Search results for "rock"
showing 10 items of 1160 documents
Taphonomic and Sedimentary Factors in the Fossil Record of Mammals
1990
The composition of the fossil assemblages of mammals (MFA) is traditionally considered as being controlled by historical factors. Its variations are attributed to biochronological changes due to evolutionary process or to biogeographic changes due to geodynamic process. The different MFA are compared as sampling units of similar nature. The presence or absence of taxa and their relative abundance are used as biochronologic and biogeographic indicators, and the samples (MFA) are considered homologous, although they appear in a different sedimentological, taphonomical, or tectonic context.
Structural framework and crustal characteristics of the Sardinia Channel Alpine transect in the central Mediterranean
2000
Abstract The submerged area located between the Sardinia Channel and the western Sicily offshore has been investigated based on deep crustal and conventional seismic lines with the aim of illustrating the relationships between the crust and its overlying crystalline and sedimentary thrust wedge. Analyses of seismic attributes and reflector pattern, supported by dredge hauls, also provided data in areas where stratigraphic and lithologic control is absent. Crustal geometries, tectonic processes and timing of the deformation are discussed here. North of the Elimi chain (central Sardinia Channel) the reflecting body consists of superposed tectonic wedges of crystalline rocks and their Meso-Cen…
The role of geochronology in understanding continental evolution
2010
Geochronology has become one of the most essential tools in reconstructing processes of continental growth and evolution, and in situ dating of minerals has become common practice through the development of high-resolution ion microprobes and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques. Zircon has established itself as the most robust and reliable mineral to record magmatic and metamorphic processes. The combination of mineral ages with Sm–Nd, Lu–Hf and O isotopic systematics constrains magma sources and their evolution, and a picture is emerging that supports the beginning of modern-style plate tectonics in the early Archaean. Major fields for future research in …
Natural and human induced environmental changes preserved in a Holocene sediment sequence from the Etoliko Lagoon, Greece: New evidence from geochemi…
2013
Abstract A key feature of Greece is the large amount of historical and archaeological records. The sedimentary record of the Etoliko Lagoon, Aetolia, Western Greece, offers an ideal opportunity to study human–environment interaction and to disentangle natural and anthropogenic imprints in the sedimentary record. By applying an interdisciplinary approach of combining geoscientific methods (XRF, LOI, grain size analysis) with archaeological and historical records, the 8.8 m long sedimentary sequence ETO1C reveals the palaeoenvironmental history of the lagoon and its catchment since 11,670 cal BP. With a thorough chronology based on 14 C age-depth-modelling including varve counting, different …
Prehistoric land use at an archaeological hot-spot (the rock art park of Campo Lameiro, NW Spain) inferred from charcoal, synanthropic pollen and non…
2013
Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and charcoal from a colluvial soil surrounded by prehistoric petroglyphs (Campo Lameiro, NW Spain) were studied in order to assess the nature of human activities and their impact on Holocene vegetation patterns. Several phases of anthropogenic impact were observed. (i) Between 7.6 and 6.5 ka cal BP, synanthropic taxa (Urtica dioica type, Plantago lanceolata type) and coprophilous fungi (e.g. Sporormiella-type) are indicative of early (pre-agricultural) creation of small patches of pasture using fire, possibly for incipient animal husbandry or as part of a deliberate strategy to improve game availability. Such activities only had a minor effect on the deciduou…
Upper Pleistocene biostratigraphy and traces of glaciotectonics at the Satiki site, western Latvia
2007
Structural, lithological, palynological and plant macroremain investigations of test-boring cores and gravel pit walls at the Satiki site suggest that gyttja and sandy gyttja units of basin sediments were deposited during the Felicianova (Eemian) Interglacial. A pollen diagram reflects the characteristic forest succession of the Eemian Interglacial: Betula, Pinus, Ulmus, Corylus, Quercus, Fraxinus, Tilia, Carpinus, Picea and Pinus. Forests of broadleaved trees and thermophilous plants dominated in the surroundings of the lake during the interglacial climatic optimum. The basin sediments contain a large number of warmth-demanding water plants such as Salvinia natans and Trapa sp. Paleobotani…
Palynology and lithostratigraphy of Late Elsterian to Early Saalian aquatic sediments in the Ziemupe–Jūrkalne area, western Latvia
2000
Abstract This study is based upon lithological and palynological investigation of test-drilling cores along the Baltic Sea coast. Three intertill units of basin sediments are underlain by a thin layer of Lētiža (Elsterian) till and overlain by glaciotectonically deformed Kurzeme (Saalian Complex) till. The Kurzeme till differs from the Lētiža till by higher contents of limestone clasts and rounded hornblende grains. The lowermost intertill unit consists of glaciolacustrine to glaciomarine laminated clay of the Sudrabi member, a late glacial deposit of the Lētiža glaciation. Treeless vegetation covered the adjoining land. Next is the marine to brackish Akme n rags formation, deposited during…
Palynological variations and sedimentary cycles in the Jurassic from the Paris basin
1995
Abstract Two studies, one on Hettangian dolomitic cap rocks over “Gaz de France” gas storage reservoir rocks at Sologne, and the other on two separate sections in Dogger formations in Burgundy, conducted at the Palynology Laboratory of Strasbourg, illustrate that a palynological approach can lead to a considerable refinement of knowledge in sequence stratigraphy. The palynological study of the dolomitic cap rocks at Sologne dates them as Hettangian, distinguishes microfloristical assemblage types within the sequence, and establishes palynofacies variations with basin evolution. The evidence suggests that palynological variations in the Hettangian rocks are attenuated, reflecting restricted …
Trace-element partitioning and boron isotope fractionation between white mica and tourmaline
2011
High-grade metamorphic tourmaline and white mica from the Broken Hill area, NSW, Australia, were analyzed with laser-ablation ICP–MS and ion-probe techniques to investigate the partitioning of trace elements and fractionation of boron isotopes between these two coexisting phases. The results indicate that most trace elements show partition coefficients close to one; only elements such as Zn, Sr, the light rare-earth elements La and Ce, and Th, partition preferentially into tourmaline, whereas Rb, Ba, W, Sn, and Nb and Ta are preferentially partitioned into coexisting mica. The ion-probe measurements demonstrate that boron isotopes are strongly fractionated between mica and tourmaline, with …