Epithermal gold mineralisation in the active Aegean Volcanic Arc: the Profitis Ilias deposit, Milos Island, Greece

The Profitis Ilias gold deposit, located on the western part of Milos Island, Greece, is the first epithermal gold deposit discovered in the Pliocene–Pleistocene Aegean volcanic arc. Estimated ore reserves are 5 million tonnes grading 4.4 g/tonne Au and 43 g/tonne Ag. The deposit is closely associated with a horst and graben structure, and occurs in a series of steep interconnected crustiform-banded quartz veins up to 3 m wide, extending to depths of at least 300 m. The mineralisation occurs in three stages and is hosted by 3.5–2.5 Ma old silicified and sericitised rhyolitic lapilli-tuffs and ignimbrites. It consists of pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, electrum and native gold. Additionally, adularia occurs with quartz mainly in veins. Homogenisation temperatures of primary liquid-rich inclusions vary from 145 to 399 °C for the ore stage, and 112 to 263 °C for the post-ore stage. Salinities range between 0.1 and 11.4 wt% NaCl equiv. and 0.93 to 8.5 wt% NaCl equiv. for the ore stage and the post-ore stage, respectively. Rare vapour-rich inclusions in ore stage quartz homogenise between 368 and 399 °C and estimates of eutectic melting (−25 to −38 °C) indicate the presence of Ca and Mg in the ore fluids. Sample elevation versus fluid inclusion T_h–salinity relationships show (1) a high-salinity trend, where moderate-temperature (300–250 °C) and moderate-salinity brines (∼3 wt% NaCl equiv.) trend to high-salinity (up to 15 wt% NaCl equiv.) fluids with lower (∼25–50 °C) homogenisation temperatures, and (2) a high-T_h trend where moderate-salinity and moderate-temperature brines (200–250 °C; 3 wt% NaCl equiv.) develop into low-salinity (<1 wt% NaCl equiv.), high-temperature (>350 °C) fluids. These trends are best explained by extreme boiling and vapourisation phenomena between 200 and 250 °C. The 430–450 m asl (metres above sea level) level marks the transition between a lower liquid-dominated segment of the system where only the steep high-salinity trend is seen, and an upper vapour-dominated segment where the high-T_h trend or a combination of both are seen. There is a close spatial association between mineable gold grades and the upper segment of the system. Depth-to-boiling curves suggest that the paleo-surface was ∼200 m above the present summit of Profitis Ilias. Comparison of the mineralisation and fluid geochemistry at Profitis Ilias with that of the nearby modern geothermal system indicates that the processes of metal mineralisation have probably been continuous since the Late Pliocene. Received: 24 February 2000 / Accepted: 15 July 2000     

Modelling the spatial variation in soil moisture at the landscape scale: an application to five areas of ecological interest in the UK

A simple conceptual hydrological model that explicitly includes the lateral movement of soil water and operates efficiently at the landscape scale is outlined. It is applied to five areas of ecological interest in the UK to provide distributed mean monthly soil moisture on a 50 m grid. As the model's driving variables—daily rainfall and potential evapotranspiration—are assumed constant over each of the tracts of land, the variability in soil moisture is due to different soil types and to topographic effects. Box plots of the mean monthly simulated soil moisture clearly show the spread of values occasioned by modelling the lateral water movement down the hillslope. The general magnitude of the results are compared with published data wherever possible and there is some discussion of the form of the curve used in the model to describe the attenuation of evapotranspiration with decreasing soil moisture. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Factors controlling the temporal variability in dissolved oxygen regime of salmon spawning gravels

Dissolved oxygen (DO) plays a critical role in the development of the juvenile stages of benthic spawning fish and salmonids in particular. Factors influencing the DO regime within spawning gravels include the accumulation of fine sediment, penetration of groundwater or surface water into the gravels, thermal regime, and the consumption of oxygen by sediment and its associated organic fractions. In this field study, we quantify the DO regime within an artificial salmon redd at high temporal resolution. The environment within the redd is shown to be complex, with large variations in DO. Application of a numerical model (SIDO‐UK) enables for the first time, the quantification of the relative contributions to DO consumption from thermal regime, sediment accumulation and sediment oxygen demand. Sediment accumulation is shown to have a minor impact on DO in the redd whereas upwelling groundwater is identified as the most likely cause of the major changes in DO. Bed mobility has a minor impact on DO regime of the redd. The effects of fine sediment and oxygen supply on salmon embryo survival are estimated. Implications for river catchment management and prospects for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interactions between diatoms and fine sediment

Excessive mobilization and delivery of fine sediments to water bodies has detrimental impacts on those biotic elements used for waterbody status classification, including macroinvertebrates, fish and macrophytes. The relationship between fine sediment and diatoms is a reciprocal one, with diatoms influencing the production and retention of fine sediments, as well as being impacted by fine sediment derived from the catchment. Diatoms can increase the retention of fine sediments in benthic environments as a result of various mechanisms, including shear stress modification, surface adhesion and bed clogging. Enhanced retention of fines can have important implications for the transfer and fate of sediment‐associated nutrients and contaminants. Excessive fine sediment loadings impact diatom assemblages via shading, burial and scouring. Indirect impacts of increased fine sediment stress can result from changes in habitat availability, herbivory or predator changes, which cascade down the food chain. Indices based on the relative abundance of motile species have been proposed for using diatoms to assess waterbody status. However, disentangling the potential confounding impacts of alternative environmental stressors on these simplistic indices remains a significant challenge. Coupling sediment pressure models, capable of predicting the potential impact of mitigation, with meaningful diatom‐based indices, remains a challenge for catchment planning for sediment abatement and the attainment of improved, or protection of, ecological status. Existing targets for sediment management in river catchments are largely based on relationships between sediment stress and impacts on fish, but these thresholds have been widely criticized. There remains a need to develop generic modelling toolkits coupling sediment stress and impacts on a range of biological quality elements to support a weight‐of‐evidence approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.