Paleodrainage Network Research Articles

Late Quaternary drainage dynamics in northern Brazil based on the study of a large paleochannel from southwestern Marajó Island

Marajó Island shows an abundance of paleochannels easily mapped in its eastern portion, where vegetation consists mostly of savannas. SRTM data make possible to recognize paleochannels also in western Marajó, even considering the dense forest cover. A well preserved paleodrainage network from the adjacency of the town of Breves (southwestern Marajó Island) was investigated in this work combining remote sensing and sedimentological studies. The palimpsest drainage system consists of a large meander connected to narrower tributaries. Sedimentological studies revealed mostly sharp-based, fining upward sands for the channelized features, and interbedded muds and sands for floodplain areas. The sedimentary structures and facies successions are in perfect agreement with deposition in channelized and floodplain environments, as suggested by remote sensing mapping. The present study shows that this paleodrainage was abandoned during Late Pleistocene, slightly earlier than the Holocene paleochannel systems from the east part of the island. Integration of previous studies with the data available herein supports a tectonic origin, related to the opening of the Pará River along fault lineaments. This would explain the disappearance of large, north to northeastward migrating channel systems in southwestern Marajó Island, which were replaced by the much narrower, south to southeastward flowing modern channels.

Volcanology, history and myths of the Lake Albano maar (Colli Albani volcano, Italy)

The polygenetic Albano maar is the most recent centre of the Colli Albani volcano, located just few kilometres to the south-east of Roma. Presently the maar hosts a 167.5 m deep crater lake, the deepest in Europe. The maar is to be considered quiescent, as phreatic activity is documented throughout the Holocene. This paper illustrates the close relationships between the activity of the maar and the history of settlement in the Roman region as recorded in the geology, archaeology, history and legends of the area. Severe fluctuations of the groundwater table and catastrophic overflows of the Lake Albano from the maar rim had occurred prior to and after the early prehistoric settlements dated in the maar area at the Eneolithic times (ca. III millennium B.C.). Repeated lahars occurred along the northwestern slope of the maar filling in the paleodrainage network and forming a vast plain. Paleohydraulic analyses on fluvial and lahar deposits originated from the Holocene phreatic activity of the Albano maar indicate sediment–water flows in excess of hundreds of cubic metres per second. Absolute age determinations of the paleosoil underlying one of the most recent deposits of the lahar succession at 5800 ± 100 yr B.P. ( 14C CAL) are in perfect agreement with the age of the overlying Eneolithic age settlements. The last catastrophic overflow is described in the Roman literature as a consequence of the anger of Poseidon against the Romans in 398 B.C. for their war against the Etruscans. In 394 B.C. the Romans decided to prevent the repetition of such events by the excavation through the maar crater wall of a 1.5 km long drain tunnel, which is still operational, keeping the lake 70 m below the lowest point of the maar rim. This tunnel drain may be regarded as the first prevention device for volcanic hazard in history and shows an unprecedented development of the engineering technology under the pressure of hazard perception. The surprising and still largely unknown results of this study are very important to redefine the hazard of the Roman region.

Late Weichselian fluvial evolution on the southern Kara Sea Shelf, North Siberia

Glaciations had a profound impact on the global sea-level and particularly on the Arctic environments. One of the key questions related to this topic is, how did the discharge of the Siberian Ob and Yenisei rivers interact with a proximal ice sheet? In order to answer this question high-resolution (1–12 kHz), shallow-penetration seismic profiles were collected on the passive continental margin of the Kara Sea Shelf to study the paleo-drainage pattern of the Ob and Yenisei rivers. Both rivers incised into the recent shelf, leaving filled and unfilled river channels and river canyons/valleys connecting to a complex paleo-drainage network. These channels have been subaerially formed during a regressive phase of the global sea-level during the Last Glacial Maximum. Beyond recent shelf depths of 120 m particle transport is manifested in submarine channel–levee complexes acting as conveyor for fluvial-derived fines. In the NE area, uniform draping sediments are observed. Major morphology determining factors are (1) sea-level fluctuations and (2) LGM ice sheet influence. Most individual channels show geometries typical for meandering rivers and appear to be an order of magnitude larger than recent channel profiles of gauge stations on land. The Yenisei paleo-channels have larger dimensions than the Ob examples and could be originated by additional water release during the melt of LGM Putoran ice masses. Asymmetrical submarine channel–levee complexes with channel depths of 60 m and more developed, in some places bordered by glacially dominated morphology, implying deflection by the LGM ice masses. A total of more than 12,000 km of acoustic profiles reveal no evidence for an ice-dammed lake of greater areal extent postulated by several workers. Furthermore, the existence of the channel–levee complexes is indicative of unhindered sediment flow to the north. Channels situated on the shelf above 120-m water depth exhibit no phases of ponding and or infill during sea-level lowstand. These findings denote the non-existence of an ice sheet on large areas of the Kara Sea shelf.

Increased sediment accumulation rates and climatic forcing in the central Andes during the late Miocene

New zircon U-Pb ages from six volcanic ashes in the Subandean foothills provide for the first time well-constrained depositional ages of the late Cenozoic strata in this region. The radiometric ages indicate 12.4 ± 0.5 Ma, 7.93 ± 0.26 Ma, and 5.94 ± 0.20 Ma depositional ages for the bases of Yecua, Tariquia, and Guandacay Formations, respectively. We used these zircon ages to determine the accumulation rates of the late Cenozoic foreland sediments in the Subandes. Our results show a fourfold increase (from 130 to 628 m/m.y.) in sediment accumulation rates between ca. 7.9 and 6 Ma during the deposition of Andean-derived coarsening- and thickening-upward sandstone-dominated Tariquia strata. This increased accumulation rate correlates well with monsoon intensification and climate variability in South America, which was accompanied by the development of fluvial megafan paleodrainage networks in the central Andes. This correlation suggests that climate may have been an important factor between the late Miocene and Pliocene.

Application of Mass-Balance Modeling of Sources, Pathways, and Sinks of Supergene Enrichment to Exploration and Discovery of the Quebrada Turquesa Exotic Copper Orebody, El Salvador District, Chile

Application of Mass-Balance Modeling of Sources, Pathways, and Sinks of Supergene Enrichment to Exploration and Discovery of the Quebrada Turquesa Exotic Copper Orebody, El Salvador District, Chile

Application of uphole data from petroleum seismic surveys to groundwater investigations, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

Velocity data from uphole surveys were used to map the water table and the contact at the base dune sand/top alluvium as part of a joint National Drilling Company-United States Geological Survey Ground Water Research Project in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. During 1981–1983, a reconnaissance seismic survey was conducted for petroleum exploration in the eastern region of Abu Dhabi. Approximately 2800 kilometers of seismic data, consisting of 92 lines, were acquired in the 2500 km 2 concession area near Al Ain. Uphole surveys were conducted about 2 km apart along each seismic line, and were used to calculate weathering corrections required to further process in the seismic data. Approximately 1300 uphole surveys were completed in the concession area between March 1981 and June 1983. Reinterpretation of the velocity profiles derived from the uphole surveys provided data for determining the following subsurface layers, listed in descending order: (1) a surficial, unconsolidated weathering layer with a velocity from 300 to 450 m/s; (2) surficial dune sand, from 750 to 900 m/s; (3) unsaturated, unconsolidated alluvium, from 1000 to 1300 m/s; and (4) saturated, unconsolidated alluvium, from 1900 to 2200 m/s. Two interfaces—the water table and the base dune sand/top alluvium — were identified and mapped from boundaries between these velocity layers. Although the regional water table can fluctuate naturally as much as 3 m per year in this area and the water-table determinations from the uphole data span a 27-month period, an extremely consistent and interpretable water-table map was derived from the uphole data throughout the entire concession area. In the northern part of the area, unconfined groundwater moves northward and northwestward toward the Arabian Gulf; and in the central and southern parts of the area, groundwater moves westward away from the Oman Mountains. In the extreme southern area east of Jabal Hafit, groundwater moves southward into Oman. The map of the base dune sand/top alluvium suggests a buried paleodrainage network trending westward to southwestward away from the Oman Mountains. These paleodrainages, now buried by dune sand, probably contain alluvial fill and are logical targets for groundwater exploration.

Unconformity Related Traps and Production, Lower Cretaceous Through Mississippian Strata, Central and Northern Rocky Mountains: ABSTRACT

Unconformities provide a useful means of equating stratigraphic traps between basins. Systematic mapping can define new concepts through analogy, often from geographically separate areas. Lower Cretaceous through Mississippian surfaces in the central and northern Rockies provide examples. Late Mississippian and Early Pennsylvanian surfaces formed at least four paleodrainage basins separated by the Transcontinental arch. Tyler Formation valley fills (Montana, North Dakota) have produced more than 100 million BOE. Analogous targets in Utah remain untested, but the Mid-Continent Morrow trend continues to yield new reserves. Permian and Triassic paleodrainages filled primarily with seals and form regional traps. A breached Madison trap (Mississippian, Colorado), more than 350 million BOE (Permian Minnelusa, Wyoming), more than 8 billion BOE (from the White Rim Sandstone tar deposits Permian Utah), and eastern Williston basin (Mississippian) are examples. Minor basal valley fill trapping also occurs. Transgressive carbonate facies changes have trapped more than 40 million BOE (Permian Phosphoria Formation, Wyoming). Additional deep gas potential exists. Jurassic unconformities control seal distribution over Nugget Sandstone (Jurassic) reservoirs and partially control Mississippian porosity on the Sweetgrass arch (Montana). Minor paleohill trapping also occurs. Lower Cretaceous surfaces have trapped nearly 2 billion BOE hydrocarbons in 10 paleodrainage networks. Undrilled paleodrainage basinsmore » remain deep gas targets. The systematic examination of Rocky Mountain unconformities has been understudied. New exploration concepts and reserve additions await the creative interpreter.« less