Petrogenesis and geotectonic setting of the PanAfrican basement rocks in Bamenda Massif, Obudu Plateau, southeastern Nigeria： Evidence from trace element geochemistry

1 IntroductionThe study area is part of the Obudu Plateau,which forms part of the Precambrian Pan-African tec-tonothermal belt, lying between the West African Cra-ton and the Gabon-Congo Craton ( Fig. 1). It isbounded by the Benue Trough, in the NE-SW axi…     

The development of micro-catchments in Sri Lanka

This paper gives an informatory account of the development of micro-catchments in Sri Lanka for irrigation. Information for the paper comes from the experience of detailed investigation and preparation of technical proposals for the improvement of 170 existing micro-scale reservoir schemes in the Puttalam and Kurunegala districts, over a period of three years (January, 1982 through December, 1984), under a World Bank-financed project called “Integrated Rural Development (IRD) Project”. Investigations were carried out by a private body called Planning Consultancy, a professional staff comprising a team of eight engineers from the Resources Development Consultants Ltd., Sir Lanka, under a contract with the Ministry of Plan Implementation and under the supervision of the Irrigation Department of Sri Lanka and a World Bank-recommended body called Supervisory Consultancy. The writer is a member of the Planning Consultancy team who personally investigated and designed 30 of these schemes.     

Enthalpies in (Na,Ca)- and (K,Ca)-feldspar binaries: a high-temperature solution calorimetric study

A series of high structural state plagioclases (Ab-An) was crystallized from glasses. By exchanging Na for K in KCl melts, metastable K-plagioclases (Or-An) were prepared which possess the same structural state as the starting plagioclases. Both series were investigated at 980 K by lead borate solution calorimetry. Continuing the ideas of Carpenter and McConnell (1984) and Carpenter (1992a), the results can be interpreted as follows. In the high plagioclase series, the enthalpies of solution, jH_sol, reflect the schemes of Al,Si ordering: (1) analbite-like (C2/m) ordering in the An-poor region 0hX_AnА.2, (2) high albite-like (C1¥) ordering in intermediate plagioclases, and (3) anorthite-like (I1¥) ordering in the An-rich region 0.7AnБ. In regions 1 and 2, jH_sol decreases as a function of X_An, but increases in region 3 as a consequence of the C1¥MI1¥ ordering reaction. Therefore, it is not a mixing effect but a compositionally restricted ordering effect which causes the excess enthalpies, jH^ex, to be positive in the plagioclase binary as a whole. Neglecting the existence of phase transitions at X_An=0.2 and X_An=0.7, jH^ex can be approximated by a two-parameter Margules model yielding W^H_AnAb=14Dž kJ/mol and W^H_AbAn=40Dž kJ/mol. jH_sol values of I1¥ plagioclases (X_An>0.7) can be "corrected" for the C1¥MI1¥ ordering effect (Carpenter 1992a). When combining the corrected values with the jH_sol data which were actually measured on the C1¥ plagioclases (X_An<0.7), negative excess enthalpies are generated in the plagioclase binary. This may be expected when C1¥ ordering occurs relative to topochemically monoclinic reference states of analbite and hypothetical anorthite devoid of I1¥ order. The solution experiments on the K-plagioclases resulted in similar characteristics as those found for the plagioclases. However, in addition to the ordering effects observed in the plagioclase binary, volume mismatch effects contribute to jH^ex in the K-plagioclase series. jH^ex can be represented by a Margules model with W^H_AnOr=60ᆞ kJ/mol and W^H_OrAn=91ᆢ kJ/mol when the phase transitions at X_An=0.2 and X_An=0.7 are again neglected. The contribution of the volume mismatch effect to jH^ex is considerable, as appears from the large difference between the K-plagioclase and the plagioclase Margules parameters. Their difference corresponds to a practically symmetrical dependence of jH^ex_volmism on composition, with W^H_volmism=48ᆡ kJ/mol.     

Paleoclimatic changes in southern Africa during the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation: evidence from ODP Leg 175 Site 1085

Pliocene age sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 175, Site 1085-A and B in the Cape Basin were analyzed to investigate the impact of the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation (INHG) on the South Atlantic Benguela Current system from 4 to 2 Ma. Proxies for productivity (concentrations and mass accumulation rates of total organic carbon, carbon to nitrogen ratios, percent calcium carbonate, and percent biogenic silica) as well as weight percent sand (a proxy for preservation or winnowing) peak at 3.2, 3.0, 2.4, and 2.25 Ma. Normative calculations of allied trace and major elemental determinations indicate synchronous increases in productivity peaks, as well as high concentrations and accumulations of terrigenous sediments. Coeval increases in hemipelagic sedimentation and productivity indicators could be the result of enhanced eolian sedimentation resulting from strengthened winds, leading to elevated rates of upwelling and enhanced productivity. However, rapid burial, as indicated by high sedimentation rates, could also enhance preservation. The very high concentrations (>30%) and accumulations (up to 60 g/cm²/kyr) limit the likelihood that eolian sedimentation was the only transport mechanism, invoking an additional fluvial source. Rapid burial by either eolian or fluvial transport links these intervals of enhanced preservation and productivity with continental climate changes resulting from (1) increased winds and/or dust availability due to higher aridity in the Namibia/northern South Africa region; (2) lowered sea-level related to increased ice volume; (3) increased sediment load due to wetter conditions in the continental interior; or (4) some combination. Peaks at 3.2, 2.4 and 2.25 Ma are coincident with maximum precession, suggesting a link between hemipelagic sedimentation and enhanced monsoonal circulation over southern Africa. The Site 1085 sedimentary record during the INHG seems to be controlled by low-latitude processes linked to precession rather than hig-latitude processes.     

The Eastern Congo—a beauty spot,rediscovered from a geological point of view

In East Africa, the feedback between tectonic uplift, erosional denudation and associated possible climate changes is being studied by a multidisciplinary research group, ‘Riftlink’. The group's focus is the Albertine Rift, the northern part of the western branch of the East African Rift System, and in particular the rising Rwenzori Mountains that stretch along the border of the D.R. Congo and Uganda. Major questions relate to the timing of the formation of the Rwenzori Mountains, and whether the height of these mountains (> 5000 m) relates to rift movements in Neogene times, or represents an old basement block that formed a topographic high long before. Though, at first, research concentrated on the eastern (Ugandan) part of the Albertine Rift and Rwenzori Mountains, it has now moved further to the west to the D.R. Congo. A first field‐campaign, covering the area from northern Lake Edward along the rift shoulder up to the Blue Mountains at Lake Albert, was conducted in summer 2009, in cooperation with the Ruwenzori State University of Butembo. Here, we present a brief overview of the field‐campaign, with impressions gathered on the morphology and geology of the study area.     

Some observations from the data taken in and around Kharagpur during the onset of the monsoon, 1990

During MONTBLEX 1990, various observational platforms were operated at Kharagpur and the nearby Kalaikunda Air Base. Using the data from all the platforms, one can draw the following conclusions. The temperature and wind data obtained from various sensors have overall compatibility. Sodar wind data indicate the presence of a low level jet at around 300 m above ground. The inversion height may be evaluated from the vertical profile of the sodar back-scatter echo intensity. The sub-synoptic or synoptic scale convergence modulates the inversion height and the presence of cloud-base within the inversion height in turn modulates the sensible heat and momentum fluxes.     

An overview of socio-economic and ecological perspectives of Fiji's inshore reef fisheries

This paper reviews the socio-economic and ecological context of Fijian reef fisheries. This review is deemed necessary because improved understanding of the state and trends of Fiji's coral reef fisheries on a national level is required for designing an effective management plan for Fiji's inshore reef fisheries. The most important point that emerges from our review is that despite numerous studies of Fiji's reef fisheries, the current status of reef-associated fisheries at the national level is still uncertain due, mainly, to the lack of dependable data on the subsistence fisheries. This in turn leads to uncertainty about how the continuation of fishing, in particular, fishing focused on target species for the coral reef resources trade, will affect fishing communities and the ecosystem.