Ion tracks in apatite at high pressures: the effect of crystallographic track orientation on the elastic properties of fluorapatite under hydrostatic compression

Static elasticity measurements at high pressures were carried out on oriented fluorapatite single crystals, some of which contained oriented amorphous ion tracks (ITs) implanted with relativistic Au ions (2.2 GeV) from the UNILAC linear accelerator at GSI, Darmstadt. High-pressure experiments on irradiated and non-irradiated crystal sections were carried out in diamond-anvil high-pressure cells under hydrostatic conditions. In situ single-crystal diffraction was performed to determine the high-precision lattice parameters, simultaneously monitoring the widths of X-ray diffraction Bragg peaks. High-pressure Raman spectra were analyzed with respect to the frequency shift and widths of bands, which correspond to the Raman-active vibrational modes of the phosphate tetrahedra. Swift heavy ion irradiation was found to induce anisotropic lattice expansion and tensile strain within the host lattice dependent on the ion-track orientation. The relatively low Grüneisen parameter for the ν _1b(A _g) mode, which has been assigned to originate from the volume fraction of the amorphous tracks, and the γ(ν _1a)/γ(ν _1b) ratio reveals compressive strain on the amorphous ITs. The comparative compressibilities for the host lattice reveal approximately equivalent bulk moduli, but significantly different pressure derivatives (K _T = 88.4 ± 0.7 GPa, ∂K/∂P = 6.3 ± 0.3 for non-irradiated, K _T = 90.0 ± 1.7 GPa, ∂K/∂P = 3.8 ± 0.5 for irradiated samples). The axial compressibility moduli β ⁻¹ reveal significant differences, which correlate with the ion-track orientation [b_a ^{- 1} beta_{a}^{ - 1}  = 240 ± 5 GPa, b_c ^{- 1} beta_{c}^{ - 1}  = 361 ± 14 GPa, ∂( b_a ^{- 1} ) left( {beta_{a}^{ - 1} } right) /∂P = 11.3 ± 1.2, ∂( b_c ^{- 1} ) left( {beta_{c}^{ - 1} } right) /∂P = 11.6 ± 3.4 for irradiation ⊥(100); 246 ± 9 GPa, 364 ± 57 GPa, 9.5 ± 2.9, 14.7 ± 14.1 for irradiation ⊥(001), 230.7 ± 3.6 GPa, 373.5 ± 5.1 GPa, 19.2 ± 1.4, 20.1 ± 1.8 for no irradiation]. Line widths of XRD Bragg peaks in irradiated apatites confirm the strain of the host lattice, which appears to decrease with increasing pressure. By contrast, the bandwidths of Raman modes increase with pressure, and this is attributed to increasing strain gradients on the length scale of the short-range order. The investigations reveal considerable deviatoric stress on the [100]-oriented tracks due to the anisotropic elasticity, while the compression is uniform for the directions perpendicular to the tracks, which are aligned parallel to the c-axis. This difference might be considered to control the diffusion properties related to the annealing kinetics and its observed anisotropy, and hence to cause potential pressure effects on track-fading rates.     

黑龙江嘉荫晚白垩世一鸭嘴龙亚科恐龙齿骨化石

鸭嘴龙科(Hadrosauridae)化石根据头骨特征等被划分为鸭嘴龙亚科(Hadrosaurinae,无头冠)和赖氏龙亚科(Lambeosaurinae,有头冠)。黑龙江嘉荫龙骨山晚白垩世渔亮子组保存了丰富的鸭嘴龙化石,其中黑龙江满洲龙Mandschurosaurus amurensis(Riabinin,1925)是最早在中国发现的恐龙,属鸭嘴龙亚科;嘉荫卡龙Charonosaurus jiayinensis(Godefroit et al,2000)也是在这里发现的,属赖氏龙亚科。本文描述了采自嘉荫龙骨山的部分左齿骨化石和一些牙齿化石,新的化石明显属于鸭嘴龙亚科,主要特征为:齿骨每个牙列有5个以上的牙齿,牙冠边缘小锯齿由乳头状小瘤构成。新发现的牙齿牙冠上发育有明显的第二、三副脊,这在鸭嘴龙中是罕见的。新发现的化石明显不同于产于同一地点的嘉荫卡龙,但由于黑龙江满洲龙模式标本没有保存牙齿,因此暂不能与之充分对比。     

Magnetic fabric evolution in ductile shear zones: examples in metagranites of the Aar Massif (Swiss Central Alps)

The Aar Massif forms part of the polycyclic basement of the External Crystalline Massifs in central Switzerland. Strong heterogeneous Alpine deformation produced a network of broad, anastomosing shear zones, with deformation strongly localized in mylonitic domains. This study investigates the combined effects of high‐strain deformation and synkinematic metamorphism on magnetic fabric evolution in Tertiary shear zones of the Aar granite and Grimsel granodiorite. In transects across several mesoscale shear zones with large strain gradients, magnetic fabric orientations are in excellent agreement with principal strain orientations determined from outcrop fabrics and strain markers. However, the magnitude and shape of the magnetic anisotropy do not change systematically with increasing finite strain, likely as a result of recrystallization and metamorphism. The overall pattern of steeply dipping fabrics is consistent with the main shortening stage of regional Alpine kinematics, while some mylonite structures reflect a local component of dextral shearing.     

Inland aeolian deposits of south‐west France: facies,stratigraphy and chronology

Archaeological investigations undertaken along a proposed highway together with the compilation of available geological and pedological data made it possible to give a first overview of the distribution of Pleistocene aeolian deposits in south‐west France. A chronological framework for deposition has been obtained using both radiocarbon (n = 24) and luminescence (n = 26) dating. It shows that aeolian transport was very active during the Late Pleniglacial, between 15 and ～23 ka, leading to sand emplacement over a 13 000‐m² area at the centre of the basin. The Pleniglacial coversands are typified by extensive fields of small transverse to barchanoid ridges giving way to sandsheets to the east. Subsequent aeolian phases, at ca. 12 ka (Younger Dryas) and 0.8–0.2 ka (Little Ice Age), correspond to the formation of more localized and higher, mainly parabolic dunes. At the southern and eastern margins of the coversand area, aeolian dust accumulated to form loess deposits, the thickness of which reaches ～3 m on the plateaus. Luminescence dates together with interglacial‐ranking palaeoluvisols between the loess units clearly indicate that these accumulations built up during the last two glacial–interglacial cycles. The chronology of sand and loess deposition thus appears to be consistent with that already documented for northern Europe. This suggests that it was driven by global climate changes in the northern hemisphere. The relatively thin aeolian deposits (and particularly loess) in south‐west France is thought to reflect both a supply‐limited system and a moister climate than in more northern and continental regions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.