Application of new thermodynamic data to grossular phase relations

Recent low temperature, adiabatic calorimetric heat capacity measurements for grossular have been combined with DSC measurements to give entropies up to 1000 K. In conjunction with enthalpy of solution values for grossular, these data have yielded H _f ^o (298.15K) and G _f ^o (298.15K) values of –1583.2 ± 3.5 and –1496.74 ± 3.7 kcal mol^–1 respectively. For 15 reactions in the CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O system, thermodynamically calculated P-T curves have been compared with experimental reversals and have shown good agreement in most cases. Calculations indicate that gehlenite is probably totally disordered. Estimates of zoisite and lawsonite entropies are consistent with the phase equilibrium and grossular data, but estimates of the entropies of pyrope and andradite show large discrepancies when compared with experimental reversals.Contribution no. 600 from the Mineralogical Laboratory, The Department of Geology and Mineralogy, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA     

Differential rotation of short-lived solar filaments

We have measured the rotation rate of short-lived solar filaments as a function of their latitude. The resulting rotation curve appears to be somewhat flatter than the corresponding curve for long-lived filaments.     

Felsic lavas or rheomorphic ignimbrites: is there a chemical distinction?

In the environment of felsic magma generation associated with continental flood basalt (CFB) provinces there is a close association between magma composition, phenocryst assemblage, temperature and eruption mechanism. In this paper we propose that by examining the chemical composition and, in particular the high field strength element (Zr and Nb) contents of the high silica rocks, we can identify those that contained halogen-rich volatiles and which degassed at different levels (deep versus shallow). The degassing depth has a direct influence on the type of eruption, with shallow degassing promoting explosive rather than effusive behaviour and consequentially the former is more likely to give rise to ignimbrites. Thus, we can infer likely eruption mechanisms, as high concentrations of F and Cl dramatically decrease magma viscosities and should favour deep degassing and hence promote lava effusion rather than explosive pyroclastic eruption. This hypothesis is tested by constraining the other possible variables which have an effect on the mode of eruption, and by examining the nature and composition of melt and fluid inclusions in quartz from CFB-associated felsic volcanic rocks.     

Stereotypical Constructions of the Maori ‘Race’ in the Media1

Since the colonisation of Aotearoa / New Zealand by Pakeha, Maori have been stereotypically imagined as the Black Other. One of the principal mechanisms for the continued perpetuation of this racialised discourse is the representation of ‘race’ through stereotypes in the media. ‘New’ cultural geography provides a theoretical foundation to interrogate stereotypical (re)formations of Maori identity. I conclude that the use of the stereotype in the (re)formation of Maori identity further demarcates and constrains Maori within the perennial position of the Black Other. Only through a retheorisation of difference (which moves beyond the construction of the Maori ‘race’ through stereotypes), can the impact of racialisation be effectively resisted.     

The extrapolation of elastic moduli to high pressure and temperature

The elastic constants of a crystal under stress, defined as the second derivative of the crystal free energy with respect to strain, require a correction related to the static pressure at non-zero pressures. The corrections required for the elastic constants calculated by the free energy minimisation code PARAPOCS are described and tested by comparison with the elastic constants calculated numerically by applying small stresses in the appropriate orientations to simulated crystals of fluorite, forsterite, α-quartz and albite. The corrected elastic constants are then used to investigate the extrapolation of the bulk and shear moduli (and hence also the seismic wave velocities V _p and V _s) of β-spinel and forsterite to upper mantle pressures. A Murnaghan equation, thirdorder Eulerian finite strain equation, second order polynomial equation and a logistic equation were all fitted to the simulated bulk and shear moduli between 0 and 3 GPa pressure. The parameters derived for these equations are used to extrapolate the bulk and shear moduli to 14 GPa and the results are compared to the simulated high pressure moduli. Over this pressure range, the second order polynomial provides the best extrapolation of the bulk modulus, but the use of the logistic equation results in the best extrapolation of the shear modulus.     

Stability of phlogopite-quartz and sanidine-quartz: A model for melting in the lower crust

The melting of phlogopite-quartz and sanidine-quartz under vapor-absent conditions and in the presence of H₂O-CO₂ vapor have been determined from 5–20 kbar. In the lower crust (P=6–10 kbar), phlogopite + quartz melts incongruently to enstatite + liquid at temperatures as low as 710° C in the presence of H₂O. When the activity of water is sufficiently reduced by addition of CO₂, phlogopite + quartz undergoes a dehydration reaction to enstatite + sanidine + vapor, for example at 790±10° C, 5 kbar, with \(X_{H_2 O}^V\) =0.35. In the absence of vapor, phlogopite + quartz is stable up to a maximum temperature of 900° C in the crust; at higher temperatures this assemblage melts incongruently to enstatite + sanidine + liquid. The melting of sanidine-quartz in the presence of H₂O-CO₂ vapor shows marked topological differences from melting in the system albite-H₂O-CO₂, and as a result, apparent activity coefficients for water calculated from sanidine-quartz H₂O-CO₂ are less than those calculated from albite-H₂O-CO₂ by up to a factor of five. These data shed light on anatexis in the lower crust, but uncertainties related to ordering of Al and Si in natural and synthetic micas forestall a more rigorous analysis. Nevertheless, maximum temperatures for some granulite terranes can be established.     

Measurements of the HONO photodissociation constant

Measurements of the photodissociation constant for nitrous acid (j _HONO) were made at an urban site in Toronto, Canada, during the months of May–July 2005, using an optically thin actinometer. Operating details of the j _HONO monitor are reported, along with laboratory tests. Measurements of j _HONO were obtained for solar zenith angles ranging from 20–75^∘, under clear and cloudy skies. Maximum error estimates on j _HONO under clear skies range from 11% at sunrise, to 4% at solar noon, with a minimum detection limit of 5.7 × 10⁻⁴/sec for our actinometer. Measured clear-sky values of j _HONO were compared with values calculated by a four-stream discrete ordinate radiative transfer (RT) model (ACD TUV version 4.1), and were found to be within better than 10% agreement for solar zenith angles < 65^∘. For conditions of scattered cloud, enhancement and suppression of the j _HONO values occurred by as much as 16%–70%, and 59%–80%, respectively. The integrated band area of the nπ^∗ transition for gas-phase nitrous acid yields an oscillator strength, f = (1.06 ± 0.044)×10⁻³ (based on clear-sky data), 19.1% higher than the value reported by Bongartz et al. (1991).     

Heavy Oil and Oil (Tar) Sands in North America: An Overview & Summary of Contributions

As conventional oil and gas reservoirs become depleted other unconventional energy sources have to be recovered and produced. Four of the major unconventional resources that are strategic for North American interests are heavy oil, oil sands, oil shales, and coal-bed methane. Recent interest and activity in Canada’s vast oil sands are progressing rapidly as soaring oil prices are fueling a ‘gold rush’ in oil sands development in Alberta. This interest is evident by the record-number of oil sands and heavy oil presentations at Energy Minerals Division (EMD)-sponsored sessions at the 2004 and 2005 Annual Conventions of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), held in Dallas, TX and Calgary, AB.