The transition from blueschist to greenschist facies modeled by the reaction glaucophane + 2 diopside + 2 quartz = tremolite + 2 albite

The reaction glaucophane + 2 diopside + 2 quartz = tremolite + 2 albite is proposed to model the transition from the blueschist to greenschist facies. This reaction was investigated experimentally over the range of 1.0–2.1 GPa and 500–800°C using synthetic phases in the chemical system Na₂O–CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O. Reversals of this reaction were possible at 500 and 550°C and growth of the low-pressure assemblage at 600°C; however, at temperatures of 600°C and higher and at pressures above 1.6 GPa omphacite nucleation (at the expense of diopside and albite) became quite strong and prevented attaining clear reversals of this reaction. Compositional changes in the amphiboles were determined by both electron microprobe analyses and correlations between unit-cell dimensions and composition. Glaucophane and particularly tremolite showed clear signs of compositional re-equilibration and merged to a single amphibole of winchite composition by about 754°C. These data were used to model the miscibility gap between glaucophane and tremolite using either the asymmetric multicomponent formulism parameters of W _TR,GL of 68 kJ with α_TR of 1.0 and α_GL of 0.75 or a simple two-site asymmetric thermodynamic mixing expression with Margules parameters W _NaCa of 13.4 kJ and W _CaNa of 19.3 kJ. Combination of these thermodynamic models of the miscibility gap with extant thermodynamic data for the other phases yields a calculated location of the above reaction, involving pure diopside and albite, that is in good agreement with the observed experimental reversals and amphibole compositions over the range of 0.94–1.93 GPa and 400–754°C. The calculated effect of jadeite solid solution into diopside is to reduce the dP/dT slope from 0.0028 to 0.0021 GPa/°C and decrease the pressure by 0.28 GPa at 754°C. The dP/dT slope of this reaction boundary lies close to a linear geotherm of 13°C/km and is consistent with the slopes of other solid–solid reactions that have been used to model the blueschist-to-greenschist facies transition.     

Texture development and slip systems in bridgmanite and bridgmanite + ferropericlase aggregates

Bridgmanite (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ and ferropericlase (Mg,Fe)O are the most abundant phases in the lower mantle and localized regions of the D″ layer just above the core mantle boundary. Seismic anisotropy is observed near subduction zones at the top of the lower mantle and in the D″ region. One source of anisotropy is dislocation glide and associated texture (crystallographic preferred orientation) development. Thus, in order to interpret seismic anisotropy, it is important to understand texture development and slip system activities in bridgmanite and bridgmanite + ferropericlase aggregates. Here we report on in situ texture development in bridgmanite and bridgmanite + ferropericlase aggregates deformed in the diamond anvil cell up to 61 GPa. When bridgmanite is synthesized from enstatite, it exhibits a strong (4.2 m.r.d.) 001 transformation texture due to a structural relationship with the precursor enstatite phase. When bridgmanite + ferropericlase are synthesized from olivine or ringwoodite, bridgmanite exhibits a relatively weak 100 transformation texture (1.2 and 1.6 m.r.d., respectively). This is likely due to minimization of elastic strain energy as a result of Young’s modulus anisotropy. In bridgmanite, 001 deformation textures are observed at pressures <55 GPa. The 001 texture is likely due to slip on (001) planes in the [100], [010] and \(\left\langle {110} \right\rangle\) directions. Stress relaxation by laser annealing to 1500–1600 K does not result in a change in this texture type. However, at pressures >55 GPa a change in texture to a 100 maximum is observed, consistent with slip on the (100) plane. Ferropericlase, when deformed with bridgmanite, does not develop a coherent texture. This is likely due to strain heterogeneity within the softer ferropericlase grains. Thus, it is plausible that ferropericlase is not a significant source of anisotropy in the lower mantle.     

Melting of clinopyroxene + magnesite in iron-bearing planetary mantles and implications for the Earth and Mars

The assemblage clinopyroxene + magnesite was observed in Earth’s high-pressure metamorphic samples, and its stability in subducting slabs was confirmed by experiments. Recent studies also suggested that the fO₂ variations observed in SNC meteorites can be explained by polybaric graphite-CO-CO₂ equilibria in the Martian mantle. Although there is no direct evidence for the stability of the cpx + mc assemblage in Mars mantle, its high-pressure–high-temperature decomposition to cpx + fo + CO₂ makes it a good analogue for the source of carbon metasomatism, in particular, to study nakhlites formation. Iron, which is present in the Earth’s and Martian mantles, may, however, influence the speciation of carbon. We performed experiments on a clinopyroxene + magnesite assemblage at 1.8 and 3.0 GPa and temperatures corresponding to the Earth’s and Martian mantles. The role of iron and of fO₂ was investigated by (1) replacing all or part of the magnesite by siderite FeCO₃, (2) adding Fe⁰ and (3) using graphite C capsules. A carbonate-silicate melt forms at both Earth and Mars conditions. Clinopyroxene and olivine are the main solid phases in the iron-free experiments. Fe²⁺ and Fe⁰ decrease their melting temperatures and increase the silicate fraction in the melt. The produced carbonate-silicate melts may be involved in the formation of some carbon-rich lavas on Earth (e.g., carbonatites, ultramafic lamprophyres, or kamafugites). Our results may also be used to interpret ophiolite samples or inclusions. In particular, we show that wüstite may form in equilibrium with carbonate-silicate melt in opx-(and silica-) poor regions of the mantle below 3 GPa. Our results also confirm the hypothesis of carbon metasomatism in the Martian nakhlites source. Immiscibility or reduction could explain the absence or rarity of C in Martian lavas.     

Numerical analysis of the groundwater regime in the western Dead Sea escarpment, Israel + West Bank

Water is scarce in the semi-arid to arid regions around the Dead Sea, where water supply mostly relies on restricted groundwater resources. Due to increasing population in this region, the regional aquifer system is exposed to additional stress. This results in the continuous decrease in water level of the adjacent Dead Sea. The interaction of an increasing demand for water due to population growth and the decrease of groundwater resources will intensify in the near future. Thus, the water supply situation could worsen significantly unless sustainable water resource management is conducted. In this study, we develop a regional groundwater flow model of the eastern and southern Judea Group Aquifer to investigate the groundwater regime in the western Dead Sea drainage basin of Israel and the West Bank. An extensive geological database was developed and consequently a high-resolution structural model was derived. This structural model was the basis for various groundwater flow scenarios. The objective was to capture the spatial heterogeneity of the aquifer system and to apply these results to the southern part of the study area, which has not been studied in detail until now. As a result we analyzed quantitatively the flow regime, the groundwater mass balance and the hydraulic characteristics (hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic head) of the cretaceous aquifer system and calibrated them with PEST. The calibrated groundwater flow model can be used for integrated groundwater water management purposes in the Dead Sea area, especially within the framework of the SUMAR-Project.     

Seawater-like trace element signatures (REE + Y) of Eoarchaean chemical sedimentary rocks from southern West Greenland,and their corruption during high-grade metamorphism

Modern chemical sediments display a distinctive rare earth element + yttrium (REE + Y) pattern involving depleted LREE, positive La/La*_SN, Eu/Eu*_SN, and Y_SN anomalies (SN = shale normalised) that is related to precipitation from circumneutral to high pH waters with solution complexation of the REEs dominated by carbonate ions. This is often interpreted as reflecting precipitation from surface waters (usually marine). The oldest broadly accepted chemical sediments are c. 3,700 Ma amphibolite facies banded iron-formation (BIF) units in the Isua supracrustal belt, Greenland. Isua BIFs, including the BIF international reference material IF-G are generally considered to be seawater precipitates, and display these REE + Y patterns (Bolhar et al. in Earth Planet Sci Lett 222:43–60, 2004). Greenland Eoarchaean BIF metamorphosed up to granulite facies from several localities in the vicinity of Akilia (island), display REE + Y patterns identical to Isua BIF, consistent with an origin by chemical sedimentation from seawater and a paucity of clastic input. Furthermore, the much-debated magnetite-bearing siliceous unit of “earliest life” rocks (sample G91/26) from Akilia has the same REE + Y pattern. This suggests that sample G91/26 is also a chemical sediment, contrary to previous assertions (Bolhar et al. in Earth Planet Sci Lett 222:43–60, 2004), and including suggestions that the Akilia unit containing G91/26 consists entirely of silica-penetrated, metasomatised, mafic rock (Fedo and Whitehouse 2002a). Integration of our trace element data with those of Bolhar et al. (Earth Planet Sci Lett 222:43–60, 2004) demonstrates that Eoarchaean siliceous rocks in Greenland, with ages from 3.6 to 3.85 Ga, have diverse trace element signatures. There are now geographically-dispersed, widespread examples with Isua BIF-like REE + Y signatures, that are interpreted as chemically unaltered, albeit metamorphosed, chemical sediments. Other samples retain remnants of LREE depletion but are beginning to lose the distinct La, Eu and Y positive anomalies and are interpreted as metasomatised chemical sediments. Finally there are some siliceous samples with completely different trace element patterns that are interpreted as rocks of non-sedimentary origin, and include metasomatised mafic rocks. The positive La/La*_SN, Eu/Eu*_SN and Y_SN anomalies found in Isua BIFs and other Eoarchaean Greenland samples, such as G91/26 from Akilia, suggests that the processes of carbonate ion complexation controlling the REE − Y patterns were already established in the hydrosphere at the start of the sedimentary record 3,600–3,850 Ma ago. This is in accord with the presence of Eoarchaean siderite-bearing marbles of sedimentary origin, and suggests that CO₂ may have been a significant greenhouse gas at that time.     

The knowledge expression on debris flow potential analysis through PCA + LDA and rough sets theory: a case study of Chen-Yu-Lan watershed,Nantou, Taiwan

Debris flow is often performed through identifying and analyzing the soil condition, hydraulic, geomorphological factors and vegetation conditions. In the present study, a spatial information analysis system is combined with a linear statistical method (principle components analysis with linear discriminant analysis, PCA + LDA) and an advanced data mining technique (discrete rough sets, DRS) to investigate the debris flow occurrence based on geomorphological and vegetation conditions factors. The analyzed data sources include (1) digital elevation model: to investigate the variation in the landscape, and (2) remote sensing data: to analyze the vegetation and plant conditions on the ground surface. The objective of this research is to define a method with the ability to forecast the level of debris flow susceptibility through the parallel study of statistical outcomes (PCA + LDA) and data mining results (DRS). The outcomes from PCA + LDA are inadequate due to the thresholds of the influenced variables not being examined. In this study, the DRS approach not only showed satisfactory results for the thresholds of influenced variables in the study area, but also the occurrence rules of debris flow are generated. Finally, the results show superior classification accuracy (70.8% for debris flow occurrence) for the DRS method over those of PCA + LDA analysis (54.2% for debris flow occurrence) for the analysis of debris flow occurrence. Therefore, this is an encouraging preliminary approach in the hazard assessment of debris flow.