This study investigated the environmental quality of the Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia) through an integrated approach that combined environmental, biogeochemical, and living benthic foraminiferal analyses. Specifically, we analyzed the physicochemical parameters of the water and sediment. The textural, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of the sediment, including total organic carbon, total nitrogen, simultaneously extracted metals (SEM), acid volatile sulfides (AVS), chlorophyll a, CaCO3, and changes in bacterial populations and carbon isotopes were measured. The SEM/AVS values indicated the presence of relatively high concentrations of toxic metals in only some areas. Foraminiferal assemblages were dominated by species such as A. parkinsoniana (20–91%), Bolivina striatula (<40%), Hopkinsina atlantica (<17%), and Bolivina ordinaria (<15%) that cannot be considered typical of impacted coastal lagoons both in Mediterranean and northeast Atlantic regions. The results of this work suggest that Bizerte Lagoon is a unique setting. This lagoon is populated by typical marine species that invaded this ecosystem, attracted not only by the prevailing favorable environmental conditions but also by the abundance and quality of food. The results indicate that the metal pollution found in some areas have a negative impact on the assemblages of foraminifera. At present, however, this negative impact is not highly alarming.

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This work aims to define the factors driving the accumulation of metals in the sediment of the lagoon of Aveiro (Portugal). The role of initial diagenetic processes in controlling trace metal retention in surface sediment is traced by mineralogy, magnetic susceptibility and geochemical analyses. Although several studies have focused on the metal distribution in this polihaline and anthropized coastal lagoon, most of them have been solely focused on the total metal concentrations. This study instead represents the first attempt to evaluate in a vast area of the Aveiro Lagoon the role of biogeochemical processes in metal availability and distribution in three extracted phases: exchangeable cations adsorbed by clay and elements co-precipitated with carbonates (S1), organic matter (S2) and amorphous Mn hydroxides (S3). According to the sediment guideline values, the sediment is polluted by, for instance, As and Hg in the inner area of the Murtosa Channel, Pb in the Espinheiro Channel, Aveiro City canals and Aveiro Harbour, and Zn in the northern area of the Ovar Channel. These sites are located near the source areas of pollutants and have the highest total available concentrations in each extracted phase. The total available concentrations of all toxic metals are however associated, firstly, with the production of amorphous Mn hydroxides in most of the areas and, secondly, with adsorption by organic compounds. The interplay of the different processes implies that not all of the sites near pollution sources have polluted surface sediment. The accumulation of metals depends on not only the pollution source but also the changing in the redox state of the sediments that may cause alterations in the sediment retention or releasing of redox-sensitive metals. Results of this work suggest that the biogeochemical processes may play a significant role in the increase of the pollutants in the sediment of the Aveiro Lagoon.

This paper presents new field, petrographic, geophysical, geochemical and geochronological data for the felsic and mafic magmatism of the eastern Parnaíba Basin, integrating previously published data with new surface data acquired within the scope of the Cooperation Program developed by UERJ-Petrobras. New precise 40Ar–39Ar Cambrian ages (c. 508–506 Ma) were obtained for the felsic volcanic to subvolcanic rocks associated with intracontinental rift sediments in the São Raimundo Nonato area in the SE of the basin. The new results include the detection of three different basic magmatic pulses at c. 181, 126 and 118 Ma, related, respectively, to Central Atlantic Magmatic Province magmatism, the Sardinha large igneous province and the break-up period for the equatorial basins. The eastern side of the basin contrasts with the western side and shows a predominance of outcropping sills of Sardinha age. Most of these rocks are quartz tholeiites, but two samples (c. 118 Ma) are olivine tholeiites. This paper provides the first description of a clear chemical provinciality of the Sardinha tholeiitic magmatism in the eastern Parnaíba Basin, similar to that described in the Paraná Basin. Low-TiO2 suites, independent of age, occur on the northwestern side of the Senador Pompéu–Coccoci lineament, whereas high-TiO2 suites, including the Ceará Mirim dyke swarm in the basement to the east, are located SE of this lineament. The duality of geochemical signatures reproduces the basement signatures of the opposite sides of the Senador Pompéu suture zone, suggesting, at least in part, that the composition of the sub-lithospheric continental mantle of these two domains played a part in the development of Cretaceous magmatism in the Parnaíba Basin.Supplementary material: Geophysical and geochemical data provided by Petrobras and subsequent analysis. Supplementary material available online at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4117985

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This work studies mineralogical data from X-Ray Diffraction Techniques (XRD) and geochemical data analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) of fine fraction from samples collected along the Ocean Margin Exchange Project (OMEX) core KSGX 24. This core was recovered in the external sector of Ria de Vigo, N Spain. Radiocarbon ages allowed the estimation of an age about 3 ka cal BP for the core base. Core KSGX 24 is a muddy sedimentary sequence with two main sections where the sediments are finer: ≈134-90 cm and ≈26-0 cm. These finer sections are characterized by a relatively low sedimentation rate, and by changes in the geochemical and mineralogical composition of the sediments and their magnetic susceptibility. Basically, they are relatively depleted in carbonates and Ca content, and relatively enriched in detrital minerals, namely phyllosilicates, and in Al, Co and Sc. The slightly coarser grained intercalated sections are marked by the increase of Ce, La and Th content. These results suggests that, despite the prevalence of a weak hydrodynamic regime in the study area during the last 3 ka, it has undergone some changes. The mineralogical and geochemical deviations may have been conditioned by several factors, such as: authigenetic and diagenetic reactions; anthropogenic activities in the nearby continental region; the natural tendency for sea level rise; changes in hydrodynamic conditions regulated by modifications in the pattern of prevailing winds; and alterations in the rainfall regime. The two last factors are related to climate oscillations and probably with the tendency of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) to remain more positive or negative during longer periods in the past than at present.

This work aims to identify sedimentary and basal rocks structures in the Sepetiba Bay Basin (Rio de Janeiro State, SE Brazil) located in the western portion of Guanabara Graben formed during the course of Paleocene tectonic activity. Two distinct geophysical tools were used to investigate the geological records by the integration of geological survey and geophysical data: Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and Ground Magnetic survey. GPR results allowed to interpret and delimit subsurface layers of the basin. It was observed in the analyzed all sections, that the most superficial layers of the radargrams (about 8 meters; with Radar 100 Mhz) the presence of clay and silty sediment layers, related to a calm depositional environment and below 8 m sandy layers related to more energetic depositional environment were found. These sedimentological changes should be influenced by sea level oscillations and marine transgressions in this area. Magnetic ground survey allowed to identify basement rocks of the Sepetiba Bay Basin and to confirm the event of sea level rise. REGISTROS DE TRANSGRESSÃO MARINHA NA REGIÃO DE SEPETIBA BAY (RJ-BRASIL). PESQUISA COM GPR E MAGNÉTICA EM TERRAResumoEste trabalho tem como objetivo identificar estruturas de rochas sedimentares e basais na Bacia da Baía de Sepetiba (Estado do Rio de Janeiro, SE Brasil), localizada na porção oeste da Guanabara Graben, formada durante o curso da atividade tectônica do Paleoceno. Duas ferramentas geofísicas distintas foram usadas para investigar os registros geológicos pela integração do levantamento geológico e dos dados geofísicos: GPR e levantamento magnético do solo. Os resultados do GPR permitiram interpretar e delimitar as camadas subterrâneas da bacia. Observou-se nas seções analisadas, que nas camadas mais superficiais dos radargramas (cerca de 8 metros; com Radar 100 Mhz) a presença de camadas de argila e sedimentos sedimentares, relacionadas a um ambiente deposicional calmo e abaixo de 8 m de camadas arenosas relacionadas a ambiente deposicional mais energético. Essas mudanças sedimentológicas devem ser influenciadas por oscilações do nível do mar e transgressões marinhas na área. O levantamento magnético do solo permitiu identificar rochas subterrâneas da Bacia da Baía de Sepetiba e confirmar o evento de elevação do nível do mar. Palavras-chave: Área costeira. Evolução da bacia sedimentar. Alterações passadas no nível do mar. Magnetometria. GPR.