Down-core distribution of live and dead benthic foraminifera in deep sea sediments from the Weddell Sea and the Californian continental borderland

Five short cores sub-sampled from box cores from three sites in the eastern Weddell Sea off Antarctica and in the eastern Pacific off southern California, covering a range in water depth from 500 to 2000 m, were analysed for the down-core distribution of live (stained with Rose Bengal) and dead benthic foraminifera. In the California continental borderland, Planulina ariminensis, Rosalina columbiensis and Trochammina spp. live attached to agglutinated polychaetes tubes that rise above the sedimentwater interface. Bolivina spissa lives exclusively in or on the uppermost sediment. Stained specimens of Chilostomella ovoidea are found down to 6 cm within the sediment and specimens of Globobulimina pacifica down to a maximum of 8 cm. Delta13C values of live G. pacifica decrease with increasing depth from the sediment surface down to 7 cm core depth, indicating that this infaunal species utilizes13C-depleted carbon from pore waters. In the dead, predominantly calcareous benthic forminiferal assemblage, selective dissolution of small delicate tests in the upper sediment column causes a continuous variation in species proportions. In the eastern Weddell Sea, the calcareous Bulimina aculeata lives in a carbonate corrosive environment exclusively in or on the uppermost sediment. The arenaceous Cribrostomoides subglobosum, Recurvoides contortus and some Reophax species are frequently found within the top 4 cm of the sediment, whereas stained specimens of Haplophragmoides bradyi, Glomospira charoides and Cribrostomoides wiesneri occur in maximum abundance below the uppermost 1.5 cm. Species proportions in the dead, predominantly arenaceous, benthic foraminiferal assemblage change in three distinct steps. The first change is caused by calcite dissolution at the sediment-water interface, the second coincides with the lower boundary of intense bioturbation, and the third results from the geochemical shift from oxidizing to reducing conditions below a compacted ash layer.

Astronomical time scale for Paleocene and early Eocene sediments

The astronomical-tuned time scale is rapidly extended into the Paleogene but, due to the existence of an Eocene gap, different tuning options had to be presented for the Paleocene. These options differ both in number and tuning of ~405-kyr eccentricity related cycles and are only partially consistent with recalculated 40Ar/39Ar constraints for the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) and Paleocene/Eocene (P/E) boundaries. In this paper, we evaluate the cyclostratigraphic interpretation of records from ODP Leg 198 and 208 sites, and the Zumaia section to solve the problem of the different tuning options. We found that the interval between the K/Pg boundary and the early Late Paleocene biotic event (ELPE) comprises 17 instead of 16 * ~405-kyr eccentricity related cycles as previously proposed, while the entire Paleocene contains 25 * ~405-kyr cycles. Starting from 40Ar/39Ar age constraints for the K/Pg boundary, a new tuning to 405-kyr eccentricity is presented for the Paleocene and earliest Eocene, which results in ages of ~66.0 and ~ 56.0 Ma for the K/Pg and P/E boundaries, respectively. This tuning introduces considerable differences in age for a number of nannofossil events at ODP Sites 1209 and 1262 in the interval between 61 and 63 Ma, but eliminates large and abrupt changes in the seafloor spreading rate. The tuning seems further consistent with recalculated 40Ar/39Ar ages for ash layer -17 of early Eocene age. However, despite this apparent consistency with existing radio-isotopic constraints, an alternative 405-kyr younger or, less likely, older tuning cannot be excluded at this stage.

Age determination of sediment core HZM, lake Holzmar (Tables 1, 2)

AMS radiocarbon ages have been determined on terrestrial macrofossils selected from the annually laminated sediments of lake Holzmaar (Germany). The radiocarbon chronology of this lake covers the last 12.6 ka. Comparison of the radiocarbon dated varve chronology with tree ring data shows that an additional 878 years have to be added to the varve chronology. The corrected 14C varve chronology of Holzmaar reaches back to ca. 13.8 ka cal. BP and compares favourably with the results from Soppensee (Switzerland) (Hajdas et al., 1993, doi:10.1007/BF00209748). The corrected ages for the onset and the end of the Younger Dryas biozone are 11,940 cal. BP and 11,490 cal. BP, respectively. The ash layer of the Laacher See volcanic eruption is dated at 12,201 ± 224 cal. BP and the Ulmener Tephra layer is dated at 10,904 cal. BP.

Sedimentology of various cores from the West Antarctic continental margin

Three megascopic and disseminated tephra layers (which we refer to as layers A, B, and C) occur in late Quaternary glaciomarine sediments deposited on the West Antarctic continental margin. The stratigraphical positions of the distal tephra layers in 28 of the 32 studied sediment cores suggest their deposition during latest Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 6 and MIS 5. One prominent tephra layer (layer B), which was deposited subsequent to the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II), is present in almost all of the cores. Geochemical analyses carried out on the glass shards of the layers reveal a uniform trachytic composition and indicate Marie Byrd Land (MBL), West Antarctica, as the common volcanic source. The geochemical composition of the marine tephra is compared to that of ash layers of similar age described from Mount Moulton and Mount Takahe in MBL and from ice cores drilled at Dome Fuji, Vostok and EPICA Dome C in East Antarctica. The three tephra layers in the marine sediments are chemically indistinguishable. Also five englacial ash layers from Mt. Moulton, which originated from highly explosive Plinian eruptions of the Mt. Berlin volcano in MBL between 142 ka and 92 ka ago, are chemically very similar, as are two tephra layers erupted from Mt. Takahe at ca. 102 ka and ca. 93 ka. Statistical analysis of the chemical composition of the glass shards indicates that the youngest tephra (layer A) in the marine cores matches the ash layer erupted from Mt. Berlin at 92 ka, which was previously correlated with tephra layers in the EPICA Dome C and the Dome Fuji ice cores. A tephra erupted from Mt. Berlin at 136 ka seems to correspond to a tephra layer deposited at 1733 m in the EPICA Dome C ice core. Additionally, the oldest tephra (layer C) in the marine sediments resembles an ash layer deposited at Vostok around 142 ka, but statistical evidence for the validity of this correlation is inconclusive. Although our results underscore the potential of tephrostratigraphy for correlating terrestrial and marine palaeoclimate archives, our study also reveals limitations of this technique, which may result in the miscorrelation of tephra. Such pitfalls comprise failure to recognise the occurrence of various tephra layers in marine sediment cores, 'swamping' of records with chemically indistinguishable tephra from a single volcanic source, and exclusive use of 'geochemical fingerprinting' for correlating ash layers.

Quarternary tephra layers in sediment cores from the Bellingshausen Sea and Scotia Sea

The Southern Ocean is a region of the world's ocean which is fundamental to the generation of cold deep ocean water which drives the global therrno-haline circulation. Previous investigations of deep-sea sediments south of the Polar Front have been significantly constrained by the lack of a suitable correlation and dating technique. In this study, deep-sea sediment cores from the Bellingshausen, Scotia and Weddell seas have been investigated for the presence of tephra layers. The major oxide and trace element composition of glass shards have been used to correlate tephra isochrons over distances in excess of 600 km. The source volcanoes for individual tephra layers have been identified. Atmospheric transport distances greater than 1500 km for >32 pm shards are reported. One megascopic tephra is identified and correlated across 7 sediment drifts on the continental rise in the Bellingshausen Sea. Its occurrence in a sedimentary unit that has been biostratigraphically dated to delta 18O substage 5e identifies it as a key regional marker horizon for that stage. An unusual bimodal megascopic ash layer erupted from Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, has been correlated between 6 sediment cores which form a 600 km NE-SW transect from the central Scotia Sea to Jane Basin. This megascopic ash layer has been 14C dated at c. 10,670 years BP. It represents the last significant input of tephra into the Scotia Sea or Jane Basin from that volcano and forms an important early Holocene marker horizon for the region. Five disseminated tephras can be correlated to varying extents across the central Scotia Sea cores. Together with the megascopic tephra they form a tephrostratigraphic framework that will greatly aid palaeoclimatic, palaeoenvironrnental and palaeoceanographic investigations in the region.

Mitigation of Alkali Induced Heave in Rectorite Soil with Fly Ash

Mechanisms that control the volume changes behavior of foundation soils are well understood. The changes that occur in the behavior of soil due to migration of pollutants are not well understood. The extent of changes that occur in the presence of small concentration of contaminants can be predicted based on changes in the thickness of double layer and associated fabric changes. Interactions that occur with strong contaminants depends on the type of soil, type and concentration of contamination and duration of interaction etc It has been shown that different concentrations (1N and 4N) of sodium hydroxide solution causes abnormal changes on volume change behaviour of soil due to mineralogical changes. An attempt is made in this paper to stabilize contaminated soil using fly ash, after establishing its stability in alkali solutions. It was found that the effectiveness of fly ash to control the alkali induced heave increases with fly ash content incorporated into the soil. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the mineralogical changes that occur in soil due to alkali interaction are inhibited by the presence of fly ash.

The taphonomy of Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (LGIT) distal volcanic ash in small Scottish lakes

An extensive micro-tephrostratigraphic survey of three small lakes in the Scottish Inner Hebrides was conducted encompassing the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (LGIT). The lakes are highly contrasting in terms of lake area to catchment ratio, the presence or absence of stream inlets draining the catchment, and in the complexity of the catchment drainage network. A suite of distal Icelandic volcanic ashes was consistently detected in all three lakes, with three, namely Penifiler Tephra, Vedde Ash and Ashik Tephra, being common to all the lakes. These ashes were chosen to examine the taphonomic intercomparability of ash location and concentration among the lakes. Findings reveal that the part played by catchment inlets in determining ash concentration and within-basin location applies to microtephra layers as much as it does in studies of macrotephra layer thickness. The position of ash concentration maxima is also shown to vary significantly for different LGIT periods and may be a consequence of lake-level changes, especially during the early Holocene. High-resolution stratigraphic analysis through the Vedde Ash visible macrotephra at Loch Ashik reveals a high degree of complexity in taphonomic behaviour between the different geochemical components, with possible implications for the correct interpretation of the isochron position. The detection of multiple intact ash isochrons and the taphonomic processes responsible for their deposition should prove useful in future tephrostratigraphic surveys, as well as having applications within other palaeolimnological disciplines.

Exceptionally Long Distance Transport of Volcanic Ash: Implications for Stratigraphy, Hazards and the Sourcing of Distal Tephra Deposits

Cryptotephras (tephra not visible to the naked eye) form the foundation of the tephrostratigraphic frameworks used in Europe to date and correlate widely distributed geologic, paleoenvironmental and archaeological records. Pyne-O'Donnell et al. (2012) established the potential for developing a similar crypto-tephrostratigraphy across eastern North America by identifying multiple tephra, including the White River Ash (east; WRAe), St. Helens We and East Lake, in a peat core located in Newfoundland. Following on from this work, several ongoing projects have examined additional peat cores from Michigan, New York State, Maine, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to build a tephrostratigraphic framework for this region. Using the precedent set by recent research by Jensen et al.(in press) that correlated the Alaskan WRAe to the European cryptotephra AD860B, unknown tephras identified in this work were not necessarily assumed to be from "expected" source areas (e.g. the Cascades). Here we present several examples of the preservation of tephra layers with an intercontinental distribution (i.e. WRAe and Ksudach 1), from relatively small magnitude events (i.e. St. Helens layer T, Mono Crater), and the first example of a Mexican ash in the NE (Volcan Ceboruco, Jala pumice). There are several implications of the identification of these units. These far-travelled ashes: (1) highlight the need to consider "ultra" distal source volcanoes for unknown cryptotephra deposits,. (2) present an opportunity for physical volcanologists to examine why some eruptions have an exceptional distribution of ash that is not necessarily controlled by the magnitude of the event. (3) complicate the idea of using tephrostratigraphic frameworks to understand the frequency of eruptions towards aiding hazard planning and prediction (e.g. Swindles et al., 2011). (4) show that there is a real potential to link tropical and mid to high-latitude paleoenvironmental records. Jensen et al. (in press) Transatlantic correlation of the Alaskan White River Ash. Geology. Pyne-O'Donnell et al. (2012). High-precision ultra-distal Holocene tephrochronology in North America. Quaternary Science Reviews, 52, 6-11. Swindles et al. (2011). A 7000 yr perspective on volcanic ash clouds affecting northern Europe. Geology, 39, 887-890.

Genetic parameters for body weight, carcass chemical composition and yield in a broiler-layer cross developed for QTL mapping

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Chemical analysis of ash layers in ODP Leg 104 holes

Numerous fresh ash layers comprise about 0.3% by volume of Neogene to Holocene sediments drilled at Leg 104 Sites 642 and 643 (Vøring Plateau, North Atlantic). Median grain sizes of the ashes are about 100 /µm and maximum grain sizes range up to 1200 µm. Rhyolitic pumice shards dominate, with minor bubble wall shards. Basaltic shards are poorly vesicular and blocky or round. Phenocrystic plagioclase, zircon, and clinopyroxene occur in the rhyolitic, plagioclase, and clinopyroxene phenocrysts and basaltic lithics in the basaltic tephra. Quartz, amphibole, clinozoisite, and rutile are interpreted as xenocrysts. All ash layers are well-sorted and represent distal fallout from major explosive eruptions. Most ashes are rhyolitic (high-K and low-K) in composition, some are bimodal (tholeiitic and rhyolitic). Early Miocene tephra is dominantly basaltic. Iceland is inferred to be the likely source region for most ashes. Late Miocene high-K rhyolites may have originated from the K-rich Jan Mayen magmatic province. One Quaternary layer with biotite and alkali feldspar phenocrysts may have been derived from Jan Mayen Island. Four individual Pliocene to Holocene ash layers from Sites 642 and 643 can be correlated fairly well. Upper Miocene layers are tentatively correlated as a sequence between Sites 642 and 643. Average calculated layer frequencies are about three layers/m.y. through the Pliocene and Pleistocene and five to eight layers per m.y. through the middle and late Miocene, suggesting rather continuous volcanic activity in the North Atlantic. Episodic magmatic activity during Neogene epochs in this part of the North Atlantic, as postulated in the literature, cannot be confirmed.