Sediment Dispersal Research Articles

A depositional model for offshore deposits of the lower Blue Gate Member, Mancos Shale, Uinta Basin, Utah, USA

AbstractDepositional models that use heterogeneity in mud‐dominated successions to distinguish and diagnose environments within the offshore realm are still in their infancy, despite significant recent advances in understanding the complex and dynamic processes of mud deposition. Six cored intervals of the main body of the Mancos Shale, the lower Blue Gate Member, Uinta Basin, were examined sedimentologically, stratigraphically and geochemically in order to evaluate facies heterogeneity and depositional mechanisms. Unique sedimentological and geochemical features are used to identify three offshore environments of deposition: the prodelta, the mudbelt and the sediment‐starved shelf. Prodelta deposits consist of interlaminated siltstone and sandstone and exhibit variable and stressed trace fossil assemblages, and indicators of high sedimentation rates. The prodelta was dominated by river‐fed hyperpycnal flow. Mudbelt deposits consist of interlaminated siltstone and sandstone and are characterized by higher bioturbation indices and more diverse trace fossil assemblages. Ripples, scours, truncations and normally graded laminations are abundant in prodelta and mudbelt deposits indicating dynamic current conditions. Mudbelt sediment dispersal was achieved by both combined flow above storm wave base and current‐enhanced and wave‐enhanced sediment gravity flows below storm wave base. Sediment‐starved shelf deposits are dominantly siltstone to claystone with the highest calcite and organic content. Bioturbation is limited to absent. Sediment‐starved shelf deposits were the result of a combination of shelfal currents and hypopycnal settling of sediment. Despite representing the smallest volume, sediment‐starved shelf deposits are the most prospective for shale hydrocarbon resource development, due to elevated organic and carbonate content. Sediment‐starved shelf deposits are found in either retrogradational to aggradational parasequence sets or early distal aggradational to progradational parasequence sets, bounding the maximum flooding surface. An improved framework classification of offshore mudstone depositional processes based on diagnostic sedimentary criteria advances our predictive ability in complex and dynamic mud‐dominated environments and informs resource prospectivity.

Lithofacies characters and depositional processes of a Middle Miocene Lower Siwalik fluvial system of the Himalayan foreland basin, India

The Lower Siwalik sequence in south-eastern Uttarakhand state of India records fluvial sedimentation during middle Miocene in the Himalayan foreland basin. Three distinct lithofacies associations (‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’) have been identified, each one of which comprises one or more of the eight major lithofacies and points to specific sub-environments of fluvial depositional setting. The lithofacies association ‘A’ is sandstone dominated and suggests deposition mainly by 0.09–2.0m/s flowing traction currents in braided streams. The lithofacies association ‘B’ is sandstone–mudstone dominated and suggests deposition by 0.1–1.0m/s flowing traction currents as well as suspension fallout in meandering streams and adjoining overbank areas. The facies association ‘C’ is mudstone dominated, characteristically pedogenically altered and disassociated with any major channel sandstone body. It represents reworking of pre-deposited sediments by ephemeral sheet and shallow channelized flows in the upland interfluve regions. The palaeoflow pattern reveals regional radial outward sediment dispersal by a distributary fluvial system, indicating convex-up transverse surface profile. The dominance of fine- to medium-grained sand and general absence of coarser extrabasinal clasts suggests that this distributive fluvial system of meandering and braided streams was located in the middle-distal part of a megafan. The upland interfluve surface developed following the cessation of megafan surface aggradation due to incision of major river channels.

Fault-related folds in the southern Pyrenees

ABSTRACT The fault-related folds observed in the south Pyrenean fold and thrust belt are hybrid structures with elements of detachment folding as well as elements of fault bend and fault propagation folding. Fanning growth strata in all the studied case studies indicate progressive limb rotation during deformation, mainly at their initial stages when fold growing mostly controlled the dispersal of syntectonic sediments as a result of higher uplift rates with respect to sedimentation rates. Break thrusts developed in the fold limb of the initial detachment folds to form fault propagation and fault bend geometries. Inversion folds developed at the rift margins. There the geometry of the folds as well as the brittle deformation patterns are controlled by the inherited fault systems, which are not symmetrical with respect to the fold axis. In the absence of previous structures, brittle patterns developed before or at the initial stages of folding by layer-parallel shortening preserving a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the fold axis.

Using Nd-Sr isotopes and rare earth elements to study sediment provenance of the modern radial sand ridges in the southwestern Yellow Sea

The radial sand ridges (RSRs) in the southwestern Yellow Sea off the Jiangsu Coast, East China have been intensively studied at least since 1975. Despite decades of studies, the provenance of the RSR sediments remains uncertain. In this study, the Nd-Sr isotopic and REE geochemical compositions of residual sediments (i.e., the acid-insoluble fractions) were investigated to determine the provenance of the RSR sediments. The Nd isotopic composition, PAAS-normalized REE patterns and characteristic parameters (e.g., Sm/Nd, (La/Sm)N, (Gd/Yb)N) were merely associated with source rocks but not with particle sorting while the Sr isotopic composition and REE contents of residual sediments were affected by particle sorting in addition to source rocks. The onshore RSR sediments originated mainly from mixing of the fine-grained sediments from various parts of the offshore RSR in terms of REE geochemical and isotopic analyses. Isotopic and REE geochemical comparison further reveals that the RSRs off the Jiangsu Coast were fed chiefly by the dispersal of surface sediments from the Yangtze River Mouth. Surface sediments from the Yangtze River Mouth were directly dispersed to the RSRs along the Jiangsu Coast and significantly affected the seaward part of the offshore RSR and the old Yellow River Delta area by a northward branch of the Changjiang Diluted Freshwater Plume. Only minor quantities of surface sediments from the modern Yellow River Mouth were introduced into the RSRs by the Jiangsu Coastal Current and mainly contaminated the landward part of the offshore RSR area. Our findings highlighted the potential of the Nd isotopes with REE geochemistry to trace the provenance of coastal sediments.

Comment on “From source to sink: The late Permian SW Gondwana paleogeography and sedimentary dispersion unraveled by a multi-proxy analysis” by Alessandretti et al. (2016)

Alessandretti et al. (2016) interpreted a northward pattern of fluvial sediment transport in the Paraná Basin based on paleocurrent data and detrital zircon ages obtained from the late Permian Rio do Rasto Formation. In the present paper we discuss geological evidence contrary to their conclusions and propose an alternative late Permian paleogeographic scenario for the Paraná Basin and adjacent areas of southwestern Gondwana. There are four main reasons why the model of Alessandretti et al. (2016) should be rejected. 1) Previous regional studies showed that the northern and western sectors of the Paraná Basin are dominated by coarser-grained, proximal facies and these areas experienced repeated phases of exhumation during the entire Permian and the early Mesozoic. 2) Eolian facies of the uppermost Rio do Rasto Formation were misinterpreted as fluvial or deltaic, putting into question the paleocurrent database. 3) Paleocurrents are based on a small amount of data (n = 95) when compared to the dataset from a previous paper (n = 253) that found fluvial paleocurrents to the southeast. 4) The interpreted sources for detrital zircon are biased by the paleocurrent results and exclude several other areas that expose igneous rocks with same ages than those of the zircon crystals. The most suitable paleogeographic setting for the Rio do Rasto Formation and equivalent units includes a main depocenter between the eastern Paraná Basin and western Namibia that was centripetally filled by sediment sourced from different elevated areas flanking the basin.

Reply to the comments on: “From source-to-sink: The Late Permian SW gondwana paleogeography and sedimentary dispersion unraveled by a multi-proxy analysis” [journal of South American earth sciences 70 (2016) 368–382] by Vesely & Schemiko

The publication of the comments by Vesely & Schemiko (Comment on “From source-to-sink: The Late Permian SW Gondwana paleogeography and sedimentary dispersion unraveled by a multi-proxy analysis” by L. Alessandretti, R. Machado, L.V. Warren, M.L. Assine and C. Lana [Journal of South American Earth Sciences 70 (2016) 368–382], Journal of South American Earth Sciences, this issue) on our paper entitled “From source-to-sink: The Late Permian SW Gondwana paleogeography and sedimentary dispersion unraveled by a multi-proxy analysis” (L. Alessandretti, R. Machado, L.V. Warren, M.L. Assine and C. Lana (Journal of South American Earth Sciences 70 (2016) 368–382) provides a worthy opportunity to further clarify our observations and interpretations regarding the provenance of the Late Permian Rio do Rasto Formation and its implications on SW Gondwana paleogeography and sedimentary dispersion.

Dispersion of radiocesium-contaminated bottom sediment caused by heavy rainfall in Joso City, Japan.

A large-scale heavy rainfall disaster occurred in Joso City, Japan, in September 2015, and one third of the city area (40 km2) was flooded by the Kinu River. Artificial radionuclides such as 134Cs and 137Cs were known to have accumulated in the river bottom sediment after their release in the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. It was thought that these radionuclides might have been dispersed by the rainfall disaster. A car-borne survey of absorbed dose rate in air had been made by the authors in Joso City in August 2015. Then, the present study made a second car-borne survey in October 2015, to evaluate changes in the rate after the rainfall disaster. The absorbed dose rate in air and the standard deviation (range) measured in the flooded areas of Joso City after the disaster were 68 ± 9 nGy h-1 (39–98 nGy h-1), which was 10% higher than the rate before it. Additionally, higher dose rates (> 60 nGy h-1) were observed for the flooded areas after the disaster; furthermore, up to 886 Bq kg-1 of activity concentration from 134Cs and 137Cs was observed in these flooded areas, and this was 11 times higher than the activity concentration before the disaster. These results suggested the dispersion of artificial radionuclides accumulated in the bottom sediment of the Kinu River after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident occurred by the heavy rainfall disaster.

The potential of detrital garnet as a provenance proxy in the Central Swiss Alps

Detrital garnet is a promising candidate to reliably fingerprint sediment sources in the Alps, which has so far been complicated by the wide range and similarity of some of the lithologies. Garnet is present in most Alpine sediments, is easy to identify, is fairly stable and, most importantly, reflects the type and the metamorphic grade of its source rock in its chemical composition. This study aims to establish fingerprints based on detrital garnet composition for the most important tectonic units of the Central Alps, including European, Penninic and Adriatic basement rocks and their respective metasedimentary covers. Sediments collected from modern rivers, which drain representative portions of the individual tectonic units, contain a natural mixture of the various garnet populations present in each unit. We selected six catchments in southwestern Switzerland draining the External massifs, Helvetic sediments and the Penninic nappe stack at the transition of Alpine greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism in order to test the variability of Alpine garnets and the role of inherited (pre-Alpine) garnets. Extraordinary grossular- and spessartine-rich garnets of the External massifs, which experienced greenschist facies metamorphism, are clearly distinguishable from generally almandine-rich garnets supplied by the higher-grade metamorphic Penninic nappe stack. The variable pyrope, grossular and spessartine components of these almandine-rich garnets can be used to further distinguish pre-Alpine, Alpine eclogite-facies and low-grade metasedimentary garnets. This provenance proxy has the potential to be used for reconstructing sediment sources, transport and dispersal patterns in a variety of settings throughout the Alpine sedimentary record.

Observations of frazil ice formation and upward sediment transport in the Sea of Okhotsk: A possible mechanism of iron supply to sea ice

In the Sea of Okhotsk, sediment incorporation, transport and release by sea ice potentially plays important roles in the bio-related material (such as iron) cycle and ecosystem. The backscatter strength data of bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers have suggested signals of frazil ice down to 30 m depth, and signals of upward sediment transport throughout the water column simultaneously in the region northeast of Sakhalin, with a water depth of ∼100 m. Such events occurred under turbulent conditions with strong winds of 10–20 m s−1. During such events, newly formed ice was present near the observational sites, shown by satellite microwave imagery. Sediment dispersion from the bottom occurred in association with strong currents of 1.0–1.5 m s−1. During these events, the mixed layer reaches near the bottom due to wind-induced stirring, inferred from the high frequency component of vertical velocity. Thus the winter time turbulent mixing brings re-suspended sediment up to near the ocean surface. This study provides the first observational evidence of a series of processes on the incorporation of sedimentary materials into sea ice: sedimentary particles are dispersed by the strong bottom current, subsequently brought up to near the surface by winter time mixing, and finally incorporated into sea ice through underwater interaction with frazil ice and/or flooding of sea ice floes. This wintertime incorporation of bottom sediment into sea ice is a possible mechanism of iron supply to sea ice which melts in spring, and releases bio-reactive iron into the ocean.

Sedimentary environment and geomorphic development of the uppermost Siwalik molasse in Kumaun Himalayan Foreland Basin, North India

An area of about 250 sq. km. around Ramnagar and Garjiya within the Siwalik molasse in the Kumaun foothills was mapped for geomorphic evolution and sedimentation pattern. The area, bounded by Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) in the south and Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) in the north, consists of the sediments of uppermost part of the Pinjor and overlying Boulder Conglomerate Formations. Sedimentologically, three facies associations (FAA–FAC) were recognized with their order of superposition as FAA → FAB, FAA → FAC, FAB → FAC and FAC → FAB with variability in depositional setting. Lithofacies FAA–FAC were seemingly deposited in sand‐dominated fluvial channel belt, gravelly braided channel belt and cut‐off channel settings, respectively. The sediment dispersal in the basin was influenced by active basinal tectonics that caused frequent avulsions during the Bounder Bed times. The compositions of the clasts of these lithofacies reveal a shift in the primary provenance from pre‐Tertiary Himalayan hinterlands during the emplacement of FAA (of the Pinjor Formation) to evolving frontal Siwalik highlands during the emplacement of FAB and FAC (of the Bouldder Conglomerate Formation). This temporal shift in the provenance indicates exhumation of the older Siwalik sequences during the later phases of Himalayan orogeny. A number of subordinate faults, oblique to above mentioned intracrustal boundary thrusts and formed after the sedimentation was seized, were likely responsible for displacement between the sediments of different associations. The neotectonic rejuvenation is also reflected by the upliftment of two sister basins in opposite direction, rapid uplift in V‐shaped valleys, fault escarpments, three levels of terrace development and displacement of rock types along the subordinate faults as well as deflection and entrenchment in the course of lower order streams. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The importance of missing strain in Deep Water Fold and Thrust Belts

Deep water fold and thrust belts (DWFTBs) are sedimentary wedges that accommodate plate-scale deformation on both active and passive continental margins. Internally, these wedges consist of individual structures that strongly influence sediment dispersal, bathymetry and fluid migration. Most DWFTB studies investigate basin- and intra-wedge- scale processes using seismic reflection profiles, yet are inherently limited by seismic resolution. Of critical importance is strain distribution and its accommodation on discrete faults compared to distributed deformation. Recent studies have considered strain distribution by investigating regional reflection DWFTBs profiles within coupled systems, which contain down-dip compression and up-dip extension. There is broad agreement of a mis-balance in compression versus extension, with ∼5% excess in the latter associated with horizontal compaction, yet this remains unproven.Using two exceptionally well exposed outcrops in the Spanish Pyrenees we consider deformation of DWFTB at a scale comparable to, and beyond, seismic resolution for the first time. By coupling outcrop observations (decametre to hectometre scale) with a re-evaluation of seismic profiles from the Orange Basin, South Africa, which contains one of the best imaged DWFTBs globally, we provide a unique insight into the deformation from metre to margin scale. Our observations reveal hitherto unrecognised second order structures that account for the majority of the previously recognised missing strain. This re-evaluation implies that ∼5% missing strain should be accounted for in all DWFTBs, therefore existing studies using restorations of the sediment wedge will have underestimated crustal shortening in active margins, or sedimentary shortening in gravity driven systems by this amount. In contrast to previous studies, our observations imply that the majority of this strain is accommodated on discrete fault surfaces and this can explain the occurrence and location of a range of intra-wedge processes that are intimately linked to structures including sediment dispersal, fluid migration pathways and reservoir compartmentalisation.

A high resolution record of rare earth element compositional changes from the mud deposit on the inner shelf of the East China Sea: Implications for paleoenvironmental changes

A paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the East China Sea (ECS) is presented using rare earth element (REE) analysis of sediments from Core MZ02, which was retrieved from the inner continental shelf's mud area. The analytic results show that the total REEs in the fine sediment vary between 137.76 μg/g and 231.53 μg/g with an average value of 187.69 μg/g. Obvious changes were found during the process of sedimentation. By comparing with the REE compositions from the potential provenances, the ratios of (La/Sm)ucc and (Gd/Yb)ucc revealed that the sediments were mainly derived from river detrital outputs of the Changjiang (Yangtze River), Minjiang and mountainous rivers from western Taiwan Island. The contributions of terrestrial materials from these three main provenances were controlled by sea level change and the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC)-Chinese Coastal Current (CCC) system, which is mainly driven by the East Asian monsoon. The high sedimentation rate during the transgression period between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene (13000–9800 a B.P.) was caused by a well-proportioned mixed provenance from Changjiang, western Taiwanese rivers and Minjiang sediments, due to the lower sea level and the location of the foreshore-nearshore face. Because of the stronger sediment reworking and erosion at the shelf edge during the early Holocene (9800–7300 a B.P.), the strengthening summer East Asian monsoon transported the Minjiang and western Taiwanese river material northeastward, and it became the main sediment source for fine sediments in the shallow sea region of the ECS, while the Changjiang provided a relatively minor amount of detrital sediment to the shelf. The increasing strength of the TWC might have played an important role in sediment dispersal and deposition on the ECS inner shelf during the period 7300–3500 a B.P., thus mountainous river material became the dominant sediment on the shelf of the ECS. Furthermore, the results indicate that the East Asian monsoon and the weakening of the TWC were linked to an abrupt increase in Changjiang-derived terrigenous detritus material since 3500 a B.P.; the source and sink pattern during this period is consistent with the modern sedimentation environment.

Doomed to drown? Sediment dynamics in the human-controlled floodplains of the active Bengal Delta

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Bengal) Delta in Bangladesh has been described as a delta in peril of catastrophic coastal flooding because sediment deposition on delta plain surfaces is insufficient to offset rates of subsidence and sea level rise. Widespread armoring of the delta by coastal embankments meant to protect crops from flooding has limited natural floodplain deposition, and in the tidally dominated delta, dikes lead to rapid compaction and lowered land surface levels. This renders the deltaic floodplains susceptible to flooding by sea level rise and storm surges capable of breaching poorly maintained embankments. However, natural physical processes are spatially variable across the delta front and therefore the impact of dikes on sediment dispersal and morphology should reflect these variations. We present the first ever reported sedimentation rates from the densely populated and human-controlled floodplains of the central lower Bengal Delta. We combine direct sedimentation measurements and short-lived radionuclides to show that transport processes and lateral sedimentation are highly variable across the delta. Overall aggradation rates average 2.3 ± 9 cm y–1, which is more than double the estimated average rate of local sea level rise; 83% of sampled sites contained sediment tagged with detectable 7Be, indicating flood-pulse sourced sediments are widely delivered to the delta plain, including embanked areas. A numerical model is then used to demonstrate lateral accretion patterns arising from 50 years of sedimentation delivered through smaller order channels. Dominant modes of transport are reflected in the sediment routing and aggradation across the lower delta plain, though embankments are major controls on sediment dynamics throughout the delta. This challenges the assumption that the Bengal Delta is doomed to drown; rather it signifies that effective preparation for climate change requires consideration of how infrastructure and spatially variable physical dynamics influence sediment dispersal on seasonal and decadal time scales.

A Multi-class Sediment Transport Model for Oceanic Dispersal of River-derived Sediments and Associated Suspended Radionuclides off Fukushima

A Multi-class Sediment Transport Model for Oceanic Dispersal of River-derived Sediments and Associated Suspended Radionuclides off Fukushima

USE OF MACROINVERTEBRATES FOR ASSESSMENT OF RESTORATION WORKS INFLUENCE ON THE HABITAT IN FLOODPLAIN LAKES

The paper presents a study concerning the influence of the hydraulic and hydrological connectivity among the oxbow lakes and the restoration of riparian-zones have on aging. Interconnectivity oxbow lakes emerge after complex regulating works for the protection of the shores and bottom of the lakes. Research has analyzed the influence of the hydraulic connectivity of three lakes located in northern Poland on the structure of associated bottom invertebrates elements that monitor the conditions in habitats. The structure and functioning of ecosystems in wetlands, including in oxbow lakes, are direct or indirect in connection to fluctuations in water levels during floods or flow pulsations. Hydrological processes cause changes in the chemical composition of the water in oxbow lakes and sediment dispersion due to the exchange between water and sediments. In the lentic habitats (disconnected from the main river), the retention time is longer than in the semi- and lotic oxbow lakes whereas the productivity of the ecosystem is only internal and limited. The use of macrozoobenthos as bioindicators in re-connected oxbow lakes in small river valleys indicates that, on the long-term period (5 years), it does not have as a result the improvement of the environmental conditions of those habitats. This is shown by the monitoring indicators. The main reason seems to be the loss of the full connectivity between the oxbow lakes and the main river channel within 3 to 4 years, having as a result only systems of semilotic oxbow lakes and rivers. This hampers the free exchange of waters between ecosystems, the washing out of nutrients accumulated in sediments, the removal of bottom sediments, as well as the migration of hydrobionts. Therefore, the improvement of the ecological condition of the oxbow lake habitats and the permanence of those changes depend on the possibility of keeping the full hydrological connectivity to the river.

Rupture area analysis of the Ecuador (Musine) Mw = 7.8 thrust earthquake on April 16, 2016, using GOCE derived gradients

The Ecuador Mw = 7.8 earthquake on April 16, 2016, ruptured a nearly 200 km long zone along the plate interface between Nazca and South American plates which is coincident with a seismic gap since 1942, when a Mw = 7.8 earthquake happened. This earthquake occurred at a margin characterized by moderately big to giant earthquakes such as the 1906 (Mw = 8.8). A heavily sedimented trench explains the abnormal lengths of the rupture zones in this system as inhibits the role of natural barriers on the propagation of rupture zones. High amount of sediment thickness is associated with tropical climates, high erosion rates and eastward Pacific dominant winds that provoke orographic rainfalls over the Pacific slope of the Ecuatorian Andes. Offshore sediment dispersion off the oceanic trench is controlled by a close arrangement of two aseismic ridges that hit the Costa Rica and South Ecuador margin respectively and a mid ocean ridge that separates the Cocos and Nazca plate trapping sediments. Gravity field and Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite data are used in this work to test the possible relationship between gravity signal and earthquake rupture structure as well as registered aftershock seismic activity. Reduced vertical gravity gradient shows a good correlation with rupture structure for certain degrees of the harmonic expansion and related depth of the causative mass; indicating, such as in other analyzed cases along the subduction margin, that fore-arc structure derived from density heterogeneities explains at a certain extent propagation of the rupture zones. In this analysis the rupture zone of the April 2016 Ecuador earthquake developed through a relatively low density zone of the fore-arc sliver. Finally, aftershock sequence nucleated around the area of maximum slips in the rupture zone, suggesting that heterogeneous density structure of the fore-arc determined from gravity data could be used in forecasting potential damaged zones associated with big ruptures along the subduction border.

Links between sedimentary basin development and Pacific Basin plate kinematics recorded in Jurassic to Miocene strata on the western Alaska Peninsula

Late Jurassic to Miocene strata exposed on the western Alaska Peninsula record major changes in plate kinematics and sedimentary basin development along the northern Pacific region. These changes include Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous accretion of the oceanic Wrangellia composite terrane, subsequent establishment of a Late Cretaceous continental volcanic arc, and middle Eocene Pacific plate reorganization and subduction initiation marked by the Alaska Peninsula–Aleutian volcanic arc. Stratigraphic descriptions and detrital zircon geochronology allow reconstruction of sediment dispersal and basinal response to these plate-scale events. Upper Jurassic strata, for example, contain a dominant population of Late Triassic;Late Jurassic detrital zircons that reflect sediment input from the adjacent oceanic Talkeetna arc located to the north into a marine forearc basin situated on the outboard side of the Wrangellia composite terrane. The dominant population of 180–140 Ma detrital zircons in the Jurassic strata is related to a large-magmatic-flux event that extended throughout the northwestern Cordillera. By Late Cretaceous time, after final suturing of the Wrangellia composite terrane, detrital zircon ages indicate the presence of a new coeval continental volcanic arc system to the north with minor sediment input from older inboard terranes. With final subduction of the Resurrection plate during early Eocene time, the southern margin of the northwestern Cordillera was again reconfigured. Along the western Alaska Peninsula, the Aleutian and Meshik volcanic arcs initiated in response to a shift toward more orthogonal subduction. These arcs are part of a mainly oceanic arc system that initiated in middle-late Eocene time and extend over 3000 km on the northern rim of the Pacific Basin. The basinal response to this event was a shift from nonmarine to marine depositional systems and to a southerly provenance. Middle Eocene through Miocene strata have detrital zircon ages that indicate recycling of the older Mesozoic forearc strata into a developing backarc basin. Dynamic subsidence associated with the change in subduction parameters and flexural subsidence associated with loading from the volcanic arc and backarc basin strata produced the southward-thickening asymmetric sedimentary package observed today. Results from this study provide insight into both the development and the reconfiguration of sedimentary basins associated with changing plate parameters along a convergent margin.

Multiple provenance of rift sediments in the composite basin-mountain system: Constraints from detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and heavy minerals of the early Eocene Jianghan Basin, central China

Zircon U-Pb geochronology and heavy minerals are used in combination to provide valuable insights into the provenance of the early Eocene Jianghan Basin, central China. Five samples for zircon U-Pb dating and eighty-five samples for heavy mineral analysis were collected from drill cores or cuttings of the Xingouzui Formation. Most analyzed zircons are of magmatic origin, with oscillatory zoning. Detrital zircons from sample M96 located on eastern basin have two dominant age groups of 113–158Ma and 400–500Ma, and the other samples located on southern basin have three prominent age populations at 113–158Ma, 400–500Ma and 700–1000Ma. Samples on different parts of the basin show distinct differences in heavy mineral compositions and they apparently divide into two groups according to the content of rutile (higher or lower than 4%). The spatial variations of zircon-tourmaline-rutile (ZTR) indices are marked by some noticeable increasing trends from basin margins to the inner part of the basin. Compared with the potential source areas, this study clarifies the multiple source characteristics of the Jianghan basin in the composite basin-mountain system. The majority of clastic material was supplied from the north source area through rift-trough sediment-transport pathways, and the eastern, southern and northwestern source areas also contributed detritus to the basin. This clastic material is broadly dispersed in the basin. The early Eocene paleogeography implies that rift architecture and rifting process had an important influence on sediment dispersal. This study shows that integrated zircon U-Pb geochronology and heavy mineral analysis is a useful and powerful method to identify sediment provenance.

Coastal river plumes: Collisions and coalescence

Plumes of buoyant river water spread in the ocean from river mouths, and these plumes influence water quality, sediment dispersal, primary productivity, and circulation along the world’s coasts. Most investigations of river plumes have focused on large rivers in a coastal region, for which the physical spreading of the plume is assumed to be independent from the influence of other buoyant plumes. Here we provide new understanding of the spreading patterns of multiple plumes interacting along simplified coastal settings by investigating: (i) the relative likelihood of plume-to-plume interactions at different settings using geophysical scaling, (ii) the diversity of plume frontal collision types and the effects of these collisions on spreading patterns of plume waters using a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, and (iii) the fundamental differences in plume spreading patterns between coasts with single and multiple rivers using a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model. Geophysical scaling suggests that coastal margins with numerous small rivers (watershed areas<10,000km2), such as found along most active geologic coastal margins, were much more likely to have river plumes that collide and interact than coastal settings with large rivers (watershed areas>100,000km2). When two plume fronts meet, several types of collision attributes were found, including refection, subduction and occlusion. We found that the relative differences in pre-collision plume densities and thicknesses strongly influenced the resulting collision types. The three-dimensional spreading of buoyant plumes was found to be influenced by the presence of additional rivers for all modeled scenarios, including those with and without Coriolis and wind. Combined, these results suggest that plume-to-plume interactions are common phenomena for coastal regions offshore of the world’s smaller rivers and for coastal settings with multiple river mouths in close proximity, and that the spreading and fate of river waters in these settings will be strongly influenced by these interactions. We conclude that new investigations are needed to characterize how plumes interact offshore of river mouths to better understand the transport and fate of terrestrial sources of pollution, nutrients and other materials in the ocean.

A parameter model for dredge plume sediment source terms

The presented model allows for fast simulations of the near-field behaviour of overflow dredging plumes. Overflow dredging plumes occur when dredging vessels employ a dropshaft release system to discharge the excess sea water, which is pumped into the trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) along with the dredged sediments. The fine sediment fraction in the loaded water-sediment mixture does not fully settle before it reaches the overflow shaft. By consequence, the released water contains a fine sediment fraction of time-varying concentration. The sediment grain size is in the range of clays, silt and fine sand; the sediment concentration varies roughly between 10 and 200 g/l in most cases, peaking at even higher value with short duration. In order to assess the environmental impact of the increased turbidity caused by this release, plume dispersion predictions are often carried out. These predictions are usually executed with a large-scale model covering a complete coastal zone, bay, or estuary. A source term of fine sediments is implemented in the hydrodynamic model to simulate the fine sediment dispersion. The large-scale model mesh resolution and governing equations, however, do not allow to simulate the near-field plume behaviour in the vicinity of the ship hull and propellers. Moreover, in the near-field, these plumes are under influence of buoyancy forces and air bubbles. The initial distribution of sediments is therefore unknown and has to be based on crude assumptions at present. The initial (vertical) distribution of the sediment source is indeed of great influence on the final far-field plume dispersion results. In order to study this near-field behaviour, a highly-detailed computationally fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed. This model contains a realistic geometry of a dredging vessel, buoyancy effects, air bubbles and propeller action, and was validated earlier by comparing with field measurements. A CFD model requires significant simulation times, which is not available in all situations. For example, to allow correct representation of overflow plume dispersion in a real-time forecasting model, a fast assessment of the near-field behaviour is needed. For this reason, a semi-analytical parameter model has been developed that reproduces the near-field sediment dispersion obtained with the CFD model in a relatively accurate way. In this paper, this so-called grey-box model is presented.