Variations in ground surface temperature histories in the Thompson Belt, Manitoba, Canada: environment and climate changes

Several temperature–depth profiles recorded at Pipe Mine, 32 km southwest of Thompson, Manitoba, in central Canada, exhibit a marked departure from the equilibrium gradient. These profiles could be interpreted as indicating strong warming (up to 4.5 K) of the ground surface during the last 200 years. All the temperature profiles at Pipe Mine show perturbations stronger than at the others sites in the Thompson Nickel Belt. Temperature profiles recorded near the town of Thompson show a moderate warming (≈1–2 K) trend, while temperature profiles at Soab, 45 km southwest of Pipe Mine, indicate very moderate cooling (≈0.5 K). There was little human activity in this part of Manitoba before the development of the mining camp of Thompson in the late 1950s. Our study shows the variability of ground surface temperature histories at a very local scale (i.e. <1 km) with much stronger signals at some of the Pipe Mine drill holes than at others. These holes are located within 500 m of the highway and a power line built after 1955, at ≈3 km from the now abandoned open pit mine. The ground surface temperature history (GSTH) obtained by the inversion of Pipe Mine temperature profiles suggests that a recent (50 years) and strong (≈1–2 K) ground surface warming is superimposed on a 1–2 K warming trend that started 200 years ago, without any indication of a cold (little ice ages) episode before. The recent warming (40 years) at Pipe Mine is only a local effect and is likely to be related to the presence of the highway. Before 1960, the ground surface temperature history for Pipe is similar to other sites in the Thompson region. Ground surface temperature histories from other profiles within and near the city of Thompson seem less affected by environmental perturbations and their trends are parallel to that of the meteorological records in the Canadian Prairies.     

Ground temperature histories in eastern and central Canada from geothermal measurements: evidence of climatic change

Inverse and direct methods have been used to analyze a large number of borehole temperature logs in order to infer past climatic changes. Results indicate a warming of 1–2°C in eastern and central Canada during the past 150 years. A period of cooling between 500 and 200 years before present, corresponding to the time of the “Little Ice Age”, has also been identified in the same areas. A regional ground temperature history is estimated for eastern and central Canada from the simultaneous inversion of several temperature logs. The inferred temperature changes appear correlated with the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide as reported from a Greenland ice core, and agree with existing meteorological and dendrochronological records for the area.     

An analytical electron microscopy (AEM) investigation of opaque inclusions in some type 6 ordinary chondrites

Abstract— A large number of ordinary chondrites contains micron-sized particles of metal and/or troilite dispersed in their silicate grains. Such metallic phases are responsible for the so-called darkening of the silicate grains and might be either precipitates, which formed during reduction of the silicates, or inclusions injected as a melt during a shock event. We have investigated these tiny foreign phases by analytical transmission electron microscopy in three unweathered, metamorphosed ordinary chondrites (Saint Séverin, LL6, Tsarev, L6 and Kernouvé, H6). We also looked for remnant shock indices. Our TEM observations suggest the following sequence of events in the three meteorites. First, a number of relatively strong shock events occurred on the parent body/bodies producing an Fe-FeS melt that was injected into silicate grains along a dense network of open fractures. Most of these shock defects were subsequently erased by high-temperature (700–900 °C) thermal metamorphism. Some remnants of the shock events are the observed trails of tiny metal and/or sulfide inclusions that formed as a result of fracture healing. Chemical homogenization of the silicates and limited oxidation of the metallic blebs also occurred during this high-temperature annealing event, resulting in Ni-rich inclusions. This effect was especially pronounced in the L and LL-chondrites studied. During subsequent cooling of the body/bodies, inclusions of chromite and phosphate precipitated, nucleating preferentially on lattice defects (dislocations, subgrain boundaries) and on the metal and sulfide inclusions. A later shock event of moderate intensity, probably corresponding to the separation of the meteorite from its parent body, produced new shock features in the silicate grains of the Saint Séverin meteorite, including mechanical twins in diopside and straight free screw dislocations in olivine.     

An investigation by transmission electron microscopy of planar deformation features in naturally shocked quartz

We have investigated by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) the planar deformation features(PDF) in quartz from various sites where shock metamorphism has been detected optically: impact sites; the Vredefort complex (South Africa) and the K/T boundary at Raton Basin (Colorado). PDFs are straight narrow bands of glass or microtwins or huge densities of dislocations. Such contrasting microstructures must reflect different shock scenarios. In the Vredefort complex the post-shock thermal history has strongly overprinted the shock-induced defects. In the Raton Basin samples very tiny bubbles have precipitated on the dislocations, strongly suggesting a lengthy annealing at moderate pressure and temperature. This new information should be taken into account in any model of the origin of the K/T transition. In any case, observation of PDFs by optical microscopy alone is not sufficient to unambiguously conclude on their origin.     

Rapid dome growth at Montagne Pelée during the early stages of the 1902–1905 eruption: a reconstruction from Lacroix’s data

Information obtained from various parts of the two books on Montagne Pelée by Lacroix enables an estimate to be made of the size of l’Etang Sec summit crater, the volume of the 1902–1905 lava dome and its growth rate at various stages of development. During the week preceding the 8 May nuée ardente, dome growth was between 28 and 38 m³ s^–1, leading to a volume of 17–23×10⁶ m³ on the morning of the catastrophe. Considering that significant parts of the dome (~1/3?) were removed by the 8 and 20 May climactic eruptions, a high magmatic flux could have continued until at least 27 May, when the total remaining volume was estimated to 53×10⁶ m³. After moderate activity in June–July (of order 10 m³ s^–1), vigorous dome growth resumed dramatically, leading to the third climactic eruption of 30 August (a true calculation for this period being not feasible because of poor quality of the data). From November 1902 to July 1903 most of the effusive activity was concentrated in the great spine (erupted volume ~15×10⁶ m³, magma flux 1.2 m³ s^–1), which was eventually destroyed by collapse and minor nuées ardentes. The end of the eruption was characterized by a very low effusion rate, <1 m³ s^–1 in average from August 1903 to October 1905.     

Isostatic response of the large-offset Atlantic Equatorial fracture zones

Spectral analysis techniques have been applied to data sets of gravity and topography selected across fracture zones with large offset in the Equatorial and Central Atlantic Ocean and processed independently for each fracture zone. Three simple compensation models, two in local isostatic equilibrium (Airy I and II) and one in regional equilibrium (Plate model) have been tested. It is found that the free-air anomalies are primarily controlled by the topography and its isostatic response. For short wavelengths, admittance can be explained either by the effect of uncompensated sea floor topography with high density basement or by the effect of uncompensated sea floor topography with normal oceanic basement density but accompanied by a crust of constant thickness. For intermediate wavelengths, admittance for the Romanche fracture zone agrees best with a local isostatic model in which compensation is achieved by a less dense material in the upper mantle. No such evidence exists for the Vema and Chain fracture zones for which topography could just as well be regionally supported by an elastic plate 3 to 10 km thick. For longer wavelengths, the admittances computed for the three fracture zones are compatible with a thermal compensation of the topography.     

Evolution des hydrocarbures dans des sédiments côtiers méditerranéens prélevés à proximité d'un emissaire d'une raffinerie de pétrole

Coastal Mediterranean sediments highly polluted by refinery effluents have been studied for their hydrocarbon content and bacterial activity. The study has taken into account both the distance from the refinery and depth of sampling. Very high hydrocarbon concentrations have been found (1–250 g/kg dry sediment). Micro-organisms in the sediments have a high bacterial activity and a good correlation exists between hydrocarbon concentrations and bacteria able to use these substrates as a carbon and energy source.     

Geochemical behaviour and relative mobility of metals (Mn, Cd, Zn and Pb) in recent sediments of a retention pond along the A-71 motorway in Sologne, France

 Retention ponds have been dug along some of the motorways in France to minimize environmental pollution by keeping pollutants from spreading over the surrounding area. In the current work, eight core samples were collected from the bottom of a retention pond located along the A-71 motorway in Sologne to study the pollution of sediment by heavy metals and their diagenetic behaviour. The vertical concentration profiles of metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Fe and Mn) in sediment as well as in interstitial water were determined. Especially in the case of the sediment, a sequential extraction method was employed to investigate how the movement of each metal is associated with the other metals and with other solid phases such as organic matter. In addition, to investigate the relative mobility of the metals, the distribution coefficients (K_D) were also determined. The concentrations of the metals were always found to be highest in the topmost layer of sediment. This so-called surface enrichment is caused by a substantial increase of the non-detrital fraction of these metals at the sediment surface. For instance, the accumulation of Pb and Zn is associated with the increase in the "fraction II" in the sequential extraction. The accumulation of Cd at the surface (0–2 cm) is partly due to the liberation of Cd from the particles during early diagenesis. However, the major factor contributing to the accumulation of Cd at the sediment surface is attributed to the dissolution of Cd from polluted roadside soil during the periods of rainstorms and its subsequent redeposition on the sediment surface after being carried to the retention pond. K_D values for Zn and Cd were found to decrease with depth, while K_D values for Pb increased. Based on the K_D values, the relative mobilities of the studied metals were determined to be as follows: Mn>Zn>Cd>Pb, for the upper layer, and Mn>Cd>Zn>Pb, for the layers below. Received: 28 October 1996 / Accepted: 21 November 1996     

Transition between the Okinawa trough backarc extension and the Taiwan collision: New insights on the southernmost Ryukyu subduction zone

Located between the Okinawa trough (OT) backarc basin and the collisional zone in Taiwan, the southernmost Ryukyu subduction zone is investigated. This area, including the southwestern portions of the OT and Ryukyu island arc (RA) and located west of 123.5° E, is named the Taiwan-Ryukyu fault zone (TRFZ). West of 123.5° E, the OT displays NNW-SSE structural trends which are different in direction from the ENE-WSW trending pattern of the rest of the OT. Using joint analysis of bathymetric, magnetic, gravity and earthquake data, three major discontinuities, that we interpret as right-lateral strike-slip faults (Faults A, B and C), have been identified. These faults could represent major decouplings in the southern portion of the Ryukyu subduction zone: each decoupling results in a decrease of the horizontal stress on the portion of the RA located on the eastern side of the corresponding fault, which allows the extension of the eastern side of OT to proceed more freely.We demonstrate that the 30° clockwise bending of the southwestern RA and the consecutive faulting in the TRFZ are mainly due to the collision of the Luzon arc with the former RA. After the formation of Fault C, the counterclockwise rotated portion of the ancient RA located west of the Luzon arc was more parallel to the Luzon arc. This configuration should have increased the contact surface and friction between the Luzon arc and the ancient RA, which could have reduced the northward subduction of the Luzon are. Thus, the westward component of the compressive stress from the collision of the Luzon arc should become predominant in the collisional system resulting in the uplift of Taiwan. Presently, because the most active collision of the Luzon arc has migrated to the central Taiwan (at about 23° N; 121.2° E), the southwestern OT has resumed its extension. In addition, the later resistent subduction of the Gagua ridge could have reactivated the pre-existing faults A and B at 1 M.y. ago and present, respectively. From 9 to 4 M.y., a large portion of the Gagua ridge probably collided with the southwestern RA. Because of its large buoyancy, this portion of the ridge resisted to subduct beneath the Okinawa platelet. As a result, we suggest that a large exotic terrane, named the Gagua terrane, was emplaced on the inner side of the present Ryukyu trench. Since that period, the southwestern portion of the Ryukyu trench was segmented into two parallel branches separated by the Gagua ridge: the eastern segment propagated westward along the trench axis while the western segment of the trench retreated along the trench axis.     

Laboratory assessment of saturation and sample molding effects on shear resistance and mechanical characteristics of sandy soil

In order to evaluate shear resistance characteristics of sand, which has previously experienced liquefaction, two series of drained and undrained monotonic triaxial compression tests on medium dense sand were carried out. In the first test series, the influence of the specimen preparation method and confining pressure has been studied. It was found that there was a marked difference in the behavior even though the density and stress conditions were identical. The conclusion was that the soil fabric was responsible for this result. In the second series of tests, the saturation influence on the shear resistance of the sand was examined. The results showed that the decrease in Skempton's pore pressure coefficient B improves the shear resistance and increases the friction angle of the sand.