El cretácico medio y superior de la parte meridional del Bloque Maya (Guatemala)

Study of the Cretaceous strata of the Altos Cuchumatanes (western Guatemala) and in Alta Verapáz (central Guatemala) has revealed a number of foraminifers never before reported from these areas. These data permit a similar nomenclature to be applied to both areas in regard to the division of the sequence into formations. Thus, we distinguish in both areas: a) the Cobán Formation, a shallow platform carbonate of early Aptian to early Senonian age; b) the Campur Formation, of Campanian age, composed of a lower carbonate member with rudists and large benthonic foraminifers, and an upper carbonate member with pelagic foraminifers; c) the Sepur Formation, of Maastrichtian age, with flysch-like sediments, including intercalated blocks of ophiolite complex obducted during the Maastrichtian. We conclude that in early Aptian time, a shallow carbonate platform developed along the southern margin of the Maya Block. The platform subsided and was drowned during the terminal Campanian. This subsidence led to the formation of a flysch-like basin that received turbiditic sedimentation from the carbonate platform to the north and fragments of serpentinite from the ophiolite complex to the south.     

Dissolved aluminium in interstitial waters of recent marine sediments

Measurements of the concentration and vertical distribution of dissolved aluminium and silica, and of pH. in interstitial waters of recent marine sediments from the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea were performed to evaluate the behaviour of aluminium during early diagenesis. The results suggest that thermodynamic equilibria alone do not control the concentrations of dissolved species in the system Al-Si-O₂-H₂O during early diagenesis. Rather, these concentrations are governed by dynamic factors involving mineral dissolution-precipitation reactions and diffusion.     

Normal faulting of the Daiichi-Kashima Seamount in the Japan Trench revealed by the Kaiko I cruise, Leg 3

A detailed topographic and geophysical survey of the Daiichi-Kashima Seamount area in the southern Japan Trench, northwestern Pacific margin, clearly defines a high-angle normal fault which splits the seamount into two halves. A fan-shaped zone was investigated along 2–4 km spaced, 100 km long subparallel tracks using narrow multi-beam (Seabeam) echo-sounder with simultaneous measurements of gravity, magnetic total field and single-channel seismic reflection records. Vertical displacement of the inboard half was clearly mapped and its normal fault origin was supported. The northern and southern extensions of the normal fault beyond the flank of the seamount were delineated. Materials on the landward trench slope are displaced upward and to sideways away from the colliding seamount. Canyons observed in the upper landward slope terminate at the mid-slope terrace which has been uplifted since start of subduction of the seamount. Most of the landward slope except for the landward walls aside the seamount comprises only a landslide topography in a manner similar to the northern Japan Trench wall. This survey was conducted on R/V “Jean Charcot” as a part of the Kaiko I cruise, Leg 3, in July–August 1984 under the auspices of the French-Japanese scientific cooperative program.     

18O/16O ratios in lunar fines and rocks

¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios have been measured for Luna 20 and Apollo 15 fines and Apollo 15 rocks.Isotopic composition and fractionation between minerals are compared with previous results.Partial fluorination experiments on Luna 20 soil and Apollo 15021 extreme fines show large¹⁸O enrichments in grain surfaces. These results are discussed.     

Sur les inocérames de Tercis (Landes,France) : le meilleur outil corrélatif entre Europe et Amérique du Nord autour de la limite Campanien–Maastrichtien

Four hundred inoceramids have been collected in the geological site at Tercis, where the Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary has been recently defined. At Tercis, a distinct drop of the adult size of inoceramids is observed between levels 111 and 117 and two turnovers of faunal composition were documented between levels 94 and 96 and between levels 111 and 117; the latter interval encompasses the stage boundary. The recognised inoceramid assemblages are very close to those known from North America, allowing better correlation than before between the two domains in the interval 77–70 Ma. The presence of these faunas perfectly located in the section leads to consider the Tercis section as the best known reference for this fossil group, the surprisingly good correlative potential of which has still to be considered in many areas.     

Contexte lithostructural, âges 40K40Ar et géochimie du volcanisme calco-alcalin tertiaire de Cap-d'Ail dans le tunnel ferroviaire de Monaco

Lithostratigraphic and structural framework, chronology and geochemistry of the Tertiary calc-alkaline volcanism of Cap-d'Ail (French Maritime Alps) are specified according to the new data collected during the earthworks of the recent railway tunnel built between Cap-d'Ail and Monaco. Two different magmatic events were dated: the first one, to Palaeogene, the other one, to Neogene. To cite this article: J.-P. Ivaldi et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Étude des colorations apparaissant dans un nuage produit par détente rapide de l'air

Résumé Les colorations et les couronnes apparaissant dans un nuage produit par détende rapide de l'air dans une chambre sont étudiées à l'aide d'un dispositif photographique simple; simultanément on mesure les dimensions des gouttelettes constituant le nuage au moyen de lames de verre recouvertes d'un film de collargol. La relation théorique entre le diamètre des couronnes de diffraction et de diamètre des gouttelettes n'est pas retrouvée expérimentalement. On constate l'existence de couronnes de grand diamètre (30 degrés). L'évanouissement rapide des couronnes permet d'autre part de penser que le spectre dimensionnel des gouttelettes du nuage, étroit au début, a tendance à s'étaler ensuite au cours du temps.

---

Summary The colorations and the coronas which appear in a cloud producted by an air rapid expansion in a chamber, are studied by a simple photographic apparatus; the size of the droplets which constitute the cloud are simultaneously measured, by mean of slides covered with collargol. The theoretical relation between the diffraction coronas diameter and the droplets diameter is not experimentally verificated. We ascertain the large diameter coronas existence (30°). The rapid evanescence of the coronas allows, on the other side, to think that the dimensional spectrum of the cloud droplets, which is first very narrow, has a disposition to spread then in the course of time.

     

Nutrient Enrichments of Waters of "Golfo de San Jose" (Argentina, 42 oS), Growth and Species Selection of Phytoplankton

Abstract. Coastal Patagonian sea waters had been differentially nutrient-enriched to determine (i) the magnitude of the algal biomass supported and (ii) which species were able to best compete for the available nutrients. Nitrogen was found to be the nutrient limiting growth of the natural phytoplankton population. The addition of NO₃ at 25 μg at 1^-1 led to a 10 to 30 μg 1^-1 increase in chlorophyll a in all but those treatments containing trace metal additions. The best yield coefficients were obtained when a chelator (EDTA) was added with NO₃. A pool of nine diatom species were common in the N0₃ supplemented waters and the addition of vitamins along with NO₃ allowed two of the nine species to dominate.