Structuring subjectivities? Using Q methodology in human geography

This paper presents a critical and reflexive account of using Q methodology in human geography. Q methodology has a long pedigree in psychological, political and sociological research, but is only recently beginning to be used by human geographers. We discuss, in particular, the parts of the process(es) of Q methodology that are often glossed over in the literature, through reflecting on our learning in using Q within a project examining the use and production of environmental science by NGOs. We conclude that Q may be a useful supplement to existing methods in human geography, as long as it is used creatively and reflexively and with full awareness of its interpretative dimensions.     

Variations of U and Sr isotope ratios in Alsace and Luxembourg rain waters: origin and hydrogeochemical implications

Major and trace element concentrations, as well as Sr and U isotope ratios, were measured in rainwater samples collected in three different locations in Alsace (East of France) and Luxembourg: a mid-altitude mountain site (Aubure Environment HydroGeochemical Observatory), an urban site (Strasbourg) and a peri-urban site located in an area of well developed industrial activity (Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg). Results highlight the quite high spatial and temporal variability of the chemical and isotopic characteristics of rainwater at the regional scale. They also suggest a quite systematic contribution of a local component in the chemical composition of rainwater. In urban and peri-urban sites, the local component is certainly linked to human activities, as it is well illustrated in this study with the Esch-sur-Alzette samples. On the other hand, for the Aubure site, i.e. a small forested watershed of mid-altitude mountain, data presented in this study demonstrate the influence of the vegetation on the chemical composition of rainwater for alkali and calc-alkali elements, as well as for the Sr isotope ratios. Such a result questions the reliability of the method classically used to estimate the rainwater contribution on the river chemical budget. In addition, data of the present study confirm the very low content of uranium in rainwater and demonstrate, especially through the U isotope analysis of Aubure rainwater, the negligible effect of rainwater on U budget of river waters. This work thus outlines the property of U to be a geochemical tracer specific of weathering fluxes carried by rivers. To cite this article: F. Chabaux et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Lithium isotopes in the system Qz-Ms-fluid:An experimental study

The fractionation of lithium isotopes among quartz, muscovite, and a chloride-bearing aqueous fluid has been investigated experimentally at 400°-500°C and 50-100 MPa. Experiments were performed for 15-60 days in cold seal vessels with natural mineral specimens. Lithium was introduced primarily through the fluid, which also contained KCl and HCl. In most runs, the fluid was prepared with the L-SVEC standard (δ⁷Li = 0) and was 1 M in total chloride with K/Li/H = 100/10/1. In two experiments, a ⁶Li spike was employed. The experiments demonstrate that quartz and muscovite are susceptible to pronounced, rapid shifts in Li isotopic composition by diffusion through interaction with a Li-bearing fluid, particularly at 500°C. At 500°C, fractionation factors were determined to be Δ_{quartz-aqueous} ≅ +8 to + 12‰ and Δ_{muscovite-aqueous} ≅ +18 to + 20‰. An intermineral fractionation factor is given by Δ_{muscovite-quartz} ≈ +9‰. At 400°C, the results suggest Δ_{quartz-aqueous} ≈ +4 to + 6‰. The study provides evidence of systematic fractionation in lithium isotopes at the temperatures of some magmatic processes, such as those associated with porphyry-type ore systems and pegmatites.     

The glaciation of the Langdale fells

The detailed distribution of glacial features in the Langdale Fells is described and the uncertainties attending their explanation discussed. Although it cannot be shown that all the kettle moraines are of a single age, two of them have been dated to Zone III of the pollen-analytical chronology.     

High- and low-Cr chromitite and dunite in a Tibetan ophiolite: evolution from mature subduction system to incipient forearc in the Neo-Tethyan Ocean

The microstructures, major- and trace-element compositions of minerals and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) maps of high- and low-Cr# [spinel Cr# = Cr³⁺/(Cr³⁺ + Al³⁺)] chromitites and dunites from the Zedang ophiolite in the Yarlung Zangbo Suture (South Tibet) have been used to reveal their genesis and the related geodynamic processes in the Neo-Tethyan Ocean. The high-Cr# (0.77–0.80) chromitites (with or without diopside exsolution) have chromite compositions consistent with initial crystallization by interaction between boninitic magmas, harzburgite and reaction-produced magmas in a shallow, mature mantle wedge. Some high-Cr# chromitites show crystal-plastic deformation and grain growth on previous chromite relics that have exsolved needles of diopside. These features are similar to those of the Luobusa high-Cr# chromitites, possibly recycled from the deep upper mantle in a mature subduction system. In contrast, mineralogical, chemical and EBSD features of the Zedang low-Cr# (0.49–0.67) chromitites and dunites and the silicate inclusions in chromite indicate that they formed by rapid interaction between forearc basaltic magmas (MORB-like but with rare subduction input) and the Zedang harzburgites in a dynamically extended, incipient forearc lithosphere. The evidence implies that the high-Cr# chromitites were produced or emplaced in an earlier mature arc (possibly Jurassic), while the low-Cr# associations formed in an incipient forearc during the initiation of a new episode of Neo-Tethyan subduction at ~130–120 Ma. This two-episode subduction model can provide a new explanation for the coexistence of high- and low-Cr# chromitites in the same volume of ophiolitic mantle.     

Stable isotopic signature of a palaeoaquifer, Mississippian Alamogordo Member limestones, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA

Nine stratigraphic sections, each ≈5 m thick, were sampled from the Alamogordo Member limestones of the Lake Valley Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA. Four stratigraphic sections consist entirely of lime mudstone and wackestone, whereas the other five sections have a prominent layer of crinoidal packstone about 1 m thick at their base. Stable isotopic analyses reveal that the lime muds in the sections with basal packstone layers show a downward decrease in δ¹⁸O and constant δ¹³C values, whereas those in the sections solely composed of lime mudstone and wackestone have, in general, relatively uniform δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values. The diagenesis of the Alamogordo Member limestones was previously believed to have been governed by the downward percolation of meteoric water from a regional pre-Pennsylvanian exposure surface ≈100 m above this unit. However, the uniform δ¹³C and downward decrease in δ¹⁸O values in the lime muds in the sections with basal packstones indicate that the meteoric water ascended within the Alamogordo Member, rather than descended from the overlying exposure surface. This indicates that the basal packstones were probably a conduit for meteoric water. This is further supported indirectly by the relatively uniform δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values of the lime mud in the sections without basal packstones. The implications are that the oxygen isotopic gradients may be used to identify palaeoaquifers, flow directions within these aquifers and that meteoric diagenesis below an exposure surface could be governed by flow through a palaeoaquifer.     

Chromian spinel as a petrogenetic indicator in abyssal and alpine-type peridotites and spatially associated lavas

The composition of chromian spinel in alpine-type peridotites has a large reciprocal range of Cr and Al, with increasing Cr# (Cr/(Cr+Al)) reflecting increasing degrees of partial melting in the mantle. Using spinel compositions, alpine-type peridotites can be divided into three groups. Type I peridotites and associated volcanic rocks contain spinels with Cr#<0.60; Type III peridotites and associated volcanics contain spinels with Cr#>0.60, and Type II peridotites and volcanics are a transitional group and contain spinels spanning the full range of spinel compositions in Type I and Type II peridotites. Spinels in abyssal peridotites lie entirely within the Type I spinel field, making ophiolites with Type I alpine-type peridotites the most likely candidates for sections of ocean lithosphere formed at a midocean ridge. The only modern analogs for Type III peridotites and associated volcanic rocks are found in arc-related volcanic and intrusive rocks, continental intrusive assemblages, and oceanic plateau basalts. We infer a sub-volcanic arc petrogenesis for most Type III alpine-type peridotites. Type II alpine-type peridotites apparently reflect composite origins, such as the formation of an island-arc on ocean crust, resulting in large variations in the degree and provenance of melting over relatively short distances. The essential difference between Type I and Type III peridotites appears to be the presence or absence of diopside in the residue at the end of melting.Based on an examination of co-existing rock and spinel compositions in lavas, it appears that spinel is a sensitive indicator of melt composition and pressure of crystallization. The close similarity of spinel composition fields in genetically related basalts, dunites and peridotites at localities in the oceans and in ophiolite complexes indicates that its composition reflects the degree of melting in the mantle source region. Accordingly, we infer from the restricted range of spinel compositions in abyssal basalts that the degree of mantle melting beneath mid-ocean ridges is generally limited to that found in Type I alpine-type peridotites. It is apparent, therefore, that the phase boundary OL-EN-DI-SP +meltOL-EN-SP+melt has limited the degree of melting of the mantle beneath mid-ocean ridges. This was clearly not the case for many alpine-type peridotites, implying very different melting conditions in the mantle, probably involving the presence of water.     

A study of late Pleistocene loess deposits,South Canterbury,New Zealand: Part I. Forms and amounts of phosphorus compared with other techniques for identifying paleosols

Four paleosols, and soil horizons within paleosols, were clearly identified in the thick calcium carbonate-free loess sections at Timaru, South Island, New Zealand, by changes in the distribution of total phosphorus and calcium phosphate in the upper 2 m to each paleosol. Extractable manganese was also sensitive in identifying paleosols, particularly the upper horizons. The distribution of bulk density values was useful in identifying paleosols; however, the maximum bulk density (>1.7 g/cc) occurred in horizons identified as B2 rather than fragipan horizons in three of four cases. The distribution of clay particles was useful in understanding the genesis of the modern soil and paleosols, but not in identifying paleosols.     

Climate change and soil freezing dynamics: historical trends and projected changes

Changes to soil freezing dynamics with climate change can modify ecosystem carbon and nutrient losses. Soil freezing is influenced strongly by both air temperature and insulation by the snowpack, and it has been hypothesized that winter climate warming may lead to increased soil freezing as a result of reduced snowpack thickness. I used weather station data to explore the relationships between winter air temperature, precipitation and soil freezing for 31 sites in Canada, ranging from the temperate zone to the high Arctic. Inter-annual climate variation and associated soil temperature variation over the last 40 years were examined and used to interpolate the effects of projected climate change on soil freezing dynamics within sites using linear regression models. Annual soil freezing days declined with increasing mean winter air temperature despite decreases in snow depth and cover, and reduced precipitation only increased annual soil freezing days in the warmest sites. Annual soil freeze–thaw cycles increased in both warm and dry winters, although the effects of precipitation were strongest in sites that experience low mean winter precipitation. Overall, it was projected that by 2050, changes in winter temperature will have a much stronger effect on annual soil freezing days and freeze–thaw cycles than changes in total precipitation, with sites close to but below freezing experiencing the largest changes in soil freezing days. These results reveal that experimental data relevant to the effects of climate changes on soil freezing dynamics and changes in associated soil physical and biological processes are lacking.     

Cool water geyser travertine: Crystal Geyser,Utah, USA

A sloping travertine mound, approximately 85 m across and a few metres thick is actively forming from cool temperature waters issuing out of Crystal Geyser, east‐central Utah, USA. Older travertine deposits exist at the site, the waters having used the Little Grand Wash Fault system as conduits. In contrast, the present Crystal Geyser travertine mound forms from 18°C waters which have been erupting for the last 80 years from an abandoned oil well. The present Crystal Geyser travertine accumulation forms from a ‘man‐made’ cool temperature geyser system; nevertheless, the constituents are an analogue for ancient geyser‐fed carbonate deposits. The travertine primary fabric is composed of couplets of highly porous, thin micritic laminae intercalated with thicker iron oxide rich laminae. Low Mg‐calcite is the dominant mineralogy; however, aragonite is a major constituent in deposits proximal to the vent and decreases in abundance distally. Cements exhibit a variety of fabrics, isopachous being common. Constituents include micro‐stromatolites, clasts, pisoids and the common occurrence of Frutexites‐like iron oxide precipitates. Leptothrix, a common iron‐oxidizing bacterium, is believed to be responsible for the production of the dense iron‐rich laminae. Pisoids litter the ground around the vent and rapidly decrease distally in abundance and size.