Modern fluvial meander plains exhibit complex planform transformations in response to meander-bend expansion, downstream migration and rotation. These transformations exert a fundamental control on lithology and reservoir properties, yet their stratigraphic record has been poorly evaluated in ancient examples due to the lack of extensive three-dimensional exposures. Here, a unique exhumed meander plain exposed to the north of Scarborough (Yorkshire, UK) is analysed in terms of architecture and morphodynamics, with the aim of developing a comprehensive model of facies distribution. The studied outcrop comprises tidal platforms and adjacent cliffs, where the depositional architecture of un-tilted deposits was assessed on planform and vertical sections, respectively. In its broader perspective, this study demonstrates the potential of architectural mapping of extensive planform exposures for the reconstruction of ancient fluvial morphodynamics. The studied exhumed meander plain is part of the Scalby Formation of the Ravenscar Group, and originally drained small coastal incised valleys within the Jurassic Cleveland Basin. The meander plain is subdivided into two storeys that contain in-channel and overbank architectural elements. Inchannel elements comprise expansional and downstream-migrating point bars, point-bar tails and channel fills. Overbank elements comprise crevasse complexes, lev ees, floodplain fines and lake fills. The evolution of the point bars played a significant role in dictating preserved facies distributions, with high flood-stage nucleation and accretion of meander scrolls later reworked during waning flood-stages. At a larger scale, meander belt morphodynamics were also a function of valley confinement and contrasts in substrate erodibility. Progressive valley infilling decreased the valley confinement, promoting the upward transition from prevalently downstream migrating to expansional meander belts, a transition associated with enhanced preservation of overbank elements. Strikingly similar relations between valley confinement, meander-bend transformations and overbank preservation are observed in small modern meandering streams such as the Beaver River of the Canadian prairies and the Powder River of Montana (USA).

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Vegetation is a major driver of fluvial dynamics in modern rivers, but few facies models incorporate its influence. This article partially fills that gap by documenting the stratigraphy, architecture and palaeobotany of the Lower Pennsylvanian Boss Point Formation of Atlantic Canada, which contains some of the Earth's earliest accumulations of large woody debris. Braided-fluvial systems occupied channel belts of varied scale within valleys several tens of metres deep and more than 12 km wide, and their deposits predominantly consist of sandy and gravelly bedforms with subordinate accretionary macroforms, high flow-strength sand sheets and rippled abandonment facies. Discrete accumulations of clastic detritus and woody debris are up to 6 m thick and constitute at least 18% of the in-channel deposits; they represent lags at the base of large and small channels, fills of minor channels and sandy macroforms that developed in central positions in the upper parts of channel fills. Sandstones with roots and other remnants of in situ vegetation demonstrate that vegetated islands were present, and the abundance of discrete channel fills suggests that the formation represents an anabranching, island-braided sandbed river, the earliest example documented to date. Although some sphenopsid and lycopsid remains are present, most woody fragments are derived from cordaitalean trees, and the evolution of this group late in the Mississippian is inferred to have exerted a significant influence on fluvial morphodynamic patterns. The formation records a landscape in which active channel belts alternated with well-drained floodplains colonized by dense, mature forests and local patches of pioneering, disturbance-tolerant vegetation. Lakes and poorly drained floodplains dominated by carbonate and organic deposition, respectively, were also present. A large supply of woody debris triggered channel blockage and avulsion, and active channel margins and islands within the channel belts were initially colonized by pioneer vegetation and subsequently stabilized by large trees. A similar alternation of stable and unstable conditions is observed in modern braided rivers actively influenced by vegetation.

Although there is little doubt that rivers once flowed on Mars' surface, how sustained and frequent their flows were remains enigmatic. Understanding the hydrology of early Mars, nonetheless, is a prerequisite to resolving the planet's climate history and the astrobiological potential of various ancient putative ecosystems. In 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover will attempt to land near ancient fluviodeltaic deposits in Jezero crater. Deltas offer enhanced organic-matter burial and preservation on Earth but translating this notion to early Martian environments remains speculative in the absence of information on flow intermittency and sedimentation rates. Here we develop a new model to infer the lateral migration rate of Martian river meanders, which, combined with orbiter-based observations of the fluviodeltaic deposits at Jezero crater, allows us to determine a minimum timescale for the formation of its delta. We then independently constrain the total duration of delta formation, including dry spells. Our best estimates suggest that delta formation spanned~19-37 years over a total duration of~380,000 years, i.e., that rivers flowed for a minimum~1 sol/15-30 Martian years and conceivably more frequently, but uncertainties on total duration are large. Despite a possibly arid climate, predicted sedimentation rates are high, suggesting a rapid burial of putative organics in distal deposits. Altogether, our results support Jezero crater's potential as a prime target to look for ancient Martian life and acquire samples to return to Earth. Any discrepancies between our predictions of the deposits' grain-to-bedform-scale architecture and future rover observations will shed critical light onto Mars' early surface environments. Plain Language Summary Rivers once flowed on Mars, but how often, and for how long? Answering these questions will increase our understanding of Mars' habitability at a time when life was already evolving on Earth. NASA's Perseverance rover will land by the remnants of an ancient river delta in Jezero crater. Here we develop a new model to calculate the pace of shifting Martian rivers, which, when applied to orbital observations of the Jezero delta, allows us to determine a minimum duration for delta formation. Combined with an independent estimate for the total duration of delta formation (including dry spells), our results suggest that the delta took a few decades to form over a total timespan of, most likely, hundreds of thousands of years. This result suggests that Mars was likely arid at the time, with rivers flowing for at least 1 Martian day every 15-30 Martian years, and possibly more often. Nonetheless, we predict that sediments would have been buried quickly in the delta, favoring the long-term preservation of possible organic matter. Altogether, our results confirm that Jezero crater is a prime location to understand Mars' early climate, look for traces of ancient Martian life, and return samples from for further analysis on Earth.

Flume experiments and field observations show that bank vegetation promotes the formation of narrow and deep single‐thread channels by strengthening riverbanks. Consistent with this idea, the pre‐Silurian fluvial record generally consists of wide monotonous sand bodies often interpreted as deposits of shallow braided rivers, whereas single‐thread rivers with muddy floodplains become more recognizable in Silurian and younger rocks. This shift in the architecture of fluvial deposits has been interpreted as reflecting the rise of single‐thread rivers enabled by plant life. The deposits of some single‐thread rivers, however, have been recognized in pre‐Silurian rocks, and recent field studies have identified meandering rivers in modern unvegetated environments. Furthermore, single‐thread‐river deposits have been identified on Mars, where macroscopic plants most likely never evolved. Here we seek to understand the formation of those rarely recognized and poorly characterized single‐thread rivers in unvegetated landscapes. Specifically, we quantitatively explore the hypothesis that cohesive muddy banks alone may enable the formation of single‐thread rivers in the absence of plants. We combine open‐channel hydraulics and a physics‐based erosion model applicable to a variety of bank sediments to predict the formation of unvegetated single‐thread rivers. Consistent with recent flume experiments and field observations, results indicate that single‐thread rivers may form readily within muddy banks. Our model has direct implications for the quantification of riverbank strengthening by vegetation, understanding the hydraulic geometry of modern and ancient unvegetated rivers, interpreting pre‐Silurian fluvial deposits, and unraveling the hydrologic and climate history of Mars.