Relationship Between Solidification Depth of Granitic Rocks and Formation of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits

Chemical analysis of biotite in representative granitic rocks in Japan shows that the total Al (^TAl) content changes with the metal type of the accompanying hydrothermal ore deposits and increases in the following order: Pb‐Zn and Mo deposits < Cu‐Fe and Sn deposits < W deposits < non‐mineralized granitic rocks. The ^TAl content of biotite in granitic rocks may be a useful indicator for distinguishing between mineralized and non‐mineralized granitic rocks. A good positive correlation is seen between the ^TAl content of biotite and the solidification pressure of the granitic rocks estimated by sphalerite and hornblende geobarometers and the mineral assemblages of the surrounding rocks. These facts suggest that the ^TAl content of biotite can be used to estimate the solidification pressure (P) of the granitic rocks. The following empirical equation was obtained: where ^TAl designates the total Al content in biotite on the basis O = 22. According to the obtained biotite geobarometer, it is estimated that Pb‐Zn and Mo deposits were formed at pressures below 1 kb, Cu‐Fe and Sn deposits at 1–2 kb, W deposits at 2–3 kb and non‐mineralized granitic rocks were solidified at pressures above 3 kb.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112000643

Incipient charnockites represent granulite formation on a mesoscopic scale and have received considerable attention in understanding fluid processes in the deep crust.Here we report new petrological data from an incipient charnockite locality at Rajapalaiyam in the Madurai Block,southern India,and discuss the petrogenesis based on mineral phase equilibrium modeling and pseudosection analysis. Rajapalaiyam is a key locality in southern India from where diagnostic mineral assemblages for ultrahigh-temperature（UHT） metamorphism have been reported.Proximal to the UHT rocks are patches and lenses of charnockite（Kfs + Qtz + Pl + Bt + Opx + Grt + Ilm） occurring within Opx-free Grt-Bt gneiss（Kfs + Pl + Qtz + Bt + Grt + Ilm + Mt） which we report in this study.The application of mineral equilibrium modeling on the charnockitic assemblage in NCKFMASHTO system yields a p-T range of～820℃and～9 kbar.Modeling of the charnockite assemblage in the MnNCKFMASHTO system indicates a slight shift of the equilibrium condition toward lower p and T（～760℃and～7.5 kbar）. which is consistent with the results obtained from geothermobarometry（710—760℃,6.7—7.5 kbar）. but significantly lower than the peak temperatures（>1000℃） recorded from the UHT rocks in this locality,suggesting that charnockitization is a post-peak event.The modeling of T versus molar H₂O content in the rock（M（H₂O）） demonstrates that the Opx-bearing assemblage in charnockite and Opxfree assemblage in Grt-Bt gneiss are both stable at M（H₂O） = 0.3 mol%-0.6 mol%.and there is no significant difference in water activity between the two domains.Our finding is in contrast to the previous petrogenetic model of incipient charnockite formation which envisages lowering of water activity and stabilization of orthopyroxene through breakdown of biotite by dehydration caused by the infiltration of CO₂-rich fluid.T-X_Fe³⁺（= Fe₂O₃/（FeO + Fe₂O₃） in mole） pseudosections suggest that the oxidation condition of the rocks played a major role on the stability of orthopyroxene:Opx is stable at X_Fe³⁺ <0.03 in charnockite.while Opx-free assemblage in Grt-Bt gneiss is stabilized at X_Fe³⁺ >0.12.Such low oxygen fugacity conditions of X_Fe³⁺ <0.03 in the charnockite compared to Grt-Bt gneiss might be related to the infiltration of a reduced fluid（e.g.,H₂O + CH₄） during the retrograde stage.     

Performances of Landfill Liners under Dry and Wet Conditions

This paper addresses the study conducted on the performance of landfill liner interface parameters. Interface shear strength parameters for various combinations of 9 different lining materials were studied and presented in this paper. This comprehensive testing program covers the interfaces between: (1) soil and compacted clay liner (CCL), (2) geomembrane (HDPEs or PVC) and soil, (3) geosynthetic clay liner (GCL)/CCL and soil, (4) geomembrane and geotextile, (5) geotextile and soil, (6) geotextile and GCL/CCL, and (7) geomembrane and GCL/CCL. The experiments were conducted for both at dry or optimum moisture condition and at saturated or wet condition. The interface performance under both conditions were compared to access the material performances. Tabulated summaries of interface test data under dry or optimum moisture condition (OMO) and saturated or wet condition are presented in the paper.     

Evidence of earth catastrophe by anomalous shocked quartz at the K/T boundary

Anomalous shocked quartz with high density (less than 1 % of density-deviation) is considered to be a relict of ultra high-pressure at meteoritic impact. The shocked quartz grains can be found only in terrestrial and artificial impact craters, meteorites and the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary samples. Volcanic activity is considered to be started or accelerated by enormous impact event.     

Carbon storage in desertified lands: A case study from North China

Based on the organic and carbonate carbon levels of the top 1 m of soil from desertified soils of Northern People's Republic of China, climatic and vegetative cover zones have been derived for some 334000 km² of desertification-prone lands. Regional accumulations of pedogenic carbonates were examined relative to precipitation, altitude, and temperature. The largest accumulations of pedogenic carbonates were found in Calcic soils in warm, arid areas. Accumulated organic carbon predominated in soils under Betula platyphylla. In the naturally desertified lands of China, for example, the top 1.0-m soil layer contains some 7.84 Pg of organic carbon and 14.9 Pg of carbonate carbon. Total stored carbon, including carbonate carbon, is 1.8-fold more than organic carbon alone. The carbon released through land desertification in China may be an important factor affecting changes in concentrations of greenhouse gases worldwide.     

Spatiotemporal characteristics of the displacement field revealed with principal component analysis and the mode-rotation technique

Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the displacement field recorded at 147 GPS stations in the Kanto-Tokai district, Japan, for the period from January 1999 to February 2003. Some prominent geophysical events occurred during this period. Using PCA, we attempted to decompose the displacement field into some representative spatial modes and their corresponding temporal modes to quantitatively extract the primary geophysical events that have caused rapid crustal deformation in this region. The displacement field was roughly decomposed into modes corresponding to the following three major events: (1) The Miyake-Kozu volcanic event, which occurred in the region south of Tokyo in 2000. It included large-scale dyke intrusion and intensive earthquake swarm between the Miyakejima and Kozushima islands. (2) The Tokai slow-slip event, which is considered to have begun just after the Miyake-Kozu volcanic event and is ongoing as of November 2005. It occurred on the boundary between the subducting Philippine Sea Plate and the overriding Eurasian (Amurian) Plate in the Tokai district. (3) The Boso slow-slip event, which lasted for approximately 10 days in October 2002. It occurred on the boundary between the subducting Pacific Plate and the overriding North American Plate near the Boso Peninsula. In the decomposition process, we combined the mode-rotation technique with ordinary PCA. This is because PCA causes contamination between modes, i.e., a mode obtained with PCA is contaminated by other modes. For example, the first principal mode corresponding to the Miyake-Kozu volcanic event, which is by far the largest in magnitude, was clearly seen in many other modes. In order to remove such contamination, we applied the mode-rotation technique, in which the principal axes derived from PCA are rotated so as to minimize the correlation coefficients between different temporal modes for a time period in which some prominent change occurs. Combining the mode-rotation technique with PCA exhibited a better performance in separating the displacement field.     

Concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in beached resin pellets: variability among individual particles and regional differences

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in beached resin pellets were examined to reveal variability between individual particles and differences among beaches. Fifty-five resin pellets from a beach in Tokyo were individually analyzed for PCBs, and showed concentrations ranging from <28 to 2,300 ng/g. This indicates that concentrations are highly variable between particles. Among several characters, discoloration (e.g., yellowing) had a positive relationship with PCB concentration: discolored pellets contained more PCBs than others on most of the beaches sampled. Given the color-selective ingestion of food by some organisms, this may be ecotoxicologically important. Measurements of samples from 47 beaches in Japan showed regional differences in PCB concentrations in resin pellets consistent with those in mussels. Sporadic high concentrations of PCBs were also found in pellets from remote islands, suggesting that resin pellets could be the dominant route of exposure to the contaminants at remote sites. The similarity of PCB concentrations between resin pellets and mussels suggests a potential use of resin pellets to monitor pollution in seawater.