the stable isotopic composition of modern soil carbonate and its relationship to climate the oxygen isotopic composition of modern soil carbonate is well correlated with the isotopic composition of local meteoric water the carbon isotopic cycle for co 2 in soils can be described in terms of the proportion of biomass using the c 4 photosynthetic pathway and the co 2 respiration rate of the soil at low soil respiration rates significant atmospheric co 2 mixing can occur in general the carbon isotopic composition of soil carbonate is related to the proportion of c 4 biomass present in soil but soils that freeze to the depth of carbonate formation often have a significant atmospheric component this suggests that freezing of the soil solution should be considered as another important mechanism for soil carbonate formation because of these relationships the isotopic composition of soil carbonate may be a paleoclimatic and paleoecologic indicator in cases in which diagenetic alteration has not occurred

model derived estimates of groundwater mean ages recharge rates effective porosities and storage in a limestone aquifer the edwards aquifer of south central texas u s a a highly fractured and faulted group of limestone formations is the major water supply for the san antonio area a discrete state compartment dsc model or mixing cell model based upon the conservation of environmental tritium within the aquifer was used to obtain estimates of groundwater mean ages recharge effective porosities and storage in the edwards aquifer in the vicinity of san antonio texas the model was calibrated and validated with the spatial and temporal 1953 1971 distributions of environmental 3h tritium in the groundwater the final model consisted of 34 cells eight of these cells represented the unconfined portion of the edwards aquifer in the vicinity of the balcones fault zone an area where recharge occurs via streamflow infiltration and direct infiltration of precipitation the model confirmed previous analyses of flow in the edwards system generally parallel to the balcones fault zone with restricted flow perpendicular to this zone groundwater mean ages ranged from 16 to over 130 yr the storage volume of the confined portion of the edwards aquifer is 30 9 km3 which corresponds to an average effective porosity of 4 8 range 1 9 8 the average annual recharge to the edwards aquifer during the period 1953 1971 was 0 614 km3 the study demonstrated that discrete state compartment models calibrated and validated with environmental tritium distributions can yield valuable hydrogeologic information that is difficult or expensive to obtain using traditional techniques the approach used in the study is particularly suited to limestone aquifers which are normally extremely difficult to analyze with traditional methods

flow dissolution and precipitation in dolomite 1 the evolution of hydraulic conductivity and porosity during the process of dedolomitization was examined in a series of laboratory experiments by analyzing the effects of concurrent dolomite dissolution and calcium carbonate precipitation linear flow experiments were performed in columns of crushed sucrosic dolomite by injecting different concentrations of hcl at various flow rates temporal changes in head gradient were used to calculate overall hydraulic conductivities of each column while chemical analyses of the effluent acid enabled estimation of porosity changes during the experiments after each experiment the rock samples were retrieved and sectioned in order to study the pore space geometry micromorphology and mineral concentrations a range of injected hcl concentrations and flow rates was identified which leads to oscillations in the effective hydraulic conductivity and porosity of the evolving rock samples in all cases however the porous medium ultimately clogged short term experiments were also used to study the formation of dissolution and precipitation bands along the columns under the experimental conditions dolomite dissolution is a reaction rate controlled process experiments indicated that as such the flow rate and the ph of the injected fluid affect dissolution only during the initial stages when calcium carbonate is dissolved on the other hand both the flow rate and the ph of the injected fluid strongly influence the precipitation process throughout the duration of the experiments because higher flow rates retard nucleation these findings are in qualitative accordance with field observations of dolomite formations

withdrawn petrographic and origin of authigenic carbonate minerals and the associated fluid evolution in the lacustrine carbonate siliciclastic mudrocks a case from the low cretaceous of the erennaoer sag erlian basin ne china

the genesis of dedolomites a discusion based on reactive transport modeling abstract dedolomites are rocks formed by the replacement of dolomite with calcite which is driven by the infiltration of ca rich water this process has been described in the literature as either increasing preserving or decreasing porosity of the initial dolostone according to textures observed in prades ne spain dedolomitization took place due to two simultaneous processes non pseudomorphic replacement of dolomite with calcite at the wall rock of fractures and pseudomorphic replacement in the bulk rock a multicomponent reactive transport model is used to analyze the two dedolomitization processes observed diffusion of ions from the fractures was the driving force for non pseudomorphic replacement in the wall rock the dissolution of dolomite and precipitation of calcite took place in accord with a 1 2 stoichiometry as a consequence of the mineral molar volume the porosity was sealed and replacement limited to a rim on both sides of the fractures according to calculations the development of a rim took less than 500 years advection of ions from the top of the dolomite bed was the driving force for pseudomorphic replacement in the bulk rock due to the absence of empty volume for expansion replacement was governed by the condition of equal volumetric rate for dolomite dissolution and calcite precipitation according to calculations pseudomorphic replacement of 1 m of dolostone was completed after about 10 5 years for reasonable values of flow parameters as the infiltrating water was also undersaturated with respect to calcite one stage of calcite dissolution postdated dedolomitization this process was responsible for the widening of open fractures where the dissolution front followed the dedolomitization front into the dolomite matrix intensive calcite dissolution was also developed following the advective flux from the top of the bed downwards drusy calcite is observed to precipitate in the pore spaces which consist of intergrains fractures and dissolution cavities this process is not predicted in detail by reactive transport calculations although it may be due to calcite supersaturation of the solution resulting from pseudomorphic dedolomitization

geochemical evolution of groundwater in the carbonate aquifers of sierra de segura betic cordillera southern spain summary sierra de segura betic cordillera with a total area of over 3000 km 2 is the source of the two principal rivers in southern spain the guadalquivir and the segura due to the orographic effect of these mountains precipitations are considerably more abundant than in nearby lowland areas where the climate is semi arid sierra de segura is constituted of mesozoic and cenozoic sedimentary rocks among which there are thick limestone dolomitic formations which have given rise to extensive outcrops of permeable materials in geomorphological terms there is a large plateau intensively karstified that constitutes the main recharge area discharge takes place via a large number of springs of which the 50 most important add up to a mean spring flow of about 13 500 l s the active geochemical processes in aquifers of sierra de segura with their corresponding time sequence are dissolution of co 2 dissolution of calcite incongruent dissolution of dolomite dedolomitization exsolution of co 2 and precipitation of calcite more evolved water has higher temperature magnesium content and mg ca ratio therefore these parameters can be utilised as indicators of the degree of hydrochemical evolution in addition a good correlation between water temperature and magnesium concentration or mg ca ratio indicates that an increase in temperature accelerates the kinetics of the dissolution of dolomite finally the distribution of the temperatures in the vadose zone determined by atmospheric thermal gradient implies an apparent stratification of the predominant hydrochemical processes and of the groundwater physical and chemical characteristics

influence of climate and dolomite composition on dedolomitization insights from a multi proxy study in the central oman mountains abstract dedolomitization is an important diagenetic process that can yield information on the history of paleo fluids in a given aquifer or outcrop and by extension it offers a window into past hydrologic conditions dedolomitization is also relevant economically as it can alter the porosity and permeability of carbonates thus affecting reservoir quality despite considerable research the process of dedolomitization is still not entirely understood here new findings from the central oman mountains highlight the importance of dolomite chemistry and fluctuating climate on dedolomitization petrographic mineralogical and geochemical data from both altered and pristine dolomite hosted in jurassic carbonate rocks from the sahtan group and outcropping at wadi mistal in the jebel akhdar tectonic window reveal two dolomite bodies with different characteristics stratabound and fault related dolostone the ferroan dolomite crystals are larger in the fault related dolostone whereas the non ferroan dolomite crystals are smaller in the stratabound dolostone petrography reveals a complex suite of alteration textures including pristine dolomite recrystallized dolomite and calcitized dolomite dedolomite iron oxides are present pervasively in the altered rocks and different alteration textures co occur in the same sample relative to unaltered dolomite in this outcrop the recrystallized dolomite is characterized by similar positive carbon isotope values but less negative oxygen isotope values and the calcitized dolomite is characterized by even less negative oxygen isotope values and more negative carbon isotope values based on field data and petrography two phases of alteration are evident an earlier dedolomitization event affecting the stratabound dolomite only and a more pervasive pleistocene holocene alteration phase associated with surface weathering that affected both the fault related dolomite and to a lesser extent the stratabound dolomite stable isotope results further suggest that the more recent subaerial weathering phase happened under two alternating climate regimes dedolomitization was triggered by meteoric fluids that interacted with soil related carbon during humid climatic period s whereas recrystallization of ferroan fault related dolomite happened during more arid climatic period s with less developed soils and lower fluid rock interaction these results suggest that weathering of ferroan fault related dolomite can lead to formation of goethite and recrystallized non stoichiometric dolomite with a reset stable oxygen isotope signature and sometimes to dedolomitization

chronology of late pleistocene environmental changes in the lower mahi basin western india sediments exposed in the lower mahi basin at the southern fringe of the thar desert rajasthan india provide evidence of three distinct depositional environments namely marine aeolian and fluvial these have been used to reconstruct late pleistocene environmental and tectonic history of the region infrared stimulated luminescence irsl chronology of the fluvial and aeolian litho units provides evidence of two major fluvial aggradation phases in the region corresponding to oxygen isotopic stages 5 and 3 the basal marine clay is inferred to represent the last interglacial stage and its present elevation at 20 m a s l is attributed to post depositional tectonism comparison of fluvial records from other regions indicates interhemispherically documented wetter phases during oxygen isotope stages 5 and 3 copyright 2000 john wiley sons ltd

luminescence chronology of river adjustment and incision of quaternary sediments in the alluvial plain of the sabarmati river north gujarat india river adjustment and incision in the sabarmati basin gujarat india have been examined at a site near mahudi towards this the morphostratigraphy and depositional chronometry of the middle alluvial plains were investigated the upper fluvial sequence along with the overlying aeolian sand and riverbed scroll plains provide clues to the evolution of the present sabarmati river sedimentological analyses of the upper fluvial sequence indicate its deposition by a meandering river system during what is believed to be a persistent wetter phase luminescence chronology bracketed this sequence to between 54 and 30 ka which corresponds to oxygen isotope stage 3 during which the sw monsoon was enhanced the overlying aeolian sand has been dated to 12 ka indicating that dune accretion occurred simultaneously with the strengthening of the sw monsoon during the early holocene adjustment of the sabarmati along a n s transect is placed around 12 ka and the incision is bracketed between 12 and 4 5 ka river adjustment could have been tectonic however the incision was facilitated by the availability of continuous flow in the river caused by the sw monsoon the basin experienced two tectonic events at about 3 and 0 3 ka as demonstrated by the morphology of the scroll plains

structural framework of the edwards aquifer recharge zone in south central texas the edwards aquifer the major source of water for many communities in central texas is threatened by population growth and development over its recharge zone the location of the recharge and confined zones and the flow paths of the aquifer are controlled by the structure of and deformation processes within the balcones fault system a major system of predominantly down to the southeast normal faults we investigate the geologic structure of the edwards aquifer to assess the large scale aquifer architecture analyze fault offset and stratigraphic juxtaposition relationships evaluate fault zone deformation and dissolution and fault system architecture and investigate fault block deformation and scaling of small scale intrablock normal faults characterization of fault displacement shows a pattern of aquifer thinning that is likely to influence fault block communication and flow paths flow path constriction may be exacerbated by increased fault segment connectivity associated with large fault displacements also increased fault zone deformation associated with larger displacement faults is likely to further influence hydrologic properties overall faulting is expected to produce strong permeability anisotropy such that maximum permeability is subhorizontal and parallel to fault bedding intersections at all scales aquifer permeability is either unchanged or enhanced parallel to faults and in many cases decreased perpendicular to faults

pseudospherulitic fibrous calcite in paleo groundwater unconformity related diagenetic carbonates paleocene of the ager basin and miocene of the madrid basin spain abstract massive decimeter thick intervals formed by mosaics of subspherical calcite crystals displaying an intracrystalline fibrous microfabric have been found in paleocene and miocene strata in spain the fibrous microfabric is marked by inclusion defined fibers that radiate from the central parts of the crystals which can be termed pseudospherulites and not spherulites because they are single crystals and not polycrystalline aggregates the horizons of pseudospherulitic calcite appear in meter scale laterally persistent levels of crystalline limestones that exhibit complex pseudospar fabrics they are interbedded with peritidal and or lacustrine deposits they grade downward into bedded dolomicrites and they can be linked to unconformities several meters higher in the section above intervening unaltered limestones the pseudospar zones are interpreted as early diagenetic paleo groundwater alteration products after dolomicrites the pseudospherulites are composed of low mg calcite with low contents of fe and mn and they have a stable isotope composition indicative of precipitation from meteoric water they form xenotopic mosaics in which goethite palygorskite and sepiolite may be present as inclusions and in the intercrystalline matrix cathodoluminescence microscopy reveals peripheral growth of the pseudospherulites which results from several phases of precipitation and even of dissolution the first phase of crystal growth may show rhombic habits and may contain corroded dolomite inclusions interpreted as an indication of growth at the expense of dolomicrite by a dissolution precipitation process the second phase of crystal growth is fibrous sensu stricto exhibits lobate growth laminae and shows indications of displacive growth the pseudospherulitic fabric is not relict and the pseudospherulites do not represent speleothems recrystallized microcodium or neomorphosed spherulitic carbonate instead they are interpreted as split crystals that grew within dolomicritic host sediments in part by dissolution precipitation and in part by displacement the hypothesis of a dolomicritic host is supported by the geological and diagenetic setting by the presence of corroded dolomite inclusions within the pseudospherulites and by the relationship between their growth and the authigenesis of sepiolite palygorskite and goethite the pseudospherulites grew in the shallow subsurface at or near the water table from predominantly oxidizing meteoric water and under periodically fluctuating geochemical conditions saturation redox caused by fluctuations of the water table during periods of subaerial exposure the presence of fossil bacteria within the pseudospherulites the anastomosing pattern of the inclusion defined fibers and the lobate growth forms of the fibrous calcite suggest some bacterial influence in the genesis of the pseudospherulitic fabric

late quaternary alluvial history of the northwestern deccan upland region continental and oceanic sediments from tropical africa australia and south america have recorded analogous changes in climate and stream behaviour during the late quaternary1 4 recently data from north central india have provided evidence for late quaternary changes in river regime in response to global changes in climate in the intertropical zone4 5 here we report evidence for late quaternary river metamorphosis6 from the northwestern deccan upland region of india radiocarbon dates combined with stratigraphic data have allowed the identification of major episodes of erosion and deposition7 8 supporting evidence from the arabian sea2 3 demonstrates that the successive phases of aggradation and incision are linked to late quaternary climatic changes7 8

using non conservative tracers to characterise karstification processes in the merinos colorado carrasco carbonate aquifer system southern spain the systematic sampling of the chemical composition of the groundwater from five karst springs including an overflow spring and one outflowing borehole have permitted to determine distinctive chemical changes in the waters that reflect the geochemical processes occurring in a carbonate aquifer system from southern spain the analysis of the dissolution parameters revealed that geochemical evolution of the karst waters basically depends on the availability of the minerals forming aquifer rocks and the residence time within the aquifers in the three proposed scenarios in the aquifers which include the preferential flow routines the more important geochemical processes taking place during the groundwater flow from the recharge to the discharge zones are co2 dissolution and exsolution outgassing calcite net dissolution calcite and dolomite sequential dissolution gypsum anhydrite and halite dissolution de dolomitization and calcite precipitation a detailed analysis of the hydrochemical data set saturation indices of the minerals and partial pressure of co2 in the waters joined to the application of geochemical modelling methods allowed the elaboration of a hydrogeochemical model of the studied aquifers the developed approach contributes to a better understanding of the karstification processes and the hydrogeological functioning of carbonate aquifers the latter being a crucial aspect for the suitable management of the water resources

factors and processes governing the 14c content of carbonate in desert soils epsl elsevier earth and planetary science letters 125 1994 385 405 factors and processes governing the 14c content of carbonate in desert soils ronald amundson a yang wang a oliver chadwick b susan trumbore c leslie mcfadden d eric mcdonald d steven wells e michael deniro f a division of ecosystem sciences 108 hilgard university of california berkeley ca 94720 usa b earth sciences division jet propulsion laboratory pasadena ca 91109 usa c department of geosciences university of california irvine ca 92717 usa d department of earth and planetary sciences university of new mexico albuquerque nm 87131 usa e department of earth sciences university of california riverside ca 92521 usa f department of geological sciences university of california santa barbara ca 93106 usa received 1 september 1993 revision accepted 14 april 1994 abstract a model is presented describing the factors and processes which determine the measured 14c ages of soil calcium carbonate pedogenic carbonate forms in isotopic equilium with soil co 2 carbon dioxide in soils is a mixture of co 2 derived from two biological sources respiration by living plant roots and respiration of microorganisms decomposing soil humus the relative proportion of these two co z sources can greatly affect the initial 14c content of pedogenic carbonate the greater the contribution of humus derived co 2 the greater the initial 14c age of the carbonate mineral for any gwen mixture of co 2 sources the steady state co 2 distribution vs soil depth can be described by a production diffusion model as a soil ages the 14c age of soil humus increases as does the steady state 14c age of soil co 2 and the initial 14c age of any pedogenic carbonate which forms the mean 14c age of a complete pedogenic carbonate coating or nodule will underestimate the true age of the soil carbonate this discrepancy increases the older a soil becomes partial removal of outer and younger carbonate coatings greatly improves the relationship between measured 14c age and true age although the production diffusion model qualitatively explains the 14c age of pedogenic carbonate vs soil depth in many soils other factors such as climate change may contribute to the observed trends particularily in soils older than the holocene 1 introduction r a d i o c a r b o n d a t i n g o f s e d i m e n t a r y d e p o s i t s in d e s e r t s is h i n d e r e d by a lack o f o r g a n i c carbon paradoxically most o f the d e p o s i t s in t h e s e re mk gions a r e b l a n k e t e d with i n o r g a n i c c a r b o n in the f o r m o f p e d o g e n i c c a r b o n a t e since t h e early 1960s 14c ages have b e e n c a l c u l a t e d for t h e s e c a r b o n a t e s 1 fig 1 illustrates t h a t an a p p r o x i m a t e 1 1 r e l a t i o n s h i p exists b e t w e e n 14c ages of soil c a r b o n a t e a n d coexisting o r g a n i c m a t e r i a l s a n d ages d e t e r m i n e d by o t h e r m e a n s see also 2 3 t h e s e r e l a t i o n s h i p s a r e n o t perfect s o m e c a r b o n a t e is y o u n g e r t h a n i n d e p e n d e n t ages sug 0012 821x 94 07 00 1994 elsevier science b v all rights reserved ssdi 0012 821x 94 00097 i

ams radiocarbon dating of late quaternary glacial landforms source of the urumqi river tien shan a pilot study of 14c dating on inorganic carbon abstract carbonate coatings on roche moutonnees and till clasts and calcite in the fine matrix of late quaternary glacial landforms were dated by using accelerating mass spectrometry ams radiocarbon dating at the source area of the urumqi river tien shan the values of 13 c and the sedimentary properties of tills and coatings show that the precipitation of inorganic carbon in calcite in the till matrix is synchronous with till formation the carbon dating of the fine matrix of till and the coatings on till clasts can be used to determine or estimate the ages of glacial moraines as the inorganic carbon in fine matrix and coatings may preserve well with no or little fractionation the largest scaled moraine near wangfeng road maintenance station was dated to be 19 23 ka the age of the local last glaciation maximum was therefore coincident with the global last glaciation maximum the moraine at glacier observatory which was formerly believed to be the product of neoglaciation seems to be the relics of a lateral moraine also formed during the last glaciation

river response to variations of periglacial climate in mid latitude europe abstract the last glaciation was characterised by considerable changes in climate many european river basins reacted to these changes by initial incision and subsequent pattern change earlier research explained this by the time lag of vegetation development after a climatic change which considerably affected the sediment load however since some river basins react differently or do not react at all this model needs to be refined this paper deals with the fluvial evolution of several rivers in northern and central europe during the last glaciation and two of them the weise elster river in the leipzig area and the spree river in the niederlausitz germany are discussed in more detail the vegetation cover on the floodplain in combination with the presence of frozen ground which affects the discharge characteristics largely determines the river type nevertheless when the sequences are compared not only synchronous changes in fluvial development may be observed but also distinct differences in fluvial development by analysing the different rivers in their varying geomorphological settings it appears that grain size basin configuration and catchment size are important parameters also which can determine whether a threshold is exceeded or not

contrasting development patterns of crevasse channel deposits in cretaceous alluvial successions korea abstract the eumsung and pyonghae basins both of cretaceous age in korea comprise a thick alluvial sequence of conglomerate sandstone and purplish siltstone laterally impersistent gravelly sandstone beds can be classified into two types based on bed geometry internal structure and occurrence a vertically stacked sheetlike bodies facies 1 and b migratory ribbon shaped bodies facies 2 facies 1 is characterized by symmetrical channel geometry with a large ratio of width to thickness of sandstone beds which are mostly stratified and bounded by relatively distinct lower and upper boundaries they are frequently found in aggradational style facies 2 shows asymmetric geometry with a relatively small ratio of width to thickness of sandstone beds it comprises massive cross stratified units bounded by sharp basal contacts and gradational upper boundaries which resulted from laterally shifting mode both types represent crevasse distributary channels developed in floodplain environments facies 1 is suggestive of gradual migration of crevasse distributary channels under the conditions of overall aggradation whereas facies 2 represents discrete abrupt diversion of crevasse channels these features are due to differences in floodplain gradients paleohydrology and trunk channel behaviour

hydrogeochemical processes in clastic sedimentary rocks south korea a natural analogue study of the role of dedolomitization in geologic carbon storage abstract for long term mineral trapping of sequestered co 2 in deep saline aquifers base cations such as ca 2 and mg 2 are essential as a natural analogue study of geologic carbon storage in deep aquifers hosted in sedimentary formations we examined the hydrochemistry of sulfate rich up to 1140 mg l so 4 2 and moderately high p co 2 10 1 1 to 10 2 4 atm groundwater in a cretaceous non marine sedimentary basin in south korea with the objective to elucidate water rock interactions controlling the concentrations and behavior of base cations principal component analysis of the acquired hydrochemical data indicated that dissolution of carbonates calcite and dolomite and evaporite minerals halite and gypsum controls the chemical composition of groundwater resulting in substantial increases of the concentration s of ca 2 mg 2 na cl so 4 2 and total dissolved solids tds in deep groundwater na versus cl and ca 2 mg 2 versus hco 3 so 4 2 plots provided evidence for dissolution of halite and gypsum progressively increasing 34 s values of dissolved so 4 2 from 15 1 to 19 2 with increasing sulfate concentrations indicated gypsum dissolution ion ion plots esp mg 2 ca 2 ca 2 so 4 2 and mg 2 so 4 2 and saturation indices of calcite dolomite and gypsum suggest that the groundwater chemistry esp the concentrations of ca 2 and mg 2 is controlled by dedolomitization driven by gypsum dissolution groundwater in the study area does not reach complete equilibrium with respect to calcite and dolomite because of gypsum dissolution which controls the mg 2 ca 2 ratios of groundwater continued calcite precipitation triggered by an excess ca supply from gypsum dissolution reduces the concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon dic in groundwater the increase of 13 c dic values from 11 1 to 6 5 concomitantly with increasing sulfate concentration was explained via geochemical modeling by dedolomitization under the rate constant ratio of about 0 038 between dolomite and calcite the model results agree well with the observed mg 2 ca 2 ratios and further suggest a potential increase of the void volume in the aquifer through dedolomitization by about 0 72 cm 3 l based on this analogue we suggest that dedolomitization in concert with dissolution of gypsum may constitute an important process releasing base cations for mineral trapping of injected co 2 in non marine clastic sedimentary strata containing carbonates and gypsum in south korea and elsewhere

study of upper albian rudist buildups in the edwards formation using ground based hyperspectral imaging and terrestrial laser scanning abstract ground based hyperspectral imaging is used for development of digital outcrop models which can facilitate detailed qualitative and quantitative sedimentological analysis and augment the study of depositional environment diagenetic processes and hydrocarbon reservoir characterization in areas which are physically inaccessible for this investigation ground based hyperspectral imaging is combined with terrestrial laser scanning to produce mineralogical maps of late albian rudist buildups of the edwards formation in the lake georgetown spillway in williamson county texas the edwards formation consists of shallow water deposits of reef and associated interreef facies it is an aquifer in western texas and was investigated as a hydrocarbon play in south texas hyperspectral data were registered to a geometrically accurate laser point cloud generated mesh with sub pixel accuracy and were used to map compositional variation by distinguishing spectral properties unique to each material more calcitic flat topped toucasid rich bioherm facies were distinguished from overlying porous sucrosic dolostones and peloid wackestones and packstones of back reef facies ground truth was established by petrographic study of samples from this area this research integrates high resolution datasets to analyze geometrical and compositional properties of this carbonate formation at a finer scale than traditional methods have achieved and to model the geometry and composition of rudist buildups

aggradation history and luminescence chronology of late quaternary semi arid sequences of the sabarmati basin gujarat western india the gujarat alluvial plain in the semi arid desert margin of the thar desert contains a record of continental quaternary sequences these sequences were built by drainages originating in the aravalli hills and flowing westward into the indian ocean stratigraphic studies of a part of the late quaternary succession in the sabarmati basin have resulted in a fourfold lithostratigraphic scheme the waghpur formation conglomeratic member sand member the mahesana formation lower heterolithic member upper sand member the akhaj formation and the sabarmati formation facies analysis distribution of conglomerates and cross bed azimuths of the clastic facies of the waghpur formation were used to infer ne sw trending semi arid alluvial fans the deposition of the overlying heterolithic member took place in ephemeral streams influenced by episodic flows and aeolian reworking the upper member of the mahesana formation represents aeolian and older levee deposits feasibility studies of thermoluminescence tl and infra red stimulated luminescence irsl dating on the sabarmati succession yielded stratigraphically consistent ages ranging from 5 ka to 300 ka for two samples tl ages on quartz and irsl ages on feldspar separates were consistent these results together with the stratigraphic and petrographic data reveal the following events in the accumulation history of the sabarmati sequence 1 1 significant aggradation at 300 ka gravel sand and at 58 ka sand and 2 2 pedogenesis bracketed to 58 39 ka the sabarmati river in its middle stretches follows a regional slope deviatory course interpreted previously to be a neotectonic adjustment within the cambay graben our chronological data suggest that this adjustment occurred possibly within the past 39 ka

debris flow deposits in alluvial fans on the west flank of the white mountains owens valley california u s a abstract sections measured in incised channels on 10 alluvial fans show that debris flow beds mostly 30 200 cm thick are more important than stream flow deposits in construction of fans along the west flank of the white mountains the debris flow beds have a matrix supported fabric with a sandy mud matrix that comprises about 40 of individual beds complete grain size analyses of 19 debris flow beds show that they average 50 gravel 25 sand 11 silt and 4 clay inverse grading at the base of most beds is interpreted as due to a layer of high shear stress beneath an overlying semi rigid high strength plug that supported cobbles and boulders sticks and logs embedded in the plugs are oriented parallel with flow directions reflecting the laminar viscous motion of the plugs in the shear layer the average inclination of discoidal clasts is subhorizontal varying from 2 to 7 in the up flow direction in the plugs discoidal clasts have a subhorizontal fabric with average dips of 5 13 compared to the shear layer plugs have more scatter in clast orientation with numerous clasts dipping at 60 90 levees along the margins of debris flow lobes contain concentrations of the larger clasts in the flows in the leeves discoidal clasts have an average up flow dip of 21 31 with substantial variability in orientation similar to the plugs maximum clast size in individual debris flow beds is fairly constant down fan until the flows spread and thinned on the sandflat at the fan toe clast lithologies show that debris flows originate on steep slopes underlain by granitic and metavolcanic rocks at high elevations in the canyons in contrast stream flows obtained most of their clasts from talus slopes on metasedimentary rocks near the apices of the fans debris flows are generated during intense rainstorms in the spring and summer when landslides in the water saturated regolith move down slope shear dilate and by adding water are transformed into debris flows which then move with surging laminar motion along canyon flows to the fans the recurrence interval for debris flows is about 320 years as evidenced by 14c dates on plant material buried beneath debris flow beds

morphology and isotope heterogeneity of late quaternary pedogenic carbonates implications for paleosol carbonates as paleoenvironmental proxies abstract stable isotope values and radiocarbon ages were determined for pedogenic carbonate microsamples from relict soils and palaeosols from the rio grande rift region of new mexico carbonate nodules and clusters were sampled from fluvial and piedmont soils and palaeosols with widely varying exposure durations 7 900 ky pedogenic carbonates from individual soils exhibited irregular relationships between age and depth ranging in radiocarbon age by 13 ky at individual depths 18 o values and to a lesser extent 13 c values likewise had wide ranges within soils however comparing the stable isotope values of carbonates with similar radiocarbon ages within and between soils revealed consistent trends in stable isotope values over time 18 o values of pedogenic carbonates tended to decrease with decreasing age 25 17 radiocarbon ka and increased with decreasing age 13 c values with either depth or age although the oldest palaeosol piedmont carbonates radiocarbon ages of 24 5 19 2 ka are 1 more negative than the younger piedmont palaeosol carbonates pedogenic carbonates in the relict fluvial soil which has by far the longest exposure period showed the greatest range in 13 c values comparing the 13 c values of samples of similar radiocarbon age from the relict fluvial soil indicates a transition from a mixed c 3 c 4 ecosystem at 11 ka to an effectively pure c 3 ecosystem at 9 ka followed by a return to mixed vegetation by 5 ka thus although c 4 vegetation persisted in southern new mexico through the last glaciation drought resistant c 3 vegetation became dominant at 9 ka prior to significant strengthening of the summer monsoon this study illustrates that the stable isotope values of carbonate nodules and clusters from relict soils and or slowly buried palaeosols can be used for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions in the context of a detailed chronologic framework

palaeosols as indicators of geomorphic stability in two old red sandstone alluvial suites south wales palaeosols fossil soils are abundant in the alluvial late silurian early devonian moor cliffs formation and rat island mudstone freshwater west formation of south dyfed south wales the palaeosols occur in thick mudstones deposited on floodplains under a seasonal semi arid climate and represent vertisol type soils simple single profiles are rare and most of the mudstone intervals exhibit complex overprinted profiles however a major difference exists between the palaeo vertisols in each of the two units studied the moor cliffs formation contains thick floodplain intervals with evidence of frequent erosion and reactivation of earlier soil horizons the associated coarser channel deposits mainly represent ephemeral streams the alluvial system was unstable flashy and prone to extensive stripping of stored floodplain sediment arroyos unstable ephemeral stream channels probably developed during this interval evidence for any marine influence on soil development is missing and previous speculations that the formation may represent deposition in an upper intertidal or supratidal system are not supported the rat island mudstone represents a complete contrast in that there was little or no stripping of floodplain sediments the channel deposits are typically of the fining upwards type representing more stable low sinuosity channels and with ephemeral stream floods by integrating the palaeosols a more detailed picture of the geomorphic history of these units can be formulated comparison with contemporary drainage basins indicates that a change in climate was a possible cause for the differences between the two units less frequent and more severe storms occurring during the deposition of the rat island mudstone

calcretes in semi arid alluvial systems formative pathways and sinks late quaternary deposits in gujarat western india show an abundant development of calcretes three major sinks of carbonate in the alluvial deposits are recognized 1 groundwater calcretes 2 pedogenic calcretes and 3 calcrete conglomerates groundwater calcretes originate from carbonate saturated waters travelling preferentially along stratification planes pedogenic calcretes form through soil forming processes typically in extra channel areas calcrete conglomerates occur as ribbons sheets and lenses due to the reworking of both pedogenic as well as groundwater calcretes as a result a pathway of calcretization develops that has the route groundwater calcrete to pedogenic calcrete to calcrete conglomerate the formation of pedogenic calcretes over sediments containing groundwater calcretes demonstrates that 1 apart from aeolian dust river waters are also a major source of carbonate and 2 pedogenic carbonates may attain large sizes at accelerated rates due to the presence of pre existing groundwater calcretes consequently the maturity of a soil may be overestimated if determined by following established morphogenetic sequences

modelling the baseline geochemistry of groundwater in a chalk aquifer considering solid solutions for carbonate phases the chalk aquifer of champagne france baseline geochemistry has been determined using a solid solution approach for the modelling of calcite dissolution the water rock interactions are modelled by the speciation code chess from field data and ca mg and sr aqueous concentrations in groundwater the stoichiometries of solid solutions are defined in each stratigraphic unit of the chalk aquifer from bulk geochemistry and chalk mineralogy of samples taken from boreholes the initial mineralisation of water at the bottom of the unsaturated zone and the characterisation of the theoretical evolution of groundwater chemistry along the flow lines associated with incongruent calcite dissolution are calculated from this approach

pore fluid and diagenetic evolution of carbonate cements in lacustrine carbonate siliciclastic rocks a case from the lower cretaceous of the erennaoer sag erlian basin ne china lower cretaceous lacustrine carbonate siliciclastic rocks including siltstones and mudstones form a unique tight oil reservoir in the erennaoer sag in the erlian basin of northeastern china that is characterized by various carbonate cements and volcanic material based on integrated analysis of the petrology mineralogy and carbon and oxygen isotope geochemistry the origin compositions and evolution of carbonate cements and pore fluids are determined five types of carbonate cements are identified from oldest to youngest penecontemporaneous micritic crystalline ferroan dolomite 1 eogenetic micro crystalline ferroan dolomite 2 sparry micro crystalline ferroan calcite 1 mesogenetic micro crystalline non ferroan dolomite 3 and calcite 2 the evolution of the pore fluids also controlled the compositions and distribution of the carbonate cements of the lacustrine mudstone during different periods this may be advantageous to predict the distribution of high quality reservoirs the geochemistry of the paleo pore fluids in these mixed lithological reservoirs are more complicated thus the origin and distribution of pore fluids and their influences on carbonate cementation fluid rock interaction and reservoir quality are complicated and certainly worth studying for hydrocarbon exploration in addition the evolution of the pore fluids of the arshan formation have experienced different salinity fluid environments under alkaline to weak acid conditions

continental record of the southwest monsoon during the last 130 ka evidence from the southern margin of the thar desert india abstract field stratigraphy sedimentology and luminescence dating of the exposed fluvial and aeolian sequences from the southern desert margin were used to discern the pattern of southwest monsoon variability during the last 130 ka the sedimentary architecture and textural attributes of the sediments belonging to the period 130 120 ka suggests the existence of a meandering river system consequent to enhanced southwest monsoon conditions a shift from a meandering to a braided pattern during 120 100 ka indicates a phase of reduced precipitation presence of flood plain fines and bedded calcretes during 100 70 ka suggest a period of enhanced monsoon with seasonality following this a phase of weak monsoon activity was observed during 70 60 ka regional flood plain aggradation and pedogenesis during the period termination of a regional fluvial phase around 30 ka and incision of dunes dated to 20 11 ka suggest that the present rivers occupied their course between 11 ka drowned valleys in the estuarine zones suggest that the incision began during the low sea stand around 20 ka when the rivers were graded to the exposed shelf the incision intensified with the re establishment of monsoon during the early holocene

sedimentary facies changes and climatic tectonic controls in a foreland basin the urumqi river tian shan northwest china abstract a sedimentological study was conducted on an interbedded fine gravel and silt succession up to 70 m thick at cangfang gou in northern chaiwopu basin tian shan nw china the succession informally termed urumqi gravel is part of the gravelly basin infill that commenced around 1 87 ma bp in the early pleistocene its upper boundary determined by a magnetostratigraphical study is slightly above the brunhes matuyama b m at 780 ka bp detailed facies analysis indicates that the river underwent multiple cyclic changes from a bed load dominated braided to a suspension load dominated sinuous regime the latter probably adopted a single thread meandering pattern confined within its course and was predominated by overbank accretion of fines without development of distinct point bars the river probably represents the proto urumqi river it appears that the cyclic sequences are climatically controlled their preservation in the succession is largely attributed to the continued aggradation resulted from the subsidence of the chaiwopu basin in the early pleistocene

dedolomitization and calcite cementation in the middle devonian winnipegosis formation in central saskatchewan canada limestone consisting of finely to medium crystalline calcite mosaics is present in the upper part of the winnipegosis formation on the east central margin of the elk point basin where the overlying prairie evaporite deposits have been removed this type of crystalline limestone is interpreted as dedolomite based on petrographic observations the 18o and 13c values of the winnipegosis dedolomite vary from 12 8 to 11 9 vpdb vienna pee dee belemnite and from 0 5 to 1 7 vpdb respectively both values are significantly lower than those for the corresponding dolomite the 87sr 86sr ratios of the dedolomite are significantly higher between 0 7082 and 0 7087 the spatial distribution and geochemical data of the winnipegosis dedolomite suggest that dedolomitization was related to an influx of fresh groundwater and dissolution of the prairie evaporite anhydrite during the latest mississippian to the early cretaceous when the basin was subjected to uplift and erosion the winnipegosis dedolomite displays a series of replacement fabrics showing progressive calcitization of dolomite including the occurrence of dedolomite restricted along fractures and adjacent areas dolomite patches floating in the dedolomite masses and massive dedolomite with sparsely scattered dolomite relicts however the characteristic fabrics resulting from dedolomitization documented in the literature have not been observed in the winnipegosis dedolomite coarsely to very coarsely crystalline subhedral to euhedral calcite cement is restricted in the dedolomite the petrographic features isotopic compositions and homogenization temperatures coupled with the burial history of the winnipegosis formation constrain the precipitation of the calcite cement from a mixing of basinal brines and fresh groundwater during late cretaceous to neogene time the more negative c isotopic signatures of the calcite cement 5 3 to 2 3 vpdb probably reflect a hydrocarbon derived carbon

late quaternary environments in north central india microfossil sediment and oxygen isotope studies of deep sea cores from the bay of bengal and northern arabian sea1 5 have revealed strong contrasts between high late pleistocene and low early holocene salinity values3 indicative of major changes in runoff from the large rivers of southern asia2 3 here we present the first radiocarbon dated continental evidence for late quaternary changes in river regime and loess accumulation in this region our data support earlier palaeoclimatic inferences based solely on oceanic evidence2 3 have important implications for fluvial palaeohydrology6 and provide clear environmental constraints against which to test existing regional models of prehistoric land use and early agriculture 7 9

secular variations in seawater chemistry controlling dolomitisation in shallow reflux systems insights from reactive transport modelling dolomitization often plays a critical role in the pore network development of platform carbonates with implications for reservoir quality distribution understanding both the hydrological system driving dolomitization and the chemistry of the fluids involved is fundamental to constrain predictions of the geometry and the petrophysical properties of dolomite bodies here the role of secular variations in seawater mg ca as a control on dolomitization and early porosity modification was evaluated using one dimensional reactive transport models and fluids based on modern aragonite sea mississippian and aptian calcite sea seawaters the sensitivity of dolomitization to a range of extrinsic controls brine salinity temperature fluid flow rate and pco2 and to intrinsic reactivity of the sediments effective reactive surface area was also explored simulations suggest faster calcite replacement by dolomite for seawaters with higher mg ca indicating that dolomitization potential is determined more by mg ca rather than saturation index increasing evaporative concentration enhances reaction rate independent of the effect of enhanced density driven fluid flux in addition to brine composition effective surface area of precursor sediments and temperature exert a critical control on replacement rate while secular variations of ph and carbonate alkalinity associated with changes in pco2 are only secondary controls above flow rates of 0 01 m yr 1 replacive dolomitization is reaction limited rather than flux limited favouring alteration of fine grained carbonates and suggesting that preferential alteration of grainstone units is rare unless head gradients are low post replacement dolomite cementation is flux dependent and thus favoured in areas of high head gradient and high permeability sediments and contrary to replacement supersaturation is a more important driver than mg ca while uncertainties remain regarding low temperature dolomitization kinetics the capability of numerical simulations to decouple individual controls provides new insights which can be used in conjunction with traditional comparative sedimentology to generate more rigorous conceptual models for individual reservoir settings

chemical evolution of groundwater in triassic gypsum bearing carbonate aquifers las alpujarras southern spain a hydrochemical study employing modelling techniques was carried out using samples taken at 65 points springs and wells in triassic carbonate aquifers lujar gador unit alpujarride complex betic cordillera these aquifers are made up of limestones and dolomites with some gypsum scattered or interbedded though the area is semi arid recharge is relatively high because of their mountainous nature the carbonate rocks contain dense microfissuration the groundwater flow regime is predominantly diffuse the karstic forms are in general poorly developed two main hydrochemical processes have been identified in these aquifers one is incongruent dissolution of dolomite that determines the chemical composition of the less mineralised water the other is dedolomitisation dolomite dissolution together with calcite precipitation caused by dissolution of gypsum which becomes predominant when the flow encounters interbedded gypsum this reaction is also frequently associated with low temperature thermalism and can play a part in more intense local karstification cavities sinkholes high transmisivity in wells observed in the sectors of these aquifers where gypsum is more abundant a reaction path model has been used to simulate the geochemical processes through a hypothetical aquifer with similar lithology to the alpujarride carbonate aquifers successive stages of evolution through the carbonate sequence represented by different saturation states with respect to calcite dolomite gypsum and co2 have been modelled and then compared with the field data

regional controls on the geochemical evolution of saline groundwaters in the edwards aquifer central texas geochemical and isotopic parameters are used to evaluate models for the evolution of saline groundwaters in the edwards aquifer which lies on the northwestern margin of the gulf of mexico sedimentary basin saline groundwaters termed badwaters range in salinity from 1000 to 12 500 mg l 1 total dissolved solids models for badwater evolution must account for complexities owing to 1 the range in compositions of saline basinal fluids that may migrate into the edwards aquifer from its down dip section and from underlying hydrostratigraphic units 2 the range of depositional diagenetic and mineralogic variations in the hist aquifer rocks 3 volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks that locally crosscut the aquifer 4 extensive faulting which in places juxtaposes edwards aquifer units with adjacent hydrostratigraphic units calcium mg na so4 cl and hco3 variations define six badwater hydrochemical facies strontium isotope values of freshwaters 87sr86sr 0 7077 0 7086 badwaters 0 7076 0 7094 and brines from aquifer rocks down dip 0 7078 0 7097 are nearly all higher than the range of most edwards aquifer rocks 0 7074 0 7077 and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks that crosscut the aquifer 0 7032 0 7055 argillaceous carbonate rocks that underlie the edwards aquifer are likely sources of sr with high 87sr86sr values transitions between the hydrochemical facies in some locations correspond to changes in depositional environments in aquifer rocks and to changes in the intensity of faulting through the aquifer major element mineral saturation state and srca 87sr86sr variations in badwaters of the westernmost aquifer region indicate that incongruent dissolution of gypsum and recrystallization of calcite control the geochemical evolution of these badwaters srca na cl 87sr86sr variations in badwaters of extensively faulted areas to the east of the westernmost aquifer region are consistent with fluid mixing processes involving at least five endmember fluids including 1 saline groundwaters from two underlying hydrostratigraphic units 2 two endmember brines from down dip edwadrs aquifer equivalent units and 3 freashwaters that have interacted extensively with aquifer rocks the compositions of badwaters from the northeasternmost region reflect fluid mixing between freshwaters and saline groundwaters from underlying hydrostratigraphic units

fluvial channel and overbank deposits from the westphalian of the durham coalfield ne england the westphalian upper carboniferous coal measures of the durham coalfield in ne england were deposited in lower and upper delta plain environments distributary channels crossed the plain and were separated by shallow interdistributary lakes and bays detailed observation of three dimensional 3 d opencast surface mine exposures in collaboration with subsurface borehole analysis has revealed the existence of five varieties of channel deposits and two associated overbank facies within the durham coal measures major distributary channels were the major avenues of sediment transport across the coal measures plain were variably sinuous mostly 1 2 km wide and deposited elongate belts of sand mostly up to 5 km wide proximal major crevasse splay channels formed by the breaching of major channel banks during flood events were straight sand filled and up to 400 m wide minor distributary channels formed by the sustained operation of such crevasses varied from straight to highly sinuous and deposited shoestring sand mud belts up to a few hundred metres wide minor crevasse channels generally straight and up to 50 m wide were formed through bank breaching of minor and in a few cases major distributaries distal feeder channels formed down palaeocurrent extensions of minor distributaries which supplied interdistributary minor delta subsystems were generally straight and up to 200 m wide of the two types of channel overbank levee deposits recognized one comprising thinly interbedded fine grained sandstone and siltstone claystone is mostly though not exclusively associated with major distributary channels the other consisting of massive siltstones with regularly spaced thin claystone bands is uniquely developed at the margins of minor distributary channels the lower part of the westphalian a succession in the northern pennines records a change in the depositional environment upwards from a lower to upper delta plain through this transition major channel deposits show evidence of having evolved from being of dominantly low sinuosity to being more variable in morphology channel sedimentation was profoundly influenced by regular possibly seasonal variations in flow stage and sediment load

hydrogeochemical modeling and dedolomitization processes in the patagonian boulders and patagonia formation in the eastern patagonia argentina the aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the hydrogeological system of the argentine patagonia extra andina region focused on the atlantic coastal area at 46 south latitude the hydrogeochemical aspects of this aquifer system were taken into consideration for this purpose the database includes 193 chemical analyses of major ions obtained through standard laboratory methods a statistical analysis of the data as well as the realization of hydrochemical models using phreeqc software was performed the regional groundwater flows from west to east with the recharge water being a sodium chloride bicarbonate type and the discharge of water is typified as a sodium sulfate chloride type the hydrogeochemical evolution of the aquifer shows a general augmentation of salinity and major ions in the groundwater flow path except for hco3 inverse hydrochemical modeling showed that gypsum dissolution with calcite precipitation ca2 na and mg2 na ionic exchange and dedolomitization are the main processes along the groundwater flow pathway

palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental responses in the western mediterranean over the last 140 ka evidence from mallorca spain climatic change in the western mediterranean basin over the last 140 ka has been investigated from sediment and soil sequences along the coast of the northeastern part of mallorca spain palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironments are reconstructed from sediment and soil structures marine and terrestrial molluscan fauna grain size distributions mineral magnetics sediment and soil chemistry sem and oxygen isotope values dating is by osl and amino acid geochronometry along with marine molluscan faunal assemblages all oxygen isotope stages and substages from ois 6 to 1 are recorded mean annual temperatures m a t of c 19 2 c for the climatic optimum of the last interglacial compare with c 17 3 c for the present and are associated with high sea level extensive woodland and stable soils although wide temperature ranges are detected during this stage with values as low as c 10 3 c through ois 5d to 5a m a t fluctuated from 8 2 c to 17 9 c low sea level open vegetation effective river activity and aeolian sand and dust deposition characterize 5d and 5b while relatively high sea level and soil development on stable landscapes dominate ois 5c and 5a ois 4 is represented by m a t of c 4 9 c with aeolian sand and loess deposition limited river activity and weak soil development loess deposition persisted into ois 3 but at this time the m a t was c 13 c and with higher humidity and vegetation growth during the lgm ois 2 m a t was c 8 1 c and effective river slope and aeolian processes along with associated with limited vegetation cover were responsible for the most extensive changes in the landscape major rates of change occur during periods of climatic deterioration when the high levels of geomorphic energy were imposed on a landscape undergoing a breakdown of vegetation cover

late pleistocene fluvial sedimentary facies the dhadhar river basin western india abstract the late pleistocene fluvial succession is exposed as 18 20 m high incised vertical cliffs all along the dhadhar river basin in western india the major fluvial sedimentary facies of the late pleistocene deposits in the dhadhar river basin have preserved evidence of palaeodrainage and could provide an important link between the sub humid narmada basin in the south and the semi arid mahi basin in the north the sedimentary facies documented include overbank fines which are associated with crevasse splays fine grained overbank sediments are interpreted as having formed by sheet flow of sediments over the banks of minor distributary channels during the flood stage the overlying thinly stratified fluvial sands and silts at the top of the exposed sediment succession show a thin cap of aeolian sediments suggesting less intense aeolian activity than that observed in sabarmati mahi and orsang basins though a significant reduction in fluvial activity is suggested during the arid phase of the lgm however the river may still have been perennial assuming that it retained the larger part of the catchment

kinetics of incongruent dissolution of carbonates in a chalk aquifer using reverse flow modelling s u m m a r y water rock interactions are major processes that control the solute transfer from natural or anthropo genic sources in aquifers in carbonate aquifers these water rock interactions are mainly characterised by the incongruent dissolutions of carbonates the in situ quantification of these reactions is few studied in the present paper we provide a new quantification of the kinetic rates of simultaneous incongruent dissolution of composite carbonate and dolomite in a chalk aquifer the approach is based on a mass balance model used to calculate the rates of mineral dissolution and precipitation along a 500 m to 4 km flow path starting at the groundwater divide line the groundwater transfer times between the groundwater divide line and the wells are calculated thanks to flow and transport modelling used in a backward particle tracking mode the uncertainties on porosity dispersivity and transmissivity are taken into account the rates are found ranging between 1 5 10 a5 and 1 5 10 a4 mol c5 chalk l a1 w yr a1 for the composite carbonate dissolution between 1 0 10 a7 and 3 0 10 a6 mol dolomite l a1 w yr a1 for the dolomite dissolution and between 1 0 10 a5 and 1 5 10 a4 mol calcite l a1 w yr a1 for the calcite precipitation the results highlight the importance of physical and geological properties of the aquifer

sedimentology of the narmada alluvial fan western india abstract the narmada alluvial fan is one of the world s largest with an axial length of 23 km the architecture is dominated by debris flow deposits gms facies matrix support a clay content of 3 and clast contact indicate that the clast support mechanism resulted from a combination of buoyancy and dispersive pressure the other faci facies gsh planar cross stratified gravel facies gp1 and gp2 sand sheet facies sm and trough cross stratified sand facies st gms gsh and sm facies are debris flow and sheet flow deposits that aggraded the fan whereas gp1 and st are channel bars and channel fills that dominated the fan between major flood events the fan is characterised by subrounded to rounded clasts the rounding is due to the elongated catchment area upstream of the fan apex as clasts are rounded during prolonged bed load transport and are temporarily arrested upstream of the fan apex as channel bars these clasts are remobilized and entrained in debris flows on the fan during events of anomalous discharge storm events the basalt clasts show a progressive fall in maximum clast size from 150 cm to 10 cm away from the fan apex the narmada river exhibits discharges of up to 60 000 m3 s but due to reconfinement of the feeder channel resulting from tectonic reactivation of pre existing lineaments during the late pleistocene this does not aggrade the fan tectonism has influenced the location of the depositional site has provided the necessary physiographic contrast and has played an important role in the erosion of the fan whereas climate controlled primary and secondary processes have determined the nature of alluvial architecture

dolomite dissolution rates and possible holocene dedolomitization of water bearing units in the edwards aquifer south central texas abstract rates of dolomite dissolution can be used to test the concept based on geomorphologic evidence that a major part of the edwards aquifer could have formed within the holocene a timeframe of approximately 10 000 years during formation of the aquifer in the edwards limestone cretaceous albian of the balcones fault zone dolomite dissolution and porosity development were synchronous and the result of mixing zone dedolomitization initiation of the mixing zone in the early holocene 11 000 years before present is suggested by the maximum age of formation of major discharge sites that allowed the influx of meteoric water into brine filled dolomitic preaquifer units dedolomitization the dissolution of dolomite and net precipitation of calcite has left aquifer units that are calcitic and 40 vol interconnected pore space the mass of dolomite missing is obtained by comparison of stratigraphically equivalent altered and unaltered units one dissolution rate 1 76 10 4 mmol dolomite kg h 2 o 1 yr 1 is determined from this mass 10 4 yr reaction time and a log linear function describing the increase in mass discharge three orders of magnitude during aquifer formation the second estimated dissolution rate is obtained from the mass transfer of dolomite to solution calculated from the increase in magnesium in pore fluids selected from the modern aquifer to represent a typical flowpath during aquifer formation a reaction time of 10 4 yr for this mass transfer yields a rate of 0 56 10 4 mmol dolomite kg h 2 o 1 yr 1 both of these rates are comparable to modern rates of dolomite dissolution 0 3 to 4 5 10 4 mmol dolomite kg h 2 o 1 yr 1 calculated from measured reaction times in the tertiary floridan aquifer system in florida and the madison aquifer in the mississippian madison limestone of the northern great plains similarity of these rates to the estimated paleo rates of dolomite dissolution supports a 10 4 yr reaction timeframe the holocene reaction time also can be compared to a series of reaction times calculated by assuming that the mass of dolomite missing from the edwards was removed at rates observed in the floridan and madison aquifers these reaction times for complete removal of dolomite range from 2700 to 58 500 yr and span the pleistocene holocene boundary finally an estimated dolomite reaction rate during dedolomitization of the edwards aquifer based on surface area of exposed dolomite mmol cm 2 s 1 millimoles per square centimeter per second may be approximated from reaction times this rate is directly a function of the mass of dolomite removed and the surface area exposed per pore volume passing through the rock the surface area is available from the observed dolomite rhomb size in unaltered rock the rate of pore fluid movement is obtained from the averaged annual discharge rates during formation of the edwards aquifer calculated from all reaction times range from 10 13 to 10 14 mmol dolomite cm 2 s 1 these rates are faster than rates 10 18 mmol cm 2 s 1 measured in the pure laboratory system camg co 3 2 co 2 h 2 o but slower than rates determined in an alpine stream study 10 10 to 10 11 mmol cm 2 s 1 where cold glacial melt water flows over dolostone dolomite dissolution rates from both the edwards and other aquifers support the concept that a major part of the edwards aquifer could have formed within the holocene

tectonic event stratigraphy in a fluvio lacustrine strike slip setting the boss point formation westphalian a cumberland basin maritime canada abstract the boss point formation westphalian a was deposited in a rapidly subsiding strike slip basin the formation about 800 m thick comprises alternate braidplain and lacustrine facies associations sixteen megacycles defined by sharp but nonerosive lacustrine flooding surfaces each comprise a lower lacustrine and an upper braidplain package braidplain deposits invariably scour deeply into lacustrine strata the lacustrine facies association consists of very fine sandstone mudstone claystone coal and limestone deposited in shallow hydrologically open freshwater lakes lakes were filled by small elongate river dominated deltas and by suspended and biogenic sediment sand rich deltaic facies represent mouth bar subaqueous levee crevasse channel and splay and straight and sinuous distributary channel subenvironments evidence of wave reworking is very scarce interdeltaic areas accumulated platy gray mudstone as interdistributary bays aggraded to water level they were subject to oxidation and pedogenic modification forming bright colors prismatic desiccation fabrics pseudo anticlines and calcretes thin but laterally extensive possibly up to 40 km abandonment facies comprising black organic rich mudstones coals and ostracod limestones suggest periods of clastic starvation dunes current ripples and rarely adhesion ripples are common on the top surfaces of braidplain sandstone packages preserved beneath a blanket of lacustrine mudstone rare oscillation ripples attest to localized reworking of the fluvial sand during or soon after flooding flooding surfaces can be traced for 12 km and possibly up to 40 km and are attributed to instantaneous subsidence along the northwest margin of the basin during major earthquakes one locality preserves evidence of abrupt 180 paleoflow reversals above and below a lacustrine unit this is interpreted to record abrupt basin tilting first to the northwest forming a lake that filled from the southeast followed by tilting to the southeast we interpret boss point megacycles to reflect the interaction of episo ic tectonic subsidence with longer term changes in sediment supply controlled by cyclical climatic variation in the milankovitch band during periods of pronounced wet dry seasonality when clastic supply was high sandy and gravelly braidplain deposits prevailed and any lakes that formed by earthquake related subsidence were rapidly filled during more humid periods higher vegetative cover greatly reduced clastic supply and lakes persisted for many thousands of years hydrologic changes accompanying the transition from relatively humid to strongly seasonal wet dry periods might have resulted in the deep fluvial erosion observed at the base of each braidplain package

interpreting the response of a dryland river system to late quaternary climate change abstract a u series calcrete chronology has been constructed for three late quaternary terrace units termed the d1 d2 and d3 terraces in age descending order from the rio aguas river system of the sorbas basin southeast spain the d1 terrace formed between 30 300 4400 year bp and 12 140 360 year bp correlating well with the last glacial maximum when rates of sediment supply would have increased greatly because of higher rates of weathering reduced vegetation cover and weak soil development the d2 terrace formed between 12 800 1100 year bp and 9 600 530 year bp correlating well with the younger dryas event the d3 terrace could only be poorly constrained to the early holocene and no unequivocal cause could be assigned to this period of aggradation the sedimentology and geomorphology of the d2 terrace suggests however that the aggradation of this unit was a response to diapirism karstic processes occurring within the underlying messinian gypsum strata and the subsequent damming of the aguas system therefore despite its coincident occurrence with the younger dryas aggradation of the d2 terrace is unrelated to climate change the style of this response controlled predominantly by the characteristics of the underlying bedrock makes correlating the terrace record of the aguas with other systems in the mediterranean unreliable this study therefore highlights the problems of correlating fluvial sequences in regions of variable tectonics climatic history and bedrock geology and emphasises the need to properly understand the main controls on individual fluvial systems before any attempt is made to correlate their depositional histories