Petrogenesis of a basalt-comendite-pantellerite rock suite: the Boseti Volcanic Complex (Main Ethiopian Rift)

Petrological and geochemical data for basic (alkali basalts and hawaiites) and silicic peralkaline rocks, plus rare intermediate products (mugearites and benmoreites) from the Pleistocene Boseti volcanic complex (Main Ethiopian Rift, East Africa) are reported in this work. The basalts are slightly alkaline or transitional, have peaks at Ba and Nb in the mantle-normalized diagrams and relatively low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7039–0.7044). The silicic rocks (pantellerites and comendites) are rich in sanidine and anorthoclase, with mafic phases being represented by fayalite-rich olivine, opaque oxides, aenigmatite and slightly Na-rich ferroaugite (ferrohedenbergite). These rocks were generated after prolonged fractional crystallization process (up to 90–95 %) starting from basaltic parent magmas at shallow depths and fO₂ conditions near the QFM buffer. The apparent Daly Gap between mafic and evolved Boseti rocks is explained with a model involving the silicic products filling upper crustal magma chambers and erupted preferentially with respect to basic and intermediate products. Evolved liquids could have been the only magmas which filled the uppermost magma reservoirs in the crust, thus giving time to evolve towards Rb-, Zr- and Nb-rich peralkaline rhyolites in broadly closed systems.     

An X‐shooter survey of star forming regions: Low‐mass stars and sub‐stellar objects

We present preliminary results of our X‐shooter survey in star forming regions. In this contribution we focus on subsamples of young stellar and sub‐stellar objects (YSOs) in the Lupus star forming region and in the TW Hya association. We show that the X‐shooter spectra are suitable for conducting several parallel studies such as YSO + disk fundamental parameters, accretion and outflow activity in the very low‐mass (VLM) and sub‐stellar regimes, as well as magnetic activity in young VLM YSOs, and Li abundance determinations. The capabilities of X‐shooter in terms of wide spectral coverage, resolution and limiting magnitudes, allow us to assess simultaneously the accretion/outflow, magnetic activity, and disk diagnostics, from the UV and optical to the near‐IR, avoiding ambiguities due to possible YSO variability (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Petrological, geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the lithospheric mantle beneath Sardinia (Italy) as indicated by ultramafic xenoliths enclosed in alkaline lavas

Mantle xenoliths hosted in Miocene-Quaternary mafic alkaline volcanic rocks from Sardinia have been investigated with electron microprobe, laser ablation microprobe-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and thermal ionization mass spectrometry techniques. The xenoliths are anhydrous clinopyroxene-poor lherzolites and harzburgites, plus very rare websterites and olivine-websterites. Glassy pods having thin subhedral to euhedral microlites of olivine, clinopyroxene and spinel have been found in harzburgites and websterites. Clinopyroxene shows trace element variability, with values of (La/Yb)_N ranging from sub-chondritic (0.01) to supra-chondritic (8.6). The Sr–Nd isotopic ratios of the clinopyroxenes fall mostly in the field of the European lithospheric mantle xenoliths (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.70385 to 0.70568 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ranging from 0.512557 to 0.512953). The geochemical characteristics of the Sardinian xenoliths testify to the variable degrees of earlier partial melt extraction, followed by metasomatic modification by alkaline melts or fluids. Websterites are considered to represent small lenses or veins of cumulitic (i.e. magmatic) origin within the mantle peridotite.     

Agrometeorological models for forecasting the qualitative attributes of “Valência” oranges

Forecasting is the act of predicting unknown future events using available data. Estimating, in contrast, uses data to simulate an actual condition. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of oranges, and the state of São Paulo is the largest producer in Brazil. The “Valência” orange is among the most common cultivars in the state. We analyzed the influence of monthly meteorological variables during the growth cycle of Valência oranges grafted onto “Rangpur” lime rootstocks (VACR) for São Paulo, and developed monthly agrometeorological models for forecasting the qualitative attributes of VACR in mature orchard. For fruits per box for all months, the best accuracy was of 0.84 % and the minimum forecast range of 4 months. For the relation between °brix and juice acidity (RATIO) the best accuracy was of 0.69 % and the minimum forecast range of 5 months. Minimum, mean and maximum air temperatures, and relative evapotranspiration were the most important variables in the models.     

Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of Lake Pergusa (Sicily,southern Italy) as inferred by stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonates

Ten meters of lacustrine deposits retrieved from Lake Pergusa (Sicily, southern Italy) were investigated through stable isotope composition (carbon and oxygen) of authigenic carbonate (calcareous muds) and freshwater shells. The core chronology was established through three AMS dates, and by correlation with a previously dated nearby core. Stable isotope data show that the lake water evolution was mainly dominated by evaporation. Between ca. 20 and 28 ka the recovered sediments have very high δ¹⁸O values, likely corresponding to very dry climatic conditions. The observed rapid oscillations in the δ¹⁸O of the recovered sediments during this period also suggest important climatic fluctuations. More humid conditions dominated during the Holocene period, with the wettest interval occurring between ca. 9000 and 3000 years BP. Late Holocene sediments represent a substantial return to drier conditions. The available pollen data from a nearby core substantially confirm this general climatic trend during the Holocene. The positive correlation between δ¹³C of the calcareous muds and carbonate content suggests that biological activity played a key role in the carbon isotope evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon. However, a clear climatic signal is not evident from the δ¹³C record.     

Isotope geochemistry (Sr–Nd–Pb) and petrogenesis of leucite-bearing volcanic rocks from “Colli Albani” volcano, Roman Magmatic Province, Central Italy: inferences on volcano evolution and magma genesis

The “Colli Albani” composite volcano is made up of strongly silica-undersaturated leucite-bearing rocks. Magmas were erupted during three main periods, but a complex plumbing system dominated by regional tectonics channelled magmas into different reservoirs. The most alkali-rich magmas, restricted to the caldera-forming period (pre-caldera), are extremely enriched in incompatible trace elements and display more radiogenic Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr?=?0.71057–0.71067), with slightly less radiogenic Pb with respect to those of the post-caldera period. Post-caldera volcanic activity was concentrated in three different volcanic environments: external to the caldera, along the caldera edge and within the caldera. The post-caldera magmas produced melilite- to leucitite-bearing, plagioclase-free leucitites. In contrast to the pre-caldera lavas, they are characterised by lower incompatible trace element abundances and less radiogenic Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr?=?0.71006–0.71039). Magmas evolved through crystal fractionation plus minor crustal assimilation in a large magma chamber during the pre-caldera period. The multiple caldera collapses dissected and partially obliterated the early magma chamber. During the post-caldera stage, magmas were channelled through several pathways and multiple shallow-level magma reservoirs were established. A lithospheric mantle wedge previously depleted in the basaltic component and subsequently enriched by metasomatic slab-derived component is suggested as the mantle source of Colli Albani parental magmas. Two different parental magmas are recognised for the pre- and post-caldera stages. The differences may be related to the interplay between smaller degrees of melting for the pre-caldera magmas and more carbonate-rich recycled subducted lithologies in the post-caldera magmas.     

Variability of the HeIλ5876 Å line in early type chemically peculiar stars. II

To try to understand the behavior of helium variability in Chemically Peculiar stars, we continued our on‐going observational campaign started by Catanzaro, Leone & Catalano (1999). In this paper we present a new set of time resolved spectroscopic observations of the HeI5876 Å line for a sample of 10 stars in the spectral range B3 ‐ A2 and characterized by different overabundances. This line does not show variability in two stars: HD77350 and HD175156. It shows instead an equivalent width variation in phase with the Hipparcos light curve for two stars: HD79158 and HD196502. Antiphase variations have been found in 4 stars of our sample, namely: HD35502, HD124224, HD129174 and HD142990. Nothing we can say about HD115735 because of the constancy of Hipparcos photometric data, while no phase relation has been observed for HD90044. In the text we discuss the case of HD175156, according to photometric calibration and our spectroscopic observations we rule out the membership of this star to the main sequence chemically peculiar stars. We confirm the results obtained in the previous paper for which phase relations between light, spectral and magnetic variations are not dependent on stellar spectral type or peculiarity subclass.     

The simulation of medicanes in a high-resolution regional climate model

Medicanes, strong mesoscale cyclones with tropical-like features, develop occasionally over the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the scarcity of observations over sea and the coarse resolution of the long-term reanalysis datasets, it is difficult to study systematically the multidecadal statistics of sub-synoptic medicanes. Our goal is to assess the long-term variability and trends of medicanes, obtaining a long-term climatology through dynamical downscaling of the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. In this paper, we examine the robustness of this method and investigate the value added for the study of medicanes. To do so, we performed several climate mode simulations with a high resolution regional atmospheric model (CCLM) for a number of test cases described in the literature. We find that the medicanes are formed in the simulations, with deeper pressures and stronger winds than in the driving global NCEP reanalysis. The tracks are adequately reproduced. We conclude that our methodology is suitable for constructing multi-decadal statistics and scenarios of current and possible future medicane activities.     

Clinopyroxene/liquid trace element partitioning in natural trachyte–trachyphonolite systems: insights from Campi Flegrei (southern Italy)

Trace element partition coefficients between clinopyroxenes and associated glassy matrix (^Cpx/L D) have been determined for 13 REE, HFSE^4+,5+, U, Th, Sr, Pb, Sc and V from combined LA-ICP-MS/EMP analyses in selected trachytes and trachyphonolites from Campi Flegrei. Composition of clinopyroxene and glass is pretty homogeneous in the trachyphonolites, pointing to an overall attainment of the equilibrium conditions. In trachytes, conversely, phases show some compositional heterogeneity (due to the presence of clinopyroxene xenocrysts) that requested a more careful petrographic and geochemical inspection of the samples to assess the equilibrium clinopyroxene composition. In the trachyte clinopyroxenes, REE are compatible from Nd to Lu (^Cpx/L D up to 2.9), like Y, Ti, Sc and V. The ^Cpx/L D for Eu is lower than those of the adjacent REE, highlighting Eu²⁺ contribution. High D values are also shown by U, Th, Pb, Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta relatively to basaltic and andesitic systems, whereas the D _Sr is roughly similar to that found for less evolved magmas. Trachyphonolites are characterized by an overall decrease of the ^Cpx/L D for highly-charged cations (with the exception of V), and by a slight increase of D _Sr. REE are still compatible from Nd to Lu (^Cpx/L D up to 2.1), like Ti, Y, Sc and V. This variation is also predicted for REE and Y by models based on the elastic strain theory, being consistent with the slightly lower polymerization degree estimated for the trachyphonolites. However, the observed ^Cpx/L D _(REE,Y) are matched by the modelled ones only considering very low T (≤825°C), which are believed unlikely. This mismatch cannot be attributed to effects induced by the water-rich composition of the trachyte–trachyphonolite suite, since they would lower the observed ^Cpx/L D _(REE,Y). Moreover, the anomalous inflections of measured ^Cpx/L D for HREE suggests some crystal-chemical control, such as the entrance of these elements in a site distinct from M2. It is concluded that the large ^Cpx/L D determined for trachytes and trachyphonolites are likely induced by hitherto unconstrained changes of the Z³⁺ activities related to the composition of melt and/or solid. All these considerations strongly highlight the importance of a direct characterization of trace element partitioning in natural samples from magmatic systems poorly characterized by experimental studies. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.