Glacial Isostatic Rebound Research Articles

A corrected finite-difference scheme for the flexure equation with abrupt changes in coefficient

Abstract. The fourth-order differential equation describing elastic flexure of the lithosphere is one of the cornerstones of geodynamics that is key to understanding topography, gravity, glacial isostatic rebound, foreland basin evolution, and a host of other phenomena. Despite being fully formulated in the 1940s, a number of significant issues concerning the basic equation have remained overlooked to this day. We first explain the different fundamental forms the equation can take and their difference in meaning and solution procedures. We then show how numerical solutions to flexure problems as they are currently formulated are in general potentially unreliable in an unpredictable manner for cases in which the coefficient of rigidity varies in space due to variations of the elastic thickness parameter. This is due to fundamental issues related to the numerical discretisation scheme employed. We demonstrate an alternative discretisation that is stable and accurate across the broadest conceivable range of conditions and variations of elastic thickness, and we show how such a scheme can simulate conditions up to and including a completely broken lithosphere more usually modelled as an end-loaded, single, continuous plate. Importantly, our scheme will allow breaks in plate interiors, allowing, for instance, the creation of separate blocks of lithosphere which can also share the support of loads. The scheme we use has been known for many years but remains rarely applied or discussed. We show that it is generally the most suitable finite-difference discretisation of fourth-order, elliptic equations of the kind describing many phenomena in elasticity, including the problem of bending of elastic beams. We compare the earlier discretisation scheme to the new one in one-dimensional form and also give the two-dimensional discretisation based on the new scheme. We also describe a general issue concerning the numerical stability of any second-order finite-difference discretisation of a fourth-order differential equation like that describing flexure wherein contrasting magnitudes of coefficients of different summed terms lead to round-off problems, which in turn destroy matrix positivity. We explain the use of 128 bit floating-point storage for variables to mitigate this issue.

Pliocene Drainage in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, Canada

This study presents the restored Pliocene topography along northerly trending profiles in Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, eastern North Dakota, Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. A top-of-bedrock slope profile of the Red River/Lake Winnipeg/Nelson River and 19 south-trending landscape topographic and top-of-bedrock slope profiles of the region were made from published elevation data. These profiles reveal a clear change in slope and slope direction (flexure) in the top-of-bedrock elevation. The flexure axis trends southeasterly across Manitoba into northwestern Ontario. The profiles were then tilted southerly by lifting the profiles along the southern margin of Hudson Bay to restore remaining glacial isostatic rebound. When imposing a minimum 80 m of isostatic rebound to the Nelson River/Lake Winnipeg/Red River profile, the northern portion of the profile slopes north but the southern portion of the profile slopes south at 0.01%. When imposing a minimum 60 m of isostatic rebound to all 19 top-of-bedrock profiles, the bedrock slopes north to Hudson Bay northeast of the flexure; however, southwest of the flexure, the southern portions of the 19 top-of-bedrock profiles slope south. We interpret the flexure axis to have been the northern divide of the Pliocene Mississippi River basin in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario and the divide that will lie between the north-flowing Nelson River and south-flowing Red River with future glacial isostatic adjustment.

Glacial isostatic adjustment near the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet (48°S) during the last 16.5 kyr

Our understanding of glacial isostatic rebound across Patagonia is highly limited, despite its importance to constrain past ice volume estimates and better comprehend relative sea-level variations. With this in mind, our research objective is to reconstruct the magnitude and rate of Late Glacial and Holocene glacial isostatic adjustment near the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet. We focus on Larenas Bay (48°S; 1.26 km2), which is connected to Baker Channel through a shallow (7.4 m) and narrow (ca. 150 m across) inlet, and hence has the potential to record periods of basin isolation and marine ingression. The paleoenvironmental evolution of the bay was investigated through a sedimentological analysis of a 9.2 m long radiocarbon-dated sediment core covering the last 16.8 kyr. Salinity indicators, including diatom paleoecology, alkenone concentrations and CaCO3 content, were used to reconstruct the bay's connectivity to the fjord. Results indicate that Larenas Bay was a marine environment before 16.5 cal kyr BP and after 9.1 cal kyr BP, but that it was disconnected from Baker Channel in-between. We infer that the postglacial rebound started before 16.5 cal kyr BP and that it outpaced global sea-level rise until slightly before 9.1 cal kyr BP. During the Late Glacial and early Holocene, the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet experienced an absolute uplift of ca. 96 m, at an average rate of 1.3 cm/yr. During the remainder of the Holocene, glacial isostatic adjustment continued (ca. 20 m), but at a slower average pace of 0.2 cm/yr. Comparisons between multi-millennial variations in the salinity indicators and existing records of global sea-level rise suggest that the glacial isostatic adjustment rate also fluctuated within these time intervals, likely in response to glacier dynamics. More specifically, most of the glacial isostatic adjustment registered between 16.5 – 9.1 cal kyr BP seems to have occurred before meltwater pulse 1A (14.5 – 14.0 kyr BP). Likewise, it appears that the highest glacial isostatic rebound rates of the last 9.1 kyr occurred during the late Holocene, most likely in response to glacier recession from their Neoglacial maxima. This implies a relatively rapid response of the local solid earth to ice unloading, which agrees with independent modelling studies investigating contemporary uplift. We conclude that the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet experienced a glacial isostatic adjustment of ca. 116 m over the last 16.5 kyr, and that >80% occurred during the Late Glacial and early Holocene.

Exploring GPS Observations of Postseismic Deformation Following the 2012 MW7.8 Haida Gwaii and 2013 MW7.5 Craig, Alaska Earthquakes: Implications for Viscoelastic Earth Structure

AbstractThe Queen Charlotte‐Fairweather Fault (QC‐FF) system off the coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska is a highly active dextral strike‐slip plate boundary that accommodates ∼50 mm/yr of relative motion between the Pacific and North America plates. Nine MW ≥ 6.7 earthquakes have occurred along the QC‐FF system since 1910, including a MS(G‐R)8.1 event in 1949. Two recent earthquakes, the October 28, 2012 Haida Gwaii (MW7.8) and January 5, 2013 Craig, Alaska (MW7.5) events, produced postseismic transient deformation that was recorded in the motions of 25 nearby continuous Global Positioning System (cGPS) stations. Here, we use 5+ yr of cGPS measurements to characterize the underlying mechanisms of postseismic deformation and to constrain the viscosity structure of the upper mantle surrounding the QC‐FF. We construct forward models of viscoelastic deformation driven by coseismic stress changes from these two earthquakes and explore a large set of laterally heterogeneous viscosity structures that incorporate a relatively weak back‐arc domain; we then evaluate each model based on its fit to the postseismic signals in our cGPS data. In determining best‐fit model structures, we additionally incorporate the effects of afterslip following the 2012 event. Our results indicate the occurrence of a combination of temporally decaying afterslip and vigorous viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle asthenosphere. In addition, our best‐fit viscosity structure (transient viscosity of 1.4–2.0 × 1018 Pa s; steady‐state viscosity of 1019 Pa s) is consistent with the range of upper mantle viscosities determined in previous studies of glacial isostatic rebound and postseismic deformation.

Sedimentary evolution and chemostratigraphy of the post-Sturtian cap carbonate-like Dolomie Tigrée Formation (Katanga Supergroup) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This study provides new constraints on the paleoenvironmental, eustatic and carbon isotopic models of the cap carbonate-like rocks of the Dolomie Tigrée Formation in the Katanga region, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study integrates detailed lithofacies analysis combined with sequence stratigraphy to reveal the high-resolution architecture framework of deposition. Eight lithofacies types are defined: shale, siltstone and sandstone (LF1), dolosiltite (LF2), dolarenite (LF3), massive dolomudstone (LF4), laminated dolomudstone (LF5), intraclastic dolopackstone (LF6), laminar dolomudstone (LF7), and fenestral dolopackstone (LF8). These lithofacies types show that the Dolomie Tigrée carbonate succession accumulated on a distally steepened slope to proximal carbonate ramp setting. The sequence stratigraphy analysis revealed 17 elementary parasequence sets (5th order) that are grouped into 3 distinct successive marine transgressive cycles (PSQ1 to PSQ3) of 4th order magnitude. Each cycle records, from the base to the top, a dominant transgressive system tract, vertically-upward evolving to short time highstand and lowstand system tracts bounded by a sequence boundary. PSQ1 records an early marine transgression marked by the negative shift in δ13C values near −5‰ at the base, then returned to positive values in the upper part of PSQ1 and PSQ2. This carbon isotopic excursion is here interpreted as the hydrological and tectonic reorganizations of outer-ramp-derived allopadic materials from deeper to shallow carbonate-oversaturated reservoirs, coupled with a glacial-isostatic rebound, which enhanced the development of biogenic carbonates in a proximal carbonate ramp setting. Our results show that the changes of sea level triggered the carbonate deposition occurring during the marine transgression. This trangression was related to extensional tectonics of the Nguba rift basin, which were possibly enhanced by the isostatic deglacial rebound in the aftermath of the Sturtian glaciation event.

GPS reflectometry study detecting snow height changes in the Southern Patagonia Icefield

Southern Patagonia Icefield (SPI) glaciers have been retreating and shrinking at high rates in recent decades, significantly contributing to sea level rise. In spite of the importance of the SPI, very little is known about its mass balance apart from models lacking in situ validation, such as snow accumulation/ablation at high altitude. On the ground, snow changes are normally measured with stakes planted on snow frequently visited. Automation is possible by the use of ranging sensors, based on laser, radar or ultrasound, installed as part of automatic weather stations. In this study, we use for the first time in the SPI the technique of Global Positioning System Reflectometry (GPS-R) for measuring snow level changes. GPS-R uses observations from GPS satellites tracked by GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) ground stations. GNSS stations, typically installed according to geodetic network standards for geodynamics purposes (e.g., glacial isostatic rebound studies), inadvertently also record the signal reflected on the snow surface in the antenna surroundings. The GPS-R snow level variations were compared to an ultrasonic sensor installed nearby, operating simultaneously between October 2015 and February 2016. During this period the two datasets exhibited a correlation of 0.91 and an RMS of 17 cm, confirming that GNSS receivers can be used not only for geodetic purposes but also for snow accumulation/ablation monitoring in SPI.

Glaciers on Svalbard survived the Holocene thermal optimum

About 60% of Svalbard is covered by glaciers today, but many of these glaciers were much reduced in size or gone in the Early Holocene. High resolution modeling of the glacial isostatic rebound reveals that the largest glaciers in Nordaustlandet and eastern Spitsbergen survived the Early Holocene warming, while the smaller, more peripheral glaciers, especially in the northwest, started to form about 5,500 years ago, and reached 3/4 of their current size about 600 years ago. Relative sea level has been rising during the last few millennia in the north and western parts of Spitsbergen, while land still emerges in the remaining part of Svalbard. Here we show that this sea level rise in the northwest is caused by the regrowth of glaciers in the Mid- to Late Holocene that slowed down, and even reversed, the post-glacial isostatic uplift and caused the crust to subside over large areas of Spitsbergen.

Late-Quaternary glacial to postglacial sedimentation in three adjacent fjord-lakes of the Québec North Shore (eastern Canadian Shield)

High-resolution swath bathymetry imagery allowed mapping in great detail the sublacustrine geomorphology of lakes Pentecôte, Walker and Pasteur, three deep adjacent fjord-lakes of the Québec North Shore (eastern Canada). These sedimentary basins have been glacio-isostatically uplifted to form deep steep-sided elongated lakes. Their key geographical position and limnogeological characteristics typical of fjords suggest exceptional potential for long-term high-resolution paleoenvironmental reconstitutions. Acoustic subbottom profiles acquired using a bi-frequency Chirp echosounder (3.5 & 12 kHz), together with cm- and m-long sediment core data, reveal the presence of four acoustic stratigraphic units. The acoustic basement (Unit 1) represents the structural bedrock and/or the ice-contact sediments of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and reveals V-shaped bedrock valleys at the bottom of the lakes occupied by ice-loaded sediments in a basin-fill geometry (Unit 2). Moraines observed at the bottom of lakes and in their structural valleys indicate a deglaciation punctuated by short-term ice margin stabilizations. Following ice retreat and their isolation, the fjord-lakes were filled by a thick draping sequence of rhythmically laminated silts and clays (Unit 3) deposited during glaciomarine and/or glaciolacustrine settings. These sediments were episodically disturbed by mass-movements during deglaciation due to glacial-isostatic rebound. AMS 14C dating reveal that the transition between deglaciation of the lakes Pentecôte and Walker watersheds and the development of para- and post-glacial conditions occurred around 8000 cal BP. The development of the lake-head river delta plain during the Holocene provided a constant source of fluvial sediment supply to the lakes and the formation of turbidity current bedforms on the sublacustrine delta slopes. The upper sediment succession (i.e., ∼4–∼6.5 m) consists of a continuous para-to post-glacial sediment drape (Unit 4) that contains laminated and massive sediment and series of Rapidly Deposited Layers. These results allow establishing a conceptual model of how a glaciated coastal fjord evolves during and after deglaciation in a context of rapid glacio-isostatically induced forced regression.

Accounting for Gravitational Attraction and Loading Effects from Land Ice on Absolute Sea Level

AbstractGravitational attraction and loading (GAL) effects associated with ongoing long-term changes in land ice are expected to cause spatially varying trends in absolute sea level ζ, as measured by satellite altimeters. The largest spatial gradients in ζ trends, predicted from solving the sea level equation using GRACE retrievals of mass distribution over land for the period 2005–15, occur near Greenland and West Antarctica, consistent with a strong local land ice loss. Misinterpreting the estimated static GAL trends in ζ as dynamic pressure gradients can lead to substantial errors in large-scale geostrophic transports across the Southern Ocean and the subpolar North Atlantic over the analyzed decade. South of Greenland, where altimeter sea level and hydrography (Argo) data coverage is good, the residual ζ minus steric height trends are similar in magnitude and sign to the gravitationally based predictions. In addition, estimated GAL-related trends are as large—if not larger than—other factors, such as deep steric height, dynamic bottom pressure, and glacial isostatic rebound. Thus, accounting for static GAL effects on ζ records, which are commonly neglected in oceanographic studies, seems important for a quantitative interpretation of the observed ζ trends.

Are Icelandic rock-slope failures paraglacial? Age evaluation of seventeen rock-slope failures in the Skagafjörður area, based on geomorphological stacking, radiocarbon dating and tephrochronology

In Iceland there are numerous rock-slope failures, especially in the Tertiary basaltic formations of the northern, eastern and northwestern regions. The temporal pattern of rock-slope failures is fundamental for understanding post-glacial events. In the Skagafjörður district, central northern Iceland, 17 rock-slope failures were investigated to determine the age of their occurrence. A geomorphic survey was carried out to identify and characterize landform units, both on the rock-slope failures and in their immediate vicinity. In this coastal area, we used geomorphological stacking which included the relationship between rock-slope failures and raised beaches caused by glacial isostatic rebounds, the chronology of which was established in previous studies. We searched for depressions on the rock-slope failures to then excavate a series of pits and map the stratigraphy. The resulting stratigraphic framework was then validated using (i) radiocarbon dating of wood remains, and (ii) tephrochronology, both of which were complemented by age-depth model calibration. The results confirm that all the rock-slope failures potentially occurred before the Boreal (8ka), while 94% occurred before the Preboreal (10ka). They all potentially occurred after the glacial retreat following the maximal ice extent and the Preboreal. More precisely, 11 of them potentially occurred between the Preboreal and the first half of the Holocene. This study demonstrates the relationship between the deglaciation and destabilization of slopes during the paraglacial phase (debuttressing, decompression, glacial isostatic rebound, seismic activity, etc.), which are also controlling factors favouring landsliding, but are difficult to identify for each individual rock-slope failure.

The effect of signal leakage and glacial isostatic rebound on GRACE-derived ice mass changes in Iceland.

The effect of signal leakage and glacial isostatic rebound on GRACE-derived ice mass changes in Iceland.

Holocene ice dynamics and bottom-water formation associated with Cape Darnley polynya activity recorded in Burton Basin, East Antarctica

A multi-proxy study including sedimentological, mineralogical, biogeochemical and micropaleontological methods was conducted on sediment core PS69/849-2 retrieved from Burton Basin, MacRobertson Shelf, East Antarctica. The goal of this study was to depict the deglacial and Holocene environmental history of the MacRobertson Land–Prydz Bay region. A special focus was put on the timing of ice-sheet retreat and the variability of bottom-water formation due to sea ice formation through the Holocene. Results from site PS69/849-2 provide the first paleo-environmental record of Holocene variations in bottom-water production probably associated to the Cape Darnley polynya, which is the second largest polynya in the Antarctic. Methods included end-member modeling of laser-derived high-resolution grain size data to reconstruct the depositional regimes and bottom-water activity. The provenance of current-derived and ice-transported material was reconstructed using clay-mineral and heavy-mineral analysis. Conclusions on biogenic production were drawn by determination of biogenic opal and total organic carbon. It was found that the ice shelf front started to retreat from the site around 12.8 ka BP. This coincides with results from other records in Prydz Bay and suggests warming during the early Holocene optimum next to global sea level rise as the main trigger. Ice-rafted debris was then supplied to the site until 5.5 cal. ka BP, when Holocene global sea level rise stabilized and glacial isostatic rebound on MacRobertson Land commenced. Throughout the Holocene, three episodes of enhanced bottom-water activity probably due to elevated brine rejection in Cape Darnley polynya occured between 11.5 and 9 cal. ka BP, 5.6 and 4.5 cal. ka BP and since 1.5 cal. ka BP. These periods are related to shifts from warmer to cooler conditions at the end of Holocene warm periods, in particular the early Holocene optimum, the mid-Holocene warm period and at the beginning of the neoglacial. In contrast, between 7.7 and 6.7 cal. ka BP, brine rejection shut down, maybe owed to warm conditions and pronounced open-water intervals.

Appendix II: NPCC 2015 technical details.

Appendix II: NPCC 2015 technical details.

Late Quaternary stream piracy and strath terrace formation along the Belle Fourche and lower Cheyenne Rivers, South Dakota and Wyoming

Stream piracy substantially affected the geomorphic evolution of the Missouri River watershed and drainages within, including the Little Missouri, Cheyenne, Belle Fourche, Bad, and White Rivers. The ancestral Cheyenne River eroded headward in an annular pattern around the eastern and southern Black Hills and pirated the headwaters of the ancestral Bad and White Rivers after ~660ka. The headwaters of the ancestral Little Missouri River were pirated by the ancestral Belle Fourche River, a tributary to the Cheyenne River that currently drains much of the northern Black Hills. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating techniques were used to estimate the timing of this piracy event at ~22–21ka. The geomorphic evolution of the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche Rivers is also expressed by regionally recognized strath terraces that include (from oldest to youngest) the Sturgis, Bear Butte, and Farmingdale terraces. Radiocarbon and OSL dates from fluvial deposits on these terraces indicate incision to the level of the Bear Butte terrace by ~63ka, incision to the level of the Farmingdale terrace at ~40ka, and incision to the level of the modern channel after ~12–9ka. Similar dates of terrace incision have been reported for the Laramie and Wind River Ranges. Hypothesized causes of incision are the onset of colder climate during the middle Wisconsinan and the transition to the full-glacial climate of the late-Wisconsinan/Pinedale glaciation. Incision during the Holocene of the lower Cheyenne River is as much as ~80m and is 3 to 4 times the magnitude of incision at ~63ka and ~40ka. The magnitude of incision during the Holocene might be due to a combined effect of three geomorphic processes acting in concert: glacial isostatic rebound in lower reaches (~40m), a change from glacial to interglacial climate, and adjustments to increased watershed area resulting from piracy of the ancestral headwaters of the Little Missouri River.

Reprint of: Late Neogene climate and glacial history of the Southern Victoria Land coast from integrated drill core, seismic and outcrop data

Late Neogene stratigraphy of southern Victoria Land Basin is revealed in coastal and offshore drill cores and a network of seismic data in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. These data preserve a record of ice sheet response to global climate variability and progressive cooling through the past 5millionyears. Application of a composite standard age model for diatom event stratigraphy to the McMurdo Sound drill cores provides an internally precise mechanism to correlate stratigraphic data and derive an event history for the basin. These marine records are indirectly compared to data obtained from geological outcrop in the Transantarctic Mountains to produce an integrated history of Antarctic Ice Sheet response to climate variability from the early Pliocene to Recent. Four distinct chronostratigraphic intervals reflect stages and steps in a transition from a relatively warm early Pliocene Antarctic coastal climate to modern cold polar conditions. Several of these stages and steps correlate with global events identified via geochemical proxy data recovered from deep ocean cores in mid to low latitudes. These correlations allow us to consider linkages between the high southern latitudes and tropical regions and establish a temporal framework to examine leads and lags in the climate system through the late Neogene and Quaternary. The relative influence of climate–tectonic feedbacks is discussed in light of glacial erosion and isostatic rebound that also influence the history along the Southern Victoria Land coastal margin.

Is Isostatic Rebound in Slow Spreading Gakkel Ridge of Arctic Region Due to the Climate Change? A Case Study

Ny-Alesund, Swalbard region which is located in the mid-ocean ridge of the Arctic Ocean, and named Gakkel ridge, is the slowest spreading ridge of the global system. In the present study an attempt has been made to associate isostatic rebound using GPS campaign data collected at Ny-Alesund area. The Artic Region Campaign GPS network was established in 2009. The network consists of three campaign mode station. The distance between GPS point is about ~30 km. The preliminary results of our investigation appear broadly consistent with the recent tectonic activity in western Svalbard. The resultant velocity vector is 14.84 mm·yr–1 with an azimuth of 27.67°N and a vertical displacement of 7.62 ± 3.0 mm·yr–1 is estimated in Swalbard, in which we presume Glacial Isostatic Rebound (5.1 mm·yr–1) and post glacial geological process (Present Day Ice Melting, erosion, and shore line deposits) of 2.52 mm per year in the study area.

Late Neogene climate and glacial history of the Southern Victoria Land coast from integrated drill core, seismic and outcrop data

Late Neogene stratigraphy of southern Victoria Land Basin is revealed in coastal and offshore drill cores and a network of seismic data in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. These data preserve a record of ice sheet response to global climate variability and progressive cooling through the past 5 million years. Application of a composite standard age model for diatom event stratigraphy to the McMurdo Sound drill cores provides an internally precise mechanism to correlate stratigraphic data and derive an event history for the basin. These marine records are indirectly compared to data obtained from geological outcrop in the Transantarctic Mountains to produce an integrated history of Antarctic Ice Sheet response to climate variability from the early Pliocene to Recent. Four distinct chronostratigraphic intervals reflect stages and steps in a transition from a relatively warm early Pliocene Antarctic coastal climate to modern cold polar conditions. Several of these stages and steps correlate with global events identified via geochemical proxy data recovered from deep ocean cores in mid to low latitudes. These correlations allow us to consider linkages between the high southern latitudes and tropical regions and establish a temporal framework to examine leads and lags in the climate system through the late Neogene and Quaternary. The relative influence of climate–tectonic feedbacks is discussed in light of glacial erosion and isostatic rebound that also influence the history along the Southern Victoria Land coastal margin.

Paleoenvironments and sequential stratigraphy of Ordovician marginal marine deposits of Sierra de Zapla (Sierras Subandinas, northwestern Argentina) and their relation with the Central Andean Basin

The best and most complete palynologically constrained Ordovician section across the Sierras Subandinas crops out in the southern part of the Sierra de Zapla along the Capillas River (Subandean Ranges, Jujuy Province). The dominantly marginal marine setting explains the scarcity of invertebrates throughout the section. Palynomorphs are the main tool in stratigraphic studies of the area and trace fossils are important aids in paleoenvironmental analysis. Based on a detailed facies analysis, geometry and paleocurrent analysis, and recognition of key surfaces, four depositional sequences (S1-S4) with different internal arrangements and compatible with 3rd order cycles were identified. The Zanjón Formation (upper part of Global Stage 2 and Global Stage 3) with unexposed base, initiates the stratigraphic section and it is characterized by a heterolithic facies association with subordinate storm layers, thin-bedded phosphate-rich micro-conglomerates and inarticulate-rich shell beds. Common subaerial exposure features like truncated ripple tops and mud cracks suggest tidal flat environments. This interval yields a mixed Skolithos-Cruziana ichnofacies. Towards the top, an increase in mottling and a gradual change into dominant purplish-red colors (Laja Morada Member of the Labrado Formation) indicate a protracted subaerial emergence during a Darriwilian (Global Stage 4) relative sea-level drop, and a fluctuating water table in interfluves. This unit is covered in sharp erosive boundary by the Lagunilla Member of the Labrado Formation, suggesting development of composite fluvial incisions. Sandy fluvial to tide-dominated estuarine fills and thoroughly-bioturbated subtidal hetherolithic beds overlie the sequence boundary representing a typical transgressive systems tract. Development of surfaces with dominant Skolithos forms are interpreted as representing Glossifungites ichnofacies typically indicating by-pass erosion and firm-ground development previous to reworking of interfluves by advancing ravinement surface. The Capillas Formation (upper Darriwilian and lower part of Global Stage 5), sharply levels the previous estuarine complexes and represents a fine-grained wedge that gradually coarsens up. This unit contains the only truly marine shelly fauna concentrated in few storm beds above the fine-grained interval that characterizes a maximum flooding stage. This is the only interval that can be positively correlated with sections in the Cordillera Oriental to the west and Bolivia. A gradual coarsening to silty sandstones and the replacement of Cruziana by Skolithos dominated ichnofacies suggest a shallowing-upward section, capped by the thick-bedded, high energy quartz sandstones with pipe-rock structures of the Centinela Formation (middle and upper part of Global Stage 5). A shallowing-upward trend indicates the progradation of deltaic complexes, which in turn were erosively truncated by the waxing stage of the Gondwanan Hirnantian (uppermost Ordovician) ice-cap represented by the Zapla Formation (Global Stage 6) along the Central Andes. Above the diamictite-rich Zapla Formation the Lipeón Formation (Silurian) is interpreted as related to repeated transgressive ravinement surfaces that truncated Fe+2 saturated estuaries after a waning glacial stage and isostatic rebound, favouring the deposition of oolitic ironstones and succeeded by the development of a Zoophycos dominated muddy shelf.

Application of TOPEX Altimetry for Solid Earth Deformation Studies

This study demonstrates the use of satellite radar altimetry to detect solid Earth deformation signals such as Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Our study region covers moderately flat land surfaces seasonally covered by snow/ice/vegetation. The maximum solid Earth uplift of ~10 mm yr^(-1) is primarily due to the incomplete glacial isostatic rebound that occurs around Hudson Bay, North America. We use decadal (1992-2002) surface height measurements from TOPEX/POSEIDON radar altimetry to generate height changes time series for 12 selected locations in the study region. Due to the seasonally varying surface characteristics, we first perform radar waveform shape classification and have found that most of the waveforms are quasi-diffuse during winter/spring and specular during summer/fall. As a result, we used the NASA β-retracker for the quasi diffuse waveforms and the Offset Center of Gravity or the threshold retracker for the specular waveforms, to generate the surface height time series. The TOPEX height change time series exhibit coherent seasonal signals (higher amplitude during the winter and lower amplitude during the summer), and the estimated deformation rates agree qualitatively well with GPS vertical velocities, and with altimeter/tide gauge combined vertical velocities around the Great Lakes. The TOPEX observations also agree well with various GIA model predictions, especially with the ICE-5G (VM2) model with differences at 0.2±1.4 mm yr^(-1), indicating that TOPEX has indeed observed solid Earth deformation signals manifested as crustal uplift over the former Laurentide Ice Sheet region.

Late Ordovician glaciogenic reservoir heterogeneity: An example from the Murzuq Basin, Libya

In North Africa, Late Ordovician glaciogenic reservoirs contain large volume of recoverable hydrocarbon reserves, but their heterogeneity and internal complexity means they are poorly understood. To improve this understanding, this paper presents the case study of the Murzuq Basin, SW Libya, and a synthesis of the stratigraphic architecture of Upper Ordovician glaciogenic reservoirs (the Mamuniyat Formation) within it. Particular attention is paid to regionally extensive stratigraphic boundaries and the geometry of sandstone units of potential reservoir quality. Four disconformity-bound units are recognised, the bounding surfaces of which are flat or of high relief. Unit 1 (the oldest) and Unit 3 are mud-dominated and tend towards non-reservoir. In contrast, Units 2 and 4 (the youngest) are sand-dominated, have poor to excellent reservoir quality but distinctly different sedimentological architectures across the basin. Unit 2 comprises transitions from glaciofluvial/intertidal sandstones to offshore turbidites and formed exclusively during glacial retreat. The occurrence of a significant palaeotopography affected sandbody geometry with glaciofluvial/intertidal deposits concentrating in the lee of these palaeohighs or infilling the bottom of tunnel valleys. Unit 4 is a compound stratigraphic unit recording the effects of glacial retreat and isostatic rebound. In deep marine settings, turbidite fans were deposited during retreat but in shallow water settings, structural reactivation and sediment reworking had a more profound effect on sedimentation. Sedimentological architectures are variable at this level and include prograding coarse clastic wedges (away from a palaeohigh) or the infill of half-graben basins during isostatic rebound.