New insights into the hydrogeology of a basaltic shield volcano from a comparison between self-potential and electromagnetic data: Piton de la Fournaise, Indian ocean

In order to investigate aquifers, several geophysical surveys have been carried out in the Baril area of the southern flank of Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Reunion in the Indian Ocean using audiomagnetotelluric (AMT), very-low-frequency (VLF) and self-potential (SP) methods. We present the results with emphasis on a comparison between SP data and the findings of geoelectric surveys. AMT soundings have indicated, from the surface downward, three layers: (i) resistive volcanic rocks, (ii) an intermediate resistivity layer, and (iii) a conductive basement attributed to a seawater-bearing aquifer. VLF measurements allow the mapping of the first layer apparent resistivity, and therefore its bottom, when the true resistivity is supposed to be isotropic and homogenous. When this assumption does not hold, only the SP method permits the mapping of this bottom. Because of the good agreement between the SP and electromagnetic results, we propose the SP method as the first tool that should be used in studying shallow hydrogeological structures in volcanic areas.     

The end of moai quarrying and its effect on Lake Rano Raraku, Easter Island

We reconstruct aspects of the history of Easter Island over the last 4-5 centuries based on the study of a core from Rano Raraku Lake, situated in the crater that contains the quarry of the island's giant statues or moai. We use microfossils of plants and animals to identify five zones. The last three of these are separated by waves of immigration from South America and from the subantarctic. We argue that the first or South American wave, dated to the second half of the 14th century, may represent a visit by South American Indians. Magnetic information, pollen, diatoms, chrysophyte stomatocysts and fossil plant pigments reveal a synchronism between the South American contact and the cessation of moai quarrying. We therefore suggest that Amerindians contributed to the cultural collapse of the island. The second or subantarctic wave may reflect an early European visit to the island, possibly by Cpt. James Cook in 1774, or by Jacob Roggeveen in 1722.     

Première datation UPb des orthogneiss œillés de la zone axiale de la Montagne noire (Sud du Massif central) : nouveaux témoins du magmatisme ordovicien dans la chaı̂ne Varisque

We present new U–Pb results on felsic Augen orthogneisses from the Axial Zone of the Montagne Noire (French Massif Central). The data indicate Ordovician ages, 456±3 and 450±6 Ma for two samples collected at ‘Pont-de-Larn’ and ‘Gorges d'Héric’, respectively. These ages are interpreted as the igneous emplacement age of the granitic protolith. To cite this article: F. Roger et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

The effect of cadmium on fulvic acid adsorption to Bacillus subtilis

The effects of Cd on the adsorption of an aquatic fulvic acid (FA) to the surface of Bacillus subtilis were investigated from pH 2.5 to 7.0, at fixed ionic strength (0.1 M NaClO₄) and at ambient temperature (22 °C). Cd (14 mg/l) had no effect on FA adsorption at pH<5 but increased FA adsorption at pH>6. The effects of Cd (0, 14 mg/l) on FA adsorption to B. subtilis were further examined as a function of initial FA concentration (0–45 mg C/l) at pH 6.5. FA adsorption isotherms also were measured at pH 6.5 as a function of dissolved Cd concentration (0–14 mg/l) at three initial FA concentrations (4, 8, 22 mg C/l). At all FA concentrations studied at pH 6.5, FA adsorption increased with increasing initial total Cd concentration.

Under all studied conditions, preferential adsorption of high- to intermediate-molecular-weight FA components to B. subtilis resulted in a fractionation of the FA pool, with lower-molecular-weight components remaining in solution. At pH>6, Cd further enhanced the adsorption of high- to intermediate-molecular-weight FA components but did not significantly enhance the adsorption of lower-molecular-weight components. Hence, the overall process of adsorptive fractionation was not altered significantly by the presence of Cd.

Overall, the results of this study (1) demonstrate that FA adsorption to bacterial surfaces can be altered by the presence of a metal cation, and (2) provide further evidence that microbe–metal–ligand interactions may significantly affect the mobility and fate of natural organic matter in the subsurface.     

An Overview of Some Significant Eastern Canadian Earthquakes and Their Impacts on the Geological Environment,Buildings and the Public

Numerous moderate to large earthquakes have occurred in eastern Canada. Some ofthese events had significant geological effects such as surface faulting, liquefaction,submarine slumping, rock avalanches, rock falls, landslides, railroad embankmentslides, and one tsunami. Some of these earthquakes caused considerable damage tobuildings with unreinforced masonry elements that were located on thick clay deposits. These events also had strong psychological and social impacts, mainly due to the unpreparedness of the population. To minimize these impacts, programs should be designed to map the land and offshore areas most susceptible to mass movements (Earth Sciences), to define buildings most at risk (Engineering) and to educate the public about mitigation actions (Education, science popularization).     

Carbon isotopes and Precambrian—Cambrian boundary geology, South Australia: ocean basin formation, seawater chemistry and organic evolution

A carbon isotope stratigraphy from the lowest Cambrian strata in the Adelaide fold belt of South Australia is interpreted in terms of the geological context of the sequence: major transgression, developing circulation patterns and upwelling resulting from an adjacent opening ocean, and biomass increases stemming from the Cambrian radiation event. There is also evidence from the textures of ooids and cements in late Precambrian-Cambrian strata for subtle variations in seawater chemistry across the boundary and these may well have been instrumental in the development of calcareous skeletons in the early metazoans.