scholarly journals Sedimentation style of a Pleistocene kame terrace from the Western Sudety Mountains, S Poland

Geologos ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Pisarska-Jamroży ◽  
Katarzyna Machowiak ◽  
Dariusz Krzyszkowski

Sedimentation style of a Pleistocene kame terrace from the Western Sudety Mountains, S PolandThe depositional conditions of kame terraces in a mountain valley were analysed sedimentologically and petrologically through a series of kame terraces in the Rudawy Janowickie mountains. The kame terraces comprise five lithofacies associations. Lithofacies association GRt, Sp originates from deposition in the high-energy, deep gravel-bed channel of a braided river. Lithofacies association GC represents a washed out glacial till. Probably a thin layer of till was washed out by sandy braided rivers (Sp). The fourth association (Fh, Fm) indicates a shallow and quite small glaciomarginal lake. The last association (GRt, GRp) indicates the return of deposition in a sandy-bed braided channel. The petrography of the Janowice Wiekie pit and measurements of cross-stratified beds indicate a palaeocurrent direction from N to S. The Janowice Wielkie sedimentary succession accumulated most probably during the Saalian (Odranian, Saale I, Drenthe) as the first phase of ice-sheet melting, because the kame terrace under study is the highest one, 25-27 m above the Bóbr river level. The deposits under study are dominated by local components. The proglacial streams flowed along the margin of the ice sheet and deposited the kame terrace. The majority of the sedimentary succession was deposited in a confined braided-river system in quite deep channels.

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 11-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok Sigdel ◽  
Tetsuya Sakai

Fluvial sediments of the Siwalik successions in the Himalayan Foreland Basin are one of the most important continental archives for the history of Himalayan tectonics and climate change during the Miocene Period. This study reanalyzes the fluvial facies of the Siwalik Group along the Karnali River, where the large paleo-Karnali River system is presumed to have flowed. The reinterpreted fluvial system comprises fine-grained meandering river (FA1), flood-flow dominated meandering river with intermittent appearance of braided rivers (FA2), deep and shallow sandy braided rivers (FA3, FA4) to gravelly braided river (FA5) and finally debris-flow dominated braided river (FA6) facies associations, in ascending order. Previous work identified sandy flood-flow dominated meandering and anastomosed systems, but this study reinterprets these systems as a flood-flow dominated meandering river system with intermittent appearance of braided rivers, and a shallow sandy braided system, respectively. The order of the appearance of fluvial depositional systems in the Karnali River section is similar to those of other Siwalik sections, but the timing of the fluvial facies changes differs. The earlier appearance (3-4 Ma) of the flood-flow dominated meandering river system in the Karnali River section at about 13.5 Ma may have been due to early uplift of the larger catchment size of the paleo-Karnali River which may have changed the precipitation pattern i.e. intensification of the Indian Summer Monsoon. The change from a meandering river system to a braided river system is also recorded 1 to 3 Ma earlier than in other Siwalik sections in Nepal. Differential and diachronous activities of the thrust systems could be linked to change in catchment area as well as diachronous uplift and climate, the combination of which are major probable causes of this diachronity.


Geologos ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria I. Waksmundzka

Abstract Fining-upwards cyclothems found in five boreholes in the Carboniferous (Lower Bashkirian) of the Lublin Basin were analysed sedimentologically. It was established that the cyclothems represent fluvial deposits, and the lithofacies were grouped into lithofacies associations. Most lithofacies associations represent three types of sand-bed braided rivers: (1) high-energy, (2) deep and (3) distal sheetflood-affected. Other associations represent hyperconcentrated flows. Both coarse-grained (type I) and fine-grained (types IIa and IIb) occur among the fining-upward cyclothems. The formation of most thick cyclothems was related mainly to allocyclic factors, i.e. a decrease in the river’s gradient. The thickest fining-upward cyclothems are characteristic of hyperconcentrated flows and braided-river channels. The aggradation ratios were commonly high. During the early Namurian C and early Westphalian A (Early Bashkirian), the eastern part of the Lublin Basin was located close to the source area. The sedimentary succession developed due to a transition from high-energy braidedrivers and hyperconcentrated flows to lower-energy braided rivers, controlled by a rise of the regional base level.


Geologos ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-181
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ewert-Krzemieniewska

Abstract A sedimentary succession in a gravel pit at Niedźwiedziny was investigated in order to determine its origin: kame or moraine. The gravel pit is located in an isolated hill of approx. 600 m long and 250–400 m wide. The succession is built of glaciofuvial deposits: a sandy/gravelly unit in the lower and middle parts, overlain by diam-icton. Five lithofacies have been distinguished, which represent two facies associations: (1) a fuvial association evolving from a high-energy to a transitional to a shallow braided river on an alluvial fan, and (2) an association of cohesive deposits representing a glacigenic mass fow. The interpretation is based mainly on palaeocurrent data and differs from conclusions by earlier investigators. The ice-marginal zone is characterised by a large variety of glaciomarginal forms. Their sedimentology, morphology and palaeogeography are determined by successive phases of deglaciation. The results of the present study show that the character of the deglaciation in the study area changed with time from frontal to areal deglaciation.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
B. Bellwald ◽  
S. Planke ◽  
S. Polteau ◽  
N. Lebedeva-Ivanova ◽  
J.I. Faleide ◽  
...  

Abstract Proglacial braided river systems discharge large volumes of meltwater from ice sheets and transport coarse-grained sediments from the glaciated areas to the oceans. Here, we test the hypothesis if high-energy hydrological events can leave distinctive signatures in the sedimentary record of braided river systems. We characterize the morphology and infer a mode of formation of a 25 km long and 1–3 km wide Early Pleistocene incised valley recently imaged in 3-D seismic data in the Hoop area, SW Barents Sea. The fluvial system, named Bjørnelva River Valley, carved 20 m deep channels into Lower Cretaceous bedrock at a glacial paleo-surface and deposited 28 channel bars along a paleo-slope gradient of ~0.64 m km−1. The landform morphologies and position relative to the paleo-surface support that Bjørnelva River Valley was formed in the proglacial domain of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet. Based on valley width and valley depth, we suggest that Bjørnelva River Valley represents a braided river system fed by violent outburst floods from a glacial lake, with estimated outburst discharges of ~160 000 m3 s−1. The morphological configuration of Bjørnelva River Valley can inform geohazard assessments in areas at risk of outburst flooding today and is an analogue for landscapes evolving in areas currently covered by the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocio Luz Fernandez ◽  
Daniel Parsons ◽  
Stuart McLelland ◽  
Bas Bodewes

<p>Sequential observations of channel adjustments in relation to short-term flow variability are required to evaluate the effects of temporal ordering of hydrologic events on channel form. With the increasing hydroclimate variability due to global climate change, fluvial morphology might also exhibit adjustments toward changing equilibria. By combining flume and numerical modelling we examine the mechanism of bed morphology changes of braided rivers to a sequence of low to moderate magnitude flood events. Over 60 runs were performed in a mobile bed flume (10 m x 2.5 m), with constant longitudinal slope (0.015) and mean grain size (0.45 mm) in the Total Environment Simulator at the University of Hull, UK. The outcomes of each run were characterized by a detailed digital elevation model, digital imagery and continuous monitoring of the sediment transported through the flume outlet. Sediment conditions included floods with equilibrium and deficit loads. Rivers were allowed to evolve from an initially flat-bed to a self-organized, steady state. The rate of change and rate of bed load movement against time were indicative of the gradual approach to equilibrium. The Delft3D code in depth-averaged (2-D) mode was used to reproduce different aspects of the braiding process over an up-scaling of the laboratory river. Data analysis allowed us to assess the effect of discharge variation on the braiding dynamics and on the width-to-depth ratio of channels, which although variable in time, fluctuated among defined values. Once in equilibrium, net changes in reach-averaged width and depth values were relatively minor. The adjustment of the river morphology through time was well fitted by an exponential decay expression, and we tested diffusive relationships held within our braided river system for both constant and varying discharge conditions. In long term process-response systems, climatic changes introduce sequences of disruption of equilibria such as those analysed in this study. The results might provide then a useful basis for analysing the similar but more complex long-term dynamics found in natural rivers.</p><p> </p>


Geologos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Pisarska-Jamroży

Abstract During the Pleistocene the Scandinavian ice sheet drained huge quantities of sediment-laden meltwaters. These meltwaters supplied ice-marginal valleys that formed parallel to the front of the ice sheet. Not without significance was the supply of ice-marginal valleys from extraglacial rivers in the south. Moreover, periglacial conditions during and after sedimentation in ice-marginal valleys, the morphology of valley bedrocks, and erosion of older sediments played important roles in the depositional scenarios, and in the mineralogical composition of the sediments. The mechanisms that controlled the supply and deposition in ice-marginal valleys were analysed on the basis of a Pleistocene ice-marginal valley that was supplied by northern and southern source areas in the immediate vicinity. Investigations were conducted in one of the largest ice-marginal valleys of the Polish-German lowlands, i.e., the Toruń-Eberswalde ice-marginal valley, in sandurs (Drawa and Gwda) supplied sediments and waters from the north into this valley, and on extraglacial river terraces (pre-Noteć and pre-Warta rivers), formed simultaneously with the sandurs and ice-marginal valley (Pomeranian phase of Weichselian glaciation) supplied sediments and waters from the south into this valley. A much debated question is how similar, or different, depositional processes and sediments were that contributed to the formation of the Toruń-Eberswalde ice-marginal valley, and whether or not it is possible to differentiate mostly rapidly aggraded sandur sediments from ice-marginal valley sediments. Another question addresses the contribution of extraglacial feeding of the Toruń-Eberswalde ice-marginal valley. These matters were addressed by a wide range of analyses: sediment texture and structure, architectural elements of sediments, frequency of sedimentary successions, heavy-mineral analysis (both transparent and opaque heavy minerals), analysis of rounding and frosting of quartz grains, and palaeohydrological calculations. Additionally, a statistical analysis was used. The specific depositional conditions of distribution of sediments in ice-marginal valley allow to distinguish new environment of ice-marginal valley braided river. The spectrum of depositional conditions in the Toruń-Eberswalde ice-marginal valley and their specific palaeohydraulic parameters allow to distinguish three coexisting zones in the ice-marginal valley braided-river system: (1) deep gravel-bed braided channel zone with extensive scours, (2) deep sand-bed braided channel zone with transverse bars, and (3) marginal sand-bed and gravel-bed braided channel zone with diamicton and breccia deposition, which were characterised in detail. Some of the results have been published previously, which is why they are discussed in the present paper within the context of new data


2014 ◽  
pp. 445-452
Author(s):  
N Bätz ◽  
E Verrecchia ◽  
S Lane
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Mustafa Kemal Cambazoglu ◽  
Cheryl Ann Blain

The aim of this study is to construct a modeling system that will assist flood risk management strategies in a coastal plain braided river system. The model configuration consists of a hydrodynamic model (ADCIRC) of the river basin that receives tidal forcing at the open boundary and river discharge forcing at upstream flux boundary. An unstructured mesh model resolving the Pearl River channels at higher resolution from the coastline to approximately 75km inland to upstream reaches of the river has been constructed. The modeling system produces water levels and currents throughout the Lower Pearl River Basin. Initial sensitivity analysis efforts on the channel model include consideration of low-flow, average-flow, and high-flow scenarios. Model results were found to be slightly sensitive to slope of river channels and bottom friction to control stability in predictions. The model results were shown to be highly sensitive to the bathymetry of the model that controls the discharge capacity of the narrow river channels and the channel model resulted in elevated currents and water levels under high flow conditions. A channel discharge capacity analysis was conducted and the results showed the need to construct a floodplain mesh around the channel model with more realistic bathymetry and topography so that the flooding scenarios could be modeled with wetting and drying capability of ADCIRC. An initial attempt to develop such a floodplain mesh has been made with preliminary results and more comprehensive validation of the developed floodplain modeling system will extend to reproducing events associated with the historical Hurricane Isaac that impacted the region in 2012. This modeling system will provide an important tool to decision makers that could be used in future flood risk management and mitigation efforts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Leduc ◽  
Sarah Peirce ◽  
Peter Ashmore

Abstract. For extending the applications of structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry in river flumes, we present the main challenges and methods used to collect a large dataset (>1000 digital elevation models, DEMs) of high-quality topographic data using close-range SfM photogrammetry with a resulting vertical precision of ∼1 mm. Automatic target detection, batch processing, and considerations for image quality were fundamental to the successful implementation of the SfM technique on such a large dataset, which was used primarily for capturing details of gravel-bed braided river morphodynamics and sedimentology. While the applications of close-range SfM photogrammetry are numerous, we include sample results from DEM differencing, which was used to quantify morphology change and provide estimates of water depth in braided rivers, as well as image analysis for mapping bed surface texture. These methods and results contribute to the growing field of SfM applications in geomorphology and close-range experimental settings in general.


2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1175-1197
Author(s):  
Anne C. Fetrow ◽  
Kathryn E. Snell ◽  
Russell V. Di Fiori ◽  
Sean P. Long ◽  
Joshua W. Bonde

ABSTRACT Terrestrial sedimentary archives record critical information about environment and climate of the past, as well as provide insights into the style, timing, and magnitude of structural deformation in a region. The Cretaceous Newark Canyon Formation, located in central Nevada, USA, was deposited in the hinterland of the Sevier fold–thrust belt during the North American Cordilleran orogeny. While previous research has focused on the coarser-grained, fluvial components of the Newark Canyon Formation, the carbonate and finer-grained facies of this formation remain comparatively understudied. A more complete understanding of the Newark Canyon Formation provides insights into Cretaceous syndeformational deposition in the Central Nevada thrust belt, serves as a useful case study for deconvolving the influence of tectonic and climatic forces on sedimentation in both the North American Cordillera and other contractional orogens, and will provide a critical foundation upon which to build future paleoclimate and paleoaltimetry studies. We combine facies descriptions, stratigraphic measurements, and optical and cathodoluminescence petrography to develop a comprehensive depositional model for the Newark Canyon Formation. We identify six distinct facies that show that the Newark Canyon Formation evolved through four stages of deposition: 1) an anastomosing river system with palustrine interchannel areas, 2) a braided river system, 3) a balance-filled, carbonate-bearing lacustrine system, and 4) a second braided river system. Although climate undoubtedly played a role, we suggest that the deposition and coeval deformation of the synorogenic Newark Canyon Formation was in direct response to the construction of east-vergent contractional structures proximal to the type section. Comparison to other contemporary terrestrial sedimentary basins deposited in a variety of tectonic settings provides helpful insights into the influences of regional tectonics, regional and global climate, catchment characteristics, underlying lithologies, and subcrop geology in the preserved sedimentary record.


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