Intercrystalline cation partitioning between minerals of the triplite-zwieselite-magniotriplite and the triphylite-lithiophilite series in granitic pegmatites

Minerals of the triphylite-lithiophilite, Li(Fe, Mn)PO₄, and the triplite-zwieselite-magniotriplite series, (Mn, Fe, Mg)₂PO₄F, occur in the late stage period of pegmatite evolution. Unfortunately, neither are the genetic relationships between these phosphates fully understood nor are thermodynamic data known. Consequently, phosphate associations and assemblages from 8 granitic pegmatites — Clementine II, Rubicon II and III, and Tsaobismund (Namibia); Hagendorf-Süd and Rabenstein (Germany); Valmy (France); Viitaniemi (Finland) — have been tested for compositional zoning and intercrystalline partitioning of main elements by electron microprobe techniques. Although the selected pegmatites display varying degrees of fractionation, and the intergrowth textures indicate different genetic relationships between the phosphates, the plots of mole fractions X _Fe=Fe/(Fe+Mn+Mg+Ca), X _Mn=Mn/(Fe+Mn+Mg+Ca), and X _Mg=Mg/(Fe+Mn+Mg+Ca) can be fitted relatively well with smooth curves in Roozeboom diagrams. Their deviations from symmetrical distribution curves are mainly dependent upon X _Mg or X _Ca, and upon non-ideal solutions. Surprisingly small differences between the partition coefficients were detected for intergrowths of different origin. However, the partitioning of shared components among coexisting phases is clearly dependent upon the conditions of formation. Compositional zoning is observed only when both Fe–Mn phosphates are intergrown mutually or with other Fe–Mn–Mg mineral solid-solutios. Thus, the zoning does not seem to be due to continuous crystallization, but to later diffusion processes. The triplite structure has preference for Mn, Mg, and Ca, while Fe prefers minerals of the triphylite series. A quantification of main element fractionation between minerals of the triphylite and the triplite series is possible in the cases where diffusion can be excluded. For the Fe/(Fe+Mn) ratios of core compositions an equation with a high correlation coefficient (R=0.988) was determined: Fe/(Fe+Mn)_Tr=[Fe/(Fe+Mn)_Li]/{2.737-(1.737)[Fe/(Fe+Mn)_Li]} (Tr=triplite series, Li=triphylite series). Consequently, the Fe/(Fe+Mn) ratio of the triplite series can now also be used in the interpretation of pegmatite evolution, just like that of the triphylite series which has been successfully applied in the past.     

Microfacies and diagenesis of older Pleistocene (pre‐last glacial maximum) reef deposits,Great Barrier Reef,Australia (IODP Expedition 325): A quantitative approach

During Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 325, 34 holes were drilled along five transects in front of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, penetrating some 700 m of late Pleistocene reef deposits (post‐glacial; largely 20 to 10 kyr bp ) in water depths of 42 to 127 m. In seven holes, drilled in water depths of 42 to 92 m on three transects, older Pleistocene (older than last glacial maximum, >20 kyr bp ) reef deposits were recovered from lower core sections. In this study, facies, diagenetic features, mineralogy and stable isotope geochemistry of 100 samples from six of the latter holes were investigated and quantified. Lithologies are dominated by grain‐supported textures, and were to a large part deposited in high‐energy, reef or reef slope environments. Quantitative analyses allow 11 microfacies to be defined, including mixed skeletal packstone and grainstone, mudstone‐wackestone, coral packstone, coral grainstone, coralline algal grainstone, coral‐algal packstone, coralline algal packstone, Halimeda grainstone, microbialite and caliche. Microbialites, that are common in cavities of younger, post‐glacial deposits, are rare in pre‐last glacial maximum core sections, possibly due to a lack of open framework suitable for colonization by microbes. In pre‐last glacial maximum deposits of holes M0032A and M0033A (>20 kyr bp ), marine diagenetic features are dominant; samples consist largely of aragonite and high‐magnesium calcite. Holes M0042A and M0057A, which contain the oldest rocks (>169 kyr bp ), are characterized by meteoric diagenesis and samples mostly consist of low‐magnesium calcite. Holes M0042A, M0055A and M0056A (>30 kyr bp ), and a horizon in the upper part of hole M0057A, contain both marine and meteoric diagenetic features. However, only one change from marine to meteoric pore water is recorded in contrast with the changes in diagenetic environment that might be inferred from the sea‐level history. Values of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon are consistent with these findings. Samples from holes M0032A and M0033A reflect largely positive values (δ¹⁸O: ?1 to +1‰ and δ¹³C: +1 to +4‰), whereas those from holes M0042A and M0057A are negative (δ¹⁸O: ?4 to +2‰ and δ¹³C: ?8 to +2‰). Holes M0055A and M0056A provide intermediate values, with slightly positive δ¹³C, and negative δ¹⁸O values. The type and intensity of meteroric diagenesis appears to have been controlled both by age and depth, i.e. the time available for diagenetic alteration, and reflects the relation between reef deposition and sea‐level change.     

A Truncated Pareto Model to Estimate the Under Recovery of Large Diamonds

The metallurgical recovery processes in diamond mining may, under certain circumstances, cause an under-recovery of large diamonds. In order to predict high quantiles or tail probabilities we use a Bayesian approach to fit a truncated Generalized Pareto Type distribution to the tail of the data consisting of the weights of individual diamonds. Based on the estimated tail probability, the expected number of diamonds larger than a specified weight can be estimated. The difference between the expected and observed frequencies of diamond weights above an upper threshold provides an estimate of the number of diamonds lost during the recovery process.     

A Cambrian mixed carbonate–siliciclastic platform in SW Gondwana: evidence from the Western Sierras Pampeanas (Argentina) and implications for the early Paleozoic paleogeography of the proto-Andean margin

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The Western Sierras Pampeanas (WSP) of Argentina record a protracted geological history from the Mesoproterozoic assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent to...     

New radiolarian biostratigraphic age constraints on Middle Triassic basalts and radiolarites from the Inner Hellenides (Northern Pindos and Othris Mountains, Northern Greece) and their implications for the geodynamic evolution of the early Mesozoic Neotethys

The Avdella Mélange in the northern Pindos Mountains and its equivalent formation, the Loggitsion Unit in the Othris Mountains expose early Mesozoic (Mid-Late Triassic) oceanic fragments beneath the Western Greek Ophiolite Belt of the Inner Hellenides, Northern Greece. The mélange consists of locally interfingering blocks and slices of ribbon radiolarite, radiolarian chert and pillow basalt and is usually overthrust by Jurassic ophiolites. New Middle and Upper Triassic radiolarian biostratigraphic data are presented from radiolarites and basalt-radiolarite sequences within mélange blocks. Pillow basalts associated with the radiolarites provide clues to the opening of the Neotethyan ocean basin. The radiolarians indicate a Middle Triassic age (latest Anisian, probably early Illyrian), which is documented for the first time in the northern Pindos Mountains. The new radiolarian biostratigraphic data suggest that rift-type basalt volcanism already began in pre-Ladinian time (late Scythian?—Anisian). These basalts were then overlain by Upper Anisian to Carnian (?Norian) radiolarites.     

Recycling of Organic Matter in the Sediments of Santa Monica Basin,California Borderland

Geochemical and isotopic data for the uppermost 1.2 m of the sediments of the central Santa Monica Basin plain were examined to better understand organic matter deposition and recycling at this site. Isotopic signatures (Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C) of methane (CH₄) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) indicate the occurrence of anaerobic oxidation of CH₄ that is fueled by CH₄ supplied from a relict reservoir that is decoupled from local organic carbon (C_org) degradation and methanogenesis. This finding was corroborated by a flux budget of pore-water solutes across the basal horizon of the profile. Together these results provide a plausible explanation for the anomalously low ratio between alkalinity production and sulfate consumption reported for these sediments over two decades ago. Shifts in Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C signatures of C_org have previously been reported across the 20-cm depth horizon for this site and attributed to a transition from oxic to anoxic bottom water that occurred ~350 years BP. However, we show that this horizon also coincides with a boundary between the base of a hemipelagic mud section and the top of a turbidite interval, complicating the interpretation of organic geochemical data across this boundary. Radiocarbon signatures of DIC diffusing upward into surface sediments indicate that remineralization at depth is supported by relatively ¹⁴C-enriched C_org within the sedimentary matrix. While the exact nature of this C_org is unclear, possible sources are hemipelagic mud sections that were buried rapidly under thick turbidites, and ¹⁴C-rich moieties dispersed within C_org-poor turbidite sections.     

The bubbles or the boiling pot? An ecosystemic approach to culture,environment and quality of life

For the diagnosis and prognosis of the problems of quality of life, a multidisciplinary ecosystemic approach encompasses four dimensions of being-in-the-world, as donors and recipients: intimate, interactive, social and biophysical. Social, cultural and environmental vulnerabilities are understood and dealt with, in different circumstances of space and time, as the conjugated effect of all dimensions of being-in-the-world, as they induce the events (deficits and assets), cope with consequences (desired or undesired) and contribute for change. Instead of fragmented and reduced representations of reality, diagnosis and prognosis of cultural, educational, environmental and health problems considers the connections (assets) and ruptures (deficits) between the different dimensions, providing a planning model to develop and evaluate research, teaching programmes, public policies and field projects. The methodology is participatory, experiential and reflexive; heuristic-hermeneutic processes unveil cultural and epistemic paradigms that orient subject-object relationships; giving people the opportunity to reflect on their own realities, engage in new experiences and find new ways to live better in a better world. The proposal is a creative model for thought and practice, providing many opportunities for discussion, debate and development of holistic projects integrating different scientific domains (social sciences, psychology, education, philosophy, etc.). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

On the inclusion of ground-based gravity measurements to the calibration process of a global rainfall-discharge reservoir model: case of the Durzon karst system (Larzac, southern France)

This work examines the relevance of the inclusion of ground-based gravity data in the calibration process of a global rainfall-discharge reservoir model. The analysis is performed for the Durzon karst system (Larzac, France). The first part of the study focuses on the hydrological interpretation of the ground-based gravity measurements. The second part of the study investigates further the information content of the gravity data with respect to water storage dynamics modelling. The gravity-derived information is found unable to either reduce equifinality of the single-objective, discharge-based model calibration process or enhance model performance through assimilation.     

Changes in Nutrient Biogeochemistry in Response to the Regression of Zostera noltii Meadows in the Arcachon Bay (France)

From 1989 to 2007, a severe decline in Zostera noltii meadows was reported in the Arcachon Bay, with an accelerated regression after 2005. We investigated the inter-annual variability of the biogeochemistry of the sediment in an area affected by seagrass decline. In late summer and in winter of the years 2006, 2010, and 2011, sediment cores were collected at low tide on vegetated and adjacent non-vegetated sediments located in the eastern part of the Arcachon Bay. The geochemical analyses of sediment solid-phase organic carbon, reactive P and Fe, and the pore water concentrations of Fe²⁺, DIP, and NH₄ ⁺ are presented. The changes in the chemistry of sediment and pore water between 2006 and 2010 are interpreted as a consequence of the decrease in the Z. noltii biomass between 2006 and 2010. The absence of significant seasonal variations in biomass throughout the growth period (March–September) in 2011 is most likely related to the regression of Z. noltii meadow that strongly affects the study area. In contrast to the healthy meadow in 2006, the declining meadow favored the dissolution of sedimentary particulate phosphorus in winter. In late summer, the low biomass of seagrass resulted in a net release of ammonium in the pore water of the upper 20 cm of sediment. This study clearly shows that seagrass decay may enhance nutrient release in sediments, resulting in a significant supply of phosphorus to the water column of a magnitude comparable to annual inputs to the lagoon from the rivers and the tidal pump.     

Geoheritage values of one of the largest maar craters in the Arabian Peninsula: the Al Wahbah Crater and other volcanoes (Harrat Kishb, Saudi Arabia)

Al Wahbah Crater is one of the largest and deepest Quaternary maar craters in the Arabian Peninsula. It is NW-SE-elongated, ～2.3 km wide, ～250 m deep and surrounded by an irregular near-perpendicular crater wall cut deeply into the Proterozoic diorite basement. Very few scientific studies have been conducted on this unique site, especially in respect to understanding the associated volcanic eruption processes. Al Wahbah and adjacent large explosion craters are currently a research subject in an international project, Volcanic Risk in Saudi Arabia (VORiSA). The focus of VORiSA is to characterise the volcanic hazards and eruption mechanisms of the vast volcanic fields in Western Saudi Arabia, while also defining the unique volcanic features of this region for use in future geoconservation, geoeducation and geotourism projects. Al Wahbah is inferred to be a maar crater that formed due to an explosive interaction of magma and water. The crater is surrounded by a tephra ring that consists predominantly of base surge deposits accumulated over a pre-maar scoria cone and underlying multiple lava flow units. The tephra ring acted as an obstacle against younger lava flows that were diverted along the margin of the tephra ring creating unique lava flow surface textures that recorded inflation and deflation processes along the margin of the post-maar lava flow. Al Wahbah is a unique geological feature that is not only a dramatic landform but also a site that can promote our understanding of complex phreatomagmatic monogenetic volcanism. The complex geological features perfectly preserved at Al Wahbah makes this site as an excellent geotope and a potential centre of geoeducation programs that could lead to the establishment of a geopark in the broader area at the Kishb Volcanic Field.