The Al2O3 contents of enstatite in equilibrium with garnet in the system MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 at 15–40 kbar and 900°–1,600° C

Forty-six reversed determinations of the Al₂O₃content of enstatite in equilibrium with garnet were made in the P/T range 15–40 kbar/900–1,600° C in the MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system. Starting materials were mixtures of synthetic pyrope+Al-free enstatite and pyrope+enstatite (5–12% Al₂O₃). Al₂O₃ contents in reversal run pairs closely approached common values from both the high- and low-Al sides. Most experiments were done in a piston-cylinder device using a NaCl medium; some runs at very high temperatures were made in pyrex/NaCl or pyrex/talc assemblies. The measured enstatite compositions, expressed as mole fractions of Mg₂(MgAl)(AlSi₃)O₁₂(X _Opy ^En ) were fitted by a Monte-Carlo method to the equilibrium condition: $$\begin{gathered} \Delta H_{970}^0 - 970\Delta S_{970}^0 \hfill \\ + \mathop \smallint \limits_1^P \Delta V_{970}^0 dP - \mathop \smallint \limits_{970}^T \Delta S_T^0 dT + RT\ln X_{Opy}^{En} = 0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ where the best fit parameters of ΔH, ΔS and ΔV (1 bar, 970 K) for the reaction pyrope=opy are 2,040 cal/mol, 2.12 eu and 9.55 cc/mol. In addition to the determination of Al₂O₃ contents of enstatite, the univariant reaction pyrope+forsterite=enstatite+spinel was reversibly located in the range 1,100–1,400°C. A “best-fit” line passes through 22, 22.5 and 25 kbar at 1,040, 1,255 and 1,415°C, respectively. Our results for the univariant reaction are in agreement with previous studies of MacGregor (1974) and Haselton (1979). However, comparison of the experimentally determined curve with thermochemical calculations suggests that there may be a small error in the tabulated ΔH _f(970,1) ⁰ value for enstatite. A value of?8.32 rather than?8.81 kcal/mole (Charlu et al. 1975) is consistent with the present data. Application of garnet-enstatite-spinel-forsterite equilibria to natural materials is fraught with difficulties. The effects of nonternary components are poorly understood, and the low solubilities of Al₂O₃ in enstatite under most geologically reasonable conditions make barometric or thermometric calculations highly sensitive. More detailed studies, including reversed determinations in low-friction assemblies, are sorely needed before the effects of important diluents such as Fe, Ca and Cr can be fully understood.     

Dynamics of a confined lava flow on Kilauea volcano,Hawaii

This paper presents a new method of analysing lava flow deposits which allows the velocity, discharge rate and rheological properties of channelled moving lavas to be calculated. The theory is applied to a lava flow which was erupted on Kilauea in July 1974. This flow came from a line of fissures on the edge of the caldera and was confined to a pre-existing gully within 50 m of leaving the vent. The lava drained onto the floor of the caldera when the activity stopped, but left wall and floor deposits which showed that the lava banked up as it flowed around each of the bends. Field surveys established the radius of curvature of each bend and the associated lava levels, and these data, together with related field and laboratory measurements, are used to study the rheology of the lava. The results show the flow to have been fast moving but still laminar, with a mean velocity of just over 8 m s^–1; the lava had a low or negligible yield strength and viscosities in the range 85–140 Pa s. An extension of the basic method is considered, and the possibility of supercritical flow discussed.     

Extinct mountain goat (Oreamnos harringtoni) in Southeastern Utah

The extinct Harrington's mountain goat (Oreamnos harringtoni Stock) is predominantly known from dry cave localities in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, in addition to two sites in the Great Basin, Nevada, and from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. A dry shelter in Natural Bridges National Monument, on the central Colorado Plateau, southeastern Utah, preserves numerous remains of the extinct mountain goat in addition to pack rat middens. Remains from a 100-cm stratigraphic profile indicate that O. harringtoni lived on the plateau >39,800 yr B.P., the oldest directly dated find of extinct mountain goat. Plant macrofossils indicate that Engelmann's spruce (Picea engelmannii), limber pine (Pinus flexilis), rose (Rosa cf. woodsii), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) grew during the late Pleistocene where a riparian and a pinyon-juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus osteosperma) community now predominates; Douglas fir are found only in mesic, protected, north-facing areas. Limber pine, Douglas fir, bark, and grasses were the major dietary components in the dung. A springtime diet of birch (Betula) is determined from pollen clumps in dung pellets.     

Shoreline changes along the southeastern coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts for the past 200 years

Shoreline changes since 1776, including two 30-yr periods separated by nearly 100 yr are documented from surveys, topographic maps, harbor charts, and aerial photographs for the southeastern corner of the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts (41°25′ N, 70°35′ W). From 1776 to 1969, a barrier beach has receded by more than 880 m, and average rate of 4.6 m/yr. A series of four detailed surveys from 1840 to 1886 document consistent shoreline retreat in this area of 3.1 m/yr.For the period 1938–1969, planimetry from aerial photographs and field observation indicate that more than 28 ha and nearly 3 × 10⁶ m³ of foreland composed of till have washed away. A house, located 200 m from the cliff edge of the foreland in 1938 was only 56 m from the cliff edge in July 1972.Violent storms were associated with the opening of the bay behind the barrier beach in nearly the same location in 1856, 1886, 1938, and 1954. Easterly migration of the opening results in rapid erosion of the southeastern corner of the island (Wasque Point) and eventual closing of the opening.Field observation of the 1954 opening indicates that the mechanism of failure of the barrier beach is primarily by storm tide-induced subsidence. Subsequently, strong (up to 1.2 mps) easterly currents cause migration of the opening to the east and closure within 15 yr.A summary review of evidence for changes in sea level in the past is suggested in partial explanation for the consistent shoreline retreat described in this paper.     

Strontium isotope composition of alpine-type ultramafic rocks in the Lake Chatuge District,Georgia—North Carolina

The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for a series of ultramafic rocks from the Lake Chatuge region range from 0.7023 to 0.7047, suggesting a direct upper mantle source and precluding a multiple differentiation origin for these alpine-type rocks. Higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7058–0.7068) for serpentinized rocks from this suite apparently reflect the influx of radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr from the surrounding gneisses and schists during serpentinization.     

Constitutive relations for two-phase particulate materials with elastic binder

Constitutive relationships for two-phase (particles and the binder) materials can be evaluated by many methods. In this article, we develop a method in which binder-contact laws and the basic cell technique are employed in formulation of stress-strain equations. The particles are hexagonally arrayed, and the binder and particles behave elastically. The on-axis stiffness matrix is derived first, followed by the off-axis one. An integral representation of a statistically averaged stiffness matrix is also presented. This article shows a favorable stiffness comparison between the current results and those of Chang, C. S. and Misra, A., Theoretical and Experimental Study of Regular Packings of Granules. Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 1989, 115, 705–710.     

Testing Sr/Sr as a paleosalinity indicator on mixed marine, brackish-water and terrestrial vertebrate skeletal apatite in late Paleocene-early Eocene near-coastal sediments, Mississippi

Mixed marine, brackish-water and terrestrial vertebrate skeletal apatite is found in the late Paleocene-early Eocene Tuscahoma and Bashi Formations of Mississippi. The co-Occurrence in these near-coastal marine deposits of skeletal apatite with different provenances offers a unique opportunity for unraveling the effects of diagenesis on apatite ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr composition, with bearings on the use of this isotope pair as paleosalinity indicator. The results show that the Sr isotopes of all originally poorly ordered phases of skeletal apatite have extensively re-equilibrated with pore water with significantly lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios than late Paleocene-early Eocene seawater. For example, marine shark and ray teeth from the Bashi Formation all have clearly nonmarine ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, 0.7073-0.7075, compared with a coeval seawater ratio in the range 0.7077-0.7078. However, separated shark tooth enamel, with a high original crystallinity, appears to have retained all or most of its in vivo Sr isotopic signature until the present. Here we also show that ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr results on recent vertebrate skeletal material from different environments are in good agreement with expected values for respective habitat.

Earlier analyses of calcite material from the Bashi Formation indicated the existence of a shift in seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr to a lower value at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. The strong influence of pore water with low, nonmarine ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr on the apatite in the Bashi Formation suggests that the proposed isotopic shift may be an artifact related to diagenetic processes.     

Sulfide oxidation and distribution of metals near abandoned copper mines in coastal environments,Prince William Sound,Alaska, USA

The oxidation of sulfide-rich rocks, mostly leftover debris from Cu mining in the early 20th century, is contributing to metal contamination of local coastal environments in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Analyses of sulfide, water, sediment, precipitate and biological samples from the Beatson, Ellamar, and Threeman mine sites show that acidic surface waters generated from sulfide weathering are pathways for redistribution of environmentally important elements into and beyond the intertidal zone at each site. Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits composed of pyrrhotite and (or) pyrite + chalcopyrite + sphalerite with subordinate galena, arsenopyrite, and cobaltite represent potent sources of Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Co, Cd, and Hg. The resistance to oxidation among the major sulfides increases in the order pyrrhotite ? sphalerite < chalcopyrite ? pyrite; thus, pyrrhotite-rich rocks are typically more oxidized than those dominated by pyrite. The pervasive alteration of pyrrhotite begins with rim replacement by marcasite followed by replacement of the core by sulfur, Fe sulfate, and Fe–Al sulfate. The oxi dation of chalcopyrite and pyrite involves an encroachment by colloform Fe oxyhydroxides at grain margins and along crosscutting cracks that gradually consumes the entire grain. The complete oxidation of sulfide-rich samples results in a porous aggregate of goethite, lepidocrocite and amorphous Fe-oxyhydroxide enclosing hydrothermal and sedimentary silicates. An inverse correlation between pH and metal concentrations is evident in water data from all three sites. Among all waters sampled, pore waters from Ellamar beach gravels have the lowest pH (∼3) and highest concentrations of base metals (to ∼25,000 μg/L), which result from oxidation of abundant sulfide-rich debris in the sediment. High levels of dissolved Hg (to 4100 ng/L) in the pore waters probably result from oxidation of sphalerite-rich rocks. The low-pH and high concentrations of dissolved Fe, Al, and SO₄ are conducive to precipitation of interstitial jarosite in the intertidal gravels. Although pore waters from the intertidal zone at the Threeman mine site have circumneutral pH values, small amounts of dissolved Fe²⁺ in the pore waters are oxidized during mixing with seawater, resulting in precipitation of Fe-oxyhydroxide flocs along the beach–seawater interface. At the Beatson site, surface waters funneled through the underground mine workings and discharged across the waste dumps have near-neutral pH (6.7–7.3) and a relatively small base-metal load; however, these streams probably play a role in the physical transport of metalliferous particulates into intertidal and offshore areas during storm events. Somewhat more acidic fluids, to pH 5.3, occur in stagnant seeps and small streams emerging from the Beatson waste dumps. Amorphous Fe precipitates in stagnant waters at Beatson have high Cu (5.2 wt%) and Zn (2.3 wt%) concentrations that probably reflect adsorption onto the extremely high surface area of colloidal particles. Conversely, crystalline precipitates composed of ferrihydrite and schwertmannite that formed in the active flow of small streams have lower metal contents, which are attributed to their smaller surface area and, therefore, fewer reactive sorption sites. Seeps containing precipitates with high metal contents may contribute contaminants to the marine environment during storm-induced periods of high runoff. Preliminary chemical data for mussels (Mytilus edulis) collected from Beatson, Ellamar, and Threeman indicate that bioaccumulation of base metals is occurring in the marine environment at all three sites.