Equilibrium-disequilibrium relations in the Monte Rosa Granite,Western Alps: Petrological,Rb-Sr and stable isotope data

Nine samples from the Monte Rosa Granite have been investigated by microscopic, X-ray, wet chemical, electron microprobe, stable isotope and Rb-Sr and K-Ar methods. Two mineral assemblages have been distinguished by optical methods and dated as Permian and mid-Tertiary by means of Rb-Sr age determinations. The Permian assemblage comprises quartz, orthoclase, oligoclase, biotite, and muscovite whereas the Alpine assemblage comprises quartz, microcline, albite+epidote or oligoclase, biotite, and phengite. Disequilibrium between the Permian and Alpine mineral assemblages is documented by the following facts: (i) Two texturally distinguishable generations of white K-mica are 2 M muscovite (Si=3.1–3.2) and 2 M or 3 T phengite (Si=3.3–3.4). Five muscovites show Permian Rb-Sr ages and oxygen isotope fractionations indicating temperatures between 520 and 560 ° C; however, K-Ar ages are mixed or rejuvenated. Phengite always shows mid-Tertiary Rb-Sr ages, (ii) Two biotite generations can be recognized, although textural evidence is often ambiguous. Three out of four texturally old biotites show mid-Tertiary Rb-Sr cooling ages while the oxygen isotopic fractionations point to Permian, mixed or Alpine temperatures, (iii) Comparison of radiogenic and stable isotope relations indicates that the radiogenic isotopes in the interlayer positions of the micas were mobilized during Alpine time without recrystallization, that is, without breaking Al-O or Si-O bonds. High Ti contents in young muscovites and biotites also indicate that the octahedral (and tetrahedral) sites remained undisturbed during rejuvenation. (iv) Isotopic reversals in the order of O¹⁸ enrichment between K-feldspar and albite exist. Arguments for equilibrium during Permian time are meagre because of Alpine overprinting effects. Texturally old muscovites show high temperatures and Permian Rb-Sr ages in concordancy with Rb-Sr whole rock ages. For the tectonically least affected samples, excellent concordance between quartz-muscovite and quartz-biotite Permian temperatures implies oxygen isotope equilibrium in Permian time which was undisturbed during Alpine metamorphism. Arguments for equilibrium during the mid-Tertiary metamorphism are as follows: (i) Mid-Tertiary Rb-Sr mineral isochrons of up to six minerals exist, (ii) Oxygen isotope temperatures of coexisting Alpine phengites and biotites are concordant.The major factor for the adjustment of the Permian assemblages to Alpine conditions was the degree of Alpine tectonic overprinting rather than the maximum temperatures reached during the mid-Tertiary Alpine metamorphism. The lack of exchange with externally introduced fluid phases in the samples least affected by tectonism indicates that the Monte Rosa Granite stewed in its own juices. This seems to be the major cause for the persistence of Permian ages and corresponding temperatures.     

Temperatur-Änderungen in der Erdgeschichte

This paper on “Temperature changes in earth-history” is an extension of a lecture given as an introduction to a section of equal title on the annual meeting of the Geologische Vereinigung, March 1976, in Hannover. The general development of paleoclimatological research in the last 300 years is represented on two diagrams (fig. 1–2) showing also the part of different climatic indicators. Otherwise, however, mostly new results and problems of the last years are treated (mainly papers since 1973; references of older literature are to be found in the 3^rd edition of the author's book on “Climates of the Past” = “Klima der Vorzeit”, Enke/Stuttgart 1974). This paper refers a) to some short comments on certain climatic indicators as diamictites (a similar term isSchermerhorn's “mixtite”, but “diamictite” is 6 years older and has therefore priority to “mixtite”) and “stellate nodules” (in the chapter “Mesozoic”) indicating perhaps cool climate in the Arctic. - b) Some great ice-ages are briefly discussed: Huronian (very important because of its old age); Late Proterozoic (“Eocambrian”) with many problems on account of its pretended worldwide extension. but with many uncertainities (partly pseudotillites, inconsistent paleomagnetic poles, combination of tillites with dolomites etc.); Permo-Carboniferous (many hypothesises up to 1975 try to explain the pretended “equatorial” position of tillites); Cenozoic ice-age (once “Quaternary” ice-age), with table 1 indicating some possibilities to evaluate the beginning of glaciations in Tertiary time (fig. 4). Why does glaciation start in Antarctica in the Tertiary? (Not or not only on account of drift via South Pole, but perhaps because of high relief and changes in global paleogeography). — c) Diagram of the great ice-ages in earth-history (fig. 6 b): it probably shows not all ice-ages but only the known ones indicating their maxima (i. e. times when inlandice extended to middle latitudes). This curve is probably essentially correct back to 300–400 m. y. yet especially the Precambrian time is still mostly paleoclimatic noman's-land. It is not possible to fix beginning and end of the Pre-Tertiary ice-ages exactly but at any rate the “akryogene” climates lasted longer than the “kryogene” ones (“kryogene” defined as climate with “much ice” [“pleistokryogene”], “akryogene” not as climate “without ice” but as climate with “a little ice” [“oligokryogene”]). - d) Periodicities in the temperature history: before exact dates were available (especially for Late Proterozoic and Huronian ice-ages) and before the Sahara glaciation of the Old Paleozoic was known, a periodicity of 250–300 m. y. was likely to exist. Therefore relations to the “Galactic year” were reasonable, stimulating attempts to find out plausible mechanisms for such a relation. But now, such a periodicity seems unlikely to exist (and much more one of 155 m. y., supposed byWilliams). The relative constancy of global earth temperatures over at least more than 2 billion years is more striking than their variations, though regionally the depressions may be very conspicious (in the middle, “sensitive” latitudes). Such depressions, however, are triggered by very small climatic changes on account of the existence of a hydrosphere with temperatures very favorable for a transformation of water into ice and vice versa. No other celestial body of our solar system has these optimal conditions with the consequences of occasional initiation of ice-ages. Ice ages, so to speak, are an inherited pecularity of the earth. The earth is the only “Ice-age Planet”. Under these circumstances, relatively small factors may cause ice-ages: multilateral origin of climatic changes. The most efficient parameters may be paleogeographic variations (relief etc. inclusive continental drift). Some comments are made on the radiation curves reflecting not the direct cause of glacials and interglacials but perhaps shorter climatic variations as they appear possibly in the curves of ocean temperatures (Emiliani etc.). Volcanic ashes seem not to have any farreaching influence on global temperatures; at least it is geologically impossible to support appropriate hypothesises by observations on continental volcanic sequences. The number of ash-layers in deep-sea cores may reveal sounder arguments though much more observations are needed to corroborate this supposition. — Table 2 gives a summary of the primary (planetary), secondary (multilateral) and — in special situations — tertiary “autocyclic” causes of climatic changes. Table 3 focuses on autocycles i. e. mechanisms which run. off automatically and could have caused the regular climatic variations in the Late Pleistocene with the classic glacialinterglacial sequence (not known from the older Quaternary or Pre-Tertiary ice-ages). In my opinion the most probable hypothesises on autocycles are those which were founded on wide extending subarctic continents of the northern hemisphere (qualified for the formation of large inlandice) in combination with mighty oceanic heat storage (Stokes, D. P. Adam, R. E. Newell).     

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility variations in a single icelandic columnar basalt

Measurements of the anosotropy of magnetic susceptibility in 34 specimens drilled from a single Icelandic columnar basalt segment reveal a preferred, long-axis alignment of magnetic minerals normal to the long axis of the column and well grouped. Maximum elongation of these minerals occurs in regions which crystallized late, as independently indicated by relative samarium concentrations. We propose that the variations in magnetic mineral elongation are controlled by variations in thermal stress in the cooling column, before complete solidification. An upper limit of 75–100 bars is suggested for these stresses.     

Chloritoid-bearing metapelites associated with glaucophane rocks in western Crete,Greece

Problems related to the formation of chloritoid in metapelites, associated with lawsonite-glaucophane bearing metabasalts, in the quartzitephyllite series of western Crete (Greece) are discussed. It is supposed that chloritoid was formed, during prograde metamorphism, according to a gliding-equilibrium reaction of the type (Fe,Mg)-carpholite₁+chlorite₁ (Fe,Mg)-carpholite_{1 2}+(Fe,Mg)-chloritoid_{1 2} +chlorite_1→2+quartz+H₂O ? (Fe,Mg)-chloritoid₂+chlorite₂+quartz+H₂O. This view is stipulated by the occurrence of ferrocarpholite-chloritoid schists in the southeastern part of central Crete. The assemblage chloritoid+ lawsonite recently recognized in western Crete provides evidence that the formation of chloritoid started well within the stability field of lawsonite.     

Ferroan anorthosite: A widespread and distinctive lunar rock type

Eight of eleven Apollo 16 rake-sample anorthosites are very similar to each other, to hand-specimen Apollo 16 anorthosites, and to Apollo 15 anorthosites. They have feldspar An_96.6, both high- and low-Ca pyroxene with a restricted range of (low-magnesium) composition, minor olivine (～ Fo₆₀), traces of ilmenite and chromite, and originally coarse-grained, but now cataclastic texture. Such ferroan anorthosite is evidently a coherent, distinctive and widespread lunar rock type of cumulate origin which may not necessarily be very closely related genetically to other highland rock types.     

Free vibration and transient response of thick and thin plates using the finite element method

An isoparametric quadrilateral plate bending element is used for the free and forced vibration analysis of both thick and thin plates. Plates of rectangular, circular and triangular planform are analysed and excellent results are obtained. The element performance is assessed by comparison with analytical solutions based on Mindlin's thick plate theory, three-dimensional elasticity solutions and solutions based on thin plate theory.     

On steep isogradic surfaces in the Simplon area

The Simplon tunnel (19.7 km long) in the Central Alps crosses, at an altitude of 640–700 m, a mountain chain that culminates in Monte Leone (3 553 m). Along the tunnel axis the metamorphic grade of Mesozoic sediments, recrystallized during the Lepontine phase of the Alpine orogenesis, increases from NW to SE. Investigations on rock samples from the tunnel and from surface exposures give information in three dimensions on conditions during the culmination of Alpine regional metamorphism in the Simplon group. The succession of isograds from km 3 from the NW entrance of the tunnel in SE direction is: First occurrence of biotite, of garnet, last occurrence of albite in paragenesis with calcite, entry of feldspars of the peristerite gap and of oligoclase alone in calc-schists, marbles and amphibolites, coming in of plagioclase An > 30 associated with calcite, first occurrence of staurolite and kyanite, entry of tremolite and calcite, occurrence of plagioclase An >50 in calcschists. Correlation of the data from tunnel and surface samples shows that, in the northwestern and central part of the section, the isogradic surfaces are steeply inclined to the NW, the average dip is 60–75°, with uncertainty between 55 and 90°. In the southeastern part of the section the isogradic surfaces are overturned and dip to the E. No observations indicate gently inclined isogradic surfaces. Geological evidence excludes postmetamorphic tilting of originally subhorizontal isogradic surfaces in such a scale. It is assumed that, during the Lepontine phase, the isobaric surfaces have been subhorizontal, but that the isotherms (which roughly correspond to isograds) have formed angles greater than 45° with isobars. During the culmination of metamorphism vertical and lateral temperature gradients differed considerably from place to place in the Simplon area, and gradually changed also in one and the same direction. The Simplon area is situated near the western edge of the high-grade metamorphic zones of the Ticino complex. The metamorphic conditions described are believed to have been strongly influenced by the eastern adjacent vast thermal bulge of the Central Alps. Thus, not only in Val Bregaglia, with its quite different geological environment, at the E end of the highgrade zone and of the same thermal antiform, but also in the Simplon area in the W, isogradic surfaces are steeply inclined.