A geochemical model of mid-ocean ridge magma chambers

A computer model of mid-ocean ridge basalt generation using trace element geochemistry has been developed. The model simulates a periodically replenished, continually cooled and fractionated magma chamber, with periodic lava extrusion. Primitive basalts from the ocean floor are used to generate likely evolution paths for the magma chamber. The steady state variant of this model has led to the isolation of several variables which critically affect the basalt composition. Although the fraction of cumulates is an important parameter, other variables such as the volume of incoming magma batches, their frequency, and the volume of the mixing cell, play a critical part especially on slow-spreading ridges. The growing magma chamber model uses random number generators to simulate the initiation and growth of a chamber. This model predicts a rapid increase in incompatible element concentrations, immediately after chamber initiation on a fast-spreading ridge. This would occur in situations such as propagating rifts and may help in the understanding of ferrobasalt generation.     

Australian Rock Coasts: review and prospects

Studies of Australian rock coasts (except carbonate reefs) are reviewed and considered in view of recent process and morphological studies. The unique nature of the Australian coast, its geographical distribution and relative stability mean that it is a productive environment in which to research fundamental questions concerning rock coasts. Future research directions are identified, specifically in the areas of processes, morphology and modelling.     

Structure of the lithosphere below the southern margin of the East European Craton (Ukraine and Russia) from gravity and seismic data

The present study was undertaken with the objective of deriving constraints from available geological and geophysical data for understanding the tectonic setting and processes controlling the evolution of the southern margin of the East European Craton (EEC). The study area includes the inverted southernmost part of the intracratonic Dnieper-Donets Basin (DDB)–Donbas Foldbelt (DF), its southeastern prolongation along the margin of the EEC–the sedimentary succession of the Karpinsky Swell (KS), the southwestern part of the Peri-Caspian Basin (PCB), and the Scythian Plate (SP). These structures are adjacent to a zone, along which the crust was reworked and/or accreted to the EEC since the late Palaeozoic. In the Bouguer gravity field, the southern margin of the EEC is marked by an arc of gravity highs, correlating with uplifted Palaeozoic rocks covered by thin Mesozoic and younger sediments. A three-dimensional (3D) gravity analysis has been carried out to investigate further the crustal structure of this area. The sedimentary succession has been modelled as two heterogeneous layers—Mesozoic–Cenozoic and Palaeozoic—in the analysis. The base of the sedimentary succession (top of the crystalline Precambrian basement) lies at a depth up to 22 km in the PCB and DF–KS areas. The residual gravity field, obtained by subtracting the gravitational effect of the sedimentary succession from the observed gravity field, reveals a distinct elongate zone of positive anomalies along the axis of the DF–KS with amplitudes of 100–140 mGal and an anomaly of 180 mGal in the PCB. These anomalies are interpreted to reflect a heterogeneous lithosphere structure below the supracrustal, sedimentary layers: i.e., Moho topography and/or the existence of high-density material in the crystalline crust and uppermost mantle. Previously published data support the existence of a high-density body in the crystalline crust along the DDB axis, including the DF, caused by an intrusion of mafic and ultramafic rocks during Late Palaeozoic rifting. A reinterpretation of existing Deep Seismic Sounding (DSS) data on a profile crossing the central KS suggests that the nature of a high-velocity/density layer in the lower crust (crust–mantle transition zone) is not the same as that of below the DF. Rather than being a prolongation of the DDB–DF intracratonic rift zone, the present analysis suggests that the KS comprises, at least in part, an accretionary zone between the EEC and the SP formed after the Palaeozoic.     

Estimating the Effects of Map Error on Habitat Delineation for the California Spotted Owl in Southern California

The reliability of habitat maps that have been generated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and image processing of remotely sensed data can be overestimated. Habitat suitability and spatially explicit population viability models are often based on these products without explicit knowledge of the effects of these mapping errors on model results. While research has considered errors in population modeling assumptions, there is no standardized method for measuring the effects of inaccuracies resulting from errors in landscape classification. Using landscape‐scale maps of existing vegetation developed for the USDA Forest Service in southern California from Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite data and GIS modeling, we performed a sensitivity analysis to estimate how mapping errors in vegetation type, forest canopy cover, and tree crown size might affect delineation of suitable habitat for the California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis). The resulting simulated uncertainty maps showed an increase in the estimated area of suitable habitat types. Further analysis measuring the fragmentation of the additional patches showed that they were too small to be useful as habitat areas.     

North Atlantic Oscillation response to transient greenhouse gas forcing and the impact on European winter climate: a CMIP2 multi-model assessment

This study investigates the response of wintertime North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) to increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) as simulated by 18 global coupled general circulation models that participated in phase 2 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP2). NAO has been assessed in control and transient 80-year simulations produced by each model under constant forcing, and 1% per year increasing concentrations of CO₂, respectively. Although generally able to simulate the main features of NAO, the majority of models overestimate the observed mean wintertime NAO index of 8 hPa by 5–10 hPa. Furthermore, none of the models, in either the control or perturbed simulations, are able to reproduce decadal trends as strong as that seen in the observed NAO index from 1970–1995. Of the 15 models able to simulate the NAO pressure dipole, 13 predict a positive increase in NAO with increasing CO₂ concentrations. The magnitude of the response is generally small and highly model-dependent, which leads to large uncertainty in multi-model estimates such as the median estimate of 0.0061±0.0036 hPa per %CO₂. Although an increase of 0.61 hPa in NAO for a doubling in CO₂ represents only a relatively small shift of 0.18 standard deviations in the probability distribution of winter mean NAO, this can cause large relative increases in the probabilities of extreme values of NAO associated with damaging impacts. Despite the large differences in NAO responses, the models robustly predict similar statistically significant changes in winter mean temperature (warmer over most of Europe) and precipitation (an increase over Northern Europe). Although these changes present a pattern similar to that expected due to an increase in the NAO index, linear regression is used to show that the response is much greater than can be attributed to small increases in NAO. NAO trends are not the key contributor to model-predicted climate change in wintertime mean temperature and precipitation over Europe and the Mediterranean region. However, the models’ inability to capture the observed decadal variability in NAO might also signify a major deficiency in their ability to simulate the NAO-related responses to climate change.     

Preliminary correlation of palynological assemblages from Oman with the Granulatisporites confluens Oppel Zone of the grant formation (lower Permian), Canning Basin, Western Australia

The presence of Granulatisporites confluens Archangelsky and Gamerro indicates an Asselian-Tastubian (lowermost Permian) age for glaciogene sediments in the Amal-6 borehole, Oman. This suggests that the Al Khlata Formation is in part coeval with glaciogene sediments of the Canning Basin, Western Australia, and sediments of the Chacoparana Basin, Argentina.     

Effect of a dolerite intrusion on triterpane stereochemistry and kerogen in Rundle oil shale,Australia

Stereochemical changes of triterpanes present in extracts from an immature oil shale sequence intruded by a 3-m dolerite sill have been studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The steric configuration of the hopanes was observed to change from one dominated by the thermally less stable 17β(H), 21β(H) configuration at some distance from the intrusion, to one dominated by the thermally more stable 17α(H), 21β(H) and 17β(H), 21α(H) configurating in the immediate vicinity of the intrusion. In addition, severe alteration of the kerogen appeared to have taken place as a result of the contact metamorphism, and high concentrations of extractable organic matter were observed below the intrusion. Characterization of the kerogens by Curie-point pyrolysis has enabled the effects of the intrusion on the shales to be monitored.     

Amphiboles from Dalradian metasedimentary rocks of NE Scotland: environmental inferences and distinction from amphiboles of meta-igneous amphibolites

Summary Several formations within the lower part of the Dalradian Appin Group are characterised by calcareous and calc-silicate lithologies. Amphibole occurs in these metasedimentary units in a variety of habits, from fine-grained disseminated crystals, through radiating aggregates permeating the whole rock, to dark green layers consisting of over 90% amphibole. Electron microprobe analyses of these amphiboles exhibit simple compositional trends from tremolite, through tremolitic hornblende to magnesio-hornblende. The only significant substitutions are from tremolite towards alumino-tschermakite [MgSi Al^viAl^iv] and from tremolite towards ferri-tschermakite [MgSi Fe^viAl^iv].This is in marked contrast to amphiboles from nearby suites of metavolcanic rocks and intrusive metadolerites which exhibit four coupled substitutions, leading from tremolite towards the ferro-actinolite, edenite, alumino-tschermakite and ferritschermakite end-members. These distinctive compositional trends may aid the distinction between para- and ortho-amphibolites elsewhere.Tremolitic amphibole commonly constitutes a high proportion of the calc-silicate rocks, the only other phases present being quartz ± phlogopite. Carbonate minerals are notably absent. This suggests that the sedimentary protolith was high in Mg, such as a dolomitic marl, possibly containing some magnesite. Sedimentological considerations suggest deposition in tropical latitudes in restricted coastal lagoons forming part of an extensive stable shelf bordering a mature landscape.

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Amphibole in Metasedimenten der Dalradians, NE Schottland: Rückschlüsse auf prämetamorphe Ablagerungsbedingungen und Unterscheidung von Amphibolen aus orthomagmatischen Amphiboliten

Zusammenfassung Mehrere Formationen im unteren Teil der Appin Gruppe der Dalradians sind durch karbonatische und kalk-silikatische Lithologien gekennzeichnet. Amphibole treten in diesen metasedimentären Einheiten in verschiedener Ausbildung auf, als feinkörnige, disseminierte Kristalle, als radialstrahlige, die Gesteine durchwachsende Aggregate und in dunkelgrünen, zu mehr als 90% aus Amphibolen bestehenden Lagen. Elektronenstrahl-Mikrosondenuntersuchungen belegen einfache mineralchemische Zusammensetzungen, die Tremolite, tremolitische Hornblende und Magnesio-Hornblende umfassen. Die einzige bedeutende Substitution ist die zwischen Tremolit und Alumino-Tschermakit [MgSi Al^viAl^iv] und zwischen Tremolit und Ferri-Tschermakit [MgSi = Fe^viAl^iv].Im Gegensatz dazu zeigen Amphibole aus den nahegelegenen Metavulkaniten und intrusiven Metadoleriten vier Substitutionstrends von Tremolit zu Ferro-Aktinolith, Edenit, Alumino-Tschermakit und Ferri-Tschermakit. Diese unterschiedlichen Trends könnten auch anderswo bei der Unterscheidung zwischen Para- und Orthoamphiboliten behilflich sein. Tremolitische Amphibole machen normalerweise einen Großteil der kalk-silikatischen Gesteine aus, in denen ansonsten nur Quarz ± Phlogopit auftritt. Karbonate fehlen bemerkenswerterweise. Dies weist auf Mg-reiche sedimentäre Protolithe, wie dolomitische Mergel mit möglicherweise etwas Magnesit, hin. Sedimentologische Überlegungen lassen die Ablagerung in abgeschnürten Küstenlagunen tropischer Breiten, die Teil eines weiträumigen stabilen Schelfes waren, vermuten.

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The Managing Editor regrets that the complete text of this paper has already been published in Mineral Petrol 49: 45–62 (1993)