Petrology and Geochemistry of the Volcanic Rocks Dredged from the Geophysicist Seamount in the Kurile Basin: Evidence for the Existence of Thinned Continental Crust

Dredged samples from the Geophysicist seamount volcano in the northeastern part of the Kurile Basin include volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks ranging from basalt to andesite. The rocks have geochemical features typical of high-K island-arc calc-alkaline volcanism. They are enriched in LILE and depleted in Zr, Ti, Nb, Ta and Y. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns are characterized by enrichment of LREE similar to those of island-arc lava from the submarine volcanoes of rear-arc zone of the Kurile Island Arc. The volcanic rocks have a wide range of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70287-0.70652), varying ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and Pb isotopic ratios. Their trace-element compositions and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope signatures may be explained by a small addition of crustal continental component to mantle-derived magmas that suggest the existence of thinned continental basement under the eastern part of the Kurile Basin.     

Dissolution rates and activation energy for dissolution of brucite (001) : A new method based on the microtopography of crystal surfaces

Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) was used to develop a method which can provide quantitative kinetic data of crystal growth and dissolution. Based on observations of single crystal faces in monolayer resolution, morphology and temperature dependent growth and dissolution rates can be obtained. From these kinetic data activation energies can be calculated and compared with existing theories. The experimental method works by extracting grown or dissolved terrace areas and step densities from image sequences taken at different temperatures. As an example, the method is applied for dissolution on the brucite (001) surface in acidic water (pH 2.7) within the temperature range of 21 to 35°C. At these conditions the dissolution rate depends nonlinearly on the step density and gives evidence for interstep interaction. The calculated activation energy for dissolution is 60 ± 12 kJ mol⁻¹. With this high activation energy, dissolution cannot be regarded as a transport-controlled process, and is therefore surface controlled.     

Reconstruction of palaeosalinity using carbon isotopes and benthic associations: a comparison

Carbon and oxygen isotopes were determined on 40 recrystallized shells of Late Jurassic bivalves from the Lusitanian Basin of Portugal. In contrast with the oxygen isotopes, which exhibited considerable diagenetic distortion, the carbon isotopes are thought to preserve a record of the salinity of the Jurassic marginal marine seas in which these bivalves lived. The reconstructed palaeosalinities range from 35%o (euhaline) to 5% (oligohaline). Comparing these values with the palaeosalinity reconstructed from a palaeoecological analysis of 17 stratigraphic levels within the basin, the independently derived values agree in most cases. Strongly differing values are explained as being due to biotic factors and to diagenetic distortion of the isotopic signal; they are less likely to be due to smallscale time-averaging or insufficient microstratigraphic sampling. On the whole, the carbon isotope analyses are thought to produce reasonable palaeosalinity values, although data from infaunal, originally aragonitic bivalves appear to be less reliable than those from epifaunal bivalves with a predominantly or exclusively calcitic shell. As diagenetic alteration of the carbon isotope signal is, however, unpredictable and biotic effects on the isotopic composition are insufficiently known, palaeosalinity reconstructions based on stable isotope data should be supported by palaeoecological data.     

Vulnerable or Resilient? A Multi-Scale Assessment of Climate Impacts and Vulnerability in Norway

This paper explores the issue of climate vulnerability in Norway, an affluent country that is generally considered to be resilient to the impacts of climate change. In presenting a multi-scale assessment of climate change impacts and vulnerability in Norway, we show that the concept of vulnerability depends on the scale of analysis. Both exposure and the distribution of climate sensitive sectors vary greatly across scale. So do the underlying social and economic conditions that influence adaptive capacity. These findings question the common notion that climate change may be beneficial for Norway, and that the country can readily adapt to climate change. As scale differences are brought into consideration, vulnerability emerges within some regions, localities, and social groups. To cope with actual and potential changes in climate and climate variability, it will be necessary to acknowledge climate vulnerabilities at the regional and local levels, and to address them accordingly. This multi-scale assessment of impacts and vulnerability in Norway reinforces the importance of scale in global change research.     

Preparation and Measurement of Cassiterite for Sn Isotope Analysis

Increased interest in the fractionation of Sn isotopes has led to the development of several techniques for preparing cassiterite (SnO₂, the primary ore of Sn) for isotopic analysis. Two distinct methods have been applied in recent isotopic studies of cassiterite: (a) reduction to tin metal with potassium cyanide (KCN) at high temperature (800 °C), with subsequent dissolution in HCl, and (b) reduction to a Sn solution with hydriodic acid (HI) at low temperature (100 °C). This study compares the effectiveness and accuracy of these two methods and contributes additional methodological details. The KCN method consistently yielded more Sn (> 70% in comparison with < 5%), does not appear to fractionate Sn isotopes at high temperatures over a 2‐hour period and produced consistent Sn isotope values at flux mass ratios of ≥ 4:1 (flux to mineral) with a minimum reduction time of 40 min. By means of a distillation experiment, it was demonstrated that HI could volatilise Sn, explaining the consistently low yields by this method. Furthermore, the distillation generated Sn vapour, which is up to 0.38‰ per mass unit different from the starting material, the largest induced Sn fractionation reported to date. Accordingly, the HI method is not recommended for cassiterite preparation for Sn isotopic analysis.     

Climate Suitability for Stable Malaria Transmission in Zimbabwe Under Different Climate Change Scenarios

Climate is one factor that determines the potential range of malaria. As such, climate change may work with or against efforts to bring malaria under control. We developed a model of future climate suitability for stable Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission in Zimbabwe. Current climate suitability for stable malaria transmission was based on the MARA/ARMA model of climatic constraints on the survival and development of the Anopheles vector and the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite. We explored potential future geographic distributions of malaria using 16 projections of climate in 2100. The results suggest that, assuming no future human-imposed constraints on malaria transmission, changes in temperature and precipitation could alter the geographic distribution of malaria in Zimbabwe, with previously unsuitable areas of dense human population becoming suitable for transmission. Among all scenarios, the highlands become more suitable for transmission, while the lowveld and areas with low precipitation show varying degrees of change, depending on climate sensitivity and greenhouse gas emission stabilization scenarios, and depending on the general circulation model used. The methods employed can be used within or across other African countries.     

Zur Sedimentologie eines arktischen Deltas (Colville Delta,Nordalaska)

Zusammenfassung Im August 1971 wurden vom Verfasser Feldarbeiten zur Sedimentologie des Colville Deltas, Alaska, durchgeführt. Aus subaquatischen Typlokalitäten wurden Probenkerne gezogen und auf Strukturen, Korngrößen und Mineralogie hin untersucht. Neben konventionellen Labormethoden kamen moderne elektronische Verfahren zum Einsatz (Röntgenradiographie, Röntgendiffraktometrie, Elektronenmikroskopie). Die Arbeiten sind Teil eines Programmes, dessen Gesamtleitung Prof. Dr. H. J. Walker, Baton Rouge, USA, hatte und das unterstützt wurde von: Arctic Program and Geography Programs, Office of Naval Research.

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In August 1971, sedimentological field work was carried out by the author in the Colville River delta, Alaska. Short cores were taken from several deltaic environments and analyzed for structure and composition. Laboratory analysis included both conventional laboratory methods and modern electronic techniques (radiography, X-ray diffractometry, electron microscopy). The research reported is part of a program headed by Prof. Dr. H. J. Walker, Baton Rouge, USA, and was supported by the Arctic Program and Geography Programs, Office of Naval Research.

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Résumé En auguste 1971 l'auteur a étudié sur le terrain la sédimentologie du delta de Colville (Alaska). On a prélevé des échantillons dans des profiles de divers environnements typiques; on en a examiné les structures et la composition par les méthodes traditionelles et électroniques (rayons X, radiographie et diffractométrie, microscope électronique). Ces investigations font partie d'un programme sous la direction du Prof. Dr. H. J. Walker, Baton Rouge, USA, subventionné par »Arctic Program and Geography Programs, Office of Naval Research«.

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1971 . , . , . , - , . , . . H. J. Walker, Baton Rouge, USA Arctic Program, and Geography Programs, Office of Naval Research.

     

Sedimentary architecture of a glaciolacustrine braidplain delta: proxy evidence of a pre‐Middle Wisconsinan glaciation (Grimshaw gravels,Interior Plains,Canada)

The erosional nature of glacial systems commonly results in removal of direct evidence of previous glaciation (e.g. till and moraine). Therefore, reconstruction of former ice‐margin positions may rely, in part, on indirect (proxy) evidence from the sedimentary record. This study examines the facies and sedimentary architecture of a pre‐Middle Wisconsinan sand and gravel deposit (the ‘Grimshaw gravels’), which is positioned between areas where previous stratigraphical investigations have identified single (Late Wisconsinan) and multiple (pre‐Middle to Late Wisconsinan) glaciation by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Five facies associations (FAs) are characterized within the deposit, which, together with the sedimentary architecture, record a transition from a braided river environment in the west (FA1‐3) to a gravelly braidplain delta front in the east (FA4 and 5). We propose that the Grimshaw gravels braid delta formed at the margin of a body of water that occupied the ancestral Peace River valley, probably impounded by the LIS; hence, the Grimshaw braid delta provides proxy evidence of the presence of an ice margin (previously unrecognized) in the Peace River lowland prior to the Middle Wisconsinan. This study provides further understanding of the origin of the Grimshaw gravels deposit, allowing re‐evaluation of previous models of formation. These findings offer insight into the glacial history of the southwestern margin of the LIS, and may help to refine ice‐sheet reconstructions spanning the Wisconsinan glaciation.