Studies of K-Ar dating and xenon from extinct radioactivities in breccia 14318; implications for early lunar history

The rare gases argon and xenon were studied intensively in lunar breccia 14318, one of a family of three Apollo 14 breccias exhibiting similarities, including substantial amounts of ‘parentless’ xenon from the spontaneous fission of extinct ²⁴⁴Pu. We made stepwise heatings on both unirradiated and pile-irradiated specimens. The isotopic composition of the xenon from fission was determined by a new method which invokes a minimum of assumptions; it is shown to be from ²⁴⁴Pu and almost certainly parentless. For example, the fission component, although not appreciably fractionated with respect to the trapped component during stepwise heating, has a low temperature character so that, relatively speaking, it appears to be more surficial than xenon emanating from uranium sites in the irradiated sample. We demonstrate that this effect is not an artifact of the neutron irradiation. The breccia contains abundant trapped argon with a high ${}^{40}\text{Ar}{}^{36}\text{Ar}$ ratio for lunar material—~14. Otherwise the argon is radiogenic and gives a convincing K-Ar age of 3.69 ± 0.09 b.y. by the stepwise ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar method, nearly in agreement with ages for other Apollo 14 breccias obtained in our laboratory and elsewhere. Rock 14301, another of the family of breccias and one which has been studied in other laboratories, contains similar trapped argon and parentless xenon. Unlike 14318 it also contains a conspicuous excess of ¹²⁹Xe from the radioactive decay of extinct ¹²⁹I. Implications of the parentless xenon from extinct sources, as seen in these different rocks, depend upon the model adopted for its evolution and storage. We present four different models, all of which are unsatisfactory in some respects, so that we are presently unable to narrow the question. We must stress that other Apollo 14 breccias, such as 14321, contain fission xenon from ²⁴⁴Pu which was apparently produced in situ.     

Über Umkehr- und Schaukelbewegungen und die Entstehung von Kreuzsprungzonen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Hebung — Spaltung —? Grabenbildung im saxonischen und im ostalpinen Bereich

Zusammenfassung Wir fassen zusammen: Die hier betrachteten Grabenbildungen aus Niederhessen-Hannover, aus Schlesien und aus den steirischen Alpen lassen keinerlei Gründe für eine Entstehung durch Spaltung infolge Wölbung erkennen. Eine durchgängige Bindung an Schilde ist nicht vorhanden. Im Gegenteil, soweit die Gräben größeres Ausmaß besitzen, haben sie sich aus flach eingemuldeten Senkungszonen entwickelt, die breiter als die späteren Grabenstreifen waren. Nur im Solling mag Spaltung durch Wölbung für die Anlage der Gräben eine Rolle gespielt haben, eine darüber hinausgehende beträchtliche Zerrung hat aber auch hier stattgefunden. Der starke Anteil von horizontalen Bewegungskomponenten ausweitender und einengender Art nach wechselnden Richtungen in der saxonischen Tektonik des Oberstockwerkes dürfte auf die Salzunterlage zurückzuführen sein, infolge welcher die postsalinare Decke auch bei Impulsen oder bei einem Gefälle, das durch mehr vertikale Bewegungen des variscischen Untergrundes zustandekam, leicht Gleitbewegungen ausführte. Der stärker vertikale Charakter der streifenförmigen Einsenkungen in den Untergrund ist bei fehlendem Salz an der saxonischen Tektonik Schlesiens und der jungmiozänen Tektonik der Ostalpen erkennbar. Die Richtung der Gräben (wie auch der vorangegangenen epirogenen Einmuldungen) ist streng von der Textur des Untergrundes abhängig.     

Genetic relations of volcanic rocks of the Pacific Ocean

The volcanic rocks of Hawaii form two distinct series, one of basalts that become increasingly alkaline and undersaturated with silica and a second group of differentiated rocks that become progressively more felsic. Although most petrologists agree that the second group is the product of differentiation of alkaline basalts, there is less agreement on the origin of compositional variations among the basalts.Differentiated rocks of other islands of the Pacific differ from those of Hawaii in several significant respects. In the Galápagos Islands, for example, the parent magma of the main differentiation series is a tholeiitic basalt; the trend is toward very siliceous trachytes and quartz syenites. On Tahiti, however, a strongly alkaline magma has produced trachytes, phonolites, and nepheline syenites. The chemical characteristics of the rocks of individual islands are related to the nature of the parent magma and the conditions of differentiation.The relation of the degree of silica saturation of basalts and their differentiates to regional heat-flow indicates that the depth of origin must play an important role in determining the nature of magmatic trends. Partial fusion of the upper mantle begins at the initial intersection of the thermal gradient and the melting curve of basalt but spreads vertically with time. The rate of downward migration of the fusion zone is greater than that of upward migration. The result is an increasing depth of origin and therefore a progressively more undersaturated composition of independently-derived basaltic magmas. Differentiated rocks tend to form two divergent series with contrasting degrees of silica enrichment.

---

Zusammenfassung Die Vulkangesteine Hawaiis bilden zwei getrennte Serien, eine von immer stärker alkalischen und kieselsäure-untersättigten Basalten, eine zweite von differenziertem Gestein, das immer mehr felsitisch wird. Wenn auch Übereinstimmung hinsichtlich der Herkunft der zweiten Serie aus einer Differentiation alkalischer Basalte besteht, so ist der Ursprung der Zusammensetzungsvarianten bei den Basalten weniger sicher.Differenziertes Gestein anderer pazifischer Inseln unterscheidet sich in bedeutsamer Hinsicht von dem Hawaiis. Auf den Galápagos-Inseln ist das Stammagma der Hauptdifferentiationsserie ein tholeiitischer Basalt. Es tendiert zu sehr siliziumhaltigen Trachyten und Quarzsyeniten. Auf Tahiti hat dagegen ein stark alkalisches Magma Trachyte, Phonolithe und nephelinithische Syenite hervorgebracht. Die chemischen Eigenschaften des Gesteins einzelner Inseln steht in Beziehung zur Art des Stammagmas und zu den Differentiationsbedingungen.Die Beziehung des Grades der Siliziumoxydsättigung von Basalten und ihrer Differentiationen zum regionalen Wärmefluß zeigt, daß die Ursprungstiefe eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Bestimmung der magmatischen Entwicklung spielen muß. Partielle Fusion des oberen Mantels beginnt am Anfangsschnittpunkt des geothermischen Gradienten und der Schmelzkurve von Basalt und breitet sich in der Zeit vertikal aus. Die Rate der Abwärts-Migration der Fusionszone ist größer als die der Aufwärts-Migration. Das Ergebnis ist eine zunehmende Herkunftstiefe und deshalb eine progressiv geringer gesättigte Zusammensetzung von unabhängig voneinander bestehenden basaltischen Magmen. Differenzierte Gesteine neigen dazu, zwei divergente Serien mit konträren Graden der Siliziumanreicherung zu bilden.

---

Résumé Les roches volcaniques de Hawaii forment deux séries distintes; l'une de basaltes de plus en plus alcalins et à déficit de silice, l'autre de roches différenciées et qui deviennent de plus en plus felsiques. Quoiqu'on soit d'accord que la seconde série est le résultat d'une différentiation de basalte alcalin, l'origine des variations compositionelles des basaltes est moins évidente.Les roches différenciées d'autres îles pacifiques diffèrent en plusieurs resprects de celles de Hawaii. Par exemple, le magma parental de la série de différentiation primaire sur les Iles de Galápagos, ist un basalte tholeiitique; la tendence est vers trachytes très sicicieux et des syenites de quartz. A Tahite, um magma très alclain a produit des trachytes, des phonolithes et des syenites nephélitiques. Les caractéristiques chimiques des roches dans divers îles ont rapport au naturel du magma parental et aux conditions de différentiation.La relation du degré de saturation silicieuse des basaltes et leurs différentiations à (heat-flow) régional(e) indique que la profondeur d'origine joue un róle important dans la détermination de directions magmatiques. La fusion partielle du manteau supérieur commence à 1 intersection initiale du gradient géothermique et de la courbe de fusion du basalte, mais étend verticalement dans la dimension temporelle.Le degré de migration en bas de la zone de fusion est plus grand que celui de la migration vers le haut. Le résultat est une profondeur d'origine augmentante et pour cette raison une composition progressivement plus sous-saturée de magmas basaltiques indépendants. Les roches différenciées ont la tendance à former deux séries divergentes avec des degrés contraires de saturation de silice.

---

. , , — . (, , - ).

     

Kyanite eclogites

Prior experimental work has shown that in the laboratory the mineralogy of eclogites is sensitive to the ratio of CaO ∶ MgO ∶ FeO and that the reaction pyroxene + kyanite?garnet + quartz proceeds to the right at high pressures in rocks rich in magnesium and to the left in rocks rich in calcium and iron. Typical basalts crystallized at high pressure never contain kyanite. The chemistry and mineralogy of a large number of naturally occurring eclogites show they belong to three classes.

1. Kyanite-free magmatic eclogites, rich in magnesium, from:
2. kimberlites
3. dunites and serpentinites.
4. Kyanite-bearing eclogites and grosspydites rich in CaO and low in FeO with intermediate MgO from:
5. kimberlites
6. gneisses.
7. Kyanite-free eclogites of metamorphic origin rich in iron with low magnesium and intermediate amounts of calcium from:
8. glaucophane schists
9. gneisses.

     

Nitrate concentrations under irrigated agriculture

In recent years, considerable interest has been expressed in the nitrate content of water supplies. The most notable toxic effect of nitrate is infant methemoglobinemia. The risk of this disease increases significantly at nitrate-nitrogen levels exceeding 10 mg/l. For this reason, this concentration has been established as a limit for drinking water in many countries. In natural waters, nitrate is a minor ionic constituent and seldom accounts for more than a few percent of the total anions. However, nitrate in a significant concentration may occur in the vicinity of some point sources such as septic tanks, manure pits, and waste-disposal sites. Non-point sources contributing to groundwater pollution are numerous and a majority of them are related to agricultural activities. The largest single anthropogenic input of nitrate into the groundwater is fertilizer. Even though it has not been proven that nitrogen fertilizers are responsible for much of nitrate pollution, they are generally recognized as the main threat to groundwater quality, especially when inefficiently applied to irrigated fields on sandy soils. The biggest challenge facing today's agriculture is to maintain the balance between the enhancement of crop productivity and the risk of groundwater pollution. Presented at the International Symposium, International Association of Hydrogeologists, “Impact of Agricultural Activities on Ground Water Quality and Quantity,” Prague, Czechoslovakia, September, 1982.     

Demethylated hopanes in crude oils and their applications in petroleum geochemistry

Analyses of some Australian crude oils show that many contain varying concentrations of A/ B-ring demethylated hopanes. These range from C₂₆ to C₃₄ and have been identified from their retention times and mass spectral data as 17α(H)-25-norhopanes. Comparison of hopane and demethylated hopane concentrations and distributions in source-related, biodegraded oils suggests that demethylated hopanes are biotransformation products of the hopanes. Further, it appears that the process occurs at a late stage of biodegradation, after partial degradation of steranes has occurred. Demethylated hopanes are proposed as biomarkers for this stage of severe biodegradation. The presence of these compounds in apparently undegraded crude oils is thought to be due to the presence of biodegraded crude oil residues which have been dissolved by the undegraded crude oil during accumulation in the reservoir sands. The timing of hopane demethylation, relative to the degradation of other compounds, has been assessed and the progressive changes in crude oil composition with increasing extent of biodegradation have been identified. The use of demethylated hopanes as maturity parameters for severely biodegraded crude oils, and the applicability of established biomarker maturity parameters to such oils, are also discussed.     

Liquidus karrooite stability and composition at reducing conditions

We have determined the stability of rutile and karrooite on the liquidus of pseudobinary silicate melts of anorthite–diopside eutectic composition with, in addition, of up to 32 wt% TiO₂ at one atm total pressure and at wide range of oxygen fugacities. At 1,300°C and at an fO₂ below 10^–11.2 atm rutile (TiO₂) is replaced as liquidus phase by the pseudobrookite-type MgTi₂O₅–Ti₃O₅ solid solution with some Al in the crystal structure. The composition of karrooite was found to be strongly dependent on oxygen fugacity. Crystalline phases were identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results obtained in this study are relevant for understanding the chemistry of lunar armalcolites. Using excess rutile solubility at reducing conditions, we estimated the Ti⁴⁺ /Ti³⁺ ratio in silicate melts at 1,300°C as function of fO₂.     

Principal Component Analysis of the Solar Magnetic Field I: The Axisymmetric Field at the Photosphere

A principal component analysis, or proper orthogonal decomposition, of the axisymmetric magnetic field at the photosphere is carried out to find an optimal representation of the observed solar cycle. The 22-year periodic field requires just two modes. NSO Kitt Peak synoptic maps for Carrington rotations 1664–2007 were reduced by taking both the mean and the median field over longitude to produce two sequences of functions of sine latitude spanning 25.7 years. The lowest modes of each are determined by the polar fields. The mean field is most efficient at representing the periodic field, but the median field is more efficient at representing the evolution of the diffuse field patterns.     

Volume 63

Volume Contents

Volume 63