Fossil Shell Accumulations in Lake Tanganyika I: Styles
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Fossil shell accumulations in Lake Tanganyika I: Styles of deposition across Kigoma Bay and the Luiche River Platform II: Constraining recent environmental change using comparative taphonomic analysis Student Participants: Mike McGlue (U. of Arizona) and John Mischler (Augustana College) Secondary School Teacher Participant: R.J. Hartwell (Fayetteville-Manlius High School) Project Mentors: Andy Cohen, Kiram Lezzar (U. of Arizona), and Ellinor Michel (NHM) Introduction Fossil-rich sedimentary deposits are important and conspicuous components of the rock record that often hold chronostratigraphic significance (Kidwell et al., 1986; Van Wagoner et al., 1989). A thorough understanding of the processes and mechanisms that control the formation of fossil-rich deposits in modern environments is central to a guided and meaningful interpretation of ancient strata. In this study, we investigate modern analogs of fossil- rich lacustrine carbonate deposits using examples from Lake Tanganyika, East Africa. Lake Tanganyika, the world’s second largest extant ancient lake, houses one of the most diverse suites of freshwater carbonates ever documented (Cohen and Thouin, 1987). Accordingly, Lake Tanganyika provides an unparalleled site to investigate the development of tropical, shallow water fossil-rich carbonate accumulations. Lacustrine depositional systems are dynamic and sedimentary processes in lakes operate at different frequencies and amplitudes than marine systems (Bohacs et al., 2000). For paleoclimate-themed research, the rift lakes of East Africa are particularly valuable because of the long, high-resolution archives of tropical climate change housed in their sedimentary sequences (Cohen et al., 2000). Lake Tanganyika is well suited for studies aimed at investigating environmental change on timescales ranging from 102 – 106 yrs, due in part to its great antiquity, depth and breadth of depositional environments For example, paleorecords of sediment mass accumulation and ostracod biodiversity reveal the effects of historical land use change while lithofacies patterns, diatom assemblages and seismic reflection profiles reveal major lake level lowstands in phase with high latitude glaciations (Scholz and Rosendahl, 1987; Gasse et al., 1989; Lezzar et al., 1996; Cohen et al., 1997; Alin et al., 2002). Because bathymetry and water chemistry strongly influence the nature of carbonate sedimentation, biostratinomic processes and early diagenesis, shell-rich accumulations and their fossil preservation in Lake Tanganyika’s littoral zone could provide an important index of recent environmental change. Our objectives also have consequences for paleoclimate studies seeking deeper temporal resolution. As the practice of continental scientific drilling expands, lacustrine fossil shell accumulations may take on new significance as event horizons Figure 5: Location Map of 2005 Fossil Shell and chronostratigraphic markers in deep time. Developing modern Accumulation Study Area; HB = Hilltop Beach; analogs of ancient fossil shell accumulations also has application to KB = Katabe Bay; MB = Muzungu Beach; NLP = natural resource exploration, as Cretaceous-aged rift lake coquinas Northern Luiche Platform; UB = Ulombola Bay form economic hydrocarbon reservoirs offshore both Brazil and West Africa (Bertani and Carrozi, 1985; Abrahao and Warme, 1990). Our study for the Nyanza 2005 field season is exploratory and centers on two key issues. First, we evaluate the depositional style of fossil-rich accumulations found in the region of Kigoma Bay and the Luiche River Delta. Second, we use semi-quantitative taphonomic analyses on target taxa (Caelatura bivalves) to infer environmental change based on fossil preservation. Prior studies dealing with fossil accumulations in Lake Tanganyika have focused primarily on general facies relationships and on the paleobiology of endemic gastropods (Cohen and Thouin, 1987; Cohen, 1989; Tiercelin et al., 1992; Soreghan and Cohen, 1996). Cohen (1989) concluded that shell beds in Lake Tanganyika form due to winnowing associated with small-scale (< 30 m) changes in lake level, based on time-averaging and on morphometric variations between fossil and living Paramelania domani. Our work seeks to complement and extend these studies through detailed analyses on shell rich accumulations in the region of Kigoma Bay. Methods We studied fossil shell accumulations in Lake Tanganyika using lake-bottom sediment samples collected by SCUBA divers or from the R/V Echo using a standard Ponar grab sampler. We identified sampling sites through a search of existing literature and by examining bathymetric profiles (e.g. Kinyanjui, 2002; Wheeler, 2004). SCUBA field techniques included the collection of box-cores and bulk samples. Lithified samples were collected using a sledgehammer. Sediment samples and fossil shells used in this study were collected along depth transects (steeply sloping environments) and along isobaths (gently sloping environments). Sampling sites and relevant bathymetric information are listed in Table 1. Site Name Site Description Depth Range Relative Slope Analysis Hilltop Beach Base of rocky headland; sample transect trending W 17 – 22 m Moderate (8%) DS, TA Katabe Bay (KB) Base of rocky headland; sample transect trending 13 – 21 m Moderate DS, TA WSW into Katabe Bay (11%) Muzungu Beach Wave dominated cobble beach along Bangwe Point; 10 – 15 m High DS, TA (MB) sample site at N end of beach (16 %) N. Luiche R iver Large semi-exposed bay south of Kitwe Point; 9 m (Site 1) Low DS, TA Platform (NLP) sample sites in center of bay and along beach; grab 4 m (Site 4) (< 3%) sample near Kitwe 29 m (GB) S. Luiche River Central small exposed bay N of Ulombola Point; 10 m Low DS, TA Platform sample sites in center of bay (< 2%) (Ulombola Ba y) Tafiri Bay (TB) Central small protected bay N of Hilltop Point; 46 m (GB) Moderate DS, TA sample site at base of fault scarp (10%) Table 1: Sample sites for fossil shell accumulations study, Nyanza Project 2005; GB = grab sample from RV Echo; DS = depositional style; TA = taphonomic analysis Upon collection, sediment samples were placed in labeled well log bags and transported with care to limit post retrieval damage to the dataset. In the laboratory, sediments were analyzed for the purpose of classifying style of deposition following the methods of Kidwell and others (1986) and Kidwell and Holland (1991; Table 2). Descriptive terminology follows the classification of modern lake sediments provided in Schnurrenberger et al. (2003). This analysis relied heavily on observations made from field photos and on box cores, which provide an undisturbed snapshot of sedimentary facies as they exist on the lake bottom. In order to approximate grain size variability, we homogenized bulk sediment from each site and wet sieved a representative amount to 63 µm. The sieved fractions were subsequently dried at 110 oC for 24 hours and weighed to yield a relative coarse – fine ratio. To address the objectives of our taphonomy study, we selected Caelatura bivalves as our target taxa due to their abundance in the fossil shell deposits in Lake Tanganyika’s littoral zone (Kinyanjui, 2002; personal observations). Bivalves of the genus Caelatura are shallow, infaunal, filter feeders that inhabit mixed substrates (Leloup, 1953; Coulter, 1991). To facilitate rapid analysis while retaining important environmental differences in taphonomic signature, we considered only adult Caelatura in the size fraction above 4 mm (after Kidwell et al., 2001). In order to stabilize fossil preservation (damage) profiles, we attempted to analyze at least 100 Caelatura shells from each sampling site. The taphonomic indices and scoring system used in the analysis are summarized in Table 3 (after Brett and Baird, 1986; Kidwell et al., 2001). The scoring process was standardized through collaboration among multiple scorers until a reasonable training set was established. These data were then analyzed in MS Excel. Due to an apparent observer bias that strongly skewed data trends, the analyses from only two observers were included in the final results. Data trends between two observers confirmed consistent scoring and two samples from each multi-sample site (Katabe Bay, Hilltop Beach, N. Luiche Platform and Ulombola Bay) were analyzed. The results from these sites were averaged in order to smooth any remaining observers biases from the data. Care was taken to insure that the averaged scores were consistent with each other in order to produce an accurate taphonomic characterization for each site. Other study sites (Muzungu Beach, N. Luiche Platform 5, Tafiri Bay) utilized only a single sample for taphonomic analyses. Results from all taphonomic analyses were tabulated in MS Excel and the highest degree of damage for each taphonomic index was analyzed for first order trends. Principal component analyses (PCA) were conducted to reveal further variance in damage patterns. Metric Classifications Description Method of Analysis Deposit Type • Autochthonous Describes if species present have been Comparison of sample to • Para-autochthonous transported out of habitat reference collection • Allochthonous Taxonomic • Monotypic Describes number of species present Composition • Polytypic Close Packing • Densely Packed Grain support or matrix support; Visual inspection of diver box • Loosely Packed Dunham-type classification core • Dispersed Biofabric • Plane of Bedding: azimuth direction 3D arrangement of grains Visual inspection of diver box • X-section: