Development of U–Pb dating of uraninite using a secondary ion mass spectrometer: Selection of reference material and establishment of calibration method

A method for U–Pb isotopic dating using secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) was developed for uraninite. Correlation between ²⁵¹(UO)⁺/²³⁵U⁺ and ²⁰⁶Pb⁺/²³⁵U⁺ obtained by a sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) was adopted for a calibration from secondary ion ratios (Pb⁺/U⁺) to the atomic abundance ratios (Pb/U). In this study, a uraninite sample (²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U = 0.1647) collected from Faraday mine, Bancroft, Canada, is used as a reference material for the U–Pb calibration. The established method was applied to three uraninite samples collected from the Chardon, Ecarpière, and Mistamisk mines. The calibrated ²⁰⁶Pb^*/²³⁸U ratios of the three uraninites show correlation with Pb/U elemental ratios obtained using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) (correlation coefficients: 0.98, 0.99, and 0.97, respectively), which indicates the reliability of the SHRIMP calibration method used in this study. The analysis of Ecarpière uraninite provides concordant U–Pb data, and a weighted average of the ²⁰⁶Pb^*/²³⁸U age is 287 Ma ±8 Ma (95 % conf.) which is consistent with the previous chronological results by SIMS. Mistamisk uraninite provides discordant U–Pb data with the upper and lower intercept ages of 1 729 and 421 Ma, which correspond to uraninite formation in association with the Hudsonian orogeny and the remobilization of uranium as pitchblende, respectively. The U–Pb age of Chardon uraninite (315 Ma) is consistent with the igneous activity of Mortagne granite, but is older than the previously reported age (264 Ma). Marcasite in the Chardon uraninite altered to goethite under the oxidizing condition, which indicates that U–Pb system in the uraninite crystallized at 315 Ma was disturbed under the oxidizing condition. The established calibration method using Faraday uraninite is useful for U–Pb isotopic dating on the scale of a few micrometers to tens of micrometers, which make it possible to obtain the accurate age of uraninite.     

Th–U–total Pb geochronology of authigenic monazite in the Adelaide rift complex,South Australia,and implications for the age of the type Sturtian and Marinoan glacial deposits

The Adelaide rift complex in South Australia contains the type sections for Sturtian and Marinoan glacial deposits. The litho- and chemo-stratigraphy of these deposits play a central role in evaluating global Neoproterozoic ice age hypotheses and Rodinia supercontinent reconstructions, but reliable depositional age constraints have been extremely limited. We report results of in situ Th–U–total Pb (electron microprobe) dating of detrital and authigenic monazite in two samples from the Umberatana Group (Sturtian Holowilena Ironstone and pre-Marinoan Enorama Shale) in the Central Flinders Ranges. Several texturally and chemically distinct detrital and authigenic populations are recognized. Detrital dates range from 1600 Ma to 760 Ma and most relate to well-known orogenic or igneous events in surrounding cratonic regions. Authigenic monazite grew in three or more pulses ranging from 680 Ma to 500 Ma. The date of 680 ± 23 Ma (2σ) for the earliest generation of authigenic monazite in sandstone from the Enorama Shale (1) provides an estimate for the age of the base of the Trezona carbon isotopic anomaly just beneath the Marinoan glacial deposits, (2) provides an absolute minimum age constraint on the underlying Sturtian glacial deposits, and (3) supports proposed correlations between type Marinoan deposits and precisely dated glacial deposits in Namibia and China, which bracket the presumed Marinoan equivalents between 655 and 635 Ma. This age is inconsistent with a Re–Os isochron age of 643 ± 2.4 Ma (2σ) on shales near the bottom of the Sturtian–Marinoan interglacial succession, stratigraphically > 3000 m below the Enorama Shale sample, and militate against the hypothesis that the type Marinoan is correlative with the 580 Ma Gaskiers glaciation. Monazite growth near 600 Ma and again at about 500 Ma probably represent hydrothermal fluid-flow events, the latter of which also corresponds to the well-known Delamerian Orogeny during which the Adelaide sediments were folded into their present structural pattern.     

Shallow Velocity Structure at the Shagan River Test Site in Kazakhstan

—?During 1997 and 1998, twelve chemical explosions were detonated in boreholes at the former Soviet nuclear test site near the Shagan River (STS) in Kazakhstan. The depths of these explosions ranged from 2.5 to 550 m, while the explosive yield varied from 2 to 25 tons. The purpose of these explosions was for closure of the unused boreholes at STS, and each explosion was recorded at local distances by a network of seismometers operated by Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Institute of Geophysics for the National Nuclear Center (NNC). Short-period, fundamental-mode Rayleigh waves (Rg) were generated by these explosions and recorded at the local stations, resultingly the waves exhibited normal dispersion between 0.2 and 3 seconds. Dispersion curves were generated for each propagation path using the Multiple Filter Analysis and Phase Match Filtering techniques. Tomographic maps of Rg group velocity were constructed and show a zone of relatively high velocities for the southwestern (SW) region of the test site and slow propagation for the northeastern (NE) region. For 0.5?sec Rg, the regions are separated by the 2.1?km/sec contour, as propagation in the SW is greater than 2.1?km/sec and less in the NE region. At 1.0 sec period, the 2.3?km/sec contour separates the two regions. Finally, for 1.5 and 2.0 sec, the separation between the two regions is less distinct as velocities in the NE section begin to approach the SW except for a low velocity region (<2.1?km/sec) near the center of the test site. Local geologic structure may explain the different regions as the SW region is composed predominantly of crystalline intrusive rocks, while the NE region consists of alluvium, tuff deposits, and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Low velocities are also observed along the Shagan River as it passes through the SW region of the test site for shorter period Rg (0.5–1.0?sec). Iterative, least-squares inversions of the Rg group velocity dispersion curves show shear-wave velocities for the southwestern section that are on average 0.4?km/sec higher than the NE region. At depths greater than 1.5?km the statistical difference between the models is no longer significant. The observed group velocities and different velocity structures correlate with P-wave complexity and with spatial patterns of magnitude residuals observed from nuclear explosions at STS, and may help to evaluate the mechanisms behind those observations.     

Volcanology and petrology of Mathews Tuya,northern British Columbia,Canada: glaciovolcanic constraints on interpretations of the 0.730 Ma Cordilleran paleoclimate

Petrological, volcanological and geochronological data collected at Mathews Tuya together provide constraints on paleoclimate conditions during formation of the edifice. The basaltic tuya was produced via Pleistocene glaciovolcanism in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is located within the Tuya volcanic field (59.195°N/130.434°W), which is part of the northern Cordilleran volcanic province (NCVP). The edifice comprises a variety of lithofacies, including columnar-jointed lava, pillow lava, massive dikes, and volcaniclastic rocks. Collectively these deposits record the transition from an explosive subaqueous to an effusive subaerial eruption environment dominated by Pleistocene ice. As is typical for tuyas, the volcaniclastic facies record multiple fragmentation processes including explosive, quench and mechanical fragmentation. All samples from Mathews Tuya are olivine-plagioclase porphyritic alkali olivine basalts. They are mineralogically and geochemically similar to nearby glaciovolcanic centers from the southeastern part of the Tuya volcanic field (e.g., Ash Mountain, South Tuya, Tuya Butte) as well as the dominant NCVP rock type. Crystallization scenarios calculated with MELTS account for variations between whole rock and glass compositions via low pressure fractionation. The presence of olivine microphenocrysts and the absence of pyroxene phenocrysts constrain initial crystallization pressures to less than 0.6 GPa. The eruption of Mathews Tuya occurred between 0.718 ± 0.054 Ma and 0.742 ± 0.081 Ma based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology (weighted mean age of 0.730 Ma). The age determinations provide the first firm documentation for large (>700 m thick), pre-Fraser/Wisconsin glaciers in north-central British Columbia ~0.730 Ma, and correlate in age with glaciovolcanic deposits in Russia (e.g., Komatsu et al. Geomorph 88: 352-366, 2007) and with marine isotopic evidence for large global ice volumes ~0.730 Ma.     

Source of lead in Central American and Caribbean mineralization,II. Lead isotope provinces

In an earlier study of Mesozoic and Cenozoic mineralization in Central America and the Caribbean region, we found that lead isotopic compositions of deposits in northern Central America, which is underlain by a pre-Mesozoic craton, ranged to higher²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb compositions than did deposits from elsewhere in the region, where the basement is Mesozoic oceanic material. Using 16 analyses for 12 new deposits, as well as new analyses for 11 of the samples studied previously, we have found that lead isotopic compositions correlate closely with crustal type but show little or no correlation with depth to the M-discontinuity. The deposits are divisible into three main groups including (in order of increasing²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratio): (1) deposits in southern Central America and all deposits in the Greater Antilles except Cuba; (2) all deposits in northern Central America; and (3) the Cuban deposits. Southern Central American and Caribbean lead is higher in²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb than most mid-ocean ridge basalts but could have been derived directly or indirectly from undepleted mantle. Northern Central America can be divided into the Maya block, which belongs to the Americas plate, and the Chortis block, which belongs to the Caribbean plate. Maya block deposits fall along a linear array whereas those of the Chortis block (except the Monte Cristo deposit) form a cluster. These results suggest that the Maya block is underlain by crust or mantle with a large range of U/Pb and Th/U ratios, whereas the Chortis block basement is more homogeneous. Two-stage model calculations indicate an age of about 2280±310 m.y. for the Maya block basement, although no such rocks are known in the region. Comparison of the Chortis block data to our recently published lead isotopic analyses of Mexican deposits shows considerable similarities suggesting that the Chortis block could have been derived from Mexico.     

Nd isotopic systematics and chemistry of Central Australian sapphirine granulites: an example of rare earth element mobility

Lower Proterozoic sapphirine-bearing and associated granulites from Central Australia exhibit the greatest range of present-day¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios (∈_Nd(O)= ?26.5 to +112.3) yet reported for rocks believed to be cogenetic. The Nd isotopic data and REE abundances of these rocks demonstrate extreme fractionation of the rare earths during the formation of stratiform CuPbZn sulfide deposits with which they are closely associated. Field relationships, petrography and chemistry of the sapphirine granulites suggest that their protoliths comprised chlorite-rich rocks which were generated by hydrothermal alteration of a range of rock types prior to metamorphism; calculations employing REE abundances of the sapphirine granulites and associated rocks, combined with bulk solid-fluid distribution coefficient data yield high fluid/rock ratios, consistent with a pre-metamorphic hydrothermal origin for the unusual REE patterns. The SmNd data for these rocks define an age of 1760±75Ma, which is significantly younger than the crust formation age of the terrain ( 2070±125Ma) but indistinguishable from the RbSr whole rock age for granulite facies metamorphism (1790±35Ma). These data are interpreted in terms of major hydrothermal fractionation of the rare earths shortly (perhaps tens of millions of years) before granulite facies metamorphism, followed by redistribution of Nd isotopes or small fractionations of the Sm/Nd ratio during the granulite facies event, and possibly also during intense retrogression which reset RbSr whole rock and UPb zircon and monazite systematics at about 1700 Ma.     

Nd and Sr isotopic variations in Chinese eolian deposits during the past 8 Ma: Implications for provenance change

A record of changes in Nd and Sr isotopic composition of the eolian deposits from the central Loess Plateau has been determined for the past 8 Ma. The isotopic records of the silicate fraction of the Quaternary and Tertiary eolian deposits allow interpreting the interplay between the Sr isotopic variations in the eolian deposits and the late Cenozoic tectonic and climatic changes. The results indicate that the temporal variations of Nd and Sr isotopes show remarkable changes around the beginning of the Quaternary. The lower values of the ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and the decreasing trend of the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios after 2.58 Ma ago are attributed to the additions of relatively younger crust materials in response to the climatic cooling and the late Cenozoic uplift induced glacial grinding in the high orogenic belts in central Asia. In this context, the substantial changes in climate and tectonics have modified dust sources significantly, and the Quaternary loess forming processes are preferentially sampling relatively younger and high relief crust materials than that of the Tertiary Red Clay.     

The distribution of 210Pb and 210Po in the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean

By modelling the observed distribution of²¹⁰Pb and²¹⁰Po in surface waters of the Pacific, residence times relative to particulate removal are determined. For the center of the North Pacific gyre these are τ_Po = 0.6years andτ_Pb = 1.7years. The surface ocean τ_Pb is determined by particulate transport rather than plankton settling. The fact that it is about two orders of magnitude smaller than τ_Pb for the deep ocean implies a sharp change in the adsorptive quality of particles during descent through the water column.     

Zum Einfluß von Rückständen von Zink- und Bleiverbindungen im Wasser auf die Assimilation von Fontinalis antipyretica

The carbon-dioxide assimilation of Fontinalis antipyretica is inhibited by 100 mg/1Zn²⁺ or Pb²⁺, without a lethal effect being caused. With increasing time of exposure from one to six days the threshold value of toxicity is lowered and at the same time the net assimilation is reduced within the range of concentration of 0.1 mg/1. In the ecological optimum of the environmental conditions the toxicity is weaker than under other unfavourable environmental conditions at the same time. Therefore, the photoecologically optimum illumination of 1200 lx is an effective bioprotector against phytotoxic lead ion concentrations, so that at 1200 lx also at a comparatively high load a positive photosynthesis balance can be maintained. In the dark, in the first hour after the application of the lead ions dissimilation is a function of concentration, subsequently the respiration differences decrease very much in the range between 0 and 100 mg/1 lead(II)-ions. Stimulating effects could be demonstrated only by 0.01 mg/1 Pb²⁺ and only for the carbondioxide assimilation.     

40Ar/39Ar dating of cryptomelane from the Baye manganese deposit, SW Yunnan, China: Implications for growth rate of supergene Mn-oxide veins

Supergene Mn-oxide deposits are commonly related to thick weathering profiles and form as a result of intense and prolonged weathering of Mn-bearing precursor rocks, processes facilitated by a combination of multiple factors including warm and wet climate, relatively quiescent tectonic environment, and favorable geomorphic setting. Precise age constraints of supergene Mn-oxides may provide valuable information on the climatic, tectonic, and geomorphic conditions prevailing in the geological past. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser incremental heating analysis of cryptomelane from the Baye manganese deposit, western Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, SW China, was conducted to provide numerical constraints on the ages of supergene Mn enrichment and growth rates of Mn-oxide veins. In this study, two Mn-oxide veins of 3–6 cm thickness, termed as Vein A and B, respectively, were collected for ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating. Vein A is subhorizontal and present in fractures parallel to schistosity of the Proterozoic spessartine schists, whereas Vein B is filled in nearly vertical fractures penetrating the schistosity. A combination of optical microscopy, XRD, SEM, and EMP analyses demonstrate that mineral grains extracted from both veins consist of pure, well-crystallized cryptomlane, which has acicular crystal forms and contains 0.96%–4.70% K₂O. Fourteen cryptomelane subsamples extracted from different growth bands of Vein A yield well-defined plateau ages ranging from 1.35 ± 0.05 to 1.16 ± 0.04 Ma (2σ), whereas seven subsamples obtained from Vein B have plateau ages ranging from 1.23 ± 0.05 to 1.01 ± 0.04 Ma (2σ). The age results permit estimation for the growth rates of both veins at ca. 115–153 and 34–67 mm Ma^?1, respectively. Distinct growth rates between Veins A and B are likely reflective of different fluid pressures during their formation governed by the orientation of the fractures hosting the veins. The growth rates calculated for both veins are 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than the values (<1–10 mm Ma^?1) estimated for Mn-oxide nodules in supergene Mn deposits elsewhere. The high growth rates obtained for the Baye samples are consistent with direct precipitation of tetravalent Mn-oxides from weathering solution in open cavities or fractures, characterized by incremental growth of Mn-oxide bands from the margin to the center of the cavities or fractures. In contrast, Mn-oxide nodules with low growth rates from other deposits formed through self-oxidation and self-catalization, and grow outwards from the nuclei. In addition, prevalence of warm and humid climate and prolonged tectonic uplift in the Yunnan Plateau may have also partly contributed to the rapid growth of Mn-oxides in the Baye deposit.     

Color measurements of volcanic ash deposits from three different styles of summit activity at Sakurajima volcano,Japan: Conduit processes recorded in color of volcanic ash

We measured quantitatively colors of volcanic ash deposits erupted from three different styles of summit activity (Strombolian activity, Vulcanian explosions and continuous ash venting activity) at Sakurajima volcano from 1974 to 1985. Colors of Strombolian ash samples have larger yellow components of their visible spectra (b^? values) than those of explosion and continuous venting ash samples. Colors of explosion ash samples show larger variation in both red and yellow components of their visible spectra (a^? and b^? values, respectively), while colors of continuous venting ash samples are in the narrow ranges within colors of explosion ash samples. Colors of components with lower densities than 3.1 g/cm³ (groundmass and phenocrystic plagioclase) obtained by magnetic and heavy liquid separation methods are similar to the unseparated bulk ash samples. This result suggests that the color variations of ash deposits are mainly originated from the particles composed of groundmass. The particles can be classified into three different types of particles with different vesicularity and crystallinity (vesicular particle [VP], dense particle with vesicles [DPV] and dense particle without vesicles [DP]). Analytical results of component proportions, chemical compositions of groundmass glasses, ferrous iron contents and surface ferric materials show that (1) VP has larger yellow components of the visible spectrum (b^? values) and high ferrous iron content, and is less crystallized than the DP and DPV, (2) DP has larger red and yellow components of its visible spectrum (a^? and b^? values, respectively) and involves ferric materials on the surfaces produced by oxidation process, and (3) DPV has smaller red and yellow components of its visible spectrum (a^? and b^? values, respectively) and involves less ferric materials on the ash surfaces. Color differences of ash deposits from three different activity styles can be explained by the different mixing ratios of VP, DPV and DP. During the Strombolian activity, the VP is a main component in the ash, which is formed from relatively less degassed and crystallized magma. In the Vulcanian explosion and continuous ash venting activity, the proportions of DPV and DP in ash are larger than that in the Strombolian activity. The highly crystallized DP may correspond to a vent cap, and DPV to a magma below the cap. The color measurements of ash deposits provide information on the pre-eruptive processes at the shallower levels of a conduit.     

Adsorption studies of aqueous Pb(II) onto a sugarcane bagasse/multi-walled carbon nanotube composite

Adsorption of Pb²⁺ from aqueous solution onto a sugarcane bagasse/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was investigated by using a series of batch adsorption experiments and compared with the metal uptake ability of sugarcane bagasse. The efficiency of the adsorption processes was studied experimentally at various pH values, contact times, adsorbent masses, temperatures and initial Pb²⁺ concentrations. A pH of 4.5 was found to be the optimum pH to obtain a maximum adsorption percentage in 120 min of equilibration time. The composite showed a much enhanced adsorption capacity for Pb²⁺ of 56.6 mg g⁻¹ compared with 23.8 mg g⁻¹ for bagasse at 28 °C. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm provided the best fit to the equilibrium adsorption data. The pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, intraparticle diffusion and Elovich kinetics models were used to analyse the rate of lead adsorption and the results show that the Elovich model is more suitable. The thermodynamic parameters of adsorption, namely ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°, were determined over the temperature range of 20–45 °C. The adsorption of Pb²⁺ onto both bagasse and the sugarcane bagasse/MWCNT composite was found to be spontaneous but for the former adsorbent it was enthalpy-driven whereas for the latter it was entropy-driven. Desorption of the lead-loaded adsorbents was fairly efficient with 0.1 mol dm⁻³ HCl. Overall this composite has the potential to be a good adsorbent for the removal of Pb²⁺ from wastewaters.     

An experimental investigation of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds on two-phase aggregate elastic properties

Existing data supporting or disputing the validity of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds on the elastic properties of multiphase aggregates often do not consider porosity, elastic anisotropy, or experimental errors. In this experiment, two-phase aggregates of KCl + (NH₄Br, TlBr, CsCl, NaCl, Cu, and LiF) at every 20% volume fraction were vacuum hot-pressed and the compressional and shear velocities were measured with a computer-controlled ultrasonic interferometer to ±0.2%. The ratio of the shear moduli, μ, (phase 2/KCl) varied from about 1 to 5, producing a range of separations between the theoretical two-phase Hashin-Shtrikman bounds for the composites. Samples were generally 99% or better of the theoretical density, with less than 1% velocity anisotropy. Porosity corrections were applied assuming spherical pores, based on the observed velocity-pressure behaviour. Velocities agreed with the HS bounds calculated from the end-member single-crystal stiffnesses when anisotropy was taken into account.The velocity data were also used to estimate the bulk modulus, K, and shear modulus of the second phase by means of the matrix method — taking the K and μ of KCl as known and calculating the moduli of the other phase assuming that the measured velocities were the two-phase Hashin-Shtrikman bounds or the Voigt-Reuss-Hill average. A narrow range of moduli estimates results only if the μ's of both phases are fairly closely matched. For μ's mismatched by a factor of 5, the theoretical uncertainty in the estimates can be 10 times larger than the experimental uncertainty. Estimates using the VRH average can lie outside the HS-based results.     

Constitutive model for soil amplification of ground shaking: Parameter calibration,comparisons, validation

A one-dimensional constitutive model, developed for the nonlinear ground response analysis of layered soil deposits, is calibrated and validated experimentally in this paper. The small number of parameters renders the model easily implementable, yet quite flexible in effectively reproducing almost any type of experimentally observed hysteretic soil behavior. In particular, the model generates realistic shear modulus and damping curves as functions of shear strain, as well as stress–strain hysteresis loops. The model is calibrated against three sets of widely-used published shear modulus and damping (G : γ and ξ : γ) curves and a library of parameter values is assembled to facilitate its use. The model, along with a developed explicit finite-difference code, NL-DYAS, for analyzing the wave propagation in layered hysteretic soil deposits, is tested against established constitutive models and numerical tools such as Cyclic1D [12] and SHAKE [42], and validated against experimental data from two centrifuge tests. Emphasis is given on the proper assessment of the V_s profile in the centrifuge tests, on the role of soil nonlinearity, and on comparisons of two inelastic codes (NL-DYAS and Cyclic1D) with equivalent linear (SHAKE) analysis.     

Magmatic evolution of Pacaya and Cerro Chiquito volcanological complex,Guatemala

Four major phases are distinguished during the building of the Pacaya volcanological complex (Guatemala): (1) the ancestral volcano, now much eroded, covered by younger deposits and battered by faulting and landslides; (2) the initial cone made up of large lava flows and dated at about 0.5 Ma; (3) andesito-dacitic domes (Cerro Chiquito dome and others) emplaced during an extrusive phase at about 0.16 Ma; and (4) the active Pacaya volcano. Lavas of phases 2 and 4 are basalts and basaltic andesites with almost the same major and trace element compositions. Classical enrichment in LILE and depletion in HFSE are observed. Phase 3 domes show magma-mingling features. The dacitic host rock includes basaltic andestic enclaves, 20 to 30% in volume. According to geochemical and mineralogic data (Mg/Fe ratios of basic minerals higher in dacite, groundmass glasses sodic in dacite and potassic in basaltic andesite), the basaltic andesites and dacites of phase 3 cannot be related by a simple fractional crystallization process. The existence of such differences suggests that magma mingling/mixing processes were involved by a connection between the two magma chambers prior to the extrusion of the andesito-dacitic domes. However, some trace element data clearly suggest that fractional crystallization played a significant role in the differentiation of these lavas. Remelting of amphibole-bearing cumulates from the dacite may also have played a role in the basaltic andesitic liquid genesis. Thermodynamical parameters of each liquid are contrasted. The basaltic andesitic magma, at a high temperature (1037°C) and in relatively small amounts, is embayed in the cooler (905° C) dacitic magma. The former liquid, denser (2.72) and less viscous (10^3.31 poises for free crystal liquid) may crystallize while the latter, lighter (2.60) and more viscous (10^4.46 poises), remains still liquid. Isotopic data (0.70383<⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr <0.70400; 0.512785<¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd<0.512908; 18.61<²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb<18.66; 15.56<²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb <15.58; 38.30<²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb<38.40) indicate that all the lavas (from Pacaya as well as from Cerro Chiquito) are cogenetic and derive from the same mantle source. Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios are similar to those of OIBs. (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) activity ratios on two historical lavas are respectively 1.2 and 1.3. The Th excess is similar to that of other calcalkaline volcanoes emplaced on a continental crust. These lavas evolved, possibly in separate magma chambers, through processes of fractional crystallization and magma mixing.     

Deccan flood basalts at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary?

Joint consideration of new paleomagnetic, paleontological and geochronological data from the Deccan continental flood basalts in India and critical discussion of earlier results lead us to suggest that volcanic activity may have lasted less than 1 Ma, thus possibly ranking as one of the largest volcanic catastrophes in the last 200 Ma. Available data are best satisfied if volcanism spanned the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary, followed shortly afterwards by rifting of the Arabian Sea. These results point out the need for further work which may help in choosing between “external” and “internal” models of the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary events.     

循环荷载下堆积体残余变形特性

通过大型动三轴试验研究堆积体在不同应力水平、不同循环荷载幅值下残余应变与振次的关系,同时进行不同初始条件下残余应变的对比。试验发现堆积体在循环荷载下的残余应变与lg(1+N)有较好的线性关系(N≤30),沈珠江经验公式适用于堆积体在循环荷载下累积残余应变的计算。初始条件对堆积体的残余应变有重要影响,饱和不排水条件下残余剪应变最大,饱和排水条件次之,风干排气条件最小。应用沈珠江残余应变公式进行堆积体循环荷载下残余变形计算时应选取与工程实际条件相匹配的参数。     

Characterization of sulfate mineral deposits in central Thailand

In this paper we present petrographic and geochemical data of sulfate mineral deposits in northeast Nakhon Sawan, central Thailand, and provide new constraints on their age. The deposits are made up mainly of strongly deformed nodular and massive gypsum in the upper part, and less deformed layered anhydrite in the lower part. They are intruded by andesitic dikes that contain Middle Triassic zircons (ca 240 Ma). These dikes are probably part of the regional magmatic activity of the Sukhothai Arc during the Early to Middle Triassic. Sulfur (δ³⁴S) and strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) isotopic compositions of the sulfates range from 15.86 ‰ to 16.26 ‰ and from 0.70810 to 0.70817, respectively. Comparisons with the Phanerozoic seawater isotopic evolution curve indicate that those values are best explained by precipitation of the sulfates from Carboniferous seawater, in particular seawater of late Mississippian age (ca 326 Ma), and this would be consistent with previous studies of calcareous fossils in the limestones that crop out around this site. Our interpretation is that evaporitic gypsum was originally precipitated from hypersaline seawater on a shallow lagoon or shelf on the Khao Khwang Platform during the Serpukhovian, and that this gypsum changed to anhydrite during early burial. The anhydrite was then cut by andesitic dikes during the Middle Triassic, and more recently the upper part of which was rehydrated during exhumation to form secondary gypsum near the surface.     

Large tectonic rotation of part of New Zealand in the last 5 Ma

Detailed paleomagnetic data from the Wairoa Syncline, a middle Miocene to the present forearc basin on the East Coast of the North Island, New Zealand, show that the rate of clockwise rotation for the last 5 Ma has been 7–8°/Ma of which less than 1.5°/Ma can be explained by apparent polar wander due to motion of the Australian or Pacific plates. This rotation is similar to a present-day rate of 7°/Ma determined from geodetic data. Between 5 and 20 Ma ago the rate of tectonic rotation is poorly determined and may be between 0° and 2°/Ma.

The change in the rate of rotation of the Wairoa Syncline around 5 Ma is probably related to a markedly different tectonic style in the New Zealand region within the last 5 Ma, associated with a change in position of the Euler poles of rotation for the Pacific-Australian plates.