Vertical movement at the Alpine-Carpathian border (Hainburg Hills) calculated from numerical ages of cave sediments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Plan ◽  
Stephanie Neuhuber ◽  
Susanne Gier ◽  
Esther Hintersberger ◽  
Christopher Lüthgens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Vienna Basin ◽  
Danube Basin ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Pristine Sample ◽  
Aeolian Deposits ◽  
Bedrock Surface

<p>The Hainburg Hills form an elevated range at the south of the Male Karpaty mountains and separate the Vienna Basin from the Danube Basin. They consist of Variscian magmatic and metamorphic rocks covered with anchimetamorphic Mesozoic carbonates. The area west of the Hainburg Hills is well-known for its thermal sulfuric spa since Roman times. About 30 karst caves have been mapped in the area that show signs of hydrothermal or sulphuric acid speleogenesis.</p><p>Two of these caves vertically separated by 92 m were numerically dated using terrestrial cosmogenic <sup>26</sup>Al and <sup>10</sup>Be in quartz washed into a cave and <sup>230</sup>Th/U of calcite rafts. In addition, aeolian cover sediments were investigated using luminescence age dating.</p><p>The upper c. 15 m wide and c. 20 m high cave chamber was completely filled with large, well-rounded quartz cobbles in a red matrix. The matrix contains over 30% clay and consists of quartz, K-feldspar, muscovite, chlorite, hematite, kaolinite, illite, and smectite. The occurrence of smectite in combination with the small grain size indicates soil forming processes in the B-horizon. We conclude that fluvial gravels –similar to modern ones of the Danube river - were transported into the cave together with a matrix originating from a soil cover. In-situ produced cosmogenic <sup>10</sup>Be and <sup>26</sup>Al in five quartz cobbles was used to calculate the time of sediment emplacement into the cave. Results indicate a depositional age of c. 4.5 Ma using the isochron technique.</p><p>The lower cave was investigated using calcite rafts that form at the surface of cave pools using the <sup>230</sup>Th/U dating method. One sample of thin, sharp-edged, and uncoated cave rafts gave the youngest age of c.0.32 Ma. Two other samples were more overgrown and gave older ages between 0.38 and 0.44 Ma. The pristine sample is best suited to reflect the time when the base level was close to the cave.</p><p>Rates of vertical displacement vary between 30 and 35 m/Ma for the last 4 Ma and between 150 and 160 m/Ma for the last 0.32 Ma and document an increase of uplift/incision for the region. These numbers compare well to published rates from the unglaciated surroundings that also range from a maximum of 140 m/Ma to a minimum of 20-25 m/Ma and are generally much lower compared to formerly glaciated areas in the Alps and GPS measured uplift (c. 1000 m/Ma).</p><p>The luminescence age of 14.6 ± 0.1 ka recorded in cover sands show that sediments they overly much older gravels. This implies sediments were repeatedly eroded from the top of the karstified bedrock surface. The aeolian sediments are primarily preserved in depressions within the bedrock surface. Therefore, the age may represent the end of a phase of intense aeolian activity when wind velocities decreased sufficiently to cause sand accumulation. This period is the peak in Western and Central Europe periglacial activity and accompanied by formation of aeolian deposits. The ages are comparable to aeolian deposits in the Vienna Basin area and cover sediments from the Transdanubian Range.</p>

Numerical age dating of Danube terraces from one fault block (Rauchenwarth) west of the Vienna Basin Transform Fault (Austria)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Neuhuber ◽  
Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger ◽  
Christopher Lüthgens ◽  
Philip Martin ◽  
Bernhard Salcher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Danube River ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Transform Fault ◽  
Vienna Basin ◽  
Fluvial Terrace ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Fault Block ◽  
River Bed ◽  
Upper Level

<p>Fluvial terraces within the extensional structure of the Vienna Basin have been dissected by faults related to the sinistral movement of the Vienna Basin Transform Fault System (VBTF, Decker et al., 2005). Each fault block within the basin displays a slightly different succession of terraces regarding their number, elevation, and preservation. Generally, altitudes of terrace bases within the Vienna Basin vary between 5 and 130 m above the recent Danube river bed.</p><p>This study focuses on one clearly confined fault block, the Rauchenwarth Plateau, located south of the Danube. The plateau forms the western part of intra-basinal hills crossing the Vienna Basin and consists mainly of Miocene sediments that are in part covered by quaternary fluvial terrace deposits at different elevations. The entire succession is widely covered by loess or re-deposited aeolian sediments. To depict the formations below the loess cover we use 19 wells to construct three sections crossing the eastern part of the block in E-W and two parallel sections in N-S direction. The sections show that three levels of fluvial terraces at the northern eastern side of the block are preserved. The lowest and highest levels are accessible in gravel pits with well-defined Miocene bases. These two levels with terrace bases ~67 m and ~24 m above the recent Danube contain large quartz cobbles suitable for dating using in-situ produced <sup>26</sup>Al and <sup>10</sup>Be. Sample sets were taken at 11 m (higher terrace) and 14 m (lower terrace) below todays surface. Sandy sediments from the lower level were in addition dated by luminescence on feldspar using the pIRIR 225 signal. Age calculations using the isochron method (Balco and Rovey, 2008) as well as inverse modelling for the upper level suggest burial durations of ~1.2 Ma. Results of age calculations using cosmogenic nuclides as well as luminescence ages for the lower level will be presented at the conference.</p><p><em>Thanks to NKFIH 124807; OMAA 90öu17, the INSU/CNRS, the ANR through the program “EQUIPEX Investissement d’Avenir” and IRD</em></p><p><strong>References </strong></p><p>Balco, G., Rovey, C., 2008. Am. J. of Science 308, 1083-1114.</p><p>Decker, K., et al., 2005. Quat. Sci. Rev. 24, 305-320.</p>

Geophysical and Geological investigations of a major Miocene fault system within the city of Vienna: evidence for active tectonics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Salcher ◽  
Jan-Christoph Otto ◽  
Stephanie Neuhuber ◽  
Christopher Lüthgens ◽  
Sabine Grupe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fault Zone ◽  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Fault System ◽  
High Resistivity ◽  
Vienna Basin ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Aeolian Deposits ◽  
The City

<p>We present investigations of a major Miocene fault system crossing the city of Vienna by using sedimentological, geophysical, remote sensing and numerical age dating methods. The fault zone is located at the western edge of the Vienna Basin, a c. 55 km wide and c. 200 km long rhomb-shaped pull-apart basin, separating the mountain ranges of the Alps and Carpathians. At its western edge a major sidewall fault, the Leopoldsdorf Fault System  vertically offsets alpine units by up to 5 km. In this study, we focus on Pleistocene fluvial sediments of the Danube deposited along this fault zone. Distribution and facies provide suitable conditions to speculate on Quaternary fault activity. Fluvial gravels rest on top of fine-grained, marine sediments of the Miocene. Quaternary uplift preserved these sediments in the form of terraces that were extensively covered by Pleistocene aeolian deposits (i.e. loess). Later, solifluction affected those fine-grained sediments and obliterated the terrace steps resulting in a relative homogenously inclined top as well as a flat accumulation zone at the toe of the slope. Age brackets of Quaternary deposits are provided from redeposited quartz gravels using cosmogenically produced <sup>26</sup>Al and <sup>10</sup>Be as well as luminescence ages of the loess-like cover sediments.</p><p>The high resistivity contrast of the coarse-grained sediments to the underlying fine-grained marine sediments and the overlying loess deposits provided excellent conditions to infer the geometry of the fluvial deposits. Accordingly, we used electrical resistivity tomography and data derived from driller’s lithologic logs to constrain possible vertical offset of terraces. Possible surface ruptures were discussed by utilizing data from LiDAR-based high-resolution digital elevation models.</p>

scholarly journals Ocean acidification changes the vertical movement of stone crab larvae

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 20190414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip M. Gravinese ◽  
Ian C. Enochs ◽  
Derek P. Manzello ◽  
Robert van Woesik
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Larval Transport ◽  
Stage Iii ◽  
Coastal Habitats ◽  
Stone Crab ◽  
Seawater Ph

Anthropogenic activities are increasing ocean temperature and decreasing ocean pH. Some coastal habitats are experiencing increases in organic runoff, which when coupled with a loss of vegetated coastline can accelerate reductions in seawater pH. Marine larvae that hatch in coastal habitats may not have the ability to respond to elevated temperature and changes in seawater pH. This study examined the response of Florida stone crab ( Menippe mercenaria ) larvae to elevated temperature (30°C control and 32°C treatment) and CO 2 -induced reductions in pH (8.05 pH control and 7.80 pH treatment). We determined whether those singular and simultaneous stressors affect larval vertical movement at two developmental stages. Geotactic responses varied between larval stages. The direction and rate of the vertical displacement of larvae were dependent on pH rather than temperature. Stage III larvae swam upwards under ambient pH conditions, but swam downwards at a faster rate under reduced pH. There was no observable change in the directional movement of Stage V larvae. The reversal in orientation by Stage III larvae may limit larval transport in habitats that experience reduced pH and could pose challenges for the northward dispersal of stone crabs as coastal temperatures warm.

Lower Danube loess - a crucial palaeoclimatic archive for the last glacial cycle in Southeast Europe

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Pötter ◽  
Janina Bösken ◽  
Igor Obreht ◽  
Philipp Schulte ◽  
Daniel Veres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Southeast Europe ◽  
Glacial Cycle ◽  
Danube Basin ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Aeolian Sediments ◽  
The Last Glacial

<p>The vast Pleistocene aeolian sediments of the Lower Danube Basin are an important archive of Quaternary palaeoclimate dynamics in Southeast Europe. The intercalation of loess layers and fossil soils, so called loess-palaeosol sequences (LPS) are interpreted as the results of oscillating climate phases in the past. However, the characteristics of these LPS vary quite strongly, since they are influenced by various factors. Those factors are mainly the (palaeo-) climate, the (palaeo-) relief and the availability of source material, which differ notably, even at a regional scale. Taken that into account, it is crucial to consider local characteristics while comparing data from different LPS.</p><p>Against this backdrop, we compare two LPS from the dry Bărăgan steppe area in southeast Romania: Vlasca (VLA) and Balta Alba Kurgan (BAK). The two sections are approx. 100 km afar and developed under different geomorphic and climatic situations, resulting in varying accumulation rates and post-depositional alterations. Vlasca is a natural exposure on the left bank of the Danube River, whereas BAK is situated in a road cut, approx. 15 km south of the Carpathian bending. The two sites show remarkable differences concerning accumulation rates, grain size, colour, geochemical characteristics as well as magnetic properties, which are interpreted as the results of sediment availability, depositional milieu and especially post-depositional alterations. The variations and the commonalities are used, together with the chronological framework, to better understand the palaeoclimatic evolution of the Lower Danube Basin within the last glacial cycle and to gauge possible ramifications of palaeoclimatic variations on the migration of modern humans.</p>

scholarly journals Znaczenie Dunaju w europejskiej sieci dróg wodnych

Politeja ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6(69)) ◽  
pp. 101-112
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Małgorzata Kastory
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Danube River ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Danube Basin ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Political Transformations ◽  
Danube Region

The Role of the Danube River in the Trans-European Waterway Network In the 20th century, the Danube Region was subject to numerous and far-reaching political transformations, which had a negative impact on the expansion of the Danube waterway transport, affected mainly by political, economical and military crises that took place in the 1990s. Nowadays, only 9% of all river cargo is shipped via the Danube River. The European Union makes an effort to increase this number up to 30%, and to ensure the river’s permanent inclusion in the Trans-European Transport Network, with an ongoing process of adjusting the Danube shipping law to the regulations applicable to other European rivers. Nonetheless, the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region has little effect on the transportation growth in the Danube Basin so far – due to insufficient support from the European Union, the Danubian countries’ unwillingness to carry out expensive investments, and difficulties related to the process of redirecting the existing trade routes.

scholarly journals Organochlorine contamination in sediments collected from a rural-, urban- and industrial-impacted aquatic system (Danube, Serbia)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Maja Brborić ◽  
Jelena Radonić ◽  
Mirjana Vojinović Miloradov ◽  
Sabolč Pap ◽  
Maja Turk Sekulić
Keyword(s):  
Surface Runoff ◽  
River Flow ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Danube Basin ◽  
Industrial Cities ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
A Current

The spatial distribution of various organochlorinated compounds (PCBs and ОCPs (DDTs, HCB, and HCHs)) were investigated in sediments of Serbia's stretch of the Danube River. The obtained concentrations appeared to be relatively low in comparison with other river sediments worldwide. The results demonstrated a wide range of concentrations (µg/kg dry weight) with the following decreasing order: Σ6DDTs (0.70 - 16.65) > Σ 7PCBs (0.25 - 3.54) > Σ 5HCH (0.04 - 2.28) > HCB (0.06 - 0.62), with a dominance of o,p’ -DDT. Relatively higher ΣDDT concentrations and high DDT/DDE + DDD ratios in two sampling locations near the industrial cities indicates a current DDT usage, probably linked to public health concerns. Compositional analyses indicated that hexa- and hepta-PCBs were dominant for PCBs. Our results indicated that the contamination with PCBs came from nonpoint deposition, such as atmospheric contribution and surface runoff, for lightly chlorinated congeners and point source deposition, such as the industrial sources along river flow, for highly chlorinated congeners, whereas OCPs originate mainly from old residues and new usage of pesticides in agriculture and aquaculture. These results contribute to the sparse regional database for organochlorinated compounds in the Danube basin.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon and Tritium Levels Along the Romanian Lower Danube River

Radiocarbon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 783-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Varlam ◽  
Ioan Stefanescu ◽  
Stela Cuna ◽  
Irina Vagner ◽  
Ionut Faurescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Tritium Concentration ◽  
Danube Basin ◽  
Nuclear Activity ◽  
Sampling Campaign ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Reported Study ◽  
Baseline Values

The Lower Danube Basin covers the Romanian-Bulgarian sub-basin downstream from Cazane Gorge and the sub-basins of the Siret and Prut rivers. To extensively survey the Romanian nuclear power plant impact on the Danube water, tritium and radiocarbon baseline values are required. Therefore, the reported study tried to establish these values based on a 2-yr sampling campaign covering 975 km of the Danube from Cazane Gorge to Tulcea. The tributaries Cerna, Jiu, Olt, and Arges were also included in this study. During the sampling campaigns, tritium concentration of different sampling locations showed values between 7 ± 2.1 and 33.5 ± 2.3 TU. Measured 14C activity for the same locations ranged between 88.45 ± 1.46 and 112.36 ± 1.56 pMC. Lower values were recorded for tributaries: between 8.3 ± 2.1 and 12.2 ± 2.2 TU for tritium and between 67.3 ± 1.29 and 86.04 ± 1.42 pMC for 14C. Despite the nuclear activity in the observed areas, tritium and 14C activities presented slightly higher values for specific locations without any influence on Danube River water.

Geodynamic significance of a buried transient Carboniferous landscape

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fergus McNab ◽  
Nicky White
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Anomaly ◽  
Marine Invertebrate ◽  
Grand Canyon ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Significant Implication ◽  
Dynamic Topography ◽  
Transient Event ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Aeolian Deposits ◽  
Invertebrate Fossils

It is increasingly clear that present-day dynamic topography on Earth, which is generated and maintained by mantle convective processes, varies on timescales and length scales on the order of 1−10 m.y. and 103 km, respectively. A significant implication of this behavior is that Phanerozoic stratigraphic records should contain indirect evidence of these processes. Here, we describe and analyze a well-exposed example of an ancient landscape from the Grand Canyon region of western North America that appears to preserve a transient response to mantle processes. The Surprise Canyon Formation lies close to the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary and crops out as a series of discontinuous lenses and patches that are interpreted as remnants of a westward-draining network of paleovalleys and paleochannels within a coastal embayment. This drainage network is incised into the marine Redwall Limestone whose irregular and karstified upper surface contains many caves and collapse structures. The Surprise Canyon Formation itself consists of coarse imbricated conglomerates, terrestrial plant impressions including Lepidodendron, and marine invertebrate fossils. It is overlain by marine, fluvial, and aeolian deposits of the Supai Group. These stratal relationships are indicative of a transient base-level fall whose amplitude and regional extent are recognized as being inconsistent with glacio-eustatic sea-level variation. We propose that this transient event is caused by emplacement and decay of a temperature anomaly within an asthenospheric channel located beneath the lithospheric plate. An analytical model is developed that accounts for the average regional uplift associated with landscape development and its rapid tectonic subsidence. This model suggests that emplacement and decay of a ∼50 °C temperature anomaly within a channel that is 150 ± 50 km thick can account for the observed vertical displacements. Our results are corroborated by detrital zircon studies that support wholesale drainage reorganization at this time and by stratigraphic evidence for spatially variable regional epeirogeny. They are also consistent with an emerging understanding of the temporal and spatial evolution of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary.

scholarly journals Possible mechanism of the formation of the Jichechang ground fissure in Datong, China, based on in-situ observations

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruichun Liu ◽  
Chengsheng Yang ◽  
Qingliang Wang ◽  
Lingyun Ji
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Ground Fissure ◽  
In Situ Observations ◽  
Term Monitoring

AbstractThe Datong region of China suffers from severe ground fissure (GF) disasters. The Jichechang ground fissure (JGF) is typical among the GFs in Datong and is the most active. To provide scientific guidance for disaster mitigation, understanding the mechanisms governing GF activity in Datong needs to be improved. Here, long-term monitoring data (> 10 years) for the JGF are used to study the characteristics of its activity. The results show that the formation of GFs is mainly controlled by concealed faults. The JGF is mainly active in the vertical direction, with a differential vertical displacement 2.5 times greater than the horizontal displacement. The GF activity is periodic, with a periodicity of 320–420 days, which corresponds to the cycle of local agricultural irrigation. The JGF is especially active in June and July. The vertical activity of this fissure also displays a distinct quasi-periodic step-like displacement acceleration with a duration of 18–38 days. Numerical simulations show that irrigation pumping within 10 km of the JGF has a significant effect on the vertical movement of GFs. These results provide a better understanding of the mechanisms governing GF activity in this area and provide a valuable reference for the study of GFs in other regions.

scholarly journals Natural and anthropogenic driving forces as key elements in the Lower Danube Basin–South-Eastern Carpathians–North-Western Black Sea coast area lakes: a broken stepping stones for fish in a climatic change scenario?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Bănăduc ◽  
Michael Joy ◽  
H Olosutean ◽  
S Afanasyev ◽  
A Curtean-Bănăduc
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Danube Basin ◽  
Eastern Carpathians

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: Climate changes influence the ecosystems and induce potential risks regarding the natural products and services; the human society should predict and adapt in time to these coming global challenges. This research highlights a possible fragmentation of some of the Lower Danube River Basin lentic ecosystems fish populations in a climate change scenario. Results: The studied climate change potential events will affect 18 fish species of economic interest and eight of conservation interest and will induce disorder in some of the Lower Danube specific type of fish communities. The studied area was identified as a significant hot spot regarding the fish fauna ecological status major hazard, in a possible climate change (heating–drought–water depth decreasing) sequence of potential future events. Primarily the southern lakes of the studied area can be negatively influenced by the decreasing of the lakes water quality and quantity, some of the spawning habitats will vanish, some habitats and species will disappear, suspended sediment and nutrient levels in water will increase, eutrophication phenomenon will increase, the hydrological connectivity will diminish, fish associations’ structure will significantly change, etc. Conclusions: The climate changes trend in the Lower Danube Basin will affect the studied lakes ecological state and associated fish communities; mitigating measures are urgently needed. The future potential relative isolation of researched lakes by the surrounding hydrographical nets, for safety reasons of human communities or to convert inland areas should be banned specially for the lakes: Balta Domnească, Razelm, Tăbăcărie, Siutghiol, Taşaul, Tatlageac, Sinoe, Potcoava, Snagov, Comana, Victoria Gheormane, Dunărea Veche, Oltina, and Bugeac. Some of the researched lakes should be managed as wetlands of international importance and as important stepping stone areas for the fish fauna of the Danube Basin: Snagov, Comana, Victoria Gheormane, Dunărea Veche, Oltina, and Bugeac.

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