Discussion of REE distribution patterns of carbonatites and alkalic rocks

Analytical data on REE, Sr, Ba, and Na of carbonatites, their calcite separates, and associated alkalic rocks from Fen/Norway, Alnö/Sweden and Kaiserstuhl/Germany are discussed. The REE distribution patterns of carbonatites suggest sympathetic behaviour with those of their associated alkalic rocks. This could be interpreted as the result of liquid/liquid separation. The typically steep patterns may be the result of Ca-metasomatism of alkaline-earth rich, but alkali-poor liquids with olivine-rich, alkali bearing, subcrustal rocks. Additionally, during this process incompatible elements could become concentrated in the carbonate rich liquid.     

Middle Eocene to Early Miocene sedimentary evolution of the western Lombardian segment of the South Alpine foredeep (Italy)

The main steps of the sedimentary evolution of the west Lombardian South Alpine foredeep between the Eocene and the Early Miocene are described. The oldest is a Bartonian carbonate decrease in hemipelagic sediments linked with an increase in terrigenous input, possibly related to a rainfall increase in the Alps. Between the Middle Eocene and the early Chattian, a volcanoclastic input is associated with an extensional tectonic regime, coeval with magma emplacement in the southern-central Alps, and with volcanogenic deposits of the European foredeep and Apennines, suggesting a regional extensional tectonic phase leading to the ascent of magma. During Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, two periods of coarse clastic sedimentation occurred, probably controlled by eustasy. The first, during Late Eocene, fed by a local South Alpine source, the second, earliest Oligocene in age, supplied by the Central Alps. In the Chattian, a strong increase in coarse supply records the massive erosion of Central Alps, coupled with a structures growth phase in the subsurface; it was followed by an Aquitanian rearrangement of the Alpine drainage systems suggested by both petrography of clastic sediments and retreat of depositional systems, while subsurface sheet-like geometry of Aquitanian turbidites marks a strong decrease in tectonic activity.     

Petrographic, REE, fluid inclusion and stable isotope study of magnesite from the Upper Triassic Burano Evaporites (Secchia Valley, northern Apennines): contributions from sedimentary, hydrothermal and metasomatic sources

Sparry and microcrystalline magnesite are minor constituents of the Upper Triassic Burano Evaporite Formation of the northern Apennines in Italy. Petrography and geochemistry of magnesite suggest three modes of formation. (1) Evaporitic precipitation of stratified microcrystalline magnesite layers associated with sulfate and carbonate rocks. Most REE are below ICP-MS detection limits. '¹⁸O is +20.2‰ (SMOW) and '¹³C is -2.6‰ (PDB). (2) Hydrothermal infill of Fe-rich (9.78 wt% FeO) lenticular sparry magnesite. This type of magnesite is characterized by very low LREE concentrations, whereas HREEs are relatively high. The fluid inclusion composition is NaCl-MgCl₂-H₂O, salinity is ~30 wt% NaCl equiv., and total homogenization temperatures range from 204-309 °C; '¹⁸O is +17.5‰ and '¹³C is +1‰. (3) The partial or total replacement of dolostones by lenticular sparry magnesite. LREEs are lower in magnesite compared with the partly replaced dolostones. Magnesite yields '¹⁸O and '¹³C compositions of +17.3 to +23.6‰ and +0.5 to +1.4‰, respectively, whereas the partly replaced dolostones yield '¹⁸O and '¹³C values of +25.0 to +26.2 and +1.3 to +1.9, respectively. Complete replacement of dolostones produced massive lenticular sparry magnesite rock containing ooids and axe-head anhydrite relicts; LREEs are depleted compared to unaffected dolostones; '¹⁸O and '¹³C compositions range from +16.4 to +18.4‰ and +0.4 to +0.9‰, respectively. These data and the association between fracture-filling and replacive magnesite suggests a metasomatic system induced by hydrothermal circulation of hot and saline Mg-rich fluids. These processes probably occurred in the Oligocene-Miocene, when the Burano Formation acted as main detachment horizon for the Tuscan Nappe during the greenschist facies metamorphism of the Apuane complex. Thrusting over the Apuane zone produced large scale fluid flow focused at the Tuscan Nappe front. Sources of Mg-rich fluids were metamorphic reactions in the Apuane complex and dissolution of Mg-salts at the thrust front. Considering a maximum tectonic burial depth of 10 km, as inferred from the geometry of the chain, the pressure-corrected temperature of magnesite precipitation (380 to 400 °C) and the calculated fluid composition ('¹⁸O=+13.3ǃ.2‰) are in the range of the published Apuane metamorphic temperatures (300-450 °C) and fluid compositions ('¹⁸O=7-16‰). The results of this study support the hydrothermal-metasomatic model for the formation of sparry magnesite deposits at the expense of dolostone units involved in thrusting and low-grade metamorphism, as proposed for the Northern Graywacke Zone (Alps) and the Eugui deposit (western Pyrenees).     

Cretaceous evolution of the Andean margin between 36°S and 40°S latitude through a multi‐proxy provenance analysis of Neuquén Basin strata (Argentina)

During the Cretaceous, the Neuquén Basin transitioned from an extensional back‐arc to a retroarc foreland basin. We present a multi‐proxy provenance study of Aptian to Santonian (125–84 Ma) continental sedimentary rocks preserved in the Neuquén Basin used to resolve changes of sediment drainage pattern in response to the change in tectonic regime. Sandstone petrology and U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology constrain the source units delivering detritus to the basin; apatite U–Pb and fission track dating further resolve provenance and determine the age and patterns of exhumation of the source rocks. Sandstone provenance records a sharp change from a mixed orogenic source during Aptian time (ca. 125 Ma), to a magmatic arc provenance in the Cenomanian (ca. 100 Ma). We interpret this provenance change as the result of the drainage pattern reorganisation from divergent to convergent caused by tectonic basin inversion. During this inversion and early stages of contraction, a transient phase of uplift and basin erosion, possibly due to continental buckling, caused the pre‐Cenomanian unconformity dividing the Lower from Upper Cretaceous strata in the Neuquén Basin. This phase was followed by the development of a retroarc foreland basin characterised by a volcanic arc sediment provenance progressively shifting to a mixed continental basement provenance during Turonian‐Santonian (90–84). According to multi‐proxy provenance data and lag times derived from apatite fission track analysis, this trend is the result of a rapidly exhuming source within the Cordillera to the west, in response to active compressional tectonics along the western margin of South America, coupled with the increasing contribution of material from the stable craton to the east; this contribution is thought to be the result of the weak uplift and exhumation of the foreland due to eastward migration of the forebulge.     

Teratogenesis in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos exposed to a creosote-contaminated sediment extract and CYP1A inhibitors

The goal of these experiments was to explore the relationship between cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) induction and the teratogenicity of sediments from the Atlantic Wood Industries Superfund site (Elizabeth River, VA) in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos. In these experiments we used embryos spawned from reference site adults to assess CYP1A activity and teratogenicity induced by aqueous Elizabeth River sediment extracts (ERSE). Embryo exposures to ERSE induced CYP1A activity and caused deformities, including pericardial edema, heart elongation and tail shortening. Co-exposures with various CYP1A inhibitors significantly decreased CYP1A activity and increased the teratogenicity of the sediment extract. Potential mechanisms for this increased toxicity are discussed herein.     

Teratogenesis in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos exposed to a creosote-contaminated sediment extract and CYP1A inhibitors

The goal of these experiments was to explore the relationship between cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) induction and the teratogenicity of sediments from the Atlantic Wood Industries Superfund site (Elizabeth River, VA) in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos. In these experiments we used embryos spawned from reference site adults to assess CYP1A activity and teratogenicity induced by aqueous Elizabeth River sediment extracts (ERSE). Embryo exposures to ERSE induced CYP1A activity and caused deformities, including pericardial edema, heart elongation and tail shortening. Co-exposures with various CYP1A inhibitors significantly decreased CYP1A activity and increased the teratogenicity of the sediment extract. Potential mechanisms for this increased toxicity are discussed herein.     

Effects of single and combined exposures to benzo(a)pyrene and 3,3'4,4'5-pentachlorobiphenyl on EROD activity and development in Fundulus heteroclitus

The goal of this study was to assess the interactive effects of a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and a co-planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon (HAH), 3,3'4,4'5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) on ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity and occurrence of deformities in Fundulus heteroclitus. While each compound administered alone elicited dose-dependent increases in EROD activity, the combined treatment of these two compounds generally did not elicit an additive EROD response. There was a significant correlation between deformity occurrence and EROD induction in embryos dosed with PCB alone but not for embryos dosed with BaP alone, or a combination of BaP and PCB 126.     

Variation in the Sizes of Chthamalid ­Barnacle Post-Settlement Cyprids on European Shores

Abstract. As part of a wider study on the settlement and recruitment of Chthamalus spp. in Europe, this study investigated whether chthamalid cyprids can be separated by length on a European scale. Variation in cyprid length with latitude and temporal variation at selected localities were also examined. The lengths of cyprids collected between 1996 – 1999 on nine rocky shores in Europe are reported. Elminius modestus cyprids were found only at Roscoff, NW France and could be distinguished due to their carapace shape and length. They showed a unimodal length distribution, measuring between 450 and 625 µm, with no variation in length between the two sampling dates (1997 and 1998). Based on carapace shape and length, the remaining cyprids in the collections were identified as one of three chthamalid species, Chthamalus montagui, Chthamalus stellatus or Euraphia depressa. Bimodal length distributions of chthamalid cyprids were seen on some shores, while others had a single small‐sized modal group (representing C. montagui on Atlantic shores and/or E. depressa in the Mediterranean) separated from a few distinctly larger cyprids (C. stellatus). Metamorphs collected simultaneously with cyprid collections were identified as C. stellatus or C. montagui, except at Roscoff, where E. modestus were also found. In southern Portugal, where all metamorphs collected were C. montagui and adult C. montagui were the dominant barnacles, most cyprids measured between 350 and 550 µm long and this size distribution coincides with the distribution expected for C. montagui. Cyprids collected on these four more southerly Portuguese shores had the same modal length class (475 µm) and this remained constant between successive years at Luz and Albufeira, Algarve. The smallest (350 µm long) wild chthamalid cyprids found were from southern Portugal and Italy. In Spain, France and Ireland the smallest chthamalid cyprid was 425 µm long. The results from the present study support the hypothesis that on Atlantic shores cyprids of C. montagui can be separated from those of C. stellatus based on size, although there is some variation in cyprid length with latitude as well as temporal variation at selected localities.