Tellurium isotopic composition of the early solar system—A search for effects resulting from stellar nucleosynthesis, Sn decay, and mass-independent fractionation

New precise Te isotope data acquired by multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) are presented for selected extraterrestrial and terrestrial materials. Bulk samples of carbonaceous, ordinary and enstatite chondrites as well as the metal and sulfide phases of iron meteorites were analyzed to search for nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies and to find evidence of formerly live ¹²⁶Sn, which decays to ¹²⁶Te with a half-life of 234,500 yr. None of the meteorites show evidence of mass dependent Te isotope fractionations larger than 2‰ for δ^126/128Te. Following internal normalization of the data to ¹²⁵Te/¹²⁸Te, the Te isotope ratios of all analyzed meteorites were found to be identical to a terrestrial standard, within uncertainties. This provides evidence that the regions of the solar disk that were sampled during accretion of the meteorite parent bodies were well mixed and homogeneous on a large scale, with respect to Te isotopes. The data acquired for bulk carbonaceous chondrites indicate that the initial ¹²⁶Sn/¹¹⁸Sn ratio of the solar system was <4 × 10⁻⁵, but this is dependent on the assumption that no redistribution of Sn and Te occurred since the start of the solar system. Five Archean sedimentary sulfides that display both mass dependent and mass-independent isotope effects for S yield internally normalized Te isotope data, which indicate that mass-independent Te isotope effects are absent. The mass dependent fractionations in these samples are constrained to be less than ∼1‰ for δ^126/128Te.     

Late Quaternary glacial and climate history of the Pamir Mountains derived from cosmogenic Be exposure ages

Moraines southwest of Lake Yashilkul, Pamir, Tajikistan, were dated using ¹⁰Be exposure ages of boulder surfaces. We found evidence for (1) an extensive glaciation ∼60,000 yr ago; (2) a less extensive glacial advance, which deposited a characteristic hummocky moraine lobe with exposure ages ranging from ∼11,000 to 47,000 yr, probably deposited at or before 47,000 yr ago; and (3) lateral moraines with exposure ages of ∼40,000 yr, 27,000 yr and 19,000 yr, respectively. Increasing aridity in the Pamir is most likely responsible for the progressively limited extent of the glaciers during the Late Pleistocene.     

In-situ Measurements of Tropospheric Hydroxyl Radicals by Folded Long-Path Laser Absorption During the Field Campaign POPCORN

Absolutely calibrated in-situ measurements of tropospheric hydroxyl radicals, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, and naphthalene (C10H8) were performed by long-path laser absorption spectroscopy during the field campaign POPCORN. The absorption light path was folded into an open optical multiple reflection cell with a mirror separation of 38.5 m. Using a light path length of 1848 m and an integration time of 200 s, the average 1-detection limits of OH, HCHO, SO2 and C10H8 during POPCORN were 8.7 · 105 cm–3, 8.3 · 109 cm–3, 2.4 · 109 cm–3, 1.5 · 108 cm–3, respectively. In total, 392 identifications of OH in air spectra were made in a rural environment between August 5 and August 23, 1994. We present and discuss OH absorption spectra and diurnal OH concentration profiles of three days which are representative for measurements under different pollution conditions during POPCORN. The observed maximum and median OH radical concentrations are 1.3 · 107 OH/cm3 and 4.0 · 106 OH/cm3, respectively. The measured diurnal variation of the OH concentration shows a good correlation with the primary formation reaction of OH radicals which is the photolysis of ambient ozone. Deviations from this correlation in the morning and evening hours, when the OH concentration is higher than expected from the ozone photolysis, demonstrate the importance of other photochemical HOx production pathways during POPCORN.     

Indirect crustal contamination: evidence from isotopic and chemical disequilibria in minerals from alkali basalts and nephelinites from northern Tanzania

 Alkali basalts and nephelinites from the volcanic province of northern Tanzania contain pyroxene and nepheline that show evidence for chemical and/or isotopic disequilibria with their host magmas. Olivine, pyroxene, nepheline and plagioclase all appear to be partially xenocrystic in origin. Five whole rock/mineral separate pairs have been analyzed for Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are distinct by as much as 20.94 (whole rock) vs. 19.10 (clinopyroxene separate). The Sr and Nd isotopic disequilibria vary from insignificant in the case of nepheline, to Δ ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.0002 and Δɛ_Nd of 0.7 in the case of clinopyroxene. The mineral chemistry of 25 samples indicates the ubiquitous presence of minerals that did not crystallize from a liquid represented by the host rock. The northern Tanzanian magmas are peralkaline and exhibit none of the xenocrystic phases expected from crustal assimilation. The disequilibria cannot be the result of mantle source variations. Rather the xenocrystic phases present appear to have been derived from earlier alkali basaltic rocks or magmas that were contaminated by the crust. Material from this earlier magma was then mixed with batches of magma that subsequently erupted on the surface. Disequilibrium in volcanic rocks has potentially serious consequences for the use of whole rock data to identify source reservoirs. However, mass balance calculations reveal that the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotopic compositions of the erupted lavas were changed by less than 0.25% as a result of this indirect crustal contamination. Received: 15 February 1995 / Accepted: 4 May 1996     

The Aurora volcanic field,California-Nevada: oxygen fugacity constraints on the development of andesitic magma

 The Aurora volcanic field, located along the northeastern margin of Mono Lake in the Western Great Basin, has erupted a diverse suite of high-K and shoshonitic lava types, with 48 to 76 wt% SiO₂, over the last 3.6 million years. There is no correlation between the age and composition of the lavas. Three-quarters of the volcanic field consists of evolved (<4 wt% MgO) basaltic andesite and andesite lava cones and flows, the majority of which contain sparse, euhedral phenocrysts that are normally zoned; there is no evidence of mixed, hybrid magmas. The average eruption rate over this time period was ∼200 m³/km²/year, which is typical of continental arcs and an order of magnitude lower than that for the slow-spreading mid-Atlantic ridge. All of the Aurora lavas display a trace-element signature common to subduction-related magmas, as exemplified by Ba/Nb ratios between 52 and 151. Pre-eruptive water contents ranged from 1.5 wt% in plagioclase-rich two-pyroxene andesites to ∼6 wt% in a single hornblende lamprophyre and several biotite-hornblende andesites. Calculated oxygen fugacities fall within –0.4 and +2.4 log units of the Ni-NiO buffer. The Aurora potassic suite follows a classic, calc-alkaline trend in a plot of FeO^T/MgO vs SiO₂ and displays linear decreasing trends in FeO^T and TiO₂ with SiO₂ content, suggesting a prominent role for Fe-Ti oxides during differentiation. However, development of the calc-alkaline trend through fractional crystallization of titanomagnetite would have caused the residual liquid to become so depleted in ferric iron that its oxygen fugacity would have fallen several log units below that of the Ni-NiO buffer. Nor can fractionation of hornblende be invoked, since it has the same effect as titanomagnetite in depleting the residual liquid in ferric iron, together with a thermal stability limit that is lower than the eruption temperatures of several andesites (∼1040–1080°C; derived from two-pyroxene thermometry). Unless some progressive oxidation process occurs, fractionation of titanomagnetite or hornblende cannot explain a calc-alkaline trend in which all erupted lavas have oxygen fugacites ≥ the Ni-NiO buffer. In contrast to fractional crystallization, closed-system equilibrium crystallization will produce residual liquids with an oxygen fugacity that is similar to that of the initial melt. However, the eruption of nearly aphryic lavas argues against tapping from a magma chamber during equilibrium crystallization, a process that requires crystals to remain in contact with the liquid. A preferred model involves the accumulation of basaltic magmas at the mantle-crust interface, which solidify and are later remelted during repeated intrusion of basalt. As an end-member case, closed-system equilibrium crystallization of a basalt, followed by equilibrium partial melting of the gabbro will produce a calc-alkaline evolved liquid (namely, high SiO₂ and low FeO^T/MgO) with a relative f _{O 2} (corrected for the effect of changing temperature) that is similar to that of the initial basalt. Differentiation of the Aurora magmas by repeated partial melting of previous underplates in the lower crust rather than by crystal fractionation in large, stable magma chambers is consistent with the low eruption rate at the Aurora volcanic field. Received: 7 July 1995 / Accepted: 19 April 1996     

Ore paragenesis of recent hydrothermal deposits at the Cocos-Nazca plate boundary (Galápagos Rift) at 85‡ 51' and 85‡ 55' W: Complex massive sulfide mineralizations,non-sulfidic mineralizations and mineralized basalts

Complex massive sulfide ores (»black smokers«) as well as mineralized basalts and unconsolidated sediments were sampled during the German research expedition »Garimas 1« in the eastern portions of the Galapagos Rift at 85 50' W longitude. The massive sulfide ores are characterized by a porous, layered, compositional texture with typical colloidal and/or gel textures. Local occurrences of organism remains (worm tubes), which are embedded in the ore, were also found. The composition of the massive sulfide ores exhibits a considerable range, from iron sulfide ores (pyrite, melnikovite-pyrite, marcasite) to copper-rich ores (chalcopyrite), and/or zinc-dominated ores (sphalerite, wurtzite, schalenblende). Additional new types of hydrothermal mineralizations were found, which consist primarily of manganese hydroxide, limonite or Fe-rich smectite (Fe-rich »protosmectite«) together with limonite and opaline silica. Hydrothermally altered basalts may be characterized by significant sulfide contents (primarily pyrite) and, locally, by hematite. Sediments in the vicinity of the »black smokers« frequently contain fragments of complex massive sulfide ores. With increasing distance from the »black smokers« these massive sulfide fragments exhibit complete replacement and pseudomorphism by limonite. Some replacement and pseudomorphism of microorganisms in unconsolidated sediments by limonitic material is also observed. In places, the unconsolidated sediments contain manganese hydroxide mineralizations of hydrothermal origin.

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Zusammenfassung Anlä\lich der deutschen Forschungsfahrt »Garimas 1« wurden im östlichen Teil des Galápagos-Riftes bei 85 50' W vor allem komplexe massive Sulfiderze (»Schwarze Raucher« — »Black Smokers«) gewonnen, daneben au\erdem vererzte Basalte sowie unverf estigte Sedimente. Die massiven Sulfiderze sind durch einen porösen, lagig bis krustigschaligen Aufbau gekennzeichnet und weisen charakteristische Kolloidalgefüge bzw. Geltexturen auf. Stellenweise liegen Organismenreste (z. B. Wurmröhren), eingebettet in Erz, vor. Die Zusammensetzung der jeweiligen massiven Sulfiderze schwankt erheblich und reicht von praktisch nur aus Eisensulfid (Pyrit, Melnikovitpyrit, Markasit) beste-henden Bildungen bis zu solchen, die reich an Kupfersulfid (Kupferkies) und/oder Zinksulfid (Zinkblende, Wurtzit, Schalenblende) sind. Als weitere und neue Typen hydrothermaler Bildungen bzw. von »Schwarzen Rauchern« konnten hydrothermale Mineralisationen nachgewiesen werden, die vorherrschend entweder aus Manganhydroxid, aus Limonit oder aus eisenreichem Montmorillonit (Fe-reicher »Protosmektit«) mit Limonit und amorphem SiO₂ bestehen. Die alterierten Basalte können stellenweise durch eine reichliche Sulfidführung (vor allem Pyrit) ausgezeichnet sein, wobei gelegentlich auch Eisenglanz beibricht. Die Sedimente aus der Nachbarschaft der »Schwarzen Raucher« enthalten öfters zahlreiche Bruchstücke der komplexen Massivsulfiderze. Diese Sulfiderz-Bruchstücke lassen häufig mit zunehmender Entfernung von den »Schwarzen Rauchern« starke bis völlige Verdrängung und Pseudomorphosierung durch Limonit erkennen. Die in diesen Lockersedimenten vorliegenden rezenten Mikroorganismen zeigen stellenweise Verdrängung und Pseudomorphosierung durch Limonit. In den Lockersedimenten treten Ausscheidungen von Manganhydroxid hydrothermaler Herkunft auf.

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Résumé Dans la partie est de la dorsale des Galapagos, par 85 50' de longitude ouest, l'expédition allemande »GARIMAS I« a récolté des minerais sulfurés complexes massifs (minerais de »fumeurs noirs«), ainsi que des basaltes minéralisés et des échantillons de sédiments meubles. Les sulfures massifs présentent un aspect poreux lité à écailleux et montrent des structures colloÏdales caractéristiques. Localement des traces d'organismes (p. ex. des trous de vers) sont inclues dans le minéral. Les sulfures massifs présentent diverses compositions depuis des formations constituées uniquement de sulfures de Fe (pyrite, pyrite »colloÏdale«, marcasite) jusqu'à d'autres qui sont riches en sulfures de cuivre (chalcopyrite) et/ou de zinc (blende, wurtzite, blende zonaire). De plus, d'autres minéralisations hydrothermales, nouvelles dans l'environnement des fumeurs noirs, ont été mises en évidence: elles sont constituées soit d'oxydes et hydroxydes de Mn, soit de limonite ou de montmorillonite riche en fer (»protosmectite« ferreuse) avec de la limonite et silice amorphe. Les basaltes hydrothermalisés peuvent montrer localement une teneur élevée en sulfure (surtout de la pyrite) éventuellement accompagné d'hématite. Les sédiments recueillis au voisinage des fumeurs noirs renferment souvent de nombreux fragments de sulfures complexes massifs. Au fur et à mesure qu'on s'éloigne des fumeurs, ces fragments sont progressivement et mÊme complètement pseudomorphosés en limonite. Cette pseudomorphose limonitique affecte également, par endroits, les micro-organismes récents inclus dans les sédiments meubles. Dans ces derniers ont lieu des formations d'hydroxydes de manganèse d'origine hydrothermale.

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A numerical simulation scheme for the albedo of city street canyons

A numerical scheme is described for the calculation of effective albedo values of long city street canyons. The method is based on a generalization of the radiation model for inclined surfaces recently presented by Brühl and Zdunkowski (1983). Calculated albedo values are compared with Aida's (1982) experimentally determined results. It is found that experiment and theory are in reasonable and in some cases in excellent agreement. Additional results obtained by varying the geometry of the street canyon as well as the surface reflectivities are shown to demonstrate the versatility of the calculation scheme.     

Shock effects on hydrous minerals and implications for carbonaceous meteorites

New infrared absorption spectra, thermo-gravimetric analyses and optical-and scanning electron microscopy of shock-recovered specimens of antigorite serpentine (Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄) from the pressure range between 25 to 59 GPa are reported. The infrared spectra show systematic changes in absorption peaks related to structural and molecular surface absorbed water. H₂O absorption peaks increase at the expense of OH peaks with increasing shock pressure. Changes in SiO bond vibrational modes with increasing shock pressure parallel those seen for other, non-hydrous minerals. Thermogravimetric analyses of shock-recovered samples determine the amount of shock-induced water loss. For samples shocked in vented assemblies, the data define a relation between shock-induced water loss versus shock pressure. Results for samples shocked in sealed assemblies demonstrate a dependence of water loss on shock pressure and target confinement. For the vented assembly samples, a linear relation between shock pressure and both the length of dehydration interval and the effective activation energy for releasing post-shock structural water in antigorite is found. Optical and scanning electron miscroscopy of shocked antigorite reveal a number of textures thought to be unique to shock loading of volatile-bearing minerals. Gas bubbles, which probably are the result of shock-released H₂O appear to be injected into zones of partial melting. This process may produce the vesicular dark veins which are distributed throughout heavily shocked samples. The present observations suggest several criteria which may constrain possible shock histories of the hydrous matrix phases of carbonaceous condrites. A model is proposed for explaining hydrous alteration processes occurring on carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies in the course of their accretion. We speculate that shock loading of hydrous minerals would release and redistribute free water in the regoliths of carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies giving rise to the observed hydrous alterations.     

The Barents Sea impact study (BASIS): methodology and first results

Global and climate changes are subject to scientific, societal and political debates. Recent observational evidence and results of global climate models have identified the circumpolar North as a region particularly susceptible to future climate change. To understand and assess the consequences of these changes for environmental and societal components of the European Arctic, the Barents Sea Impact Study (BASIS), an EU-funded integrated regional impact study (IRIS) has been carried out (ENV4-CT-97-0637). In common with global integrated assessments (IAs), IRISs also take a holistic view on climate change and its impact. Contrary to IAs, however, IRISs adopt a regional to sub-regional spatial scale. BASIS was carried out by an interdisciplinary team of specialists from 13 institutions in 6 countries. Major results pertain to impacts of possible climate change on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, freshwater hydrology, marine trace gas budgets, forestry and fishery. However, in this paper we focus on the major methodological aspects of an IRIS in general and on methods applied in BASIS in particular.