The Stability of Andradite, Hedenbergite, and Related Minerals in the System Ca--Fe--Si--O--H

Phase relations for the bulk compositions 3CaO·2FeO_x·3SiO₂+excessH₂O and CaO·FeO_x·2SiO₂+excess H₂O were determinedusing conventional hydrothermal techniques with solid phaseoxygen buffers to control fO₂. Andradite, Ca₃Fe³⁺₂Si₃O₁₂, synthesized above 550 °C hasan average unit cell edge, a_o, of 12.055±0.001 Å,and an index of refraction, n, of 1.887±0.003. Belowthis temperature, a_o increases whereas n decreases, indicatingthe formation of a member of the andradite-hydroandradite solidsolution. At 2000 bars P_fluid andradite is stable above an f_O2of 10¹⁵ bar at 800 °C and 10-³² bar at 400 °C. At lowerf_O2 andradite+fluid gives way at successively lower temperaturesto the condensed assemblages magnetite+wollastonite, kirschsteinite(CaFe²⁺SiO₄)+ wollastonite and kirschsteinite+xonotlite (Ca₆Si₆O₁₇(OH)₂). Synthetic hedenbergite, CaFe²⁺Si₂O₆, has average unit cell dimensionsof a_o = 9.857± 0.004 Å, b_o = 9.033±0.002Å, c_o = 5.254±0.002 Å and ß = 104.82°±0.03°,and refractive indices of n = 1.731±0.003 and n = 1.755±0.005.At 2000 bars P_fiuid, hedenbergite is stable below an f_O2 of10-¹³ bar at 800 °C and 10-²⁸ bar at 400 °C. Above thesef_O2 values, hedenbergite+O₂ breaks down to andradite+magnetite+quartz. The mineral pair andradite +hedenbergite thus limit the f_O2range possible for their joint formation under equilibrium conditions. The hydration of wollastonite to xonotlite occurs at much lowertemperatures than previous experimental work indicated. A tentativehigh temperature limit for this reaction is set at 185°±15°C and 5000±25 bars and 210°±15 °Cand 2000±20 bars. Inasmuch as the growth of xonotlitefrom wollastonite + H₂O was never accomplished, this high temperaturelimit does not represent an equilibrium univariant curve. Nine phases were encountered in the study of andradite and hedenbergite.They are andradite, hedenbergite, magnetite, wollastonite, kirschsteinite,xonotlite, quartz, ilvaite, and vapor (fluid). An invariantpoint analysis using the method of Schreinemakers shows thetopologic relations of the reactions involved. The resultinggrid can be used to interpret natural occurrences.     

The influence of ornithogenic products on the nutrient status of soils surrounding nests on nunataks in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

The nutrient status of soils surrounding ten snow petrel Pagodroma nivea nests was investigated by sampling along four transects (One up-slope and three down-slope) from each nest. The highest levels for total N and P.% C. nitrite and ammonia (but not nitrate) were associated with the nest itself. Elevated levels of all nutrients still occurred at I m from the nest but dropped to levels similar to those of non-bird influenced soils at 2 m or 5 m from the nest. Highest bacterial and algal numbers were also associated with the nest. An experiment to examine the breakdown of guano showed nitrification levels to be insignificant and nutrient release levels very slow.     

Evolution of Crystallizing Interstitial Liquid in an Arc-Related Cumulate Determined by LA ICP-MS Mapping of a Large Amphibole Oikocryst

High-resolution chemical mapping of a large, single, oikocrysticamphibole grain from the Eriksberg gabbro, by laser ablationinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA ICP-MS), documentsthe progressive evolution of interstitial liquid in a hydrousbasaltic system. The amphibole has a nearly constant mg-numberand only minor variations in most major elements, in part becauseof the resorption of olivine buffering the liquid composition.However, non-buffered trace elements including Sc, V, Nb, Zr,Th, U, and the rare earth elements (REE) show at least an orderof magnitude variation. For example, V varies from <1 to>1000 ppm, Zr from 4·3 to >1000 ppm, Nb from 0·14to 12·3 ppm, and the REE patterns range from bowed upwith a negative Eu anomaly to bowed down with a positive Euanomaly—all within a single crystal. The distributionof amphibole compositions indicates that the interstitial liquidwas not uniformly distributed as crystallization proceeded.Rather, the compositional variations reflect progressively morechannelized flow of interstitial liquid during compaction. Whenthe interstitial liquid evolved so that the crystallizing amphibolehad     

SQUINTING BACK AT STRABO*

ABSTRACT. Strabo of Amasia (ca. 64 B.c.‐ca. A.D. 23) wrote the first comprehensive geography of the world known to the Greeks and Romans. Interest in Strabo and his Geography, which survives nearly intact in seventeen books, has fluctuated over the centuries among both classicists and historians of geography. After some historical background on Strabo and his reception, this essay considers the contribution of two significant recent English‐language treatments, as well as Strabo's Geography itself, and suggests ways in which the Strabonic model may have renewed relevance to the geographer's task of interpreting the oikoumene in the contemporary world.     

Scanning electron microscopy of Pleistocene tills in Estonia

Tills from four Pleistocene glaciations were recovered from drill cores in Estonia and subjected to particle size and microtexture analyses by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). All tills were deposited by thick continental ice-sheets following the transport of, at most, several hundred kilometers during four Fennoscandian glaciations. The main problem is to determine if the type and range of microtextures present on the grain surfaces are diagnostic of transport in continental ice. The frequency of occurrence of microtextures including fractures, abrasion, and relief features are used to test the ability of continental ice to damage quartz particles emplaced as till. The range of quartz dissolution and presence of coatings on grains are also used to reconstruct the paleoenvironment that existed prior to transport as well as to estimate diagenetic effects that occurred following emplacement. The available data indicate a high degree of reworking of quartz grains from one glaciation to another. While the shapes and microtextures of grains from source rocks are not known, the great range of fracture and abrasion microfeatures, and high frequency of occurrence on grains in all tills, indicate that glaciers are effective crushing agents. An increase in the prevalence of chemically etched grains from older to younger tills suggests that some grains ( c . 50%) escape crushing, either because of preservation in the ice and lack of grain-to-grain contact, or as a result of massive reworking of weathered grains following interglaciations.     

The Transition to Potassic Alkaline Volcanism in Island Arcs: The Ringgit--Beser Complex, East Java, Indonesia

The origin of potassic lavas with within-plate characteristicsin island are settings is unclear. The volcanic complex of Ringgit—Beser,situated in eastern Java, has erupted lavas of both normal islandare calc-alkaline type and atypical potassic lavas, includingsome highly magnesian lavas. The occurrence of these primitivelavas gives an unusual insight into the source characteristicsof the potassic lavas. The lavas from Ringgit—Beser have a wide range of K₂O(1.1–6.4 wt. %) and MgO contents (18.0–1.6 wt.%).The most magnesian lavas have high Ni and Cr contents. The calc-alkalinelavas have incompatible trace element patterns typical of islandare lavas with enrichments in large ion lithophile elements(LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to highfield strength elements (HFSE) and heavy REE (HREE). The potassiclavas may be divided into two series on the basis of Ba andNb contents, with the enriched potassic (EK) series having higherBa and Nb contents for a given MgO content than the potassic(K) series. The EK and K series lavas have some incompatibletrace element ratios similar to within-plate lavas (e.g., highCe/Pb, low LILE/HFSE ratios, and low B/Be). However, both theEK series and K series lavas have negative Ti and Zr anomalies,and the EK series lavas have high Ba/La similar to are lavas.There is little distinction in Sr and Nd isotopes between theK and EK series, but the calc-alkaline lavas have lower ₈₇Sr/₈₆Srand higher ₁₄₃Nd/₁₄₄Nd ratios than the potassic lavas. The EKseries lavas have lower ₂₀₆Pb/₂₀₄Pb and higher ₂₀₈Pb/₂₀₄Pb thanthe K series lavas, but similar ₂₀₇Pb/₂₀₄Pb ratios. The K serieslavas define an almost horizontal trend in ₂₀₇Pb–₂₀₆Pbspace. The Pb isotopic ratios indicate that the EK series lavasare derived from a single mantle source, whereas the K seriesoriginate from a mixture of two mantle components. Calc-alkalinelavas have Pb isotope ratios similar to other calc-alkalineand tholeiitic lavas from Java, and plot on a mixing line betweenIndian Ocean mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and Indian Oceansediment. Incompatible trace element and Pb isotope data for the calc-alkalinelavas indicate that these lavas have a similar source to othercalc-alkaline lavas erupted in Java, namely melts of the IndianOcean MORB mantle fluxed by fluids from the subducted slab.The potassic lavas originate from enriched mantle sources withinthe wedge which have not been affected by recent subductionprocesses. The EK series lavas are derived from a metasomatizedzone which has EMI-type characteristics. The K series lavasare derived from mixing of melts from Christmas Island-type(EMII) mantle and the metasomatized zone. The metasomatizedzone is probably situated at the base of the lithosphere andthe Indian Ocean MORB and Christmas Island-type mantle componentsare situated in the asthenosphere of the wedge. Isotopic datafor Ringgit—Beser lavas confirm that the mantle wedgeof the Sunda arc is extremely heterogeneous (Foden & Varne,1980; Varne, 1985; Wheller et al., 1987). The similarity in geochemistry between Indonesian potassic lavasand those erupted in continental settings indicates that themagma source is essentially the same, namely a metasomatizedphlogopite-rich layer generated by melts of recycled subductedlithosphere. The lack of negative Ti anomalies in the continentalpotassic lavas is ascribed to lower oxidation states in themantle in continental settings.     

Spillover models for axial rivers in regions of continental extension: the Rio Mimbres and Rio Grande in the southern Rio Grande rift, USA

The Pliocene-early Pleistocene history of the ancestral Rio Grande and Quaternary history of the Rio Mimbres in the southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, illustrate how axial rivers may alternately spill into and subsequently abandon extensional basins. Three types of spillover basins are recognized, based on the angle at which the axial river enters the basin and whether it descends the hanging wall dip slope or footwall scarp to reach the basin floor. In the Mimbres basin type, the axial river enters and flows through the spillover basin nearly parallel to the footwall scarp, resulting in a narrow belt of basin-axis-parallel channel sand bodies located near the footwall scarp. In contrast, an axial river may enter a spillover basin at a high angle to its axis, either descending the hanging wall dip slope (Columbus basin type) or footwall scarp (Tularosa basin type), and construct a fluvial fan, consisting of radiating distributary channels orientated nearly perpendicular to the basin axis. Faulting exerts significant control on river spillover by creating the topographic gaps through which the axial river moves and by terminating spillover by subsequently uplifting or tilting the gap. Spillover may also be autocyclic in origin as a result of aggradation to the level of a pre-existing gap, headward erosion creating and/or intersecting a gap, or simple river avulsion upstream of a gap. Predicting facies architecture in the three types of spillover basins is critical to successful subsurface exploration for hydrocarbon reservoirs, groundwater aquifers or placer mineral deposits.     

Sur submarine slide, Monterey Fan, central California

The Sur debris slide and associated debris flow cover more than 1000 km² of the eastern part of Monterey submarine fan and extend from the base of the continental slope near the apex of the fan to the Monterey fan valley. The flow is generally confined between the continental slope and remnants of an older channel (Monterey East fan valley). The hummocky surface of the debris slide and diffuse echo returns from the surface of the nearly acoustically transparent debris flow, as seen in 3.5 kHz profiles, are common to large submarine slides described from passive-margin continental-slope and rise deposits. Piston cores from the Sur slide recovered contorted and sheared fan turbidite units as well as clast- and matrix-supported mudlump debris flows. The cores show that the slide debris is overlain by 0.23–0.87 m of mud and turbidite sand that limit the age of the slide to latest Holocene, although more than one stage of emplacement is possible.     

Man-made turbidity currents in Lake Superior

The discharge of taconite tailings into Lake Superior at Silver Bay, Minnesota, produces turbidity current flow. The silty fine-sand tailings fraction transported to the deepest part of the lake has formed a small fan with valleys similar in gross morphology to a submarine fan. Current meters anchored 5 m above the lake floor over the wall and over the levee of a distributary valley on the fan recorded intermittent turbidity current flows during 30 weeks in 1972–73. At least twenty-five discrete periods of observation of turbidity current flow were obtained; single episodes lasted 4?328+ h. Only flows thick enough to overflow the eastern levee of the valley could be observed, and this accounts for the intermittent nature of our observations, as flow within the valleys is expected to be continuous as long as tailings are discharged. Flow velocities were higher near the valley axis where the flow is thicker. Velocities measured over the valley wall averaged 10.8 cm/s for eleven episodes; velocities measured over the levee, more than 1/2 km from the valley axis, only 3.3 cm/s. The maximum velocity during 1300 h of observation did not exceed 31 cm/s. This agrees reasonably well with velocities calculated from channel properties, as commonly done for turbidity currents on deep-sea fans. Current meters tethered above the bottom meters indicate that lake currents normally parallel the shore throughout the water column. With the onset of a turbidity current, currents higher in the water column remain unchanged but velocities near the bottom go to zero, currents then change azimuth by 90° to parallel the downslope (down-valley) direction of the fan, then increase in velocity. During a turbidity current episode, the direction of bottom flow stays relatively constant (± 20° of the down-valley trend) but the velocity oscillates (commonly with 10 cm/s amplitude), periods being of 1/2 h or less to several hours. Turbidity currents generated on Reserve Mining Company's delta are effective in carrying essentially all tailings discharged into the lake into deeper water, where they are deposited.