Geochemical indicators of interbasin groundwater flow within the southern Rio Grande Valley, southwestern USA

Increased groundwater withdrawals for the growing population in the Rio Grande Valley and likely alteration of recharge to local aquifers with climate change necessitates an understanding of the groundwater connection between the Jornada del Muerto Basin and the adjoining and more heavily used aquifer in the Mesilla Basin. Separating the Jornada and Mesilla aquifers is a buried bedrock high from Tertiary intrusions. This bedrock high or divide restricts and/or retards interbasin flow from the Jornada aquifer into the Mesilla aquifer. The potentiometric surface of the southern Jornada aquifer near part of the bedrock high indicates a flow direction away from the divide because of a previously identified damming effect, but a groundwater outlet from the southern Jornada aquifer is necessary to balance inputs from the overall Jornada aquifer. Differences in geochemical constituents (major ions, δD, δ¹⁸O, δ³⁴S, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) indicate a deeper connection between the two aquifers through the Tertiary intrusions where Jornada water is geochemically altered because of a geothermal influence. Jornada groundwater likely is migrating through the bedrock high in deeper pathways formed by faults of the Jornada Fault Zone, in addition to Jornada water that overtops the bedrock high as previously identified as the only connection between the two aquifers. Increased groundwater withdrawals and lowering of the potentiometric surface of the Jornada aquifer may alter this contribution ratio with less overtopping of the bedrock high and a continued deeper flowpath contribution that could potentially increase salinity values in the Mesilla Basin near the divide.     

Contrasting mechanisms of fluid flow through adjacent stratigraphic units during regional metamorphism,south-central Maine,USA

The flow pattern of reactive metamorphic fluid through six outcrops of micaceous, carbonate-bearing sandstones from the Vassalboro Formation was determined by calculating and mapping fluid-rock ratios for numerous samples within each outcrop. The ratio of maximum to minimum measured fluid/rock varied by factors of only 1.3-22.9 in each outcrop. Fluid flow was pervasive at metamorphic grades ranging from the biotite through the sillimanite zones. Average fluid-rock ratio for the outcrops increases with increasing grade of metamorphism from 0.4 in the biotite zone to 1.4 in the sillimanite zone.The flow pattern of reactive fluid through impure sandstones of the Vassalboro Formation was different at low and medium grades from fluid flow through the limestone member of the adjacent Waterville Formation. In the biotite and garnet zones, fluid flow through the Waterville Formation was channelized with channelways corresponding to individual lithologic layers that acted as metamorphic aquifers. Fluid-rock ratios recorded by the aquifers are greater than those recorded by the intervening beds by factors of up to 50–60. At the highest grades of metamorphism (sillimanite zone), however, flow through the Waterville Formation was as pervasive as through the Vassalboro Formation.The Waterville and Vassalboro Formations experienced the same metamorphic event. The difference in pattern of fluid flow through the two formations therefore reflects the important control that lithology exerts on the permeability of rocks during metamorphism. Micaceous, carbonate-bearing sandstones evidently were more permeable than argillaceous carbonate rocks. The greater permeability of the sandstones may result from a greater concentration of grain boundaries between unlike minerals in the rocks.     

Porosity evolution of the Cambrian Bonneterre Dolomite, south-eastern Missouri, USA

The Cambrian Bonneterre Dolomite of south-eastern Missouri, USA, hosts the large Mississippi Valley type (MVT) lead-zinc-copper ore deposits of the region. The Bonneterre Dolomite consists of dolomitized algal bioherms, oolitic grainstone and associated lithologies that were deposited on a carbonate platform surrounding the Precambrian age St Francois Mountains. Porosity was determined by point counting thin sections from cores and mines in the Bonneterre Dolomite and by gas porosimetry. Volumes of epigenetic cements were estimated by point counting cement filling micro- and mesoporosity using cathodoluminescence. Cement volumes were added to present porosity to estimate porosities during various stages of mineralization. Prior to the onset of mineralization, micro- and mesoporosity in the Bonneterre Dolomite averaged approximately 19%. Precipitation of early dolomite cement (roughly concurrent with the main period of sulphide deposition) reduced average porosity to approximately 7% and closed off much of the intercrystalline pore space. Later cementation by dolomite (prior to late stage sulphides) reduced porosity to approximately 5%, and late cementation by quartz further reduced porosity to the present average value of <4%. Periods of carbonate dissolution during MVT mineralization enhanced large scale megaporosity associated with fractures and breccias but did not significantly increase smaller scale porosity. Dolomite cementation associated with MVT mineralization, porosity and permeability were facies controlled. Today, as a result of mineralization, large scale fractures and breccias control porosity and permeability. This study indicates that dolomite porosity may undergo significant change during basinal brine migrations associated with MVT mineralization.     

Base flow hydrology and water quality of an Ozarks spring and associated recharge area,southern Missouri,USA

Human activities in the karst Ozark Plateaus can impact water quality of springs where surface water is rapidly transferred to subsurface conduits. Bennett Spring, in southern Missouri, is the fourth largest spring in the state and supports local tourism activities. Questions regarding poorly functioning on-site wastewater systems (OWS) have raised concerns over the long-term water quality of the spring. This study reports the results of a surface water quality monitoring program in the recharge area where monthly samples were collected at base flow to identify potential pollution sources to the spring. Base flow hydrology of the recharge area was highly variable over the study period, which was drier than normal, causing an incomplete sampling record due to no flow conditions at some sites. For most of the year, nutrient levels were less than the eutrophic threshold (ET) of 0.075 mg/l total phosphorus (TP) and 1.5 mg/l total nitrogen (TN). Sites that consistently displayed concentrations of TP and TN higher than the ET were influenced by wastewater treatment plants (WTP) or OWS. Sites with nutrient concentrations above the ET were likely influenced by the re-release of nonpoint source related TP and TN delivered to streams during storm events. Water quality and discharge at the spring outlet remained consistent over the sampling period suggesting diffuse recharge from a deep aquifer source is able to dilute shallow ground water sources carrying nonpoint pollutants at base flow. Historical and regional data comparisons show these trends have been consistent over at least the last two decades.     

Emplacement age of the Markagunt gravity slide in southwestern Utah,USA

The Markagunt gravity slide (MGS) is a large-volume landslide in southwestern Utah that originated within the Oligocene-Miocene Marysvale volcanic field. Gravity slides are single emplacement events with long runout distances and are now recognized as a new class of volcanic hazard. Accumulation of volcanic material on a structurally weak substrate along with voluminous shallow intrusive events led to collapse. Here, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data for landslide-generated pseudotachylyte, the landslide-capping Haycock Mountain Tuff and the deformed Osiris Tuff are combined with a Bayesian age model to determine an emplacement age of 23.05 + 0.22/−0.20 Ma for the MGS. The results suggest a lag time of <200 kyr between the caldera-forming eruption of the Osiris Tuff, additional buildup of the unstable volcanic pile and subsequent mass movement.     

滇西南耿马地区泥盆纪牙形石的发现

在耿马东部大龙塘等地的硅质岩系中新发现大量牙形石,可建立两个牙形石带：Palmatolepis gigas带、Palmatolepis triangularis带。此套含牙形石硅质岩系的时代属于晚泥盆世弗拉斯阶—法门阶,对比为曼信组。     

Effects of crustal stresses on fluid transport in fractured rock: case studies from northeastern and southwestern USA

The link between stress and hydrologic properties was examined at two sites that are distinguished by different rock types and different stress states. This investigation is based upon the analysis and interpretation of geophysical logs obtained in water wells at the two locations. At the northeast site (Newark Basin), the hydrologic characteristics of sedimentary rocks are dependent upon the relationship to the current regional stress field of two primary types of orthogonal features that serve as preferential pathways for fluid flow. Subhorizontal bedding-plane partings are highly transmissive near the surface and delineate transversely isotropic fluid flow at shallow depths. With increasing depth, the subhorizontal planes become less dominant and steeply dipping fractures become more influential hydrologically. These high-angle features define anisotropic flow pathways that are preferentially oriented along strike. At the southwest site (west Texas), extrusive rocks are subjected to topographically modified tectonic and gravitational stresses that vary spatially within a valley setting. The attendant changes in stress invariants cause fracture connectivity within the rock mass to systematically increase with depth along the valley flanks, but to remain relatively low in the central valley. The degree of fracture connectivity predicted within this valley configuration is consistent with variations in transmissivity determined at several well locations. In each of these cases, the idealized understanding of the hydrologic system is enhanced by considering the effects of regional and local stresses that act upon the fractured-rock aquifer. Electronic Publication     

Fracturing,fluid flow and shear zone development: Relationships between chemical and mechanical processes in Proterozoic mafic dykes from southwestern Montana,USA

Fluids can play an important role in the localization of deformation in the deep crust, yet the specific mechanisms active during the complex interactions between metasomatism, metamorphism and deformation remain elusive. Precambrian metagabbronorite dykes in southwest Montana contain fractures filled with Hbl±Grt and discrete cm‐scale shear zones with well‐preserved strain gradients. This system offers an ideal opportunity to constrain the chemical and mechanical processes that facilitated strain localization. An early M₁ assemblage of Grt₁+Cpx₁+Pl₁+Qz developed at conditions of 0.51–0.85 GPa and 500–700°C and is preserved largely as a static replacement of relict igneous phases (Opx, Pgt, Pl) in coronitic textures. An M₂ assemblage characterized by Grt₂+Pl₂±Cpx₂+Hbl+Scp+Qz developed at 0.86–1.00 GPa and 660–730°C coincided with fluid flow and deformation associated with shear zone development. Microstructural observations in marginal protomylonite/mylonite and laminated ultramylonite suggest a shear zone evolution that involved (1) nucleation from pre‐existing fractures that were sites for major fluid infiltration, (2) initial widening coincident with grain‐size reduction by microfracturing, dislocation creep, and synkinematic metamorphic reaction by solution transfer, and (3) a switch in the dominant deformation mechanisms active in the ultramylonite from grain‐size insensitive mechanisms to grain‐size sensitive granular flow accommodated by fluid‐assisted diffusion. Throughout this evolution, the effective bulk compositions of the rock volumes responding to metamorphism changed through a combination of mechanical and metasomatic processes.     

Hydrogeology of deep-well disposal of liquid wastes in southwestern Florida, USA

 Deep-well injection has been used to dispose of municipal liquid wastes in southwestern Florida since 1988. The liquid wastes are injected into an extremely high-transmissivity zone of fractured dolomite in the Early Eocene Oldsmar Formation of the Floridan aquifer system; this zone is commonly referred to as the Boulder Zone. Data collected during the drilling and operational testing of southwestern Florida injection wells provide insights into the nature of the injection zone and overlying confining beds. The location of high-transmissivity zones that are capable of accepting large quantities of waste water is vertically and horizontally variable and cannot be predicted with certainty. A 40.9-m thick high-permeability interval in one injection well, for example, was absent in a well drilled only 85.4 m away. Some upward migration of low-density injected fluids has occurred, but at no site were the injected liquids detected in deep monitor wells, such as occurred at injection-well sites along the coasts of southeastern, west-central, and east-central Florida. The primary confinement of the injected liquids (i.e., deepest effective confining beds) consists of unfractured beds of low-permeability dolomite within the Oldsmar Formation, whose locations are also laterally and vertically variable. The origin and controls of the distribution of fractures in the Oldsmar Formation are poorly understood. Received, December 1997 Revised, June 1998, August 1998 Accepted, August 1998     

Depositional facies and the sequence stratigraphic control of a mixed-process influenced clastic wedge in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway: The Gallup System,New Mexico,USA

Depositional facies have been hypothesized to be linked to sequence stratigraphic positions. Also, shoreline systems are built by mixed processes, including rivers, storms, fair-weather waves and tides. Resolving the complexity of shoreline deposition requires detailed quantitative facies analysis with particular attention to heterolithic successions. In this study, 71 sections in a 130 km long outcrop belt of the Cretaceous Gallup Formation in the north-west of the San Juan Basin were measured. Five major facies associations were identified using sedimentological and iconological interpretations, including offshore shelf, non-deltaic shoreline sandstones, deltas, coastal bayline and fluvial. Each facies association also comprises subordinate facies. Depositional facies interpretations are placed in a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic framework that allows for reconstructions of the palaeogeography of individual parasequence sets that demonstrate temporal and spatial evolution of facies associations and depositional processes. The results show that the Gallup is a mixed-process-controlled depositional system with fair-weather and storm-wave dominance, river influence and tide-effect, contrasting with previous interpretations of a solely fair-weather wave-dominated environment. Depositional processes and the resultant facies change with sequence stratigraphic positions in response to relative sea-level changes – particular facies are only deposited in certain systems tracts. Distinction and transition between non-deltaic shorefaces and wave-dominated deltas have also been documented in this study. Non-deltaic shorefaces are characterized by homogeneous sandstones with a wide-range bioturbation index and the absence of mudstones. Wave-dominated deltas are subject to river influence and contain prodelta facies. This study shows the importance of detailed facies analysis with high-resolution sequence stratigraphic control using outcrops for documenting sedimentary processes of shallow marine shoreline systems.     

Between beds and sequences: stratigraphic organization at intermediate scales in the Quaternary of the Virginia coast, USA

ABSTRACT Stratigraphy presupposes a hierarchy of scales of spatial organization supplemented at the small‐scale end by sedimentological concepts (beds, bed sets and bed cosets) and, at larger spatial scales, by sequence‐stratigraphic concepts (systems tracts, parasequences, sequences). Between these two end‐members are intermediate‐scale bodies described as ‘lithofacies’, or simply ‘facies’. A more restricted concept, granulometric facies, can be described in terms of horizontal grain‐size gradients (‘facies change’) and cyclic vertical grain‐size gradients (‘stratification’). Assemblages of facies so defined (also called depositional systems) are not random, but occur in a limited suite of patterns. Such assemblages may be linked to two classes of bounding surfaces, a source diastem (the immediate source of the sediment) and a surface of closure (if preserved), between which is sandwiched a transgressive or regressive, basinward‐fining facies succession. Systems‐bounding surfaces are notably more continuous than internal (gradational) facies boundaries. By thus restricting the definition of a facies assemblage (depositional system), it is possible to describe the Quaternary of the Virginia coast with as few as 12 systems. Depositional systems in the Quaternary of the Virginia coast are allometric, in that any system can be derived from any other by plastic expansion of one or more facies relative to another, or by simple symmetry operations. Self‐similarity prevails across this intermediate scale of stratigraphic organization. Facies assemblages (depositional systems) consist of event beds, which themselves have erosional basal boundaries and internal successions of microfacies. At larger spatial scales, depositional systems are repeated, either autocyclic repetitions forced by processes within the basin of deposition or allocyclic repetitions, as ‘parasequences’ and high‐frequency sequences. In the Virginia Quaternary, systems architecture is compatible with sequence architecture and nests conformably within its framework, but analysis of systems architecture reveals rules beyond those governing sequence architecture.     

Mercury deposition and methylmercury formation in Narraguinnep Reservoir,southwestern Colorado,USA

Narraguinnep Reservoir in southwestern Colorado is one of several water bodies in Colorado with a mercury (Hg) advisory as Hg in fish tissue exceed the 0.3 μg/g guideline to protect human health recommended by the State of Colorado. Concentrations of Hg and methyl-Hg were measured in reservoir bottom sediment and pore water extracted from this sediment. Rates of Hg methylation and methyl-Hg demethylation were also measured in reservoir bottom sediment. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential sources of Hg in the region and evaluate the potential of reservoir sediment to generate methyl-Hg, a human neurotoxin and the dominant form of Hg in fish. Concentrations of Hg (ranged from 1.1 to 5.8 ng/L, n = 15) and methyl-Hg (ranged from 0.05 to 0.14 ng/L, n = 15) in pore water generally were highest at the sediment/water interface, and overall, Hg correlated with methyl-Hg in pore water (R² = 0.60, p = 0007, n = 15). Net Hg methylation flux in the top 3 cm of reservoir bottom sediment varied from 0.08 to 0.56 ng/m²/day (mean = 0.28 ng/m²/day, n = 5), which corresponded to an overall methyl-Hg production for the entire reservoir of 0.53 g/year. No significant point sources of Hg contamination are known to this reservoir or its supply waters, although several coal-fired power plants in the region emit Hg-bearing particulates. Narraguinnep Reservoir is located about 80 km downwind from two of the largest power plants, which together emit about 950 kg-Hg/year. Magnetic minerals separated from reservoir sediment contained spherical magnetite-bearing particles characteristic of coal-fired electric power plant fly ash. The presence of fly-ash magnetite in post-1970 sediment from Narraguinnep Reservoir indicates that the likely source of Hg to the catchment basin for this reservoir has been from airborne emissions from power plants, most of which began operation in the late-1960s and early 1970s in this region.     

A Holocene pollen record recovered from a guano deposit: Round Spring Cavern,Missouri, USA

Batina, M. C. & Reese, C. A. 2010: A Holocene pollen record recovered from a guano deposit: Round Spring Cavern, Missouri, USA. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00186.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Bat guano deposits have been the subject of relatively few palynological studies. The studies to date have focused on the most modern samples only, and therefore the full potential of bat guano as an archive for fossil pollen analysis remains unknown. In this paper we report the results of pollen analysis on an 88‐cm vertical profile of fossil bat guano from Round Spring Cavern, Missouri. Four AMS radiocarbon dates were in sequence and showed that the guano pile was active between 8155 and approximately 550 cal. yr BP. Pollen is well preserved throughout the profile, with most samples containing less than 10% indeterminable pollen. Wind‐pollinated taxa are better represented than insect‐pollinated taxa, and pollen concentrations range from 842 to 371 660 grains cm^?3. As expected, the dominant vegetation types represented by the pollen assemblage are oak and pine, in accordance with the region's oak–hickory–pine forest. However, there are discrepancies between the guano pollen record and the results of a lake pollen study conducted in southern Missouri. We propose several possible factors that may be influencing the guano pollen record and provide direction for further investigation into the palaeoecological potential of bat guano.     

Historical deposition and fluxes of mercury in Narraguinnep Reservoir,southwestern Colorado,USA

Narraguinnep Reservoir has been identified as containing fish with elevated Hg concentrations and has been posted with an advisory recommending against consumption of fish. There are presently no point sources of significant Hg contamination to this reservoir or its supply waters. To evaluate potential historical Hg sources and deposition of Hg to Narraguinnep Reservoir, the authors measured Hg concentrations in sediment cores collected from this reservoir. The cores were dated by the ¹³⁷Cs method and these dates were further refined by relating water supply basin hydrological records with core sedimentology. Rates of historical Hg flux were calculated (ng/cm²/a) based on the Hg concentrations in the cores, sediment bulk densities, and sedimentation rates. The flux of Hg found in Narraguinnep Reservoir increased by approximately a factor of 2 after about 1970. The 3 most likely sources of Hg to Narraguinnep Reservoir are surrounding bedrocks, upstream inactive Au–Ag mines, and several coal-fired electric power plants in the Four Corners region. Patterns of Hg flux do not support dominant Hg derivation from surrounding bedrocks or upstream mining sources. There are 14 coal-fired power plants within 320 km of Narraguinnep Reservoir that produce over 80 × 10⁶ MWH of power and about 1640 kg-Hg/a are released through stack emissions, contributing significant Hg to the surrounding environment. Two of the largest power plants, located within 80 km of the reservoir, emit about 950 kg-Hg/a. Spatial and temporal patterns of Hg fluxes for sediment cores collected from Narraguinnep Reservoir suggest that the most likely source of Hg to this reservoir is from atmospheric emissions from the coal-fired electric power plants, the largest of which began operation in this region in the late-1960s and early 1970s.     

Late Wisconsin glacial advance and retreat patterns in southwestern Ohio, USA

Despite the application of radiocarbon dating for more than three decades along the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, fundamental questions about the timing of glacial advances remain. For one of its sublobes, the Miami, we undertook areal mapping, detailed lithostratigraphic analysis, and radiocarbon dating to interpret four pulses of ice advance. On top of the undated sediments deposited during the first advance is a major unconformity. The second advance occurred about 20,000 BP and marks the beginning of the late Wisconsin glaciation. A minor recession (more than 30 km) ensued, but plants did not reoccupy the landscape. A third advance of the ice margin produced a stone-rich lodgement till to within 20 km of the late Wisconsin maximum. The final ice motion only occurred in the northern part of the study area and may be of local extent. Large accumulations of supraglacial gravity flowtills and outwash mark the final ice-margin retreat. Of these. only the second advance is well dated. This study implies that the number of advances of the ice margin is fewer than previously suggested. Consequently we argue that several of the sublobes across the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet acted in unison for the interval of 22.000 to 18.000 BP implying ice-sheet external forcing.     

鄂尔多斯盆地西南缘早白垩世地层孢粉组合及地层意义

正鄂尔多斯盆地是中国大陆形成最早、演化历史最长的一个沉积盆地,也是我国重要的煤炭、石油、天然气矿产地。近年来,随着国家对清洁能源的需求,加大了对该盆地的砂岩型铀矿的找矿工作,但长期以来对鄂尔多斯盆地西南缘铀矿目的层白垩系志丹群的古生物化石、古环境研究相当缺乏,而对于白垩纪孢粉研究更为少见,仅在1988～1992年有过几例孢粉研究(张子福,1988,1989,1992),