Petrogenesis of Sierra Nevada plutons inferred from the Sr, Nd, and O isotopic signatures of mafic igneous complexes in Yosemite Valley, California

Mafic complexes in the central Sierra Nevada batholith record valuable geochemical information regarding the role mafic magmas play in arc magmatism and the generation of continental crust. In the intrusive suite of Yosemite Valley, major and trace element compositions of the hornblende-bearing gabbroic rocks from the Rockslides mafic complex and of the mafic dikes in the North America Wall are compositionally similar to high-alumina basalt. Of these rocks, two samples have higher Ni and Cr abundances as well as higher ε_Nd values than previously recognized for the intrusive suite. Plagioclase crystals in rocks from the North America Wall and the Rockslides have prominent calcic cores and sharply defined sodic rims, a texture commonly associated with mixing of mafic and felsic magmas. In situ analyses of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in plagioclase show no significant isotopic difference from the cores to the rims of these grains. We propose that the high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (~0.7067) and low ε_Nd (~?3.4) of bulk rocks, the homogeneity of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in plagioclase, and the high δ¹⁸O values of bulk rocks (6.6–7.3 ‰) and zircon (Lackey et al. in J Petrol 49:1397–1426, 2008) demonstrate that continental crust was assimilated into the sublithospheric mantle-derived basaltic precursors of the mafic rocks in Yosemite Valley. Contamination (20–40 %) likely occurred in the lower crust as the magma differentiated to high-alumina basalt prior to plagioclase (and zircon) crystallization. As a consequence, the isotopic signatures recorded by whole rocks, plagioclase, and zircon do not represent the composition of the underlying lithospheric mantle. We conclude that the mafic and associated felsic members of the intrusive suite of Yosemite Valley represent 60–80 % new additions to the crust and include significant quantities of recycled ancient crust.     

Lithium isotope systematics of lavas from the Cook–Austral Islands: Constraints on the origin of HIMU mantle

Radiogenic isotope variations in lavas from the Cook–Austral volcanic chain have delineated three distinct mantle sources: a HIMU component, a depleted component (DM), and an enriched component (EM). To better constrain the mantle sources for South Pacific hot spot volcanism, we determined lithium isotopic compositions of lavas from Raivavae, Rapa, Mangaia and Tubuai of the volcanic chain. The study includes whole rock and mineral analyses. In general, δ⁷Li of most olivines resemble bulk rock composition whereas clinopyroxenes are variably lighter. This implies that clinopyroxene is more susceptible to diffusion-induced fractionation, in agreement with previous studies. Olivine δ⁷Li values span a narrower range than whole rock values, and do not extend to the very heavy compositions previously reported in HIMU bulk lavas. This discrepancy likely reflects alteration of bulk lavas, and suggests that Li-isotope analyses of bulk lavas should be interpreted with caution. Olivines from HIMU lavas have heavy δ⁷Li values (up to 6.2‰), and extend beyond the range reported for fresh MORB. Correlations between Li-isotopes and radiogenic isotopes suggest that the heavy δ⁷Li values in HIMU olivines are a source characteristic and not the result of post-magmatic alteration. Although the Li-isotope composition of recycled, dehydrated oceanic crust is currently under debate, our results suggest that HIMU lavas derive from a source containing recycled dehydrated oceanic crust, and that the “heavy” Li-isotope signature of altered oceanic crust is partially preserved during passage through the subduction factory.     

Characterization of magnetite particles in shocked quartz by means of electron- and magnetic force microscopy: Vredefort, South Africa

Submicroscopic opaque particles from highly shocked granite-gneisses close to the core of the Vredefort impact structure have been investigated by means of micro-analytical techniques with high spatial resolution such as electron diffraction, orientation contrast imagery and magnetic force microscopy. The opaque particles have been identified as nano- to micro-sized magnetite that occur in several distinct modes. In one sample magnetite occurs along relict planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz, generally accepted as typical shock lamellae. The magnetite particles along shock lamellae in quartz grains virtually all show uniform crystallographic orientations. In most instances, the groups of magnetite within different quartz grains are systematically misorientated such that they share a subparallel <101> direction. The magnetite groups of all measured quartz grains thus appear to have a crystallographic preferred orientation in space. In a second sample, orientations of magnetite particles have been measured in microfractures (non-diagnostic of shock) of quartz, albite and in the alteration halos, (e.g. biotite grains breaking down to chlorite). The crystallographic orientations of magnetite particles are diverse, with only a minor portion having a preferred orientation. Scanning electron microscopy shows that magnetite along the relict PDFs is invariably associated with other microcrystalline phases such as quartz, K-feldspar and biotite. Petrographic observations suggest that these microcrystalline phases crystallized from locally formed micro-melts that intruded zones of weakness such as microfractures and PDFs shortly after the shock event. The extremely narrow widths of the PDFs suggest that heat may have dissipated rapidly resulting in melts crystallizing relatively close to where they were generated. Magnetic force microscopy confirms the presence of magnetic particles along PDFs. The smallest particles, <5 μm with high aspect ratios 15:1 usually exhibit intense, uniform magnetic signals characteristic of single-domain magnetite. Consistent offsets between attractive and repulsive magnetic signals of individual single-domain particles suggest consistent directions of magnetization for a large proportion of particles. Received: 16 November 1998 / Accepted: 17 May 1999     

Paleoenvironmental and Human Behavioral Implications of the Boegoeberg 1 Late Pleistocene Hyena Den, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Boegoeberg 1 (BOG1) is located on the Atlantic coast of South Africa, 850 km north of Cape Town. The site is a shallow rock shelter in the side of a sand-choked gully that was emptied by diamond miners. Abundant coprolites, chewed bones, and partially digested bones implicate hyenas as the bone accumulators. The location of the site, quantity of bones, and composition of the fauna imply it was a brown hyena nursery den. The abundance of Cape fur seal bones shows that the hyenas had ready access to the coast. Radiocarbon dates place the site before 37,000 ¹⁴C yr ago, while the large average size of the black-backed jackals and the presence of extralimital ungulates imply cool, moist conditions, probably during the early part of the last glaciation (isotope stage 4 or stage 3 before 37,000 ¹⁴C yr ago) or perhaps during one of the cooler phases (isotope substages 5d or 5b) within the last interglaciation. Comparisons of the BOG1 seal bones to those from regional Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) archeological sites suggest (1) that hyena and human seal accumulations can be distinguished by a tendency for vertebrae to be much more common in a hyena accumulation and (2) that hyena and LSA accumulations can be distinguished by a tendency for hyena-accumulated seals to represent a much wider range of individual seal ages. Differences in the way hyenas and people dismember, transport, and consume seal carcasses probably explain the contrast in skeletal part representation, while differences in season of occupation explain the contrast in seal age representation. Like modern brown hyenas, the BOG1 hyenas probably occupied the coast year-round, while the LSA people focused their coastal visits on the August–October interval when nine-to-eleven-month-old seals were abundant. The MSA sample from Klasies River Mouth Cave 1 resembles BOG1 in seal age composition, suggesting that unlike LSA people, MSA people obtained seals more or less throughout the year.     

Compartmentalisation and groundwater–surface water interactions in a prospective shale gas basin: Assessment using variance analysis and multivariate statistics on water quality data

An environmental concern with hydraulic fracturing for shale gas is the risk of groundwater and surface water contamination. Assessing this risk partly involves the identification and understanding of groundwater–surface water interactions because potentially contaminating fluids could move from one water body to the other along hydraulic pathways. In this study, we use water quality data from a prospective shale gas basin to determine: if surface water sampling could identify groundwater compartmentalisation by low-permeability faults; and if surface waters interact with groundwater in underlying bedrock formations, thereby indicating hydraulic pathways. Variance analysis showed that bedrock geology was a significant factor influencing surface water quality, indicating regional-scale groundwater–surface water interactions despite the presence of an overlying region-wide layer of superficial deposits averaging 30–40 m thickness. We propose that surface waters interact with a weathered bedrock layer through the complex distribution of glaciofluvial sands and gravels. Principal component analysis showed that surface water compositions were constrained within groundwater end-member compositions. Surface water quality data showed no relationship with groundwater compartmentalisation known to be caused by a major basin fault. Therefore, there was no chemical evidence to suggest that deeper groundwater in this particular area of the prospective basin was reaching the surface in response to compartmentalisation. Consequently, in this case compartmentalisation does not appear to increase the risk of fracking-related contaminants reaching surface waters, although this may differ under different hydrogeological scenarios.     

Storm response of a mixed sand gravel beach ridge plain under falling relative sea levels: A stratigraphic investigation using ground penetrating radar

Beach ridge stratigraphy can provide an important record of both sustained coastal progradation and responses to events such as extreme storms, as well as evidence of earthquake induced sediment pulses. This study is a stratigraphic investigation of the late Holocene mixed sand gravel (MSG) beach ridge plain on the Canterbury coast, New Zealand. The subsurface was imaged along a 370 m shore-normal transect using 100 and 200 MHz ground penetrating radar (GPR) antennae, and cored to sample sediment textures. Results show that, seaward of a back-barrier lagoon, the Pegasus Bay beach ridge plain prograded almost uniformly, under conditions of relatively stable sea level. Nearshore sediment supply appears to have created a sustained sediment surplus, perhaps as a result of post-seismic sediment pulses, resulting in a flat, morphologically featureless beach ridge plain. Evidence of a high magnitude storm provides an exception, with an estimated event return period in excess of 100 years. Evidence from the GPR sequence combined with modern process observations from MSG beaches indicates that a palaeo-storm initially created a washover fan into the back-barrier lagoon, with a large amount of sediment simultaneously moved off the beach face into the nearshore. This erosion event resulted in a topographic depression still evident today. In the subsequent recovery period, sediment was reworked by swash onto the beach as a sequence of berm deposit laminations, creating an elevated beach ridge that also has a modern-day topographic signature. As sediment supply returned to normal, and under conditions of falling sea level, a beach ridge progradation sequence accumulated seaward of the storm feature out to the modern-day beach as a large flat, uniform progradation plain. This study highlights the importance of extreme storm events and earthquake pulses on MSG coastlines in triggering high volume beach ridge formation during the subsequent recovery period. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface melt-driven seasonal behaviour (englacial and subglacial) from a soft-bedded temperate glacier recorded by in situ wireless probes

We investigate the spatial and temporal englacial and subglacial processes associated with a temperate glacier resting on a deformable bed using the unique Glacsweb wireless in situ probes (embedded in the ice and the till) combined with other techniques [including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and borehole analysis]. During the melt season (spring, summer and autumn), high surface melt leads to high water pressures in the englacial and subglacial environment. Winter is characterized by no surface melting on most days (‘base’) apart from a series of positive degree days. Once winter begins, a diurnal water pressure cycle is established in the ice and at the ice/sediment interface, with direct meltwater inputs from the positive degree days and a secondary slower englacial pathway with a five day lag. This direct surface melt also drives water pressure changes in the till. Till deformation occurred throughout the year, with the winter rate approximately 60% that of the melt season. We were able to show the bed comprised patches of till with different strengths, and were able to estimate their size, relative percentage and temporal stability. We show that the melt season is characterized by a high pressure distributed system, and winter by a low pressure channelized system. We contrast this with studies from Greenland (overlying rigid bedrock), where the opposite was found. We argue our results are typical of soft bedded glaciers with low englacial water content, and suggest this type of glacier can rapidly respond to surface-driven melt. Based on theoretical and field results we suggest that the subglacial hydrology comprises a melt season distributed system dominated by wide anastomosing broad flat channels and thin water sheets, which may become more channelized in winter, and more responsive to changes in meltwater inputs. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Subglacial comminution in the deforming bed: Inferences from SEM analysis

This study investigates the variations in erosional processes beneath Briksdalsbreen; a Norwegian valley glacier, with a thin coarse grained deforming bed. The subglacial zone was investigated in situ, close to the central glacial flow line (Site A) and close to the valley wall (Site B), via boreholes. The till was collected using two different sediment samplers and the bed was examined using a borehole video camera. In order to evaluate how representative borehole sampling was of the subglacial environment, the results from in situ subglacial samples were compared with random samples taken from an exposed subglacial surface in the glacier foreland, as well as a sample taken from the site after glacier retreat. The results indicated that the texture of the exposed subglacial surface was similar to in situ samples from subglacial Site B (close to the valley wall), and that the samples collected with the ‘small’ sediment sampler had the closest fit. SEM analysis revealed eroded quartz grains at both sites as a result of rotation (abrasion) and fracture. The samples from close to the valley wall were very poorly sorted, with evidence for rounding and preservation of pre-weathered surfaces, which suggest that a relatively simple pattern of erosion from crushing to rotation dominated. However, the till from the centre of the glacier was better sorted, more angular, and with few pre-weathered surfaces. We suggest that this results from a more complex glacial erosional history associated with greater strain and longer residence time within the deforming layer. When compared with other deformation tills, it was confirmed that there is a relationship between grain size and erosional style. Clay-rich tills show little comminution, fine sand-rich tills generate a significant silt component, whilst the coarse sand-rich tills at Briksdalsbreen showed complex deformational styles but no significant silt component.     

THE IMPACT OF A DIAGNOSTIC CLOUD SCHEME ON FORECASTS WITH A GLOBAL ATMOSPHERE MODEL

Experiments were conducted to test the impact of a cloud diagnosis scheme in place of prescribed zonalaverage cloud on medium and long range integrations with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology ResearchCentre(BMRC)global atmosphere model.The cloud scheme was shown to improve the temperature bias inthe lower troposphere but there was deterioration in the upper troposphere,especially in the tropics,asso-ciated with underestimation of high cloud amount.Thirty day mean fields in a January integration showed greater amplitude in the Northern Hemisphereplanetary waves and a deeper Antarctic circumpolar trough than the control experiment or a simulation withno cloud.The results for the diagnosed cloud case agree more closely with corresponding observed fields.There was also some reduction in the zonal average zonal wind component reflecting the additional zonalasymmetry introduced by the diagnostic cloud scheme.Similar trends were also noted in medium and longrange forecasts for January and July conditions,although the impact on predictive skill was slight and insome cases detrimental.Areas for improving the diagnostic cloud scheme are noted.