Geologische Probleme bei der Anlage von Naturschutzgebieten

Zusammenfassung Der gestaltende Naturschutz bezweckt eine Verbesserung bzw. Regeneration gefährdeter oder zerstörter Biotope, besonders der Feuchtbiotope.Die Schaffung solcher Biotope, die im allgemeinen mit der Anlage einer Wasserfläche eingeleitet wird, erfordert vor allem eine geologische Beurteilung des Baugrundes und der Wasserführung. Für eine möglichst effektive Erstellung müssen darüber hinaus schon bei der Planung die regionalgeologischen Gegebenheiten berücksichtigt werden.Als besonders kostengünstig erweist sich die Verwendung bereits vorhandener Hohlformen vor allem aufgelassener Tagebaubetriebe. Diese können, besonders bei schwierigen geotechnischen Verhältnissen, als Naturschutzgebiete weitaus effektiver und kostengünstiger rekultiviert werden als nach den herkömmlichen Zielsetzungen.Auf Grund dieser Erfahrungen werden geowissenschaftliche Kriterien für die Auswahl von Naturschutzflächen zusammengestellt. Es wird vorgeschlagen, potentielle Naturschutzgebiete in Zusammenarbeit mit Rohstoffsicherung und Landschaftsplanung systematisch zu erfassen und vergleichend zu bewerten.

---

Formative natural protection aims at a melioration or a regeneration of endangered or destructed biotopes, especially humid biotopes.Establishing those biotopes generally begins with laying-out a surface of water. This requires a geological examination of soil and groundwater conditions. For a most effective management the regional geological context must be considered as early as during planning.The use of already existent excavations, particularly abandoned open pits, proves most favourable economically. Especially in cases of difficult geotechnical conditions open pits can be recultivated far more effectively and less expensively as for tradional purposes.Based on this experiences geoscientific criteria for the choice of areas for natural protection are listed. It is proposed to systematically register and comparatively value areas for natural protection with respect to securing of resources and regional planning.

---

Résumé La protection organisée de la nature a pour but une amélioration, voire une régénération de biotopes en danger ou bien détruits, en particulier des biotopes humides.La création de tels biotopes, débutant en général par la mise en place d'une surface d'eau, nécessite avant tout une analyse géologique du terrain d'installation et de l'alimentation en eau. Pour un aménagement aussi effectif que possible il faut en plus, déjà pendant la planification, tenir compte des données géologiques régionales.L'utilisation d'excavations déjà existantes, et surtout d'exploitations à ciel ouvert non comblées, s'avère particulièrement économiques. Celles-ci peuvent, surtout dans des conditions géotechniques difficiles, être récultivées beaucoup plus effectivement et à meilleur marché en en faisant des réserves naturelles plutôt qu'en visant les buts traditionnels.A partir de ces expériences, des critères géoscientifiques sont rassemblés en vue du choix d'emplacements de réserves naturelles. Il est proposé de faire le recensement systématique et de donner appréciation comparative des réserves naturelles en puissance en liaison avec l'approvisionnement en matériaux et une planification régionale.

---

, , , ; , , . , , , , . - . , , . , , , , . . .

     

Minor element- and carbonaceous material thermometry of high-grade metapelites from the Sauwald Zone, Southern Bohemian Massif (Upper Austria)

The Sauwald area is located at the southern rim of the Bohemian Massif and contains migmatites and high-grade metapelitic and granitic gneisses. These rocks were metamorphosed during the post-collisional high-T/low-P stage of the Variscan metamorphic event (~330 Ma). Metapelitic samples were taken from two localities near Kössldorf and Pyret in Upper Austria and the investigated samples contain the mineral assemblage garnet + cordierite + spinel + sillimanite + K-feldspar + quartz + biotite + muscovite + magnetite + graphite. An important aspect of this study is the evaluation of previously published P-T estimates for these high-grade metapelites (Knop et al. 1995; Tropper et al. 2006) involving Ti-in-biotite, Na-in-cordierite thermometry and the micro-Raman thermometer based upon the degree of crystallization of carbonaceous material. In the two samples studied three texturally and chemically different biotites are distinguished. Biotite inclusions in garnet have the highest Ti contents of 5–6 wt.% TiO₂. Matrix biotites contain 2–4 wt.% TiO₂ and biotites from late-stage muscovite-biotite symplectites contain <2 wt.% TiO₂. This corresponds to temperatures of 730–760°C (stage 1), 600–700°C (stage 2), and 550–610°C (stage 3). Since the Ti-in-biotite thermometer strongly depends on X _Mg of biotite, which is susceptible to changes during retrogression the calculated temperatures for stage 1 are interpreted as minimum temperatures of the peak metamorphic stage. The Na contents of the studied cordierites vary from 0.1 to 0.2 wt.% Na₂O. Application of the Na-in-cordierite thermometer yields temperatures in the range of 770–900°C; they are strongly dependent on the bulk Na₂O content of the samples. The micro-Raman geothermometer of graphite was applied to carbonaceous material, which occurs as inclusions in garnet and cordierite. It yielded a maximum temperature >650°C, i.e. above the calibration limit of this method. This study shows that the obtained temperature estimates agree well with the P-T estimates based on phase equilibrium thermobarometry (Knop et al. 1995; Tropper et al. 2006), thus illustrating the validity of these thermometers. Nevertheless in order to more precisely constrain the metamorphic evolution of these high-grade rocks, better constrained experimental calibrations of, for instance the Na-in-cordierite thermometer, are clearly needed.     

Formation of syngenetic and early diagenetic iron minerals in the late Archean Mt. McRae Shale, Hamersley Basin, Australia: New insights on the patterns, controls and paleoenvironmental implications of authigenic mineral formation

A section through the late Archean Mt. McRae Shale comprising, in ascending order, a lower shale interval (LSI), a banded iron formation (BIF), an upper shale (USI) and a carbonate (C1) has been analyzed for total Fe and Al contents and authigenic Fe present as carbonate, oxide, sulfide and silicate phases. The authigenic mineralogy is controlled by the episodic addition of Fe from hydrothermal activity and removal of Fe by sulfide, relative to rates of clastic sedimentation. The LSI and BIF have mean Fe_T/Al values of 2 and 5, respectively, that record iron enrichment from hydrothermal sources. Iron was precipitated primarily as siderite accompanied by Fe-rich chlorite from anoxic bottom waters rich in dissolved Fe. Pyrite formation was probably limited by the availability of sulfate, which was present at low concentrations and became rapidly depleted. The USI has generally lower Fe_T/Al values (0.6-1.3), similar to those found in Paleozoic shales, with the exception of one interval where enrichment may reflect either a weak hydrothermal source or the operation of an iron shuttle. This interval contains authigenic Fe predominantly as pyrite, where high values for DOP (>0.8) indicate the existence of a water column that became rich in dissolved sulfide (euxinic) when sulfate concentrations increased due to a transient or secular increase in ocean/atmosphere oxygenation. High concentrations of dissolved sulfide maintained low concentrations of dissolved Fe, which allowed only minor amounts of Fe to be precipitated as carbonates and silicates. The USI also has elevated concentrations of organic matter that most probably reflect increased productivity and likely limited euxinia to midportions of the water column on the basin margin. The carbonate C1 represents a basinal chemistry where sulfide has been removed and Fe_T/Al values are ∼1 indicating that hydrothermal activity again produced dissolved Fe-rich bottom waters. Detailed iron speciation of the Mt. McRae Shale can be used to recognize spatial and temporal variations in iron and sulfur inputs to the late Archean Hamersley Basin, just prior to the Paleoproterozoic rise in atmospheric oxygenation, and our refined methods have relevance to all Fe-rich deposits.     

Basin formation during the post-collisional evolution of the Eastern Alps: the example of the Lavanttal Basin

The Miocene Lavanttal Basin formed in the Eastern Alps during extrusion of crustal blocks towards the east. In contrast to basins, which formed contemporaneously along the strike-slip faults of the Noric Depression and on top of the moving blocks (Styrian Basin), little is known about the Lavanttal Basin. In this paper geophysical, sedimentological, and structural data are used to study structure and evolution of the Lavanttal Basin. The eastern margin of the 2-km-deep basin is formed by the WNW trending Koralm Fault. The geometry of the gently dipping western basin flank shows that the present-day basin is only a remnant of a former significantly larger basin. Late Early (Karpatian) and early Middle Miocene (Badenian) pull-apart phases initiated basin formation and deposition of thick fluvial (Granitztal Beds), lacustrine, and marine (Mühldorf Fm.) sediments. The Mühldorf Fm. represents the Lower Badenian cycle TB2.4. Another flooding event caused brackish environments in late Middle Miocene (Early Sarmatian) time, whereas freshwater environments existed in Late Sarmatian time. The coal-bearing Sarmatian succession is subdivided into four fourth-order sequences. The number of sequences suggests that the effect of tectonic subsidence was overruled by sea-level fluctuations during Sarmatian time. Increased relief energy caused by Early Pannonian pull-apart activity initiated deposition of thick fluvial sediments. The present-day shape of the basin is a result of young (Plio-/Pleistocene) basin inversion. In contrast to the multi-stage Lavanttal Basin, basins along the Noric Depression show a single-stage history. Similarities between the Lavanttal and Styrian basins exist in Early Badenian and Early Sarmatian times.     

Observations of Jet Diameter, Density and Dynamics

Collimated jets are believed to be an essential ingredient of the star formation process, and we are now able for the first time to test observationally the theories for their formation and propagation. The major advances achieved in recent years are reviewed, regarding the observed morphology, kinematics and excitation properties of jets, from the parsec-scale `giant outflows' down to the `microjets' from T Tauri stars. High angular resolution images and spectra have provided valuable estimates of jet diameter, space velocity, temperature, ionization fraction, electron and total density, both along and across the flow. We can thus calculate key physical quantites, as the shock excitation parameters, or the mass and momentum fluxes in the flow. The results obtained appear to validate the popular magneto-centrifugal models for jet launching, although some important issues are still under debate, as to the cause of knotty structures, observed wind thermal properties, and the dynamical relationship between jets and molecular outflows. Among the most interesting recent findings, we mention the observed indications for jet rotation, with inferred toroidal velocities consistent with the prescribed angular momentum balance between infall and outflow.     

Paleolimnological evidence of mining and demographic impacts on Lac Dauriat, Schefferville (subarctic Québec, Canada)

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of fossil diatoms and geochemical signals preserved in the sediments of Lac Dauriat (subarctic Quebec) were performed to evaluate the impacts of nearby mining activity and the expansion of the town of Schefferville on the water quality of the lake, and to reconstruct the changes of its trophic status. The presence of taxa typical of nutrient-enriched environments (e.g., Cyclostephanos invisitatus, Nitzschia gracilis, Nitzschia perminuta) and the low percentages of chrysophytes were indicative of the advanced state of eutrophication of the lake during the peak of mining activity, and were evidence of the negative impacts of municipal waste on the water quality of Lac Dauriat. Sedimentary analysis of metals, notably lead, mercury, cadmium, bismuth, cobalt, copper and zinc, showed maximum concentrations between 1940 and 1960 with mining era to pre-development enrichment factors ranging from 4.5 to 7.9. The changes seen in recent sediments reflected 3 distinct stages in the recent history of this ecosystem: (a) the non-perturbed, pre-mining (1882–1939), (b) the perturbed, mining period (1939–1977) with accelerated eutrophication, and (c) the post-mining period (1977–1999) with indications of natural recovery of the system after the installation of a water treatment plant in 1975, the closing of the mine in 1983, and the subsequent exodus of the town’s population. Despite the trajectory towards a return to the lake’s natural conditions, water resource managers and (paleo-)limnologists should be alarmed that the impacts of past human disturbance are still in evidence more than 20 years after the closure of the mines, and that Lac Dauriat has yet to reach its natural state of the period preceding extreme anthropogenic impact.     

A model for inferring dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in lakewater from visible-near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIRS) measures in lake sediment

We developed an inference model to infer dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in lakewater from lake sediments using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIRS). The inference model used surface sediment samples collected from 160 Arctic Canada lakes, covering broad latitudinal (60–83°N), longitudinal (71–138°W) and environmental gradients, with a DOC range of 0.6–39.6 mg L⁻¹. The model was applied to Holocene lake sediment cores from Sweden and Canada and our inferences are compared to results from previous multiproxy paleolimnological investigations at these two sites. The inferred Swedish and Canadian DOC profiles are compared, respectively, to inferences from a Swedish-based VNIRS-total organic carbon (TOC) model and a Canadian-based diatom-inferred (Di-DOC) model from the same sediment records. The 5-component Partial Least Squares (PLS) model yields a cross-validated (CV) R_CV² R_{CV}^{2}  = 0.61 and a root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP _CV ) = 4.4 mg L⁻¹ (11% of DOC gradient). The trends inferred for the two lakes were remarkably similar to the VNIRS-TOC and the Di-DOC inferred profiles and consistent with the other paleolimnological proxies, although absolute values differed. Differences in the calibration set gradients and lack of analogous VNIRS signatures in the modern datasets may explain this discrepancy. Our results corroborate previous geographically independent studies on the potential of using VNIRS to reconstruct past trends in lakewater DOC concentrations rapidly.     

Monohydrocalcite,hydromagnesite, nesquehonite,dolomite, aragonite,and calcite in speleothems of the Fränkische Schweiz,Western Germany

The formation of calcite, aragonite, dolomite, hydromagnesite, and nesquehonite in speleothems of a small cave within dolostone may be compared with the formation of these carbonate minerals in much larger environments in which evaporation exceeds precipitation (salt lakes, tropical lagoons, sebkhas etc...). In all cases the formation and diagenetic alteration is mainly governed by the Mg/Ca-ratio of the solutions, from which precipitation (or transformation) takes place.The certain occurrence of monohydrocalcite in the speleothems and in technical incrustations lead to the conclusion, that this very rare mineral precipitates from solutions which are transported as aerosols.     

Regional geoid determination in Antarctica utilizing airborne gravity and topography data

Antarctica is the only continent that suffers major gaps in terrestrial gravity data coverage. To overcome this problem and to close these gaps as well as to densify the global satellite gravity field solutions, the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) Commission Project 2.4 “Antarctic Geoid” was set into action. This paper reviews the current situation concerning the gravity field in Antarctica. It is shown that airborne geophysical surveys are the most promising tools to gain new gravity data in Antarctica. In this context, a number of projects to be carried out during the International Polar Year 2007/2008 will contribute to this goal. To demonstrate the feasibility of the regional geoid improvement in Antarctica, we present a case study using gravity and topography data of the southern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica. During the processing, the remove–compute– restore (RCR) technique and least-squares collocation (LSC) were applied. Adding signal parts of up to 6 m to the global gravity field model that was used as a basis, the calculated regional quasigeoid reveals the dominant features of bedrock topography in that region, namely the graben structure of the Lambert glacier system. The accuracy of the improved regional quasigeoid is estimated to be at the level of 15 cm.