Calcic amphibole equilibria and a new amphibole-plagioclase geothermometer

There is currently a dearth of reliable thermobarometers for many hornblende and plagioclase-bearing rocks such as granitoids and amphibolites. A semi-empirical thermodynamic evaluation of the available experimental data on amphibole+plagioclase assemblages leads to a new thermometer based on the Al^iv content of amphibole coexisting with plagioclase in silica saturated rocks. The principal exchange vector in amphiboles as a function of temperature in both the natural and experimental studies is \(\left( {Na\square _{ - 1} } \right)^A \left( {AlSi_{ - 1} } \right)^{T1}\) . We have analysed the data using 3 different amphibole activity models to calibrate the thermometer reactions 1. $$1. Edenite + 4 Quartz = Tremolite + Albite$$ 2. $$2. Pargasite + 4 Quartz = Hornblende + Albite.$$ The equilibrium relation for both (1) and (2) leads to the proposed new thermometer $$T = \frac{{0.677P - 48.98 + Y}}{{ - 0.0429 - 0.008314 ln K}} and K = \left( {\frac{{Si - 4}}{{8 - Si}}} \right)X_{Ab}^{Plag} ,$$ where Si is the number of atoms per formula unit in amphiboles, with P in kbar and T in K; the term Y represents plagioclase non-ideality, RTlnγ_ab, from Darken's Quadratic formalism (DQF) with Y=0 for X _ab>0.5 and Y=-8.06+25.5(1-X _ab)² for X _ab<0.5. The best fits to the data were obtained by assuming complete coupling between Al on the T1 site and Na in the A site of amphibole, and the standard deviation of residuals in the fit is ±38°C. The thermometer is robust to ferric iron recalculation procedures from electron probe data and should yield temperatures of equilibration for hornblende-plagioclase assemblages with uncertainties of around ±75° C for rocks equilibrated at temperatures in the range 500°–1100° C. The thermometer should only be used in this temperature range and for assemblages with plagioclase less calcic than An₉₂ and with amphiboles containing less than 7.8 Si atoms pfu. Good results have been attained on natural examples from greenschist to granulite facies metamorphic rocks as well as from a variety of mafic to acid intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks. Our analysis shows that the pressure dependence is poorly constrained and the equilibria are not suitable for barometry.     

The tsunami hypothesis—comparisons of the field evidence against the effects, on the Western Australian coast, of some of the most powerful storms on Earth

The tsunami hypothesis proposes that prehistoric tsunamis may have been larger than historic ones along coasts normally (historically) not associated with major tsunamis. The evidence for the hypothesis rests with the types of unusual sedimentary deposits and erosional forms along coasts where the largest historic and prehistoric storm waves do not appear capable of forming the features. This is especially the case at locations where boundary conditions, i.e. offshore water depth, coastal geomorphology and meteorological limitations, are not conducive to the propagation of sufficiently large storm waves at the shore. The tsunami hypothesis has been barely debated in the literature. This is despite the view of some, who suggest that storms have been overlooked, or underestimated, as a cause. Few comparisons have been made of the supposed tsunami generated features and the impacts on coasts of extreme intensity storms. Four of the most powerful tropical cyclones anywhere in the world in recent times struck the Western Australian coast between 1999 and 2002. The results of post-event surveys of these storms showed that none of them produced the enigmatic forms attributed elsewhere to tsunamis.     

Evidence for the effects of land use on freshwater ecosystems in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

To meet the challenges of preventing and reversing adverse effects of land use on ecosystems, management actions need to be founded on strong evidence. We used the pressure-state-impact (PSI) framework to assess evidence of land-use effects on New Zealand freshwater ecosystems. The evidence consisted of published quantitative and categorical associations linking land-use pressures to state changes and ecological impacts in rivers, lakes and aquifers. There was substantial evidence of land-use effects, particularly where land use/land cover (LULC) classes were used as pressure variables. Proportions of catchment area in urban and pastoral LULC were consistently, positively correlated with contaminant levels in water bodies and negatively correlated with ecological-health indicators. Other consistent PSI associations included positive correlations between cattle stocking rates and river contaminant levels, increased fine sediment and decreased ecological-health scores in rivers following forest harvest, and increased river contaminant levels at sites with stock access. Despite these consistent associations, the evidence base has four general shortcomings that should be addressed: (1) inadequate integration of data and models that link land use and contaminant loss to state changes and impacts in freshwater ecosystems; (2) weak inferences based on LULC; (3) reliance on categorical PSI associations; (4) gaps in reported PSI associations.     

A flood-dominated mesotidal inlet

Tidal inlets along the mesotidal coast of Maine contrast with those from other parts of the world by being dominated by flood-tidal currents. Analysis of the factors responsible for flood or ebb dominance indicates factors external to the backbarrier environment. We suggest that the flood dominance is caused by both a steepening of the tidal wave in the Gulf of Maine and the shallow depth of the ebb-tidal delta and spit platform. Flood currents are typically 10–20 cm/sec stronger than the ebb at the inlet throat. The flood dominance results in a significant net landward transport of sediment into the backbarrier.     

Modeling landslide recurrence in Seattle, Washington, USA

To manage the hazard associated with shallow landslides, decision makers need an understanding of where and when landslides may occur. A variety of approaches have been used to estimate the hazard from shallow, rainfall-triggered landslides, such as empirical rainfall threshold methods or probabilistic methods based on historical records. The wide availability of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital topographic data has led to the development of analytic methods for landslide hazard estimation that couple steady-state hydrological models with slope stability calculations. Because these methods typically neglect the transient effects of infiltration on slope stability, results cannot be linked with historical or forecasted rainfall sequences. Estimates of the frequency of conditions likely to cause landslides are critical for quantitative risk and hazard assessments. We present results to demonstrate how a transient infiltration model coupled with an infinite slope stability calculation may be used to assess shallow landslide frequency in the City of Seattle, Washington, USA. A module called CRF (Critical RainFall) for estimating deterministic rainfall thresholds has been integrated in the TRIGRS (Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-based Slope-Stability) model that combines a transient, one-dimensional analytic solution for pore-pressure response to rainfall infiltration with an infinite slope stability calculation. Input data for the extended model include topographic slope, colluvial thickness, initial water-table depth, material properties, and rainfall durations. This approach is combined with a statistical treatment of rainfall using a GEV (General Extreme Value) probabilistic distribution to produce maps showing the shallow landslide recurrence induced, on a spatially distributed basis, as a function of rainfall duration and hillslope characteristics.     

Lithological heterogeneity in a back-barrier sand island: Implications for modelling hydrogeological frameworks

Sediment mineralogy, quartz-grain surface-textures, grain-size analysis, bore-hole logging and ground penetrating radar are combined to develop a three dimensional stratigraphic model of a back-barrier sand island in southeast Queensland, Australia. The island consists of an unconsolidated sedimentary pile above an erosional bounding surface at the top of the underlying bedrock. The stratigraphy is complex, recording the shift in depositional environments from fluvio-deltaic to strandplain, via estuarine stages of evolution. The back-barrier island deposits are correlated with the stratigraphy of the adjacent coastal plain to the west and the barrier island to the east. Extrapolation of optically stimulated luminescence dates obtained from the barrier island combined with direct dating of the back-barrier island sediments is used to constrain the depositional age and chronology of the back-barrier island stratigraphy. The modern depositional environment evolved from a chenier plain into a barrier island system by the flooding of an interdune swale and development of a shore-parallel back-barrier tidal lagoon. The lithological heterogeneity of the back-barrier island succession was controlled by the presence of a bedrock incised palaeovalley and changes in relative sea-level.Sedimentary facies associations constrain the spatial distribution of hydraulic properties controlled by lithological heterogeneity. Post-depositional alteration horizons are integrated with the facies model to account for the effects of weathering and diagenesis on hydraulic behaviour. The derived hydrostratigraphy describes a vertically stacked, dual aquifer, island groundwater system consisting of a semi-confined palaeovalley aquifer overlain by an unconfined strand-plain aquifer.Hydrostratigraphic analysis based on sedimentary facies associations, integrated with post-depositional alteration characteristics reveals great complexity of groundwater systems within small island settings. The facies modelling approach employed in this study more accurately estimates the distribution of lithological heterogeneity and the associated variations in hydraulic properties in the sedimentary pile.     

Evaluation of trace-metal enrichments from the 26 December 2004 tsunami sediments along the Southeast coast of India

The tsunami sediments deposited after the December 2004 tsunami were sampled immediately in the coastal environment of Tamil Nadu State on the southeast coast of India. Fifty-four sediment samples were collected and 14 representative samples were selected to identify the level of metal contamination in tsunami sediments. The results indicate that the sediments are mainly of fine to medium-grained sand and contain significantly high contents of dissolved salts in sediments (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺², Mg⁺², Cl⁻) in water-soluble fraction due to seawater deposition and evaporation. Correlation of acid leachable trace metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn) indicate that Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides might play an important role in controlling their association between them. Enrichment of trace metals is observed in all the locations with reference to the background samples. High values of trace metals in the southern part of the study area are due to the large-scale industries along the coast, and they are probably anthropogenic in nature and of marine origin, which could cause serious environmental problems.