Crustal assimilation in basalt and jotunite: Constraints from layered intrusions

Massive continental volcanism and/or bolide impacts are considered by many authors to have caused three major mass extinction events during the last 300 million years: the end-Permian, end-Cretaceous and end-Triassic extinctions. However, re-evaluation of the frequency of bolide impacts and plume-related flood basalt provinces indicates that both types of event occur much more frequently than mass extinctions, and so, in isolation, may not be responsible for the largest extinctions. Furthermore, the kill mechanisms associated with either flood basalts or impacts do not appear to be sufficiently powerful to cause worldwide collapse of ecosystems leading to the largest mass extinctions. Contemporaneous flood basalts and bolide impact may be prerequisites for the largest mass extinctions. We present a statistical analysis of the probability of coincidence between volcanism and impact, and show that three random coincidences of these events in the last 300 m.y. are likely. No causal relationship between impact and volcanism is necessary. The lesser mass extinctions, on the other hand, may not require juxtaposition of two such catastrophic events; such coincidences occurring on more than three occasions during the last 300 m.y. become increasingly unlikely.     

An investigation into the removal of oil from rock utilising magnetic particle technology

The application of magnetic particle technology to environmental remediation has tended to focus, up to now, upon the removal of oil contamination from plumage and fur. The present research demonstrates the potential of this technology to remove oil contamination from the surface of rock. Specifically, a single treatment has been demonstrated to remove more than 80% by weight of heavy bunker oil from the surface of a common foreshore rock type. A further three treatments have been shown to result in an optimum removal of up to 94% by weight. The results are highly reproducible and offer the possibility of achieving up to 100% removal with the appropriate use of pre-conditioners.     

Regional heat flow patterns in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

The regional geothermal pattern of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin has been studied using available temperature data from wells. Average heat conductivity for various geological formations has been estimated on the basis of net rock studies by Canadian Stratigraphie Services. These data and observations of temperature made in “shut-in holes” in some of the oil pools have been used in heat flow estimations by the Bullard method.The geothermal gradient and heat flow within the basin are exceptionally high in comparison with the other world wide Precambrian platform areas. Especially high geothermal gradient areas are found in the northwestern part of the Prairies Basin in Alberta and British Columbia and most of southeastern and southwestern Saskatchewan. Areas of low gradient are found mainly in the Disturbed Belt of the Foothills, southern and southeastern Alberta, and the Peace River area in British Columbia. Neither the analysis of regional heat conductivity distribution nor the heat generation distribution of the basement rock of the Prairies Basin evaluated on the basis of U, Th and K data after Burwash (1979), explain the observed heat flow patterns of the Prairies Basin. Comparison of heat flow patterns with some of the hydrogeological phenomena suggests the significant influence of fluid flow in the basin formations on geothermal features. Low geothermal gradient areas coincide with water recharge areas and high hydraulic head distribution regions.The phenomenon of upward water movement in the deep strata and downward flow through much of the Cenozoic and Mesozoic strata seems to control the regional heat flow distribution in the basin. The analyses of coal metamorphism in the upper and middle Mesozoic formations of the Foothills Belt and in the central Prairies Basin suggest that the pre-Laramide paleogeothermal heat flow distribution was different from the present one. It is very probable that the Foothills Belt area was characterized by a higher geothermal gradient than the central part of the Prairies Basin, i.e. opposite to the present picture.     

Geothermometry of Kilauea Iki lava lake,Hawaii

Data on the variation of temperature with time and in space are essential to a complete understanding of the crystallization history of basaltic magma in Kilauea Iki lava lake. Methods used to determine temperatures in the lake have included direct, downhole thermocouple measurements and Fe-Ti oxide geothermometry. In addition, the temperature variations of MgO and CaO contents of glasses, as determined in melting experiments on appropriate Kilauean samples, have been calibrated for use as purely empirical geothermometers and are directly applicable to interstitial glasses in olivine-bearing core from Kilauea Iki. The uncertainty in inferred quenching temperatures is ±8–10° C. Comparison of the three methods shows that (1) oxide and glass geothermometry give results that are consistent with each other and consistent with the petrography and relative position of samples, (2) downhole thermo-couple measurements are low in all but the earliest, shallowest holes because the deeper holes never completely recover to predrilling temperatures, (3) glass geothermometry provides the greatest detail on temperature profiles in the partially molten zone, much of which is otherwise inaccessible, and (4) all three methods are necessary to construct a complete temperature profile for any given drill hole. Application of glass-based geothermometry to partially molten drill core recovered in 1975–1981 reveals in great detail the variation of temperature, in both time and space, within the partially molten zone of Kilauea Iki lava lake. The geothermometers developed here are also potentially applicable to glassy samples from other Kilauea lava lakes and to rapidly quenched lava samples from eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa.     

Relative pointing offset analysis of calibration targets with repeated observations with Herschel-SPIRE Fourier-transform spectrometer

We present a method to derive the relative pointing offsets for SPIRE Fourier-Transform Spectrometer (FTS) solar system object (SSO) calibration targets, which were observed regularly throughout the Herschel mission. We construct ratios R _obs(ν) of the spectra for all observations of a given source with respect to a reference. The reference observation is selected iteratively to be the one with the highest observed continuum. Assuming that any pointing offset leads to an overall shift of the continuum level, then these R _obs(ν) represent the relative flux loss due to mispointing. The mispointing effects are more pronounced for a smaller beam, so we consider only the FTS short wavelength array (SSW, 958–1546 GHz) to derive a pointing correction. We obtain the relative pointing offset by comparing R _obs(ν) to a grid of expected losses for a model source at different distances from the centre of the beam, under the assumption that the SSW FTS beam can be well approximated by a Gaussian. In order to avoid dependency on the point source flux conversion, which uses a particular observation of Uranus, we use extended source flux calibrated spectra to construct R _obs(ν) for the SSOs. In order to account for continuum variability, due to the changing distance from the Herschel telescope, the SSO ratios are normalised by the expected model ratios for the corresponding observing epoch. We confirm the accuracy of the derived pointing offset by comparing the results with a number of control observations, where the actual pointing of Herschel is known with good precision. Using the method we derived pointing offsets for repeated observations of Uranus (including observations centred on off-axis detectors), Neptune, Ceres and NGC 7027. The results are used to validate and improve the point-source flux calibration of the FTS.     

Comparison of industrial and high-resolution thermal data in a sedimentary basin

Temperature, temperature gradient and heat flow, derived from four wells in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin have been compared with similar quantities derived from maps constructed from industrial data. Individual industrial temperature data may differ from the high-resolution temperature log by up to 30 K, but linear regression of the collected data agrees within 10 K at all points observed. Some evidence suggests that measured conductivities, using drill-cuttings, are biased toward average values. Derived heat flows show agreement of heat flow within 10% within the Mesozoic section. In the Paleozoic section differences are greater, and more varied, with insufficient data for general conclusions. Both styles of measurement provide opportunities for interpretation, each contributing to thermal analysis of sedimentary basins.     

Present‐day stress orientation in the Clarence‐Moreton Basin of New South Wales,Australia: a new high density dataset reveals local stress rotations

Early phases of the Australian Stress Map project revealed that plate boundary forces acting on the Indo‐Australian Plate control the long wavelength of the maximum horizontal present‐day stress orientation in the Australian continent. However, all numerical models of the stress field to date are unable to predict the observed orientation of maximum horizontal stress in the northeast of New South Wales, Australia. Recent coal seam gas exploration in the Clarence‐Moreton Basin, eastern Australia, provides an opportunity to better evaluate the state of crustal stress in this part of the continent where only limited information was available prior to this study. Herein, we conduct the first analysis of the present‐day tectonic stress in the Clarence‐Moreton Basin, from drilling‐induced tensile fractures and borehole breakouts interpreted using 11.3 km of acoustic image logs in 27 vertical wells. A total of 2822 drilling‐induced stress indicators suggest a mean orientation of N069°E (±23°) for the maximum horizontal present‐day stress in the basin which is different from that predicted by published geomechanical‐numerical models. In addition, we find significant localised perturbations of borehole breakouts, both spatially and with depth, that are consistent with stress variations near faults, fractures and lithological contrasts, indicating that local structures are an important source of stress in the basin. The observation that structures can have a major control on the stresses in the basin suggests that, while gravity and plate boundary forces have the major role in the long wavelength (first‐order) stress pattern of the continent, local perturbations are significant and can lead to substantial changes in the orientation of the maximum horizontal present‐day stress, particularly at the basin scale. These local perturbations of stress as a result of faults and fractures have important implications in borehole stability and permeability of coal seam gas reservoirs for safe and sustainable extraction of methane in this area.     

Anthropogenic alluvial sediments in North Carolina Piedmont gullies indicate swift geomorphic response to 18th century land-use practices

ABSTRACT

Gullies are common erosional features in the Piedmont of North Carolina that have often been studied as indicators of poor land-management practices. However, the timing of gully formation, and thus the specific practices that caused their formation, has been largely overlooked in the literature. Here, we use the timing of gully formation to examine the geomorphic and anthropogenic triggers for erosion in the Piedmont. To do this, we mapped 74 gullies in the landscape and found that most contained alluvium within the gully or in alluvial fans. Soil pits were dug at a subset of the gully sites (16 in alluvium, 1 in colluvium, and 1 upland comparison) and examined for soil development, organic content, and particle size. Seven charcoal fragments were sampled from the soil pits and were radiocarbon dated. Radiocarbon ages cluster in the late 1700s, which suggests that early European settlers had an immediate impact on the landscape through deforestation and agriculture. The swift response of the landscape to deforestation and agriculture indicates that the argillic Piedmont soils are pre-disposed to erosion. Our results highlight the importance of erosion prevention as reforested farmland is cleared during urban expansion.