Plagioclase residence times at two island arc volcanoes (Kameni Islands, Santorini, and Soufriere, St. Vincent) determined by Sr diffusion systematics

The diffusive relaxation of trace element profiles in plagioclase phenocrysts may provide important constraints on magma residence times in crustal magma chambers. Initial trace element profiles in plagioclase phenocrysts are governed by variations in the concentration of a trace element in the melt and by the plagioclase-melt partition coefficient. Trace element diffusion will subsequently act to modify this initial profile and – given enough time – produce a profile that is in equilibrium with the anorthite variations within the crystal. We argue that the trace element partition coefficient D^a/b between two parts a and b of a plagioclase crystal of variable anorthite content is equal to the ratio of their crystal-liquid partition coefficients, and that the equilibrium profile of the crystal can be calculated. The time required to establish diffusive equilibrium is dependent on the wavelength and amplitude of the initial trace element concentration range and on the diffusivity of the trace element in plagioclase. Strontium plagioclase-melt partition coefficients and diffusivities are calculated for a range of magmatic temperatures and plagioclase compositions. A one-dimensional diffusion model is developed that describes the diffusive destruction of oscillatory trace element zoning with time and allows the calculation of upper limits for plagioclase crystal residence times in a magma reservoir. The model is tested using major and trace element concentrations measured along crystal traverses of plagioclase phenocrysts from the Kameni Island dacites, Santorini, and from the 1979 Soufriere andesite, St. Vincent. Three out of eight plagioclase phenocrysts have Sr concentration profiles that are not in diffusive equilibrium. For these, the diffusion model is employed to calculate maximum crystal residence times from incomplete diffusive equilibration of trace element zoning in plagioclase. Maximum crystal residence times range from 100 to 450 years. This is in good agreement with estimates from crystal size distribution and from Ra-Th disequilibrium studies for the Kameni Islands. For Soufriere, however, such short residence times are incompatible with U-Th mineral errorchron data that suggest residence times of >40 ka in a thermally buffered magma reservoir. To reconcile these apparently different ages, we invoke a more complicated magmatic history for Soufriere where an initially buffered magma reservoir is disturbed by magma mixing and suffers limited additional crystal fractionation prior to eruption. Received: 20 October 1998 / Accepted: 22 March 1999     

Evolution,transfer and release of magmas and volcanic gases: An introduction

In this introduction, recent progress in the study of the evolution, transfer and release of magmas and volcanic gases is briefly reviewed, based on discussions at the MAG2007 international conference held in Taipei, Taiwan, in April 2007. The meeting pooled the diverse expertise of igneous and volcanic gas geochemists. This special issue, which presents six case studies covering a range of topics from variations in mantle source compositions to the nature of volcanic degassing, reflects that diversity.     

Estimates of wind power and radiative near-inertial internal wave flux

Ocean Dynamics - Energy transfer mechanisms between the atmosphere and the deep ocean have been studied for many years. Their importance to the ocean’s energy balance and possible...     

Initiation and Propagation of Compaction Bands in Dry and Wet Bentheim Sandstone

We investigated initiation and propagation of compaction bands (CB) in six wet and four dry Bentheim sandstone samples deformed in axial compression tests with strain rates ranging from 3.2 × 10^?8 s^?1 to 3.2 × 10^?4 s^?1. Circumferential notches with 0.8-mm width and 5-mm depth served to initiate CB at mid-sample length. Wet samples were saturated with distilled water and deformed at 195 MPa confining pressure and 10 MPa pore pressure. Dry samples were deformed at 185 MPa confining pressure. Twelve P-wave sensors, eight S-wave sensors and two pairs of orthogonally oriented strain-gages were glued to the sample surface to monitor acoustic emission (AE), velocities and local strain during the loading process. Nucleation of compaction bands is indicated by AE clusters close to the notch tips. With progressive loading, AE activity increased and AE hypocenters indicated propagation of a single CB normal to the sample axis. CB propagation from the sample periphery towards the centre was monitored. Microstructural analysis of deformed samples shows excellent agreement between location of AE clusters and CBs. In both dry and wet samples the lateral propagation of CBs was about 100 times faster than axial shortening rates. At the slowest displacement rate, AE activity during band propagation was reduced and CB nucleation in wet samples occurred at 20% lower stresses. This may indicate an increasing contribution of stress corrosion processes to the formation of the compaction bands. In dry and wet samples inelastic compaction energy per area ranged between 16 and 80 kJ m^?2. This is in good agreement with previous estimates from laboratory and field studies.     

Sediment provenance of late Quaternary morainic,fluvial and loess‐like deposits in the southwestern Verkhoyansk Mountains (eastern Siberia) and implications for regional palaeoenvironmental reconstructions

A provenance analysis of late Quaternary deposits from tributaries of the Aldan and Lena rivers in Central Yakutia (eastern Siberia) was carried out using analysis of heavy minerals and clay mineralogy. Cluster analysis revealed one assemblage that is characterized by relatively high proportions of amphibole, orthopyroxene and garnet as well as pedogenic clay minerals, reflecting a sediment provenance from the wide catchment area of the Lena and Aldan rivers. In contrast, the three other clusters are dominated by stable heavy minerals with varying amounts of clinopyroxene, apatite and garnet, as well as high percentages of illite and chlorite that are indicative of source rocks of the Verkhoyansk Mountains. Glacial moraines reveal the local mountain source signal that is overprinted by the Lena‐Aldan signal in the oldest moraines by reworking processes. Alluvial sediments in the Verkhoyansk Foreland show a clear Lena source signal through intervals of the middle and late Pleistocene, related to a stream course closer to the mountains at that time. Loess‐like cover sediments are characterized by the dominant Lena provenance with increasing proportions of local mountain sources towards the mountain valleys. Aeolian sands in an alluvial terrace section at the mountain margin covering the time between 30 ka and 10 ka BP reflect temporarily dominant inputs of aeolian materials from the Lena Plains. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

115 years of sediment deposition in a reservoir in Central Europe: Topographic change detection

Reservoirs have become an important component in the worldwide river sediment flux. Reservoirs prevent downstream sediment transport and have become a major sediment sink. In this study, sediment deposition during the last 115 years in the Urft Reservoir in western Germany is reconstructed. The Urft Reservoir is the oldest reservoir in the Eifel Mountains and was almost completely drained in 2020. This enabled a detailed mapping of the lake bottom using an unmanned aerial system and the computation of a high-resolution digital surface model. Topographic maps with a nominal resolution of 1:1000 from the time prior to the construction of the dam (around 1900) were used to construct a pre-reservoir elevation model. A digital elevation model of difference (DoD) was calculated from these two datasets for the reservoir floor (0.72 km²). Based on the DoD, a net sediment accumulation of 1.16 × 10⁶ m³ was calculated alongside a propagated volume error of 6.91 × 10⁵ m³, resulting in a mean accumulation of 1.54 m. Conservative vertical error propagation results in an average level of detection (LoD) of 1.8 m. In contrast, the comparison of the DoD with 47 cores in the upper part of the reservoir showed a mean difference of −0.11 m, indicating a high, independently assessed accuracy of the DoD. Three depositional hotspots were identified in the reservoir. One is close to the Urft dam where very fine sediments are draped across the pre-reservoir topography. Two areas are related to reservoir management. Sediment deposition in the Urft Reservoir has been comparably low in comparison to other regions globally, resulting in a 3.25% ± 1.93% loss of reservoir volume between 1905 and 2020. To analyse the effect of strong flooding events, a subset of the reservoir was analysed after an extreme event in July 2021, but accumulation did almost entirely not exceed the LoD.     

Monitoring the sedimentary budget and dislocated boulders in western Greece – results since 2008

Dislocated boulders are one sign of high-energy wave impacts on coasts. These high-energy impacts, caused by severe storms or tsunamis, can trigger initial cracking and transport of boulders. Monitoring of these boulders, as well as the associated coastal sites is important in distinguishing between gradual coastal processes and high-energy events. Western Greece is a seismically active area, where tsunamis and high-energetic storms might occur and such past events are documented by historic and geoscientific research, making it an ideal location for monitoring dislocated boulders. Since 2008, monitoring of eight different coastal sites in this region was conducted by terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetric approaches, with low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles. The re-use of similar surveying points in following years, allowed highly accurate monitoring. Point clouds derived from these methods were evaluated for change detection by point cloud comparisons. The data were also used to establish accurate three-dimensional models of dislocated boulders (n = 70). The determined boulder volumes of these accurate three-dimensional models were incorporated in wave transport equations and wave decay curves, and compared with monitoring results. A comprehensive overview of dislocated boulders in western Greece is presented. Three-dimensional boulder reconstruction is compared to an approach which uses a tape-based measuring of boulder axes, with the tape-based measurement showing a mean overestimation of mass by 32%. Accurate monitoring over time by both methods, is achieved by using fixed networks of reference points. Changes for each site over time, detected by direct point cloud comparisons, are fit to the possible inundation calculated by wave decay curves based on computed minimum wave heights for boulder transport. Both storm and tsunami waves may have initiated movement from the cliff edge and further transport is also possible. However, boulders showed no further movement from their current position in the area for the time period of this study.     

Laghi di Monticchio (Southern Italy,Region Basilicata): genesis of sediments—a geochemical study

The sedimentation record of Lago Grande di Monticchio (LGM) is one of the most prominent paleoclimatic archives in the non-glaciated areas of Europe. However, the modern lake system has never been the subject of intense limnological studies. On the basis of hydrochemical water profiles, detailed investigations of sediment short cores and in situ pore water profiles from the littoral to the profundal zone, we elucidate spatial variations of sediment genesis within the lake basin and the importance of various depth sections for the lake’s internal nutrient cycling. Sediments from the smaller meromictic Lago Piccolo di Montichio are discussed as a reference. Our study demonstrates: (i) distinctly higher sediment accumulation for the centre of the lake basin by focussing of the settling particle flux; (ii) decline of carbonate from the littoral to the profundal zones; (iii) non-synchronous change of calcite net-accumulation for various water depths; (iv) exceptionally high cation release from sediments covering the steeply inclining sector of the lake basin; (v) relatively constant dissolved silica concentrations in the pore waters (SiO₂ ∼42 mg/l) independent of water depth and sediment composition; (vi) influx of oxygen-bearing groundwater into the anoxic hypolimnion after heavy rainfall and the associated precipitation of Fe-oxihydroxides; (vii) higher release of NH₄ by anaerobic degradation of organic matter at a water depth of 23 m than for sediments at a maximum water depth of 32 m, whereby the latter reflects the importance of seasonal sediment re-oxidation for anaerobic degradation of organic debris; (viii) although seasonal re-oxidation of sediments from various water depths is quite different, Oxygen Index values of LGM sediments fall in a small range, which reflects rapid microbial consumption of seasonally re-generated easily bio-degradable organic molecules.