Morphodynamic limits to environmental signal propagation across landscapes and into strata

The sedimentary record contains unique information about landscape response to environmental forcing at timescales that far exceed landscape observations over human timescales. However, stochastic processes can overprint and shred evidence of environmental signals, such as sediment flux signals, and so inhibit their transfer to strata. Our community currently lacks a quantitative framework to differentiate between environmental signals and autogenic signals in field-scale analysis of strata. Here we develop a framework and workflow to estimate autogenic thresholds for ancient sediment routing systems. Crucially these thresholds can be approximated using measurements that are readily attainable from field systems, circumventing the low temporal resolution offered by strata. This work demonstrates how short-term system dynamics can be accessed from ancient sediment routing systems to place morphodynamic limits on environmental signal propagation across ancient landscapes and into strata.

New Workflow of Sediment Mass Balancing, from Local Datasets, for Predicting Basin Scale Trends

Objectives/Scope Sediment volumetric budget estimates are very important input parameters for process-based depositional modelling (forward stratigraphic modelling). This paper presents a new integrated approach for analyze sediment volumetric budgets in sedimentary basins that is based on the reconstruction of regional grain size trends. In subsurface studies of sediment routing systems, noticeable uncertainties in estimated total sediment volumes occur when available datasets are limited to local areas that do not cover the entire sediment routing system. These uncertainties also affect models of catchment areas, structural uplift, and denudation rates as well as net:gross predictions. Methods, Procedures, Process The new integrated approach focuses on reconstructing sediment budgets for entire sediment fairways from limited local datasets. It uses a combination of sediment mass balancing and local grain size distributions to predict basin-wide grain size distributions. The comparison of local grain size to fairway-scale grain size trends is key in correcting sediment volumetrics for significantly reduced uncertainties in catchment reconstruction and net:gross ratios predictions at the scale of sediment fairways, sub-basins, prospects and exploration/production fields. Results, Observations, Conclusions The new approach has been applied successfully to two subsurface continental to marine delta systems. They cover periods of approximately 7 My in total and include four limited local areas of interest (AOI). These local AOIs measure 200×200 km, while the entire sub-basin measures 500×800 km. The new approach indicates that only up to 40% of the total sediment volume of each fairway could be captured by previous methodologies with limited local areas of interest. A maximum of 70% of the entire sink sediment volume could be incorporated in local areas of interest. The new approach presented in this paper significantly lowers the uncertainties in sediment volume estimates, depositional rates and lithology distribution input parameters in forward stratigraphic modelling. For the two case studies, previous sediment flux models indicated rates of 10,000 km/Myr. The new integrated approach indicates that sediment flux actually reached 30,000 km/Myr with major implications for sediment distribution, net:gross prediction and catchment size and denudation rates estimates. Novel/Additive Information The new integrated approach reduces uncertainties in catchment size and tectonic exhumation rate estimates for clastic depositional systems. It provides lower uncertainty parameters (sediment volume, source locations, sediment fractions, diffusion coefficients) for forward stratigraphic modelling, e.g., for reservoir quality prediction in hydrocarbon exploration. In fundamental research, provenance analyses can be better constrained by improved catchment size prediction and sediment grain size distribution models for sink areas

Application of Geographic Information Systems and Sediment Routing Methods in Sediment Mapping in Krueng Jreu Sub-Watershed, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Land management in the Krueng Jreu sub-watershed (Aceh Province, Indonesia) that did not follow soil and water conservation methods encouraged erosion. This can lead to silting of rivers or irrigation canals due to sediment deposition. Limited tools were the main reason for the infrequent measurement and mapping of these sediments in watersheds. Therefore, this study aims to conduct sedimentary mapping using GIS techniques combined with the sediment routing method to successfully produce a map of sediment assessment criteria for the Krueng Jreu sub-watershed area from 2010 to 2019. Rainfall and spatial data from the Krueng Jreu sub-watershed were analyzed to obtain several parameters of surface runoff, peak discharge, erodibility, slope, the value of ground cover, and land management. The results show that the Krueng Jreu sub-watershed was included in the wet climate type. The type of land use classification of savanna accounted for the most significant runoff, and land use type of open soil gave the smallest runoff. The maximum erosion found in the secondary dryland forest type land classification. It was known that the type of secondary dryland forest land use was the most significant contributor to sediment occurrence in the Krueng Jreu sub-watershed area.

Early Pennsylvanian sediment routing to the Ouachita Basin (southeastern United States) and barriers to transcontinental sediment transport sourced from the Appalachian orogen based on detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf analysis

Carboniferous sediment dispersal from the Appalachian orogenic system (eastern United States) has become a topic of widespread interest. However, the actual pathways for continental-scale, east-to-west sediment transfer have not been documented. This study presents detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic values from the Lower Pennsylvanian (Morrowan) Jackfork Group and Johns Valley Shale of the synorogenic Ouachita deepwater basin of Arkansas to document provenance and delineate the likely sediment-routing systems within the broader context of sediment dispersal across Laurentia. Twelve (12) DZ U-Pb age distributions are interpreted to indicate that sediments were derived from the Appalachians to the east and northeast, as well as the midcontinent region to the north. All samples display prominent ca. 500– 400 Ma, 1250–950 Ma, 1550–1300 Ma, and 1800–1600 Ma grains, consistent with ultimate derivation from the Appalachian, Grenville, Midcontinent, and Yavapai-Mazatzal provinces. DZ Hf values obtained from the Ouachita Basin are similar to published Hf values from Pennsylvanian samples in the Appalachian and Illinois Basins. Age distributions are generally consistent for seven samples collected from the Jackfork Group and Johns Valley Shale in the southern Ouachita Mountains through ~2400 m of stratigraphic section and are interpreted to indicate little change in provenance during the Morrowan in this part of the system. However, samples from the most northern and most source-proximal site in Little Rock, Arkansas, exhibit modest percentages of Appalachian ages and elevated contributions of Yavapai-Mazatzal ages when compared with samples collected farther to the south and west. We interpret differences between DZ signatures to indicate distinct sediment-routing pathways to the Ouachita Basin. We infer the strong Appalachian and Grenville signals to represent an axial system flowing through the Appalachian foredeep, whereas the more diverse signals represent a confluence of rivers from the northeast through the backbulge of southern Illinois and western Kentucky and from the north across the Arkoma shelf. Collectively, the Ouachita Basin represents a terminal sink for sediments derived from much of the eastern and central United States.

Supplemental Material: Tectonic influence on axial-transverse sediment routing in the Denver Basin

Measured sections from Bijou Creek, U-Pb ages of detrital zircons, U-Pb secondary standard results, (U-Th[Sm])/He analytical results, non-negative matrix factorization results, sample groups for end-member comparison, and sample lithologic information.

Supplemental Material: Tectonic influence on axial-transverse sediment routing in the Denver Basin

Measured sections from Bijou Creek, U-Pb ages of detrital zircons, U-Pb secondary standard results, (U-Th[Sm])/He analytical results, non-negative matrix factorization results, sample groups for end-member comparison, and sample lithologic information.

Supplemental Material: Early Pennsylvanian sediment routing to the Ouachita Basin (southeastern United States) and barriers to transcontinental sediment transport sourced from the Appalachian orogen based on detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf analysis

<div>Table S1: Detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb isotopic data. Table S2: DZ U-Pb isotopic data from a higher-<i>n </i>approach. Table S3: DZ Hf isotopic data. Table S4: Multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) sample key. <br></div>

Supplemental Material: Early Pennsylvanian sediment routing to the Ouachita Basin (southeastern United States) and barriers to transcontinental sediment transport sourced from the Appalachian orogen based on detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf analysis

<div>Table S1: Detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb isotopic data. Table S2: DZ U-Pb isotopic data from a higher-<i>n </i>approach. Table S3: DZ Hf isotopic data. Table S4: Multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) sample key. <br></div>

Supplemental Material: Early Pennsylvanian sediment routing to the Ouachita Basin (southeastern United States) and barriers to transcontinental sediment transport sourced from the Appalachian orogen based on detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf analysis

<div>Table S1: Detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb isotopic data. Table S2: DZ U-Pb isotopic data from a higher-<i>n </i>approach. Table S3: DZ Hf isotopic data. Table S4: Multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) sample key. <br></div>