The Devonian history of northeastern Australia

Devonian rocks occur in northeastern Australia within the ‘Tasman Geosyncline’ in three major tectonic divisions—(a) a very broad mobile platform related to the last stages of stabilisation of the Lachlan Geosyncline, marginal to which is found, (b) the volcanic‐rich New England Geosyncline, and (c) a contrasting region in northern Queensland where complex marine to continental sedimentation occurred on cratonic blocks while non‐volcanic flysch‐like sedimentation occurred in the marginal Hodgkinson Basin.

The tectonic setting was governed by differences in the nature of the continental margin, so that the New England Geosyncline and Hodgkinson Basin, which developed along the eastern margin of the continent from the earliest Devonian to the late Palaeozoic, show correspondingly different sedimentation and deformation histories.

An integrated account of the Devonian geology of these regions is given, leading to.an interpretation of the environments of the Devonian in terms of plate‐tectonic movements, generally from the east.

Postulated tectonic zones within the New England Geosyncline region include pre‐Devonian deep ocean deposits with mild high‐pressure low‐temperature meta‐morphism, and Devonian volcanic arc and marginal sea volcanic‐derived deposits. Within the mobile platform to the west, variable marine and continental deposits are associated with volcanicity in the zone transitional to the New England Geosyncline. In the northern region, rifting of the craton and development of an Atlantic‐type margin was followed by subduction with folding and metamorphism at the end of the Devonian.

The Devonian rocks are strongly affected by intense late Palaeozoic tectonic and igneous activity in the eastern marginal regions, but only minor effects are seen to the west.     

Initial Fe/O Enhancements in Large, Gradual, Solar Energetic Particle Events: Observations from Wind and Ulysses

Shocks driven by fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the dominant particle accelerators in large, “gradual” solar energetic particle (SEP) events. In these events, the event-integrated value of the iron-to-oxygen ratio (Fe/O) is typically ～?0.1, at least at energies of a few MeV/nucleon. However, at the start of some gradual events, when intensities are low and growing, initially Fe/O is ～?1. This value is also characteristic of small, “impulsive” SEP events, in which particle acceleration is due to magnetic reconnection. These observations suggested that SEPs in gradual events also include a direct contribution from the flare that accompanied the CME launch. If correct, this interpretation is of critical importance: it indicates a clear path to interplanetary space for particles from the reconnection region beneath the CME. A key issue for the flare origin is “magnetic connectedness”, i.e., proximity of the flare site to the solar footpoint of the observer’s magnetic field line. We present two large gradual events observed in 2001 by Wind at L1 and by Ulysses, when it was located at >?60^° heliolatitude and beyond 1.6 AU. In these events, transient Fe/O enhancements at 5?–?10 MeV/nucleon were seen at both spacecraft, even though one or both is not “well-connected” to the flare. These observations demonstrate that an initial Fe/O enhancement cannot be cited as evidence for a direct flare component. Instead, initial Fe/O enhancements are better understood as a transport effect, driven by the different mass-to-charge ratios of Fe and O. We further demonstrate that the time-constant of the roughly exponential decay of the Fe/O ratio scales as R ², where R is the observer’s radial distance from the Sun. This behavior is consistent with radial diffusion. These observations thus also provide a potential constraint on models in which SEPs reach high heliolatitudes by cross-field diffusion.     

Multi-technique approach to characterise the effects of cryopreservation on larval development of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Cryopreservation experiments were conducted on D-stage larvae of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) to investigate the effects of two cryoprotectant solutions and three cooling rates on larval development from 1 to 22 days post-fertilisation. Cryoprotectant solutions were made up to final concentrations (after 1:1 dilution with larvae) of 10% ethylene glycol, 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone and either 0.2 or 0.4 M trehalose. Three cooling rates (0.5, 1 and 2 °C min^?1 between ?10 and ?35 °C post-holding) were tested in an orthogonal design with the two cryoprotectants. Results indicate that control larvae out-performed all cryopreservation treatments for survival, feeding consumption and shell length parameters. However, larvae exposed to 0.4 M trehalose did considerably better than those exposed to 0.2 M trehalose, regardless of cooling rate conditions. Scanning electron and light microscopy observations were used to assess larval morphology and organogenesis, indicating that treatments with surviving larvae were morphologically and developmentally similar to control larvae.     

Ordinary (mesostasis) and not‐so‐ordinary (symplectites) late‐stage assemblages in howardites

Abstract– Two categories of symplectites have been observed in howardites: three‐phase, composed of vermicular intergrowths of ferroan augite, fayalitic olivine, and silica, and two‐phase, composed of vermicular intergrowths of orthopyroxene and troilite. Three‐phase symplectites have been previously shown to represent the breakdown products of metastable pyroxene. In howardites, they appear to be genetically related to gabbroic eucrites. In some cases and under yet‐to‐be specified conditions, ferroan clinopyroxene in gabbroic eucrites may undergo only localized decomposition resulting in oriented exsolution‐like features. Breakdown phases in those cases are fayalitic olivine, silica, and—depending on the MgO content of the system—orthopyroxene. As opposed to three‐phase symplectites, two‐phase symplectites are most likely of diogenitic origin. They probably formed via impact‐induced localized melting of diogenitic orthopyroxene in the presence of troilite (grain boundary melting). Three‐phase symplectites in howardites occasionally contain accessory amounts of ilmenite, troilite, and/or kamacite and are exclusively associated with medium‐grained FeO‐rich pyroxene, silica, and plagioclase. All minerals involved are late‐stage crystallites or mesostasis phases. In general, highly evolved eucritic lithologies constitute only a minor fraction of howardites. However, considering that three‐phase symplectites are generated in a low‐pressure, i.e., near‐surface, environment, FeO‐ and CaO‐rich eucritic rocks may be exposed locally on Vesta’s surface. This, in turn, is highly relevant to the ongoing DAWN mission.     

The first magnetic maps of a pre-main-sequence binary star system – HD 155555

We present the first maps of the surface magnetic fields of a pre-main-sequence binary system. Spectropolarimetric observations of the young, 18 Myr, HD 155555 (V824 Ara, G5IV+K0IV) system were obtained at the Anglo-Australian Telescope in 2004 and 2007. Both data sets are analysed using a new binary Zeeman–Doppler imaging (ZDI) code. This allows us to simultaneously model the contribution of each component to the observed circularly polarized spectra. Stellar brightness maps are also produced for HD 155555 and compared to previous Doppler images.
Our radial magnetic maps reveal a complex surface magnetic topology with mixed polarities at all latitudes. We find rings of azimuthal field on both stars, most of which are found to be non-axisymmetric with the stellar rotational axis. We also examine the field strength and the relative fraction of magnetic energy stored in the radial and azimuthal field components at both epochs. A marked weakening of the field strength of the secondary star is observed between the 2004 and 2007 epochs. This is accompanied by an apparent shift in the location of magnetic energy from the azimuthal to radial field. We suggest that this could be indicative of a magnetic activity cycle. We use the radial magnetic maps to extrapolate the coronal field (by assuming a potential field) for each star individually – at present ignoring any possible interaction. The secondary star is found to exhibit an extreme tilt (≈75°) of its large-scale magnetic field to that of its rotation axis for both epochs. The field complexity that is apparent in the surface maps persists out to a significant fraction of the binary separation. Any interaction between the fields of the two stars is therefore likely to be complex also. Modelling this would require a full binary field extrapolation.     

Resonance and Capture of Jupiter Comets

A number of Jupiter family comets such as Otermaand Gehrels 3make a rapid transition from heliocentric orbits outside the orbit of Jupiter to heliocentric orbits inside the orbit of Jupiter and vice versa. During this transition, the comet can be captured temporarily by Jupiter for one to several orbits around Jupiter. The interior heliocentric orbit is typically close to the 3:2 resonance while the exterior heliocentric orbit is near the 2:3 resonance. An important feature of the dynamics of these comets is that during the transition, the orbit passes close to the libration points L ₁and L ₂, two of the equilibrium points for the restricted three-body problem for the Sun-Jupiter system. Studying the libration point invariant manifold structures for L ₁and L ₂is a starting point for understanding the capture and resonance transition of these comets. For example, the recently discovered heteroclinic connection between pairs of unstable periodic orbits (one around the L ₁and the other around L ₂) implies a complicated dynamics for comets in a certain energy range. Furthermore, the stable and unstable invariant manifold tubes associated to libration point periodic orbits, of which the heteroclinic connections are a part, are phase space conduits transporting material to and from Jupiter and between the interior and exterior of Jupiter's orbit.     

High fO2 During Sillimanite Zone Metamorphism of Part of the Barrovian Type Locality, Glen Clova, Scotland

The redox state of sillimanite zone (650–700°C, 5–6kbar) metasediments of the Barrovian type area, Scotland, wasinvestigated using estimates of metamorphic oxygen fugacity(f_O2), sulfur fugacity (f_S2), and fluid chemistry based on newdeterminations of mineral and rock compositions from 33 samples.A total of 94% of the samples lack graphite, contain both ilmenite–hematitesolid solutions (RHOMOX) and magnetite, and had metamorphicf_O2 about 2 log₁₀ units above the quartz–fayalite–magnetite(QFM) buffer. The regional variation in metamorphic f_O2 forthese rocks was minimal, about ±0·3 log₁₀ units,reflecting either a protolith that was homogeneous with respectto redox state, or an initially variable protolith whose redoxstate was homogenized by metamorphic fluid–rock interaction.RHOMOX inclusions in garnet porphyroblasts that become richerin ilmenite from the interior to the edge of the host porphyroblastsuggest that at least some syn-metamorphic reduction of rockoccurred. Significant variations in bulk-rock oxidation ratio(OR) that are probably inherited from sedimentary protolithsare found from one layer to the next; OR ranges mostly between     

The Two-Phase Region and Excess Mixing Properties of Paragonite-Muscovite Crystalline Solutions

The chemical compositions of synthetic paragonite-muscovitepairs were obtained by electron probe microanalysis of run productsprepared hydrothermally at 300, 400, 500, and 600 ?C and 2.07kbar. The microcrystalline run products were dispersed on polishedberyllium rods, and Na, K, and Si were determined simultaneously.Compositions were determined from K/Si and Na/Si ratios referredto standards. Tentative excess thermodynamic mixing properties of paragonite-muscovitecrystalline solutions, based on the two-phase composition dataand on X-ray diffraction data, are represented by the followingthird-order Margules formulation: which leads to a critical temperature of 833 ?C and a criticalcomposition of 39.0 mole per cent Mu at 2.07 kbar (the criticalphase is probably metastable with respect to alkali feldsparand corundum). These results are quantitatively in agreementwith Iiyama's (1964) ion-exchange data. From relationships amongthe quantities (arctanh s)/s, In r², and 1/T we obtain criticalconditions which are in good agreement with the above (T_c =829 ?C, N_2c = 0.396). The critical curve obtained from the aboveMargules parameters is given by: T_c(?C) = 768.8 + 31.00P(kbar). The above results are complicated by polymorphism and by possiblelack of complete equilibrium between the two-mica synthesisproducts and possible substitution of hydronium for alkalies.We emphasize, therefore, that the phase diagrams and derivedmixing properties should be applied with caution to naturalmuscovite- and paragonite-bearing assemblages.     

The Petrology of Grospydite Xenoliths from the Zagadochnaya Kimberlite Pipe in Yakutia

The xenoliths of garnet–clinopyroxene–disthene rocks(grospydites and associated kyanite eclogites) from the Zagadochnayakimberlite pipe in Yakutia have been studied in detail. Contraryto previous data, the presence of a continuous range in thepyrope-grossular series of garnets is shown on the basis ofnumerous X-ray data and 17 chemical analyses of garnets. Thisconclusion is confirmed by the study of separate grains withkyanite intergrowths from the kimberlite heavy fraction, whichare present in the kimberlite as the result of destruction ofgrospydite xenoliths, and possible, of garnet-kyanite rocksalso. A close connection of the calcium content in the garnetwith the sodium content in the coexisting clinopyroxes is alsoshown. An increase in the chemical potential of sodium resultsin the stability of the pryoxene-kyanite assemblage insteadof a garnet of intermediate composition (50 percent of grossular).The interval of the miscibility gap between calcium-rich andcalcium-poor garnets is increased in this way. The data of chemicalanalyses of 14 pyroxenes from the xenoliths indicate that theydiffer in the high aluminium and sodium content from other pyroxenesof eclogite-facies rocks. Chromium-rich bands with a high chromiumcontent in coexisting garnet, pyroxene, and kyantic have beenoccasionally found in the xenoliths. A study has been made ofthe chrome-kyanite with 12.86 per Cr202. The presence of chromium-richminerals in the grospydite xenoliths confrms their connectionwith ultrabasic rocks.