Young rifts are shaped by combined tectonic and surface processes and climate, yet few records exist to evaluate the interplay of these processes over an extended period of early rift-basin development. Here, we present the longest and highest resolution record of sediment flux and paleoenvironmental changes when a young rift connects to the global oceans. New results from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 381 in the Corinth Rift show 10s–100s of kyr cyclic variations in basin paleoenvironment as eustatic sea level fluctuated with respect to sills bounding this semi-isolated basin, and reveal substantial corresponding changes in the volume and character of sediment delivered into the rift. During interglacials, when the basin was marine, sedimentation rates were lower (excepting the Holocene), and bioturbation and organic carbon concentration higher. During glacials, the basin was isolated from the ocean, and sedimentation rates were higher (~2–7 times those in interglacials). We infer that reduced vegetation cover during glacials drove higher sediment flux from the rift flanks. These orbital-timescale changes in rate and type of basin infill will likely influence early rift sedimentary and faulting processes, potentially including syn-rift stratigraphy, sediment burial rates, and organic carbon flux and preservation on deep continental margins worldwide.
Landscapes in actively developing rifts respond to tectonic forcing over a similar time scale to that of fault array evolution (i.e., 10 5 -10 6 yr). Consequently transient landscapes (i.e., not in topographic steady state) predominate, characterized by focused incision along extensional fault scarps and regional tectonic tilting of surface slopes across strike. Using a field-calibrated numerical model to explore the controls on landscape evolution across the Corinth rift, central Greece, we demonstrate that this tilting, although subtle, leads to a shift in dominant source area as well as a shift toward sediment-starved conditions within the basin. We show, by comparing model runs with and without imposing tectonic forcing, that the impact of active faulting on relief development along the most active Corinth rift margin locally increases erosion rates and footwall incision. However, the overall sediment flux from this margin is reduced because back-tilting lowers erosion rates in catchment headwaters. Conversely, the hanging-wall side of the rift, as it is downwarped, supplies relatively more sediment as rift-directed channel slopes increase even though the relief is decreasing. In summary, we show that tilting plays a key role in controlling the syn-rift sediment flux and, in a counterintuitive way, modifies the relationship between topographic relief and catchmentaveraged erosion rates. Our results provide a new perspective on the origin and timing of sediment starvation relative to structural development in rifts. 1GSA Data Repository item 2019094, Table DR1 (model input), Table DR2 (uplift/subsidence rates), Table DR3 (model calibration and sensitivity tests), Table DR4 (erosion rate data), Figure DR1 (displacement map), Figure DR2 (bedrock erodibility), and Figure DR3 (erosion rate analysis),
This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Contents 1 Introduction and operations 5 Lithostratigraphy 9 Structural geology 13 Micropaleontology 16 Geochemistry 18 Physical properties 25 Paleomagnetism 26 Downhole measurements 30 Core-log-seismic integration 33 References
We present a source-to-sink analysis to explain sediment supply variations and depositional patterns over the Holocene within an active rift setting. We integrate a range of modelling approaches and data types with field observations from the Sperchios rift basin, Central Greece that allow us to analyse and quantify (1) the size and characteristics of sediment source areas, (2) the dynamics of the sediment routing system from upstream fluvial processes to downstream deposition at the coastline, and (3) the depositional architecture and volumes of the Holocene basin fill. We demonstrate that the Sperchios rift comprises a 'closed' system over the Holocene and that erosional and depositional volumes are thus balanced. Furthermore, we evaluate key controls in the development of this source-tosink system, including the role of pre-existing topography, bedrock erodibility and lateral variations in the rate of tectonic uplift/subsidence. We show that tectonic subsidence alone can explain the observed grain size fining along the rift axis resulting in the downstream transition from a braided channel to an extensive meander belt (>15 km long) that feeds the fine-grained Sperchios delta. Additionally, we quantify the ratios of sediment storage to bypass for the two main footwall-sourced alluvial fan systems and relate the fan characteristics to the pattern and rates of fault slip. Finally, we show that ≥40% of the sediment that builds the Sperchios delta is supplied by ≤22% of the entire source area and that this can be primarily attributed to a longer-term (~10 6 years) transient landscape response to fault segment linkage. Our multidisciplinary approach allows us to quantify the relative importance of multiple factors that control a complex source-to-sink system and thus improve our understanding of landscape evolution and stratigraphic development in active extensional tectonic settings.
The battle of Thermopylae (Malian Gulf, Central Greece) is one of the most famous ancient battles in European and world history. It took place on a narrow strip of land where it was possible for a few thousand Greeks to fight against the Persian army. The geomorphology of the battle terrain has changed significantly since ancient times due to the Sperchios River delta progradation. In this work an attempt is being made to undertake a palaeogeographical reconstruction of the pass and the battle terrain in Ancient Thermopylae in order to set out new information based on new geoarchaeological data. Geomorphological data in combination with geological, stratigraphical, paleontological data of an extensive drilling project supported by electrical resistivity tomography led to the determination of the palaeoenvironmental changes in the area of the Thermopylae Pass and for the palaeogeographical reconstruction of the battle terrain in ancient Thermopylae. The results of this research showed that in the "middle gate" of the Thermopylae Pass between the land and the sea there was a freshwater marsh supplied with large quantities of warm water coming from the thermal springs. The chronostratigraphical and sea level data confirmed its existence when the battle had taken place in 480 BC. This also confirms Herodotus' description that the road eastwards of Thermopylae was shut in by the sea and by marshes.
This paper presents an integrated approach to assess Holocene environmental changes in the Sperchios delta, Sperchios rift, central Greece. A multidisciplinary study was carried out applying established analytical methods as well as exploring new techniques to detect past environmental conditions in a fluvio-deltaic depositional system. A series of six deep boreholes, up to 50 m long, and four shallow cores, up to 6 m long, from across the delta plain, were studied in detail. Sedimentary facies were defined by changes in grain size and macro-and microfaunal composition. Variability in mineral magnetic composition documented by changes in bulk magnetic susceptibility (χ and χ 77K /χ 293K ) and remanence parameters (S −300 and σARM/σSIRM ratios), as well as down-core elemental variations obtained by scanning micro-x-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), provide constraints on the depositional changes related to the evolution of the Sperchios delta. Correlations between elemental data derived by µ-XRF analyses and grain size were also analyzed and used to further constrain the facies interpretation. Overall, these Holocene sediments reveal a transgressive-regressive succession overlying pre-transgressive terrestrial deposits of Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene age. Furthermore, 13 new 14 C radiocarbon dates constrain the transgression rate to be ~3.5 m/yr for the Early Holocene and the regression rate to be ~1 m/yr for the Late Holocene. The Sperchios delta plain developed when the rate of sea-level rise decreased ~6000 cal. yr BP as it has been proposed for the broader area of Aegean Sea. This study demonstrates that the combination of techniques used here provides a powerful way to map out paleoenvironmental changes and thus the 3D stratigraphic architecture of Holocene sedimentary successions.
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In this paper we discuss the landscape evolution of the Aggitis River basin by correlating the morphological characteristics of the Maaras Cave (Aggitis Riverspring
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