Track of fluid paleocirculation in dolomite host rock at regional scale by the Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS): An example from Aptian carbonates of La Florida,Northern Spain

The present study aims to apply the AMS method (Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility) at a regional scale to track the fluid circulation direction that has produced an iron metasomatism within pre-existing dolomite host rock. The Urgonian formations hosting the Zn–Pb mineralizations in La Florida (Cantabria, northern Spain) have been taken as target for this purpose. Sampling was carried out, in addition to ferroan dolomite host rock enclosing the Zn–Pb mineralizations, in dolomite host rock and limestone to make the comparison possible between magnetic signals from mineralized rocks, where fluid circulation occurred, and their surrounding formations. AMS study was coupled with petrofabric analysis carried out by texture goniometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations and also Shape Preferred Orientation (SPO) statistics. SEM observations of ferroan dolomite host rock illustrate both bright and dark grey ribbons corresponding respectively to Fe enriched and pure dolomites. SPO statistics applied on four images from ferroan dolomite host rock give a well-defined orientation of ribbons related to the intermediate axis of magnetic susceptibility K₂. For AMS data, two magnetic fabrics are observed. The first one is observed in ferroan dolomite host rock and characterized by a prolate ellipsoid of magnetic susceptibility with a vertical magnetic lineation. The magnetic susceptibility carrier is Fe-rich dolomite. These features are probably acquired during metasomatic fluid circulations. In Fe-rich dolomite host rock, ?c? axes are vertical. As a rule, (0001) planes (i.e. planes perpendicular to ?c? axes) are isotropic with respect to crystallographic properties. So, the magnetic anisotropy measured in this plane should reflect crystallographic modification due to fluid circulation. This is confirmed by the texture observed using the SEM. Consequently, AMS results show a dominant NE–SW elongation interpreted as the global circulation direction and a NW–SE secondary elongation that we have considered as sinuosities of the fluid trajectory. The second type of magnetic fabric is essentially observed in the limestone and characterized by an oblate form of the ellipsoid of magnetic susceptibility, a horizontal magnetic foliation and mixed magnetic susceptibility carriers. It is interpreted as a sedimentary fabric.     

Flow fields and particle trajectories beneath a tidal bore: A numerical study

Tidal bores may appear in some estuaries when the tides quickly reach a high level. This phenomenon is rare but has a strong impact during its short duration: i.e. the river bed is significantly eroded and sediments are then transported. In this paper, the trajectories of suspended particles induced by this flow are numerically studied. Four undular bores with Froude numbers between 1.1 and 1.2 are studied. Despite similar Froude numbers, various initial flow conditions were selected to produce or not an inversion of the flow direction during the bore passage. The particle trajectories associated with each distinct flow configuration are presented and analyzed. These trajectories, estimated by solving the Maxey-Riley equation, appear to be very different even though the Froude numbers of flows are similar. These observations are important because the Froude number is often used to characterize a tidal bore as it describes well the free surface, however, it cannot describe the sediment transport. Finally, Chen's model of wave-current interactions is adapted to fit the cases studied and is applied to the four bores simulated. The results highlight that this latter model can reproduce the observed trajectories and dissociate their different components. From this model, it is shown that the inertial and Basset history effects can be neglected compared to the gravity and flow entrainment effects due to the viscous drag when one wants to determine the long-term trajectories of suspended particles.     

Towards realistic flow modelling. Creation and evaluation of two-dimensional simulated porous media: An image analysis approach

This work is part of an attempt to quantify the relationship between the permeability tensor (K) and the micro-structure of natural porous media. A brief account is first provided of popular theories used to relate the micro-structure toK. Reasons for the lack of predictive power and restricted generality of current models are discussed. An alternative is an empirically based implicit model whereinK is expressed as a consequence of a few pore-types arising from the dynamics of depositional processes. The analytical form of that implicit model arises from evidence of universal association between pore-type and throat size in sandstones and carbonates. An explicit model, relying on the local change of scale technique is then addressed. That explicit model allows, from knowledge of the three-dimensional micro-geometry to calculateK explicitly without having recourse to any constitutive assumptions. The predictive and general character of the explicit model is underlined. The relevance of the change of scale technique is recalled to be contingent on the availability of rock-like three-dimensional synthetic media. A random stationary ergodic process is developed, that allows us to generate three-dimensional synthetic media from a two-dimensional autocorrelation functionr( _x , _y ) and associated probability density function measured on a single binary image. The focus of this work is to ensure the rock-like character of those synthetic media. This is done first through a direct approach:n two-dimensional synthetic media, derived from single set ( ,r( _x , _y )) yieldn permeability tensorsK _i-1,n ⁱ (calculated by the local change of scale) of the same order. This is a necessary condition to ensure thatr( _x , _y ) and carry all structural information relevant toK. The limits of this direct approach, in terms of required Central Process Unit time and Memory is underlined, raising the need for an alternative. This is done by comparing the pore-type content of a sandstone sample andn synthetic media derived fromr( _x , _y ) and measured on that sandstone-sample. Achievement of a good match ensures that the synthetic media comprise the fundamental structural level of all natural sandstones, that is a domainal structure of well-packed clusters of grains bounded by loose-packed pores.     

Antimony deposits in the Variscan Armorican belt,a link with mafic intrusives?

The Variscan Armorican belt was the World leading producer of antimony at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, geological controls on the deposits remain unconstrained. Here, we illustrate the field setting of mineralisations and perform a statistical analysis using Geographical Information System software, geophysical and geological data. The analysis shows that Sb deposits are spatially correlated with high‐density and magnetic zones. This may reflect the presence of mafic/ultramafic bodies at depth – a suggestion that is further supported by numerous occurrences of doleritic dykes throughout the region. Future antimony prospecting should focus on the high‐density and high‐magnetic zones which comprise about 18% of the Armorican massif. Links between Sb deposits and mafic intrusions are recognised elsewhere in the West European Variscan belt, emphasising that these may be key for antimony prospecting in deformation belts.     

Numerical study of the statistical properties of the lensing excursion angles

We present ray tracing simulations combined with sets of large N -body simulations. Experiments were performed to explore, for the first time, the statistical properties of fluctuations in angular separation of nearby light-ray pairs (the so-called lensing excursion angle) induced by weak lensing by large-scale structures. We found that the probability distribution function (PDF) of the lensing excursion angles is not simply Gaussian, but has an exponential tail. It is found, however, that the tail, or more generally the non-Gaussian nature of the PDF has no significant impact on the weak lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Moreover, we found that the variance in the lensing excursion angles predicted by the power spectrum approach is in good agreement with our numerical results. These results demonstrate the validity of using the power spectrum approach to compute lensing effects on the CMB.     

Torsional Oscillations in a Global Solar Dynamo

We characterize and analyze rotational torsional oscillations developing in a large-eddy magnetohydrodynamical simulation of solar convection (Ghizaru, Charbonneau, and Smolarkiewicz, Astrophys. J. Lett. 715, L133, 2010; Racine et al., Astrophys. J. 735, 46, 2011) producing an axisymmetric, large-scale, magnetic field undergoing periodic polarity reversals. Motivated by the many solar-like features exhibited by these oscillations, we carry out an analysis of the large-scale zonal dynamics. We demonstrate that simulated torsional oscillations are not driven primarily by the periodically varying large-scale magnetic torque, as one might have expected, but rather via the magnetic modulation of angular-momentum transport by the large-scale meridional flow. This result is confirmed by a straightforward energy analysis. We also detect a fairly sharp transition in rotational dynamics taking place as one moves from the base of the convecting layers to the base of the thin tachocline-like shear layer formed in the stably stratified fluid layers immediately below. We conclude by discussing the implications of our analyses with regard to the mechanism of amplitude saturation in the global dynamo operating in the simulation, and speculate on the possible precursor value of torsional oscillations for the forecast of solar-cycle characteristics.     

Lava discharge during Etna's January 2011 fire fountain tracked using MSG-SEVIRI

Etna's January 2011 eruption provided an excellent opportunity to test the ability of Meteosat Second Generation satellite's Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) sensor to track a short-lived effusive event. The presence of lava fountaining, the rapid expansion of lava flows, and the complexity of the resulting flow field make such events difficult to track from the ground. During the Etna's January 2011 eruption, we were able to use thermal data collected by SEVIRI every 15 min to generate a time series of the syn-eruptive heat flux. Lava discharge waxed over a ~1-h period to reach a peak that was first masked from the satellite view by a cold tephra plume and then was of sufficient intensity to saturate the 3.9-μm channel. Both problems made it impossible to estimate time-averaged lava discharge rates using the syn-eruptive heat flux curve. Therefore, through integration of data obtained by ground-based Doppler radar and thermal cameras, as well as ancillary satellite data (from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), we developed a method that allowed us to identify the point at which effusion stagnated, to allow definition of a lava cooling curve. This allowed retrieval of a lava volume of ~1.2 × 10⁶ m³, which, if emitted for 5 h, was erupted at a mean output rate of ~70 m³ s⁻¹. The lava volume estimated using the cooling curve method is found to be similar to the values inferred from field measurements.