Cenozoic

A number of motored auger holes have been drilled in 2002 and 2006 in four sand-clay deposits preserved in dissolution pockets within the Dinantian limestones of the watershed north of the Vesdre valley. These deposits of unknown age are currently classified as (Tertiary) SBL in the new geological map of Wallonia. We present detailed lithostratigraphic logs of the deposits and describe the results of sedimentological and mineralogical analyses. In particular, K-Ar dating of neoformed Mn oxides found at the base of one augerhole at Rechain yielded ages ranging from Cenomanian to Santonian, allowing us to place the Rechain and Andrimont deposits within the early Late Cretaceous. This is fully consistent with their topographic location very close beneath the trace of the pre-Cretaceous erosion surface and makes them the westernmost remains of the Hergenrath Member of the Late Cretaceous Aachen Formation. To the west, the Magnee deposit is more "typical SBL", probably correspo...

We recorded high-resolution seismic-reflection data in the northern Gulf of Mexico to study gas and gas-hydrate distribution and their relation to seafloor slides. Gas hydrate is widely reported near the seafloor, but is described at only one deep drill site. Our data show highreflectivity zones (HRZs) near faults, diapirs, and gas vents and interbedded within sedimentary sections at shallow depth (, 1 km). The HRZs lie below the gas-hydrate-stability zone (GHSZ) as well as within the zone (less common), and they coincide with zones of shallow water-flows. Bottom simulating reflections are rare in the Gulf, and not documented in our data. We infer HRZs result largely from free gas in sandy beds, with gas hydrate within the GHSZ. Our estimates for the base BHSZ correlate reasonably with the top of HRZs in some thick well-layered basin sections, but poorly where shallow sediments are thin and strongly deformed. The equivocal correlation results from large natural variability of parameters that are used to calculate the base of the GHSZ. The HRZs may, however, be potential indicators of nearby gas hydrate. The HRZs also lie at the base of at least two large seafloor slides (e.g. up to 250 km 2) that may be actively moving along decollement faults that sole within the GHSZ or close to the estimated base of the GHSZ. We suspect that water/gas flow along these and other faults such as 'chimney' features provide gas to permit crystallization of gas hydrate in the GHSZ. Such flows weaken sediment that slide down salt-oversteepened slopes when triggered by earthquakes. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Fierce debate surrounds the history of organisms in the southern hemisphere; did Gondwanan break-up produce ocean barriers that imposed distribution patterns on phylogenies (vicariance)? Or have organisms modified their distributions through trans-oceanic dispersal? Recent advances in biogeographical theory suggest that the current focus on vicariance versus dispersal is too narrow because it ignores 'geodispersal' (i.e. expansion of species into areas when geographical barriers disappear), extinction and sampling errors. Geodispersal produces multiple, conflicting vicariance patterns, and extinction and sampling errors destroy vicariance patterns. This perspective suggests that it is more difficult to detect vicariance than trans-oceanic dispersal and that specialized methods must be applied if an unbiased understanding of southern hemisphere biogeography is to be achieved.

High rates of coastal retreat characterise the weakly cemented Plio-Pleistocene rocks and sediments which form much of the cliffed coastline of East Anglia, southern North Sea. The accurate establishment of sediment losses from these cliffs has a regional significance as these sediments are important in maintaining beaches and nearshore bank systems and in feeding nearshore sediment transport pathways. However, the high spatial and temporal variability of cliff failure processes in such materials necessitates fine-scale integration of alongshore variations in cliff retreat over a series of well-established time periods to accurately define cliffline recession rates and sediment volume inputs to the nearshore system. This study applied the DSAS (Digital Shoreline Analysis System) within the GIS software package ArcMap to digitised, georeferenced positions of former shorelines, obtained from historic maps and aerial photographs (after 1992), for the sections of Benacre-Southwold and Dunwich-Minsmere on the Suffolk coast of East Anglia, UK; transects were cast every 10 m alongshore, producing very high spatial resolution upon which to assess shoreline retreat (over 1000 transects along 11 km of shoreline). Long-term (1883-2008) mean shoreline retreat rates varied between 2.3-3.5 m a-1 (Benacre-Southwold) and 0.9 m a-1 (Dunwich-Minsmere). For six cliffed subunits within these larger coastal sections, spatial variations in cliffline recession rates for shorter time intervals (at ca. 20-year intervals) within this longer (125 year) period were established. The combination of recession rates with photogrammetric methods of obtaining cliff top elevation at the same spatial resolution, available using aerial photographs and digital terrain models, along with cliff sediment composition, allowed the calculation of sediment volumetric inputs from cliff retreat in the period 1992-2008. Re-assessment of the magnitude and location of sediment inputs into the nearshore zone, their interaction with regional sediment transport and the growth of inshore bank systems, as well as the implications for contemporary and near-future coastal management strategies are discussed with reference to this section of the Suffolk coast. Temporal and spatial variations in recession rates and sediment release from soft rock cliffs,

Des dépôts alluviaux datant du Tardiglaciaire et du début de l'Holocène ont été découverts dans la plaine du Caudeau, petit affluent de la Dordogne, à La Brunetière sur la commune de Pombonne (Dordogne) à l'occasion de travaux d'archéologie préventive. Leur analyse permet de renouveler nos connaissances sur l'évolution des cours d'eau en Aquitaine pendant cette période charnière. Ils montrent en particulier que les principales phases de métamorphose alluviale décrites dans le nord de l'Europe se sont également produites dans cette région de manière à peu près synchrone, pour autant que l'on puisse en juger d'après les dates disponibles. Deux phases majeures d'incision aux dépens de la nappe alluviale à galets pléniglaciaire sont identifiables. La première intervient pendant une phase très précoce du Bølling, soit avant 12 700 ± 45 BP, dans un environnement steppique. L'abandon rapide du chenal, associé à du soutirage karstique, permet ensuite l'installation d'un petit lac colmaté par des argiles avec quelques intercalations tourbeuses riches en macrorestes végétaux (bouleau nain, saule). L'image de la végétation donnée aussi bien par les pollens que par la faune de mollusques et d'insectes est celle d'une steppe encore très ouverte à armoise et genévriers, alors que les paléotempératures estivales indiquées par les insectes sont déjà proches de celles connues actuellement dans la région. Des paléotempératures hivernales sensiblement plus froides que les actuelles (-20 à 5°C) renvoient cependant l'image d'un climat à caractère plus continental. Les dépôts lacustres sont ensuite recouverts par une couche de sables d'inondation attribués au Dryas moyen et/ou récent. L'assèchement du chenal et le développement d'un sol hydromorphe pourrait correspondre respectivement soit à l'Allerød, soit au tout début de l'Holocène. La seconde phase d'incision est attribuée au Préboréal et tronque la séquence tardiglaciaire ; elle est associée à un style alluvial à chenaux anastomosés. L'abandon de la majorité des chenaux pendant le Boréal marque la réduction du lit à un chenal unique sinueux, comparable à celui qui caractérise le Caudeau actuel. Une industrie lithique de type Magdalénien supérieur a également été découverte sur la berge du chenal tardiglaciaire. L'industrie recueillie est exclusivement taillée dans le silex local maestrichtien. Elle comprend environ 200 éclats et 800 petits restes de taille, pour seulement 15 lames de plein débitage et 6 outils (sans aucun microlithe). L'utilisation exclusive d'un percuteur minéral tendre, la morphologie du nucléus laminaire, la rectitude des petites lames, les 2 lames appointées sont autant de caractères qui évoquent le stade ultime du Magdalénien supérieur, tel qu'il est connu plus en amont le long de la Dordogne sur les sites de la Gare de Couze et du Moulin du Roc.

Abstract A review of the chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fish fossils found in Japan is provided in the form of a series of tabular compilations covering the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic Era. On the basis of this compilation, considerable changes are recognized in the fish faunas over a period of time. At the end of the Cretaceous Period a number of cartilaginous fishes disappeared. From the Oligocene to the Miocene, modern sharks including the family Carcharhinidae increased, whereas the Hexanchidae and Lamnidae declined. Most Miocene teleostean fishes differ from the Recent congeners at the species level.

A wide variety of environmental records is necessary for analysing and understanding the complex Late Quaternary dynamics of permafrost-dominated Arctic landscapes. A NE Siberian periglacial key region was studied in detail using sediment records, remote sensing data, and terrain modelling, all incorporated in a geographical information system (GIS). The study area consists of the Bykovsky Peninsula and the adjacent Khorogor Valley in the Kharaulakh Ridge situated a few kilometres southeast of the Lena Delta. In this study a comprehensive cryolithological database containing information from 176 sites was compiled. The information from these sites is based on the review of previously published borehole data, outcrop profiles, surface samples, and our own field data. These archives cover depositional records of three periods: from Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. The main sediment sequences on the Bykovsky Peninsula consist of up to 50 m thick ice-rich permafrost deposits (Ice Complex) that were accumulated during the Late Pleistocene. They were formed as a result of nival processes around extensive snowfields in the Kharaulakh Ridge, slope processes in these mountains (such as in the Khorogor Valley), and alluvial/proluvial sedimentation in a flat accumulation plain dominated by polygonal tundra in the mountain foreland (Bykovsky Peninsula). During the early to middle Holocene warming, a general landscape transformation occurred from an extensive Late Pleistocene accumulation plain to a strongly thermokarst-dominated relief dissected by numerous depressions. Thermokarst subsidence had an enormous influence on the periglacial hydrological patterns, the sediment deposition, and on the composition and distribution of habitats. Climate deterioration, lake drainage, and talik refreezing occurred during the middle to late Holocene. The investigated region was reached by the post-glacial sea level rise during the middle Holocene, triggering thermo-abrasion of ice-rich coasts and the marine inundation of thermokarst depressions.

To demonstrate the viability of using slug-test-analysis techniques to interpret recovery data in large-diameter, hand-dug wells, 37 wells representing a range of hydraulic conductivity and located in unconfined and weathered chalk and marl and confined alluvium in North-Central Texas were tested. Recovery data were analyzed by means of a numerical model, two semiempirical methods developed especially for interpreting recovery data from large-diameter hand-dug wells, and different slug-test-analysis methods that have different shape factors describing well geometry. Most hydraulic-conductivity values estimated by slug-test methods are within an order of magnitude of values that are estimated by using a numerical model or methods derived specifically for hand-dug wells. Because of the unique geometry of hand-dug wells (diameters on the same order as well lengths), care must be taken to ensure that the proper shape factors are used with slug-test methods. Because of the substantial well storage in hand-dug wells, considerable time may be required to lower the water level to the desired position, especially if pump capacity is limited. This pumping time results in a noninstantaneous withdrawal of water from the aquifer, which violates one of the assumptions of slug-test-interpretation methods. However, in low-permeability environments, reasonable results can still be attained if water removed from the well sources from well storage or if recovery time is considerably longer than pumping time.

Reflectance spectrophotometry potentially provides a rapid method of investigating the changing characteristics and composition of marine sediments. Recognizing this, the Ocean Drilling Program has permanently deployed a commercially available, handheld spectrophotometer, the Minolta CM-2002, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. The present study evaluated shipboard spectral data obtained from Amazon Fan cores during Leg 155 using the Minolta instrument. These data were compared to spectra measured from comparable Leg 155 core samples using a shore-based, research-grade, Perkin-Elmer Lambda 6 spectrophotometer. The spectral signal is muted in the percent-reflectance curves from the wet sediments analyzed aboard ship when compared to percent-reflectance curves generated from dry core samples on shore. However, when both sets of reflectance curves are processed using a first-derivative transformation, shipboard and shore-based analyses are quite similar and suggest that useful, accurate spectral data can be obtained from wet core sediments at sea. This observation is further supported by factor analysis of parallel (shipboard vs. shore-based) data sets (400-700 nm) produced by the two instruments. The same four factors are present in both data sets, but do not necessarily explain a similar amount of variance. These factors are related to hematite plus goethite, clay minerals, organic matter, and carbonate content. The shore-based spectral data set was subjected to further factor analysis to determine if additional compositional information could be extracted using the increased accuracy and extended wavelength range (250-850 nm) of the laboratory instrument. This analysis produced one additional factor, probably chlorite; separated hematite and goethite into two factors; and clarified the nature of the clay mineral factor as probably a combination of illite and montmorillonite. By calculating factor scores, semiquantitative estimates of concentrations of variations of these sediment components were calculated downhole for several Leg 155 sites. The Amazon Fan sediments represent a rigorous test of the spectral technique because most of the sediments are dark and show little variation in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Nevertheless, it was possible to extract compositional information from the spectra. Our investigations also lead us to make the following important recommendations for using the Minolta CM-2002 spectrophotometer at sea. First, if wet core surfaces must be covered with plastic film during spectral measurements to protect the instrument, only Glad Cling Wrap (a brand of clear plastic food wrap) should be used because this brand does not significantly distort the spectra of the sediments. Second, when calibrating the Minolta instrument, the white calibration cap should not be covered by the clear plastic wrap used to cover the cores. Third, the Minolta instrument should be set to exclude the specular component (SCE setting) for all measurements, and the optional granular-materials cover for the instrument (CM-A40) should not be used. These recommendations will ensure that the spectral data can be compared directly to data generated by laboratory-grade spectrophotometers.

Chl-Zr 26 and Chl-ZML relationships. This important role of ocean physics indicates that the observed Chl changes primarily reflect biomass changes due to dampened or increased nutrient fluxes to the upper lit layers. Changes in the photoacclimation state of phytoplankton probably also intervene, without obscuring the global picture, however. Quantifying the respective role of both phenomena would require the parallel examination of Chl and other quantities more directly tied to biomass.

The concentration rare earth elements and Yttrium (REE + Y) were determined in coral sands from Kavaratti Island, Arabian Sea, India. Chondrite-normalized REE + Y patterns show: (1) high REE concentration particularly light REE (LREE) enrichment; (2) consistent negative Ce anomaly; (3) nearly chondritic Y/Ho ratios. All these features are consistent with the geochemistry of well oxygenated seawater with significant terrestrial contribution. The seawater composition of Nd/Yb ratio inferred from the coral record point to the dominance of LREE more than the heavy REE (HREE). The high terrestrial input rich in LREE and property of adsorption/scavenging processes of LREE than that of HREE may be the cause. Terrigenous contributions were detected on the basis of cooccurring trace element concentrations (Sc, Hf and Th) and Y/Ho ratio. Except for La, the REE distribution coefficients, KD(REE)s, are between 100 and 300. KDs are high comparing to the other elements in biogenic calcite which is attributed to detrital contamination during elemental incorporation. This study may not reflect original seawater chemistry but it can be a good proxy to indicate proximity of corals to terrigenous input sources.

To demonstrate the viability of using slug-test-analysis techniques to interpret recovery data in large-diameter, hand-dug wells, 37 wells representing a range of hydraulic conductivity and located in unconfined and weathered chalk and marl and confined alluvium in North-Central Texas were tested. Recovery data were analyzed by means of a numerical model, two semiempirical methods developed especially for interpreting recovery data from large-diameter hand-dug wells, and different slug-test-analysis methods that have different shape factors describing well geometry. Most hydraulic-conductivity values estimated by slug-test methods are within an order of magnitude of values that are estimated by using a numerical model or methods derived specifically for hand-dug wells. Because of the unique geometry of hand-dug wells (diameters on the same order as well lengths), care must be taken to ensure that the proper shape factors are used with slug-test methods. Because of the substantial well storage in hand-dug wells, considerable time may be required to lower the water level to the desired position, especially if pump capacity is limited. This pumping time results in a noninstantaneous withdrawal of water from the aquifer, which violates one of the assumptions of slug-test-interpretation methods. However, in low-permeability environments, reasonable results can still be attained if water removed from the well sources from well storage or if recovery time is considerably longer than pumping time.

Several laterally offset and aggradational sinuous submarine channels are contained within a 54 km long segment of the Benin-major Canyon. Axial channel deposits produce high amplitude reflections on three-dimensional (3-D) seismic profiles. Some seismic reflections have U-or V-shaped cross-sectional motifs that were correlated with confidence along linear to meandering paths for distances up to 70 km. They are referred to here as channel-forms (CFs), and are believed to be the axial parts of submarine channels preserved during overall channel floor aggradation. A total of 15 separate CFs were mapped allowing thalweg-gradients, dimensions, and morphology to be studied spatially and through time, providing insight into how submarine canyons fill. Their planform geometry evolved predominantly in a stepwise fashion through alternating periods of cut-and-fill, but more gradual channel migrations are also observed. The largest offsets in successive channel floor position occur after periods of significant vertical CF fill ('thalweg plugging'-with deposits commonly consisting of lower amplitude, transparent to chaotic seismic reflections). The passage of erosive flows after such periods of fill caused abrupt shifts in channel position, particularly at meander bends, with increased potential for the formation of pseudo meander loop cut-offs. Significant spatial differences in the stacking architecture of CFs are attributed to local slope deformation and perhaps also to a recent channel avulsion just west of the study area. Abrupt channel straightening in the western study area coincides with a period of increased valley-gradient associated with amplification of an underlying anticlinal fold. The youngest CFs in this area show limited aggradation and are characterized by repeated episodes of headward erosion causing knickpoint migration as the recent channel floor tried, unsuccessfully, to establish a smooth graded depth profile. This is in stark contrast to the time-equivalent predominantly aggradational CFs in the eastern study area that show a progressive increase in sinuosity through time. r

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction combining data from diatom, pollen, macrophytic, and archaeological analyses had not been attempted previously for coastal Peru. We analyzed two radiocarbondated sediment cores extracted from the "sacred" Urpi Kocha Lagoon at the pre-Hispanic religious center of Pachacamac (ca. AD 350e1533), near Lima, to characterize the paleoenvironment of the site. The data reveal an environmental history characterized by alternating periods of severe drought and catastrophic flood. Recurrent pulses with distinctive sediment, diatom, pollen, and macrophytic characteristics reflecting variations in water depth, substrate, turbidity and salinity, usually contain a thick basal sandy storm deposit overlain by thin organic accumulations of peat, gyttja, and snails. The most intense of these disturbance pulses, when correlated with pollen, plant macrofossils, radiocarbon dates, and regional proxy data, provide local evidence of four major floods associated with sustained, catastrophic El Niño events, tsunamis and/or severe storms in the Andean highlands over the last 2000 years.

Eolian processes and landforms are sensitive to changes in atmospheric parameters and surface conditions that affect sediment supply and mobility. The response of eolian geomorphic systems to minor climate change can be examined through process-response models based on a combination of relations between short-term changes in climatic variables and eolian activity and the geologic and geomorphic record of Holocene eolian activity. At both time scales, eolian activity in southern Californian deserts is strongly controlled by variations in precipitation. Wind energy is not a limiting factor in this region. Formation of eolian deposits is a product of climatic changes that increase sediment supply from fluvial and lacustrine sources and may, therefore, be closely tied to periods of channel cutting and geomorphic instability. During intervening periods, eolian deposits migrate away from sediment source areas and are reworked, modified, and degraded. Remobilization of existing dormant dunes is a product of reduced vegetation cover and soil moisture in periods of drier climates. The major control on these processes is decadal to annual changes in rainfall that determine vegetation cover and soil moisture content.

One of the largest long-runout landslides in the modern history of the Czech Republic originated on the southern slopes of the Girová Mountain (Outer Western Carpathians) at the end of extreme rainfalls in May 2010. The structurally predisposed Girová Mountain rockslide occurred very quickly within fault-weakened, deeply-weathered flysch bedrock. Its main phase, during which a wedge-like block collapsed in the upper part of slope, lasted for a few hours. The overloaded slope collapsed and its motion lasted for the following 3 days. The May 2010 Girová Mountain rockslide is an excellent case of a recurrent long-runout landslide nested within a deep-seated gravitational slope deformation with a long history of Late Quaternary mass movements. The chronology of slope failures within the studied slope was reconstructed by means of radiocarbon dating and dendrogeomorphological analysis. At least one Holocene long-runout landslide (7.4 cal ka BP) and several smaller failures (~1.5 and~0.6 cal ka BP) preceded this recent catastrophic failure. Dendrogeomorphological analysis showed that the failure had been preceded by at least 80-year-long creep movement that accelerated over the years due to extreme rainfall events. Despite the fact that extreme precipitation of May 2010 represented the last incremental change before catastrophic collapse of the slope, its main reason was gradual weakening of rock massif and concentrated creeping (with some accelerated phases) in the upper part of the slope deformation.

The shrinkage of the Lisan Lake (LL) to form the recent Dead Sea (DS) was mainly a result of the reduction of the catchment area from around 157,000 km2 during Late Pleistocene to 43,000 km2 presently. The reduction in the catchment area resulted from the eruption and spread of the basalt flows of Jabal Arab-Druz (JAD), which together with the resulting deposition of thick rock debris and gravels occupied the drainage system. The filling of the pre-basalt drainage system, which used to feed the Dead Sea, with basalts and alluvial sediments blocked the inflows from reaching the Dead Sea. Local base levels along the basalt flow boarders such as Azraq Oasis, Sirhan Basin and Damascus Oasis, and numerous pools and mud flats were created.

Western Australia has one of the most diverse floras in the world. From the giant Karri and Tingle forests in the south, to the scattered tropical rainforests in the north; from the incredibly species-rich sand heath flora in the south-west, to the desert floras of the inland parts of the State, more than 12,000 species of vascular plants are estimated to exist. The changing pattern of the fossil floras in Western Australia is a legacy of both their evolutionary history and of the changing environments in which they grew. In this booklet we provide an illustrated overview of Western Australia’s fossil plant record, based on fossil collections of the Western Australian Museum, the Department of Geology and Geophysics in the University of Western Australia, and the Geological Survey of Western Australia. Although many fossil plants that have been collected over the last 30 years still remain to be described, sufficient is known to provide a broad overview of the ancestors of the state’s highly diverse modern flora.

Geological setting of Barrington volcano Barrington volcano is an eroded basaltic shield forming an isolated residual plateau east of the Great Escarpment (Pain 1983), 100 km north-northeast of Newcastle, New South Wales. It forms part of the larger Barrington volcanic province, mostly constructed in the Early Palaeogene (Wellman & McDougall 1974a). The basic stratigraphy, erosional features and petrology of this remnant volcano are described in Wellman et al. (1969), Mason (1982, 1989), Pain (1983), and O'Reilly and Zhang (1995). The volcano formed during widespread Cenozoic volcanism in east Australia (Wellman & McDougall 1974b; Johnson 1989; Sutherland 1991) and its relationship to this activity is shown in Figure 1. A feature of Barrington volcano is its association with gem minerals, including corundum (ruby, sapphire) and zircon (Sutherland 1996; Webb 1997). Detailed studies of the corundums indicate that both metamorphic and magmatic underlying source rocks were tapped by the basaltic eruptions (Sutherland & Coenraads 1996; Sutherland et al. 1998b). Preliminary fission track and U-Pb isotope dating of zircons has suggested several ages of zircon formation and eruptive discharge during Early Palaeogene to Late Neogene time (Sutherland 1993). This paper presents further age determinations and geochemistry on basalts and zircons from Barrington volcano, particularly from the eastern side, which have received little attention in previous studies. Grid locations cited in the paper are taken from 1:100 000 topographic sheets [e.g. Upper Manning (sheet no. 9234)]. The present basalt distribution and drainage in relation to published dating sites and sampling sites in this study are shown in Figure 2. The new data provide a basis to discuss the long-term evolution of this gem-bearing volcano.

1] In recent years, the population and the value of properties in areas prone to tropical cyclone (TC) have increased dramatically. This has caused more attention to be placed on the characterization of TC climatologies and the identification of the role that factors such as the main teleconnection patterns may play in TC variability. Due to the timescales involved, the instrumental records have proven too short to provide a complete picture. Thus, documentary and other paleoclimatological techniques have been used to reconstruct TC occurrence. This has been done mostly for the Atlantic basin, whereas in the Pacific basin, fewer attempts have been made. The aim of this paper is to provide a high-resolution chronology of typhoons and intense storms occurring in the Philippine Islands and their vicinity for the period 1566-1900. The chronology is based upon the writings of the Spanish Jesuit Miguel Selga, who produced the original work at the beginning of the 20th century. The sources, reliability, and completeness of the chronology are examined critically. A total of 652 events are included, 524 of which are reported as typhoons, the rest being considered as tropical storms. For each of these classes, the landfall location and the track (when sufficient information is available) have been drawn. This chronology is an indispensable step toward a final and complete typhoon record in the western Pacific basin.

Between Point Grenville, Washington, and Point Conception, California (1500 km distance) 21 dune fields record longshore transport in 20 littoral cells during the late Holocene. The direction of predominant littoral transport is established by relative positions of dune fields (north, central, or south) in 17 representative littoral cells. Dune field position is north of cell midpoints in northernmost Oregon and Washington, but is south of cell midpoints in southern Oregon and California. Downdrift sand trapping occurs at significant changes in shoreline angle and/or at bounding headlands that project at least 2.5 km seaward from the general coastal trend. Sand bypassing occurs around small headlands of less than 0.5 km in projection distance. A northward shift of the winter low-pressure center in the northeast Pacific Ocean is modeled from 11 ka to 0 ka. Nearshore current forcing in southern Oregon and northern California switched from northward in earliest Holocene time to southward in late Holocene time. The late Holocene (5-0 ka) is generally characterized by net northward littoral drift in northernmost Oregon and Washington and by net southward littoral drift in southernmost Oregon and California. A regional divergence of net transport direction in central Oregon, i.e. no net drift, is consistent with modeled wind and wave forcing at the present time (0 ka).

The Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi, Georgia, has yielded a rich fossil and archaeological record documenting an early presence of the genus Homo outside Africa. Although the craniomandibular morphology of early Homo is well known as a result of finds from Dmanisi and African localities, data about its postcranial morphology are still relatively scarce. Here we describe newly excavated postcranial material from Dmanisi comprising a partial skeleton of an adolescent individual, associated with skull D2700/D2735, and the remains from three adult individuals. This material shows that the postcranial anatomy of the Dmanisi hominins has a surprising mosaic of primitive and derived features. The primitive features include a small body size, a low encephalization quotient and absence of humeral torsion; the derived features include modern-human-like body proportions and lower limb morphology indicative of the capability for long-distance travel. Thus, the earliest known hominins to have lived outside of Africa in the temperate zones of Eurasia did not yet display the full set of derived skeletal features.

The northern Perth Basin lies between about 27 and 31 30'S adjacent to the Yilgarn Craton on the western margin of Western Australia. The basin contains up to 12 km of Ordovician and mid-Carboniferous to Cretaceous, primarily nonmarine to shallow-marine strata below extensive thin, mostly non-marine, Cenozoic cover. This guide describes 37 localities in the basin, from Kalbarri to Gingin, including access and land tenure, and emphasizes stratigraphy, sedimentology, and palaeontology. These localities constitute ...

Floodplains may be transformed when environmental changes or human activity causes alluvial systems to cross channel pattern thresholds. Thresholds between pattern states based on occurrence fields are only available for some pattern distinctions, and these may not encompass the alluvial contexts and range of dynamic factors involved. Pattern changes now known from the UK Holocene are reviewed as a basis for appreciating the potential for future transformations in a changing environment. These involved episodic boulder and gravel spreads in upland environments, and braiding $ meandering, anastomosing ! meandering and active $ inactive transformations in more lowland contexts. Concern for possible impacts of climatic change need to be grounded in an appreciation of the nature and scale of these past changes. Some potential future changes may be relatively predictable in location (braiding $ meandering); others are more difficult given both present knowledge and the varying, modified and inheritance-rich 'contexts of vulnerability' that floodplains now represent. Implications for management are discussed.

The middle Palaeocene of Sao José de Itaboraf (State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has produced a rich and diverse fauna of boid snakes. It comprises six or seven species: Hechtophis austrinus gen. et sp. nov., Corallus priscus sp. nov., Waincophis pressulus sp. nov., Waincophis cameratus sp. nov., "Boinae A", and "Boinae B". Moreover, two dentaries might pertain to either H. austrinus or "Boinae B", or even represent a distinct taxon. Hechtophis austrinus is assigned, with reservation, to the Erycinae. All other taxa are referred to the Boinae. The vertebrae of ail taxa have paracotylar foramina, which raises the problem of the apomorphic or plesiomorphic nature of this feature. This fauna also raises the question of the presence of extinct erycine boids in South America, but it does not allow this question to be settled.

The middle Palaeocene of Sâo José de Itaboraf (State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has yielded a very rich and diverse snake fauna which inludes Madtsoiidae, Aniliidae s.l., Boidae, Tropidophiidae s.l., Booidea incertae sedis, and Russellophiidae. The present article (part 1) deals with Madtsoüdae and Aniliidae s.l. Madtsoiidae are represented by many vertebrae and a few skull bones. They comprise one new species assigned to the genus Madtsoia (M. camposi sp. nov.). However, the definition of the genus Madtsoia is unsatisfactory and the generic allocation might be provisional. A few elements, vertebrae only, belong to the Aniliidae s.l. Two taxa are referred to this latter group: Coniophis cf. C. precedens and Hoffstetterella brasiliensis gen. et sp. nov. The forthcoming part II will deal with Boidae.

The Dmanisi hominins inhabited a northern temperate habitat in the southern Caucasus, approximately 1.8 million years ago. This is the oldest population of hominins known outside of Africa. Understanding the set of anatomical and behavioral traits that equipped this population to exploit their seasonal habitat successfully may shed light on the selection pressures shaping early members of the genus Homo and the ecological strategies that permitted the expansion of their range outside of the African subtropics. The abundant stone tools at the site, as well as taphonomic evidence for butchery, suggest that the Dmanisi hominins were active hunters or scavengers. In this study, we examine the locomotor mechanics of the Dmanisi hind limb to test the hypothesis that the inclusion of meat in the diet is associated with an increase in walking and running economy and endurance. Using comparative data from modern humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as other fossil hominins, we show that the Dmanisi hind limb was functionally similar to modern humans, with a longitudinal plantar arch, increased limb length, and human-like ankle morphology. Other aspects of the foot, specifically metatarsal morphology and tibial torsion, are less derived and similar to earlier hominins. These results are consistent with hypotheses linking hunting and scavenging to improved walking and running performance in early Homo. Primitive retentions in the Dmanisi foot suggest that locomotor evolution continued through the early Pleistocene. (H. Pontzer).

Forward seismic models of two 'seismic scale' outcrops of different style channel systems have been made to investigate their seismic signature. These two outcrops illustrate the geometric end members of channel stacking architecture in response to low-and highaccommodation space. The Eocene Nohut Tepe channel system of the Elazig˘Basin in eastern Turkey was deposited in an area of high accommodation resulting in an aggradational geometrical offset stacking of channels up against a slope. The Eocene Ainsa II Channel system of the Tremp-Pamplona Basin in the Spanish Pyrenees was deposited in an area of low accommodation resulting in a tabular, compound sheet geometry, with amalgamated channel bodies separated by clay drapes.

Three-dimensional seismic mapping of interpretative sub-surface time slice sections, incorporating age data and detailed structural observations places constraints on the structural architecture and stratigraphic evolution of the Icotea pull-apart basin in the central Maracaibo basin, Venezuela. All four fault-bounded sides of the Icotea basin, its ,3-km-thick Eocene basin fill of clastic sediments and faults pre-dating the opening of the basin can be mapped in three dimensions. The development of the Icotea basin provides an excellent observational basis for understanding the structural history of three sets of regionally extensive faults and testing two models for the formation of pull-apart basins in general. Three main fault trends produced at different periods in the formation of the Cretaceous-Recent Maracaibo basin are mapped using 3D seismic data in the central part of the basin: (1) N-NE-striking normal faults, including the Icotea fault; these faults formed originally during Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rifting and reactivated as left-lateral strike-slip faults during late Paleocene-Eocene convergent deformation between the Caribbean and South American plates; (2) NW striking faults formed by late Paleocene-Eocene overthrusting of the Caribbean plate and downward flexure of the South American plate to create a major foreland basin depocenter; and (3) NE-striking normal faults, of pre-Cretaceous age, were reactivated during late Paleocene-Eocene plate convergence. Three-dimensional architecture of the Icotea basin interpreted from five time slices through the basin and its flank areas supports the simple pull-apart model for the Eocene opening of the Icotea basin. The amount of extension across the suite of normal faults ranges between 0.8 and 2.25 km. This range of offset is consistent with some previous estimates of minor left-lateral displacement along the Icotea fault but is inconsistent with either low-angle or high-angle thrusting during Eocene time, as inferred from previous interpretations of widely spaced two-dimensional seismic lines. The normal faults that formed the pull-apart basin reactivated pre-existing faults due to plate flexure.

The chemical and isotopic characterization of formation water from 18 oil production wells, extracted from 5200 to 6100 m b.s.l. at the Jujo-Tecominoacán carbonate reservoir in SE-Mexico, and interpretations of historical production records, were undertaken to determine the origin and hydraulic behavior of deep groundwater systems. The infiltration of surface water during Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene time is suggested by 14 C-concentrations from 2.15 to 31.86 pmC, and by 87 Sr/ 86 Sr-ratios for high-salinity formation water (0.70923-0.70927) that are close to the composition of Holocene to modern seawater. Prior to infiltration, the super-evaporation of seawater reached maximum TDS concentrations of 385 g/ L, with lowest d 18 O values characterizing the most hypersaline samples. Minor deviations of formation water and dolomite host rocks from modern and Jurassic 87 Sr/ 86 Sr-seawater composition, respectively, suggest ongoing water-rock interaction, and partial isotopic equilibration between both phases. The abundance of 14 C in all sampled formation water, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr-ratios for high-salinity water close to Holocene -present seawater composition, a water salinity distribution that is independent of historic water-cut, and a total water extraction volume of 2.037 MMm 3 (1/83-4/07) excludes a connate, oil-leg origin for the produced water of the Jurassic-Cretaceous mudstone-dolomite sequence. Temporal fluctuations of water chemistry in production intervals, the accelerated migration of water fronts from the reservoir flanks, and isotopic mixing trends between sampled wells confirms the existence of free aquifer water below oil horizons. Vertical and lateral hydraulic mobility has probably been accelerated by petroleum extraction.

Headward and downward erosion near glacier sources, at rates exceeding fluvial erosion, is important in recent discussions of orogen development and the limits to relief. This relates to a long history of debate on how the form of glacial cirques develops, which can be advanced by relating shape to size in large data sets. For 260 cirques in Wales, this confirms different rates of enlargement in the three dimensions: faster in length than in width, and slower in vertical dimension whether expressed as overall height range, axial height range or wall height. Maximum gradient, plan closure and number of cols increase with overall size. This allometric development applies over different cirque types, regions and rock types. Headwall retreat, often by collapse following glacial erosion at the base, is faster than downward erosion. Welsh cirques form a scale-specific population and, as in other regions, size variables follow Gaussian distributions on a logarithmic scale. As in England, width commonly exceeds length. Vertical dimensions correlate with length more than with width. Cirque form varies with geology, but also with relief as both vary between mountain groups. The main contrast is between larger, better-developed cirques and higher relief on volcanic rocks in the northwest , and smaller, less-developed cirques and lower relief on sedimentary rocks in the south.

Diatomite with variable chemical and mineralogical composition occurs in the Komnina Lignite Basin. The diatomite layers, which overly lignite seams of Upper Miocene age, are rich in silica or calcium. These layers correspond respectively to quartz-rich and calcite-rich layers. The diatomite mainly consists of opal-A, while other minerals are quartz, feldspars, calcite, smectite, illite, kaolinite, chlorite, cristobalite, and muscovite. The well-preserved nature of the diatom species indicates a weak silica diagenesis. This is also indicated by the mineralogical composition of diatomite, especially the absence of opal-CT. The organic material present in the lake acted as coating and prevented diatom dissolution. The shallow lake, where the diatoms were deposited, did not allow diagenesis of diatomite. Diatoms were deposited in the Komnina Lake as a result of the acidic pH, the warm-humid conditions, and the silica-rich environment that occurred due to volcanic activity in the nearby area (Aridea). Remains of volcanic ash have been identified in the lignite deposits of the wider Ptolemais area. The association of diatomite with lignite was brought about by tectonic movements that occurred in the wider area of Monastir-Florina-Ptolemais-Kozani-Elassona-Sarantaporo in the Upper Miocene, resulting to the development of individual small shallow lakes. The paleoenvironment changed to acidic from the previous alkaline pH, the vegetation died off, the silica produced from the volcanic activity and the calm water conditions allowed the deposition of diatoms.

This "flipbook", which illustrates the plate tectonic development of the continents and ocean basins during the past 750 million years, was assembled to commemorate the scientific career of Professor Rob van der Voo.  The flipbook consists of 34 plate tectonic reconstructions that map the past location of subduction zones (barbed lines), mid-ocean ridges, (dashed lines), and collision zones (marked x's). The tectonic reconstructions are based on the global plate tectonic model developed by the PALEOMAP Project. 
The latitudinal orientation of the continents is derived largely from paleomagnetic data collected by Professor van der Voo (xref).  Hot spots tracks and sea floor spreading isochrons (Seton et al., 2012) were used to constrain the longitudinal position of the continents back to  ~200 million years.  Plate tectonic reconstructions older than 200 million years are necessarily more speculative and have been derived by combining diverse lines of evidence from the tectonic histories of the continents (e.g., timing of continent-continent collisions or ages of rifting), the distribution of paleoclimatic indicators (i.e coals, tillites, salt deposits, and bauxites, see Boucot et al., 2013), and in some case, the biogeographic affinities of fossil faunas and floras.
Though a diverse data has been used to produce these reconstructions, this data, itself, is not  enough.  So much time has passed and so little direct evidence is preserved that guidance must also be sought from the "Rules of Plate Tectonics".
Plates do not move randomly but evolve in a manner that is consistent with the forces that drive them.  The principal driving forces are: slab pull, ridge push and trench rollback.  These forces shape the plates and provide important insights into how plate boundaries will evolve.  Simply said, plates will only move if they are pulled by a subducting slab or pushed by the forces exerted by a mature ridge system. The evolving plate boundaries have been drawn to follow this maxim.  It is also important to note that plate tectonics is a "catastrophic" system.  Though "slow and steady" is the general rule, once every hundred million years or so, a major plate tectonic reorganization occurs. These "plate tectonic catastrophes" most often occur when mid-ocean ridges are subducted or when major continents collide. (For a more complete listing of the "Rules of Plate Tectonics", the reader is referred to XXXXXX.
The first "continental drift" flipbook was pushed as an undergraduate research project (Scotese, 1974; 1975abc). Subsequent editions have followed (1976ab; 1978; 1979; 1980;  1990, 1991, 1997, 2004). A more complete description of the data and information that is used to produce the flipbooks can be found in Scotese (2004).  These maps could not have been produced without the GPlates plate modelling software and the tectonic data sets published by Dietmar Müller and his team at Earthbytes.
Special thanks to Maggie Geiger, and Robert and Jonathan Scotese for their help assembling this flipbook.

Time Scale
The age given next to each map represents age in millions of years.  The corresponding geological ages (Ogg et al., 2008)  are:
0    Modern World
20 Ma  Early Miocene
40 Ma  late Middle Eocene
60 Ma  Paleocene
80 Ma  Late Cretaceous - Campanian
100 Ma  Early Cretaceous - late Albian
120 Ma  Early Cretaceous - early Aptian
140 Ma  Early Cretaceous - Berriasian
160 Ma  Late Jurassic - Oxfordian
180 Ma  Early Jurassic - Toarcian
200 Ma  Triassic/Jurassic boundary
220 Ma  Late Triassic - Carnian
240 Ma  Middle Triassic - Anisian
260 Ma  Middle Permian - Capitanian
280 Ma  Early Permian - Artinskian
300 Ma  Late Pennsylvanian
320 Ma  Late Mississippian
340 Ma  Middle Mississippian
360 Ma  Devono-Carboniferous
380 Ma  Late Devonian - Frasnian
400 Ma  Early Devonian - Emsian
420 Ma  Late Silurian - Ludlow
440 Ma  Early Silurian - Llandovery
460 Ma  Middle Ordovician
480 Ma  Early Ordovician
500 Ma  Late Cambrian
520 Ma  Middle Cambrian
540 Ma  Cambrian-Precambrian
560 Ma  Neoproterozoic - lt. Ediacaran
600 Ma  Neoporterozoic - m. Ediacaran
630 Ma  Neoproterozoic - e. Ediacaran
660 Ma  Neoproterozoic - e. Ediacaran
690 Ma  Neoproterozoic - lt. Cryogenian
720 Ma  m. Cryogenian
750 Ma  m. Cryogenian


References Cited

Ogg, J., Ogg, G., and Gradstein, F.M., 2008. The Concise Geologic Time Scale, Cambridge University Press, 177 p.
Scotese, C.R. 1974. First Flip Book Images (from 35mm film from PLATO System), Unpublished.
Scotese, C.R., and Baker, D.W., 1975a. Continental drift reconstructions and animation, Journal of Geological Education, 23: 167-171.
Scotese, C.R., 1975b.  Continental Drift Flip Book, 1stedition.Chicago, Illinois. (single page version

Scotese, C.R., 1975c.  Continental Drift Flip Book, 1st edition. Chicago, Illinois. (double page version)
Scotese, C.R., 1976a. Continental
Drift “Flip Book”,  edition 1.5, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Illinois. ResearchGate  Academia
Scotese, C.R., 1976b. A continental drift “flip book", Computers & Geosciences, 2:113-116.
Scotese, C.R., and Ziegler, A.M., 1978. Paleozoic continental drift reconstructions and animation, American Geophysical Union, 1978 Spring Annual Meeting, Eos, v. 59. Issue 4, p. 263.
Scotese, C.R., 1979. Continental Drift (flip book), 2nd edition.
Scotese, C.R., Snelson, S.S., and Ross, W.C., 1980. A computer animation of continental drift, J. Geomag. Geoelectr., 32: suppl. III, 61-70.
Scotese, C.R., 1990. Atlas of Phanerozoic Plate Tectonic Reconstructions, PALEOMAP Progress 01-1090a, Department of Geology, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, 57 pp.
Scotese, C.R., 1991. Continental Drift Flip Book, 4th edition, PALEOMAP Project, Arlington, TX, 49 pp.
Scotese, C.R., 1997.  Continental Drift Flip Book, 7th edition, PALEOMAP Project, Department of Geology, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, 80 pp.

Scotese, 2004.
Seton et al., 2012.
Van der Voo,  R., 1993. Paleomagnetism of the Atlantic, Tethys, and Iapetus Oceans, Cambridge University Press, 411 p.

Satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems are emerging technologies in geomorphology. They offer the opportunity to gain flesh insights into biophysical systems through the spatial, temporal, spectral, and radiometric resolutions of remote sensing systems and through the analytical and data integration capability of GIS. The two technologies can be linked together into a synergistic system that is particularly well suited to the examination of landscape conditions through the interrelationships of scale, pattern, and process, a paradigm that has gained prominence in the fields of biogeography and landscape ecology. In this study, we apply optical and microwave remote sensing systems and GIS methodologies to case :studies flamed within the fluvial and alpine environments. We use the scale, pattern, and process paradigm to explore landscape relationships in those environments. Satellite image processing, change-detection analyses, digital elevation models, GIS-derived geomorphic indices and variables, composition and pattern metrics of landscape organization, and scale-dependent analyses are described and related to the study of river channel abandonment and the alpine treeline ecotone. We describe appropriate remote sensing and GIS techniques for geomorphic research, and demonstrate the use of such techniques in the application of the scale, pattern, and processes perspective in geomorphic studies.

The long-term landscape evolution of southern Africa has been a concern of geologists, geomorphologists, palaeontologists and ecologists since early studies on macroscale patterns of metalliferous rock types and topography, summarized by du Toit (1954) and King (1963). These early workers showed that (1) there is a close relationship between geology, topography and geomorphology in southern Africa, and (2) that different landscape elements are of different ages. From this, it can be inferred that the southern African landscape has evolved in different ways, in different places, and at different times, and that there is no single ‘narrative’ of landscape evolution. These large-scale surveys also highlighted the diversity of different landscapes in southern Africa, according to rock type, tectonic history and climate. Based on this information, these workers identified large-scale geomorphic provinces: King (1942) identified 26 such provinces, and later refined them to 18. Using a satellite-derived digital terrain model (DTM), Partridge et al. (2010) identified 34 provinces and 12 subprovinces, the boundaries of which are distinguished largely by river watersheds. Today, the main utility of identifying such large-scale landscape patterns is that they may inform on wider theories of landscape development, related to regional uplift/mountain-building, weathering and denudation over long time periods.