Fluorine geochemistry of quaternary volcanic rocks from Southwestern British Columbia: Some petrogenetic implications

Fluorine contents in 38 Quaternary volcanic rocks, representing calc-alkaline andesite eruptive groups from the Garibaldi Lake area, were determined by a selective ion-electrode method. A close relationship is evident between F abundance and the type of ferromagnesian phenocrysts present in the andesitic rocks. Hypersthene andesites have the lowest F contents (142–212 ppm), whereas hornblende-biotite andesites exhibit the highest F values (279–368 ppm); hornblende andesites have intermediate F contents (238–292 ppm). The hornblende-free Desolation Valley basaltic andesite has a lower F content than the hornblende-bearing Sphinx Moraine basaltic andesite (122 ppm versus 317–333 ppm).Different eruptive suites can be grouped on the basis of F differentiation patterns into (1) a hornblende-free lava series in which the F content of basaltic andesite is less than that of andesite, and (2) a hornblende-bearing lava series in which F contents remain constant or decrease slightly from basaltic andesite through dacite. Fluorine variation in the former series was controlled largely by fractionation of anhydrous minerals, whereas that in the latter was influenced by crystallization of amphibole, biotite and apatite.The distinctive F variation patterns of the two lava series appear to represent real differences in the volatile contents of Garibaldi Lake magmas. These different volatile concentrations may reflect varying degrees of magma-wallrock interaction, differences in the initial volatile contents of the primary magmas, or some combination of these factors.     

On the velocity of jets powering hot spots similar to those in Cygnus A

Hot spots similar to those in the radio galaxy Cygnus A can be explained by the strong shock produced by a supersonic but classical jet \(\left( {u_{jet}< c/\sqrt 3 } \right)\) . The high integrated radio luminosity (L?2×10⁴⁴ erg s^?1) and the strength of mean magnetic field (B?2×10^?4 G) suggest the hot spots are the downstream flow of a very strong shock which generates the ultrarelativistic electrons of energy ?≥20 MeV. The fully-developed subsonic turbulence amplifies the magnetic field of the jet up to 1.6×10^?4 G by the dynamo effect. If we assume that the post-shock pressure is dominated by relativistic particles, the ratio between the magnetic energy density to the energy density in relativistic particles is found to be ?2×10^?2, showing that the generally accepted hypothesis of equipartition is not valid for hot spots. The current analysis allows the determination of physical parameters inside hot spots. It is found that:

1. The velocity of the upstream flow in the frame of reference of the shock isu ₁?0.2c. Radio observations indicate that the velocity of separation of hot spots isu _sep?0.05c, so that the velocity of the jet isu _jet=u ₁+u _sep?0.25c.
2. The density of the thermal electrons inside the hot spot isn ₂?5×10^?3 e ^? cm^?3 and the mass ejected per year to power the hot spot is ?4M ₀yr^?1.
3. The relativistic electron density is less than 20% of the thermal electron density inside the hot spot and the spectrum is a power law which continues to energies as low as 30 MeV.
4. The energy density of relativistic protons is lower than the energy density of relativistic electrons unlike the situation for cosmic rays in the Galaxy.

     

From oblique subduction to intra-continental transpression: Structures of the southern Kermadec-Hikurangi margin from multibeam bathymetry,side-scan sonar and seismic reflection

The southern Kermadec-Hikurangi convergent margin, east of New Zealand, accommodates the oblique subduction of the oceanic Hikurangi Plateau at rates of 4–5 cm/yr. Swath bathymetry and sidescan data, together with seismic reflection and geopotential data obtained during the GEODYNZ-SUD cruise, showed major changes in tectonic style along the margin. The changes reflect the size and abundance of seamounts on the subducting plateau, the presence and thickness of trench-fill turbidites, and the change to increasing obliquity and intracontinental transpression towards the south. In this paper, we provide evidence that faulting with a significant strike-slip component is widespread along the entire 1000 km margin. Subduction of the northeastern scrap of the Hikurangi Plateau is marked by an offset in the Kermadec Trench and adjacent margin, and by a major NW-trending tear fault in the scarp. To the south, the southern Kermadec Trench is devoid of turbidite fill and the adjacent margin is characterized by an up to 1200 m high scarp that locally separates apparent clockwise rotated blocks on the upper slope from strike-slip faults and mass wasting on the lower slope. The northern Hikurangi Trough has at least 1 km of trench-fill but its adjacent margin is characterized by tectonic erosion. The toe of the margin is indented by 10–25 km for more than 200 km, and this is inferred to be the result of repeated impacts of the large seamounts that are abundant on the northern Hikurangi Plateau. The two most recent impacts have left major indentations in the margin. The central Hikurangi margin is characterized by development of a wide accretionary wedge on the lower slope, and by transpression of presubduction passive margin sediments on the upper slope. Shortening across the wedge together with a component of strike-slip motion on the upper slope supports an interpretation of some strain partitioning. The southern Hikurangi margin is a narrow, mainly compressive belt along a very oblique, apparently locked subduction zone.     

Geometry and structure of the Vitiaz Trench Lineament (SW Pacific)

Swath bathymetric, sonar imagery and seismic reflection data collected during the SOPACMAPS cruise Leg 3 over segments of the Vitiaz Trench Lineament and adjacent areas provide new insights on the geometry and the stuctural evolution of this seismically inactive lineament. The Vitiaz Trench Lineament, although largely unknown, is one of the most important tectonic feature in the SW Pacific because it separates the Cretaceous crust of the Pacific Plate to the north from the Cenozoic lithosphere of the North Fiji and Lau Basins to the south. The lineament is considered to be the convergent plate boundary between the Pacific and Australian Plates during midde to late Tertiary time when the Vitiaz Arc was a continuous east-facing are from the Tonga to the Solomon Islands before the development of the North Fiji and Lau Basins. Progressive reversal and cessation of subduction from west to east in the Late Miocene-Lower Plioene have been also proposed. However, precise structures and age of initiation and cessation of deformation along the Vitiaz Trench Lineament are unknown.The lineament consists of the Vitiaz Trench and three discontinuous and elongated troughs (Alexa, Rotuma and Horne Troughs) which connect the Vitiaz Trench to the northern end of the Tonga Trench. Our survey of the Alexa and Rotuma Troughs reveals that the lineament is composed of a series of WNW-ESE and ENE-WSW trending segments in front of large volcanic massifs belonging to the Melanesian Border Plateau, a WNW trending volcanic belt of seamounts and ridges on Pacific crust. The Plateau and Pacific plate lying immediately north of the lineament have been affected by intense normal faulting, collapse, and volcanism as evidenced by a series of tilted blocks, grabens, horsts and ridges trending N 120° to N100° and N60°–70°. This tectonism includes several normal faulting episodes, the latest being very recent and possibly still active. The trend of the fault scarps and volcanic ridges parallels the different segments of the Vitiaz Trench Lineament, suggesting that tectonics and volcanism are related to crustal motion along the lineament.Although the superficial observed features are mainly extensional, they are interpreted as the result of shortening along the Vitiaz Trench Lineament. The fabric north of the lineament would result from subduction-induced normal faulting on the outer wall of the trench and the zig-zag geometry of the Vitiaz Trench Lineament might be due to collision of large volcanic edifices of the Melanesian Border Plateau with the trench, provoking trench segmentation along left-lateral ENE-WSW trending transform zones. The newly acquired bathymetric and seismic data suggest that crustal motion (tectonism associated with volcanism) continued up to recent times along the Vitiaz Trench Lineament and was active during the development of the North Fiji Basin.     

Compressive tectonism along the eastern margin of Malaita Island (Solomon Islands)

New bathymetric and geophysical data were collected in the region east of the island of Malaita during the SOPACMAPS II cruise of the French research vessel L'ATALANTE. This region, part of the Malaita Anticlinorium was interpreted as a piece of oceanic crust from the Ontong Java Plateau obducted over the old Solomon Islands arc during collision between the Pacific and Australian plates. It has been generally accepted that convergent motion between the Australia and Pacific plates since the Late Miocene was absorbed exclusively along the San Cristobal trench, southwest of the Solomon Islands Arc.Bathymetry, imagery, and geophysical data (magnetism, gravity, seismic) acquired during the SOPACMAPS II survey allow us to classify the successive parallel ridges mapped within the region as being recent volcanic, oceanic crust, or deformed sedimentary ridges.Seismic profiling provides evidence of successive compressive events along the Malaita margin caused by the relative motion between the Solomon Islands and the Pacific plate. The main phase of convergence probably occurred during Oligocene-early Miocene time, but some relative motion between the two domains are still being absorbed along the East Malaita boundary. The existence of active faulting in the sedimentary cover throughout the region and the present-day deformation of the outer sedimentary ridge is a good illustration of this phenomenon.     

Last glacial maximum equilibrium-line altitude and paleo-temperature reconstructions for the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuelan Andes

The pattern and magnitude of glacier equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) lowerings in the tropics during the last glacial maximum (LGM) are topics of current debate. In the northern tropics, paleo-ELA data are particularly limited, inhibiting the ability to make regional and large-scale paleoclimatic inferences. To improve these records, nine paleo-glaciers in the Venezuelan Andes were reconstructed based on field observations, aerial photographs, satellite imagery and high-resolution digital topographic data. Paleo-glacier equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) were estimated using the accumulation-area ratio (AAR) and the area-altitude balance ratio (AABR) methods. During the local LGM in Venezuela (∼ 22,750 to 19,960 cal yr BP), ELAs were ∼ 850 to 1420 m lower than present. Local LGM temperatures were are at least 8.8 ± 2°C cooler than today based on a combined energy and mass-balance equation to account for an ELA lowering. This is greater than estimates using an atmospheric lapse rate calculation, which yields a value of 6.4 ± 1°C cooler. The paleo-glacial data from the Venezuelan Andes support other published records that indicate the northern tropics experienced a greater ELA lowering and possibly a greater cooling than the Southern Hemisphere tropics during the LGM.     

Morphology and surface brightness evolution of z∼1.1 radio galaxies

We use K '-band (2.1-μm) imaging to investigate the angular size and morphology of 10 6C radio galaxies, at redshifts 1≤ z ≤1.4. Two radio galaxies appear to be undergoing mergers, another contains, within a single envelope, two intensity peaks aligned with the radio jets, while the other seven appear consistent with being normal ellipticals in the K band.
Intrinsic half-light radii are estimated from the areas of each radio galaxy image above a series of thresholds. The 6C galaxy radii are found to be significantly smaller than those of the more radio-luminous 3CR galaxies at similar redshifts. This would indicate that the higher mean K -band luminosity of the 3CR galaxies reflects a difference in the size of the host galaxies, and not solely a difference in the power of the active nuclei.
The size–luminosity relation of the z ∼1.1 6C galaxies indicates a 1.0–1.6 mag enhancement of their rest frame R -band surface brightness relative to either local ellipticals of the same size or FRII radio galaxies at z <0.2. The 3CR galaxies at z ∼1.1 show a comparable enhancement in surface brightness. The mean radius of the 6C galaxies suggests that they evolve into ellipticals of L ∼ L * luminosity, and is consistent with their low-redshift counterparts being relatively small FRII galaxies ∼25 times lower in radio luminosity, or small FRI galaxies ∼1000 times lower in radio luminosity. Hence the 6C radio galaxies appear to undergo as much optical and radio evolution as the 3CR galaxies.     

The effective period and damping of a class of hysteretic structures

This paper presents the results of a numerical investigation in which the maximum response of six hysteretic systems is calculated for an ensemble of twelve earthquakes. Inelastic response spectra are constructed for a range of response ductility. An effective linear period and damping are calculated for each system and ductility by determining those parameters which minimize an RMS response spectrum error. Conclusions are presented concerning the effects of deterioration, stiffness degradation, cracking and ductility on the effective linear system parameters.