Determination of Cobalt in South African Primary and Secondary Reference Samples by Ion Exchange Chromatography and electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Results are presented for the determination of trace quantities of cobalt in three South African primary rock standards and in four secondary rock standards. Cohalt is separated from all other elements using a selective ion exchange separation procedure and determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry.     

An Archean(?) to Paleozoic Evolution for a Garnet Peridotite Lens with Sub-Baltic Shield Affinity within the Seve Nappe Complex of Jamtland, Sweden, Central Scandinavian Caledonides

Mineralogical, isotopic, geochemical and geochronological evidencedemonstrates that the Friningen body, a garnet peridotite bodycontaining garnet pyroxenite layers in the Seve Nappe Complex(SNC) of Northern Jämtland, Sweden, represents old, certainlyProterozoic and possibly Archean, lithosphere that became incorporatedinto the Caledonian tectonic edifice during crustal subductioninto the mantle at c. 450 Ma. Both garnet peridotite and pyroxenitecontain two (M₁ and M₂) generations of garnet-bearing assemblagesseparated by the formation of two-pyroxene, spinel symplectitearound the M₁ garnet and the crystallization of low-Cr spinel_1Cin the matrix. These textures suggest initial high-pressure(HP) crystallization of garnet peridotite and pyroxenite succeededby decompression into the spinel stability field, followed byrecompression into the garnet peridotite facies. Some pyroxenitelayers appear to be characterized solely by M₂ assemblages withstretched garnet as large as several centimeters. Laser ablationmicroprobe–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometryRe–Os analyses of single sulfide grains generally definemeaningless model ages suggesting more than one episode of Reand/or Os addition and/or loss to the body. Pentlandite grainsfrom a single polished slab of one garnet peridotite, however,define a linear array on an Re–Os isochron diagram that,if interpreted as an errorchron, suggests an Archean melt extractionevent that left behind the depleted dunite and harzburgite bodiesthat characterize the SNC. Refertilization of this mantle bymelts associated with the development of the pyroxenite layersis indicated by enriched clinopyroxene Sr–Nd isotope ratios,and by parallel large ion lithophile-enriched trace elementpatterns in clinopyroxene from pyroxenite and the immediatelyadjacent peridotite. Clinopyroxene and whole-rock model Sm–Ndages (T_DM = 1·1–2·2 Ga) indicate that fertilizationtook place in Proterozoic times. Sm–Nd garnet₂–clinopyroxene₂–wholerock ± orthopyroxene₂ mineral isochrons from three pyroxenitelayers define overlapping ages of 452·1 ± 7·5and 448 ± 13 Ma and 451 ± 43 Ma (2     

Structural and P-T Evolution of a Major Cross Fold in the Central Zone of the Limpopo High-Grade Terrain, South Africa

The Central Zone (CZ) of the Limpopo Complex of southern Africais characterized by a complex deformational pattern dominatedby two types of fold geometries: large sheath folds and crossfolds. The sheath folds are steeply SSW-plunging closed structureswhereas the cross folds are north–south-oriented withnear-horizontal fold axes. In the area south of Messina thiscomplexly folded terrain grades continuously towards the southinto a crustal-scale ENE–WSW-trending ductile shear zonewith moderate dip towards the WSW. All sheath folds documentconsistent top-to-the-NE thrust movement of high-grade material.The timing of this shear deformational event (D₂) and thus ofthe gneissic fabric (S₂) is constrained (at     

A palaeoecological study of the mites (Acari) from a Lateglacial deposit at Usselo (The Netherlands)

The distribution of the remains of mites in the Lateglacial (Late Weichselian) type section at Usselo (The Netherlands) is presented. The division of the sequence into (sub-)zones, based upon combined palaeo-botanical and palaeoentomological studies, is shown, as well as the approximate age based on ¹⁴C determinations. The present habitats of the species are in agreement with the reconstruction of the local vegetational succession Four species of mites, three oribatids and one uropodid, have not previously been recorded as subfossils.     

Short‐term volume changes of the Greenland ice sheet in response to doubled CO2 conditions

This paper focuses on the rôle of accumulation and cloudiness changes in the response of the Greenland ice sheet to global warming. Changes in accumulation or cloudiness were often neglected, or coupled to temperature changes. We used model output on temperature, precipitation and cloudiness from a GCM (ECHAM4 T106). The GCM output was used to drive the Greenland model that exists of a vertically averaged ice flow model, coupled to a 1D surface energy balance model that calculates the ablation. Variables are temperature, accumulation and cloudiness. Sensitivity experiments with this model show that changes in accumulation are very important for the ice sheet mass balance, whereas cloudiness is of secondary importance. If the Greenland model is forced by the GCM output, the Greenland model is found to contribute 70% less to sea level rise after 70 years than is indicated by the results presented in the IPCC report. This large discrepancy is mainly due to the fact that the enhanced ablation is strongly compensated by increased accumulation. Comparing the result obtained here with changes in mass balance derived directly from the same general circulation model, indicates a 20% larger contribution to sea level. This increase is due to changes in ice flow, and a different method for the ablation calculation.     

青藏高原西北缘晚新生代的隆升特征——来自西昆仑山前盆地的沉积学证据

对西昆仑北缘山前盆地新生代沉积特征的研究结果表明,沿西昆仑山前发育的各沉积序列的垂向特征相似:古新世—中新世早期为石膏层、含瓣腮化石的石灰岩和紫红色较细粒的碎屑岩沉积,指示了海相和海陆过渡相较平静的沉积环境;中新世晚期—上新世初期开始出现陆相磨拉石,指示了陆相非平静的沉积环境,砾石的直径由下至上呈增大趋势,可能反映了西昆仑山体不断隆升,其间相对稳定的层段可能是构造运动间歇期或平稳期的沉积,指示了脉动式的隆升模式;磨拉石底部砾石的成分以沉积岩为主,向上火成岩和变质岩砾石逐渐增多,表明剥蚀程度不断加深。根据磨拉石建造的特征,判断剥蚀量和剥蚀强度自西向东有减小和变弱的趋势,可能暗示了西昆仑山晚新生代隆升有自西向东由强变弱的过渡特征。该结论与本区构造地貌学的研究结果一致。     

Linear dynamics of hydrostatic adjustment to horizontally homogeneous heating

The process of hydrostatic adjustment to horizontally homogeneous heating in a stably stratified atmosphere of arbitrary thermal structure is investigated in the limit of small perturbations. A linear differential equation is derived for the vertical pressure distribution in the final balanced state. Solutions of this equation are compared with the time dependent solution which is found by numerically integrating the equations in time. During the process of hydrostatic adjustment acoustic‐buoyancy oscillations are generated. The amplitudes of these oscillations become so great that static instability is generated at heights above 100 km, depending on where and how abruptly the heat is added. As a crude representation of the unstable breakdown and damping of these waves, Rayleigh damping is introduced. If the associated damping coefficient in the upper atmosphere is sufficiently large (greater than the Brunt Väisälä frequency), the oscillations vanish. Below a height of about 50 km the steady state predicted by the above mentioned differential equation is reached approximately in 10 min.     

Neogene Paleoseismic Events and the Shanwang Biota’s Burial in the Linqu Area, Shandong Province, China

Several paleoseismic events are recorded in the Neogene Linqu Group, exposed in the Linqu area, Shandong Province, China. The events were interpreted on the basis of fieldwork and laboratory analysis, which showed the presence of seismites with plastically deformed soft-sediment deformation structures in the Shanwang Formation, and of seismic volcanic rocks in the Yaoshan Formation which show brittle deformation. The earthquake-triggered soft-sediment deformations in the seismites include load structures, ball-and-pillow structures, flame structures, pillow-like beds, boudinage structures, slump folds, syn-depositional faults, veins of liquefied sand, and dikes of liquefied sandy lime-mud. The seismic activity is also reflected in what might be called ‘brittle seismites'; these originated when, under the influence of seismic vibrations, semi-consolidated conglomerate was shattered. Moreover, volcanic activity is related to intense earthquakes that affected basalts intercalated with sand layers; these successions are known as ‘seismic volcanic rocks', which are characterized by veins of liquefied sand intruding the basalts. All above traces of paleoseismic activity were left from one single time span of 4 Ma with active seismicity that took place 14–10 Ma. This time span is known as ‘the Linqu Neogene Paleoseismic Active Period', which is divided into four paleoseismic episodes, which were responses to tectonic extension and basin rifting in this area. It even includes the activity of the Yishu Fault Zone during the Miocene and the Neogene. The ratios of trace elements in the seismites, w(La)/w(Sc) and w(La)/w(Th) are higher than the average value of the upper crust, but w(Th)/w(Sc) is lower; this is geochemical evidence for the basin rifting that resulted in a high sedimentation rate. The intense and frequent paleo-earthquakes are held responsible for the rapid burial of the Shanwang Biota. Secondary earthquake-induced processes(e.g. slumping of a lake shore and the strongly increased lacustrine sedimentation rate) contributed to the rapid burial of the biota.