Sedimentology,mineralogy, and geochemistry of the Late Quaternary Meyghan Playa sediments,NE Arak,Iran: palaeoclimate implications

Playas are shallow ephemeral lakes that form in arid and semi-arid regions. Iran has a large number of playas such as Meyghan Playa, which is located in the northeast of Arak city that borders the central Iran and Sanandaj-Sirjan zones. This study aims to investigate the mineralogical, sedimentological, and geochemical characteristics of the playa sediments. In order to determine the palaeoenvironment, we carried out X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Meyghan Playa sediments consist of very fine-grained sediments and contain both evaporite and clastic minerals. The evaporite minerals include calcite, gypsum, halite, glauberite, and thenardite, whereas clastic minerals are quartz and clay. The calcite abundance decreases from the margin to the central portion of the playa but gypsum and halite abundances show an increasing trend from the margin to the center. This observation is consistent with the general zonation of other playas. Variations of calcite and gypsum concentration profiles present increasing and decreasing trends with depth, which could be ascribed to the changes in climatic factors. These factors include brine chemical modifications owing to changes in evaporation and precipitation rates and variations in relative abundance of anions-cations or in the rate of clastic and evaporite minerals due to variations in the freshwater influx (climatic changes) with time. A decrease in calcite and increase in sulfate minerals (especially gypsum) with depth is probably due to the higher water level and rainfall, a more humid climate, and salinity variations.     

Shaking table tests of a full-scale flat-bottom manufactured steel silo filled with wheat: Main results on the fixed-base configuration

This paper reports on a series of shaking table tests on a full-scale flat-bottom steel silo filled with soft wheat, characterized by aspect ratio of around 0.9. The specimen was a 3.64-m diameter and 5.50-m high corrugated-wall cylindrical silo. Multiple sensors were used to monitor the static and dynamic response of the filled silo system, including accelerometers and pressure cells. Numerous unidirectional dynamic tests were performed consisting of random signals, sinusoidal inputs, and both artificial and real earthquake records. The objectives of this paper are (i) to provide a general overview of the whole experimental campaign and (ii) to present selected results obtained for the fixed-base configuration. The measured data were processed to assess the static pressures, the dynamic overpressures (related to the effective mass) and the accelerations of monitored points on the silo wall, and to identify the basic dynamic properties (fundamental frequency of vibration, damping ratio, dynamic amplification factors) of the filled silo. The main findings are discussed and compared with the predictions given by available theoretical models and code provisions. It is found that the fundamental frequency slightly decreases with increasing acceleration, while it slightly increases with increasing compaction of the granular material. For close-to-resonance input, the dynamic amplification (in terms of peak values of accelerations) increases along the height of the silo wall up to values of around 1.4 at the top surface of the solid content. The dynamic overpressures appear to increase with depth (differently from the EN1998-4 expectations), and to be proportional to the acceleration.     

Stratigraphie und Tektonik der Schuppenzone Elbas

Zusammenfassung Die Serien der Schuppenzone Elbas zeigen eine durchlaufende stratigraphische Folge vom Paläozoikum bis ins Tertiär. Ein intensiver ostvergenter Falten- und Schuppenbau führt zu einer mehrmaligen Wiederholung bestimmter Gesteinsserien. Es sind 5 größere Schuppen oder Schuppenzonen auszuscheiden, die dem im Süden sich heraushebenden Autochthon überschoben sind. Die syntektonisch aufgedrungenen Granite haben das tektonische Geschehen beeinflußt. Das benachbarte Festland und das übrige toskanische Archipel zeigen denselben Baustil wie die Insel.

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Imbricated zones of the Isle of Elba display a continuous sequence from Paleozoic to Tertiary beds in several repetitions. Five larger thrust-zones override an autochthonous Eastern unit which appears (tilted up) in the South. Syntectonic granites. The tectonic style corresponds to the neighbouring continental situation.

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Résumé Les séries de la zone des écailles de l'île d'Elbe montrent une succession stratigraphique continue allant du Paléozoïque jusqu'au Tertiaire. Une structure en écailles et en plis fortement déversés vers l'est amène de nombreuses répétitions de certaines séries de roches. On peut distinguer 5 écailles et zones d'écaillés majeures qui sont refoulées sur l'autochtone affleurant au Sud. Les granites, mis en place syntectoniquement, ont influencé la tectonique. Le continent avoisinant et le reste de l'archipel toscan montrent le même style structural que les îles.

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Kimberlite-hosted diamond deposits of southern Africa: A review

Following the discovery of diamonds in river deposits in central South Africa in the mid nineteenth century, it was at Kimberley where the volcanic origin of diamonds was first recognized. These volcanic rocks, that were named “kimberlite”, were to become the corner stone of the economic and industrial development of southern Africa. Following the discoveries at Kimberley, even more valuable deposits were discovered in South Africa and Botswana in particular, but also in Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.A century of study of kimberlites, and the diamonds and other mantle-derived rocks they contain, has furthered the understanding of the processes that occurred within the sub-continental lithosphere and in particular the formation of diamonds. The formation of kimberlite-hosted diamond deposits is a long-lived and complex series of processes that first involved the growth of diamonds in the mantle, and later their removal and transport to the earth's surface by kimberlite magmas. Dating of inclusions in diamonds showed that diamond growth occurred several times over geological time. Many diamonds are of Archaean age and many of these are peridotitic in character, but suites of younger Proterozoic diamonds have also been recognized in various southern African mines. These younger ages correspond with ages of major tectono-thermal events that are recognized in crustal rocks of the sub-continent. Most of these diamonds had eclogitic, websteritic or lherzolitic protoliths.In southern Africa, kimberlite eruptions occurred as discrete events several times during the geological record, including the Early and Middle Proterozoic, the Cambrian, the Permian, the Jurassic and the Cretaceous. Apart from the Early Proterozoic (Kuruman) kimberlites, all of the other events have produced deposits that have been mined. It should however be noted that only about 1% of the kimberlites that have been discovered have been successfully exploited.In this paper, 34 kimberlite mines are reviewed with regard to their geology, mantle xenolith, xenocryst and diamond characteristics and production statistics. These mines vary greatly in size, grade and diamond-value, as well as in the proportions and types of mantle mineral suites that they contain. They include some of the world's richest mines, such as Jwaneng in Botswana, to mines that are both small and marginal, such as the Frank Smith Mine in South Africa. They include large diatremes such as Orapa and small dykes such as those mined at Bellsbank, Swartruggens and near Theunissen. These mines are all located on the Archaean Kalahari Craton, and it is apparent that the craton and its associated sub-continental lithosphere played an important role in providing the right environment for diamond growth and for the formation of the kimberlite magmas that were to transport them to the surface.     

Seemingly disparate temperatures recorded in coexisting granulite facies lithologies

Phase equilibrium modelling of a conformable sequence of supracristal lithologies from the Bushmanland Subprovince of the Namaqua–Natal Metamorphic Complex (South Africa) reveals a disparity of some 60–70°C in estimated peak metamorphic temperature. Aluminous metapelites were equilibrated at ~770–790°C, whereas two‐pyroxene granulite and garnet–orthopyroxene–biotite gneiss record distinctly higher conditions of ~830–850°C. Semi‐pelite and Mg–Al‐rich gneisses yield poorly constrained estimates that span the range derived from other lithologies. All samples record peak pressure of ~5–6 kbar, and followed a roughly isobaric heating path from andalusite‐bearing greenschist/lower amphibolite facies conditions through a tight clockwise loop at near‐peak conditions, followed by near‐isobaric cooling. The disparity in peak temperatures appears to be robust, as the low‐variance assemblages in all samples reflect well‐known melting reactions that only occur over narrow temperature intervals. The stable coexistence of both products and reactants of these melting reactions indicates that they did not go to completion before metamorphism waned. Calculated pressure–enthalpy diagrams show that the melting reactions are strongly endothermic and therefore buffer temperature while heat is consumed by melting. Because the respective reactions occur at distinct P–T conditions and have different reactant assemblages, individual lithologies are thermally buffered at different temperatures and to different degrees, depending on the occurrence and abundance of reactant minerals. Our calculations show that all lithologies received essentially the same suprasolidus heat budget of 19 ± 1 kJ/mol, which led to the manifestation of lower peak temperatures in the more fertile and strongly buffered aluminous metapelites compared with more refractory rock types. If little to no thermal communication is assumed, this implies that lithology exerts a first‐order control over the heating path and the peak temperature that can be attained for a specific heat budget. Our results caution that the metamorphic conditions derived from pelitic granulites should not be assumed or extrapolated to larger sections of an orogenic crust that consist of other, more refractory lithologies.     

Planning the use of fish for food security in the Pacific

Fish is a mainstay of food security for Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs). Recent household income and expenditure surveys, and socio-economic surveys, demonstrate that subsistence fishing still provides the great majority of dietary animal protein in the region. Forecasts of the fish required in 2030 to meet recommended per capita fish consumption, or to maintain current consumption, indicate that even well-managed coastal fisheries will only be able to meet the demand in 6 of 22 PICTs. Governments of many PICTs will need to increase local access to tuna, and develop small-pond aquaculture, to provide food security. Diversifying the supply of fish will also make rural households in the Pacific more resilient to natural disasters, social and political instability, and the uncertainty of climate change.     

Sea ice in the Barents Sea: seasonal to interannual variability and climate feedbacks in a global coupled model

Sea ice variability in the Barents Sea and its impact on climate are analyzed using a 465-year control integration of a global coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice model. Sensitivity simulations are performed to investigate the response to an isolated sea ice anomaly in the Barents Sea. The interannual variability of sea ice volume in the Barents Sea is mainly determined by variations in sea ice import into Barents Sea from the Central Arctic. This import is primarily driven by the local wind field. Horizontal oceanic heat transport into the Barents Sea is of minor importance for interannual sea ice variations but is important on longer time scales. Events with strong positive sea ice anomalies in the Barents Sea are due to accumulation of sea ice by enhanced sea ice imports and related NAO-like pressure conditions in the years before the event. Sea ice volume and concentration stay above normal in the Barents Sea for about 2 years after an event. This strongly increases the albedo and reduces the ocean heat release to the atmosphere. Consequently, air temperature is much colder than usual in the Barents Sea and surrounding areas. Precipitation is decreased and sea level pressure in the Barents Sea is anomalously high. The large-scale atmospheric response is limited with the main impact being a reduced pressure over Scandinavia in the year after a large ice volume occurs in the Barents Sea. Furthermore, high sea ice volume in the Barents Sea leads to increased sea ice melting and hence reduced surface salinity. Generally, the climate response is smallest in summer and largest in winter and spring.     

Mineral equilibrium constraints on the feasibility of diffusive H2O-fluxed melting in the continental crust

Generation of granitic melt is believed to occur predominantly by melting through the breakdown of hydrous minerals. However, melting due to the influx of H₂O has been recognized in anatectic amphibolite facies tonalitic grey gneisses, metagreywackes and low-P metapelites, and has consequently been proposed as an alternative mechanism for the generation of granitic melt. Melting induced by H₂O addition is recognized from voluminous melt production at relatively low temperature, where hydrous minerals are stable and anhydrous minerals are preferentially consumed during melting. Mineral equilibrium modelling to determine the P–T conditions, melt volumes, melting reactions and viable H₂O sources reveals that the process is not restricted to specific compositions or P–T conditions, although lower pressure and lithologies with a low hydrous mineral content are more favourable. Melting reactions in all lithologies primarily consume quartz and feldspars to yield 5–6 mol.% melt for each mol.% of H₂O added. remains constant at ~0.70 to 0.77 during progressive melting as long as alkali feldspar is present. Once alkali feldspar is exhausted, plagioclase becomes the main reactant, producing more tonalitic melt compositions with gradually higher . Our results demonstrate that, at the site of melting, melting is driven by diffusion of H₂O into the target rock along chemical potential gradients, rather than the advective flow of a mechanically distinct water-rich fluid phase. Melting will initiate and proceed as long as a gradient exists between the H₂O source and target lithology. Our calculations show that an ordinary magma, such as an I-type magma with typical H₂O content, has a high enough to be a viable H₂O source, allowing diffusive H₂O-fluxed melting to produce melt proportions and fertility comparable to that of dehydration melting. However, high degrees of partial melting require a considerable amount of H₂O, which necessitates a continuously advecting H₂O source such as a magma conduit or melt-bearing shear zone. A magmatic H₂O source at emplacement level will undergo a similar amount of crystallization as the melt fraction produced in the target rock such that there will be no net melt production. Considering that shear-zone hosted magma conduits are localized features, diffusive H₂O-fluxed melting is likely to only be viable in a small fraction of the anatectic orogenic crust. Although it may play an important role in locally raising melt volumes and modifying magma chemistry through mingling and hybridization, it does not appear to, of itself, be able to generate significant volumes of granitic melt.     

Long-term spatio-temporal social vulnerability variation considering health-related climate change parameters particularly affecting elderly

For assessing the social dimension of vulnerability, population exposure mapping is usually considered the essential starting point. Integration of social structure then further differentiates situation-specific vulnerability patterns on a local scale. Census data available in heterogeneous spatial reference units are still considered the standard information input for assessing potentially affected people, for example, in case of an emergency. There is a strong demand for population data in homogeneous spatial units that are independent from administrative areas. Raster representations meet this demand but are not yet available for all European countries. In this paper, we present an approach of spatial disaggregation of population data for a European transect referring to current population statistics and anticipated future prospects. Recently published data providing the degree of soil sealing are applied as basic proxy for population density in the spatial disaggregation model. In order to assess future patterns of climate change-related vulnerability, results of a European regional climate model are considered for projecting the situation in the 2030s. “Heat wave frequency” is accounted for as climate variable featuring conditions regarded as especially strenuous for elderly or physically weak persons. Integrated analysis of the population and climate prospects enables identification of hot spots in the European transect examined, that is, regions of particularly demanding projected climatic patterns as well as high population density and case-specific vulnerable structure (elderly people). Integrated and consistent spatial analyses on European scale are essential for decision support in the context of climate change impact mitigation as well as for risk communication and future safety and security considerations.