Provenance of Neoproterozoic and early Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks of the Teplá-Barrandian unit (Bohemian Massif): Evidence from U–Pb detrital zircon ages

New LA-ICP-MS U–Pb detrital zircon ages from Ediacaran and Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks are used to constrain provenance and paleogeographic affinities of the Teplá-Barrandian unit (TBU) in the centre of the Bohemian Massif (Central Europe, Czech Republic). The samples taken span the period from ≤ 635 Ma to ～ 385 Ma and permit recognition of provenance changes that reflect changes in geotectonic regime. Detrital zircon age spectra of two Ediacaran, one Lower Cambrian and three Upper Ordovician samples resemble the ages known from the NW African proportion of Gondwana, particularly the Trans-Saharan belt, while three rocks from higher Lower Cambrian to Lowermost Ordovician strata contain detritus that may have been derived exclusively from local sources. The age spectrum of the Devonian rock is a combination of the NW Gondwanan and local features. These new findings in combination with a wide range of published data are in agreement with a Neoproterozoic subduction-related setting at the margin of Gondwana followed by a Cambrian/Early Ordovician rifting stage and an Ordovician passive margin setting. Furthermore the data are in favour of a position of the TBU at the Gondwanan margin throughout pre-Variscan times.     

Heterogeneous timing of freshwater input into Kobbefjord,a low-arctic fjord in Greenland

The majority of freshwater input from Greenland to the global ocean stems from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Currently, almost a quarter of the freshwater flowing from Greenland is derived from catchments that are disconnected from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Despite their importance to the total freshwater flux and influence on fjord geochemistry, there is relatively little monitoring data available for those catchments and therefore the drivers of regional differences in export are largely unknown. We present a dataset of 12 years of discharge of four catchments less than 15 km apart, that are different in size (between 7 and 32 km²), local glacier coverage (4%–11%) and lake cover (0%–5%). They all drain into Kobbefjord, a well-studied fjord in West Greenland, near Greenland's capital Nuuk. Between catchments, the magnitude of discharge varies at annual, seasonal and sub-daily timescales, due to differences in physical catchment properties as well as local climate variability. We find that annual specific discharges vary greatly (between 1.2 and 1.9 m/year on a 12-year average) due to a longitudinal precipitation gradient from West to East caused by different amount of orographic precipitation shading. The seasonal cycle of discharge (amplitude, timing and minimum flow) differs among the sites mainly due to different exposure to solar radiation as a driver for major snowmelt; the small ice coverage in the catchments plays only a minor role in discharge variability. Dry years generally increase the relative differences in annual specific discharge and no significant temporal trends have been found in the studied catchments. On a sub-daily timescale, the difference in timing of maximum discharge during fair-weather days (>80% maximum solar radiation and no precipitation) ranged between 7 and 12 h, which is attributed to differences between the presence and elevation of lakes among the catchments. The response of discharge to major precipitation events is discussed, where a delay of between 5 and 7 h is found for the catchments that do not contain lakes near the gauge.     

Ecotones as Indicators of Changing Environmental Conditions: Rapid Migration of Salt Marsh–Upland Boundaries

Ecotones, the narrow transition zones between extensive ecological systems, may serve as sensitive indicators of climate change because they harbor species that are often near the limit of their physical and competitive tolerances. We investigated the ecotone between salt marsh and adjacent upland at Elkhorn Slough, an estuary in California, USA. Over a period of 10 years, we monitored movement of the ecotone–upland boundary, plant community structure, and physical factors likely to drive ecotone response. At three undiked sites, the ecotone boundary migrated about 1 m landward, representing a substantial shift for a transition zone that is only a few meters wide. Analysis of potential correlates of this upward migration suggests that it was driven by increased tidal inundation. Mean sea level did not increase during our study, but inundation at high elevations did. While the ecotone boundary responded dynamically to interannual changes in inundation at these undiked sites, the plant community structure of the ecotone remained stable. At two diked sites, we observed contrasting patterns. At one site, the ecotone boundary migrated seaward, while at the other, it showed no consistent trend. Diking appears to eliminate natural sensitivity of the ecotone boundary to interannual variation in oceanic and atmospheric drivers, with local factors (management of water control structures) outweighing regional ones. Our study shows that the marsh–upland ecotone migrated rapidly in response to environmental change while maintaining stable plant community structure. Such resilience, stability, and rapid response time suggest that the marsh–upland ecotone can serve as a sensitive indicator of climate change.     

Ultrafast, > 50 Hz LA‐ICP‐MS Spot Analysis Applied to U–Pb Dating of Zircon and other U‐Bearing Minerals

LA‐ICP‐MS U–Pb detrital zircon studies typically analyse 50–200 grains per sample, with the consequent risk that minor but geologically important age components (e.g., the youngest detrital zircon population) are not detected, and higher abundance age components are misrepresented, rendering quantitative comparisons between samples impossible. This study undertook rapid U–Pb LA‐ICP‐MS analyses (8 s per 18–47 μm diameter spot including baseline and ablation) of zircon, apatite, rutile and titanite using an aerosol rapid introduction system (ARIS). As the ARIS resolves individual single pulses at fast sampling rates, spot analyses require a high repetition rate (> 50 Hz) so the signal does not return to baseline and mass sweep times (> 80 ms) that span several laser pulses (i.e., major undersampling of the signal). All rapid U–Pb spot analyses employed 250–300 pulses, repetition rates of 53–65 Hz (total ablation times of 4.1–5.7 s) and low fluence (1.75–2.5 J cm^?2), resulting in pit depths of ca. 15 μm. Zircon, apatite, rutile and titanite reference material data yield an accuracy and precision (2s) of < 1% for pre‐Cenozoic reference materials and < 2% for younger reference materials. We present a detrital zircon data set from a Neoproterozoic tillite where > 1000 grains were analysed in < 3 h with a precision and accuracy comparable to conventional LA‐ICP‐MS analytical protocols, demonstrating the rapid acquisition of huge detrital data sets.     

The distribution and relative toxic potential of organic chemicals in a PCB contaminated bay

For reliable monitoring of environmental improvement, the PCB contaminated bay Orserumsviken on Sweden's Baltic coast was investigated prior to remediation. We examined PCB congener patterns and the relative toxic potential of PCBs in extracts of three matrices: bottom sediment, settling particulate matter and the dissolved phase (obtained from semi-permeable membrane devices). Congener patterns were similar in all matrices. Three fractions were isolated from the extracts: (1) aliphatic and monocyclic aromatic compounds (MAC-fraction), (2) dicyclic aromatic compounds (DAC-fraction), including PCBs, and (3) polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC-fraction), including PAHs. Total extracts and fractions were injected into newly fertilised rainbow trout eggs. At larval stage, hepatic EROD activities were quantified. Though high, the PCB contamination could explain only an estimated 1-5% of the total EROD induction. The order of EROD induction potential was: total extract > PAC-fraction > DAC-fraction > MAC-fraction in all matrices, suggesting that in Orserumsviken PACs made a larger contribution to the EROD induction potential than PCBs and other DACs.     

Mantle and Crustal Effects on the Geochemistry of Proterozoic Dikes and Sills in Sweden

Chemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data are presented for 14 Proterozoicdolerite intrusions from Sweden. The dolerites are unmetamorphosedand belong to two age groups at 1.26 and 0.95 Ga. The analysedrocks were selected from over 80 samples characterized for initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio, and represent those from each intrusion thathave little to no crustal contamination effect on Sr isolopes.In these tholeiitic to mildly alkaline basalts, MgO varies from4 to 14%, and TiO₂ from 1.0 to 4.7%. Incompatible-element abundancepatterns show similar shapes at widely varying overall enrichmentlevels; La varies from eight to 64 times primitive mantle. Manysamples have apparent Sr anomalies; positive for the less incompatible-elementenriched rocks, negative for those with the highest abundances,Hence Sr varies by a factor of only two, whereas neighboringelements vary by a factor of seven. Small Eu anomalies correlatewith the larger Sr variations. All samples have negative Nbanomalies, correlated with _{Nd 1} values that vary from –0.5to + 3.5 for both dolerite age groups. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr₁ values aresystematically different in the two groups: 1.26-Ga doleritesvary from 0.7026 to 0.7035, and 0.95-Ga dolerites from 0.7041to 0.7051. Rather than urging any particular model of subcontinental mantleevolution, we use the dolerite results to deconvolute the effectsof crustal contamination, differentiation including crypticdifferentiation effects, and mantle-lithosphere interactionson possibly asthenosphere-derived magmas. Problems related toaddition of Rb and ⁸⁷Sr giving false isochrons, as well as raised⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from syn- or post-crystallization fluid effects, wereeliminated by the sample selection criteria. In the selecteddolerites, crustal contamination is not a major control on geochemistry,because all incompatible elements, including those of both highand low crustal abundance, are positively and similarly correlated.Overall abundances have been affected by migrations of residualmagma after much olivine and plagioclase crystallization. OnlySr is an approximate indication of the parent magma's enrichment,whereas all other incompatible elements may be depleted or enrichedby factors greater than two. On entering the crust, the magmasvaried by a factor of only two in overall incompatible-elementenrichment. They had Nb anomalies correlated with ^Nd1, and the0.95-Ga dolerites possessed higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr than had characterizedthe 1.26-Ga dolerites. All mantle effects could be interpretedas resulting from a lithospheric magma source that experiencedaddition of subduction-related components 1.9–1.7 Ga ago,and maybe locally 1.6–1.0 Ga ago. We prefer a model whereasthenosphere-derived melts interact with lithospheric wallrocks, acquiring variable _Nd down to –0.5 and Nb anomalies.Up to two-thirds of the budget of incompatible elements, butnot much Nb, were added to the magmas. Untimately, the contributionof any mantle-source is unconstrained, except that significantlithosphere has to have been involved. The mantle-related geochemicaleffects, which result in only weak constraints on process andsource, are very difficult to isolate in an objective approachto intracontinental basalts, because of superimposed differentiationand contamination effects.