Mercury uptake by the estuarine species Palaemonetes pugio and Fundulus heteroclitus compared with their parasites,Probopyrus pandalicola and Eustrongylides sp

When exposed to methylmercury in the laboratory, grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, parasitized by the isopod Probopyrus pandalicola, accumulated lower concentrations of mercury than their unparasitized counterparts. The parasitic isopod accumulated far less mercury than the grass shrimp. When exposed to mercury in a contaminated field site, mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, parasitized with the nematode Eustrongylides, similarly accumulated lower concentrations of mercury than unparasitized fish, and the parasite similarly accumulated less than the host. The lower uptake by the parasites compared to their hosts is counter to the general view of biomagnification of methylmercury, since parasites are a trophic level above their hosts. The mechanism whereby parasitized animals accumulate less toxicant than unparasitized ones is unknown, but may be partially due to lower metabolic rate.     

Metamictization and U-PB isotopic discordance in single zircons: a combined Raman microprobe and SHRIMP ion probe study

Summary We report results of a combined SHRIMP ion microprobe and Raman microprobe study of the correlation between metamictization and U-Pb isotopic discordance of zircon. The spatial resolution of the SHRIMP and Raman probe used are about 200 m³ and 80 m³, respectively. This allows a direct comparison of U-Pb isotopic discordance and metamictization of small areas within zircon crystals. We show that the impact of the oxygen ion beam on the zircon during the SHRIMP analysis does not cause significant amorphization or recrystallization in the remaining zircon on a scale of 1 m. Consequently, it is possible to determine the initial degree of metamictization of zircon within and adjacent to a SHRIMP analytical spot by Raman microprobe measurements after performing SHRIMP analyses. A combination of the two microprobe techniques gives information on the concentration and distribution of radionuclides as well as the degree of metamictization and its heterogeneity and the lateral age distribution within the grain. We found that the degree of U-Pb isotopic discordance correlates closely with the degree of metamictization within single zircon grains, on a scale of 15 m, which is consistent with previous results on the scale of single and multiple zircon grains showing that metamictization enhances the relative potential for secondary loss of radiogenic lead in zircon.

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Metamiktisierung und U-Pb-Isotopendiskordanz in Einzelzirkonen: eine komplexe Untersuchung mittels Ramanmikrosonde und SHRIMP Ionensonde

Zusammenfassung Wir präsentieren die Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung des Zussammenhangs von Metamiktisierung und U-Pb Isotopendiskordanz in Zirkonen mittles kombinierter SHRIMP-Ionenmikrosonden- und Ramanmikrosondenanalysen. Die räumliche Auflösung der verwendeten Analysensysteme, experimentell mit 200 m³ (SHRIMP) und 80 m³ (Ramansonde) bestimmt, gestattet den direkten Vergleich der in Mikrobereichen innerhalb von Zirkon-Einkristallen gemessenen Isotopendiskordanzen und Metamiktisierungsgrade. Wir zeigen, daß der während der SHRIMP-Analyse auf den Zirkon einwirkende Sauerstoffionenstrahl weder signifikante Amorphisierung noch Rekristallisation des benachbarten Zirkonmaterials im 1 m-Bereich hervorruft. Es ist deshalb möglich, den Grad der Metamiktisierung eines Zirkon-Mikrobereiches auch in den SHRIMP-Analysengrübchen, d.h. erst nach dem Analysieren dieses Bereiches mit der Ionensonde, mittels hochauflösender Ramanmessungen unverfälscht zu bestimmen. Der Einsatz beider Mikromethoden liefert kombinierte Informationen zu den Gehalten und Verteilungen radioaktiver Elemente, zum Grad der Metamiktisierung und seiner Heterogenität und zur lateralen Altersverteilung innerhalb von Einzelkörnern. Wir weisen eine deutliche Korrelation des Grades der U-Pb-Isotopendiskordanz mit dem Grad der Metamiktisierung im Mikrobereich (15 m Auflösung) nach. Dies stimmt mit früheren, an Einzelzirkonen und Populationen getätigten Beobachtungen überein, daß die Metamiktisierung von Zirkon dessen Potential zu sekundären Bleiverlusten erhöht.

     

Meteoritic material at four Canadian impact craters

Eleven impact melt and 6 basement rock samples from 4 craters were analyzed by neutron activation for Au, Co, Cr, Fe, Ge, Ir, Ni, Os, Pd, Re and Se. Wanapitei Lake, Ontario: the impact melts show uniform enrichments corresponding to 1–2% C1-chondrite material. Interelement ratios ($\text{Co}\text{Cr}$, $\text{Ni}\text{Cr}$, $\text{Ni}\text{Ir}$) suggest that the impacting body was a Cl-, C2-, or LL-chondrite. Nicholson Lake, North West Territory: Ni, Cr and Co are distinctly more enriched than Ir and Au which tentatively suggests an olivine-rich achondrite (nakhlite or ureilite). Gow Lake, Saskatchewan and Mistastin, Labrador: small enrichments in Ir and Ni; both the low $\text{Ir}\text{Ni}$ ratios and low Cr content suggest iron meteorites, but the signals are too weak for conclusive identification.A tentative comparison of meteoritic signatures at 10 large, ≥4km craters and their presumed celestial counterparts (13 Apollo and Amor asteroids) shows more irons and achondrites among known projectile types, and a preponderance of S-type objects, having no known meteoritic equivalent, among asteroids. It is not yet clear that these differences are significant, in view of the tentative nature of the crater identifications (achondrites in particular), and the limited statistics.     

Serpentinization: a review

The common alteration assemblage produced by serpentinization of ultramafic rocks is: lizardite, chrysotile, magnetite±brucite±antigorite. Lizardite-chrysotile serpentinites are more common than antigorite; the presence of antigorite indicates that the serpentinite has undergone prograde metamorphism or that the periootite was serpentinized in a higher P,T regime than lizardite and chrysotile. The iron subsitution into serpentine minerals and brucite is a function of temperature at low f_O2, with increased temperature enhancing magnetite formation. The presence of awaruite and native Fe are strong evidence for a locally very reducing environment. Isotopic studies have shown a wide variety of origins for the fluids involved in serpentinization. The increased boron content of serpentinized rocks when compared to boron contents of the parent ultramafic body indicates a possible sea water origin for the fluids. Serpentinization takes place under both constant volume and constant chemical composition conditions. The factors in evaluating the importance of the two processes for an individual serpentinite are: (1) determination of the mineral assemblage and its paragenesis, (2) the structural and tectonic relationship of the ultramafic body to its country rock, (3) fluid access to the rock in duration and amount, and (4) timing of serpentinization - before, during or after emplacement into the crust.     

Iron porphyrins in the Permian Kupferschiefer of the lower Rhine Basin, N.W. Germany

Immature samples of the Permian Kupferschiefer from the Lower Rhine Basin in N.W. Germany were analysed for tetrapyrrole pigment type and abundance. The sediment, thought to have been deposited in a marine regime with enhanced salinity, was found to contain high concentrations of metalloporphyrins. The porphyrins are complexed to nickel (Ni) and oxovanadium (V=0), but high abundances of iron (Fe) porphyrins were also detected using UV/visible spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The presence in the latter of series of aetioporphyrins, cycloalkanoporphyrins, di-cycloalkanoporphyrins and benz-cycloalkanoporphyrins was confirmed by accurate mass measurements; HPLC co-injection of deoxophylloerythroetioporphyrin (C₃₂ DPEP) with the demetallated iron porphyrins indicated its presence in the sediment as an iron complex. The study provides the first evidence for the occurrence of Fe porphyrins in geological samples other than coals and lignites, and reports the highest concentrations in sedimentary organic matter to date.     

2D/3D Dust Continuum Radiative Transfer Codes to Analyze and Predict VLTI Observations

Radiative Transfer (RT) codes with image capability are a fundamental tool for preparing interferometric observations and for interpreting visibility data. In view of the upcoming VLTI facilities, we present the first comparison of images/visibilities coming from two 3D codes that use completely different techniques to solve the problem of self-consistent continuum RT. In addition, we focus on the astrophysical case of a disk distorted by tidal interaction with by-passing stars or internal planets and investigate for which parameters the distortion can be best detected in the mid-infrared using the mid-infrared interferometric device MIDI. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.