Turbidite Series Research Articles

Microbially induced sedimentary structures from the Ediacaran of Anti-Atlas, Morocco

The Eastern Anti-Atlas of Morocco hosts an early Ediacaran turbiditic series (Saghro Group) (630–600 Ma) unconformably overlain by thick late Ediacaran (580–550 Ma) terrestrial volcano-clastic formations (Ouarzazate Supergroup), with thin and geographically limited paralic shallow marine sedimentary rocks.This paper presents the first description of structures related to the former presence of extensive microbial mats developed in marine, fluvial, and lacustrine environments during the Ediacaran in the Eastern Anti-Atlas. These microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are largely found in well-laminated fine- to coarse-grained sandstone and sandy-carbonate. They also cover vast bedding planes and occur in almost all sedimentary successions. MISS types include: gas domes, wrinkle structures, reticulate patterns, overflips and roll-ups, multidirectional linear ridges, sand cracks and biolaminated deposits. Based on morphology and petrographic macro and microfabrics, these microbially induced structures are very similar to those of modern photosynthetic cyanobacteria mats. Together with previously reported stromatolites, these newly reported microbial mat structures could have played an important ecological role in stabilizing siliciclastic sediments, as well as sustaining localized zones of high oxygen production in the Ediacaran marine and terrestrial paleoenvironments of the Anti-Atlas. The widespread geographic distribution and consistent occurrence of microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) in fluvial and lacustrine sediments present compelling paleontological evidence supporting the extensive greening of the land surface during the late Precambrian period.

Facies architecture, modal analysis and geochemistry of the Early Ediacaran turbiditic series in the Skoura inlier (Central High Atlas, Morocco): Implications for provenance and geotectonic setting.

A multidisciplinary approach based on lithostratigraphy, petrography, modal composition and geochemistry was performed for the first time, to study the Early Ediacaran Skoura Turbidites (EEST) of the Skoura inlier, Central High Atlas. It represents widely distributed turbidite successions up to 8 km in thickness. A total of twelve lithofacies types have been distinguished, spread in four profiles, and grouped in three major depositional environments: shallow delta complex (FA1), submarine channel (FA2), and deep-sea fan (FA3). The paleogeographic distribution of the EEST may indicate basin depth changes related to the onset of convergence.Petrographic and modal analyses of EEST reveal greywacke and lith-arenite lithologies displaying similar clast composition, mainly comprising quartz and lithic fragments. Volcanic, plutonic, and metamorphic rocks have been exposed in the source areas feeding the Skoura basin. On Q-F-L diagram, EEST have characteristics of a recycled orogen, suggesting their derivation from an active arc setting. Geochemical data of EEST samples display similar SiO2 and Al2O3 abundances, with relatively intermediate compositions. Most of the studied samples demonstrate their derivation from a composite of oceanic island and continental arc systems providing felsic and mafic to intermediate detritus to the Skoura basin. Rare-earth element patterns show features similar to those of sandstones in modern active margin zones. The EEST rocks are similar with other Early Ediacaran sediments of the Saghro Group in the Anti-Atlas belt. This architecture suggests deposition of the EEST in an orogenic basin developed in a back-arc setting during the Early Ediacaran time.

Chlorite coating patterns and reservoir quality in deep marine depositional systems – Example from the Cretaceous Agat Formation, Northern North Sea, Norway

AbstractSediment gravity flows transport large volumes of sand and clay minerals into submarine systems, which store some of the world's major reserves of oil and gas. However, knowledge about grain‐coating clay mineral formation and its role in preserving reservoir quality in deep marine settings is poorly documented. Here we present a case study on the Agat Formation, a deep marine deposit interpreted as a series of turbidites, using a multimethod approach including petrographical, petrophysical and sedimentological data. This study investigates the occurrence and origin of chlorite coating and demonstrates how extensive chlorite coating substantially affects reservoir quality. The presence of green marine clay pellets suggests an initial shallow marine origin and sedimentological evidence reveals that the sediments were later remobilized by gravity flows and deposited at their present location. We suggest that the precursor clay coating was emplaced prior to sediment remobilization because of the presence of clay coating on grain contacts and all detrital components, the continuous nature of coating and the lack of clay bridges between the grains. Therefore, the origin of chlorite coating in deep marine environments may be recognized using the characteristic properties of inherited precursor clay coating. Chlorite coating thickness varies between an upper and lower sand unit, with an average of ca. 4.5 µm and ca. 24 µm, respectively. Permeability is significantly reduced in the interval with exceedingly thick chlorite coating but shows only a subtle decrease in helium porosity. This study enlightens the importance of crucially evaluating porosity in sandstones with thick chlorite coating using a multimethod approach. The results from this study can be useful in future exploration endeavours in the area and in other deep marine systems with a similar setting worldwide.

Revealing exhumation of the central Alps during the Early Oligocene by detrital zircon U\u2013Pb age and fission-track double dating in the Taveyannaz Formation

The late Eocene-to-early Oligocene Taveyannaz Formation is a turbidite series deposited in the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin (close to the Alpine orogenic front). Double dating of zircons with the fission-track and the U–Pb methods is applied on samples from the Taveyannaz Formation to reconstruct the exhumation history of the Central-Western Alps and to understand the syn-collisional magmatism along the Periadriatic lineament. Three samples from this unit show similar detrital zircon fission-track age populations that center at: 33–40 Ma (20%); 69–92 Ma (30–40%); and 138–239 Ma (40–50%). The youngest population contains both syn-volcanic and basement grains. Combined with zircon U–Pb data, it suggests that the basement rocks of Apulian-affinity nappes (Margna Sesia, Austroalpine) were the major sources of detritus, together with the Ivrea Zone and recycled Prealpine flysch, that contributed debris to the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin. Furthermore, the rocks of the Sesia–Lanzo Zone or of equivalent units exposed at that time presumably provided the youngest basement zircon fission-track ages to the basin. The Biella volcanic suite was the source of volcanogenic zircons. Oligocene sediment pathways from source to sink crossed further crystalline basement units and sedimentary covers before entering the basin from the southeast. The lag times of the youngest basement age populations (volcanic zircons excluded) are about 11 Myr. This constrains average moderate-to-high exhumation rate of 0.5–0.6 km/Myr in the pro-side of the orogenic wedge of the Central Alps during the late Eocene to early Oligocene.

An andesitic sill complex in the Southern Permian Basin: volcanogenetic model and stratigraphic implications

Subvolcanic intrusions are highly variable in shape and structure, and occur in nearly all parts of the upper crust, as a result of extensive volcanic activity. Processes of subvolcanics interacting with the host rock are insufficiently understood, as they are rarely exposed. In the southernmost part of the Flechtingen-Altmark Subprovince, (sub)volcanic rocks of the Flechtingen Volcanic Complex (FVC) are exposed in several quarries. It is built up of silicic tuffs, ignimbrites and lava flows, but also of intermediate lavas and extended sill sheets. Additionally, major granitic intrusions exposed by drillings are associated with the FVC. In the Mammendorf quarry, a sill intruded in between lithified turbiditic series of early Carboniferous (Visean–Serphukovian) age at the base, and widely consolidated volcanoclastic deposits of late Carboniferous (late Pennsylvanian) age at the top. Various magma-host rock interactions were found indicating brittle and ductile deformation patterns occurring at the basal contact, and secondary fluidal mixing predominantly occurring at the top contact, most probably caused by fluids accompanying the intruding magma. We present an extended volcanogenetic model for the FVC. Volcanic activity initiated at 302 ± 3 Ma with fallout deposits represented by mostly re-deposited silicic ashfall deposits of the Flechtingen Formation, and cumulated in depositing major ignimbrite series, most likely forming a caldera. Later, the sills intruded at the rheological boundary of the lithified Mississippian turbiditic series and the partly consolidated volcanoclastic series. Finally, major granitic intrusions emplaced in the basement rocks at around 298 ± 4 Ma. The study contributes to clarify stratigraphic constraints of late Carboniferous to early Permian continental deposits and sheds light on stratigraphy of significant late Paleozoic volcanic deposits of the Flechtingen-Altmark Subprovince in the Southern Permian Basin.

Geochemistry of the Ediacaran–Early Cambrian transition in Central Iberia: Tectonic setting and isotopic sources

A complete Ediacaran–Early Cambrian stratigraphic transition can be observed in the southern part of the Central Iberian Zone (Iberian Massif). Two different stratigraphic units, underlying Ordovician series, display geochemical and Sm–Nd isotopic features in agreement with an evolving geodynamic setting. Pusa Shales (Early Cambrian) rest unconformably on greywackes of the Lower Alcudian Formation (Late Ediacaran). Both sequences present minor compositional variations for major and trace element contents and similar REE patterns, close to those of PAAS (Post Archean Australian Shale). Trace element contents and element ratios suggest mixed sources, with intermediate to felsic igneous contributions for both units. Tectonic setting discrimination diagrams for the Ediacaran greywackes indicate that these turbiditic series were deposited in a sedimentary basin associated with a mature active margin (volcanic arc). However, the compositions of the Cambrian shales fit better with a more stable context, a back-arc or retro-arc setting. εNd(T) and TDM ages are compatible with dominance of a similar cratonic source for both sequences, probably the West Africa Craton. εNd565 values for the Ediacaran greywackes (−3.0 to −1.4) along with TDM ages (1256–1334Ma) imply a significant contribution of juvenile material, probably derived from the erosion of the volcanic arc. However, εNd530 values in the Cambrian shales (−5.2 to −4.0) together with older TDM ages (1444–1657Ma), suggest a higher contribution of cratonic isotopic sources, probably derived from erosion of the adjacent mainland. Coeval with the progressive cessation of arc volcanism along the peri-Gondwanan realm during the Cambrian, there was a period of more tectonic stability and increasing arrival of sediments from cratonic areas. The geochemistry of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in Central Iberia documents a tectonic switch in the periphery of Gondwana, from an active margin to a more stable context related to the onset of a passive margin.

Palynological age constraint of Les Vilelles unit, Catalan Coastal Chain, Spain.

Les Vilelles unit is a detrital sequence exposed at the southwestern margin of the Catalan Coastal Chain (CCC), NE Spain, below the Carboniferous turbiditic series. Based on the palynological content, the age of this unit was initially assigned to the Middle-Late Devonian (Eifelian to Famennian). Additional radiolarian and conodont findings were considered to be Early–Middle Mississippian (Tournaisian to early Visean). To clarify this age discrepancy a new and more comprehensive palynostratigraphic analysis has been conducted in the upper part of the section representative of Les Vilelles unit. This has provided an assemblage of miospores, acritarchs, prasinophyta phycomata and chitinozoans that can be confidently assigned to a latest Frasnian interval, in contact with the Frasnian–Famennian boundary. Therefore, the present analysis refines the Middle–Late Devonian age formerly assigned, establishes a latest Frasnian age for the top of the unit, and provides new insights to the better understanding of the unconformity and hiatus separating the pre-Carboniferous and Carboniferous CCC series in the Priorat Massif. The study also includes a systematic section with the description of three newly established miospore species: Dibolisporites coniugatum , Dibolisporites prioratum and Rugospora spinosa .

Thin Beds and Cutoffs: Improved Assessment and Modeling of Net Porous Volume

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 166045, ’Thin Beds and Cutoffs: A Probabilistic Approach for an Improved Assessment and Modeling of the Net Porous Volume,’ by J. Clavel and P. Ruelland, Total, prepared for the 2013 SPE Reservoir Characterisation and Simulation Conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, 16-18 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Applying a cutoff consists of defining a threshold value on one or more logs to separate the reservoir intervals in which hydrocarbons are mobile from the gross rock thickness. In a thin-bed context, this deterministic approach is insufficient because of the resolution of the logs and a limited number of data. The probabilistic approach proposed in this paper considers that the relationship between the cutoff value on the selected log and hydrocarbon mobility in the sandy laminae is a statistical function. Introduction Cutoffs in petrophysics are frequently applied in the oil and gas industry. Previous work has shown the benefits that result from their use, in particular the decrease in the biases related to the upscaling of petrophysical properties, as well as the usual disadvantages of using cutoffs (i.e., the possible decrease of volume-in-place calculations and connectivity). The overall increase in computer power and cellsize reduction in cellular models, as well as the improvement in upscaling methodologies, render the use of cutoffs less crucial for massive sandstone facies. The objective of this paper is to propose a probabilistic approach to cutoffs in order to improve the coherency and quality of 3D cellular models. Thin Beds and Cutoffs Thin beds are a common occurrence in turbiditic, deltaic, and tidal series. They consist of alternating sand and clay layers that have a thickness of less than 50 cm. Outside these layer thickness, sand and clay are well-distinguished on classic logs and are not considered to be thin beds. Thin-bed facies are heterogeneous, and sampling by wells is insufficient to obtain a representative set of calibration and data; thin beds are undersampled. At the scale of the core, the variability of sand proportion and of lamina thickness in thin beds is clearly observed. The usual work flow to carry information from core to log and then to gridcell size includes two scale jumps. The synthesis of sedimentological core characterization and image logs into a high-resolution petrophysical log is used to calibrate the quantitative interpretation of wireline/logging-while-drilling logs. Petrophysical data that result from this interpretation then need to be upscaled per facies (or rock type) to the cell size of the 3D reservoir model. Applying a cutoff consists of defining a threshold value on permeability or other logs that will define reservoir intervals in which hydrocarbons are mobile. Byproducts of a cutoff include net height and net-to-gross (NTG) ratio, the ratio of net height to total height. The examples in this paper are all extracted from turbidite environments with a shallow burial where cutoffs on the log of volume of clay (VCL) are the best indicator. Cutoffs are applied at log scale on one or more petrophysical parameters in order to take a phenomenon into account: fluid mobility at the scale of the lamination. The relationship between VCL and fluid mobility is statistical. The cutoff is then consolidated at the scale of one or more fields, taking into account fluid types and production mechanism; this operation also relies on statistics. Well sampling in the laminated facies is often insufficient to capture heterogeneity at these different scales. Net height, computed through cutoffs, is very sensitive to small variations in parameters such as cutoff value and VCL-log and lithology variations at small scale. This explains the limitations of a deterministic cutoff in thin beds. When considering a cellular model and the way the log information is upscaled to the cell size, the limitations of a deterministic cutoff are even greater.

Kinematics and geological constraints of the slow-moving Pisciotta rock slide (southern Italy)

The Pisciotta landslide is a slow-moving deep-seated rock slide in the Campania region of southern Italy, which has damaged a provincial road several times in the last decades and currently poses a hazard to the national railway that intersects the toe of the landslide. The landslide involves an Oligocene turbidite series, which is composed of intercalated calcarenites, marls and mudrocks.The principal objectives of this study were to investigate the morphological evolution of the unstable slope, quantitatively analyse ground deformations and construct an engineering-geological model that is consistent with the spatial features of the landslide. The long-term evolution of the unstable slope was assessed through the examination of available aerial photos from 1943 to 2006. Kinematic analyses of the ground deformations were conducted based on observed progressive displacement of the road, as evident from the topographic maps and orthophotos (1955–2006), and the bi-weekly displacement survey of 50 targets distributed across the landslide area (September 2006–March 2009). The engineering-geological model of the landslide was reconstructed from the stratigraphic data obtained from the study of borehole data and monitoring of inclinometers as well as from geological, structural and geophysical surveys. The analysis of the aerial photographs revealed an early stage of deformation in 1943, which has been gradually widening since then. In addition to the main scarp and the landslide flanks, other significant landslide structures such as the longitudinal and transverse cracks as well as the positive or negative morphologies were monitored and mapped in the subsequent years. These studies indicated a progressive erosion of the upper part of the slope and a bulging of the foot. Long-term kinematic analysis based on the progressive displacements of the road allowed the measurement of the ground deformations from 1955 to 2009, which revealed a cumulative horizontal displacement of up to 53m and an average velocity of 0.98myear−1, which has increased in the recent decades. In addition, the recent monitoring of the ground deformations demonstrated a continuous activity with an approximately constant rate of displacement and a composite kinematic history of the landslide body through differential displacements and associated velocities. The engineering-geological model of the landslide was found to be controlled by specific stratigraphic and structural constraints. The landslide involves a stratigraphic interval of the Saraceno Formation (Nord-Calabrese tectonic unit) with a largely marly–argillaceous composition whose structural setting displays complex folding (at the mesoscale) and faulting with an approximately monocline attitude of bedding and a downslope dip direction at the macroscale. The left flank of the landslide rests on a normal fault.

The Thrace Basin: stratigraphic and tectonic-palaeogeographic evolution of the Palaeogene formations of northwest Turkey

The Palaeogene deposits of the Thrace Basin have evolved over a basement composed of the Rhodope and Sakarya continents, juxtaposed in northwest Turkey. Continental and marine sedimentation began in the early Eocene in the southwest part, in the early-middle Eocene in the central part, and in the late Lutetian in the north-northeast part of the basin. Early Eocene deposition in the southern half of the present Thrace Basin began unconformably over a relict basin consisting of uppermost Cretaceous–Palaeocene pelagic sediments. The initial early-middle Eocene deposition began during the last stage of early Palaeogene transtension and was controlled by the eastern extension (the Central Thrace Strike–Slip Fault Zone) of the Balkan-Thrace dextral fault to the north. Following the northward migration of this faulting, the Thrace Palaeogene Basin evolved towards the north during the late Lutetian. From the late Lutetian to the early Oligocene, transpression caused the formation of finger-shaped, eastward-connected highs and sub-basins. The NW–SE-trending right-lateral strike–slip Strandja Fault Zone began to develop and the Strandja Highland formed as a positive flower structure that controlled the deposition of the middle-upper Eocene alluvial fans in the northern parts of the Thrace Palaeogene Basin. Also, in the southern half of the basin, the upper Eocene–lower Oligocene turbiditic series with debris flows and olistostrome horizons were deposited in sub-basins adjacent to the highs, while shelf deposits were deposited in the northern half and southeast margin of the basin. At least since the early Eocene, a NE-trending magmatic belt formed a barrier along the southeast margin of the basin. From the late Oligocene onwards, the Thrace Palaeogene Basin evolved as an intermontane basin in a compressional tectonic setting.

A peri-Gondwanan arc in NW Iberia. II: Assessment of the intra-arc tectonothermal evolution through U–Pb SHRIMP dating of mafic dykes

The arc-derived upper units of the Órdenes Complex, NW Iberia, are emplaced above the Variscan suture and contain a low-grade metasedimentary uppermost section, with a maximum depositional age of 510–530 Ma, intruded by a number of mafic dykes. Three deformational events affect the metasedimentary section. The youngest deformation event (D 3) is of undifferentiated Variscan age and consists of metre- to decametre-scale, close upright folds with axes plunging gently towards N20°E. The most important D 2 structure is a regional S 2 foliation axial planar of minor folds with dextral asymmetry. The presence of a stretching lineation parallel to the D 2 fold axes is related to a top-to-the-north sense of shearing in a context of regional extension. The oldest meter-scale D 1 folds are developed in suitable greywacke–pelite alternations and consist of tight folds with chevron and similar morphologies, axes plunging gently toward N20°E, and a continuous S 1 axial planar foliation. The essential characteristic of the D 1 deformation event is depicted by a set of west-vergent folds with reverse limbs less than 2 km in wavelength, that are affected in their lower part by the generalised presence of the regional S 2 foliation. The age of D 2 and D 1 structures is not well constrained. The diabase dykes intruding the low-grade turbidites cut the D 1 folds and their field relationships suggest that they were emplaced at the end of the D 2 shearing event and prior to the upright D 3 Variscan folds. Zircon grains obtained from one of the diabase dykes were analysed for U–Pb at the SHRIMP-RG facility at Stanford University. An age of c. 510 Ma, based on the analysis of 31 individual zircon grains, is interpreted to date the crystallization of the Ares dyke. The tectonic and magmatic evolution of the top turbiditic series of the Órdenes Complex is tentatively related to the dynamics of a peri-Gondwanan arc developed during active subduction beneath Gondwana and suggests: (1) accretion beneath the arc during west-vergent (present coordinates) nappe development (D 1); (2) extension of the arc during top-to-the-north shearing (D 2); and (3) final intrusion of the diabasic dykes into an intra-arc turbiditic series. This evolution spans the end of volcanic arc activity and the onset of the opening of the Rheic Ocean.

Provenance and pathways of late Quaternary turbidites in the deep-water Agadir Basin, northwest African margin

A series of individual turbidites, correlated over distances >100 km, are present in the recent fill of the Agadir Basin, offshore northwest Africa. The aim here is to unravel multiple turbidite source areas and flow pathways, and show how turbidite provenance studies contribute to interpretation of flow processes. Agadir Basin turbidites are sourced from four main areas, with the majority originating from the siliciclastic Morocco Shelf; their sand-mud distribution is strongly controlled by flow sediment volume, with relatively low-volume flows dying out within the Agadir Basin and large-volume flows bypassing significant sediment volumes to basins further downslope. Two large-volume volcaniclastic turbidites are attributed to a Canary Islands landslide source, while several small mud-dominated turbidites are interpreted to be locally sourced from hemipelagic-draped seamounts (e.g. Turbidite AB10). Finally, Turbidite AB1 (∼1 ka) is only present in the western Agadir Basin, and is linked to recent “re-activation” of the Sahara Slide headwall. The muddy suspension clouds of three large-volume flows, all linked to large-scale landslides, have covered huge areas of seafloor and flowed along or even slightly upslope for long distances. It is proposed that northeastwards-flowing bottom currents have aided transport of these dilute flow fractions into and across the Agadir Basin.

Petrological and geochemical study of the Late Cretaceous ophiolite of Khoy (NW Iran), and related geological formations

This paper, based on 113 new whole rock analyses and about 3500 electron microprobe analyses of the mineral phases, is dedicated to the petrography and geochemistry of the Khoy ophiolites and related formations, NW Iran. It is complementary to a previous paper published in this Journal, where we gave a detailed description of the geology of the Khoy area, including various geological field sections, two geological maps in colour, new micropaleontological data and 27 new 40K– 40Ar datings (Khalatbari-Jafari, M., Juteau, T., Bellon, H., Whitechurch, H., Cotten, J., Emami, H., 2004. New geological, geochronological and geochemical investigations on the Khoy ophiolites and related formations, NW Iran. J. Asian Earth Sci. 23, 507–535). Our conclusions are: (a) The petrographic study confirms the field data showing the existence of two ophiolite complexes in the region of Khoy. (b) The Late Cretaceous ophiolitic lavas of the Khoy region exhibit very homogeneous T-MORB-type multi-element plots, suggesting that they were formed at oceanic spreading centers, by partial melting of a depleted mantle source, probably contaminated by one or several regional mantle plumes, responsible for their moderate enrichment in LREE. They do not show any negative anomaly for Nb, Zr or Ti, which allows us to exclude a genesis in a ‘supra-subduction’ environment. (c) The Late Cretaceous ophiolite of Khoy was created at a slow-spreading oceanic ridge. (d) Cryptic variations along extrusive and layered gabbros sections suggest frequent replenishment and magma mixing events in the magma chambers. (e) The ‘supra-ophiolitic turbiditic series’ overlying the Late Cretaceous ophiolite was accumulated in a subduction trench running along the northwestern margin of the Iran Block. This trench was fed with detrital volcanic fragments from both sides: T-MORB basalt fragments from the ocean-side, and arc-type basalts from the continent-side. (f) The meta-ophiolites of Khoy probably also represent slow-spreading conditions, and the porphyroclastic to mylonitic tectonites preserved in these metamorphic slices attest to extreme conditions of ductile shearing, characteristic of oceanic fracture zones.

Seismic features diagnostic of contourite drifts

The sedimentary construction of oceanic margins is most often carried out by the combined action of gravitational processes and processes related to bottom (contour) currents. One of the major difficulties encountered in the interpretation of seismic profiles crossing such margins is the differentiation of these two types of deposit, especially where they display very complicated imbricated geometries. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to derive criteria for the recognition of contourite vs. turbidite deposits, based on the analysis of many seismic profiles from both published and unpublished sources. The following features are the most diagnostic for the recognition of contourite drifts. At the scale of the basin, four different drift types can be distinguished according to the morphostructural context, their general morphology and the hydrodynamic conditions. These are: contourite-sheeted drifts (including abyssal sheets and slope-plastered sheets), elongate-mounded drifts (detached and separated types), channel-related drifts (including lateral and axial patch drifts and downstream contourite fans), and confined drifts trapped in small, tectonically active basins. At the scale of the drift, three features provide the best diagnostic criteria for recognising contourite deposits on seismic profiles: major discontinuities that can be traced across the whole drift and represent time lines corresponding to hydrological events, lenticular, convex-upward depositional units with a variable geometry, and a specific style of progradation–aggradation of these units that is influenced by interaction of the bottom current with Coriolis force and with the morphology. At the scale of depositional units, the seismofacies show a wide variety of reflector characteristics, many of which are very similar to those observed in turbidite series. Distinction between sediment wave seismofacies deposited by turbidity currents and bottom currents still remains ambiguous.

Abstract: Characterization of Lithological Log Responses in Turbidite Series Using Neural Networks 

Abstract: Characterization of Lithological Log Responses in Turbidite Series Using Neural Networks 

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Upper Prealpine nappe (Switzerland and France): nappe formation by Late Cretaceous-Paleogene accretion

The Upper Prealpine nappe of the Swiss and French Prealps consists of a composite stack of various tectonic slivers (Gets, Simme, Dranse and Sarine sub-nappes, from top to bottom). The structural superposition and stratigraphic content of the individual sub-nappes suggests a successive stacking at the South Penninic/Adriatic transition zone during the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene. The present paper deals with two aspects. (1) new data obtained from the Complexe de base Series of the Dranse sub-nappe which underlies the Helminthoid Sandstone Formation, and (2) the development of a geodynamic accretionary model for the Upper Prealpine nappe stacking.The Complexe de base Series reveals a succession of black shales at the base, grading upward into variegated red/green and red shales which were deposited in an abyssal plain environment starved of clastic input. It is overlain by the Helminthoid Sandstone Formation. The combined analysis of planktic and agglutinated benthic foraminifera and comparisons with other Tethyan series suggest an Albian to Campanian age of the Complexe de base succession. Tectonic transport of the abyssal plain segment into a trench environment allowed for the stratigraphic superposition by the Helminthoid sandstone sequence. The present findings combine well with the general scheme of the Upper Prealpine nappe stack and several single results on parts of the nappe stack. We take that opportunity to present a comprehensive model for the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Upper Prealpine nappe.We suggest that Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous asymmetric (?) extension at the South Penninic-Adriatic margin created an extensional alloehthon. Later during the mid-Cretaceous, the start of convergence drove the obduction of oceanic crust on the northern margin of the extensional allochthon. The resulting ophiolitic/continental source supplied clasts to the trench basin in front (Manche turbidite series), and the backarc basin (Mocausa Formation) and abyssal plain (Perrières turbidite series) to the South. During Middle to Late Coniacian the main Adriatic margin was thrusted over the obductionrelated mixed belt and established an incipient accretionary prism containing the former trench, backarc and abyssal plain basin fill series. During this stage the Gueyraz (melange) Complex formed, which separates the trench series from the retroarc and abyssal plain formations. On top of the incipient accretionary prism a forearc basin developed hosting the Hundsrück Formation. The frontal abyssal plain formation (Complexe de base) still received few turbiditic intercalations. From Campanian time on, the forearc basin was bypassed and deposition of the Helminthoid Sandstone Formation occurred on the Complexe de base succession. During the Maastrichtian the abyssal plain and trench fill succession (Dranse nappe) was accreted to the incipient wedge, and in front of a newly active buttress, the Gurnigel trench basin was established. Another accretionary event during latest Paleocene/earliest Eocene added parts of that trench series to the base of the wedge (Sarine nappe). During the Late Eocene the accretionary wedge and remaining trench fill series (Gurnigel nappe) were thrusted en-bloc over the Middle Penninic limestone nappes and partly overtook the latter. Continued shortening of the resulting nappe pile and out-of-sequence thrusting accomplished the overriding of the Middle Penninic units over the former South Penninic Gurnigel trench series (inversion of palaeogeographic domains).

Discovery of Cosmic Dust in Gold Deposits in Northwestern Sichuan and Its Significance

Abstract In recent years, a considerable amount of microscopic spherules have been found in concentrates recovered from some stratabound gold deposits occurring in Middle‐Upper Triassic turbidite series in northwestern Sichuan. Study indicates that these spherules are cosmic dust. It is the first time that cosmic dust of extraterrestrial origin has been found in hydrothermal gold deposits in China.The spherules are steel‐grey in colour and show metallic luster. Their grain size is commonly less than 100 μm. According to their composition, they belong to chromium ‐ rich iron cosmic dust. The spherules have complex and diverse microscopic structures and textures, i.e. they show a very distinct Widmanstāten structure.The variation of cosmic dust content in gold deposits exhibits a positive correlation with the mineralization intensities and hydrothermal alteration. Such a relation indicates that the ore substances may transport not only mechanically but also may chemically in hydrothermal solutions.

Devonian ichnofossils and their environmental significance of northern belt of Western Qinling Mountains

It is beheved that the Shujiaba Formation belongs to a series of thick turbidites. 20 ichnogenera have been found in the formation, of which 14 genera were found in the Devonian System of China for the first time The ichnogenera are mostly of typical deep-water ones and belong to the Nereites ichnofacies A detailed study of morphology and behaviour of the trace fossils indicates that the Shujiaba Formation was deposited in a bathyal-abyssal environment.

Paleoearthquakes in the Puget Sound Region Recorded in Sediments from Lake Washington, U.S.A

Holocene sediments in Lake Washington contain a series of turbidites that were episodically deposited throughout the lake. The magnetic signatures of these terrigenous layers are temporally and areally correlatable. Large earthquakes appear to have triggered slumping on the steep basin walls and landslides in the drainage area, resulting in turbidite deposition. One prominent turbidite appears to have been deposited about 1100 years ago as the result of a large earthquake. Downcore susceptibility patterns suggest that near-simultaneous slumping occurred in at least three separate locations, two of which now contain submerged forests. Several other large earthquakes may have occurred in the last 3000 years.

Correlation, frequency of emplacement and source directions of megaturbidites on the Madeira Abyssal Plain

This paper describes the sediments of the whole Madeira Abyssal Plain including the MADCAP area to the south. Previous studies have centred on the central sub-basin which occupies most of the plain and which has become one of the most studied areas of seafloor. The plain is made up of a series of large turbidites separated by thin pelagic layers which can be used to provide a high resolution stratigraphy back to about 750,000 years. Many of the turbidites were deposited close to oxygen isotope stage boundaries suggesting a strong relationship to sea-level/climate change, although the exact initiation mechanism for the flows is not known. Data from the northern and southern extensions of the plain shows the effects of different entry points for the four main turbidite groups; volcanic rich turbidites enter from the NE and E, calcareous turbidites from the W, one group of organic rich turbidites enters from the SE and one group from the NE and E. Different turbidite sources operate for limited periods before switching to one of the other source areas. It is very rare for two sources to provide turbidites at the same isotope stage boundary.