Geochronology of the Dovyren intrusive complex, northwestern Baikal area, Russia, in the Neoproterozoic

The paper reports newly obtained data on the geochronology of the Dovyren intrusive complex and associated metarhyolites of the Inyaptuk Formation in the Synnyr Range. The data were obtained by local LA-ICPMS analysis of zircons in samples. The U-Pb age of olivine-free gabbronorite from near the roof of the Yoko-Dovyren Massif is 730 ± 6 Ma (MSWD = 1.7, n = 33, three samples) is close to the estimated age of 731 ± 4 Ma (MSWD = 1.3, n = 56, five samples) of a 200-m-thick sill beneath the pluton. These data overlap the age of recrystallized hornfels found within the massif (“charnockitoid”, 723 ± 7 Ma, MSWD = 0.12, n = 10) and a dike of sulfidated gabbronorite below the bottom of the massif (725 ± 8 Ma, MSWD = 2.0, n = 15). The estimates are also consistent with the age of albite hornfels (721 ± 6 Ma, MSWD = 0.78, n = 12), which was produced in a low-temperature contact metamorphic facies of the host rocks. The average age of the Dovyren Complex is 728.4 ± 3.4 Ma (MSWD = 1.8, n = 99) based on data on the sill, near-roof gabbronorite, and “charnockitoid”) and is roughly 55 Ma older than the estimate of 673 ± 22 Ma (Sm-Nd; [13]). The U-Pb system of zircon in two quartz metaporphyre samples from the bottom portion of the Inyaptuk volcanic formation in the northeastern part of the Yoko-Dovyren Massif turns out to be disturbed. The scatter of the data points can be explained by the effect of two discrete events. The age of the first zircon population is then 729 ± 14 Ma (MSWD = 0.74, n = 8), and that of the second population is 667 ± 14 Ma (MSWD = 1.9, n = 13). The older value pertains to intrusive rocks of Dovyren, and the age of the “rejuvenated” zircon grains corresponds to the hydrothermal-metasomatic processes, which affected the whole volcano-plutonic sequence and involved the serpentinization of the hyperbasites. This is validated by the results of Rb-Sr isotopic studies with the partial acid leaching of two serpentinized peridotite samples from the Verblyud Sill. These studies date the overprinted processes at 659 ± 5 Ma (MSWD = 1.3, n = 3).     

Auriacusite, Fe3+Cu2+AsO4O, the first M 3+ member of the olivenite group, from the Black Pine mine, Montana, USA

Auriacusite, ideally Fe³⁺Cu²⁺AsO₄O, is a new arsenate mineral (IMA2009–037) and the Fe³⁺ analogue of olivenite, from the Black Pine mine, 14.5 km NW of Philipsburg, Granite Co., Montana, USA. It occurs lining quartz vughs and coating quartz crystals and is associated with segnitite, brochantite, malachite, tetrahedrite and pyrite. Auriacusite forms fibrous crystals up to about 5?µm in width and up to about 100?µm in length, which are intergrown to form fibrous mats. Individual crystals are a brownish golden yellow, whilst the fibrous mats are ochreous yellow. The crystals have a silky lustre and a brownish yellow streak. Mohs hardness is about 3 (estimated). The fracture is irregular and the tenacity is brittle. Auriacusite crystals are biaxial (+), with α?=?1.830(5), β?=?1.865(5) and γ?=?1.910(5), measured using white light, and with 2V _meas.?=?83(3)º and 2V _calc. = 84.6º. Orientation: X?=?a, Y?=?c, Z?=?b. Crystals are nonpleochroic or too weakly so to be observed. The empirical formula (based on 5 O atoms) is (Fe _1.33 ³⁺ Cu_0.85Zn_0.03)_Σ2.21(As_0.51Sb_0.27Si_0.04?S_0.02Te_0.01)_Σ0.85O₅. Auriacusite is orthorhombic, space group Pnnm, a?=?8.6235(7), b?=?8.2757(7), c?=?5.9501(5) Å, V?=?424.63(6) ų, Z?=?4. The five strongest lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are [d _obs in Å / (I) / hkl]: 4.884 / (100) / 101, 001; 2.991 / (92) / 220; 2.476 / (85) / 311; 2.416 / (83) / 022; 2.669 / (74) / 221. The crystal structure was solved from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data utilising synchrotron radiation and refined to R ₁?=?0.1010 on the basis of 951 unique reflections with F _o?>?4σF. Auriacusite is identified as a member of the olivenite group with Fe³⁺ replacing Zn²⁺ or Cu²⁺ in trigonal bipyramidal coordination. Evidence suggests that auriacusite is an intermediate member between olivenite and an as yet undescribed Fe³⁺Fe³⁺-dominant member. The name is derived from the Latin auri (golden yellow) and acus (needle), in reference to its colour and crystal morphology.     

Postglacial vegetation, fire, and climate history of the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon, USA

The forests of the Siskiyou Mountains are among the most diverse in North America, yet the long-term relationship among climate, diversity, and natural disturbance is not well known. Pollen, plant macrofossils, and high-resolution charcoal data from Bolan Lake, Oregon, were analyzed to reconstruct a 17,000-yr-long environmental history of high-elevation forests in the region. In the late-glacial period, the presence of a subalpine parkland of Artemisia, Poaceae, Pinus, and Tsuga with infrequent fires suggests cool dry conditions. After 14,500 cal yr B.P., a closed forest of Abies, Pseudotsuga, Tsuga, and Alnus rubra with more frequent fires developed which indicates more mesic conditions than before. An open woodland of Pinus, Quercus, and Cupressaceae, with higher fire activity than before, characterized the early Holocene and implies warmer and drier conditions than at present. In the late Holocene, Abies and Picea were more prevalent in the forest, suggesting a return to cool wet conditions, although fire-episode frequency remained relatively high. The modern forest of Abies and Pseudotsuga and the present-day fire regime developed ca. 2100 cal yr B.P. and indicates that conditions had become slightly drier than before. Sub-millennial-scale fluctuations in vegetation and fire activity suggest climatic variations during the Younger Dryas interval and within the early Holocene period. The timing of vegetation changes in the Bolan Lake record is similar to that of other sites in the Pacific Northwest and Klamath region, and indicates that local vegetation communities were responding to regional-scale climate changes. The record implies that climate-driven millennial- to centennial-scale vegetation and fire change should be considered when explaining the high floristic diversity observed at present in the Siskiyou Mountains.     

Dielectric constants of apatite,epidote, vesuvianite,and zoisite,and the oxide additivity rule

The dielectric constants and dielectric loss values of 4 Ca-containing minerals were determined at 1 MHz using a two-terminal method and empirically determined edge corrections. The results are: vesuvianitel κ′ _a=9.93 tan δ=0.006 κ′ _c=9.79 tan δ=0.005 vesuvianitel κ′ _a=10.02 tan δ=0.002 κ′ _c=9.85 tan δ=0.003 zoisite1 κ′ _a =10.49 tan δ=0.0006 κ′ _b =15.31 tan δ=0.0008 κ′ _c=9.51 tan δ=0.0008 zoisite2 κ′ _a =10.55 tan δ=0.0011 κ′ _b =15.45 tan δ=0.0013 κ′ _c=9.39 tan δ=0.0008 epidote κ′ ₁₁= 9.52 tan δ=0.0008 κ′ ₂₂=17.1 tan δ=0.0009 κ′ ₃₃= 9.37 tan δ=0.0006 fluorapatite1 κ′ _a =10.48 tan δ=0.0008 κ′ _c = 8.72 tan δ=0.0114 fluorapatite2 κ′ _a =10.40 tan δ=0.0010 κ′ _c=8.26 tan δ=0.0178 The deviation (δ) between measured dielectric polarizabilities as determined from the Clausius-Mosotti equation and those calculated from the sum of oxide polarizabilities according to α _D (mineral)=∑ α _D (oxides) for vesuvianite is ～ 0.5%. The large deviations of epidote and zoisite from the additivity rule with Δ=+ 10.1 and + 11.7%, respectively, are attributed to “rattling” Ca ions. The combined effects of both a large F thermal parameter and possible F-ion conductivity in fluorapatite are believed to be responsible for Δ=+2–3%. Although variation of oxygen polarizability with oxygen molar volume (V_o) is believed to affect the total polarizabilities, the variation of V_o in these Ca minerals is too small to observe the effect.     

Systematics, biometry of the species Opsidiscus from the Middle Cambrian succession of the Spiti basin, India

The Middle Cambrian succession of the Parahio Valley in general and Debsakhad section in particular is dominated by trilobites. Genus Opsidiscus, along with other trilobite forms dominates the lower Middle Cambrian succession. In the present study two new species of Opsidiscus, Opsidiscus wadiai and Opsidiscus srikantiai are reported from the lower Middle Cambrian succession of Debsakhad section. The species were differentiated on their morphological features and their multivariate analysis. The multivariate analysis applied here is used as a supplement method to qualitative analysis in order to differentiate between the cranidial characters of Opsidiscus. The qualitative study of each species studied individually shows more or less close affiliation as is observed by different quantitative methods. The presence of Opsidiscus has a great stratigraphic significance in this region, as they first appear from informal Stage 5 of Series 3 and goes up to the Drumian Stage of Series 3 of the Cambrian System in the Debsakhad section, which helps to correlate this section with other well known sections of the Middle Cambrian.     

Dinosaur eggs in the Upper Cretaceous of the Coll de Nargó area,Lleida Province,south-central Pyrenees,Spain: Oodiversity,biostratigraphy and their implications

The Coll de Nargó area (Lleida Province, south-central Pyrenees) has yielded thousands of dinosaur eggs distributed in more than 30 levels across 370 m of Upper Cretaceous Tremp Formation deposits. Two stratigraphic units yielding dinosaur eggshells, eggs and clutches, can be distinguished. Multiple eggshells were collected from up to 75 different in situ clutches, located in consecutive stratigraphical levels throughout the Mas de Pinyes section. Four different oospecies have been recognized: Megaloolithus aureliensis, Megaloolithus siruguei, Megaloolithus cf. baghensis and Cairanoolithus cf. roussetensis. In absence of typical biochronological markers, fossil eggshells may have potential as a tool for dating. Based on these ootaxa, three oozones can be established along the stratigraphic section. The lower assemblage is composed by M. aureliensis, M. siruguei and Cairanoolithus cf. roussetensis; the middle one consists only of M. siruguei, while the upper oozone is characterized by M. cf. baghensis. Results suggest that the age of Coll de Nargó rocks ranges from the latest Campanian to the beginning of the Late Maastrichtian. Also reported is the first evidence of the oogenus Cairanoolithus outside of France, where it was regarded as an endemic ootaxon. The Coll de Nargó area is considered to be one of the most important dinosaur nesting areas in Europe recurrently used by several dinosaurs during a long time span. Finally, the presence of fossilized eggshell membrane in several specimens from Coll de Nargó contributes to understanding the taphonomic process of megaloolithid eggs in this area.     

Hydrocarbons and fatty acids in the Evergreen Shale,Surat Basin,Queensland, Australia

Alkane hydrocarbon and n-fatty acid distributions have been examined in cores taken over a 550 ft thickness through the lower Jurassic, largely non-marine Evergreen Shale, Surat Basin, Queensland, Australia. No depth trends in compound abundances or carbon preference indices are discernible. There is no evidence for significant generation of n-alkanes from kerogen nor for cracking of long-chain n-alkanes. The present distribution patterns of the biochemicals probably reflect closely the nature of the original organic matter. The general strong dominance of long-chain (C₂₀₊) n-alkanes; the lack of evidence for diagenetic change; and the absence of correlation between abundances of n-alkanes and n-fatty acids (among both the longer- and shorter-chain compounds), lead to the conclusion that at least the long-chain n-alkanes were largely deposited as such in the sediment, having originated in land-plant material, remains of which are abundant in the samples. In the upper 170 ft. (possibly marine), n-alkanes with chain lengths below C₂₀ become important, suggesting greater significance of aquatic life as a source of organic matter at the time of deposition, a conclusion which is in general accord with the geological history of the basin, although this history is not well known.     

Report on the 5th International Meeting of the IUGS Lower Cretaceous Ammonite Working Group,the Kilian Group (Ankara,Turkey, 31st August 2013)

The 5th meeting of the IUGS Lower Cretaceous Ammonite Working Group (the Kilian Group) held in Ankara, Turkey, 31st August 2013, discussed the Mediterranean ammonite zonation, and its calibration with different ammonite zonal schemes of the Boreal, Austral and Central Atlantic realms. Concerning the standard zonation, that corresponds to the zonal scheme of the West Mediterranean province, some changes have been made on two stages. For the Valanginian, the Busnardoites campylotoxus Zone was abandoned; the upper part of the lower Valanginian is now characterised by the Neocomites neocomiensiformis and Karakaschiceras inostranzewi zones. For the upper Barremian, the former Imerites giraudi Zone is here subdivided into two zones, a lower I. giraudi Zone and an upper Martellites sarasini Zone. The I. giraudi Zone is now subdivided into the I. giraudi and Heteroceras emerici subzones, previously considered as horizons. The current M. sarasini and Pseudocrioceras waagenoides subzones correspond to the lower and upper parts of the M. sarasini Zone, respectively. The Anglesites puzosianum Horizon is kept. The Berriasian, Hauterivian, Aptian and Albian zonal schemes have been discussed but no change was made. The upper Hauterivian zonal scheme of the Georgian (Caucasus) region (East Mediterranean province) has been compared with the standard zonation. Discussions and some attempts at correlations are presented here between the standard zonation and the zonal schemes of different palaeobiogeographical provinces: the North-West European area for the Valanginian and Hauterivian, the Argentinean region for the Berriasian, Valanginian and Hauterivian, and the Mexican area for the Valanginian–Hauterivian and Aptian–lower Albian. The report concludes with some proposals for future work.     

Sardignaite, a new mineral, the second known bismuth molybdate: description and crystal structure

The new mineral sardignaite, a bismuth molybdate with formula BiMo₂O₇(OH)·2H₂O, occurs in quartz veins within a granitic rock at Su Senargiu, near Sarroch, Sardegna, Italy. The name is after the locality. Sardignaite occurs a thin prismatic crystals up to 1 mm in length, with pale yellow color and a white streak. It is transparent with adamantine lustre, non fluorescent, and brittle with a conchoidal fracture. It is associated with bismuthinite, bismoclite, molybdenite, ferrimolybdite, koechlinite, wulfenite, and the new mineral IMA 2009–022. Mohs hardness is ca. 3. D _calc is 4.82 g/cm³. The mineral is monoclinic, space group P2₁/m, with a 5.7797(7), b 11.567(1), c 6.3344(8) Å, β 113.360(9)°, V 388.8(1) ų. The strongest lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are d(I)(hkl): 3.206(100)(031), 5.03(80)(?101), 1.992(45)(221), 3.120(32)(130). The crystal structure of sardignaite was solved to R(F) 0.056 using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, and is characterized by edge-sharing dimers of [MoO₅(H₂O)] octahedra, linked to each other through corner-sharing to give rise to corrugated columns running along b. Such columns are held together by Bi³⁺ cations, eight-fold coordinated by 7 O + 1 (OH). Both the mineral and its name were approved by the IMA-CNMNC.     

Oxygen,hydrogen and carbon isotope studies of the franciscan formation,Coast Ranges,California

Analyses of 230 Franciscan rock and mineral samples, including the San Luis Obispo ophiolite, show that metamorphism produces no change in the δ¹⁸O of the graywackes (+11 to +14), but that igneous rocks become enriched in ¹⁸O by 2–6% and the cherts depleted by 5–10%. The shales are of two types, a high-¹⁸O type (+16 to +20) associated with chert and a low-¹⁸O type isotopically and mineralogically similar to the graywackes. The vein quartz (δ = + 15 to + 20) is invariably richer in ¹⁸O than the host rock quartz and in most of the rocks the δ¹⁸O of the clastic quartz is similar to the δ¹⁸O of the whole rock. Mineral assemblages are typically not in isotopic equilibrium. Although the δ¹⁸O values are very uniform (+13 to +16). the δ¹³C of vein aragonite and calcite is widely variable (0 to ? 14), implying that a major source of the carbon is oxidized organic material. The δD values of 83 igneous and sedimentary rocks are -45 to -80, exceptions are the Fe-rich minerals howieite and deerite, which have δD = ?100. All of these samples could have equilibrated with H₂O having δD ≈ +10 to ?20 and δ¹⁸O ≈ ?3 to +8. assuming temperatures of 100–300°C. However, the serpentines (δD ≈ ?85 to ?110) and the vein minerals (δD = ?23 to ?55) are exceptions. The vein minerals are 10–20%, richer in deuterium than the adjacent wall rocks; they formed from a relatively D-rich metamorphic water, typically at lower temperatures than did their host rocks. The isotopic compositions of the other Franciscan rocks were affected by three distinct events: (1) hydrothermal alteration of the ophiolite complexes and volcanic rocks as a result of submarine igneous activity at a spreading center or in an island-arc environment; (2) low-temperature, high-pressure regional metamorphism and diagenesis; and (3) a late-stage, very low temperature (<100°C) alteration of the ultramafic bodies by meteoric ground waters, producing lizardite-chrysotile serpentine. In the first two cases, the pore fluid involved in the alteration of the Franciscan rocks was sea water. However, this water became somewhat depleted in D and enriched in ¹⁸O during blueschist metamorphism, evolving to values of δD ≈ ? 20 and δ¹⁸O ≈ + 6 to + 8 at the highest grades. Except for one graywacke sample, the meteoric waters that affected the serpentinites did not significantly change the $\text{D}\text{H}$ ratios of the OH-bearing minerals in any other Franciscan rock.The δ¹⁸O values of orogenic andesites are too low for such magmas to have formed by direct partial melting of Franciscan-type materials in a subduction zone. Andesites either form in some other fashion, or the melts must undergo thorough isotopic exchange with the upper mantle. The great Cordilleran granodiorite-tonalite batholiths, however, are much richer in ¹⁸O and may well have formed by large-scale melting or assimilation of Franciscan-type rocks. The range of δD values of Franciscantype rocks is identical to the ?50 to ?80 range shown by most igneous rocks. This suggests that ‘primary magmatic H₂O’ throughout the world may be derived mainly by partial melting of Franciscantype materials, or by dehydration of such rocks in the deeper parts of a Benioff zone.     

The distribution of calcareous nannofossils and foraminifers in the Callovian, Oxfordian, and Volgian deposits in the southwest of Moscow

The distribution of calcareous nannofossils and foraminifers occurring in the Callovian-Oxfordian deposits in the southwest of Moscow is studied. Nannoplankton-bearing beds and foraminiferal zones are distinguished. The Retecapsa incompta Beds correspond in range to the Ophthalmidium sagittum-Epistomina volgensis and Ophthalmidium strumosum-Lenticulina brestica foraminiferal zones as well as the lower part of Epistomina uhligi-Lenticulina russiensis Zone. The Watznaueria manivitae, Crepidolithus perforata, and Watznaueria fossacincta (lowermost part) beds span interval of the Epistomina uhligi-Lenticulina russiensis Zone. The Watznaueria fossacincta Beds are concurrent to the Lenticulina ponderosa-Flabellamina lidiae Zone of the foraminiferal scale.     

Small shelly fossils from the early Cambrian Yanjiahe Formation,Yichang, Hubei,China

Abundant data have been acquired on the lower Cambrian small shelly fossils (SSFs) of the Yangtze platform during the last three decades, demonstrating that these fossils are an important piece of evidence for the Cambrian radiation and are useful biostratigraphic tools for correlating the lower Cambrian. Here we report SSF associations from the Yanjiahe Formation in the Three Gorges area, South China. The Yanjiahe Formation is well exposed near the Yanjiahe village, and its 40-m-thick sequence can be subdivided on the basis of lithology into five stratigraphic intervals (beds). Small shelly fossils occur mainly in Beds 2 and 5, but abundant SSFs were discovered in thin sections of siliceous–phosphatic nodules from Bed 3 for the first time. No skeletal fossils were discovered in the basal siliceous rock interval (Bed 1), but the negative δ¹³C_carb excursion and the occurrence of the acritarch Micrhystridium regulare indicate that it belongs to the basal Cambrian. The SSF associations are somewhat similar to those of East Yunnan, and can be differentiated into three biozones (in ascending order): the Anabarites trisulcatus–Protohertzina anabarica assemblage zone (Bed 2), the Purella antiqua assemblage zone (Bed 3), and the Aldanella yanjiaheensis assemblage zone (Bed 5). The occurrence of A. yanjiaheensis in Bed 5 probably indicates that Bed 5 belongs to Cambrian Stage 2, but the Stage 2/Stage 1 boundary is uncertain since Bed 4 lacks fossils. SSF biostratigraphy indicates that the Yanjiahe Formation is pretrilobitic Meishucunian in age (equivalent to the Nemakit–Daldynian to Tommotian of Siberia, Terreneuvian). Five SSF genera occur in Bed 2, more than six genera in Bed 3, and twenty-three genera in Bed 5. The stepwise increase in generic diversity through the Yanjiahe Formation is comparable with the global diversity increase through the Nemakit–Daldynian to early Tommotian interval.     

Pliocene trace fossils from oyster substrates in the Nijar Basin,Betic Cordillera,southern Spain

The Almería-Níjar Basin is a Neogene, intermontane depression marginal to the Mediterranean in southern Spain in the vicinity of El Argamasón, Andalucia. The Pliocene Cuevas Formation rests unconformably on the Upper Messinian rock succession in the Carboneras Fault Zone. The Cuevas Formation is a coarse-grained, bioclastic-rich, calcarenite to calcirudite shoreface deposit. Oysters, namely Saccostrea cucullata (Born), are locally common and preserve a moderate diversity of borings: Caulostrepsis taeniola Clarke; Entobia isp.; Gastrochaenolites isp. aff. G. lapidicus Kelly and Bromley; Maeandropolydora isp. cf. M. sulcans Voigt; Oichnus paraboloides Bromley; and Talpina isp. aff. T. hirsuta Voigt. All represent domiciles except for the predatory O. paraboloides trace. This suite of ichnotaxa is assigned to the Entobia ichnofacies sensu Bromley and Asgaard; they are comparable, particularly, with the Boulder Assemblage of the Pliocene of Rhodes, Greece. Physical disturbance is an important parameter in favouring this pattern of infestation, whether the bored clasts are boulders or oyster valves.     

Spherules from the Late Cretaceous Phosphorite of the Fatehgarh Formation,Barmer Basin,India

A first report of discovery of spherules, glassy balls, highly magnetic fine dust and microbracciated matrix in the Fatehgarh Formation of Barmer Basin, Rajasthan, India is being presented in this paper. The Fatehgarh Formation is a mixed siliciclastic, carbonate and phosphorite formation of Cretaceous age in the Barmer Basin that comprises sediments of Middle Jurassic to Lower Eocene age. The phosphorite zone in the Fatehgarh Formation is ∼8 metre-thick zone that comprises phosphatic sandstone, bone bed, bedded phosphorite and phosphatic and non phosphatic gastropod beds. The spherules occur in a thin phosphatic-clay mud and silt band of bone bed, which also yielded a very rich and diverse microvertebrate assemblage with a dominant Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) form of Igdabatis along with forms comprising of Semionodontid, Lapisosteum and Enchodontid. The end Cretaceous is marked for a mass extinction of numerous species including dinosaurs. An extraterrestrial impact is interpreted as the reason for this mass extinction. Whether these spherules are related to the volcanic source or K/T Boundary impact ejecta found at Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico region needs detailed chemical and age characterization for which study is in progress.     

Abramovite, Pb2SnInBiS7, a new mineral species from fumaroles of the Kudryavy volcano, Kurile Islands, Russia

Abramovite, a new mineral species, has been found as fumarole crust on the Kudryavy volcano, Iturup Island, Kuriles, Russia. The mineral is associated with pyrrhotite, pyrite, würtzite, galena, halite, sylvite, and anhydrite. Abramovite occurs as tiny elongated lamellar crystals up to 1 mm long and 0.2 mm wide (average 300 × 50 μ m), which make up chaotic intergrowths in the narrow zone of fumarole crust formed at ～600°C. Most crystals are slightly striated along the elongation. The new mineral is silver gray, with a metallic luster and black streak. Under reflected light, abramovite is white with a yellowish gray hue. It has weak bireflectance; anisotropy is distinct without color effects. The chemical composition (electron microprobe) is as follows, wt %: 20.66 S, 0.98 Se, 0.01 Cu, 0.03 Cd, 11.40 In, 12.11 Sn, 37.11 Pb, 17.30 Bi; the total is 99.60. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 12 atoms is Pb_1.92Sn_1.09In_1.06Bi_0.89(S_6.90Se_0.13)_7.03. The simplified formula is Pb₂SnInBiS₇. The strongest eight lines in the X-ray powder pattern [d, Å (I)(hkl)] are 5.90(36)(100), 3.90(100)(111), 3.84(71)(112), 3.166(26)(114), 2.921(33)(115), 2.902(16)(200), 2.329(15)(214), 2.186(18)(125). The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns of abramovite are quite similar to those of the homologous cylindrite series minerals. The new mineral is characterized by noncommensurate structure composed of regularly alternated pseudotetragonal and pseudohexagonal sheets. The structure parameters determined from the SAED patterns and X-ray powder diffraction data for pseudotetragonal subcell are: a = 23.4(3), b = 5.77(2), c = 5.83(1) Å, α = 89.1(5) °, β = 89.9(7)°, γ = 91.5(7)°, V = 790(8) ų; for pseudohexagonal subcell: a = 23.6(3), b = 3.6(1), c = 6.2(1) Å, α = 91(2)°, β = 92(1)°, γ = 90(2)°, V = 532(10) ų. Abramovite is triclinic, space group P(1). The new mineral is named in honor of Russian mineralogist Dmitry Abramov. The type material of abramovite has been deposited in the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.     

Sedimentology of the Ekwan Shoal,Akimiski Strait,James Bay,Canada

One of the steepest depositional coasts of western James Bay is found along the west shores of Akimiski Strait, north of the mouth of the Ekwan River. This shore receives considerable amounts of sediment during the spring break-up of the rivers. The sediments are stored on the steep narrow tidal flats and marshes, and in thinner (up to 80 cm) drapes on till-cored shoals that parallel and protect the coast. The low areas between the shoals and the mainland are swept and reworked by relatively powerful (2 m s^?1) reversing currents due to flooding and ebbing of tides into the strait.A series of distinct environments and sedimentary facies develop on this western coast and its antecedent longshore shoal. The outer part of the shoal is characterized by tidal bedding, Macoma balthica burrows and considerable ice scour. The inner part of the shoal has winnowed sand, the greatest abundance of Macoma, and well-developed flaser bedding. The longshore tidal channel separating the shoal from the mainland has coarse sand lags in the shallower parts and silty sand in deeper protected areas. The steep tidal flats develop laminated silty sands locally saturated and slumping toward the channel. The high saturation of the sediments inhibits colonization of the flats by Macoma. The narrow marshes have characteristic vegetation zonation, with Puccinellia phryganodes colonizing the lower marsh. The sedimentary sequence of the marsh displays irregular, bioturbated laminated sequences of silt, silty sand and organic matter.     

Invertebrate trace fossils from the Alveley Member,Salop Formation (Pennsylvanian,Carboniferous), Shropshire,UK

The late Carboniferous–early Permian was a period of major environmental change, with the rainforests that covered the equatorial zone during the Carboniferous disappearing due to increasing aridification. This environmental transition had significant impacts on the terrestrial biota, including a major extinction event among plant and vertebrate groups. A rich and unique ichnofauna from the Alveley Member (Moscovian: Westphalian D) of the Salop Formation at Alveley in Shropshire (England) has yielded important insights into late Carboniferous terrestrial communities. However, research to date has focused entirely on the vertebrate footprints. Abundant invertebrate ichnofossils also occur at Alveley, typically on the rippled upper surfaces of beds assigned to a floodplain facies that preserve the vertebrate tracks in hyporelief on their base. We provide the first detailed examination of the invertebrate ichnofauna from Alveley, identifying six ichnospecies within five ichnogenera (Diplichnites, Gordia, Paleohelcura, Palmichnium, Protichnites), including a new species of the common arthropod ichnogenus Diplichnites. This moderately diverse invertebrate ichnofauna is dominated by arthropod repichnia. There is no evidence of infaunal bioturbation and the single example of Gordia indicates limited sediment grazing activity. The Alveley ichnofauna is typical of Euramerican continental ichnoassemblages from the very latest Carboniferous, and indicates a moderate diversity of arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids and chelicerates) living alongside the marginal freshwater to terrestrial assemblage of temnospondyl amphibians, and basal synapsid, diadectomorph and captorhinomorph amniotes.     

Lower Cretaceous charophytes from the Serrania de Cuenca,Iberian chain: Taxonomy,biostratigraphy and palaeoecology

The assemblages of fossil charophyte fructifications from the La Huérguina Formation at the La Huérguina stratotype and the Las Hoyas section, along with some other samples from isolated outcrops are composed of Atopochara trivolvis var. triquetra, Globator maillardii var. trochiliscoides, Globator maillardii var. biutricularis var. nov., Clavator harrisii var. reyi, Ascidiella cruciata and Mesochara harrisii. Some reworked utricles of Ascidiella iberica var. iberica were also found. The in situ assemblage belongs to the Cruciata-Paucibracteatus Biozone, which is Late Barremian–Early Aptian in age. These results confirm that the entire deposition of the La Huérguina Formation took place within this biozone and not earlier, as previously thought. The top of the unit can be limited to the uppermost Barremian with biostratigraphic data from ostracods. Globator maillardii var. biutricularis var. nov. is defined as the end form for the Globator lineage according to present knowledge. It is characterised by its unique utricle morphology, showing a basal ring representing a second, external utricular layer. This layer shows a primitive structure, reminiscent of G. maillardii var. mutabilis, in contrast to the internal utricle, which is more derived and similar to G. maillardii var. trochiliscoides. In comparison with other non-marine formations of the same age in the Iberian Chain and in Europe, the charophyte assemblages from the La Huérguina Formation appear to be relatively poor and monotonous, suggesting that some of the species found elsewhere never reached this part of the basin owing to the brief development of non-marine facies there. The main differences in composition between the samples studied are indicative of the palaeoecological conditions. Atopochara trivolvis triquetra was found to be dominant in shallow lacustrine facies and Globator maillardii var. trochiliscoides and var. biutricularis are associated with temporary lakes from a well-drained palustrine area. Clavator harrisii and Mesochara harrisii thrived on floodplains whereas Ascidiella cruciata grew in palustrine environments with significant edaphic activity.     

Limnology of the Klutlan moraines,Yukon Territory,Canada

Lakes of the Klutlan moraines originate by down-melting of stagnant ice under a mantle of rock debris and vegetation ranging from scattered herbs and shrubs on the younger moraines to multiple-generation closed spruce forest on the oldest moraines, which are 600–1200 yr old. Lakes on the youngest moraines are temporary, turbid with glacial silt, and marked by unstable ice-cored slopes. On older moraines most lakes have clear water and stable slopes. On the oldest moraines many lakes have brown water caused by dissolved humic materials derived from the thick forest floor, but even here some slopes are unstable because of continued melting of buried ice. Morainic lakes contain bicarbonate waters of moderate alkalinity and conductivity and low levels of nutrients. The highly diverse phytoplankton is dominated by chrysophytes and cryptomonads, with few diatoms. Extremely low values for phytoplankton biomass place most of the lakes in an “ultraoligotrophic” category. Zooplankton is dominated by copepods, which were found even in ice ponds only a few years old, and by the cladoceran Daphnia pulex. Surface-sediment samples contained a total of 16 species of chydorid Cladocera. Of these, Alonella excisa and Alona barbulata are apparently the pioneer species in the youngest lakes. Chydorus sphaericus only appears in lakes of the oldest moraines. A successional pattern is not conspicuous, however, partly because some of the lakes on the older moraines originated by recent collapse over buried ice. Lakes on the upland outside the dead-ice moraines yielded 39 species in the zooplankton. The distinctive assemblage on upland lakes may relate more to different water chemistry than to age.