Primary to post-depositional microbial controls on the stable and clumped isotope record of shoreline sediments at Fayetteville Green Lake.

Lacustrine carbonates are a powerful archive of paleoenvironmental information but are susceptible to post-depositional alteration. Microbial metabolisms can drive such alteration by changing carbonate saturation in situ, thereby driving dissolution or precipitation. The net impact these microbial processes have on the primary δ18O, δ13C, and Δ47 values of lacustrine carbonate is not fully known. We studied the evolution of microbial community structure and the porewater and sediment geochemistry in the upper ~30 cm of sediment from two shoreline sites at Green Lake, Fayetteville, NY over 2 years of seasonal sampling. We linked seasonal and depth-based changes of porewater carbonate chemistry to microbial community composition, in situ carbon cycling (using δ13C values of carbonate, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and organic matter), and dominant allochems and facies. We interpret that microbial processes are a dominant control on carbon cycling within the sediment, affecting porewater DIC, aqueous carbon chemistry, and carbonate carbon and clumped isotope geochemistry. Across all seasons and sites, microbial organic matter remineralization lowers the δ13C of the porewater DIC. Elevated carbonate saturation states in the sediment porewaters (Ω > 3) were attributed to microbes from groups capable of sulfate reduction, which were abundant in the sediment below 5 cm depth. The nearshore carbonate sediments at Green Lake are mainly composed of microbialite intraclasts/oncoids, charophytes, larger calcite crystals, and authigenic micrite-each with a different origin. Authigenic micrite is interpreted to have precipitated in situ from the supersaturated porewaters from microbial metabolism. The stable carbon isotope values (δ13Ccarb) and clumped isotope values (Δ47) of bulk carbonate sediments from the same depth horizons and site varied depending on both the sampling season and the specific location within a site, indicating localized (µm to mm) controls on carbon and clumped isotope values. Our results suggest that biological processes are a dominant control on carbon chemistry within the sedimentary subsurface of the shorelines of Green Lake, from actively forming microbialites to pore space organic matter remineralization and micrite authigenesis. A combination of biological activity, hydrologic balance, and allochem composition of the sediments set the stable carbon, oxygen, and clumped isotope signals preserved by the Green Lake carbonate sediments.

Seismic sedimentology response characteristics of nearshore terminal fan in the suning area of Raoyang Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, NE China.

A nearshore terminal fan is a special water system formed in arid environments. The characterisation of its thin-channel sand bodies has long been a challenge restricting oil and gas exploration. This study takes the Suning area of the Raoyang Sag as an example and uses the principles of seismic sedimentology to conduct seismic sedimentary research on the nearshore terminal fan of the first member of the Palaeogene Shahejie Formation (Es1) based on three-dimensional seismic, logging, and core analysis. Seven fourth-order sequences (SQV7) were identified within Es1, deposited by a fluvial river system terminating at the contracting bank of a lake. Prograding terminal fan sedimentary facies on a gentle slope zone were observed in the root mean square seismic attributes after spectral decomposition. We have successfully resolved the sandstone within the studied terminal fan system using a 90° phase conversion of the seismic data and red-green-blue (RGB) fusion of the various seismic attributes. The upper subsegment of the Shahejie Formation developed extensive nearshore terminal fan sedimentation, and the seismic sedimentological response characteristics were mainly channel-like and strip-shaped geomorphic systems deposited on gentle slope zones, indicating distributary channels and distal basin sedimentation. This study enriches our understanding of nearshore fans and provides ideas for predicting favourable sand bodies in this type of sedimentary facies.

Synchronous retreat of Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers in response to external forcings in the presatellite era.

Today, relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water is melting Thwaites Glacier at the base of its ice shelf and at the grounding zone, contributing to significant ice retreat. Accelerating ice loss has been observed since the 1970s; however, it is unclear when this phase of significant melting initiated. We analyzed the marine sedimentary record to reconstruct Thwaites Glacier's history from the early Holocene to present. Marine geophysical surveys were carried out along the floating ice-shelf margin to identify core locations from various geomorphic settings. We use sedimentological data and physical properties to define sedimentary facies at seven core sites. Glaciomarine sediment deposits reveal that the grounded ice in the Amundsen Sea Embayment had already retreated to within ~45 km of the modern grounding zone prior to ca. 9,400 y ago. Sediments deposited within the past 100+ y record abrupt changes in environmental conditions. On seafloor highs, these shifts document ice-shelf thinning initiating at least as early as the 1940s. Sediments recovered from deep basins reflect a transition from ice proximal to slightly more distal conditions, suggesting ongoing grounding-zone retreat since the 1950s. The timing of ice-shelf unpinning from the seafloor for Thwaites Glacier coincides with similar records from neighboring Pine Island Glacier. Our work provides robust new evidence that glacier retreat in the Amundsen Sea was initiated in the mid-twentieth century, likely associated with climate variability.

Sedimentary logs and facies characterization dataset of Tembeling group from the vicinity area of Kuala Tahan, Pahang, Malaysia.

This sedimentary logging and facies characterized dataset of 28 outcrops exposed along Kuala Tahan - Kampung Pagi - Kampung Bantal which is situated in the central part of Peninsular Malaysia (in the state of Pahang). This dataset is recorded in 2017 during the construction of roadway. It consist of Mangking Formation of Tembeling Group with the total length of 410 m. The outcrops are arranged into 8 continuous sections. This data can be further correlated stratigraphically to produce composite log, facies analysis, depositional processes, and the depositional environment.

A unified conceptual model of coastal response to accelerating sea level rise, Florida, U.S.A.

Aggregation of paleo-environmental data derived from geological investigations conducted on the shoreface and inner shelf of Florida's six coastal geomorphic sectors revealed a common and synchronous response to a decelerating rate of Holocene sea level rise: (1) early Holocene overstep and submergence (∼10-5 mm yr-1), (2) mid-Holocene erosional shoreface retreat (∼2 mm yr-1), and (3) late Holocene stabilization (<1 mm yr-1). Linear best-fit analysis of sea level data collected at 14 NOAA tide gauge stations distributed along the entire Florida coast indicates the rate of sea level rise has accelerated from a historical average of 3.1 mm yr-1 (<1972-2022; range 2.2 to 4.2) to 5.9 mm yr-1 (1993-2022; range 4.8 to 6.9) and 8.2 mm yr-1 during the 21st century (2003-2022; range 7.6 to 10.0). The 21st century rates vary between stations, however all fall within the range of values documented during the early Holocene; a time when Florida's coastline was rapidly transgressed. Recent studies have demonstrated that the destabilizing effects of this acceleration on Florida's coastal geomorphology and ecology are already evident. Rates of rise are expected to continue increasing and this will accelerate the pace and scale of landward translation and submergence of Florida's coastal environment.

Challenging the antiquity of the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa: Geochronological evidence restricts the age of Eurotomys bolti and Parapapio to less than 2.3 Ma at Waypoint 160, Bolt's Farm.

Waypoint 160 is a paleocave at Bolt's Farm in the 'Cradle of Humankind,' South Africa. It is known for the novel murid taxa Eurotomys bolti, argued to be morphologically intermediate between Eurotomys pelomyoides from Langebaanweg (∼5.1 Ma) and the earliest Otomyinae from Makapansgat Limeworks (∼3.0-2.6 Ma). Based on the presence of this specimen, an age of ∼4.5 Ma was inferred for Waypoint 160, making it far older than other Cradle sites. This biochronological age was used to argue that Parapapio and Cercopithecoides fossils from Waypoint 160 were the oldest in the region. Here, we provide a detailed sedimentological context for the in-situ deposits at Waypoint 160. We have identified interior cave deposits, in contrast to other sites at Bolt's Farm. Petrography confirms that one unit (facies D) contains in-situ microfaunal fossils, indicating the likely provenience of the E. bolti specimen. Palaeomagnetic analysis shows four periods of magnetic polarity in the sequence. Using U-Pb ages as chronological pins, we argue that the upper part of the sequence records a polarity change at the end of the Olduvai subChron (1.78 Ma). The lower part of the sequence records a polarity shift from normal to reversed that likely relates to the Feni subChron (2.16-2.12 Ma), based on a basal flowstone U-Pb age of 2.269 ± 0.075 Ma. Together this points to a depositional window of ∼500 ka, with the Parapapio and E. bolti tentatively attributed to the micromammal fossil-bearing layers dating to ∼2.27-2.07 Ma. This has significant implications for other biochronological dates in South Africa, as E. bolti is now less than ∼2.27 Ma, younger than the oldest Otomyinae at Makapansgat Limeworks and thus not ancestral to them. This chronology for Waypoint 160 challenges the presence of older, early to mid-Pliocene deposits >3.20 Ma in the Gauteng portion of the Cradle.

Mechanisms of microplastics trapping in river sediments: Insights from the Arno river (Tuscany, Italy).

Rivers efficiently convey microplastics to the sea, but during this transfer microplastic can be temporary stored in sediments, where they undergo further fragmentation due to biological and physical processes. Aiming at shedding light on mechanisms governing microplastic sedimentation in rivers, we analyse deposits accumulated in alternate bars of the Arno River (central Italy). Specifically, we considered microplastics associated with floating plant debris, and those trapped in clastic suspended and bedload deposits. The overall concentration of microplastic ranges between 0.44 and 5.68 items per gram, and is comparable with that of some highly-polluted rivers in the world. Fibers are prevalent among the recovered items, and composition is dominated by nylon. Our measurements reveal that microplastics can be easily trapped by floating plant debris, and stored on bar top zones and river banks. Microplastics are also trapped in gravel and sand deposits. Sand incorporates microplastics both when it is transported at the river bottom under tractional conditions and during the waning flood stage, when settling processes contribute to bed aggradation. Gravels do not entraps microplastics when they move on the river bed, but they are extremely efficient in trapping microplastics during recessional flood stages, when water infiltrates between larger clasts, where it drops suspended microplastics. Further studies based on application of principles of fluvial sedimentology will provide crucial insights to understand mechanisms controlling transport and storage of MPs in river sediments.

Plastic pollution in riverbeds fundamentally affects natural sand transport processes.

Over the past 50 years, rivers have become increasingly important vectors for plastic pollution. Lowland riverbeds exhibit coherent morphological features including ripple and dune bedforms, which transport sediment downstream via well-understood processes, yet the impact of plastic on sediment transport mechanics is largely unknown. Here we use flume tank experiments to show that when plastic particles are introduced to sandy riverbeds, even at relatively low concentrations, novel bedform morphologies and altered processes emerge, including irregular bedform stoss erosion and dune "washout", causing topographic bedform amplitudes to decline. We detail (i) new mechanisms of plastic incorporation and transport in riverbed dunes, and (ii) how sedimentary processes are fundamentally influenced. Our laboratory flume tank experiments suggest that plastic is not a passive component of river systems but directly affects bed topography and locally increases the proportion of sand suspended in the water column, which at larger scales, has the potential to impact river ecosystems and wider landscapes. The resulting plastic distribution in the sediment is heterogeneous, highlighting the challenge of representatively sampling plastic concentrations in river sediments. Our insights are part of an ongoing suite of efforts contributing to the establishment of a new branch of process sedimentology: plastic - riverbed sand interactions.

Influence of reef isostasy, dynamic topography, and glacial isostatic adjustment on sea-level records in Northeastern Australia.

Understanding sea level during the peak of the Last Interglacial (125,000 yrs ago) is important for assessing future ice-sheet dynamics in response to climate change. The coasts and continental shelves of northeastern Australia (Queensland) preserve an extensive Last Interglacial record in the facies of coastal strandplains onland and fossil reefs offshore. However, there is a discrepancy, amounting to tens of meters, in the elevation of sea-level indicators between offshore and onshore sites. Here, we assess the influence of geophysical processes that may have changed the elevation of these sea-level indicators. We modeled sea-level change due to dynamic topography, glacial isostatic adjustment, and isostatic adjustment due to coral reef loading. We find that these processes caused relative sea-level changes on the order of, respectively, 10 m, 5 m, and 0.3 m. Of these geophysical processes, the dynamic topography predictions most closely match the tilting observed between onshore and offshore sea-level markers.

Segmentation for Multi-Rock Types on Digital Outcrop Photographs Using Deep Learning Techniques.

The basic identification and classification of sedimentary rocks into sandstone and mudstone are important in the study of sedimentology and they are executed by a sedimentologist. However, such manual activity involves countless hours of observation and data collection prior to any interpretation. When such activity is conducted in the field as part of an outcrop study, the sedimentologist is likely to be exposed to challenging conditions such as the weather and their accessibility to the outcrops. This study uses high-resolution photographs which are acquired from a sedimentological study to test an alternative basic multi-rock identification through machine learning. While existing studies have effectively applied deep learning techniques to classify the rock types in field rock images, their approaches only handle a single rock-type classification per image. One study applied deep learning techniques to classify multi-rock types in each image; however, the test was performed on artificially overlaid images of different rock types in a test sample and not of naturally occurring rock surfaces of multiple rock types. To the best of our knowledge, no study has applied semantic segmentation to solve the multi-rock classification problem using digital photographs of multiple rock types. This paper presents the application of two state-of-the-art segmentation models, namely U-Net and LinkNet, to identify multiple rock types in digital photographs by segmenting the sandstone, mudstone, and background classes in a self-collected dataset of 102 images from a field in Brunei Darussalam. Four pre-trained networks, including Resnet34, Inceptionv3, VGG16, and Efficientnetb7 were used as a backbone for both models, and the performances of the individual models and their ensembles were compared. We also investigated the impact of image enhancement and different color representations on the performances of these segmentation models. The experiment results of this study show that among the individual models, LinkNet with Efficientnetb7 as a backbone had the best performance with a mean over intersection (MIoU) value of 0.8135 for all of the classes. While the ensemble of U-Net models (with all four backbones) performed slightly better than the LinkNet with Efficientnetb7 did with an MIoU of 0.8201. When different color representations and image enhancements were explored, the best performance (MIoU = 0.8178) was noticed for the L*a*b* color representation with Efficientnetb7 using U-Net segmentation. For the individual classes of interest (sandstone and mudstone), U-Net with Efficientnetb7 was found to be the best model for the segmentation. Thus, this study presents the potential of semantic segmentation in automating the reservoir characterization process whereby we can extract the patches of interest from the rocks for much deeper study and modeling to be conducted.

Magnetic responses for heavy metal pollution recorded by the sediments from Bohai Sea, Eastern China.

The Bohai Sea is facing multidirectional pressure from economic development and pollutant emissions. Magnetic minerals and heavy metal concentrations in the sediments of core M5 from the Bohai Sea were performed. The results of concentration-related magnetic parameters, heavy metal contents, and PLI (Tomlinson pollution load index) illustrate there are essential linkages of the sources, migration, and deposition. The predominant magnetic mineral was magnetite. Based on the chronological data from 210Pb and 137Cs activities, the increasing magnetic parameters and heavy metal concentrations at a depth of 81 cm were dated to 1950 CE, which corresponded to the establishment of the People's Republic of China; the decrease at depths of 37-45 cm and 16-18 cm may be related to the decline in steel production in 1960 CE and the Tangshan earthquake in 1978 CE, respectively. This study enriches relevant theories of environmental magnetism via the ecological and environmental protection of the coastal zones.

From Lake to River: Documenting an Environmental Transition Across the Jura/Knockfarril Hill Members Boundary in the Glen Torridon Region of Gale Crater (Mars).

Between January 2019 and January 2021, the Mars Science Laboratory team explored the Glen Torridon (GT) region in Gale crater (Mars), known for its orbital detection of clay minerals. Mastcam, Mars Hand Lens Imager, and ChemCam data are used in an integrated sedimentological and geochemical study to characterize the Jura member of the upper Murray formation and the Knockfarril Hill member of the overlying Carolyn Shoemaker formation in northern GT. The studied strata show a progressive transition represented by interfingering beds of fine-grained, recessive mudstones of the Jura member and coarser-grained, cross-stratified sandstones attributed to the Knockfarril Hill member. Whereas the former are interpreted as lacustrine deposits, the latter are interpreted as predominantly fluvial deposits. The geochemical composition seen by the ChemCam instrument show K2O-rich mudstones (∼1-2 wt.%) versus MgO-rich sandstones (>6 wt.%), relative to the average composition of the underlying Murray formation. We document consistent sedimentary and geochemical data sets showing that low-energy mudstones of the Jura member are associated with the K-rich endmember, and that high-energy cross-stratified sandstones of the Knockfarril Hill member are associated with the Mg-rich endmember, regardless of stratigraphic position. The Jura to Knockfarril Hill transition therefore marks a significant paleoenvironmental change, where a long-lived and comparatively quiescent lacustrine setting progressively changes into a more energetic fluvial setting, as a consequence of shoreline regression due to either increased sediment supply or lake-level drop.

Timing and dynamics of Late Wolstonian Substage 'Moreton Stadial' (MIS 6) glaciation in the English West Midlands, UK.

Glaciation during the late Middle Pleistocene is widely recognized across continental northwest Europe, but its extent and palaeoenvironmental significance in the British Isles are disputed. Although glaciogenic sediments at Wolston, Warwickshire, in the English West Midlands, have been used to define the stratotype of the Wolstonian Stage, their age has been variably assigned between marine isotope stages (MIS) 12 and 6. Here we present sedimentological and stratigraphical observations from five sites across the English West Midlands whose chronology is constrained by new luminescence ages from glaciofluvial sediments, supplemented by cosmogenic 36Cl exposure dating of erratic boulders. The ages suggest that between 199 ± 5 and 147 ± 2.5 ka the British Ice Sheet advanced into the English West Midlands as far south as Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. This advance is assigned to the Moreton Stadial of the Late Wolstonian Substage. Dating of the glaciation to this substage allows correlation of the Moreton Stadial glacial deposits in the English West Midlands with those of the Drenthe Stadial during the Late Saalian Substage across continental northwest Europe.

Neoproterozoic syn-glacial carbonate precipitation and implications for a snowball Earth.

The Neoproterozoic 'snowball Earth' hypothesis suggests that a runaway ice-albedo feedback led to two intense glaciations around 717-635 million years ago, and this global ice cover would have drastically impacted biogeochemical cycles. Testing the predictions of this hypothesis against the rock record is key to understanding Earth's surface evolution in the Neoproterozoic. A central tenet of the snowball Earth hypothesis is that extremely high atmospheric CO2  levels-supplied by volcanic degassing over millions of years-would be required to overcome a strong ice-albedo feedback and trigger deglaciation. This requires severely diminished continental weathering (and associated CO2 drawdown) during glaciation, and implies that carbonate minerals would not precipitate from syn-glacial seawater due to a lack of alkalinity influxes into ice-covered oceans. In this scenario, syn-glacial seawater chemistry should instead be dominated by chemical exchange with the oceanic crust and volcanic systems, developing low pH and low Mg/Ca ratios. However, sedimentary rocks deposited during the Sturtian glaciation from the Adelaide Fold Belt-and contemporaneous successions globally-show evidence for syn-sedimentary dolomite precipitation in glaciomarine environments. The dolomitic composition of these syn-glacial sediments and post-glacial 'cap carbonates' implies that carbonate precipitation and Mg cycling must have remained active during the ~50 million-year Sturtian glaciation. These syn-glacial carbonates highlight a gap in our understanding of continental weathering-and therefore, the carbon cycle-during snowball Earth. In light of these observations, a Precambrian global biogeochemical model (PreCOSCIOUS) was modified to explore scenarios of syn-glacial chemical weathering, ocean chemistry and Sturtian carbonate mineralogy. Modelling results suggest that a small degree of chemical weathering during glaciation would have been capable of maintaining high seawater Mg/Ca ratios and carbonate precipitation throughout the Sturtian glaciation. This is consistent with a severe ice age during the Sturtian, but challenges predictions of biogeochemical cycling during the endmember 'hard snowball' models. A small degree of continental weathering might also help explain the extreme duration of the Sturtian glaciation, which appears to have been the longest ice age in Earth history.

A tsunamigenic delta collapse and its associated tsunami deposits in and around Lake Sils, Switzerland.

Large lacustrine mass movements and delta collapses are increasingly being considered as potential tsunamigenic sources and therefore hazardous for the population and infrastructure along lakeshores. Although historical reports document tsunami events in several lakes in Switzerland, and although the propagation of lake tsunamis has been studied by numerical wave modeling, only little is known about on- and offshore lacustrine tsunami deposits. In Lake Sils, Switzerland, a large prehistoric mass-movement deposit originating from the Isola Delta with a minimum estimated volume of 6.5 × 106 m3 and a basinal thickness of > 6 m in the seismic record has been identified by previous studies and radiocarbon dated to around 700 Common Era. Here, we combine (i) comprehensive sedimentological investigation of sediment cores recovered from the on- and offshore settings, (ii) mineralogical fingerprinting of the inflows from key catchments to characterize sediment provenance, and (iii) numerical tsunami modeling, to test the hypothesis of a tsunamigenic delta collapse in Lake Sils. We observe a clastic event deposit consisting of coarse-grained, fining-upward sand overlying an organic-rich peat deposit in the shallow water. This layer thins and fines landward on the coastal plain. Toward the deeper water (20-40 m), the deposit transforms into a thicker and more heterogeneous sediment package with multiple sequences of fining-upward sand and a well-pronounced clay cap at the top. Radiocarbon dating of the peat underlying the event deposit yields a maximum age of 225-419 calibrated  Common Era. The tsunami models, which indicate wave heights reaching up to 5 m, simulate areas of inundation that coincide with the location of event deposits. Based on our results, we propose that the historically undocumented Isola Delta collapse generated a basin-wide tsunami that inundated the lakeshore, transporting large amounts of unconsolidated sediment along the lakeshore toward the coastal plain and into the deeper lake basin. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11069-021-04533-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A novel binary pipette splitting sediment subsampling method for improving reproducibility in laser-diffraction particle-size analysis.

Laser-diffraction analysis has been established as one of the standard methods for particle-size distribution (PSD) measurement. However, the uncertainty when analyzing naturally heterogeneous sediment is poorly constrained for the lack of control on one of its largest error sources simply originating from subsampling. Here, we introduce a novel subsampling method, binary pipette splitting (BPS), and verify its precision by using sediment samples from ten flood-layer deposits that have formed in the wake of Hurricane Florence (2018). The BPS approach avoids extracting from only a fixed part of the suspended fluid but considers all the suspended sediment, resulting in the generation of twin subsamples. The median coefficient of variation (COV) for D10, D50, and D90 of subsamples obtained using BPS is 4%, 3%, and 2%, respectively. These values are significantly smaller than the corresponding values of 18%, 15%, and 13% obtained using the conventional pipette subsampling method. Therefore, the new BPS method represents a significant improvement in producing statistically identical subsamples for laser-diffraction particle-size analysis. •The binary pipette splitting (BPS) subsampling method dramatically improves the reproducibility of subsampling wet sediment.

Climatic and tectonic significance of Taboche Lake, Khumbu Region, Nepal.

The Everest region is characterized by its alpine glacial environment. In an effort to understand environmental change and tectonic activity, our team cored Taboche Lake, situated at 4,712 m along the western margin of the Ngozumpa Glacier. This research catalogs past earthquakes using geological records of the lake core that are important for the assessment of future earthquake hazards in the region and provides information for tectonic risk of glacial lake floods. Core grain size characteristics and internal sedimentary structures from computed tomographic scan were coupled with radiocarbon dating of organic matter preserved in the core to reconstruct the environmental history of the area. The 58-cm-long core consists of laminated silty sands and sandy silts with particle diameters <2 mm. The core records a syn-sedimentary deformational structure, folded sediments, rhythmically alternating dark- and light-colored laminations, and turbidites, which indicate coeval climatic and tectonic variations over the past ∼1,600 years.

A computational tool for hydrosedimentological and statistical calculations / Ferramenta computacional para cálculos hidrossedimentológicos e estatísticos

ABSTRACT This paper presents a new computational tool called NH SEDIMENT AND STATISTIC which performs hydrosedimentological and statistical calculations using Visual Basic. This computational tool was developed for studies related to calculations of sediment transport in rivers. The tool includes hydrosedimentological methods for calculating suspension loads, bed loads, and total solid discharge. In addition, it provides the user with the possibility of performing statistical tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, F test and χ2 test of variance, Student's t-test, non-parametric Wilcoxon test, and statistical parameter calculations. The NH SEDIMENT AND STATISTIC automatically calculates and provides the main results for each of the methods, allowing the user to draw their own conclusions. This proposed computational tool supports hydrosedimentological studies, and is reliable and easy to use, contributing to the reduction of sediment-related problems in the areas of hydraulic engineering, geology, and soil and water conservation. Furthermore, this tool may be used in transdisciplinary scientific areas for complete planning and management of water resources.

RESUMO Este artigo apresenta uma nova ferramenta computacional chamada NH SEDIMENT AND STATISTIC, que realiza cálculos hidrossedimentológicos e estatísticos usando o Visual Basic. Essa ferramenta computacional foi desenvolvida para estudos relacionados a cálculos de transporte de sedimentos em rios. A ferramenta inclui métodos hidrossedimentológicos para calcular cargas de suspensão, cargas de leito e descarga total de sólidos. Além disso, fornece ao usuário a possibilidade de realizar testes estatísticos, como o teste de normalidade Kolmogorov-Smirnov, teste F e teste de variância do χ2, teste T de Student, teste não paramétrico de Wilcoxon e cálculos estatísticos de parâmetros. O NH SEDIMENT AND STATISTIC calcula e fornece automaticamente os principais resultados para cada um dos métodos, permitindo que o usuário tire suas próprias conclusões. Essa ferramenta computacional proposta suporta estudos hidrossedimentológicos e é confiável e fácil de usar, contribuindo para a redução de problemas relacionados a sedimentos nas áreas de engenharia hidráulica, geologia, conservação de solo e água. Além disso, essa ferramenta pode ser usada em áreas científicas transdisciplinares para um planejamento e gerenciamento completos dos recursos hídricos.

Microbially induced chromium isotope fractionation and trace elements behavior in lower Cambrian microbialites from the Jaíba Member, Bambuí Basin, Brazil.

In east-central Brazil, the Ediacaran-Cambrian Bambuí Basin has the potential to provide a record of unique geochemical responses of Earth's ocean and atmosphere evolution during this key time interval. From this perspective, we studied an interval of the upper Bambuí Basin using sedimentologic, stratigraphic, and chemostratigraphic tools. The lower Cambrian Jaíba Member of the uppermost Serra da Saudade Formation is an interval of up to 60 m-thick of carbonate rocks disposed into two shallowing upward trends. Inner to outer ramp and high-energy shoal deposits are described, in which laminated microbialites are the prevailing sedimentary facies. REE + Y data suggest contamination by iron (oxy)hydroxides that are dissociated from the riverine detritic flux. Sedimentary iron enrichment may be related to the settling of iron nanoparticles in coastal environments, diagenetic iron mobilization, or both. MREE enrichment is caused by microbial degradation of organic matter in the iron reduction zone during the anoxic early-diagenetic stage. Chromium isotopes yielded negatively fractionated values (δ53 Cr = -0.69 to -0.27‰), probably resulting from biotic and abiotic reduction of dissolved Cr(VI) to light and less toxic Cr(III) within pores of microbial mats. The δ53 Cr data of the Jaíba microbialite are thus a product of metabolic reactions in microbial mats and do not reflect seawater signal. The isotopic offset from seawater is feasible from molecular diffusion of Cr into pore water and reduction reactions occurring deep inside the mat, although the exact mechanism and consequences are not yet fully understood due to the poor preservation of metabolic reactions in the geological record. Our study suggests that Cr isotopes can be used to reconstruct Cr and other metals cycling within ancient microbial mats, and that caution should be taken when using past microbialites to infer seawater Cr records and redox state of the atmosphere and ocean.

Determinação da relação entre vazões líquida e sólida e análise de fatores que influenciam a dinâmica do transporte de sedimentos na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Jordão (UPGRH-PN 1) / Determination of the liquid and solid discharge ratio and analysis of factors influencing the dynamics of sediment transport in the Jordão River Watershed (UPGRH-PN 1)

RESUMO O entendimento do escoamento de sedimentos é fundamental para a adequada gestão e uso dos recursos hídricos. A falta de planejamento de uso e ocupação do solo, marcado por ações antrópicas irracionais, influencia diretamente a dinâmica dos sedimentos nas bacias hidrográficas em todo o território nacional. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo teve como objetivos determinar as descargas de sedimentos, analisar fatores que podem influenciar o carreamento de sedimentos na bacia hidrográfica e construir as curvas-chave que representam a relação entre as descargas sólida e líquida no rio Jordão. O estudo foi realizado na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Jordão, estabelecendo-se quatro estações de amostragem, sendo realizadas nove campanhas de medições de vazões e coletas de água para análise de sedimentos suspensos em épocas secas e chuvosas no período de agosto de 2017 a julho de 2018. As concentrações e descargas de sedimentos apresentaram variações entre as estações e os períodos de amostragem. Na época chuvosa, os valores das descargas e concentrações foram superiores ao período de estiagem. A maior concentração média foi de 101,16 mg.L-1 na estação 3, e a maior descarga sólida total ocorreu na estação 4, com valor médio de 113,83 t.d-1. Além da precipitação, fatores como cobertura vegetal, uso do solo e declividade influenciam o carreamento dos sedimentos no rio Jordão. As curvas-chave de sedimentos em suspensão e totais, para cada estação e para os dados unidos de todas as estações, apresentaram boas correlações.

ABSTRACT Understanding the sediment flow is fundamental for the proper management and use of the water resources. The lack of planning in the use and occupation of land, marked by irrational anthropogenic actions, directly influences the sediment dynamics in river basins throughout the national territory. In this sense, the objectives of this article were to determine sediment discharges, to analyze factors that can influence sediment dynamics in the basin and to construct the key curves that represent the relationship between the solid and liquid flow of the Jordão River. The study was carried out in the Jordão River Basin. Four sampling stations were established, and nine campaigns were carried out to measure flows and water samples for the analysis of suspended sediments during dry and rainy seasons from August 2017 to July 2018. The concentrations and discharges of sediment presented variations between the seasons and sampling periods. In the rainy season, the values of discharges and concentrations were higher than in the dry season. The highest mean concentration was 101.16 mg.L-1at station 3, and the highest total solid discharge occurred at station 4 with a mean value of 113.83 t.d-1. In addition to precipitation, factors such as vegetation cover, land use and slope are influencing the sediment dynamics in the Jordão River. The key curves of suspended and total sediments obtained for each season and the bound data from all stations showed good correlations.