Experiments in waterlogging and sedimentology of charcoal: results and implications

Nichols, Gary; Cripps, Jenny A.; Collinson, Margaret E.; Scott, Andrew C.

doi:10.1016/s0031-0182(00)00174-7

Cited by 140 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In water, after a short period of bedload transport, charred fragments break down into relatively resistent, somewhat rounded pieces, and thereafter remain stable. They exhibit the same behaviour as fragments of highly vesiculated pumice, which initially floats and sinks as it becomes waterlogged (Nichols, 2000). The small charcoal particles may sink in a matter of hours, but the larger ones may float for months or years before becoming waterlogged and sinking.…”

Section: Microcharcoal Production and Depositionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic variability revealed by fire emissions in southwestern Iberia

Daniau

Goñi

Beaufort

et al. 2007

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Section: Microcharcoal Production and Depositionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic variability revealed by fire emissions in southwestern Iberia

Daniau

Goñi

Beaufort

et al. 2007

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…Fresh charcoal has a bulk density less than that of water and so initially floats (33) but with continued immersion becomes waterlogged and sinks. The time taken for a variety of charred remains to become waterlogged and sink ranges between 24 and 288 h (33). This is of a similar order of magnitude to the time taken for the K-T ejecta material to settle in a freshwater environment, further confirming that there is no taphonomic reason that charcoal should not have been incorporated into the K-T BIRs as both the charcoal and ejecta should have been deposited at the bottom of the ponds and/or mires at similar times.…”

Section: Summary Of Evidence Of K-t Conflagrations Versus Combustion Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical evidence for combustion of hydrocarbons during the K-T impact event

Belcher¹,

Finch

Collinson³

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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It has been proposed that extensive wildfires occurred after the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) impact event. An abundance of soot and pyrosynthetic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pPAHs) in marine K-T boundary impact rocks (BIRs) have been considered support for this hypothesis. However, nonmarine K-T BIRs, from across North America, contain only rare occurrences of charcoal yet abundant noncharred plant remains. pPAHs and soot can be formed from a variety of sources, including partial combustion of vegetation and hydrocarbons whereby modern pPAH signatures are traceable to their source. We present results from multiple nonmarine K-T boundary sites from North America and reveal that the K-T BIRs have a pPAH signature consistent with the combustion of hydrocarbons and not living plant biomass, providing further evidence against K-T wildfires and compelling evidence that a significant volume of hydrocarbons was combusted during the K-T impact event.

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“…Although tumbling experiments may not ideally imitate the hydrodynamic conditions in the natural environments (e.g., Kuenen 1966a, b;Nichols et al 2000), it is worth emphasizing that the pattern of shell fragmentation and abrasion is similar to that found in natural habitats (e.g., Pilkey et al 1967;Cadée 2016;Leighton et al 2016). It should also be pointed out that due to the large variety of macro-and micro-morphological features of mollusc shells, extrapolation of results of the present study to all molluscs should be undertaken with some caution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental tumbling of Dreissena polymorpha: implications for recognizing durophagous predation in the fossil record

Salamon

Leśko

Gorzelak

2018

Facies

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Shell damage left by predators constitutes an important source of information on predator-prey interactions. However, recognition of the origins of shell damage can often be controversial, and needs to be assessed cautiously. More specifically, differentiation between predation-and abiotic-induced shell damage remains challenging. Here, we show the results of tumbling experiments using a bivalve species Dreissena polymorpha in order to determine rates and patterns of shell damage induced by physical forces in high-energy conditions. It is demonstrated that, in contrast to durophagous fish and crab predation, abiotic-induced fragmentation and damage are typically characterized by the presence of distinct abrasive scratches and wear scars on the surface of shell fragments. Furthermore, fragmented shells typically reveal a wide size distribution, and a different degree of sphericity and roundness resulting from abrasion. Importantly, large shell fragments commonly display smooth edges. These data suggest that durophagous predation, which typically induces fragmentation into large and angular shell fragments bearing no wear scars, can be reliably recognized both in present-day environments and in the fossil record.

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Experiments in waterlogging and sedimentology of charcoal: results and implications

Cited by 140 publications

References 6 publications

Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic variability revealed by fire emissions in southwestern Iberia

Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic variability revealed by fire emissions in southwestern Iberia

Geochemical evidence for combustion of hydrocarbons during the K-T impact event

Experimental tumbling of Dreissena polymorpha: implications for recognizing durophagous predation in the fossil record

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