Where does the time go? Assessing the chronostratigraphic fidelity of sedimentary geological outcrops in the Pliocene–Pleistocene Red Crag Formation, eastern England

Davies, Neil S.; Shillito, Anthony P.; McMahon, William J.

doi:10.1144/jgs2019-056

Cited by 28 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 78 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2), discrete packages of strata bound by laterally extensive (fifth order) surfaces and, on Earth, channel belts of this scale can require up to~10 4 -10 5 terrestrial years to deposit 52 (though we recognise that this approximation may differ under Mars' distinct boundary conditions). However, the amount of additional time hidden within the bounding fifth-order surfaces between individual channel belts is unknown (and unknowable) 53 . If a channelbelt interpretation is correct, the laterally extensive surfaces developed after the active channel-belt was transposed through avulsion.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of strata and time will have either been lost to erosion, or preserved in outcrops as of yet undiscovered, or currently buried and not amenable to study. While we are only beginning to understand the chronostratigraphic exactness of sedimentary rock outcrops on Earth 53,55,56 , let alone Mars, it appears likely that the period of deposition in the northwestern rim of the Hellas basin exceeded 10 5 terrestrial years. Furthermore, the preservation of relatively intact channel margins and barforms advocates that throughout this protracted period fluvial deposition was a relatively constant phenomena 38 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sustained fluvial deposition recorded in Mars’ Noachian stratigraphic record

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Orbital observation has revealed a rich record of fluvial landforms on Mars, with much of this record dating 3.6-3.0 Ga. Despite widespread geomorphic evidence, few analyses of Mars' alluvial sedimentary-stratigraphic record exist, with detailed studies of alluvium largely limited to smaller sand-bodies amenable to study in-situ by rovers. These typically metre-scale outcrop dimensions have prevented interpretation of larger scale channel-morphology and long-term basin evolution, vital for understanding the past Martian climate. Here we give an interpretation of a large sedimentary succession at Izola mensa within the NW Hellas Basin rim. The succession comprises channel and barform packages which together demonstrate that river deposition was already well established >3.7 Ga. The deposits mirror terrestrial analogues subject to low-peak discharge variation, implying that river deposition at Izola was subject to sustained, potentially perennial, fluvial flow. Such conditions would require an environment capable of maintaining large volumes of water for extensive time-periods, necessitating a precipitation-driven hydrological cycle.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustained fluvial deposition recorded in Mars’ Noachian stratigraphic record

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…observations are shedding light on the link between morphodynamics and the storage of time in stratigraphy (e.g., Bhattacharya et al, 2019;Davies et al, 2019;Durkin et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2016). Intuitively, however, it makes sense that the more strongly channelized or intermittent a SRS is, the more opportunity there is for long-term hiatuses to form on inactive parts of a landscape.…”

Section: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Earth Surfacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of limits in geochronology, it is difficult to directly measure stratigraphic completeness at mesotimescales and shorter; consequently, we have little theory, benchmarked by observations, to predict its magnitude in different sedimentary systems. This is starting to change as numerical models and field observations are shedding light on the link between morphodynamics and the storage of time in stratigraphy (e.g., Bhattacharya et al, ; Davies et al, ; Durkin et al, ; Xu et al, ). Intuitively, however, it makes sense that the more strongly channelized or intermittent a SRS is, the more opportunity there is for long‐term hiatuses to form on inactive parts of a landscape.…”

Section: Impediments To Environmental Signal Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

Buffered, Incomplete, and Shredded: The Challenges of Reading an Imperfect Stratigraphic Record

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate, tectonics, and life influence the flux and caliber of sediment transported across Earth's surface. These environmental conditions can leave behind imprints in the Earth's sedimentary archive, but signals of climate, tectonic, and biologic change are not always present in the stratigraphic record. Deterministic and stochastic surface dynamics collectively act as a stratigraphic filter, impeding the burial and preservation of environmental signals in sedimentary deposits. Such impediments form a central challenge to accurately reconstructing environmental conditions through Earth's history. Emergent and self‐organized length and timescales in landscapes, which are themselves influenced by regional environmental conditions, define spatial and temporal sedimentation patterns in basins and fundamentally control the likelihood of environmental signal preservation in sedimentary deposits. Properly characterizing these scales provides a key avenue for incorporating the known “imperfections” of the stratigraphic record into paleoenvironmental reconstructions. These insights are necessary for answering both basic and applied science questions, including our ability to reconstruct the Earth system response to prior episodes of climate, tectonic, or land cover change.

show abstract

“…Figure 1D through F, in yellow at x = 2.2 and x = 2.5 of Figure 3E; Figure 4 inset); (c) decreased channel activity and bed aggradation downstream (compare the two timestacks of Figure 3 where the many more 'vertical lines' in the distal cross-section indicate a lack of large channels and channel migration); and (d) significant autogenic reworking (see lateral migration of channels in blue in the proximal cross-section in Figure 3A). It is increasingly understood that sedimentary archives record mundane, sub-annual deposition as opposed to extreme events (Paola et al, 2018;Davies et al, 2019;Holbrook and Miall, 2020), such that the conducted experiments can be appropriately linked to the four most widely followed down-DFS facies criteria: (a) decreased channel size; (b) decreased grain size; (c) decreased channel confinement; and (d) increased dispersal of currents (Horton and Decelles, 2001;Weissmann et al, 2010Weissmann et al, , 2013Weissmann et al, , 2015Davidson et al, 2013;Owen et al, 2015aOwen et al, , 2015bVentra and Clarke, 2018).…”

Section: Data Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental distributive fluvial systems: Bridging the gap between river and rock record

Scheltinga

McMahon

Dijk

et al. 2020

The Depositional Record

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A debate has called into question as to which fluvial channel patterns are most widely represented in the stratigraphic record, with some advocating that distributive fluvial systems (DFS) predominate and others that a broad diversity of fluvial styles may become preserved. Critical to both sides is the adequate recognition of original channel planform from geological outcrops separated from their formative processes by millions or even billions of years. In this study the river and rock record are linked through experimentally created DFSs with both aggrading channel beds and floodplains. This approach allows depositing processes and deposited strata to be studied in tandem. Proximal areas comprise coarse, amalgamated channel‐fills with scarce fine‐grained floodplain material. The overall spread of sandbody dimensions become far more varied in medial stretches, with an overall reduction in mean width and depth. In these areas channel‐fills may be sand‐rich or mud‐rich and, following avulsion, all channels are covered by floodplain sediment. Channels, levees and splays form discrete depositional bodies each with varying aspect ratios; a novel breadth of deposits and morphologies in aggrading experiments largely concurrent with proposed trends indicative of DFSs. The proportion of floodplain material increases distally, resulting in decreased interconnectedness of distal channel‐fills. Muddy floodplain sediments significantly change DFSs behaviour and subsequent stratigraphic architecture by enhancing bank stability and reducing avulsion through the filling of floodbasins. The laboratory methods utilised here open up the possibility of controlled experimentation on the effects and mechanisms of DFSs sedimentation, which is important since the modelled stratigraphic trends are rarely so tractable in ancient geological outcrop belts.

show abstract

Where does the time go? Assessing the chronostratigraphic fidelity of sedimentary geological outcrops in the Pliocene–Pleistocene Red Crag Formation, eastern England

Cited by 28 publications

References 78 publications

Sustained fluvial deposition recorded in Mars’ Noachian stratigraphic record

Sustained fluvial deposition recorded in Mars’ Noachian stratigraphic record

Buffered, Incomplete, and Shredded: The Challenges of Reading an Imperfect Stratigraphic Record

Experimental distributive fluvial systems: Bridging the gap between river and rock record

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About