Sediment yield in South Africa — A preliminary geographical analysis

The study examines the spatial relationships between sediment yield and 15 independent environmental variables in 54 catchments in South Africa. Rooseboom's (1978) data on the sediment yield from the catchments were standardized for a single time period. Bivariate regression analyses reveal no simple relationships. Multivariate regression analyses conducted for the whole and various sub-areas of South Africa indicate that latitude and longitude are the primary variables affecting spatial variations in sediment yield. This may be as a result of latitude and longitude being surrogate variables reflecting variation in other environmental variables (e. g. geology, vegetation). Within the sub-areas, 43.4% to 97.8% of the variation in sediment yield is explained by the combined variation in a number of different environmental variables. This study highlights a need for the collection and analysis of more sediment yield data, which would allow the analyses to be refined, to predict sediment yields from ungauged catchments in South Africa.     

Planktonic dimethylsulfide and cloud albedo: An estimate of the feedback response

Partial control of climate by the biosphere may be possible through a chain of processes that ultimately links marine plankton production of dimethylsulfide (DMS) with changes in cloud albedo (Charlson et al., 1987). Changes in cloud optical properties can have profound impacts on atmospheric radiation transfer and, hence, the surface environment. In this study, we have developed a simple model that incorporates empirically based parameterizations to account for the biological control of cloud droplet concentration in a first attempt to estimate the strength of the DMS-cloud albedo feedback mechanism. We find that the feedback reduces the global climatic response to imposed perturbations in solar insolation by less than 7%. Likewise, it modifies the strength of other feedbacks affecting surface insolation over oceans by roughly the same amount. This suggests that the DMS-cloud albedo mechanism will be unable to substantially reduce climate sensitivity, although these results should be confirmed with less idealized models when more is known about the net production of DMS by the marine biosphere and its relation to aerosol/cloud microphysics and climate.     

Age and origin of early Proterozoic dolerite dykes in South-West Greenland

Samples of three dolerite dykes from South-West Greenland give a pooled weighted mean Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron age of 2,130±65 Ma. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are 0.70155±0.00018 for one of the dykes (Naujat) and 0.70277±0.00012 for the other two (Torssut and Akinaq). A fourth dyke (Qaqarssuaq) did not yield an isochron. Torssut samples have significantly lower initial ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios than samples from the Naujat dyke, indicating that the Torssut dyke has been affected by crustal contamination. Samples of the dykes vary widely in chemical composition because of an uneven distribution of different primocryst phases throughout the dykes, and because of variable degrees of fractionation of the magma. For two of the dykes some constraints on the composition of the parent magma have been inferred from trace element data. Higher concentrations of K, Rb, Ba, Sr, Ce and perhaps Nb (at comparable levels of magmatic fractionation) in the dykes with higher Sr_i are probably related to crustal contamination of their parent magmas. Two of the dykes probably intruded from zoned magma chambers. The marginal zones of these dykes crystallised from a strongly fractionated magma, whereas the centres of the dykes consist of more primitive material with large proportions of olivine and plagioclase primocrysts. The central part of Torssut is less strongly contaminated with crustal Pb than the border zones. A more detailed analysis of the Pb-isotopic composition in the Torssut dyke shows that contaminant lead must have been derived from rocks in the deeper crust considerably older than the late Archaean gneisses which occur at the surface.     

Impact melting of the Cachari eucrite 3.0 Gy ago

Both the host phase and glass veins of the Cachari eucrite have been analyzed by microprobe and neutron activation analysis for their chemical compositions and by mass spectrometry for their ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar gas retention ages. Cachari is chemically similar to other non-cumulate eucrites. The vesicular glass veins vary from pure glass, to devitrified glass, to areas that are substantially crystalline. The glassy areas have nearly the same concentrations of major and trace elements as the unmelted portions of Cachari, but some differences, probably due to preferential dissolution, occur along melt contacts. The glass formed by shock melting of Cachari host or of rock identical to it. ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar data for the host and glass suggest distinctly different ages of 3.04 ±.07 Gy and 3.47 ±.04 Gy, respectively. The time of glass formation, which may also be the time of brecciation, is most likely given by the 3.0 Gy age of the host. The higher age for the glass is interpreted to represent incomplete Ar degassing during the 3.0 Gy event due to the greater resistance to Ar diffusion shown by the glass compared to the host. Event ages significantly younger than 4.5 Gy have now been determined for several eucrites and howardites and suggest a long dynamic regolith history for the parent body.     

Proterozoic copper deposits in NW Queensland,Australia: Sulfur isotopic data

Sulfur isotopic disequilibrium is commonly observed between associated pyrite and copper sulfides in NW Queensland. A sulfur isotopic study of copper mineralization in dolomites at Paradise Valley and arenites at Mammoth has allowed the significance of such disequilibrium to be evaluated. Copper mineralization at Paradise Valley is characterized by a greater enrichment in ³⁴S, with δ³⁴S values often greater than +30‰, for both copper sulfides and associated syngenetic/diagneetic pyrite. At Mammoth, copper sulfides have isotopic compositions (δ³⁴S=?15.9 to ?0.3‰) transitional between disseminated syngenetic/diagenetic pyrite (δ³⁴S=?5.7 to ?1.7‰) and epigenetic vein pyrite (δ³⁴S=?17.9 to ?7.1‰) suggesting progressive reaction and replacement of syngenetic/diagenetic pyrite by a copper-bearing mineralizing fluid under oxidizing conditions. The isotopic data, within the constraints imposed by geological and geochemical factors, support a model of reaction between copper-bearing mineralizing fluids and pre-existing syngenetic/diagenetic pyrite for both the carbonate- and arenite-hosted deposits.     

Magmatic-subsolidus and oxidation trends in composition of amphiboles from silica-saturated peralkaline igneous rocks

Summary Sub-calcic alkali amphiboles from silica-saturated peralkaline rocks exhibit two main patterns of compositional variation, which we term the magmatic-subsolidus and oxidation trends. The first is a continuous change from magmatic to subsolidus amphibole from barroisite through richterite to arfvedsonite, involving substitutions under reducing conditions, mainly of the type Al^ivCaSi(Na,K). The second trend is towards riebeckite, under the influence of oxidizing hydrothermal fluids, according to a reaction such as Fe²⁺ SiFe³⁺ Al^vi or (K, Na)^A Fe²⁺Fe³⁺. Textural evidence suggests that fluid characteristics are as important as host-rock compositions in controlling the chemical characteristics of amphiboles in peralkaline intrusive and volcanic rocks.

---

Magmatische Subsolidus-und Oxydations-Trends der Zusammensetzung von Amphibolen aus Si-gesättigten peralkalinen Magmatiten

Zusammenfassung Alkali-Amphibole aus Si-gesättigten peralkalinen Gesteinen zeigen zwei definierte Trends chemischer Variation, die hier als magmatisch-subsolidus und Oxydations-Trend bezeichnet werden. Der erstere stellt einen kontinuerlichen Übergang von magmatischen zu subsolidus Amphibolen dar, und zwar von Barroisit über Richterit bis zu Arfvedsonit, wobei Substitutionen unter reduzierenden Bedingungen, hauptsächlich des Typs Al^iv CaSi(Na,K), zu beobachten sind. Der zweite Trend zeigt, unter dem Einfluß oxydierender hydrothermaler Lösungen, eine Tendenz auf Riebeckit hin, entsprechend einer Reaktion wie z.B. Fe²⁺ Si Fe³⁺ Al^vi oder (K, Na)^AFe²⁺ Fe³⁺. Mikroskopische Befunde weisen darauf hin, daß die Eigenschaften dieser Lösungen genauso wichtig für die chemische Zusammensetzung der Amphibole in peralkalinen Intrusiv-Gesteinen und Vulkaniten sind, wie die Zusammensetzung der Wirtsgesteine.

---

---

With 6 Figures     

Geochemistry of Archean metasedimentary rocks from West Greenland

Archean metasedimentary rocks occur as components of the Isua supracrustals, Akilia association and Malene supracrustals of southern West Greenland. Primary structures in these rocks have been destroyed by metamorphism and deformation. Their chemistry and mineralogy is consistent with a sedimentary origin, but other possible parents (e.g. acid volcanics, altered pyroclastic rocks) cannot be excluded for some of them. There is little difference in the composition of metasedimentary rocks from the early Archean Isua supracrustals and probable correlative Akilia association. Both have a wide range in rare earth element (REE) patterns with $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$ ranging from 0.61?5.8. The REE pattern of one Akilia sample, with low $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$, compares favourably with that of associated tholeiites and it is likely that such samples were derived almost exclusively from basaltic sources. Other samples with very steep REE patterns are similar to felsic volcanic boulders found in a conglomeratic unit in the Isua supracrustals. Samples with intermediate REE patterns are best explained by mixing of basaltic and felsic end members. Metasedimentary rocks from the Malene supracrustals can be divided into low silica (≤55% SiO₂) and high silica (>77% SiO₂) varieties. These rocks also show much variation in $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$ (0.46?14.0) and their origin is explained by derivation from a mixture of mafic volcanics and felsic igneous rocks. The wide range in trace element characteristics of these metasedimentary rocks argues for inefficient mixing of the various source lithologies during sedimentation. Accordingly, these data do not rigorously test models of early Archean crustal composition and evolution. The systematic variability in trace element geochemistry provides evidence for the bimodal nature of the early Archean crust.     

The Askervein hill project: A finite control volume prediction of three-dimensional flows over the hill

A three-dimensional nonlinear numerical model, that has been extensively used previously to predict environmental water flows, was applied to predict the flow over an isolated hill, Askervein. Predictions are reported for winds approaching the hill from 210 ° and 180 ° clockwise from north, both under almost neutral atmospheric conditions.The model predictions were compared with data collected during a major field study in 1983. From the comparisons it was concluded that the model predicts the mean flow variables with good accuracy. Larger discrepancies were found for quantities related to the turbulence, pointing to deficiencies in the turbulence model, and perhaps in some of the measurements.