Hydrogeological assessment of springs in the south-central Great Artesian Basin of Australia

Hydrogeology Journal - Artesian springs support important wetland ecosystems comprising highly specialised, endemic animal and plant species. Understanding the hydrogeological processes that...     

Origins of Xenolithic Eclogites and Pyroxenites from the Central Slave Craton, Canada

Major- and trace-element and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositionsof garnet and clinopyroxene in kimberlite-borne eclogite andpyroxenite xenoliths were used to establish their origins andevolution in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneaththe central Slave Craton, Canada. The majority of eclogitescan be assigned to three groups (high-Mg, high-Ca or low-Mgeclogites) that have distinct trace-element patterns. Althoughpost-formation metasomatism involving high field strength element(HFSE) and light rare earth element (LREE) addition has partiallyobscured the primary compositional features of the high-Mg andhigh-Ca eclogites, trace-element features, such as unfractionatedmiddle REE (MREE) to heavy REE (HREE) patterns suggestive ofgarnet-free residues and low Zr/Sm consistent with plagioclaseaccumulation, could indicate a subduction origin from a broadlygabbroic protolith. In this scenario, the low REE and smallpositive Eu anomalies of the high-Mg eclogites suggest moreprimitive, plagioclase-rich protoliths, whereas the high-Caeclogites are proposed to have more evolved protoliths withhigher (normative) clinopyroxene/plagioclase ratios plus trappedmelt, consistent with their lower Mg-numbers, higher REE andabsence of Eu anomalies. In contrast, the subchondritic Zr/Hfand positive slope in the HREE of the low-Mg eclogites are similarto Archaean second-stage melts and point to a previously depletedsource for their precursors. Low ratios of fluid-mobile to lessfluid-mobile elements and of LREE to HREE are consistent withdehydration and partial melt loss for some eclogites. The trace-elementcharacteristics of the different eclogite types translate intolower _Nd for high-Mg eclogites than for low-Mg eclogites. Withinthe low-Mg group, samples that show evidence for metasomaticenrichment in LREE and HFSE have lower _Nd and _Hf than a samplethat was apparently not enriched, pointing to long-term evolutionat their respective parent–daughter ratios. Garnet andclinopyroxene in pyroxenites show different major-element relationshipsfrom those in eclogites, such as an opposite CaO–Na₂Otrend and the presence of a CaO–Cr₂O₃ trend, independentof whether or not opx is part of the assemblage. Therefore,these two rock types are probably not related by fractionationprocesses. The presence of opx in about half of the samplesprecludes direct crystallization from eclogite-derived melts.They probably formed from hybridized melts that reacted withthe peridotitic mantle. KEY WORDS: eclogites; pyroxenite xenoliths; mantle xenoliths; eclogite trace elements; eclogite Sr isotopes; eclogite Hf isotopes; eclogite Nd isotopes     

Strangler Figs in a Stand of Dry Rainforest in the Lower Hunter Valley,NSW

A complete census was conducted of all hemi-epiphytic Ficus individuals within a single stand of dry rainforest. Substrate analyses were conducted on the material from potential hemi-epiphyte germination sites in an attempt to understand the factors influencing the distribution of hemi-epiphytic Ficus individuals within the stand. In all, 191 individuals of Ficus macrophylla ssp. macrophylla (Moreton Bay fig) and 65 individuals of Ficus superba var. henneana (deciduous fig) were found within the stand, providing a mean hemi-epiphyte density of 13.5/ha. Clear host preferences were shown for both fig species with two species, Olea paniculata (native olive) and Drypetes deplanchei (yellow tulip), shown to host 60 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively, of all hemi-epiphytes within the stand. These host trees are characterised by humus pockets that accumulate in depressions on their branches and trunk, as well as in branch axils. Their host potential is thought to be enhanced by the increased visitation of birds that feed on the fruit from both the hemi-epiphytes and these potential host trees. Substrate analyses revealed that while the highly organic epiphytic and rock-surface substrates had a high field capacity, their moisture holding capacity was low. The ponding of water and the reduced desiccation afforded by the microtopography of the germination sites ensures that these sites are more likely to maintain a viable moisture content. It appears that desiccation of the germination substrate could be the major cause of the high rate of juvenile hemi-epiphytic Ficus mortality.     

Melt inclusions from the deep Slave lithosphere: implications for the origin and evolution of mantle-derived carbonatite and kimberlite

Melt inclusions in clinopyroxenes from lherzolitic xenoliths from the deep lithospheric mantle beneath the Slave Craton (Lac de Gras area, Canada) reveal multiple origins for carbonatitic melts. One type of inclusions consists of a series of silicate–carbonate–silicate concentric layers, interpreted to have unmixed under disequilibrium conditions during rapid ascent to the surface. Bulk major- and trace-element compositions are typical of Group 1 kimberlites and quantitative nuclear microprobe imaging of the globules reveals fractionation of related elements (e.g. F–Br, Nb–Ta) between the silicate and carbonate components. The globules probably formed by partial melting of carbonated peridotite, consistent with results of melting experiments and some models for the generation of kimberlite magmas. They provide evidence for a genetic relationship between some carbonate-rich magmas and ultramafic silicate magmas, and for the possibility of unmixing processes of these melts during their evolution.

The second inclusion type comprises carbonate-rich globules interpreted as samples of Mg-carbonatite melt that quenched on ascent to the surface. Bulk major- and trace-element compositions indicate that the melts were derived from a carbonate-rich source and oxygen, carbon, and strontium isotope data are consistent with the involvement of recycled crustal material and suggest that some mantle-derived carbonatites are unrelated to kimberlites.     

Investigation of a Complex Nocturnal Flow in Owens Valley,California Using Coherent Doppler Lidar

A study of an interesting meteorological episode over the Owens Valley, California, USA during the Terrain-Induced Rotor EXperiment was conducted using a recently adapted statistical interpolation method to retrieve wind-velocity vectors from Doppler lidar data. This vector retrieval method has been adapted from radar data assimilation techniques. Results show that the method allows better preservation of local variations in the flow field than other techniques. In addition, a high resolution Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS^®) run is used to understand the large-scale flow within the valley and compared with lidar retrievals. Observations from 1030 UTC to 1230 UTC (0230 local time to 0430 local time) on March 27, 2006 are presented. Lidar observations show complex and uncharacteristic flows such as sudden bursts of westerly cross-valley wind mixing with the dominant up-valley wind. Model results from COAMPS and other in-situ instrumentation are used to corroborate and complement these observations. The optimal interpolation technique for Doppler lidar data vector retrieval appears well suited for scenarios with complex spatial variations in the flow field.     

The effect of tide on the hydrology and morphology of a freshwater river

How does river hydrology and morphology change due to tidal influence? We contend that this is a question of particular consequence to many earth surface disciplines, but one that has not been adequately addressed. Previous studies have relied on gradients in channel morphology and stratigraphy to infer energy regime of channels. However, in tidal rivers geomorphology influences the energy regime while the energy regime influences morphology; thus, geomorphic and stratigraphic patterns do not fully resolve the mechanisms which lead to change. We addressed this problem by comparing measurements of hydraulic energy and channel morphology along a tidal gradient to predictions of these characteristics in the absence of tides, and attributed the differences to tidal processes. Measurements of discharge, channel area, and energy dissipation (in kJ day^–1) were made over a 24·8 hour period at four sites spanning the non‐tidal to tidal freshwater Newport River, NC. We then predicted those characteristics under non‐tidal conditions using hydraulic geometry relationships and literature values from coastal plain rivers. Discharge was enhanced more than 10‐fold by tide, and this tidal effect increased from upstream to downstream along the tidal gradient. Cross‐sectional area increased three‐fold due to tide. Energy dissipation measured in the upper tidal river was four‐fold lower than predicted to occur in the absence of tide because tides decreased average velocity and discharge. Energy dissipation measured downstream was similar to that predicted to occur without tides, although there was large uncertainty in predicted values downstream. While this limited dataset does not permit us to make broad generalizations for definitive models, it does provide a proof‐of‐concept for a new approach to addressing a critical problem at the interface of fluvial and coastal morphology. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Vicência meteorite fall: A new unshocked (S1) weakly metamorphosed (3.2) LL chondrite

The Vicência meteorite, a stone of 1.547 kg, fell on September 21, 2013, at the village Borracha, near the city of Vicência, Pernambuco, Brazil. It was recovered immediately after the fall, and our consortium study showed it to be an unshocked (S1) LL3.2 ordinary chondrite. The LL group classification is based on the bulk density (3.13 g cm^?3); the chondrule mean apparent diameter (0.9 mm); the bulk oxygen isotopic composition (δ¹⁷O = 3.768 ± 0.042‰, δ¹⁸O = 5.359 ± 0.042‰, Δ¹⁷O = 0.981 ± 0.020‰); the content of metallic Fe,Ni (1.8 vol%); the Co content of kamacite (1.73 wt%); the bulk contents of the siderophile elements Ir and Co versus Au; and the ratios of metallic Fe⁰/total iron (0.105) versus total Fe/Mg (1.164), and of Ni/Mg (0.057) versus total Fe/Mg. The petrologic type 3.2 classification is indicated by the beautifully developed chondritic texture, the standard deviation (~0.09) versus mean Cr₂O₃ content (~0.14 wt%) of ferroan olivine, the TL sensitivity and the peak temperature and peak width at half maximum, the cathodoluminescence properties of chondrules, the content of trapped ¹³²Xe_tr (0.317 × 10^?8cm³STP g^?1), and the Raman spectra for organic material in the matrix. The cosmic ray exposure age is ~72 Ma, which is at the upper end of the age distribution of LL group chondrites. The meteorite is unusual in that it contains relatively large, up to nearly 100 μm in size, secondary fayalite grains, defined as olivine with Fa_>75, large enough to allow in situ measurement of oxygen and Mn‐Cr isotope systematics with SIMS. Its oxygen isotopes plot along a mass‐dependent fractionation line with a slope of ~0.5 and Δ¹⁷O of 4.0 ± 0.3‰, and are similar to those of secondary fayalite and magnetite in the unequilibrated chondrites EET 90161, MET 96503, and Ngawi. These data suggest that secondary fayalite in Vicência was in equilibrium with a fluid with a Δ¹⁷O of ~4‰, consistent with the composition of the fluid in equilibrium with secondary magnetite and fayalite in other unequilibrated ordinary chondrites. Secondary fayalite and the chondrule olivine phenocrysts in Vicência are not in isotopic equilibrium, consistent with low‐temperature formation of fayalite during aqueous alteration on the LL parent body. That alteration, as dated by the ⁵³Mn‐⁵³Cr chronology age of secondary fayalite, took place $4.0{}_{?1.1}^{+1.4}$ Ma after formation of CV CAIs when anchored to the quenched angrite D'Orbigny.     

Characterization of the near-Earth Asteroid 2002 NY40

In August 2002, the near-Earth Asteroid 2002 NY₄₀, made its closest approach to the Earth. This provided an opportunity to study a near-Earth asteroid with a variety of instruments. Several of the telescopes at the Maui Space Surveillance System were trained at the asteroid and collected adaptive optics images, photometry and spectroscopy. Analysis of the imagery reveals the asteroid is triangular shaped with significant self-shadowing. The photometry reveals a 20-h period and the spectroscopy shows that the asteroid is a Q-type.