Petrology and geochronology of basalt breccia from the 1996 earthquake swarm of Loihi seamount, Hawaii: magmatic history of its 1996 eruption

 Samples of basalt were collected during the Rapid Response cruise to Loihi seamount from a breccia that was probably created by the July to August 1996 Loihi earthquake swarm, the largest swarm ever recorded from a Hawaiian volcano. ²¹⁰Po–²¹⁰Pb dating of two fresh lava blocks from this breccia indicates that they were erupted during the first half of 1996, making this the first documented historical eruption of Loihi. Sonobuoys deployed during the August 1996 cruise recorded popping noises north of the breccia site, indicating that the eruption may have been continuing during the swarm. All of the breccia lava fragments are tholeiitic, like the vast majority of Loihi's most recent lavas. Reverse zoning at the rim of clinopyroxene phenocrysts, and the presence of two chemically distinct olivine phenocryst populations, indicate that the magma for the lavas was mixed just prior to eruption. The trace element geochemistry of these lavas indicates there has been a reversal in Loihi's temporal geochemical trend. Although the new Loihi lavas are similar isotopically and geochemically to recent Kilauea lavas and the mantle conduits for these two volcanoes appear to converge at depth, distinct trace element ratios for their recent lavas preclude common parental magmas for these two active volcanoes. The mineralogy of Loihi's recent tholeiitic lavas signify that they crystallized at moderate depths (∼8–9 km) within the volcano, which is approximately 1 km below the hypocenters for earthquakes from the 1996 swarm. Taken together, the petrological and seismic evidence indicates that Loihi's current magma chamber is considerably deeper than the shallow magma chamber (∼3–4 km) in the adjoining active shield volcanoes. Received: 21 August 1997 / Accepted: 15 February 1998     

Petrography and geochemistry of carbonate void-filling cements in fossil reefs

An Investigation of the distribution of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺ and K⁺ as well as O¹⁸ and C¹³ in void-filling cements out of three fossil reefs — of Devonian and Triassic ages — shows a rhythmic fluctuation of these parameters in the successive layers. This reflects a similar change in the salinity conditions during cementation. It also leads to the presumption that the void filling process starts in early stages with a semi-closed system and later passes into a relatively closed one. Results obtained from factor analysis support this hypothesis.The original mineralogic constitution of the cements must have followed the rhythmic fluctuation of salinity with the result of forming alternative layers of aragonite and calcite. These lead, through inversion and grain growth, in later diagenetic stages to the formation of fibrous calcite.Blocky calcite represents the last stage of cementation. It crystallises out of exhausted solutions and shows no signs of inversion.Multivariate analysis of all investigated parameters reveals three factors. These were interpreted as representing Salinity, Temperature and original Mineralogy.

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Zusammenfassung Die Untersuchung der Verteilung von Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺ und K⁺, sowie O¹⁸ und C¹³ in Hohlraumzementen aus drei fossilen Riffen von devonischem und triadischem Alter zeigt eine rhythmische Schwankung in den sukzessiven Zementschalen. Die Schwankung der geochemischen Parameter reflektiert eine änderung der Salinitätsbedingungen. Dies wird unter der Annahme erklärt, daß die Ausfüllung der Hohlräume zuerst in einem halbgeschlossenen, später dann in einem relativ geschlossenen System stattfindet. Die Faktorenanalyse bestätigt diese Hypothese.Die Mineralogie der gebildeten Zemente folgt der rhythmischen Salinitätsschwankung und daraus entstand zunächst eine Wechsellagerung von calcitischen und aragonitischen Zementen.über Inversion und Sammelkristallisation bildet sich während der späteren Diagenese der fibröse Calcit, dessen rhythmische Gefügeabfolge von der ursprünglichen Mineralogie der Zemente diktiert wird. Als letzte Zementgeneration folgt blockiger Calcit aus ionenarmen Lösungen, wobei keine Umwandlung dieser Zementphase mehr erfolgt.Aus der Faktorenanalyse aller geochemischen Parameter ergeben sich drei Faktorengruppen, die die Salinität, Temperatur und ursprüngliche Bildungsmineralogie charakterisieren.

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Résumé L'examen de la répartition du Ca₂₊, Mg₂₊, Na₊, Sr₂₊ et K₊, ainsi que O¹⁸ et C¹³ dans le ciment de remplissage des vides de 3 récifs fossiles d'âge dévonien à triasique, montre une variation rythmique dans les couches successives du ciment. La variation des paramètres chimiques reflète un changement dans les conditions de la salinité. Ceci s'explique si l'on accepte que le remplissage des vides a eu lieu dans un milieu d'abord à moitié fermé, et plus tard relativement fermé. L'analyse des facteurs confirme cette hypothèse. La minéralogie du ciment formé est conforme à la variation rythmique de la salinité, d'où résulta une alternance de ciment calcitique et aragonitique.Après l'inversion et la recristallisation coalescente, il s'est formé, durant la diagenèse ultérieure de la calcite fibreuse, dont la succession structurale rythmique est dictée par la minéralogie originelle du ciment. Comme dernière génération de ciment, vient de la calcite en bloc provenant d'une solution pauvre en ions, sans qu'il s'en suive une transformation decette phase de cimentation.L'analyse des facteurs de tous les paramètres chimiques fait apparaÎtre trois groupes de facteurs qui caractérisent la salinité, la température et la minéralogie originelle de formation.

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, : Sa²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na²⁺, Sr²⁺ K⁺, ¹⁸O ¹³S . . , , , . . , . , . , , - . 3 , , .

     

Short note: A simple nomogram for interpretation due to magnetic horizontal cylinders

The magnetic anomaly ΔF due to a long horizontal cylinder yields three points related to its extrema. A nomogram is presented for the determination of some source parameters of the causative body.     

On the iron interpretation of the 6.4 keV emission line from SGR 1900+14

A 6.4 keV emission line was discovered in an unusual burst from the soft gamma repeater SGR 1900+14 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The line was detected in part of a complex multipeak precursor that preceded the unusual burst of 1998 August 29, i.e. two days after the giant flare of August 27 from the source. The origin of the line was not firmly identified and two possible interpretations were equally plausible including (a) Kα fluorescence from a small iron rich material that was ejected to the magnetosphere during the August 27 flare, and (b) proton or α-particle cyclotron resonance. If the iron scenario was correct, we expect to find evidence for the line during the intervening interval between the flare and the August 29 burst, i.e. on August 28. Here we present the results of the August 28 burst observation, taken with RXTE. We detect a total of seven bursts whose individual and joint spectra do not show evidence for spectral lines. We also investigated a sample of nine bursts before and after the August 29 burst (from 1998 June to December) that do not reveal evidence for a spectral line near 6.4 keV or elsewhere. These results disfavor the iron scenario and make the proton/α-particle cyclotron resonance interpretation more plausible. The appearance of the emission line in part of a complex burst and its absence from the studied sample indicate that the line is likely due to a transient phenomenon that may depend on the burst morphology, energetics and the properties of the emission region.      

Presence of radon in groundwater in parts of Bangalore

Presence of high levels of Radon (²²²Rn) gas was reported from groundwater in Bangalore. To ascertain the ground reality and the nature of the hazards, if any, a study was conducted by the Central Ground Water Board, Bangalore in and around Bangalore city. Groundwater samples from borewells and a dug well were collected and analysed. Available data on Radon gas from both groundwater and surface water sources were also compared. The presence of Radon gas and its concentration in groundwater were examined with respect to geology and well depths. The results are discussed in the paper.     

Eustatic and tectonic controls on Quaternary Ras Leona marine terraces (Strait of Gibraltar, northern Morocco)

Well-preserved Quaternary staircased marine terraces appear on Ras Leona limestone relief. This is a peculiar sector of the Betic-Rif Cordillera, lying in the four-way junction between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and Europe and Africa. The age and altitude correlation of the Ras Leona terraces with travertine-covered lateral equivalent terraces fashioned in the neighbouring Beni Younech area, and comparison with those along the Moroccan Atlantic coasts, would suggest that the Ras Leona terraces were mainly formed by eustatic factors. The importance of the eustasy is supported by further comparisons with Spanish and Moroccan Mediterranean terraces and with different marine terraces developed on passive-margin coasts around the world. A tectonic event occurred mainly during the period between the formation of the Maarifian and the Ouljian terraces (i.e., between 370 and 150 ka). The moderate Quaternary tectonic uplift deduced from the marine terraces and its comparison with uplifted marine terraces developed in active subduction setting disagrees with the model of an active eastwards subduction below the Gibraltar tectonic arc.     

Calibration of the parameters for a hardening–softening constitutive model using genetic algorithms

The present paper introduces a genetic algorithm-based optimization technique to calibrate a nonlinear strain hardening–softening constitutive model for soils using five material parameters. The efficiency of the proposed technique is analyzed through the use of different GA techniques. The effects of elitism, crossover, and mutation, as well as population size, on the performance of the conventional GAs for this problem are investigated. Micro-genetic algorithms (mGAs) are chosen and tested for different population sizes. The mGAs with a population size of five yields the optimal parameter values after fewer function evaluations and capture the overall simulated or experimental behavior at every point in stress–strain and strain paths in triaxial compression. The proposed calibration technique is validated through comparison with the traditional calibration technique.     

Estimation of aquifer hydraulic parameters from surface geophysical measurements: a case study of the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, central Sinai, Egypt

The integration of geophysical data with direct hydrogeological measurements can provide a minimally invasive approach to characterize the subsurface at a variety of resolutions and over many spatial scales. The field of hydrogeophysics has attracted much attention during the last two decades. In this domain, the geophysical data inverted to geophysical models are interpreted in terms of the hydrogeology to serve as a basis for the definition of hydraulic models in the areas of interest. The hydraulic conductivity (K) value measured in a reference borehole has been combined with the electrical conductivity obtained from nearby geo-electromagnetic sounding data in the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) aquifer, central Sinai, Egypt. The resulting relation was interpreted with Dar Zarrouk parameters to infer the transmissivity variations at other vertical electrical sounding locations, where K values are unknown. Coincident transient electromagnetic data have been adopted to increase accuracy while interpreting the aquifer geoelectrical properties. The results indicate that the transmissivity values in the aquifer of interest vary from 2,446 to 9,694 m²/day, and K varies from 12.9 to 57.0 m/day throughout the studied area.