Recent effects of tidal and hydro‐meteorological changes on coastal plains near the mouth of the Amazon River

The goal of this work was to understand the main hydrodynamic processes acting on tidal flats of the coast of Amapá near the mouth of the Amazon River, and how they change over the short term (~ 20 years). The analysis of morphological and geobotanical units was carried out by applying processing and interpretation methods to optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, combined with data on water salinity, maximum flood height, sedimentary facies data, rainfall and river discharge. The temporal analysis of morphological and geobotanical units suggests the relative stabilization of savannah, ‘várzea’ and mangrove areas during the drier period and increasing tidal amplitude between 1987 to 1997. The wetter period and decreasing tidal amplitude between 1997 to 2008 led to an increase in the area of ‘várzea’ and lakes over savannah, and the expansion of mangroves mainly over the inundated field and tidal mud/mixed flats. Therefore, the decrease in rainfall index during the drier period is well‐correlated with the reduction of the Calçoene River discharge and jointly with increasing tidal amplitude favored the increase of migration rate of the mud bank and erosion profile along the littoral. It was followed by the increase of the Calçoene River discharge and jointly with decreasing tidal amplitude during the wetter period, favoring the development of mangroves on muddy substrates near the coastline. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Significance of gabbronorite occurrence in the crustal section of the Semail ophiolite

The eastern end of the Haylayn massif exposes a complex paleoridge structure interpreted as the tip of a northwestward propagating segment (Nicolas et al., this issue). The area, revisited from a petrostructural and geochemical viewpoint, offers the most documented exposures of the association of olivine gabbros and gabbronorites in Oman (Juteau et al., 1988). Gabbronorites were injected while the main gabbro unit was deforming in the magmatic state. Both units do not differ chemically, except for the SiO₂ enrichment of the orthopyroxene-rich gabbros relative to olivine-gabbro. In addition, they display the same trace element signature, which implies the same parent magma for both units. The extension of the stability field of orthopyroxene is assigned to increase of oxygen fugacity due to hydration. The source of hydration is the ridge axis hydrothermal circulation, suggesting hydrothermal/magma interaction at temperatures above the gabbro solidus. The distribution of gabbronorites at the scale of the entire ophiolite suggests a relation with ridge tectonics where high-T conditions of hydrothermal-magmatic interaction are met. Such conditions are met when propagating segments rotate the structures of the dying magma chamber.     

Spaceborne remote sensing of greenhouse gas concentrations

Despite their primary contribution to climate change, there are still large uncertainties on the sources and sinks of the main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). A better knowledge of these sources is necessary to understand the processes that control them and therefore to predict their variations. Indeed, large feedbacks between climate change and greenhouse gas fluxes are expected during the 21st century. Sources and sinks of these gases generate spatial and temporal gradients that can be measured either in situ or from space. One can then estimate the surface fluxes, either positive or negative, from concentration measurements through a so-called atmospheric inversion. Surface measurements are currently used to estimate the fluxes at continental scales. The high density of spaceborne observations allows potentially a much higher resolution. Several remote sensing techniques can be used to measure atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. These techniques have motivated the development of spaceborne instruments, some of them already in space and others under development. However, the accuracy of the current estimates is still not sufficient to improve our knowledge on the greenhouse gases sources and sinks. Rapid improvements are expected during the forthcoming years with a strong implication of the scientific community and the launch of dedicated instruments, optimized for the measurement of CO₂ and CH₄ concentrations.     

Sulfur partition coefficient between apatite and rhyolite: the role of bulk S content

Experimental studies have been performed to constrain sulfur behavior during apatite crystallization and to determine sulfur partition coefficient between apatite and melt (Kd_S^apatite/melt) at oxidizing conditions. Crystallization experiments have been conducted with a hydrous rhyolitic melt and different bulk sulfur contents (0.15 to 2 wt.% S) at 900 and 1,000°C, 200 MPa and Δlog =NNO+3.6. The sulfur content in the glass increases with increasing amount of added S. Anhydrite crystallizes for S added = 0.75 wt.% (0.10 and 0.13 wt.% SO₃ in glass at 900 and 1,000°C, respectively). The amount of anhydrite increases and the amount of apatite decreases with increasing amount of added sulfur. The sulfur exchange reaction in apatite is influenced by the bulk composition of the melt (e.g., P content). However, changing melt composition has only little effect on Kd_S^apatite/melt for the investigated rhyolitic composition. The Kd_S^apatite/melt does not depend directly on temperature, decreases from 14.2 to 2.7 with increasing S content in glass from SO₃=0.03 to 0.19 wt.%, respectively, and can be predicted from the following equation: ln Kd = −0.0025×S in melt (in ppm)+2.9178. The combination of experimental data obtained for rhyolitic and andesitic melts reveals that the sulfur partition coefficient tends toward a value of 2 for high-sulfur content in the glass (>0.2 wt.% SO₃). Using S in apatite as proxy for determining S content in melt is promising but additional experimental data are needed to clarify the individual effects of T, , and P and Ca content in the melt on S partitioning.     

Minéraux serpentineux extraits de péridotites serpentinisées des Alpes Occidentales

Complete physical and chemical data presented concern serpentine minerals choosen from epizonal to non metamorphic domains. It is tried to correlate well-studied serpentine minerals, generally coming from particular outcrops with the rock-forming ones known only through the microscope.It appears that ribbons filling serpentine veins in a serpentinized dunite, the whole mesh-structure of a non metamorphic serpentine, and bastite lamellae are made of lizardite. Antigorite, only serpentine mineral present in metamorphic domains, shows no significative difference between high-pressure facies (glaucophane schist) and low-pressure facies (green-schist). The data allow a better understanding of the serpentinization process. The geochemically antinomic behaviour of iron and magnesium is emphasized.     

Second‐order work analysis for granular materials using a multiscale approach

It has been established that the second‐order work criterion is a general necessary condition for all instabilities by divergence in rate‐independent granular materials. The relation between the values of discrete second‐order work at the intergranular contact point level and its global macroscopic value is recalled at the beginning of this paper. Then, the basic purpose of the paper is tackled by an analysis of the main features of second‐order work criterion in relation with the granular microstructure. For that, it is considered a novel micromechanical model (the so‐called ‘H‐microdirectional model’), which has the property to involve three scales: grain scale, mesoscale with a specific granular configuration and continuum mechanics macroscale. Eventually, these exhibited features (a bifurcation stress domain and some instability cones) are qualitatively compared with the ones provided by direct numerical simulations issued from a discrete element model. The ultimate goal is to analyse what happens at the granular scale, when the macrosecond‐order work is vanishing at the macrolevel. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carbon dioxide dynamics in rivers and coastal waters of the “big island” of Hawaii,USA, during baseline and heavy rain conditions

The distributions of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO₂) and total alkalinity (TA) were examined for a 6-month period in the Wailuku and Wailoa rivers and coastal waters of Hilo Bay on the west coast of the Island of Hawaii, USA. Main results for the largest and turbulent Wailuku River show in the watershed an oversaturation in CO₂ with respect to atmospheric equilibrium and a CO₂ undersaturation in the estuary. In the Wailoa river-estuary system, extremely high pCO₂ values ranging from 1500 to 10500 ppm were measured with significant shifts in pCO₂ from drought to flood period. In the two rivers, water residence time, groundwater inputs and occasional flood events are the predominant drivers of the spatial and temporal patterns in the distribution of pCO₂. In Hilo Bay, CO₂ oversaturation dominates and the bay was a source of CO₂ to the atmosphere during the study period. TA is conservative along the salinity gradient, indicating calcification in the bay is not a significant source of CO₂ to the atmosphere.     

Origin of components in Chilean thermal waters

Thermal waters of northern (18°–27°S) and southern (37°–45°S) Chile occur in two very different climatic, geologic and hydrologic environments: arid closed basins with abundant evaporites in the north; humid climate and well drained valleys in the south. The origin and behavior of the main components of the two groups of waters are examined and compared to each other. The modeling of the alteration of volcanic rocks leads to water compositions very different from those observed both in the north and south. In addition to hydrothermal alteration and deep emanations, the Cl/Br ratio reveals a major contribution of saline waters to the two groups: infiltrating brines from salt lakes in the north; seawater in the south.In the north, concentrations of Cl, Br, Na, K, Ca, SO₄, Li, B, Si result from the mixing of alteration waters with recycled brines. Hydrothermal alteration is obscured by this massive saline input, except for Mg. δ³⁴S values are consistent with an origin of sulfate from salar brines, which are themselves derived from deep Tertiary gypsum. In the south, two processes account for the composition of thermal waters: mixing of alteration waters with seawater and deep magmatic contribution. The mixing process controls the concentration of Cl, Br, Na, Alk, Si, K, Ca, Mg. Magmatic inputs are detectable for SO₄, Li and B. δ³⁴S suggests that sulfate stems from the mixing of alteration waters with either marine SO₄ in coastal waters or with deep SO₂ in inland waters. In both the north and south, the Mg concentration is drastically lowered (<1 μmol/L) by the probable formation of a chlorite-type mineral. In the south, very small amounts of seawater (<1% in volume) are sufficient to imprint a clear signature on thermal waters. Not only coastal springs are affected by seawater mixing, but also remote inland springs, as far as 150 km from the sea. Subduction of marine sediments in the accretive margin could be the source of the marine imprint in thermal waters of southern Chile. Seawater may be expelled from the subducted lithosphere and incorporated into the mantle source.     

Magma storage conditions and differentiation of the mafic Lower Pollara volcanics,Salina Island,Aeolian Islands,Italy: implications for the formation conditions of shoshonites and potassic rocks

Crystallization experiments of basaltic andesite mafic endmember from the 24 ka Lower Pollara eruption (Salina, Aeolian Islands, Italy) were investigated at 200 MPa, 950–1100 °C, in the H₂O activity (aH₂O) range ~0.3 to 1, and at two ranges of oxygen fugacity (fO₂) between ~FMQ to FMQ+1 and ~FMQ+2 to FMQ+3.3 (log bars, FMQ is fayalite-magnetite-quartz). Comparison of the produced phase assemblages and phase compositions with the natural sample reveals that the storage conditions were ~1050 °C, ~2.8 wt% H₂O in the melt (aH₂O ~0.5), and relatively oxidizing (~FMQ+2.5). The composition of plagioclase in the groundmass indicates a period of cooling to ≤950 °C. The overall differentiation trends of the Salina volcanics can be explained by fractional crystallization close to H₂O saturated conditions (~5 wt% H₂O in the melt at 200 MPa) and most likely by accumulation of plagioclase, i.e., in basaltic andesites, and by various degree of mixing–mingling between the corresponding differentiates. The slightly elevated K₂O contents of the most mafic basaltic andesites that can be found in the lowermost unit of the Lower Pollara pyroclastics reveal earlier processes of moderately hydrous fractional crystallization at higher temperature (>~1050 °C). Fractional crystallization with decreasing influence of H₂O causes a moderate decrease of MgO and a significant increase of K₂O relative to SiO₂ in the residual liquids. It is exemplarily shown that the crystallization of SiO₂-rich phases at high temperature and low aH₂O of only moderately K₂O-rich calc-alkaline basalts can produce shoshonitic and high potassic rocks similar to those of Stromboli and Volcano. This suggests that the observed transition from calc-alkaline to shoshonitic and high potassic volcanism at the Aeolian Arc over time can be initiated by a general increase of magmatic temperatures and a decrease of aH₂O in response to the extensional tectonics and related increase of heat flow and declining influence of slab-derived fluids.