Concentrations,sources, and losses of H2O,CO2, and S in Kilauean basalt

Basaltic glasses included in olivine phenocrysts from Kilauea volcano contain concentrations of H₂O, CO₂, and S similar to glassy Kilauean basalt dredged from the deep sea floor and greater than vesicular, subaerial Kilauean basalt. Our result contrasts with earlier reports that inclusions of basaltic glass in phenocrysts have little or no H₂O and large ratios of $\text{CO}{}_2\text{H}{}_2\text{O}$. Our analysed inclusions of glass are larger than 100 micrometers thick and similar in chemical composition to the host glass surrounding the olivine crystals indicating that the trapped melts are representative of the bulk liquid from which the crystals grew. Crystallization of about 2–8% of olivine from the melts after they were trapped is indicated by slight departures from the experimentally established equilibrium distribution of Mg and Fe between olivine and liquid. The measured concentrations of CO₂ correspond to phenocryst crystallization pressures of about 1.3 kbar for a subaerial basalt and about 5 kbar for a submarine basalt, consistent with geophysical models of Kilauea volcano. The compositions of volcanic gas predicted from our analyses are consistent with restored compositions of actual Kilauean gases. The rate of sulfur emission predicted from our analyses is greater than the sulfur dioxide emission rate observed during repose, but probably consistent with total degassing including eruptive episodes. The concentrations of H₂O, K₂O, Cl, and P in parental Kilauean basalt can be derived from upper mantle phlogopitic mica, pargasitic amphibole and apatite with compositions close to those of natural primary minerals in ultramafic xenoliths from continental kimberlites, or solely from apatite and phlogopitic mica with $\text{H}{}_2\text{O}\text{K}{}_2\text{O}$ near 0.47 ± 0.03, slightly higher than the range of values reported. The amounts of phlogopitic mica and pargasitic amphibole contributing volatiles to Kilauean tholeiite is about 10 percent by mass of the parental liquid, or about 5% if the source does not include amphibole. In view of an estimated 20% of partial melting of mantle source rock to produce Kilauean tholeiites, there may be about 2 weight percent of mica plus amphibole in part of the mantle beneath Kilauea, or about 1 weight percent of phlogopitic mica if amphibole is absent.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as evidence of hydrocarbon migration in marine and lagoon sediments of a recent rift zone (Skjálfandi and Öxarfjörður), Iceland

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content and distribution was studied in the northern part of modern rift zone. All samples analysed represent slightly altered clastic deposits and hot water discharging in springs and from wells. To study PAH in present-day gas emission traps with diatomite absorbent were installed in the Skógalón geothermal field. All samples were analysed by the method of Shpol'sky spectroscopy. Hydrothermally altered deposits show the highest amount of PAH. Data obtained allow to believe that the distribution of PAH is closely associated with the dynamics of the hydrothermal environment. The fissure formation and temperature fluctuation in hydrothermal systems can govern both the processes of PAH synthesis and sorption. The evidences of PAH migration up through the Skjálfandi and Öxarfjörður sedimentary basins show that hydrocarbons associate mainly with hydrothermal minerals and deep ground waters. Studying PAH associations can be used as an indicator of hydrocarbons distribution, ways of migration and possible zones of accumulation in the land and marine sedimentary basins in active and ancient rift zones of Iceland.     

Magnetic-field accumulation in supergranules

Some theoretical models illustrating the growth of magnetic fields around the boundaries of supergranulation cells are given. The evolution of a magnetic field in a prescribed velocity field is calculated for the idealized case of hexagonal cells. The calculations are carried out both for a perfect conductor and a fluid of finite conductivity. The theory is developed in such a way as to be virtually free of specific assumptions about the depth dependence of the supergranulation flow. The results demonstrate the tendency of the field to accumulate at those boundary points where the flow is most strongly converging.     

Geochemistry and SHRIMP U‐Pb Zircon Dating of Mafic Rocks North of Zunhua City,Eastern Hebei,North China Craton: Paleoproterozoic Gabbro rather than Neoarchean Ophiolite

Abundant mafic-ultramafic blocks and dikes occur in the area north of Zunhua City, eastern Hebei Province, and were previously suggested to be part of a late Archean ophiolitic assemblage. We employed SHRIMP zircon dating and a geochemical study on these mafic and surrounding rocks to test the ophiolite hypothesis. The SHRIMP data suggest that three metagabbro samples were metamorphosed at ～1.8 Ga. Numerous ～2.5 Ga zircons display strong oscillatory zoning, characteristic of zircons from granitoid rocks but not from gabbro, so we suggest that these are xenocrystic grains. The age of these xenocrystic zircons and their metamorpbic rims suggests that these mafic blocks formed in Paleoproterozoic. The surrounding gneiss of intermediate composition also contains 2.5 Ga zircons with oscillatory zoning and 1.8 Ga metamorphic rims. Fractionated REE patterns and Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf negative anomalies to variable extent were observed in the mafic blocks and surrounding rocks, also supporting a significant difference in the chemistry of ophiolitic rocks. Our data suggest that many mafic blocks in northern Zunhua are not part of a late Archean ophiolite complex but part of a tectonically dismembered Paleoproterozoic intrusive gabbro complex. This study shows that late Paleoproterozoic metamorphism occurred in the western part of eastern Hebei Province.     

Stereological Estimation of Uncertain and Changing Objects from Remote Sensing Image Mining

This article combines stereology with image mining. Image mining identifies and models objects from a series of remote sensing images and communicates this information to stakeholders. Stereology is the science of deriving properties of objects from lower dimensional features. This article first applies stereology to quantify properties of crisp objects on single images. Next it addresses the development of an object in space and time. Finally, it quantifies uncertainty of fuzzy objects. The article is illustrated with a case study from Cambodia, where flooding regularly occurs along the Mekong River. Nine Landsat images have been mined to assess the size of the flooding in space and time. Areal estimates obtained with stereology from single images show a high precision. Estimates of a space–time volume of the size of flooding in space and time include uncertainty estimates that could be ascribed to atmospheric distortion and limited resolution. Finally stereology is applied to estimate the effects on area estimates of fuzzified boundaries. All information can be transferred to stakeholders, e.g. to quantify the size of a disaster. The article concludes that stereology successfully and concisely quantifies phenomena and their uncertainties in a remote sensing image mining context.     

Spatial dependency of cholera prevalence on potential cholera reservoirs in an urban area,Kumasi, Ghana

Cholera has been a public health burden in Ghana since the early 1970s. Between 1999 and 2005, a total of 25,636 cases and 620 deaths were officially reported to the WHO. In one of the worst affected urban cities, fecal contamination of surface water is extremely high, and the disease is reported to be prevalent among inhabitants living in close proximity to surface water bodies. Surface runoff from dump sites is a major source of fecal and bacterial contamination of rivers and streams in the study area. This study aims to determine (a) the impacts of surface water contamination on cholera infection and (b) detect and map arbitrary shaped clusters of cholera. A Geographic Information System (GIS) based spatial analysis is used to delineate potential reservoirs of the cholera vibrios; possibly contaminated by surface runoff from open space refuse dumps. Statistical modeling using OLS model reveals a significant negative association between (a) cholera prevalence and proximity to all the potential cholera reservoirs (R² = 0.18, p < 0.001) and (b) cholera prevalence and proximity to upstream potential cholera reservoirs (R² = 0.25, p < 0.001). The inclusion of spatial autoregressive coefficients in the OLS model reveals the dependency of the spatial distribution of cholera prevalence on the spatial neighbors of the communities. A flexible scan statistic identifies a most likely cluster with a higher relative risk (RR = 2.04, p < 0.01) compared with the cluster detected by circular scan statistic (RR = 1.60, p < 0.01). We conclude that surface water pollution through runoff from waste dump sites play a significant role in cholera infection.     

Neogene marine sediments and biota encapsulated between lava flows on Santa Maria Island (Azores,north-east Atlantic): An interplay between sedimentary,erosional and volcanic processes

Sedimentary rocks are rarely preserved on reefless volcanic oceanic islands because their sediments are mostly exported from coastal areas towards the deep sea and such islands typically undergo subsidence. In contrast, the exceptional geological record of the uplifted Santa Maria Island (Azores) provides a unique opportunity to gain insight on such coastal systems. This study focuses on a locality at Ponta do Cedro (eastern Santa Maria Island), which features a series of marine fossiliferous sediments wedged between steep lava deltas. As demonstrated by local structure, these sediments correspond to clinoforms deposited on the steep submarine slope of an active volcanic island, implying transport from shallow waters to greater depths and subsequent colonization by benthic communities. Rapid volcanic progradation eventually sealed the deposits, allowing for their preservation and providing a rare snapshot of the ecology during those intervals, in addition to insights on sedimentary dynamics along submarine island slopes. This study reveals spatial relationships between wedges of sedimentary bodies encapsulated by lavas in the Ponta do Cedro section, and interprets depositional processes preserved in those strata based on sedimentological and palaeontological data. The dynamics of the environment are mostly related to relative sea-level changes, intense volcanic activity and regional uplift during the Neogene.     

Chicxulub impact ejecta from Albion Island, Belize

Impact ejecta from the Albion Formation are exposed in northern Belize. The ejecta come from the outer portion of the continuous ejecta blanket of the Chicxulub crater, which is located 360 km to the northwest. The basal unit of the Albion Formation is a 1-m-thick clay and dolomite spheroid bed composed of up to four discrete flows. The clay spheroids are altered impact glass, and the dolomite spheroids are accretionary lapilli. The upper unit is a 15-m-thick coarse diamictite bed containing altered glass, large accretionary blocks, striated, polished, and impacted cobbles, and rare shocked quartz. The abundance of accretionary clasts, evidence for atmospheric drag sorting, and the presence of multiple flows in the Albion Formation indicate that atmospheres play an important role in the formation of the outer portions of continuous ejecta blankets of large craters.