Quaternary lavas from the southern Cascades,western U.S.A.

A series of basaltic and andesitic lavas from three centers in the Cascades (Lassen, Medicine Lake, Mt. Shasta) have been investigated. The lavas are weakly porphyritic, containing phenocrysts of plagioclase, augite, and olivine or orthopyroxene; these phases are also found in the groundmass. Titanomagnetite is a groundmass phase in most lavas but it appears to be absent in some. A sub-calcic augite is found in the groundmass in some of the basic lavas. Orthopyroxenes are present only in the salic lavas and show an increase in calcium with increasing iron. The range in composition shown by both phenocryst and groundmass plagioclase is very similar except that the phenocrysts extend to slightly more calcic compositions. The residual glasses in many of the lavas have a rhyolitic composition. However, only those from the Shasta andesites have normative salic constituents that plot near the ternary minimum in the Ab-Or-Qtz system at 500 bars. Both chemical and mineralogical data allow the lavas of the different centers to be distinguished from one another. The most likely origin for the orogenic lavas of the Cascades is by partial melting of the upper mantle.     

Burial of reefs by shallow-water carbonates,Silurian Gower formation,Iowa, U.S.A.

The Gower Formation was deposited in two main stages. In the first, crinoid-coelenterate reef complexes, consisting of numerous closely spaced mounds, developed to maximum relief in water about 30 metres deep initially. Complexes are asymmetrical: the well defined windward Marginal Zone has pronounced local relief; the flatter, more extensive Leeward Zone fans out behind a high central area. Equivalent off-reef beds, where correlation is clear, consist of relatively fine skeletal dolomite.The second-stage deposits record a fall in sea level and the filling of first-stage topographic lows by progressively shallower-water sediments. These were mainly laminated carbonate muds and fine sands (Brady/Anamosa facies group). In the Marginal Zone these were deposited at first as steep wedge-beds on earlier mound flanks, together with a distinctive fauna and scattered stromatolites (Brady facies). Mounds expanded laterally while developing a platform on top. Poorly fossiliferous, flatter-lying beds (Laminate-Anamosa) subsequently filled remaining inter-mound hollows. Equivalent deposits in the Leeward Zone consist almost entirely of Laminate-Anamosa. Off-reef equivalents are probably generally similar.The second stage of Gower deposition ended with the accumulation across inter-complex basins of extensive uniform sheets of stromatolites and subordinate laminated muds (Crenulate-Anamosa). Near the reefs Crenulate-Anamosa overlies Laminate-Anamosa; in basin centres it lies directly on beds of the first depositional stage. The stromatolites are believed to have originated in very shallow, perhaps tideless, water with restricted circulation and high salinity.The shallow-water origin of these sediments suggests that reef tops were exposed during second-stage deposition, and consequently accumulated little or no sediment. Filled caves and a slightly earlier erosion surface tend to support this interpretation.

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Zusammenfassung Die Sedimente der silurischen Gower-Formation im Staate Iowa wurden in zwei Phasen abgelagert. Während der ersten entwickelte sich in Krinoiden-Coelenteraten Riffkomplexe aus vielen nah benachbarten Kuppen ein Relief in ursprünglich 30 m Wassertiefe. Die Riffkomplexe sind asymmetrisch: die gut definierte Randzone in Windrichtung hat ein ausgeprägtes Detailrelief; hinter einer zentralen Erhebung erstrecken sich die weniger steilen und ausgedehnteren Fächer der Lee-Zone. Soweit korrelierbar, bestehen die riffernen Sedimente aus relativ feinem skeletalem Dolomit.Die Ablagerungen der zweiten Phase repräsentieren eine Senkung des Meeresspiegels; die topographisch tieferen Teile des vorhandenen Reliefs werden mit Sedimenten aus immer geringerer Wassertiefe gefüllt, hauptsächlich mit laminierten Karbonatschlammen und Feinsanden (Brady/Anamosa-Fazies-Gruppe). In der Randzone wurden sie zunächst als steile keilförmige Schichten auf Kuppenhängen abgelagert (Brady/Fazies); diese enthalten eine charakteristische Fauna und einzelne Stromatolithe. Die Kuppen verbreiterten sich entsprechen zu Plateaus. Fossilarme, flacher liegende Schichten (laminierte Anamosa-Fazies) füllten dann die Restsenken zwischen den Kuppen. Die entsprechenden Ablagerungen der Lee-Zone gehören fast ausschließlich zur letzteren Fazies, und rifferne Sedimente sind wahrscheinlich im allgemeinen ähnlich.Am Ende der zweiten Phase der Gower-Formation wurden ausgedehnte einförmige Schichten von Stromatolithen und — untergeordnet — laminierten Schlammen (gewellte Anamosa-Fazies) in den Becken zwischen den Riffkomplexen abgelagert. In Riffnähe wird die laminierte von der gewellten Anamosa-Fazies überdeckt, im Beckenzentrum folgt die letztere direkt auf die Ablagerungen der ersten Phase. Für die Stromatolith-Bildung wird sehr flaches, vielleicht gezeiten-loses Wasser mit beschränkter Zirkulation und hoher Salinität angenommen.Bei Ablagerung dieser Sedimente im Flachwasser müssen die Riffoberflächen während der zweiten Phase trocken gelegen haben, weshalb sie mit wenig oder keinem Sediment überdeckt wurden. Hohlraumfüllungen und eine wenig ältere Erosionsfläche scheinen diese Interpretation zu unterstützen.

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Résumé Les sédiments de la formation silurienne Gower dans l'état Iowa furent déposés en deux phases. Pendant la première phase, il se forma un relief, à partier de nombreux pitons sous-marins voisins, dans les complexes de récifs de crinoïdes-coelentérés à l'intérieur d'une profondeur d'eau originelle de 30 m. Les complexes de récifs sont asymétriques. La zone de bordure, bien définie dans la direction du vent, possède un relief de détails marqué; derrière une élévation centrale s'étendent les surfaces moins escarpées et allongées de la zone »Lee«. S'il est possible de les comparer, les sédiments des récifs se composent de dolomites relativement fines.Les dépôts de la deuxième phase représentent un affaissement du niveau de la mer. Les parties topographiques profondes du relief présent seront comblées par des sédiments provenant de profondeurs d'eau toujours plus petites, principalement avec des vases de carbonates en lamelles et des sables fins (groupe de faciès »Brady/Anamosa«). Dans la zone de bordure, ces sédiments furent d'abord déposés sous forme de strates abruptes et cunéiformes sur les versants des coupoles (faciès Brady); ils contiennent une faune caractéristique et des »Stromatolites« particulières. Les coupoles s'étendirent pour se transformer en plateau. Puis, les couches plus basses, pauvres en fossiles (faciès en lamelles Anamosa), remplirent les depressions restantes entre les coupoles. Les dépôts correspondants de la zone »Lee« appartiennent, d'une manière presque exclusive, au dernier faciès et les sédiments loins des récifs sont en général, vraisemblablement, similaires.A la fin de la deuxième phase de la formation Gower, des couches de »Stromatolites« étendués et uniformes ainsi que des vases en lamelles subordonnées (faciès ondulés Anamosa) furent déposées dans les bassins entre les complexes de récifs. A proximité des récifs, le faciès en lamelles sera recouvert par le faciés ondulé Anamosa; dans le centre du bassin, le dernier faciès suit immédiatement les dépôts de la première phase. Pour la formation de »Stromatolites« on présume l'action d'eau à bas niveau, peut être sans marées, mais avec des courants limités et de la salinités élevée.Pendant la sédimentation de ces couches dans l'eau basse, les surfaces des récifs doivent avoir été à sec durant la deuxième phase. C'est pourquoi elles ne sont couvertes que de peu de sédiment ou pas du tout. Le remplisage de cavernes et une surface d'érosion un peu plus ancienne semblent supporter cette interprétation.

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Iron deposition as acidic groundwater encounters carbonates in the alluvium of Pinal Creek,Arizona, U.S.A.

In a column experiment, acidic groundwater from Pinal Creek Arizona, a Cu mining area, was eluted through a composited alluvial sample obtained from a core that had been removed from a well downgradient of the acidic groundwater. The minerals present in typical grains and flakes in the alluvium before and after the elution were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive multichannel analyses (EDX). The concentrations of Fe, Ti, Mn, Si, Al, Na, Ca, K, Mg and S in these grains and flakes and in their microcrystalline surface coatings were measured by EDX.In addition to magnetite, hematite, and Fe-Ti oxides, Fe was most concentrated in micas (especially biotite-like flakes) and in the microcrystalline coatings. The measured elements in these microcrystalline coatings were primarily K, Fe, Al, and Si. The microcrystalline coatings on the mica flakes also contained Mg. The approximate l:3 Mg:Si atomic ratios (ARs)_of the biotite-life flake both before and after the elution would suggest that the Fe deposited during the elution had not substituted for Mg in these flakes. As a result of the elution, assuming no loss of Si, the averaged recorded Fe:Si AR of the microcrystalline coatings increased from (0.46 to 0.58):3.00.Iron deposition on the typical grains and flakes may relate to the presence of Fe in the particle on which it is deposited or to the presence of Fe in the microcrystalline surface coatings before elution. The data here are not sufficient for a statistical evaluation, but elution caused the following trends: (l) The Fe:Si AR increased in the (K,Fe,Al,Si)-microcrystalline surface coatings; (2) For the mica flakes, there was more than a 2-fold increase in the Fe:Si AR for the microcrystalline surface coatings of the Fe-rich biotite-like flakes but no measurable increase of the Fe:Si AR for the microcrystalline surface coatings of the muscovite-like flakes that contained 3–5 times less Fe; (3) Also for the biotite-like flakes, the increase in Fe:Si AR was greater in the flakes that had a higher Fe:Si AR; (4) The Fe deposition on the Fe-rich microcrystalline surface coatings of the feldspar was much greater than on the Fe-poor, beige quartz and feldspar grains that, prior to elution, had only CaS0₄ microcrystalline coatings; and (5) No Fe was deposited on Fe-poor grains with no microcrystalline surface coating.     

Fluvial, tidal and storm sedimentation in the Chilhowee Group (Lower Cambrian), northeastern Tennessee, U.S.A.

The Lower Cambrian Chilhowee Group of northeastern Tennessee consists of the Unicoi, Hampton and Erwin Formations, and is divided into four facies. The conglomerate facies occurs only within the lower 200 m of measured section (the Unicoi Formation) and consists of fine-grained to pebbly quartz wacke with rare thin beds of laminated siltstone. Low-angle to horizontally laminated, fine-grained sandstone with laminae and lenses of granules and pebbles represents upper flow-regime, overbank deposition within a braided stream system that was close to a coastline. Medium-scale, planar-tabular cross-stratified conglomerate in which megaripple bedforms are preserved is interpreted as representing deposition in interbar pools of braided channels, as flood stage waned and larger bedforms ceased to migrate. Large-scale, planar-tabular cross-stratified conglomerate beds represent migration of large transverse bars within a broad braided stream channel during high flood stage. The sandstone facies occurs throughout the Chilhowee Group, and is therefore interbedded with all other facies. It consists of mainly medium- to very coarse-grained, subarkosic to arkosic arenite. Thinly interbedded, laminated siltstone and sandstone, which may exhibit wavy or lenticular bedding, represents deposition during slack water periods between ebb and flood tides. Large-scale planar-tabular and trough cross-stratification reflects deposition within the deepest areas of subtidal channels, whereas medium-scale cross-stratification represents deposition in shallower water on shoals separating channels. Fining- and thinning-upward sequences most likely resulted from the longshore migration of channels and shoals. The hummocky facies occurs only in the Erwin Formation and consists of horizontally laminated to hummocky stratified, fine-grained arkosic to subarkosic arenite interbedded with equal amounts of bioturbated mudstone. It represents deposition between storm and fairweather wave-base by combined-flow storm currents. The quartz arenite facies is characterized by an absence of fine-grained units and lithologically consists of a super-mature, medium- to coarse-grained quartz arenite. Large-scale planar-tabular cross-stratification and abundant low-angle cross-stratification with rare symmetrical ripples (lower quartz arenite facies) occurs interbedded with the braided fluvial conglomerate facies, and was deposited within either a ridge-and-runnel system or a system of nearshore bars. Large-scale, planar-tabular cross-stratification (upper quartz arenite facies), which forms the top of two 40 m-thick coarsening-upward sequences of the type: hummocky faciessandstone faciesquartz arenite facies, probably represents deposition on sand ridges that formed on a sand-starved shelf as transgression caused the detachment and reworking of shoreface channel-shoal couplets. Palaeocurrent data for the Chilhowee Group are unimodal but widely dispersed from 0° to 180°, and exhibit a minor mode to the west. The data are interpreted to reflect the influence of longshore, tidal and storm currents. The ichnofossil assemblage changes upsection from one characterized only by Paleophycus to a Skolithos ichnofacies and finally to a Cruziana ichnofacies. The facies sequence, biogenic and palaeocurrent data reflect the interaction through time of (I) non-marine and marine processes; and (2) transgression coupled with shoreline progradation. The Chilhowee Group represents an overall deepening from terrestrial deposition to a marine shoreface that experienced both longshore and tidal currents, and finally to a storm shelf environment that periodically shoaled upward.     

Chronology of latest Pleistocene mountain glaciation in the western Wasatch Mountains, Utah, U.S.A.

Understanding the timing of mountain glacier and paleolake expansion and retraction in the Great Basin region of the western United States has important implications for regional-scale climate change during the last Pleistocene glaciation. The relative timing of mountain glacier maxima and the well-studied Lake Bonneville highstand has been unclear, however, owing to poor chronological limits on glacial deposits. Here, this problem is addressed by applying terrestrial cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure dating to a classic set of terminal moraines in Little Cottonwood and American Fork Canyons in the western Wasatch Mountains. The exposure ages indicate that the main phase of deglaciation began at 15.7 ± 1.3 ka in both canyons. This update to the glacial chronology of the western Wasatch Mountains can be reconciled with previous stratigraphic observations of glacial and paleolake deposits in this area, and indicates that the start of deglaciation occurred during or at the end of the Lake Bonneville hydrologic maximum. The glacial chronology reported here is consistent with the growing body of data suggesting that mountain glaciers in the western U.S. began retreating as many as 4 ka after the start of northern hemisphere deglaciation (at ca. 19 ka).     

Upper Albian OAE 1d event in the Chihuahua Trough,New Mexico,U.S.A.

Oceanic anoxic events are clues to ocean processes and are correlation datums. In North America only OAE 1a and 2 are well documented. Based on a low-resolution sampling program, a multi-proxy geochemical approach constrained by a biostratigraphic framework was utilized to identify OAE 1d in the upper part of the upper Albian Mesilla Valley Formation near El Paso, Texas. Chronostratigraphic and biostratigraphic evidence indicate that the OAE 1d event in the Mesilla Valley section is located in the lower part of the upper Albian–Cenomanian Ovoidinium verrucosum zone, which correlates with the uppermost Albian Parathalmanninella appenninica and Stoliczkaia dispar zones. The chronostratigraphic age of the geochemical event in the Mesilla Valley Formation is uppermost Albian (97.39–97.30 Ma).The classic geochemical signatures for OAEs are enriched total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations and coupled positive δ¹³C excursions. OAE 1d at this location records TOC values ranging from 0.25 to 0.69 wt.% throughout the Mesilla Valley Formation, where TOC increases during the OAE (21.0–40.0 m) to more than 0.40 wt.%. Interestingly, the organic matter in the Mesilla Valley is dominantly type III, which indicates a pervasive terrigenous source. Although marine organic matter is abundant from the base into the middle of the proposed OAE interval, it is progressively replaced by terrestrial material above the OAE section during progradation. The δ¹³C_organic values record a positive δ¹³C shift of +1.6‰ from −26.41 to −24.80‰ across the stratigraphic interval from 21.0 to 40.0 m, which correlates with OAE 1d.Mn and Fe geochemistry suggest the depositional conditions of the Mesilla Valley Formation were dominated by anoxic and possibly Fe-rich bottom waters, specifically during the time period associated with the OAE 1d event. This interpretation is supported by the presence of Fe enrichment recorded by Fe_Total/Al and Fe_{Highly Reactive}/Fe_T with the lack of Fe_pyrite/Fe_{Highly Reactive} associated with Mn depletion.     

Radionuclides in ground water of the Carson River Basin,western Nevada and eastern California,U.S.A.

Ground water is the main source of domestic and public supply in the Carson River Basin. Ground water originates as precipitation primarily in the Sierra Nevada in the western part of Carson and Eagle Valleys, and flows down gradient in the direction of the Carson River through Dayton and Churchill Valleys to a terminal sink in the Carson Desert. Because radionuclides dissolved in ground water can pose a threat to human health, the distribution and sources of several naturally occurring radionuclides that contribute to gross-alpha and gross-beta activities in the study area were investigated. Generally, alpha and beta activities and U concentration increase from the up-gradient to down-gradient hydrographic areas of the Carson River Basin, whereas²²²Rn concentration decreases. Both²²⁶Ra and²²⁸Ra concentrations are similar throughout the study area. Alpha and beta activities and U concentration commonly exceed 100 pCi/l in the Carson Desert at the distal end of the flow system. Radon-222 commonly exceeds 2,000 pCi/l in the western part of Carson and Eagle Valleys adjacent to the Sierra Nevada. Radium-226 and²²⁸Ra concentrations are <5pCi/l. Four ground water samples were analyzed for²¹⁰Po and one sample contained a high concentration of 21 pCi/l. Seven samples were analyzed for²¹⁰Pb; six contained <3pCi/l and one contained 12 pCi/l. Thorium-230 was detected at concentrations of 0.15 and 0.20 pCi/l in two of four samples.Alpha-emitting radionuclides in the ground water originated from the dissolution of U-rich granitic rocks in the Sierra Nevada by CO₂, oxygenated water. Dissolution of primary minerals, mainly titanite (sphene) in the granitic rocks, releases U to the water. Dissolved U is probably removed from the water by adsorption on Fe- and Mn-oxide coatings on fracture surfaces and fine-grained sediment, by adsorption on organic matter, and by coprecipitation with Fe and Mn oxides. These coated sediments are transported throughout the basin by fluvial processes. Thus, U is transported as dissolved and adsorbed species. A rise in the water table in the Carson Desert because of irrigation has resulted in the oxidation of U-rich organic matter and dissolution of U-bearing coatings on sediments, producing unusually high U concentration in the ground water.Alpha activity in the ground water is almost entirely from the decay of U dissolved in the water. Beta activity in ground water samples is primarily from the decay of⁴⁰K dissolved in the water and ingrowth of²³⁸U progeny in the sample before analysis. Approximately one-half of the measured beta activity may not be present in ground water in the aquifer, but instead is produced in the sample after collection and before analysis. Potassium-40 is primarily from the dissolution of K-containing minerals, probably K-feldspar and biotite. Radon-222 is primarily from the decay of²²⁶Ra in the aquifer materials. Radium in the ground water is thought to be mainly from alpha recoil associated with the decay of Th in the aquifer material. Some Ra may be from dissolution (or desorption) or Ra-rich coatings on sediments.     

Distribution of crinoidal remains in the Upper Cretaceous of the U.S.S.R.

A list of all Upper Cretaceous sea-lilies known from the U.S.S.R. is given. Their stratigraphic and geographic distributions are discussed. Three paleogeographic subprovinces, the south-eastern, the northern and the south-western, can be distinguished in the Mediterranean paleobiogeographic province of the U.S.S.R. based on the development and distribution of the Upper Cretaceous crinoids.     

上扬子区下寒武统海相页岩岩相类型及沉积模式

上扬子区下寒武统牛蹄塘组页岩是我国南方地区页岩气重要勘探层系之一。通过露头、岩心、薄片、实验测试等资料综合分析,识别了该套页岩岩相类型及相关沉积作用方式,在水体氧化还原条件演变规律分析基础上总结了其沉积演化模式。牛蹄塘组页岩共包含6类岩相：富有机质硅质页岩、含粉砂硅质页岩、粉砂质页岩、黏土质页岩、泥质钙质页岩及粉砂质钙质页岩,主要体现为5种沉积作用方式：砂质机械沉积、钙质化学沉积、硅质生物沉积、泥质絮凝沉积及底流改造沉积。从底到顶,该套页岩表现为一套水体变浅的进积型演化序列,水体还原程度减弱,有机质保存条件变差。牛蹄塘组下段沉积期,盆地相区和陆棚相区分别以硅质生物沉积和钙质化学沉积为主,主体岩相类型为硅质页岩和钙质页岩;上段沉积期,盆地相区和陆棚相区分别以泥质絮凝沉积和砂质机械沉积为主,主体岩相类型为黏土质页岩和粉砂质混合质页岩。提出的牛蹄塘组页岩岩相发育模式及沉积演化规律能为研究区优质页岩的分布预测及页岩气勘探选区评价提供理论依据。     

Diastasis cracks: mechanically generated synaeresis-like cracks in Upper Cambrian shallow water oolite and ribbon carbonates

Upper Cambrian limestones and dolostones of western Newfoundland, Canada, display conspicuous synsedimentary mud cracks. Cracks occur in carbonate mudstone interbedded with ooid and peloid grainstone (unwashed oolite and ribbon rock lithofacies). The traditional interpretation is that these are desiccation cracks. The weight of evidence supports an alternative explanation: cracks resulted from the differential mechanical behaviour under stress of stiff mud interlayered with loose ooid/peloid sand. The processes envisaged to cause such diastasis cracks may be applicable to a wide variety of both carbonate and terrigenous clastic deposits composed of interlayered sediments of contrasting material properties, and may be a viable alternative to synaeresis. Diastasis cracks are not depth limited, and may form in any subtidal environment from the beach zone to below wave base. If this interpretation is correct, there may not be nearly as many intertidal lithofacies in the rock record as are presently assumed.     

Origin of trace element distribution patterns in sulfides of the central and bingham districts,western U.S.A.

Trace element abundances in sulfides of these two large hydrothermal ore districts allow distinction of several groups of ore bodies with differing trace element levels. Within groups, certain elements show lateral or vertical zoning. The groups were deposited from different batches of ore fluid. The differences in trace element content between groups reflect differences in stage of differentiation or abundance of complexing species when the ore fluid separated from the magma. The zoning may result from hydrothermal differentiation of a single batch of ore fluid as it travels away from the magma. The zoning pattern correlates in part with expected strength of metal complexes, but also depends on temperature and solid-liquid partition coefficients.

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Zusammenfassung Auf Grund der Spurenelementhäufigkeiten in Sulfiden können in diesen beiden großen hydrothermalen Erzvorkommen mehrere Gruppen von Erzlagerstätten unterschieden werden. Innerhalb der Gruppen zeigen gewisse Elemente laterale oder vertikale zonale Verteilungen. Die Gruppen wurden von verschiedenen erzbringenden Lösungen gebildet. Die Unterschiede im Spurenelementgehalt zwischen verschiedenen Gruppen spiegeln Unterschiede im Stadium der Differentiation oder die Häufigkeit von komplexbildenden Ionen während der Absonderung der erzbringenden Lösungen von Magma wider. Die zonale Verteilung kann von der hydrothermalen Differentiation einer einzigen erzbringenden Lösung auf ihrem Weg vom Magma herrühren. Teilweise entspricht die zonale Spurenelementverteilung der erwarteten Stabilität von Metalionenkomplexen, sie hängt aber auch von der Temperatur und von Verteilungskoeffizienten zwischen festen und flüssigen Phasen ab.

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Contribution No. 69–34, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University     

Challenges of governing groundwater in U.S. western states

Over the last several decades, water users in the western United States have increasingly turned to groundwater resources to support economic development, but few institutional arrangements were in place to govern groundwater use. Over time, numerous groundwater problems have emerged. Two closely related explanations for this are explored. Surface water sources were the first to be developed, and institutional arrangements to allocate surface water were the first to be devised. These arrangements are not particularly well suited for governing groundwater. Furthermore, the physical differences between rivers and aquifers lead to differences in the development of each type of water, and in production and organization costs. Groundwater development involves low upfront production costs, which individual water users can cover. Once groundwater users have individually invested in productive activities problems emerge, such as declining water tables. Thus, unlike surface water users, groundwater users are faced with devising institutional arrangements to coordinate their water uses after they have invested in and developed productive economic activities. Most western states regulate pumping, although groundwater users, in general, resist pumping limits. The discussion concludes with proposals for modifying the prior appropriation doctrine to better accommodate the active management of groundwater basins for long-term sustainability.

贵州东部中上寒武统层序地层学及台地演化

通过对贵州东部丹寨一三都中上寒武统两个碳酸盐岩露头剖面的层序地层学研究，识别出3个(三级)层序及8个体系域，并认为由于构造升降运动，两露头剖面的沉积环境发生变化，该区台地类型由中寒武统的缓坡型陆棚演变成上寒武统的镶嵌陆架型台地。研究表明，自中元古宙晚期以来，研究区经历了由洋壳过渡到陆壳的演变过程，体现在该区自中寒武世至晚寒武世由广阔的坡缓底平的广海陆棚沉积，转为台地(斜坡)-广海(盆地)沉积环境。     

Clay petrology of the Upper Triassic/Lower Jurassic terrestrial strata of the Newark Supergroup,Connecticut Valley,U.S.A.

The clay mineralogy of the Newark Supergroup (Upper Triassic/Lower Jurassic) in the Connecticut Valley was studied by X-ray diffraction analysis. Clay minerals identified in 126 samples are illite, chlorite, smectite, kaolinite, vermiculite, expandable chlorite, mixed-layer illite/smectite, mixed-layer chlorite/smectite, and mixed-layer chlorite/vermiculite. In general, the rocks are illitic with subordinate amounts of chlorite. However, the various lithofacies in the Newark Supergroup are characterized by distinct clay-mineral assemblages. Red beds of floodplain origin contain clays mainly of detrital nature with 2M illite most abundant. Subordinate amounts of chlorite, smectite, vermiculite, kaolinite and mixed-layer illite/smectite are also present. An interstratified chlorite/vermiculite occurs in red mudstone underlying basalt flows. Lacustrine gray beds are generally characterized by the clay-mineral assemblage 1Md illite + chlorite with minor amounts of smectite ane expandable chlorite. An interstratified chlorite/smectite predominates in gray mudstone associated with perennial lake cycles in the East Berlin Formation. Black shales of deeper lacustrine origin contain the assemblage 1Md ifillite + trioctahedral smectite and traces of chlorite. Illite and smectite also occur as mixed-layer phases.In many respects, the distribution of clay minerals in the Connecticut Valley can be likened to the general scheme proposed for the Permo-Triassic basins of Europe and Africa. These display both vertical and horizontal variations in clay-mineral assemblages that reflect the chemical and spatiotemporal evolution of intrabasin depositional and diagenetic environments. Chemical data indicate that magnesium, especially, was concentrated in the black muds of large perennial lakes that intermittently occupied the Connecticut rift valley. Pore waters derived from these sediments played an important role in the development of Mg-rich 2 : 1 and interstratified clay minerals during early diagenesis.     

A drowned lycopsid forest above the Mahoning coal (Conemaugh Group, Upper Pennsylvanian) in eastern Ohio, U.S.A.

Over 800 mud-filled casts of upright lycopsid tree stumps have been documented immediately above the Mahoning coal in an active underground mine located in northwestern Jefferson County, Ohio. The coal body originated as a pod-shaped peat body of 60 km². Trees are rooted at several levels within a thin (15–40 cm) bone coal directly above the banded coal; they extend upward up to 15 cm into overlying, flat-bedded, carbonaceous mudstones that coarsen up. From a maximum basal diameter of 1.2 m, stumps taper upward to diameters no less than 0.3 m. Within single-entry transects, < 6 m wide that total 2585 m in length, stumps are randomly distributed. The trees are identified as lepidodenrids on the basis of gross morphology, external stem patterns, and attached stigmarian root systems, and provisionally as Lepidophloios or Lepidodendron by associated palynology of the enclosing matrix. Palynological analyses of incremental seam samples indicate an initial dominance of lycopsid spores with lepidodendracean affinities (Lycospora granulata from Lepidophloios hallii), replaced upwards by tree-fern spores, with a reoccurrence of lepidodendracean spores in the upper benches: spores of Sigillaria (Crassispora) are abundant only at the base of the coal. Petrographic analyses indicate a prallel trend from vitrinite-rich to inertinite- and liptinite-rich upward in the coal body. All data indicate that the peat represented by the Mahoning coal was drowned slowly. During the earliest stages of inundation, a lycopsid forest was re-established, only to be subsequently drowned.     

A rigid-bodied Ediacaran Biota from Upper Cambrian strata in Co. Wexford,Eire

Two typical representatives of the Ediacaran biota, Ediacaria booleyi n.sp. and Nimbia occlusa have been found in deep-water turbidites within the Upper Cambrian Booley Bay Formation at Booley Bay in Co. Wexford, Eire. The examples of E. booleyi were transported over short distances by the turbidity currents and then impacted, in some instances at high angles, into the ocean floor muds where they formed moulds but, as their bodies decayed, these were filled by casting sand from the overlying turbidite. They preserved fine detail during transportation and impaction, thereby indicating the existence of a rigid body wall. The three-dimensional nature of their preservation allows reconstruction, which shows that Ediacaria had a discoid form with prominent relief, particularly on its dorsal side, which was divided into three main concentric zones with thin radial features, more evident at the periphery. The ventral side had lower relief, with alternate areas of coarse and fine concentric markings and numerous fine radial lines, some also thicker at the periphery. Nimbia occlusa are disc-like bodies of low relief and occur in profusion on one sole. Some show a circular outline indicating that they were preserved flat on the bedding plane, but others occur as semicircular reliefs oriented in the palaeocurrent direction. This indicates that they too were moved by the turbidity current, but their abundance and excellent preservation indicate that transport distances were short. There is no evidence in either genus for the coelenterate characteristics of a mouth and a two-layered body wall enclosing a single cavity. This, and the evidence for a rigid outer wall, adds to recent doubt on the concept of the world-wide Ediacaran fauna as dominated by soft-bodied coelenterates.     

Hydrocarbon source rock variability within the Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale (Upper Cretaceous), East Texas, U.S.A.

The Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale are Upper Cretaceous deposits that extend across Texas from the northeast to southwest. These formations contain organic carbon enriched mudstones and chalks that were deposited during transgressions of the Cretaceous epeiric sea in North America. Recent workers in petroleum geochemistry have demonstrated that these organic enriched rocks possessed attributes common to oil source rocks. The present study of these Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale rocks is from the perspective of organic petrology, and it augments the earlier geochemical work that documented source variability within units of these formations. As with the earlier work, the results of this study show that both formations contain intervals that are, when mature, capable of generating commercial quantities of liquid hydrocarbons. However, this work further revealed that Eagle Ford rocks not only exhibit greater or ganic carbon contents, but also have greater quantities of oil-prone kerogen (fluorescent amorphinite and exinite) when compared with rocks from the Austin Chalk. These source rock differences relate to levels or degrees of organic preservation. Dysaerobic to oxic depositional settings seem to be more characteristic of the Austin Chalk than of the Eagle Ford Shale. Such oxic environments do not consistently favor the preservation of organic matter. Usually, well-preserved kerogen forms under more anoxic conditions, such as those that occurred during deposition of some Eagle Ford units. These anoxic conditions suggest that the geographically more extensive Eagle Ford Shale is a more important source for oil than is the Austin Chalk.     

Petrology and geochemistry of chert on the marginal zone of Yangtze Platform,western Hunan,South China,during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition

The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition was one of the most critical intervals in Earth history. During this interval, widespread chert was precipitated, commonly as a stratal wedge in carbonates, along the southern margin of the Yangtze Platform, South China. The chert wedge passes into a full chert succession further basinward to the south‐east. Four lithotypes of chert are identified across the marginal zone in western Hunan: mounded, vein, brecciated and bedded chert. The mounded chert is characterized by irregular to digitiform internal fabrics, generally with abundant original vesicles and/or channels that mostly are lined by botryoidal chalcedony cements with minor quartz and barite crystals. The host chert (or matrix) of these mounds is dominated by amorphous cryptocrystalline silica, commonly disseminated with pyrite. The vein chert, with minor quartz locally, generally cross‐cuts the overlying dolostone and chert horizons and terminates under the mounded and/or bedded chert bodies. The brecciated chert commonly occurs as splayed ‘intrusions’ or funnel‐shaped wedges and cross‐cuts the topmost dolostones. The bedded chert, the most common type, generally is thin to medium‐bedded and laminated locally; it is composed of amorphous silica with minor amounts of black lumps. Microthermometry of fluid inclusions from vein and void‐lining minerals (mainly quartz and barite) revealed homogenization temperatures from 120 to 180°C for the trapped primary fluids. Compositionally, these chert deposits generally are pure, with SiO₂ > 92 wt%, and only minor Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ contents, most of which show positive Europium anomalies in rare earth element patterns, especially for the mounded chert. All these data suggest that the marginal zone chert deposits resulted from a low‐temperature, silica‐rich hydrothermal system, in which the mounded chert was precipitated around the releasing vents, i.e. as silica chimneys. The vein and splayed brecciated chert, however, was formed along the syndepositional fault/fracture conduits that linked downward, while the bedded chert was precipitated in the quieter water column from the fallout of hydrothermal plumes onto the sea floor. These petrological and geochemical data provide compelling evidence and a new clue to the understanding of the extensive silica precipitation; rapid tectono‐depositional and oceanic changes during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in South China.     

Composition of the Precambrian Llano Uplift,central Texas,U.S.A.

The Llano uplift exposes rocks of approximately 1000 m.y. age. The weighted average composition of the exposed crust is: 70.7% SiO₂; 0.35% TiO₂; 13.6% A1₂O₃; 3.4% total Fe as Fe₂O₃; 1.1% MgO; 2.6% CaO; 3.3% Na₂O; and 4.4% K₂O. This composition is similar to, but more potassic, than equivalent estimates for the Canadian shield.     

Geological evolution of the Ishpeming Greenstone Belt,Michigan, U.S.A.

The Ishpeming Greenstone Belt is an Archean belt in the southern part of the Canadian Shield in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. Two volcanic cycles are preserved in it. The oldest formation, and basal to the first cycle (the Kitchi Schist), consists of mafic metavolcanics, has a major serpentinized ultramafic body near its base, and grades upward to a coarse felsic volcanic breccia at the top of the cycle. This unit in turn is overlain by a sequence of mafic flows that grades upward to interbedded mafic flows and exhalites of the Mona Schist. This sequence has been intruded by the Dead River Pluton.The Ishpeming Greenstone Belt probably represents the keel of a previously much more extensive Greenstone Belt.Gold mineralization occurs associated with mafic basaltic volcanic rocks and serpentinized ultramafics low in the succession, and with carbonate-rich quartz-chlorite-sericite schists and exhalites higher in the sequence. No mineral deposits are now being exploited here.