Interpretation of Holocene lake-level change from diatom assemblages in Lake Sidi Ali,Middle Atlas,Morocco

While palaeohydrological changes in non-outlet lakes provide a key proxy indicator of past climatic fluctuations, for lake systems which have been chemically insensitive, it is necessary to use indicators of water depth rather than salinity to reconstruct their hydro- climatic histories. A study of diatoms in the modern sediments of Sidi Ali, a non-outlet lake in the Middle Atlas of Morocco, has shown a statistically significant correlation between water depth and the ratio of planktonic to littoral diatoms. This relationship is used to calibrate fossil diatom assemblages from a lake sediment core from the same lake to provide a quantitative index of water levels over the pastc. 6500 years. Palaeoecological evidence suggests that climatically induced hydrological variations have dominated the bulk of the mid-late Holocene lake sediment record, with significant human-induced catchment disturbance only occurring during the twentieth century. The pattern of water depth fluctuations suggests that the response time of the regional groundwater system to climatic forcing is <100 years.This is the third in a series of papers published in this issue on the paleolimnology of arid regions. These papers were presented at the Sixth International Palaeolimnology Symposium held 19–21 April, 1993 at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Dr A. R. Chivas served as guest editor for these papers.     

A theoretical model of the stable sulfur isotope distribution in marine sediments

A diffusion-diagenesis model of the sulfur cycle is developed to calculate theoretical distributions of stable sulfur isotopes in marine sediments. The model describes the depth variation in δ³⁴S of dissolved sulfate and H₂S. and of pyrite. The effects of sulfate reduction, sulfate and H₂S diffusion. and of sedimentation are considered as well as the bacterial isotope fractionation and the degree of pyrite formation. Under open system conditions of sulfur diagenesis the isotopic difference, ΔSO^2?₄ — H₂S, tends to increase with depth being smaller than the bacterial fractionation factor near the sediment surface and larger in deeper layers. The two isotopes in SO^2?₄ or in H₂S do not diffuse in the same proportion as they occur in the porewater. This explains why sulfur, which is incorporated from seawater sulfate by diffusion and precipitation as pyrite, can be enriched in ³²S relative to the seawater sulfate. The model calculations demonstrate the importance of taking the whole dynamic sulfur cycle into account before drawing conclusions about sulfur diagenesis from the stable isotope distribution.     

Two-dimensional resistivity imaging and modelling in areas of complex geology

A system is described for the automatic measurement of electrical resistivity pseudo-sections. This comprises a linear array of up to 32 electrodes connected through a multicore cable to a computer controlled switching module and a resistivity meter. The processing of the measured sections to produce two-dimensional true resistivity images of the subsurface is briefly described. Some account is given of the capabilities and limitations of the technique. This is illustrated by a series of computed constant separation traverses for models of simple subsurface structures. Examples of processed images derived from sections measured in areas of relatively complex geology follow, a comparison being made of the interpretations obtained using an automatic imaging method and a manual iterative approach. It is concluded that with the equipment and software so far developed, in areas of modest subsurface geological complexity where some control is available and where the structures are essentially two-dimensional, then good approximations to the true geoelectric sections can be obtained down to depths of between 100 and 200 m.     

The bailer test: a simple effective pumping test for assessing borehole success

A new pumping test method has been designed around the practical requirements of those working in rural water-supply projects in developing countries. The bailer test needs only simple equipment and can be completed in under 1 h. The test involves removing 20–50 bails from a borehole over a 10-min period and then measuring the recovery. The test is analysed using large-diameter-well analysis (which accounts for well storage) and is appropriate for testing low productivity aquifers (transmissivity 0.1–10 m² d^–1), where water levels are shallow (<20 m depth). The bailer test was developed and trialled in a rural water supply project in Nigeria where it was found to predict similar transmissivity to 5-h constant rate tests (r²=0.9). Analysis of the test was further simplified to provide guidelines for field staff such as community health workers. The likelihood of a borehole sustaining a handpump for 250 people can be indicated by measuring the maximum drawdown and time for 50 and 75% recovery from a bailer test and comparing to a simple table. This simplified test is now being used in this and other rural water-supply projects, and has been modified to indicate whether a borehole can sustain higher yields for small-scale irrigation.     

Effective anisotropic velocity model from surface monitoring of microseismic events

We develop a methodology to obtain a consistent velocity model from calibration shots or microseismicity observed on a buried array. Using a layered 1D isotropic model derived from checkshots as an initial velocity model, we invert P‐wave arrival times to obtain effective anisotropic parameters with a vertical axis of symmetry (VTI). The nonlinear inversion uses iteration between linearized inversion for anisotropic parameters and origin times or depths, which is specific to microseismic monitoring. We apply this technique to multiple microseismic events from several treatments within a buried array. The joint inversion of selected events shows a largely reduced RMS error indicating that we can obtain robust estimates of anisotropic parameters, however we do not show improved source locations. For joint inversion of multiple microseismic events we obtained Thomsen anisotropic parameters ε of 0.15 and δ of 0.05, which are consistent with values observed in active seismic surveys. These values allow us to locate microseismic events from multiple hydraulic fracture treatments separated across thousands of metres with a single velocity model. As a result, we invert the effective anisotropy for the buried array region and are able to provide a more consistent microseismicity mapping for past and future hydraulic fracture stimulations.     

Regulation of bacterial sulfate reduction and hydrogen sulfide fluxes in the central namibian coastal upwelling zone

The coastal upwelling system off central Namibia is one of the most productive regions of the oceans and is characterized by frequently occurring shelf anoxia with severe effects for the benthic life and fisheries. We present data on water column dissolved oxygen, sulfide, nitrate and nitrite, pore water profiles for dissolved sulfide and sulfate,³⁵S-sulfate reduction rates, as well as bacterial counts of large sulfur bacteria from 20 stations across the continental shelf and slope. The stations covered two transects and included the inner shelf with its anoxic and extremely oxygen-depleted bottom waters, the oxygen minimum zone on the continental slope, and the lower continental slope below the oxygen minimum zone. High concentrations of dissolved sulfide, up to 22 mM, in the near-surface sediments of the inner shelf result from extremely high rates of bacterial sulfate reduction and the low capacity to oxidize and trap sulfide. The inner shelf break marks the seaward border of sulfidic bottom waters, and separates two different regimes of bacterial sulfate reduction. In the sulfidic bottom waters on the shelf, up to 55% of sulfide oxidation is mediated by the large nitrate-storing sulfur bacteria, Thiomargarita spp. The filamentous relatives Beggiatoa spp. occupy low-O₂ bottom waters on the outer shelf. Sulfide oxidation on the slope is apparently not mediated by the large sulfur bacteria. The data demonstrate the importance of large sulfur bacteria, which live close to the sediment-water interface and reduce the hydrogen sulfide flux to the water column. Modeling of pore water sulfide concentration profiles indicates that sulfide produced by bacterial sulfate reduction in the uppermost 16 cm of sediment is sufficient to account for the total flux of hydrogen sulfide to the water column. However, the total pool of hydrogen sulfide in the water column is too large to be explained by steady state diffusion across the sediment-water interface. Episodic advection of hydrogen sulfide, possibly triggered by methane eruptions, may contribute to hydrogen sulfide in the water column.     

Radioelements,radiogenic helium and age relationships for groundwaters from the granites at Stripa,Sweden

The solution of radioelements and radiogenic ⁴He by groundwaters in fractured rocks is dependent upon the radioelement distribution in the rock matrix and the extent of the rock-water interface. The ${}^{234}\text{U}{}^{238}\text{U}$ activity ratio and the dissolved U, Rn and He contents of such groundwaters respond to changes in the flow regime with time. Although ${}^{234}\text{U}{}^{238}\text{U}$ activity ratios change with groundwater residence time as a consequence of ²³⁴Th-recoil induced solution of ²³⁴U, the activity ratio is strongly influenced by the U distribution within fractures, by the extent of the rock-water interface and by the amount of ²³⁸U in solution. A model for the quantitative evaluation of these effects is presented.Groundwaters from depths up to 880 m in the Stripa granite have variable dissolved uranium contents and ${}^{234}\text{U}{}^{238}\text{U}$ activity ratios. The uranium geochemistry is primarily determined by variations in flow path rather than by groundwater age.Dissolved radiogenic ⁴He in the groundwaters increases with their depth of origin, and is dependent upon the U content of the granite and upon its fracture porosity. It increases with groundwater residence time but movement of ⁴He by diffusion and transport processes make the actual groundwater age indeterminate.     

Nannofossils: the smoking gun for the Canarian hotspot

The origin of volcanism in the Canary Islands has been a matter of controversy for several decades. Discussions have hinged on whether the Canaries owe their origin to seafloor fractures associated with the Atlas Mountain range or to an underlying plume or hotspot of superheated mantle material. However, the debate has recently come to a conclusion following the discovery of nannofossils preserved in the products of the 2011–2012 submarine eruption at El Hierro, which tell us about the age and growth history of the western‐most island of the archipelago. Light coloured, pumice‐like ‘floating rocks’ were found on the sea surface during the first days of the eruption and have been shown to contain fragments of pre‐island sedimentary strata. These sedimentary rock fragments were picked up by ascending magma and transported to the surface during the eruption, and remarkably retained specimens of pre‐island Upper Cretaceous to Pliocene calcareous nannofossils (e.g. coccolithophores). These marine microorganisms are well known biostratigraphical markers and now provide crucial evidence that the westernmost and youngest island in the Canaries is underlain by the youngest sediment relative to the other islands in the archipelago. This finding supports an age progression for the onset of volcanism at the individual islands of the archipeligo. Importantly, as fracture‐related volcanism is known to produce non‐systematic age‐distributions within volcanic alignments, the now‐confirmed age progression corroberates to the relative motion of the African plate over an underlying mantle plume or hotspot as the cause for the present‐day Canary volcanism.     

Biodegradability of trimethylbenzene isomers under the strictly anaerobic conditions in groundwater contaminated by gasoline

Trimethylbenzene (TMB), as a constituent of gasoline, is often expected to be used as a conservative tracer in anaerobic BTEX-contaminated groundwater site to correct for attenuation due to dispersion, dilution and sorption along a flow path. To evaluate the suitability of using TMB as a tracer and to better understand biodegradability of TMB in contaminated groundwater by gasoline under anaerobic conditions, laboratory microcosms were conducted with mixed nitrate/iron/sulfate electron-acceptor amendments, using aquifer materials collected from Canadian Forces Base (CFB), Borden, Ontario, Canada. The results showed that under denitrifying conditions, biodegradation of 1,3,5-TMB, 1,2,4-TMB and 1,2,3-TMB were relatively slow and after 204 days of incubation approximately 27, 24, and 16% of the initial concentrations, respectively, were degraded in the microcosms. Under sulfate-reducing conditions, TMB isomers were recalcitrant. In contrast, significant biodegradation of TMB was observed under iron-reducing conditions. 1,3,5-TMB, 1,2,4-TMB and 1,2,3-TMB were degraded to 44, 47, and 24% of initial concentrations with first-order biodegradation rate constants of 0.003, 0.006 and 0.013 d⁻¹, respectively. This study indicates that TMB biodegradation is insignificant under nitrate and sulfate-reducing conditions but significant under iron-reducing conditions. Therefore, the use of TMB as a tracer for interpreting removal of other biodegradable gasoline constituents such as BTEX requires caution, especially in the presence of iron-reducing conditions.