Assessing the South African sardine resource: two stocks rather than one?

Sardine Sardinops sagax distributed off the west and south coasts of South Africa have traditionally been assumed to comprise a single well-mixed stock for assessment and management purposes. New research, however, lends weight to the possibility of two stocks in this region. A precautionary management approach thus needs to consider the impact of management decisions on the hypothesised two individual stocks as well as on the resource as a whole. As a first step in this process, Bayesian assessments of South African sardine are presented, which compare results for the traditional single-stock hypothesis with those that follow from a new two-mixing-stock hypothesis. Recruits from the west stock are assumed to move to and remain part of the south stock in annual pulses of varying size. This movement is estimated to be appreciable, and to take place from a substantially more productive west stock to the south stock. This immigration makes a greater contribution to the south-stock biomass than do years of above-average south-stock recruitment. Importantly, this two-mixing-stock hypothesis is shown to be consistent with the data available. Further alternative sardine stock-structure hypotheses suggested by the most recent data are discussed.     

Coeval basin formation,plutonism and metamorphism in the Northern Tasmanides: extensional Cambro-Ordovician tectonism of the Charters Towers Province

Abstract

The Charters Towers Province, of the northern Thomson Orogen, records conversion from a Neoproterozoic passive margin to a Cambrian active margin, as characteristic of the Tasmanides. The passive margin succession includes a thick metasedimentary unit derived from Mesoproterozoic rocks. The Cambrian active margin is represented by upper Cambrian–Lower Ordovician (500–460?Ma) basinal development (Seventy Mile Range Group), plutonism and metamorphism resulting from an enduring episode of arc–backarc crustal extension. Detrital zircon age spectra indicate that parts of the metamorphic basement of the Charters Towers Province (elements of the Argentine Metamorphics and Charters Towers Metamorphics) overlap in protolith age with the basal part of the Seventy Mile Range Group and thus were associated with extensional basin development. Detrital zircon age data from the extensional basin succession indicate it was derived from a far-field (Pacific-Gondwana) primary source. However, a young cluster (<510?Ma) is interpreted as reflecting a local igneous source related to active margin tectonism. Relict zircon in a tonalite phase of the Fat Hen Creek Complex suggests that active margin plutonism may have extended back to ca 530?Ma. Syntectonic plutonism in the western Charters Towers Province is dated at ca 485–480?Ma, close to timing of metamorphism (477–467?Ma) and plutonism more generally (508–455?Ma). The dominant structures in the metamorphic basement formed with gentle to subhorizontal dips and are inferred to have formed by extensional ductile deformation, while normal faulting developed at shallower depths, associated with heat advection by plutonism. Lower Silurian (Benambran) shortening, which affected metamorphic basement and extensional basin units, resulted in the dominant east–west-structural trends of the province. We consider that these trends reflect localised north–south shortening rather than rotation of the province as is consistent with the north–south paleogeographic alignment of extensional basin successions.

1. KEY POINTS

2. Northern Tasmanide transition from passive to active margin tectonic mode had occurred by ca 510?Ma, perhaps as early as ca 530?Ma.

3. Cambro-Ordovician active margin tectonism of the Charters Towers Province (northern Thomson Orogen) was characterised by crustal extension.

4. Crustal extension resulted in the development of coeval (500–460?Ma) basin fill, granitic plutonism and metamorphism with rock assemblages as exposed across the Charters Towers Province developed at a wide range of crustal levels and expressing heterogeneous exhumation.

5. Protoliths of metasedimentary assemblages of the Charters Towers Province include both Proterozoic passive margin successions and those emplaced as Cambrian extensional basin fill.

     

Late Ordovician island‐arc volcanic rocks,northern Capertee Zone,Lachlan Fold Belt,New South Wales

The Cape Hoskins volcanoes form part of the Quaternary volcanic island arc that extends from Rabaul in the east to the Schouten Islands in the west, and they overlie the northerly dipping New Britain Benioff Zone. The products of the volcanoes range in composition from basalt to rhyolite, and are normative in quartz and hypersthene. They contain phenocrysts of plagioclase and subordinate augite, hypersthene, and in most samples iron‐titanium oxides; some samples also contain olivine or quartz or both, and some pumice contains hornblende and, rarely, biotite.

Chemical analyses of 29 volcanic rocks are presented; 22 were also analysed for 17 minor elements — Rb, Ba, Sr, Pb, Zn, Cu, Zr, Y, Ni, Co, Sc, Cr, V, Ga, B, U, and Th.

Chemically the rocks have many of the characteristics of the ‘island arc tholeiitic series’, but do not show a pronounced relative enrichment in iron and appear to be relatively enriched in Sr. Compared with volcanic rocks from the northern part of the Willaumez Peninsula, they are lower in K (but not Na), Ti, Rb, Ba, Zr, Pb, Th, Ni, and probably also V, Cu, and Zn: these differences are attributed to the greater depth of the Benioff Zone beneath the Willaumez Peninsula. The more basic of the Cape Hoskins rocks are similar in most respects to lavas of comparable composition from Ulawun volcano to the east.     

Conodont distributions,and ages of Silurian and Devonian limestones in the Palmers Oakey district,N.S.W.

Limestones in the Palmers Oakey District, N.S.W., range in age from Middle Silurian to Early Devonian. They occur as sheet‐like, bioclastic beds and/or isolated clasts in three facies: a volcaniclastic facies, a mudstone‐limestone facies, and a limestone‐mudstone breccia facies. Multielement conodont taxa, not previously reported from Australia, include Kockelella absidata, Kockelella stauros, Ozarkodina asymmetrica, Ozarkodina stygia, Ozarkodina transitans, Pseudooneotodus bicornis, and Pseudooneotodus tricornis.     

Structure of the Late Palaeozoic Coffs Harbour Beds,northeastern New South Wales

F₁ macroscopic folds in the Late Palaeozoic Coffs Harbour Beds in the SE portion of the New England Fold Belt are commonly transected by cleavage. These macroscopic folds are tight to isoclinal structures, with a consistent vergence to the NE. Axial surfaces are either steeply dipping to the SW or vertical, and are typically faulted. Anomalous bedding‐cleavage relations occur where the steeply dipping cleavage intersects overturned limbs of F₁ macroscopic and some F₁ mesoscopic folds. Elsewhere F₁ mesoscopic folds have a well developed, axial‐surface cleavage and are rarely downward facing. Cleavage is commonly strike‐divergent from axial surfaces of F₁ macroscopic folds, except adjacent to the Demon Fault System, where they are parallel. These anomalous cleavage‐folds relations possibly developed during the one deformation. D₁ structures are refolded by kink‐like folds that are steeply plunging. The structural style of the D₁ deformation indicates that it possibly resulted from accretionary processes at a consuming plate margin.     

Structural history of the Greenvale Province,north Queensland: Early Palaeozoic extension and convergence on the Pacific margin of Gondwana*

The southeastern Georgetown Inlier (Greenvale Province) consists of Early Palaeozoic metamorphic rocks in fault contact along the Lynd Mylonite Zone with the Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic craton of northeastern Australia. It has a central assemblage of metamorphosed silicic volcanic and sedimentary rocks considered equivalent to the Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician Seventy Mile Range Group that developed in an extensional backarc in the Charters Towers Province to the southeast. In the western part of the Greenvale Province, the Oasis Metamorphics have a U – Pb zircon SHRIMP metamorphic age of 476 ± 5 Ma and are intruded by the granodioritic Lynwater Complex with U – Pb zircon ages of 486 ± 5 Ma and 477 ± 6 Ma. These ages are consistent with these rocks forming basement and intrusive equivalents to the extensional volcanic basin. Existing geochronological constraints on the Halls Reward domain, located at the eastern margin of the province, are consistent with it being basement to the extensional basin. Several domains are recognised in the Greenvale Province with either dominantly steep or low to moderate dips of the main foliation, and each experienced multiple deformation with locally up to four overprinting structural phases. Steepening of foliation in several of the domains is attributed to contractional deformation in the Early Silurian that is inferred to have overprinted low-angle foliation developed during extensional tectonics in the backarc setting. Contractional deformation related to the Early Silurian Benambran Orogeny is considered responsible for multiple deformation in the Greenvale Province and reactivation of domain-bounding faults.     

满洲里南部白音高老组流纹岩锆石U-Pb定年及岩石成因

满洲里南部白音高老组火山岩主要由流纹岩组成,含少量珍珠岩和流纹质凝灰岩。LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb定年结果显示,流纹岩形成于141~139Ma的早白垩世早期。岩石地球化学研究表明,火山岩具有高硅富碱、贫钙镁和高FeO^T/MgO比值的特征; 稀土丰度总量较高(∑REE介于103×10^-6~488×10^-6),轻重稀土分馏明显［(La/ Yb)_N=4.12~30.94)］,Eu负异常显著(δEu=0.12~0.46); 微量元素以富集Rb、Th、U、K,强烈亏损Ba、Sr、P、Ti,中等亏损Nb、Ta和高Ga/Al值为特征,与A-型花岗岩特征相似。锆石¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf比值介于0.282785~0.282970之间,ε_Hf(t)值均为正值,介于3.78~9.98之间。流纹岩岩浆来源于斜长石稳定区玄武质下地壳物质的部分熔融,形成于非造山板内伸展构造环境。     

The invasive Asian green mussel Perna viridis in South Africa: all that is green is not viridis

The Asian green mussel Perna viridis is an invasive Indo-Pacific species recently reported from South African harbours. To verify the invasion, a phylogenetic (and morphological) analysis of green-shelled mussels (n = 39), found in six South African harbours, was conducted using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI). Estimates of genetic distances using the neighbour-joining analysis identified P. viridis only from Durban Harbour. All other green mussels were more than 3.2% divergent from P. viridis and were identified as green-shelled variants of indigenous P. perna. The only reliable morphological differences distinguishing the two species were the poorly developed mantle papillae and the wavy pallial line in P. viridis. The confirmed occurrence of P. viridis in a South African harbour suggests that there is a possible threat of the species becoming established and then spreading onto the open coast and competing with indigenous P. perna.     

东喜马拉雅构造结南迦巴瓦群高压麻粒岩中含石榴石花岗岩脉锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年及其与折返作用

东喜马拉雅构造结核部的南迦巴瓦群是经历了高压麻粒岩相峰期变质、角闪岩相退变质和强烈混合岩化作用形成的以含有高压麻粒岩透镜体或夹层为特色的变质岩组合。地质地球化学研究表明产于退变质高压麻粒岩中的含石榴石花岗岩脉具有高钾、富铝、轻稀土强烈富集、分馏程度很高、重稀土相对亏损、Eu强烈亏损、大离子亲石元素及放射性元素相对原始地幔值强烈富集、Rb/Sr1.4的特征。利用花岗岩的主要成分及锆的含量估算的岩浆初始温度为792～801℃,略低于南迦巴瓦群的峰期变质温度850℃。锆石SHRIMPU-Pb定年结果显示锆石核部年龄集中在519～525Ma之间,揭示出印度地块经历泛非期构造运动改造的痕迹。锆石边部主要存在39～44Ma、24～25Ma和7.3Ma三个年龄段,前者代表了花岗岩浆的侵位时代,第二个年龄段是对MCT和STDS构造热事件改造的反映,后者揭示出构造-浅表反馈作用的信息。说明含石榴石花岗岩脉是在南迦巴瓦群折返过程中近等温降压条件下地壳岩石发生"干"深熔作用形成的高钾过铝质钙碱性花岗岩,以及南迦巴瓦群在经历峰期变质作用后很快就开始折返,并在后碰撞过程中经历了藏南拆离系(STDS)和主中央冲断带(MCT)构造事件及后期构造-浅表反馈作用的影响。