Characterization of the physical and hydraulic properties of the sediment in karst aquifers of the Springfield Plateau,Central Missouri,USA

Physical and hydraulic properties of sediment from two karst aquifers were measured to determine (1) the similarity of sediment between karst aquifer systems and (2) the importance of sediment in modeling flow through karst aquifers. The sediment from the two systems was similar in size and composition. Within both aquifers, the silt-sized sediment was composed primarily of quartz, with minor amounts of plagioclase and clays. Hydraulic conductivity of the sediment measured directly (falling-head test) ranged from 1.61×10⁻⁷ to 1.33×10⁻⁶ m s^–1 and estimated using the Campbell equation ranged from 8.30×10⁻⁸ to 8.98×10⁻⁷ m s^–1. These values of hydraulic conductivity fall within the span of hydraulic conductivities for carbonate rocks, indicating that the sediment and carbonate matrix could be represented as one mathematical unit in modeling flow through karst aquifers. Statistical agreement in the hydraulic conductivity values generated by the two methods indicates that the estimation technique could be used to calculate hydraulic conductivities; thus allowing karst scientist to collect bulk sediment samples instead of having to collect cores from within karst aquifers. Electronic Publication     

Slowly moving thermal/mineral waters in deep crystalline basement

Crystalline basement can contain notable quantities of thermal/mineral waters. Knowledge about their movement and it characteristics (fluxes, velocities, trajectories) is of great relevance for subjects like waste disposal or geothermal resources. Geothermal methods enable to quantify these flow characteristics. The use and potential of several methods is demonstrated at three sites, all from Hercynian basement in Western Europe. The results show rather uniform characteristics: Darcy flow velocities on the order of 10⁻¹¹–10⁻¹⁰ m s⁻¹; the domain of flow ranges down to 5–7 km depth.     

Fracture flow and groundwater compartmentalization in the Rollins Sandstone, Lower Mesaverde Group, Colorado, USA

 This paper presents a site-specific conceptual model of groundwater flow in fractured damage zones associated with faulting in a package of sedimentary rocks. The model is based on the results of field and laboratory investigations. Groundwater and methane gas inflows from fault-fracture systems in the West Elk coal mine, Colorado, USA, have occurred with increasing severity. Inflows of 6, 160 and 500 L s⁻¹ discharged almost instantaneously from three separate faults encountered in mine workings about 460 m below ground level. The faults are about 600 m apart. The δ ²H and δ ¹⁸O compositions of the fault-related inflow waters and the hydrodynamic responses of each fault inflow indicate that the groundwaters discharge from hydraulically isolated systems. ¹⁴C data indicate that the groundwaters are as much as 10,500 years old. Discharge temperatures are geothermal (≈30°C), which could indicate upwelling from depth. However, calculations of geothermal gradients, analysis of solute compositions of groundwater in potential host reservoirs, geothermometer calculations, and results of packer testing indicate that the fractured groundwater reservoir is the Rollins Sandstone (120 m thick) directly beneath the coal seams. The packer test also demonstrates that the methane gas is contained in the coal seams. A geothermal gradient of 70–80°C km⁻¹, related to an underlying intrusion, is probably responsible for the slightly elevated discharge temperatures. Large discharge volumes, as great as 8.2×10⁵m³ from the 14 South East Headgate fault (14 SEHG), rapid declines in discharge rates, and vertical and horizontal permeability (matrix permeability generally <0.006 Darcy) indicate fracture flow. An in-mine pumping test demonstrates that the 14 SEHG fault has excellent hydraulic communication with fractures 50 m from the fault. Aeromagnetic data indicate that the faults are tectonically related to an igneous body that is several thousand meters below the coal seams. Exploratory drilling has confirmed a fourth fault, and two additional faults are projected, based on the aeromagnetic data. The conceptual model describes a series of parallel, hydraulically separate groundwater systems associated with fault-specific damage zones. The faults are about 600 m apart. Groundwater stored in fractured sandstone is confined above and below by clayey layers. Received March 1999 / Revised, November 1999 / Accepted, December 1999     

National scale evaluation of groundwater chemistry in Korea coastal aquifers: evidences of seawater intrusion

Pollution of groundwater by seawater intrusion poses a threat to sustainable agriculture in the coastal areas of Korea. Therefore, seawater intrusion monitoring stations were installed in eastern, western, and southern coastal areas and have been operated since 1998. In this study, groundwater chemistry data obtained from the seawater intrusion monitoring stations during the period from 2007 to 2009 were analyzed and evaluated. Groundwater was classified into fresh (<1,500 μS/cm), brackish (1,500–3,000 μS/cm), and saline (>3,000 μS/cm) according to EC levels. Among groundwater samples (n = 233), 56, 7, and 37% were classified as the fresh, brackish, and saline, respectively. The major dissolved components of the brackish and saline groundwaters were enriched compared with those of the fresh groundwater. The enrichment of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ was especially noticeable due to seawater intrusion. Thus, the brackish and saline groundwaters were classified as Ca–Cl and Na–Cl types, while the fresh groundwater was classified as Na–HCO₃ and Ca–HCO₃ types. The groundwater included in the Na–Cl types indicated the effects of seawater mixing. Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, and Br⁻ showed good correlations with Cl⁻ of over r = 0.624. Of these components, the strong correlations of Mg²⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, and Br⁻ with Cl⁻ (r ≥ 0.823) indicated a distinct mixing between fresh groundwater and seawater. The Ca/Cl and HCO₃/Cl ratios of the groundwaters gradually decreased and approached those of seawater. The Mg/Cl, Na/Cl, K/Cl, SO₄/Cl, and Br/Cl ratios of the groundwaters gradually decreased, and were similar to or lower than those of seawater, indicating that Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, and Br⁻, as well as Cl⁻ in the saline groundwater can be enriched by seawater mixing, while Ca²⁺ and HCO₃ ⁻ are mainly released by weathering processes. The influence of seawater intrusion was evaluated using threshold values of Cl⁻ and Br⁻, which were estimated as 80.5 and 0.54 mg/L, respectively. According to these criteria, 41–50% of the groundwaters were affected by seawater mixing.     

Chemical and boron-isotope variations in tourmalines from an S-type granite and its source rocks: the Erongo granite and tourmalinites in the Damara Belt,Namibia

Tourmaline is widespread in metapelites and pegmatites from the Neoproterozoic Damara Belt, which form the basement and potential source rocks of the Cretaceous Erongo granite. This study traces the B-isotope variations in tourmalines from the basement, from the Erongo granite and from its hydrothermal stage. Tourmalines from the basement are alkali-deficient schorl-dravites, with B-isotope ratios typical for continental crust (δ¹¹B average −8.4‰ ± 1.4, n = 11; one sample at −13‰, n = 2). Virtually all tourmaline in the Erongo granite occurs in distinctive tourmaline-quartz orbicules. This “main-stage” tourmaline is alkali-deficient schorl (20–30% X-site vacancy, Fe/(Fe + Mg) 0.8–1), with uniform B-isotope compositions (δ¹¹B −8.7‰ ± 1.5, n = 49) that are indistinguishable from the basement average, suggesting that boron was derived from anatexis of the local basement rocks with no significant shift in isotopic composition. Secondary, hydrothermal tourmaline in the granite has a bimodal B-isotope distribution with one peak at about −9‰, like the main-stage tourmaline, and a second at −2‰. We propose that the tourmaline-rich orbicules formed late in the crystallization history from an immiscible Na–B–Fe-rich hydrous melt. The massive precipitation of orbicular tourmaline nearly exhausted the melt in boron and the shift of δ¹¹B to −2‰ in secondary tourmaline can be explained by Rayleigh fractionation after about 90% B-depletion in the residual fluid. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Fluid evolution at the Variscan front in the vicinity of the Aachen thrust

Quartz–carbonate–chlorite veins were studied in borehole samples of the RWTH-1 well in Aachen. Veins formed in Devonian rocks in the footwall of the Aachen thrust during Variscan deformation and associated fluid flow. Primary fluid inclusions indicate subsolvus unmixing of a homogenous H₂O–CO₂–CH₄–(N₂)–Na–(K)–Cl fluid into a H₂O–Na–(K)–Cl solution and a vapour-rich CO₂–(H₂O, CH₄, N₂) fluid. The aqueous end-member composition resembles that of metamorphic fluids of the Variscan front zone with salinities ranging from 4 to 7% NaCl equiv. and maximum homogenisation temperatures of close to 400°C. Pressure estimates indicate a burial depth between 4,500 and 8,000 m at geothermal gradients between 50 and 75°C/26 MPa, but pressure decrease to sublithostatic conditions is also indicated, probably as a consequence of fracture opening during episodic seismic activity. A second fluid system, mainly preserved in pseudo-secondary and secondary fluid inclusions, is characterised by fluid temperatures between 200 and 250°C and salinities of <5% NaCl equiv. Bulk stable isotope analyses of fluids released from vein quartz, calcite, and dolomite by decrepitation yielded δD_H2O values from −89 to −113 ‰, δ¹³C_CH4 from −26.9 to −28.9‰ (VPDB) and δ¹³C_CO2 from −12.8 to −23.3‰ (VPDB). The low δD and δ¹³C range of the fluids is considered to be due to interaction with cracked hydrocarbons. The second fluid influx caused partial isotope exchange and disequilibrium. It is envisaged that an initial short lived flux of hot metamorphic fluids expelled from the epizonal metamorphic domains of the Stavelot–Venn massif. The metamorphic fluid was focused along major thrust faults of the Variscan front zone such as the Aachen thrust. A second fluid influx was introduced from formation waters in the footwall of the Aachen thrust as a consequence of progressive deformation. Mixing of the cooler and lower salinity formation water with the hot metamorphic fluid during episodic fluid trapping resulted in an evolving range of physicochemical fluid inclusion characteristics.     

Experimental study of migration of potassium ion through a two-layer soil system

A barrier system based on the hydraulic trap design concept for a landfill was proposed. To study the field scenario in which a clay liner is underlain by a granular layer functioning as a secondary leachate drain layer, a laboratory advection–diffusion test was performed to investigate factors controlling the transport of contaminants in a two-layer soil system. The soils used for this study were Ariake clay and, the underlying layer, Shirasu soil from the Kyushu region of Japan. Potassium (K⁺) was selected as the target chemical species with an initial concentration of 905 mg L⁻¹. The effective diffusion coefficients (D _e) of K⁺ for Ariake clay and Shirasu soil were back-calculated using an available computer program, Pollute V 6.3. Values of D _e derived from this experiment are consistent with previously published ones. The Ariake clay has lower D _e than the Shirasu soil. The hypothesis that mechanical dispersion can be considered negligible is reasonable based on both the observation that the predicted values well fit the experimental data and the analyses of two dimensionless parameters. Parametric analyses show that transport of K⁺ through soils is controlled by advection–diffusion rather than diffusion only, whereas at low Darcy velocity (i.e., ≤10⁻⁹ m s⁻¹), transport of K⁺ will be controlled by diffusion. Applications of the test results and parametric analysis results in practical situations were reviewed.     

Fluid Inclusion Studies of Gold Deposits in the Gezhen Shear Zone,Hainan Province,China

The Tuwaishan, Baoban, Erjia, Bumo and other gold deposits in western Hainan occur in Precambrian metamorphic clastic rocks and are structurally controlled by the Gezhen shear zone. Fluid inclusion studies have been carried out of the gold deposits mentioned above. The homogenization temperatures of the whole fluid inclusion population range from 140°C to 370°C, indicating that gold was precipitated mainly at 240–250°C. The salinities are within the range of 2.0–9.2 wt% NaCl equiv. and the pressure of formation of the deposits was estimated at about 270×10⁵−500×10⁵Pa, corresponding to a depth of about 1.1–2.0 km under lithostatic confinement. Chemical studies show that the ore fluid is of the Na⁺(K⁺)-Ca²⁺-Cl⁻(F⁻) type. Theδ ¹⁸O andδD values of the fluid vary from −2.7‰- +4.4‰ and −50‰–−87‰ Evidence developed from fluid inclusions and geological setting indicates that the ore fluid was a mixture of magmatic and meteoric-hydrothermal waters. Changes in chemical composition andδ ¹⁸O andδD of fluid inclusions from one ore field to another seem to be related with regional tectonism, metamorphism and magmatism.     

Spatial and Temporal Variation of a Cyclonic Eddy Detected Downstream of the Tsushima Islands in November 2007

Horizontal, vertical and temporal distribution of a cyclonic (counterclockwise) eddy, where biological productivity is high, downstream of the Tsushima Islands in the eastern channel of the Tsushima Straits in November 2007 was revealed using conductivity–temperature–depth and acoustic Doppler current profiler data. The eddy had a horizontal scale of approximately 40–60 km, and the accompanying baroclinic current was more than 15 cm s⁻¹ at the edge of the eddy. The island-induced cyclonic eddy moved east-northeastward at about 10 km day⁻¹ (∼10 cm s⁻¹) along the Tsushima Warm Current and was intensified by the barotropic instability in the current shear. The cyclonic eddy with high surface chlorophyll a concentrations intensified in the vicinity of the Tsushima Islands and was advected by the Tsushima Warm Current towards the southwestern Japan Sea.     

Thermal lines of methanol towards bipolar outflows

Observations of 26 regions of low-mass star formation and 17 regions of massive star formation in the 5₋₁-4₀ E, 7₀-6₁ A ⁺, 8₀-7₁ A ⁺, and 2_K-1_K methanol lines at 44.1, 84.5, 95.2 GHz, and 96.7 GHz yielded detections of methanol emission in 11 low-mass and 12 high-mass regions. The strongest lines in the low-mass regions were found towards bipolar outflows driven by Class 0 protostars with luminosities higher than or of the order of 10 L _⊙. These lines usually consist of cores 1–2 km s⁻¹ in width, which are emitted by quiescent gas, and broader wings, emitted by gas accelerated by high-velocity jets. The temperature of the accelerated gas derived from rotational diagrams and statistical equilibrium calculations is roughly 20–50 K. This means that a significant fraction of the accelerated gas cools to such temperatures. The widths of the lines detected in the massive star-forming regions are 2–3 km s⁻¹ or higher. Weak, broad wings were found towards only two sources: L1287 and AFGL5142. For most sources, the statistical-equilibrium calculations yielded gas temperatures of about 20–30 K and densities of about 10⁴–10⁶ cm⁻³, which are typical for warm clouds. However, different transitions emit in regions with different physical conditions located within the main beam of the telescope. Most of the 96.7 GHz emission arises in warm gas with kinetic temperatures of about 30 K, while most of the 95.2 GHz emission may arise in hot regions around Young Stellar Objects and/or be related to the wings of bipolar outflows. Published in Russian in Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2007, Vol. 84, No. 1, pp. 48–59. The article was translated by the author.     

Influence of hydrogeochemical processes on temporal changes in groundwater quality in a part of Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India

Geochemical processes that take place in the aquifer have played a major role in spatial and temporal variations of groundwater quality. This study was carried out with an objective of identifying the hydrogeochemical processes that controls the groundwater quality in a weathered hard rock aquifer in a part of Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Groundwater samples were collected from 45 wells once every 2 months from March 2008 to September 2009. Chemical parameters of groundwater such as groundwater level, EC and pH were measured insitu. The major ion concentrations such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, and SO₄ ²⁻ were analyzed using ion chromatograph. CO₃ ⁻ and HCO₃ ⁻ concentration was determined by acid–base titration. The abundance of major cation concentration in groundwater is as Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ while that of anions is HCO₃ ⁻ > SO₄ ²⁻ > Cl⁻ > CO₃ ⁻. Ca–HCO₃, Na–Cl, Ca–Na–HCO₃ and Ca–Mg–Cl are the dominant groundwater types in this area. Relation between temporal variation in groundwater level and saturation index of minerals reveals the evaporation process. The ion-exchange process controls the concentration of ions such as calcium, magnesium and sodium. The ionic ratio of Ca/Mg explains the contribution of calcite and dolomite to groundwater. In general, the geochemical processes and temporal variation of groundwater in this area are influenced by evaporation processes, ion exchange and dissolution of minerals.     

Correlation of hydraulic conductivity with stratigraphy in a fractured-dolomite aquifer, northeastern Wisconsin, USA

This study integrated surface and subsurface stratigraphic data with geophysical logs and hydrogeologic data in order to characterize the hydraulic properties of the Silurian dolomite in northeastern Wisconsin. Silurian stratigraphy consists of predictable alternations of characteristic facies associations. A vertical profile of hydraulic conductivity, obtained from short-interval packer tests in a core hole that penetrates a majority of the Silurian section, indicates that hydraulic conductivity ranges over five orders of magnitude (10^–1 to 10^–6 cm/s). Matrix conductivity is generally low and varies with texture; the finer-grained restricted-marine and transitional facies being less permeable than the coarser-grained open-marine facies. High-conductivity values are generally associated with bedding-plane fractures, and fracture frequency is greater in the restricted-marine facies. High-flow features in 16 wells were identified using fluid-temperature/resistivity and heat-pulse flowmeter logs. Natural-gamma logs were used to identify the stratigraphic position of flow features in each well and to correlate flow features to specific stratigraphic horizons. By combining stratigraphic, geophysical, and hydrogeologic data, 14 high-permeability zones within the Silurian aquifer have been identified and correlated in wells more than 16 km apart. These zones parallel bedding, appear most pronounced at contacts between contrasting lithologies, and are most abundant in restricted-marine lithologies. Electronic Publication     

Physicochemical Conditions of Differential Mineralization of Au and As in Gold Deposits,Southwest Guizhou Province,China

The conditions under which gold and arsenic are enriched separately during mineralization in gold deposits in southwestern Guizhou Province were described and the thermodynamic calculations gave: 200–150°C at 400 × 10⁻⁶ -300 × 10⁶ Pa (corresponding to a depth between 1.6 km and 1.2 km); lgf o₂,−40 to -35 Pa; lgf s₂, -20 to−16 Pa; pH 5.0 -4.2 and Eh -0.53 V. This project was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Open Lab. of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Pressure–volume–temperature equation of state of andradite and grossular, by high-pressure and -temperature powder diffraction

 The thermoelastic parameters of natural andradite and grossular have been investigated by high-pressure and -temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, at ESRF, on the ID30 beamline. The P–V–T data have been fitted by Birch-Murnaghan-like EOSs, using both the approximated and the general form. We have obtained for andradite K ₀=158.0(±1.5) GPa, (dK/dT )₀=−0.020(3) GPa K⁻¹ and α₀=31.6(2) 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹, and for grossular K ₀=168.2(±1.7) GPa, (dK/dT)₀=−0.016(3) GPa K⁻¹ and α₀=27.8(2) 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. Comparisons between the present issues and thermoelastic properties of garnets earlier determined are carried out. Received: 7 July 2000 / Accepted: 20 October 2000     

High-temperature study and thermal expansion of phlogopite

 Unit-cell dimensions of a natural phlogopite from Pargas, Finland, have been determined in the temperature interval of 27–1050 °C by X-ray powder diffraction technique. Expansion rates vary discontinuously with temperature with a break at 412 °C. Below this temperature, the linear expansions (α) for a, b and c axis lengths are 3.74 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, 1.09 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, and 1.19 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, respectively, and above that they are 0.86 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, 0.80 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, and 1.93 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹. The volume thermal expansion coefficients are 6.26 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and 3.71 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ for low-temperature and high-temperature intervals, respectively. The observed kink in the rate of thermal expansions with temperature could be due to the different mode of structural changes. Thermogravimetric analysis of the sample indicates the oxidation of iron in the temperature range of 500–600 °C and dehydroxylation as well as decomposition of phlogopite in the temperature range of 900–1200 °C. Received: 8 September 1998 / Accepted: 28 February 2000     

Thermal equations of state of dioctahedral micas on the join muscovite–paragonite

 Powder diffraction measurements at simultaneous high pressure and temperature on samples of 2M1 polytype of muscovite (Ms) and paragonite (Pg) were performed at the beamline ID30 of ESRF (Grenoble), using the Paris-Edinburgh cell. The bulk moduli of Ms, calculated from the least-squares fitting of V–P data on each isotherm using a second-order Birch–Murnaghan EoS, were: 57.0(6), 55.1(7), 51.1(7) and 48.9(5) GPa on the isotherms at 298, 573, 723 and 873 K, respectively. The value of (∂K _T /∂T) was −0.0146(2) GPa K⁻¹. The thermal expansion coefficient α varied from 35.7(3) × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at P ambient to 20.1(3) × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at P = 4 GPa [(∂α/∂P) _T = −3.9(1) × 10⁻⁶ GPa⁻¹ K⁻¹]. The corresponding values for Pg on the isotherms at 298, 723 and 823 K were: bulk moduli 59.9(5), 55.7(6) and 53.8(7) GPa, (∂K _T /∂T) −0.0109(1) GPa K⁻¹. The thermal expansion coefficient α varied from 44.1(2) × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at P ambient to 32.5(2) × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at P = 4 GPa [(∂α/∂P) _T = −2.9(1) × 10⁻⁶ GPa⁻¹ K⁻¹]. Thermoelastic coefficients showed that Pg is stiffer than Ms; Ms softens more rapidly than Pg upon heating; thermal expansion is greater and its variation with pressure is smaller in Pg than in Ms. Received: 28 January 2002 / Accepted: 5 April 2002     

Salinization properties of a shallow groundwater in a coastal reclaimed area,Yeonggwang, Korea

The need for more agricultural or residential land has encouraged reclamation at the coastal areas of Korea since 1200 ad (approximately). The groundwaters of these reclaimed areas could be expected to reveal hydrogeochemical properties different from those of areas directly affected by seawater intrusion. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the salinization of shallow groundwater in a coastal reclaimed area and to identify the effect of land reclamation on groundwater quality. Major cations and anions, iodide, total organic carbon, δD, δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C were measured to assist the hydrogeochemical analysis. Chloride, δD and δ ¹⁸O data clearly show that the Na–Cl type water results from mixing of groundwater with seawater. In particular, the δD and δ ¹⁸O of Ca+Mg–Cl+NO₃ type groundwaters are close to the meteoric water line, but Na–Cl type waters enriched in chloride are ¹⁸O-enriched with respect to the meteoric water line. Meanwhile, carbon isotopic data and I/Cl ratios strongly suggest that there are various sources of salinity. The δ ¹³C values of Na–Cl type groundwaters are generally similar to those of Ca+Mg–Cl+NO₃ type waters, which are depleted in ¹³C with respect to seawater. I/Cl ratios of Na–Cl type groundwater are 10–100 times higher than that of seawater. Because the reclamation has incorporated a large amount of organic matter, it provides optimum conditions for the occurrence of redox processes in the groundwater system. Therefore, the salinization of groundwater in the study area seems to be controlled not only by saltwater intrusion but also by other effects, such as those caused by residual salts and organic matter in the reclaimed sediments.     

Superdense CO2 inclusions in Cretaceous quartz–stibnite veins hosted in low-grade Variscan basement of the Western Carpathians, Slovakia

CO₂ inclusions with density up to 1,197 kg m⁻³ occur in quartz–stibnite veins hosted in the low-grade Palaeozoic basement of the Gemericum tectonic unit in the Western Carpathians. Raman microanalysis corroborated CO₂ as dominant gas species accompanied by small amounts of nitrogen (<7.3 mol%) and methane (<2.5 mol%). The superdense CO₂ phase exsolved from an aqueous bulk fluid at temperatures of 183–237°C and pressures between 1.6 and 3.5 kbar, possibly up to 4.5 kbar. Low thermal gradients (∼12–13°C km⁻¹) and the CO₂–CH₄–N₂ fluid composition rule out a genetic link with the subjacent Permian granites and indicate an external, either metamorphogenic (oxidation of siderite, dedolomitization) or lower crustal/mantle, source of the ore-forming fluids.According to microprobe U–Pb–Th dating of monazite, the stibnite-bearing veins formed during early Cretaceous thrusting of the Gemeric basement over the adjacent Veporic unit. The 15- to 18-km depth of burial estimated from the fluid inclusion trapping PT parameters indicates a 8- to 11-km-thick Upper Palaeozoic–Jurassic accretionary complex overlying the Gemeric basement and its Permo-Triassic autochthonous cover.     

The relationship between hydrodynamic properties and weathering of soils derived from volcanic rocks,Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

The aim of this interdisciplinary study is to examine a component of the hydrological cycle in Galapagos by characterizing soil properties. Nine soil profiles were sampled on two islands. Their physical and hydrodynamic properties were analyzed, along with their mineralogical composition. Two groups of soils were identified, with major differences between them. The first group consists of soils located in the highlands (>350 m a.s.l.), characterized by low hydraulic conductivity (<10⁻⁵ m s⁻¹) and low porosity (<25%). These soils are thick (several meters) and homogeneous without coarse components. Their clay fraction is considerable and dominated by gibbsite. The second group includes soils located in the low parts of the islands (<300 m a.s.l.). These soils are characterized by high hydraulic conductivity (>10⁻³ m s⁻¹) and high porosity (>35%). The structure of these soils is heterogeneous and includes coarse materials. The physical properties of the soils are in good agreement with the variations of the rainfall according to the elevation, which appears as the main factor controlling the soil development. The clayey alteration products constrain soils physical and hydrodynamic properties by reducing the porosity and consequently the permeability and also by increasing water retention.     

Spatial structure of hydrography and flow in a Chilean fjord,Estuario Reloncaví

Underway current velocity profiles were combined with temperature and salinity profiles at fixed stations to describe tidal and subtidal flow patterns in the middle of the northernmost Chilean fjord, Estuario Reloncaví. This is the first study involving current velocity measurements in this fjord. Reloncaví fjord is 55 km long, 2 km wide, and on average is 170 m deep. Measurements concentrated around a marked bend of the coastline, where an 8-km along-fjord transect was sampled during a semidiurnal tidal cycle in March 2002 and a 2-km cross-fjord transect was occupied, also during a semidiurnal cycle, in May 2004. The fjord hydrography showed a relatively thin (<5 m deep), continuously stratified, buoyant layer with stratification values >4 kg m⁻³ per meter of depth. Below this thin layer, the water was relatively homogeneous. Semidiurnal tidal currents had low amplitudes (<10 cm s⁻¹) that allowed the persistence of a surface front throughout the tidal cycle. The front oscillated with a period of ca. 2.5 h and showed excursions of 2 km. The front oscillations could have been produced by a lateral seiche that corresponds to the natural period of oscillation across the fjord. This front could have also caused large (2 h) phase lags in the semidiurnal tidal currents, from one end of the transect to the other, within the buoyant layer. Tidal phases were relatively uniform underneath this buoyant layer. Subtidal flows showed a 3-layer pattern consisting of a surface layer (8 m thick, of 5 cm s⁻¹ surface outflow), an intermediate layer (70 m thick, of 3 cm s⁻¹ net inflow), and a bottom layer (below 80 m depth, of 3 cm s⁻¹ net outflow). The surface outflow and, to a certain extent, the inflow layer were related to the buoyant water interacting with the ambient oceanic water. The inflowing layer and the bottom outflow were attributed to nonlinear effects associated with a tidal wave that reflects at the fjord's head. The weak subtidal currents followed the morphology of the bend and caused downwelling on the inside and upwelling on the outside part of the bend.