Chemical and thermal zonation in a mildly alkaline magma system Infiernito Caldera,Trans-Pecos Texas

Postcollapse lavas of the Infiernito caldera grade stratigraphically upward from nearly aphyric, high-silica rhyolite (76% SiO₂) to highly prophyritic trachyte (62% SiO₂). Plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, magnetite, ilmenite, and apatite occur as phenocrysts throughout the sequence. Sanidine, biotite, and zircon are present in rocks with more than about 67% SiO₂. Major and trace elements show continuous variations from 62 to 76% SiO₂. Modeling supports fractional crystallization of the observed phenocrysts as the dominant process in generating the chemical variation.Temperatures calculated from coexisting feldspars, pyroxenes, and Fe-Ti oxides agree and indicate crystallization from slightly more than 1100° C in the most mafic trachyte to 800° C in high-silica rhyolite. The compositional zonation probably arose through crystallization against the chilled margin of the magma chamber and consequent rise of more evolved and therefore less dense liquid.Mineral compositions vary regularly with rock composition, but also suggest minor mixing and assimilation of wall rock or fluids derived from wall rock. Mixing between liquids of slightly different compositions is indicated by different compositions of individual pyroxene phenocrysts in single samples. Liquid-solid mixing is indicated by mineral compositions of glomerocrysts and some phenocrysts that apparently crystallized in generally more evolved liquids at lower temperature and higher oxygen fugacity than represented by the rocks in which they now reside. Glomerocrysts probably crystallized against the chilled margin of the magma chamber and were torn from the wall as the liquid rose during progressive stages of eruption. Assimilation is indicated by rise of oxygen fugacity relative to a buffer from more mafic to more silicic rocks.Calculation of density and viscosity from the compositional and mineralogical data indicates that the magma chamber was stably stratified; lower temperature but more evolved, thus less dense, rhyolite overlay higher temperature, less evolved, and therefore more dense, progressively more mafic liquids. The continuity in rock and mineral compositions and calculated temperature, viscosity, and density indicate that compositional gradation in the magma chamber was smoothly continuous; any compositional gaps must have been no greater than about 2% SiO₂.     

Comparative compressibility of end-member feldspars

The compressibilities of the three end-member feldspars have been determined between 1 bar and 50 kbar by single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques, using a Merrill-Bassett type diamond anvil cell with three crystals loaded simultaneously. Low albite (ordered aluminium-silicon distribution) and high sanidine (disordered Al-Si) show similar behaviour on compression, with bulk moduli (linear fit to volume-pressure data) of 0.70 and 0.67 Mbar respectively. The most compressible cell axis of all three feldspars studied is a, indicating that the major change in the feldspar framework with pressure is a shortening of the overall length of the “crankshaft chains” by reduction of T-O-T angles. Anorthite shows anomalous behaviour in that we have observed a previously unreported reversible phase transition at a pressure between 25.5 and 29.5 kbar. This transition is marked by large discontinuities in the unit cell angles and a small decrease of 0.2 percent in the cell volume with increasing pressure. The high-pressure phase is less compressible than the low-pressure phase, the bulk moduli being 0.94 and 1.06 Mbar respectively. There was no evidence of a monoclinic to triclinic inversion in sanidine that was expected to occur between 20 and 30 kbar on the basis of previous work on intermediate alkali feldspars.     

Effects of non-stoichiometry on the spinel structure at high pressure: Implications for Earth’s mantle mineralogy

A non-stoichiometric sample of spinel with composition ^T(Mg_0.4Al_0.6)^M(Al_1.8□_0.2)O₄ was investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in situ up to about 8.7 GPa using a diamond anvil cell. The P(V) data were fitted using a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state and the unit-cell volume V₀, the bulk modulus K_T0 and its first pressure derivative K′ were refined simultaneously providing the following coefficients: V₀ = 510.34(6) Å³, K_T0 = 171(2) GPa, K′ = 7.3(6). This K_T0 value represents the lowest ever found for spinel crystal structures. Comparing our data with a stoichiometric and natural MgAl₂O₄ (pure composition) we observe a decrease in K_T0 by about 11.5% and a strong increase in K′ by about 33%. These results demonstrate how an excess of Al accompanied by the formation of significant cation vacancies at octahedral site strongly affects the thermodynamic properties of spinel structure. If we consider that the estimated mantle composition is characterized by 3-5% of Al₂O₃ this could imply an Mg/Al substitution with possible formation of cation vacancies. The results of our study indicate that geodynamic models should take into account the potential effect of Mg/Al substitution on the incompressibility of the main mantle-forming minerals (olivine, wadsleyite, ringwoodite, Mg-perovskite).     

Compression of witherite to 8 GPa and the crystal structure of BaCO3II

Natural witherite (Ba_0.99Sr_0.01CO₃) has been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in the diamond anvil cell at eight pressures up to 8 GPa. At ambient pressure, cell dimensions are a?=?5.3164(12) Å, b?=?8.8921(19) Å, c?=?6.4279(16) Å, and the structure was refined in space group Pmcn to R(F)?=?0.020 from 2972 intensity data. The unit cell and atom position parameters for the orthorhombic cell were refined at pressures of 1.2, 2.0, 2.9, 3.9, 4.6, 5.5, 6.2, and 7.0 GPa. The volume-pressure data are used to calculate equation of state parameters K _T0?=?50.4(12) GPa and K′?=?1.9(4). At approximately 7.2 GPa, a first-order transformation to space group P3¯1c was observed. Cell dimensions of the high-pressure phase at 7.2 GPa are a?=?5.258(6) Å, c?=?5.64(1) Å. The high pressure structure was determined and refined to R(F)?=?0.06 using 83 intensity data, of which 15 were unique. This high-pressure phase appears to be more compressible than the orthorhombic phase with an estimated initial bulk modulus (K _7.2GPa) of 10 GPa.     

The optical variability of 3C345

Photographic observations of the quasar 3C345 during 1968 and 1969 are reported. They show a quiescent state during 1968 and renewed activity in 1969. Fourier analysis of all available brightness measurements 1965–69 shows a dominant long-term variation with an apparent period of 1025 d, and two weak components with periods of 165 d and 556 d. There are no conspicuous short-period components down to 10 d. The light-curve synthesized from these three components does not fully represent the rapid variations, but does suggest a period of 165 d for the optical spikes, which is probably related to the periods of 80 d and 320 d suggested earlier.     

Three-dimensional primary instabilities of a stratified,dissipative, parallel flow

Abstract

We demonstrate the existence of a class of dissipative, stratified, parallel shear flows which, as a consequence of linear supercritical instability, evolve directly into three-dimensional flows without the requirement for an intermediate two-dimensional finite-amplitude state. This represents a counter-example to a common misinterpretation of Squire's theorm, namely that the fastest-growing unstable mode of a dissipative parallel shear flow must be two-dimensional.     

Crystal chemistry of wadsleyite II and water in the Earth’s interior

Wadsleyite II is a variably hydrous magnesium-iron silicate phase similar to spinelloid IV and a potential host for H in the Transition Zone of the Earths mantle. Two separate samples of wadsleyite II synthesized at 17.5 GPa and 1400°C and at 18 GPa and 1350°C have been characterized by electron microprobe, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, visible, IR, Raman, and Mössbauer spectroscopies, and transmission electron microscopy including electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The two samples have the following chemical formulae: Mg_1.71Fe_0.18Al_0.01H_0.33Si_0.96O₄ and Mg_1.60Fe_0.22Al_0.01 H_0.44Si_0.97O₄. Mössbauer spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) indicate that about half of the iron present is ferric. Refinement of the structures shows them to be essentially the same as spinelloid IV. Calculated X-ray powder diffraction patterns show only subtle differences between wadsleyite and wadsleyite II. The hydration mechanism appears to be protonation of the non-silicate oxygen (O2) and possibly the oxygens surrounding the partially vacant tetrahedral site Si2, charge-balanced by cation vacancies in Si2, M5 and M6. The unit cell volume of this phase and its synthesis conditions indicate that it may be an intermediate phase occurring between the fields of wadsleyite and ringwoodite, if sufficient trivalent cations are available. The unit cell parameters have been refined at pressures up to 10.6 GPa by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in the diamond anvil cell. The refined bulk modulus for the sample containing 2.8 wt% H₂O is 145.6 ± 2.8 GPa with a K of 6.1 ± 0.7. Similar to wadsleyite and ringwoodite, hydration has a large effect on the bulk modulus. The presence of this phase in the mantle could serve to obscure the seismic expression of the phase boundary between wadsleyite and ringwoodite near 525 km. The large apparent effect of hydration on bulk modulus is consistent with hydration having a larger effect on seismic velocities than temperature in the Transition Zone.     

Regional controls on geomorphology, hydrology, and ecosystem integrity in the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela

Interacting river discharge, tidal oscillation, and tropical rainfall across the 22,000 km² Orinoco delta plain support diverse fresh and brackish water ecosystems. To develop environmental baseline information for this largely unpopulated region, we evaluate major coastal plain, shallow marine, and river systems of northeastern South America, which serves to identify principal sources and controls of water and sediment flow into, through, and out of the Orinoco Delta.The regional analysis includes a summary of the geology, hydrodynamics, sediment dynamics, and geomorphic characteristics of the Orinoco drainage basin, river, and delta system. Because the Amazon River is a major source of sediment deposited along the Orinoco coast, we summarize Amazon water and sediment input to the northeastern South American littoral zone. We investigate sediment dynamics and geomorphology of the Guiana coast, where marine processes and Holocene history are similar to the Orinoco coast.Major factors controlling Orinoco Delta water and sediment dynamics include the pronounced annual flood discharge; the uneven distribution of water and sediment discharge across the delta plain; discharge of large volumes of water with low sediment concentrations through the Río Grande and Araguao distributaries; water and sediment dynamics associated with the Guayana littoral current along the northeastern South American coast; inflow of large volumes of Amazon sediment to the Orinoco coast; development of a fresh water plume seaward of Boca Grande; disruption of the Guayana Current by Trinidad, Boca de Serpientes, and Gulf of Paria; and the constriction at Boca de Serpientes.