Spectroscopic investigation of humic substances in a tropical lake during a complete hydrological cycle

Fluorescence and UV‐VIS techniques were employed for the investigation of natural organic matter (NOM) of a tropical lake. The relationships of absorbance/dissolved organic carbon (A/DOC), fluorescence intensity/dissolved organic carbon (FI/DOC), fluorescence ratio (FR), and peak wavelength with the highest intensity (PW) were used to distinguish the pedogenic or aquagenic origin of NOM. The values of FR, PW and A₂₈₅/DOC of high waters (HW) or flooded period samples and of low waters (LW) period samples of the dry season, except for September 2002, confirm the predominance of pedogenic material. The spectra of water were similar to the standard fulvic acid (FA), and the spectra of FA from the lake were similar to the nearby soils, indicative of pedogenic predominance. The results confirm that the dissolved NOM of Patos Lagoon – MS (Brazil), in all sampling periods, predominantly consisted of humic substances (FA) of pedogenic origin.     

Petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic rapakivi A-type granites of the Archean Carajás metallogenic province, Brazil

Three Paleoproterozoic A-type rapakivi granite suites (Jamon, Serra dos Carajás, and Velho Guilherme) are found in the Carajás metallogenic province, eastern Amazonian craton. Liquidus temperatures in the 900–870 °C range characterize the Jamon suite, those for Serra dos Carajás and Velho Guilherme are somewhat lower. Pressures of emplacement decrease from Jamon (3.2±0.7 kbar) through Serra dos Carajás (2.0±1.0 kbar) to Velho Guilherme (1.0±0.5 kbar). Oxidizing conditions (NNO+0.5) characterized the crystallization of the Jamon magma, the Velho Guilherme magmas were reducing (marginally below FMQ), and the Serra dos Carajás magmas were intermediate between the two in this respect. The three granite suites have Archean T_DM model ages and strongly negative _Nd values (−12 to −8 at 1880 Ma), and they were derived from Archean crust. The Jamon granite suite may have been derived from a quartz dioritic source, and the Velho Guilherme granites from K-feldspar-bearing granitoid rocks with some sedimentary input. The Serra dos Carajás granites either had a somewhat more mafic source than Velho Guilherme or were derived by a larger degree of melting. Underplating of mafic magma was probably the heat source for the melting. The petrological and geochemical characteristics of the Carajás granite suites imply considerable compositional variation in the Archean of the eastern Amazonian craton. The oxidized Jamon suite granites are similar to the Mesoproterozoic magnetite-series granites of Laurentia, and they were derived from Archean igneous sources that were more oxidized than the sources of the Fennoscandian rapakivi granites. The Serra dos Carajás and Velho Guilherme granites approach the classic reduced rapakivi series of Fennoscandia and Laurentia. No counterparts of the Mesoproterozoic two-mica granites of Laurentia have been found, however. Following the model of Hoffman [Hoffman, P., 1989. Speculations on Laurentia's first gigayear (2.0 to 1.0 Ga). Geology 17, 135–138], the origin of the 1.88 Ga Carajás granites is related to a mantle superswell beneath the Trans-Amazonian supercontinent. This caused breakup of the continent and was associated with magmatic underplating and resultant crustal melting and generation of A-type granite magmas. The Paleoproterozoic continent that included the Archean and Trans-Amazonian domains of the Amazonian craton was assembled at 2.0 Ga; its disruption was initiated at 1.88 Ga, at least 200 Ma earlier than in Laurentia and Fennoscandia. The Carajás granites were related to the breakup of the supercontinent, not to subduction processes.     

Isotope geochemistry of the mafic dikes from the Vazante nonsulfide zinc deposit, Brazil

The Vazante Group, located in the northwestern part of Minas Gerais, hosts the most important zinc mine in Brazil, the Vazante Mine, which represents a major known example of a hypogene nonsulfide zinc deposit. The main zinc ore is represented by willemite and differs substantially from other deposits of the Vazante-Paracatu region, which are sulfide-dominated zinc-lead ore. The age of the Vazante Group and the hosted mineralization is disputable. Metamorphosed mafic dikes (metabasites) that cut the metasedimentary sequence and are affected by hydrothermal processes recently were found and may shed light on the geochronology of this important geological unit. Zircon crystals recovered from the metabasites are xenocrystic grains that yield U–Pb conventional ages ranging from 2.1 to 2.4 Ga, so the basement of the Vazante Group is Paleoproterozoic or has metasedimentary rocks whose source area was Paleoproterozoic. Pb isotopes determined for titanite separated from the metabasites have common, nonradiogenic Pb compositions, which prevents determination of their crystallization age. However, the Pb signatures observed for the titanite crystals are in agreement with those determined for galena from the carbonate-hosted Zn–Pb deposits hosted by the Vazante Group, including galena from minor sulfide ore bodies of the Vazante deposit. These similarities suggest that the metalliferous fluids that affected the metabasites may have been those responsible for galena formation, which could imply a similar lead source for both nonsulfide and sulfide zinc deposits in the Vazante–Paracatu district. This common source could be related to deep-seated, basin-derived, metalliferous fluids associated with a long-lived hydrothermal system related to diagenesis and deformation of the Vazante Group during the Neoproterozoic.     

Inversion of nuclear well-logging data using neural networks

This work looks at the application of neural networks in geophysical well‐logging problems and specifically their utilization for inversion of nuclear downhole data. Simulated neutron and γ‐ray fluxes at a given detector location within a neutron logging tool were inverted to obtain formation properties such as porosity, salinity and oil/water saturation. To achieve this, the forward particle‐radiation transport problem was first solved for different energy groups (47 neutron groups and 20 γ‐ray groups) using the multigroup code EVENT. A neural network for each of the neutron and γ‐ray energy groups was trained to re‐produce the detector fluxes using the forward modelling results from 504 scenarios. The networks were subsequently tested on unseen data sets and the unseen input parameters (formation properties) were then predicted using a global search procedure. The results obtained are very encouraging with formation properties being predicted to within 10% average relative error. The examples presented show that neural networks can be applied successfully to nuclear well‐logging problems. This enables the implementation of a fast inversion procedure, yielding quick and reliable values for unknown subsurface properties such as porosity, salinity and oil saturation.     

Hydrogeologic framework of Pico Island, Azores, Portugal

Pico, the youngest island of the Azores archipelago, is composed of basaltic volcanic deposits less than 300,000 years old. The principal aquifer system consists mainly of recent lava flows that are very permeable and whose head is influenced by tidal fluctuations. Groundwater abstraction is almost entirely by drilled wells. The hydraulic gradient is very low, about 10^–4, which agrees with observations made on similar volcanic islands. Groundwater also occurs in perched-water bodies, but the spring discharge from them is very low, about 10^–3 L/s. The transmissivity of the volcanic rocks ranges from 9.44×10^–3 to 3.05×10^–1 m²/s, indicating the heterogeneity of the aquifers. The hydraulic diffusivity, estimated from observations of the effects of tidal fluctuations, also confirms the high permeability of the aquifer system; the average value is higher than published values for other volcanic islands. A mixing process for fresh water and seawater, often coupled with ion-exchange mechanisms, explains the groundwater composition, which is mainly of the sodium-chloride type. The water salinity influences the groundwater quality, resulting in a chloride content that exceeds the recommended chloride limit in 91% of the wells . Water–rock interactions are dominant in the chemical evolution of the perched water, which is characterized by bicarbonate-anion type water. Electronic Publication     

Seismic Vulnerability of Historical Constructions: A Contribution

Earthquakes are known to be natural hazards that have affected tremendously historical constructions. Unfortunately, as far as earthquake impacts are concerned, there are no world statistics to compare the suffering of populations or of the building stock and their evolution in time, with the damage inflicted to the stock of historical constructions. Lately, a great effort has been placed on engineering developments: (i) to better understand the seismic behaviour of historical construction and (ii) to assess the benefits of different techniques for reinforcing these structures. However, a great deal of discussion is still going on the type of reinforcement that should be applied, how effective it is and how much it costs. Research is needed for helping in these decisions, by providing a more precise framework in this field. The aim of this review is to make an overall insight on some of the available methods for assessing seismic vulnerability of historical constructions and on how to use them in the case of occurrence of an earthquake. Given this occurrence, the objective is to minimize the effects of aftershocks, avoid hurried demolition made under extreme pressure and help shore-up parts in risk of falling. The final aim is also to help in the definition of strategies for the repair of the damaged patrimony, or as a measure to prevent damage in future earthquakes for the most vulnerable cases. The paper is illustrated with the presentation of several examples published in the literature where the author participated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geology and geophysics as successful tools in the discovery of the Lagoa Salgada Orebody (Sado Tertiary Basin – Iberian Pyrite Belt), Grândola, Portugal

Gravimetry was the main exploration method used in this high risk area to the north of the Grândola fault, in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). It showed several targets, among which the Valverde-Lagoa Salgada area stood out. Here, in August 1992, a polymetallic massive sulphide orebody was found, named Lagoa Salgada. According to the geological characteristics of the area and to the nature of the surveyed targets, other exploration techniques were used, namely: geology, magnetometry, resistivity, electrical sounding, magneto-telluric, seismic and mechanical drilling. The deposit was found under a Tertiary cover, 128?m in depth, complete with a 15?m thick gossan, caused by paleoalteration, with a supergene enrichment zone. This gossan gave way to massive sulphides, with intersections, at times, exceeding 60?m. They are limited towards the footwall by an important fault with strong associated kaolinization, which is interpreted as a reverse fault, placed on the inverse limb of an anticlinal structure. Throughout the deposit, the chemical composition of the mineralization showed great variation reaching significant values of Zn, Pb, Sn, Cu, As, Hg, Sb, Cd, Au and Ag. In the initial phase the deposit has an estimated tonnage of 5?Mt. It is related to a large gravity anomaly with the general orientation NW-SE, which was investigated by 15 boreholes made by the Instituto Geológico e Mineiro. The drilling cut an important volcanic centre of an acid to intermediate nature, around which intense hydrothermal activity was associated with contemporaneous sulphide mineralization. The gravity anomaly has two nuclei, a NW and a central one, about 450?m apart, where a pyrite orebody with polymetallic sulphides and stockwork sulphide mineralization are developed. This discovery led to an extensive exploration project that confirmed the mining potentialities of the NW sector of the IPB, to the north of Grândola fault, where previously no polymetallic sulphide occurrences were known.     

Temperature depression in the lowland tropics in glacial times

Equatorial air temperatures at low elevations in the New World tropics are shown by pollen and other data to have been significantly lowered in long intervals of the last glaciation. These new data show that long recognized evidence for cooling at high elevations in the tropics were symptomatic of general tropical cooling and that they did not require appeal to altered lapse rates or other special mechanisms to be made to conform with conclusions that equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were scarcely changed in glacial times. The new data should be read in conjunction with recent findings that Caribbean (SSTs) were lowered in the order of 5 ° C, contrary to previous interpretations. Thus these accumulating data show that low latitudes as well as high were cooled in glaciations. In part the earlier failure to find evidence of low elevation cooling in the lowland tropics resulted from the data being masked by strong signals for aridity given by old lake levels in parts of Africa and elsewhere. Global circulation models used to predict future effects of greenhouse warming must also be able to simulate the significant cooling of the large tropical land masses at glacial times with reduced greenhouse gas concentrations. Plants and animals of the Amazon forest and similar ecosystems are able to survive in wide ranges of temperatures, CO₂ concentrations, and disturbance, though associations change constantly.     

A Surface-Layer Study of the Transport and Dissipation of Turbulent Kinetic Energy and the Variances of Temperature,Humidity and CO$$_$$

We discuss scalar similarities and dissimilarities based on analysis of the dissipation terms in the variance budget equations, considering the turbulent kinetic energy and the variances of temperature, specific humidity and specific CO\(_2\) content. For this purpose, 124 high-frequency sampled segments are selected from the Boundary Layer Late Afternoon and Sunset Turbulence experiment. The consequences of dissipation similarity in the variance transport are also discussed and quantified. The results show that, for the convective atmospheric surface layer, the non-dimensional dissipation terms can be expressed in the framework of Monin–Obukhov similarity theory and are independent of whether the variable is temperature or moisture. The scalar similarity in the dissipation term implies that the characteristic scales of the atmospheric surface layer can be estimated from the respective rate of variance dissipation, the characteristic scale of temperature, and the dissipation rate of temperature variance.     

Present day sedimentary processes on the northern Iberian shelf

The Galicia-Minho Shelf features two large mud patches, the Douro and the Galicia Mud patches. These are recent sediment bodies that have accumulated under a combination of conditions including: (1) abundant supplies of sediment; (2) morphological barriers that act as sediment traps; and (3) hydrographic conditions that favour the accumulation of fine sediment in these sinks. This paper describes the mechanisms controlling the deposition of the fine-grained sediment depositions and the processes that result in resuspension processes on the Galicia-Minho Shelf.Fine-grained sediments are provided from discharges from the river basins on the southern sector of the shelf, mainly the Douro and Minho rivers. Sediments are exported from river estuaries onto the shelf during episodic flood events. In contrast, most of the sediments originating from the Galician hinterland fail to contribute significantly to sedimentation on the shelf, because they are retained in the Galician Rías, which function as sediment traps.Sediments deposited on the shelf are frequently remobilized, particularly during southwesterly storms that coincide with downwelling conditions. Once in suspension the fine-grained sediments are transported northwards by the poleward flowing bottom currents and are eventually deposited on the Douro and Galicia Mud patches after a series of resuspension events. The locations of the two mud patches are strongly influenced by the shelf morphology.Fines already deposited on the mud patches are occasionally reintroduced into the system by large storm events. Some material from the Douro Mud patch and adjacent areas is re-deposited in the Galicia Mud patch. It is probable that sediments re-suspended from the Galicia Mud patch are carried off the shelf when storm events coincide with downwelling conditions.