A geochemical study on mud volcanoes in the Junggar Basin, China

A comprehensive study was performed to characterize, for the first time, the mud, water, and gases released from onshore mud volcanoes located in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China. Chemical compositions of mud, along with the geology of the basin, suggest that a source of the mud is Mesozoic or Cenozoic shale. Oxygen and H isotope compositions of the released water suggest a local meteoric origin. Combined with the positive Eu anomalies of the water, a large ¹⁸O shift of the water suggests extensive interaction with rocks. Gases discharged from the mud volcanoes are predominantly thermogenic hydrocarbons, and the high δ¹³C values (>+20‰ VPDB) for CO₂ gases and dissolved carbonate in muddy water suggest secondary methanogenesis with CO₂ reduction after oil biodegradation.The enrichments of Eu and ¹⁸O in water and the low thermal gradient of the area suggest that the water-rock interactions possibly occur deeper than 3670 ± 200 m. On the other hand, considering the relationship to the petroleum reservoir around the mud volcanoes, the depth of the gases can be derived from about 3600 m, a depth that is greater than that generally estimated for reservoirs whose gas is characterized by ¹³C-enriched CO₂. Oil biodegradation with CO₂ reduction likely occurs at a shallower depth along the seepage system of the mud volcano. The results contribute to the worldwide data set of gas genesis in mud volcanoes. Moreover, they further support the concept that most terrestrial mud volcanoes release thermogenic gas produced in very deep sediments and may be early indicators of oil biodegradation, an important problem in the petroleum industry.     

Interannual variability of subsurface temperature in summer induced by the Kuroshio over Bungo Channel,Tosa Bay,and Kii Channel,south of Japan

Using historical in situ temperature record, we investigate interannual variability of temperature in summer over Bungo Channel, Tosa Bay, and Kii Channel (hereafter “BTK”), south of Japan. This study aims to reveal the interregional relation of the subsurface temperature variability between the shelf and slope as well as between BTK, and specify the primary cause of the temperature variability in terms of the Kuroshio path. It is shown that 100-m temperature on the slope of BTK is synchronous with each other and highly correlated with coastal sea levels from Kyushu to Kii Peninsula, suggesting that subsurface temperature over the slope varies simultaneously on spatial scales of 400–500 km in the along-slope direction. The 100-m temperature on the slope is also correlated with the near-bottom temperature on the shelf, implying that the near-bottom temperature is determined mainly by the larger-scale variability over the slope. The Kuroshio state in summer of each year is classified into the large meander (LM), non-large meander (NLM), and intermittent larger meander (IM) propagating eastward along the slope. It is found that remarkable temperature increases are accompanied by the IM propagations south of BTK. Temperatures during the IM and LM period are significantly different, the means of which are the highest and lowest, respectively. Temperature during the NLM period with the second highest mean value exhibits the largest variance. Statistical analysis suggests that this variance is related to the Kuroshio axis shift over Izu Ridge between the nearshore and offshore NLM paths.     

A 10-Year Study on Techniques for Vegetation Restoration in a Desertified Salt Lake Area

Vegetation restoration is one of the most common and effective ways to combat desertification and prevent adjacent areas from sand encroachment in many of the desertified regions of the world. However, vegetation restoration in desertified regions is very difficult because of low rainfall, the mobile ground surface, and cost. An effective, low-cost method of afforestation is urgently required. To determine such a method, a 10-year study was carried out in the Jilantai Salt Lake area. Five different afforestation areas were established: a ‘comparison area,’ a ‘land enclosure area,’ a ‘land enclosure + irrigation area,’ a ‘leveled-afforestation area’ (the dune areas were leveled and then planted with seedlings with added irrigation), and a ‘protected afforestation area’ (the dune areas were planted with seedlings, and the surviving natural vegetation was protected as much as possible). Vegetation-related parameters (survival rate, height, trunk diameter, coverage, canopy size, and density) and environment-related factors (relative humidity, wind velocity, and amount of sand encroachment) were measured by standard methods. Results show that the protected afforestation method had the following advantages: (1) the survival rate was higher for seedlings planted in the protected afforestation area than in the leveled afforestation area; (2) vigor (height, trunk diameter, coverage, and canopy size) was better in seedlings planted in the protected afforestation area than in the leveled afforestation area, especially in the beginning period of revegetation; (3) coverage (of individual species, of all planted vegetation, and of all vegetation) was larger in the protected afforestation area than in the leveled afforestation area; (4) density of naturally germinated plant species was higher in the protected afforestation area than in the other areas, showing that the protected afforestation method provided a suitable growing environment not only for planted species but also for naturally growing species; (5) in the protected vegetation area, relative humidity of air increased and wind velocity was greatly reduced; (6) after the establishment of vegetation by the protected afforestation method, sand encroachment into the salt lake area was significantly reduced. These results suggest that protected afforestation is an effective method of vegetation rehabilitation that has the potential not only to be applied to arid lands in China but also to desertified areas throughout the world; (7) cost-effective calculation shows that the leveled afforestation area costs much more than other areas.     

Potosiite and incaite from the Hoei mine,Japan

Summary Potosiite and incaite have been found at the Hoei mine, Oita Prefecture, Japan. Potosiite occurs as tabular crystals (3 cm x 2 cm in size), and is associated with arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, stannite,jamesonite and pyrite, whereas incaite occurs as polycrystalline aggregates rimming galena or as hair-like masses in a matrix of kutnahorite. X-ray powder data reveal that these minerals are potosiite and incaite, respectively. Electron-microprobe analyses of potosiite and incaite gave the general formula (Pb, Sn)²⁺ _6+xFeSb₂Sn⁴⁺ ₂S_14+x, with x < 2. Potosiite is homogeneous, whereas incaite, in contact with galena, is quite heterogeneous. Reflectance data for potosiite show that its bireflectance is one of the lowest among opaque minerals with a sheet-like structure.

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Potosiit und incait von der Hoei-mine, Japan

Zusammenfassung Potosiit and Incait wurden in Erzen der Hoei-Mine, Oita Präfektur, Japan, nachgewiesen. Potosiit kommt in plattigen Kristallen (3 cm x 2 cm) vor and ist mit Arsenkies, Magnetkies, Zinnkies, Jamesonit and Pyrit assoziiert. Incait kommt in polykristallinen Aggregaten, die Ränder um Bleiglanz bilden, oder als Haar-artige Massen in einer Matrix von Kutnahorite vor. Röntgendiffraktionsdaten zeigen, daß es sich hier um Potosiit and Incait handelt; Mikrosondenanalysen der beiden Minerale geben die allgemeine Formel (Pb, Sn)²⁺ _6+x(FeSb₂ ⁴⁺)₂S_4+x, with x < 2. Potosiit ist homogen, während Incait in Kontakt mit Bleiglanz inhomogen ist. Quantitative Reflexionsdaten für Potosiit zeigen, daß seine Bireflexion zu den niedrigsten bei opaken Mineralen mit Schichtgitter gehört.

     

Analysis of the zoned plagioclase of different magmatic environments: A preliminary ion-microprobe study

A method for quantitative analysis of silicates with an ion microprobe has been developed which suppresses molecular ion interferences with an energy filtering technique based on the difference in the kinetic energy distributions between single-atom ion and molecular ion species.Using this technique, the distribution patterns (zoning) of the major and trace elements were compared in plagioclase crystals from different magmatic environments. The phenocryst of an ocean-ridge tholeiite (mid-Indian Ocean Ridge) is characterized by homogeneous distribution on all elements analyzed. The apparent partition coefficient for K is more than a factor of two higher than the value found in the literature. The plagioclase grain in a Lower Zone of the Skaergaard Intrusion consists of a cumulus part with uniform An content and an intercumulus part with normal major element zoning. The cumulus part shows an outward increase of Sr and a decrease of Mg and Fe. Potassium is uniform but high, giving an apparent partition coefficient close to unity. The phenocryst in an alkali basalt from Terceira, Azores, consists of an inner part of bytownite and an outer part of labradorite with a sharp transition in between.It is suggested that the distribution of K in the Skaergaard plagioclase could represent a steady-state crystallization and that uniformity of a phase with respect to an element may not be adequate as a criterion for equilibrium.     

Variation in noble gas isotopic composition of gas samples from the Aegean arc, Greece

In contrast to most other arcs with oceanic plate subduction, the Aegean arc is characterized by continent–continent subduction. Noble gas abundances and isotopic compositions of 45 gas samples have been determined from 6 volcanoes along the arc, 2 islands in the back-arc region and 7 sites in the surrounding areas. The ³He/⁴He ratios of the samples ranged from 0.027R_A to 6.2R_A (R_A denotes the atmospheric ³He/⁴He ratio of 1.4×10⁻⁶), demonstrating that even the maximum ³He/⁴He ratio in the region is significantly lower than the maximum ratios of most oceanic subduction systems, which are equal to the MORB value of 8±1 R_A. Regional variations in the ³He/⁴He ratio were observed both along and across the arc. The maximum ³He/⁴He ratio was obtained from Nisyros volcano located in the eastern end of the arc, and the ratio decreased westward possibly reflecting the difference in potential degree of crustal assimilation or the present magmatic activity in each volcano. Across the volcanic arc, the ³He/⁴He ratio decreased with an increasing distance from the arc front, reaching a low ratio of 0.063R_A in Macedonia, which suggested a major contribution of radiogenic helium derived from the continental crust. At Nisyros, a temporal increase in ³He/⁴He ratio due to ascending subsurface magma was observed after the seismic crisis of 1995–1998 and mantle neon was possibly detected. The maximum ³He/⁴He ratio (6.2R_A) in the Aegean region, which is significantly lower than the MORB value, is not probably due to crustal assimilation at shallow depth or addition of slab-derived helium to MORB-like mantle wedge, but inherent characteristics of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Aegean arc.     

On the importance of accurately ray-traced troposphere corrections for Interferometric SAR data

Numerical weather models offer the possibility to compute corrections for a variety of space geodetic applications, including remote sensing techniques like interferometric SAR. Due to the computational complexity, exact ray-tracing is avoided in many cases and mapping approaches are applied to transform vertically integrated delay corrections into slant direction. Such an approach works well as long as lateral atmospheric gradients are small enough to be neglected. But since such an approximation holds only for very rare cases it is investigated how horizontal gradients of different atmospheric constituents can evoke errors caused by the mapping strategy. Moreover, it is discussed how sudden changes of wet refractivity can easily lead to millimeter order biases when simplified methods are applied instead of ray-tracing. By an example, based on real InSAR data, the differences of the various troposphere correction schemes are evaluated and it is shown how the interpretation of the geophysical signals can be affected. In addition, it is studied to which extend troposphere noise can be reduced by applying the exact ray-tracing solution.     

Advances in computational morphodynamics using the International River Interface Cooperative (iRIC) software

Results from computational morphodynamics modeling of coupled flow–bed–sediment systems are described for 10 applications as a review of recent advances in the field. Each of these applications is drawn from solvers included in the public-domain International River Interface Cooperative (iRIC) software package. For mesoscale river features such as bars, predictions of alternate and higher mode river bars are shown for flows with equilibrium sediment supply and for a single case of oversupplied sediment. For microscale bed features such as bedforms, computational results are shown for the development and evolution of two-dimensional bedforms using a simple closure-based two-dimensional model, for two- and three-dimensional ripples and dunes using a three-dimensional large-eddy simulation flow model coupled to a physics-based particle transport model, and for the development of bed streaks using a three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver with a simple sediment-transport treatment. Finally, macroscale or channel evolution treatments are used to examine the temporal development of meandering channels, a failure model for cantilevered banks, the effect of bank vegetation on channel width, the development of channel networks in tidal systems, and the evolution of bedrock channels. In all examples, computational morphodynamics results from iRIC solvers compare well to observations of natural bed morphology. For each of the three scales investigated here, brief suggestions for future work and potential research directions are offered. © 2019 The Authors Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd