Helium irradiation study on zircon

Synthetic ZrSiO₄ and (mildly to strongly radiation-damaged) natural zircon samples were irradiated with 8.8 MeV ⁴He²⁺ ions (fluences in the range 1 × 10¹³–5 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm²). For comparison, an additional irradiation experiment was done with 30 MeV ¹⁶O⁶⁺ ions (fluence 1 × 10¹⁵ ions/cm²). The light-ion irradiation resulted in the generation of new (synthetic ZrSiO₄) or additional (mildly to strongly metamict natural samples) damage. The maximum extent of the damage is observed in a shallow depth range approximately 32–33 μm (8.8 MeV He) and ~12 μm (30 MeV O) below the sample surface, i.e. near the end of the ion trajectories. These depth values, and the observed damage distribution, correspond well to defect distribution patterns as predicted by Monte Carlo simulations. The irradiation damage is recognised from the notable broadening of Raman-active vibrational modes, lowered interference colours (i.e. decreased birefringence), and changes in the optical activity (i.e. luminescence emission). At very low damage levels, a broad-band yellow emission centre is generated whereas at elevated damage levels, this centre is suppressed and samples experience a general decrease in their emission intensity. Most remarkably, there is no indication of notable structural recovery in pre-damaged natural zircon as induced by the light-ion irradiation, which questions the relevance of alpha-assisted annealing of radiation damage in natural zircon.     

The nature and transport of the fine‐grained component of Swift Creek Landslide,Northwest Washington

Extreme sedimentation in Swift Creek, located in the Cascades foothills in NW Washington (48°55′N, 122°16′W), results from erosion of the oversteepened, unvegetated toe of a large (55 hectares) active landslide. Deposition of landslide‐derived sediment has necessitated costly mitigation projects in the channel including annual dredging and temporary sediment traps in an attempt to reduce the risk of flooding and damage to man‐made structures downstream. This study attempts to understand the process of sediment production along with the corresponding erosion rates of the sediment source to help with the development of mitigation plans and construction of optimal sediment reservoirs. The bedload and suspended sediment in the creek are a direct result of the weathering process of the serpentinitic bedrock underlying the landslide. The serpentinite does not weather to smectite clay, as previously thought. Instead, it weathers to asbestiform chrysotile with minor amounts of chlorite, illite and hydrotalcite, all of which occur in clay seeps on the unvegetated surface of the landslide. The chrysotile fibers average 2 µm in length and make up at least 50%, by volume, of the suspended load transported in Swift Creek. This study does not address the environmental or health implications of the asbestiform chrysotile transport or deposition. During the sampled time between February 2005 and February 2006, 127 discrete suspended sediment samples were collected and discharge was measured 66 times. The suspended sediment concentrations ranged from 0·02 g L^?1 to 41·6 g L^?1 and the discharge ranged from 0·0 m³ s^?1 to 0·5 m³ s^?1. A nonlinear functional model estimated the total suspended sediment flux from detailed precipitation records and discrete suspended sediment concentration and discharge measurements to be 910 t km^?2 yr^?1. When the suspended sediment flux is coupled with estimates of downstream deposition of coarse sediment, the estimated erosion rate for the entire Swift Creek landslide is 158 mm yr^?1. The majority of the material entering Swift Creek is presumed to originate on the unvegetated toe of the landslide, for which the erosion rate is thus approximately 1 m yr^?1. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Provenance of Neoproterozoic and early Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks of the Teplá-Barrandian unit (Bohemian Massif): Evidence from U–Pb detrital zircon ages

New LA-ICP-MS U–Pb detrital zircon ages from Ediacaran and Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks are used to constrain provenance and paleogeographic affinities of the Teplá-Barrandian unit (TBU) in the centre of the Bohemian Massif (Central Europe, Czech Republic). The samples taken span the period from ≤ 635 Ma to ～ 385 Ma and permit recognition of provenance changes that reflect changes in geotectonic regime. Detrital zircon age spectra of two Ediacaran, one Lower Cambrian and three Upper Ordovician samples resemble the ages known from the NW African proportion of Gondwana, particularly the Trans-Saharan belt, while three rocks from higher Lower Cambrian to Lowermost Ordovician strata contain detritus that may have been derived exclusively from local sources. The age spectrum of the Devonian rock is a combination of the NW Gondwanan and local features. These new findings in combination with a wide range of published data are in agreement with a Neoproterozoic subduction-related setting at the margin of Gondwana followed by a Cambrian/Early Ordovician rifting stage and an Ordovician passive margin setting. Furthermore the data are in favour of a position of the TBU at the Gondwanan margin throughout pre-Variscan times.     

Development and morphometry of drainage network in volcanic terrain, Central Anatolia, Turkey

This paper presents the results of morphotectonic and morphometric research carried out in order to determine the neotectonic development of the volcanic mountains and a drainage network in SW Cappadocia. The study area extends among the Aksaray, Ni?de, and Nev?ehir Provinces. The study area comprises Hasanda?, Melendiz, Keçiboyduran, Göllüda? Mountains and the adjacent parts of these volcanic mountains.Data collected exclusively from 1:25,000 digitised topographic maps and 10 m-resolution DEMs were used to define parameters related to the longitudinal profile of streams. The study area was divided into 10 volcanic units. Longitudinal profiles of 20 streams and stream orders were analysed to determine a regional tectonic differentiation pattern in these units. The streams in the study area drain into four different tectonic depressions. These depressions are Aksaray plain controlled by the Tuz Gölü fault (TGF), Çiftlik plain controlled by the Keçiboyduran–Melendiz fault (KMF), Misli plain controlled by the Derinkuyu fault (DF), and Bor plain controlled by the Ni?de Fault Zone (NFZ). An analysis of morphometric parameters shows that the development of a drainage network is associated with faults and rock resistance. Occurrence of morphometric parameters with different values in units reveals that the volcanic mountains were not uplifted in the same period and were subjected to different morphologic processes. High total order number in the south of Hasanda? (unit 3) and Melendiz Mountains (unit 7) indicate that the uplift ratio of the southern part is much greater than that of the northern part. Moreover, development of the drainage network in the south is in a more advanced phase than in the north. Indeed, the drainage network in the north is in the youngest erosional phase of all parts of the study area. The increased stream length-gradient indices (SL), and stream gradients and an analysis of headward erosion show that the streams displaying the longest and highest reach of the erosional phase are all in the southern part of Keçiboyduran and Melendiz Mountains. The longitudinal profile (Lp) of the present thalweg of the streams is irregular. The irregular Lp are associated with four different causes. These are geological variations in resistance, tectonics, and volcanic topography and downcutting in response to stream incision. The beginning of the fluvial incision in the northern part is younger than in the south.     

Dynamic models of geomorphological patterns

A deformation mechanism is described and analyzed. It is intended for height patterns exposed to erosion and tectonic activity. A simulation experiment is carried out for this model. Closedform expressions are derived for the covariance field, the properties of spectral estimates, and for the optimal retrospective reconstruction of earlier, unknown height patterns. For obvious reasons the author is in no position to make claims about the verisimilitude of the model. It is offered as an example of a potential application to geology of the theory of patterns developed by the author and his coworkers in recent years. It is hoped that those more qualified than the author in the subject matter area can extend and modify the analysis to make it closer to geological reality. supported by NSF grant GJ-3100X.     

Tracking an upper limit of the “Carnian Crisis” and/or Carnian stage in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia)

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The Late Triassic timescale, especially the Carnian–Norian boundary, is poorly constrained mainly due to a paucity of high-precision radio-isotopic...     

A new U–Pb zircon age and a volcanogenic model for the early Permian Chemnitz Fossil Forest

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The Chemnitz Fossil Forest depicts one of the most completely preserved forest ecosystems in late Paleozoic Northern Hemisphere of tropical Pangaea. Fossil...     

Character and origin of variably deformed granitoids in central southern Sweden: implications from geochemistry and Nd isotopes

We present major and trace element data for eighteen 1.71–1.66 Ga granitoid samples, and Sm–Nd whole‐rock isotope data for eleven of these samples, in a transect across the border between the Transscandinavian Igneous Belt (TIB) and the Eastern Segment in central southern Sweden. The geochemistry of the granitoids varies from alkalic to alkali‐calcic and peraluminous in the east to predominantly calc‐alkaline and metaluminous in the west. Rocks in the west also have lower SiO₂ contents. Trace element signatures favour formation in an active continental margin setting. Nd isotope data are completely overlapping along the transect and initial ε_Nd values are mildly depleted in the range +0.3 to +2.6. The combined data suggest that the magmas were derived mainly from juvenile, pre‐existing crust, increasingly mafic and less alkaline towards the west. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.