Partial Melting and Counterclockwise P T Path of Subducted Oceanic Crust (Sierra del Convento Melange, Cuba)

Partial melting of subducted oceanic crust has been identifiedin the Sierra del Convento mélange (Cuba). This serpentinite-matrixmélange contains blocks of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-derivedplagioclase-lacking epidote ± garnet amphibolite intimatelyassociated with peraluminous trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocks.Field relations, major element bulk-rock compositions, mineralassemblages, peak metamorphic conditions (c. 750°C, 14–16kbar), experimental evidence, and theoretical phase relationssupport formation of the trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocksby wet melting of subducted amphibolites. Phase relations andmass-balance calculations indicate eutectic- and peritectic-likemelting reactions characterized by large stoichiometric coefficientsof reactant plagioclase and suggest that this phase was completelyconsumed upon melting. The magmatic assemblages of the trondhjemitic–tonaliticmelts, consisting of plagioclase, quartz, epidote, ±paragonite, ± pargasite, and ± kyanite, crystallizedat depth (14–15 kbar). The peraluminous composition ofthe melts is consistent with experimental evidence, explainsthe presence of magmatic paragonite and (relict) kyanite, andplaces important constraints on the interpretation of slab-derivedmagmatic rocks. Calculated P–T conditions indicate counterclockwiseP–T paths during exhumation, when retrograde blueschist-faciesoverprints, composed of combinations of omphacite, glaucophane,actinolite, tremolite, paragonite, lawsonite, albite, (clino)zoisite,chlorite, pumpellyite and phengite, were formed in the amphibolitesand trondhjemites. Partial melting of subducted oceanic crustin eastern Cuba is unique in the Caribbean realm and has importantconsequences for the plate-tectonic interpretation of the region,as it supports a scenario of onset of subduction of a youngoceanic lithosphere during the early Cretaceous (c. 120 Ma).The counterclockwise P–T paths were caused by ensuingexhumation during continued subduction. KEY WORDS: amphibolite; Cuba; exhumation; partial melting; trondhjemite; subduction     

Zircon M127 – A Homogeneous Reference Material for SIMS U–Pb Geochronology Combined with Hafnium,Oxygen and,Potentially, Lithium Isotope Analysis

In this article, we document a detailed analytical characterisation of zircon M127, a homogeneous 12.7 carat gemstone from Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. Zircon M127 has TIMS‐determined mean U–Pb radiogenic isotopic ratios of 0.084743 ± 0.000027 for ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and 0.67676 ± 0.00023 for ²⁰⁷Pb/²³⁵U (weighted means, 2s uncertainties). Its ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 524.36 ± 0.16 Ma (95% confidence uncertainty) is concordant within the uncertainties of decay constants. The δ¹⁸O value (determined by laser fluorination) is 8.26 ± 0.06‰ VSMOW (2s), and the mean ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratio (determined by solution ICP‐MS) is 0.282396 ± 0.000004 (2s). The SIMS‐determined δ⁷Li value is ?0.6 ± 0.9‰ (2s), with a mean mass fraction of 1.0 ± 0.1 μg g^?1 Li (2s). Zircon M127 contains ~ 923 μg g^?1 U. The moderate degree of radiation damage corresponds well with the time‐integrated self‐irradiation dose of 1.82 × 10¹⁸ alpha events per gram. This observation, and the (U–Th)/He age of 426 ± 7 Ma (2s), which is typical of unheated Sri Lankan zircon, enable us to exclude any thermal treatment. Zircon M127 is proposed as a reference material for the determination of zircon U–Pb ages by means of SIMS in combination with hafnium and stable isotope (oxygen and potentially also lithium) determination.     

Anasazi (Pre-Columbian Native-American) Migrations During The Middle-12Th and Late-13th Centuries – Were they Drought Induced?

Severe droughts in the middle-12th and late-13th centuries appear to have affected Anasazi (pre-Columbian Native American) populations. During the first drought most of the great houses in the central San Juan Basin were vacated; the second drought resulted in the abandonment of the Four Corners region. During the first drought, villages may not have been completely abandoned. The multi-year drought periods probably were characterized by reductions in both winter and summer precipitation. Maize is dependent on winter precipitation for its germination and initial growth and on summer (monsoonal) precipitation for its continued growth. Reductions in precipitation are hypothesized to have resulted in low yields of maize, the dietary staple of the Anasazi. A comparison of historic climate data and tree-ring-based reconstructions of precipitation in the Four Corners region with tree-ring-based reconstructions of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) indicate that severe and persistent drought in the Four Corners region occurs when the PDO is negative and the AMO is positive. Historic climate data from the greater San Juan Basin indicate that a negative PDO is characterized by reductions in both water-year and summer precipitation, reinforcing the concept that at least some multi-year droughts involved weakening of the summer monsoon with attendant decreases in the yields of maize.     

Oceanographic Change and Terrestrial Human Impacts in a Post A.D. 1400 Sediment Record from the Southwest Iceland Shelf

Environmental proxies of soil erosion on Iceland, and oceanographic conditions on the adjacent shelf, were measured on a 50 cm box core taken from the southwest Iceland shelf in 1993 during cruise 93030 of the Canadian ship, CSS Hudson. These data, covering the last several centuries, are compared with the documentary record of sea-ice changes around Iceland since A.D. 1600. The site is under the influence of the Irminger Current, which carries warm, saline, Atlantic water northward along the shelf. Because of the relative warmth of this current, sea ice rarely occurs off southwest Iceland, even during the most severe sea-ice intervals of the historical record. In severe sea-ice years, however, the ice drifts clockwise around Iceland from the northeast and east and, in rare cases, reaches the southern coasts (Ogilvie, 1992). The chronology of the core was established by converting the basal radiocarbon date to calendar years and assuming a linear sedimentation rate from the base of the core to the year of collection, 1993. Organic carbon, stable C and O isotope ratios, planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, and sediment magnetic parameters were measured on samples from the core, plotted against calendar years and compared to the Icelandic sea-ice index. The environmental proxies suggest that increased soil erosion, reduced salinity, and, possibly, decreased marine productivity prevailed during the severe sea-ice interval lasting from the last quarter of the eighteenth century to around 1920. Such a situation could develop with climatic cooling, increased storminess, and loss of vegetation cover to stabilise the soil. Although the core site generally lies outside the sea-ice limits, the evidence clearly shows the influence of sea ice and fresh water, and is sensitive to the overall climatic deterioration manifested by the sea-ice record.     

Towards global space geodetic mapping of the dynamic deformation field after great earthquakes

GPS systems can be used as seismometers by sampling ground positions to detect travelling seismic waves. Data from dense geodetic networks near large earthquakes have been used to improve magnitude estimates, for tsunami warning, and to better understand the rupture processes. Here, we present 1 Hz GPS records of the March 11th, 2011, Mw = 9.0 Tohoku earthquake at unprecedented teleseismic distances. The spatial and temporal variations of the three‐dimensional GPS displacement vector field show various body waves, Love and Rayleigh surface waves along the direct path, and Love waves from the more than 31 000 km long major arc path. These results suggest that seismic wavefields can be mapped at teleseismic distances globally using space geodesy and could thus be used for source and structural studies. Data from numerous real‐time kinematic GPS networks could be combined to show the displacement field, giving unparalleled views of Earth's response to large earthquakes.     

Basement controls upon basin development in the Caledonian foreland, NW Scotland

Abstract The Hebridean basins are part of a compartmentalized half-graben developed in the hanging wall of the partially reactivated Outer Isles Fault. The importance of geological inheritance in the development of these basins can be demonstrated clearly using the widespread exposure of metamorphic basement around the basin margins. The basement structures have been analysed using thematically mapped Landsat images in conjunction with selective field studies. Results of such studies have been integrated with maps generated from the interpretation of offshore multichannel seismic reflection profiles to produce an architectural framework for basin development.
It can be demonstrated that the principal basement faults originated in the early Proterozoic as mid-crustal shear zones and that they have subsequently been partially reactivated during post-Caledonian basin development beginning in the Carboniferous and probably also during an earlier period of basin development in the late Proterozoic (the Torridonian). It is the geometry of the pre-existing basement structures that has controlled the three-dimensional shape of the sedimentary basins and the spatial and temporal distribution of the basin fill.     

A GIS‐based multi‐criteria seismic vulnerability assessment using the integration of granular computing rule extraction and artificial neural networks

This study proposes multi‐criteria group decision‐making to address seismic physical vulnerability assessment. Granular computing rule extraction is combined with a feed forward artificial neural network to form a classifier capable of training a neural network on the basis of the rules provided by granular computing. It provides a transparent structure despite the traditional multi‐layer neural networks. It also allows the classifier to be applied on a set of rules for each incoming pattern. Drawbacks of original granular computing (GrC) are covered, where some input patterns remained unclassified. The study was applied to classify seismic vulnerability of the statistical units of the city of Tehran, Iran. Slope, seismic intensity, height and age of the buildings were effective parameters. Experts ranked 150 randomly selected sample statistical units with respect to their degree of seismic physical vulnerability. Inconsistency of the experts' judgments was investigated using the induced ordered weighted averaging (IOWA) operator. Fifty‐five classification rules were extracted on which a neural network was based. An overall accuracy of 88%, κ = 0.85 and R² = 0.89 was achieved. A comparison with previously implemented methodologies proved the proposed method to be the most accurate solution to the seismic physical vulnerability of Tehran.     

Magmatism in the Iberian Pyrite Belt: petrological constraints on a metallogenic model

Igneous formations associated with massive sulphide deposits in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) are essentially composed of basic lavas and dolerites, and dacitic to rhyolitic volcanites; intermediate lavas are subordinate. The basic rocks show variable geochemical characteristics: lavas and dolerites comparable to recent within-plate alkaline basalts seem restricted to the western and southern parts of the IPB, whereas basic rocks comparable to continental tholeiites or arc-related basalts occur across the whole belt. The felsic rocks are classified as calc-alkaline and belong to the “low-Al₂O₃ and high-Yb type”. At given SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ contents, they show variable Zr, Nb, and HREE contents. Heavy-rare-earth element fractionation decreases from the dacites to the rhyolites ([Gd/Yb]_N ∼ 1), whereas the negative Eu-anomaly becomes more pronounced. The characteristics of the rhyolites are typical of sulphide-fertile volcanic packages. Trace-element modelling suggests that the felsic rocks evolved from a dacitic parent magma through fractional crystallization of hornblende and plagioclase. Partial melting of an amphibolite protolith, which appears as the most probable model for the origin of this dacitic magma, requires a high T/P gradient in the crust. The occurrence of alkaline basalts and continental tholeiites is consistent with formation of the IPB in a tensional tectonic setting. However, the associated island-arc tholeiites suggest a location in a domain of plate convergence. Emplacement in a fore-arc basin over a recently accreted crustal segment is envisaged as a possible hypothesis to account for the geological and petrological constraints. A high geothermal gradient and eruption in a submarine tensional basin could have been two key ingredients for the development of massive sulphide deposits within the IPB.

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Resumen (translated by E. Pascual) Las formaciones ígneas asociadas con los depósitos de sulfuros masivos de la Faja Pirítica Ibérica (IPB) se componen esencialmente de doleritas y lavas básicas y de rocas volcánicas dacíticas a riolíticas; las lavas intermedias son poco abundantes. Las rocas básicas muestran caracteres geoquímicos variables: lavas y doleritas comparables a basaltos alcalinos intraplaca recientes parecen hasta ahora restringidos a las partes W y S de la IPB, mientras que rocas básicas de caracteres comparables a las de toleítas continentales o basaltos relacionados con arcos aparecen en toda la zona. Las rocas ácidas se clasifican como calcoalcalinas del tipo “low-Al₂O₃, high-Yb”. Para un contenido dado en SiO₂, Al₂O₃ y TiO₂, muestran contenidos variables en Zr, Nb y REE. El contenido en tierras raras pesadas decrece de dacitas a riolitas ([Gd/Yb]_N ∼ 1), al tiempo que la anomalía de Eu se hace más pronunciada. La modelización de elementos trazas sugiere que las rocas evolucionaron a partir de un magma parental dacítico mediante cristalización fraccionada de hornblenda y plagioclasa. La fusión parcial de un protolito anfibolítico, que parece el modelo más plausible para el origen del magma dacítico, requiere un elevado gradiente T/P en la corteza. La existencia de basaltos alcalinos y de toleítas continentales es congruente con la formación de la IPB en un entorno tectónico distensivo. El emplazamiento en una cuenca “fore-arc”, en un segmento cortical de reciente acreción, se contempla como una hipótesis posible para explicar los caracteres geológicos y petrológicos. Un alto gradiente térmico, junto con la erupción en una cuenca submarina extensional, pueden haber sido los dos ingredientes clave en el desarrollo de los depósitos de sulfuros masivos en la IPB.

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Received: 3 March 1996 / Accepted: 7 April 1997     

Cokriging nonstationary data

Universal cokriging is used to obtain predictions when dealing with multivariate random functions. An important type of nonstationarity is defined in terms of multivariate random functions with increments which are stationary of orderk. The covariance between increments of different variables is modeled by means of the pseudo-cross-covariance function. Criteria are formulated to which the parameters of pseudo-cross-covariance functions must comply so as to ensure positive-definiteness. Cokriging equations and the induced cokriging equations are given. The study is illustrated by an example from soil science.     

Spatial variability and interpolation of daily precipitation amount

Daily precipitation amounts show spatial variation over sub-continential regions. Point measurements, representative for regions of land, have to be interpolated towards unobserved locations. In this study four days in 1984 were selected to investigate the spatial variability of daily precipitation amount in North-western Europe in relation to the meteorological conditions. Data were interpolated using Kriging. Crossvalidation was used to compare interpolated values with measured values. Large differences in the spatial structure of daily precipitation amount are obsered as a result of different meterological conditions. Stratification of the study area into a coastal, a mountainous and an interior stratum proved to be successful, reducing the Mean Squared Error of Prediction with up to 55%.