The North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) comprises sediments of late Eocene to middle Miocene age. The earliest deposits are the North Helvetic Flysch which are exposed in the regions of Glarus and Graubunden, eastern Switzerland. The Taveyannaz sandstones are the first thrust wedge (southerly) derived sediments of the North Helvetic Flysch. The Taveyannaz basin was divided into two sub-basins by a thrust ramp palaeohigh running ENE/WSW (parallel to the thrust front). Palaeocurrent directions were trench parallel towards the ENE. Sedimentation in the Inner basin (140m thick) is characterised by very thick bedded turbidite sands generated by thrust induced seismic events confined within the thrust-top basin. The Outer basin (240m min. thickness) comprises 10-15 sand packages (5-100m thick) formed by turbidite sands which are commonly amalgamated. Sedimentation in the Outer basin is considered to have been controlled by thrust-induced relative sea-level variations. The Inner basin underwent intense deformation at the sediment/water interface prior to the emplacement of a mud sheet over the basin whilst the sediments were partially lithified. Later tectonic deformation involved fold and thrust structures detaching in the underlying Globigerina marls. The stratigraphy of the NAFB can be considered as two shallowing upward megasequences separated by the base Burdigalian unconformity. This stratigraphy can be simulated by computer by simplifying the foreland basin/thrust wedge system into 4 parameters: 1) the effective elastic thickness of the foreland plate, 2) a transport coefficient to describe the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment, 3) the surface slope angle of the thrust wedge, 4) the thrust wedge advance rate. The Alpine thrust wedge underwent thickening during the underplating of the External Massifs at about 24-18Ma. This event is simulated numerically by slowing the thrust wedge advance rate, and increasing the slope angle and keeping all other parameters constant. This event causes rejuvenation of the forebulge, and erosion of the underlying stratigraphy, so simulating the base Burdigalian unconformity without recourse to eustasy or anelastic rheologies to the foreland plate.

To comply with the European Union Water Framework Directive (2000), National Governments are required to achieve good chemical and ecological status of freshwater bodies. Fine sediment has been shown to be a major cause of the degradation of lakes and rivers, and as a result research in geomorphology has been directed towards the understanding of fine sediment dynamics. It was identified by a review of published literature that at present a paucity of information on sediment dynamics existed for the East Midlands, UK. The use of tracers within a sediment fingerprinting framework has recently become a heavily used technique to investigate the sources of fine sediment pressures. However, uncertainties associated with tracer behaviour have been cited as major potential limitations to sediment fingerprinting methodologies. At present few studies have quantified the uncertainties associated with tracer use, or the exact reasons why different tracers are producing different sediment provenance results. This thesis had two aims based on these gaps in published literature. First, to assess the impact of sediment sampling methodology, tracer selection, particle size corrections and organic enrichment corrections on a fine sediment fingerprinting study. Secondly, to develop a partial sediment budget for the Upper Nene river basin and its major tributaries. The results of this thesis were presented in two parts. The first part investigated Aim 1 when fingerprinting; historically deposited sediment, suspended sediment and recently deposited sediment. The second part investigated Aim 2 by constructing a fine sediment budget for the Nene river basin, consisting of; sediment yield, sediment provenance, floodplain sediment accumulation and channel bed sediment storage. A mean difference of 24.1% between the predicted contributions of sediment originating from channel banks was found when using nine different tracer groups to fingerprint the river sediment samples. When fingerprinting contributions from urban street dusts mean differences between tracer group predictions were lower, at between 8% and 11%. There was little indication that organic matter content and / or particle size caused differences between tracer group predictions. Within-source variability in tracer concentrations, and small contrasts between the tracer concentrations of the sediment source groups, were identified as probable causes of inherent uncertainty present in the fingerprinting analysis. It was determined that the ratio of the percentage difference between median tracer concentrations in the source groups and the average within-source tracer concentration coefficient of variation could indicate the likely uncertainty in model predictions prior to tracer use. When fingerprinting historically deposited sediment, a reservoir core was fingerprinted with the least uncertainty, with tracer group provenance predictions ~28% apart and with consistent down-core trends. When fingerprinting an on-line lake core and four floodplain cores, differences between tracer group predictions were as large as 100%; the down-core trends in changing sediment provenance were also different. The differences between tracer group predictions could be attributed to the organic matter content and particle size of the sediment. There was also evidence of the in-growth of bacterially derived magnetite and chemical dissolution affecting the preservation of tracer signatures. Despite the prior indications that organic matter and particle size were causing tracer non-conservatism in historical sediment cores, data corrections were found to often be ineffective at reducing the differences between tracer group predictions. The corrections were found to either have no effect on, or increase the mean differences between, tracer group predictions when fingerprinting river sediment. The sediment budget identified that the annual sediment yield of 13 - 19 t km-2 yr-1 for the Nene is low in comparison to other UK catchments. Channel banks were found to be the dominant sediment source in the Nene, typically contributing between 60% and 100% of the sediment. Rates of sediment accumulation on the Nene’s floodplain was found to be highly variable (920– 7,200 t km-2 yr-1); the presence of flood defences were likely to be a cause of this variability, and have caused a reduction in the accumulation rate since 1963. It was found that large quantities of sediment accumulated on channel beds during periods of low flows (~ 28% of the annual sediment yield), which was flushed from the bed by a series of flood events (leaving <1% of the annual sediment yield in temporary storage). An original contribution to research was made by quantifying the uncertainties associated with tracer use in a fine sediment fingerprinting investigation, as well as identifying the probable causes of the observed uncertainty. The fine sediment dynamics of the Nene basin were also investigated for the first time, and it was identified that the high contributions from channel banks in the Nene were highly a-typical for UK catchments.

The Arcadia Formation is a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic rock unit that existed as a shallow carbonate ramp to platform environment during the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene Epoch. It can be divided into two distinct, informal sections based on lithological properties: the upper Arcadia Formation and lower Arcadia Formation. The sections are part of a major, third-order sequence that can be further divided into four higher-frequency, lower magnitude sequences: ARS1, ARS2, ARS3, and ARS4. The sequence boundary separating ARS2 and ARS3 represents a drastic change in the depositional regime from a high-energy, inner ramp/platform to a lower-energy, deep outer ramp environment. ARS3 represents the period of maximum flooding and constitutes a major portion of the regressive system tract (RST) of the third order depositional sequence. In certain sections, the Arcadia Formation is heavily bioturbated including ichnotaxa from the glossifungites, cruziana, and scolithos inchofacies. Thalassinoides sp. burrows of the glossifungites ichnofacies were found to be commonly associated with firmground substrates and breaks in sedimentation. The lithofacies associations were grouped into paleodepositional environments that ranged from restricted marine to deep outer ramp with lithology ranging from grainstone to wackestone to mudstone with variable amounts of siliciclastic and phosphatic constituents. Each sequence boundary extends regionally south from Broward County to southern Miami-Dade County utilizing gamma-ray geophysical signatures unique to each sequence. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The study area is located in central Columbia County and encompasses approximately 373 square kilometers. The purpose of the study was to map lithofacies to a scale of 1:31250, study the petrography of the lithofacies, determine the stratigraphy, and develop a model for environment of deposition of the Scappoose Formation.

Over a span of six days from November 2-7, 2006 approximately 43 cm of precipitation fell over the Hood River Basin in Oregon. A lahar was initiated on the Eliot Branch of the Middle Fork Hood River by two or more landslides that occurred on the lateral moraines of the Eliot Glacier on the early part of November 7th, 2006. The Eliot Branch lahar was embedded within the larger regional flood that was occurring in the Hood River Basin and traveled a total of 48 km from the initiation points on the north flank of Mount Hood to the Hood Rivers confluence with the Columbia River. The initiating landslides abruptly transformed into a debris flow upon mixing with flood waters of the Eliot Branch. The debris flow traveled a distance of ~28 km at which point it was transformed first to a hyperconcentrated flow and then to water flow via selective deposition of coarse sediment and progressive dilution by channel flow waters from the East and West Fork Hood Rivers. The transformation from debris flow to hyperconcentrated streamflow was recorded by a thickening wedge of hyperconcentrated streamflow sediments found above and below progressively fining debris flow sediments over a reach of 22 km. Finally, the hyperconcentrated-flow phase of the lahar transformed to water flow and then traveled an additional 20 km to the Hood River delta. Upon reaching the apex of the Hood River delta, depositing sediments led to an expansion of the delta. Debris-flow sediments were predominantly gravel (36.0-69.7% by wt.) with sand (22.1-55.9% by wt.) and fines (4.7-7.8% by wt.). Hyperconcentrated flow deposits contained a larger sand fraction of (66.8-99.2% by wt.) with few gravel clasts (0-26.0% by wt.) and fines (0-8.8% by wt.). Water flow deposits averaged 90.5% (wt.) sand with 6.0% (wt.) gravel and 3.0% (wt.) fines. Sorting was a key factor in flow identification and showed progressive improvement downstream from the initiation point. Sorting values for the flow types are as follows: debris flow deposits ranged from 3.3Φ (very poorly sorted) to 1.8Φ (poorly sorted), hyperconcentrated flow deposits ranged from 2.4Φ (very poorly sorted) to 0.8Φ (moderately sorted), and water flood deposits ranged between 1.4Φ (poorly sorted) to 0.6Φ (moderately sorted).

Abstract not available

This multidisciplinary study integrates remote sensing, stratigraphy, siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentology, tectonics, and petrography of the Nisai, Khojak and Sharankar Formations to reveal the Paleogene depositional, diagenetic and deformational history of the Katawaz Basin. Study of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) digital data shows that maximum discrimination of different rocks is achieved in bands 5, 4, and 2 in red, green and blue, respectively. Maximum spectral contrast of Nisai limestone lithofacies uses band ratios 7/5(R), 4/3(G)and 3/2(B). Laboratory spectral measurements suggest Nisai lithofacies are best discriminated in lower wavelength regions (TM bands 1, 2, 3, and 4). Late Paleocene to early Oligocene Nisai Formation records carbonate platform, slope and basinal deposition. Newly formed structural highs and lows, due to emplacement of ophiolites on the western passive margin of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, controlled deposition and thickness of Nisai lithofacies. Revised age of the ophiolite emplacement, based on benthic forams, is early Paleocene. Siliciclastic Khojak Formation includes newly identified upper continental slope, prodelta, delta front, lower and upper delta plains lithofacies. These lithofacies represent prograding fluvial-dominated, wave-modified Katawaz delta that axially fed Khojak submarine-fan turbidites to the southwest. Sandstone detrital modes and paleocurrent analysis suggest derivation from the early Himalayan orogen and longitudinal dispersal down the basin axis. Decrease in quartz, and increase in total lithics from bottom to top reflect gradual uplift and unroofing of the early Himalaya. Diagenetic relationships suggest complex paragenetic sequence of chlorite-quartz-calcite cementation. Himalaya-derived molasse, delta, and turbidite fan sediments are related in time and space. Molasse sedimentation began in late Paleocene, when early Himalayan orogenic highlands formed. However, sedimentation on the modern Indus delta-fan began in the early Miocene. This age-range discrepancy implies that a major portion of the Himalayan marine record is missing. Khojak strata are that missing record. The Katawaz remnant ocean closed, scissors fashion, by the end of early Miocene and the Katawaz-Khojak complex was incorporated to the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. The Himalaya-Katawaz system is a Paleogene analogue to the Carboniferous Appalachian-Black Warrior-Ouachita system. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, June, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-73)

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Geological Sciences." Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-51).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-94). Also available via the World Wide Web.