Water-saturated oceanic lavas from the Manus Basin: volatile behaviour during assimilation–fractional crystallisation–degassing (AFCD)

We have analysed volatiles (H₂O, He, Ar, CO₂) in differentiated (basaltic andesite, dacite) volcanic glasses dredged at a depth of ca. 2000 m in the eastern part of the Manus Basin between 151°20′ and 152°10′ E. These samples have Sr–O–B isotopic ratios that show that they most likely represent lavas evolved from a common magma source. Since these glasses are very fresh, they provide a unique opportunity to study the behaviour of magmatic volatiles during assimilation–fractional crystallisation–degassing (AFCD). The samples are highly vesicular (up to 18%) and the volatiles trapped in vesicles consist predominantly of H₂O with minor amounts of CO₂, and the concentration of water in the glasses indicates that H₂O saturation was attained. Rare gases except helium are atmospheric in origin, and the ³He/⁴He ratios and the CO₂/³He ratios are respectively lower and higher than those typical of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), and appear to correlate with the degree of differentiation. AFCD allows efficient degassing of mantle-derived volatiles and contribution of crust-derived and atmosphere-derived volatiles. Given the widespread occurrence of differentiated magmatism at arcs, we suggest that AFCD is responsible for large-scale occurrence of ³He-rich crustal fluids and of atmospheric-like rare gases in arc emanations, and that most of the volatiles are lost continuously during fractional crystallisation, rather than catastrophically during eruptions.     

Distribution of sterol and fatty alcohol biomarkers in particulate matter from the frontal structure of the Alboran Sea (S.W. Mediterranean Sea)

Sterol and fatty alcohol biomarkers were analyzed in suspended and sinking particles from the water column (20–300 m) of the Almeria–Oran frontal zone to characterize the biogenic sources and biogeochemical processes. Diatom- and haptophyte-related sterols were predominant at all sites and vertical distributions of sterol, and fatty alcohol biomarkers in sinking particles were markedly different from suspended particles. In contrast to the relatively fresh sinking particles with elevated concentrations of phyto- and zooplanktonic sterols, suspended particles were extensively degraded with increasing depth and exhibited a more terrestrial and zooplanktonic signature with depth.Sterol and alcohol biomarkers distributions and δ¹³C values from the jet core and the associated gyre of Atlantic waters showed a decoupling between the sinking particles of 100- and 300-m depth, demonstrating the influence of lateral advection in the frontal zone. In contrast, vertical transport of the particulate organic matter in Mediterranean waters was interpreted from the similar isotopic and molecular composition at both depths. The high abundance of phytosterols and phytol below the euphotic zone at 100 m signified that downwelling of biomass occurred on the downstream side of the gyre. The high concentrations of phytosterols and POC, in combination with the high phytosterols/phytol ratio, indicated the accumulation of detrital plant material in the oligotrophic Mediterranean waters near the frontal zone.A higher contribution of phytol in the sinking particles collected during the night at the surface of the jet and at the upstream side of the gyre provided evidence of diel vertical zooplankton migration and important grazing by herbivorous zooplankton.Carbon isotope ratios of sterols confirmed that the 24-ethylcholest-5-en-3β-ol, commonly associated with terrestrial sources, was a substantial constituent of the phytoplankton in this area. However, the more δ¹³C depleted values obtained for this compound in suspended particles suggested that there was some terrestrial contribution that only becomes evident after degradation of the more labile marine organic matter.     

Detrital thermochronologic record of burial heating and sediment recycling in the Magallanes foreland basin,Patagonian Andes

The Patagonian Magallanes retroarc foreland basin affords an excellent case study of sediment burial recycling within a thrust belt setting. We report combined detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and (U–Th)/He thermochronology data and thermal modelling results that confirm delivery of both rapidly cooled, first‐cycle volcanogenic sediments from the Patagonian magmatic arc and recycled sediment from deeply buried and exhumed Cretaceous foredeep strata to the Cenozoic depocentre of the Patagonian Magallanes basin. We have quantified the magnitude of Eocene heating with thermal models that simultaneously forward model detrital zircon (U–Th)/He dates for best‐fit thermal histories. Our results indicate that 54–45 Ma burial of the Maastrichtian Dorotea Formation produced 164–180 °C conditions and heating to within the zircon He partial retention zone. Such deep burial is unusual for Andean foreland basins and may have resulted from combined effects of high basal heat flow and high sediment accumulation within a rapidly subsiding foredeep that was floored by basement weakened by previous Late Jurassic rifting. In this interpretation, Cenozoic thrust‐related deformation deeply eroded the Dorotea Formation from ca. 5 km burial depths and may be responsible for the development of a basin‐wide Palaeogene unconformity. Results from the Cenozoic Río Turbio and Santa Cruz formations confirm that they contain both Cenozoic first‐cycle zircon from the Patagonian magmatic arc and highly outgassed zircon recycled from older basin strata that experienced burial histories similar to those of the Dorotea Formation.     

4. Building of a Habitable Planet

Except the old Jack Hills zircon crystals, it does not exit direct record of the first 500 Ma of the Earth history. Consequently, the succession of events that took place during this period is only indirectly known through geochemistry, comparison with other telluric planets, and numerical modelling. Just after planetary accretion several episodes were necessary in order to make life apparition and development possible and to make the Earth surface habitable. Among these stages are: the core differentiation, the formation of a magma ocean, the apparition of the first atmosphere, oceans and continents as well as the development of magnetic field and of plate tectonics. In the same time, Earth has been subject to extraterrestrial events such as the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) between 3.95 and 3.8 Ga. Since 4.4–4.3 Ga, the conditions for pre-biotic chemistry and appearance of life were already met (liquid water, continental crust, no strong meteoritic bombardment, etc...). This does not mean that life existed as early, but this demonstrates that all necessary conditions assumed for life development were already present on Earth.     

Trace elements in native gold by solution ICP-MS and their use in mineral exploration: A British Columbia example

An elegantly simple, aqua regia-based, ICP-MS analytical procedure is used to compare the trace element composition of density-separated alluvial native Au from seven stream silt samples with three samples of geographically-associated Au from a prospective ore deposit in central British Columbia. Not all of the alluvial Au could have come from the ore deposit based on present drainage. The silt sample Au, averaging four alluvial grains and totaling 12–250 μg per sample, generally yielded measurable concentrations for V, Fe, Cu, As, Pd, Ag, Sb, Pt and Bi. The bedrock Au samples represent the three dominant rock types in the showing. Their Au trace element compositions largely bracket the alluvial Au. Multidimensional scaling (exploratory statistics) shows that trace elements in the native Au form lithophile, chalcophile and siderophile groupings. This indicates that a small set of geochemical processes formed all the Au in one geologic environment. Previous work shows that Au from individual deposits has distinct assemblages of detectable elements. Given these observations and that detectable elements are the same in both the deposit and alluvial Au, and that concentrations in the former bracket those of the latter, it is concluded that the source of the alluvial Au has probably been identified. Apparently neither mineral inclusions nor weathering impaired fingerprinting of the Au. The simplicity of the approach indicates that this is a useful exploration tool for determining the bedrock source of alluvial Au. The study also shows that silt sample exploration in glaciated terrains must recognize that paleo-ice movement and paleo-stream directions can yield geographic distributions of alluvial Au that cannot be explained by present-day drainage patterns. Thus this simple analytical/exploration technique is potentially very useful to the exploration industry.     

青藏高原北缘中生代伸展构造^40Ar／^39Ar测年和MDD模拟

沿着青藏高原北缘的阿尔金山脉东段 ,发育了长度大于 30 0km、EW走向的拉配泉断裂。中美合作阿尔金课题组的地质填图结果表明 ,该断层实际上是一条南倾的正断层 ,局部倾角可以低至 30°以下。沉积学和热年代学研究控制了拉配泉断裂的活动时代 :早—中侏罗统地层可以解释为断裂上盘的伸展盆地沉积 ;下盘岩石中钾长石40 Ar/ 3 9Ar测年和MDD模拟给出 2个阶段的冷却事件 ,早期事件出现在约 2 2 0～ 187Ma之间 ,晚期事件出现在早白垩世晚期 (约 10 0Ma)。早期事件代表了拉配泉断裂正断作     

High Resolution DEM Generation in High‐Alpine Terrain Using Airborne Remote Sensing Techniques

Up‐to‐date and accurate digital elevation models (DEMs) are essential for many applications such as numerical modeling of mass movements or mapping of terrain changes. Today the Federal Department of Topography, swisstopo, provides Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Digital Surface Models (DSMs) derived from airborne LiDAR data with a high spatial resolution of 2 m covering the entire area of Switzerland below an elevation of 2000 m a.s.l.. However, above an elevation of 2000 m a.s.l., which is typical for high‐alpine terrain, the best product available is the a DTM with a spatial resolution of 25 m. This spatial resolution is insufficient for many applications in complex terrain. In this study, we investigate the quality of DSMs derived from opto‐electronic scanner data (ADS80; acquired in autumn 2010) using photogrammetric image correlation techniques based on the multispectral nadir and backward looking sensor data. As reference, we take a high precision airborne LiDAR data set with a spatial resolution of ca. 0.5 m, acquired in late summer 2010, covering the Grabengufer/Dorfbach catchment near Randa, VS. We find the deviations between the two datasets are surprisingly low. In terrain with inclination angles of less than 30° the RMSE is below 0.5 m. In extremely steep terrain of more than 50° the RMSE goes up to 2 m and outliers increase significantly. We also find dependencies of the deviations on illumination conditions and ground cover classes. Finally we discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different data acquisition methods.     

Modified passive capillary samplers for collecting samples of snowmelt infiltration for stable isotope analysis in remote,seasonally inaccessible watersheds 1: laboratory evaluation

Snowmelt is the most significant source of runoff generation and recharge in many of the mountainous watersheds worldwide and this is especially true in the southwestern United States. Yet, the isotopic and geochemical composition of the soil–meltwater endmember remains poorly constrained. Using the isotopic compositions of snow and snowmelt runoff samples taken from the landscape surface as proxies for soil–meltwater endmembers is problematic since they are typically not representative of the actual composition of soil meltwater. Furthermore, the applicability of current methodologies to collect the isotopic composition of meltwater is limited because of the remote and often seasonally inaccessible nature of the terrain where snowpacks develop. Therefore, a robust methodology requiring little maintenance or monitoring is desirable. A lab experiment was conducted to determine the suitability of using a modified passive capillary sampler (M‐PCAPS) design to collect snowmelt infiltration for isotopic analysis. Passive capillary samplers are constructed from fiberglass wicks that can be installed in the soil to sample vadose‐zone waters under a wide range of matric potentials and require little maintenance. Results from this lab experiment indicate that the wicking process associated with M‐PCAPS does not fractionate water but certain precautions are necessary to prevent exchange between the wick and the atmosphere. In this experiment, M‐PCAPS effectively tracked the changing isotopic composition of a soil reservoir undergoing evaporation. Therefore, M‐PCAPS provide a robust methodology to sample the isotopic composition of snowmelt infiltration in remote watersheds and similar applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.