The Oligocene‐Miocene Guadalope‐Matarranya Fan, Spain, as an Analog for Long‐Lived, Ridge‐Bearing Megafans on Mars

Hayden, A. T.; Lamb, Michael P.; Myrow, Paul M.; Mohrig, David; Williams, R. M. E.; Cuevas, J. L.; Cardenas, B. T.; Findlay, C. P.; Ewing, R. C.; McElroy, Brandon

doi:10.1029/2021je006993

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Further, climate plays a primary role in influencing streamflow patterns in addition to other factors such as topography and vegetation (Beaufort et al, 2019) such that the more arid the climate, the higher is the probability of a fluvial system to be non-perennial (Sauquet et al, 2021). While changes in flow patterns in modern rivers can be easily recorded using gauging stations, there exist currently few studies, such as Hayden et al (2021), which explicitly quantify flow variability or intermittency in the rock record.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water discharge and sediment flux intermittency in the fluvial Escanilla Formation, Spain: Implications for changes in stratigraphic architecture

Sharma,

Whittaker,

Adatte

et al. 2024

The Depositional Record

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Water discharge and sediment flux variations are important parameters controlling the morphodynamic behaviour of rivers. Although quantitative estimates for water discharge and sediment flux variability are well‐constrained for modern rivers, far fewer assessments of flow and sediment flux intermittency in ancient fluvial systems from the rock record are available. In this study, a relationship between water discharge, sediment flux variability and patterns of changing fluvial stratigraphic architecture in the Middle Eocene Escanilla Formation, Spain, is explored. Water discharge intermittency factor (IWF), calculated as a ratio of the total water discharge (over the averaging time period) to the instantaneous channel‐forming water discharge if sustained for the same period, ranges from 0.03 to 0.11 in the high amalgamation intervals and from 0.10 to 0.32 in the low amalgamation intervals. Similarly, the sediment flux intermittency factor (ISF) is estimated to be in the range of 0.008 to 0.01 in the high amalgamation intervals and of 0.01 to 0.03 in the low amalgamation intervals. Consequently, high amalgamation intervals were most probably deposited under more intermittent and short‐lived intense precipitation events while low amalgamation intervals were the result of less intermittent flows spread throughout the year. Overall, these estimates are consistent with values from modern ephemeral rivers typically found in arid to semi‐arid climate and is in agreement with available proxy data for the Middle Eocene climatic context of the studied alluvial system. This highlights an important connection between hydroclimate, river morphodynamics and landscape evolution, and has implications to predict river flow and sediment transport across the Earth's surface in the geological past.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water discharge and sediment flux intermittency in the fluvial Escanilla Formation, Spain: Implications for changes in stratigraphic architecture

Sharma,

Whittaker,

Adatte

et al. 2024

The Depositional Record

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“…These techniques include using estimates of sediment fluxes to calculate the minimum time required to accumulate a given sediment volume -this approach is regularly used to investigate minimum formation timescales of ancient depositional systems in planetary examples such as Mars (Moore et al, 2003;Jerolmack et al, 2004;Bhattacharya et al, 2005;Kleinhans, 2005;Metz et al, 2009). Where sediment volumes are ageconstrained, or where timespans of fluvial activity (including periods of inactivity) can be estimated, the sediment transport intermittency can be calculated (Buhler et al, 2014;Lapôtre & Ielpi, 2020;Hayden et al, 2021b). It is important to note that this approach is limited by the incomplete nature of the rock record, notably periods of erosion (e.g., Sadler, 1981;Sadler, 1993), and requirement of a mass balance assumption.…”

Section: Constraining Sediment Transport Intermittencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With detailed field measurements of channel geometries and grain-size from fluvial strata, we can implement flow and sediment transport models to reconstruct instantaneous water discharges and sediment fluxes in ancient rivers (e.g., Engelund & Hansen, 1967; van Rijn, 1984;. Further, where associated depositional volumes have robust age constraints, reconstructed sediment fluxes can be used to estimate sediment transport intermittency factors (e.g., Hayden et al, 2021b). This approach is increasingly useful given an ever-expanding repertoire of methods to reconstruct channel morphologies from fluvial strata, many of which are now incorporated into frameworks that carefully consider uncertainty (e.g., Greenberg et al, 2021;Hayden et al, 2021b;Lyster et al, 2022a;Lyster et al, 2022b;Wood et al, 2022).…”

Section: New Opportunities To Constrain Flow and Sediment Transport I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, where associated depositional volumes have robust age constraints, reconstructed sediment fluxes can be used to estimate sediment transport intermittency factors (e.g., Hayden et al, 2021b). This approach is increasingly useful given an ever-expanding repertoire of methods to reconstruct channel morphologies from fluvial strata, many of which are now incorporated into frameworks that carefully consider uncertainty (e.g., Greenberg et al, 2021;Hayden et al, 2021b;Lyster et al, 2022a;Lyster et al, 2022b;Wood et al, 2022).…”

Section: New Opportunities To Constrain Flow and Sediment Transport I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Going forward, our ability to constrain intermittency in the geological past will benefit from continued advances to paleoclimate GCMs but, more importantly, from development of useful methods to apply paleoclimate GCM results to geological questions. Is values are often documented in modern systems (e.g., Meybeck et al, 2003;Sklar & Dietrich, 2004;Wright & Parker, 2005;Czuba & Foufoula-Georgiou, 2014;Hayden et al, 2021a), which facilitates comparison between modern and ancient systems (e.g., Hayden et al, 2021a;Hayden et al, 2021b). However, Iw values are typically not documented in modern systems.…”

Section: Estimating Intermittency In the Geological Past: Future Dire...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Constraining flow and sediment transport intermittency in the geological past

Lyster¹,

Whittaker²,

Farnsworth³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Quantitative investigations of ancient rivers usually provide insights into either instantaneous or mean flow conditions. There is a critical gap between these timescales of investigation which reflects the intermittency of flow and sediment transport, and closing this gap is crucial to fully explore the dynamics and evolution of ancient fluvial landscapes. Here, we combine fluvial stratigraphic datasets, flow and sediment transport models, and paleoclimate general circulation model (GCM) results to develop new methods to estimate intermittency in the geological past, specifically flow intermittency factors (Iw) and sediment transport intermittency factors (Is). We illustrate these methods for the Upper Cretaceous Last Chance Ferron Sandstone, Utah, USA. For sand-transporting flow conditions in Last Chance Ferron rivers, we estimate Iw values of 0.54−0.90, which imply that channel-forming flows were sustained for the majority of the year, consistent with perennial systems in which relatively large discharges are sustained. In contrast, for gravel-transporting flow conditions, Iw values of 0.28−0.38 suggest that the largest formative flows may have occupied Last Chance Ferron rivers for nearly a third of the year, which could be explained by a monsoonal system in which high magnitude discharge events are sustained, or a subtropical system in which high magnitude discharge events have short durations but high frequencies. Meanwhile, Is values of 0.075−0.15 suggest that annual sediment budgets could have been transported in as little as 10 days, but up to 2 months, if channel-forming conditions were sustained, and highlight that small changes to the duration of channel-forming conditions could significantly impact sediment budgets. These results are consistent with independent facies- and proxy-based insights into Last Chance Ferron rivers, which point to a perennially wet system characterized by a monsoonal or subtropical discharge regime. Our results highlight new opportunities to use paleoclimate GCMs to constrain intermittency in the geological past. Going forward, paleoclimate GCMs will be particularly useful where the rock record is incomplete or inaccessible, or where stratigraphic approaches are limited, and will enable us to tackle pertinent research questions pertaining to past surface processes on both Earth and other planets.

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Ancient Channel-Mouth Bifurcation Angles on Earth and Mars

Mahon,

Hughes,

Chen

et al. 2024

The Sedimentary Record

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Channel mouth bifurcation angles on modern river deltas are remarkably consistent with a theoretical prediction of 72°. However, the persistence of this angle through channel evolution and preservation into the stratigraphic record remains untested. Ancient channel mouth bifurcations were measured using stratal slices from 3D seismic volumes as well as outcropping delta deposits in Mars orbital imagery. We find that channel mouth bifurcations interpreted from terrestrial strata exhibit a mean angle of 71.9° ± 3.8° (95% confidence interval), consistent with modern deltas as well as theoretical and numerical predictions. Angles from martian strata preserved as inverted topography exhibit a mean angle of 80.1° ± 4.8°. A larger angle on Mars may be biased by measurements on eroding outcrops, or possibly the signature of altered sediment transport processes on Mars. Expanding channel network analysis into the stratigraphic archive for the first time provides a new mechanism interpreting paleohydraulics on Earth and Mars.

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The Oligocene‐Miocene Guadalope‐Matarranya Fan, Spain, as an Analog for Long‐Lived, Ridge‐Bearing Megafans on Mars

Abstract: A central goal of Mars science is to understand whether early Mars had a long-lived, stable hydrological cycle or multiple intermittent, short-lived, river-forming episodes (e.g.,

Cited by 3 publications

References 91 publications

Water discharge and sediment flux intermittency in the fluvial Escanilla Formation, Spain: Implications for changes in stratigraphic architecture

Water discharge and sediment flux intermittency in the fluvial Escanilla Formation, Spain: Implications for changes in stratigraphic architecture

Constraining flow and sediment transport intermittency in the geological past

Ancient Channel-Mouth Bifurcation Angles on Earth and Mars

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