Effect of Carbon Dioxide on Dehydration Melting Reactions and Melt Compositions in the Lower Crust and the Origin of Alkaline Rocks

Dehydration melting experiments of alkali basalt associatedwith the Kenya Rift were performed at 0·7 and 1·0GPa, 850–1100°C, 3–5 wt % H₂O, and f_O2 nearnickel–nickel oxide. Carbon dioxide [X_CO2 = molar CO₂/(H₂O+ CO₂) = 0·2–0·9] was added to experimentsat 1025 and 1050°C. Dehydration melting in the system alkalibasalt–H₂O produces quartz- and corundum-normative trachyandesite(6–7·5 wt % total alkalis) at 1000 and 1025°Cby the incongruent melting of amphibole (pargasite–magnesiohastingsite).Dehydration melting in the system alkali basalt–H₂O–CO₂produces nepheline-normative tephriphonolite, trachyandesite,and trachyte (10·5–12 wt % total alkalis). In thelatter case, the solidus is raised relative to the hydrous system,less melt is produced, and the incongruent melting reactioninvolves kaersutite. The role of carbon dioxide in alkalinemagma genesis is well documented for mantle systems. This studyshows that carbon dioxide is also important to the petrogenesisof alkaline magmas at the lower pressures of crustal systems.Select suites of continental alkaline rocks, including thosecontaining phonolite, may be derived by low-pressure dehydrationmelting of an alkali basalt–carbon dioxide crustal system. KEY WORDS: alkali basalt; alkaline rocks; carbon dioxide; dehydration melting; phonolite     

High-pressure granulites: formation, recovery of peak conditions and implications for tectonics

High‐pressure granulites are characterised by the key associations garnet‐clinopyroxene‐plagioclase‐quartz (in basic rocks) and kyanite‐K‐feldspar (metapelites and felsic rocks) and are typically orthopyroxene‐free in both basic and felsic bulk compositions. In regional metamorphic areas, two essential varieties exist: a high‐ to ultrahigh‐temperature group and a group representing overprinted eclogites. The high‐ to ultrahigh‐temperature type formerly contained high‐temperature ternary feldspar (now mesoperthite) coexisting with kyanite, is associated with garnet peridotites, and formed at conditions above 900 °C and 1.5 GPa. Clinopyroxene in subordinate basic rocks is Al‐rich and textural evidence points to a high‐pressure–high‐temperature melting history. The second variety contains symplectite‐like or poikilitic clinopyroxene‐plagioclase intergrowths indicating former plagioclase‐free, i.e. eclogite facies assemblages. This type of rock formed at conditions straddling the high‐pressure amphibolite/high‐pressure granulite field at around 700–850 °C, 1.0–1.4 GPa. Importantly, in the majority of high‐pressure granulites, orthopyroxene is secondary and is a product of reactions at pressures lower than the peak recorded pressure. In contrast to low‐ and medium‐pressure granulites, which form at conditions attainable in the mid to lower levels of normal continental crust, high‐pressure granulites (of nonxenolith origin) mostly represent rocks formed as a result of short‐lived tectonic events that led to crustal thickening or subduction of the crust into the mantle. Short times at high‐temperature conditions are reflected in the preservation of prograde zoning in garnet and pyroxene. High‐pressure granulites of both regional types, although rare, are known from both old and young metamorphic terranes (e.g. c. 45 Ma, Namche Barwa, E Himalaya; 400–340 Ma, European Variscides; 1.8 Ga Hengshan, China; 1.9 Ga, Snowbird, Saskatchewan and 2.5 Ga Jianping, China). This spread of ages supports proposals suggesting that thermal and tectonic processes in the lithosphere have not changed significantly since at least the end of the Archean.     

Mechanical shredding of water hyacinth (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eichhornia crassipes</Emphasis>): Effects on water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta,California

Management actions to control invasive aquatic species can have significant ecosystem-scale effects. We evaluated the water chemistry and nutrient effects of mechanical shredding to control water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in an agricultural slough and a tidal wetland on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California. Shredding was conducted with two types of shredder boats in fall of 2003 and another boat in spring of 2004. Shredding measurably affected water quality, but specific effects varied as a function of shredding site and season. Significant increases were observed for total Kjeldahl nitrogen and total phosphorus for all experiments. Dissolved oxygen effects varied by site, decreasing after shredding at the agricultural slough but increasing at the tidal wetland. The increase in dissolved oxygen likely resulted from tidal incursions from the adjacent river. A year-long time series of dissolved oxygen data indicated a negative relationship between hyacinth abundance and dissolved oxygen concentrations. Hyacinth contained similar tissue concentrations of mercury to underlying sediments, suggesting that plant harvesting could aid mercury remediation efforts. Simple mass calculations indicated that Delta-wide shredding operations could cause between 0.1% and 9.6% increases in the overall abundance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the Delta water column. Results suggest that local effects of management actions to control invasive aquatic plants will vary widely as a function of site-specific hydrology, but that estuary-wide effects would be limited.     

Water Level Monitoring Pressure Transducers—A Need for Industry‐Wide Standards

There are currently no industry‐wide standards for the calibration and specification of water‐level monitoring pressure transducers. Consequently, specifications from different manufacturers are currently not directly comparable, and different branded sensors may not perform similarly under the same environmental conditions. This has been highlighted by the varied performance of 14 leading brands of pressure transducers under test conditions. In laboratory tests, transducers generally met product accuracy specifications, although temperature compensation was substandard in five absolute sensors. In a 99‐day field test, accuracy was typically within around ±10 mm for lower range pressure sensors, which exceeded some product specifications. Furthermore, there was evidence for linear and curved forms of instrument drift. As a result of the diverse performance of the transducers, it is recommended that an industry‐wide standard for calibration and specification is introduced. This would eliminate any uncertainty surrounding the current procedures and lead to more informed procurement by the user who would have a greater understanding of comparative instrument performance. Any new standard should also address sensor drift which is currently rarely cited in product specifications.     

An experimental pressure compensated wet suit

Personal thermal insulation by means of neoprene from wet suits provides adequate temporary control of body heat loss only at the shallow end of the air diving depth range, but it constitutes by far the most popular approach to diver thermal support. Howewer, compression of the trapped gas phase in neoprene foam seriously reduces its insulation performance on exposure to high ambient pressure. With conventional wet suits equipped with heating, the necessary level of power required at depths greater than about 30 m is too high, and also unsafe without the back up that increased insulation would provide. One approach to the goal of depth-insensitive insulation is to use a wet suit with a continuous internal gas space pressurized nominally to ambient pressure, so that its thickness remains substantially constant at all depths. The composite material properties required are: outer skins that are tough, flexible and free of pin holes; an open foam internal structure capable of resisting, without significant dimensional change, the relatively small pressure changes that occur over the height of a man; and a high bond strength.Samples of a composite material that meets these requirements have been developed, and a prototype suit has been successfully fabricated by conventional techniques.     

Philopatry and dispersal of juvenile leervis Lichia amia (Teleostei: Carangidae) tagged in a warm-temperate South African estuary

Understanding and characterising movement and area-use patterns of fishes within estuaries, as well as understanding the degree of connectivity between estuaries and the marine environment, can provide important insights into a species’ ecology, which is fundamental for effective management and conservation. Mark-and-recapture data obtained from the 082 TAG FISH Project, a dart-tagging programme, were used to describe movement patterns of juvenile leervis Lichia amia in the permanently open Swartkops Estuary, South Africa, as well as the degree of connectivity with the adjacent marine environment. A total of 628 juvenile leervis were tagged from 2008 to 2015, of which 77 fish (12.3%) were recaptured, with juveniles comprising 85.7% of all measured recaptures. The majority of recaptures (75.3%) were made within the Swartkops Estuary, indicating estuarine philopatry, with 23.4% having moved less than 1 km, revealing site fidelity, but most (51.9%) displaying estuarine roaming. A smaller portion of recaptures (27.7%) had dispersed to other habitats; 16 (20.8%) displayed multiple-habitat connectivity, while only 3 (3.9%) had undertaken long-distance movements (>100 km) and were recaptured up to 825 km northeast of the Swartkops Estuary. Lichia amia that had moved greater distances were characterised by a greater mean size and age at the time of recapture. This study provides valuable information on the philopatry and dispersal of juvenile L. amia.     

Analytical Solution for Testing Debris Avalanche Numerical Models

—We present here the analytical solution of a one-dimensional dam-break problem over inclined planes. This solution is used to test a numerical model developed for debris avalanches. We consider a dam with infinite length in one direction where material is released from rest at the initial instant. We solve analytically and numerically the depth-averaged long-wave equations derived in a topography-linked coordinate system. The numerical and analytical solutions provide for a Coulomb-type friction law at the base of the flow. The analytical solution is obtained by using the method of characteristics and describes the flow over a constant slope, provided that the angle is higher than the friction angle. The numerical model utilizes a finite-difference method based on a Godunov-type scheme. Comparison between analytical and numerical results illustrates the remarkable stability and precision of the numerical method as well as its ability to deal with strong discontinuities.     

Assessment of predictions of the response of the Hualien containment model during forced vibration tests

Blind predictions for the response of the 1/4-scale reinforced concrete Hualien (Taiwan) containment model during forced vibration tests are compared with the observed data. The predictions obtained by the CLASSI approach reflect the experimental conditions prior to and after backfill of the soil surrounding the embedded foundation. The experimental data show a strong and unexpected coupling between the response in the NS and EW directions which is not present in the results for the axisymmetric theoretical models. Also, significant differences can be seen between the experimental responses in the two orthogonal horizontal directions which minimize cross-axis coupling. Although these differences are not accounted for in the theoretical models, the discrepancies between predictions and observations are within the uncertainty of the structural and geotechnical data. The obtained differences between predictions and observations give an excellent measure of the prediction error that can be expected in this type of analysis from uncertainty in the data. A detailed assessment of the initial structural and geotechnical data based on extensive comparisons with the results of previous identification studies is also presented. Finally, comparisons between the observed response and calculations based on revised models for the structure and the soil show that current methods of analysis can account accurately for the observed response.