2004–2005 Analytical Developments in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

This review of the literature from 2004 and 2005 concerning secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) highlights the contribution the technique has made in the fields of petrology, geochronology, cosmochemistry and material sciences. In petrology, much research was devoted to the measurement of stable isotopes and trace elements by developments in multicollection acquisition, with emphasis on low atomic mass number elements. Elements studied in particular were S (in sulfides), O (in garnets), C (in sedimentary organic matter), Cl (in glasses) and Si. Novel applications of SIMS to geochronology have included the measurement of young zircon grains by the U-Pb and U-Th decay methods. An increasing number of studies have combined U-Pb geochronology with the measurement of trace elements or stable isotopes in zircon.     

GGR Critical Review of Analytical Developments in 2003

The articles that comprise this critical review serve to draw attention to research papers published in specific fields of interest during 2003, provide critical comment on the relevance and importance of individual publications in these fields, and offer an overview of the comparative importance of advances in particular areas. In this way, these articles aim to assist experts in the field by keeping them informed of relevant recent publications, as well as providing an important resource for students or early career researchers who are embarking on studies in an area new to them. This year, five papers provide summaries of developments in bulk sample determinations employing (1) ICP-AES and ICP-MS (trace elements), (2) XRF and atomic absorption spectrometry and INAA, (3) isotope ratio measurements (TIMS, MC-ICP-MS, ICP-MS, ToF), as well as in situ measurements conducted using (4) secondary ion mass spectrometry and (5) laser ablation ICP-MS (trace element and isotope ratio determinations).     

Iron isotope fractionation in subduction-related high-pressure metabasites (Ile de Groix,France)

Characterisation of mass transfer during subduction is fundamental to understand the origin of compositional heterogeneities in the upper mantle. Fe isotopes were measured in high-pressure/low-temperature metabasites (blueschists, eclogites and retrograde greenschists) from the Ile de Groix (France), a Variscan high-pressure terrane, to determine if the subducted oceanic crust contributes to mantle Fe isotope heterogeneities. The metabasites have δ⁵⁶Fe values of +0.16 to +0.33‰, which are heavier than typical values of MORB and OIB, indicating that their basaltic protolith derives from a heavy-Fe mantle source. The δ⁵⁶Fe correlates well with Y/Nb and (La/Sm)_PM ratios, which commonly fractionate during magmatic processes, highlighting variations in the magmatic protolith composition. In addition, the shift of δ⁵⁶Fe by +0.06 to 0.10‰ compared to basalts may reflect hydrothermal alteration prior to subduction. The δ⁵⁶Fe decrease from blueschists (+0.19 ± 0.03 to +0.33 ± 0.01‰) to eclogites (+0.16 ± 0.02 to +0.18 ± 0.03‰) reflects small variations in the protolith composition, rather than Fe fractionation during metamorphism: newly-formed Fe-rich minerals allowed preserving bulk rock Fe compositions during metamorphic reactions and hampered any Fe isotope fractionation. Greenschists have δ⁵⁶Fe values (+0.17 ± 0.01 to +0.27 ± 0.02‰) similar to high-pressure rocks. Hence, metasomatism related to fluids derived from the subducted hydrothermally altered metabasites might only have a limited effect on mantle Fe isotope composition under subsolidus conditions, owing to the large stability of Fe-rich minerals and low mobility of Fe. Subsequent melting of the heavy-Fe metabasites at deeper levels is expected to generate mantle Fe isotope heterogeneities.     

汉诺坝幔源单斜辉石巨晶氢同位素组成的离子探针分析：微尺度不均一性

运用离子探针技术测定了河北汉诺坝新生代玄武岩中3个单斜辉石巨晶的氢同位素组成，结果显示同一颗粒内部表现出微尺度的不均一性，2mm范围内δD的变化达到60‰。δD和氢含量之间不存在同步的变化，巨晶内部的化学成分均一，因此我们认为巨晶的氢同位素不均一性继续自母岩浆。母岩浆的氢同位素变化可能是去气过程中气相与熔体之间的分馏引起的。单斜辉石巨晶形成后很短的时间内即被寄主岩浆带至地表并经历了快速淬火。     

Mdantsane,East London's homeland township: Municipal neglect and apartheid planning 1949–1988

South African urban areas, because of structural control exercised within them, have developed unique characteristics. One of the more distinctive features of urban apartheid is the creation of Homeland townships lying adjacent to certain of the country's towns and cities. This paper seeks to explore the essential motivation underlying the creation of the ethnically distinct urban centre of Mdantsane in the Ciskei Homeland between 1949 and 1988. The reason for the development of Mdantsane, a dormitory township of East London, are explored, as are the primary issues underlying its emergence. In order to fully investigate Mdantsane's evolution it is essential not to divorce the township from developments, through time, in East London. The impact of apartheid planning on the East London region is assessed.     

Hydrological regimes in a tropical valley of New Caledonia (SW Pacific): Impacts of wildfires and invasive fauna

In New Caledonia wildfires and invasive mammals (deer and wild pigs) constitute the major agents of land surface degradation. Our study reveals the linkage between land cover and water balance on the northeast coast of New Caledonia (2400 mm annual rainfall) located on a micaschist basement. The hydrological regime of characteristic and representative land surfaces is assessed using a 1-year record from three 100 m² plots each, located in a forest area degraded by an invasive fauna, in a woody savannah which is regularly burned, and in a healthy forest area. The three plots present highly contrasting hydrological regimes, with annual and maximum runoff/rain ratios during a rain event of, respectively, 0.82, 0.16, 0.03, and 2.7, 0.7, 0.2, for the degraded forest, the savannah and the healthy forest. Such results suggest that subsurface flow originating from the contributing area above the degraded forest plot should exfiltrate inside the plot. A conceptual model for the degraded forest plot shows that water exfiltrating inside the plot represents 61% of the observed runoff. In savannahs, water should mainly be transferred downstream by subsurface flow within a thick organic soil layer limited by an impervious clay layer at a 20–30 cm depth. Savannahs are generally located above forests and generate the transfer of rainwater to downslope forests. Exfiltration into the forests can be the result of this transfer and depends on the thickness and permeability of the forest topsoils and on topographic gradients. Water exfiltration in forest areas highly degraded by pigs and deer enhances erosion and increases further degradation. It probably also limits percolation in the areas located downstream by increasing the amount of superficial runoff concentrated in gullies.     

First-principles study of the structural and isotopic properties of Al- and OH-bearing hematite

A series of hematite structures containing various amounts of aluminum and hydroxyl groups was modeled using first-principles methods based on the density functional theory. Evolution of the lattice parameters was quantified as a function of Al and H concentrations. The a and c lattice parameters decrease with the aluminum content and increase with the water content. This allows explaining experimental data reported for synthetic hematites, in particular the observed deviation from the Vegard’s rule. Investigation of several hydroxyl configurations associated with cationic vacancies suggests that the speciation of water also significantly affects the hematite structure. The ⁵⁷Fe and ¹⁸O reduced partition functions (β-factor) were determined. Results show a linear dependence of the iron and oxygen β-factors on the aluminum content. An incorporation of 18 mole % Al₂O₃ in hematite would increase the iron β-factor of about 0.6‰ and the oxygen β-factor of about 5.5‰ at 0 °C. This effect is sufficiently large to be measurable and to affect the interpretation of natural isotopic compositions. On the other hand, the effect of water is found to be negligible for the hydroxyl configuration investigated.