Deglacial palaeoclimate at Puerto del Hambre,subantarctic Patagonia,Chile

The primary objective of this study is to further substantiate multistep climatic forcing of late‐glacial vegetation in southern South America. A secondary objective is to establish the age of deglaciation in Estrecho de Magallanes–Bahía Inútil. Pollen assemblages at 2‐cm intervals in a core of the mire at Puerto del Hambre (53°36′21″S, 70°55′53″W) provide the basis for reconstructing the vegetation and a detailed account of palaeoclimate in subantarctic Patagonia. Chronology over the 262‐cm length of core is regulated by 20 AMS radiocarbon dates between 14 455 and 10 089 ¹⁴C yr BP. Of 13 pollen assemblage zones, the earliest representing the Oldest Dryas chronozone (14 455–13 000 ¹⁴C yr BP) records impoverished steppe with decreasing frequencies and loss of southern beech (Nothofagus). Successive 100‐yr‐long episodes of grass/herbs and of heath (Empetrum/Ericaceae) before 14 000 ¹⁴C yr BP infer deglacial successional communities under a climate of increased continentality prior to the establishment of grass‐dominated steppe. The Bølling–Allerød (13 000–11 000 ¹⁴C yr BP) is characterised by mesic grassland under moderating climate that with abrupt change to heath dominance after 12 000 ¹⁴C yr BP was warmer and not as humid. At the time of the Younger Dryas (11 000–10 000 ¹⁴C yr BP), grass steppe expanded with a return of colder, more humid climate. Later, with gradual warming, communities were invaded by southern beech. The Puerto del Hambre record parallels multistep, deglacial palaeoclimatic sequences reported elsewhere in the Southern Andes and at Taylor Dome in Antarctica. Deglaciation of Estrecho de Magallanes–Bahía Inútil is dated close to 14 455 ¹⁴C yr BP, invalidating earlier dates of between 15 800 and 16 590 ¹⁴C yr BP. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of regoliths and landscapes in deeply weathered terrain — implications for geochemical exploration

Thick, commonly lateritic, regoliths are widespread in inter-tropical regions of the world and present particular challenges in exploration. These are best tackled through a sound understanding of the evolution of the landscapes in which they occur. The regoliths formed under humid, warm to tropical conditions and, although they may have been modified by later climatic changes, i.e., to more humid or more arid conditions, many chemical and mineralogical characteristics are retained. These include the geochemical expressions of concealed mineralization. Erosional and depositional processes control the preservation and occurrence of specific regolith units that may be used as sample media and, in turn, target size, element associations and contrast, thereby influencing sampling procedures, analysis and data interpretation. These parameters are best summarized in terms geochemical dispersion models based on the degree of preservation of the pre-existing lateritic regolith. Regolith–landform mapping permits an assessment of the terrain in terms of such models. In relict regolith–landform regimes, in which the lateritic regolith is largely preserved, broad multi-element anomalies in the upper ferruginous horizons (lateritic residuum) can be detected using sample intervals of 1 km or more. In contrast, in erosional regimes, where this material is absent, anomalies in upper saprolite, and the soil and lag derived from it, are more restricted in area and closer sampling intervals, (200×40 m or less) may be necessary. Lag and soil are, generally, ineffective in depositional areas, except where the sediments are very thin (e.g.,<2 m) or overburden provenance can be established. Stratigraphic drilling is necessary to establish whether the overburden overlies a buried lateritic horizon or an erosion surface cut in saprolite. Lateritic residuum remains an excellent sample medium if present, again with widespread haloes, but where it is absent, leaching and the restricted haloes in upper saprolite present formidable problems. Ferruginous saprolite or composites across the unconformity may be effective, but otherwise carefully targeted drilling and sampling through saprolite and saprock may be necessary. Partial extraction analyses have yet to demonstrate significant results except in very specific environments. In arid regions, pedogenic carbonate (calcrete, caliche) may be a valuable sample medium for Au exploration, principally in erosional regimes, and in depositional areas where the overburden is shallow. Sample intervals range from 1 km for regional surveys, through to 100×20 m in prospect evaluation. Saprolite is an essential sample medium in all landform environments, but the restricted halos and possibility of leaching requires that drilling and sampling should be at close intervals.     

Stable isotopes of pedogenic carbonates from the Somma–Vesuvius area,southern Italy,over the past 18 kyr: palaeoclimatic implications

Stable isotopes were measured in the carbonate and organic matter of palaeosols in the Somma–Vesuvius area, southern Italy in order to test whether they are suitable proxy records for climatic and ecological changes in this area during the past 18000 yr. The ages of the soils span from ca. 18 to ca. 3 kyr BP. Surprisingly, the Last Glacial to Holocene climate transition was not accompanied by significant change in δ¹⁸O of pedogenic carbonate. This could be explained by changes in evaporation rate and in isotope fractionation between water and precipitated carbonate with temperature, which counterbalanced the expected change in isotope composition of meteoric water. Because of the rise in temperature and humidity and the progressive increase in tree cover during the Holocene, the Holocene soil carbonates closely reflect the isotopic composition of meteoric water. A cooling of about 2°C after the Avellino eruption (3.8 ka) accounts for a sudden decrease of about 1‰ in δ¹⁸O of pedogenic carbonate recorded after this eruption. The δ¹³C values of organic matter and pedogenic carbonate covary, indicating an effective isotope equilibrium between the organic matter, as the source of CO₂, and the pedogenic carbonate. Carbon isotopes suggest prevailing C₃ vegetation and negligible mixing with volcanogenic or atmospheric CO₂. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantifying the effects of environmental change on an oyster population: A modeling study

Three models are combined to investigate the effects of changes in environmental conditions on the population structure of the Eastern oyster,Crassostrea virginica. The first model, a time-dependent model of the oyster population as described in Powell et al. (1992, 1994, 1995a,b, 1996, 1997) and Hofmann et al. (1992, 1994, 1995), tracks the distribution, development, spawning, and mortality of sessile oyster populations. The second model, a time-dependent larval growth model as described in Dekshenieks et al. (1993), simulates larval growth and mortality. The final model, a finite element hydrodynamic model, simulates the circulation in Galveston Bay, Texas. The coupled post-settlement-larval model (the oyster model) runs within the finite element grid at locations that include known oyster reef habitats. The oyster model was first forced with 5 yr of mean environmental conditions to provide a reference simulation for Galveston Bay. Additional simulations considered the effects of long-term increases and decreases in freshwater inflow and temperature, as well as decreases in food concentration and total seston on Galveston Bay oyster populations. In general, the simulations show that salinity is the primary environmental factor controling the spatial extent of oyster distribution within the estuary. Results also indicate a need to consider all environmental factors when attempting to predict the response of oyster populations; it is the superposition of a combination of these factors that determines the state of the population. The results from this study allow predictions to be made concerning the effects of environmental change on the status of oyster populations, both within Galveston Bay and within other estuarine systems supporting oyster populations.     

Spatial pattern of localized disturbance along a Southeastern salt marsh tidal creek

Geomorphology may be an important predictor of vegetation pattern in systems where suceptibility to disturbance is unevenly distributed across the landscape. Salt marsh communities exhibit spatial pattern in vegetation at a variety of spatial scales. In coastal Georgia, the low marsh is a virtual monoculture ofSpartina alterniflora interspersed with patches of species that are more typical of the high marsh. These localized disturbances are most likely created by wrack mats, mats of dead vegetation which can compact and smother underlying vegetation creating bare patches for colonization by high marsh species. We investigated the spatial pattern of disturbed patches along a 2 km section of Dean Creek, a tidal creek at the southwestern end of Sapelo Island, Georgia, U.S. We used a discriminant model to explore the relationship between tidal creek morphology (e.g., the presence of drainage channels and creek bends) and the spatial distribution of disturbed patches. The model predicted vegetation pattern along the creek with relatively high accuracy (>70%). Areas where water movement is slowed or multidirectional (e.g., along creek bends and near drainage channels) were most susceptible to disturbance. Our findings suggest an important functional linkage between geomorphology and vegetation pattern in salt marsh communities.     

Geology of the volcanic-hosted Brockman rare-metals deposit,Halls Creek Mobile Zone,northwest Australia. l. Volcanic environment,geochronology and petrography of the Brockman volcanics

Summary Rare-metals mineralization of the Brockman deposit (Halls Creek Mobile Zone, NW Australia) is hosted in a fluorite-bearing, rhyolitic volcaniclastic unit informally termed the Niobium Tuff. The Tuff, more correctly described as a tuffaceous volcaniclastic deposit, is the lowermost unit of a sequence of trachyte-to-rhyolite lavas, trachyandesite subvolcanic rocks, and volcaniclastic units of the Brockman volcanics located within the Halls Creek Group, a thick, early Proterozoic volcano-sedimentary sequence. High precision SHRIMP ion-microprobe zircon dating of the Niobium Tuff gives an eruption age of 1870 ± 4 Ma. Regional geochronological constraints indicate the Niobium Tuff was deposited about 15 Ma before major orogenic activity affected the area. Despite folding, faulting and low-grade metamorphism, the Brockman volcanics show excellent preservation of primary volcanological features, including pillow-lavas and pillow-breccias, that suggest a dominantly subaqueous, below-wave-base emplacement environment. The style of eruption products and magma volume constraints suggest the trachyte-dominated volcanics were erupted from a small shield volcanic complex probably in a rift-related basin in a shallow-marine setting. The tectonic setting was intraplate but differs from most Tertiary to recent trachyte volcanic complexes which are largely subaerial, are built on relatively thick continental crust, and show no post-eruptive orogenic history. Brockman-style rare-metal deposits are characterized by preservation of subaqueous volcanics beneath a thick sedimentary sequence, eruption of early incompatible-element enriched products followed by less differentiated magmas, and fine-grained mineralogy influenced by alteration processes. Prospects exist for discovery of analogous deposits, particularly in early Proterozoic mobile belts and Tertiary intraplate shield volcanic provinces.

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Geologie der an Vulkanite gebundenen Seltene-Metalle-Lagerstätte Brockman, Halls Creek Mobile Zone, Nordwest-Australien. I. Vulkanologie, Geochronologie und Petrographie der Brockman-Vulkanite

Zusammenfassung Selten-Metall-Vererzung der Brockman-Lagerstätten (Halls Creek Mobile Zone, NW Australien) sitzt in einer Fluorit-führenden, rhyolitischen vulkanoklastischen Einheit auf, die informell als der Niob-Tuff bezeichnet wird. Es handelt sich hier um ein vulkanoklastisches Tuff-Sediment; dieses ist die unterste Einheit einer Abfolge vor Trachyt bis Rhyolit-Laven, trachyandesitischen Subvulkaniten and vulkanoklastischen Einheiten der Brockman Vulkanite innerhalb der Halls Creek Gruppe, einer mächtigen frühproterozoischen vulkanosedimentdren Abfolge. Prüzisionsdatierungen des Niob Tuffs mit der SHRIMP Ionen-Mikrosonde ergeben ein Eruptionsalter von 1870 +-4 Millionen Jahren. Regionale geochronologische Zusammenhänge zeigen, daß der Niob Tuff etwa 15 Millionen Jahre vor einer größeren Orogenese, die das Gebiet betroffen hat, abgelagert wurde. Trotz Faltung, Bruchtektonik and niedriggradiger Metamorphose zeigen die Brockman-Vulkanite einen hervorragenden Erhaltungszustand primärer vulkanologischer Erscheinungen. Diese urnfassen auch Kissenlaven und KissenBreckzien, die eine vorwiegend subaquatische Ablagerung in ruhigem Wasser erkennen lassen. Die Art der Eruptionsprodukte and das Magmavolumen zeigen, daß die Trachytdominierten Vulkanite von einem kleinen Schildvulkan stammer, wahrscheinlich in einem Becken in einer Rift-Situation im seichten marinen Milieu. Die tektonische Situation war intraplate, aber unterscheidet sich von den meisten tertiären bis rezenten trachytischen Vulkan-Komplexen, die hauptsächlich subaerisch sind, auf einer relativ mächtigen kontinentalen Kruste aufsitzen, and keine post-eruptive orogene Entwicklung zeigen. Seltene-Metalle-Lagerstatten des Brockman-Typs rind durch die Erhaltung subaquatischer-Vulkanite unterhalb einer machtigen sedimentdren Abfolge gekennzeichnet; welters durch frühe Eruptionsprodukte, die an inkompatiblen Elementen angereichert sind, auf die dann weniger differenzierte Magmen folgten, und schließlich durch einen feinkörnigen Mineralbestand, der vor Umwandlungsprozessen betroffen war. Es besteht die Möglichkeit der Entdeckung analoger Lagerstätten, besonders in frühproterozoischen mobilen Gürteln und in tertidren intraplate Schildvulkan Provinzen.

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The role of principles and methods in loess-paleosol investigations

In the process of loessification, the development of loess fabric, the role of zonal, regional and partly of local environmental factors is regarded decisive. In the loess sequences various genetic types of loess pockets and paleosols occur and reflect different climatic and paleogeographical conditions.As a consequence, even within a single profile the colour, grain size and mineral composition, CaCO₃ content, degree of weathering and fabric of loess may vary. Zonal, regional or even local variations in such loess properties may equally derive from syngenetic or postgenetic processes. For similar reasons, spatially and temporally different forms, types and subtypes of paleosol also developed.This way, loess and soil formation resulted in various spatial types in the same glacial, interstadial or interglacial phase in the various geographical zones and regions. Although there exist major loess regions where the interglacial soils (eg brown forest soils) are markedly distinct from interstadial steppe soils or from other types of humic soils, continental loess areas can also be observed where the paleosols developed under interglacial and interstadial conditions (eg steppe or forest steppe soils) cannot be referred into different genetic types. In such cases the changes in paleoenvironments are difficult and uncertain to reconstruct.The interregional correlation of paleosols is occasionally hindered by the various terminologies applied to denote them. In addition, there are uncertainties concerning the dating and identification of paleoenvironments of polygenetic soils and of soil complexes consisting of paleosol units: how many soil formation phases they represent and how long erosional gaps can be reckoned with between these phases.     

Environmental impact of salmon net-pen culture on marine benthic communities in Maine: A case study

The environmental impacts of salmon net-pen aquaculture on the benthic environment were investigated at a commercial fish farm located in coastal Maine waters. This site has a sandy mud bottom and low current velocities, is subjected to episodic sediment resuspension, and way in production for 3 yr prior to this study: We examined both the increase in carbon flux to the benthos caused by the net-pen and the effects of the elevated flux on sediment biogeochemistry and the microbenthic communities. The experimental design involved the establishment of two study sites, an ambient site ca. 100 m from the net-pen and a treatment site around the pen. Sediment traps deployed 1 m above the sediment-water interface indicated that carbon flux to the benthos was increased 1-fold to 6-fold (to a maximum of 5 g m^?2d^?1) at the edge of the net-pen with little or no increase in carbon flux 10 m from the pen. Unlike carbon flux rates, sediment organic matter inventories showed a complex pattern of change over time. Mineral surface area, organic carbon and nitrogen, digestible protein, and sterol content were initially (April 1991) lower beneath the pen than in ambient sediments. During 1991 ambient sediment accumulated organic matter until July after which it decreased, to a low during November. In contrast, organic matter inventories of sediment beneath the pen remained low until July and then increased to a high during November. These latter gains were associated with the development of bacterial mats at the sediment-water interface. Beneath the pen, microbial and macrofaunal communities were shifted toward those commonly associated with organic enrichment but seasonal trends and storm-related resuspension events also significantly affected these sediment communities. When abundant, most epibenthic organisms were more numerous near the pen than in adjacent ambient areas. These results suggest that net-pen aquaculture can alter the benthic ecosystem in Maine Coastal waters but indicate that the effects are spatially limited.     

Genetic structure of bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) populations in Chesapeake Bay

To determine the genetic structure of the bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) within Chesapeake Bay, 16 isozyme systems encoding 21 loci for 20 population were examined using horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. Contingency Chisquare analysis revealed significant allelic frequency differences at nine loci (AAT-1, AAT-2, ALD-1, CPK-2, GAP-1, GLY-1, LDH-1, MDH-1, and MDH-2). Two loci, ALD-1 and MDH-1, were responsible for nine of 14 tests not conforming to Hardy-Weinberg expectations, with some of these deviations attributed to possible scoring and/or sampling error. Estimates for mean average heterozygosity were relatively high, ranging from 0.40 to 0.096, with 33–57% of the loci polymorphic. A low F_st value (0.041) along with high genetic identity estimates (I=0.997) indicated little substructuring of bay anchovy populations within Chesapeake Bay.     

On the causes of 18O-depletion and 18O/16O homogenization during regional metamorphism; the East Humboldt Range core complex,Nevada

 Previous stable isotope studies at Lizzies Basin revealed that metasedimentary rocks are ¹⁸O-depleted relative to protolith values, particularly in the lower parts of the section (Lower Zone) where the rocks are also isotopically homogeneous on a scale of hundreds of meters (quartz δ¹⁸O=+9.0 to +9.6 per mil). In contrast, metasedimentary rocks at higher levels at Lizzies Basin (Upper Zone) are less ¹⁸O-depleted and more heterogeneous in δ¹⁸O. In order to understand more fully the isotopic evolution of this terrane, a series of detailed, meter-scale traverses across various metamorphic and igneous lithologies were completed at Lizzies Basin, and at the structurally higher Angel Lake locality. Traverses in the Lizzies Basin Lower Zone and in the lower parts of Angel Lake (Angel Lake Lower Sequence) across various silicate lithologies, including abundant granitoids, reveal similar degrees of homogeneity, although the average δ¹⁸O values are higher at Angel Lake. In contrast, traverses which include substantial thicknesses of marble and calc-silicate gneiss and very little granitoid have more heterogeneous quartz δ¹⁸O values (+11.9 to +13.4 per mil), and also have a higher average δ¹⁸O (+12.9 per mil), than observed elsewhere. The scale of ¹⁸O/¹⁶O homogeneity in quartz observed at Lizzies Basin and Angel Lake (meters to hundreds of meters) requires fluid-mediated isotope exchange, which accompanied Tertiary metamorphism. There is a correlation between the degree of ¹⁸O-depletion in metasedimentary rocks, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O homogenization between lithologies, and the proportion of granitoids (leucogranites in particular) within any part of the section, and a corresponding anticorrelation with the proportion of marble. This points to a causal relationship, whereby the leucogranites (as well as the Tertiary hornblende diorite and biotite monzogranite) acted as both a relatively low-¹⁸O reservoir and a source of fluids to enhance exchange, while the marbles hindered isotope depletion and homogenization by acting as relatively high-¹⁸O reservoirs and impermeable layers. Material balance calculations help delineate the plausible mechanisms of exchange between granitoids and metasediments. Single-pass infiltration of magmatic fluids from the granitoids is not capable of reproducing all of the observations. Fluid-mediated exchange by convective recirculation of magmatic fluids on a scale of meters is the mechanism which explains all of the observations. The generalized model for the isotopic evolution of the East Humboldt Range core complex provides an excellent opportunity to establish the main causes and controlling factors of ¹⁸O-depletion and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O homogenization during regional metamorphism. Received: 27 July 1993 / Accepted: 1 July 1994