A threshold in soil formation at Earth’s arid-hyperarid transition

The soils of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile have long been known to contain large quantities of unusual salts, yet the processes that form these soils are not yet fully understood. We examined the morphology and geochemistry of soils on post-Miocene fans and stream terraces along a south-to-north (27° to 24° S) rainfall transect that spans the arid to hyperarid transition (21 to ∼2 mm rain y⁻¹). Landform ages are ? 2 My based on cosmogenic radionuclide concentrations in surface boulders, and Ar isotopes in interbedded volcanic ash deposits near the driest site indicate a maximum age of 2.1 My. A chemical mass balance analysis that explicitly accounts for atmospheric additions was used to quantify net changes in mass and volume as a function of rainfall. In the arid (21 mm rain y⁻¹) soil, total mass loss to weathering of silicate alluvium and dust (−1030 kg m⁻²) is offset by net addition of salts (+170 kg m⁻²). The most hyperarid soil has accumulated 830 kg m⁻² of atmospheric salts (including 260 kg sulfate m⁻² and 90 kg chloride m⁻²), resulting in unusually high volumetric expansion (120%) for a soil of this age. The composition of both airborne particles and atmospheric deposition in passive traps indicates that the geochemistry of the driest soil reflects accumulated atmospheric influxes coupled with limited in-soil chemical transformation and loss. Long-term rates of atmospheric solute addition were derived from the ion inventories in the driest soil, divided by the landform age, and compared to measured contemporary rates. With decreasing rainfall, the soil salt inventories increase, and the retained salts are both more soluble and present at shallower depths. All soils generally exhibit vertical variation in their chemistry, suggesting slow and stochastic downward water movement, and greater climate variability over the past 2 My than is reflected in recent (∼100 y) rainfall averages. The geochemistry of these soils shows that the transition from arid to hyperarid rainfall levels marks a fundamental geochemical threshold: in wetter soils, the rate and character of chemical weathering results in net mass loss and associated volumetric collapse after 10⁵ to 10⁶ years, while continuous accumulation of atmospheric solutes in hyperarid soils over similar timescales results in dramatic volumetric expansion. The specific geochemistry of hyperarid soils is a function of atmospheric sources, and is expected to vary accordingly at other hyperarid sites. This work identifies key processes in hyperarid soil formation that are likely to be independent of location, and suggests that analogous processes may occur on Mars.     

Lead isotope variations across terrane boundaries of the Tien Shan and Chinese Altay

The Altaid orogen was formed by aggregation of Paleozoic subduction–accretion complexes and Precambrian basement blocks between the Late Proterozoic and the Early Mesozoic. Because the Altaids are the site of abundant granitic plutonism and host some of the largest gold deposits in the world, understanding their formation has important implications on the comprehension of Phanerozoic crustal growth and metallogeny. In this study, we present the first extensive lead isotope data on magmatic and metasedimentary rocks as well as ore deposits of the southern part of the Altaids, including the Tien Shan (Tianshan) and southern Altay (Altai) orogenic belts. Our results show that each terrane investigated within the Tien Shan and southern Altay is characterized by a distinct Pb isotope signature and that there is a SW–NE Pb isotope gradient suggesting a progressive transition from a continental crust environment in the West (the Kyzylkum and Kokshaal segments of the Southern Tien Shan) to an almost 100% juvenile (MORB-type mantle-derived) crust environment in the East (Altay). The Pb isotope signatures of the studied ore deposits follow closely those of magmatic and metasedimentary rocks of the host terranes, thus supporting the validity of lead isotopes to discriminate terranes. Whereas this apparently suggests that no unique reservoir has been responsible for the huge gold concentration in this region, masking of a preferential Pb-poor Au-bearing reservoir by mixing with Pb-rich crustal reservoirs during the mineralizing events cannot be excluded.     

Multiple-occurrence regional landslide events in New Zealand: Hazard management issues

Landsliding in New Zealand most commonly occurs in the form of multiple-occurrence landslide events, simultaneously involving thousands to ten thousands of landslides over areas extending up to 20,000 km². The scale of these events, together with their multiple-hazard character, provide a unique set of management issues that stretch the capabilities of available emergency management services. Several measures for characterising the magnitude and impact potential of these events are presented and compared. While the median density of landsliding is approximately 30 landslides/km², over 100 landslides/km² have been recorded in some events. Specific soil displacement volumes vary widely between events—New Zealand events yield a median value of approximately 140 m³/ha. Measured Ratios of runout length to scar length are commonly about 3:1. However, comparison between events is constrained by lack of standardisation in methods of measurement and recording. Agricultural production loss, damage to road and rail infrastructure and increased flooding are the main consequences of these events. Treatment options involve loss sharing, resource management legislation, and various forms of bio-engineering.     

New Rb-Sr age determinations on the Archaean basement of Eastern Sierra Leone

The Archean basement of Sierra Leone is a typical example of granite-greenstone terrains found in ancient continental nucleii. Reconnaissance field mapping showed that the area can be subdivided into old gneiss, which predates the greenstone belts, and young granite which is later than the greenstone belts.New Rb-Sr whole-rock age determinations on two suites of old tonalitic gneiss yield ages of 2786 ± 49 Ma and 2770 ± 137 Ma, which either reflect the time of formation of the original tonalites or their metamorphism. Three new Rb-Sr whole-rock age determination on young granites yield ages of 2786 ± 143 Ma, 2780 ± 79 Ma and 2770 ± 50 Ma, which are interpreted as the time of emplacement. The widespread occurrence of similar young granites, throughout the Archaean of West Africa, suggests that these results date a major event in the evolution of this segment of the crust.A published Pb-Pb age of the old gneiss and the new ages of the young granite bracket the age of the greenstone belts to 3000-2770 Ma. However, if the Rb-Sr ages of the old gneiss reported in this paper reflect the time of their formation, the age of the greenstone belts is tightly bracketed to ca. 2770 Ma. There is no isotopic evidence for rocks substantially older than 3000 Ma in the West African Archaean.     

Pre-Alpine history of the pennine zone in the Tauern Window,Austria: U-Pb and Rb-Sr geochronology

Zircon ages from major lithologies of the Zentralgneis suggest that much of the Variscan magmatism in the Tauern Window is older than previously suggested. In the southeast Tauern Window a tonalite has been dated at 314±7 m.y. and a granodioritic biotite augen gneiss at 313±10 m.y. Two granodiorites from the Granatspitzkern yielded zircon data consistent with a similar age. These zircon data require re-interpretation of some previously published Rb-Sr whole rock ages and raise the possibility that Alpine metamorphism caused more widespread disturbance of Rb-Sr whole rocks than commonly supposed. Rb-Sr data on fabric-forming white micas from two banded gneisses give ages close to 220 m.y., indicating the foliation in these rocks is pre-Alpine and has not been greatly affected by Alpine recrystallisation.     

A regional study of mantle velocity variations beneath eastern Australia and the southwestern Pacific using short-period recordings of P,S, PcP,ScP and ScS waves produced by Tongan deep earthquakes

Deep earthquakes located in the Tonga-Kermadec region produce exceptionally clear and sharp short-period P, S, PcP, ScP, and ScS phases which are recorded at many stations at distances of less than 60°. The data used in this study are produced by short-period stations located in oceanic-type regions (Fiji and New Caledonia), a mobile continental region (eastern Australia) and a shield region (central Australia). Differential travel-time residuals of the above phases at these stations are investigated to determine the contribution to the differential residuals from: (1) the upper part of the mantle (S-P residuals); (2) the core-to-station portion of the mantle (ScS-ScP residuals); and (3) the hypocenter-to core portion of the mantle (ScP-PcP residuals). The use of differential travel-time residuals considerably reduces near-station effects and effects due to inaccurate determination of the source parameters, and hence the results can be interpreted as due to variations along the propagation paths. The results show that (S-P) residuals from phases traveling along event-to-station paths are about 7 s smaller at the shield station than at the oceanic stations. This correlation with surface tectonic environments is equally strong for the (ScS-ScP) residuals, with the shield/oceanic station difference being about 4 s. Moreover, the data suggest that this correlation between differential residuals and surface tectonic environments is caused by variations in shear velocity within the upper part of the mantle. However, the data cannot uniquely resolve the required depth of these variations within the mantle. For example, if the shear velocity variations extend to a depth of 400 km beneath the recording stations, then the average shear velocity difference between shield- and oceanic-type environments is about 4%. However, if the variations extend only to a depth of 200 km, this difference is more than 8%.(ScP-PcP) and (ScS-PcS) residuals vary from about +1 to about +4 s at the different stations, apparently because of compressional velocity variations in the mantle along the Pc path. If the variation in compressional velocity within the mantle below a depth of about 600 km is about 10% and occurs near the source region, these results suggest that, in the vicinity of deep earthquake zones, variations in compressional velocity extend to a depth of about 1000 km. However, these results can equally be explained by a 1% variation in compressional velocity, evenly distributed along the entire Pc path. An estimate of Q determined from the observed predominant frequency of ScS waves, as recorded at the shield station, suggests that the average 〈Q_s〉 of the mantle beneath about 600 km is about 1050 at frequencies of about 1 Hz.     

Pb-isotope evidence for the timing of episodic mineralization in the Llanrwst and Llanfair-Talhaiarn orefields, North Wales

Galenas from the Llanrwst and Llanfair-Talhaiarn orefields in North Wales have a restricted range of Pb-isotope values. M₁ and M₂ mineralizations at Llanrwst are isotopically separate in ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb versus ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb space, while the isotopic composition of the M₃ mineralization exceeds the combined M₁ and M₂ range. The lead source for the Llanrwst orefield is believed to be the underlying Ordovician volcanic arc material. Data from the related Llanfair-Talhaiarn orefield suggest lead was derived from the host Silurian sediments in addition to the Ordovician basement. The time separation of the M₁ and M₂ veins at Llanrwst has been calculated using and data from Dixon et al. (1990) at 11 Ma and 15 Ma respectively.     

A hillslope hydrology approach for catchment‐scale slope stability analysis

Regional analysis of slope stability is often constrained by availability of data. Model requirements for input data cannot be met at the desired spatial resolution because data are either site‐speci?c or non‐existent. Faced with these dif?culties it has often been the practice to assume that certain parameters are uniform throughout the area of interest. An alternative approach proposed here allows a more detailed discrimination of slope stability conditions. Based on the principles of hillslope hydrology, hydrologic information can be generated at suf?cient resolution to allow higher resolution slope stability analysis. Measurements from an instrumented network in a small area have been used to establish index‐based models for topographic and climate‐related controls of piezometric response. The ability to relate groundwater levels to rainfall and topographic parameters provides a means of up‐scaling to larger catchments and ultimately the opportunity to generate a catchment‐wide prediction of the distribution, magnitude and frequency of rainstorm‐generated groundwater levels. The example provided in this study uses the topography index of TOPMODEL in GIS to predict the spatial patterns of groundwater elevation for seasonal soil moisture conditions and given rainfall inputs. This allows modelling of catchment‐wide response of soil water to rainstorms with different return periods (representing different magnitudes), and is an essential prerequisite for a probabilistic regional slope stability analysis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of precursory seismic quiescence in sixteen subduction zones using single-link cluster analysis

This paper describes a new method, single-link cluster analysis (SLC), to evaluate percursory quiescence for shallow earthquakes in sixteen subduction zones, using data from the ISC catalog. To define quiescent regions, we divided the catalog into time intervals with a durationT, overlapping byT/2. We considered all earthquakes having magnitudes larger than some magnitudeM _min, lying within a specified distance of a great circle which is approximately coincident with the trench near a subduction zone. Within each time interval we connected or linked all earthquakes lying within some cutoff distanced of one another. We then projected all these links onto the great circle, and defined a region to be quiescent if it was not covered by the projection of any links. For this study,T was two years,M _min wasm _b =4.9, and we variedd from 100 to 400 km. We defined an earthquake as following quiescence if it occurred within two years following, and within 75 km of a quiescent zone as defined above. The primary conclusion of this study was that earthquakes with surface wave magnitudes 7.2 and greater were about 5–15% more likely to follow quiescence than were the smaller background earthquakes withm _b >-4.9. A chi-squared analysis shows that this result is significant at the 99% level. In contrast, earthquakes with surface wave magnitude of 6.7 to 7.1 were no more likely to follow quiescence than were background earthquakes. Of sixteen individual regions, Central America, Japan, and Peru-Chile were the only regions where large earthquakes were more likely to occur following quiescence than were background earthquakes. For a cutoff link length of 300 km, only in Central America was the difference between large earthquakes and background earthquakes significant at the 95% level of significance. For a cutoff link length of 250 km, the significance level exceeded 95% only in Japan. The SLC method is an objective, quantitative method for evaluating large data catalogs, or for monitoring quiescence in regions where quiescence is conjectured to precede large earthquakes.