Estimating rates of calcrete formation and sediment accretion in ancient alluvial deposits

Abstract

The use of calcrete horizons as a means of assessing rates of sediment accretion in ancient alluvial sequences is reviewed. Any attempt to use such horizons in quantifying ancient alluvial deposition must appreciate that accurate data on rates of formation of Quaternary calcretes are limited. Such data show considerable variations in the rates and no reliable data exist at all for some calcrete types. The abundance of calcretes in the geological record warrants a new initiative to improve our understanding oftheir origins and rates of formation. © 1990, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.