Modern modes of provenance and dispersal of terrigenous sediments in the North Pacific and Bering Sea: implications and perspectives for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions

During expedition 202 aboard the RV Sonne in 2009, 39 seafloor surface sediment sites were sampled over a wide sector of the North Pacific and adjoining Bering Sea. The data served to infer land–ocean linkages of terrigenous sediment supply in terms of major sources and modes of sediment transport within an over-regional context. This is based on an integrated approach dealing with grain-size analysis, bulk mineralogy and clay mineralogy in combination with statistical data evaluation (end-member modelling of grain-size data, fuzzy cluster analysis of mineralogical data). The findings on clay mineralogy served to update those of earlier work extracted from the literature. Today, two processes of terrigenous sediment supply prevail in the study area: far-distance aeolian sediment supply to the pelagic North Pacific, and hemipelagic sediment dispersal from nearby land sources via ocean currents along the continental margins and island arcs. Aeolian particles show the finest grain sizes (clay and fine silt), whereas hemipelagic sediments have high abundances of coarse silt. Exposed sites on seamounts and the continental slope are partly swept by strong currents, leading to residual enrichment of fine sand. Four sediment sources can be distinguished on the basis of distinct index minerals revealed by statistical data analysis: dust plumes from central Asia (quartz, illite), altered materials from the volcanic regions of Kamchatka and the Aleutian Arc (smectite), detritus from the Alaskan Cordillera (chlorite, hornblende), and fluvial detritus from far-eastern Siberia and the Alaska mainland (quartz, feldspar, illite). These findings confirm those of former studies but considerably expand the geographic range of this suite of proxies as far south as 39°N in the open North Pacific. The present integrated methodological approach proved useful in identifying the major modern processes of terrigenous sediment supply to the study region. This aspect deserves attention in the selection of sediment core sites for future palaeoenvironmental reconstructions related to aeolian and glacial dynamics, as well as the recognition of palaeo-ocean circulation patterns in general.     

GETEMME—a mission to explore the Martian satellites and the fundamentals of solar system physics

GETEMME (Gravity, Einstein??s Theory, and Exploration of the Martian Moons?? Environment), a mission which is being proposed in ESA??s Cosmic Vision program, shall be launched for Mars on a Soyuz Fregat in 2020. The spacecraft will initially rendezvous with Phobos and Deimos in order to carry out a comprehensive mapping and characterization of the two satellites and to deploy passive Laser retro-reflectors on their surfaces. In the second stage of the mission, the spacecraft will be transferred into a lower 1500-km Mars orbit, to carry out routine Laser range measurements to the reflectors on Phobos and Deimos. Also, asynchronous two-way Laser ranging measurements between the spacecraft and stations of the ILRS (International Laser Ranging Service) on Earth are foreseen. An onboard accelerometer will ensure a high accuracy for the spacecraft orbit determination. The inversion of all range and accelerometer data will allow us to determine or improve dramatically on a host of dynamic parameters of the Martian satellite system. From the complex motion and rotation of Phobos and Deimos we will obtain clues on internal structures and the origins of the satellites. Also, crucial data on the time-varying gravity field of Mars related to climate variation and internal structure will be obtained. Ranging measurements will also be essential to improve on several parameters in fundamental physics, such as the Post-Newtonian parameter ?? as well as time-rate changes of the gravitational constant and the Lense-Thirring effect. Measurements by GETEMME will firmly embed Mars and its satellites into the Solar System reference frame.     

Talc-garnet-kyanite-quartz schist from an eclogite-bearing terrane,Western Tasmania

Talc-garnet-kyanite-quartz schist occurs in an eclogite-bearing terrane in the Precambrian of Western Tasmania. It is argued that this rock was formed at a pressure of ? 10 kb and a temperature of 600°±20° C. Chemical zoning in the garnet and talc preserves evidence of increasing temperature during growth of the major minerals.     

History of crustal growth and recycling at the Pacific convergent margin of South America at latitudes 29°–36° S revealed by a U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope study of detrital zircon from late Paleozoic accretionary systems

Detrital zircon provides a powerful archive of continental growth and recycling processes. We have tested this by a combined laser ablation ICP-MS U–Pb and Lu–Hf analysis of homogeneous growth domains in detrital zircon from late Paleozoic coastal accretionary systems in central Chile and the collisional Guarguaráz Complex in W Argentina. Because detritus from a large part of W Gondwana is present here, the data delineate the crustal evolution of southern South America at its Paleopacific margin, consistent with known data in the source regions.Zircon in the Guarguaráz Complex mainly displays an U–Pb age cluster at 0.93–1.46 Ga, similar to zircon in sediments of the adjacent allochthonous Cuyania Terrane. By contrast, zircon from the coastal accretionary systems shows a mixed provenance: Age clusters at 363–722 Ma are typical for zircon grown during the Braziliano, Pampean, Famatinian and post-Famatinian orogenic episodes east of Cuyania. An age spectrum at 1.00–1.39 Ga is interpreted as a mixture of zircon from Cuyania and several sources further east. Minor age clusters between 1.46 and 3.20 Ga suggest recycling of material from cratons within W Gondwana.The youngest age cluster (294–346 Ma) in the coastal accretionary prisms reflects a so far unknown local magmatic event, also represented by rhyolite and leucogranite pebbles. It sets time marks for the accretion history: Maximum depositional ages of most accreted metasediments are Middle to Upper Carboniferous. A change of the accretion mode occurred before 308 Ma, when also a concomitant retrowedge basin formed.Initial Hf-isotope compositions reveal at least three juvenile crust-forming periods in southern South America characterised by three major periods of juvenile magma production at 2.7–3.4 Ga, 1.9–2.3 Ga and 0.8–1.5 Ga. The ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf of Mesoproterozoic zircon from the coastal accretionary systems is consistent with extensive crustal recycling and addition of some juvenile, mantle-derived magma, while that of zircon from the Guarguaráz Complex has a largely juvenile crustal signature. Zircon with Pampean, Famatinian and Braziliano ages (< 660 Ma) originated from recycled crust of variable age, which is, however, mainly Mesoproterozoic. By contrast, the Carboniferous magmatic event shows less variable and more radiogenic ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf, pointing to a mean early Neoproterozoic crustal residence. This zircon is unlikely to have crystallized from melts of metasediments of the accretionary systems, but probably derived from a more juvenile crust in their backstop system.     

Tourmalinites from the stratiform peraluminous metamorphic suite of the Central Namaqua Mobile Belt (South Africa)

Tourmalinites as proximal fades equivalents of stratiform peraluminous metamorphic rocks occur stratigraphically below base metal deposits and above thick metarhyolite horizons. Their premetamorphic protoliths are believed to have originated by tourmaline precipitation from exhalative B-, F- and W-rich brines also transporting aluminous clay colloids and dissolved silica. Tourmaline chemistry is used as an effective petrogenetic sensor. The tourmalines are Al-saturated, alkali-deficient dravite-schorl solid solutions, which are in the compositional range of tourmalines originated by exhalative processes. F-substitution in tourmalines is governed by Fe-F-avoidance. F is relatively enriched in the tourmalines and can potentially be used as a tracer for the source of primary hydrothermal solutions. Ti is introduced into the tourmalines by the substitution scheme Ti+Al^IV=Al_Y+Si. The high Ti-contents of the tourmalines as well as those of coexisting muscovites represent evidence of high-temperature metamorphism. Many tourmalines exhibit continuous zoning, which can partly be attributed to external fluid influx near peak metamorphic conditions.     

Converging P-T paths of Mesozoic HP-LT metamorphic units (Diego de Almagro Island, Southern Chile): evidence for juxtaposition during late shortening of an active continental margin

Summary On Diego de Almagro Island in Chilean Patagonia (51°30S), a convergent strike slip zone, the Seno Arcabuz shear zone, separates the Diego de Almagro Metamorphic Complex from very low grade metagreywackes in the east, which were intruded by Jurassic granitoids. The Diego de Almagro Metamorphic Complex is composed of a metapsammopelitic sequence containing blueschist intercalations in the west and (garnet) amphibolite lenses in the east. Peak metamorphic conditions (stage I) at 9.5–13.5kbar, 380–450°C in the blueschist and at 11.2–13.2, 460–565°C in the amphibolite indicate subduction and accretion at different positions within the deepest part of the accretionary wedge. A K–Ar age of 117±28Ma of amphibole approximately dates the peak of metamorphism in the amphibolite. The early retrograde stage of metamorphism occurred under static conditions and resulted in localized equilibration (stage II) at 6.3–9.6kbar, 320–385°C in the blueschist and 6.1–8.4kbar, 310–504°C in the amphibolite. Both P-T paths converge within a midcrustal level.In contrast, an orthogneiss of trondhjemitic composition occurring within the Seno Arcabuz shear zone is associated with a garnet mica-schist containing a high temperature/intermediate pressure assemblage formed at 4.9–6.5kbar, 580–690°C. A muscovite K–Ar age of 122.2±4.6Ma dates cooling after this event which is related to a concomitant magmatic arc. These rocks were overprinted by a mylonitic deformation, which is caused by convergent strike slip shearing and ends during formation of a retrograde phengite-chlorite-stilpnomelane assemblage at a minimum pressure of approximately 5.7kbar (at 300°C).Zircon fission track ages from rocks of the Seno Arcabuz shear zone are 64.9±2.7 and 64.9±2.7Ma; they record the end of shearing in the Seno Arcabuz shear zone that juxtaposed all rocks in the middle crust. Zircon fission track ages ranging from 78 to 105Ma in the South Patagonian batholith to the east indicate earlier cooling through 280°C. The rocks of the Diego de Almagro Metamorphic Complex were initially slowly exhumed and resided at a midcrustal level before being emplaced via shearing in the Seno Arcabuz shear zone. Apatite fission track ages (54±8Ma) from the Seno Arcabuz shear zone show that exhumation and cooling rates increased after this event. The incorporation of continental crust within the subduction system was a late process, which modified the Cretaceous accretionary wedge, resulting in considerable shortening of the convergent margin.     

‘Trapped sea-water’ in Rørholtfjorden

Summary Trapped sea-water in R?rholtfjorden, Telemark, Norway, was discovered in 1951 by?smund Ystad who was a student at the Department of Limnology, University of Oslo. The lake was investigated continuously from August 1951 to July 1952, and the results are found inYstad [12] andStr?m [8, 9, 10, 11]. On 25 February 1971 some water samples were taken from R?rholtfjorden to supply the information from the lake, and if possible record changes in the water for the last 20 years. The tables contain chemical data, pH, temperature and oxygen content. The trapped sea-water is also compared with original sea-water with the same chloride content. It is difficult to say anything about changes in the salt-water because of uncertainty regarding the depth measurements. But a so-called semi-stagnation (Str?m [8]) was not observed (Fig. 3). It is possible that about one meter of the trapped sea-water has been lost during the last 20 years because of the removed semi-stagnation.

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Zusammenfassung Im R?rholtfjord, Telemark, Norwegen, wurde 1951 von?smund Ystad, Universit?t Oslo, ?gefangenes? Meerwasser entdeckt, welches dann von August 1951 bis Juli 1952 kontinuierlich untersucht wurde. Die Resultate sind beiYstad [12] undStr?m [8, 9, 10, 11] publiziert. Im February 1971 wurden erneut Proben aus dem Fjord genommen, um eventuelle Ver?nderungen w?hrend der vergangenen 20 Jahre festzustellen. Es wurden chemische Daten sowie pH, Temperatur und O₂-Gehalt aufgenommen. Das ?gefangene? Wasser wurde auch mit Originalmeerwasser derselben Salinit?t verglichen. Wegen der Ungenauigkeit der Tiefenmessungen ist es schwierig, etwas über Ver?nderungen auszusagen. Indessen wurde eine sog. Semi-Stagnation, wie sieStr?m [8] beschreibt, nicht beobachtet (Fig. 3). M?glicherweise ging etwa 1 m des ?gefangenen? Wassers zufolge des Verschwindens jener Semi-Stagnation verloren.

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Résumé De l’eau de mer ?captivée? dans le R?rholtfjord, Telemark, Norvège, fut découverte en 1951 par?smund Ystad, étudiant en Limnologie à l’Université d’Oslo. Des expériences avec l’eau de ce lac ont été poursuivies continuellement d’ao?t 1951 à juillet 1952 et les résultats ont été publiés parYstad [12] etStr?m [8, 9, 10, 11]. Le 25 février 1971, de nouveaux échantillons d’eau ont été prélevés dans le fjord pour étudier si, dans les 20 dernières années, d’éventuels changements étaient survenus. Les tableaux présentés contiennent les données chimiques, ainsi que le pH, la température et le taux d’oxygène. En plus, l’eau ?captivée? est comparée avec l’eau de mer originale, au même taux de salinité. Il est difficile de s’exprimer sur les changements survenus dans l’eau, à cause de l’incertitude concernant les mesures de profondeur. Cependant, on n’a pas observé une dite semi-stagnation comme l’a décriteStróm [8] (fig. 3). Il est possible qu’environ un mètre de cette eau ?captivée? se soit perdue, durant les 20 dernières années, par la disparition de la semi-stagnation.

     

Climate impact of high northern vegetation: Late Miocene and present

The Late Miocene belongs to the late phase of the Cenozoic. Climate at that time was still warmer and more humid as compared to today, especially in the high latitudes. Corresponding to the climate situation, palaeobotanical evidences support that vegetation in the high northern latitudes changed significantly from the Late Miocene until today. To quantify the climate impact of this vegetation change, we analyse how vegetation in the high northern latitudes contribute to climate evolution. For that, we perform climate modelling sensitivity experiments for the present and for the Late Miocene (Tortonian, 11–7 Ma). For our present-day sensitivity experiment, we introduce the Tortonian vegetation in the high northern latitudes. For our Tortonian sensitivity experiment, we introduce the modern vegetation on the same grid cells. In the Tortonian and in the present, the modern vegetation leads to a strong cooling of the northern extratropics (up to −4°C). Nevertheless, the meridional heat transports remain nearly unchanged in both cases. In general, the vegetation impact on climate is similar in the Tortonian and in the present. However, some exceptions occur. Due to the Tethys Ocean in the Tortonian, temperatures decline only weakly in eastern Europe and western Asia. In the Tortonian climate, temperatures on the Sahara realm rise (up to +1.5°C), while the temperatures do not change remarkably in the present-day climate. This different behaviour is caused by a stronger and more sensitive hydrological cycle on the Sahara region during the Tortonian.     

Zircon fission‐track ages from Newfoundland—A proxy for high geothermal gradients and exhumation before opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean

Following Appalachian orogenesis, metamorphic rocks in central Newfoundland were exhumed and reburied under Tournaisian strata. New zircon fission‐track (ZFT) ages of metamorphic rocks below the Tournaisian unconformity yield post‐depositionally reset ages of 212–235 Ma indicating regional fluid‐absent reheating to at least ≥220°C. Post‐Tournaisian sedimentary thicknesses in surrounding basins show that burial alone cannot explain such temperatures, thus requiring that palaeo‐geothermal gradients increased to ≥30–40°C/km before final late Triassic accelerated cooling. We attribute these elevated palaeo‐geothermal gradients to localized thermal blanketing by insulating sediments overlying radiogenic high‐heat‐producing granitoids. Late Triassic rifting and magmatism before break up of Pangaea likely also contributed to elevated heat flow, as well as uplift, triggering late Triassic accelerated cooling and exhumation. Thermochronological ages of 240–200 Ma are seen throughout Atlantic Canada, and record rifting and basaltic magmatism on the conjugate margins of the Central Atlantic Ocean preceding the onset of oceanic spreading at ~190 Ma.     

3rd International Energy Forum in Hamburg,Germany, 22–23 November 1990

Reports

3rd International Energy Forum in Hamburg, Germany, 22–23 November 1990Meeting of leading experts to discuss the role of the Energy Industries in the Europe of the Future