Geochemistry and petrology of howardite Miller Range 11100: A lithologically diverse piece of the Vestan regolith

The howardite‐eucrite‐diogenite (HED) clan of meteorites, which most likely originate from the asteroid Vesta, provide an opportunity to combine in‐depth sample analysis with the comprehensive remote‐sensing data set from NASA's recent Dawn mission. Miller Range (MIL) 11100, an Antarctic howardite, contains diverse rock and mineral fragments from common HED lithologies (diogenites, cumulate eucrites, and basaltic eucrites). It also contains a rare pyroxferroite‐bearing lithology—not recognized in HED until recently—and rare Mg‐rich (Fo_86‐91) olivine crystals that possibly represent material excavated from the Vestan mantle. Clast components underwent different histories of thermal and impact metamorphism before being incorporated into this sample, reflecting the diversity in geological histories experienced by different parts of Vesta. The bulk chemical composition and petrography of MIL 11100 suggest that it is akin to the fragmental howardite meteorites. The strong lithological heterogeneity across this sample suggests that at least some parts of the Vestan regolith show heterogeneity on the mm‐scale. We combine the outcomes of this study with data from NASA's Dawn mission and hypothesize on possible source regions for this meteorite on the surface of Vesta.     

Custom Map Projections for Regional Groundwater Models

For regional groundwater flow models (areas greater than 100,000 km²), improper choice of map projection parameters can result in model error for boundary conditions dependent on area (recharge or evapotranspiration simulated by application of a rate using cell area from model discretization) and length (rivers simulated with head‐dependent flux boundary). Smaller model areas can use local map coordinates, such as State Plane (United States) or Universal Transverse Mercator (correct zone) without introducing large errors. Map projections vary in order to preserve one or more of the following properties: area, shape, distance (length), or direction. Numerous map projections are developed for different purposes as all four properties cannot be preserved simultaneously. Preservation of area and length are most critical for groundwater models. The Albers equal‐area conic projection with custom standard parallels, selected by dividing the length north to south by 6 and selecting standard parallels 1/6th above or below the southern and northern extent, preserves both area and length for continental areas in mid latitudes oriented east‐west. Custom map projection parameters can also minimize area and length error in non‐ideal projections. Additionally, one must also use consistent vertical and horizontal datums for all geographic data. The generalized polygon for the Floridan aquifer system study area (306,247.59 km²) is used to provide quantitative examples of the effect of map projections on length and area with different projections and parameter choices. Use of improper map projection is one model construction problem easily avoided.     

Variability of gas composition and flux intensity in natural marine hydrocarbon seeps

The relationship between surface bubble composition and gas flux to the atmosphere was examined at five large seeps from the Coal Oil Point seep field (Santa Barbara Channel, CA, USA). The field research was conducted using a flux buoy designed to simultaneously measure the surface bubbling gas flux and the buoy’s position with differential GPS, and to collect gas samples. Results show that the flux from the five seeps surveyed a total of 11 times ranged from 800–5,500 m³ day^?1. The spatial distribution of flux from the five seeps was well described by two lognormal distributions fitted to two flux ranges. The seafloor and sea surface composition of bubbles differed, with the seafloor bubbles containing significantly more CO₂ (3–25%) and less air (N₂ and O₂). At the sea surface, the mole fraction of N₂ correlated directly with O₂ (R ² = 0.95) and inversely with CH₄ (R ² = 0.97); the CO₂ content was reduced to the detection limit (<0.1%). These data demonstrate that the bubble composition is modified by gas exchange during ascent: dissolved air enters, and CO₂ and hydrocarbon gases leave the bubbles. The mean surface composition at the five seeps varied with water depth and gas flux, with more CH₄ and higher CH₄/N₂ ratios found in shallower seeps with higher flux. It is suggested that the CH₄/N₂ ratio is a good proxy for total or integrated gas loss from the rising bubbles, although additional study is needed before this ratio can be used quantitatively.     

Bootstrapped models for intrinsic random functions

Use of intrinsic random function stochastic models as a basis for estimation in geostatistical work requires the identification of the generalized covariance function of the underlying process. The fact that this function has to be estimated from data introduces an additional source of error into predictions based on the model. This paper develops the sample reuse procedure called the bootstrap in the context of intrinsic random functions to obtain realistic estimates of these errors. Simulation results support the conclusion that bootstrap distributions of functionals of the process, as well as their kriging variance, provide a reasonable picture of variability introduced by imperfect estimation of the generalized covariance function.This paper was presented at Emerging Concepts, MGUS-87 Conference, Redwood City, California, 13–15 April 1987.     

Effect of the 1997–1998 ENSO-related drought on hydrology and salinity in a micronesian wetland complex

The potential effects of global climate change on coastal ecosystems have attracted considerable attention, but the impacts of shorter-term climate perturbations such as ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) are lesser known. In this study, we determined the effects of the 1997–1998 ENSO-related drought on the hydrology and salinity of a Micronesian mangrove ecosystem and an adjacent freshwater swamp. A network of 9 piezometer clusters installed at the study site served as sampling points for continuous and manual measurements of salinity and water level. During the drought period from January through April 1998, mean water table levels in the mangroves and freshwater swamp were approximately 12 and 54 cm lower, respectively, than during May through December when precipitation returned to near normal levels. At the peak of the drought (February 1998), the most dramatic result was a reversal in groundwater flow that sent groundwater from the mangroves upstream toward the freshwater swamp. Flow nets constructed for this period and immediately after illustrate the strong hydrological linkage between the two systems. This linkage was also illustrated by measurements of groundwater salinity in the piezometer network. Ninety-six percent of the salinity measurements taken in the mangroves during the study were at least 10‰ less than the salinity of sea water, indicating that the mangroves were consistently receiving freshwater flows. An analysis of variance of groundwater salinity measurements during and after the drought showed that salinity levels in the 0.5 and 1.0 m depth piezometers were greater during than after the drought. In a comparison of salinity values in 0.5-m wells during low tide, mean salinity was approximately twice as high during the drought than after (14.7‰ versus 6.2‰, respectively). This study demonstrates that short-term climate perturbations such as ENSO can disrupt important coastal processes. Over repeated drought cycles, such perturbations have the potential to affect the structure and function of mangrove forests and upstream ecosystems.     

Stratigraphic models for microtidal tidal deltas; examples from the Florida Gulf coast

Extensive vibracoring of both flood- and ebb-tidal deltas along the central Gulf Coast of the Florida peninsula reveals a strong overall similarity with subtle distinctions between flood and ebb varieties. Although the coast in question is microtidal, the inlets range from tide-dominated to distinctly wave-dominated. Both types of tidal deltas overlie a muddy sand interpreted to have been deposited in a back-barrier environment. The sharp contact at the base of the tidal delta sequence is typically overlain by a thin shell gravel layer. The ebb-tidal delta sequence is characterized by fine quartz sand with shell gravel in various concentrations; coarse and massive at the margins of the main ebb channel, and finer and imbricated at the marginal flood channels. The flood-tidal deltas are characterized by the same facies but with a small amount of mud. Shelly facies on the channels on flood deltas are not as well developed as on the ebb deltas. The combination of the stratigraphic sequence and the lithofacies make tidal deltas readily identifiable in the ancient record. The differences between flood and ebb varieties are subtle but consistent.     

Final dissolved organic carbon broad community intercalibration and preliminary use of DOC reference materials

A broad community intercalibration exercise for accurate measurement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in seawater has been carried out over a period of 5 years. A set of 10 natural samples with DOC content from 40 to 200 μM C were accompanied by two glucose standards and a “zero C” blank; all sealed in glass ampoules. Samples were sent to all interested analysts for “blind” analysis; 62 laboratories in 17 countries participated. A total of 59 separate analyses were determined to be acceptable by screening criteria based on standards and blank; another nine sets of analyses did not pass the screening. The majority of the analyses, both those passing and those that did not, were performed with high temperature combustion (HTC) methods, six sets of analyses were done using wet chemical oxidation methods.From the 53 sets of acceptable HTC analyses, the coefficient of variation (%CV) for analytical comparability of the samples was 10% (“community precision”). It is estimated that the individual replicate injection precision for most instruments was approximately 2% and that no additional variability was caused by differences within the ampoules of individual samples. The additional variability over 2% was likely a result of both random and systematic differences in analytical capabilities from instrument to instrument and from day to day for individual instruments. With an arbitrary selection after the fact, smaller subsets of analysts can show comparability better than 10% and duplicate or triplicate runs on different days of the full sets of samples in several laboratories showed comparability in the 2–6.5% range. Experienced oceanic analysts, with internal or shared reference materials, can now show reproducibility and comparability at a level closer to 2%.Preliminary use of DOC reference materials by 14 participants showed day-to-day reproducibilities for their laboratories in the 2–6% range in most cases; several with poorer reproducibility do not normally perform DOC analyses on samples with concentrations as low as the deep ocean reference used here. Use of these reference materials can also give a demonstration of comparability between laboratories. For credibility of DOC analyses, it is necessary for analysts to use community reference materials and report results of their analytical performance with these references.This paper does not identify individual data nor should it be considered an evaluation of individual laboratories or analysts. The purpose is to show the summary picture of the international community of DOC analysts as it existed in the mid- to late 1990s.     

An investigation into technetium binding in sediments

Coastal environments with reducing waters and/or sediments represent potential sinks for ⁹⁹Tc discharged to sea. Here, we have examined estuarine sediments from four geochemically distinct locations that have been exposed to ⁹⁹Tc discharged from Sellafield. Both the relative uptake and the operationally defined sediment “component” that holds the Tc were investigated in order to establish whether particular biogeochemical processes are predominately responsible for reducing and binding Tc in sediments. Despite the artefacts that can pose problems for sequential extractions, this scheme [Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. 51 (1993) 187] appears to be robust with regard to Tc. The results show that relative uptake of Tc varied greatly between the sites, with the highest occurring at an almost permanently anoxic fjord (Mariager Fjord, Denmark), followed by a brackish, seasonally eutrophic fjord (Roskilde Fjord, Denmark), then a sub-oxic salt marsh (which receives particle bound radionuclides from a more reducing mud patch; Esk Estuary, UK) and finally sulfidic and iron-reducing muddy sandy sediments (Needle's Eye, Solway Firth, Scotland). High relative uptake at the fjords was explained by the greater mixing of Tc-labelled oxic seawater into the part of the system where reduction of TcO₄⁻ was possible. Uptake at Mariager Fjord was higher than at Roskilde Fjord, reflecting the highly reducing geochemical conditions in the water body. Low uptake at Needle's Eye may be related to the speciation of technetium at this site as the sequential extraction data suggest that Tc is associated with the carbonate phase here. Tc carbonates are largely soluble, and this is the first observation of Tc association with carbonate fractions in the natural environment. The other three sites showed that organic matter, in conjunction with reducing conditions, was very important for binding and retaining Tc in sediments. The specific role of sulfides in controlling Tc retention in sediments was unclear because sulfides and organic matter are leached simultaneously in the sequential extraction scheme we applied, but there was evidence that Tc was not associated with acid-volatile iron monosulfides.     

Porphyry Copper Deposit Tract Definition – A Global Analysis Comparing Geologic Map Scales

Geologic maps are a fundamental data source used to define mineral-resource potential tracts for the first step of a mineral resource assessment. Further, it is generally believed that the scale of the geologic map is a critical consideration. Previously published research has demonstrated that the U.S. Geological Survey porphyry tracts identified for the United States, which are based on 1:500,000-scale geology and larger scale data and published at 1:1,000,000 scale, can be approximated using a more generalized 1:2,500,000-scale geologic map. Comparison of the USGS porphyry tracts for the United States with weights-of-evidence models made using a 1:10,000,000-scale geologic map, which was made for petroleum applications, and a 1:35,000,000-scale geologic map, which was created as context for the distribution of porphyry deposits, demonstrates that, again, the USGS US porphyry tracts identified are similar to tracts defined on features from these small scale maps. In fact, the results using the 1:35,000,000-scale map show a slightly higher correlation with the USGS US tract definition, probably because the conceptual context for this small-scale map is more appropriate for porphyry tract definition than either of the other maps. This finding demonstrates that geologic maps are conceptual maps. The map information shown in each map is selected and generalized for the map to display the concepts deemed important for the map maker’s purpose. Some geologic maps of small scale prove to be useful for regional mineral-resource tract definition, despite the decrease in spatial accuracy with decreasing scale. The utility of a particular geologic map for a particular application is critically dependent on the alignment of the intention of the map maker with the application.     

A Rhizocarpon geographicum growth curve for the Cascade Range of Washington and northern Oregon, usa

Lichen thallus measurements from 22 surfaces of known age on Mount Baker, Mount Hood, and Mount Rainier are used to construct a regional Rhizocarpon geographicum growth curve for the Cascade Range of Washington and northern Oregon. Growth rates determined by measuring the largest thallus diameters on the same surfaces at Mount Rainier in 1976 and 2002 are used for comparison with lichenometric data from Mount Baker and Mount Hood. Similar lichen thallus diameter vs age relationships identified in the data from the three mountains suggest the presence of uniform growth rates over the 400-km range. A regional growth curve developed during our study shows three growth phases of successively slower growth: a rapid phase from 8 to 20 yr, a linear phase from 20 to 145 yr, and a slow phase of unknown duration beyond ca. 145 yr. Uncertainty in lichen growth rates beyond 145 yr limits projection of the curve beyond that age; however, the age range of the constrained growth curve covers an important period of recent climate variability. When applied in appropriate settings, our growth curve can be used to determine numeric ages to ±10 yr for surfaces between 20 and 145 years old in areas where other techniques are not applicable or do not provide unique or well-constrained ages.