SHRIMP U–Pb detrital zircon dating to check subdivisions in metamorphic complexes: a case of study in the Nevado–Filábride complex (Betic Cordillera,Spain)

International Journal of Earth Sciences - U–Pb dating on inherited detrital zircons has been applied to obtain the probable maximum age of deposition of the detrital protolith of the...     

Tracing groundwater flow using chemical data

Abstract

In the southern part of the Great Hungarian Plain there are two different groundwater flow systems located in the study area. Between these two systems there is a narrow groundwater divide where groundwater flow cannot be detected. In the western part, groundwater of greater hardness moves from the northwest, west and southwest. In the eastern part, groundwater flow is from southeast to northwest. The directions of groundwater flow have been established on the basis of dissolved mono- and di-valent cation concentrations. The major direction of groundwater flow detected by a statistical evaluation of water chemical data agrees with previous geological investigations.     

Approaches for tsunami risk assessment and application to the city of Cádiz, Spain

Tsunamis can represent a significant risk to the population and cause huge economic damage in many costal regions. In order to be able to identify risk hot spots and implement targeted risk reduction measures, decision makers need to have a clear picture of the risk situation in their countries or regions. This work reviews existing approaches for tsunami risk assessment and recommends a five-step process for assessing tsunami risk. As a case study, a qualitative risk assessment for a worst-case tsunami scenario was carried out to understand the tsunami risk to the population in Cádiz. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the tsunami hazard input parameters was performed as a strong influence of the variability of the input parameters on the resultant tsunami hazard and risk zonation maps was observed. The study shows that regardless of the assumptions made a non-negligible tsunami risk to Cádiz exists.     

Capturing and modelling metre‐scale spatial facies heterogeneity in a Jurassic ramp setting (Central High Atlas,Morocco)

Each simulation algorithm, including Truncated Gaussian Simulation, Sequential Indicator Simulation and Indicator Kriging is characterized by different operating modes, which variably influence the facies proportion, distribution and association of digital outcrop models, as shown in clastic sediments. A detailed study of carbonate heterogeneity is then crucial to understanding these differences and providing rules for carbonate modelling. Through a continuous exposure of Bajocian carbonate strata, a study window (320 m long, 190 m wide and 30 m thick) was investigated and metre‐scale lithofacies heterogeneity was captured and modelled using closely‐spaced sections. Ten lithofacies, deposited in a shallow‐water carbonate‐dominated ramp, were recognized and their dimensions and associations were documented. Field data, including height sections, were georeferenced and input into the model. Four models were built in the present study. Model A used all sections and Truncated Gaussian Simulation during the stochastic simulation. For the three other models, Model B was generated using Truncated Gaussian Simulation as for Model A, Model C was generated using Sequential Indicator Simulation and Model D was generated using Indicator Kriging. These three additional models were built by removing two out of eight sections from data input. The removal of sections allows direct insights on geological uncertainties at inter‐well spacings by comparing modelled and described sections. Other quantitative and qualitative comparisons were carried out between models to understand the advantages/disadvantages of each algorithm. Model A is used as the base case. Indicator Kriging (Model D) simplifies the facies distribution by assigning continuous geological bodies of the most abundant lithofacies to each zone. Sequential Indicator Simulation (Model C) is confident to conserve facies proportion when geological heterogeneity is complex. The use of trend with Truncated Gaussian Simulation is a powerful tool for modelling well‐defined spatial facies relationships. However, in shallow‐water carbonate, facies can coexist and their association can change through time and space. The present study shows that the scale of modelling (depositional environment or lithofacies) involves specific simulation constraints on shallow‐water carbonate modelling methods.     

Palaeoclimate of the Late Jurassic of Portugal: comparison with the Western United States

Investigation of the palaeoclimatic conditions associated with Upper Jurassic strata in Portugal and comparison with published palaeoclimate reconstructions of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in western North America provide important insights into the conditions that allowed two of the richest terrestrial faunas of this period to flourish. Geochemical analyses and observations of palaeosol morphology in the informally named Upper Jurassic Lourinhã formation of western Portugal indicate warm and wet palaeoclimatic conditions with strongly seasonal precipitation patterns. Palaeosol profiles are dominated by carbonate accumulations and abundant shrink‐swell (vertic) features that are both indicative of seasonal variation in moisture availability. The δ¹⁸O_SMOW and δD_SMOW values of phyllosilicates sampled from palaeosol profiles range from +22·4‰ to +22·7‰ and ?53·0‰ to ?37·3‰, respectively. These isotope values correspond to temperatures of formation between 32°C and 39°C ± 3°, with an average of 36°C, which suggest surface temperatures between 27°C and 34°C (average 31°C). On average, these surface temperature estimates are 1°C higher than the highest summer temperatures modelled for Late Jurassic Iberia using general circulation models. Elemental analysis of matrix material from palaeosol B‐horizons provides proxy (chemical index of alteration minus potassium) estimates of mean annual precipitation ranging from 766 to 1394 mm/year, with an average of approximately 1100 mm/year. Palaeoclimatic conditions during deposition of the Lourinhã formation are broadly similar to those inferred for the Morrison Formation, except somewhat wetter. Seasonal variation in moisture availability does not seem to have negatively impacted the ability of these environments to support rich and relatively abundant faunas. The similar climate between these two Late Jurassic terrestrial ecosystems is probably one of the factors which explains the similarity of their vertebrate faunas.     

The beach placer iron deposit of Portman Bay,Murcia, SE Spain: the result of 33 years of tailings disposal (1957–1990) to the Mediterranean seaside

Between 1957 and 1990, the Peñarroya Mining and Metallurgical Company (SMMPE) disposed about 60 million tonnes of tailings materials directly to the Mediterranean Sea. A substantial part of it (12.5 Mt) was dragged back by the sea currents progressively infilling the Portman Bay (Murcia, SE Spain), thus making the shoreline advance between 500 and 600 m seaward. The Roberto froth flotation plant processed mineral from manto-type deposits belonging to the Sierra de Cartagena-La Unión lead-zinc district. One of the mineral assemblages present in these deposits comprises greenalite, magnetite, sulfides, carbonates, and silica. Despite that magnetite recovery was undertaken by SMMPE between 1959 and 1967, we estimate that magnetite contained in the tailings hosts a substantial resource that could be as large as 2.3 Mt of iron ore. The ore contains magnetite ± hematite ± siderite. Tidal waves and sea currents led to gravimetric classification of the tailings material, with concentration of the dense iron oxides in the sandy fractions, eventually forming a coastal placer iron deposit. A major problem for magnetic separation is the intimate intergrowth between magnetite, hematite, and siderite. Besides, the sands contain large concentrations of Pb (0.27 %), Zn (0.72 %), and As (559 ppm).     

Role of rhizosphere and soil properties for the phytomanagement of a salt marsh polluted by mining wastes

The goal of this study was to evaluate the soil properties and their modifications within the rhizosphere of spontaneous vegetation as key factors to assess the phytomanagement of a salt marsh polluted by mining wastes. A field survey was performed based on a plot sampling design. The results provided by the analyses of rhizospheric soil (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon, total nitrogen, etc.) and metal(loid)s’ phytoavailability (assessed by EDTA) were discussed and related to plant metal uptake. The averages of pH and EC values of the bulk soil and rhizospheric samples were in the range of neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 7–8) to saline (>2 dS m^?1), respectively. Heavy metal and As concentrations (e.g. ~600 mg kg^?1 As, ~50 mg kg^?1 Cd, ~11,000 mg kg^?1 Pb) were higher in the rhizosphere for both total and EDTA-extractable fraction. Phragmites australis uptaked the highest concentrations in roots (e.g. ~66 mg kg^?1 As, ~1,770 mg kg^?1 Zn) but not in shoots, for which most of plant species showed low values for Zn (<300 mg kg^?1) but not for Cd (>0.5 mg kg^?1) or Pb (~20–40 mg kg^?1). Vegetation distribution in the studied salt marsh looked to be more affected by salinity than by metal pollution. The free availability of water for plants and the incoming nutrient-enriched effluents which flow through the salt marsh may have hindered the metal(loid)s’ phytotoxicity. The phytomanagement of these polluted areas employing the spontaneous vegetation is a good option in order to improve the ecological indicators and to prevent the transport of pollutants to nearby areas.     

Metals and metalloids in primary gold mining districts of Western Bolivia: anthropogenic and natural sources

Topsoil and subsoil samples located adjacent and distant from the mining operations sites were collected. Most total metals showed no significant differences between topsoil and subsoil or proximity, suggesting that they derive from endogenous parent material. There was an increment in Hg in topsoils adjacent to the mining operation sites, indicating a deposition of Hg from the amalgamation areas. Higher values of total, extractable and soluble As were observed adjacent to the mining operation sites, probably related to the presence of residues, rich in arsenopyrite. Organic matter and clay contents control the concentrations of EDTA-extractable Cd and Zn, while soil acidity was associated with the behaviour of As, Hg and Cu. In contrast the concentration of EDTA-extractable Pb was directly affected by its total concentration. In general, soluble metals were highly independent, without significant correlations with any soil physical and chemical properties.     

Metal accumulation by plant species growing on a mine contaminated site in Mexico

The present work aims to assess the efficiency of heavy metal accumulation of native species growing in contaminated soils in the mining district of Taxco, Mexico. Soil and tailing sampling was conducted in three study sites: La Concha, El Fraile, and a control site. The study localities present diverse metal concentrations with significant differences in their proportion in the geochemical fractions. Results show that species Cupressus lindleyi and Juniperus deppeana accumulate Zn and Mn in anomalous concentrations at La Concha, where Zn is present in soluble fractions. Manganese, despite not being present mostly in the soluble fraction in soils and tailings, seems to have been increased in the soluble fraction after the plant growth. In contrast, samples of the same species taken at El Fraile and in the control site, where Zn and Mn are mainly contained in the residual fraction, do not show an anomalous enrichment. Other analyzed species growing under the same contamination conditions in La Concha (Jacaranda mimosifolia and Psidium guajava) do not show anomalous concentrations. These facts confirm the Zn and Mn accumulation capacity of C. lindleyi and Ju. deppeana, which depends on their accumulation ability and on the concentration of these elements in the soluble fraction.     

Effects of coastal orientation and depth on the distribution of subtidal benthic assemblages

A better understanding of biological systems can only be gained if we understand what processes are important and how they operate to determine the distribution of organisms. Coastal orientation and depth can influence environmental conditions, including the degree of water motion and availability of light, which in turn may influence the horizontal and vertical patterns of organism distribution. Here, we used a mixed‐model design to examine the effects of coastal orientation and depth on the structure of benthic assemblages by comparing the abundance and distribution of macroalgae and invertebrates in shallow and deep waters on the opposing coasts of São Miguel. Generally, coastal orientation had little influence on the distribution of most taxa. In contrast, significant differences were generally associated with depth, although patterns were spatially variable at the scale of locations. This study suggests that depth, and processes operating at the scale of location, but not at the scale of the coast, have an important influence on these assemblages, and that failure to recognise such a scale of variability may hamper our ability to better understand the processes that structure these communities.