Origin of the high-temperature fraction of C2 chondrites

The coarse-grained fraction of C2 chondrites is composed mostly of single crystals and aggregates of crystals of Mg-rich olivine and pyroxene. They do not possess compelling textural evidence of being the solidification products of rapidly-quenched molten droplets. Metal inclusions in the silicates contain 3·82–8·88 mole% Ni, 0·16–0·70 per cent Co, 0·17–1·07 per cent Cr and up to 5·70 per cent P. Thermodynamic calculations show that alloys of these compositions may be condensates from the solar nebula. The implication is that the high-temperature fraction of C2 chondrites consists mostly of high-temperature condensates. Chemical data show that the high-temperature fraction has an Fe/Mg atomic ratio of ? 0·31 compared to 1·3 in the matrix, indicating that much of the iron has been lost from the high-temperature fraction and converted to the troilito and oxidized iron of the low-temperature fraction. The presence of low-Ni metal grains in the aggregates and high Ni/Fe and Co/Fe ratios in the matrix of some C2's indicates preferential loss of early NiCo-rich metal from the high-temperature fraction during condensation.     

Characterization of a natural magnetite

Single crystals of a rock magnetite were separated from steatite cobbles collected in a geological site near the city of Serro (18° 36′ 47′′ S 43° 22′ 46′′ W), Minas Gerais, Brazil. A typically well-shaped magnetite single crystal was characterized by chemical analysis, ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrometry at 300, 77 and 4 K and under an applied magnetic field of 6 T at 10 K, magnetization measurements and electronic microprobe. From Mössbauer data, the sample is stoichiometric with a tetrahedral and octahedral site occupancy ratio of 1:2. Elemental chemical analysis and point-to-point electron microscope probing show some inclusions of lamellar ilmenite (≤ 1 mass%) randomly distributed throughout the magnetite matrix, and also that the magnetite matrix is constituted only by Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, with no isomorphic substitution. Results are discussed on the basis of the magnetization curve and of the temperature dependence of the AC magnetic susceptibility. The Verwey transition occurs in the temperature range of 100–115 K, observed by a sudden change in the temperature dependence of the magnetization.     

Zircon and whole-rock Nd-Pb isotopic provenance of Middle and Upper Ordovician siliciclastic rocks, Argentine Precordillera

Graptolite‐bearing Middle and Upper Ordovician siliciclastic facies of the Argentine Precordillera fold‐thrust belt record the disintegration of a long‐lived Cambro‐Mid Ordovician carbonate platform into a series of tectonically partitioned basins. A combination of stratigraphic, petrographic, U‐Pb detrital zircon, and Nd‐Pb whole‐rock isotopic data provide evidence for a variety of clastic sediment sources. Four Upper Ordovician quartzo‐lithic sandstones collected in the eastern and central Precordillera yield complex U‐Pb zircon age spectra dominated by 1·05–1·10 Ga zircons, secondary populations of 1·22, 1·30, and 1·46 Ga, rare 2·2 and 1·8 Ga zircons, and a minor population (<2%) of concordant zircons in the 600–700 Ma range. Archaean‐age grains comprise <1% of all zircons analysed from these rocks. In contrast, a feldspathic arenite from the Middle Ordovician Estancia San Isidro Formation of the central Precordillera has two well‐defined peaks at 1·41 and 1·43 Ga, with no grains in the 600–1200 Ma range and none older than 1·70 Ga. The zircon age spectrum in this unit is similar to that of a Middle Cambrian quartz arenite from the La Laja Formation, suggesting that local basement rocks were a regional source of ca 1·4 Ga detrital zircons in the Precordillera Terrane from the Cambrian onwards. The lack of grains younger than 600 Ma in Upper Ordovician units reinforces petrographic data indicating that Ordovician volcanic arc sources did not supply significant material directly to these sedimentary basins. Nd isotopic data (n = 32) for Middle and Upper Ordovician graptolitic shales from six localities define a poorly mixed signal [ɛ_Nd(450 Ma) = −9·6 to −4·5] that becomes more regionally homogenized in Upper Ordovician rocks (−6·2 ± 1·0; T_DM = 1·51 ± 0·15 Ga; n = 17), a trend reinforced by the U‐Pb detrital zircon data. It is concluded that proximal, recycled orogenic sources dominated the siliciclastic sediment supply for these basins, consistent with rapid unroofing of the Precordillera Terrane platform succession and basement starting in Mid Ordovician time. Common Pb data for Middle and Upper Ordovician shales from the western and eastern Precordillera (n = 15) provide evidence for a minor (<30%) component that was likely derived from a high‐μ (U/Pb) terrane.     

Characteristics of particle size for creeping and saltating sand grains in aeolian transport

Creep and saltation are the primary modes of surface transport involved in the fluid‐like movement of aeolian sands. Although numerous studies have focused on saltation, few studies have focused on creep, primarily because of the experimental difficulty and the limited amount of theoretical information available on this process. Grain size and its distribution characteristics are key controls on the modes of sand movement and their transport masses. Based on a series of wind tunnel experiments, this paper presents new data regarding the saltation flux, obtained using a flat sampler, and on the creeping mass, obtained using a specifically designed bed trap, associated with four friction velocities (0·41, 0·47, 0·55 and 0·61 m sec^?1). These data yielded information regarding creeping and saltating sand grains and their particle size characteristics at various heights, which led to the following conclusions: (i) the creeping masses increased as a power function (q = ?1·02 + 14·19u_*³) of friction wind velocities, with a correlation (R²) of 0·95; (ii) the flux of aeolian sand flow decreases exponentially with increasing height (q = a exp(–z/b)) and increases as a power function (q = ?26·30 + 428·40 u_*³) of the friction wind velocity; (iii) the particle size of creeping sand grains is ca 1·15 times of the mean diameter of salting sand grains at a height of 0 to 2 cm, which is 1·14 times of the mean diameter of sand grains in a bed; and (iv) the mean diameter of saltating sand grains decreases rapidly with increasing height whereas, while at a given height, the mean diameter of saltating sand grains is positively correlated with the friction wind velocity. Although these results require additional experimental validation, they provide new information for modelling of aeolian sand transport processes.     

Origin of facies zonation in microbial carbonate platform slopes: Clues from trace element and stable isotope geochemistry (Middle Triassic,Dolomites, Italy)

Limestones containing radiaxial fibrous cements were sampled along the southern slope of the late Anisian (Middle Triassic) Latemar carbonate platform in the Dolomites, northern Italy. The Latemar upper slopes comprise massive microbial boundstone, whereas lower slopes are made of clinostratified grainstone, rudstone and breccia. Samples are representative of a seawater column from near sea‐level to an aphotic zone at about 500 m water depth. Radiaxial fibrous cements were analyzed for carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) stable isotopic composition, as well as major and trace element content, to shed light on the origin of the slope facies zonation. The δ¹³C vary between 1·7‰ and 2·3‰ (Vienna Pee‐Dee Belemnite), with lowest values at palaeo‐water depths between 70 m and 300 m. Radiaxial fibrous cements yielded seawater‐like rare earth element patterns with light rare earth element depletion (Nd_SN/Yb_SN ≈ 0·4), superchondritic yttrium/holmium ratios (≈55) and negative cerium anomalies. Cadmium reaches maximum values of ca 0·5 to 0·7 μg/g at palaeo‐water depths between 70 m and 300 m; barium contents (0·8 to 1·8 μg/g) increase linearly with depth. The downslope patterns of δ¹³C and cadmium suggest increased nutrient and organic matter contents at depths between ca 70 m and 300 m and point to an active biological pump. The peak in cadmium and the minimum of δ¹³C mark a zone of maximum organic matter respiration and high nutrient and organic matter availability. The base of this zone at ca 300 m depth corresponds with the transition from massive microbial boundstone to clinostratified grainstone, rudstone and breccia. The microbial boundstone facies apparently formed only in seawater enriched in organic matter, possibly because this organic matter sustained benthic microbial communities at Latemar. The base of slope microbialites on high‐relief microbial carbonate platforms may be a proxy for the depth to maximum respiration zones of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic periplatform basins.     

Static breakage of granitic detritus by ice and water in comparison with breakage by flowing water

Temperature cycling between ?4·5±1·0°C and 13·0±2·0°C in the presence of added water caused significant breakage of granitic detritus. Because cycling with only adsorbed water present also caused breakage, fragmentation is attributed to both the combined action of ice and adsorbed water and to the latter acting alone. Breakage evidently resulted from the gradual tensile opening of pre-existing cracks, weakening then splitting grains. Surviving unbroken grains show evidence of a fatigue effect. Quartz split dominantly along pre-existing subplanar microfractures whereas feldspar and biotite split along crystal cleavages. Degree of breakage and product size distribution depend on the crystalline nature of the parent material, its previous history, and the nature and duration of the breakage process. With the first two factors the same, size distributions from adsorbed water breakage alone and from that due to adsorbed water plus ice differ slightly. Both contrast strongly with those of simulated fluviatile breakage. Whereas the latter preferentially produced 2–20 μm particles (probably debris of inter-particle collisions), static breakage split coarser grains wherever major weaknesses occurred, producing less selective product size distributions with greater proportions of loess-sized material (about 20--60 μ). Characteristic inflections in the size distribution curves of our experimentally produced debris are also shown by samples from the sola of some frost-affected soils. Partially healed microfractures in plutonic quartz are normally spaced at about 1–10 μ—approaching the downward asymptotic comminution limit for brittle solids (about 1 μ). Surficial physical processes are capable of reducing only a small proportion of plutonic quartz to this size before its storage in sediments.     

宁武天池干海湖泊沉积物的部分非磁滞剩磁研究

应用部分非磁滞剩磁(pARM)谱,对山西宁武天池干海湖泊沉积物携带的磁信息研究表明,粗磁铁矿颗粒(MD)是主要载磁矿物颗粒,其pARM谱在低矫顽力区间(AF20 mT)达到最高值;而细磁铁矿颗粒(PSD-SD)为次要载磁颗粒,其pARM谱在高矫顽力区间(AF20 mT)稍有突起。但是,剖面三个层位具有不同特征,上层(大约7.3~4.0 ka)的粗磁性矿物颗粒含量最高,下层(大约12.0~13.0 ka)次之,而中层(大约12.0~7.3 ka)相对最低;中层的细磁性颗粒含量最高,下层和上层的细磁性颗粒含量次之。pARM谱分析结果与磁滞曲线测量获得的磁畴结果一致。在较高的交变磁场区间获得的pARM可以有效地压抑粗磁颗粒的信息,进而使细磁颗粒的信号增强。应用pARM谱分析,能有效判别样品中磁性矿物的磁畴状态,有助于沉积物的古气候、岩石磁学和古地磁学研究。     

Supermagnetic enhancement,superparamagnetism, and archaeological soils

A range of mineral magnetic measurements have been carried out on archaeological sediments from Orkney and Cyprus. In a soil profile from Orkney, a magnetic enhancement factor of over 200 is observed in susceptibility data between the bedrock and a Norse sediment. The magnetic enhancement is associated with an increase in superparamagnetic grains probably caused by burning. Until now it has proved difficult to confirm the presence of superparamagnetic grains in natural samples using room temperature magnetic measurements. However, clear differences are to be found between the hysteresis loops of various magnetic domain states, including superparamagnetism. An algorithm has been developed to unmix hysteresis loops in terms of constituent domain states of ferrimagnetic iron oxides. Unmixing 128 hysteresis loops of archaeological sediments has shown that the dominant domain state in all sediments is superparamagnetic. Remarkably uniform superparamagnetic grain sizes of between 80 and 95 Å were found for all 128 sediments. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Magnetic properties of the Chelyabinsk meteorite: Preliminary results

This paper presents the distribution of magnetic susceptibility, χ₀, in fragments of the Chelyabinsk ordinary chondrite (LL5, S4, W0, fall of February 15, 2013) from the collection of the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, and results obtained by standard magnetic techniques for the meteorite material, including thermomagnetic analysis, measurements of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), as well as the spectra of their alternating field demagnetization at amplitudes up to 170 mT, measurements of hysteresis loops and back-field remanence demagnetization curves at temperatures from 10 K to 700°C etc. The mean logχ₀ values for the light-colored (main) lithology of the meteorite material and impact-melt breccia from our collection are 4.54 ± 0.10 (n = 66) and 4.65 ± 0.09 (n = 38) (×10^?9 m³/kg), respectively. According to international magnetic classification of meteorites, Chelyabinsk falls within the range of LL5 chondrites. The mean metal content was estimated from the saturation magnetization, M _s, of the light- and dark-colored lithologies as 3.7 and 4.1 wt %, respectively. Hence, the dark lithology is richer in metal. The metal grains are multidomain at room temperature and show low coercive force, B _c (<2 mT) and remanent coercive force, B _cr (15–23 mT). The thermomagnetic analyses of the samples showed that the magnetic properties of the Chelyabinsk meteorite are controlled mainly by taenite and kamacite at temperatures >75 K. In the temperature range below 75 K, magnetic properties are controlled by chromite; the magnetic hardness of the samples is maximal at 10 K and equals to 606 and 157 mT for the light- and dark-colored lithologies, respectively.     

Granule ripples in the Kumtagh Desert,China: Morphology,grain size and influencing factors

Granule ripples are found mainly in four regions of the Kumtagh Desert in China; they are characterized by an asymmetrical shape, with gentle lower slopes on both sides and abrupt crests. The ripples tend to be oriented perpendicular to the prevailing winds, except when they form near obstacles such as yardangs. The wavelengths (λ) range between 0·31 m and 26 m and heights (h) range from 0·015 m to 1 m. The relationship between wavelength and height can be described by a simple linear function, and the mean ripple index (λ/h) is about 20·4 for the study sites. The sediments are poorly sorted, with negative to very negative skewness at lee and stoss slopes and between‐ripple troughs, which confirms the ‘poured in’ and ‘shadow’ appearance described by previous researchers. The bimodal or trimodal distributions of grains (with modes of ?1·16φ, ?0·5φ and 3·16φ) and the enrichment of coarse particles at the ripple surface (with coarse granule contents ranging between 5·2% and 62·1%) indicate that the underlying layer is the original sediment source and that the granule ripples resist erosional processes. Although the impact of saltating particles and, consequently, the creep and reptation of coarse grains are responsible for granule ripple initiation at a micro‐scale, however, the characteristics of local sediments, wind regimes and topographical obstacles, as well as the feedbacks among bedform and airflow, more strongly affect the development and alignment of granule ripples at a macro‐scale.     

钾膨胀石墨层间化合物(K-EGIC_S)的电阻率测量

在低温惰性条件下合成的钾膨胀石墨层间化合物 (K_EGICS)的电学性能与膨胀石墨的电学性能完全相反 ,随着温度的升高 ,K_EGICS 的电阻率逐渐升高 ,电导率逐渐降低。这一现象是由客体材料钾自身的结构及其与膨胀石墨化合时的键性决定的。     

南非巴伯顿绿岩带条带状铁建造岩石磁学及磁性矿物的组成特征

条带状铁建造(BIFs)中含有大量的亚铁磁性矿物,其组成及来源是认识BIF成因的重要依据。本文研究了南非巴伯顿绿岩带无花果树群(距今约32亿年)恩圭尼亚组的BIFs样品的磁学和矿物学特征。通过测量富铁层与富硅层的磁滞回线、等温剩磁获得曲线与退磁曲线、矫顽力谱分析、一阶反转曲线(FORC)、低温(20～300K)有场/无场冷却曲线以及k-T曲线、Lowrie三轴热退磁曲线,结合扫描电镜观测,揭示出研究样品中磁性矿物主要为赤铁矿和磁铁矿。基于矫顽力谱分析,富铁层中磁铁矿主要是多畴及假单畴颗粒,相对含量平均为2. 1%;赤铁矿的相对含量平均为97. 9%。富硅层中磁铁矿主要为假单畴及超顺磁性颗粒,相对含量平均为4. 6%;赤铁矿相对含量平均为95. 4%。测试样品具有Morin转变特征,转变温度介于250～260K,说明BIFs中主要为赤铁矿(0. 5～6mm)。富硅层样品出现～107K、～125K两个Verwey转变温度,表明其中可能存在生物成因和非生物成因两种类型磁铁矿。     

Aluminous goethite: A mössbauer study

Mössbauer measurements at 300 K, 77 K and 4.2 K and X-ray data are presented for synthetic aluminous goethites (α Fe_1?x Al _x OOH) in two series containing up to 15 mole percent aluminium (hydrothermal preparation) and 19 mole percent aluminium (low-temperature preparation). The Mössbauer spectra for specimens at 300 K and 77 K display broadened and relaxed line-shapes with the relaxation rate increasing with aluminium substitution, whereas all the 4.2 K spectra can be described by a single magnetically split spectrum. At 4.2 K the magnitude of this splitting is 505 kOe for pure goethite and it decreases by 0.52 kOe per mole percent aluminium substitution. The absolute value of the recoil-free fraction f at 4.2 K has been measured for pure goethite and for aluminous goethites containing 7, 15 and 19 mole percent aluminium; it increases from f=0.69±0.02 to f=0.89±0.02 in this range. The increase is attributed to a stiffening of the goethite lattice as it contracts to accommodate the smaller aluminium ion. At 300 K f is found to decrease from f=0.65±0.05 for pure goethite to f=0.50±0.03 for goethite with 19 mole percent aluminium.     

High pressure-temperature studies on an olivine tholeiite and a tholeiitic picrite from the pavagarh region,Gujarat, India

Experimental studies have been performed on an olivine tholeiite and tholeiitic picrite at pressure and temperature ranges of 20–40 kb and 1200–1300°C. The lower and upper limits of basalt-eclogite transition zone for tholeiitic picrite are 23 kb and 31·67 kb at 1200°C, and 24·67 kb and 33·67 kb at 1300°C, whereas for olivine tholeiite, these are 27 kb and 32·33 kb at 1200°C, and 28·70 kb and 33·70 kb at 1300°C. While the assemblages for both samples below the transition region are Pl+Px+Mt, they are Pl+Gt+Px+Mt within it. The eclogite field has Gt+Px+Mt. The ratio of garnet to plagioclase increases from the transition zone to the eclogite field and with the disappearance of plagioclase, the percentage of garnet increases to 30 in the eclogite field. Comparison of our results with previous studies on basalt-eclogite transition shows that the transition zone found by us occurs at higher pressure-temperature conditions. Seismic studies of the region below the Deccan Traps show an increase in velocity (1–4%) at depth. It is suggested that after partial melting, during ascent of the basaltic liquid, a significant portion of it crystallizes within the upper mantle as pockets of eclogite. As eclogite is more dense than peridotite, their presence should cause a similar increase in the seismic velocity below the Deccan area.     

Links between bulk sediment particle size and magnetic grain‐size: general observations and implications for Chinese loess studies

Using a combination of particle size analysis, magnetic measurements, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy imaging, this study shows that in a wide range of depositional environments, there is a strong link between particle size classes and magnetic response, especially below the upper limit of stable single domain magnetic behaviour. Ferrimagnetic grain assemblages dominated by stable single domain magnetosomes regularly have peak susceptibility and remanence values in coarser grades than do those containing finer‐grained, viscous and superparamagnetic secondary magnetic minerals formed during pedogenesis. This effect is despite the fact that there is a one to two orders of magnitude size difference between the particle size boundaries (at 1 or 2 μm) and key domain state transitions (mostly below 0·05 μm). The implications of these results are explored using samples spanning 22 Myr of loess accumulation on the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results from the loess sections, complemented by data from low‐temperature magnetic experiments, show that there are subtle distinctions in mean ferrimagnetic grain‐size between the Pleistocene and Miocene parts of the record, thus allowing more refined rock magnetic interpretations of the fine‐grained ferrimagnetic mineral assemblages arising from the effects of weathering, pedogenesis and possibly diagenesis in the sections studied.     

Characterization of a chalcopyrite from Brazil by Mössbauer spectroscopy and other physicochemical techniques

We studied a chalcopyrite from a Cu ore deposit in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, by Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and 110 K. Supporting methods to check for sample purity and to characterize further sample properties were slow-scanning X-ray powder diffraction and optical and microprobe analyses of polished sections of selected grains. Chemical analyses obtained using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer showed the sample to consist of homogeneous and essentially stoichiometric chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂). Mössbauer spectra taken at both the above temperatures consist of asymmetric magnetically ordered patterns with unequal intensities of the line pairs 1–6 and 2–5, pointing to the existence of non-equivalent or multiple Fe sites. Least-squares fittings evidenced that the resonance intensity ratio of subspectrum with lower quadrupole shift (indicative of a more symmetric environment) to that with higher shift is 69:31, at room temperature, and 68:32, at 110 K. Rietveld refinement of the XRD data indicates the existence of tetragonal [a = 0.52855(1) and c = 1.0412(1) nm] and cubic [a ₀ = 0.5273(2) nm] modifications in a proportion of 74:26, in good agreement with the Mössbauer data. The saturation magnetization of the sample was 32.7 J/(T kg), confirming the oxidation state of Fe as trivalent and pointing to little to no spin canting.     

A Preliminary Study on Paleomagnetism and Rock Magnetism of Eclogite from the Maobei Area

A preliminary study of paleomagnetism and rock magnetism has been done on 55 eclogite samples collected from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) site at the Maobei (毛北) area, Donghai (东海) County, Jiangsu (江苏) Province. Also the isothermal remanence, hysteresis loop, magnetic fabric, thermal susceptibility were measured, and analyses were made by electron-probe and scanning electric microscope on some samples synchronously. The result indicates that there are two groups of stable remanence, the normal and reversed magnetization. The remanence orientations are: D=94.3o, I=-29.1o and D=273.7o, I=15.4o, respectively. The magnetization intensity and the density of the samples which carry the normal magnetization are very different from those bearing reversed magnetization. The magnetic anisotropy is weak, and the minimum axis is hardly determined. The isothermal remanence and the hysteresis loop show that the magnetic carriers of the eclogite are likely SD (single domain) and PSD (pseudo-single domain) magnetite. According to the magnetic property, the cause of formation of magnetic carriers, the mechanism of the remanence, and the significance for the tectonics are discussed.     

Investigating the potential of using environmental magnetism techniques as pollution proxy in urban road deposited sediment

The use of mineral magnetic techniques as pollution proxy for road deposited sediment was explored using various statistical approaches. Standard techniques were adopted for measurement of mineral magnetic and geochemical parameters. The analyses of magnetic parameters revealed that the samples were dominated by ferrimagnetic minerals and multidomain grains. This implied that the magnetic fractions in the samples might be of anthropogenic origin. Results also indicate that the samples were dominated by low coercive, magnetically soft minerals. Thermomagnetic curves confirmed magnetite as the remanence bearing magnetic mineral having a Curie point temperature of ~580 °C. The strong association observed between magnetic susceptibility, susceptibility of anhysteric remanent magnetization and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization and aluminum, titanium, manganese, iron, chromium and lead demonstrated that these metals occurred as ferrimagnetic particles of technogenic origin resulting from vehicular sources. Assessment of pollution status of the road deposited sediment identified silicon and lead as the priority pollutants of concern. Generally, pollution load index was <1 (mean, 0.66 ± 0.14), indicating that the samples were not polluted in the overall, but the metals were in the buildup stage requiring constant monitoring. The sources of pollutants from principal component and cluster analyses identified the sources of pollution to be mainly from vehicular emissions such as brake linings, exhaust materials, tire wear, corroded metal parts, abrasion of lubricating oil and road construction materials. This study found that mineral magnetic techniques offer great potential as pollution proxy for soil pollution studies.     

Mineralogical and chemical characteristics of some natural jarosites

This paper presents a detailed study of the mineralogical, microscopic, thermal, and spectral characteristics of jarosite and natrojarosite minerals. Systematic mineralogic and chemical examination of a suite of 32 natural stoichiometric jarosite and natrojarosite samples from diverse supergene and hydrothermal environments indicates that there is only limited solid solution between Na and K at low temperatures, which suggests the presence of a solvus in the jarosite-natrojarosite system at temperatures below about 140 °C. The samples examined in this study consist of either end members or coexisting end-member pairs of jarosite and natrojarosite. Quantitative electron-probe microanalysis data for several natural hydrothermal samples show only end-member compositions for individual grains or zones, and no detectable alkali-site deficiencies, which indicates that there is no hydronium substitution within the analytical uncertainty of the method. In addition, there is no evidence of Fe deficiencies in the natural hydrothermal samples. Hydronium-bearing jarosite was detected in only one relatively young supergene sample suggesting that terrestrial hydronium-bearing jarosites generally are unstable over geologic timescales.Unit-cell parameters of the 20 natural stoichiometric jarosites and 12 natural stoichiometric natrojarosites examined in this study have distinct and narrow ranges in the a- and c-cell dimensions. There is no overlap of these parameters at the 1σ level for the two end-member compositions. Several hydrothermal samples consist of fine-scale (2-10 μm) intimate intergrowths of jarosite and natrojarosite, which could have resulted from solid-state diffusion segregation or growth zoning due to variations in the Na/K activity ratio of hydrothermal solutions.     

The mössbauer spectrum of almandine

Mössbauer spectra of a synthetic, pure almandine (Alm₁₀₀) and a natural almandine-rich garnet (Alm₈₆) were taken at temperatures between 295 and 4.2 K. Different widths and depths of the lines observed in the paramagnetic state require the spectra to be fitted with at least two components of slightly different quadrupole splittings and isomer shifts. Alm₁₀₀ shows a gradual onset of magnetic order between 10.4 and 9.0 K, with about 50 percent of the sample magnetically ordered at 9.6 K. At 4.2 K both samples have complex spectra that can be fitted by two eight-line magnetic hyperfine patterns of equal intensities. These result from the existence of two different polar angles between the z-axis of the electric field gradient and the direction of the magnetic hyperfine field, or from two distinctly different electric field gradients. The former interpretation, in which the two angles are attributed to a modulated, non-collinear spin arrangement, is considered more likely. Both magnetic components have practically identical quadrupole splittings, 1/2eQV _zz (1+η²/3)^1/2, that average ?3.70 mm·s^?1, and a small asymmetry parameter of η=0.07. Alm₁₀₀ has a magnetic hyperfine field of 25.7 T at 4.2 K, whereas Alm₈₆ has a hyperfine field of only 23.3 T; the other features of the spectra of both samples are similar.