Diagenesis and geochemistry of porites corals from Papua New Guinea: Implications for paleoclimate reconstruction

Coral proxy records of sea surface temperature (SST) and hydrological balance have become important tools in the field of tropical paleoclimatology. However, coral aragonite is subject to post-depositional diagenetic alteration in both the marine and vadose environments. To understand the impact of diagenesis on coral climate proxies, two mid-Holocene Porites corals from raised reefs on Muschu Island, Papua New Guinea, were analysed for Sr/Ca, δ¹⁸O, and δ¹³C along transects from 100% aragonite to 100% calcite. Thin-section analysis showed a characteristic vadose zone diagenetic sequence, beginning with leaching of primary aragonite and fine calcite overgrowths, transitional to calcite void filling and neomorphic, fabric selective replacement of the coral skeleton. Average calcite Sr/Ca and δ¹⁸O values were lower than those for coral aragonite, decreasing from 0.0088 to 0.0021 and −5.2 to −8.1‰, respectively. The relatively low Sr/Ca of the secondary calcite reflects the Sr/Ca of dissolving phases and the large difference between aragonite and calcite Sr/Ca partition coefficients. The decrease in δ¹⁸O of calcite relative to coral aragonite is a function of the δ¹⁸O of precipitation. Carbon-isotope ratios in secondary calcite are variable, though generally lower relative to aragonite, ranging from −2.5 to −10.4%. The variability of δ¹³C in secondary calcite reflects the amount of soil CO₂ contributing ¹³C-depleted carbon to the precipitating fluids. Diagenesis has a greater impact on Sr/Ca than on δ¹⁸O; the calcite compositions reported here convert to SST anomalies of 115°C and 14°C, respectively. Based on calcite Sr/Ca compositions in this study and in the literature, the sensitivity of coral Sr/Ca-SST to vadose-zone calcite diagenesis is 1.1 to 1.5°C per percent calcite. In contrast, the rate of change in coral δ¹⁸O-SST is relatively small (−0.2 to 0.2°C per percent calcite). We show that large shifts in δ¹⁸O, reported for mid-Holocene and Last Interglacial corals with warmer than present Sr/Ca-SSTs, cannot be caused by calcite diagenesis. Low-level calcite diagenesis can be detected through X-ray diffraction techniques, thin section analysis, and high spatial resolution sampling of the coral skeleton and thus should not impede the production of accurate coral paleoclimate reconstructions.     

'Lunch is for wimps': what drives parents to work long hours in 'successful' British and US cities?

This paper reflects on the impact of long working hours on home–work–family reconciliation from a household perspective. It focuses on discrete interactions between long working hours for households with two parents engaged in paid employment, raising awareness of the integrated nature of work–life balance. Attention is paid to the 'strong economy paradox' confronting dual earning households in 'successful' cities. Evidence is presented to suggest limited resistance to long hours as well as diverse ways one partner adapts their mode of employment to fit the constraints of the other.     

Magnetic studies of basalt fragments recovered by deep drilling in Iceland,and the “magnetic layer” concept

The magnetic susceptibility of 1300 samples of igneous rock drill cuttings obtained from eight deep drill holes in Iceland has been measured, in order to directly provide limits on the thickness of the layer which is the source of the magnetic anomalies over Iceland. The remanent magnetism of some of the material has also been studied, and the variation of magnetic susceptibility in 740 lava flows from eastern Iceland has been analysed as a function of depth of burial.All the results indicate no systematic change of susceptibility with depth up to 2.0 km. The Curie point of all deeply buried basalts in Iceland appears to be close to that of magnetite, so that the magnetic layer may be 5 km or more in thickness when susceptibility contrasts are considered; lateral contrasts in primary remanence may reach to 3 km depth. Derivation of a magnetic layer thickness in Iceland from analyses of magnetic anomalies, using methods which have been conventionally applied to marine magnetic anomalies could, on the other hand, yield much lower apparent thickness values (less than 1 km).We therefore argue that estimates of the magnetic layer thickness in oceanic regions should be based on considerations of magnetite Curie point isotherm behaviour, rather than on anomaly analysis.     

Trace metals in oysters from Knysna estuary

A preliminary survey of seven trace metals in three species of oyster from the Knysna estuary, South Africa, has been carried out. The results which were obtained indicate that this area is as yet unpolluted and provide base-line levels against which future trace-metal pollution can be measured. Two species of oyster are being grown at a number of sites as part of a long-term programme to monitor trace-metal levels in the estuary.     

Paleomagnetism of the type Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary section at Santa Maria de Catanzaro,Italy, and the problem of post-depositional precipitation of magnetic minerals

In order to assist in global correlation of the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary, a paleomagnetic survey has been made of the world type section for the boundary, in Calabria, Italy. A total of 116 specimens from 36 sites were collected from the section, which as sampled is about 30 m thick. All sites possess stable remanent magnetism and northern hemisphere virtual geomagnetic poles, consistent with deposition during a period of normal polarity. If this period was during the Gilsa event, a minimum sedimentation rate of 17 cm per 1000 years would be required. Since a normal polarity chemical overprint, acquired during the last 0.69 m.y. could also explain the data, thermomagnetic analyses were made of selected samples. The results show the presence of highly unstable superparamagnetic material, which is most likely a product of post-depositional chemical precipitation. This observation enhances the possibility that any longer-duration precipitation could have created coarse and thus magnetically more stable components, the effects of which could not be readily distinguished from the original remanent magnetism.The difficulties of distinguishing between original depositional remanent magnetism and post-depositional chemical remanent magnetism, in outcropping marine sediments, as well as the large range of possible natural causes of the latter, is summarized in the form of a discussion of feasible Eh and pH changes occurring between original deposition at upper bathyal dephts and final sampling above sea level. It is considered that, in the absence of experimental means to distinguish the roles of original and chemically overprinted paleomagnetic signals, similarity of magnetic polarity stratigraphy between sections of sediments representing different paleoenvironments and sedimentation rates is a necessary if insufficient requirement for diagnosis of real geomagnetic behavior during deposition, as opposed to posidepositional effects.     

Primary oxidation variation and petrogenesis in a single lava

Oxidation variation between the cooling faces of a single lava has been studied by polished section examination, and Fe₂O₃: FeO chemical analysis. The oxidation state, which is at a maximum toward the center of the lava, developed during the initial cooling, and has very marked magnetic expression. The Th: U ratio varies in harmony with the oxidation state emphasizing the problem of resentative sampling of the body. Examination of thirteen additional bodies suggests that in lavas there exists at least a partial dependence of the oxidation variation development on the lava thickness or interior cooling rate.     

Delineation of a large ultramafic massif embedded within a major SW Pacific suture using gravity methods

Gravity studies have delineated the largest ultramafic massif in New Zealand, embedded within a buried major SW Pacific crustal suture zone. This suture records terrane collision onto the Gondwana margin during the Mesozoic and separates a forearc terrane from an outboard accretionary prism terrane. It can be traced throughout the length of New Zealand as the Junction Magnetic Anomaly and contains the Permian Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt, which in the South Island of New Zealand is characterized by a string of isolated ultramafic massifs in a sheared matrix of serpentinite and sediment. Our analysis reveals a steep gravity gradient at the suture boundary which is attributed to a newly recognised density contrast (0.1 Mg m^− 3) between terranes of the forearc and the accretionary prism. The massif itself is marked by the occurrence of a strong, elongate residual gravity anomaly (+ 120 g.u.) extending 50 km along the suture and coincident with the Junction Magnetic Anomaly. It is modelled, at its southern end, as a dense, 15 km wide source body, extending to at least 6 km in depth. In conjunction with detailed aeromagnetic data, this modeling indicates the presence of a spindle-shaped ultramafic massif, analogous to, but larger than similar bodies found within the Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt elsewhere. This fabric of sheared serpentinites enclosing ultramafic massifs therefore extends at least the length of New Zealand and probably beyond. In part it may result from accretion of asperities in the subducting plate, but it is also due to disruption of larger ultramafic bodies during subsequent strike-slip motion, which caused the remarkable linearity of the Dun Mountain Belt. Given the common occurrence of the plate tectonic processes involved, it is likely that such structures can be found in other regions around the world using similar geophysical potential field methods.     

Process–form relationships in Southern Italian badlands: erosion rates and implications for landform evolution

Characteristic badlands are incised into Plio‐Pleistocene clays in Basilicata, southern Italy, creating steep, scarp slopes with knife‐edge ridges (calanchi) and small dome‐shaped forms (biancane). Erosion pin data for the period 1997–2003 give mean annual erosion rates for dome‐shaped biancane in the range 9–19 mm a^?1, while rates for the calanchi scarps are lower, at 7–10 mm a^?1. The erosion pin data also show a non‐linear relationship with slope angle. Maximum erosion rates coincide with a slope angle of 35°, within an envelope defined by combining the theoretical effects of both rainsplash and surface weathering. Monitoring of surface changes and erosion rates for two 0·5 m² cleared swathes on biancane forms reveals a complex relationship between weathering and erosion. Characteristic forms can develop from large blocks of intact clay bedrock over a time period of less than 30 a. The implications of the measured erosion rates for the landform association of mountain front/pediment/domed inselberg are explored. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.