolian activity in northwestern China: Evidence from a closed interdune lake in the Tengger Desert hinterland

The aeolian deserts of northwestern China are major landscape types in the arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and collectively they are one of the largest dust source regions on Earth. However, owing to occurrence of sedimentary hiatuses within aeolian deposits in the deserts, we lack clear knowledge of the history of Holocene aeolian activity and the interaction between aeolian processes and their potential drivers. In this study, we extracted an environmentally sensitive grain-size component from the sediments of a closed interdune lake in the hinterland of the Tengger Desert. Our methodology included the application of End Member Analysis (EMA) of different modern sediment types from catchment to regional scales. We reconstructed aeolian activity over the past 13 cal ka BP and quantified the contributions of environmental factors. The results indicated that the EM 2 fraction of the interdune lake sediments is mainly transported by local winds and reflects changes in the intensity of aeolian activity. Based on EM 2 the strongest aeolian activity occurred during 13.0–7.0 cal ka BP, especially during 8.0–7.0 cal ka BP, and the weakest activity occurred during 7.0–3.5 cal ka BP. Aeolian activity increased after 3.5 cal ka BP, but with a gradually weakening trend. The occurrence of the weakest aeolian activity in the Tengger Desert during the Middle Holocene differs from that on the Asian Summer Monsoonal Boundary and in the area influenced by the Westerlies-dominated climate regime. Thus, there was a clearly defined spatio-temporal differentiation of Holocene aeolian activity across the deserts and dune fields of northern China. Quantitative analysis of the contributions of the potential drivers indicated that wind activity forced by different atmospheric circulation systems, rather than changes in vegetation cover, were the most important driver of regional aeolian activity, although their relative effects varied during the Holocene.

Palynological, tephra, and 14C records from southern Kaitoke, Great Barrier (Aotea) Island, New Zealand, since c. 30,000 cal. yr BP

ABSTRACT Here we present results of the last remaining three, unreported pollen and stratigraphic profiles from our previous investigations on Great Barrier Island from southern Kaitoke. The 14C and pollen data extend the island’s previous maximum pollen-vegetation date from c. 7000 cal. yr BP to close to the end of MIS 3 c. 30,000 cal. yr BP. The oldest 14C date (34,380-28,190 cal. yr BP) and the presence of secondary deposition fragments of Rotoehu Tephra in the basal brown sands and nearby dune deposits implies their formation between c. 30,000 and 45,000 yr BP. The basal sand deposits and palynology in Profile 1 indicate that the site was close to sea-level at the time. Subsequently, the sediments reflect the Last Glacial Coldest Period, characterised by increased Fuscospora pollen. Following the relative stability of the mid-Holocene high sea-level stand, alternations between drier and wetter (freshwater) conditions, with depositional hiatuses, are congruent with evidence for erratic sea-level falls causing blockage of coastal drainage and rear-dune flooding since c. 2,700 cal. yr BP; layers of preserved wood and in-situ stumps overlying firmer palaeosols were followed by fresh-water peats at two of the sites reported here and other, previously reported sites. Polynesian settlement and forest clearance occurs around the time of the 1314 ± 12 AD Kaharoa Tephra, consistent with the project’s previous reports, and with the timing from elsewhere in New Zealand.

Tectonic evolution of the Qiangtang Basin (northern Tibet): Constraints from detrital zircon geochronology

The Mesozoic evolution of the Qiangtang Basin in the Tibetan Plateau, which potentially hosts oil and gas resources, is not fully understood, particularly in the context of the opening and closure of the Tethyan oceans. To better understand the tectonic evolution of the Qiangtang Basin and the history of sedimentation, we obtained 788 new U-Pb detrital zircon ages from 12 sandstone samples. Our results show that the provenance of the Mesozoic strata varies both in space and time. In the central part of the basin (Central Qiangtang), older sedimentary rocks are characterized by unimodal age spectra (300–233 Ma) that indicate a proximal arc source. Trace-element compositions of Permian to Triassic zircons from Lower Triassic strata are characteristic of crystallization in arc and backarc environments, thus supporting previous suggestions that the Qiangtang Basin formed as a backarc basin during subduction of the Paleo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere. Younger (Upper Triassic and Jurassic) strata in the Qiangtang Basin received detrital zircons from diverse sources that included Cambrian to Triassic magmatic rocks and Paleozoic strata in the Central Qiangtang, and Triassic flysch deposits in the Songpan-Garze Terrane. We suggest that this change in provenance — from a unimodal arc source that produced zircons in Lower–Middle Triassic rocks to the diverse provenance recognized in the Upper Triassic strata — marks the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean during the Late Triassic. Jurassic sedimentation in the Qiangtang Basin occurred during the expansion of the Meso-Tethys Ocean (Early–Middle Jurassic) and the subsequent subduction of this ocean (since the Callovian). During the Early Cretaceous, the closure of the Meso-Tethys Ocean led to an uplift and a sedimentary hiatus that marked the end of marine sedimentation in the Qiangtang Basin.

Maastrichtian-Cenozoic erosional history of the northern Peruvian Amazonian Andes implications for the Eastern Cordillera evolution (Huallaga Basin, northern Peru)

Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic Andean mountain building may have experienced various phases of orogenesis in response to variations the dip angle of the subducting slab, distinct magmatic pulses, and shortening rates of the orogen. The timing of the Eastern Cordillera (EC) erosion and the relationship between the Andean orogenesis and the establishing of the transcontinental Amazon River remains unclarified. The erosional history of the Amazon Andes and the timing of these orogenic events may be revealed by the late Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary record of the Amazonian retroarc foreland basin. We investigate the provenance of the Maastrichtian-Cenozoic deposits of the Huallaga Basin based on major and trace elements concentrations, SmNd isotopic composition, and UPb zircon dating. We also refined the Oligocene paleoenvironment and calculated Paleogene sedimentation rates. Our results show that despite the 25 Myr-long sedimentary hiatus, both the Maastrichtian and Eocene units show dominant sourcing from the magmatic arc of the Western Cordillera (WC). Increases in Paleozoic and Famatinian zircon grains and a shift toward more negative ƐNd(0) values, indicate dominant EC sources during the Oligocene to middle Miocene. This change in provenance area is Rupelian in age based on the Maximum Likelihood Age (MLA) of JUA22 (29.70 ± 0.62 Ma), suggesting that the onset of Peruvian EC erosion started at ∼30 Ma. The erosion of the EC was accompanied by an increase in sedimentation rates and the development of a meandering fluvial system. Finally, a substantial decrease in zircon grains derived from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic Andean arcs from late Miocene to Recent sediments suggests no contribution of the WC. In contrast, an increase in Paleozoic magmatic arc zircon grains indicates sources in the EC. We compare our findings to constrain the erosional history of the Amazonian Andes and investigate the relationship between the timing of EC uplift and the onset of the transcontinental Amazon drainage system during the Cenozoic.

The expression of the MIS 12 glacial stage in Southeastern Europe and its impact over the Middle Pleistocene hominins in Megalopolis Basin (Greece)

Southern Europe is hypothesized to have acted as a glacial refugium for hominin populations during the Pleistocene. Of particular importance is South-East Europe, which most likely played a dual role, both as refugium and dispersal corridor, especially during the Middle Pleistocene glaciations, when drastic climatic conditions led to major sea level drops in the Aegean. However, little is known about the palaeoenvironmental conditions at the time of hominin presence in this region, making these hypotheses difficult to test. Here we analyze biomarker data and leaf wax stable isotopic compositions of the MIS 12 Lower Palaeolithic site Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis Basin, Greece) to assess the climatic conditions accompanying the time of hominin presence in the area. Our data indicate a major cooling affecting the north Mediterranean/Aegean domain during this time interval, with lowest temperatures recorded between ∼440–432 ka. The glacial peak is associated with changes in vegetation (i.e., from more forested to more open landscape), reduction of humidity and water availability (i.e., moisture depletion, increased evaporation). Hominins are present at the Marathousa 1 location at the end of this interval (434–432 ka), confirming that the Megalopolis Basin served as a refugium for hunter-gatherer groups during periods of harsh climatic conditions. Additionally, the progressive cooling is associated with an important sedimentary hiatus between ∼465–440 ka reflected in all circum-Mediterranean records (both marine and continental), indicating a regional impact of the MIS 12 glaciation over surface processes.

Sedimentary evolution of the Holocene subaqueous Changjiang Delta, with an emphasis on contributions of the two major Rivers, the Changjiang and Yellow Rivers

Subaqueous deltas of large rivers are important repositories of historical environmental changes, and understanding the evolution of deltas is essential for extracting paleoenvironmental data. This study focuses on investigating the evolution of the Holocene subaqueous Changjiang Delta using a long core CJK11 (72.2 m long). The uppermost Holocene mud layer (36.7 m thick) is divided into three units with varying accumulation rates. Through the analysis of source-discriminating proxies, such as clay mineral composition, geochemical trace elements, and strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr), it is determined that a significant proportion of sediments were derived from the Yellow River (peaking at 36.6 % and averaging 18.4 %), in addition to the predominant sediments from the Changjiang River. By integrating these results with core isochronous correlations and geological contexts, this study establishes the evolution pattern of the modern subaqueous Changjiang Delta, characterized by three distinct stages. During the initial stage (10–5 ka), the study area shifted to neritic environments far from the Changjiang Estuary and experienced slow accumulation due to limited input from the Changjiang and Yellow River-derived sediments. In the middle period (5–3 ka), the study area was situated in neritic environments near the Changjiang Estuary and experienced a sedimentary hiatus due to the absence of contributions from both rivers under cold and arid climatic conditions. High accumulation rates observed locally during the earlier periods may have been influenced by marine hydrodynamic reworking and redeposition processes. In the recent period (3–0 ka), the study area transitioned to prodelta environments, with spatially and temporally varying contributions from the two rivers due to coastal changes resulting from rapid delta progradation. The sedimentary evolution of the subaqueous Changjiang Delta was primarily controlled by climate fluctuations, which may encompass specific factors such as delta progradation, Yellow River channel shifts, and coastal current processes.

Observations of Igneous Subsurface Stratigraphy during the Jezero Crater Floor Rapid Traverse from the RIMFAX Ground-penetrating Radar

Perseverance traversed the eastern, northern, and western margins of the Séítah formation inlier on the rover’s western fan front approach. Mapping the stratigraphy and extent of the Máaz and Séítah formations is key to understanding the depositional history and timing of crater floor resurfacing events. Perseverance's rapid progress across the Jezero crater floor between the Octavia E. Butler landing site and the western fan front resulted in limited contextual images of the deposits from the Navigation Camera and Mast Camera Zoom. By combining the limited surface images with continuous subsurface sounding by the Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX) ground-penetrating radar, Jezero crater floor stratigraphy was inferred along this rapid traverse. We produced the first subsurface map of the Máaz formation thickness and elevation of the buried Séítah formation for 2.3 km of the rapid traverse. Three distinct reflector packets were observed in RIMFAX profiles interspersed with regions of low-radar reflectivity. We interpret these reflector packets with increasing depth to be the Roubion member of the Máaz formation (covered in places with regolith), the Rochette member, and the Séítah formation. We found a median permittivity of 9.0 and bulk density of 3.2 g cm−3 from hyperbola fits to RIMFAX profiles, which suggests a mafic composition for Máaz and Séítah. The low-radar reflectivity regions within each reflector packet could indicate potential depositional hiatuses where low-density material like sediment or regolith could have accumulated between successive Máaz formation lava flows and the Séítah formation at depth.

New insights on the fauna of Ireland's Younger Dryas and Early Holocene from Alice & Gwendoline Cave

The nature of the mechanisms that have shaped the animal communities of the island of Ireland remains a pervasive question in the study of the Quaternary of north-western Europe. Archived Quaternary faunal bone assemblages from antiquarian excavations of cave sites are a direct line of evidence with demonstrable potential to shed light on this issue, but are currently constrained by limited publication, understanding of early excavation protocols, and a lack of chronological reference. Alice and Gwendoline Cave in the west of Ireland was the subject of extensive excavations in 1902, which yielded a substantial faunal assemblage and the first evidence of an Upper Palaeolithic human presence on the island during the terminal Pleistocene. Here, we report further results from this important site. Archaeological excavations and a radiocarbon dating programme in 2019-2020 have shed light on the environmental context of the faunal assemblage, the cave taphonomy and site chronology. Nineteen radiocarbon dates are now available, including new direct dates for brown bear (Ursus arctos), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). The archaeological excavations and the analysis of sedimentary lipids – the first of its kind for an Irish cave site, both suggest that the sediments are primarily of exogenous origin, likely carried into the cave through fissures and openings by runoff or colluvial movements. Our analyses indicate that there were at least three main ‘pulses’ of bone-bearing sediment accumulation: at the beginning of the Younger Dryas (c. 12,700 cal. BP), in the aftermath of the Younger Dryas (11,300 cal. BP) and in the Early Holocene (c. 10,000 cal. BP), with a hiatus in sediment deposition after 9700 cal. BP.

Carbonate-siliciclastic deposits of the Lower Uk Subformation (Neoproterozoic) in the stratotype section and its correlation within Bashkirian Mega-Anticlinorium of the Southern Urals

Research subject. Carbonate-siliciclastic deposits of the Lower Uk Subformation were thoroughly studied in the section along the Yuryuzan river (near Ust-Katav town, Chelyabinsk region) and correlated with subformation sections along the Basu, Zilim and Bolshoy Inzer rivers. Material and methods. A detailed description of the stratotype section was carried out; sandstones, siltstones and limestones were studied in thin sections. The sections were correlated with each other. Results. Relationships between the Lower Uk Subformation and the underlying deposits are studied. The petrographic characteristics of rocks are presented. The Lower Uk Subformation sequences are traced between sections of various structural-tectonic zones of the Bashkirian Mega-anticlinorium (BMA). Conclusions. The set of features supports the idea about the presence of a sedimentary hiatus at the base of the formation, even in the most complete sequences (which contain the locally developed Shubino Member of the Minyar Formation). In the stratotype and in other reference sections, the Lower Uk Subformation has a pronounced three-membered structure; it is subdivided into the lower (siliciclastic) Yamashta, middle (substantially carbonate) Akkostyak, and upper (siliciclastic-carbonate) Avdyrdak members. The lithofacies analysis results suggest a change in environments from coastal-marine siliciclastic to shallow-marine siliciclastic-carbonate (middle and inner ramps) due to fluctuations in the relative sea level and, probably, climate change. It was established that the area of the Suleimanovo anticline at latest Riphean corresponded to the distal sedimentary environments in comparison with the southern and western zones (Alatau anticlinorium) of the BMA.

Tectono‐sedimentary history of the upper Cedar Mountain Formation, Central Utah, USA

ABSTRACTCurrent investigations into the Albian–Cenomanian sedimentary record within the Western Interior have identified multiple complex tectono‐sedimentary process–response systems during the ongoing evolution of North America. One key sedimentary succession, the upper Cedar Mountain Formation (Short Canyon Member and Mussentuchit Member), has historically been linked to various regionally and continentally significant tectonic events, including Sevier fold‐and‐thrust deformation. However, the linkage between the Short Canyon Member and active Sevier tectonism has been unclear due to a lack of high‐precision age constraints. To establish temporal context, this study compares maximum depositional ages from detrital zircons recovered from the Short Canyon Member with that of a modified Bayesian age stratigraphic model (top‐down) to infer that the Short Canyon Member was deposited at ca 100 Ma, penecontemporaneous with rejuvenated thrusting across Utah [Pavant (Pahvant), Iron Springs and Nebo thrusts]. These also indicate a short depositional hiatus with the lowermost portion of the overlying Mussentuchit Member. The Short Canyon Member and Mussentuchit Member preserve markedly different sedimentary successions, with the Short Canyon Member interpreted to be composed of para‐autochthonous orogen–transverse (across the Sevier highlands) clastics deposited within a series of stacked distributive fluvial fans. Meanwhile, the muddy paralic Mussentuchit Member was a mix of orogen–transverse (Sevier highlands and Cordilleran Arc) and orogen–parallel basinal sediments and suspension settling fines within the developing collisional foredeep. However, the informally named last chance sandstone (middle sandstone of the Mussentuchit Member) is identified as an orogen–transverse sandy debris flow originating from the Sevier highlands, similar to the underlying Short Canyon Member. During this phase of landscape evolution, the Short Canyon Member – Mussentuchit Member depocentre was a sedimentary conduit system that would fertilize the Western Interior Seaway with ash‐rich sediments. These volcaniclastic contributions, along with penecontemporaneous deposits across the western coastal margin of the Western Interior Seaway, eventually would have lowered oxygen content and resulted in a contributing antecedent trigger for the Cenomanian–Turonian transition Oceanic Anoxic Event 2.

Characteristics of sediments and regolith alterations in the Plio-Pleistocene succession, coastal cliff sections, St Vincent Basin, South Australia

Syn- and post-depositional alterations are distinguished in a detailed lithological and mineralogical study of the largely unconsolidated Plio-Pleistocene non-marine succession in coastal cliff sections in the St Vincent Basin south of Adelaide. At its base, the sequence interfingers with Late Pliocene estuarine marine sediments in places but mostly unconformably overlies older Cenozoic marine sediments or Neproterozoic bedrock. The fluvial and alluvial siliclastics have bioturbation, blocky-prismatic macro-peds and subtle Fe-mottling indicators of hiatuses in deposition, and imprints of soil and shallow groundwater environments. A relative abundance of kaolinite, illite and randomly interstratified illite-smectite reflects both sediment source and conditions in the local depositional environment. A thick deposit of aeolian calcareous silt with associated pedogenic calcretes blankets the succession. Conspicuous bleached Fe mega-mottled intervals and zones of alunite-halloysite within the sequence record post-depositional, groundwater-related alterations in regolith environments. These formed during incision and erosion of the sedimentary fill in the basin in response to regional falls in base level. Each marks a different time and specific geomorphic environment according to the chemistry of the discharge of local groundwaters from aquifers that were intersected by incision and scarp retreat.

An integrated stratigraphic framework for the uppermost jurassic to Lower Cretaceous interval of the Essaouira-Agadir Basin (Moroccan Atlantic margin) based on ammonites, calcareous nannofossils and calpionellids

The extensive exposures of Mesozoic rocks along the Atlantic Moroccan margin can offer the best and the most continuous record of Mesozoic sediments and Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous deposits along the Atlantic margin. This study reports the results of high resolution sampling and sedimentary logging of key outcrops to allow for ammonite, calpionellid and nannofossil biostratigraphy, in order to build a new integrated biostratigraphic chart for the uppermost Tithonian to the lowermost upper Barremian. This has been correlated to the offshore record (DSDP Sites 370/416A), which has also been redated using newly described calcareous nannofossil assemblages that confirm a thick and previously undescribed upper Tithonian through Berriasian succession.Calpionellid assemblages, although sparse, show affinities to the Mediterranean Tethys assemblages. Ammonites also show affinities to the Mediterranean Tethys taxa, but the identification of two new species points to periods of endemism during the lower Hauterivian. Calcareous nannofossils show varied affinities; to the North Atlantic Tethys and Mediterranean Tethyan Realms, the Cental Atlantic and short, but distinct cold-water Boreal Realm exchanges during the Berriasian, lower Valanginian and upper Hauterivian which have necessitated the development of a local EAB nannofossil zonation. The faunal affinities, local morphological variations and periods of faunal endemism are attributed to relative sea level changes which influenced the connection between the Essaouira-Agadir Basin (EAB), Central Atlantic and the western Tethyan Realm.A major sedimentary hiatus in the middle part of the Berriasian is recognised in the studied sections based on the biostratigraphy. This is interpreted to record a middle Berriasian unconformity that can be correlated both regionally and globally, due to an important period of tectonic activity associated with the break-up stage of the Atlantic.This new biostratigraphy builds on recent published studies that have focused on a high resolution integrated stratigraphic framework for the upper Barremian - lower Albian interval (Lower Cretaceous) in the Essaouira-Agadir Basin of Morocco.

Sedimentary and stratigraphic architecture of the Duitschland and Rooihoogte formations (Palaeoproterozoic, South Africa): implications for tempo of the Great Oxidation Event

Abstract Determining the tempo and causality of key palaeoclimate events recorded in sedimentary strata depends on high-resolution numerical ages and well-constrained stratigraphic correlations at regional and global scale. This requirement is not necessarily met in Precambrian strata due to poorer age resolution, limited preservation, and secondary overprints. A good example includes the Palaeoproterozoic Rooihoogte and Duitschland formations in South Africa, which document the disappearance of mass-independent fractionation of sulphur isotopes (MIF-S) and contain glacial diamictites at their base. They are thus key records of Earth’s surface oxygenation during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, previous studies have either correlated these units, resulting in a unidirectional oxidation trend; or have regarded them as successive strata, causing an interpretation of oscillating oxidation. This study uses extensive outcrop and new core material to investigate correlation between these two units, and to establish depositional models. Results show that key stratigraphic markers can be traced around the entire Kaapvaal craton both in outcrop and the subsurface. In particular, the basal Bevets breccia and the top Duitschland breccia are here re-interpreted as two separate units that are present at the base and top of both formations, supporting correlation of the formations. Consequently, the base of both formations records a major craton-wide event of uplift and karstification, leading to carbonate dissolution and chert brecciation. Erosion of older rocks from across the craton also delivered material for the basal glacial diamictite. The majority of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments were deposited on a storm- and/or delta-influenced shelf. Depositional packages in both formations reflect post-glacial relative sea level rise, followed by progradation of a deltaic, storm or shoreline depositional system. There is a relatively short-lived depositional hiatus to overlying shales of the Timeball Hill Formation. Both Rooihoogte and Duitschland formations thus record only a single glacial event at their base, and a unidirectional trend of oxidation.

Chronology of core sediments from the south coastal Bohai Sea of eastern Asia and its implications for sedimentary history

The Shandong Peninsula along the coastal Bohai Sea in China is a vast alluvial plain formed by the Yellow River. It is an ideal place for investigating the evolution of landform in a river–sea interaction area where chronology is key. However, detailed optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronology studies of cores are still limited and have mainly concentrated on the Yellow River Delta, while they are scarce on the south coast of the Bohai Sea. In this study 16 OSL samples were collected from the upper 32 m of core DZK01 (192 m in depth) to establish a chronological framework using quartz OSL. Results indicated that the quartz OSL ages ranged from 217 ± 19 ka to 1.63 ± 0.14 ka, and we believe they were the minimum ages when De > ca. 200 Gy owing to OSL signal saturation. Our dating results reveal two sedimentary hiatuses with age gaps of 71–37 ka and 37–9.5 ka. Holocene sediments are located above a depth of 11.8 m with an onset age of approximately 9.5 ± 0.6 ka. Based on the sedimentary facies and dating results, no transgression sediment has been observed during marine isotopic stage (MIS) 3. This sedimentary sequence pattern is consistent with global sea-level change. We also summarized the extents of three transgressions around the Bohai Sea, and found very different patterns for different part of the coasts, e.g., in the north, the west, and the south. This requires further investigation.

New Glires materials from the East Mesa, Erlian Basin (Nei Mongol, China).

East Mesa, an Eocene locality situated east of the Shara Murun River in the Erlian Basin, is characterized by basallower red mudstones. However, a distinct depositional hiatus has been observed in these red mudstones, leading to their division into layers 1 and 2. Excitingly, recent discoveries respectively in layers 1 and 2 of the lower red mudstones at the East Mesa include new Glires (Gomphos sp.) and rodents such as Asiomys dawsoni, Gobiocylindrodon cf. G. ulausuensis, and Yuomys sp., marking their first occurrences within these horizons. A comparative analysis of small mammal faunas suggests that layer 1 may correspond to the Arshantan age, while layer 2 indicates a late Irdinmanhan age based on the combination of taxa found.

Episodic sediment accumulation linked to global change in the endorheic Qaidam Basin of the Tibetan Plateau revealed by feldspar luminescence dating

Given its high accumulation rate in sediments, the endorheic basin in arid regions plays a crucial role in reconstructing paleo-environment. However, it would not provide high-resolution climatic records if significant wind-eroded depositional hiatuses were inevitable within a severe wind environment. Unconformable contacts have been found during field survey in the top part of the stratigraphy in the Qaidam Basin, a prototypical endorheic basin in central Asia. To elucidate whether the sediment is continuous, we employed luminescence dating methods of feldspar pIR200IR250 and quartz OSL to date sediments, including lacustrine sediments and salt crusts, from the Qarhan Playa that is the Quaternary depositional center of the Qaidam Basin. Various experiment tests, including preheat plateau, dose recovery, and residual dose, were conducted. The dating results show that the feldspar pIR200IR250 can provide dependable ages with negligible residual doses. The pIR200IR250 dating ages within the last glacial cycle reveal several environmental shifts. A Qarhan paleolake in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 was demonstrated by the cluster ages of ∼140–80 ka of lacustrine sediments. The salt crust ages of 136 ± 10 ka and 97 ± 6 ka indicate that, before completely disappeared, the paleolake with shallow dish-shape depression had been dried up more than once, illustrating “shallow——dry——shallow” cycles. The playa in the eastern Qaidam Basin evolved mainly in warm periods, such as MIS 5 and MIS 1, supported by the salt crust ages of MIS 5 (136 ± 10 ka and 97 ± 6 ka) and MIS 1 (10 ± 1 ka and 0.6 ± 0.1 ka). Depositional hiatus in the last glacial cycle were identified by unconformable contacts in three sections between the lacustrine strata and their overlying playa strata, with corresponding age gaps of 158 ± 20–97 ± 6 ka, 131 ± 10–10 ± 1 ka, and 84 ± 7–0.6 ± 0.1 ka, respectively. In all the three sections the sediments for the whole of the last glacial period is missing, eroded by wind. This process should have occurred periodically during the glacial-interglacial cycles of the orbital global climatic changes. The results also show that hiatuses are common for endorheic basins on the Earth with age gaps of up to ∼100 ka, suggesting that robust chronology should be established before any climatic correlation due to severe wind erosion leading to episodic sediment accumulation.

Age, Kinematic and Thermal Constraints of Syn‐Orogenic Low‐Temperature Deformation Events: Insights From Thermochronology and Structural Data of the Nekézseny Thrust (Alpine‐Carpathian‐Dinaric Area)

AbstractUnraveling the age and kinematics of low temperature deformation events is crucial in understanding the late‐stage evolution of orogens. However, accurate age constraints can often be challenging to obtain due to unideal outcrop conditions, large sedimentary hiatuses or the lack of well‐defined thermal events. In this study, we show on the example of the Nekézseny Thrust, a poorly exposed late orogenic thrust in the southern Western Carpathians, that a combined approach of structural analysis and multi‐method thermochronology can provide the necessary temporal, kinematic and thermal constraints for a detailed reconstruction of the deformation history. While structural mapping revealed that the Late Cretaceous Uppony Gosau Basin in the footwall of the Nekézseny Thrust underwent a significant post‐Campanian and pre‐Miocene shortening, K/Ar dating of fault gouge samples from the main fault zone constrained the primary thrusting event to the Maastrichtian. Based on the acquired apatite fission‐track and (U‐Th)/He ages, subsequent heating of the Upper Cretaceous sediments due to tectonic burial was limited to 75–100°C, followed by deformation‐related and gradual cooling between the Eocene and Early Miocene. Considering the reconstructed deformation history, as well as the large‐scale tectonic affinity of the displaced units in its footwall and hanging wall, the Nekézseny Thrust is a far‐traveled (ca. 600 km) segment of the Late Cretaceous Alps‐Dinarides contact zone, whose development was linked to the switch from lower plate to upper plate position with respect to the Sava Zone and Alpine Tethys sutures, respectively.

Carboniferous to Triassic polyphase tectonic transition in the western North China craton: A retroarc basin response to termination of the middle segment of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

Knowledge of the closure of the archipelago-type southern Paleo-Asian Ocean has been limited by uncertainty regarding whether the Alxa tectonic belt was isolated from the North China craton by an ocean around the Helanshan tectonic belt. Newly released seismic reflection profiles across the Alxa-Ordos border showed that the Alxa tectonic belt and Ordos Basin were located in a paleogeographically linked basin throughout the Paleozoic, indicating that the Tianshan and Solonker sutures were contiguous. The ca. 320−285 Ma successions in the Helanshan tectonic belt and surroundings, fed by a northeasterly Inner Mongolia continental arc source, display a retrogradational stacking pattern along with diabase sill emplacement. This inferred retroarc extensional setting was coeval with asthenospheric upwelling and thinning of the continental arc driven by retreating subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The subsequent ca. 280−260 Ma sedimentary hiatus coincided with magmatic flare-up, crustal thickening, and retroarc foreland formation in the Inner Mongolia continental arc, indicating a geodynamic transition from retroarc extension to compression in the mid-Permian. Then craton-scale drainage reorganization occurred during the Early Triassic (ca. 250−230 Ma), manifested by the discharge of the Middle Triassic fluvial system southeastward to the central Ordos Basin; this was steered by southeastward expansion of the Alxa tectonic belt during the final termination of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Postcollision lithospheric adjustment since ca. 230 Ma resulted in vigorous alkaline magmatism and supracrustal stretching in the Inner Mongolia continental arc as well as mafic magmatism and rifting in the study area. Hence, Carboniferous to Triassic polyphase tectonic transitions in the western North China craton were retroarc basin expressions related to complicated subduction-closure processes in the southern Paleo-Asian Ocean.

Litho- and biostratigraphy of the Holocene sediments in the southern part of Lake Ladoga

We present the results of study sediment core, taken in the southern part of Lake Ladoga at the depth of 44 m. The sediments are gray silt with total thickness of 0.8 m. Diatom and loss-on-ignition and grain-size analyzes and radiocarbon dating were carried out. The retrieved sediments formed during the Holocene starting from the regression of the Ancylus Lake at the Baltic ca. 10,200 cal. BP. Changes in the composition of diatom assemblages and the dynamics of organic accumulation correspond to the typical scenarios that we recorded in the Holocene sediments in the central part of Lake Ladoga. No sedimentary hiatuses were recorded. Thus, it has been established that aquatic, relatively deep-water conditions existed in this part of the Ladoga basin starting from the Early Holocene with the accumulation of fine-grained sediments.

A new sedimentary and biostratigraphic framework for the Callovian-Oxfordian transition on the Atlantic margin of Morocco

A major global marine transgression occurred during the Callovian to Early Kimmeridgian, which was interrupted locally by a hiatus during the Late Callovian to Early Oxfordian. The transgression may have been a major driver for extensive coral buildup development in the Oxfordian. The depositional hiatus may be related to a combination of eustasy, local tectonic activity and hinterland movements, highlighting the potential influence of tectonism on sedimentary evolution in sedimentary basins. Whilst a regional Late Callovian-Early Oxfordian hiatus has been recorded extensively in the Tethys realm, this study has improved the biostratigraphic and sedimentary record from Morocco, and for the first time documents the Late Callovian-Early Oxfordian depositional hiatus in the Atlantic realm. Detailed sedimentary facies analysis of Callovian to Oxfordian carbonates and siliciclastics (Ouanamane Formation) demonstrates a major transgression from continental and coastal sediments, through oolitic mid-inner ramp deposits, brachiopod-rich middle ramp deposits, and ultimately to outer ramp marls, sharply overlain by Middle Oxfordian coral buildups across the basin. Repeated hard- and firmgrounds and bioturbated bed tops highlight transgressive surfaces traceable basinwide, which suggests low sedimentation rates in the upper Ouanamane Formation. Localized siliciclastic input is evidence for episodes of erosion in the same interval. Collection of new fossil specimens (ammonites, brachiopods, echinoderms, foraminifera) and revision of existing fossil material suggest this interval corresponds to a hiatus or condensed section in the Callovian-Oxfordian transition. The uppermost part of the Ouanamane Formation is of early Middle Oxfordian age and is directly overlain by Middle Oxfordian coral buildups. Onset of buildup construction is considered synchronous based on the new biostratigraphic data. Observations in Moroco compare with the sedimentary evolution around the Tethys, and in particular with the Arabian Plate. The Callovian-Oxfordian depositional hiatus corresponds to eustatic sea level changes, which were possibly driven by global cooling, and was likely overprinted by local tectonics.