Nonmarine time-stratigraphy in a rift setting: An example from the Mid-Permian lower Quanzijie low-order cycle, Bogda Mountains, NW China

Sedimentological and stratigraphic studies of seven stratigraphic sections of Permian Hongyanchi （HYC） and Quanzijie （QZJ） low-order cycles （LCs） in the Tarlong-Taodonggou half graben and Dalongkou area in Bogda Mountains, NW China, demonstrate effective approaches and methodology in cyclo- and time-stratigraphic analyses of complex fluviallacustrine deposits in an intracontinental rift setting. A new synchronous stratigraphic unit, the lower QZJ LC is defined. The lower and upper boundaries of this cycle include a regionally correlative disconformity, erosional unconformity, and conformity, across which significant and abrupt changes in palaeoenvironments and tectonic and climatic conditions occurred. The lower boundary is an erosional unconformity and disconformity with a high-relief topography that juxtaposes lacustrine deposits of the underlying HYC LC with the overlying meandering stream deposits of the lower QZJ LC, and was caused by a regional tectonic uplift. The up- per boundary is a disconformity and local erosional unconformity and conformity, juxtaposing stacked paleosols developed on fluvial sediments with overlying fluvial and loessial deposits of the upper QZJ LC. The paleosols indicate landscape stability and a prolonged period of subaerial exposure and minimal deposition and suggest that climatic conditions were semiarid with strong precipitation seasonality in the Tarlong-Taodonggou half graben and subhumid in the Dalongkou area. The fluvial-loessial deposits indicate a renewed tectonic uplift and a change in the atmospheric circulation pattern. The newly-defined lower QZJ LC facilitates accurate palaeogeographic reconstruction in the study area during a period of major tectonic and climatic changes. The interpreted tectonic and climatic conditions provide a critical data point in the mid-latitude east coast of NE Pangea during the Mid-Permian icehouse-hothouse transition. The results demonstrate that a process-response approach is effective in time- stratigraphic analysis of complex fluvial-lacustrine strata in a highly-partitioned rift basin.

Natural and anthropogenic sources of lead, zinc, and nickel in sediments of Lake Izabal, Guatemala

Sediments in Lake Izabal,Guatemala,contain substantial lead (Pb),zinc (Zn),and nickel (Ni).The lack of historical data for heavy metal concentrations in the sediments makes it difficult to determine the sources or evaluate whether inputs of metals to the lake have changed through time.We measured the relative abundances and concentrations of Pb,Zn,and Ni by X-Ray Fluorescence core scanning and by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry in three sediment cores to explore stratigraphic distributions of metals in the lake deposits.High amounts of Pb and Zn in the core taken near the Polochic Delta suggest that galena and sphalerite mining increased Pb and Zn delivery to Lake Izabal between ~1945 and 1965 CE.An up-core Ni increase in the core taken near a different mine on the north shore of Lake Izabal suggests that recent nickel mining operations led to an increase in Ni concentrations in the local sediments,but amounts in the other cores indicate that Ni is not widely distributed throughout the lake.Sediment cores from Lake Izabal are reliable recorders of heavy metal input to the lake,and were measured to establish background metal levels,which would otherwise be unavailable.Concentrations of Pb,Zn,and Ni in older,pre-20th-century Lake Izabal sediments reflect input from natural erosion of bedrock.Our results provide previously unavailable estimates of background metal concentrations in Lake Izabal before the onset of mining.These results are necessary for future monitoring related to mining contamination of the lake ecosystem.