Calcium Carbonate and Phosphate Reference Materials for Monitoring Bulk and Microanalytical Determination of Sr Isotopes

In situ laser ablation analyses rely on the microanalytical homogeneity of reference materials (RMs) and a similar matrix and mass fraction between unknown samples and RMs to obtain reliable results. Suitable carbonate and phosphate RMs for determination of Sr isotope ratios in such materials are limited. Thus, we determined ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of several carbonate (JCt‐1, JCp‐1, MACS‐1, MACS‐3) and phosphate (MAPS‐4, MAPS‐5, NIST SRM 1400, NIST SRM 1486) international RMs using dissolved samples and two different multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometers (MC‐ICP‐MS). Our Sr isotope data are in agreement with published data and have an improved measurement precision for some RMs. For MACS‐1, we present the first ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr value. We tested the suitability of these materials for microanalytical analyses by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS, with two different laser ablation systems: a conventional nanosecond laser and a state‐of‐the‐art femtosecond laser. We investigated the RMs micro‐homogeneity and compared the data with our solution data. Both laser ablation systems yielded identical ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios within uncertainty to the solution data for RMs with low interferences of REEs. Therefore, these carbonate and phosphate RMs can be used to achieve accurate and precise results for in situ Sr isotope investigations by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS of similar materials.     

Development of the early continental crust. Part III. Depletion of incompatible elements in the mantle

New analyses and critical re-evaluation of older data permit another estimate of the abundances of some 42 elements in the silicate shells of the Earth, excluding the core.These data and estimations of volcanic rock production lead to a series of estimates of the mass-fractions of depleted and undepleted mantle. Most likely estimates of the latter lie in the range 0.2–0.4. The best estimates are obtained for the most incompatible elements K, Rb, Sr, Ba, Nb, Th, U.The development of the continental crust and the change in tectonic processes over time is consistent with these interpretations.     

熔体─上地幔岩石的相互作用及稀土元素模拟计算──以法国中央高原堡雷(Bore)幔源包体为例

产于法国中央高原堡雷（Boree）的具镶嵌结构方辉橄榄岩包体被认为是大陆活动区碱性玄武岩捕获的、来源最深的尖晶石相上地幔样品。已有的岩浆堆积说和等物理化学环境中重结晶模式难于解释其矿物学、微量元素和Sr－Nd同位素地球化学特征,为此我们提出了热柱来源熔体渗滤岩石圈底部的新成因模式。渗滤熔体和岩石圈地幔之间的反应不仅导致了矿物含量的变化,而且形成了特征的微量元素配分型式和同位素组成。REE模拟计算表明,熔体／岩石比值的大小、熔体性质以及熔体-岩石反应机制的多样性是控制本区幔源包体地球化学及其岩石变形、结晶程度之间相关性的重要因素。     

Metal corrosion and argillite transformation at the water-saturated,high-temperature iron–clay interface: A microscopic-scale study

In this study, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques (scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Raman microspectroscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, micro X-ray fine structure adsorption spectroscopy, and micro laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) were combined to decipher the chemical and mineralogical properties of a saturated Fe–clay interface reacted at 90 °C and 50 bar for 8 months. The results collectively confirm the presence of a corrosion layer and a clay transformation layer. The corrosion layer is made of a magnetite-containing internal sublayer and a Fe-phyllosilicate external sublayer enriched in Na, with traces of goethite presumably resulting from sample reaction with air. The clay transformation layer is made of predominantly Ca-rich siderite (FeCO₃). It is depleted in Al and K, suggesting dissolution of rock-forming minerals. The corroded thickness determined from the amount of Fe in corrosion and transformation layers and assuming zero porosity equals 19 ± 9 μm. These data indicate that the interfacial clay was transformed by dissolution of calcite and clay minerals and precipitation of siderite close to the original surface. Silica released upon clay dissolution diffused into the corrosion layer and coprecipitated with oxidized Fe to form Fe-phyllosilicate.     

Adoption of flood-related preventive behaviours by people having different risks and histories of flooding

Natural Hazards - The increase in the frequency of floods, which is a projected consequence of climate change, can have wide-ranging health and economic impacts. To cope with these floods and to...     

Borehole radar velocity inversion using cokriging and cosimulation

A new radar velocity tomography method is presented based on slowness covariance modeling and cokriging of the slowness field using only measured travel time data. The proposed approach is compared to the classical LSQR algorithm using various synthetic models and a real data set. In each case, the proposed method provides comparable to or better results than LSQR. One advantage of this approach is that it is self-regularized and requires less a priori information. The covariance model also allows stochastic imaging of slowness fields by geostatistical simulations. Stable characteristics and uncertain features of the inverted models can then be easily identified.     

Melting of Fe–Ni–Si and Fe–Ni–S alloys at megabar pressures: implications for the core–mantle boundary temperature

High pressure melting behavior of three Fe-alloys containing 5 wt% Ni and (1) 10 wt% Si, (2) 15 wt% Si or (3) 12 wt% S was investigated up to megabar pressures by in situ X-ray diffraction and laser-heated diamond anvil cell techniques. We observe a decrease in melting temperature with increasing Si content over the entire investigated pressure range. This trend is used to discuss the melting curve of pure Fe. Moreover, our measurements of eutectic melting in the Fe–Fe₃S system show a change in slope around 50 GPa concomitant with the fcc–hcp phase transition in pure solid iron. Extrapolations of our melting curve up to the core–mantle boundary pressure yield values of 3,600–3,750 K for the freezing temperature of plausible outer core compositions.