First experiments on the maternal transfer of metals in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

The aim of this study was to provide a first insight on the incorporation of eight metals in the eggs of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis via maternal transfer, using radiotracer techniques (^110mAg, ²⁴¹Am, ¹⁰⁹Cd, ⁶⁰Co, ¹³⁴Cs, ⁵⁴Mn, ⁷⁵Se and ⁶⁵Zn). The cuttlefish was fed daily with radiolabelled crabs for two weeks; it then started to spawn every three days. Among the eight tracers, only ^110mAg, ⁷⁵Se and ⁶⁵Zn were significantly transferred to the eggs. The radiotracer distribution among the egg compartments showed that ⁷⁵Se and ⁶⁵Zn were accumulated mainly in the vitellus whereas ^110mAg was found in similar proportion in the vitellus and the eggshell. During the embryonic development, ⁷⁵Se and ⁶⁵Zn contained in the vitellus were progressively transferred to the embryo, likely to supply its metabolic needs in these essential elements. Although it has no known biological functions, Ag contained in both vitellus and eggshell was also transferred to the embryo. Overall, our results showed that transfer of Ag, Se, and Zn does actually occur from a female cuttlefish to its eggs, at least during the last two weeks before spawning.     

Superimposed tectonic and hydrothermal events during the late-orogenic extension in the Western French Massif Central: a structural and 40Ar/39Ar study

In the Western French Massif Central, the Argentat fault is a major structure through which As–Au fluids percolated in the Late Carboniferous along brittle fractures. New petrostructural investigations show that an early ductile normal-dextral faulting, coeval to leucogranite emplacement took place during the Late Visean syncollisional extension of the belt and was accompanied by a hydrothermal event marked by the growth of muscovites whose ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages cluster around 335 Ma. This early fluid channelling is associated with brittle deformation only in the hangingwall of the Argentat fault, whereas ductile deformation is restricted to the footwall. These results provide new evidence for the upper crust implication during the syncollisional extension in the French Massif Central. This study stresses the interest of a detailed multimethod analysis to characterize hydrothermal processes, especially in basement areas where the tectonic, plutonic and metamorphic evolution is polyphased.     

Geochemistry and timing of post-metamorphic dyke emplacement in the Mersin Ophiolite (southern Turkey): New age constraints from 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

The Mersin ophiolite, which is a relic of the late Cretaceous Neotethyan ocean domain in the eastern Mediterranean, is situated on the southern flank of the central Tauride belt. The ophiolite body is cross-cut at all structural levels by numerous mafic dyke intrusions. The dykes do not intrude the underlying melange of platform carbonates. Therefore, dyke emplacement post-dates the formation of the opholite and metamorphic sole but pre-dates the final obduction onto the Tauride platform. The post-metamorphic dyke swarms suggest the geochemical characteristics of Island Arc Tholeiites (IAT). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology of the post-metamorphic microgabbroic-diabasic dykes cutting both mantle tectonites and metamorphic sole revealed ages ranging from 89.6 ± 0.7–63.8 ± 0.9 Myr old, respectively, indicating widespread magmatic activity during the Late Cretaceous-early Palaeocene in the Neotethyan ocean. These data suggest that island arc development in the Neotethyan ocean in southern Turkey was as early as Late Cretaceous.     

Minor element evidence that Asteroid 433 Eros is a space-weathered ordinary chondrite parent body

The NEAR mission to 433 Eros provided detailed data on the geology, mineralogy, and chemistry of this S-class asteroid [McCoy, T.J., Robinson, M.S., Nittler, L.R., Burbine, T.H., 2002. Chem. Erde 62, 89-121; Cheng, A.F., 1997. Space Sci. Rev. 82, 3-29] with a key science goal of understanding the relationship between asteroids and meteorites [Cheng, A.F., 1997. Space Sci. Rev. 82, 3-29; Gaffey, M.J., Burbine, T.H., Piatek, J.L., Reed, K.L., Chaky, D.A., Bell, J.F., Brown, R.H., 1993a. Icarus 106, 573-602]. Previously reported major element data revealed a bulk surface similar to that of ordinary chondrites, with the notable exception of sulfur, which was highly depleted [Trombka, J.I., and 23 colleagues, 2000. Science 289, 2101-2105; Nittler, L.R., and 14 colleagues, 2001. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 36, 1673-1695]. The origin of this sulfur deficiency, and hence the fundamental nature of the asteroid's surface, has remained controversial. We report a new analysis of NEAR X-ray spectrometer data, indicating that Eros has Cr/Fe, Mn/Fe, and Ni/Fe ratios similar to ordinary chondrite meteorites of type LL or L. Chondritic levels of Cr, Mn, and Ni argue strongly against a partial melting explanation for the sulfur depletion. Instead, our results provide definitive evidence that Eros is a primitive body with composition and mineralogy similar to ordinary chondrites, but with a surface heavily modified by interactions with the solar wind and micrometeorites, processes collectively termed space weathering.     

Metamorphosis of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 cells

Magnetospirillum magneticum strain AMB-1 belongs to the family of magnetotactic bacteria. It possesses a magnetosome chain aligning, with the assistance of cytoskeleton filaments MamK, along the long axis of the spiral cells. Most fresh M. magneticum AMB-1 cells exhibit spiral morphology. In addition, other cell shapes such as curved and spherical were also observed in this organism. Interestingly, the spherical cell shape increased steadily with prolonged incubation time. As the actin-like cytoskeleton protein MreB is involved in maintenance of cell shapes in rod-shaped bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, the correlation between MreB protein levels and cell shape was investigated in this study. Immunoblotting analysis showed that the quantity of MreB decreased when the cell shape changed along with incubation time. As an internal control, the quantity of MamA was not obviously changed under the same conditions. Cell shape directs cell-wall synthesis during growth and division. MreB is required for maintaining the cell shape. Thus, MreB might play an essential role in maintaining the spiral shape of M. magneticum AMB-1 cells.     

Experimental and numerical evaluation of single-layer covers placed on acid-generating tailings

This study focuses on the reclamation work being performed on two former acid-generating tailings sites, located in Quebec, Canada. At both sites, the tailings were partially oxidized due to extended exposure, and the pore water is acidic. The reclamation solution applied to control acid mine drainage is a monolayer cover, made of non acid-generating tailings in one case and a till in the other. The goal of this project was to assess the response of the tailings-cover systems under various conditions. Tailings samples were collected in situ and characterized in the laboratory. Large column tests were conducted to evaluate the hydrogeological and geochemical behaviour of the covered tailings following wetting and drying cycles. The instrumented columns were designed to reproduce some of the existing site conditions and provide representative results for longer term analyses. Volumetric water content, suction, and oxygen concentrations were also monitored over time. The experimental data were used to validate different numerical models including those constructed with Vadose/W (GeoSlope Int.). Additional simulations were conducted under field conditions to evaluate the effect of various influence factors such as the depth of the water table, climatic conditions and the thickness of the cover. The combination of experimental and numerical results show how the behaviour and efficiency of a monolayer cover placed over reactive tailings depend on these factors, highlighting the importance of hydrogeological properties and water table depth. In many instances, the cover materials were prone to desaturation, especially when the water table was deeper than about 2 m below the tailings-cover interface. These results tend to indicate that relatively thin monolayer covers would not be able to prevent oxygen ingress under some of the conditions observed in the field. Desaturation of the cover and/or reactive tailings is due to a combination of drainage and evaporation. In such cases, increasing the thickness of the monolayer cover only has a limited effect. A discussion follows on the practical implications of these laboratory experiments and the numerical simulations for field design of reclamation measures at these two tailings impoundments.