Cette étude transdisciplinaire incluant sédimentologie, stratigraphie séquentielle, chimiostratigraphie, et géochimie organique et inorganique, examine la série carbonatée du Jurassique moyen-supérieur dans la chaîne du sud-ouest Gissar. Cette série représente l’affleurement le plus complet de la marge nord du Bassin d’Amu-Darya, une province gazière majeure d’Asie Centrale. La production de carbonates commence au début du Callovien, lors d’un ralentissement de la subsidence tectonique régionale associé à un réchauffement climatique. Un changement majeur dans la production carbonatée et la configuration de la plate-forme est enregistré à la fin du Callovien. Ce changement se caractérise par le passage (i) d’une rampe carbonatée avec un gradient proximal-distal bien contrasté du Callovien à (ii) un lagon à faciès péritidaux probablement protégé par des récifs de grande dimension à l’Oxfordien. La surface stratigraphique séparant ces deux séquences est interprétée comme une surface d'émersion régionale, enregistrant une chute du niveau marin entraînée par la tectonique et le climat. Durant la partie terminale de l’Oxfordien moyen, un ou plusieurs bassins intrashelfs sont localisés au sud-ouest de la plate-forme carbonatée. Des carbonates fins nodulaires ou laminés se déposent dans des eaux stratifiées, légèrement hypersalées et anoxiques à dysoxiques, où des tapis microbiens produisent de la matière organique et des carbonates. Ces faciès enregistrent l’initiation de la restriction du Bassin d’Amu Darya, qui se poursuit avec la progradation d’une sabkha et le dépôt de séries anhydritiques et salifères. La comparaison des séries sédimentaires met en évidence des évènements stratigraphiques communs entre le sud-ouest Gissar et les autres bassins des marges nord téthysienne et sud téthysienne : initiation de la plate-forme carbonatée, excursions isotopiques du carbone, âge et mode de formation des roches mères organiques (etc.), impliquant des contrôles climatiques et/ou tectoniques à grande échelle. L’étude pétrographique et géochimique de la diagenèse des carbonates révèle une paragenèse complexe. Certains faciès sont influencés par la fabrique sédimentaire lors de la diagenèse précoce. La succession des phases diagénétiques est reliée à la stratigraphie et à la subsidence des carbonates. Après leur dépôt, les sédiments de la série du Kugitang ont été enfouis à plus de 2 km de profondeur. Des phases liées à des fluides chauds et possiblement à la réduction thermochimique des sulfates se mettent en place durant la Mésogenèse. Finalement, les données stratigraphiques à haute résolution obtenues sur les affleurements du sud-ouest Gissar sont utilisées pour aider à la prédiction de la répartition des réservoirs d’hydrocarbures en subsurface du Bassin d’Amu-Darya. / This transdisciplinary study including sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, and organic and inorganic geochemistry examines the Middle-Upper Jurassic carbonates series located in the southwestern Gissar range. These carbonates, also known as the Kugitang series, represent the most complete outcrop of the northern margin of the Amu-Darya Basin, a gas-producing province of Central Asia. Carbonate production begins in the late Early Callovian during a regional slowing of the tectonic subsidence, coeval with a climate warming. A major change in the carbonate production and platform configuration is recorded at the end of the Callovian: (i) a carbonate ramp with a well-contrasted proximal-distal gradient develops during the Lower to Middle or Upper Callovian. It is overlain by (ii) a vast low energy lagoon dominated by peritidal facies, probably protected by large reefs, during the Lower and Middle Oxfordian. The stratigraphic surface separating the two depositional sequences is associated with a hiatus (Upper Callovian-Lower Oxfordian) and interpreted as a regional exposure surface recording a sea-level drop caused by tectonics and/or climate. During the Middle Oxfordian, one or several intrashelf basins develop southwestwards of the studied carbonate platform. Laminated and nodular carbonates rich in organic matter predominate in these basins. They are interpreted to have formed through the mineralization of microbial mats colonizing the stratified, slightly hypersaline, anoxic to dysoxic basin floor. Large scale reefs may have favored the isolation of these basins. These deposits record the initiation of the tectonic isolation of the Amu Darya Basin, which culminates with the progradation of a large-scale sabkha and the deposition of a thick anhydrite and salt series. The comparison of stratigraphic series highlights common events in several basins of the northern Tethyan margin, but also with the Arabian Plate: initiation of the carbonate platform, carbon isotope excursions, age and depositional conditions of organic-matter rich rocks, etc. The petrography and geochemistry of carbonates reveal a complex diagenetic history. Some facies are strongly controlled by the sedimentary fabric. The diagenetic succession is tentatively linked with the stratigraphy and the subsidence history. Following deposition, the Kugitang series was buried at more than 2 km. Some cements are interpreted to have formed through the circulation of hot fluids in the rocks during the mesogenesis and possibly due to thermochemical sulfate reduction, especially in the Callovian Sequence. Finally, the high-resolution stratigraphy established in this study is used to help improving the prediction of carbonate reservoirs in the subsurface Amu Darya Basin.

Triple oxygen and hydrogen isotope analysis of the structurally-bound water in gypsum can provide a direct measure of past hydrologic variability. This thesis presents the development of the water extraction and isotopic measurement procedures, the calculation of the gypsum-water isotope fractionation factors, and the application of the method to constrain the palaeohydrologic conditions in two temporally and geographically disparate sites. Measurement of the isotopic composition of gypsum hydration water is used to examine the hydrological changes that occurred during the Terminal Classic Drought of the Maya lowlands (~800-1000 CE), coincident with the period when the Classic Maya Civilization of Mesoamerica collapsed. The data provide a complete and direct archive of hydrological conditions that have previously been limited to ice core records. Mean annual rainfall is shown to have decreased by between 41% and 54%, with intervals of up to 70%, compared to present-day conditions. This study has also shown for the first time that relative humidity was 2%-7% lower during the Terminal Classic Drought compared to today. The methodology is also applied to the massive gypsum deposits in the marginal and deep basins of the Mediterranean to interpret the chemical evolution of parent water bodies during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.97-5.3 Ma). By combining the measurement of gypsum hydration water with other traditional (e.g. strontium) and novel (e.g. calcium and barium) isotope tracers, the hydrological changes during the deposition of Primary Lower Gypsum units of the Sorbas Basin in southeastern Spain, the Upper Gypsum units of Sicily, and deep basin deposits have been constrained. The results indicate that all deposits experienced a significant freshwater contribution to the mother fluids from which they formed. It is proposed that obliquity-controlled sea level and eccentricity-modulated precession, superimposed on longer-term tectonic restriction of the Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange, together controlled the varying depositional environments during the formation of the Messinian Salt Giant. This thesis demonstrates that the analysis of gypsum hydration water is a powerful tool for palaeoclimate reconstruction. The methodology can be applied to gypsum (and other hydrated minerals) in a wide range of settings across geological space and time, providing a rich source of information about the environmental conditions under which they formed.

The Late Cretaceous–early Paleogene is the most recent period of Earth history with a dynamic carbon cycle that experienced sustained global greenhouse warmth and can offer a valuable insight into our anthropogenically-warmer future world. Yet, knowledge of ambient climate conditions and evolution of the carbon cycle at this time, along with their relation to forcing mechanisms, are still poorly constrained. In this thesis, I examine marine sediments recovered from the South Atlantic Walvis Ridge (ODP Site 1262) and Indian Ocean Ninetyeast Ridge (IODP Site U1443 and ODP Site 758), to shed new light on the evolution of the climate and carbon cycle from the Late Maastrichtian through to the Early Eocene (~67.10–52.35 Ma). The overarching aims of this thesis are: 1) to identify the long-term trends and principle forcing mechanisms driving the climate and carbon cycle during this time period, through construction of 14.75 million-year-long, orbital-resolution (~1.5–4 kyr), stratigraphically complete, benthic stable carbon (δ13Cbenthic) and oxygen (δ18Obenthic) isotope records; 2) to investigate in more detail the climatic and carbon-cycle perturbations of the Early–Middle Paleocene (e.g., the Dan-C2 event, Latest Danian Event and the Danian/Selandian Transition Event) and place these in their proper (orbital) temporal context; 3) to investigate the Late Maastrichtian warming event and its relationship to the eruption of the Deccan Traps Large Igneous Province, as well as its role (if any) in the subsequent Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction; 4) to provide the first orbital-resolution estimates of temperature and carbonate chemistry variability from the low latitude Indian Ocean spanning the Late Paleocene–Early Eocene, through analysis of trace element and stable isotope data from multiple foraminiferal species. Taken together, the results presented in this thesis provide a critical new insight into the dynamic evolution of the climate and carbon cycle during the greenhouse world of the early Paleogene, and shed light on the potential forcing mechanisms driving the climate and carbon cycle during this time.

Im Rahmen dieser Doktorarbeit wurden die Hangkarbonate von zwei miozänen heterozoischen Karbonatsystemen näher untersucht: die Malta Inselgruppe (zentrales Mittelmeer) und das Marion Plateau (Nordost Australien, ODP Leg 194). Die Auswirkungen der mittelmiozänen Abkühlung (Mi3), die auf 13.6 Ma datiert wird und starken Einfluß auf die Sauerstoffisotopenkurve hatte, in den oben genannten Flachwassersystemen stellten das Ziel dieser Arbeit dar. Dieses Abkühlungsereignis beeinflußte außerdem sehr stark die ozeanographischen und klimatischen Muster, die im weiteren Verlauf zum modernen Eishausklima führten. So steht insbesondere die Vereisung von Ostantarktika mit diesem Ereignis in Verbindung. Diese Arbeit untersucht den Einfluß dieses Ereignisses auf Flachwassersysteme, um vorliegende Untersuchungen in Tiefwassersystemen zu ergänzen und so zum globalen Verständnis des miozänen Klimawechsels beizutragen.<br /> <br /> Die Profile auf der Maltainselgruppe wurden mit Hilfe von Kohlenstoff- und Sauerstoffisotopen Auswertungen im Gesamtgestein, Gesamtgesteinmineralogie, Tonmineralanalyse und organischer Geochemie untersucht. Durch einen Wechsel von karbonatischeren zu tonigeren Sedimenten beeinflußte das mittelmiozäne Abkühlungsereignis die Sedimentation in diesem Gebiet sehr stark. Weiterhin wurde beobachtet, daß jede Phase der antarktischen Vereisung, nicht nur das mittelmiozäne Hauptereignis, zu einem erhöhten terrigenen Eintrag in den Hangsedimenten der Maltainselgruppe führte. Akkumulationsraten zeigen, daß dieser erhöhte terrigene Eintrag den einzelnen Vereisungsperioden zusammenhängt und die karbonatischen Sedimente durch tonreiche Sedimente &ldquo;verunreinigt&rdquo; wurden. Das daraufhin entwickelte Modell erklärt diesen erhöhten terrigenen Eintrag mit einer nordwärtigen Verlagerung der innertropischen Konvergenzzone durch die Bildung von kalten, dichten Luftmassen, die zu verstärkten Niederschlägen in Nordafrika führten. Diese verstärkten Niederschläge (oder verstärkter afrikanischer Monsun) beeinflußten die kontinentale Verwitterung und den Eintrag, mit der Folge, daß verstärkt terrigene Sedimente im Bereich der Hangsedimente der Maltainselgruppe abgelagert wurden. Die tonreichen Intervalle weisen Ähnlichkeiten zu sapropelischen Ablagerungen auf, was mit Hilfe der Spektral analyse des Karbonatgehalts und der geochemischen Analyse des organischen Materials gezeigt wurde. <br /> <br /> Auf dem Marion Plateau wurden die Sauerstoff- und Kohlenstoffisotopenkurven anhand von Foraminiferen der Gattung Cibicidoides spp. rekonstruiert. Der Karbonatgehalt wurde mit Hilfe einer chemischen Methode (Coulometer) ermittelt. Genauso wie die Sedimente der Maltainselgruppe beeinflußte das mittelmiozäne Abkühlungsereignis (Mi3) auch die Sedimente auf dem Marion Plateau. So kam es bei 13,8 Ma, in etwa zur Zeit der Vereisung von Ostantarktika, zu einem Abfall der Karbonatakkumulationsraten. Weiterhin traten Änderungen in der Zusammensetzung der Sedimente auf, so nehmen neritische Karbonatfragmente ab, der planktische Foraminiferengehalt nimmt zu und es wurden verstärkt Quarz und Glaukonit abgelagert. Ein überraschendes Ergebnis ist die Tatsache, daß der große N12-N14 Meeresspiegelabfall um 11,5 Ma die Akkumulationsraten der Karbonate auf dem Hang nicht beeinflußte. Dieses Ergebnis ist umso erstaunlicher, da Karbonatplattformen normalerweise sehr sensitiv auf Meeresspiegeländerungen reagieren. Der Grund, warum sich die Karbonatakkumulationsraten schon um 13,6 Ma (Mi3) und nicht erst um 11,5 Ma (N12-N14) verringerten, liegt in der Tatsache, daß die ozeanischen Strömungen die Karbonatsedimentation auf dem Hang des Marion Plateau schon im Miozän kontrollierten. Das mittelmiozäne Ereignis (Mi3) erhöhte die Stärke diese Strömungen und als eine Ursache wurde die Karbonatakkumulation auf den Hängen reduziert. Die Amplitude des N12-N14 Meeresspiegelabfalls liegt bei 90 m unter der Berücksichtigung der Sauerstoffisotopendaten aus der Tiefsee und Berechnungen des Meeresspiegels anhand des &ldquo;coastal onlaps&rdquo;, die während Leg 194 gemacht wurden. Die Isotopendaten dieser Arbeit weisen hingegen auf einen verringerten Meeresspiegelabfall von 70 m hin.<br /> <br /> Als allgemeine Schlußfolgerung kann gesagt werden, daß der mittelmiozäne Klimaumschwung die Karbonatsysteme zumindest an den beiden untersuchten Lokalitäten beeinflußt hat. Allerdings waren die Auswirkungen sehr von den unterschiedlichen lokalen Gegebenheiten abhängig. Insbesondere wirkten sich die Anwesenheit einer Landmasse (Malta) und die Abwesenheit einer Barriere vor den Einflüssen des offenen Ozeans (Marion Plateau) stark auf die Ablagerung der Karbonate aus. / This study investigated the slope carbonates of two Miocene carbonate systems: the Maltese Islands (in the Central Mediterranean) and the Marion Plateau (Northeastern Australia, drilled during ODP Leg 194). The aim of the study was to trace the impact of the Miocene cooling steps (events Mi1-Mi6) in these carbonate systems, especially the Mi3 event, which took place around 13.6 Ma and deeply impacted the marine oxygen isotope record. This event also profoundly impacted oceanographic and climatic patterns, eventually leading to the establishment of the modern ice-house world. In particular, East Antarctica became ice covered at that period. The rational behind the present study was to investigate the impact that this event had on shallow water systems in order to complement the deep-sea record and hence acquire a more global perspective on Miocene climate change.<br /> <br /> The Maltese Islands were investigated for trends in bulk-rock carbon and oxygen isotopes, as well as bulk-rock mineralogy, clay minerals analysis and organic geochemisty. Results showed that the mid Miocene cooling event deeply impacted sedimentation at that location by changing sedimentation from carbonate to clay-rich sediments. Moreover, it was discovered that each phase of Antarctic glaciation, not just the major mid Miocene event, resulted in higher terrigenous input on Malta. Mass accumulation rates revealed that this was linked to increased runoff during periods when Antarctica was glaciated, and thus that the carbonate sediments were &ldquo;diluted&rdquo; by clay-rich sediments. The model subsequently developed to explain this implies feedback from Antarctic glaciations creating cold, dense air masses that push the ITCZ Northward, thus increasing precipitation on the North African subcontinent. Increased precipitation (or stronger African monsoon) accelerated continental weathering and runoff, thus bringing more terrigenous sediment to the paleo-location of the slope sediments of Malta. Spectral analysis of carbonate content and organic matter geochemical analysis furthermore suggest that the clay-rich intervals are similar to sapropelic deposits.<br /> <br /> On the Marion Plateau, trends in oxygen and carbon isotopes were obtained by measuring Cibicidoides spp foraminifers. Moreover, carbonate content was reconstructed using a chemical method (coulometer). Results show that the mid Miocene cooling step profoundly affected this system: a major drop in accumulation rates of carbonates occurs precisely at 13.8 Ma, around the time of the East Antarctic ice sheet formation. Moreover, sedimentation changes occurred at that time, carbonate fragments coming from neritic environments becoming less abundant, planktonic foraminifer content increasing and quartz and reworked glauconite being deposited. Conversely, a surprising result is that the major N12-N14 sea-level fall occurring around 11.5 Ma did not impact the accumulation of carbonates on the slope. This was unexpected since carbonate platform are very sensitive to sea-level changes. The model developed to explain that mass accumulation rates of carbonates diminished around 13.6 Ma (Mi3 Event) instead of 11.5 Ma (N12-N14 event), suggests that oceanic currents were controlling slope carbonate deposition on the Marion Plateau prior to the mid-Miocene, and that the mid Miocene event considerably increase their strength, hence reducing the amount of carbonate being deposited on slope sites. Moreover, by combining results from deep-sea oxygen isotopes with sea-level estimates based on coastal onlaps made during Leg 194, we constrain the amplitude of the N12-N14 sea-level fall to 90 meters. When integrating isotopic results from this study, this amplitude is lowered to 70 meters.<br /> <br /> A general conclusion of this work is that the mid Miocene climatic shift did impact carbonate systems, at least at the two locations studied. However, the nature of this response was highly dependant on the regional settings, in particular the presence of land mass (Malta) and the absence of a barrier to shelter from the effects of open ocean (Marion Plateau).

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 79 pages. / Thesis (M.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Monthly d18O and Sr/Ca records generated from modern and fossil corals from Southwestern Pacific Ocean sites in the Republic of Vanuatu are used to assess the differences in mean climate state, seasonality, and interannual variability between a glacial and interglacial period. The modern coral contains a well-defined annual signal in d18O and Sr/Ca. The top 40 cm of the coral used in this study has a mean d18O value of -4.99+/-0.13%VPDB (2s) and a mean Sr/Ca value of 8.691+/-0.015mmol/mol (2s). El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are characterized by positive d18O and Sr/Ca anomalies, consistent with cooler temperatures and reduced rainfall that typifies ENSO at Vanuatu. The 12cm long fossil coral is dated to 346 ka + 25, - 9, based on uranium-series analysis and stratigraphic forward modeling, indicating that the fossil coral grew during MIS10 - a glacial period. / ABSTRACT: X-ray diffraction, petrographic inspection, SEM analysis, and geochemical considerations indicate excellent preservation. The mean d18O value is enriched by 0.74%, and the mean Sr/Ca value is equivalent, compared to the modern coral. Mathematical modeling of Pleistocene mean SST and SSS results in temperature estimates up to 2?C warmer and salinity up to 2 psu saltier than present-day conditions, if seawater Sr/Ca were 1-2% higher in MIS10. Our fossil coral data and modeling results preclude colder SST and lower SSS at Vanuatu during MIS10. Accurate estimates of past values of seawater Sr/Ca remain the largest obstacle to accurately reconstructing past tropical SST using pristine fossil corals. The fossil coral Sr/Ca annual range is similar to the modern range, indicating that seasonal SST ranges were similar, whereas the d18O annual range is about half that of the modern coral, indicating weaker past seasonal salinity variations. / ABSTRACT: The reduced seasonal SSS variations and increased SSTs near Vanuatu are interpreted as evidence that the SPCZ was displaced from its present location while the fossil coral lived. The geochemical response to El Nino events in the modern coral is observed twice in the fossil coral record, indicating that ENSO-like processes are not unique to interglacial time periods, but characterize the tropical Pacific at least back to MIS 10. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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The West Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) plays an important role in the global heat budget and global hydrologic cycle, so knowledge about its past variability would improve our understanding of global climate. Variations in WPWP precipitation are most notable during El Niño-Southern Oscillation events, when climate changes in the tropical Pacific impact rainfall not only in the WPWP, but around the globe. The stalagmite records presented in this dissertation provide centennial-to-millennial-scale constraints of WPWP precipitation during three distinct climatic periods: the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the last deglaciation, and the Holocene. In Chapter 2, the methodologies associated with the generation of U/Th-based absolute ages for the stalagmites are presented. In the final age models for the stalagmites, dates younger than 11,000 years have absolute errors of ±400 years or less, and dates older than 11,000 years have a relative error of ±2%. Stalagmite-specific 230Th/232Th ratios, calculated using isochrons, are used to correct for the presence of unsupported 230Th in a stalagmite at the time of formation. Hiatuses in the record are identified using a combination of optical properties, high 232Th concentrations, and extrapolation from adjacent U/Th dates. In Chapter 3, stalagmite oxygen isotopic composition (d18O) records from N. Borneo are presented which reveal millennial-scale rainfall changes that occurred in response to changes in global climate boundary conditions, radiative forcing, and abrupt climate changes. The stalagmite d18O records detect little change in inferred precipitation between the LGM and the present, although significant uncertainties are associated with the impact of the Sunda Shelf on rainfall d18O during the LGM. A millennial-scale drying in N. Borneo, inferred from an increase in stalagmite d18O, peaks at ~16.5ka coeval with timing of Heinrich event 1, possibly related to a southward movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). An inferred precipitation maximum (stalagmite d18O minimum) during the mid-Holocene in N. Borneo supports La Niña-like conditions and/or a southward migration of the ITCZ over the course of the Holocene as likely mechanisms for the observed millennial-scale trends. In Chapter 4, stalagmite Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, and d13C records reflect hydrologic changes in the overlying karst system that are linked to a combination of rainfall variability and cave micro-environmental effects. Dripwater and stalagmite geochemistry suggest that prior calcite precipitation is a mechanism which alters dripwater geochemistry in slow, stalagmite-forming drips in N. Borneo. Stalagmite Mg/Ca ratios and d13C records suggest that the LGM climate in N. Borneo was drier and that ecosystem carbon cycling may have responded to the drier conditions. Large amplitude decadal- to centennial-scale variability in stalagmite Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and d13C during the deglaciation may be linked to deglacial abrupt climate change events.

In context of catastrophic floods and extreme droughts in recent years there is an urgent need of solving of issues dealing with protection against hydrological extremes, not using just classical engineering methods but also untraditional practices. There is a new protection strategy focusing on gradual increase of river catchment retention capacity including its headwater regions. All of the issues related to various possibilities and measures leading to river headstream areas retention capacity increase should be discussed by experts in various fields taking into account objectives and priorities of a supra-regional, regional and local significance. Natural runoff process is affected by man already by its birth, thus in headwaters where numerous procedures related to runoff retardation and water retention increase in headstream areas could be realized. Suitable conditions for the research realization at present is related to the Otava River headwaters (sw. Czechia) representing the core zone of a number of extreme runoff events and with high heterogeneity in the terms of physical-geographic and socio-economic aspects. To understand and clarify the runoff generation process and the effect of various physical-geographic factors on its dynamics, the detailed analyses of runoff regime in chosen...