Magmatism and metamorphism in the Ladakh Himalayas (the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone)

Ladakh (India) provides a complete geological section through the northwestern part of the Himalayas from Kashmir to Tibet. Within this section the magmatic, metamorphic and geotectonic evolution of the northern Himalayan orogeny has been studied using petrographic, geochemical and isotope analytical techniques.The beginning of the Himalayan cycle was marked by large basaltic extrusions (Panjal Trap) of Permian to Lower Triassic age at the “northern” margin of the Gondwana continent (Indian Shield). These continental type tholeiitic basalts were followed by a more alkaline volcanism within the Triassic to Jurassic Lamayuru unit of the Gondwana continental margin.Lower Jurassic to Cretaceous oceanic crust and sediments (ophiolitic mélange s.s.) accompany the Triassic to Cretaceous flysch deposits within the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone, the major structural divide between the Indian Shield (High Himalaya) and the Tibetan Platform. So far, no relic of Paleozoic oceanic crust has been found.Subduction of the Tethyan oceanic crust during Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous time produced an island arc represented by tholeiitic and calc-alkaline volcanic rock series (Dras volcanics) and related intrusives accompanied by volcaniclastic flysch deposits towards the Tibetan continental margin.Subsequent to the subduction of oceanic crust, large volumes of calc-alkaline plutons (Trans-Himalayan or Kangdese plutons) intruded the Tibetan continental margin over a distance of 2000 km and partly the Dras island arc in the Ladakh region.The collision of the Indian Shield and Tibetan Platform started during the middle to upper Eocene and caused large-scale, still active intracrustal thrusting as well as the piling up of the Himalayan nappes. The tectonically highest of these nappes is built up of oceanic crust and huge slices of peridotitic oceanic mantle (Spongtang klippe).In the High Himalayas the tectonic activity was accompanied and outlasted by a Barrovian-type metamorphism that affected Triassic sediments of the Kashmir-Nun-Kun synclinorium up to kyanite/staurolite grade and the deeper-seated units up to sillimanite grade. Cooling ages of micas are around 20 m.y. (muscovite) and 13 m.y. (biotite). Towards the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone metamorphism decreases with no obvious discontinuity through greenschist, prehnite-pumpellyite to zeolite grade. Remnants of possibly an Eo-Himalayan blueschist metamorphism have been found within thrust zones accompanying ophiolitic mélange in the suture zone.     

Very high CO2 cordierite from Norwegian Lapland: Mineralogy,petrology, and carbon isotopes

The most CO₂-rich cordierite thus far encountered in nature with about 2.2 wt.% CO₂ and 0.3 wt.% H₂O occurs as large poikiloblasts in a strange non-foliated reaction rock that dissects well-foliated granulites being part of the classical Lapland granulite area described by Eskola. The cordierite is optically positive with the highest optic angle 2V _x (106°) and birefringence (– = 0.017) ever measured on natural cordierites, but it is also optically very heterogeneous due to secondary loss of CO₂ along fractures and zones paralleling the fluid-bearing channels. Based on the optical properties of the degassed Lapland cordierite and on literature data a ternary diagram is given, which shows the variations of this cordierite in 2V _x and birefringence as a function of channel-filling with both CO₂ and H₂O.Following Losert (1971) the cordierite coexists with calcite, a thus far unique mineral assemblage that is probably only stable at very high CO₂ pressures. In the present case, the of the cordierite (0.75) indicates, on the basis of literature data, a coexisting fluid with >0.95.The carbon isotope composition ¹³C of CO₂ in cordierite lies near –7, that of the calcite is slightly lighter than about –9. Thus, at least for the CO₂ in cordierite, a deep-seated origin may be possible.Based on the geologic occurrence it is speculated that the cordierite-bearing reaction rock could perhaps represent an annealed channel of late degassing in the granulitic lower crust.     

Profile measurements in the atmospheric near-surface layer and the use of suitable universal functions for the determination of the turbulent energy exchange

The authors summarize their recent published studies on profile measurements including new universal functions and an error analysis with a particular view to parameterisation above soil and water. Verification of the theoretical results is given using new data of the MESP-81 Tsimlyansk experiment.     

Chemical composition of lunar meteorites and the lunar crust

The paper presents the first analyses of major and trace elements in 19 lunar meteorites newly found in Oman. These and literature data were used to assay the composition of highland, mare, and transitional (highland-mare interface) regions of the lunar surface. The databank used in the research comprises data on 44 meteorites weighing 11 kg in total, which likely represent 26 individual falls. Our data demonstrate that the lunar highland crust should be richer in Ca and Al but poorer in mafic and incompatible elements than it was thought based on studying lunar samples and the first orbital data. The Ir concentration in the highland crust and the analysis of lunar crater population suggest that most lunar impactites were formed by a single major impact event, which predetermined the geochemical characteristics of these rocks. Lunar mare regions should be dominated by low-Ti basalts, which are, however, enriched in LREEs compared to those sampled by lunar missions. The typical material of mare-highland interface zones can contain KREEP and magnesian VLT basalts. The composition of the lunar highland crust deduced from the chemistry of lunar meteorites does not contradict the model of the lunar magma ocean, but the average composition of lunar mare meteorites is inconsistent with this concept and suggests assimilation of KREEP material by basaltic magmas. The newly obtained evaluations of the composition of the highland crust confirm that the Moon can be enriched in refractory elements and depleted in volatile and siderophile elements.     

Foreign meteoritic material of howardites and polymict eucrites

Howardites and polymict eucrites are fragments of regolith breccias ejected from the surface of a differentiated (eucritic) parent body, perhaps, of the asteroid Vesta. The first data are presented demonstrating that howardites contain, along with foreign fragments of carbonaceous chondrites, also fragments of ordinary chondrites, enstatite meteorites, ureilites, and mesosiderites. The proportions of these types of foreign meteoritic fragments in howardites and polymict eucrites are the same as in the population of cosmic dust particles obtained from Antarctic and Greenland ice. The concentrations of siderophile elements in howardites and polymict eucrites are not correlated with the contents of foreign meteoritic particles. It is reasonable to believe that cosmogenic siderophile elements are concentrated in howardites and polymict eucrites mostly in submicrometer-sized particles that cannot be examined mineralogically. The analysis of the crater population of the asteroid Vesta indicates that the flux of chondritic material to the surface of this asteroid should have been three orders of magnitude higher than the modern meteoritic flux and have been comparable with the flux to the moon’s surface during its intense meteoritic bombardment. This provides support for the earlier idea about a higher meteoritic activity in the solar system as a whole at approximately 4 Ga. The lithification of the regolith (into regolith breccia) of the asteroid Vesta occurred then under the effect of thermal metamorphism in the blanket of crater ejecta. Thus, meteorite fragments included in howardites provide record of the qualitative composition of the ancient meteorite flux, which was analogous to that of the modern flux at the Earth surface.     

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Relations between metamorphism and orogeny in a typical section of the Indian Himalayas

Summary A comprehensive geological and petrological investigation has been undertaken in an area of about 10 000 km² in the Indian Himalaya (S-Lahul, Himachal Pradesh). The development of mineral assemblages in metamorphic rocks of medium grade is considered to be a dominant Alpine event, although almost exclusively Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks have been involved. The Barrowian type of this metamorphism, ranging from the anchi- to the sillimanite zone, took place under the elavated T-gradient of about 4°C/100 m. It is suggested that normal geothermal conditions prevailed only in the outermost zone of this orogenic belt. In the Late Tertiary this metamorphic series has been moved as a huge nappe upon the Lower Himalaya. During this process a unique feature of reverse metamorphism has been formed. It can be shown that this feature was caused by a combination of metamorphism and very rapid tectonic movements.

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Beziehungen zwischen Metamorphose und Orogenese in einem typischen Querschnitt des Indischen Himalaya

Zusammenfassung Ein etwa 10 000 km² großes Gebiet des Indischen Himalaya (S-Lahul, Himachal Pradesh) wurde einer umfassenden geologischen und petrographischen Bearbeitung unterzogen. Die Ausbildung der in den mittelgradig metamorphen Gesteinen vorliegenden Mineralparagenesen wird als ein dominant alpines Ereignis betrachtet, obwohl fast nur paläozoische und präkambrische Gesteine einbezogen wurden. Die Metamorphose selbst ist von Barrow-Typus und reicht von der Anchi- bis zur Sillimanitzone. Sie fand unter einem erhöhten Temperaturgradienten von etwa 4°C/100 m statt. Nur in der äußersten Zone des Orogens entsprach der Gradient etwa normalen geothermischen Verhältnissen. Im Spättertiär wurde diese alpin-metamorphe Serie in Form einer mächtigen Kristallindecke dem Niedrigen Himalaya aufgeschoben. Dabei wurde eine einzigartige Zone inverser Metamorphose ausgebildet. Es konnte gezeigt werden, daß diese inverse Metamorphose durch das Zusammenwirken von Metamorphose und sehr rasch ablaufender Tektonik entstand.

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With 13 Figures

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c.B. Sander on the occasion of his 90th birthday.     

Wolkenklassifikation auf Morphologischer Grundlage

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Wolkensystematik vorgeschlagen auf Grund der Wolkenform, der struktur — Verband — des Wolkenhimmels und auf Grund der räumlichen Verteilung der Wolken. Jede an einer Einzelwolke selbständig auftretende Form wird als Hauptform bezeichnet und folgende Typen werden genannt: Schicht, Scheier, Faser, Welle, Linse, Balle, Flocke, Haufen (Cumulus) und Dorn. Andere, dem Verfasser bisher unbekannte Formen könnten dazugefügt werden. Zwischen den Hauptformen treten alle möglichen Uebergänge auf, die noch mit der nicht dominierenden Hauptform, Nebenform genannt, charakterisiert werden. Zusätzliche Formen-elemente, die aber nicht selbständig auftreten können, werden Spielformen genannt (Mammatus etc.).Auf die Bedeutung der Verbandsverhältnisse und der räumlichen Anordnung wurde in Beispielen hingewiesen. Die klare Unterscheidung zwischen Form, Verband und Anordnung gestattet, Wolkenbestimmungstabellen zu erstellen.

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Summary The author proposes a systematical cloud classification according to their form (shape), their association (structure) and their repartition on the sky. Every form of a single cloud which appears independent of other forms is called main form or main shape. The following forms can be distinguished: layer, wave, lens, veil, thred, bale, flake, cumulus, thorn. Other forms may be added if necessary. All possible combinations of forms are to be found inbetween the main forms, so that there will be a secondary form next to the mainform (e. g. wave-lens). Additional forms which exist only together with main or secondary forms are details (e. g. mammatus). Some examples given in this study show the importance of combination's assembly and their repartitition in space. A clear difference made between the form, association and repartition allows to establish a convenient way of determining the clouds.

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Résumé L'auteur propose une classification des nuages d'après leur forme, leur structure (assemblage) et aussi d'après leur répartition dans l'espace. L'allure d'un nuage indépendant donne sa forme principale définie comme suit: couche, voile, veine, vague, lentille, balle, flocon, cumulus et pointe. D'autres formes peuvent être ajoutées. Entre les formes principales se trouvent toutes les combinaisons possibles qui ne sont pas dominantes, elles sont nommées les formes secondaires. Des états supplémentaires qui ne sont pas indépendants, constituent le jeu des formes.

     

Gedenktage

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Temperature of cometary dust

The variation of the dust temperature with heliocentric distance for a comet is calculated using the optical constants of an astronomically important silicate.