Primitive island arc and oceanic lavas from the hunter ridge-hunter fracture zone. Evidence from glass,olivine and spinel compositions

Summary At its southernmost end, the main spreading centre of the North Fiji Basin is propagating into arc crust of the poorly-known Hunter Ridge. We define nine magmatic groups from major element glass chemistry and olivine and spinel compositions in samples dredged from twenty six sites in this area by the R/V Academician A. Nesmeyanov in 1990. These include groups of boninites, island arc tholeiites (IAT), mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts (E-MORB), olivine porphyritic andesites and basaltic andesite and Na-rhyolites. Primitive lavas containing highly forsteritic olivine phenocrysts are common in all the groups, except for the rhyolites.We report over 100 glass analyses for dredged rocks from this region, and about 300 olivine-spinel pairs for representatives of all the magmatic groups identified, except the Na-rhyolites.The MORB in this region are probably produced at the propagating spreading centre in the southern part of the North Fiji Basin. Juxtaposition of shallow, hot MORB-source diapirs supplying the MORB in this area, and the sub-arc damp, refractory upper mantle beneath the Hunter Ridge, provides suitable petrogenetic conditions to produce a range of magma types, from island arc tholeiites through to high-Ca boninites. The latter were recovered in eleven dredges.The E-MORB lavas recovered from the extreme southern margin of the North Fiji Basin are shown to be essentially identical to those dredged from adjacent older South Fiji Basin crust. It is hypothesized that the former were either scraped off the South Fiji Basin crust during an episode of oblique subduction that may have generated the Hunter Ridge during the last 5 Myr, or alternatively, that slices of the South Fiji Basin crust were trapped and incorporated into the North Fiji Basin as the subduction zones fronting the Vanuatu arc stepped or propagated southward.

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Primitive Inselbogen- und ozeanische Laven von Hunter Rücken und der Hunter BruchZone: die Bedeutung der Zusammensetzung von Glas, Olivin und Spinell

Zusammenfassung Das spreading centre des Nord-Fidschi-Beckens setzt sich an seinem südlichsten Ende in die Inselbogen-Kruste des noch wenig bekannten Hunter-Rückens fort.Wir definieren 9 magmatische Gruppen auf der Basis der Hauptelement-Zusammensetzung von Gläsern und der Zusammensetzung von Olivin und Spinell in Proben die das Forschungsschiff R/V Akademiker A. Nesmeyanov von 26 Stellen im Jahr 1990 aufgesammelt hat. Zu diesen gehören Gruppen von Boniniten, Inselbogentholeiiten (IAT), Basalten zentralozeanischer Rücken (MORB), angereicherte zentralozeanische Rücken (E-MORB), Olivin-porphyritische Andesite und basaltische Andesite, sowie Na-Rhyolite. Primitive Laven mit Olivinkristallen, die reich an Forsterit-Komponenten sind, kommen in allen diesen Gruppen, mit Ausnahme der Rhyolite, vor.Wir legen über 100 Glas-Analysen von Gesteinen aus diesem Gebiet vor und über 300 Olivin-Spinell-Paare für Vertreter aller der hier identifizierten magmatischen Gruppen, mit Ausnahme der Natriumrhyolite.Die MORB in diesem Gebiet sind wahrscheinlich an dem aktiven Spreading Center im Südteil des Nord-Fidschi-Beckens entstanden. Das nebeneinander Vorkommen von seichten heißen MORB-Quellen Diapiren, die MORB in diesem Gebiet erzeugen, und der Sub-Inselbogen, wasserhaltige, refraktäre obere Mantel unter dem Hunter Rücken führen zu geeigneten petrogenetischen Bedingungen für die Entstehung einer Vielfalt von Magmatypen, von Inselbogentholeiiten bis zu sehr Kalziumreichen Boniniten. Die letzteren wurden in 11 Dredge-Proben gefunden.Die E-MORS Laven, die aus dem extremen Südteil des Nord-Fidschi-Beckens entnommen wurden, sind im wesentlichen mit jenen identisch, die aus der benachbarten älteren Kruste des Süd-Fidschi-Beckens stammen. Es wird vermutet, daß die letzteren entweder aus dem Süd-Fidschi-Becken während einer Episode obliger Subduktion, die in den letzten 5 Millionen Jahren zur Entstehung des Hunter Ridge geführt hat, abgeschert wurden, oder auch daß Teile der Kruste des Süd-Fidschi-Beckens in das Nord-Fidschi-Becken inkorporiert wurden als Subduktionszonen gegenüber dem Vanuato-Bogen sich nach Süden fortbewegten.

     

Čerenkov radiation within the Earth's upper atmosphere

A brief review of erenkov radiation within the upper atmospheric plasma has been presented. Different attempts in this context are systematically discussed. The results of analysis about the nature and characteristics of VLF hisses in terms of incoherent erenkov radiation are given in a concise manner. The occurrence of resonance cone has also been reported.     

Generalized theory of impacts in particulate systems

The theory of collisional systems is generalized for an arbitrary geometry and forces acting in the system, mixtures of different particle types, friction, small deviations from the ideal spherical form, axial rotation, finite size of particles and gravitational interactions. Terms for the formation of new particles and destruction of old ones are also included, and other unspecified parameters can be introduced. Although some approximations are made to simplify the basic equations and to avoid excessive numerical interactions, a comparison with computer simulations shows a good agreement. The tests were continued up to the optical thickness = 5.     

The effect of Antarctic O3 decline on night airglow intensity of Na5893Å, O5577Å, OH emissions and its correlation with total solar flare numbers

The paper presents the effect of O₃ depletion on different night airglow emission lines. Calculations based on chemical kinetics show that the airglow intensity of Na5893Å, O5577Å and OH band emissions will also be affected due to the depletion of O₃ concentration. Intensity of Na5893Å is calculated theoretically for Halley Bay (76° S,27° W), British Antarctic Survey Station, during the period 1973 to 1984. It is concluded from the covariation of different emission lines that O5577Å and OH emissions also follow the same trend of variation. A study has been made to find the correlation between the depletion of O₃ concentration and total solar flare numbers. Important results are as follows:

Adsorption of fluoride on goethite surfaces-implications on dental epidemiology

Fluoride ion interaction with synthetically prepared goethite has been investigated over a range of pH values (4–9) and F^– concentrations (10^–3–10^–5 M). The amount of F^– retained by goethite suspensions was found to be a function of pH, media ionic strength, F^– concentration, and goethite concentration. The lowest ionic strength (0.001 M KNO₃) gave the highest adsorption medium. Uptake was minimal at pH >7 and increased with decreasing pH. Thermodynamic properties for fluoride adsorption at 298 K and 323 K were investigated. The isosteric heat of adsorption (H _r) was calculated and the heterogeneity and homogeneity of the surface examined for goethite. In view of the importance of fluoride in dental health, the interaction of fluoride on goethite in the physical environment has important implications on dental epidemiology.     

Evidence of ancient life at 207 m depth in a granitic aquifer

The results of electron-microscopy investigations of calcite precipitated in a water-conducting fracture in a ca. 1800 Ma granitic rock from 207 m below sea level at the island of Aspo on the southeastern (Baltic) coast of Sweden are compared with measurements of carbon, oxygen, and sulfur isotope composition of the calcite and embedded pyrite. Parts of the calcite had extremely low delta 13C values, indicative of biological activity, and contained bacteria-like microfossils occurring in colonies and as typical biofllms. X-ray microanalysis demonstrated these fossils to be enriched in carbon. Our results provide evidence for ancient life in deep granitic rock aquifers and suggest that the modern microbial life found there is intrinsic. Modeling historical and present geochemical processes in deep granitic aquifers should, therefore, preferably include biologically catalyzed reactions. The results also suggest that the search for life on other planets, e.g., Mars, should include subsurface material.     

Carbon isotope systematics of individual hydrocarbons in hydrothermal petroleum from Escanaba Trough, northeastern Pacific Ocean

We submitted individual aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples of hydrothermal petroleum from Escanaba Trough to compound specific isotope analysis to trace their origins. The carbon isotope compositions of the alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (means -27.5 and -24.7%, respectively) reflect a primarily terrestrial organic matter source.     

Uncertainties in field-line tracing in the magnetosphere. Part II: the complete internal geomagnetic field

The discussion in the preceding paper is restricted to the uncertainties in magnetic-field-iine tracing in the magnetosphere resulting from published standard errors in the spherical harmonic coefficients that define the axisymmetric part of the internal geomagnetic field (i.e. g_n⁰ ± g_n⁰). Numerical estimates of these uncertainties based on an analytic equation for axisymmetric field lines are in excellent agreement with independent computational estimates based on stepwise numerical integration along magnetic field lines. This comparison confirms the accuracy of the computer program used in the present paper to estimate the uncertainties in magnetic-field-line tracing that arise from published standard errors in the full set of spherical harmonic coefficients, which define the complete (non-axisymmetric) internal geomagnetic field (i.e. g_n^m ± g_n^m and h_n^m ± h_n^m). An algorithm is formulated that greatly reduces the computing time required to estimate these uncertainties in magnetic-field-line tracing. The validity of this algorithm is checked numerically for both the axisymmetric part of the internal geomagnetic field in the general case (1 n 10) and the complete internal geomagnetic field in a restrictive case (0 m n, 1 n 3). On this basis it is assumed that the algorithm can be used with confidence in those cases for which the computing time would otherwise be prohibitively long. For the complete internal geomagnetic field, the maximum characteristic uncertainty in the geocentric distance of a field line that crosses the geomagnetic equator at a nominal dipolar distance of 2 R_E is typically 100 km. The corresponding characteristic uncertainty for a field line that crosses the geomagnetic equator at a nominal dipolar distance of 6 R_E is typically 500 km. Histograms and scatter plots showing the characteristic uncertainties associated with magnetic-field-line tracing in the magnetosphere are presented for a range of illustrative examples. Finally, estimates are given for the maximum uncertainties in the locations of the conjugate points of selected geophysical observatories. Numerical estimates of the uncertainties in magnetic-field-line tracing in the magnetosphere, including the associated uncertainties in thelocations of the conjugate points of geophysical observatories, should be regarded as first approximations in the sense that these estimates are only as accurate as the published standard errors in the full set of spherical harmomic coefficients. As in the preceding paper, howerver, all computational techniques developed in this paper can be used to derive more realistic estimates of the uncertainties in magnetic-field-line tracing in the magnetosphere, following further progress in the determination of more accurate standard errors in the spherical harmonic coefficients.Also Visiting Reader in Physics, University of Sussex, Palmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK     

Sulfur isotope fractionation during bacterial sulfate reduction in organic-rich sediments

Isotope fractionation during sulfate reduction by natural populations of sulfate-reducing bacteria was investigated in the cyanobacterial microbial mats of Solar Lake, Sinai and the sediments of Logten Lagoon sulfuretum, Denmark. Fractionation was measured at different sediment depths, sulfate concentrations, and incubation temperatures. Rates of sulfate reduction varied between 0.1 and 37 micromoles cm-3 d-1, with the highest rates among the highest ever reported from natural sediments. The depletion of 34S during dissimilatory sulfate reduction ranged from 16% to 42%, with the largest 34S-depletions associated with the lowest rates of sulfate reduction and the lowest 34S-depletions with the highest rates. However, at high sulfate reduction rates (>10 micromoles cm-3 d-1) the lowest fractionation was 20% independent of the rates. Overall, there was a similarity between the fractionation obtained by the natural populations of sulfate reducers and previous measurements from pure cultures. This was somewhat surprising given the extremely high rates of sulfate reduction in the experiments. Our results are explained if we conclude that the fractionation was mainly controlled by the specific rate of sulfate reduction (mass cell-1 time-1) and not by the absolute rate (mass volume-1 time-1). Sedimentary sulfides (mainly FeS2) were on average 40% depleted in 34S compared to seawater sulfate. This amount of depletion was more than could be explained by the isotopic fractionations that we measured during bacterial sulfate reduction. Therefore, additional processes contributing to the fractionation of sulfur isotopes in the sediments are indicated. From both Solar Lake and Logten Lagoon we were able to enrich cultures of elemental sulfur-disproportionating bacteria. We suggest that isotope fractionation accompanying elemental sulfur disproportionation contributes to the 34S depletion of sedimentary sulfides at our study sites.