Changes in the manner of tectonic movements under the Earth’s evolution

Variations in the O, Sr, Nd, and Hf isotopic compositions in rocks of various ages, minerals, and mantle temperature in the geological history are considered. Two periods in the Earth’s history are studied: the beginning of the formation of the planet until the turn of (3.4) 2.7–2.5 Ga and the tectonic movement period in the last 2 Ga, and also the transitional period within 2.7–2.0 Ga.     

The Convergence Space Experiment: Remote Determination of the Sea Surface Temperature via Radio Measurements at Frequencies of 10.65, 18.7, and 36.5 GHz

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A regression approach is presented for the problem of restoring the sea surface temperature (SST) from radiometric measurements of a microwave...     

Stages of Trap Magmatism in the Norilsk Area: New Data on the Structure and Geochemistry of the Volcanic Rocks

A periodic character of the evolution of trap magmatism was inferred by many researchers from the fact that sequences of volcanic rocks consist of alternating units of lava flows and tuff. A new phase of studying magmatic rocks in the Siberian Platform was related to the possibility of apply high-precision geochemical techniques in studying trace elements and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions. The use of these techniques made it possible not only to identify small individual cycles in the vertical sections of volcanic rocks but also to distinguish larger stages. The currently most widely acknowledged scenario of the origin of volcanic rocks involves three stages, during which oceanic-island basalts (OIB), transitional series (intermediate between OIB and WPB), and within-plate basalts (WPB) were formed. This scenario was inferred mostly from data on rocks in the western part of the Norilsk area (Kharaelakh Trough). This publication presents recently obtained data on the inner structure of the sequences of volcanic rocks and the geochemistry of basalts in the eastern part of the territory, where no rocks show transitional characteristics have ever been found. They can be classified into two types that have clearly different composition and occur in different areas. These types characterize two major stages of the origin of volcanic rocks: rift-related and trap magmatism itself. The rocks produced during these stages occur at neighboring territories.     

Paleoproterozoic Granitoids of the Yurovka Swell Basement (Okhotsk Massif): First U–Pb SIMS Geochronological and Nd–Sr Isotope–Geochemical Data

The first results of U–Pb SIMS geochronological and Nd–Sr isotope–geochemical studies of the Yurovka Complex metavolcanics and granitoids of the Luktur Complex belonging to the Yurovka Swell yielded a Paleoproterozoic age of their formation pointing to a considerable Paleoproterozoic continental crust formation event. These data allow us to reconsider existing ideas about the similarity of the composition and age of the basement of the Yurovka Swell and that of the Paleoarchaean Kukhtui Swell of the Okhotsk Massif.     

Results of some airglow observations of internal gravitational waves

Data on internal gravitational waves at heights of 90–100 km obtained from the intensities and rotational temperature of atmospheric emissions are compared with data on such waves at heights of 200–400 km obtained by radio methods. The difference in the characteristics of waves at different heights is discussed.     

Siberian meimechites: origin and relation to flood basalts and kimberlites

Here we combine petrological-geochemical and thermomechanical modeling techniques to explain origin of primary magmas of both Maimecha–Kotui meimechites and the Gudchikhinskaya basalts of Norilsk region, which represent, respectively, the end and the beginning of flood magmatism in the Siberian Trap Province.We have analyzed the least altered samples of meimechites, their olivine phenocrysts, and melt inclusions in olivines, as well as samples of dunites and their olivines, from boreholes G-1 and G-3 within the Guli volcanoplutonic complex in the Maimecha–Kotui igneous province of the northern Siberian platform. The Mn/Fe and Ni/MgO ratios in olivines indicate a mantle peridotite source of meimechites. Meimechite parental magma that rose to shallow depths was rich in alkalis and highly magnesian (24 wt.% MgO), largely degassed, undersaturated by sulfide liquid and oxidized. At greater depths, it was, likely, high in CO₂ (6 wt.%) and H₂O (2 wt.%) and resulted from partial melting of initially highly depleted and later metasomatized harzburgite some 200 km below the surface. Trace-element abundances in primary meimechite magma suggest presence of garnet and K-clinopyroxene, in the mantle source and imply for genetic link to the sources of the early Siberian flood basalts (Gudchikhinskaya suite) and kimberlites. The analyzed dunite samples from the Guli complex have chemistry and mineralogy indicating their close relation to meimechites.We have also computed thermomechanical model of interaction of a hot mantle plume with the shield lithosphere of variable thickness, using realistic temperature- and stress-dependent visco-elasto-plastic rocks rheology and advanced finite element solution technique.Based on our experimental and modeling results we propose that a Permian–Triassic plume, with potential temperature of about 1650 °C transported a large amount of recycled ancient oceanic crust (up to 15%) as SiO₂-supersaturated carbonated eclogite. Low-degree partial melting of eclogite at depths of 250–300 km produced carbonate-silicate melt that metasomatized the lithospheric roots of the Siberian shield. Further rise of the plume under relatively attenuated lithosphere (Norilsk area) led to progressive melting of eclogite and formation of reaction pyroxenite, which then melted at depths of 130–180 km. Consequantly, a large volume of melt (Gudchikhinskaya suite) penetrated into the lithosphere and caused its destabilization and delamination. Delaminated lithosphere that included fragments of locally metasomatized depleted harzburgite subsided into the plume and was heated to the temperatures of the plume interior with subsequent generation of meimechite magma. Meimechites showed up at the surface only under thicker part of the lithosphere aside from major melting zone above because otherwise they were mixed up in more voluminous flood basalts. We further suggest that meimechites, uncontaminated Siberian flood basalts and kimberlites all shear the same source of strongly incompatible elements, the carbonated recycled oceanic crust carried up by hot mantle plume.     

Elemental composition of peat organic matter as an indicator of trophic conditions of marsh ecosystems in the south of the Baikal region

Based on measurements of the concentrations of C, N, P, and chlorophyll-a, as well as on palynological analysis of the core Vdr 2011 of peaty sediments from the Vydrinaya River along the southern coast of Lake Baikal, the geochemical characteristics of eutrophy were compared to pollen indices of changes in the environment and the mode of marsh ecosystem transformations into various trophic states was specified. It was shown that geochemical parameters of the changes in the environment may be considered as the characteristics of trophic conditions in ecosystems in the course of paleo-reconstructions.     

Felsic magmas of the caldera-forming eruptions on the Iturup Island: the first results of studies of melt inclusions in phenocrysts from pumices of the Lvinaya Past and Vetrovoy Isthmus calderas

The paper reports the first results of the petrological studies of magmatic melts that formed siliceous pyroclastic deposits related to voluminous eruptions on Iturup Island. The caldera-forming eruptions of the Lvinaya Past and the Vetrovoy Isthmus, having similar features, resulted from the evolution of silicic melts that originated from partial melting of metabasalts. According to the mineral thermometry results, the melt was crystallized at ~800°C. The phenocrysts from the Vetrovoy Isthmus pumices were crystallized at <1 kbar, while those from the Lvinaya Past were formed at higher pressures. The pyroclastic rock compositions in both calderas correspond to moderately aluminous dacite and rhyolitic dacite of the normal series, whose melts likely did not undergo significant crystallization differentiation before the eruptions. The main volatile components of the magma include H₂O, CO₂, S, F, and Cl. Degassing with emission of water–carbon-dioxide fluid accompanied the early crystallization of plagioclase in the Vetrovoy Isthmus pumice. Evidence of pre-eruption melt degassing in the Lvinaya Past were not found. Water release from the melts may be related to both the early magma degassing and the eruptions. The lack of data evidencing the deep differentiation and mixing of contrasting melts implies a relatively small time period between the acid melt appearance and eruptions.     

A late Cenozoic Earth's crust and climate dynamics record from Lake Baikal

The sedimentary record from Lake Baikal (Siberia, Russia) has been an important source of information about paleoclimatic variability in the northern hemisphere and dynamics of continental rift development. A lack of reliable chronology has, however, been a major obstacle to fully utilizing the Baikal archive for time scales beyond about 4-5 Myr. In this paper we use the distribution of ¹⁰Be to establish a new chronology for the longest core drilled in Lake Baikal so far. The ¹⁰Be-based chronology spans the last 8 Myr and provides better constraints on sedimentation rates and consequently on an east-west tectonic extension in the lake, which has been apparently coeval with other rifts in Asia that are related to the Tibetan plateau uplift. Our data also show higher ¹⁰Be flux in the sediment section older then 5 Myr compared with the younger period. This can be explained partly by warm and humid climatic conditions of the Miocene and partly by a high cosmic ray flux to the Earth resulting from possible low geomagnetic field intensity during that time.     

Peculiarities of giant pulses from the crab pulsar at frequencies of 594 and 2228 MHz

We present the results of our simultaneous observations of giant pulses from the Crab pulsar B0531+21 at frequencies of 594 and 2228 MHz with a high (62.5 ns) time resolution. The pulse broadening by scattering was found to be 25 and 0.4 µs at 594 and 2228 MHz, respectively. We obtained the original giant-pulse profiles compensated for interstellar scattering. The measured profile widths at the two frequencies are approximately equal, ≈0.5 µs; i.e., the giant pulses are narrower than the integrated profile by a factor of about 1000. We detected an extremely high brightness temperature of radio emission, T_b≥10³⁶ K radio emission, which is higher than the previous estimates of this parameter by five orders of magnitude. The decorrelation bandwidth of the radio-spectrum diffraction distortions has been determined for this pulsar for the first time: 10 kHz at 594 MHz and 300 kHz at 2228 MHz.