Peatlands in eastern Australia? Sedimentology and age structure of temperate highland peat swamps on sandstone (THPSS) in the Southern Highlands and Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia

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dc.contributor.authorFryirs, Ken_AU
dc.contributor.authorFreidman, Ben_AU
dc.contributor.authorRory, Wen_AU
dc.contributor.authorJacobsen, GEen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-12T00:47:59Zen_AU
dc.date.available2016-08-12T00:47:59Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2014-08-21en_AU
dc.date.statistics2016-08-12en_AU
dc.description.abstractTemperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone (THPSS) are a form of topogenous mire found on the plateau areas of eastern Australia. They are well recognised for their ecological value, but our understanding of their geomorphic structure, function and evolution remains limited. Across 19 sites, the valley fills of THPSS comprise sequences of mineral-rich sand and loam deposits. Basal sand and gravel sedimTOPOGRAPHYents have low organic content and low carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios (a measure of peat formation) and are dated between 15.3 and 9 kyr cal. BP, with outliers back to 44 kyr cal. BP. These units reflect mineral-sediment trapping and accumulation on the valley floor. The transition to ‘swamp’ conditions through paludification occurred between 15.2 and 10.3 kyr cal. BP in some systems, and between 7.6 and 1.4 kyr cal. BP in other, adjacent valleys. These ‘swamp’ sediments comprise a package of units, progressing upward from fine cohesive sands, through assemblages of alternating organic sands to surface organic fines. These beds vary in texture from loams to sands and have a range of organic matter content (from 7.6% to 79.9%) and C:N ratios (from 15 to 58). The surface organic fines at 0 and 100 cm depth range in age from 13.1 to 0.7 kyr cal. BP. The composition and age structure of the valley fill suggest a mix of allogenic and autogenic controls are responsible for the formation of these swamps, but a regional model of THPSS evolution is emerging. Given these ‘peatlands’ have formed under a climate that experiences significant inter-annual variability in rainfall, conditions for peat formation are localised and not directly equivalent to those documented internationally. © 2016, SAGE Publications.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationFryirs, K., Freidman, B., Williams, R., & Jacobsen, G. (2014). Peatlands in eastern Australia? Sedimentology and age structure of temperate highland peat swamps on sandstone (THPSS) in the Southern Highlands and Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia. The Holocene, 24(11), 1527-1538. doi:10.1177/0959683614544064en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc6923en_AU
dc.identifier.issn1477-0911en_AU
dc.identifier.issue11en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleThe Holoceneen_AU
dc.identifier.pagination1527-1538en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683614544064en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/7281en_AU
dc.identifier.volume24en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherSAGE Publicationsen_AU
dc.subjectWetlandsen_AU
dc.subjectSwampsen_AU
dc.subjectTopographyen_AU
dc.subjectCarbonen_AU
dc.subjectNitrogenen_AU
dc.subjectSedimentsen_AU
dc.titlePeatlands in eastern Australia? Sedimentology and age structure of temperate highland peat swamps on sandstone (THPSS) in the Southern Highlands and Blue Mountains of NSW, Australiaen_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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