Rb–Sr,Sm–Nd,and Ar–Ar isotopic systematics of lherzolitic shergottite Yamato 000097

Isotopic analysis of the Martian lherzolitic shergottite Yamato 000097 yields a Rb–Sr age of 147 ± 28 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.710490 ± 0.000072, a Sm–Nd age of 152 ± 13 Ma with an initial ɛ¹⁴³Nd-value of +11.7 ± 0.2, and a ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar age of ∼260 Ma. The near concordance of these ages, in combination with the Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd initial isotopic signatures, suggests that Yamato 000097 crystallized from low Rb/Sr, light rare earth element depleted source materials ∼150 Ma ago. Although the obtained ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar age is significantly higher than the Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages, Yamato 000097 shows little or no evidence of trapped Martian atmospheric ⁴⁰Ar. The trapped ⁴⁰Ar concentration of Yamato 000097 is similar to that of Zagami, suggesting that both basaltic and lherzolitic shergottites may have similarly inherited excess ⁴⁰Ar from their magmas.The Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages, and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ɛ¹⁴³Nd-values of Yamato 000097 and Yamato 793605 lie on the same isotopic ingrowth curves, suggesting that they came from very similar mantle sources. Allan Hills 77005 was also probably derived from the same source, but Lewis Cliff 88516 appears to be from a distinct but similar source. Yamato 000097 represents the most recent known magmatism from its source, and is the youngest Martian meteorite for which concordant Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages have been determined.     

TEMPORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PENNSYLVANIA SNOWFALL, 1950–1951 THROUGH 1989–1990

While speculation exists on global and regional climate change for temperature and precipitation, relatively little research is available on snowfall and its changes. Twenty-six sites were selected to describe and analyze various characteristics of snowfall in Pennsylvania from 1950–1951 through 1989–1990. Overall, the state experienced a significant stepwise change in seasonal snowfall total during this period. Abnormally high seasonal totals prevailed from 1957–1958 through 1971–1972. This rise in snowfall was accompanied by colder-than-normal temperatures and a dramatic increase in large daily snow events. Principal components analysis (PCA) revealed that the seasonal temporal patterns were not uniform across the state. The PCA revealed four distinct seasonal regions. These regions exhibited everything from nearly linear increases and decreases over time to cyclical formations. PCA performed on the months of November through April each unveiled between three and five separate temporal regions. PCA analyses generally identified an eastern region, a north-central region, and a western region across Pennsylvania. [Key words: regionalization, principal components, variability, snowfall, climate change, Pennsylvania.]     

Extraction of Gravity–Magnetic Anomalies Associated with Pb–Zn–Fe Polymetallic Mineralization in Luziyuan Ore Field,Yunnan Province,Southwestern China

The method of bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) and the combined methods of entropy weight–Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were used to decompose gravity–magnetic data and evaluate targets in the Luziyuan Pb–Zn–Fe polymetallic ore field and surrounding areas. Three meaningful bi-dimensional intrinsic mode function (BIMF) images were obtained by BEMD at different wavelengths, depicting different layers of geological architectures in the study area. The results are as follows. (1) The BIMF2 images depict the shallow local geological architecture and show positive gravity–magnetic anomalies of the skarn alteration and Pb–Zn–Fe mineralization distributed around concealed granites. (2) The BIMF3 images depict the medium-depth geological architecture, indicating that concealed granitic stocks, which are shallow extensions of a deeply concealed pluton, intruded along the NE-trending fault. (3) The BIMF4 images depict gravity–magnetic anomalies at greater depth, which likely reflect regional geological architectures, indicating the potential presence of a large, concealed intermediate-acid pluton in the negative anomaly zone. Three potential targets (A, B, and C) were delineated based on BEMD results of the original gravity–magnetic data. The entropy weight–TOPSIS evaluation results show that the ranking of the metallogenic potential of the delineated targets in the study area is B, A, and C, with relative proximity values of 0.4576, 0.3925, and 0.1499, respectively. The results of this study can be used to guide future exploration.

     

Three-Dimensional Pseudo-Lithologic Modeling Via Adaptive Feature Weighted k-Means Algorithm from Multi-Source Geophysical Datasets,Qingchengzi Pb–Zn–Ag–Au District,China

Natural Resources Research - Methods for the analysis and integration of multi-source geophysical datasets are fundamental technologies for three-dimensional (3D) geological modeling and subsurface...