The breakdown of potassium feldspar at high water pressures

The equilibrium position of the reaction between sanidine and water to form “sanidine hydrate” has been determined by reversal experiments on well characterised synthetic starting materials in a piston cylinder apparatus. The reaction was found to lie between four reversed brackets of 2.35 and 2.50 GPa at 450 °C, 2.40 and 2.59 GPa at 550 °C, 2.67 and 2.74 GPa at 650 °C, and 2.70 and 2.72 GPa at 680 °C. Infrared spectroscopy showed that the dominant water species in sanidine hydrate was structural H₂O. The minimum quantity of this structural H₂O, measured by thermogravimetric analysis, varied between 4.42 and 5.85 wt% over the pressure range of 2.7 to 3.2 GPa and the temperature range of 450 to 680 °C. Systematic variation in water content with pressure and temperature was not clearly established. The maximum value was below 6.07 wt%, the equivalent of 1 molecule of H₂O per formula unit. The water could be removed entirely by heating at atmospheric pressure to produce a metastable, anhydrous, hexagonal KAlSi₃O₈ phase (“hexasanidine”) implying that the structural H₂O content of sanidine hydrate can vary. The unit cell parameters for sanidine hydrate, measured by powder X-ray diffraction, were a = 0.53366 (±0.00022) nm and c = 0.77141 (±0.00052) nm, and those for hexasanidine were a = 0.52893 (±0.00016) nm and c = 0.78185 (±0.00036) nm. The behaviour and properties of sanidine hydrate appear to be analogous to those of the hydrate phase cymrite in the equivalent barium system. The occurrence of sanidine hydrate in the Earth would be limited to high pressure but very low temperature conditions and hence it could be a potential reservoir for water in cold subduction zones. However, sanidine hydrate would probably be constrained to granitic rock compositions at these pressures and temperatures. Received: 6 May 1997 / Accepted: 2 October 1997     

Evaluation of drilling priorities using lead isotopes at the Lady Loretta lead-zinc-silver deposit, Australia

The weathered surface expression of the Lady Loretta lead-zinc-silver deposit outcrops almost continuously over a distance of about 4 km. Lead isotope ratios have been determined for samples, some of which contain > 4000 ppm Pb, from geochemically anomalous areas in order to assign drilling priorities to the anomalies.Twelve of the 43 samples analyzed contain isotopically homogeneous lead with ratios (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb 0.9532–0.9549) similar to the expected targets for major ore deposits in the Mount Isa-McArthur River metallogenic province (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb 0.955–0.962). Three main zones of interest can be outlined on the basis of lead isotopic data. The top priority is assigned to a 100-m-long section of the ironstone which coincides with the known outcrop of the ore. Lower priority for drilling is given to the two other zones which outcrop over smaller areas and have more radiogenic lead in their immediate surroundings. Several samples with anomalously high lead contents (> 1000 ppm) contain more radiogenic lead (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb < 0.950) which was most likely derived from the weathering country rocks by supergene leaching and redeposition. Of the 22 samples containing ≥ 380 ppm Pb, lead isotopic analyses would have reduced the number deserving further attention to 10. Lead isotopic analyses in the early stages of exploration could have assisted in minimizing exploration expenditure at Lady Loretta.     

Seismic interferometry and ambient noise tomography in the British Isles

Traditional methods of imaging the Earth's subsurface using seismic waves require an identifiable, impulsive source of seismic energy, for example an earthquake or explosive source. Naturally occurring, ambient seismic waves form an ever-present source of energy that is conventionally regarded as unusable since it is not impulsive. As such it is generally removed from seismic data and subsequent analysis. A new method known as seismic interferometry can be used to extract useful information about the Earth's subsurface from the ambient noise wavefield. Consequently, seismic interferometry is an important new tool for exploring areas which are otherwise seismically quiescent, such as the British Isles in which there are relatively few strong earthquakes. One of the possible applications of seismic interferometry is ambient noise tomography (ANT). ANT is a way of using interferometry to image subsurface seismic velocity variations using seismic (surface) waves extracted from the background ambient vibrations of the Earth. To date, ANT has been used successfully to image the Earth's crust and upper-mantle on regional and continental scales in many locations and has the power to resolve major geological features such as sedimentary basins and igneous and metamorphic cores. Here we provide a review of seismic interferometry and ANT, and show that the seismic interferometry method works well within the British Isles. We illustrate the usefulness of the method in seismically quiescent areas by presenting the first surface wave group velocity maps of the Scottish Highlands using only ambient seismic noise. These maps show low velocity anomalies in sedimentary basins such as the Moray Firth, and high velocity anomalies in igneous and metamorphic centres such as the Lewisian complex. They also suggest that the Moho shallows from south to north across Scotland which agrees with previous geophysical studies in the region.     

Mineralogy of sedimentary formations in the western North Atlantic Ocean: Preliminary results

Six sedimentary formations, and two separate members recently were described byJansa, et al. (1979) from the western North Atlantic Ocean basin. We have investigated the mineralogical composition of these lithostratigraphic units by qualitative X-ray diffraction analyses of about five hundred samples from DSDP Sites 105, 106, 386, 387, and 391. The sedimentary section studied, from bottom to top, consists of: argillaceous limestones (Cat Gap Formation); limestones (Blake-Bahama Formation); claystones and shales (Hatteras Formation); zeolitic claystones (Plantagenet Formation); nannofossil marls (Crescent Peaks Member); siliceous oozes, clays, and cherts (Bermuda Rise Formation), and hemipelagic muds (Blake Ridge Formation) that locally contain redeposited shallow-water carbonates (Great Abaco Member). The section ranges in age from Oxfordian at the base to Quaternary at the sea-floor.Most of the formations and members described byJansa, et al. (1979) have a characteristic mineralogical composition. Thus it is possible to recognize boundaries between formations and members by changes in mineral components, although these changes range from sharp to transitional. Within the same formation local differences in mineral spectra between sites can be explained by changing distance from terrigenous sources, lateral changes in surface paleoproductivity, and varying diagenetic conditions.

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Zusammenfassung Sechs sedimentäre Formations und zwei dazugehörige Members wurden vor kurzem durchJansa, et al. (1979) aus dem Ozeanboden des westlichen Nordatlantik beschrieben. Wir haben die Mineralzusammensetzung dieser lithostratigraphischen Einheiten anhand von etwa 500 qualitativen röntgenographischen Analysen untersucht; die Proben dazu entstammen den DSDP-Bohrungen 105, 106, 386, 387 und 391. Vom Liegenden zum Hangenden lassen sich folgende Einheiten unterscheiden: Tonige Kalksteine (Cat Gap Formation); Kalksteine (Blake-Bahama Formation); Tonsteine und shales (Hatteras Formation); Zeolithische Tonsteine (Plantagenet Formation); Nannofossil-Mergel (Crescent Peaks Member); Kieselige Schlamme, Tone und Hornsteine (Bermuda Rise Formation) und Hemipelagische Schlamme (Blake Ridge Formation), die lokal umgelagerte Flachwasser-Karbonate (Great Abaco Member) enthalten. Das Gesamtprofil reicht altersmäßig von Oxfordium an der Basis bis zum Quartär.Die meisten der vonJansa, et al. (1979) beschriebenen Formations und Members haben eine charakteristische Mineralzusammensetzung; es ist daher möglich, Grenzen sowohl zwischen Formations als auch zwischen Formations und Members anhand ihrer Mineralkomponenten zu erkennen; der entsprechende Wechsel kann scharf sein oder fließende Übergänge aufweisen. Lokale Unterschiede in den Mineralspektren einer Formation zwischen einzelnen Bohrpunkten lassen sich auf wechselnde Entfernungen vom Liefergebiet bzw. unterschiedliche Liefergebiete selbst, auf laterale Wechsel in der oberflächennahen Paläo-Produktivität und/oder auf unterschiedliche diagenetische Bedingungen zurückführen.

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Résumé Six »formations« sédimentaires ainsi que deux »members« séparés ont été ré cemment décrits parJansa, et al. (1979) dans la partie nordouest du bassin de l'océan Atlantique. Nous avons étudié, d'un point de vue qualitatif, la composition minéralogique de ces unités lithostratigraphiques à partir de l'analyse diffractométrique d'environ 500 échantillons provenant des sites DSDP 105, 106, 386, 387 et 391. Les sections sédimentaires examinées comprennent de bas en haut: Des calcaires argileux (Cat Gap Formation); des calcaires (Blake-Bahama Formation); des argilites et des argiles schisteuses (Hatteras Formation); des argilites zéolitiques (Plantagenet Formation); de la marne aux nannofossiles (Crescent Peaks Member); des boues silicieuses, des argiles et du silex (Bermuda Rise Formation), ainsi que des boues hémipélagiques (Blake Ridge Formation) qui contiennent par endroits des carbonates resédimentaires provenant d'un milieu peu profond (Great Abaco Member). Leur âge s'échelonne de l'Oxfordien à la base jusqu'au Quaternaire au fond océanique.La plupart des »formations« et des »members« décrits parJansa, et al. (1979) ont une composition minéralogique caractéristique. Il est donc possible de reconnaître les limites entre des »formations« et des »members« à partir des changements de la composition minéralogique, bien que ces changements varient du net au transitoire. Dans une même formation on peut expliquer les différences locales des spectres minéraux entre les sites, par la variation de distance des sources terrigènes, des changements latéraux de la paléoproductivité de surface et des conditions diagénétiques variables.

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Jansa . (1979) 6 2 . 500 . 105, 106, 386, 387, 391. : — Cat Gap —, — Blake-Bahama —, — Hatteras'a —, — Plantagenet —, - — Crescent Peaks —, , — Bermuda Rise — — Blake Ridge —, — Great Abaco. . Jansa ; , , , . , ., , / .

     

Foraminifera in Cenozoic Paleoenvironments

INTRODUCTION Microfossilsaregenerallythemostversatileand “useful”offossilsforbothcorrelationandagedeter minationandpaleoenvironmentalanalysis.Among microfossilstheforaminiferaarepre eminent(Fig. 1).Wefindinthesamesample—beitoutcropor subsurface,onshor…     

The effects of metamorphism on O and Fe isotope compositions in the Biwabik Iron Formation, northern Minnesota

The Biwabik Iron Formation of Minnesota (1.9 Ga) underwent contact metamorphism by intrusion of the Duluth Complex (1.1 Ga). Apparent quartz–magnetite oxygen isotope temperatures decrease from ∼700°C at the contact to ∼375°C at 2.6 km distance (normal to the contact in 3D). Metamorphic pigeonite at the contact, however, indicates that peak temperatures were greater than 825°C. The apparent O isotope temperatures, therefore, reflect cooling, and not peak metamorphic conditions. Magnetite was reset in δ¹⁸O as a function of grain size, indicating that isotopic exchange was controlled by diffusion of oxygen in magnetite for samples from above the grunerite isograd. Apparent quartz–magnetite O isotope temperatures are similar to calculated closure temperatures for oxygen diffusion in magnetite at a cooling rate of ∼5.6°C/kyr, which suggests that the Biwabik Iron Formation cooled from ∼825 to 400°C in ∼75 kyr at the contact with the Duluth Complex. Isotopic exchange during metamorphism also occurred for Fe, where magnetite–Fe silicate fractionations decrease with increasing metamorphic grade. Correlations between quartz–magnetite O isotope fractionations and magnetite–iron silicate Fe isotope fractionations suggest that both reflect cooling, where the closure temperature for Fe was higher than for O. The net effect of metamorphism on δ¹⁸O–δ⁵⁶Fe variations in magnetite is a strong increase in δ¹⁸O_Mt and a mild decrease in δ⁵⁶Fe with increasing metamorphic grade, relative to the isotopic compositions that are expected at the low temperatures of initial magnetite formation. If metamorphism of Iron Formations occurs in a closed system, bulk O and Fe isotope compositions may be preserved, although re-equilibration among the minerals may occur for both O and Fe isotopes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Transport and economic development in the less-developed countries: Some reflections on the seaports of Kenya and Tanzania

The significant role of transport in the development of less-developed countries is widely accepted, but the critical importance of seaports is often under-appreciated. Evidence from the Indian Ocean ports of Kenya and Tanzania is used in this paper to illustrate and support the argument that efficient port operation is an essential contributory factor in the development process.     

Conservation and community in the new South Africa: A case study of the Mahushe Shongwe Game Reserve

The idealization of natural landscapes and peoples during colonialism, coupled with the popularity of sustainable development in the postcolonial era, has contributed to the expansion of conservation planning throughout the African continent. Concerns surrounding the promotion of national and international conservation agendas at the expense of local livelihood needs have generated interest in community conservation projects that attempt to include local participation and knowledge in natural resource management. The early excitement associated with community conservation has waned in light of recent assessments that it has been unsuccessful in meeting its ecological and social goals. This parallels other research that suggests communities are understood in generic or homogenous ways that influence how these initiatives are understood. Using a case study of the Mahushe Shongwe Game Reserve, this paper evaluates how rural households access environmental and economic resources to produce livelihoods, and how these access patterns impact their views of the project. It is argued that there are significant livelihood variations within the community that shape the ways households engage with, and benefit from, conservation planning. Rather than strictly viewing Mahushe Shongwe as a constraint to environmental resource access or site for limited employment, community members identify a number of benefits from its existence including education and development opportunities. Additionally, transformations in governance systems in the region impact community views of the project since younger residents are less likely to engage with the Matsamo Tribal Authority, which participates in managing the reserve. The consequence is that conservation has various impacts and meanings within a specific community that remain tied to the livelihood and governance systems being renegotiated in the post-apartheid era.