hydrocarbon gas in the costa rica subduction zone primary composition and post genetic alteration abstract at the active continental margin off costa rica substantial amounts of hydrocarbon gases are encountered in sediments the molecular composition c1 c3 of free hydrocarbon gas as well as the isotopic composition 13c of methane and ethane and d of methane was analysed on core samples ranging between 50 and 380 m depth collected at sites 1040 1043 which was drilled during odp leg 170 in addition the molecular composition of the c1 c3 hydrocarbons and the 13c composition of c1 and c2 hydrocarbons was determined on adsorbed gas from selected depth intervals at site 1041 50 380 mbsf the molecular composition and stable carbon and hydrogen isotope signature of low molecular weight hydrocarbons from core sediments and gas pockets indicate that most of the gas was generated by microbial co2 reduction beside 13c values of about 80 for methane which is typical for microbially generated methane extremely light 13c values of 55 were measured for ethane the carbon isotope composition of methane and ethane as well as the c1 c2 c3 ratio display distinct trends with increasing depth gas mixing calculations indicate that the percentage of thermally generated ethane increases from 10 at about 75 mbsf to almost 80 at 380 mbsf the fraction of thermogenic methane in this depth interval is calculated to range from 0 03 to 1 8 of the total methane the small contribution of thermogenic methane would increase the 13c value by

sedimentary record of recent tsunamis in the huelva estuary southwestern spain abstract the coast of the gulf of cadiz has been repeatedly struck by tsunamis during the late holocene and the historic period historical documents record at least seven catastrophic tsunamis affecting this coast while others have been detected by oceanic instruments nevertheless very few studies have documented the sedimentary record of these tsunamis in the low energy coastal environments of the gulf of cadiz the huelva estuary is located at the central sector of the gulf of cadiz and is a mesotidal estuary fed by the tinto and odiel rivers the mean tidal range of the huelva estuary is ca 2 m and the mean significant wave height is ca 0 5 m the outer part of the estuary is characterized by extensive sand rich sedimentary bodies of marine origin whereas the central and inner parts are infilled by muddy tidally deposited sediment bodies recorded within these estuarine sediment bodies are five laterally continuous shelly units these units display many of the typical characteristics of tsunami deposits each typically comprises an erosional base followed by a fining upwards sequence that begins with the shell accumulation and ends with bioturbated muddy sand the results of 14 c ages and recent radionuclides accumulation rates in this study illustrate that these five tsunami deposits correspond with known events that occurred in ad 1755 1531 949 1033 881 and 395 381 all of which are documented in historical sources

reworked tsunami deposits by bottom currents circumstantial evidences from late pleistocene to early holocene in the gulf of cadiz abstract younger sand layers ysls have been identified in drill cores of a late glacial to early holocene muddy contourite succession from the gulf of cadiz in this study we evaluate the grain size characteristics of the ysl which display bi gradational grading with inverse grading from silt to fine or medium grained sand followed by normal grading from fine or medium grained sand to silt radiocarbon dating shows that the ysl formed at three distinct times 1 the bolling allerod sites u1387 and u1386 2 the younger dryas site u1390 and 3 the beginning of the boreal site u1389 ichnological analyses and radiocarbon dating of cores from drill site u1389c indicate that the ysls consist of reworked materials deposited at a high sedimentation rate the results of sedimentological analyses ichnological treatment spatial distributions and radiocarbon dating of the ysls suggest that the possibility of an origin of the ysls is tsunami related but later reworked by bottom current however the source areas of the sandy sediments remain unclear although our results show them to be variable and area dependent some sandy deposits are transported by the mediterranean outflow water mow from the proximal sector of the gulf of cadiz contourite depositional system cds which is close to the strait of gibraltar however in other cases it is more probable that local gravity flows which are the result of instability on adjacent margins provide the sandy material

facies distribution and textural variation in faro drift contourites velocity fluctuation and drift growth abstract detailed study of seismic profiles piston cores and bottom photographs from the faro drift on the southern margin of portugal has led to a better understanding of drift development and its relationship to bottom current circulation data on the contourite facies characteristics and the surface microphysiography have been published elsewhere here we concentrate on sediment distribution and geometry longitudinal trends in facies types mean grain size sedimentary structures and composition can be interpreted in terms of relative intensity of currents over different parts of the drift these are generally more intense in the marginal channels and at the upstream or eastern end of the drift three different scales of vertical variation of facies can be identified at the large scale 300 500 m of sediment has accumulated over 4 6 ma in a regular vertical succession due to the northward progradation of the drift at the medium scale the upper 20 30 m of sediment shows alternating phases of active lateral progradation and uniform vertical accumulation that may correlate with episodes of more and less current activity related to high and low sea level stands respectively over the past 0 3 ma at the small scale the topmost 2 3 m of sediment deposited in approximately 0 03 ma shows three zones of coarser grained sediments separated by finer grained contourites this sequence can also be interpreted in terms of long term fluctuation in bottom current activity although the signal is clearly complex this kind of analysis of sedimentary drifts can lead to more accurate reconstruction of paleocirculation patterns

dating of pore waters with 129 i relevance for the origin of marine gas hydrates pore waters associated with gas hydrates at blake ridge in the atlantic ocean were dated by measuring their iodine 129 iodine ratios samples collected from sediments with ages between 1 8 and 6 million years ago consistently yield ages around 55 million years ago these ages together with the strong iodine enrichment observed in the pore waters suggest that the origin of iodine is related to organic material of early tertiary age which probably is also the source of the methane in the gas hydrates at this location

looking for clues to paleoceanographic imprints a diagnosis of the gulf of cadiz contourite depositional systems a new morphosedimentary map of the gulf of cadiz is presented showing the contourite depositional system on the gulf s middle slope this map is constructed from a broad da tabase provided by the spanish research council and the u s naval research laboratory our map shows that this contourite depositional system comprises five morphosedimentary sectors 1 proximal scour and sand ribbons 2 overflow sedimentary lobe 3 channels and ridges 4 contourite deposition and 5 submarine canyons the gulf of cadiz con tourite depositional system stems directly from the interaction between mediterranean out flow water and the seafloor its morphosedimentary sectors are clearly related to the sys tematic deceleration of the mediterranean outflow waters westward branches bathymetric stress on the margin and the coriolis force the slope s depositional system can be consid ered as a mixed contourite and turbidite system i e a detached combined drift and fan

contourite erosive features caused by the mediterranean outflow water in the gulf of cadiz quaternary tectonic and oceanographic implications abstract contourite depositional systems have been the focus of much recent research but still relatively little is known about contourite erosive features and their associated processes based on multibeam bathymetry side scan imagery and different resolution seismic records a detailed description and classification of the major erosive submarine valley features of the contourite depositional system of the gulf of cadiz middle slope is presented for the first time four types of erosive features have been differentiated including contourite moats contourite channels marginal valleys and large isolated furrows and interpreted in terms of their tectonic and oceanographic implications during the quaternary the study of the distribution and characteristics of erosive features is essential to better understand the present and past interaction of the mediterranean outflow water mow with the middle slope seafloor and allows us to propose a new and more precise scheme for the mow circulation patterns this scheme includes a main along slope circulation responsible for the excavation of the contourite moat and channels and a secondary down slope circulation responsible for the erosion of marginal valleys and isolated furrows three evolutionary stages have been observed in the development of the erosive system during the quaternary that can be related to changes in the distribution and splitting of the mow as a consequence of the segmentation of the ne sw diapiric ridges by neotectonic effects 1 early pleistocene to mid pleistocene linear diapiric ridges 2 mid pleistocene to late pleistocene diapiric reactivation and 3 late pleistocene to holocene main recent phase of diapiric ridges segmentation and rotation this study provides important regional clues for establishing the evolution of the erosive features in relation with neotectonic effects and represents a good example of the potential of erosive features as evidences for the reconstruction of the paleoceanography and recent tectonic changes

dissociation of oceanic methane hydrate as a cause of the carbon isotope excursion at the end of the paleocene isotopic records across the latest paleocene thermal maximum lptm indicate that bottom water temperature increased by more than 4 c during a brief time interval 104 years of the latest paleocene 55 6 ma there also was a coeval 2 to 3 excursion in the 13c of the ocean atmosphere inorganic carbon reservoir given the large mass of this reservoir a rapid 13c shift of this magnitude is difficult to explain within the context of conventional hypotheses for changing the mean carbon isotope composition of the ocean and atmosphere however a direct consequence of warming bottom water temperature from 11 to 15 c over 104 years would be a significant change in sediment thermal gradients and dissociation of oceanic ch4 hydrate at locations with intermediate water depths in terms of the present day oceanic ch4 hydrate reservoir thermal dissociation of oceanic ch4 hydrate during the lptm could have released greater than 1 1 to 2 1 1018 g of carbon with a 13c of approximately 60 the release and subsequent oxidation of this amount of carbon is sufficient to explain a 2 to 3 excursion in 13c across the lptm fate of ch4 in oceanic hydrates must be considered in developing models of the climatic and paleoceanographic regimes that operated during the lptm

thermodynamic and pore water halogen constraints on gas hydrate distribution at odp site 997 blake ridge abstract marine sediment sequences with ch4 hydrate are characterized by an atypical depth profile in dissolved cl squeezed from pore space a shallow subsurface cl maximum overlies a lengthy and pronounced cl minimum this pore water cl profile represents a combination of multiple processes including glacial interglacial variations in ocean salinity advection and diffusion of ions that are excluded during gas hydrate formation at depth and release of fresh water from dissociation of hydrate during core recovery in situ quantities of gas hydrate can be determined from a measured pore water cl profile provided the in situ pore water signature prior to core recovery can be separated ocean drilling program odp site 997 was drilled into a large ch4 hydrate reservoir on the blake ridge in the western atlantic ocean previously we have constructed a high resolution pore water cl profile at this location here we present a coupled chloride hydrate numerical model to explain basic trends in the cl profile and to isolate in situ cl concentrations the model is based on thermodynamic and ecological considerations and uses established equations for describing chemical behavior in marine sediment pore water systems the model incorporates four key concepts 1 most gas hydrate is formed immediately below the so42 reduction zone 2 fluid dissolved ions and gas advect upward through the sediment column 3 ch4 hydrate dissociates at the base of hydrate stability conditions and 4 seawater salinity fluctuates during glacial interglacial cycles of the late pliocene and quaternary rates of upward advection in the model are sufficient to account for measured br and i concentrations as well as ch4 oxidation at the base of the so42 reduction zone in situ pore water cl inferred from the model is similar to that determined by limited direct sampling in situ ch4 hydrate amounts inferred from the model an average of about 4 of porosity are broadly consistent with those determined by direct gas sampling and indirect geophysical techniques the model also predicts production of substantial quantities of free ch4 gas bubbles 2 5 of porosity at a depth immediately below the lowest accumulation of ch4 hydrate in the sediment column our explanation for the pore water cl profile at site 997 is important because it provides a theoretical mechanism for understanding the distribution of interstitial water cl gas hydrate and free gas in a marine sediment column

influence of the atlantic inflow and mediterranean outflow currents on late quaternary sedimentary facies of the gulf of cadiz continental margin abstract the late quaternary pattern of sedimentary facies on the spanish gulf of cadiz continental shelf results from an interaction between a number of controlling factors that are dominated by the atlantic inflow currents flowing southeastward across the cadiz shelf toward the strait of gibraltar an inner shelf shoreface sand facies formed by shoaling waves is modified by the inflow currents to form a belt of sand dunes at 10 20 m that extends deeper and obliquely down paleo valleys as a result of southward down valley flow a mid shelf holocene mud facies progrades offshore from river mouth sources but atlantic inflow currents cause extensive progradation along shelf toward the southeast increased inflow current speeds near the strait of gibraltar and the strong mediterranean outflow currents there result in lack of mud deposition and development of a reworked transgressive sand dune facies across the entire southernmost shelf at the outer shelf edge and underlying the mid shelf mud and inner shelf sand facies is a late pleistocene to holocene transgressive sand sheet formed by the eustatic shoreline advance the late quaternary pattern of contourite deposits on the spanish gulf of cadiz continental slope results from an interaction between linear diapiric ridges that are oblique to slope contours and the mediterranean outflow current flowing northwestward parallel to the slope contours and down valleys between the ridges coincident with the northwestward decrease in outflow current speeds from the strait there is the following northwestward gradation of contourite sediment facies 1 upper slope sand to silt bed facies 2 sand dune facies on the upstream mid slope terrace 3 large mud wave facies on the lower slope 4 sediment drift facies banked against the diapiric ridges and 5 valley facies between the ridges the southeastern sediment drift facies closest to gibraltar contains medium fine sand beds interbedded with mud the adjacent valley floor facies is composed of gravelly shelly coarse to medium sand lags and large sand dunes on the valley margins by comparison the northwestern drift contains coarse silt interbeds and the adjacent valley floors exhibit small to medium sand dunes of fine sand because of the complex pattern of contour parallel and valley perpendicular flow paths of the mediterranean outflow current the larger scale bedforms and coarser grained sediment of valley facies trend perpendicular to the smaller scale bedforms and finer grained contourite deposits of adjacent sediment drift facies radiocarbon ages verify that the inner shelf shoreface sand facies sedimentation rate 7 1 cm kyr mid shelf mud facies maximum rate 234 cm kyr and surface sandy contourite layer of 0 2 1 2 m thickness on the cadiz slope 1 12 cm kyr have deposited during holocene time when high sea level results in maximum water depth over the gibraltar sill and full development of the atlantic inflow and mediterranean outflow currents the transgressive sand sheet of the shelf and the mud layer underlying the surface contourite sand sheet of the slope correlate respectively with the late pleistocene sea level lowstand and apparent weak mediterranean outflow current

moment tensor solutions for small and moderate earthquakes in the ibero maghreb region 1 we applied time domain moment tensor inversion of local and regional waveforms to small and moderate mw 3 5 5 7 shallow earthquakes from the iberian peninsula northern morocco and northern algeria for the 6 years period from november 1995 to march 2002 and the previous network of autonomously recording seismograms nars experiment moment tensor solutions were obtained for 58 events considerably increasing the total number of available solutions in the study area for each event we performed a moment tensor inversion and a double couple grid search for simple faulting events the grid search is valuable as a quality test for its ability to reveal potential ambiguities of the solutions and to assess confidence limits of fault plane parameters or principal axes orientation the computed mechanisms show regional consistency a large part of the iberian peninsula is characterized by normal faulting mechanisms with sw ne oriented t axes thrusting and se nw compression is dominant in algeria in the alboran sea the westernmost part of the mediterranean and the transition between both regimes strike slip mechanisms dominate with approximately n s oriented p axes this pattern suggests a regional anomaly characterized by clockwise rotation of the principal horizontal stress orientations

possible submarine tsunami deposits on the outer shelf of sendai bay japan resulting from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami off the pacific coast of tohoku abstract although it is accepted that large tsunami waves impact the sea floor the response of surface sediments to tsunami is not yet fully understood tsunami by the 2011 off the pacific coast of tohoku earthquake caused considerable damage to northeast japan surface sediments on the outer shelf of sendai bay also show evidence of strong ground motion and agitation by the subsequent tsunami sediments in the hemipelagic mud below the erosional surface contain vein like structures providing evidence of strong ground motions induced by the earthquake two turbidite sequences are present above the erosional surface in which 134 cs and 137 cs only occur in the upper turbidite unconsolidated mud on the inner mid sendai shelf was agitated and resuspended by the high frictional velocities associated with the tsunami waves the high concentration of suspended sediment in the water column above the shelf is likely to have generated turbidity currents and have made the lower turbidite after the release of 134 cs by the accident at the fukushima no 1 nuclear power plant the second turbidity current generated and created the upper turbidite

the quest for the africa eurasia plate boundary west of the strait of gibraltar the missing link in the plate boundary between eurasia and africa in the central atlantic is presented and discussed a set of almost linear and sub parallel dextral strike slip faults the swim1 faults that form a narrow band of deformation over a length of 600 km coincident with a small circle centred on the pole of rotation of africa with respect to eurasia was mapped using a new swath bathymetry compilation available in the area offshore sw portugal these faults connect the gloria fault to the rif tell fault zone two segments of the plate boundary between africa and eurasia the swim faults cut across the gulf of cadiz in the atlantic ocean where the 1755 great lisbon earthquake m 8 5 8 7 and tsunami were generated providing a new insight on its source location

sedimentological record of tsunamis on shallow shelf areas the case of the 1969 ad and 1755 ad tsunamis on the portuguese shelf off lisbon one of the aims of the sedport project esf euromargins eurocores program was to investigate the depositional features on the shelf and upper slope of the portuguese margin tagus system during the holocene to fulfill the objectives two shallow box cores and two sedimentary sequences were studied po287 26b and the spliced sequence of sites d13902 po287 26g recovered on the portuguese continental shelf ssw off the tagus river mouth and the box po287 28b and gravity core geob8903 collected towards the w of the river mouth magnetic susceptibility grain size and xrf fe data as well as 210 pb and ams 14 c dating of these sedimentary sequences have allowed the identification of an instantaneous deposit at about 20 cm in the box cores downcore we could establish a hiatus corresponding to 355 yr of sedimentation at both sites a 39 cm instantaneous deposit of coarse material including carbonate broken shells on the ssw site and a 1 5 m instantaneous deposit of fine material on the w site both hiatus and instantaneous deposits are considered to be of tsunamigenic origin the box cores deposit has an estimated age of 1969 ad and it is attributed to the 1969 earthquake caused tsunami the hiatus and deposits found downcore are due to the age limits encountered believed to represent the tsunami related to the 1755 lisbon major earthquake these data further indicate a sediment deposit similar in type and thickness on both ssw and w sites in 1969 while the 1755 ad record indicates a higher energy backwash along the ssw and a preferential deposition of fine suspended matter towards the w c 2007 elsevier b v all rights reserved

iodine ages of pore waters at hydrate ridge odp leg 204 cascadia margin implications for sources of methane in gas hydrates hydrate ridge off the coast of oregon usa is a prime example for gas hydrate occurrences in active margin settings it is part of the cascadia margin and was the focus of ocean drilling program odp leg 204 which successfully recovered fluids from nine sites from the southern part of the ridge iodide concentrations in pore fluids associated with gas hydrates are strongly enhanced by factors up to 5000 compared to seawater which allows the use of this biophilic element as tracer for organic source regions we applied the cosmogenic isotope 129 i t 1 2 15 7 ma system to determine the age of the organic source formation responsible for the iodide enrichment in all sites at odp leg 204 129 i i ratios were found to decrease with depth to values around 250 10 15 corresponding to minimum ages of 40 ma but in several sites maxima in the 129 i i ratios point to the local addition of young iodide the results indicate that a large amount of iodide was derived from deep accreted sediments of eocene age and that additional source regions provide iodide of late miocene age the presence of old iodide in the pore waters suggests that fluid pathways are open to allow transport over large distances into the gas hydrate fields the strong correlation between iodide and methane in hydrate fields coupled with the similarity in transport parameters in aqueous solutions suggests that a large fraction of methane in gas hydrates also has old sources and is transported into the present locations from source regions of eocene age

ichnological analysis of pleistocene sediments from the iodp site u1385 shackleton site on the iberian margin approaching paleoenvironmental conditions ichnological analysis focused on trace fossil assemblages and an ichnofabric approach with special attention to cross cutting relationships tiering relative abundances and bioturbation degrees has been used to assess environmental parameters affecting the pleistocene macrobenthic tracemaker community at the iodp expedition 339 site u1385 shackleton site on the iberian margin the trace fossil assemblage consists of abundant planolites frequent yet sparsely distributed palaeophycus thalassinoides and thalassinoides like structures and taenidium and localized zoophycos and chondrites other ichnotaxa such as phycosiphon and scolicia are rare this assemblage is typical of the zoophycos ichnofacies though the distal expression of the cruziana ichnofacies has a similar composition ichnofabrics reveal variable substrate colonization with well defined cross cutting relationships and tiering distribution differentiated ichnofabrics are green mottled ichnofabric planolites ichnofabric taenidium and planolites ichnofabric thalassinoides like and palaeophycus ichnofabric planolites and thalassinoides thalassinoides like ichnofabric zoophycos ichnofabric and chondrites ichnofabric usually showing gradual transitions a multi tiered assemblage can be envisaged with differentiation of the shallowest biodeformational structures shallow planolites palaeophycus and even taenidium middle thalassinoides thalassinoides like structures and lower zoophycos and chondrites tiers according to the ichnological data a general context of good bottom and pore water oxygen conditions and organic matter availability can be interpreted but localized dysaerobic intervals might be related with the record of zoophycos and chondrites a constant rate of sedimentation shows only minor variations as revealed by ichnofabric succession soupy soft and stiffgrounds are interpreted as inducing changes in ichnological features salinity and temperature have a minor incidence on the macrobenthic tracemaker community causing only small changes in the trace fossils

abrupt increase in greenland snow accumulation at the end of the younger dryas event the warming at the end of the last glaciation was characterized by a series of abrupt returns to glacial climate the best known of which is the younger dryas event1 despite much study of the causes of this event and the mechanisms by which it ended many questions remain unresolved1 oxygen isotope data from greenland ice cores2 4 suggest that the younger dryas ended abruptly over a period of about 50 years dust concentrations2 4 in these cores show an even more rapid transition 20 years this extremely short timescale places severe constraints on the mechanisms underlying the transition but dust concentrations can reflect subtle changes in atmospheric circulation which need not be associated with a large change in climate here we present results from a new greenland ice core gisp2 showing that snow accumulation doubled rapidly from the younger dryas event to the subsequent preboreal interval possibly in one to three years we also find that the accumulation rate change from the oldest dryas to the bo11ing allerod warm period was large and abrupt the extreme rapidity of these changes in a variable that directly represents regional climate implies that the events at the end of the last glaciation may have been responses to some kind of threshold or trigger in the north atlantic climate system

the younger dryas cold interval as viewed from central greenland abstract greenland ice core records provide an exceptionally clear picture of many aspects of abrupt climate changes and particularly of those associated with the younger dryas event as reviewed here well preserved annual layers can be counted confidently with only 1 errors for the age of the end of the younger dryas 11 500 years before present ice flow corrections allow reconstruction of snow accumulation rates over tens of thousands of years with little additional uncertainty glaciochemical and particulate data record atmospheric loading changes with little uncertainty introduced by changes in snow accumulation confident paleothermometry is provided by site specific calibrations using ice isotopic ratios borehole temperatures and gas isotopic ratios near simultaneous changes in ice core paleoclimatic indicators of local regional and more widespread climate conditions demonstrate that much of the earth experienced abrupt climate changes synchronous with greenland within thirty years or less post younger dryas changes have not duplicated the size extent and rapidity of these paleoclimatic changes

fluid expulsion from the dvurechenskii mud volcano black sea part i fluid sources and relevance to li b sr i and dissolved inorganic nitrogen cycles significant sediment ocean chemical fluxes are produced by the expulsion of sedimentary fluids at continental margins although such fluxes could play a role in global geochemical cycles few quantitative estimates of their global or even regional significance exist we carried out a pore water geochemical study of fluids expelled from the dvurechenskii mud volcano dmv in the black sea with the aim of understanding the role played by mud volcanoes in black sea geochemical cycles the dmv is presently expelling highly saline fluids particularly enriched in geochemically important species such as li 1 5 mm b 2 17 mm ba2 0 57 mm sr2 0 79 mm i 0 4 mm and dissolved inorganic nitrogen din 22 mm a combination of geochemical indicators shows that this geochemical signature was acquired via organic matter and silicate alteration processes in the subsurface down to 3 km depth and near surface gas hydrate formation we used a simple transport model to estimate the benthic fluxes of these solutes at the dmv our results show that the dmv is expelling fluids at a rather low seepage rate 8 25 cm year 1 resulting in a total water flux of 9 4 10 5 km3 year 1 this gentle regime of fluid expulsion results in li b sr2 i and din fluxes between 3 8 104 and 2 1 106 mol year 1 surface biogeochemical processes affect the benthic fluxes of ba2 such that the deep ba2 flux is completely consumed through the precipitation of authigenic barite baso4 in surface sediments the black sea i cycle is likely to be affected by mud volcanism if the 50 known black sea mud volcanoes share the rather sluggish activity of the dmv mud volcano fluxes of li b sr and din instead are too small to affect black sea geochemical cycles on a global scale mud volcanism could play a role in the marine cycles of li b sr i and din if current estimates of mud volcano abundance are correct

old iodine in fluids venting along the central american convergent margin focused fluid expulsion at cold vents is a common feature of subduction zones serving as an important backflux of water and volatile elements to the oceanic reservoir the strong enrichment of iodine in fluids collected from mounds along the central american convergent margin allowed the determination of 129i i ratios for age calculations in order to determine potential source formations in this active erosional margin the majority of the determined iodine ages are between 40 and 20 ma because these ages are older than the age of host sediments and underthrust sediments on the oceanic plate 18 ma a major contribution of iodine must come from old organic rich sources in the upper plate both the iodine concentrations and ages determined for the mounds in this study are similar to reported values for hydrate fields at accretionary margins indicating that iodine and associated organic carbon cycling at both erosional and accretionary margins may occur on similar time scales

contourite drift molded by deep mediterranean outflow since its inception in early pliocene time the deep mediterranean outflow has eroded and sculptured the southern iberian margin the 50 km long 300 m thick faro drift constructed by this powerful bottom current has been the subject of detailed study sandy silty and muddy contourite facies can be clearly characterized and a distinctive vertical arrangement or sequence of these facies can be related to hydrodynamic fluctuation these results are important for the identification of ancient contourites the reconstruction of paleocirculation patterns and documentation of the effects of quaternary climates on the mediterranean outflow

crust mantle coupling in the gulf of cadiz sw iberia 1 in the gulf of cadiz and cape st vincent region at the sw iberian margin seismic catalogues report seismicity down to 100 km depth according to structural models for the region this includes earthquakes that occur in the uppermost continental mantle we invert regional waveforms to estimate moment tensors and centroid depths for moderate earthquakes obtaining eight solutions mw 3 8 to 5 3 between 6 and 60 km depth moment tensor solutions and previous source estimates show predominately reverse and strike slip faulting style with nnw sse oriented p axes close to plate convergence between africa and eurasia we obtain similar stress tensor estimates from crustal and upper mantle earthquakes both with sub horizontal nnw 1 axes this indicates analogous deformation in both domains and that earthquakes are unrelated to any subduction process

nanodiamonds in the younger dryas boundary sediment layer we report abundant nanodiamonds in sediments dating to 12 9 0 1 thousand calendar years before the present at multiple locations across north america selected area electron diffraction patterns reveal two diamond allotropes in this boundary layer but not above or below that interval cubic diamonds form under high temperature pressure regimes and n diamonds also require extraordinary conditions well outside the range of earth9s typical surficial processes but common to cosmic impacts n diamond concentrations range from 10 to 3700 parts per billion by weight comparable to amounts found in known impact layers these diamonds provide strong evidence for earth9s collision with a rare swarm of carbonaceous chondrites or comets at the onset of the younger dryas cool interval producing multiple airbursts and possible surface impacts with severe repercussions for plants animals and humans in north america

contourite processes associated with the mediterranean outflow water after its exit from the strait of gibraltar global and conceptual implications we characterize the eastern gulf of cadiz proximal to the strait of gibraltar using a multidisciplinary approach that combines oceanographic morphosedimentary and stratigraphic studies two terraces upper and lower were identified along the middle slope they are composed of several associated morphologic elements including two large erosive channels which allow us to determine a new and more detailed understanding of the mediterranean outflow water mow pathway and its deceleration upon exiting the strait of gibraltar there is evidence for along slope circulation and additional secondary circulation oblique to the main flow the present upper core of the mow flows along the upper terrace and the lower core flows along the lower terrace however the lower terrace shows larger and better defined erosive features on the seafloor than does the upper terrace we attribute this to a denser deeper and faster mow circulation that prevailed during past cold climates development of the present features started ca 3 8 3 9 ma but the present morphology was not established until the late pliocene early quaternary 3 2 to older than 2 0 ma when the mow was enhanced coeval with global cooling a sea level fall and an increase in thermohaline circulation we propose a direct link between the mow and the atlantic meridional overturning circulation and therefore between the mow and both the northern hemisphere and global climate our results have enabled a better understanding of a major overflow related to an oceanic gateway and are of broad interest to geologists climatologists oceanographers and petroleum geologists

methane formation at costa rica continental margin constraints for gas hydrate inventories and cross decollement fluid flow we present a numerical model study in order to quantify the effects of organic carbon poc degradation and fluid migration on methane and gas hydrate formation at odp site 1040 costa rica convergent margin various model runs show that poc degradation in upper plate sediments yields a potential for methane hydrate formation between 0 8 and 2 5 vol of pore space however observed chlorinity anomalies cannot be explained by the amount and the distribution pattern of gas hydrates moreover pore water profiles of ammonia do not match the observations setting up a moderate upward flow 0 03 cm yr 1 of methane enriched low chlorinity fluids induced by dewatering of oceanic plate sediments leads to a good approximation to measured pore water profiles thus enabling a precise estimate of poc degradation kinetics fluid flow has a strong impact on the location of the upper limit of the modeled gas hydrate occurrence zone ghoz and may increase the total amount of gas hydrate by more than 50 our best estimate of the amount of gas hydrate within the ghoz is on average 1 65 vol of pore space which corresponds to about 2 5 tg of methane per km trench within the frontal prism of slope sediments to comply with the fact that subducted pore waters are rich in sulfate and that there is striking evidence for fluid conduits at various depths we performed additional model runs where we simulated fluid flow by using a gauss type rate law allowing us to define distinct fluid sources we can demonstrate that combined methane production in the upper plate sediments and sulfate reduction at the top of the down going slab is sufficient to prevent the upward movement of the zone of anaerobic oxidation of methane aom to above the decollement at given upward advection rates steep pore water gradients along the plate boundary can be explained by lateral backflow within oceanic plate sediments on a long term in the order of at least some 100 000 years fluid flow along conduits is likely to occur at low rates with temporarily increased pulses all modeled runs are constrained by their compatibility to observed pore water profiles

tracing crustal fluids applications of natural 129i and 36cl the two cosmogenic isotopes 129i and 36cl have half lives and geochemical characteristics that make their application of interest in the tracing of crustal fluids oil field brines and geothermal fluids the focus of this review is to compare 129i data from volcanic fluids with those from mud volcanoes and gas hydrate locations associated with the same subduction zone in order to demonstrate that fundamentally different hydrologic systems are present in active margins whereas 129i i ratios in volcanic fluids are site dependent and show a relation to the ages of subducting marine sediments ratios in fore arc fluids are similar in all sites investigated and are independent of the ages of the host sediments and the age of the subducting slab volcanic fluids contain iodine transported in sediments from the trench to the main volcanic zone whereas iodine in fore arc fluids is derived from organic material stored in the upper plates of subduction zones

holocene earthquake record offshore portugal sw iberia testing turbidite paleoseismology in a slow convergence margin the sw margin of the iberian peninsula hosts the present day boundary between the eurasian and african plates convergence 4 5 mm yr is accommodated through a wide deformation zone characterized by moderate magnitude seismic activity this zone has also been the source of the most important seismic events in western europe such as the 1755 lisbon earthquake and tsunami and 1969 horseshoe earthquake despite efforts to identify active seismogenic structures in the gulf of cadiz in the last ten years little is known about its paleoseismic history the turbidite paleoseismology approach was applied for the first time in a low rate convergent margin to determine the recurrence interval of large earthquake events that occurred in sw iberia during the holocene four sediment cores collected at strategically located sites offshore portugal i e tagus abyssal plain infante don henrique basin and horseshoe abyssal plain reveal that these deep sea basins preserve a record of episodic deposition of turbidites in the sw iberian margin excluding special climatic events earthquakes are the most likely triggering mechanism for synchronous widely spaced distributed turbidites during the holocene when the sea level was relatively stable age correlation together with textural mineralogical physical properties and geochemical signatures of the new cores complemented by pre existing multicores and gravity cores reveals a total of 7 widespread turbidite events for the holocene precise dating of the most recent turbidite event e1 based on

significance of mud volcanism 1 mud volcanism and diapirism have puzzled geoscientists for 2 centuries they have been described onshore and offshore in many places on earth and although they occur in various tectonic settings the majority of the features known to date are located in compressional tectonic scenarios this paper summarizes the main thrusts in mud volcano research as well as the various regions in which mud volcanism has been described mud volcanoes show variable geometry up to tens of kilometers in diameter and several hundred meters in height and a great diversity regarding the origin of the fluid and solid phases gas predominantly methane water and mud may be mobilized at subbottom depth of only a few meters but in places can originate from several kilometers depth with minor crustal or mantle input the possible contribution of mud extrusion to global budgets both from quiescent fluid emission and from the extrusive processes themselves is important in regions where mud volcanoes are abundant such as the collision zones between africa and eurasia fluid flux through mud extrusion exceeds the compaction driven pore fluid expulsion of the accretionary wedge also quiescent degassing of mud volcanoes may contribute significantly to volatile budgets and hence to greenhouse climate

traction structures in deep marine bottom current reworked sands in the pliocene and pleistocene gulf of mexico the pliocene pleistocene sequence cored in the ewing bank and garden banks areas in the gulf of mexico provides an example of deep marine sand reworked by bottom currents a distinctive attribute of these sands is their traction structures which include cross stratification current ripples and horizontal lamination these sands also exhibit sharp upper contacts inverse size grading mud offshoots and flaser bedding an important aspect of these structures is their occurrence in discrete units but not as part of a vertical sequence of structures such as the bouma sequence presumably the loop current a strong wind driven surface current in the gulf of mexico impinged on the sea bottom as it does today and resulted in bottom current reworked sands a depositional model is proposed in which the bottom current reworked sands tend to develop a facies in interchannel slope areas that is distinctly different from channel levee turbidite facies

mediterranean undercurrent sandy contourites gulf of cadiz spain abstract the pliocene quaternary pattern of contourite deposits on the eastern gulf of cadiz continental slope results from an interaction between linear diapiric ridges that are perpendicular to slope contours and the mediterranean undercurrent that has flowed northwestward parallel to the slope contours and down valleys between the ridges since the late miocene opening of the strait of gibraltar coincident with the northwestward decrease in undercurrent speeds from the strait there is the following northwestward gradation of sediment facies associations 1 upper slope facies 2 sand dune facies on the upstream mid slope terrace 3 large mud wave facies on the lower slope 4 sediment drift facies banked against the diapiric ridges and 5 valley facies between the ridges the southeastern sediment drift facies closest to gibraltar contains medium fine sand beds interbedded with mud the adjacent valley floor facies is composed of gravelly shelly coarse to medium sand lags and large sand dunes on the valley margins compared to this the northwestern drift contains coarse silt interbeds and the adjacent valley floors exhibit small to medium sand dunes of fine sand further northwestward sediment drift grades to biogenous silt near the faro drift at the portuguese border because of the complex pattern of contour parallel and valley perpendicular flow paths of the mediterranean undercurrent the larger scale bedforms and coarser grained sediment of valley facies trend perpendicular to the smaller scale bedforms and finer grained contourite deposits of adjacent sediment drift facies the bottom current deposits of valleys and the contourites of the cadiz slope intervalley areas are distinct from turbidite systems the valley sequences are not aggradational like turbidite channel levee complexes but typically exhibit bedrock walls against ridges extensive scour and fill into adjacent contourites transverse bedform fields and bioclastic lag deposits both valley and contourite deposits exhibit reverse graded bedding and sharp upper bed contacts in coarse grained layers low deposition rates and a regional pattern of bedform zones textural variation and compositional gradation the surface sandy contourite layer of 0 2 1 2 m thickness that covers the gulf of cadiz slope has formed during the present holocene high sea level because high sea level results in maximum water depth over the gibraltar sill and full development of the mediterranean undercurrent the late pleistocene age of the mud underlying the surface sand sheet correlates with the age of the last sea level lowstand and apparent weak mediterranean undercurrent development thus the cyclic deposition of sand or mud layers and contourite or drape sequences appear to be related to late pliocene and quaternary sea level changes and mediterranean water circulation patterns since its pliocene origin the contourite sequence has had low deposition rates of

transient simulation of last deglaciation with a new mechanism for bolling allerod warming we conducted the first synchronously coupled atmosphere ocean general circulation model simulation from the last glacial maximum to the bolling allerod ba warming our model reproduces several major features of the deglacial climate evolution suggesting a good agreement in climate sensitivity between the model and observations in particular our model simulates the abrupt ba warming as a transient response of the atlantic meridional overturning circulation amoc to a sudden termination of freshwater discharge to the north atlantic before the ba in contrast to previous mechanisms that invoke amoc multiple equilibrium and southern hemisphere climate forcing we propose that the ba transition is caused by the superposition of climatic responses to the transient co 2 forcing the amoc recovery from heinrich event 1 and an amoc overshoot

seismic sources on the iberia african plate boundary and their tectonic implications the plate boundary between iberia and africa has been studied using data on seismicity and focal mechanisms the region has been divided into three areas a the gulf of cadiz b the betics alboran sea and northern morocco and c algeria seismicity shows a complex behavior large shallow earthquakes h 30 km occur in areas a and c and moderate shocks in area b intermediate depth activity 30 h 150 km is located in area b the depth earthquakes h 650 km are located to the south of granada moment rate slip velocity andhvalues have been estimated for shallow shocks and show similar characteristics for the gulf of cadiz and algeria and quite different ones for the central region focal mechanisms of 80 selected shallow earthquakes 8 mb 4 show thrust faulting in the gulf of cadiz and algeria with horizontal nnw sse compression and normal faulting in the alboran sea with e w extension focal mechanisms of 26 intermediate depth earthquakes in the alboran sea display vertical motions with a predominant plane trending e w solutions for very deep shocks correspond to vertical dip slip along n s trends frohlich diagrams and seismic moment tensors show different behavior in the gulf of cadiz betic alboran sea and northern morocco and northern algeria for shallow events the stress pattern of intermediate depth and very deep earthquakes has different directions vertical extension in the nw se direction for intermediate depth earthquakes and tension and pressure axes dipping about 45 o for very deep earthquakes regional stress pattern may result from the collision between the african plate and iberia with extension and subduction of lithospheric material in the alboran sea at intermediate depth the very deep seismicity may be correlated with older subduction processes

thrust wrench interference tectonics in the gulf of cadiz africa iberia plate boundary in the north east atlantic insights from analog models abstract in the gulf of cadiz key segment of the africa iberia plate boundary north east atlantic ocean three main different modes of tectonic interference between a recently identified wrench system swim and the gulf of cadiz accretionary wedge gcaw were tested through analog sand box modeling a an active accretionary wedge on top of a pre existent inactive basement fault b an active strike slip fault cutting a previously formed inactive accretionary wedge and c simultaneous activity of both the accretionary wedge and the strike slip fault the results we obtained and the comparison with the natural deformation pattern favor a tectonic evolution comprising two main steps i the formation of the gulf of cadiz accretionary wedge on top of inactive tethyan related basement faults middle miocene to 1 8 ma ii subsequent reactivation of these basement faults with dextral strike slip motion 1 8 ma to present simultaneously with continued tectonic accretion in the gcaw these results exclude the possibility of ongoing active swim wrench system cross cutting an inactive gcaw structure our results also support a new interpretation of the swim wrench system as fundamentally resulting from strike slip reactivation of an old tethyan related plate boundary

tsunamis caused by offshore active faults and their deposits abstract this paper reviews the variable features of coastal tsunamis caused by offshore active faults along the eastern margin of the japan sea emjs based on the historical records and modern observations of earthquakes and tsunamis tsunami deposits discovered along the emjs coast were also introduced and categorized depending on their sedimentary environments the offshore active faults which are densely distributed along the emjs and generate tsunamis are originated from the opening of the japan sea back arc basin during the late oligocene to miocene period the magnitudes of the earthquakes that caused large tsunamis in the emjs were under 8 0 the size of the fault plane approximately equal to the tsunami source area was approximately 10 100 and several tens of kilometers in length the slip distance of the reverse type faults was less than 20 m the sedimentary characteristics and depositional processes of tsunami deposits were obtained from deposits in various environments such as coastal lowlands marine terraces coastal lagoons and inland ponds certain unique approaches used to identify tsunami deposits were reviewed such as gravel layers that intercalate inorganic soils and a holocene marine terrace dinoflagellate cysts and foraminiferal linings which are potentially derived from the sea and chemical features e g the ca2 mg2 ratio as indicators of seawater inflow into a coastal lagoon the spatial distribution and recurrence of earthquakes and tsunamis in the emjs were found based on previous paleo tsunami studies the difference between tsunami deposits caused by offshore active faults and those by megathrust earthquakes only manifests itself in the horizontal and vertical directions but not in the sedimentary environments and structures the data thus inferred can be used for the estimation of offshore active fault models and validation of previous tsunami disaster reconstructions in the future

bromine and iodine in peru margin sediments and pore fluids implications for fluid origins at the peruvian convergent margin two distinct pore fluid regimes are recognized from differences in their cl concentrations the slope pore fluids are characterized by low cl concentrations but elevated br and i concentrations due to biogenic production the shelf pore fluids exhibit elevated cl and br concentrations due to diffusive mixing with an evaporitic brine in the slope pore fluids the br i and nh4 concentrations are elevated following bacterial decomposition of organic matter but the i concentrations are in excess of those expected based on mass balance calculations using nh4 and br concentrations the slope sediment organic matter which is enriched in iodine from oxidationreduction processes at the oxygenated sediment water interface is responsible for this enrichment the increases in dissolved i and the i enrichments relative to nh4 and br correlate well with sedimentation rates because of differential trapping following regeneration the pore fluid i br ratios suggest that membrane ion fiitration is not a major cause of the decreases in cl concentrations other possible sources for low cl water including meteoric water clathrate dissociation and or mineral dehydration reactions imply that the diluting component of the slope low cl fluids has flowed at least 1 km through the sediment the low bottom water oxygenation in the shelf is responsible for the low if any enrichment of iodine in the shelf sediments fluctuations in bottom water oxygen concentrations in the past however may be responsible for the observed variations in the sediment ibr ratios comparison of na cl and br cl molar ratios in the pore fluids shows that the shelf high cl fluid formed from mixing with a brine that formed from seawater concentrated by twelve to nineteen times and probably was modified by halite dissolution this dense brine located below the sediment sections drilled appears to have flowed a distance 500 km through the sediment

high resolution stratigraphy of the mediterranean outflow contourite system in the gulf of cadiz during the late pleistocene the impact of heinrich events abstract a detailed high resolution stratigraphic analysis of the mediterranean outflow contourite system at the continental slope of the gulf of cadiz has been carried out through the correlation between a dense network of seismic reflection profiles sparker airgun 3 75 khz and parametric echosounder topas calypso giant piston and standard gravity cores from such correlation we determine a stacking pattern constituted by four main seismic units a d that are internally structured into ten subunits each subunit shows a single sequence formed by transparent seismic facies at the base to smooth parallel reflectors of moderate to high amplitude facies at the top being well correlated in the cores with a coarsening upward sequence the latest pleistocene holocene deposits form glacial interglacial depositional sequences related to cycles with a frequency range below the milankovitch band that corresponds to millennial timescale climatic changes such as dansgaard oeschger 1 5 ka and bond cycles 10 15 ka oxygen isotope records of planktonic foraminifera and the occurrence of ice rafted debris ird in the most recent contourite subunits show clear evidence of the influence of the north atlantic climatic conditions especially the climatic heinrich events h in the slope sedimentation of the gulf of cadiz and then in the circulation of the mediterranean outflow water mow the coarser contourite deposits are mostly associated with the last glacial maximum younger dryas and heinrich events on the central area of the middle slope during globally cooler conditions the mow was denser so that it was more active in deeper areas than today on the other hand during warm periods the mow became less dense favoring an increased intensity of the mow on the distal area of the upper slope therefore spatial and vertical fluctuations of the mow contourite system are strongly affected by global climate and oceanographic changes being clearly influenced by iceberg discharges and probably also by the resumption of thermohaline circulation in the north atlantic ocean during ice melting periods

mud volcanism an updated review abstract mud volcanism or sedimentary volcanism represents one of the most intriguing phenomena of the earth s crust with important implications in energy resource exploration seismicity geo hazard and atmospheric budget of greenhouse gases since the first review papers were issued at the beginning of 2000s a large amount of new geological geophysical and geochemical data has been acquired which clarified ambiguous concepts and significantly improved our knowledge of mud volcanism here we offer an updated review of the knowledge and implications of mud volcanoes with emphasis on the terminology used to describe different processes and structures the physical chemical and morphological characteristics of the several fluid emission structures the chemical properties of the released fluids in particular the molecular and isotopic composition of the gas the mud volcano formation dynamics and the several implications for petroleum exploration geo hazards and global atmospheric methane budget this review integrates new fluids data collected in azerbaijan and is complemented with field observations from various mud volcano provinces worldwide although the total number of mud volcanoes on earth is still uncertain 600 main onshore structures with a large variety in shapes and sizes are documented in recent global data sets and several thousand are assumed to exist in the oceans it is clear that a mud volcanoes are broadly distributed throughout the globe in active margins compressional zones of accretionary complexes thrust and overthrust belts passive margins deep sedimentary basins related to active plate boundaries as well as delta regions b they are specifically located in hydrocarbon bearing basins along anticline axes strike slips and normal faults and fault related folds in petroleum systems c they represent a specific category of natural gas oil seepage manifestation often related to deep and pressurised reservoirs d the main engine driving mud volcanism is given by a combination of gravitative instability of shales and fluid overpressure build up followed by hydrofracturing e hydrocarbons are generally of thermogenic origin while microbial gas is released in only a few cases mud volcanism on other planets e g mars and titan and microbial activity associated with gas seepage represent emerging issues and opportunities for future research

the holocene storegga slide tsunami in the united kingdom all currently known sites in the united kingdom with evidence for the holocene storegga slide tsunami are described information on the altitude distribution stratigraphical context age particle size profile and microfossil characteristics of the deposits is presented the tsunami involved a greater area than previously described reaching a coastline over 600 km long the ubiquitous sand layer which forms the main deposit associated with the event is shown to exhibit a consistent morphology and a particle size profile marked by fining upwards sequences an analysis of new and previously published radiocarbon dates indicates that from evidence in the united kingdom the event took place sometime around 7100 radiocarbon years bp 7900 calibrated years bp a new isobase model for mainland scotland and adjacent areas providing a preliminary estimate of land uplift since the tsunami is presented the model estimates contemporary sea surface level offshore at 14 m below the present day mean high water spring tides tsunami sediment run up is greatest in inlets where it reaches at least 25 m on shetland and at least 5 m along the mainland coastline to the south and run up of the tsunami would have exceeded these values the tsunami sediments identified here are considered particularly valuable as a synchronous marker horizon

holocene palaeotsunami catalogue of sw iberia many on shore studies focused on high energy marine events occurred in the gulf of cadiz have been published since the 1990s most of the findings came from sedimentary palaeontological and geomorphological records on estuaries marshes beach barriers spit bars and some coastal lowlands recent off shore investigations in sw iberia considered turbidite deposits as a proxy to recognise palaeoearthquakes in this zone the comparison of datasets from both on shore and off shore records indicate that at least five tsunami events generated by strong earthquakes affected this area during the last 7000 years previous to the more recent and well documented 1755 ad lisbon earthquake tsunami event the catalogue of holocene palaeotsunami presented here is supported by geological and geomorphological evidences but also for archaeoseismic and palaeoseismic evidence and written reports for the more recent events occurred during historical times the recurrence interval for these catastrophic events can be bracketed between 1200 and 1500 years

depositional history of estuarine infill during the last postglacial transgression gulf of cadiz southern spain abstract the late pleistocene and holocene evolution of the estuaries in the gulf of cadiz is interpreted for the first time using drill cores logs trenches and 38 new radiocarbon data and the results compared with the shelf the odiel tinto and guadalete rivers deposited conglomerates during a highstand that did not reach the present sea level dated at ca 25 30 ka isotopic stage is 3 corresponding to a relatively humid period in the area rivers incised these coarse grained deposits during the last main lowstand at ca 18 ka when sea level dropped to 120 m and the coastline lay 14 km seawards from the present the erosional surface is a sequence boundary and the flooding surface of the postglacial eustatic rise overlain by the valley fill deposits of the transgressive and highstand phases of the last fourth and fifth order depositional sequences recognised in the shelf the first marine influence in the estuaries during the transgression occurs at 25 30 m at ca 10 000 years bp according to fossil assemblages the transgressed basins changed from brackish to more open marine as the sea rose until ca 6500 years bp when it reached the maximum flooding and the sandy estuarine barriers ceased to retrograde toward the muddy central basins then the rate of eustatic rise decreased drastically and the estuarine filling followed a two fold pattern governed by the progressive change from vertical accretion to lateral centripetal progradation at ca 4000 years bp the fluvial input surpassed the already negligible rate of rise causing partial emergence of tidal flats and spit barriers in the largely filled estuarine basins prevalence of coastal progradation upon vertical accretion at ca 2400 years bp caused accelerated expansion of tidal flats and rapid growth of the sandy barriers further changes since the 16th century reflect widespread anthropic impacts

contourites of the gulf of cadiz a high resolution record of the paleocirculation of the mediterranean outflow water during the last 50 000 years the mediterranean outflow water mow paleocirculation during the last 50 000 years has been inferred from the grain size distribution of contourite beds in core md99 2341 from the gulf of cadiz southern iberian margin atlantic ocean three main contourite facies are described their vertical succession defines two contourite sequences that reveal past variations of the mow bottom current velocity a comparison of contourite sequences and the planktonic 18o record of core md99 2341 with the 18o record from greenland ice core gisp2 show a close correlation of sea surface water conditions and deep sea contouritic sedimentation in the gulf of cadiz with northern hemisphere climate variability on millennial timescales a high mow velocity prevailed during dansgaard oeschger stadials heinrich events and the younger dryas cold climatic interval the mow velocity was comparatively low during the warm dansgaard oeschger interstadials bolling allerod and the early holocene rapid sea level fluctuations on the order of 35 m during marine oxygen isotope stage 3 are considered to have exerted limiting controls on the mow volume transport and thus positively modulated the mow behaviour during the last 50 kyr

geomarkers of the 218 209 bc atlantic tsunami in the roman lacus ligustinus sw spain a palaeogeographical approach between 218 and 209 bc the western coasts of iberia suffered the impact of a historical tsunami with an epicentre probably located in the atlantic ocean near the cape st vincent area sw portugal palaeogeographical changes in the river guadalquivir estuary the ancient roman lacus ligustinus have been recorded in erosional and depositional landforms both stratigraphically and as landscape relicts the tsunamigenic waves run up of w5 m and their subsequent backwash eroded the previous littoral spits transversally generating rectilinear cliffs and incisions the littoral foredunes were also eroded and reactivated as transgressive dunes over the edge of the marshes former coastal sediments w520e100 bc generated overwash deposits ebb tide deltas and sand sheets within the estuary as well as a subsequent bioclastic beach on the lagoon shore defining the post tsunami 130 bce80 ad estuarine shoreline roman lagoon some coastal pre roman 7th to 3rd centuries bc human settlements were abandoned and later in the roman period 1st century ad saltworks were installed morphological and sedimentological changes in the coast triggered by this event were similar or greater than the changes in coastal features related to the ad 1755 lisbon tsunami

the greenland ice sheet project 2 depth age scale methods and results the greenland ice sheet project 2 gisp2 depth age scale is presented based on a multiparameter continuous count approach to a depth of 2800 m using a systematic combination of parameters that have never been used to this extent before the ice at 2800 m is dated at 110 000 years b p with an estimated error ranging from 1 to 10 in the top 2500 m of the core and averaging 20 between 2500 and 2800 m parameters used to date the core include visual stratigraphy oxygen isotopic ratios of the ice electrical conductivity measurements laser light scattering from dust volcanic signals and major ion chemistry gisp2 ages for major climatic events agree with independent ages based on varve chronologies calibrated radiocarbon dates and other techniques within the combined uncertainties good agreement also is obtained with greenland ice core project ice core dates and with the specmap marine timescale after correlation through the 18 o of o 2 although the core is deformed below 2800 m and the continuity of the record is unclear we attempted to date this section of the core on the basis of the laser light scattering of dust in the ice

active thrusting in the inner forearc of an erosive convergent margin pacific coast costa rica 1 structural and geomorphic analyses of the fila costena thrust belt in southwest costa rica indicate active thrusting within the inner forearc the fila costena exposes three major thrust faults that imbricate the late tertiary forearc basin sequence of the terraba basin the frontal thrust of the fila costena marks the boundary between an uplifting inner forearc and a subsiding outer forearc with only local uplift astride the indenting cocos ridge on the basis of surface constraints a cross section across the thrust belt suggests that all three thrusts flatten into parallelism with a low angle decollement horizon near the contact between the basement and the cover sequence of the terraba basin this decollement lies at a depth of 4 km the minimum shortening recorded by restoration of fault related folds is 17 km or 45 observations of late tertiary marine sediments tilted and faulted late quaternary fluvial terraces and raised holocene marine terraces indicate that fila costena uplift was likely initiated in the quaternary and is ongoing given that the coastal mountains are separated from the talamanca range by a valley the decollement that delaminates the forearc basin from the underthrusting forearc must continue as a flat beneath the valley but must link with the plate boundary along a crustal scale ramp system a structural geometry that has resulted in uplift of the talamanca range the highest peaks in central america the dichotomy between uplift in the inner forearc and subsidence in the outer forearc is explained in terms of the response of an arcward thickening wedge to rough subducting crust index terms 8150 tectonophysics plate boundary general 3040 8123 tectonophysics dynamics seismotectonics 8010 structural geology fractures and faults 8015 structural geology local crustal structure 8005 structural geology folds and folding

controls on the 129i i ratio of deep seated marine interstitial fluids old organic versus fissiogenic 129 iodine iodine and its radioisotope 129i have been successfully used to trace the origin of pore waters in submarine fluid escape structures because of their close association with organic material in deeply buried sediments we report here halogen concentrations and 129i i ratios for fluids of five mud volcanoes sampled along an e w transect across the gulf of cadiz in the ne atlantic ocean concentrations of iodide and bromide increase consistently seaward accompanied by a decrease in 129i i ratios from 6490 10 15 to 663 10 15 the exceptionally high 129i i ratios at the near shore locations reflect the presence of fissiogenic 129i produced in situ by spontaneous fission of 238u within terrigenous sediments and released into pore water during clay mineral diagenetic processes the observed 129i i and halogen trends together with similar changes in 87sr 86sr ratios indicate a progressive seaward transition from inorganic terrigenous to organic marine fluid sources comparison of our results with literature data for varying geological settings reveals a general relationship between fissiogenic 129i radiogenic 87sr and the lithology or provenance of rocks and sediments respectively while 129i i ratios in continental rock hosted aquifers and terrigenous sedimentary systems are dominated by in situ production of fissiogenic 129i iodine isotopes in oceanic settings or volcanogenic marine sediments reflect the release of old iodine from deeply buried organic matter the gulf of cadiz represents the full transition between these continental and oceanic 129i i and 87sr 86sr end members this is the first systematic investigation of fissiogenic 129i production in marine sedimentary environments

numerical modeling of the 2011 tohoku oki tsunami in the offshore and onshore of sendai plain japan abstract this paper examines the results of a numerical modeling of the 2011 tohoku oki earthquake tsunami to investigate its offshore propagation and inundation along a shore normal transect located in the center of the sendai plain the inundation distance flow depth and flow speed were compared with the available data measured during a post tsunami field survey and estimated from the video records the calculated inundation distance reached 4 5 5 5 km from the coastline which is comparable to the actual inundation distance the variation of tsunami heights from 2 4 6 m and flow speeds from 3 4 6 2 m s along the transect is generally consistent with the measured heights and estimated speeds the waveform on the beach showed that the wave train was composed of a high 10 11 m first wave followed by low 4 m waves considering the waveform and the topographic change the erosion of the beach and the sedimentation inland are explained mainly by the first wave in addition the calculated flow speed and friction velocities in the offshore may account for the formation of the possible tsunami deposits which were reported recently by a sea bottom survey the modeling results are generally consistent with the available data and are considered to be useful for understanding the inundation pattern and sedimentation process of the tohoku oki tsunami on the sendai plain

triggering mechanisms of slope instability and their relationship to earthquakes and tsunamis submarine and shoreline slope failures that accompany large earthquakes and large tsunamis are triggered by several mechanisms triggering mechanisms range from direct effects such as inertial forces from earthquake shaking to indirect effects such as rapid drawdown that occurs when an earthquake generated tsunami first approaches a shoreline soil shear strength also plays an important role in earthquake related slope failures earthquakes change the shear strength of the soil by inducing excess pore water pressures these excess pore water pressures change with time after the earthquake resulting in changes in shear strength and slope stability with time this paper reviews earthquake related triggering mechanisms for submarine and shoreline slope failures the variation in shear strength with time following an earthquake is examined and it is shown that delayed slope failures after an earthquake can occur as a result of changes in earthquake induced excess pore water pressures and shear strength with time

preboreal climate oscillations in europe wiggle match dating and synthesis of dutch high resolution multi proxy records abstract in order to compare environmental and inferred climatic change during the preboreal in the netherlands five terrestrial records were analysed detailed multi proxy analyses including microfossils e g pollen spores algae and fungal spores macroremains e g seeds fruits wood mosses etc and loss on ignition measurements were carried out with high temporal resolution to link the five preboreal records accurate chronologies were produced by ams 14c wiggle match dating the dutch records show that following the lateglacial holocene climate warming birch woodlands expanded between 11 530 and 11 500 cal bp during the friesland phase of the preboreal after the friesland phase two distinct climatic shifts could be inferred 1 around 11 430 11 350 cal bp the expansion of birch forests was interrupted by a dry continental phase with open grassland vegetation the rammelbeek phase this phase was coeval with the coldest part of the preboreal oscillation pbo as observed in the 18o record of the greenland ice core records and has been attributed to a large meltwater flux that resulted in a temporary decrease of the thermohaline circulation in the north atlantic 2 at the start of the late preboreal between 11 270 and 11 210 cal bp a sudden shift to a more humid climate occurred and birch forests expanded again a simultaneous increase in the cosmogenic nuclides 14c and 10be suggests that these changes in climate and vegetation were forced by a sudden decline in solar activity expansion of pine occurred during the later part of the late preboreal at the onset of the boreal between 10 770 and 10 700 cal bp dense woodlands with hazel oak elm and pine started to develop in the netherlands

seismotectonics of the ibero maghrebian region abstract a study of the seismotectonics of the ibero maghrebian region is presented as deduced from main geological features seismicity and focal mechanism data the hypocentral distribution of shallow intermediate depth and deep earthquakes is analyzed the direction of the stress distribution is inferred from the focal mechanism of 24 selected events a seismotectonic framework summarizing these results together with the main geological features shows that a nw se general direction of horizontal compressive stresses is present in the region with a localized zone of horizontal tensions in the betics and the alboran sea the presence of intermediate depth and deep earthquakes is tentatively explained as caused by two consecutive processes of subduction

quantitative estimation of bioturbation based on digital image analysis quantitative determination of modification of primary sediment features by the activity of organisms i e bioturbation is essential in geosciences some methods proposed since the 1960s are mainly based on visual or subjective determinations the first semiquantitative evaluations of the bioturbation index ichnofabric index or the amount of bioturbation were attempted in the best cases using a series of flashcards designed in different situations recently more effective methods involve the use of analytical and computational methods such as x rays magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography these methods are complex and often expensive this paper presents a compilation of different methods using adobe photoshop software cs6 for digital estimation that are a part of the idiap ichnological digital analysis images package which is an inexpensive alternative to recently proposed methods easy to use and especially recommended for core samples the different methods similar pixel selection method spsm magic wand method mwm and the color range selection method crsm entail advantages and disadvantages depending on the sediment e g composition color texture porosity etc and ichnological features size of traces infilling material burrow wall etc the idiap provides an estimation of the amount of trace fossils produced by a particular ichnotaxon by a whole ichnocoenosis or even for a complete ichnofabric we recommend the application of the complete idiap to a given case study followed by selection of the most appropriate method the idiap was applied to core material recovered from the iodp expedition 339 enabling us for the first time to arrive at a quantitative estimation of the discrete trace fossil assemblage in core samples

iodine dating of pore waters associated with gas hydrates in the nankai area japan the nankai hydrate field japan is an example of gas hydrate deposits associated with an active subduction zone in order to determine the origin of gas hydrates in this area 129i i ratios together with halogen concentrations were measured in a set of pore water samples collected from two boreholes in the nankai hydrate field iodine concentrations are between 100 and 230 m i e strongly enriched compared to seawater while cl concentrations were found to be close to that of seawater except for one sample 129i i ratios are between 180 and 520 10 15 giving minimum ages between 24 and 48 ma because these ages are considerably older than present host sediments 2 ma and subducting marine sediments 21 ma in this area iodine and by association methane in the gas hydrates must have been derived from source formations located in the continental side of the subduction zone the results do not support derivation of gas hydrates from present host sediments or currently subducting sediments but could be related to release and long time recycling of fluids from marine formations of early tertiary age

the contourite depositional system of the gulf of cadiz a sedimentary model related to the bottom current activity of the mediterranean outflow water and its interaction with the continental margin the present paper is mostly a synthesis of work conducted on the continental margin of the gulf of cadiz using a broad database collected by several cruises and projects supported by the spanish research council and the nrl and naval oceanographic office usa including bathymetry sidescan sonar imagery seismic profiles sediment cores submarine photographs and physical oceanographic data these data have enabled us to establish a detailed understanding of the morphologic development of the margin its pliocene and quaternary stratigraphy and a full characterization of the contourite depositional system cds generated by the mediterranean outflow water mow the northern margin of the gulf of cadiz shows the following distinct features a an active compressive framework where the cadiz allocthonous unit provides an unstable substratum for late miocene pliocene and quaternary sedimentation b a relative lack of submarine canyons except in the western area of the algarve margin c a very broad continental slope that lacks a marked continental rise d a middle slope dominated by along slope processes driven by the mow which has generated a complex cds during the pliocene and quaternary and e an irregular lower slope and abyssal plain region dominated by down slope processes that is partly detached from an upper slope source region the cds is composed of both depositional and erosive features the main depositional features are characterised by sedimentary wave fields sedimentary lobes mixed drifts plastered drifts elongated mounded and separated drifts and sheeted drifts the main erosive features are contourite channels furrows marginal valleys and moats these various depositional and erosive features have a specific location along the margin and their detailed distribution is essential to understand the present and past interaction of the mow with the middle slope based on this distribution five morphosedimentary sectors have been identified within the cds which from east to west are 1 proximal scour and sand ribbons 2 overflow sedimentary lobe 3 channels and ridges 4 active contourite drifts and 5 submarine canyons the development of the cds has been controlled in general by the pliocene and quaternary environmental and paleoceanographic changes and by the morphology of the margin but in detail the development of each of these sectors is related to systematic deceleration of the mow as it flows westwards to the interaction with the margin bathymetry and to the effects of coriolis force our comprehensive sedimentary model for the cds defines the gulf of cadiz margin as a mixed contourite turbidite system with a detached combined drift fan morphology this is different from many other contourite influenced margins where the contourite processes are dominant on the middle slope and separated from the down slope processes which are characteristic on the lower slope and abyssal plains

geochemical and geophysical implications of the radiocarbon calibration abstract a precise and accurate chronological framework is crucial to study the dynamics of a variety of phenomena which occurred during the last 45 000 years although the 14 c dating method has been widely applied since the 1950s it is recognized that the atmospheric 14 c 12 c ratio has not been stable during the past in order to calculate accurate ages these fluctuations have to be corrected by means of a calibration curve obtained by comparing raw 14 c measurements with true calendar ages provided by independent dating methods the calibration curve obtained so far is characterized by a long term trend with raw 14 c ages being significantly younger than calendar ages during most of the last 45 000 years abrupt 14 c shifts which occurred over centuries to millennia are superimposed on this long term trend of decreasing atmospheric 14 c 12 c ratio to a certain extent it is possible to outline the different causes of atmospheric 14 c variations by considering complementary information obtained from other cosmogenic nuclides studied at different latitudes 1 most high frequency changes in the atmospheric 14 c 12 c ratio are linked to magnetic fluctuations of solar origin as revealed by studying the last three centuries for which direct observations of the sun are available a similar conclusion is derived by comparing 14 c 12 c events with 10 be and 36 cl concentration maxima in polar ice cores 2 the long term trend shift of 14 c ages is due to a long period of decreased shielding effect of the geomagnetic dipole field which occurred over the interval between 10 000 and 40 000 years bp this interpretation is supported by paleomagnetic measurements performed on volcanic and sedimentary rocks and by 10 be and 36 cl analysed in low and high latitude records 3 a prominent and rapid atmospheric 14 c 12 c excursion occurred between 13 000 and 11 500 cal yr bp thus corresponding to the younger dryas cold period by contrast with the 14 c variability mentioned above which is linked to 14 c production changes this so called 14 c age plateau is probably due to an abrupt variation in the rates of exchange within the global carbon cycle this interpretation is supported by independent geochemical proxies and by numerical modelling of the carbon cycle

interpretation of post entrapment fluid inclusion re equilibration at the three mile hill marvel loch and griffins find high temperature lode gold deposits yilgarn craton western australia abstract fluid inclusions that are interpreted to be related to vein filling of quartz veins at the three mile hill and marvel loch gold deposits in amphibolite facies rocks and the griffins find deposits in granulite facies rocks in the yilgarn craton of western australia are dominantly low salinity h 2 o co 2 ch 4 mixtures or co 2 ch 4 fluids at each deposit inclusions have a wide range of compositions with respect to both the aqueous carbonic ratio and the co 2 ch 4 ratio of the carbonic phase and most fluids could not have been in equilibrium with the mineral assemblage in the vein and adjacent rock inclusion densities suggest a range of p t conditions of entrapment and are in general not consistent with the conditions of vein formation indicated by vein assemblages diffusional addition of h 2 into inclusions diffusional loss of h 2 o and reduction of inclusion volume are possible during cooling and uplift along the inferred p t path the inclusion populations could have been derived from an originally uniform population of low salinity aqueous dominated h 2 o co 2 inclusions by a combination of these processes inclusion modification as the cause of the complex inclusion populations is supported by relations of molar volume to composition and to an extent by variations in fluid salinity if inclusion re equilibration is the cause of inclusion variability it was of variable intensity within a single vein system and within individual clusters of inclusions in some samples and is suggested to have been a function of the local petrological and textural environment

sedimentological and geophysical properties of a ca 4000 year old tsunami deposit in southern spain abstract the coastlines around the gulf of cadiz were affected by numerous tsunami events damaging infrastructure and causing countless human losses a tsunami deposit at barbate zahara de los atunes spain is located at various heights above mean sea level and shows several characteristics indicative of high energy event deposition this study uses sedimentology foraminifera assemblage magnetic susceptibility x ray fluorescence analysis ground penetrating radar gpr to support an interpretation of high energy deposition and determine the deposit s transport mechanisms and sediment source radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of the tsunami deposit reveals ages of 4000 bp and does not support the ad 1755 lisbon event as suggested in former publications

variations in 129i 127i ratios in recent marine sediments evidence for a fossil organic component abstract the value of the pre bomb 129 i 127 i ratio in the hydrosphere is important for the use of this isotope system for dating and tracing purposes in order to determine this value and to examine spatial variability 129 i 127 i ratios were measured in 25 sediment samples from five cores taken at geographically distinct coastal areas the results indicate a pre anthropogenic 129 i 127 i ratio of 1500 10 15 in good agreement with values derived from previous sediment and groundwater studies results from shallow sediments show that the layer of bioturbation is dominated by the addition of anthropogenic 129 i the good agreement between results for this layer from different cores supports the understanding that marine iodine is isotopically homogeneous and associated with organic material which is actively remineralized at the sediment water interface lower ratios down to 354 10 15 corresponding to an age of 32 5 ma and larger variations than expected were found in sections of the cores below the layer of bioturbation these observations can be explained by the presence of refractory fossil organic material transported by rivers to the sediments from uplifted continental shales the results suggest that marine iodine is present in two forms a labile component which is isotopically homogeneous and a refractory component which is associated with kerogen or other fossil organic compounds whose 129 i 127 i ratio reflects the age of these compounds 129 i 127 i ratios can be used to identify and date fossil organic material in recent sediments the presence of which can alter the assumptions underlying models of the global carbon cycle

the storegga slides evidence from eastern scotland for a possible tsunami abstract the second storegga slide on the continental slope off western norway has been dated at between 8000 and 5000 yrs b p a prominent sand layer in flandrian holocene deposits along the coast of eastern scotland and dated at approximately 7000 yrs b p may have been deposited by a tsunami generated by the slide the altitude and stratigraphy of the layer allow estimates to be made of the magnitude of the earthquake which initiated the slide

sedimentation and hydrodynamic processes associated with the tsunami generated by the 1755 lisbon earthquake abstract an unusual sedimentary horizon believed to have been deposited by the tsunami associated with the 1755 lisbon earthquake has been identified at boca do rio in southern portugal this horizon marks a distinct sedimentological and micropalaeontological break from the deposits enclosing it the sedimentary characteristics of the horizon which consists of several distinct sub units vary greatly in both vertical and horizontal section detailed textural analysis through vertical sections of these sub units shows abrupt changes in particle size characteristics the highly variable nature of the horizon appears to be due to rapid variation in the hydrodynamic characteristics of the depositional event the lowermost section of the deposit appears to have been deposited from a highly turbulent water mass which was able to transport gravel sized clasts as well as gravel sized mud balls eroded from underlying material the water mass rapidly lost energy leading to the deposition of predominantly sand silt and clay particles sharp breaks in textural characteristics are likely to be due to changes in current direction caused by wave reflection or swash backwash interference the main sources of sand sized material within the deposit are the seaward barrier beach foredune system the tsunami deposit at boca do rio shares many of the sedimentary characteristics of tsunami deposits from other sites around the world

mediterranean outflow strengthening during northern hemisphere coolings a salt source for the glacial atlantic abstract high resolution grain size and magnetic susceptibility records from the eastern gulf of cadiz site md99 2339 1170 m water depth reveal contourites formed by the mediterranean outflow mow during the last 47 kyr bp oscillations in the mow s intensity occurred in phase with greenland temperature variations with a stronger outflow during northern hemisphere coolings such as dansgaard oeschger stadials heinrich events and the younger dryas benthic 13c data implies the western mediterranean deep water as one of the main sources feeding the outflow current while differential changes in the properties of the mediterranean source and entrained north atlantic central water largely control the mow s strength detailed studies for heinrich events 1 4 and 5 show that the flow strength peaked only when subtropical surface waters prevailed in the eastern gulf of cadiz while incursions of icebergs and subpolar surface water were not favorable for the mow s intensification as the mow was strong when the atlantic s thermohaline circulation thc was weakened the heat and salt injected by the mow into the intermediate north atlantic waters might have preconditioned the thc to switch from the stadial to the interstadial mode

deciphering bottom current velocity and paleoclimate signals from contourite deposits in the gulf of cadiz during the last 140 kyr an inorganic geochemical approach contourites in the gulf of cadiz gc preserve a unique archive of mediterranean outflow water mow variability over the past 5 3 ma in our study we investigate the potential of geochemical data obtained by xrf scanning to decipher bottom current processes and paleoclimatic evolution at two different sites drilled during iodp expedition 339 through contourites in the northern gc site u1387 which is bathed by the upper mow core and site u1389 located more proximal to the strait of gibraltar the lack of major downslope transport during the pleistocene makes both locations ideally suited for our study the results indicate that the zr al ratio representing the relative enrichment of heavy minerals zircon over less dense alumnosilicates under fast bottom current flow is the most useful indicator for a semiquantitative assessment of current velocity although most elements are biased by current related processes the bromine br record representing organic content preserves the most pristine climate signal rather independent of grain size changes hence br can be used for chronostratigraphy and site to site correlation in addition to stable isotope stratigraphy based on these findings we reconstructed mow variability for marine isotope stages mis 1 5 using the zr al ratio from site u1387 the results reveal abrupt millennial scale variations of mow strength during greenland stadials gs and interstadials gi with strong mow during gs and glacial terminations and a complex behavior during heinrich stadials millennial scale variability persisting during periods of poorly expressed gs gi cyclicities implies a strong internal oscillation of the mediterranean north atlantic climate system

origin and age of pore waters in an actively venting gas hydrate field near sado island japan sea interpretation of halogen and 129i distributions abstract a gas hydrate field with highly active venting of methane was recently found near sado island in the eastern japan sea piston cores were collected from active venting sites and nearby locations in the umitaka spur joetsu knoll area during two cruises in 2004 ut04 and 2005 ky05 08 we report here halogen concentrations and 129 i i ratios in pore waters associated with gas hydrates from these expeditions the strongly biophilic behavior of i and to a lesser degree of br together with the presence of the long lived iodine radioisotope 129 i allow evaluation of potential source materials for methane in gas hydrate systems depth profiles of all three halogens particularly the very rapid downward increases of br and i concentrations strongly suggest input of deep fluids enriched in br and i but the profiles also display the effects of gas hydrate formation and dissociation although the 129 i i ratios are modified by 129 i from seawater and sediments at shallow depth likely ratios of the deep fluids are estimated to be between 400 10 15 and 600 10 15 equivalent to a late oligocene to early miocene age ages in the active methane venting sites typically are closer to the old end of this range than those in the reference sites this age range suggests that the methane associated with venting and gas hydrate formation in this area is derived from organic materials accumulated during the initial opening of the japan sea the umitaka spur joetsu knoll gas hydrate field demonstrates the movement of deep fluids associated with the release of significant amounts of methane from the seafloor processes which might be important components of mass transfer and carbon cycle in the shallow geosphere

high resolution analysis of a tsunami deposit case study from the 1755 lisbon tsunami in southwestern spain abstract a multi proxy approach using trench sediment analysis on the southwestern coast of spain los lances bay andalusia provides a high resolution record of the 1755 lisbon tsunami and offers new means to interpret tsunami deposits a combination of sedimentological grain size sorting ams micromorphological x ray tomography and radiography thin sections and geochemical analyses x ray microfluorescence icp aes combines to provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the different phases of tsunami deposition and flow dynamics vertical variations in sediment texture fabric and composition of the 1755 tsunami deposits in los lances are then discussed with reference to existing literature on diagnostic criteria commonly used for identifying and interpreting tsunami deposits finally possible leads for future investigation are proposed

controls on authigenic carbonate precipitation at cold seeps along the convergent margin off costa rica five sediment cores from cold seeps at the forearc off costa rica were used to explore the relationship between fluid advection dissolved ca concentrations in upward migrating fluids and authigenic caco3 precipitation a numerical transport reaction model was used to determine rates of anaerobic oxidation of methane aom caco3 precipitation and benthic fluxes of solutes production of carbonate alkalinity and formation of authigenic carbonates is most intense at intermediate flow rates 3 40 cm a 1 and reduced under low and high flux conditions 0 1 and 200 cm a 1 dissolved ca concentrations observed in the vent fluids off costa rica cover a wide range between 4 and 31 mm clearly exceeding seawater concentrations at two locations systematic model runs showed that high ca concentrations in ascending fluids enhance the rate of authigenic carbonate production at moderate flow rates leading to an almost quantitative fixation of deeply derived ca in authigenic carbonates hence caco3 precipitation is not only controlled by ca diffusing into the sediment from bottom water but also by the ca concentration in ascending fluids thus ca enriched fluids offer a reason for enhanced subsurface caco3 precipitation and the occurrence of carbonate caps on dewatering structures in the central american fore arc based on average precipitation rates deduced from the systematic model runs it is possible to give a rough estimate of the global ca fixation at cold seeps 2 1010 mol ca a 1 which suggests that cold seeps are most likely not of key importance with respect to ca cycling in the ocean

paleoceanography of the atlantic mediterranean exchange overview and first quantitative assessment of climatic forcing 1 the mediterranean sea provides a major route for heat and freshwater loss from the north atlantic and thus is an important cause of the high density of atlantic waters in addition to the traditional view that loss of fresh water via the mediterranean enhances the general salinity of the north atlantic and the interior of the eastern north atlantic in particular it should be noted that mediterranean water outflowing at gibraltar is in fact cooler than compensating inflowing water the consequence is that the mediterranean is also a region of heat loss from the atlantic and contributes to its large scale cooling uniquely this system can be understood physically via the constraints placed on it by a single hydraulic structure the gibraltar exchange here we review the existing knowledge about the physical structure of the gibraltar exchange today and the evidential basis for arguments that it has been different in the past using a series of quantitative experiments we then test prevailing concepts regarding the potential causes of these past changes we find that 1 changes in the vertical position of the plume of mediterranean water in the atlantic are controlled by the vertical density structure of the atlantic 2 a prominent early holocene contourite gap within the gulf of cadiz is a response to reduced buoyancy loss in the eastern mediterranean during the time of sapropel 1 deposition 3 changes in buoyancy loss from the mediterranean during mis3 caused changes in the bottom velocity field in the gulf of cadiz but we note that the likely cause is reduced freshwater loss and not enhanced heat loss and 4 strong exchange at gibraltar during atlantic freshening phases implies that the gibraltar exchange provides a strong negative feedback to reduced atlantic meridional overturning given the very counterintuitive way in which the strait of gibraltar system behaves we recommend that without quantitative supporting work qualitative interpretations of how the system has responded to past external forcing are unlikely to be robust

the tsunamite problem the genetic term tsunamite is used for a potpourri of deposits formed from a wide range of processes overwash surges backwash flows oscillatory flows combined flows soft sediment deformation slides slumps debris flows and turbidity currents related to tsunamis in lacustrine coastal shallow marine and deep marine environments tsunamites exhibit enormous variability of features e g normally graded sand floating mudstone clasts hummocky cross stratification etc these sedimentary features may also be interpreted as deposits of turbidity currents turbidites debris flows debrites or storms tempestites however sedimentary features play a passive role when these same deposits are reinterpreted as tsunamites on the basis of historical evidence for tsunamis and their triggering mechanisms e g earthquakes volcanic explosions landslides and meteorite impacts this bipartite sedimentological vs historical approach which allows here classification of the same deposit as both turbidite and tsunamite has blurred the distinction between shallow marine and deep marine facies a solution to this problem is to classify deposits solely by a descriptive sedimentological approach the notion that tsunami waves can directly deposit sediment in the deep sea is unrealistic because tsunami waves represent transfer of energy and they are sediment starved during tsunamis and major storms submarine canyons serve as the physical link between shallow water and deep water environments for sediment transport tsunami related deposition involves four progressive steps 1 triggering stage offshore 2 tsunami stage incoming waves 3 transformation stage near the coast and 4 depositional stage outgoing sediment flows in this progression deep water deposition can commence only after the demise of incoming tsunami waves due to their transformation into outgoing sediment flows deposits of these sediment flows already have established names e g debrite and turbidite therefore the term tsunamite for these deposits is obsolete

129i and 36cl concentrations in waters of the eastern clear lake area california residence times and source ages of hydrothermal fluids abstract the clear lake area of northern california is the location of hot spring activity some of which is associated with the formation of au and hg deposits we measured 129 i i and 36 cl cl ratios in nine warm springs formation springs six cold springs with elevated levels of cl and i mineral springs and five springs of recent meteoric origin dating of the i in the formation waters indicated that sources of i in these waters are formations with minimum ages between 60 and 80 ma this age range is in good agreement with the ages of the franciscan complex and the great valley sequence the dominant formations in this area because the mineral waters are essentially formation waters diluted with meteoric water i in these waters is of the same origin residence times of the waters were calculated based on the build up of129i and 36cl as a consequence of the presence of u and th in the crust the residence time of the formation waters in the great valley sequence the location for most of these springs was probably not longer than 84 000 yr the concentrations found for 36cl and 129i in the mineral waters indicate that these waters have residence times of similar magnitude in formations such as the franciscan complex or the clear lake volcanics which have slightly higher levels of u and th than the great valley sequence