Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:18:37.604Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Coupled micromorphological and stable isotope analysis of Quaternary calcrete development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Kathryn Adamson ,
Ian Candy  and
Liz Whitfield
Kathryn Adamson
Affiliation:
Geography and Environmental Management, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
Ian Candy
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
Liz Whitfield
Affiliation:
School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Pedogenic calcretes are widespread in arid and semi-arid regions. Using calcrete profiles from four river terraces of the Rio Alias in southeast Spain, this study explores the potential of using detailed micromorphological and stable isotopic analysis to more fully understand the impacts of Quaternary environmental change on calcrete development. The four profiles increase in carbonate complexity with progressive age, reflecting calcretisation over multiple glacial–interglacial cycles since MIS 9 (c. 300 ka). Calcrete profiles contain a mixture of Alpha (non-biogenic) and Beta (biogenic) microfabrics. Alpha fabrics have higher δ13C and δ18O values. The profiles contain a range of crystal textures, but there is little difference between the δ13C and δ18O values of spar, microspar, and micrite cements. Strong positive covariance between δ13C and δ18O suggests that both isotopes are responding to the same environmental parameter, which is inferred to be relative aridity. The study reveals that the detailed co-analysis of calcrete micromorphology and stable isotope signatures can allow patterns of calcrete formation to be placed into a wider palaeoclimatic context. This demonstrates the potential of this technique to more reliably constrain the palaeoenvironmental significance of secondary carbonates in dryland settings where other proxy records may be poorly preserved.

Keywords

Pedogenic calcreteMicromorphologyStable isotopesPaleoenvironmentsMediterranean
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , September 2015 , pp. 272 - 286
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achyuthan, H. Quade, J. Roe, L. Placzek, C. Stable isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonates from the eastern margin of the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India Quaternary International 162–163 2007 50–60 Google Scholar
Alam, M.S. Keppens, E. Paepe, R. The use of oxygen and carbon isotope composition of pedogenic carbonates from Pleistocene palaeosols in NW Bangladesh as palaeoclimatic indicators Quaternary Science Reviews 16 1997 161–168 Google Scholar
Allen, J.R.M. Brandt, U. Brauer, A. Hans-Wolfgang, H. Huntley, B. Keller, J. Krami, M. Mackensen, A. Mingram, J. Negendank, J.F.W. Nowaczyk, N.R. Oberhansli, H. Watts, W.A. Wulg, S. Zolitschka, B. Rapid environmental changes in southern Europe during the last glacial period Nature 400 1999 740–743 Google Scholar
Alonso, P. Dorronsoro, C. Egido, J.A. Carbonation in palaeosols formed on terraces of the Tormes river basin (Salamanca, Spain) Geoderma 118 2004 261–276 Google Scholar
Alonso-Zarza, A.M. Palaeoenvironmental significance of palustrine carbonates and calcretes in the geological record Earth Science Reviews 60 2003 261–298 Google Scholar
Alonso-Zarza, A.M. Arenas, C. Cenezoic calcretes from the Teruel Graben, Spain: microstructure, stable isotope geochemistry and environmental significance Sedimentary Geology 167 2004 91–108 Google Scholar
Alonso-Zarza, A.M. Silva, P.G. Goy, J.L. Zazo, C. Fan-surface and biogenic calcrete development: interactions during ultimate phases of fan evolution in the semiarid SE Spain (Murcia) Geomorphology 24 1998 147–167 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrews, J.E. Singhvi, A.K. Kailath, A.J. Kuhn, R. Dennis, P.J. Tandon, S.K. Dhir, R.P. Do stable isotope data from calcrete record Late Pleistocene monsoonal climate variation in the Thar Desert of India? Quaternary Research 50 1998 240–251 Google Scholar
Bain, R.J. Foos, A.M. Carbonate Microfabrics Related to Subaerial Exposure in Palaeosols Formation Rezak, R. Lanoie, D.L. 1993 Carbonate Microfabrics. Springer-Verlag Berlin 19–27 Google Scholar
Bar-Matthews, M. Ayalon, A. Gilmour, M. Matthews, A. Hawkesworth, C.J. Sea–land oxygen isotopic relationships from planktonic foraminifera and speleothems in the Eastern Mediterranean region and their implications for palaeorainfall during interglacial intervals Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67 2003 3181–3199 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biedenbender, S.H. McClaran, M.P. Quade, J. Weltz, M.A. Landscape patterns of vegetation change indicated by soil carbon isotope composition Geoderma 119 2004 69–83 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braithwaite, C.J.R. Calcrete and other soils in Quaternary limestones: structures, processes and applications Journal of the Geological Society of London 140 1983 351–363 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brasier, A.T. Andrews, J.E. Marca-Bell, A.D. Dennis, P.F. Depositional continuity of seasonally laminated tufas: implications for δ18O based palaeotemperatures Global and Planetary Change 71 3–4 2010 160–167 Google Scholar
Calvet, F. Julià, R. Pisoids in the caliche profiles of Tarragona (N. E. Spain) Peryt, T. Coated Grain 1983 Springer-Verlag Berlin 456–473 Google Scholar
Candy, I. Black, S. The timing of Quaternary calcrete development in semi-arid southeast Spain: investigating the role of climate on calcrete genesis Sedimentary Geology 218 1–4 2009 6–15 Google Scholar
Candy, I. Black, S. Sellwood, B.W. Calcrete profile development in Quaternary alluvial sequences, southeast Spain: implications for using calcretes as a basis for landform chronologies Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 28 2003 169–185 Google Scholar
Candy, I. Black, S. Sellwood, B.W. Interpreting the response of a dryland river system to Late Quaternary climate change Quaternary Science Reviews 23 2004 2513–2523 Google Scholar
Candy, I. Black, S. Sellwood, B.W. Quantifying timescales of pedogenic calcrete formation using U-series disequilibria Sedimentary Geology 170 2004 177–187 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Candy, I. Black, S. Sellwood, B.W. U-series isochron dating of immature and mature calcretes as a basis for constructing Quaternary landform chronologies for the Sorbas basin, southeast Spain Quaternary Research 64 2005 100–111 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Candy, I. Adamson, K.R. Gallant, C.E. Maher, L. Pope, R. Oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of Quaternary meteoric carbonates from western and southern Europe: their role in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 1–11 2012 326–328 Google Scholar
Cerling, T.E. The stable isotopic composition of modern soil carbonate and its relationship to climate Earth and Planetary Science Letters 71 1984 229–240 Google Scholar
Cerling, T.E. Quade, J. Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in soil carbonates Climate change in continental isotopic records 217–231 1993 Google Scholar
Cerling, T.E. Wang, Y. Quade, J. Expansion of C4 ecosystems as an indicator of global ecological change in the late Miocene Nature 361 6410 1993 344–345 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cerling, T.E. Quade, J. Wang, Y. Bowman, J.R. Carbon isotopes in soils and palaeosols as ecology and palaeoecology indicators Nature 341 6238 1989 138–139 Google Scholar
Candy, I. Rose, J. Lee, J. A seasonally ‘dry’interglacial climate in eastern England during the early Middle Pleistocene: palaeopedological and stable isotopic evidence from Pakefield, UK Boreas 35 2 2006 255–265 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Candy, I. Stephens, M. Hancock, J. Waghorne, R. Palaeoenvironments of ancient humans in Britain: the application of oxygen and carbon isotopes to the reconstruction of Pleistocene environments The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain 23–27 2011 Google Scholar
Deutz, P. Montañez, I.P. Monger, H.C. Morrison, J. Morphology and isotope heterogeneity of Late Quaternary pedogenic carbonates: implications for palaeosol carbonates as palaeoenvironmental proxies Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 166 2001 293–317 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutz, P. Montañez, I.P. Monger, H.C. Morphology and stable and radiogenic isotope composition of pedogenic carbonates in late Quaternary relict soils, New Mexico, U.S.A.: an integrated record of pedogenic overprinting Journal of Sedimentary Research 72 6 2002 809–822 Google Scholar
Dever, L. Fontes, J. Riché, G. Isotopic approach to calcite dissolution and precipitation in soils under semi-arid conditions Chemical Geology 66 1987 307–314 Google Scholar
Drees, L.R. Wilding, L.P. Micromorphic record and interpretation of carbonate forms in the Rolling Plains of Texas Geoderma 40 1987 157–175 Google Scholar
Fedoroff, N. Clay illuviation in red Mediterranean soils Catena 28 1997 171–189 Google Scholar
Flügel, E. Microfacies of Carbonate Rocks: Analysis, Interpretation and Application 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Google Scholar
Gile, L.H. Peterson, F.F. Grossman, R.B. The K horizon: a master soil horizon of carbonate accumulation Soil Science 99 2 1965 71–82 Google Scholar
Gile, L.H. Peterson, F.F. Grossman, R.B. Morphological and genetic sequences of carbonate accumulation in desert soils Soil Science 101 1966 347–360 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilman, A. Thornes, J.B. Land-Use and Prehistory in South-East Spain 1985 Allen and Unwin London Google Scholar
Goodfriend, G.A. Terrestrial stable isotope records of Late Quaternary paleoclimates in the eastern Mediterranean region Quaternary Science Reviews 18 1999 501–513 Google Scholar
Goudie, A.S. Calcrete Goudie, A.S. Pye, K. Chemical Sediments and Geomorphology: Precipitates and Residua the Near Surface Environment 1983 Academic Press London 93–132 Google Scholar
Günster, N. Eck, P. Skowronek, A. Zöller, L. Late Pleistocene loess and their palaeosols in the Granada Basin, Southern Spain Quaternary International 76–77 2001 241–245 Google Scholar
Harrison, S.P. Digerfeldt, J. European lakes as palaeohydrological and palaeoclimatic indicators Quaternary Science Reviews 12 1993 233–248 Google Scholar
Harvey, A.M. Wells, S.G. Response of Quaternary fluvial systems to differential epeirogenic uplift: Aguas and Feos river systems, southeast Spain Geology 15 1987 689–693 Google Scholar
Harvey, A.M. Miller, S.Y. Wells, S.G. Quaternary soil and river terrace sequences in the Aguas/Feos river systems: Sorbas basin, southeast Spain Lewin, J. Macklin, M.G. Woodward, J.C. Mediterranean Quaternary River Environments A 1995 A. Balkema Rotterdam 263–281 Google Scholar
Jalut, G. Amat, A.E. Bonnet, L. Gauquelin, T. Fontugne, M. Holocene climatic changes in the Western Mediterranean from south-east France to south-east Spain Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 160 2000 255–290 Google Scholar
Jiménez-Espinosa, R. Jiménez-Millán, J. Calcrete development in Mediterranean colluvial carbonate systems from SE Spain Journal of Arid Environments 53 2003 479–489 Google Scholar
Kelly, M. Black, S. Rowan, J.S. A calcrete-based U/Th chronology for landform evolution in the Sorbas basin, southeast Spain Quaternary Science Reviews 19 2000 995–1010 Google Scholar
Kemp, R.A. Soil micromorphology and the Quaternary. Quaternary Research Association Technical Guide 2, Cambridge 1985 Google Scholar
Machette, M.N. Calcic soils of the southwestern United States Weide, D.L. Soils and Quaternary Geology of the Southwestern United States Geological Society of America, Special Paper 203 1985 1–21 Google Scholar
Magny, M. Miramont, C. Sivan, O. Assessment of the impact of climate and anthropogenic factors on Holocene Mediterranean vegetation in Europe on the basis of palaephydrological records Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 186 2002 47–59 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maher, E. Harvey, A.M. Fluvial system response to tectonically induced base-level change during the late-Quaternary: the Rio Alias southeast Spain Geomorphology 100 1–2 2008 180–192 Google Scholar
Maher, E. Harvey, A.M. France, D. The impact of a major Quaternary river capture on the alluvial sediments of a beheaded river system, the Rio Alias SE Spain Geomorphology 84 2007 344–356 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martín-Algarra, A. Martín-Martín, M. Andreo, B. Julià, R. González-Gómez, C. Sedimentary patterns in perched spring travertines near Granada (Spain) as indicators of the palaeohydrological and palaeoclimatological evolution of a karst massif Sedimentary Geology 161 2003 217–228 Google Scholar
Nash, D.J. McLaren, S.J. Kalahari valley calcretes: their nature, origins and environmental significance Quaternary International 111 2003 3–22 Google Scholar
Nash, D.J. Smith, R.F. Multiple calcrete profiles in the Tabernas Basin, southeast Spain: their origins and geomorphic implications Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 23 11 1998 1009–1029 Google Scholar
Netterberg, F. The interpretation of some basin calcrete types The South African Archaeological Bulletin 24 95–96 1969 117–122 Google Scholar
Pons, A. Reille, M. The Holocene- and Upper Pleistocene pollen record from Padul (Granada, Spain): a new study Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 66 1988 243–263 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prentice, I.C. Guiot, J. Harrison, S.P. Mediterranean vegetation, lake levels and palaeoclimate at the Last Glacial Maximum Nature 360 1992 658–660 Google Scholar
Quade, J. Cerling, T. Carbon stable isotopes: non-lacustrine terrestrial studies Elias, S. Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science 2007 Elsevier London Google Scholar
Quade, J. Cerling, T.E. Bowman, J.R. Systematic variations in the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonate along elevation transects in the southern Great Basin, USA Geological Society of America Bulletin 101 1989 464–475 Google Scholar
Robinson, S.A. Andrews, J.E. Hesselbo, S.P. Radley, J.D. Dennis, P.F. Harding, I.C. Allen, P. Atmospheric pCO2 and depositional environment from stable-isotope geochemistry of calcrete nodules (Barremian, Lower Cretaceous, Wealden beds, England) Journal of the Geological Society of London 159 2002 215–224 Google Scholar
Rossinsky, V. Jr. Swart, P.K. Influence of climate on the formation and isotopic composition of calcretes Swart, P.K. Lohmann, K.C. McKenzie, J. Savin, S. Climate Change in Continental Isotopic Records Geophysical Monograph 78 1993 American Geophysical Union Washington 67–75 Google Scholar
Schmidt, S. Worden, R.H. Fisher, Q.J. Variations in stable isotopes with depth in regolith calcite cements in the Broken Hill region, Australia: palaeoclimate evolution signal? Journal of Geochemical Exploration 89 2006 355–358 Google Scholar
Talma, A.S. Netterberg, F. Stable isotope abundances in calcretes 1983 Special Publications IIGeological Society London 221–233 Google Scholar
Tzedakis, P.C. Andrieu, V. de Beaulieu, J.-L. Birks, H.J.B. Crowhurst, S. Follieri, M. Hooghiemstra, H. Magri, D. Reille, M. Sadori, L. Shackleton, N.J. Wijmstra, T.A. Establishing a terrestrial chronological framework as a basis for biostratigraphical comparisons Quaternary Science Reviews 20 2001 1583–1592 Google Scholar
Tzedakis, P.C. Hooghiemstra, H. Pälike, H. The last 1.35 million years at Tenaghi Philippon: revised chronostratigraphy and long-term vegetation trends Quaternary Science Reviews 25 2006 3416–3430 Google Scholar
Ufnar, D.F. Gröck, D.R. Beddows, P.A. Assessing pedogenic calcite stable-isotope values: can positive linear covariant trends be used to quantify palaeo-evaporation rates? Chemical Geology 256 1–2 2008 46–51 Google Scholar
Watts, N.L. Displacive calcite: evidence from recent and ancient calcretes Geology 6 1978 699–703 Google Scholar
Wright, V.P. Carbonate sediments and limestones: constituents Tucker, M.E. Wright, V.P. Carbonate Sdimentology 1990 Blackwell Oxford Google Scholar
Wright, V.P. Calcrete Nash, D.J. McLaren, S.J. Geochemical Sediments and Landscapes RGS-IBG Book Series 2007 Blackwell Oxford Google Scholar
Wright, V.P. Tucker, M.E. Calcretes: an introduction Wright, V.P. Tucker, M.E. Calcretes 1991 International Association of Sedimentology Google Scholar
Yaalon, D.H. Soils in the Mediterranean region: what makes them different? Catena 28 1997 157–169 Google Scholar