Source and possible tectonic driver for Jurassic–Cretaceous gold deposits in the West Qinling Orogen,China

The West Qinling Orogen (WQO) in Central China Orogenic Belt contains numerous metasedimentary rock-hosted gold deposits (>2000 t Au), which mainly formed during two pulses: one previously recognized in the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (T3–J1) and one only recently identified in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (J3–K1). Few studies have focused on the origin and geotectonic setting of the J3–K1 gold deposits.Textural relationships, LA-ICP-MS trace element and sulfur isotope compositions of pyrites in hydrothermally altered T3 dykes within the J3–K1 Daqiao deposit were used to constrain relative timing relationships between mineralization and pyrite growth in the dykes, and to characterize the source of ore fluid. These results are integrated with an overview of the regional geodynamic setting, to advance understanding of the tectonic driver for J3–K1 hydrothermal gold systems. Pyrite in breccia- and dyke-hosted gold ores at Daqiao have similar chemical and isotopic compositions and are considered to be representative of J3–K1 gold deposits in WQO. Co/Ni and sulfur isotope ratios suggest that ore fluids were derived from underlying Paleozoic Ni- and Se-rich carbonaceous sedimentary rocks. The geochemical data do not support the involvement of magmatic fluids. However, in the EQO (East Qinling Orogen), J3–K1 deposits are genetically related to magmatism. Gold mineralization in WQO is contemporaneous with magmatic deposits in the EQO and both are mainly controlled by NE- and EW-trending structures produced by changes in plate motion of the Paleo-Pacific plate as it was subducted beneath the Eurasian continent. We therefore infer that the J3–K1 structural regime facilitated the ascent of magma in the EQO and metamorphic fluids in the WQO with consequent differences in the character of contemporaneous ore deposits. If this is correct, then the far-field effects of subduction along the eastern margin of NE Asia extended 1000's of km into the continental interior.     

Re-conceptualising desert landscapes: unpacking historical narratives and contemporary realities for sustainable livelihood development in central Australia

Desert landscapes of central Australia have inspired various narratives for nation building. These narratives, based upon discourses of land as a commodity for the colonial project, include the inferior peripheral wastelands of the colonial centre; the wild and pristine haven of ‘noble aborigines’; and the frontier home of heroic explorers and pastoralists. These narratives continue to influence land management policy and practice. However they do not reflect the diverse contemporary realities of individuals living in the region. In this paper I juxtapose these narratives and realities to reveal the multitude of ways in which desert landscapes are known and understood. A case study of a fire management project that involved Aboriginal, pastoral and conservation land managers from the southern Tanami region of central Australia provides evidence as to why desert landscapes should be re-conceptualized as cultural, contested and dynamic. To conceive of these spaces and places in this way can facilitate open discussion and dialogue between land managers from the region. It is the first step in working towards the process of cultural hybridity that I argue is necessary for equitable and sustainable environmental governance and management in Australia.     

Basinal setting and origin of thick (1·8 km) mass‐flow dominated Grand Conglomérat diamictites,Kamoa, Democratic Republic of Congo: Resolving climate and tectonic controls during Neoproterozoic glaciations

The Kamoa sub‐basin, in the south‐eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a rift basin that hosts a world‐class stratiform copper deposit at the base of a very thick (1·8 km) succession of matrix‐supported conglomerates (diamictite) (Grand Conglomérat Formation) that has been interpreted by some as the product of deposition in the aftermath of a planet‐wide glaciation. Newly available subsurface data consisting of more than 300 km of drill core throws new light on the origin of diamictite and associated facies types, and their tectonic, basinal and palaeoclimatic setting. Initiation of rifting is recorded by a lowermost subaqueous succession of fault‐related mass flow conglomerates and breccias (the ‘Poudingue’) with interdigitating coeval and succeeding sandstone turbidites (Mwashya Subgroup). Overlying diamictites of the Grand Conglomérat were deposited as subaqueous debrites produced by mixing and homogenization of antecedent breccias and gravel from the Poudingue and Mwashya sediments with basinal muds. Failure of over‐steepened basin margins and debris flow was likely to be triggered by faulting and seismic activity, and was accompanied by syn‐depositional subaqueous basaltic magmatism recorded by peperites and pillow lavas within diamictites. The thickness of diamictites reflects recurring phases of faulting, volcanism and rapid subsidence allowing continued accommodation of rapidly deposited resedimented facies well below wave base. A distal or indirect, glacial influence in the form of rare dropstones and striated clasts is evident, but tectonically‐driven mass flow destroyed any primary record of glacial climate originally present in basin margin sediments. Such basin margin settings were common during Rodinia rifting and their stratigraphy and facies record a dominant tectonic, rather than climatic, control on sedimentation. Deposition occurred on tectonic timescales inconsistent with a Snowball Earth model for Neoproterozoic diamictites involving a direct glacial contribution to deposition.     

A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of silver nanoparticles associated with mine waste from New Caledonian nickel deposits: potential origins of silver toxicity in a World Heritage Site

The nature of silver nanoparticles associated with nickel-laterite ore deposits in New Caledonia (SW Pacific Ocean) is explored using transmission electron microscopy. The silver nanoparticles, dispersed in a matrix of amorphous silica, display complex textures such as linear aggregation and bimodal diameter distributions of 3–12 and 20–60 nm for one sample and 2–30 and 150–650 nm for the other, indicative of Ostwald ripening. These features as well as chemical heterogeneity (31–82% Ag—normalized X-ray energy dispersive spectrum), destructive assemblage interfaces, and amorphous and nanoparticle silica phases are consistent with those observed in epithermal gold deposits, potentially indicating a similar origin. Silver is highly toxic to a wide variety of organisms, and therefore, its significant presence in material directly related to mine runoff is a major threat to the New Caledonian environment, particularly the lagoons, which are listed as a World Heritage Site. Potential exists that the silver nanoparticles observed here provide the key to the origin of the toxic silver accumulation observed in New Caledonian reef organisms.     

Salt Spray Induces Osmotic Adjustment and Tissue Rigidity in Smooth Cordgrass, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina alterniflora</Emphasis> (Loisel.)

Salt spray is one of many abiotic factors that can influence plant productivity and species composition in coastal ecosystems. However, little is known about how marsh plants respond physiologically to the accumulation of sea aerosols on foliar tissues. In this study, experimental microcosms maintained in controlled greenhouse conditions were used to evaluate how low- (1.7 mg dm⁻² day⁻¹, weekly averages) and high- (8.6 mg dm⁻² day⁻¹) salt-spray loads would influence plant–water relations in Spartina alterniflora (Loisel.). While no differences in plant performance (e.g., changes in biomass and leaf area) were observed between the treatments and control plants, a number of physiological modifications attributed to salt spray were observed. In general, salt-treated plants underwent significant decreases in water potential (Ψ) and osmotic potential (Ψ _π) and increases in leaf conductance (g) and bulk modulus of elasticity (ε). It is likely that these physiological responses were used to generate lower Ψ while maintaining osmotic and water homeostasis. That is, by decreasing Ψ _π and increasing g and ε, more efficient water flow through the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum can be achieved, thus generating lower Ψ without promoting loss of turgor.     

The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) phase 2(c) Red-Arkansas River basin experiment:: 2. Spatial and temporal analysis of energy fluxes

The energy components of sixteen Soil-Vegetation Atmospheric Transfer (SVAT) schemes were analyzed and intercompared using 10 years of surface meteorological and radiative forcing data from the Red-Arkansas River basin in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. Comparisons of simulated surface energy fluxes among models showed that the net radiation and surface temperature generally had the best agreement among the schemes. On an average (annual and monthly) basis, the estimated latent heat fluxes agreed (to within approximate estimation errors) with the latent heat fluxes derived from a radiosonde-based atmospheric budget method for slightly more than half of the schemes. The sensible heat fluxes had larger differences among the schemes than did the latent heat fluxes, and the model-simulated ground heat fluxes had large variations among the schemes. The spatial patterns of the model-computed net radiation and surface temperature were generally similar among the schemes, and appear reasonable and consistent with observations of related variables, such as surface air temperature. The spatial mean patterns of latent and sensible heat fluxes were less similar than for net radiation, and the spatial patterns of the ground heat flux vary greatly among the 16 schemes. Generally, there is less similarity among the models in the temporal (interannual) variability of surface fluxes and temperature than there is in the mean fields, even for schemes with similar mean fields.     

Geochemistry and tectonic significance of metamorphic sole rocks beneath the Beyşehir–Hoyran ophiolite (SW-Turkey)

The Beyşehir–Hoyran ophiolite is situated in the western part of the Tauride belt (SW Turkey) and crops out at two localities north of the lake Beyşehir. It mainly comprises harzburgitic peridotites that were tectonically emplaced to their present position during the Late Eocene. The ophiolites themselves are tectonically overlain by either slope basin deposits with lava blocks (Eğirler formation) or massive Triassic limestone blocks (Deliktaş formation). High-grade sub-ophiolitic metamorphic rocks, i.e. epidote amphibolite, amphibolite, and pyroxene amphibolite, together with minor quartzite and calcschist, are observed at the base of the ophiolite sequence, where they occur as thin tectonic slices with an inverted metamorphic gradient. Average P–T conditions of 630–770 °C and c. 6 ± 1.5 kbar are calculated for the metamorphism of the amphibolites by conventional geothermobarometry, corresponding to a burial depth of 18–20 km. Both the sub-ophiolitic metamorphic rocks and the overlying mantle tectonites were intruded by isolated tholeiitic (Nb/Y = 0.041–0.108) diabase dikes, which do not transect the tectonic contact between the two units. Geochemical investigations of the amphibolites of the sub-ophiolitic rock suite show two different geochemical affinities, with the first group being alkaline in character (Nb/Y = 1–3.86) and the second one being tholeiitic (Nb/Y = 0.064–0.13). REE patterns, trace element plots and tectonomagmatic discrimination diagrams indicate that the most probable protoliths for alkaline amphibolites are within-plate type alkali basalts, whereas those of the tholeiitic group resemble tholeiitic island arc basalts. Similarities between the geochemical characteristics of the amphibolites and those of the volcanic rocks of the Eğirler formation strongly suggest that the latter are the protoliths of the amphibolites.     

Mesozoic to Quaternary continental margin dynamics in South-Central Chile (36–42°S): the apatite and zircon fission track perspective

Zircon and apatite fission track data provide constraints on the exhumation history, fault activity, and thermal evolution of the South-Central Chilean active continental margin (36°S–42°S), which we use to assess the tectonic and geomorphic response of the margin to the Andean subduction regime. Several domains with different exhumation histories are identified. The Coastal Cordillera is characterized by uniform and coherent exhumation between Late Triassic (～200 Ma) and late Miocene times, with surprisingly slow average rates of 0.03–0.04 mm/a. Thermal anomalies, related to Late Cretaceous and early Miocene magmatism, have regionally modified fission track age patterns. The Upper Cretaceous thermal overprint is of previously unrecognized significance and extent in the Coastal Cordillera south of 39°S. With the exception of a local but distinct Pliocene to Recent exhumation period in the high-relief Cordillera Nahuelbuta segment between 37°S and 38°S, Cenozoic overall exhumation in the Coastal Cordillera was very slow. The sedimentary record shows that uplift and subsidence here was episodic, with low amplitudes and durations. This rules out large-scale, long-term, Cenozoic accretion, trench-parallel tilting, and tectonic erosion processes in the forearc. The Main Andean Cordillera shows markedly greater long-term exhumation rates than the Coastal Cordillera and, at ～39°S, a steep exhumation gradient. To the south, long-term average Pliocene to Recent exhumation rates of ～1 to ～2 mm/a in the Liquiñe area (39°45′S) are almost an order of magnitude more rapid than average Paleogene to Recent exhumation near Lonquimay (38°30′S) and farther north. While no imprint of the intra-arc Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone on the exhumation pattern is evident, long-term exhumation rates decrease from the crest of the Andes toward the western foothills. Exhumation gradients correlate with climatic gradients, suggesting a causal link to the variable intensity of late Miocene to Pleistocene glacial erosion.     

Field significance of performance measures in the context of regional climate model evaluation. Part 2: precipitation

A new approach for rigorous spatial analysis of the downscaling performance of regional climate model (RCM) simulations is introduced. It is based on a multiple comparison of the local tests at the grid cells and is also known as ‘field’ or ‘global’ significance. The block length for the local resampling tests is precisely determined to adequately account for the time series structure. New performance measures for estimating the added value of downscaled data relative to the large-scale forcing fields are developed. The methodology is exemplarily applied to a standard EURO-CORDEX hindcast simulation with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the land surface model NOAH at 0.11 ^° grid resolution. Daily precipitation climatology for the 1990–2009 period is analysed for Germany for winter and summer in comparison with high-resolution gridded observations from the German Weather Service. The field significance test controls the proportion of falsely rejected local tests in a meaningful way and is robust to spatial dependence. Hence, the spatial patterns of the statistically significant local tests are also meaningful. We interpret them from a process-oriented perspective. While the downscaled precipitation distributions are statistically indistinguishable from the observed ones in most regions in summer, the biases of some distribution characteristics are significant over large areas in winter. WRF-NOAH generates appropriate stationary fine-scale climate features in the daily precipitation field over regions of complex topography in both seasons and appropriate transient fine-scale features almost everywhere in summer. As the added value of global climate model (GCM)-driven simulations cannot be smaller than this perfect-boundary estimate, this work demonstrates in a rigorous manner the clear additional value of dynamical downscaling over global climate simulations. The evaluation methodology has a broad spectrum of applicability as it is distribution-free, robust to spatial dependence, and accounts for time series structure.     

A history of climate change: Inughuit responses to changing ice conditions in North-West Greenland

This article presents a small community of High Arctic hunters (the Inughuit in North West Greenland) who have always had to negotiate climatic changes with great impact on their living conditions. This points us toward the natural-social entanglements implied in the notion of the Anthropocene, and to the new intellectual challenges that both natural and social scientists are facing in relation to the current climatic changes. These challenges are discussed through the case of the Inughuit with whom the author has worked over many years. Departing from their dire situation in the 19th century, when they were first described and became known to outsiders, it is shown how flexibility and mobility were always preconditions for survival in this environment. Then, they were trapped in too much ice, while now they have to negotiate a rapidly melting environment. In both cases their response is deeply implicated in their sense of who they were and are, also in relation to a larger world.