Wyniki wyszukiwania - BazTech

1

Patterns, processes and models – an analytical review of current ambiguous interpretations of the evidence for pre-Pleistocene glaciations

Molén Mats O.

Geologos

|

2023

|

Vol. 29, No. 3

139--166

EN

Models (paradigms) and former interpretations have often been presupposed when conducting field research. In the 19th century diamictites were for the first time interpreted to have originated from ancient glaciations. These interpretations have to a large part prevailed in the geological community, although there has been much progress in the areas of sedimentology, glaciology and physical geography. The present work is an effort to find criteria which most clearly discriminate between geological features produced by different processes, mainly glaciation and mass flow, the latter predominantly sediment gravity flows. Geological features which have been interpreted to have formed by glaciation throughout pre-Pleistocene Earth history are compared to similar-appearing geological features formed by mass flow and tectonics, so as to uncover variations in the appearance between features resulting from these different processes. The starting point for this comparison is documentation of the appearance of Quaternary products of erosion and deposition, in order to discern the origin of older formations. It is shown that the appearance and origin of pavements, dropstones, valleys, small-scale landforms, surface microtextures and most other geological features may in some cases be equivocal, but in others the details are indicative of the process which generated the feature. Detailed geological field data which have been compiled by geologists from outcrops of pre-Pleistocene strata, more often than is considered in most papers, commonly point to a mass flow origin, mainly a sediment gravity flow origin, rather than a glaciogenic or- igin. A process of multiple working hypotheses or interpretations is therefore advocated, based mainly on a comparison of the appearance of features formed by different geological processes documented from different research disciplines. Instead of starting with current interpretations or models, this multiple working hypothesis or methodology helps to avoid confirmation bias and jumping to conclusions.

2

Reconsidering the glaciogenic origin of Gondwana diamictites of the Dwyka Group, South Africa

Molén Mats O., Smit J. Johan

Geologos

|

2022

|

Vol. 28, No. 2

83--113

EN

The Gondwana Late Palaeozoic Ice Age is probably best represented by the Dwyka Group in South Africa. Striated and grooved surfaces or pavements are commonly considered to have formed subglacially, as are diamictites which have been interpreted as in-situ or reworked tillites. These interpretations were tested by investigation of outcrops in formerly well-studied areas, throughout South Africa. Detailed analyses have focused on striated surfaces/pavements and surface microtextures on quartz sand grains in diamictites. The sedimentological context of four pavements, interpreter to be glaciogenic, display features commonly associated with sediment gravity flows, rather than glaciation. A total of 4,271 quartz sand grains were subsampled from outcrops that are considered mainly to be tillites formed by Continental glaciation. These grains, analysed by SEM, do not demonstrate the characteristic surface microtexture combinations of fracturing and irregular abrasion associated with Quaternary glacial deposits, but mainly a mix of surface microtextures associated with multicyclical grains. The Dwyka Group diamictites warrant reinterpretation as non-glacial sediment gravity flow deposits.

3

Late Cretaceous - Early Palaeogene sandy-to-gravelly debris flows and their sediments in the Silesian Basin of the Alpine Tethys (Western Outer Carpathians, Istebna Formation)

Strzeboński P.

Geological Quarterly

|

2015

|

Vol. 59, No. 1

195--214

EN

The study focuses on Upper Cretaceous - Palaeocene deposits from the Beskid Śląski mountain range in southern Poland constituting the Istebna Beds. The Istebna Beds, also referred to as the Istebna Formation, are part of the Silesian tectonic unit, which forms the Outer Carpathian fold-and-thrust belt (part of the Alpine-Carpathian system). The results of qualitative and quantitative lithological-sedimentological studies were the basis for the interpretation of lithofacies types, sedimentary processes and palaeoenvironment as well as for the reconstruction of the architecture of the depositional system. The analysis conducted on the basis of field description of the deposits shows the prevalence (nearly 70%) of siliciclastic strata representing a sandstone-conglomerate association (S-C), which is the main subject of this work. The S-C lithofacies: sandstones, gravelly sandstones, sandy conglomerates and conglomerates constitute the deposits formed mostly by mass gravity-flows such as sandy-to-gravelly debris flows. The distribution of the coarse-clastic material indicates a sediment supply from southerly directions and implies the presence of an active source area in the rear part of the Silesian Basin. A succession of the sandstone-to-conglomerate deposits with the secondary participation of other lithofacies, with a thickness of approximately two thousand metres, indicates temporary increased diastrophic activity in the Silesian Ridge (source area) and the intense denudation of this area. The uplift of the alimentation area and its destruction coinciding with enforced relative regression and the uncovering of the proximal depositional zone of the basin led to resedimentation of the older intrabasinal material and repeated mass deposition together with delivery of extraclasts of pre-existing rocks and minerals. The lithofacies development of the sandstone-to-conglomerate debrites and the related sedimentary palaeotransport directions suggest an accumulation domain in the form of a linear apron depositional system developed in a deep-water setting. Experimental modelling of subaqueous sandy flows has contributed to a better understanding of the complex genesis of deep-water sediment gravity flows developing in depositional systems rich in sand material.