An experimental study of Fe-Mg partitioning between olivine and orthopyroxene at 1173, 1273 and 1423 K and 1.6 GPa

The partitioning of Mg and Fe²⁺ between coexisting olivines and orthopyroxenes in the system MgO-FeO-SiO₂ has been investigated experimentally at 1173, 1273, 1423 K and 1.6 GPa over the whole range of Mg/Fe ratios. The use of barium borosilicate as a flux to promote grain growth, and the identification by back-scattered electron imaging of resulting growth rims suitable for analysis by electron microprobe, results in coexisting olivine and orthopyroxenene compositions determined to a precision of±0.003 to 0.004 in molar Fe/(Mg+Fe). Quasi-reversal experiments were performed starting with Mg-rich olivine and Fe-rich orthopyroxene (low K_D) and vice versa (high K_D), which produced indistinguishable results. The distribution coefficient, K_D, depends on composition and on temperature, but near Fe/(Mg+Fe)=0.1 (i.e. mantle compositions) these effects cancel out, and K_D is insensitive to temperature. The results agree well with previous experimental investigations, and constrain the thermodynamic mixing properties of Mg-Fe olivine solid solutions to show small near-symmetric deviations from ideality, with between 2000 and 8000 J/mol. Multiple non-linear least squares regression of all data gave a best fit with (implying 5450 J/mol at 1 bar) and , but the two W _G parameters are so highly correlated with each other that our data are almost equally well fit with , as obtained by Wiser and Wood. This value implies , apparently independent of temperature. Our experimental results are not compatible with the assessment of olivine-orthopyroxene equilibria of Sack and Ghiorso.     

Life-history traits of the symbiotic scale-worm Branchipolynoe seepensis and its relationships with host mussels of the genus Bathymodiolus from hydrothermal vents

Associations between scale‐worms and giant mussels are common constituents of hydrothermal vent and cold seep ecosystems, but very little is known about their nature and ecology. Here, we analyze the ecological characteristics of the associations between Branchipolynoe seepensis, an obligate symbiotic polychaete, and their host mytilid mussels Bathymodiolus puteoserpentis and B. azoricus inhabiting hydrothermal vent fields on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. Infested mussels generally harbored a single symbiont (<4% had two to six worms). Infestation rate varied from 7.2% to 76.5%, increasing with mussel size, and was significantly lower for B. puteoserpentis. Symbiont density at Lucky Strike ranged between 1071 and 1191 individuals m⁻². Female symbiont size was always positively correlated with host size, while only males and juveniles from small mussels showed the same trend. This suggested a relatively long‐lasting host/symbiont association for females and short‐lasting association with successive reproductive migrations for adult males. The sex ratio of symbionts was always biased in favor of females. Males were smaller and more slender than females and had one mode in their size distributions, whereas females typically had three or more modes, suggestive of a longer life span in females. Between 59.1% and 72.2% of mussels had damaged soft tissues with substantially higher incidence of trauma in infested ones, suggesting that symbionts may cause trauma. The symbionts also induce tunnel‐like structures among the ctenidia, indicating fidelity to a particular location inside the host. Based on our data, together with the fact that infested mussels became relatively wider than non‐infested ones, this association is considered parasitic (likely kleptoparasitic). Our data, together with those from previous studies, allowed us to define the main life‐history traits of B. seepensis: (i) the relationship with their host is parasitic, (ii) the association begins at the smallest mytilid size classes, (iii) there is sexual dimorphism in body size, (iv) sex ratio deviates from 1:1 in favor of females, (v) fertilization occurs through temporal pairing and pseudocopulation, (vi) sperm are stored by females, (vii) eggs are large (likely lecithotrophic or with direct development), (viii) females have a longer life span than males, (ix) adult males may be semalparous, undertaking reproductive migrations followed by a short period of pairing and then death, and (x) females have a semi‐continuous iteroparous reproductive cycle.     

Near-surface electromagnetic, rock magnetic, and geochemical fingerprinting of submarine freshwater seepage at Eckernf?rde Bay (SW Baltic Sea)

Submarine groundwater discharge in coastal settings can massively modify the hydraulic and geochemical conditions of the seafloor. Resulting local anomalies in the morphology and physical properties of surface sediments are usually explored with seismo-acoustic imaging techniques. Controlled source electromagnetic imaging offers an innovative dual approach to seep characterization by its ability to detect pore-water electrical conductivity, hence salinity, as well as sediment magnetic susceptibility, hence preservation or diagenetic alteration of iron oxides. The newly developed electromagnetic (EM) profiler Neridis II successfully realized this concept for a first time with a high-resolution survey of freshwater seeps in Eckernf?rde Bay (SW Baltic Sea). We demonstrate that EM profiling, complemented and validated by acoustic as well as sample-based rock magnetic and geochemical methods, can create a crisp and revealing fingerprint image of freshwater seepage and related reductive alteration of near-surface sediments. Our findings imply that (1) freshwater penetrates the pore space of Holocene mud sediments by both diffuse and focused advection, (2) pockmarks are marked by focused freshwater seepage, underlying sand highs, reduced mud thickness, higher porosity, fining of grain size, and anoxic conditions, (3) depletion of Fe oxides, especially magnetite, is more pervasive within pockmarks due to higher concentrations of organic and sulfidic reaction partners, and (4) freshwater advection reduces sediment magnetic susceptibility by a combination of pore-water injection (dilution) and magnetite reduction (depletion). The conductivity vs. susceptibility biplot resolves subtle lateral litho- and hydrofacies variations.     

Sedimentation rates in the central lake constance determined with210Pb and137Cs

Sediment cores from central Lake Constance were dated with²¹⁰Pb and¹³⁷Cs. A sedimentation rate of (0.11±0.02) g·cm⁻²·y⁻¹ was determined with the²¹⁰Pb method.¹³⁷Cs measurements revealed sedimentation rates of (0.11±0.01) g·cm⁻²·y⁻¹ and (0.08±0.01) g·cm⁻²·y⁻¹ respectively for two different cores sampled at the same location. The lower Cs-dated value indicates incomplete core recovery and demonstrates the sensitivity of this simple dating method to small losses of material at the water/sediment interface. An unambiguous application of the¹³⁷Cs method is, therefore, only possible if complete core recovery is ensured. Sedimentation rates based on particulate matter, collected in sediment traps at various water depths, agree with the results of the radioisotope methods. Estimates of 30–125 days residence times for suspended particulate matter were calculated from⁷Be measurements.     

Synthesis of Ca-tourmaline in the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-B2O3-H2O-HCl

Summary. ?Ca-tourmaline has been synthesized hydrothermally in the presence of Ca(OH)₂ and CaCl₂-bearing solutions of different concentration at T = 300–700 °C at a constant fluid pressure of 200 MPa in the system CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-B₂O₃-H₂O-HCl. Synthesis of tourmaline was possible at 400 °C, but only above 500 °C considerable amounts of tourmaline formed. Electron microprobe analysis and X-ray powder data indicate that the synthetic tourmalines are essentially solid solutions between oxy-uvite, CaMg₃- Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃O, and oxy-Mg-foitite, □(MgAl₂)Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃O. The amount of Ca ranges from 0.36 to 0.88 Ca pfu and increases with synthesis temperature as well as with bulk Ca-concentration in the starting mixture. No hydroxy-uvite, CaMg₃(MgAl₅)(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃(OH), could be synthesized. All tourmalines have < 3 Mg and > 6 Al pfu. The Al/(Al + Mg)-ratio decreases from 0.80 to 0.70 with increasing Ca content. Al is coupled with Mg and Ca via the substitutions Al₂□Mg₋₂Ca₋₁ and AlMg₋₁H₋₁. No single phase tourmaline could be synthesized. Anorthite ( + quartz in most runs) has been found coexisting with tourmaline. Other phases are chlorite, tremolite, enstatite or cordierite. Between solid and fluid, Ca is strongly fractionated into tourmaline ( + anorthite). The concentration ratio D = Ca(fluid)/Ca(tur) increases from 0.20 at 500 °C up to 0.31 at 700 °C. For the assemblage turmaline + anorthite + quartz + chlorite or tremolite or cordierite, the relationship between Ca content in tourmaline and in fluid with temperature can be described by the equation (whereby T = temperature in °C, Ca(tur) = amount of Ca on the X-site in tourmaline, Ca( fluid) = concentration of Ca²⁺ in the fluid in mol/l). The investigations may serve as a first guideline to evaluate the possibility to use tourmaline as an indicator for the fluid composition.

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Zusammenfassung. ?Synthese von Ca-Turmelin im System CaO-MgO-Al ₂ O ₃ -SiO ₂ -B ₂ O ₃ -H ₂ O-HCl Im System CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-B₂O₃-H₂O-HCl wurde Ca-Turmalin hydrothermal aus Ca(OH)₂ and CaCl₂-haltigen L?sungen bei T = 300–700 °C und einem konstanten Fluiddruck von 200 MPa synthetisiert. Die Synthese von Turmalin war m?glich ab 400 °C, aber nur oberhalb von 500 °C bildeten sich deutliche Mengen an Turmalin. Elektronenstrahl-Mikrosondenanalysen und R?ntgenpulveraufnahmen zeigen, da? Mischkristalle der Reihe Oxy-Uvit, CaMg₃Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃O, und Oxy-Mg-Foitit, □(MgAl₂)Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃O gebildet wurden. Der Anteil an Ca variiert zwischen 0.36 und 0.88 Ca pfu und nimmt mit zunehmender Synthesetemperatur und zunehmender Ca-Konzentration im System zu. Hydroxy-Uvit, CaMg₃(MgAl₅) (Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃(OH), konnte nicht synthetisiert werden. Alle Turmaline haben < 3 Mg und > 6 Al pfu. Dabei nimmt das Al/(Al + Mg)- Verh?ltnis mit zunehmendem Ca-Gehalt von 0.80 auf 0.70 ab. Al ist gekoppelt mit Mg und Ca über die Substitutionen Al₂□Mg₋₂Ca₋₁ und AlMg₋₁H₋₁. Einphasiger Turmalin konnte nicht synthetisiert werden. Anorthit (+ Quarz in den meisten F?llen) koexistiert mit Turmalin. Andere Phasen sind Chlorit, Tremolit, Enstatit oder Cordierit. Ca zeigt eine deutliche Fraktionierung in den Festk?rpern Turmalin (+ Anorthit). Das Konzentrationsverh?ltnis D = Ca(fluid)/Ca(tur) nimmt von 0.20 bei 500 °C auf 0.31 bei 700 °C zu. Für die Paragenese Turmalin + Anorthit + Quarz mit Chlorit oder Tremolit oder Cordierit gilt folgende Beziehung zwischen Ca-Gehalt in Turmalin und Fluid und der Temperatur: (wobei T = Temperatur in °C, Ca(tur) = Anteil an Ca auf der X-Position in Turmalin, Ca(fluid) = Konzentration von Ca²⁺ im Fluid in mol/l). Die Untersuchungen dienen zur ersten Absch?tzung, ob Turmalin als Fluidindikator petrologisch nutzbar ist.

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Received July 24, 1998;/revised version accepted October 21, 1999     

Relation between the Subducting Plate and Seismicity Associated with the Great 1964 Alaska Earthquake

—Tectonic studies of the great 1964 Alaska earthquake have underappreciated the nature of the subducted plate in influencing seismicity. We compare seismological observations in the Prince William and Kodiak areas that ruptured during this earthquake with the corresponding morphology and structure of the subducting plate. The upper plate geology (Prince William Terrane) and velocity structure are the same in both areas. In the Prince William area where the Yakutat Terrane subducted, the energy released and coupling were stronger than above the Kodiak subduction zone where thick trench sediment subducts. The conjecture that lower plate character or the amount of subducted sediment affects coupling helps explain variability in seismology, geodetic inversions and the horizontal velocity of GPS stations.     

Fossile Landfaunen und das Atlantis-Problem

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

significance of benthic organisms for the growth and movement of manganese nodules,Equatorial North Pacific

Pronounced variations in slope topography and offshelf spillover have produced a three-fold difference (9 to 25 cm/1,000 yr) in Late Quaternary deposition rates among slope cores southeast of the Mid-Atlantic States. Upper rise cores revealed a high rate but lower core-to-core variability (20 to 44 cm/1,000 yr), largely the result of slope bypassing, i.e., effects of gravity-controlled downslope transport. A transport model suggests temporary slope sediment storage and higher accumulation of mud in more distal rise regions. Eustatic change accounts for the four-fold decrease in slope deposition rate between the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.