TEM and FESEM characterization of asbestiform and non-asbestiform actinolite fibers in hydrothermally altered dolerites (France)

This paper provides new mineralogical and morphological characterizations of calcic amphiboles from hydrothermally altered dolerites from France to discuss their potential to contain naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) and to release elongated mineral particles corresponding to asbestos fibers, or asbestos-like fibers, into the air. The calcic amphiboles were characterized using electron microprobe analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The results underline that fibrous occurrences of actinolite and ferro-actinolite regularly occur in hydrothermally altered dolerites, both in the groundmass and in quartz veins. In the groundmass, actinolitic amphiboles crystallize at the expense of magmatic clinopyroxenes and are rarely fibrous. Conversely, actinolite and ferro-actinolite fibers from quartz veins are potentially asbestiform to clearly asbestiform. The identification of quartz veins in hydrothermally altered dolerites is, therefore, an important parameter which should draw attention to the possible presence of asbestiform actinolite fibers. The mineralogical characterization of such veins as well as the estimation of their thickness and density is an important point to consider during studies involving NOA issues. Moreover, the degree of weathering of the dolerites, which directly affects the ability of non-asbestiform actinolite crystals to dissociate into very thin fibers, regarded as cleavage fragments instead of as asbestos, is also a key parameter to consider. Hydrothermally altered dolerites are common rocks likely to be exploited by the quarrying industry to produce aggregates or to be affected by construction works. Due to the abundance of actinolite fibers that they may contain locally, these rocks become priority targets to be monitored in terms of geological characterization and airborne fiber emission to ensure the protection of populations and workers.     

Contribution of long-term hydrothermal experiments for understanding the smectite-to-chlorite conversion in geological environments

The smectite-to-chlorite conversion is investigated through long-duration experiments (up to 9 years) conducted at 300 °C. The starting products were the Wyoming bentonite MX80 (79 % smectite), metallic iron and magnetite in contact with a Na–Ca chloride solution. The predominant minerals in the run products were an iron-rich chlorite (chamosite like) and interstratified clays interpreted to be chlorite/smectite and/or corrensite/smectite, accompanied by euhedral crystals of quartz, albite and zeolite. The formation of pure corrensite was not observed in the long-duration experiments. The conversion of smectite into chlorite over time appears to take place in several steps and through several successive mechanisms: a solid-state transformation, significant dissolution of the smectite and direct precipitation from the solution, which is over-saturated with respect to chlorite, allowing the formation of a chamosite-like mineral. The reaction mechanisms are confirmed by X-ray patterns and data obtained on the experimental solutions (pH, contents of Si, Mg, Na and Ca). Because of the availability of some nutrients in the solution, total dissolution of the starting smectite does not lead to 100 % crystallization of chlorite but to a mixture of two dominant clays: chamosite and interstratified chlorite/smectite and/or corrensite/smectite poor in smectite. The role of Fe/(Fe + Mg) in the experimental medium is highlighted by chemical data obtained on newly formed clay particles alongside previously published data. The newly formed iron-rich chlorite has the same composition as that predicted by the geothermometer for diagenetic to low-grade metamorphic conditions, and the quartz + Fe-chlorite + albite experimental assemblage in the 9-year experiment is close to that fixed by water–rock equilibrium.     

Bentho-planktonic evidence from the Austrian Alps for a decline in sea-surface carbonate production at the end of the Triassic

A high-resolution micropalaeontological study, combined with geochemical and sedimentological analyses was performed on the Tiefengraben, Schlossgraben and Eiberg sections (Austrian Alps) in order to characterize sea-surface carbonate production during the end-Triassic crisis. At the end-Rhaetian, the dominant calcareous nannofossil Prinsiosphaera triassica shows a decrease in abundance and size and this is correlated with a increase in δ¹⁸O and a gradual decline in δ¹³C_carb values. Simultaneously, benthic foraminiferal assemblages show a decrease in diversity and abundance of calcareous taxa and a dominance of infaunal agglutinated taxa. The smaller size of calcareous nannofossils disturbed the vertical export balance of the biological carbon pump towards the sea-bottom, resulting in changes in feeding strategies within the benthic foraminiferal assemblages from deposit feeders to detritus feeders and bacterial scavengers. These micropalaeontological data combined with geochemical proxies suggest that changes in seawater chemistry and/or cooling episodes might have occurred in the latest Triassic, leading to a marked decrease of carbonate production. This in turn culminated in the quasi-absence of calcareous nannofossils and benthic foraminifers in the latest Triassic. The aftermath (latest Triassic earliest Jurassic) was characterised by abundance peaks of “disaster” epifaunal agglutinated foraminifera Trochammina on the sea-floor. Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) paroxysmal activity, superimposed on a major worldwide regressive phase, is assumed to be responsible for a deterioration in marine palaeoenvironments. CAMP sulfuric emissions might have been the trigger for cooling episodes and seawater acidification leading to disturbance of the surface carbonate production at the very end-Triassic.     

ODSIM: An Object-Distance Simulation Method for Conditioning Complex Natural Structures

Stochastic simulation of categorical objects is traditionally achieved either with object-based or pixel-based methods. Whereas object-based modeling provides realistic results but raises data conditioning problems, pixel-based modeling provides exact data conditioning but may lose some features of the simulated objects such as connectivity. We suggest a hybrid dual-scale approach to combine both shape realism and strict data conditioning. The procedure combines the distance transform to a skeleton object representing coarse-scale structures, plus a classical pixel-based random field and threshold representing fine-scale features. This object-distance simulation method (ODSIM) uses a perturbed distance to objects and is particularly appropriate for modeling structures related to faults or fractures such as karsts, late dolomitized rocks, and mineralized veins. We demonstrate this method to simulate dolomite geometry and discuss strategies to apply this method more generally to simulate binary shapes.     

Multi-year variability or unidirectional trends? Mapping long-term precipitation and temperature changes in continental Southeast Asia using PRECIS regional climate model

The subject of change detection in climate time series has recently received greater interest as the perception of a human-induced change in the climate is now widely accepted. However, changes in regional precipitation and temperature remain uncertain. This study characterizes projected fine-scale changes in precipitation and temperature in continental Southeast Asia over the period 1960?C2049. Twenty four annual variables were derived from grid-based daily precipitation and temperature produced by the PRECIS regional climate model under A2 and B2 scenarios. These time series, capturing precipitation intensities (classified as low, medium and high), seasonality and extremes in precipitation and temperature, were subjected to the modified Mann-Kendall trend detection test accounting for long-term persistence. The results indicate that temperature increases over the whole region with steeper trends in higher latitudes. Increases in annual precipitation, mainly restricted to Myanmar and the Gulf of Thailand, result from increases in high precipitation during the wet season. Decreases are observed mainly over the sea and caused by a reduction of low precipitation. Changes in the occurrence of the monsoon affect the low-latitude sea areas only. By showing that significant precipitation change are minor over land areas, these results challenge most of the previous studies that suggested significant precipitation changes over Southeast Asia, often mixing up multi-decadal variability and long-term unidirectional trends. Significant changes in precipitation and temperature may induce higher agricultural yields as steepest temperature and precipitation increases will predominantly affect the coldest and driest land areas of the region.     

The prehistoric Mt Wilberg rock avalanche, Westland, New Zealand

The Mt Wilberg rock avalanche in Westland, New Zealand occurred before 1300 AD and may have occurred as a consequence of an Alpine fault earthquake in ca. 1220 AD or earlier. Its ∼40 × 10⁶ m³ deposit may have briefly obstructed the Wanganui River, but only about 25% of its surface morphology still survives, on terraces isolated from river erosion. The landslide appears to have moved initially as a block, in a direction controlled by a strong rock mass at the base of the source area, before disintegrating and spreading across terraces, fans, and floodplains. Rock avalanche deposits in Westland have relatively short expected lifetimes in the rugged terrain and high rainfall of the area; hence, the hazard from such events is under-represented by their current remnants.     

CAT-scan analysis of sedimentary sequences: An ultrahigh-resolution paleoclimatic tool

Paleoclimate research is essential to determine the natural variability of climate and to place the current climate change into its natural context. The current need is to generate the highest temporal resolution paleoclimatic reconstructions possible in order to assess the natural variability of the climate system, but also to test the ability of numerical models to simulate conditions different from the ones observed with the relatively short instrumental records. In this paper, we show that CAT-scan analysis of sedimentary sequences, with its 1 mm downcore resolution, can be used to identify millennial to seasonal cycles in sedimentary sequences. In examples from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Eastern Canada, spectral analysis of the CAT-scan data from Holocene postglacial sediments revealed millennial- to centennial-scale oscillations possibly associated with either solar variability, changes in relative sea-level or tidal amplitude. Similarly, spectral analysis of Holocene and Sangamonian glaciomarine sequences revealed decadal- to annual-scale oscillations with periods close to the one previously associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), whereas spectral analysis of the CAT-scan data from the Sangamonian rhythmites possibly revealed seasonal cycles.     

Regional modeling of carbonaceous aerosols over Europe—focus on secondary organic aerosols

In this study, an improved and complete secondary organic aerosols (SOA) chemistry scheme was implemented in the CHIMERE model. The implementation of isoprene chemistry for SOA significantly improves agreement between long series of simulated and observed particulate matter concentrations. While simulated organic carbon concentrations are clearly improved at elevated sites by adding the SOA scheme, time correlation are impaired at low level sites in Portugal, Italy and Slovakia. At several sites a clear underestimation by the CHIMERE model is noticed in wintertime possibly due to missing wood burning emissions as shown in previous modeling studies. In Europe, the CHIMERE model gives yearly average SOA concentrations ranging from 0.5 μg m ^− 3 in the Northern Europe to 4 μg m ^− 3 over forested regions in Spain, France, Germany and Italy. In addition, our work suggests that during the highest fire emission periods, fires can be the dominant source of primary organic carbon over the Mediterranean Basin, but the SOA contribution from fire emissions is low. Isoprene chemistry has a strong impact on SOA formation when using current available kinetic schemes.     

Influence of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and relative sea‐level changes on sediment dynamics in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence since the last deglaciation

Physical properties, grain size, bulk mineralogy, elemental geochemistry and magnetic parameters of three sediment piston cores recovered in the Laurentian Channel from its head to its mouth were investigated to reconstruct changes in detrital sediment provenance and transport related to climate variability since the last deglaciation. The comparison of the detrital proxies indicates the succession of two sedimentary regimes in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL) during the Holocene, which are associated with the melting history of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and relative sea‐level changes. During the early Holocene (10–8.5 cal. ka BP), high sedimentation rates together with mineralogical, geochemical and magnetic signatures indicate that sedimentation in the EGSL was mainly controlled by meltwater discharges from the local retreat of the southeastern margin of the LIS on the Canadian Shield. At this time, sediment‐laden meltwater plumes caused the accumulation of fine‐grained sediments in the ice‐distal zones. Since the mid‐Holocene, postglacial movements of the continental crust, related to the withdrawal of the LIS (c. 6 cal. ka BP), have triggered significant variations in relative sea level (RSL) in the EGSL. The significant correlation between the RSL curves and the mineralogical, geochemical, magnetic and grain‐size data suggest that the RSL was the dominant force acting on the sedimentary dynamics of the EGSL during the mid‐to‐late Holocene. Beyond 6 cal. ka BP, characteristic mineralogical, geochemical, magnetic signatures and diffuse spectral reflectance data suggest that the Canadian Maritime Provinces and western Newfoundland coast are the primary sources for detrital sediments in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with the Canadian Shield acting as a secondary source. Conversely, in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary, detrital sediments are mainly supplied by the Canadian Shield province. Finally, our results suggest that the modern sedimentation regime in the EGSL was established during the mid‐Holocene.