Sedimentology of the Whiteclay Gravel Beds (Ogallala Group) in northwestern Nebraska, USA: Structurally controlled drainage promoted by Early Miocene uplift of the Black Hills Dome
Abstract The newly recognized Whiteclay Gravel Beds (WGB) of the Miocene Ogallala Group crop out as a narrow, discontinuous ribbon of sands and gravels in Dawes and Sheridan Counties, northwestern Nebraska, USA. The WGB are exposed in a series of municipal gravel quarries and natural exposures that define a linear trench in underlying strata at least 20 m deep and up to 300 m wide, with short, southeast-trending reaches separating generally longer east-trending sections. This gravel-filled trench can be recognized from the Nebraska–South Dakota border near Whiteclay, Nebraska southeastward to east of Gordon, Nebraska, a distance of ∼ 30 km. The outcrop belt of the WGB is coincident in location and trend with the Whiteclay Fault Zone. Where exposed in quarries, the walls of the trench are steep-sided, vertical, or locally overhanging. Polished surfaces, slickensides, and parallel joint sets are common in the walls of the trench near Whiteclay, but uncommon in those to the east. The narrow belt defined by this trench is filled by stratified gravel ( The WGB are interpreted to have formed in response to tectonic upheaval associated with uplift of the Black Hills of South Dakota in Early Miocene times. Fault rupture topography facilitated formation of a steep-sided canyon, or valley, up to 20 m deep, being virtually straight with sharp bends at intervals of several km. An alluvial channel belt developed in the floor of the valley, filling the available accommodation space with coarse sand and gravel via aggradational stacking of the deposits of successive channels and channel belts. Channel belts were probably braided, with individual channels up to 4 m deep and a few tens of metres wide. The multi-storey character of the deposit indicates multiple episodes of cutting and filling. The coarse grain-size of the fill suggests energetic discharge with frequent bankfull flows, even though the system had a relatively low gradient (0.004). An abundance of reworked fossil debris is derived from several stratigraphic units, clasts of which have been identified in the fill. The presence of a contemporary merychippine horse and a primitive species of the oreodont Brachycrus constrain formation of the WGB to a short interval within the Early Miocene (c. 17.5 Ma). The mammal fauna suggests that this stream was a valuable source of water, while fragments of aquatic organisms such as turtles and fish indicate perennial discharge. The WGB provides a crucial window into a pluvial period in the Miocene that is largely unpreserved elsewhere in the basin, facilitated in part by fault rupture topography.
Recent Developments in Fluvial Sedimentology
This volume brings together 36 of the manuscripts that were presented at the Third International Fluvial Sedimentology Conference hosted by Colorado State University in August, 1985. Fluvial systems and sedimentary rock sequences discussed range in age from Holocene to Precambrian and include many diverse areas. The principal objective of the volume was to document the recent developments in the application of facies analysis to the reconstruction of the architecture of fluvial systems. Reconstruction of architecture is an integral part of the overall process of basin analysis.
The potential vorticity flux through the Yucatan Channel and the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico
Two‐year‐long time series of current and density structure measurements across the Yucatan Channel's main section allow the calculation of the time‐dependent potential vorticity flux between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, which is characterized by alternating periods of positive (cyclonic) and negative (anti‐cyclonic) vorticity influx. Periods of negative cumulative vorticity influx are related to the Loop Current extending into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas periods of positive cumulative vorticity influx relate to a Loop Current retraction, sometimes coincident with the shedding of an anti‐cyclonic eddy.