Nouvelles données pétrographiques et structurales sur le magmatisme du Sud du bassin de Morondava (Sud-Ouest de Madagascar)

New petrological and geochemical data are presented on basic igneous rocks from the south of the Morondova basin located in the southwestern part of Madagascar. The structural setting is well defined and, with the aid of a schematic map, the spatial relationships between the magmatic centres and major faults can be deduced from seismic data. On the other hand, new petrographic and geochemical data enable the different types of basaltic magmatism manifested in this area to be distinguished. It appears that tholeiitic magmatism evolved towards transitional magmatism from the south to the north of the Morondava basin. This geochemical evolution of basaltic magmatism can be linked to the initiation of rifting between Madagascar and Africa along the Mozambique channel and the length of the Davie ridge associated with the opening of the Indian ocean. These observations, together with structural data and recently obtained geochronological data, contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism and evolution of Madagascan rifting.     

Reconstitution de données climatiques pour l’Algérie du Nord : application des réseaux neuronaux

In the present context of climate change and preservation of biodiversity, the appreciation of the vulnerability of the natural ecosystems and their capacity of adaptation appears among the main preoccupations to the world level (GIEC, 2007). This assessment of the ecosystems requires the availability of climatic data, what is often made difficult by the weak density or even the absence of meteorological stations notably, to the level of the mountains zones. In order to study the climate–vegetation relationship in North Algeria, we use an automatic interpolation method, the neural network method, for the reconstitution of climatic data of the sampled sites, (1035 phytoecological samples), from the existing meteorological network (269 stations). This method is characterized by a great suppleness of non-linearity and by its capacity for reconstituting information from partial and not well-defined indications such as the case of data provided from meteorological networks. In order to reconstitution of climatic data, we use the explicate variables, longitude, latitude and altitude, the variables to explain being the rainfall and temperatures. To define the best approach, the network calibration has been activated on climatic parameters taken globally or solely, for the whole of study zone, and by geographical sector. The results of the interpolation are expressed through a climatic parameter cartography, released automatically by the MapInfo software. The reliability results obtained by this method can be appreciated by elaboration of errors maps comparing to reference data.     

Vers une meilleure représentation de la distribution et de la variabilité de l'ozone atmosphérique par l'assimilation des données satellitaires

Data assimilation plays an important role in the analysis of atmospheric data, in particular for numerical weather prediction and the detection of climate variations. In the field of atmospheric chemistry, assimilation techniques have been recently developed to study the distribution of tracer species, with emphasis on the ozone content. The present work reports on assimilation experiments of vertical ozone profiles from the GOME instrument performed with MOCAGE, a chemical-transport model and a 3D-FGAT variational technique. It is shown that this technique is very well adapted for ozone assimilation and can be extended to various sensors or other trace species. To cite this article: S. Massart et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Analyse Instrumental de L'Etain par Activation Neutronique et Spectrometrie de Coincidence

Flous décrivons ici une méthode non destructive de dosage de l'Ptain dans l es roches par activdtion neutronique et spectrometrie de coincidence multiparametrique. Nosrgsultatssonten bun sccord avec ceux obtenus par plusieurs methoties destructives etvont treutilises pour de noivhreuses apDl ications geochimiques. En particulierles standards GSP-1 et surtout BX-N seront utilisés cornme talons de reference.     

Etude des minéralisations sulfurées du gisement de Salau,Pyrenées (France) et de ses environs

Résumé Les minéralisations du gisement de Salau, Pyrénées (France) comportent, outre la pyrrhotite et la scheelite, de la chalcopyrite, de l'arsénopyrite et de la sphalérite en phases accessoires. Ces sulfures ont été analysés à la microsonde électronique. — Les pyrrhotites sont les seuls sulfures à avoir subi l'influence de la mise en place de la rhyodacite. Les autres sulfures présentent une grande homogénéité et n'ont pas subi de modification liée à la mise en place du pluton. Les teneurs en fer des sphalérites, homogènes à l'intérieur d'un même niveau stratigraphique, mais différentes d'un niveau à l'autre, suggèrent une mise en place à plusieurs périodes sans remaniement ultérieur à leur dépôt.

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Mineralisation of Salau deposit, Pyrénées (France) contain massive pyrrhotite and scheelite associated with chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and sphalerite. Electron microprobe analyses of these sulfides have been systematically performed. — Pyrrhotites show a zonation with regard to the rhyodacite settlement. Other sulfides show a great homogeneity and are not disturbed by this settlement. Iron content of sphalerites, homogeneous inside a given stratigraphical level but different when the age of layers change, suggest several origins without further modification.

     

Analyse des circuits mineralurgiques par cascadographie—Caracterisation de l'alimentation et evaluation de la fonction de selection

Cascadography is a generic, laboratory, instrumentational method of separating and characterizing mixes of mineral or particle species based on subtle physical and physiochemical differences. Like gas chromatography, cascadography characterizes a sample by the temporal separation of mineral species. Using a number of identical unit operations in series, the sample feed is injected into the first unit operation at time equals zero, and samples are taken at regular intervals from the last cell product. From the n-th cell, the product becomes the feed to the (n+1)th cell. Other than as a product, no material is removed from any cell—there is no circulating load or feedback. First to appear in the product are the rapidly moving particles followed by the more slowly moving particles. For example, if there exists a number of identical particles, then the particles will appear together in the output of the system. As the number of cells in series increases, so does the resolution between batches of particles with similar properties. If the system being studied is flotation, pure mineral species as well as locked particle assays can be made of the feed and waste streams, and from this information, the flotation cell selection function can be calculated.     

Données sur Potassium et Argon (de 1976 à 1984) Dans quelques Echantillons Géochimiques de Reference

Les résultats d'un grand nombre de dosages de potassium et d'argon effectués sur des échan tillons standards sont présentés; les âges K-Ar correspondant sont également calculés. Il s'agit d'une part de standards géochronologiques: la muscovite Berne 4M, la biotite LP6 et la phonolite MZ, d'autre part de standards géochimiques diffusés par le CRPG: la biotite Mica-Fe, la phlogopite Mica-Mg et le basalte BE-N.     

Sur l'assimilation variationnelle de données par un modèle d'écosystème marin de type NPZ

A variational data assimilation method is applied to a simplified marine ecosystem model of NPZ (Nutrient Phytoplankton Zooplankton) type, which implies five parameters. The method allows us to optimise these parameters by an iterative process of minimisation of a cost function which quantifies the quadratic discrepancy between observations and simulation results. The first part of this note describes how to obtain the adjoint model of the NPZ model allowing us to compute the gradient of the cost function relative to the parameters. Two experiments of artificial data assimilation then show the efficiency of this method, but also its limitations because of non-linearities and sensitivity problems of the model relative to the parameters. To cite this article: Y. Leredde et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Stratigraphie séquentielle du Carbonifère inférieur du Haut Atlas central et des Jebilet (Maroc): un exemple de bassins à turbidites contrôlées par la tectonique

Marine deposits of Visean age are well exposed in the Marrakesh area. Two third order sequences are identified in the central High Atlas and Jebilet: SA, which is of Middle Visean age (CM); SB of Upper Visean age (Cf6αβγ); and a complex with olistoliths of Upper Visean-Lower Namurian age (Cf6δ-Cf7). The SA and SIB sequences consist of a relative low-lying system tract with turbidites, a retrograde transgressive system tract and a prograde high-lying system tract. The relative low level comprises a turbiditic fan fed by tectonic uplift, which does not strictly coincide with eustatic processes. The transgressive system tract retrogrades firstly on the slope during tectonic reactivation with slumps, channels and silty levees, secondly on the shelf edge with a mixture of turbiditic and storm deposits and finally on the shelf with storm deposits and reef building. The high level system tract progrades on the shelf by a delta fan. This model is similar to sequences described in Spain and Italy by Mutti (1992), where tectonism is dominant.Nevertheless, eustasy, as described by Vail et al. (1977) played a part, since the same sequences are found in the chart of Ross and Ross (1987): S1, which of Middle Visean age (Cf5) and S2 which is of Upper Visean age (Cf6αβγ). Only the comparison between regional sequences described in Morocco and the sequences of the European platform allow tectonics and eustasy to be taken into consideration.     

Analyse de 47 Echantillons Géochimiques de Référence par Fluorescence-X (Cu, Ga, Ni, Zn) Et par Absorption Atomique (Cu, Ni, Zn)

47 étalons géochimiques internationaux dont les huit nouveaux étalons de l'USGS ont été analysés par fluorescence-X et absorption atomique pour Ni, Cu, Zn et par fluorescence-X pour Ga.
Les auteurs développment ici pour la fluores-cence-X les problèmes concernant le choix des fonds, le calcul du fond véritable sous-jacent au pic mesuré, les impuretés des tubes et de l'appareillage. Une méthode directe sur échantillon pulvérulent, non destructive, sans aucune préparation est utilisée.
Trois systèmes de fluorescence-X utilisant deux appareillages (Philips PW 1540 et Siemens SSRS 1) et deux tubes molybdène et or sont confrontés et les moyennes comparée à celles d'une méthode d'absorption atomique par mise en solution de l'échantillon (IL 353).
Les résultats obtenus sont comparés soit aux valeurs recommandées, soit aux moyennes calculées à partir de la littérature. On discute tant les accords que les divergences.     

Premieres datations par la methode K/Ar de quelques laves cenozoiques et quaternaires de sardaigne nord-occidentale

The K/Ar datings made on recent lavas of northwest Sardinia (Logudoro and Bosano districts) show that the calc-alkaline volcanism lasted about 11 m.y. It began at the Oligocene—Miocene limit and ended in the Middle Miocene.A Plio—Quaternary alkaline volcanic cycle followed the Middle Miocene sea transgression. These geochronological measurements complement a recent paleomagnetic study made on these Sardinian lavas.These data enable us to show that the northwest Sardinian volcanism is subsequent to the island drift. Thus, this movement would have ended in the Late Oligocene at the latest.

Résumé

Les datations K/Ar réalisées sur les laves récentes de Sardaigne nord-occidentale (régions du Logudoro et du Bosano) montrent que le volcanisme calco-alcalin a couvert une période de 11 M.A. environ; il a débuté à la limite Oligocène—Miocène pour s'achever au Miocène moyen. Un cycle volcanique alcalin d'âge plio—quaternaire a succédé à la transgression marine du Miocène moyen. Ces mesures géochronologiques complètent une étude paléomagnétique récente effectuée sur ces laves sardes. Ces données permettent de montrer que le volcanisme de la Sardaigne nord-occidentale est postérieur à la dérive de l'ile; ce mouvement aurait donc pris fin, au plus tard, à l'Oligocène supérieur.     

Reconnaissance de la structure géologique du bassin de saïss occidental, Maroc, par sondages électriques

A geophysical study, based on 96 electrical resistivity measurements with a line length up to 4 km, was performed in the southern and southwestern parts of the Meknes Plateau, Morocco, which is a part of the Saiss Basin, located between the Rif Range to the north and the Middle Atlas Range to the south. This basin, whose maximum depth is 1.5km in the north, is filled with Triassic to Quaternary deposits overlying the Palæozoic basement and includes two main aquifers. The interpretation of the resistivity measurements, calibrated from deep boreholes, made it possible to obtain a new hydrogeological model for the Saiss Basin. The understanding of the basin structure is of primary importance for the water supply of this area, which has been affected by severe droughts in recent years.     

Observations sur le mode de gisement et les conditions de mise en place des coulées volcaniques spilitisées de Peyrebrune (Région de Realmont) Tarn/France

In the district of Peyrebrune, several lava-flows are interstratified in a Cambrosilurian aged Schisto-Sandstone Series. The relationships between sediments and lavas, specified by a cut in detail, are the subject of a petrographic and sedimentologic study. According to this study each volcanic eruption is divided in two flows separated by a little amount of “mictites” (mixture of sediments which were rearranged during the eruption, and elements of volcanic origin). The upper flow is much than the lower one and is sometimes thicker cut in pillow-lavas. The mineralogical study shows that the center of the principal flow is made of albitic dolerite with preserved pyroxene and albite and that the boundaries up to one meter and also the lower flow have a spilitic composition. In one flow, taken for example, measurements of density show that the density is 2,99 in the center of the flow, and 2,81 in the boundaries. The chemical analyses indicate that the center has a hyperaluminous basaltic composition and that the more spilitified parts are considerably modified by:

• -Addition of Na (around 60 Kg by m³)
• -loss of Ca and Mg (corresponding to the possible formation of 350 Kg of magnesium calcarous by m³ of spilitified stony mass).

     

Charophytes du Crétacé moyen et données nouvelles sur l'Evolution des Clavatoracées

La découverte de nouveaux gisements dans le Sud de la France révèle la persistance, dans le Cénomanien, d'Embergerella cruciata, Atopochara restricta et A. brevicellis (Clavatoraceae). Une parenté entre les genres Embergerella (Barrémien-Cénomanien) et Septorella (Maastrichtien) est envisagée sur la base d'une nouvelle interprétation de la structure de l'utricule. Pour la première fois, des représentants de la famille des Characeae sont décrits dans le Cénomanien: Peckisphaera revesti n. sp. et le Turonien: Mesochara fusiformis n. sp. Indications biostratigraphiques: dans l'état actuel des connaissances sur les flores de Charophytes du Crétacé moyen, seul le Cénomanien est bien caractérisé, par A. multivolvis à laquelle s'ajoute maintenant une nouvelle association de quatre espèces; l'Albien et le Turonien, pour lesquels des précisions sont apportées, restent toutefois encore mal individualisés.The discovery of new localities in the South of France shows that Embergerella cruciata, Atopochara restricta and A. brevicellis (Clavatoraceae) continued into the Cenomanian. A relationship between the genera Embergerella (Barremian-Cenomanian) and Septorella (Maastrichtian) is suggested on the basis of a new interpretation of the structure of the utricle. Representatives of the family Characeae are described for the first time, Peckisphaera revesti n. sp. in the Cenomanian and Mesochara fusiformis n. sp. in the Turonian. Biostratigraphic information: in the present state of knowledge of Middle Cretaceous Charophyte floras, only the Cenomanian is well characterized, by A. multivolvis to which is now added a new association of four species. Although new information is presented on the Albian and Turonian, they are still inadequately understood.     

Caractérisation de la structure interne et de l'état hydrique de glissements argilo-marneux par tomographie géophysique : l'exemple du glissement-coulée de Super-Sauze (Alpes du Sud,France)

Geophysical methods such as seismic surveying and electrical resistivity imaging appear to be well-adapted to investigate and understand landslide mechanisms. They allow direct and non-intrusive measurement of acoustic velocity and electrical resistivity, two fundamental parameters used to define the physical properties of the reworked moving materials. Both methods were applied at the Super-Sauze site in the French South Alps, where a typical example of an intra-material earthflow-mudslide can be observed. Measurements were taken simultaneously along two orthogonal profiles: one 325 m in length is perpendicular to the axis of the earthflow; the other 235 m in length is located along the axis of the earthflow. The results show a correlation between the seismic and electrical resistivity data, confirming that the simultaneous use of both methods gives complementary information about landslide mechanisms. The seismic data provide information on fracture density variations, whereas the electrical resistivity data provide information on water content variations. To cite this article: G. Grandjean et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).