Preservation potential for Late Quaternary river alluvium

John Lewin; Mark G. Macklin

doi:10.1002/jqs.738

journal article Feb 01, 2003

Preservation potential for Late Quaternary river alluvium

John Lewin Mark G. Macklin

Journal of Quaternary Science Vol. 18 No. 2 pp. 107-120 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/jqs.738

Abstract

AbstractValley sequences of Late Quaternary alluvial units reflect alluvial preservation as well as alluvial production factors. Effects of lateral channel migration, incision, aggradation and channel stability on preservation potential are explored and then considered in the light of 14 available data sets: cartographically dated and model data based on lateral channel migration; well‐mapped and dated Late Quaternary valley unit surveys; and composite age–frequency plots for dated alluvial units and flood sediments.Despite much expectable variation between sites, and the complex effects of river‐activity combinations, a common characteristic of the data sets examined is the significance of preservation factors. Lateral migration tends to eliminate older units as it creates new alluvial deposits, whereas incision may lead to the preferential preservation of older units beyond the incision slot. Aggradational environments are likely to preserve more complete records, although simultaneous lateral migration may eliminate, possibly repeatedly, the upper parts of alluvial units. The common pattern of inset and incised streams within Pleistocene and early Holocene fills or bedrock gives finite extent to later units within narrowing valleys so that development of new valley‐floor units is necessarily at the expense of reprocessing earlier ones. Floods associated with both slack water deposits and berms are also responsible for the removal of accessible earlier materials, thus limiting the preserved record of earlier events.In light of these censoring effects of river activities, the sequence of preserved Late Quaternary units within UK sequences is reconsidered. It is concluded that preservation potential factors have led to spatial and temporal bias in the alluvial record, and that both here and elsewhere preservation potential needs to be considered systematically alongside variable sedimentation resulting from allogenic environmental factors when interpreting the alluvial archive. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

57

[1]

Abbott JT (1995)

[2]

10.1016/0037-0738(78)90002-7

[3]

BakerVR.1973.Palaeohydrology and sedimentology of Lake Missoula flooding in eastern Washington. Geological Society of America Special Paper 144:1–79. 10.1130/spe144-p1

[4]

10.1177/095968369400400209

[5]

10.1111/j.1502-3885.1977.tb00296.x

[6]

Blum MD (2001)

[7]

10.1130/0016-7606(1984)95<9:asarda>2.0.co;2

[8]

10.1111/j.1365-3091.1979.tb00935.x

[9]

10.1098/rsta.1994.0091

[10]

10.1016/s0169-555x(97)00014-7

[11]

10.2475/ajs.266.6.417

[12]

Fuller IC (1996)

[13]

10.1080/02723646.1993.10642465

[14]

10.1098/rstb.1988.0024

[15]

10.1029/wr017i004p01087

[16]

10.1029/98wr00777

[17]

Heller PL "Downstream changes in alluvial architecture: an exploration of controls on channel‐stacking patterns" Journal of Sedimentary Research (1996)

[18]

10.1002/esp.3290150806

[19]

Howard AD (1992)

[20]

Howard AD (1996)

[21]

10.1002/(sici)1099-1417(200003)15:3<239::aid-jqs480>3.0.co;2-w

[22]

10.1191/095968300675142023

[23]

Knox JC (1975)

[24]

10.1111/j.1467-8306.1977.tb01145.x

[25]

Knox JC (1983)

[26]

10.1038/361430a0

[27]

10.1016/s0277-3791(99)00074-8

[28]

Lewin J (1983)

[29]

Lewin J (1977)

[30]

10.1306/d42681d5-2b26-11d7-8648000102c1865d

[31]

10.1002/(sici)1099-1417(199910)14:6<521::aid-jqs487>3.0.co;2-g

[32]

10.1002/jqs.3390010104

[33]

10.1002/esp.3290140305

[34]

Macklin MG "Holocene alluviation in Britain" Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie Supplement Bond (1993)

[35]

Macklin MG (1997)

[36]

Macklin MG (1995)

[37]

10.1130/0016-7606(1992)104<0631:faaehv>2.3.co;2

[38]

MerrettSP.2001.Historic flooding and valley floor development Yorkshire Dales northern England. Unpublished PhD thesis University of Leeds.

[39]

Moores AJ (1999)

[40]

Needham S (1992)

[41]

10.1201/9781439824672.pt5

[42]

10.1144/gsl.sp.1993.075.01.13

[43]

Proser IP "The history of Holocene alluviation in the southeastern highlands of Australia" Search (1987)

[44]

Robinson M (1992)

[45]

Rose J "Lateglacial and early Holocene river activity in lowland Britain" Paläeoklimatoforschung (1995)

[46]

Rose J (1980)

[47]

10.1144/gsl.sp.1996.115.01.17

[48]

Schumm SA "River metamorphoses" Journal Hydraulics Division, American Society of Civil Engineers (1969) 10.1061/jyceaj.0001938

[49]

Schumm SA (1977)

[50]

Starkel L (1982)

Showing 50 of 57 references

Cited By

151

Variability in fluvial geomorphic response to anthropogenic disturbance

Gert Verstraeten, Nils Broothaerts · 2017

Geomorphology

A Review of Flood-Related Storage and Remobilization of Heavy Metal Pollutants in River Systems

Dariusz Ciszewski, Tomas Matys Grygar · 2016

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution

Metrics

151

Citations

57

References

Details

Published: Feb 01, 2003
Vol/Issue: 18(2)
Pages: 107-120
License: View

Authors

Cite This Article

John Lewin, Mark G. Macklin (2003). Preservation potential for Late Quaternary river alluvium. Journal of Quaternary Science, 18(2), 107-120. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.738

Preservation potential for Late Quaternary river alluvium

You May Also Like