Petrology,geochemistry and geodynamic setting of Eocene-Oligocene alkaline intrusions from the Alborz-Azerbaijan magmatic belt,NW Iran

The Kaleybar, Razgah and Bozqush (KRB) intrusions were studied to better understand subduction-related Eocene-Oligocene alkaline magmatism in NW Iran. The bulk of intrusions mainly consist of Si-undersaturated rocks including foid-bearing monzonite and syenite (nepheline syenite, pseudoleucite syenite) with some foid-bearing diorite and gabbro. In addition, they are spatially associated with Si-saturated rocks ranging in composition from monzo-diorite to syeno-granite. The main mafic rock-forming minerals of the studied rocks are olivine (Fo₄₄Fa₅₆), clinopyroxene (diopside to augite), biotite (Mg-biotite through Fe-biotite), amphibole (ferro-pargasite and magnesio-hastingsite with Mg#<0.55), and garnet (Ti-andradites). Based on whole rock geochemistry, the foid-syenites and associated rocks show mildly alkaline (shoshonitic) affinity. The content of SiO₂, K₂O?+?Na₂O, and K₂O/Na₂O ratio ranges from 47.8 to 60.7?wt.%, 5.31 to 16.33?wt.%, and 0.6 to 3.2, respectively. The intrusions are commonly metaluminous, with an aluminum-saturation index (ASI) ranging from 0.66 to 1.01. Almost all the rocks display similar arc-related geochemical features characterized by the enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) together with the depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE). The chondrite-normalized REE patterns show no to marked negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*?=?0.55 to 1.12), (La/Yb)_N?=?8.16 to 31, (La/Sm)_N?=?2.80 to 10.59, and (Tb/Yb)_N?=?0.84 to 2.40. The evaluation of the REE patterns for the KRB magmas and the comparison of the trace element ratios with experimental studies indicate a chemically enriched lithospheric mantle source composed of garnet-spinel-lherzolite that have underwent a low degree of partial melting <5% to generate the KRB intrusions. Based on the present data, we infer that the mantle source was contaminated by a subduction component and the melting of the mantle lithosphere occurred by local extension in an overall convergent regime in NW Iran. The extension regime during the Eocene is proposed to be the result of the Neo-Tethys slab roll-back and the Sevan-Akera-Qaradagh (SAQ) slab break-off.     

Biotic response to the latest Cenomanian drowning and OAE2: A case study from the Eastern Desert of Egypt

The changes in macrofauna and microfauna, before, during and after the latest Cenomanian global Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE2), from the Eastern Desert of Egypt are documented, along with an inferred paleoenvironment. The age of the studied OAE2 interval is constrained by the last occurrence of the marker calcareous nannofossils species Axopodorhabdus albianus along with the previously identified positive δ¹³C excursion from the coeval ammonite Vascoceras cauvini Zone (= Neocardioceras juddii Zone), enabling correlation with the peak ‘b’ of the OAE2. Based on the studied microfaunal assemblages, a warm shallow restricted lagoonal environment with mesotrophic conditions and strong seasonality is inferred. The presence of a rare ammonite (and ostracods) attest to the intermittent introduction of marine waters within this inner ramp setting. In terms of sequence stratigraphy, two 3rd order depositional sequences are recorded. The top surface of the first depositional sequence, at the sequence boundary, SB Ce 5 (the start of the OAE2), is marked by an abrupt faunal change with reduced abundances of the macrofaunal elements. This is in tune with other Egyptian records of relatively smaller loss (10 %) at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, as compared to much higher numbers (53–79% of species), globally. This faunal (biotic bottleneck) and lithological change (from siliciclastic-dominated deposits to a largely carbonate-dominated one) at the SB Ce 5 is attributed as a response to the latest Cenomanian drowning (the highest sea-level during the Phanerozoic), that also resulted in the formation of carbonate platform.     

Co-simulated Size Number: An Elegant Novel Algorithm for Identification of Multivariate Geochemical Anomalies

Natural Resources Research - Identification of geochemical anomalies is of particular importance for tracing the footprints of anomalies. This can be implemented by advanced techniques of...     

Intraspecific morphometric diversity of barramundi (Lates calcariferBloch, 1790) in the waters of southern Bangladesh

A total of 160 barramundi's (Lates calcarifer Bloch, 1790) sampled from four rivers (Tentulia, Balaswar, Bakkhali, and Andarmanik) along the southern coastal region of Bangladesh were investigated in terms of morphometric characters to reveal the intraspecific variation. Twenty-five morphometric measurements were extracted using the conventional method and subjected to multivariate analyses (i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), discriminate function analysis (DFA), cluster analysis (CA)) to distinguish individuals from different rivers. The result demonstrated that twenty-two out of 25 measurements was statistically significant (Univariate ANOVA) among all four populations. PCA analysis of morphometric characters resulted in two principal components, PC I and PCⅡ which accounted for 79.25% and 4.28% of the total data variance. PC I-PC Ⅱ plot explained 83.53% of total variance differentiated the population of L. calcarifer into two groups. Discriminate analysis correctly classified about 88.1% of the examined fish into the four areas. The UPGMA dendrogram showed that Bakkhali populations were the most morphologically different populations in comparison to other populations, while Andarmanik and Balaswar populations were very close to each other. The strong morphometric variation between Bakkhali and Tentulia, Andarmanik and Balaswar was observed in the present study, suggested the evidence of the separate stock population of barramundi in these locations, which might require distinct stock management strategies for resource sustainability in the waters of southern Bangladesh. However, if these findings are supported by further molecular markers and geometric morphometry, this would be a strong indication of different stocks of this population in the four rivers of southern Bangladesh.     

Hydrobiological variables as a regulatory factor on the abundance of heterotrophic flagellates in an urban pond

The seasonal abundance of flagellates has been monitored over a period of 1 year from December2013 to November 2014(divided into 4 conjugative seasons namely winter, spring, summer, and autumn) in an experimental pond located in Rajshahi City Corporation area, Bangladesh. To our knowledge, this study is the first to shed light on the occurrence and possible interrelationships among heterotrophic flagellates(HF),bacteria and zooplankton in Bangladesh and the result obtained by this study will be beneficial for similar water ecosystem all over the world. Standard methods were used to determine the prescribed hydrological parameters and zooplankton cell density. Maximum HF abundance(14 346.00 cells/mL) was found in the spring and the minimum(5 215.00 cells/mL) occurred in the summer. Inverse to HF, significantly(P0.05)higher zooplankton abundance was found during the winter(782.00±47.62 cells/mL) and the lowest value was found in the autumn(448.00±39.15 cells/mL). Whereas similar to the HF, total bacterial abundance was significantly higher during the spring((2.25±1.05)×10~5 cells/mL) and lower in the summer((0.79±0.06)×105 cells/mL). Multivariate analyses(ANOSIM and MDS) have shown significant seasonal differences for cell numbers where MDS ordination plot and cluster analysis based on similarity in the genera abundance of HF revealed overlapping condition between winter and spring. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) also showed a distinct separation among the genera based on the prevailing hydrological situation and indicated that temperature, pH, BOD_5, and NO_3~- were the most important environmental variables in determining the observed variation in HF community structure. Among the biological factors, zooplankton showed negative but total bacteria were positively correlated with HF abundance.     

Historical tsunami in the Makran Subduction Zone off the southern coasts of Iran and Pakistan and results of numerical modeling

Tsunami hazard in the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ), off the southern coasts of Iran and Pakistan, was studied by numerical modeling of historical tsunami in this region. Although the MSZ triggered the second deadliest tsunami in the Indian Ocean, among those known, the tsunami hazard in this region has yet to be analyzed in detail. This paper reports the results of a risk analysis using five scenario events based on the historic records, and identifies a seismic gap area in western Makran off the southern coast of Iran. This is a possible site for a future large earthquake and tsunami. In addition, we performed numerical modeling to explain some ambiguities in the historical reports. Based on the modeling results, we conclude that either the extreme run-up of 12–15 m assigned for the 1945 Makran tsunami in the historical record was produced by a submarine landslide triggered by the parent earthquake, or that these reports are exaggerated. The other possibility could be the generation of the huge run-up heights by large displacements on splay faults. The results of run-up modeling reveal that a large earthquake and tsunami in the MSZ is capable of producing considerable run-up heights in the far field. Therefore, it is possible that the MSZ was the source of the tsunami encountered by a Portuguese fleet in Dabhul in 1524.     

Drained cavity expansions in soils of finite radial extent subjected to two boundary conditions

The problem of drained cavity expansion in soils of finite radial extent is investigated. Cylindrical and spherical cavities expanded from zero radius subjected to either constant stress or zero displacement at the finite boundary are considered. The generalised analytical solution procedure presented enables more advanced constitutive models to be implemented than have been possible in previous studies. Results generated for Sydney quartz sand highlight substantial differences between cavity limit pressures for the two boundary conditions and for boundaries of finite and infinite radial extent. This is of significance in accounting for boundary effects when interpreting cone penetration tests conducted in calibration chambers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.