Sea level change through geological time and other features relevant to fieldwork Flashcards
What are the main sea level change principles?
Eustacy
Isostasy
Thermal expansion
What is eustacy?
Global change in amount of water in oceans due to climate and/or changing
basin geometry/volume due to tectonics changing the volume of water oceans can hold
What is isostacy?
Changes in relative height of the Earth’s crust due to loading (buoyancy,
subsidence)
What is thermal expansion?
changes in volume in relation to temperature change; warmer water has a
larger volume
What is regression?
sea levels fall and facies migrate seawards
What is transgession?
sea level rise facies migrate inland
What can regression and transgression identify?
when sea level has changed but not absolute height
What is a geological proxy?
natural recorder of direct measurement for environmental or climate variability
What are some examples of proxy data?
tree rings, ice cores, fossil pollen and spores, ocean sediments, corals and
historical data
Is there any reliable proxy for water depth?
only generalities and relative estimates
What is faunal proxy evidence?
fossil with eyes suggest organisms lived within photic zone
What is the photic zone?
depth light penetrates the water column
What are the problems with faunal evidence?
Fossil not ubiquitous
Eyes maybe not reserved
Photic zone depth varies (up to 200m)
Dont know eyes functional or relict
Was fossil in photic zone or transported
What can cause the photic zone to vary?
salinity, sediment levels/turbidity, biological
composition
What 2 ways can depositional water depth in the rock record be split?
proximal and Distal
What will proximal sediment composition be like?
High energy
Siliciclastic minerals
Coarse grain size
Rapid deposition
Frequent sedimentary structures
What will distal sediment composition be like?
Low energy
Mud dominated
Fine grain size
Slow deposition
Sedimentary structures less common
What will normal conditions be like for wave form and wave base?
Fair weather wave base (FWWB)
What can crest to crest length tell us above the waves?
depth of water displaced
What will conditions be like above FWWB in normal conditions?
water column and sediment affected by wave action and in coastal areas tides. May
also be influenced by currents
What will conditions be like below FWWB in normal conditions?
water column and sediment unaffected by affected by waves and tides, but may be
influenced by currents
What will the depth of the FWWB be?
varies between 5 and 15m
What does FWWB define in sedimentary environments?
upper shore face
What is SWB?
Storm Wave Base
What is the affect of larger wavs in SWB?
affect water column to a deeper level
How will SWB occur in relation to FWWB?
SWB will be below FWWB but not at same time
What is the depth of SWB?
15-40m but deeper in extreme events (hurricane, typhoon)
What does SWB define in depositional environments?
lower shore face
What will conditions be like above SWB?
water column and sediment: water interface affected by storm wave action agitating and re-working the sediment.
What will conditions be like below SWB?
water column and sediments not affected by storm wave action – currents may occur
What will be the cause for sedimentation below SWB?
current activity or from muddy sediment settling from suspension
What will the duration of background sedimentation for FWWB?
significantly longer longer than SWB