Copper‐gold mineralisation in New Guinea: Numerical modelling of collision,fluid flow and intrusion‐related hydrothermal systems

Two‐ and three‐dimensional numerical modelling techniques, constrained by key geodynamic data, provide insights into the controls on development of porphyry‐related Cu–Au mineralisation in the Tertiary collision zone of New Guinea. Modelling shows that the creation of local dilation to facilitate magma emplacement can be caused by reactivation of arc‐normal transfer faults, where they cut the weakened fold belt. Additionally, dilation occurs where fluid overpressuring is caused by collision‐related, south‐directed fluid flow being localised into the more permeable units of the Mesozoic passive‐margin sedimentary succession. Rapid uplift and erosion, which may be a mechanism for magmatic fluid release in these systems, is shown to be greatest in the west of West Papua, where the stronger Australian crust acts as a buttress. Within the Papuan Fold Belt, uplift is greatest near the margins, where the weaker fold belt abuts the stronger crust and/or major faults have been reactivated. Increased orographically induced precipitation and erosion exposes the lower parts of the stratigraphy within or on the margins of these uplifted zones. On a smaller scale, 2–D coupled fluid‐flow ‐ thermal‐chemical modelling uses a scenario of fluid mixing to calculate metal precipitation distribution and magnitude around an individual intrusive complex. Modelling highlights the interdependence of the spatial permeability structure, the regional temperature gradient, and the geometry of the convection cells and how this impacts on the distribution of metal precipitation.     

Deformation measurements on Kilauea volcano,Hawaii

Repeated electronic distance measurements across Kilauea Caldera with Tellurometers and Geodimeter show definite horizontal expansion related to the vertical uplift and outward tilting of the summit prior to an eruption, and contraction during and after a flank eruption. Measurements started in October 1964, along a 3098 meter line between Uwekahuna and Keanakakoi, indicate a relatively uniform lengthening of 12 centimeters during the interval October 22, 1964 to March 1, 1965. Rapid shortening of the line by 28 centimeters was measured 4 days after the beginning of a flank eruption which involved emission of approximately 29 million cubic meters of lava during the period March 5 to March 15, 1965. During the expansion, the standard deviation of 10 Tellurometer measurements from a least-squares srtaight line solution is ± 2.0 centimeters (6.5 ppm) whereas 9 Geodimeter measurements have a standard deviation of ± 1.1 (3.6 ppm) centimeters. Absolute distance readings between the two instruments differ by 4 centimeters (13 ppm), but relative changes in distance were the same on both instruments. Changes in distance across Kilauea Caldera can, therefore, be easily measured to accuracies of 4 to 7 parts per million with standard electronic distance measuring systems. On active volcanoes where ground surface deformation exceeds 10–100 parts per million with changes in subsurface magma pressure or volume, repeated horizontal distance measurements can be a most useful technique.     

Submergence and Herbivory as Divergent Causes of Marsh Loss in Long Island Sound

Tidal marsh degradation has been attributed to a number of different causes, but few studies have examined multiple potential factors at the same sites. Differentiating the diverse drivers of marsh loss is critical to prescribing successful interventions for conservation and restoration of this important habitat. We evaluated two hypotheses for vegetation loss at two marshes in Long Island Sound (LIS): (1) marsh submergence, caused by an imbalance between sea-level rise and marsh accretion, and (2) defoliation associated with herbivory by the purple marsh crab, Sesarma reticulatum. At our western LIS site, we found no evidence of herbivory: crabs were scarce, and crab-exclusion cages provided no benefit. We attribute degradation at that site to submergence, a conclusion supported by topographic and hydrologic data showing that loss of vegetation occurred only in wetter parts of the marsh. In contrast, at our central LIS site, our observations were consistent with herbivory as a driving force: There were substantial populations of Sesarma, crab-exclusion cages allowed plants to thrive, and vegetation loss took place across a variety of elevations. We also analyzed soil conditions at both sites, in order to determine the signatures of different degradation processes and assess the potential for restoration. At the submergence site, unvegetated soils exhibited high bulk density, low organic content, and low soil strength, posing significant biogeochemical challenges to re-colonization by vegetation. At the herbivory site, unvegetated soils had a characteristic “riddled-peat” appearance, resulting from expansion and erosion of Sesarma burrow networks. The high redox potential and organic content of those soils suggested that revegetation at the herbivory site would be likely if Sesarma populations could be controlled before erosion leads to elevation loss.     

Obituary

Geological sections are still best drawn at natural scale. Sections with vertical exaggerations are rarely drawn correctly, and even when computed carefully give a false notion of the structural features. Many schematic sections which are not drawn to scale and are supposed to explain a proposed new tectonic interpretation give such a distorted and frequently absurd picture of the structural features that they cannot be regarded as valid.     

Detailing the impact of the Storegga Tsunami at Montrose,Scotland

The Storegga tsunami, dated in Norway to 8150±30 cal. years BP, hit many countries bordering the North Sea. Run-ups of >30 m occurred and 1000s of kilometres of coast were impacted. Whilst recent modelling successfully generated a tsunami wave train, the wave heights and velocities, it under-estimated wave run-ups. Work presented here used luminescence to directly date the Storegga tsunami deposits at the type site of Maryton, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It also undertook sedimentological characterization to establish provenance, and number and relative power of the tsunami waves. Tsunami model refinement used this to better understand coastal inundation. Luminescence ages successfully date Scottish Storegga tsunami deposits to 8100±250 years. Sedimentology showed that at Montrose, three tsunami waves came from the northeast or east, over-ran pre-existing marine sands and weathered igneous bedrock on the coastal plain. Incorporation of an inundation model predicts well a tsunami impacting on the Montrose Basin in terms of replicate direction and sediment size. However, under-estimation of run-up persisted requiring further consideration of palaeotopography and palaeo-near-shore bathymetry for it to agree with sedimentary evidence. Future model evolution incorporating this will be better able to inform on the hazard risk and potential impacts for future high-magnitude submarine generated tsunami events.     

Sakmarian geography

The known palaeontological and stratigraphical evidence is used as a basis for the construction of maps of the continents showing the extent of their inundation by the sea in Sakmarian time in the Upper Palaeozoic. In the northern hemisphere apart from India the evidence is sufficiently reliable to give reasonable maps, and the great extent of the inundations suggests that the climate would be considerably modified from that of today; no undoubted Sakmarian glacials occur there. In Southern continents and India, the Gondwana biogeographical province has made correlation with the northern continents controversial, but reasons are given for assuming that Gondwana glacial deposits were at least in part Sakmarian; the resultant maps show that the Gondwana land surfaces were but little reduced in area, and that the main glacials (except for India) lie within a belt between 40 S and 20 S. Present lack of knowledge of Sakmarian conditions in Antarctica makes reconstructions of climatic belts too hazardous for possible use in enunciating or checking hypotheses of continental drift and polar wandering.     

The value of multiple earthquake missions: the EEFIT L’Aquila Earthquake experience

In November 2012 EEFIT launched its first ever return mission to an earthquake affected site. The L’Aquila Earthquake site was chosen as this is a recent European event of interest to the UK and European earthquake engineering community. The main aims of this return mission were to document the earthquake recovery process and this paper presents an overview of the post-disaster emergency phase and transition to reconstruction in the Aquila area after the earthquake. It takes an earthquake engineering perspective, highlighting areas mainly of interest to the fields of structural/seismic engineering and reconstruction management. Within the paper, reference is made to published literature, but also to data collected in the field during the return mission that would not otherwise have been available. The paper presents some specific observations and lessons learned from the L’Aquila return mission. However, in light of current international efforts in conducting return missions, the paper ends with some reflections on the value that return missions can provide to the field of earthquake engineering in general, based on the EEFIT L’Aquila experience.     

Laboratory investigation of the effects of mineral size and concentration on the formation of oil-mineral aggregates

Controlled laboratory studies of the formation of oil-mineral aggregates (OMA) in seawater demonstrate that sediment concentration and sediment size are key variables for determining the quantity of oil droplets stabilised by OMA formation. Experiments with a single sediment size and a range of sediment concentrations show that as sediment concentration increases, the quantity of oil trapped in OMA increases abruptly. In experiments with a single sediment concentration and a range of sediment sizes, the quantity of oil trapped in OMA decreases as sediment size increases. These results provide direct support to the hypothesis that there is a critical sediment concentration for OMA formation. Below this concentration, stabilisation of oil droplets by OMA decreases rapidly, while above this concentration, stabilisation is extensive. The results also support simple geometric models of OMA formation that predict that the critical sediment mass concentration increases linearly with sediment particle diameter. These results will help to place quantitative constraint on predictions of where and when OMA formation will be a factor in the natural dispersal of oil accidentally spilled into the ocean.