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Lec 09snowballneoprotezoico
Lec 09snowballneoprotezoico
References and Notes W. S. B. Paterson and J. C. Savage, J. Geophys. Res. 68, 1974, 39 (1974)]. This interpolation was tested ex-
1. J. F. Nye, R. Soc. London Proc. Ser. A 219, 477 (1953); 4537 (1963); C. F. Raymond, J. Glaciol. 10, 55 (1971); tensively with synthetic data.
R. LeB. Hooke, P. Holmlund, N. R Iverson, ibid. 33, 72 10. J. T. Harper, N. F. Humphrey, W. T. Pfeffer, B. C.
R. LeB Hooke, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 19, 664
(1987) were all forced to smooth inclinometry data Welch, U.S. Army Cold Reg. Res. Eng. Lab. Spec. Rep.
(1981); C. J. van der Veen and I. M. Whillans, J.
because of high levels of noise. 96-27 (1996), p. 41.
Glaciol. 36, 324 (1990).
7. The instrument was constructed by Slope Indicator 11. This measurement was made within the same
2. Examples include velocity variations occurring over Canada, Ltd. (Vancouver, BC). Measurement errors reach and time of year as the deformation exper-
months to weeks [R. LeB Hooke, P. Calla, et al., J. associated with a prototype of this instrument are iments, but during a subsequent year. Sliding and
Glaciol. 35, 235 (1989)] and days to hours [A. Iken discussed by E. W. Blake and G. K. C. Clarke [ J. surface velocities were determined by continuous
and R. A. Bindschadler, ibid. 32, 101 (1986)]. Glaciol. 38, 113 (1992)]. However, analysis of ac- filming of the base of a borehole with concurrent
3. S. M. Hodge, ibid. 13, 349 (1974); B. Kamb et al., J. tual data from the instrument used suggests that surveying of velocity at the surface.
Geophys. Res. 99, 15231 (1994); J. Harbor et al., instrument errors are slightly improved from man- 12. Funded by grants from NSF (OPP-9122966 to N.F.H.
Geology 25, 739 (1997). ufacturer specifications [ J. T. Harper, thesis, Uni- and OPP-9122916 to W.T.P.). Additional funding for
4. A dense array of radio-echo sounding measurements versity of Wyoming (1997); S. V. Huzurbazar, un- computer visualization was provided by NSF’s
were processed with three-dimensional migration tech- published material]. Additionally, the uniformity of EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Com-
niques. Comparisons of these measurements with bore- the borehole walls enabled a high degree of repeat- petitive Research) program (EPS9550477), through
hole observations suggest that the radar is accurate to ability for the measurements. the University of Wyoming’s Spatial Data and Visu-
within about 8.5 m (B. C. Welch, W. T. Pfeffer, J. T. 8. We follow the method of C. F Raymond, J. Glaciol. alization Center project. D. Bahr, B. Welch, and B.
Harper, N. F. Humphrey, J. Glaciol., in press). 10, 39 (1971). Raup all made significant contributions to portions of
5. J. T. Harper and N. F. Humphrey, Geology 23, 901 9. We use a cubic spline function with an iterative the work presented here.
(1995). scheme designed to minimize the curvature of the
6. M. F. Meier, U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 351 (1960); function between data points [I. C. Briggs, Geophysics 16 April 1998; accepted 28 July 1998
Fig. 1. Stratigraphic A 1 B C DG H
cross sections of the
M
Otavi carbonate slope M
(A–B and C–D) and MULDEN GROUP
Te(s)
platform (E–F and Te(s)
G–H) in northwest 2 3
SUBGROUP
SLOPE
Namibia, showing the DATUM Tg
measured sections in Tg Ab
Fig. 2 (indicated by Ar Te(p)
7
circled numbers). Ag
Ac
E F
4
TSUMEB
Te(p) Ar
O4 M
B
B Tm
Tm 5 6 8 9
PLATFORM
DATUM Ab
Tg Ab
300 m Ag
SUBGROUP
200
Ag
HUAB
100 Ar RIDGE
Ar
0 10 20 30km
B B N O1 Ac
14º E
ABENAB
M Mulden clastics
H
Elandshoek slope
Ombombo Abenab Tsumeb
Te(s)
19º S O5
Elandshoek platform
SUBGROUP
Te(p)
OTAVI GROUP
measured sections O5 O2
CRETACEOUS
O4
G E Truncation
MULDEN GROUP B R I D ault 20º S Ombombo
H U A E F O3
ramp
OTAVI GROUP
F
O2
Onlap
eys
D
B Rock C O1
NOSIB GROUP A
N Nosib clastics
BASEMENT
B Basement
14º E 15º E
ELANDSHOEK FORMATION
north profile across S 200km N
the Otavi platform
and slope. The extend- 7
ed negative d13C ex-
cursion is centered on
the Maieberg cap car- SLOPE
bonate on the plat-
form, and its con- δ13 C(‰)
densed stratigraphic 4
-5 0 5
equivalent is on the
continental slope. The
d13C values decline 1
from positive pregla-
cial values that are
stratigraphically be- 280 14º E
neath Ghaub glacial
deposits or the bare 260
LITHOFACIES
9 Cretaceous
19º S
glaciated surface. The 240
Mulden Group
crossover from posi- 7
Otavi Group:
tive to negative val- glacial deposits platform
M A I E B E R G C A P C A R B O N AT E
220 6 /slope
ues occurs in a 25-m- Nosib Group
δ C(‰)
13
siliciclastic
thick parasequence, 200 -5 0 5
5
Basement
which can be corre- microbialaminite
lated regionally and 180
0 30 km
which is variably grainstone
water measured sections
truncated by the sub- 160
stromatolite depth
glacial surface. 20º S
140 ribbon rock 4 Fau
lt
3
120 3 δ C(‰)
13 rhythmite/ 2
rhythmite breccia eys
-5 0 5 Rock
-5 0 5 -5 0 5 -5 0 5
-5 0 5
δ13C(‰) G H A U B G L A C I AT I O N δ13C(‰)
δ13C(‰) -5 0 5 10 -5 0 5 10 -5 0 5 10 -5 0 5 10 -5 0 5 10 -5 0 5 10
OMBAATJIE FORMATION
-20 -5 0 5 10
δ13C(‰)
-40 -5 0 5 10
δ13C(‰)
-5 0 5
6
-60 3 δ13C(‰)
-5 0 5
2 δ13C(‰)
-5 0 5 10
4 δ13C(‰)
-5 0 5 10
7 δ13C(‰) 8
SLOPE P L AT F O R M 9
-5 0 5 10
30
would first drive carbonate dissolution and that attempt to explain various aspects of
then drive precipitation as cold deep waters Neoproterozoic isotopic excursions and 20 7
with high concentrations of calcium and dis- glacial events reveals contradictions be-
solved inorganic carbon mixed with warm tween each of the hypotheses and our data 10
tropical surface waters. Additional sources of from Namibia (15). A popular model as-
0
alkalinity would come from intense continen- serts that the isotopic anomalies were driv- GHAUB GLACIATION
0
tal weathering that was driven by warm tem- en by alternating periods of ocean stagna-
peratures, high levels of CO2, and a strong tion and overturn, corresponding to positive -10 6
hydrologic cycle. Reducing atmospheric CO2 and negative surface-water d13C values, re-
OMBAATJIE FM
pressure from 0.12 to 0.001 bar [that is, from spectively (10, 11, 32). The model predicts -20
terminal snowball conditions to normal Neo- that the duration of the negative excursion
-30
proterozoic values (25)] would provide should be limited by the residence time of
;2.5 3 1020 g of carbon, sufficient to pro- carbon in the ocean [,105 years) (6, 7, -40
duce ;8 3 105 km3 of carbonate, which is 23)], which is inconsistent with our esti-
enough to cover the entire present-day con- mate of the duration of the excursion in the -50
tinental crust with a layer ;5 m thick. The Otavi Group. -5 0 5 10
space that was created by thermal subsi- To simulate a snowball Earth, coupled Fig. 3. Composite section across the Ghaub
dence during a prolonged glacial period energy-balance models require that atmo- glacial surface on the platform, showing high-
could be rapidly filled by the cap carbonate spheric CO2 levels be lowered dramatically resolution d13C data. An abrupt downturn in
sequence, which is consistent with textural (;1024 bar), even with lower-than-present d13C occurs at the base of the penultimate
evidence in the Maieberg and other Neo- solar luminosity (33). Fragmentation of the preglacial parasequence, and there is a postgla-
proterozoic cap carbonates suggesting rap- Rodinia supercontinent may have contributed cial descent to a nadir of 26 per mil, ;40 m
above the glacial surface and ;20 m above the
id deposition (6, 7, 30). Precipitation would to the CO2 drawdown (1, 2) by creating many maximum flooding interval. In the snowball
be strongly localized on warm shallow- new continental margins, which are major Earth model, the glacial surface would repre-
water platforms, where CaCO3 solubility is repositories for organic carbon in the modern sent ;10 My, but the 400-m-thick cap carbon-
minimized, which is in agreement with the ocean (34), consistent with the high d13C ate would only represent thousands of years.