Geochemical mapping of carbonate sediments in the Makgadikgadi basin,Botswana using moderate resolution remote sensing data

This paper maps the carbonate geochemistry of the Makgadikgadi Pans region of northern Botswana from moderate resolution (500 m pixels) remotely sensed data, to assess the impact of various geomorphological processes on surficial carbonate distribution. Previous palaeo‐environmental studies have demonstrated that the pans have experienced several highstands during the Quaternary, forming calcretes around shoreline embayments. The pans are also a significant regional source of dust, and some workers have suggested that surficial carbonate distributions may be controlled, in part, by wind regime. Field studies of carbonate deposits in the region have also highlighted the importance of fluvial and groundwater processes in calcrete formation. However, due to the large area involved and problems of accessibility, the carbonate distribution across the entire Makgadikgadi basin remains poorly understood. The MODIS instrument permits mapping of carbonate distribution over large areas; comparison with estimates from Landsat Thematic Mapper data show reasonable agreement, and there is good agreement with estimates from laboratory analysis of field samples. The results suggest that palaeo‐lake highstands, reconstructed here using the SRTM 3 arc‐second digital elevation model, have left behind surficial carbonate deposits, which can be mapped by the MODIS instrument. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Confined fluids and their role in pressure solution

The process of pressure solution is defined as the dissolution of materials under high stress at grain-to-grain contacts and precipitation at interfaces under low stress. The kinetics of this process are still poorly understood mainly because of the large timescales involved. In this research, the Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) technique was coupled with an optical interference technique for in situ visualization of the nanoscale deformations and thickness changes. The SFA was used to measure the forces (or pressures) and distances between two solid surfaces pressed together with a thin film between them. Using the SFA, combined with geological observations, we are studying the short-range colloidal forces between surfaces of mica and silica at the nanoscale such as van der Waals, electrostatic, and hydration forces.

This study involves two cases, the symmetric case of mica in contact with mica and the asymmetric case of a quartz surface in contact with mica. Our results reveal highly subtle effects depending on the nature and concentration of the counterions present in the solution either of Na⁺, Ca²⁺, or mixtures of these ions, as well as on the pH. For the symmetric case, the equilibrium interactions of force F or pressure P versus fluid film thickness T have been measured between the mica surfaces across aqueous films in the thickness range from T = 25 Å down to contact separations around T = 0 Å, and depend on the solution conditions and applied lithostatic pressure. Measurements have also been made of the rates of diffusion of ions through such ultra-thin films and on the precipitation and growth of ionic crystallite layers on the surfaces. Our results show that the diffusion coefficient of hydrated sodium is two orders of magnitude lower than the diffusion of water into mica–mica cleavage and a factor of 40 lower than the coefficient of sodium ions in bulk water.

For the asymmetric case, the dissolution of the quartz surface was observed to be dependent on the interfacial fluid composition and pH, the externally applied ‘lithostatic’ pressure, and the type of crystalline structure exposed to the mica surface. Our experiments also show that there is an initial stage after fresh solution is added in which the spacing between the surfaces increases, however, the thickness started decreasing steadily after approximately 4 h of exposure independently of the crystallinity of the quartz surface. For a particular set of conditions, the process eventually slows down and reaches equilibrium after some time, but a further increase in pressure restarts the dissolution process. This is also true for the addition of fresh interfacial solution during the experiment after a period of thickness fluctuation. These results are consistent with the observation that pressure solution of quartz is greatly enhanced with the presence of mica.     

Geochronological constraints on the evolution of high-pressure felsic granulites from an integrated electron microprobe and ID-TIMS geochemical study

A combined geochronological, geochemical, and Nd isotopic study of felsic high-pressure granulites from the Snowbird Tectonic Zone, northern Saskatchewan, Canada, has been carried out through the application of integrated electron microprobe and isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) techniques. The terrane investigated is a 400 km² domain of garnet–kyanite–K–feldspar-bearing quartzofeldspathic gneisses. Monazite in these granulites preserves a complex growth history from 2.6 to 1.9 Ga, with well-armored, high Y and Th grains included in garnet yielding the oldest U–Pb dates at 2.62 to 2.59 Ga. In contrast, matrix grains and inclusions in garnet rims that are not well-armored are depleted in Y and Th, and display more complicated U–Pb systematics with multiple age domains ranging from 2.5 to 2.0 Ga. 1.9 Ga monazite occurs exclusively as matrix grains. Zircon is typically younger (2.58 to 2.55 Ga) than the oldest monazite. Sm–Nd isotope analysis of single monazite grains and whole rock samples indicate that inclusions of Archean monazite in garnet are similar in isotopic composition to the whole rock signature with a limited range of slightly negative initial _Nd. In contrast, grains that contain a Paleoproterozoic component show more positive initial _Nd, most simply interpreted as reflecting derivation from a source involving consumption of garnet and general depletion of HREE's. Our preferred interpretation is that the oldest monazite dates record igneous crystallization of the protolith. The ca. 2.55 Ga dates in zircon and monazite record an extensive melting event during which garnet and ternary feldspar formed. Very high-pressure (> 1.5 GPa) metamorphism during the Paleoproterozoic at 1.9 Ga produced kyanite from garnet breakdown, and resulted in limited growth of new monazite and zircon. In the case of monazite, this is likely due to the armoring and sequestration of early-formed monazite such that it could not participate in metamorphic reactions during the high-pressure event, as well as the depletion of the REE's due to melt loss following the early melting event.     

Catastrophic precipitation‐triggered lahar at Casita volcano,Nicaragua: occurrence,bulking and transformation

A catastrophic lahar began on 30 October 1998, as hurricane precipitation triggered a small ?ank collapse of Casita volcano, a complex and probably dormant stratovolcano. The initial rockslide‐debris avalanche evolved on the ?ank to yield a watery debris ?ood with a sediment concentration less than 60 per cent by volume at the base of the volcano. Within 2·5 km, however, the watery ?ow entrained (bulked) enough sediment to transform entirely to a debris ?ow. The debris ?ow, 6 km downstream and 1·2 km wide and 3 to 6 m deep, killed 2500 people, nearly the entire populations of the communities of El Porvenir and Rolando Rodriguez. These ‘new towns’ were developed in a prehistoric lahar pathway: at least three ?ows of similar size since 8330 ¹⁴C years bp are documented by stratigraphy in the same 30‐degree sector. Travel time between perception of the ?ow and destruction of the towns was only 2·5–3·0 minutes. The evolution of the ?ow wave occurred with hydraulic continuity and without pause or any extraordinary addition of water. The precipitation trigger of the Casita lahar emphasizes the need, in volcano hazard assessments, for including the potential for non‐eruption‐related collapse lahars with the more predictable potential of their syneruption analogues. The ?ow behaviour emphasizes that volcano collapses can yield not only volcanic debris avalanches with restricted runouts, but also mobile lahars that enlarge by bulking as they ?ow. Volumes and hence inundation areas of collapse‐runout lahars can increase greatly beyond their sources: the volume of the Casita lahar bulked to at least 2·6 times the contributing volume of the ?ank collapse and 4·2 times that of the debris ?ood. At least 78 per cent of the debris ?ow matrix (sediment < ?1·0Φ; 2 mm) was entrained during ?ow. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geophysical Constraints on the Location and Nature of the North Saharan Flexure in Southern Tunisia

Gravity data, integrated with seismic refraction/reflection data, well data and geological investigations, were used to determine the location of the paleogeographic boundary between the Precambrian Saharan domain and the younger Tunisian Atlas domain. This boundary (North Saharan Flexure or NSF) has not been as clearly defined as it has been to the west in Algeria and Morocco. The gravity data analysis, which included the construction of complete Bouguer and residual gravity anomaly maps, revealed that the Atlasic domain is characterized by relative negative gravity anomalies and numerous linear gravity trends implying a thick and deformed sediment cover. The Saharan domain is characterized by relatively positive gravity anomalies with few gravity trends implying a thin and relatively undeformed sediment cover. An edge-enhancement analysis of the residual gravity anomalies revealed that the NSF is characterized by a series of discontinuous east- and northwest-trending linear anomalies south of 34°N that are not related to the well-known faults within the Gafsa and Accident de Medenine regions. Based on the continuity of the amplitudes of seismic reflection data and the trends of the residual gravity anomalies, the NSF is not an abrupt discontinuity but a series of step faults dipping toward the Atlasic domain. To obtain a more quantitative representation of the southern edge of Tunisian Atlas, a regional gravity model constrained by two wells and seismic reflection/refraction data was constructed along a north-south trending profile which confirms the presence of thicker sediments north of the NSF. Our analysis shows that the NSF has controlled the depositional environment of the sedimentary rocks within the region since at least Triassic time and has acted as a barrier to Atlasic deformation south of the NSF. The NSF is considered an important tectonic feature that has controlled the paleogeographic evolution of the southern margin of the Tethys Ocean, and it continues to be active today based on seismicity hazard studies.     

Three-dimensional liquefaction potential analysis using geostatistical interpolation

We applied three-dimensional geostatistical interpolation to evaluate the extent of liquefiable materials at two sites that liquefied during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The sites were the Balboa Blvd site and the Wynne Ave. site located in the alluvial San Fernando Valley. The estimated peak ground accelerations at the sites are 0.84 g (Balboa Blvd) and 0.51 g (Wynne Ave.). These sites were chosen because surface effects due to liquefaction were not predicted using available techniques based on thickness and depth of liquefiable layers (Ishihara [Ishihara K. Stability of natural deposits during earthquakes. Proceedings of the 11th international conference on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, vol. 1. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: A.A. Balkema; 1985. p. 321–76.]) and the Liquefaction Potential Index (Iwasaki et al. [Iwasaki T, Tatsuoka F, Tokida K, Yasuda S. A practical method for assessing soil liquefaction potential based on case studies at various sites in Japan. In: Proceedings of the second international conference on microzonation, San Francisco; 1978. p. 885–96.]). During the earthquake, both sites experienced surface effects including ground cracking and extension as a result of liquefaction. Foundations and buried utilities were damaged at both sites. The sites were investigated after the event by researchers with the United States Geologic Survey using standard penetration tests (SPT) and cone penetration tests. In this paper, liquefaction potential was estimated for each soil sample using results from SPTs according to the updated Seed and Idriss simplified procedure. The probability of liquefaction was estimated by applying an indicator transform to the results of the liquefaction potential calculation. We compared our results to detailed geologic mapping of the sites performed by other researchers. Using geostatistical interpolation to estimate the probability of liquefaction is a useful supplement to geologic evaluation of liquefaction potential. The geostatistical analysis provides an estimate of the continuous volume of liquefiable soil along with an assessment of confidence in an interpolation. The probability of liquefaction volumes compare well with those predicted using geologic interpretations.     

Microalgal productivity, community composition, and pelagic food web dynamics in a subtropical, turbid salt marsh isolated from freshwater inflow

Carbon entering the food web originating from microalgal productivity may be as important to salt marsh consumers as carbon originating from vascular plant production. The objective of this study was to further our understanding of the role played by microalgae in salt marshes. We focused on microalgal productivity, community dynamics, and pelagic food web linkages. Across three consecutive springs (2001–2003), we sampled the upper Nueces Delta in southeast Texas, United States; a shallow, turbid system of ponds and elevated vegetated areas stressed by low freshwater inflow and salinities ranging from brackish (11) to hypersaline (300). Despite high turbidity and low external nutrient loadings, microalgal productivity was on the order of that reported for vascular plants. Primary productivity in surface waters ranged from 0 to 2.02 g C m⁻² d⁻¹ and was usually higher than primary productivity associated with the benthos, which ranged from 0 to 1.14 g C m⁻² d⁻¹. This was likely due to high amounts of wind-driven resuspended sediment limiting production at greater depths. Most of the water column microalgal biovolume seemed to originate from the benthos and was comprised mostly of pennate diatoms. But true phytoplankton taxa were also observed, which included cryptomonads, chlorophyhtes dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria. Succession from r-selected to K-selected taxa with the progression of spring, a common phenomena in aquatic systems, was not observed. Codominance by both potentially edible and less edible taxa was found. This was likely due to decreased grazing pressure on r-selected taxa as salinity conditions became unfavorable for grazers. In addition to a decoupled food web, reduced primary and net productivity, community respiration, and microalgal and zooplankton population densities were all observed at extreme salinities. Our findings suggest that a more accurate paradigm of salt marsh functioning within the landscape must account for microalgal productivity as well as production by vascular plants. Because the value of microalgal productivity to higher trophic levels is taxa specific, the factors that govern microalgal community structure and dynamics must also be accounted for. In the case for the Nueces Delta, these factors included wind mixing and increasing salinities.     

Evidence for Triassic salt domes in the Tunisian Atlas from gravity and geological data

Detailed gravity data were analyzed to constrain two controversial geological models of evaporitic structures within the Triassic diapiric zone (Triassic massifs of Jebel Debadib and Ben Gasseur) of the northern Tunisian Atlas. Based on surface observations, two geological models have been used to explain the origin of the Triassic evaporitic bodies: (1) salt dome/diapiric structure or (2) a “salt glacier”. The gravity analysis included the construction of a complete Bouguer gravity anomaly map, horizontal gravity gradient (HGG) map and two and a half-dimensional (2.5D) forward models. The complete Bouguer gravity anomaly map shows a prominent negative anomaly over the Triassic evaporite outcrops. The HGG map showed the location of the lateral density changes along northeast structural trends caused by Triassic/Cretaceous lithological differences. The modeling of the complete Bouguer gravity anomaly data favored the diapiric structure as the origin of the evaporitic bodies. The final gravity model constructed over Jebel Debadib indicates that the Triassic evaporitic bodies are thick and deeply rooted involving a dome/diapiric structure and that the Triassic material has pulled upward the younger sediment cover by halokinesis. Taking in account kinematic models and the regional tectonic events affecting the northern margin of Africa, the above diapirs formed during the reactive to active to passive stages of continental margin evolution with development of sinks. Otherwise, this study shows that modeling of detailed gravity data adds useful constraints on the evolution of salt structures that may have an important impact on petroleum exploration models.     

Response of the St. Joseph River to lake level changes during the last 12,000 years in the Lake Michigan basin

The water level of the Lake Michigan basin is currently 177 m above sea level. Around 9,800 ¹⁴C years B.P., the lake level in the Lake Michigan basin had dropped to its lowest level in prehistory, about 70 m above sea level. This low level (Lake Chippewa) had profound effects on the rivers flowing directly into the basin. Recent studies of the St. Joseph River indicate that the extreme low lake level rejuvenated the river, causing massive incision of up to 43 m in a valley no more than 1.6 km wide. The incision is seen 25 km upstream of the present shoreline. As lake level rose from the Chippewa low, the St. Joseph River lost competence and its estuary migrated back upstream. Floodplain and channel sediments partially refilled the recently excavated valley leaving a distinctly non-classical morphology of steep sides with a broad, flat bottom. The valley walls of the lower St. Joseph River are 12–18 m tall and borings reveal up to 30 m of infill sediment below the modern floodplain. About 3 × 10⁸ m³ of sediment was removed from the St. Joseph River valley during the Chippewa phase lowstand, a massive volume, some of which likely resides in a lowstand delta approximately 30 km off-shore in Lake Michigan. The active floodplain below Niles, Michigan, is inset into an upper terrace and delta graded to the Calumet level (189 m) of Lake Chicago. In the lower portion of the terrace stratigraphy a 1.5–2.0 m thick section of clast-supported gravel marks the entry of the main St. Joseph River drainage above South Bend, Indiana, into the Lake Michigan basin. This gravel layer represents the consolidation of drainage that probably occurred during final melting out of ice-marginal kettle chains allowing stream piracy to proceed between Niles and South Bend. It is unlikely that the St. Joseph River is palimpsest upon a bedrock valley. The landform it cuts across is a glaciofluvial-deltaic feature rather than a classic unsorted moraine that would drape over pre-glacial topography. This is the fifth in a series of ten papers published in this special issue of Journal of Paleolimnology. These papers were presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (2004), held at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. P.F. Karrow and C.F.M. Lewis were guest editors of this special issue.