Tectonic control of bioalteration in modern and ancient oceanic crust as evidenced by carbon isotopes

Abstract We review the carbon‐isotope data for finely disseminated carbonates from bioaltered, glassy pillow rims of basaltic lava flows from in situ slow‐ and intermediate‐spreading oceanic crust of the central Atlantic Ocean (CAO) and the Costa Rica Rift (CRR). The δ¹³C values of the bioaltered glassy samples from the CAO show a large range, between ?17 and +3‰ (Vienna Peedee belemnite standard), whereas those from the CRR define a much narrower range, between ?17‰ and ?7‰. This variation can be interpreted as the product of different microbial metabolisms during microbial alteration of the glass. In the present study, the generally low δ¹³C values (less than ?7‰) are attributed to carbonate precipitated from microbially produced CO₂ during oxidation of organic matter. Positive δ¹³C values >0‰ likely result from lithotrophic utilization of CO₂ by methanogenic Archaea that produce CH₄ from H₂ and CO₂. High production of H₂ at the slow‐spreading CAO crust may be a consequence of fault‐bounded, high‐level serpentinized peridotites near or on the sea floor, in contrast to the CRR crust, which exhibits a layer‐cake pseudostratigraphy with much less faulting and supposedly less H₂ production. A comparison of the δ¹³C data from glassy pillow margins in two ophiolites interpreted to have formed at different spreading rates supports this interpretation. The Jurassic Mirdita ophiolite complex in Albania shows a structural architecture similar to that of the slow‐spreading CAO crust, with a similar range in δ¹³C values of biogenic carbonates. The Late Ordvician Solund–Stavfjord ophiolite complex in western Norway exhibits structural and geochemical evidence for evolution at an intermediate‐spreading mid‐ocean ridge and displays δ¹³C signatures in biogenic carbonates similar to those of the CRR. Based on the results of this comparative study, it is tentatively concluded that the spreading rate‐dependent tectonic evolution of oceanic lithosphere has a significant control on the evolution of microbial life and hence on the δ¹³C biosignatures preserved in disseminated biogenic carbonates in glassy, bioaltered lavas.     

Stability of long circular tunnels in sloping ground

Assessment of tunnel stability has become increasingly crucial as more and more tunnels are built in difficult terrains such as sloping ground. The required support pressure on the tunnel walls associates both tunnel stability and liner design considerations. The present analysis attempts to find a uniform internal pressure which can support a circular tunnel built in a sloping ground with a particular level of stability in cohesive-frictional soils. The lower bound finite element limit analysis has been applied to find the required minimum uniform internal support pressure presented as a non-dimensional term p/c; where p is the minimum normal internal pressure on the tunnel boundary to avoid collapse and c is the cohesion of soil. The variation of p/c is presented for a range of normalised embedment depth of tunnel (H/D), stability number (γD/c), internal friction angle of soil (?) and slope angle (β); where H is the crown depth of the tunnel, D is the tunnel diameter and γ is the unit weight of soil. Appropriate comparisons have been carried out with available literature. Failure patterns of the tunnel have also been studied to understand the extent and the type of failure zone which may generate during the collapse.     

Statistical Behavior of Electron Density in the Ionosphere before 2016 Manipur Earthquake from GPS Observation Stations at North East India

Geotectonics - The abnormalities in the ionosphere Total Electron Content (TEC) is linked to the deformation, stress accumulation and earthquake preparation processes in the earth’s crust and...     

A study on the Wilkins and Forchheimer equations used in coarse granular media flow

Complexity of the pore geometry and the random nature of flow velocity make it difficult to predict and represent post laminar flow through porous media. Present study experimentally investigates the applicability of Forchheimer and Wilkins equations for post laminar flow where Darcy’s law is invalid due to predominant inertial effect. It is observed that both porosity and media size have significant influence over the coefficients of the Forchheimer coefficients. To incorporate the effect of porosity and media size, behaviour of Forchheimer coefficients are investigated with hydraulic radius as characteristic length. An inversely proportional variation trend is found for all the present and earlier reported data. A new empirical relation between Forchheimer coefficients and hydraulic radius is obtained which can be universally applicable for all media size and porosity. Coefficients of the Wilkins equation are found to be non-deviating for different hydraulic radius in the present study and in the reported literature validating its applicability in predicting the non laminar flow through porous media. Further the Wilkins equation is modified after incorporating the correction factors for better applicability on the field.     

Study of crustal structure and geological implications of southwestern margin of Northeast India

It is noticed that few geophysical studies have been carried out to decipher the crustal structure of southwestern part of the Northeast India comprising of Tripura fold belt and Bengal basin as compared to the Shillong plateau and the Brahmaputra basin. This region has a long history of seismicity that is still continuing. We have determined first-order crustal features in terms of Moho depths (H) and average V_P/V_S ratios (κ) using H-κ stacking technique. The inversion of receiver functions data yields near surface thick sedimentary layer in the Bengal basin, which is nearly absent in the Shillong plateau and Tripura fold belt. Our result suggests that the crust is thicker (38–45 km) in the Tripura fold belt region with higher shear-wave velocity in the lower crust than the Shillong plateau. The distribution of V_P/V_S ratio indicates heterogeneity throughout the whole region. While low to medium value of Poisson’s ratio (1.69–1.75) indicates the presence of felsic crust in the Shillong plateau of the extended Indian Archean crust. The medium to high values of V_P/V_S ratio (> 1.780) in the Bengal basin and the Tripura fold belt region represent mafic crust during the formation of the Bengal delta and the Tripura fold belt creation in the Precambrian to the Permian age. The depth of the sediments in the Bengal basin is up to 8 km on its eastern margin, which get shallower toward its northeastern and southeastern margins.     

The oxygen isotope compositions of olivine in main group (MG) pallasites: New measurements by adopting an improved laser fluorination approach

Oxygen isotope measurements of olivine in main group (MG) pallasites by traditional laser fluorination method are associated with some uncertainties including terrestrial weathering, incomplete olivine reaction, and sample state. We improved our laser fluorination approach by pretreating olivine grains with acid to remove terrestrial weathering products and by modifying the sample holder for an efficient and complete laser reaction. Our experiments on Brahin olivine demonstrate that acid-washing successfully removes the terrestrial weathering with <0.1‰ variation in δ¹⁸O value and, at the same time, improving the ∆¹⁷O value significantly. We also achieved a complete olivine fluorination by employing a custom-designed sample holder with “V”-shaped profile having rounded bottom because incomplete/partial reaction of olivine gives comparatively lighter δ¹⁸O values. Using these new techniques, we present precise triple oxygen isotope data (N = 72) of 25 olivine samples separated from main group pallasites. The data are, on average, ~0.5‰ heavier in δ¹⁸O relative to the values published in the literature for the same samples. Critically, the ∆¹⁷O values of MG pallasites and to some extent their Fo-contents suggest that there are at least two populations of olivine. Based on our improved data set, we propose that MG pallasites potentially have high-∆¹⁷O- and low-∆¹⁷O-bearing subgroups that are statistically distinct. The subgroups present average ∆¹⁷O values of −0.166 ± 0.003 (2SE; N = 16) and −0.220 ± 0.003 (2SE; N = 9), respectively. Furthermore, the high-∆¹⁷O-bearing subgroup samples trend toward lower Fo-contents compared to the other subgroup. Taken together, our data provide evidence that argues against a single parent body origin for MG pallasites.     

Composition and adiabatic index of matter at high temperatures

The equation of state and the adiabatic index of thermally dissociated matter composed of nucleons, electrons, positrons, neutrinos, antineutrinos and photons are calculated in the density and temperature ranges, 10⁹q(g cm^–3)10¹³, 2×10¹⁰T K5×10¹¹, respectively. The interaction between nucleons is explicitly included. This leads to a softening of the equation of state. The implications of the results for the problem of supernova collapse are discussed.