Shelf-basin exchange in the Laptev Sea in the warming climate: a model study

GCM-based forecast simulations predict continuously increasing seasonality of the sea ice cover and an almost ice-free, summer-time, Arctic Ocean within several decades from the present. In this study we use a primitive equation ocean model: NEMO, coupled with the sea ice model LIM2, to test the hypothesis that under such an increased range in seasonal ice cover the intensity of shelf-basin water exchange will significantly increase. We use the simulated results for the Laptev Sea from a global model run 1958–2007 and compare results for two years with anomalously high and low summer sea ice extents: 1986–1987 and 2006–2007. The shelf–basin fluxes of volume, heat and salt during specific seasons are evaluated and attributed to plausible driving processes, with particular attention to dense water cascading. Analyses of the model temperature distribution at the depth of the intermediate maximum, associated with Atlantic Water, have shown a marked increase of the amount of the local origin cold water in late winter 2007 in the region, where dense water typically appears as a result of its formation on the shelf and subsequent downslope leakage. Calculation of the shelf-basin exchange during March-May in both years confirmed a substantial increase (a factor of two) of fluxes in “ice-free” 2007 compared to the “icy” 1987. According to several past model studies, dense water production on Arctic shelves in winter driven by ice freezing and brine rejection is not likely to cease in a warmer climate, but rather to increase. There is also observational evidence that cascading in the seasonally ice covered seas (e.g. the Barents Sea) is much more efficient than it is in the permanently ice covered Arctic Ocean, which supports these model results.     

Diagenesis of Carbonate and Siderite Deposits of the Lower Riphean Bakal Formation,the Southern Urals: Sr Isotopic Characteristics and Pb-Pb Age

The Rb-Sr and U-Pb systematics were studied for carbonate rocks of the Lower Riphean Bakal Formation of the southern Urals and related siderite ores of the Bakal iron deposit. The least-altered limestones taken at a significant distance from the Bakal ore field satisfy the strict geochemical criteria of retentivity: Mn/Sr < 0.2, Fe/Sr < 0.5, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (difference between the measured ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values in secondary and primary carbonate phases) < 0.001. The least-altered carbonate phases were extracted by the stepwise dissolution in 0.5 N HBr. The Pb-Pb date of limestones (1430 ± 30 Ma) defines the age of early diagenesis of carbonate sediments of the Bakal Formation. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in the sedimentary environment of the Bakal carbonates (0.70457–0.70481) yields isotopic signature for the Early Riphean seawater. The Pb-Pb age of metasomatic siderites (1010 ± 100 Ma), which formed at the end of the main ore formation stage and did not undergo late epigenesis, corresponds to the final phases of the Grenville tectonogenesis. Siderites of the main ore formation stage are confined to central parts of the thickest carbonate units and have high ratios of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.73482–0.73876) and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (41.4–42.9). Iron-bearing solutions formed during the diagenesis of mainly Lower Riphean clayey rocks and migrated along low-density zones and faults. The solutions discharged at the interformational unconformity between the Bakal and Zigalga formations. At the contact with shales, carbonate rocks and siderites experienced the later epigenetic dolomitization (partial desideritization) caused by the circulation of solutions enriched in radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr and low-radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb. This dolomitization occurred simultaneously with the Cadomian tectonothermal activation of the region.__________Translated from Litologiya i Poleznye Iskopaemye, No. 3, 2005, pp. 227–249.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kuznetsov, Krupenin, Ovchinnikova, Gorokhov, Maslov, Kaurova, Ellmies.     

Archean metaterrigenous rocks: Major geochemical constraints

The paper summarizes data on the geochemistry of metaterrigenous rocks from 26 reference Archean territories: the Pilbara and Yilgarn blocks; Isua and Akilia complexes; Wittwatersrand, Swaziland, Pongola, and Yellowknife supergroups; Khapchanskaya and Gimol’skaya groups; Kan, Sharyzhalgai, Chupa, Slyudyanka, and Onot complexes; etc. The general sets of data points and the calculated median values of the concentrations of trace elements and their ratios are compared to those of Archean and post-Archean shales. In Ce/Cr-Co/Hf, Eu/Eu*-Gd_N/Yb_N, Ce/Cr-Th/Sc, Th/Sc-Sc, Th-La, La/Sm-Sc/Th, Yb-Gd_N/Yb_N, Th/Sc-Cr, Ni-Cr, and some other diagrams, the fields in which the most data points of Archean metaterrigenous rocks group are outlined. The results of this research indicate that there are no values of geochemical parameters that are inherent only in Archean or only in post-Archean fine-grained terrigenous rocks. Within 80–85% confidence levels, most individual compositions of Archean metaterrigenous rocks are characterized by the following geochemical parameters: (1) Th/Sc < 0.6–0.7, (2) Ce/Cr < 0.6, and (3) Eu/Eu* > 0.70–0.75. If the median values are used, these ranges can be further constrained to (i) Th/Sc < 0.55, (ii) Ce/Cr < 0.4, (iii) Cr/Th > 25, and (iv) Th < 12 ppm. Compared to PAAS, Archean metaterrigenous rocks are characterized by higher median concentrations of Cr and Ni and the Eu/Eu*, Sc/Th, Cr/Th, and Co/Hf ratios, whereas the Nb, La, Ce, Yb, Hf, Th, and U concentrations and the La/Sm and Ce/Cr ratios of PAAS are, conversely, lower. The median values of the La_N/Yb_N ratios of reference Archean terranes can be either higher or lower than in PAAS, likely depending on the proportions of various rock types in the sources of the terrigenous material. The medians of the Gd_N/Yb_N ratios of ～60% of the reference Archean metaterrigenous terranes in our databank are slightly higher than the Gd_N/Yb_N ratios of PAAS. The median values of the La_N/Sm_N ratios of Archean terrigenous rocks are mostly slightly lower than the typical PAAS ratios.     

Contribution of Grenvillian events to the formation of most complete Riphean sedimentary successions in Northern Eurasia

The Grenvillian orogeny (～1250 to 980 Ma) was one of the most significant Riphean events. It determined the formation of many structures observable now in North and South America, northwestern Europe, South Africa, Western Australia, Antarctica, and other regions. Nevertheless, its reflections in the most complete and relatively well investigated Upper Precambrian sedimentary sections of northern Eurasia such as the Riphean stratotype (Bashkir meganticlinorium) and hypostratotype (Uchur-Maya region) still remain unknown. This is primarily true of the petrographic and chemical compositions of terrigenous rocks. This work is dedicated to the analysis of peculiar features in variations of the whole-rock chemical composition of sandstones and fine-grained clastic rocks (shales, mudstones, fine-grained clayey siltstones) that constitute Middle-Upper Riphean boundary layers of the Bashkir meganticlinorium, Kama-Belaya aulacogen, and Uchur-Maya region. The analysis reveals no tendency for the decrease in the degree of the chemical and, consequently, mineralogical maturity in the upward direction through the Middle-Upper Riphean sections in the above-mentioned regions. The whole-rock compositions of fine-grained clastic rocks associated with sandstones correspond mostly to that of “common” Upper Precambrian clayey rocks. The formation of practically the entire Yurmatinian-Karatavian succession in the Bashkir meganticlinorium proceeded under relatively stable T_DM and ?_Nd(T) values. The period of 1250 to 980 Ma in the central and eastern parts of the Siberian Platform was marked by repeated rifting episodes alternating with accumulation of mature platformal sediments, although repercussions of Grenvillian collisional processes are missing from this region as well. The performed analysis provides grounds for the conclusion that contribution of the Grenvillian events to the formation of most complete Riphean successions in northern Eurasia was insignificant.     

New paleomagnetic data on baltica based on upper ediacaran deposits on the western slope of the Middle Urals

The latest concepts about the Earth’s paleogeography for the period of 700–500 million years are quite contradictory. Reliable paleomagnetic data are quite scarce for the Ediacaran-Cambrian of the majority of continental plates, which means that making any reliable global paleogeographic and paleotectonic reconstructions is impossible. According to various authors, Baltica within this time, for example, could have been located at any latitudes from the South Pole to the equator. Making correct reconstructions requires new paleomagnetic data; however, almost all objects that are applicable for such studies within Baltica have already been studied. A possible solution is to study the deformed margins of the plate, in particular, the western megazone of the Middle Urals, where the lower and upper Ediacaran volcanogenic-sedimentary and sedimentary sections are known within the Kvarkushsko-Kamennogorskii anticlinorium [1, 2] (Fig. 1). This paper presents the first paleomagnetic results obtained for the sedimentary rocks of the Upper Ediacaran Chernokamenskaya suite. They are consistent with the group of six poles of the same age [3–7], by which Baltica was located at the subequatorial latitudes at the end of the Educarian.     

Low-carbonaceous shales in the Riphean stratotype,plume events,and supercontinent breakup: Analysis of the relationship

The relationship of events of igneous plume activity to the periods of low-carbonaceous clay shale deposition has been considered in the Riphean stratotype (western slope of the Southern Urals). The relation between plume events, warm climate periods, and active black shale deposition assumed in the Early Precambrian is poorly defined in the Late Precambrian.     

The Vendian Vorogovka Group of Yenisei Ridge: Chemostratigraphy and results of U–Pb dating of detrital zircons

Application of the method of isotope stratigraphy showed that the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in the least altered carbonate rocks of the Severnaya Rechka and Sukhaya Rechka formations in the Vorogovka Group of Yenisei Ridge ranges from 0.70813 to 0.70828, and δ¹³C varies from –0.7 to +1.8‰. Comparison of these data with similar data for the Late Precambrian sequences from other regions provides evidence for the Vendian age of the Vorogovka Group. This is supported by the results of LA ICP-MS U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from sandstone of the Severnaya Rechka Formation, which is the basal level of the group: the mid-weight age of the youngest zircon population is 584 ± 3 Ma.     

Anomalous gold contents in brown coals and peat in the south-eastern region of the Western-Siberian platform

One hundred twenty-two samples of Jurassic and Paleogene brown coals and 1254 peat samples from the south-eastern region of the Western-Siberian platform were analyzed for gold by the neutron-activation method. Mean content of Au in Jurassic coals is 30 ± 8 ppb, in Paleogene coals is 10.6 ± 4.8 ppb, and in peat is 6 ± 1.4 ppb. Concentrations of gold as high as 4.4 ppm were found in coal ash and 0.48 ppm in the peat ash. Coal beds with anomalous gold contents were found at Western-Siberian platform for the first time.Negative correlation between gold and ash yield in coals and peat and highest gold concentrations were found in low-ash and ultra-low-ash coals and peat. Primarily this is due to gold's association with organic matter.For the investigation of mode of occurrence of Au in peat the bitumen, water-soluble and high-hydrolyzed substances, humic acids, cellulose and lignin were extracted from it. It was determined that in peat about 95% of gold is combined with organic matter. Forty to sixty percent of Au is contained in humic acids and the same content is in lignin. Bitumens, water-soluble and high-hydrolyzed substances contain no more than 1% of general gold quantity in peat.The conditions of accumulation of high gold concentrations were considered. The authors suggest that Au accumulation in peat and brown coals and the connection between anomalous gold concentrations and organic matter in low-ash coals and peat can explain a biogenic–sorption mechanism of Au accumulation. The sources of formation of Au high concentration were various Au–Sb, Au–Ag Au–As–Sb deposits that are abundant in the Southern and South-Eastern peripheries of the coal basin.