Flowage differentiation: Limitation of the “Bagnold effect” to the narrow intrusions

The Bagnold effect, the most important in the flowage differentiation, is practically inoperative in porphyritic rocks in the case of large dykes and pipes with a width or a diameter over 100 meters. For these large channels, the magmatic differentiation between the core and the walls is not related to the forced magmatic flow, but should be ascribed to other mechanisms: crystal settling, natural convection, synchronous injection of already differentiated materials.     

Infrared study of the pyrolysis products of sporopollenin and lignite

The effect of pyrolysis at increasing temperature on sporopollenin, lignite and sporopollenin oxidized at 200°C has been investigated using measured infrared band absorption coefficients.Oxidation of sporopollenin in air at 200°C is marked by a decrease in the content of saturated hydrocarbon chains and a strong increase in the concentration of carboxylic acid groups.Pyrolysis of a thick bed of sporopollenin at increasing temperatures leads to the removal of a large proportion of oxygenated functions, before the removal of hydrocarbons. For lignite and oxidized sporopollenin, the loss of both types of functional groups extends over a broader temperature range. Reorganization of the carbonaceous residue at high temperature is hindered if a sufficiently low content of oxygenated functions, carbonyl and carboxyl as well as hydroxyl and ether groups, is not reached before the elimination of hydrocarbons.     

Field and petrological evidence for a Late Palaeozoic (Upper Carboniferous–Permian) age of the Erfaulet orthogneiss (Gran Paradiso,western Alps)

In the Gran Paradiso massif (western Alps), the boundary between the Erfaulet orthogneiss and the overlying metasediments (Money Complex) is interpreted as a Late Palaeozoic intrusive contact. Major arguments in favour of this hypothesis are: (i) the obliquity of the sedimentary layering with respect to the contact; (ii) the presence of aplitic dykes within the Money Complex; (iii) the lack of a mylonitic zone; and (iv) rare relics of an early generation of garnet in the Money metasediments, interpreted as evidence of the contact metamorphism of the Erfaulet granite. To cite this article: B. Le Bayon, M. Ballèvre, C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Le Bassin Cambrien de Tisrouima (Haut-Atlas Occidental,Maroc)

Résumé Dans le Haut-Atlas marocain, entre l'oued Sous au Sud, Asif AÏt Moussa à l'Ouest, le bled Seksaoua au Nord et Tizi n'Test à l'Est, plus exactement dans la partie sud-ouest du Massif du Tichka et au Nord-Ouest de ce massif affleurent en de nombreux endroits des roches charbonneuses: grès, arkoses, pélites, schistes, cipolins et coméennes dont la principale est la tisrouimite (7). Cette dernière s'est déposée un peu avant les calcaires àArchaeocyatha du Cambrien inférieur, puis en mÊme temps que leurs couches de base. Les autres roches charbonneuses sont sensiblement contemporaines de la tisrouimite. On peut en conclure qu'il a existé un bassin sédimentaire riche en matière organique à une époque correspondant, en première approximation, a l'Assadasien.

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The area of study in the moroccan High-Atlas area is included between wady Sous to the South, Asif AÏt Moussa to the West, bled Seksaoua to the North and Tizi n'Test to the East; more exactly it is located in the south-western and nordwestern Tichka. In this area we have noticed numerous outcrops of carbonaceous rocks, such as sandstones, arkoses, mudstones, shales, cipolins and hornfels, the principal variety of which is tisrouimite (7). Tisroumite first was deposited shortly before the Lower Cambrian Archaeocyathid limestones, and again later contemporaneously with the basal layers of these limestones. The other carbonaceous rocks are more or less contemporaneous with the tisrouimite. Therefore we conclude approximately at the time of the Assedasian (early Cambrian II) a sedimentary basin existed the sediments of which were rich in organic matter

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Zusammenfassung Im marokkanischen Hoch-Atlas, zwischen Wadi Sous im Süden, Asif AÏt Moussa im Westen, der Gegend um Seksoua im Norden und Tizi n'Test im Osten, sind im SW-Teil und NE-Teil des Tichka-Gebirgsstockes dunkle, kohlenstoffreiche Gesteine aufgeschlossen: Sandstein, Arkose, Pelit, Schiefer, grüner Marmor und Homfels, dessen Hauptvariante tisrouimite genannt wird. Die Hornfelse sind etwas älter als die Archaeocyathiden-Kalke des Unterkambriums und bilden ihre Basis Die übrigen Gesteine sind etwa gleich alt wie die Hornfelse. Wir schließen daraus, daß hier zur Zeit des Assadassien (tieferes Kambrium II) ein Sedimentationsbecken lag, dessen Sedimente reich an organischen Substanzen waren.

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Environmental impact of an urban landfill on a coastal aquifer (El Jadida, Morocco)

The El Jadida landfill is one among many uncontrolled dumping sites in Morocco with no bottom liner. About 150 tons/day of solid wastes from mixed urban and industrial origins are placed directly on the ground. At the site of this landfill, the groundwaters circulate deeply (10–15 m) in the Cenomanian rock (calcareous–marl), which is characterised by an important permeability from cracks. The soil is sand–clay characterized by a weak coefficient of retention.The phreatic water ascends to the bottom of three quarries, which are located within the landfill. These circumstances, along with the lack of a leachate collection system, worsen the risks for a potential deterioration of the aquifer.To evaluate groundwater pollution due to this urban landfill, piezometric level and geochemical analyses have been monitored since 1999 on 60 wells. The landfill leachate has been collected from the three quarries that are located within the landfill. The average results of geochemical analyses show an important polluant charge vehiculed by landfill leachate (chloride = 5680 mg l⁻¹, chemical oxygen demand = 1000 mg l⁻¹, iron = 23 000 μg l⁻¹). They show also an important qualitative degradation of the groundwater, especially in the parts situated in the down gradient area and in direct proximity to the landfill. In these polluted zones, we have observed the following values: higher than 4.5 mS cm⁻¹ in electric conductivity, 1620 and 1000 mg l⁻¹ respectively in chlorides and sulfate (), 15–25 μg l⁻¹ in cadmium, and 60–100 μg l⁻¹ in chromium. These concentrations widely exceed the standard values for potable water.Several determining factors in the evolution of groundwater contamination have been highlighted, such as (1) depth of the water table, (2) permeability of soil and unsaturated zone, (3) effective infiltration, (4) humidity and (5) absence of a system for leachate drainage. So, to reduce the pollution risks of the groundwater, it is necessary to set a system of collection, drainage and treatment of landfill leachates and to emplace an impermeable surface at the site of landfill, in order to limit the infiltration of leachate.     

Evidence for the enhanced lability of dissolved organic matter following permafrost slope disturbance in the Canadian High Arctic

Arctic landscapes are believed to be highly sensitive to climate change and accelerated disturbance of permafrost is expected to significantly impact the rate of carbon cycling. While half the global soil organic matter (SOM) is estimated to reside in Arctic soils, projected warmer temperatures and permafrost disturbance will release much of this SOM into waterways in the form of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The spring thaw and subsequent flushing of soils releases the highest contributions of DOM annually but has historically been undersampled due to the difficulties of sampling during this period. In this study, passive samplers were placed throughout paired High Arctic watersheds during the duration of the 2008 spring flush in Nunavut, Canada. The watersheds are very similar with the exception of widespread active layer detachments (ALDs) that occurred within one of the catchments during a period of elevated temperatures in the summer of 2007. DOM samples were analyzed for structural and spectral characteristics via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as vulnerability to degradation with simulated solar exposure. Lignin-derived phenols were further assessed utilizing copper(II) oxide (CuO) oxidation and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The samples were found to have very low dissolved lignin phenol content (∼0.07% of DOC) and appear to originate from primarily non-woody angiosperm vegetation. The acid/aldehyde ratios for dissolved vanillyl phenols were found to be high (up to 3.6), indicating the presence of highly oxidized lignin. Differences between DOM released from the ALD vs. the undisturbed watershed suggest that these shallow detachment slides have significantly impacted the quality of Arctic DOM. Although material released from the disturbed catchment was found to be highly oxidized, DOM in the lake into which this catchment drained had chemical characteristics indicating high contributions from microbial and/or primary productivity. The resulting pool of dissolved carbon within the lake appears to be more biologically- and photochemically-labile than material from the undisturbed system. These disturbances may have implications for projected climate warming; sustained elevated temperatures would likely perpetuate widespread ALDs and further affect carbon cycling in this environment.     

The Meso-Cenozoic thermo-tectonic evolution of the Eastern Pyrenees: an <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar fission track and (U–Th)/He thermochronological study of the Canigou and Mont-Louis massifs

Vertical displacements on the SW–NE Têt fault (Eastern Pyrenees Axial Zone, France), which separates the Variscan Canigou-Carança and Mont-Louis massifs, were constrained using a thermochronologic multi-method approach. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data from the granitic Mont-Louis massif record its Variscan cooling history and reveal no ages younger than Early Cretaceous, while the Canigou-Carança gneiss massif records systematically younger ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. These younger ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages in the Canigou-Carança gneiss massif are the result of partial to total rejuvenation of argon isotopic systems related to a thermal flow coeval with the Cretaceous HT-BP metamorphism in the North Pyrenean Zone. Only the deepest rocks from the Canigou-Carança suffered this extensive Mid-Cretaceous thermal overprint probably due to differential burial around 4 km at that time. The post Mid-Cretaceous vertical displacements along the Têt fault are recorded by “low” temperature thermochronology using K-feldspar ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, zircon and apatite fission track and (U–Th)/He datings. The Mont-Louis granite samples experienced a long period of protracted cooling reflecting a lack of thermo-tectonic activity in this area from Late Palaeozoic to Early Cenozoic, followed by cooling from 55–60 Ma to Late Eocene at a mean rate of 15–20°C/Ma in the final stage. This cooling stage corresponds to Têt fault reactivation with a reversed component, promoting exhumation of the Mont-Louis roof zone contemporaneously with the south-vergent Pyrenean thrusting. In the Canigou-Carança massif, the main cooling event occurred from 32 to 18 Ma at a maximum rate of 30°C/Ma during Early Oligocene followed by a more moderate rate of 3°C/Ma from Late Oligocene to Early Burdigalian, coeval with the normal reactivation of the Têt fault in brittle conditions that accommodated the final exhumation of the massif during the opening of the Gulf of Lion.     

Fluvial incisions in the North‐Western Pyrenees (Aspe Valley): Dissection of a former planation surface and some tectonic implications

Dissected remnants of a high elevation low relief surface (HELRS) are encountered all along the Pyrenean range. All authors agree that the HELRS was shaped during the post‐shortening evolution of the belt, but doubt remains on its original elevation. Notably, whether a post‐shortening uplift event occurred after the generation of the Pyrenean planation surface is still debated. Based on a geomorphological study of the entrenchment of the Aspe River in the North‐Western Pyrenees, we describe a post‐Oligocene multi‐stage dissection of the HELRS linked to a regional post‐shortening uplift. Each incision stage is recorded by erosional triangular facets and associated stepped remnants of former smooth topographies. Compared analysis of patterns of incision in the Axial Zone and its northern border allows to evidence differential vertical motions. We discuss the forcing mechanism(s) that controlled this morphological evolution.     

Effet du vieillissement des céramiques poreuses sur leur capacité à évaluer la concentration de pesticide en solution

The soil solution sampling by ceramic cups allows pesticide transfer monitoring in the soil during long times. The ageing of material involves a bias in the sampling results. In laboratory, the comparison of two types of ceramic suction cups, new and installed in situ during four years, shows a modification of the hydrodynamic properties and a possible evolution of the adsorption capacity of the matrix. The passage rate, as well qualitative as quantitative, is better for the old material. Recommendations about site management are finally exposed. To cite this article: N. Domange et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).