Structure and U–Pb zircon geochronology in the Variscan foreland of SW Sardinia,Italy

New field mapping, U–Pb zircon geochronology and structural analysis of the southernmost Sardinia metamorphic basement, considered a branch of the Variscan foreland, indicate that it is, in part, allochthonous and was structurally emplaced within the foreland area, rather than being older depositional basement beneath the foreland succession. The Bithia Formation, classically considered part of the ‘Southern Sulcis metamorphic Complex’ (and here termed the Bithia tectonic unit, or BTU), is a greenschist facies metamorphic unit commonly interpreted as Precambrian in age. New geochronology of felsic volcanic rocks in the BTU, however, yield a U–Pb zircon age of 457.01 ± 0.17 Ma (Upper Ordovician). Thus, the depositional age of the unit is younger than the weakly metamorphosed Lower Cambrian rocks of the adjacent foreland succession. New detailed mapping and analysis of the field relationships between the BTU and foreland succession indicates that their contact is a mylonitic shear zone. The metamorphic character, general lithology, and deformational history of the BTU are similar to those of units in the Variscan Nappe Zone located northeast of the foreland area. We reinterpret the BTU as a synformal klippe of material related tectonically to the Variscan Nappe Zone. We infer that it was thrust over and became infolded into the foreland during late stages of the Variscan contractional deformation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards an integrated arid zone water management using simulation-based optimisation

For ensuring both optimal sustainable water resources management and long-term planning in a changing arid environment, we propose an integrated Assessment-, Prognoses-, Planning- and Management tool (APPM). The new APPM integrates the complex interactions of the strongly nonlinear meteorological, hydrological and agricultural phenomena, considering the socio-economic aspects. It aims at achieving best possible solutions for water allocation, groundwater storage and withdrawals including saline water management together with a substantial increase of the water use efficiency employing novel optimisation strategies for irrigation control and scheduling. To obtain a robust and fast operation of the water management system, it unites process modeling with artificial intelligence tools and evolutionary optimisation techniques for managing both water quality and quantity. We demonstrate some key components of our methodology by an exemplary application to the south Al-Batinah region in the Sultanate of Oman which is affected by saltwater intrusion into a coastal aquifer due to excessive groundwater withdrawal for irrigated agriculture. We show the effectiveness and functionality of a new simulation-based water management system for the optimisation and evaluation of different irrigation practices, crop pattern and resulting abstraction scenarios. The results of several optimisation runs indicate that due to contradicting objectives, such as profit-oriented agriculture versus aquifer sustainability only a multi-objective optimisation can provide sustainable solutions for the management of the water resources in respect of the environment as well as the socio-economic development.     

Barium, SiO2 (excess), and P2O5 as proxies of biological productivity in the Middle East during the Palaeocene and the latest Palaeocene benthic extinction event

The distribution of barium and other elements related to biological productivity has been studied in two Palaeocene sections from the Middle East. In the bathyal Ben Gurion section, Israel, Ba* (= Ba/Al₂O₃× 15%) concentrations are low, in the range 0.04% to 0.3% in the lower Palaeocene, and very high, 1% to 2%, throughout most of the upper Palaeocene. In the neritic Gebel Aweina section in Egypt Ba* values are low, < 0.1%, throughout the entire Palaeocene. The Ba* enrichments at Ben Gurion and their correlations with increases in P₂O₅ and opaline silica, and local and global δ¹³C maxima, indicate that upwelling and high productivity were important in this region during the late Palaeocene. The absence of Ba* enrichments in the shallower Gebel Aweina section probably reflects the strong depth dependence of biobarium deposition. In the uppermost Palaeocene, at the level where the global benthic extinction event is registered, Ba* concentrations in the Ben Gurion section increase to anomalous 6%. which suggests that upwelling and possibly wind strengths intensified during this event. The results speak against deep-water formation in this region since downwelling and not upwelling is required.     

The Main Ostrava Whetstone: composition, sedimentary processes, palaeogeography and geochronology of a major Mississippian volcaniclastic unit of the Upper Silesian Basin (Poland and Czech Republic)

The Main Ostrava Whetstone (MOW) is an important lithostratigraphic horizon of the Late Carboniferous sedimentary fill of the late Palaeozoic foreland Upper Silesian Basin. It is the largest and best-identified volcanogenic horizon in the basin, reaching thicknesses of 15.3 m and occupying an area of ca 2,973 km² and a volume after lithification of 9.24 km³. It consists of volcanic materials transported to the basin probably by an aeolian process. Just after sedimentation, these materials were redeposited a short distance away in a shallow water environment. Granularity corresponds to a range from argillaceous siltstones to fine-grained sandstones. The components are dominated by glass shards replaced by clay minerals (mixed illite–smectite structures) in addition to quartz of volcanogenic and terrigenous origins. Sanidine and a plagioclase close to albite are also present. The sedimentary structures, micro-structures and composition of the MOW indicate variable and dynamic hydrodynamic conditions. The MOW represents a series of flooding events, which could be connected with unusual rainfall. Such major flooding events were most likely induced by volcanic eruptions. The available drill-core log data were used to construct a digital model of the whetstone, which showed an east–west zonality in the thicknesses, with the majority being synsedimentary. CA-TIMS U–Pb dating the volcanogenic zircons yields an age of 327.35 ± 0.15 Ma. The source location of the volcanogenic material is not clear; however, it is presumed to have been located in the west of the Upper Silesian Basin.     

Diskussionsbemerkungen zum Problem der Maßstäbe und Kriterien für die Bewertung der Abwasserbelastung und des Zustandes natürlicher Gewässer

Ohne Zusammenfassung Von der Redaktion ausgew?hlt aus einem l?ngeren Diskussionsvotum.     

Glendonite — Indikatoren des polarmarinen Ablagerungsmilieus

Zusammenfassung Glendonite sind Pseudomorphosen von überwiegend Calcit (in mehreren Generationen) nach Thenardit (Na₂SO₄). Die meistens sternförmigen Kristallaggregate von Walnuß- bis Faustgröße bildeten sich im unterkühlten Meereswasser (cold salinity currents) in oder auf der oberen Lage des Meeresbodens. Sie sind an marine Tonsteine gebunden und kommen in ihrem Verbreitungsgebiet in großer Zahl vor. Rezente Glendonite treten nur im Arktischen Ozean und seinen Nebenmeeren (Weißes Meer) auf. Fossile gibt es in Perm und Kreide Australiens (permisches Vereisungsgebiet) und in den jeweils hohen Breiten der Nordhalbkugel im Domerium, mittleren Jura, Valangin, Ober-Apt/Unter-Alb, Oligozän/Miozän und Pleistozän/Holozän. Für diese Zeiten ist eine erhebliche Abkühlung zu postulieren.Beim Vergleich mit den entsprechenden Schichtenfolgen Mitteleuropas fällt auf, daß in den Zeiten der Glendonit-Vorkommen der arktischen Gebiete im borealen Europa dunkle Tonsteine abgelagert wurden. In Zeiten starker Kalksedimentation (Ober-Oxford, Kimmeridge, Ober-Kreide) und arider oder subtropischer Klimate in Mitteleuropa (Tithon: Münder Mergel-Fazies und Berrias: Wealden-Fazies) fehlen Glendonite auch im hohen Norden.Alle diese Befunde verweisen auf ausgeprägte, langfristige Klimaschwankungen vom Lias ab. Zur Zeit der kälteren Phasen müssen in den hohen Breiten mit den heutigen Verhältnissen vergleichbare polare Klimate geherrscht haben.

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Glendonites are pseudomorphs of mainly calcite (in several generations) after Thenardit (Na₂SO₄). The crystal aggregates are preponderantly star shaped and range in size between walnut and fist dimensions. They were formed by cold salinity currents in the uppermost layer of the ocean floor. They are restricted to marine shales and mudstones and occur in great quantities in their area of distribution. Recent glendonites are known only from the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas (e. g. the White Sea). Fossil glendonites occur in the Permian and Cretaceous of Australia (Permian area of glaciation) and in high latitudes of the Northern hemisphere in the Domerian, middle Jurassic, Valanginian, late Aptian — early Albian, Oligocene — Miocene, and Pleistocene — Holocene. For these periods a considerable cooling has to be postulated.If the sediments of these periods are compared with the corresponding ones of central Europe it is obvious that in those periods during which glendonites were formed in high latitudes dark shales were deposited in the boreal part of Europe. In periods of high lime accumulation (Upper Oxfordian, Kimmeridgian, Upper Cretaceous) and arid or subtropical climates in central Europe (e. g. the Münder Mergel facies of the Tithonian and the Purbeck and Wealden facies of the Berriasian) glendonites are absent from the high latitudes.All these observations point to intensive and long term variations of climate from the early Jurassic on. During the cold phases, comparable polar climates must have predominated in the high latitudes as exist today.

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Résumé Les glendonites sont des pseudomorphoses, principalement de calcite (en plusieurs générations), de thénardite (Na₂SO₄). Les agrégats, le plus souvent de forme radiée, de la taille d'une noix à celle du poing, se sont formés dans de l'eau marine surrefroidie (»courants de salinité froide«) dans la couches supérieure des fonds marins ou à sa surface. Ils sont liés à des argiles marines et se présentent en grande quantité dans leur aire d'extension. Les glendonites récentes se rencontrent seulement dans l'Océan arctique et dans les mers annexes (Mer blanche). Elles existent à l'état fossile dans le Permien et le Crétacique de l'Australie (région de la glaciation permienne) et dans les hautes latitudes de l'époque de l'hémisphère nord dans le Domérien, le Jurassique moyen, le Valanginien, l'Aptien supérieur/inférieur, l'Oligocène/Miocène, et le Pleistocène/Holocène. Pour ces périodes il y a lieu de postuler un net refroidissement.Par comparaison avec les séries correspondantes de l'Europe centrale, il apparaît que des argiles foncées ont été déposées, lors des occurrences de Glendonites des régions arctique, dans l'Europe boréale. Lors de sédimentations calcaires intenses (Oxfordien supérieur, Kimméridgien, Crétacique supérieur) et dans les climats arides ou subtropicaux dans l'Europe centrale (Tithonique: facies marneux de Münder, et Berriasien: facies wealdien) les glendonites sont absentes également dans les hautes latitudes septentrionales.Toutes ces occurrences indiquent des modifications climatiques bien marquées, de longue durée à partir du Lias. Au moment des phases plus froides, il a dû régner dans les hautes latitudes un climat polaire comparable à celui de nos jours.

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Die Blei-Zinkerzlagerstätten des Pflerschtals

The stratabound lead zinc ore deposits of the Pflersch Valley (Eastern Alps) are intercalated in pre-Triassic folded and metamorphosed pelitic sediments of the ötztal-Stubaier Masse. The ores (sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite etc.) are stratigraphically controled by graphitic shists and tuffitic layers. The thickness of the ore bodies varies between some centimeters to some meters. As part of the regional setting these orebearing strata were metamorphosed during several metamorphic episodes together with these metasediments. Field observations, supplimented by microscopic studies, and the calculation of p-T-conditions indicate that now partly mobilized ores probably had their origin during the last pre-Triassic metamorphic events. These ores probably came in part as sulfide melts. There seems also a possibility of an additional alpine ore mobilization process. On the basis of age determinations and petrographic studies carried out in the ötztal-Stubaier Masse by other authors it is possible to say that the ore-bearing former sediments belong to Silurian or even pre-Silurian age (>410my).     

Ground-Based and Airborne Measurements of Nonmethane Hydrocarbons in BERLIOZ: Analysis and Selected Results

During the Berlin Ozone Experiment BERLIOZ in July–August 1998 quasi-continuous measurements ofC₂–C₁₂ nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were carried out at 10 sites in and around the city of Berlin using on-line gas-chromatographic systems (GCs) with a temporal resolution of 20–120 minutes. Additional airborne NMHCmeasurements were made using canister sampling on three aircraft and an on-line GC system on a fourth aircraft. The ground based data are analyzed to characterize the different sites and to identify the influence of emissions from Berlin on its surroundings. Benzene mixing ratios at the 4 rural sites were rather low (<0.5 ppbv). Berlin (and the surrounding highway ring) was identified as the main source of anthropogenic NMHCs at Eichstädt and Blossin, whilst other sources were important at the furthermost site Menz. The median toluene/benzene concentration ratio in Berlin was 2.3 ppbv/ppbv, agreeing well with measurements in other German cities. As expected, the ratios at the background sites decreased with increasing distance to Berlin and were usually around one or below. On 20 and 21 July, the three northwesterly sites were situated downwind of Berlin and thus were influenced by its emissions. Considering the distance between the sites and the windspeed, the city plume was observed at reasonable time scales, showing decreasing toluene/benzene ratios of 2.3, 1.6 and 1.3 with increasing distance from Berlin. Isoprene was the only biogenic NMHC measured at BERLIOZ. It was themost abundant compound at the background sites on the hotter days, dominating the local NMHC reactivity with averaged contributions to the total OH loss rate of 51% and 70% at Pabstthum and Blossin, respectively. Emissionratios (relative to CO and to the sum of analysed NMHCs) were derived from airborne measurements. The comparison with an emission inventory suggests traffic-related emissions to be the predominating source of the considered hydrocarbon species. Problems were identified with the emission inventory for propane, ethene and pentanes.