Intergranular coesite and coesite inclusions in dolomite from the Dabie Shan: Constraints on the preservation of coesite in UHP rocks

Intergranular coesite is extremely rare in, and bears crucial information on the formation and preservation of, ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) rocks. Here, we report the first occurrence of intergranular coesite in a metasedimentary rock, which occurs in the Ganjialing area in the Dabie Shan, east‐central China, and contains abundant coesite inclusions in both garnet and dolomite. We investigated the content of structural water in these minerals with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Our new results undermine the ubiquity of the “pressure‐vessel” model and highlight the role of reaction kinetics in preserving coesite due to the availability of water in UHP rocks.     

Holocene peatland development and hydrological variability inferred from bog‐pine dendrochronology and peat stratigraphy – a case study from southern Sweden

Dendrochronological analysis was applied to subfossil remains of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) buried in a South Swedish peat deposit. In combination with peat stratigraphy, this approach was explored for its potential to provide information on the local hydrological and depositional history at the site, forming the basis for a regional palaeohydrological analysis. A 726‐year ring‐width chronology was developed and assigned an absolute age of 7233–6508 cal a BP (5284–4559 BC) through cross‐dating with German bog‐pine chronologies, whereas two short additional records of older ages were radiocarbon dated. Registration of growth positions of individual trees allowed assessment of the spatial dynamics of the pine population in response to hydrological changes and peatland ontogeny. Annually resolved growth variability patterns in the pine population reveal several establishment and degeneration phases, probably reflecting fluctuations in bog‐surface wetness. A major establishment phase at 7200–6900 cal a BP reflects the onset of a period of lowered groundwater level, also indicated by increased peat humification, and a development consistent with regional temperature and lake level reconstructions revealed from other proxies. This study demonstrates that subfossil bog‐pine populations may provide annually to decadally resolved reconstructions of local groundwater variability, which are highly relevant in a long‐term palaeoclimatic context. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GIS-based assessment of landslide susceptibility on the base of the Weights-of-Evidence model

The major scope of the study is the assessment of landslide susceptibility of Flysch areas including the Penninic Klippen in the Vienna Forest (Lower Austria) by means of Geographical Information System (GIS)-based modelling. A statistical/probabilistic method, referred to as Weights-of-Evidence (WofE), is applied in a GIS environment in order to derive quantitative spatial information on the predisposition to landslides. While previous research in this area concentrated on local geomorphological, pedological and slope stability analyses, the present study is carried out at a regional level. The results of the modelling emphasise the relevance of clay shale zones within the Flysch formations for the occurrence of landslides. Moreover, the distribution of mass movements is closely connected to the fault system and nappe boundaries. An increased frequency of landslides is observed in the proximity to drainage lines, which can change to torrential conditions after heavy rainfall. Furthermore, landslide susceptibility is enhanced on N-W facing slopes, which are exposed to the prevailing direction of wind and rainfall. Both of the latter geofactors indirectly show the major importance of the hydrological conditions, in particular, of precipitation and surface runoff, for the occurrence of mass movements in the study area. Model performance was checked with an independent validation set of landslides, which are not used in the model. An area of 15% of the susceptibility map, classified as highly susceptible, “predicted” 40% of the landslides.     

Turbulent exchange above a pine forest II. Organized structures

Data from two 100-min runs on the turbulent atmospheric wind, temperature and humidity fields above a pine forest have been analysed using conditional sampling techniques. With the aid of the temperature time series, ramp events were identified and all fields were averaged in order to remove smaller scale turbulence and random low-frequency turbulence, and to map the organized structures revealed in this way. It is shown that the turbulent fluxes of momentum, heat and humidity, determined from these ramp-events, in fact constitute a large part of the total fluxes, about 90% during the actual events.On average, the duration of and the time between ramps were found to be about 35 s and 100 s, respectively. These periods were also found in the uw-, wT- and wq-cospectra, not only in the data analysed in this paper, but in the major part of all day-time data from this forest site (about 80 runs of 60 or 100 min). This indicates that the ramp events described arc a rather common phenomenon. The organized structures also have remarkable resemblance to near-wall structures observed in the laboratory.     

The influence of the fluid phase composition on the solidus temperatures in the haplogranite system NaAlSi3O8-KAlSi3O8-SiO2-H2O-CO2

The solidus temperatures in the haplogranite-system NaAlSi₃O₈-KAlSi₃O₈-SiO₂-H₂O-CO₂ have been determined up to 15 kbar for a constant molar ratio of sodium to potassium of 11 and for fluid compositions ranging from pure water to pure carbon dioxide. The data for the water-saturated solidus are virtually identical with those of previous studies. At constant pressure, the solidus curve as a function of the fluid phase composition exhibits a point of inflection in the range of the water-rich compositions. This phenomenon is attributed to chemical interactions between the CO₂ and the H₂O in the silicate melt. The point of inflection disappears if the CO₂ in the gas phase is replaced by molecular nitrogen. The CO₂-saturated solidi have been measured at 2 and 5 kbars. The data at 5 kbar indicate a melting point depression in the order of 40° C compared to the dry solidus of Huang and Wyllie (1975). The experimental data can be used to estimate the melting temperatures of common quartz and feldspar bearing crustal rocks under the conditions of granulite facies metamorphism. Since for most fluid phase compositions, the solidus curves are very steep in the P, T-diagram, the beginning of melting is nearly exclusively determined by the fluid composition and almost independent of pressure between about 2 and more than 10 kbar. Therefore, the onset of partial melting in quartz and feldspar containing rocks under granulite facies conditions can be used to estimate the composition of a coexisting H₂O-CO₂ fluid phase if geothermometric data are available. The temperature range between the beginning of granulite facies metamorphism and the initiation of melting expands with increasing carbon dioxide content in the H₂O-CO₂ fluid phase. At a CO₂ molar fraction of 0.9, this range extends from about 600° C to 900° C and is almost independent of pressure.     

Cyclic organochlorines in North Sea sediments,relation with size and organic matter

Summary The geographical distribution of organic matter and particles <20 m in North Sea sediments as well as the correlation between organic content, <20 m fraction and PCB (as the sum of content of 24 individual components), p, p-DDE, HCB, -HCH and Lindane (-HCH) is reported. High amounts of organic matter and fine particles have been found in Fladen Ground, Kattegat/Skagerrak/Norwegian Channel, and the inner German Bight. Organic matter settling in the Kattegat/Skagerrak/Norwegian Channel is probably degraded by benthic organisms, including mineralization by bacteria. The smelter in south Norway and the rivers Ems and Elbe are point sources for HCB, the mud-area south-east of Helgoland is a point source for HCB and PCBs. No point source, however, was found for p,p-DDE. Sediment content of PCB, p,p-DDE and HCB show a good correlation to the amount of organic matter and to the <20 m fraction. -HCH and Lindane are only poorly adsorbed onto sediments.

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Zyklische organische Chlorverbindungen in Nordseesedimenten: Verteilung von organischer Substanz und feinpartikulärem Material

Zusammenfassung Es wird über die Verteilung von organischer Substanz und feinpartikulärem Material <20 m in Nordseesedimenten sowie über die Korrelation der Sedimentparameter mit den Konzentrationen von polychlorierten Biphenylen (24 Einzelisomere), p,p-DDE, HCB, -HCH und Lindan (-HCH) berichtet. Hohe Gehalte an organischer Substanz und der <20 m Fraktion wurden im Fladengrund, Kattegat/ Skagerrak/Norwegische Rinne sowie in der inneren Deutschen Bucht gefunden. Die Ergebnisse legen den Schluß nahe, daß ein Großteil des sedimentierten organischen Materials vor der norwegischen Küste von Benthosorganismen und Bakterien verstoffwechselt wird. Durch die mit Søderbergelektroden arbeitenden Metallschmelzen Südnorwegens sowie durch die Flüsse Elbe und Ems werden die Sedimente punktuell mit HCB belastet. Das Schlammgebiet südöstlich von Helgoland tritt als Emittent für PCBs in Erscheinung. Für p,p-DDE konnte keine Punktquelle nachgewiesen werden. Im Gegensatz zu -HCH und Lindan korrelieren die Sedimentkonzentrationen an PCBs, HCB und p,p-DDE gut mit den Gehalten an organischer Substanz bzw. feinpartikulärem Material.

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Les Organochlorines cycliques dans les Sédiments de la Mer du Nord, relation avec la taille et les matières organiques

Résumé La distribution géographique de matière organique et des particules de taille inférieure à 20 m dans les sédiments de la Mer du Nord ainsi que la corrélation entre le contenu organique, (la fraction <20 m) et PCB (somme des contenus de 24 composants individuels), p, p-DDE, HCB, -HCH et Lindane (-HCH) est décrite. D'importantes quantités de matières organiques et de particules fines ont été trouvées à Fladen Ground, Kattegat/Skagerrak/Norwegian Channel et dans le baie intérieur allemende. Les composants organiques qui se trouvent dans le Kattegat/ Skagerrak/Norwegian Channel sont probablement soumis à la dégradation par des organismes (benthic), et aussi à une minéralisation par bactéries. Les usines de métallurgie du Sud de la Norvège et la rivière l'Ems et l'Elbe sont des points sources pour HCB, les zones de boue au Sud Est de Helgoland sont des points sources pour HCB et PCB. Aucun point source ne fût trouvé cependant pour p, p-DDE. Le contenu en sédiment de PCB, p, p-DDE et HCB montre une bonne corrélation avec la quantité de matière organique et la fraction <20 m. -HCH et Lindane ne sont que peu absorbés dans les sédiments.

     

4He diffusion in specular hematite

In order to test the chronometer qualities of speculante for the (U + Th)/He dating method, ⁴He release experiments by stepwise heating of two specularites from the Rimbach mineralization locality in the southern Vosgues (France) have been carried out. The diffusion coefficients define linear Arrhenius plots within a temperature interval of 250 to 830 °C, which is suggestive of volume diffusion. Extrapolation of the diffusion behavior to 20° C yields diffusion coefficients (D₂₀ values) smaller than 10^?26 [cm² s^?1] for both hematites with activation energies at 116 [kJ/mole]. The results of our study suggest that specularite is a very helium retentive hematite variety which is capable of quantitatively retaining radiogenic helium over geologic periods of time.