Quaternary charophytes from Salina del Bebedero, Argentina: their relation with extant taxa and palaeolimnological significance

Charophyte (Charales, green macroscopic algae) assemblages found in Quaternary shoreline sediments from Salina del Bebedero, Argentina, are described in detail, illustrated, and statistically analysed. Fossil gyrogonites, Late Pleistocene and Holocene in age, of Chara cf. hispida var. major (Hartman) Wood, Chara halina García, Chara hornemannii Wallmann, Chara bulbillifera (Donterberg) García, Lamprothamnium haesseliae Donterberg and Lamprothamnium succinctum (Braun ex Ascherson) Wood were identified. A comparison with extant charophyte species of similar ecological requirements allowed for an accurate systematical determination and provided useful data for complementary palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical approaches. On this basis, a reconstruction of palaeo-salinities for the Salina del Bebedero lake, represented by eleven palaeo-beaches, is proposed. Also the associations of charophytes with the ostracods Cyprideis sp., Limnocythere sp., Pampacythere sp., Cypridopsis sp., Darwinula sp., Ilyocypris gibba (Randohr) Brady and Norman, and the foraminifers Ammonia sp., Elphidium gunteri Cole, Quinqueloculina sp., and one species of Discorbacea are analysed, since they are present in both the fossil and modern environments.     

Zn, Pb, Cu and As distribution patterns in overbank and medium-order stream sediment samples: their use in exploration and environmental geochemistry

Overbank and medium-order stream sediment samples were collected in Belgium and Luxembourg from 66 sampling locations (area of about 33,000 km²) and analysed for major and trace elements among which Zn, Pb, Cu and As. At each sampling location large bulk samples were taken, namely in the lower (normally at ≥1.5 m depth, over an interval of about 20–40 cm) and upper (normally upper 5–25 cm) parts of the overbank profiles and from the stream sediments. Furthermore, at a number of these sites, a detailed geochemical analysis of vertical overbank sediment profiles (sampling intervals of 10–20 cm) was subsequently carried out to unravel element variations through time and to help in the overall evaluation. For most sampled sections evidences such as ¹⁴C-dating and the absence of anthropogenic particles point towards a pre-industrial and often pristine origin of the lower overbank sediment samples. From the latter bulk samples, mean background concentrations were deduced. They reveal the existence of significant differences between the northern and southern part of Belgium (incl. Luxembourg) which relate to the difference in geological substrate. In the north dominantly non-lithified Quaternary and Tertiary sands, marls and clays occur while in the south Palaeozoic sandstones, shales and carbonate rocks outcrop. Consequently separate mean background values were calculated for the two areas. In the southern study area, some anomalous metal concentrations have been recorded in pre-industrial sediments. They are derived from mineralised Palaeozoic rocks, a feature which could be of interest for base metal exploration. In the upper overbank and stream sediments, in general, higher heavy metal and As contents were recorded with highest values in areas with metal mining, metal melting and cokes treatment industries. By comparing the trace element concentrations of the upper overbank or stream sediment samples with the concentrations detected in the lower overbank samples at each of the sampling locations, and by evaluating the vertical distribution patterns where available, the degree of pollution of the alluvial plain and the present-day stream sediments can be assessed. From this exercise, it is clear that highest pollution occurs in the northern part of Belgium, which relates to its high population density and industrial development.     

Trace Metals in Selected Benthic Invertebrates from Belgian Coastal Waters (1981–1996)

Mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc and chromium were assessed in brown shrimp (Crangon crangon), swimming crab (Liocarcinus holsatus), hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus), starfish (Asterias rubens) and cut trough shell (Spisula subtruncata) from ten sampling stations off the Belgian coast, including three dredge spoils disposal sites. Calculations of time trends indicated that on the whole concentrations of trace metals had significantly decreased since 1981, also on dredged material dumping sites. Starfish and hermit crab were found to be the most promising benthic indicator species for metal contamination. Globally, the location of the sites, including the dredge spoils disposal zones, showed to be of little influence on the concentrations of trace metals.     

Estimation of Mining Tremor Occurrence by Using Neural Networks

—Changes of the primary strain-stress state (caused by interaction between natural conditions and mining activity) can result, under special circumstances, to the origin of seismic induced events. The question of induced seismic activity prediction was treated as a problem of time series extrapolation of maximum cumulative amplitudes and numbers of seismic events recorded per day. The treatment was carried out by means of Multilayered Perceptron Neural Networks (MLP NN). The application to mining tremor prediction has been tested and methodological conditions have been obtained. It was proved that the prediction of the number of mining tremors per day is more precise than the prediction of future energy (maximum amplitudes). Further advance, based on the processing of seismo-acoustic activity series, is introduced.     

Nighttime convection in the interior of a dense Douglas fir forest

Infrared radiative surface temperatures as observed over a dense Douglas fir forest during stable atmospheric conditions are analyzed. It is shown that the concept of a single surface temperature to describe both the thermal coupling and the radiative coupling between atmosphere and forest fails when longwave cooling is large and wind speeds are low. In such cases a decoupling of the radiative surface temperature from the air temperature aloft is observed. Conditions for decoupling are formulated in terms of an appropriate Richardson number. It is shown that a convective surface temperature comes into play that is coupled to the forest interior air temperature. Observed radiative surface temperature is then composed of this convective surface temperature and the aerodynamic surface temperature. Forest interior air temperature during nighttime is, in general, lower than air temperature above the canopy. A simple two-layer canopy model is used to explain this phenomenon in terms of the distribution of atmospheric sensible heat flux and storage heat flux over the two canopy layers.     

Origin and implications of mafic xenoliths associated with Cenozoic extension-related volcanism in the Válencia Trough, NE Spain

Summary The Válencia Trough of northeastern Spain represents a poorly understood region of Cenozoic extension-related magmatism in western Europe. We present chemical data on mafic xenoliths and their host basalt from the Roca Negra cinder cone in the Catalán Volcanic Zone in the Válencia Trough. The xenoliths consist of augite+hornblende+ oxides±plagioclase±apatite±olivine::Lbiotitelorthopyroxene, and range from clinopyroxenites and hornblendites to gabbroic rocks. The major and trace element compositions of the xenoliths are compatible with formation as cumulates from a range of olivine tholeiitic to strongly alkaline magmas, and show a strong affinity to the Middle Miocene to Recent rift-related magmatism in the Cátalan Volcanic Zone. The xenoliths formed at temperatures of 1110–1180 °C, pressures of 2–7 kb (with 10 kb as the upper limit), and oxygen fugacities corresponding to 1–2 log units above the NNO oxygen buffer. The estimated pressure range implies formation in magma chambers within the crust, possibly also near the crust/mantle boundary (underplating). The presence of crustal cumulates indicates that the total volume of magmas emplaced into the crust in the Cátalan Volcanic Zone may be significantly larger than indicated by surface exposures. Isotopic compositions of the xenoliths are⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.703537–0.703647,¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd: 0.512732–0.512766,²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 18.097–19.106,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.522–15.579, and²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 37.850–38.794. This range suggests the involvement of two mantle source components. One of these may be the low-velocity component recognized in Cenozoic magmatism in the eastern Atlantic Ocean to central Europe and western Mediterranean. The other component, which differs from those involved in other domains of Cenozoic volcanism in Europe and adjacent areas, may be located in the lithospheric mantle underlying NE Spain, which was metasomatized during late Variscan to early Alpine deformation.

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Herkunft und Bedeutung mafischer Xenolithe aus känozoiscben Extensions-bezogenen Vulkaniten aus dem Valencia Trog, Nordost-Spanien

Zusammenfassung Der Válencia Trog in Nordost-Spanien stellt eine noch wenig verstandene Region mit känozoischen Extensions-bezogenern Magmatismus in Westeuropa dar. Wir geben hier chemische Daten über mafische Xenolithe und ihre basaltischen Muttergesteine aus dem Roca Negra Kegei in der vulkanischen Zone von Catalan im Valencia Trog. Die Xenolithe bestehen aus Augit+Hornblende+Oxiden±Plagioklas±Apatit±Olivin±Biotit±Orthopyroxen und reichen in ihrer Zusammensetzung von Klinopyroxeniten und Homblenditen his zu gabbroischen Gesteinen. Die Haupt- und Spurenelementzusammensetzung der Xenolithe entspricht einer Kumulatbildung aus Olivin-tholéitischen bis stark alkalischen Magmen and zeigt eine deutliche Affinität mit dem mittelmiozanen bis rezenten Rift-bezogenen Magmatismus in der vulkanischen Zone von Catalan. Die Xenolithe bildeten sich bei Temperaturen von 1.110 bis 1.180 °C und bei Drucken von 2–7 kb (mit 10 kb als Obergrenze) und bei Sauerstoff-Fugazitäten, die 1 bis 2 log Einheiten über dem NNO Sauerstoff-Puffer liegen. Die abgeschätzten Drucke weisen auf Bildung in Magmakammern innerhalb der Kruste bin, womölich auch in der Nähe der Kruste-Mantelgrenze (Underplating). Das Vorkommen von krustalen Kumulaten zeigt, daß das gesamte Volumen von Magma, das in die Kruste der vulkanischen Zone von Catalan eingedrungen ist, wesentlich größer ist als das, das man aus Oberflächen-Ausbissen entnehmen k6nnte. Die Isotopen-Zusammensetzung der Xenolithe sind⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.703537–0.703647,¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd: 0.512732–0.512766,²⁰⁶Pb/204 Pb: 18.097–19.106,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.522–15.579, and²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 37.850–38.794. Dies läßt erkennen, daß es sich bier um zwei verschiedene Mantel-Quellen handelt. Eine davon könnte die Niedrig-Geschwindigkeitskomponente sein, die man in känozoiscben Magmatiten des östlichen Atlantischen Ozeans, sowie in Zentraleuropa und im westlichen Mittelmeer erkannt hat. Die andere Komponete unterscheidet sich von jenen, die in anderen Bereichen von känozoischem Vulkanismus in Europa und benachbarten Gebieten vorkommen. Sie könnte im lithosphärischen Mantel unterhalb von Nordost-Spanien liegen, der während der variszischen bis zur frühalpidischen Deformation metasomatisch beeinflußt wurde.

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With 10 Figures     

Discontinuous Nature of the Lower Part of the South American Wadati-Benioff Zone in The Arica Elbow Region

The Arica Elbow region represents that part of Andean South America where the azimuth of the strike of the Peru-Chile trench changes from 150° to 190°. The area under study is roughly bounded by latitudes 17 °S and 23 °S, The shape of the Wadati-Benioff zone was studied in terms of the distribution of ISC hypocentres dated between 1964 and 1993. A system of 22 vertical cross-sections, perpendicular to the trench axis, and a map of epicentres was used to derive the detailed shape of the Wadati-Benioff zone of the presently descending slab. The distribution of earthquake foci indicates a fingerlike shape of the lower part of the Wadati-Benioff zone beneath the aseismic gap. The slab length shows small changes around 350 km in the northern sections, pronounced length oscillations between 350 and 750 km in the neighbouring central sections and a constant value of 650 km in the southern sections. The dip and thickness of the Wadati-Benioff zone are practically constant in all sections. Fault plane solutions, separated spatially into three zones, were used to estimate the state of stress in the slab.