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4 pages, 167 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial of Special Issue “Quaternary Sedimentary Successions”

by Francesco Sciuto

Geosciences 2021, 11(12), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11120509 - 12 Dec 2021

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Abstract

The Quaternary is the chronostratigraphic range spanning from 2.58 Ma to the present [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

Research

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22 pages, 11044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Edifice of Fluvial Terrace Flights, Stacks and Rows

by Wolfgang Schirmer

Geosciences 2020, 10(12), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10120501 - 15 Dec 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5046

Abstract

The paper presents a review of the architecture and structures of river deposits in valleys. A new terminology for some features is included in this review. It presents principles of the fluvial systems with morphological river terraces and fluments (new term for terrace [...] Read more.

The paper presents a review of the architecture and structures of river deposits in valleys. A new terminology for some features is included in this review. It presents principles of the fluvial systems with morphological river terraces and fluments (new term for terrace bodies), different stages of the morphological terraces, the texture—the arrangement—of fluments in the form of terrace flights, terrace stacks and terrace rows, and the (inner) structure of a single flument. The contact between the valley fill and the bedrock is named by the new term “pelma”. Special topics deal with flument overlaps and insight into the deepest valley fill down to the bedrock. A comparison with other terms of the fluvial inventory is annexed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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19 pages, 6867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evidence of Predation on Early Pleistocene Freshwater Ostracods (Umbria, Central Italy)

by Angela Baldanza, Roberto Bizzarri, Francesco Posati and Manuel Ravoni

Geosciences 2020, 10(10), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10100416 - 20 Oct 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

Although drillholes in modern and ancient ostracods are known, the record is relatively scarce when compared to other taxa, and mainly exist with reference to the marine environment. Moreover, less is known about perforated ostracods, and more generally, about bioerosion in freshwater environments. [...] Read more.

Although drillholes in modern and ancient ostracods are known, the record is relatively scarce when compared to other taxa, and mainly exist with reference to the marine environment. Moreover, less is known about perforated ostracods, and more generally, about bioerosion in freshwater environments. Traces of predation on freshwater ostracods are reported for the first time in deep-lake deposits belonging to the early Pleistocene Fosso Bianco Unit, and outcropping in the Cava Nuova section (Umbria, central Italy). Deposits are mainly clay to silty clay and sand; the fossil record is sparse, and is mainly comprised of very rare gastropods and bivalves, ostracods and plant remains (leaves, seeds and wood’s fragments). The association of ostracods consists of Candona (Neglecandona) neglecta, Caspiocypris basilicii, Caspiocypris tiberina, Caspiocypris perusia, Caspiocypris tuderis, Caspiocypris posteroacuta, and Cyprideis torosa. The Caspiocypris group, considered to be endemic to the grey clays of the Fosso Bianco Unit, present the majority of specimens affected by predation, with a prevalence of predated female valves and a comparable number of right and left predated valves, while only a few of Candona(N.) neglecta (adult and juvenile) valves are perforated. Traces of predation for nourishment, represented by microborings of different types, were abscribed to the ichnospecies Oichnus paraboloides Bromley 1981, Oichnus simplex Bromley 1981, Oichnus gradatus Nielsen and Nielsen 2001, Oichnus ovalis Bromley 1993, and Dipatulichnus rotundus Nielsen and Nielsen 2001. Microboring affected both adult and juvenile specimens, evidencing prey–predator coexistence in the same environment over a long period of time. This report makes a fundamental contribution to the knowledge of predation in this peculiar confined environment, also suggesting prey–predator relations over a relatively short time interval (80–160 ka). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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30 pages, 8792 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Foraminifer and Ostracod Occurrence in a Cool-Water Carbonate Factory of the Cape Adare (Ross Sea, Antarctica): A Key Lecture for the Climatic and Oceanographic Variations in the Last 30,000 Years

by Romana Melis and Gianguido Salvi

Geosciences 2020, 10(10), 413; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10100413 - 15 Oct 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3199

Abstract

Foraminifers and ostracods were studied in a gravity-core recovered near Cape Adare (Ross Sea, Antarctica) with the aim of identifying the climatic and oceanographic variations during the last 30 ka. The sedimentary sequence represents conditions of a cool-water carbonate factory, which evidences that [...] Read more.

Foraminifers and ostracods were studied in a gravity-core recovered near Cape Adare (Ross Sea, Antarctica) with the aim of identifying the climatic and oceanographic variations during the last 30 ka. The sedimentary sequence represents conditions of a cool-water carbonate factory, which evidences that during the Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS2) the area was ice-free and very productive. The overall preservation of delicate skeletal remains such as bryozoans and molluscs indicated moderate bottom currents. This carbonate factory was interrupted by some terrigenous levels, representing conditions of instability/retreat of the ice shelves southward. The younger levels were referred to the meltwater pulse (MWP)-1A and 1B events. The Holocene sequence comprised more terrigenous sediments, reflecting high bottom-currents similar to the present-day conditions. Very abundant and well preserved foraminifers and ostracods, representative of shelf-upper slope paleoenvironments, were recovered. Epistominella exigua, among the foraminifers, suggested the influence of the Circumpolar Deep Water during some periods of the late Quaternary. Heavy-test taxa, such as Cibicides refulgens, indicated strengthening bottom hydrodynamics. As for the ostracods, peaks in the presence of Australicythere devexa, Bairdoppilata simplex and Pseudocythere aff. caudata together with significant values of Polycope spp. allowed us to identify environments rich in nutrients with the influence of cold and deep water upwelling phenomena. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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19 pages, 2978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Timing and Sedimentary Record of Late Quaternary Fluvio-Aeolian Successions of the Tura-Pyshma Interfluve (SW Western Siberia, Russia)

by Oleg Sizov, Alexandr Konstantinov, Anna Volvakh and Anatoly Molodkov

Geosciences 2020, 10(10), 396; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10100396 - 4 Oct 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2356

Abstract

The sedimentary record of aeolian deposits and geomorphic features of the aeolian landforms of Northern Eurasia contain important information that allows us to better understand the climate and environments of the Late Glacial and Early Holocene periods. At the same time, the degree [...] Read more.

The sedimentary record of aeolian deposits and geomorphic features of the aeolian landforms of Northern Eurasia contain important information that allows us to better understand the climate and environments of the Late Glacial and Early Holocene periods. At the same time, the degree of scientific knowledge about the timing of aeolian activity, as well as the landscapes that existed during these periods, differs significantly for different parts of this vast territory. Data on the sedimentological record and age estimations of aeolian phases are practically absent for the periglacial zone of Western Siberia, in contrast to that of Europe. This paper presents the first data on the Late Quaternary fluvio-aeolian environments of the southwestern part of Western Siberia, using two sections as examples. Our methods included field investigations, analysis of grain-size and chemical composition, quartz grain morphoscopy and infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) and AMS dating. The obtained results show that aeolian sands are common covering deposits within the study area. Two stages of aeolian activity were identified: the first during the Boreal period (9.2–10.2 ka BP), and the second during the Atlantic period, beginning near 7 ka BP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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26 pages, 5068 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pleistocene Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy and Gephyrocapsid Occurrence in Site U1431D, IODP 349, South China Sea

by Jose Dominick S. Guballa and Alyssa M. Peleo-Alampay

Geosciences 2020, 10(10), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10100388 - 28 Sep 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3539

Abstract

We reinvestigated the Pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of Site U1431D (International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349) in the South China Sea (SCS). Twelve calcareous nannofossil Pleistocene datums are identified in the site. The analysis confirms that the last occurrence (LO) of Calcidiscus [...] Read more.

We reinvestigated the Pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of Site U1431D (International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349) in the South China Sea (SCS). Twelve calcareous nannofossil Pleistocene datums are identified in the site. The analysis confirms that the last occurrence (LO) of Calcidiscus macintyrei is below the first occurrence (FO) of large Gephyrocapsa spp. (>5.5 μm). The FO of medium Gephyrocapsa spp. (4–5.5 μm) is also identified in the samples through morphometric measurements, which was unreported in shipboard results. Magnetobiochronologic calibrations of the numerical ages of LO of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa and FO of Emiliania huxleyi are underestimated and need reassessment. Other potential markers such as a morphological turnover of circular to elliptical variants of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa and a small Gephyrocapsa acme almost synchronous with the FO of Emiliania huxleyi may offer biostratigraphic significance in the SCS. The morphologic changes in Gephyrocapsa coccoliths are also examined for the first time in Site U1431D. Placolith length and bridge angle changes are comparable with other ocean basins, suggesting that morphologic changes are most likely evolutionary novelties rather than being caused by local climate anomalies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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18 pages, 4782 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Cemented on the Rock. A Pleistocene Outer Shelf Lithobiont Community from Sicily, Italy

by Antonietta Rosso, Agatino Reitano and Rossana Sanfilippo

Geosciences 2020, 10(9), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090343 - 29 Aug 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2432

Abstract

The lithobiont community encrusting an early Pleistocene palaeocliff cropping out north of Augusta (SE Sicily, Italy) was investigated based on field observations and laboratory inspection of two rocky samples. Bryozoans, serpulids, brachiopods and bivalves encrusted part of the exposed surfaces that were bored [...] Read more.

The lithobiont community encrusting an early Pleistocene palaeocliff cropping out north of Augusta (SE Sicily, Italy) was investigated based on field observations and laboratory inspection of two rocky samples. Bryozoans, serpulids, brachiopods and bivalves encrusted part of the exposed surfaces that were bored mostly by clionaid sponges. Bryozoans, with at least 25 species detected on the rocky samples, are the most diversified skeletonized lithobionts also accounting for the highest number of colonies/specimens and highest coverage. Brachiopods, with the only species Novocrania anomala and a few but large cemented valves, cover wide surfaces. Serpulids, with two species identified on the sampled rocks and further two on the outcrop, were intermediate. A multiphase colonization is present, including a final epilithobiont community locally formed on eroded surfaces exposing a network of pervasive borings. The co-occurrence of very sciaphilic species having circalittoral to bathyal distributions suggests that the studied community thrived on a rocky substratum located near or at the shelf break, probably belonging to the shelf break (or RL) biocoenosis, also in agreement with observations on the fossil content of neighboring marly sediments. The observed relationships among colonizers largely represent mere superimpositions, and real interactions are not enough to state species competitiveness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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14 pages, 2866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pyrolysis of Technogenic-Redeposited Coal-Bearing Rocks of Spoil Heaps

by Nikolay I. Akulov and Varvara V. Akulova

Geosciences 2020, 10(4), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10040122 - 28 Mar 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2271

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a study of epigenetic changes in technogenic-redeposited coal-bearing rocks of Irkutsk and Kuznetsk coal basin spoil heaps (Russia). Hydrocarbon products formed under high-temperature and low-temperature pyrolysis of coal-bearing rocks were studied by using a chromatography-mass spectrometer GCMS-QP2010NC [...] Read more.

The paper presents the results of a study of epigenetic changes in technogenic-redeposited coal-bearing rocks of Irkutsk and Kuznetsk coal basin spoil heaps (Russia). Hydrocarbon products formed under high-temperature and low-temperature pyrolysis of coal-bearing rocks were studied by using a chromatography-mass spectrometer GCMS-QP2010NC Plus (made by Shimadzu Company). The average temperature of low-temperature natural pyrolysis does not exceed 120 °C, and its average speed is approximately 2 m/year. In this case, three pyrolysis zones gradually built metamorphic rock mass (from bottom to top) are clearly established: heating (focal) activated and enriched. The average temperature of high-temperature pyrolysis reaches 850 °C, and its average speed is approximately 20 m/year. Unlike low-temperature pyrolysis, high-temperature pyrolysis is accompanied by the presence of two major zones (from bottom to top): pyrogenic (focal) and enriched (coke). The chemical composition of the enriched pyrolysis zone was studied in detail. It has been established that hydrocarbon compounds in samples of the pyrolysis zone are presented by six classes: asphaltic-resinous substances; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic compounds, organic sulphur compounds; pyrolytic hydrocarbon and heavy hydrocarbon residue. Quantitative content of hydrocarbon compounds in the analyzed samples varies from 0.35% to 41.88%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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25 pages, 7529 KiB

Open AccessReview

Integrated Stratigraphy of the Marine Early Pleistocene in Umbria

by Roberto Bizzarri and Angela Baldanza

Geosciences 2020, 10(9), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090371 - 17 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3237

Abstract

Through time, the wide area between southeastern Tuscany, northeastern Latium, and western Umbria has been revealed as a crucial area for understanding the evolution of Neogene basins in northern Apennine. In this study, the results of twenty years of research on the marine [...] Read more.

Through time, the wide area between southeastern Tuscany, northeastern Latium, and western Umbria has been revealed as a crucial area for understanding the evolution of Neogene basins in northern Apennine. In this study, the results of twenty years of research on the marine early Pleistocene deposits are summarized, and the biological and physical events are presented and discussed in order to propose an integrated stratigraphic scheme. The proposed reconstruction is also included in a wider context, taking into account both the local and regional geological evolution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Sedimentary Successions)

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