Oxygen isotopes in mammal bone phosphate: A new tool for paleohydrological and paleoclimatological research?

Oxygen isotope analyses of water in blood of humans and domestic pigs indicate that the oxygen isotope fractionation effects between ingested water and body water are the same in all specimens of the same species. The δ¹⁸O of body water has been shown to vary linearly with the mean δ¹⁸O of local meteoric water. This conclusion also holds for the bone phosphate. Thus, δ¹⁸O(PO^3?₄) values of unaltered fossil bones from humans and domestic pigs can be used to reconstruct the δ¹⁸O values of local meteoric waters during the life-times of the mammals. Such data can be used for paleohydrological and paleoclimatological studies both on land and at sea.     

Microdiamonds — Frontier of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism: A review

This is a comprehensive review paper devoted to microdiamonds from ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHPM) terranes incorporated in orogenic belts formed at convergent plate boundaries in Paleozoic-Mesozoic-Alpine time. When in 1980 the first small diamonds were discovered within “amphibolite-granulate facies” metamorphic rocks, it came as a great surprise that buoyant continental crust could be subducted to depths of hundreds of kilometers and then subsequently exhumed. Since then, much progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of these diamonds' formation, and the number of new diamond-bearing UHPM terranes was significantly increased, especially within European orogenes. Moreover, new variations in tectonic settings in which UHP rocks can be formed and exhumed came to the attention of geologists simply due to the finding of diamonds in places previously “forbidden” for their formation—e.g., oceanic islands, ophiolites, and forearc environments. Over the past decade, the rapidly moving technological advancement has made it possible to examine microdiamonds in detail and to learn that part of them has a polycrystalline nature; that they contain nanometric, multiphase inclusions of crystalline and fluid phases; and that they keep a “crustal” signature of carbon isotopes. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, focused-ion-beam techniques, synchrotron infrared spectroscopy, micro X-ray diffraction, and nano-secondary ion mass spectrometry studies of these diamonds provide evidence that they keep traces of fluid originated from both crustal and mantle reservoirs, and that they probably interacted with deep mantle plumes. Hypotheses proposed for diamond formation in subduction zones founded on both analytical and experimental studies are discussed. The paper also emphasizes that the discovery of these microdiamonds (as well as coesite) triggered a major revision in the understanding of deep subduction processes, leading to a clear realization of how continental materials can be recycled into the Earth's mantle and geochemically rejuvenate it.     

Rejection of arsenic minerals in sulfide flotation — A literature review

Arsenic is one of the most dangerous inorganic pollutants and thus a penalty element in many base metal concentrates. Arsenic removal in sulphide flotation has been studied extensively with various approaches, including pre-oxidation of flotation pulp, E_h control during flotation and the use of selective depressants/collectors. Pre-oxidation of flotation pulp using oxidizing agents or aeration conditioning represents a simple approach in arsenic removal and was found effective in many cases. Selective flotation of arsenic minerals through E_h control has made significant advances in recent years with promising results achieved. In addition, various depressants and collectors have also been studied in arsenic removal. In this communication, the various approaches used in selective flotation of arsenic minerals are reviewed with emphasis on the development in recent years.     

Thermokarst — a mechanism of de-icing ice-cored moraines

Thermokarst features occur widely in the younger ice-cored moraines and kame terraces in the Dry Valleys region of Victoria Land, Antarctica Common forms are melt dolines, caves, natural bridges, and subsurface. flow. Such features typically develop in stagnant glacial ice with a low material exchange.
The development of a thermokarst cave system near the Taylor Glacier during the southern summer of 1973–74 is described, and the role of the thermokarst process in land-form development in the Dry Valleys area is discussed.     

‘We are managing!’ Uncertain paths to respectable adulthoods in Accra, Ghana

Studies have shown that the life experiences and future prospects of young people in many parts of the world today are more complex and less predictable than those of past generations. This has led to a recognition of the need to reconsider the conceptual frameworks applied in youth studies. Thus far, research within geography has mainly focused on young people’s paths to adulthood in the Global North or on particularly vulnerable children’s lives in the Global South. In this paper an approach based on the ‘social navigation’ of ‘vital conjunctures’ is adopted to explore the complex ways in which young people in Ghana navigate their way through life in a city marked by economic hardship and neo-liberal reform. The stories of three young people are presented to show the variety of life conditions, the complex social positions they occupy and their various and shifting future imaginations. The actions of these young people are steered by prevailing cultural ideals and social expectations of what a desirable and respectable future entails and by the actual space of possibility in the urban space they move through. It is argued that achieving respectable adulthoods in present-day Accra is a complicated and convoluted journey involving the careful management of social relationships.