Evolution of the Archean crust in Finland

An Archean age for Finnish rocks in the range 2500–3000 Ma has been determined north of the NW-striking Ladoga—Raahe shear belt. The Archean may be divided into two main units: the granitoid association and the greenstone-belt association. The complex is characterized by stockwork tectonics. The granitoid association forms the basement infrastructure and the greenston-belt association forms the suprastructure which is present in synforms between granitoid diapirs. The infrastructure has been subjected to ultrametamorphism, and the second and third generation palingenetic magmas so formed have intruded the suprastructure. The granitoid association contains widespread migmatized relicts of the greenstone-belt association, indicating that the latter originally covered much larger areas, but the granitoids are also thought to be partly transformed primitive ensialic crust on which rocks of the greenstone-belt association were deposited. The Archean rocks have been deformed in at least four subsequent phases, of which part developed in Proterozoic time. The youngest deformation is the overthrust of the granulite belt of Lapland towards SSW. NWSE striking transcurrent faults played a major role in Proterozoic time and affected cratonized Archean crust. On the whole the greenstone belts in eastern and northern Finland form a NNW-trending zone 750 km long. On a geochemical basis the volcanic rocks of the greenstone belts can be divided into two groups: tholeiites with a low potassium content and extremely low aluminium content and a calc-alkalic group with some alkalic affinities.     

Flow toward periodic tile drains

The method of conformal mapping is applied to the analysis of transient flow toward parallel periodic drains in a semi-infinite aquifer taking into consideration the non-linear boundary conditions on the free surface. The mapping function is expressed as a power series in time and the seepage domain is mapped onto a domain of an auxiliary complex variable. Mapping is performed in such a manner that the free surface will always remain the real axis. Calculations are carried out for different ratios of drain depth to drain spacing using various drain diameter to depth ratios.     

The role of collapsing and cone rafting on eruption style changes and final cone morphology: Los Morados scoria cone, Mendoza, Argentina

Payún Matru Volcanic Field is a Quaternary monogenetic volcanic field that hosts scoria cones with perfect to breached morphologies. Los Morados complex is a group of at least four closely spaced scoria cones (Los Morados main cone and the older Cones A, B, and C). Los Morados main cone was formed by a long lived eruption of months to years. After an initial Hawaiian-style stage, the eruption changed to a normal Strombolian, conebuilding style, forming a cone over 150 metres high on a northward dipping (～4°) surface. An initial cone gradually grew until a lava flow breached the cone’s base and rafted an estimated 10% of the total volume. A sudden sector collapse initiated a dramatic decompression in the upper part of the feeding conduit and triggered violent a Strombolian style eruptive stage. Subsequently, the eruption became more stable, and changed to a regular Strombolian style that partially rebuilt the cone. A likely increase in magma flux coupled with the gradual growth of a new cone caused another lava flow outbreak at the structurally weakened earlier breach site. For a second time, the unstable flank of the cone was rafted, triggering a second violent Strombolian eruptive stage which was followed by a Hawaiian style lava fountain stage. The lava fountaining was accompanied by a steady outpour of voluminous lava emission accompanied by constant rafting of the cone flank, preventing the healing of the cone. Santa Maria is another scoria cone built on a nearly flat pre-eruption surface. Despite this it went through similar stages as Los Morados main cone, but probably not in as dramatic a manner as Los Morados. In contrast to these examples of large breached cones, volumetrically smaller cones, associated to less extensive lava flows, were able to heal raft/collapse events, due to the smaller magma output and flux rates. Our evidence shows that scoria cone growth is a complex process, and is a consequence of the magma internal parameters (e.g. volatile content, magma flux, recharge, output volume) and external conditions such as inclination of the pre-eruptive surface where they grew and thus gravitational instability.     

Practical use of Phragmites australis to study evapotranspiration in a wetland zone of Lake Balaton (southwest Hungary)

In the present study, evapotranspiration (ET) data from a common reed-dominated wetland and its meteorological controls was analysed using measured ET (ET _m) in compensation evapotranspirometers. Six seasons in the time period between 2003 and 2012 were assessed with the objective of converting theoretical observations into long-term practical use. They reveal the effects of annual fluctuations and allow for a more exact understanding of the results of ET losses, which remain an elusive and substantial part of the hydrologic budget particularly in wetland habitats. Daily measured ET rates were strongly influenced by weather variables causing considerable variation of ET characteristics between the two distinguished season types. The results of multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the major meteorological elements impacting the sum of seasonal ET was much higher in the warm growing seasons (857 mm), due to increased available energy for ET, than in the cool season (385 mm). The sum of average ET totalled 778.6 mm over measurements. A simplified water budget analysis confirmed that adequate water volume, caused by precipitation, entered the Kis-Balaton wetland (KBW) area during the cool season. Conversely, in warm seasons, only 21.5 % of total ET resulted from rainfall, accentuating its seasonality in wetland. This information about annual variability of long-term ET values would assist in finding an ideal solution for determining the proper water level needed. The current balance of habitat types in wetland should be permanently assessed by selection of the suitable water level in order to sustain the most appropriate wetland ecological conditions.

     

Modern analogues for Miocene to Pleistocene alkali basaltic phreatomagmatic fields in the Pannonian Basin: “soft-substrate” to “combined” aquifer controlled phreatomagmatism in intraplate volcanic fields Research Article

The Pannonian Basin (Central Europe) hosts numerous alkali basaltic volcanic fields in an area similar to 200 000 km². These volcanic fields were formed in an approximate time span of 8 million years producing smallvolume volcanoes typically considered to be monogenetic. Polycyclic monogenetic volcanic complexes are also common in each field however. The original morphology of volcanic landforms, especially phreatomagmatic volcanoes, is commonly modified. by erosion, commonly aided by tectonic uplift. The phreatomagmatic volcanoes eroded to the level of their sub-surface architecture expose crater to conduit filling as well as diatreme facies of pyroclastic rock assemblages. Uncertainties due to the strong erosion influenced by tectonic uplifts, fast and broad climatic changes, vegetation cover variations, and rapidly changing fluvio-lacustrine events in the past 8 million years in the Pannonian Basin have created a need to reconstruct and visualise the paleoenvironment into which the monogenetic volcanoes erupted. Here phreatomagmatic volcanic fields of the Miocene to Pleistocene western Hungarian alkali basaltic province have been selected and compared with modern phreatomagmatic fields. It has been concluded that the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) in New Zealand could be viewed as a prime modern analogue for the western Hungarian phreatomagmatic fields by sharing similarities in their pyroclastic successions textures such as pyroclast morphology, type, juvenile particle ratio to accidental lithics. Beside the AVF two other, morphologically more modified volcanic fields (Pali Aike, Argentina and Jeju, Korea) show similar features to the western Hungarian examples, highlighting issues such as preservation potential of pyroclastic successions of phreatomagmatic volcanoes.     

Analysis of leaky sheetpile by Summary Representation

A numerical technique called Summary Representation was used to solve the problem of seepage through a leaky sheetpile; this particular method was selected owing to its accuracy and computational speed. Seepage parameters were evaluated quantitatively and the influence of the leakiness of sheetpiles in a porous medium underlain by an impervious horizontal stratum was determined. The case of a single sheetpile was first considered, and the effect of the depth of penetration and coefficient of leakiness on the total rate of flow and on the values of the exit gradient was analysed. Next, the flow under an impervious dam was considered to assess the accuracy of the method. Finally, the case of seepage under a dam with leaky sheetpiles at both ends was studied, including the effect of the leaky sheetpiles on the uplift pressure acting along the foundation of the dam. Patterns of seepage through the flow line deformation that is caused by the leakiness of the sheetpiles.     

The protection of groundwater dependent ecosystems in Otago, New Zealand

Surface waters (streams, rivers, and wetlands) are the most important groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in Otago, New Zealand. Pumping wells in the vicinity can deplete water in the GDE. In Otago, most of the surface water resources are allocated and a method, which would assist in the implementation of water management policy, is needed to acknowledge the strong hydraulic link between surface and shallow groundwater. A simplified method has been developed which derives a numerical relationship between the bore pumping rate and the distance between the bore and surface water body beyond which depletion is considered insignificant. A range of GDE depletion scenarios are examined at various combinations of hydraulic parameters to find a minimum distance for a given pumping rate, at which 90% of the modelled surface water depletion scenarios become less than a threshold GDE depletion after a specified time. A buffer zone, based on the minimum distance is placed around GDEs, and groundwater abstraction rights within the buffer are subject to stricter rules. Applicants wishing to abstract from bores within the buffer zone will need to address the environmental impact of the proposed activity on the GDE.