Estimation de la température maximale d'enfouissement du Toarcien et du Callovo-Oxfordien au centre du bassin de Paris par les marqueurs organiques

The thermal history of the central part of the Paris basin is reconstructed using C₃₁ hopane $\mathrm{S}/\mathrm{R}$ isomerisation ratios and organic matter transformation ratios measured on Lower Toarcian and Callovo-Oxfordian samples. Maximum burial palaeotemperatures range between 90 and 115?°C for the Toarcian shales, and between 75 and 95?°C for the Callovo-Oxfordian samples, from the East to the centre of the basin, respectively. The amount of Late Cretaceous erosion was evaluated to be between ca. 400 to 600 m in the eastern part of the studied area and 100 to 300 m in the centre of the basin. To cite this article: C. Ménétrier et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Phase transformations in ABO 4 type compounds under high pressure

For ABO ₄ type ternary oxides, high pressure phase transformations known up to the present are reviewed, and an attempt is made to explain and predict crystal structures of their high pressure phases. When ABO ₄ type compounds are plotted based on the two variables, k=r _A /r _B and t=(r _A +r _B )/2r _O, where r _A , r _B , and r _O are the ionic radii of A and B cations and divalent oxygen, they can be classified into the major structure types. It is found empirically that a compound basically transforms to the structure type isostructural with a compound lying in a classified area with the same k and larger t values in the diagram.     

Laurasian ancestors and “Gondwanan” descendants of Rotoitidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): What a review of Late Cretaceous Baeomorpha revealed

Baeomorphinae Yoshimoto, 1975, based on Baeomorpha Brues, 1937, is transferred from Tetracampidae Förster, 1856 and recognized as a junior synonym of Rotoitidae Bouček and Noyes, 1987 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) syn. nov. following ICZN (1999) article 35.5. Inclusions in Taimyr amber (84–100 Ma) assigned to Baeomorpha are reviewed and the following eleven new species, all of Gumovsky, are described: B. avamica sp. nov., B. baikurenis sp. nov., B. bianellus sp. nov., B. caeleps sp. nov., B. gracilis sp. nov., B. ingens sp. nov., B. quattorduo sp. nov., B. quattoruno sp. nov., B. popovi sp. nov., B. yantardakh sp. nov., and B. zherikhini sp. nov. The recognized species are differentiated in separate keys to females and males and illustrated through microphotography. Two of four previously described Baeomorpha species from Campanian Canadian amber are synonymized: B. distincta Yoshimoto and B. elongata Yoshimoto under B. ovatata Yoshimoto (syn. nov.). One enigmatic rotoitid inclusion, which differs from Baeomorpha species in the possession of very short stigmal vein, is described as Taimyromorpha pusilla Gumovsky gen. et sp. nov. Inclusions containing specimens identified as Baeomorpha and Taimyromorpha are found in amber from Taimyr and Canada that originated from Laurasia, not Gondwana. Two Realms are newly proposed to recognize different Cretaceous faunal elements, a more northern Baeomorpha Realm that is characterized by a temperate or warm temperate climate and very abundant aphid fossils, and the Isoptera Realm, an opposing southward territory with a warmer climate and common termite but rare aphid fossils. The newly described fossils indicate the southern hemisphere distribution of extant Rotoitidae is relictual with the pattern observed being formed at least in part by extinction events, though distributions of the only two extant rotoitid genera, Rotoita Bouček and Noyes, 1987 (New Zealand) and Chiloe Gibson and Huber, 2000 (small area in the southern Chile) may have been more extensive in the past. Both of known regions of extant Rotoitidae have highly suppressed ant faunas, which may suggest that their survival there depended on low biocenotic pressure by ants, perhaps as low as is hypothesized for the Late Cretaceous. The Canadian amber genera Distylopus Yoshimoto, 1975 (Distylopinae) and Bouceklytus Yoshimoto, 1975 (Bouceklytinae) are excluded from Tetracampidae and regarded as Chalcidoidea incertae sedis.     

A revised ammonoid biostratigraphy for the Aptian of NW Africa: Essaouira-Agadir Basin,Morocco

A revised ammonoid biostratigraphy is presented for the Aptian of NW Africa, Essaouira-Agadir Basin (EAB), Morocco, based on detailed analysis of 5 key sections. A number of bio-events are documented and 26 genus and 43 species fully documented, forming the largest published Aptian ammonite collection made from NW Africa. The section at Tiskatine is documented as the type section, and 8 zones and subzones are defined, of which 5 are new. This work allows correlation of the Aptian of the EAB to the Standard Mediterranean Ammonite Scale (SMAS).Two main hiatuses are identified at the scale of the basin scale: a major one that includes most of the lower Aptian and the base of the upper Aptian and a second one encompass the top of the upper Aptian and the base of the lower Albian. The ammonite fauna displays a clear Tethyan palaeobiogeographic character affected by a fairly high degree of endemism at the genus and species level. The new genus and species Elsaisabellia tiskatinensis is introduced.     

Container ports,local benefits and transportation worker earnings

Over the past 50 years, containerization has both enabled and reflected the articulation of increasingly concentrated and complex global trade flows. Once close infrastructural, economic and institutional ties between seaports and port cities have been loosened, since major ports now serve producers and consumers in widely dispersed hinterlands. This process has been especially intense in North America, where west coast ports serve markets across the continent. At the same time, many of the external costs of increased port activity are incurred in port cities. Hence, questions about the changing nature of employment in port and related goods-handling sectors have become increasingly important for understanding the share of economic benefits received by port cities. This paper focuses on the effects of containerization, and related changes in transportation regulation, on port-logistics worker earnings in major United States port cities since 1975. A difference-in-differences framework is used to examine the relative annual earnings of dock, trucking and warehouse workers in major container port cities. The analysis shows that, with notable exceptions, port-logistics worker earnings in major container ports are not necessarily higher than those of comparable workers. The findings provide further insights into the strained relationship between seaports and port cities in the era of containerization and economic globalization.

New data on the kinetics of the dissolution of alkali feldspars at 200°C in CO2 charged water

The kinetics of the dissolution of a (Na. K) sanidine in CO₂-charged water, were studied experimentally at 200°C as a function of the surface area s and of the time t. The molalities of Na⁺ and K⁺ have been plotted against the product st. As for albite and adularia (Lagache, Bull. Soc. Fr. Minéral. Cristallogr. 88, 223–253, 1965), the rates of dissolution of Na² and K⁺ are smooth continuous functions of st, which implies that they are controlled by the composition of the solution.The comparison between the dissolution of pure sodic or potassic feldspars and that of an intermediate feldspar shows that the sanidine dissolves as if it were composed of albite and K-feldspar grains in the proportions corresponding to its composition.Theoretical considerations presented by Helgeson (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta35, 421–169, 1971; The Feldspars, pp. 184–217, 1972) and Pa?es (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta37, 2641–2663, 1973) are reviewed: both had suggested, arguing from my first experimental results, that the dissolution could be described by a process of diffusional mass transfer through a surface layer of reaction products.The present experiments do not agree with such an interpretation of the mechanism of dissolution.     

Demonstration of spatial anisotropic deformation properties for jointed rock mass by an analytical deformation tensor

This paper develops a joint deformation tensor (JD), which considers all of the joint's mechanical and geometrical parameters that affect the deformability of the rock mass. The method based on JD (JD method) and an elastic deformation anisotropy index (EDAI) are deduced for estimating the spatial anisotropy deformation of a jointed rock mass. The numerical modeling and in situ true triaxial compressive experiments well verified the effectiveness of the EDAI and JD method for the rock mass containing one joint set, orthogonal joint sets or the rock mass containing any types of joint network with unity stiffness ratio.     

Water and magmas: clarification of a controversy on applications of the Gibbs-Duhem equation

It is shown mathematically that if the activity coefficient of water in ternary water-magma (aluminosilicate) systems is constant or varies only with the mole fraction of water, it is not necessary that the binary magmas form ideal solutions contrary to the claims by Burnham et al. (1978, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta42, 275–276). A molecular viewpoint is presented to support this argument. The properties of analytical equations capable of representing the activity coefficients of usual and unusual systems are discussed. The correct form of the Gibbs-Dunhem equation for dissociative dissolution processes is presented to disprove the claims by Burnham (1975, Fortschr. Mineral.52, 101–118; 1975, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta39, 1077–1084), and by Burnhamet al. (1978, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta42, 275–276).     

Meteoritic component and impact melt composition at the lac à l'Eau Claire (clearwater) impact structures,Quebec

The major and selected trace element composition of the melt at the eastern Lac à l'Eau Claire impact structure can be modelled by 52.3% granodiorite, 15.1% granulite, 25.7% quartz-monzonite plus 6.9% Orgueil (C1-chondrite). A satisfactory fit to melt at the western structure requires 57.4% granulite and 42.6% quartz-monzonite. These models agree with the suggestions of Palmeet al. (1978, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta42, 313–323) on the type and extent of meteoritic component in the melts.     

‘Unionising’ the new spaces of the new economy? Alternative labour organising in India’s IT Enabled Services-Business Process Outsourcing industry

This paper explores the lived experiences and aspirational social constructions of call centre work and employment in India’s high profile IT Enabled Services-Business Process Outsourcing (ITES-BPO) industry; the ways in which they differ from those previously documented amongst call centre workers in the Global North (specifically the UK); and the consequences of that geographical reconfiguration of offshored call centre work for the replicability in India of workplace collective bargaining strategies successfully developed in some UK call centres. These issues are analysed using new empirical evidence from a regional survey of 511 non-unionised ITES-BPO workers and 42 in-depth interviews in India’s National Capital Region. Based on this analysis, the paper then discusses the operation, outcomes and ongoing challenges faced by the newly formed ‘Union for ITES Professionals’ (UNITES Pro) in developing an alternative occupational organising model better suited to the particular needs, motivations and preferences of India’s young, mobile, call centre workers. The empirical analysis presented in the paper is located, therefore, within wider debates on the role of geographical context in shaping possibilities for organising white-collar service workers at different ends of global service chains in the new economy.     

Structure of mineral glasses—I. The feldspar glasses NaAlSi3O8, KAlSi3O8, CaAl2Si2O8

The short range distribution of interatomic distances in three feldspar glasses has been determined by X-ray radial distribution analysis. The resulting radial distribution functions (RDF's) are interpreted by comparison with RDF's calculated for various quasi-crystalline models of the glass structure.The experimental RDF's of the alkali feldspar glasses were found to be inconsistent with the four-membered rings of tetrahedra associated with crystalline feldspars; the structures of these glasses are probably based on interconnected six-membered rings of the type found in tridymite, nepheline, or kalsilite. In contrast, the RDF of calcic feldspar glass is consistent with a four-membered ring structure of the type found in crystalline anorthite. T-O bond lengths (T = Si,Al) increase from 1.60 Å in SiO₂ glass [J. H. Konnert and J. Karle (1973) Acta Cryst.A29, 702–710] to 1.63 Å in the alkali feldspar glasses to 1.66 Å in the calcic feldspar glass due to the substitution of Al for Si in the tetrahedra] sites. The T-O-T bond angles inferred from the RDF peak positions are 151° in SiO₂ glass (see reference above), 146° in the alkali feldspar glasses, and 143° in the calcic feldspar glass. Detail in the RDF at distances greater than 5 Å suggests that the alkali feldspar glasses have a higher degree of long range order than the calcic feldspar glasses.Assuming that the structural details of our feldspar glasses are similar to those of the melts, the observed structural differences between the alkali feldspar and calcic feldspar glasses helps explain the differences in crystallization kinetics of anhydrous feldspar composition melts. Structural interpretations of some thermodynamic and rheologic phenomena associated with feldspar melts are also presented based on these results.     

Single crystal Mössbauer spectroscopy on the three principal sections of a synthetic fayalite sample in the antiferromagnetic state

The present work reports Mössbauer investigations for several temperatures below T _N on fayalite single crystal sections cut perpendicularly to the crystallographic a and b-axis (Pnma). The previously detected correspondence between the c-component of the magnetic moment on M1 from neutron diffraction and our own Mössbauer measurements published elsewhere are confirmed for the other principal sections to a large extent. Small humps in the angular dependence of two components of the internal magnetic field H(0) on T below T=23 K are in good agreement with magnetometric and calorimetric data published elsewhere; a reinterpretation of single reflection neutron data has been possible by our results. Moreover, the axes of the electric field gradient (efg) are oriented within the crystallographic axes for the M1-site at low temperatures. The violation of symmetry on the M2 position as a result of our previous investigations could be confirmed for the section ⊥ a, but not with respect to b. A possible explanation in terms of saturation effects of large line intensities at the expense of the small ones is given in the context.     

An overview of the pegmatitic landscape from the pole to the equator – Applied geomorphology and ore guides

Pegmatites and aplites share the common major constituents with the granitoid suite as well as various gneissic lithologies, e.g., orthogneisses, aplitic gneisses. Not surprising, the pegmatitic landscape has landforms resembling some found in landscapes derived from metamorphic and granitic rocks that genetically next of kin of pegmatites. The wealth of rare minerals, the peculiar shape, the zonation into a rim extremely vulnerable to weathering and a hard silica core renders pegmatites strikingly different from the afore-mentioned crystalline rocks and account for a landscape type of its own. The primary features of pegmatites, shape and composition, the key elements of the CMS classification scheme (Chemical composition-Mineral assemblage-Structural geology) also are critical for the secondary alteration of these rocks and the evolution of a pegmatitic landscape. The 1st order landscape formation, involving geomorphology sensu stricto and weathering contributes to the built-up of five morphological types (erosional type I, alteration type II, mixed type III, composite type IV (erosion-transport-deposition), hidden type V (under an intact roof rock or under clastic overburden)). The minerals produced by chemical weathering are accountable for type II and III, whereas the relic minerals are accountable for type I, III, IV and V. Morphological type IV leads to different placer deposits. The 2nd order landscape formation is governed by the climate giving rise to discrete zones arranged from the pole to the equator and two genetic types, the plain and valley types. Both types can genetically be correlated with the wet-and-dry and the tropical humid climates. Placers developed a clastic apron around pegmatites abundant in relic minerals whereas minerals newly formed during chemical weathering lead to clay deposits resting immediately on top of pegmatites. In terms of applied geomorphology, reading and understanding a pegmatitic landscape means creating an “ore guide” to the pegmatites, to their argillaceous supergene deposits in the apical part and their cogenetic placer deposits around. The current overview is a supplement to the review Dill (2015a).     

2Alienoptera — A new insect order in the roach–mantodean twilight zone

A new insect species (2Alienopterus brachyelytrus Bai, Beutel, Klass, Wipfler et Zhang gen.etsp. nov.) of a new order and family is described, based on a single male embedded in Cretaceous Burmese amber (ca. 99 Ma). Unusual characters are shortened forewings combined with fully developed, operational hindwings, similar as in Dermaptera, and specialized attachment pads otherwise only found in mantophasmatodeans (heelwalkers). A cladistic analysis suggests a placement as sister to Mantodea, supported by a profemoral brush and other characters. The male genitalia show the same pattern in both groups. Specialized features are the unusual flight apparatus, attachment structures adapted for locomotion on leaves, and a dense profemoral setation suitable for catching small prey. 2Alienopterus was apparently able to fly and likely a predator of small arthropods in bushes or trees. An impressive radiation of Mantodea started in similar habitats at least 35 Ma later in the early Cenozoic. In contrast, 2Alienopterus was an evolutionary dead end in the roach–mantis transition zone.     

Predictive crystal-chemical relations in Ti-silicates based on the TS block

In a group of minerals of reasonable complexity in which the structure topology is related but not identical, the general relation between structure topology and chemical composition is not known. This problem is of major significance. The structural hierarchy and stereochemistry are described for 27 titanium disilicate minerals that contain the TS (titanium-silicate) block, a central trioctahedral (O) sheet and two adjacent (H) sheets of [5]- and [6]-coordinated polyhedra and (Si₂O₇) groups and related delindeite. The TS block is characterized by a planar cell based on translation vectors, t ₁ and t ₂ , with t ₁ ～ 5.5 and t ₂ ～ 7 Å and t ₁ ∧ t ₂ close to 90°. The general formula of the TS block is A ₂ ^P B ₂ ^P M ₂ ^H M ₄ ^O (Si ₂ O ₇ ) ₂ X _{4 + n}, where M ₂ ^H and M ₄ ^O = cations of the H and O sheets; M^H = Ti (= Ti + Nb), Zr, Mn²⁺, Ca; M^O = Ti, Zr, Mn²⁺, Ca, Na; A ^P and B ^P are cations at the peripheral (P) sites = Na, Ca, Ba; X = anions = O, OH, F; n = 0, 2, 4; the core part of the TS block is shown in bold and is invariant. Cations in each sheet of the TS block form a close-packed layer and the three layers are cubic close packed.There are three topologically distinct TS blocks, depending on the type of linkage of two H sheets and the central O sheet. The H sheets of one TS block attach to the O sheet in the same manner. All structures consist of a TS block and an I (intermediate) block that comprises atoms between two TS blocks. Usually, the I block consists of alkali and alkaline-earth cations, (H₂O) groups and oxyanions (PO₄)^3?, (SO₄)^2? and (CO₃)^2?. These structures naturally fall into four groups, based on differences in topology and stereochemistry of the TS block. In Group I, Ti = 1 apfu Ti occurs in the O sheet, and (Si₂O₇) groups link to a Na polyhedron of the O sheet (linkage 1). In Group II, Ti = 2 apfu, Ti occurs in the H sheet, and (Si₂O₇) groups link to two M ²⁺ octahedra of the O sheet adjacent along t ₂ (linkage 2). In Group III, Ti = 3 apfu, Ti occurs in the O and H sheets, and (Si₂O₇) groups link to the Ti octahedron of the O sheet (linkage 1). In Group IV, Ti = 4 apfu (the maximum possible content of Ti in the TS block), Ti occurs in the O and H sheets, and (Si₂O₇) groups link to two Ti octahedra of the O sheet adjacent along t ₁ (linkage 3). The stability of the TS block is due to the ability of Ti (Nb) to have an extremely wide range in Ti (Nb)-anion bond lengths, 1.68–2.30 Å, which allows the chemical composition of the TS block to vary widely. In crystal structures so far known, only one type of TS block occurs in a structure. The TS block propagates close-packing of cations onto the I block. The general structural principles and the relation between structure topology and chemical composition are described for the TS-block minerals. These principles allow prediction of structural arrangements and possible chemical compositions, and testing whether or not all aspects of the structure and chemical formula of a mineral are correct. Here, I show how these principles work, and review recent results that show the effectiveness of these principles as a predictive technique.     

The origin of metal clasts in the Bencubbin meteoritic breccia

Bencubbin is a breccia containing metal and silicate clasts, along with occasional chondritic fragments. The breccia is cemented together by a small amount of shock-melted metal-silicate matrix. There is no evidence, however, for complete melting of either metal or silicate clasts after their incorporation within the breccia. The main metal phase occurs as rounded and angular clasts of Fe-Ni. Each clast is chemically homogeneous, but systematic chemical variations between clasts are observed with Ni concentrations varying from ? 5.3 wt% in some clasts up to 7.5 wt% in others. Cobalt concentrations vary between clasts from 0.25 to 0.35 wt% and are positively correlated with Ni. The Co and Ni concentrations are consistent with the metal condensation path (pressure ? 10^-3 atm) predicted by Grossman and Olsen (1974, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta38, 173–187). The P vs Ni concentrations are consistent with the metal condensation path (pressure ? 10^?4atm) predicted by Wai et al. (1978, Lunar and Planetary Science IX, pp. 1193–1195). Thus we believe that Bencubbin metal clasts may record chemical information imparted during condensation of the metal from the nebula. Chromium concentrations in Bencubbin metal (0.05–0.30 wt%) greatly exceed concentrations observed in iron meteorites as predicted by Grossman and Olsen (1974, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta38, 173–187) for metal condensates from the solar nebula. The Cr-Ni trend in Bencubbin, however, is positively correlated with Ni, in contrast to the predicted condensation trend. This unexpected correlation may be the result of subsequent redistribution of Cr between metal and micron-sized troilite blebs. The incorporation of these troilite blebs within the metal clasts is difficult to explain in terms of low temperature (? 700 K) condensation of troilite. The possible explanations for the presence of the troilite may or may not be consistent with an unaltered primitive composition for the metal clasts. High temperature equilibrium condensation of Bencubbin metal, however, is also supported by the low Ga and Ge contents reported by Kallemeynet al. (1978, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta42, 507–515). Three of the metal clasts were found to contain ?2.3wt% Si in alloy with the metal. The compositions of these clasts are consistent with equilibrium condensation at a pressure of ? 1 atm from a gas of cosmic composition. The Si-rich clasts could also have condensed at lower pressures from a gas with a fractionated $\text{C}\text{O}$ ratio relative to cosmic abundances.     

Détermination expérimentale des paramètres équivalents d'un milieu poreux hétérogène en écoulements uniforme ou radial

Tracer tests are carried out in a heterogeneous porous medium that has a 3D correlated random distribution of the permeabilities. The fitting of numerical models provides the values of equivalent permeability and macrodispersivity characterizing a 2D homogeneous horizontal medium. Different flow configurations are studied: uniform, radial and pump and treat (doublet). The fitted parameter sets are independent of the flow type, except for the doublet. They are greater than the values predicted by stochastic theories, due to the small number of correlation lengths explored by the tracer and the limited extension of the experimental set-up. To cite this article: C. Danquigny, P. Ackerer, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

The Dovyren intrusive complex (northern Baikal region,Russia): isotope–geochemical markers of contamination of parental magmas and extreme enrichment of the source

The Dovyren intrusive complex includes the ore-bearing (Cu–Ni–PGE) Yoko–Dovyren layered pluton (728 Ma, up to 3.4 km in thickness), underlying ultramafic sills, and comagmatic leuconorite and gabbro-diabase dikes. Studies of Sr–Nd–Pb isotope systems were carried out for 24 intrusive rocks and five associated low- and high-Ti basalts. The high-Ti basalts show 0.7028 ≤ (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_T ≤ 0.7048 and 4.6 ≤ ε_Nd(T) ≤ 5.8, similar to the values in MORB. The intrusive basic and ultrabasic rocks are geochemically similar to the low-Ti formation, making a compact cluster of compositions with extremely high ratios of radiogenic Sr and Pb isotopes and low ε_Nd values. The maximum enrichment in radiogenic Sr is shown by the rocks near the pluton bottom ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_T = 0.71387 ± 0.00010 (2σ); ε_Nd(T) = –16.09 ± 0.06), which are the products of crystallization of the most primitive high-Mg magmas. The above-located dunites, troctolites, and gabbro show lower enrichment, probably because of the contamination of the host rocks during the filling of the magma chamber and/or because of the slight heterogeneity of the source. Calculations of the proportions of mixing of the parental melt with carbonate terrigenous material have shown that the variations in the Sr and Nd isotope ratios are due to the incredibly high contamination of the sediments, up to 40–50%. This contradicts the succession of the main rock types in the Yoko–Dovyren pluton in accordance with the crystallization of picrite-basaltic magma. The contribution of 5–10% high-Ti component seems more likely and suggests interaction between two isotopically contrasting magmas in this province in the Late Riphean. In general, the minor variations in ε_Nd(T) of the intrusive rocks and metavolcanics (–14.3 ± 1.1) testify to the isotopically anomalous source of the low-Ti magmas. The time variation trend of ε_Nd and geochemical features of the Dovyren rocks indicate that the products of melting of 2.7–2.8 Ga suprasubduction mantle might have been the massif protolith. Thus, the Dovyren parental magmas formed from a much older (sub)lithospheric source in the Late Riphean. The source was initially enriched in a mafic component with a low Sm/Nd ratio and was isolated from the convecting mantle and mantle melting processes for ~ 2 Gyr. The existence of such a long-living and at least twice reactivated lithospheric substratum is confirmed by the fact that the Nd isotope evolution trend of the initially nonanomalous mantle protolith includes not only the Dovyren rocks but also the Paleoproterozoic gabbro of the Chinei pluton and the Archean enderbites of the Baikal region.© 2015, V.S. Sobolev IGM, Siberian Branch of the RAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

L'unité ophiolitique de Pineto (Corse) : signification du détritisme continental dans sa couverture de flysch albo-cénomanien

The Jurassic N-MORB ophiolites of the Pineto Unit, which were unaffected by Alpine metamorphism, can be compared to the Apennine ophiolites. They are, however, distinguished by their cover rocks that include a silico-clastic flysch that we have dated as Albian–Cenomanian. Clastic deposits of the same type, but coarser grained, are known from the normal cover rocks of the Balagne Nappe E-MORB ophiolites, originally located on a thinned continental crust and/or near a continental margin. The Pineto Unit thus indicates that the detrital input of continental material was able to extend to a domain of clearly oceanic character in the Ligurian palaeo-ocean. To cite this article: M. Durand-Delga et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Transmission electron microscope study of dislocations in orthopyroxene (Mg,Fe)2Si2O6

The orthopyroxene crystal structure can be viewed as the stacking of alternating tetrahedral and octahedral layers parallel to the (100) plane. Easy glide occurs in the (100) plane at the level of the octahedral layer to prevent breakage of the strong Si-O bonds. Dislocations with c and b Burgers vectors have been activated in (100) by room temperature indentation in an orthoenstatite gem quality single crystal. Investigations in transmission electron microscopy show that the b dislocations (b?9 Å) are not dissociated while the c's (c=5.24 Å) are dissociated into four partials. This result is interpreted by considering the oxygen sublattice as a distorted FCC one. The four c partials are thus Shockley partials bounding three stacking faults. For the two outer ones, synchroshear of the cations is necessary to keep unchanged their sixfold coordination; the oxygen sublattice is locally transformed into a HCP lattice. This accounts for the observed low splitting (?100 Å) of these faults as compared to the median one (?500 Å) which does not affect the oxygen sublattice and does not require cation synchroshear. In a Fe rich orthopyroxene (eulite), semi coherent exsolution lamellae have been studied. Either only c edge dislocations or both b and c edge dislocations occur in the phase boundaries depending upon the thickness of the lamellae. Only the c dislocations are dissociated. From the observed spacing between these mismatch dislocations a crude estimate of the exsolution temperature is proposed T _ex ? 700° C.