Tree-ring dates on two pre-Little Ice Age advances in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA

Two interstadial tree ring-width chronologies from Geikie Inlet, Glacier Bay Southeast, Alaska were built from 40 logs. One of these chronologies has been calendar dated to AD 224–999 (775 yr) crossdating with a living ring-width chronology from Prince William Sound, Alaska. Trees in this chronology were likely killed through inundation by sediments and meltwater from the advancing Geikie Glacier and its tributaries ca. AD 850. The earlier tree-ring chronology spans 545 yr and is a floating ring-width series tied to radiocarbon ages of about 3000 cal yr BP. This tree-ring work indicates two intervals of glacial expansion by the Geikie Glacier system toward the main trunk glacier in Glacier Bay between 3400 and 3000 cal yr BP and again about AD 850. The timing of both expansions is consistent with patterns of ice advance at tidewater glaciers in other parts of Alaska and British Columbia about the same time, and with a relative sea-level history from just outside Glacier Bay in Icy Strait. This emerging tree-ring dated history builds on previous radiocarbon-based glacial histories and is the first study to use tree-ring dating to assign calendar dates to glacial activity for Glacier Bay.     

A process-based approach to estimate lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) distribution in the Pacific Northwest under climate change

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) is a widely distributed species in the Pacific Northwest of North America. The extent that the current distribution of this species may be altered under a changing climate is an important question for managers of wood supply as well as those interested in conservation of subalpine ecosystems. In this paper, we address the question, how much might the current range of the species shift under a changing climate? We first assessed the extent that suboptimal temperature, frost, drought, and humidity deficits affect photosynthesis and growth of the species across the Pacific Northwest with a process-based model (3-PG). We then entered the same set of climatic variables into a decision-tree model, which creates a suite of rules that differentially rank the variables, to provide a basis for predicting presence or absence of the species under current climatic conditions. The derived decision-tree model successfully predicted weighted presence and absence recorded on 12,660 field survey plots with an accuracy of ~70%. The analysis indicated that sites with significant spring frost, summer temperatures averaging <15°C and soils that fully recharged from snowmelt were most likely to support lodgepole pine. Based on these criteria, we projected climatic conditions through the twenty-first century as they might develop without additional efforts to reduce carbon emissions using the Canadian Climate Centre model (CGCM2). In the 30-year period centered around 2020, the area suitable for lodgepole pine in the Pacific Northwest was projected to be reduced only slightly (8%). Thereafter, however, the projected climatic conditions appear to progressively favor other species, so that by the last 30 years of twenty-first century, lodgepole pine could be nearly absent from much of its current range. We conclude that process-based models, because they are highly sensitive to seasonal variation in solar radiation, are well adapted to identify the importance of different climatic variables on photosynthesis and growth. These same variables, once indentified, and run through a decision-tree model, provide a reasonable approach to predict current and future patterns in a species?? distribution.     

Microstructural evolution during experimental albitization of K-rich alkali feldspar

Crystals of K-feldspar (C2/m), in contact with highly concentrated aqueous NaCl solutions at 500°C and 200 MPa, are pseudomorphically replaced by high albite (C[`1]) (C\bar{1}) as a result of an interface-coupled dissolution/reprecipitation process. The reaction occurs at an extremely sharp reaction front (<10 nm) and involves the complete breakdown of the initial framework structure. This results in the release of tetrahedrally incorporated elements such as Fe³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ and a significant increase in Si/Al disorder across the reaction interface. The evolving microstructure is controlled by crystallographic relations between the phases. This leads to highly anisotropic, sawtooth-shaped intergrowths of albite and initial K-feldspar, resulting in the least structural misfit between the two framework structures. As a result, the newly formed interfaces appear to be semicoherent, and cracks across the reaction fronts even indicate elastic strain. The reaction produces 2 distinctive albite types (albite-1 and albite-2). Both are polycrystalline, with albite-2 showing significantly larger subgrain sizes. This indicates a secondary coarsening step driven by the reduction in interfacial energy within the polycrystalline replacement product. The reaction also produces a highly porous rim. However, the porosity is not evenly distributed resulting in a porous albite-1 and a non-porous albite-2 that mostly surrounds large, euhedral pores. Despite the substantial volume fraction of porosity in albite-1, no significant 3D interconnectivity could be detected, making the presence of a pervasive porosity unlikely. However, the result of coarsening is the continuous modification of the 3D porosity distribution. This could potentially provide a mechanism for fluid transport through the replacement rim until textural and chemical equilibration is achieved.     

Ash storms: impacts of wind-remobilised volcanic ash on rural communities and agriculture following the 1991 Hudson eruption,southern Patagonia,Chile

Tephra fall from the August 1991 eruption of Volcán Hudson affected some 100,000 km² of Patagonia and was almost immediately reworked by strong winds, creating billowing clouds of remobilised ash, or ‘ash storms’. The immediate impacts on agriculture and rural communities were severe, but were then greatly exacerbated by continuing ash storms. This paper describes the findings of a 3-week study tour of the diverse environments of southern Patagonia affected by ash storms, with an emphasis on determining the impacts of repeated ash storms on agriculture and local practices that were developed in an attempt to mitigate these impacts. Ash storms produce similar effects to initial tephra eruptions, prolonged for considerable periods. These have included the burial of farmland under dune deposits, abrasion of vegetation and contamination of feed supplies with fine ash. These impacts can then cause problems for grazing animals such as starvation, severe tooth abrasion, gastrointestinal problems, corneal abrasion and blindness, and exhaustion if sheep fleeces become laden with ash. In addition, ash storms have led to exacerbated soil erosion, human health impacts, increased cleanup requirements, sedimentation in irrigation canals, and disruption of aviation and land transport. Ash deposits were naturally stabilised most rapidly in areas with high rainfall (>1,500 mm/year) through compaction and enhanced vegetation growth. Stabilisation was slowest in windy, semi-arid regions. Destruction of vegetation and suppression of regrowth by heavy tephra fall (>100 mm) hindered the stabilisation of deposits for years, and reduced the surface friction which increased wind erosivity. Stabilisation of tephra deposits was improved by intensive tillage, use of windbreaks and where there was dense and taller vegetative cover. Long-term drought and the impracticality of mixing ash deposits with soil by tillage on large farms was a barrier to stabilising deposits and, in turn, agricultural recovery. The continuing ash storms motivated the partial evacuation of small rural towns such as Chile Chico (Chile) and Los Antiguos (Argentina) in September–December 1991, after the primary tephra fall in August 1991. Greatly increased municipal cleanup efforts had to be sustained beyond the initial tephra fall to cope with the ongoing impacts of ash storms. Throughout the 1990s, ash storms contributed to continued population migration out of the affected area, leaving hundreds of farms abandoned on the Argentine steppe. The major lesson from our study is the importance of stabilisation of ash deposits as soon as possible after the initial eruption, particularly in windy, arid climates. Suggested mitigation measures include deep cultivation of the ash into the soil and erecting windbreaks.     

Vent fluid chemistry of the Rainbow hydrothermal system (36°N, MAR): Phase equilibria and in situ pH controls on subseafloor alteration processes

The Rainbow hydrothermal field is located at 36°13.8′N-33°54.15′W at 2300 m depth on the western flank of a non-volcanic ridge between the South AMAR and AMAR segments of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The hydrothermal field consists of 10-15 active chimneys that emit high-temperature (∼365 °C) fluid. In July 2008, vent fluids were sampled during cruise KNOX18RR, providing a rich dataset that extends in time information on subseafloor chemical and physical processes controlling vent fluid chemistry at Rainbow. Data suggest that the Mg concentration of the hydrothermal end-member is not zero, but rather 1.5-2 mmol/kg. This surprising result may be caused by a combination of factors including moderately low dissolved silica, low pH, and elevated chloride of the hydrothermal fluid. Combining end-member Mg data with analogous data for dissolved Fe, Si, Al, Ca, and H₂, permits calculation of mineral saturation states for minerals thought appropriate for ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems at temperatures and pressures in keeping with constraints imposed by field observations. These data indicate that chlorite solid solution, talc, and magnetite achieve saturation in Rainbow vent fluid at a similar pH_(T,P) (400 °C, 500 bar) of approximately 4.95, while higher pH values are indicated for serpentine, suggesting that serpentine may not coexist with the former assemblage at depth at Rainbow. The high Fe/Mg ratio of the Rainbow vent fluid notwithstanding, the mole fraction of clinochlore and chamosite components of chlorite solid solution at depth are predicted to be 0.78 and 0.22, respectively. In situ pH measurements made at Rainbow vents are in good agreement with pH_(T,P) values estimated from mineral solubility calculations, when the in situ pH data are adjusted for temperature and pressure. Calculations further indicate that pH_(T,P) and dissolved H₂ are extremely sensitive to changes in dissolved silica owing to constraints imposed by chlorite solid solution-fluid equilibria. Indeed, the predicted correlation between dissolved silica and H₂ defines a trend that is in good agreement with vent fluid data from Rainbow and other high-temperature ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems. We speculate that the moderate concentrations of dissolved silica in vent fluids from these systems result from hydrothermal alteration of plagioclase and olivine in the form of subsurface gabbroic intrusions, which, in turn are variably replaced by chlorite + magnetite + talc ± tremolite, with important implications for pH lowering, dissolved sulfide concentrations, and metal mobility.     

A multi-proxy approach to assessing isolation basin stratigraphy from the Lofoten Islands, Norway

This study takes a comprehensive approach to characterizing the isolation sequence of Heimerdalsvatnet, a coastal lake in the Lofoten Islands, northern Norway. We use established methods and explore new techniques to assess changes in marine influence. Bathymetric and sub-bottom profiles were acquired to examine basin-wide sedimentation and a 5.8 m sediment core spanning the last 7800 cal yr BP was analyzed. We measured magnetic susceptibility, bulk organic matter properties, molecular biomarkers, diatom assemblages, and elemental profiles acquired by scanning X-ray fluorescence. These characteristics of the sediment reflect detailed changes in salinity and water column conditions as the lake was progressively isolated. Three distinct litho/chemo-stratigraphic units represent a restricted marine phase (7800-6500 cal yr BP), a transitional phase characterized by intermittent marine influence (6500-4900 cal yr BP), and complete isolation and freshwater sedimentation (4900 cal yr BP to present). Although there are uncertainties in the estimate of the threshold elevation of the lake, the timing of these phases generally corresponds with previous interpretations of the local relative sea-level history. This record captures sea-level regression following the Tapes transgression and supports the interpretation of a subsequent sea-level stillstand, dated in Heimerdalsvatnet from 6500 to 4900 cal yr BP.     

Titanoceratops ouranos, a giant horned dinosaur from the late Campanian of New Mexico

At the end of the Cretaceous, 65.5 million years ago, the giant ceratopsids Triceratops and Torosaurus dominated North America’s dinosaur fauna. The origins of these giant ceratopsids, the Triceratopsini, are poorly understood. This paper describes Titanoceratops ouranos, a giant ceratopsid from the late Campanian (73-74 Ma) of New Mexico, and the earliest known triceratopsin. The holotype was previously interpreted as an aberrant and exceptionally large specimen of Pentaceratops sternbergi, but the animal does not show the diagnostic features of Pentaceratops. Instead, cladistic analysis shows that Titanoceratops is the sister taxon of a clade formed by Eotriceratops, Triceratops, and Torosaurus. With an estimated mass of 6.5 tons, Titanoceratops is among the largest dinosaurs known from the Campanian of North America, and rivaled Triceratops in size. The recognition of Titanoceratops suggests that giant chasmosaurines evolved once, among the Triceratopsini, and that the group evolved large size five million years earlier than previously thought. The giant horned dinosaurs probably originated in the southern part of the North American continent during the Campanian but only became widespread during the Maastrichtian.     

Curious Magnetic Changes in a Quiet Region

We describe the evolution of weak magnetic fields in a quiet region observed at the Big Bear Solar Observatory on 1 October 1996. We observed puzzling changes in which one polarity changed without corresponding increases or decreases in the other. In the rest of the same field, no special changes were observed, and a search of nearby days revealed no similar changes. We do not wish to call Maxwell's laws into question, we simply state that there are surprising effects that we cannot understand with current models.     

Insights into the Hadean Earth from experimental studies of zircon

Geologists investigate the evolution of the atmosphere, crust, and mantle through time by direct study of the rock record. However, the Hadean eon (>3.85 Ga) has been traditionally viewed as inaccessible due to the absence of preserved rocks. The discovery of >4.0 Ga detrital zircons from Western Australia in the 1980s — coupled with the development of new micro-analytical capabilities — made possible new avenues of early Earth research. The prevailing view that emerged is that the early Earth may have contained a stable hydrosphere, water-saturated or (near watersaturated) granitic magmas, and volcanic emanations dominated by neutral gas species (e.g., CO₂, H₂O, and SO₂). The Hadean Earth may have been capable of supporting life ～200 Ma after accretion and perhaps earlier. Many of these models are formulated — or have been subsequently supported — by laboratory experiments of zircon. Important petrological variables such as temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity, and component activities (e.g., SiO₂/TiO₂-activities) can be controlled. These experiments are fundamental for extrapolation to ‘deep time’ because they provide a means to understand primary chemistry preserved in ancient zircons. This review paper specifically focuses on zircon experimental studies (oxygen isotope fractionations, Ti-thermometry, and redox sensitive element incorporation into zircon), which have influenced our view of the very early Earth.     

Tephrochronology,magnetostratigraphy and mammalian faunas of Middle and Early Pleistocene sediments at two sites on the Old Crow River,northern Yukon Territory,Canada

Alluvial and lacustrine sediments exposed beneath late Pleistocene glaciolacustrine silt and clay at two sites along the Old Crow River, northern Yukon Territory, are rich in fossils and contain tephra beds. Surprise Creek tephra (SZt) occurs in the lower part of the alluvial sequence at CRH47 and Little Timber tephra (LTt) is present near the base of the exposure at CRH94. Surprise Creek tephra has a glass fission-track age of 0.17 ± 0.07 Ma and Little Timber tephra is 1.37 ± 0.12 Ma. All sediments at CRH47 have a normal remanent magnetic polarity and those near LTt at CRH94 have a reversed polarity — in agreement with the geomagnetic time scale. Small mammal remains from sediments near LTt support an Early Pleistocene age but the chronology is not so clear at CRH47 because of the large error associated with the SZt age determination. Tephrochronological and paleomagnetic considerations point to an MIS 7 age for the interglacial beds just below SZt at CRH47 and at Chester Bluffs in east-central Alaska, but mammalian fossils recovered from sediments close to SZt suggest a late Irvingtonian age, therefore older than MIS 7. Further studies are needed to resolve this problem.