Origin of spongy textures in clinopyroxene and spinel from mantle xenoliths, Hessian Depression, Germany

Summary Spongy textures are observed in anhydrous Group 1 mantle xenoliths (harzburgite, lherzolite and wehrlite) hosted in Tertiary alkali basaltic lavas from the Hessian Depression, Germany. These textures are developed only on clinopyroxene and spinel, and occur as rims or cross-cutting veinlets and patches showing optical continuity with the host grain. They are often associated with pools of amorphous glassy material. There is no preferential development of spongy domains against the xenolith-lava contact suggesting that the host magma did not play any significant role in their formation. Spongy clinopyroxene and spinel occur in all rock types, but, are more pervasive in wehrlite. Chemically, spongy domains of clinopyroxene and spinel are more refractory than unaffected areas, which is consistent with their formation through a partial melting event. The associated glassy material shows chemical characteristics which suggest that the melt pools are genetically related to the development of the spongy textures. The partial melting event was probably triggered by the infiltration of a low-density fluid. The fluid may have evolved from a silicate melt responsible for the metasomatic Fe-enrichment recorded in wehrlite. In this context, the more pervasive development of spongy clinopyroxene in wehrlite may be explained by a higher concentration of the evolved fluid phase at proximity to its silicate melt source. Received March 15, 2000; revised version accepted September 6, 2001     

Landslide risk assessment and management: an overview

Landslides can result in enormous casualties and huge economic losses in mountainous regions. In order to mitigate landslide hazard effectively, new methodologies are required to develop a better understanding of landslide hazard and to make rational decisions on the allocation of funds for management of landslide risk. Recent advances in risk analysis and risk assessment are beginning to provide systematic and rigorous processes to enhance slope management. In recent years, risk analysis and assessment has become an important tool in addressing uncertainty inherent in landslide hazards.This article reviews recent advances in landslide risk assessment and management, and discusses the applicability of a variety of approaches to assessing landslide risk. Firstly, a framework for landslide risk assessment and management by which landslide risk can be reduced is proposed. This is followed by a critical review of the current state of research on assessing the probability of landsliding, runout behavior, and vulnerability. Effective management strategies for reducing economic and social losses due to landslides are described. Problems in landslide risk assessment and management are also examined.     

In situ measurement of Re-Os isotopes in mantle sulfides by laser ablation multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: analytical methods and preliminary results

A method has been developed for the in situ determination of Re-Os isotopes in single grains of sulfides in mantle-derived peridotites using a laser ablation microprobe attached to a multicollector-induced coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS). High-precision Os isotope analysis by MC-ICPMS is demonstrated by the measurement of interlaboratory Os standards. Evaluation of mass bias correction procedures shows that the exponential law provides the best fit to the Os isotope data and that the ratio of the mass fractionation coefficients for Re and Os remains constant for the range of typical instrument operating conditions. This relationship enables the accurate and precise correction of the isobaric interference of ¹⁸⁷Re on ¹⁸⁷Os for ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os values up to 1.6.Results are presented for single sulfide inclusions in olivine macrocryts from kimberlites in the Siberian and Slave Cratons, and sulfides enclosed in silicates and interstitial to silicates in peridotite xenoliths from the Slave Craton and Massif Central, France. Enclosed sulfides larger than 50 μm in diameter and with Os contents ≥40 ppm give ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios with a precision of 0.1% (2 SE), which is equivalent to N-TIMS whole-rock data. Interstitial sulfides typically have lower Os (10 to 30 ppm) and give analyses with lower precision (∼1 to 2%) but still provide valuable information on the movement of Os within the lithosphere. The sulfide inclusions in silicates preserve significantly less radiogenic Os isotopic compositions than interstitial sulfides and accordingly produce significantly older and more realistic Re-Os age information. Whole-rock Os isotope compositions reflect the proportions of different generations of enclosed and interstitial sulfides; this calls into question the significance of many published “depletion ages.”     

Structural relaxation in the MnCO3–CaCO3 solid solution: a Mn K-edge EXAFS study

Mn K-edge EXAFS spectroscopy of solid-solution samples encompassing the complete MnCO₃–CaCO₃ series shows that first-shell Mn–O distances deviate little from the 2.19-Å distance observed in pure MnCO₃. Very slight lengthening is observed only in the limiting case of dilute Mn(II) calcite solid solutions, where the Mn–O distance is 2.21 Å. The observed nearly complete structural relaxation and the composition independence of the Mn–O distance are consistent with the Pauling model behavior of solid solutions, and agree with previous studies showing a high degree of relaxation around hetero-sized substituents in the calcite structure. Strain occurs through bond bending, which is facilitated by the exclusively corner-sharing topology of calcite. Observed distances from Mn to more distant neighbors show significant variation across the solid-solution series that resembles Vegard's law-type behavior but reflects averaging. The high degree of relaxation suggests modest enthalpies of mixing in the solution, consistent with calorimetric studies.     

湖南印支期过铝质花岗岩的形成: 岩浆底侵与地壳加厚热效应的数值模拟

在合理构建华南印支期地质-物理模型的基础上, 利用FLAC软件, 模拟了该区印支期过铝质富钾花岗岩形成与基性岩浆底侵, 及陆壳变形叠置加厚两种动力学背景的可能联系. 模拟结果表明, 220 Ma±的基性岩浆底侵能导致地壳含水矿物相岩石的深熔, 但除非印支期存在大规模基性岩浆的底侵作用, 否则其热效应持续时间和热效应波及范围难以形成具大岩基规模的湖南印支期花岗岩. 在陆壳叠置加厚模型中, 地壳的叠置加厚可导致中下地壳界面温度升高到700℃以上, 引起片麻质岩石熔融, 当加厚因子达1.3, 白云母矿物脱水熔融产生的熔体达到熔体流动临界比例(≥20%), 从而形成花岗岩基; 结合印支期挤压逆冲推覆构造和同期基性火山岩极少出露的地质事实, 认为陆壳变形加厚可能是湖南印支期构造岩浆作用形成的主导因素.     

Principal axes of m-DOF structures PartⅠ:Static loading

This paper is the first in a two-part series that discusses the principal axes of M-DOF structures subjected to static and dynamic loads. The primary purpose of this series is to understand the magnitude of the dynamic response of structures to enable better design of structures and control modification devices/systems. Under idealized design conditions, the structural responses are obtained by using single direction input ground motions in the direction of the intended control devices/systems,and by assuming that the responses of the structure is decoupleable in three mutually perpendicular directions. This standard practice has been applied to both new and retrofitted structures using various seismic protective systems. Very limited information is available on the effects of neglecting the impact of directional couplings (cross effects - of which torsion is a component) of the dynamic response of structures. In order to quantify such effects, it is necessary to examine the principal axes of structures under both static and dynamic loading.This first paper deals with quantitative definitions of principal axes and "cross effects" of three-dimensional structures under static load by using linear algebra. It shows theoretically that, for three-dimensional structures, such principal axes rarely exist. Under static loading conditions, the cross effect is typically small and negligible from the viewpoint of engineering applications. However, it provides the theoretical base for subsequent quantification of the response couplings under dynamic loads, which is reported in part Ⅱ of this series.     

Experimental validation of the wavefield transform of electromagnetic fields

The wavefield transform is a mathematical technique for transforming low-frequency electromagnetic (EM) signals to a non-diffusive wave domain. The ray approximation is valid in the transform space and this makes traveltime tomography for 3D mapping of the electrical conductivity distribution in the subsurface possible. The transform, however, imposes stringent frequency bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio requirements on the data. Here we discuss a laboratory scale experiment designed to collect transform quality EM data, and to demonstrate the practical feasibility of transforming these data to the wavefield domain.
We have used the scalable nature of EM fields to design a time-domain experiment using graphite blocks to simulate realistic field conditions while leaving the time scale undisturbed. The spatial dimensions have been scaled down by a factor of a thousand by scaling conductivity up by a factor of a million. The graphite blocks have two holes drilled into them to carry out cross-well and borehole-to-surface experiments. Steel sheets have been inserted between the blocks to simulate a conductive layer.
Our experiments show that accurate EM data can be recorded on a laboratory scale model even when the scaling of some features, such as drill-hole diameters, is not maintained. More importantly, the time-domain EM data recorded in cross-well and surface-to-borehole modes can be usefully and accurately transformed to the wavefield domain. The observed wavefield propagation delay is proportional to the direct distance between the transmitter and receiver in a homogeneous medium. In a layered medium, data accuracy is reduced and, hence, our results are not so conclusive. On the basis of the experimental results we conclude that the wavefield transform could constitute a valid approach to the interpretation of accurate, undistorted time-domain data if further improvement in the transform can be realized.     

Mathematical modeling of PCB bioaccumulation in Perna viridis

In the present work, we built a mathematical model of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) bioaccumulation in Perna viridis, namely, a one-compartment model with a time dependent incorporation rate R (μg g⁻¹ lipid per ppb water per day), with positive substrate cooperativity as the underlying physical mechanism. The temporal change of the PCB concentration Q (μg g⁻¹ lipid) in the soft tissues of the mussel depends on the competition of the input rate RW and the output rate kQ, where W is the concentration of PCB in water (ppb water) and k is the elimination rate (per day). From our experimental data, k=0.181±0.017 d⁻¹. The critical concentration in water W_c for positive substrate cooperativity was found to be 2.4 ppb. Below W_c, R is a constant. For a water concentration of 0.5 ppb Aroclor 1254, R=24.0±2.4 μg g⁻¹ lipid ppb⁻¹ d⁻¹. Above W_c, positive substrate cooperativity comes into effect and R becomes a function of time and dependent on the concentration Q in a form R=γQ/(Q+δ). This is the case for a water concentration of 5 ppb Aroclor 1254, where γ=15.1 μg g⁻¹ lipid ppb⁻¹ d¹ and δ≈200 μg g⁻¹ lipid. From this model, the uptake is exponentially increasing when the PCB concentration in the mussel is small compared to 200 μg g⁻¹ lipid, and hyperbolically increasing when the concentration is large compared to 200 μg g⁻¹ lipid, which are consistent with the experimental data. The model is useful for understanding the true processes taking place during the bioaccumulation and for risk assessment with higher confidence. Future experimental data which challenge the present model are anticipated and in fact desirable for improvement and perfection of the model.     

The French Guyana doleritic dykes: geochemical evidence of three populations and new data for the Jurassic Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

A petrographic and geochemical study of 15 Early Jurassic and 7 Proterozoic dolerites of French Guyana, and of one Jurassic dolerite from Ivory-Coast were carried out. The Early Jurassic SSW-NNE trending dykes have doleritic aphyric or gabbroic phyric texture. Their chemical compositions, slightly under-saturated to over-saturated, show moderate to low Mg-ratios (63–36), high TiO₂ contents (1.85–3.56 wt.%), weak rare earth element fractionation [1.8<(La/Yb)_n <4.6], negative Sr-anomalies (0.41<Sr* <0.91) and positive TiO₂-anomalies (1.2<TiO₂*<2.15). They correspond to sub-alkaline high-Ti basalts (HTiB). The La/Nb ratio (1.18±0.23) is close to that of the OIB-type Deccan basalts and incompatible element ratios: Rb/Nb_n (1.07±0.3), Zr/Y (4.6±0.8) are intermediate between those of HTiB in Deccan and those of HTiB in Paraná. These geochemical signatures and recent isotopic data of Bertrand et al. [Bertrand, H., Liegeois, J.P., Deckart, K., Féraud, G., 1999. High-Ti tholeiites in Guinea and Their Connection with the Central Atlantic CFB Province: Elemental and Nd-Sr-Pb Isotopic Evidence for Preferential Zone of Mantle Upwelling in Cause of Rifting. AGU spring meeting (Abst. p 317)] suggest that their magmatic source is different from that of the other basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). Such signatures are restricted to a central zone coinciding with the Panafrican Rokelides suture. We propose a model of sub-lithospheric preferential channelling of an asthenospheric ascent in this zone. Two other groups of dykes were identified in French Guyana. Compared to the Jurassic ones the Proterozoic dykes have NNW-SSE and E-W trending direction, more important LILE enrichment, low TiO₂ contents (<2 wt%) and Nb–Ta negative anomalies. Their calc-alkaline signature could be the result of a previous subduction and may be related to the 1800 Ma Venturi-Tapajós event, which contaminated the mantle source.     

Modelling of meteorological conditions at an urban scale for the PUMA winter campaign

For the winter 2000 campaign of the Pollution of Urban Midlands Atmosphere project, observation and numerical modelling of meteorological conditions over the West Midlands conurbation, UK, was undertaken. Modelling was performed using the regional atmospheric meteorological system (RAMS). This paper presents a comparison of modelled and observed wind and temperature for 25 and 26 January 2000. The RAMS model uses two nested grids with a mesh size of 2 km for the inner grid which is embedded in the outer grid with a mesh size of 8 km. Statistical evaluation of the model results against the observational data of wind speed, direction and temperature at 10 m was conducted. In general, the modelling results are in a reasonable agreement with observation. The statistical evaluation suggests that model performance is poorer for the inner grid than the outer grid as the model uncertainties (mainly mean bias) transfer from the outer to inner one. The low indices of agreement of temperature and wind are mainly associated with the systematic root-mean-square-difference values. For temperature, the systematic bias may also be affected by representation of cloud amount by the model. For wind, the model tends to have a poor performance for calm conditions, as under a stable anti-cyclonic situation local wind patterns associated with topography may develop, although the topography of the region is relatively flat. The results for the inner grid reveal some subtle spatial patterns at a scale smaller than 10 km near hills and valleys with differences in elevation of a few hundred metres.