Metamorphic control of the magnetic mineralogy of black shales in the Swiss Alps: toward the use of “magnetic isogrades”

The magnetic susceptibility of the Helvetic Jurassic black shales, sampled around the Aar and Gothard massifs in the Swiss Alps, is due to iron-bearing silicates, magnetite or pyrrhotite. It exhibits a clear correlation with the Alpine metamorphism, from zeolite to amphibolite facies: it firstly decreases due to the breakdown of original magnetite, then sharply increases when pyrite is transformed into magnetic pyrrhotite. Using numerous field measurements of the susceptibility it was possible to carry out a fast and precise mapping of the pyrrhotite-in isograde, which appears to correspond closely to the stilpnomelane-out isograde. The matrix susceptibility, obtained by means of high-field measurements with a cryogenic magnetometer, is due to iron-bearing silicates and shows only smooth variations with metamorphism. Both monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites are observed in the high-grade area.     

Tertiary remagnetization of normal polarity in Mesozoic marly limestones from SE France

The results of our new paleomagnetic investigations on 21 sites in the Cévennes and Lure regions as well as previous studies demonstrate that all Mesozoic marly limestones of SE France exhibit similar paleomagnetic behavior with remagnetization disputed in age. The studied areas have the particularity to have been folded before (Late Eocene), the Alpine folding (Oligo–Miocene). Samples (201 marly limestones) dated from Lower Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous have been demagnetized by thermal treatment. They all present a well-defined component with a normal polarity which was mostly obtained between 200 and 350 °C. Numerous arguments lead from pretectonic to syntectonic widespread remagnetization related to orogenic fluid circulation affecting the whole basin. An Eocene age (between 35 and 40 Ma) is obtained for this remagnetization thanks both to the comparison of the average inclination of all regional paleomagnetic studies (+54.9°/−1.5°) with the expected paleomagnetic inclination and the syntectonic character of remagnetization.     

Estimating Pesticide Attenuation From Water Dating and the Ratio of Metabolite to Parent Compound

Although pesticides are primarily degraded in the topsoil, significant attenuation can be expected in groundwater systems where the transit time of pesticides usually are orders of magnitude longer than in the soil. Because degradation and transport processes in the subsurface take place at time scales of months to years or even decades, direct measurements of natural attenuation are hampered by practical and logistical limitations (for instance the limited duration of sampling or a correct estimation of the pesticide flux into groundwater). Indirect methods such as measuring the changes in the ratio of degradation product to parent compound as a function of transit time in the aquifer, along a flow line provide a possible alternative. This paper presents a simple mathematical formulation of the relationship between transit time in the subsurface and changes in that ratio, and allows estimating the transformation rate of both parent compound and degradation product. The applicability of the method is illustrated in a case study investigating atrazine attenuation in a fractured sandstone aquifer.     

Basinga: A cell-by-cell GIS toolbox for computing basin average scaling factors,cosmogenic production rates and denudation rates

The calculation of denudation rates from the measured cosmogenic nuclide concentrations in river sediments requires assumptions and approximations. Several different approaches and numerical tools are available in the literature. A widely used analytical approach represents the muogenic production with one or two exponentials, assumes the attenuation length of muons to be constant and also neglects temporal variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The denudation rates are then calculated directly and analytically from the measured concentrations. A second numerical and iterative approach was more recently proposed and considers a more rigorous muogenic production law based on pre-calculated variable attenuation length of muons and accounts for temporal changes of the magnetic field. It also assumes a specific distribution of denudation rates throughout the basin and uses an iterative approach to calculate the basin average denudation rates. We tested the two approaches across several natural basins and found that both approaches provide similar denudation results. Hence, assuming exponential muogenic production and constant attenuation length of muons in the rock has little impact on the derived denudation rates. Therefore, unless a priori known distributions of denudation rates are to be tested, there does not appear to be any particular gain from using the second iterative method which is computationally less effective. Based on these findings, we developed and describe here Basinga , a new ArcGIS® and QGIS toolbox which computes the basin average scaling factors, cosmogenic production rates and denudation rates for several tens of drainage basins together. Basinga follows either the Lal/Stone or the Lifton/Sato/Dunai scaling schemes and includes several optional tools for correcting for topographic shielding, ice cover and lithology. We have also developed an original method for correcting the cosmogenic production rates for past variations in the Earth's magnetic field. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variation in mantle lithology and composition beneath the Ngao Bilta volcano,Adamawa Massif,Cameroon volcanic line,West-central Africa

Mantle peridotites entrained as xenoliths in the lavas of Ngao Bilta in the eastern branch of the continental Cameroon Line were examined to constrain mantle processes and the origin and nature of melts that have modified the upper mantle beneath the Cameroon Line.The xenoliths consist mainly of lherzolite with subordinate harzburgite and dunite.They commonly contain olivine,orthopyroxene,clinopyroxene and spinel although the dunite is spinel-free.Amphibole is an essential constituent in the lherzolites.Mineral chemistry differs between the three types of peridotite:olivines have usual mantle-like Mg#of around 90 in lherzolites,but follow a trend of decreasing Mg#(to 82)and NiO(to 0.06 wt.%)that is continuous in the dunites.Lherzolites also contain orthopyroxenes and/or clinopyroxenes with low-Mg#,indicating a reaction that removes Opx and introduces Cpx,olivine,amphibole and spinel.This is attributed to reaction with a silica-undersaturated silicate melt such as nephelinite or basanite,which originated as a low-degree melt from a depleted source as indicated by low Al2O3 and Na2O in Cpx and high Na2O/K2O in amphibole.Thermobarometric estimates place the xenoliths at pressures of 11–15 kbar(35–50 km)and temperatures of 863–957
C,along a dynamic rift geotherm and shallower than the region where carbonate melts may occur.The melt/rock reactions exhibited by the Ngao Bilta xenoliths are consistent with their peripheral position in the eastern branch of the Cameroon Volcanic Line in an area of thinned crust and lithosphere beneath the Adamawa Uplift.     

Sediment partitioning and winnowing in a mixed eolian-marine system (Mauritanian shelf)

Continental shelf systems are highly dynamic sedimentary environments, where sediments from biogenic production as well as from terrigenous sources are redistributed in the shelf depositional system, and partly exported off the shelf to the slope and the deep sea. The Golfe d’Arguin (Mauritania, NW Africa) is dominated by such redistribution processes, involving clastic silt imported as dust from the Sahara desert and biogenic carbonates of marine origin. Indeed, surface-sediment grain size and mineralogy show a clear north–south partitioning of sediment type. Fine material is winnowed from the northern part of the gulf, and transported toward the southern part off the Banc d’Arguin, where coarse silt settles on the outer shelf and upper slope, at least down to 600 m water depth. Particles of the fine silt fraction, estimated in terms of eolian material collected aboard the research vessel, are thought to be exported further offshore as they correspond to grain sizes previously reported from adjacent deep-sea sediments. These findings suggest that the interpretation of dust records from the continental slope and rise off NW Africa must consider reworking and partitioning processes active on the Mauritanian shelf.     

3D hydrodynamic characterisation of a meso-tidal harbour: The case of Bilbao (northern Spain)

A background knowledge of marine dynamics helps harbour managers to control pollution and to manage dredging and traffic operations. This contribution studies the hydrodynamic conditions within Bilbao Harbour, which is enclosed by the Nervión Estuary (in the Basque Country, Spain). The results obtained from hydrographical surveys are compared with numerical simulations obtained using the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS). Hydrodynamic modelling was carried out to determine the inner harbour currents for a specific period in which data were available. Then, numerical experiments were designed in order to quantify the importance of different driving mechanisms in the harbour hydrodynamics. The results show that, in addition to the strong tidal influence on water circulation, the wind forcing and freshwater discharge also have a non-negligible influence on the currents. The computational domain is complex due to the presence of harbour infrastructures (i.e. breakwaters and piers). As a result, topographic eddies are therefore observed in the results. The freshwater influence of the Nervión river can also be observed in residual currents. This paper presents an improvement to the application of numerical modelling to a complex geometry domain, contributing to our understanding of the behaviour of the marine systems in meso-tidal harbours. This can be used to deal with harbour engineering and management problems.     

Recent changes in the North Atlantic circulation simulated with eddy-permitting and eddy-resolving ocean models

Three eddy-permitting (1/4°) versions and one eddy-resolving (1/12°) version of the OCCAM ocean model are used to simulate the World Ocean circulation since 1985. The first eddy-permitting simulation has been used extensively in previous studies, and provides a point of reference. A second, improved, eddy-permitting simulation is forced in the same manner as the eddy-resolving simulation, with a dataset based on a blend of NCEP re-analysis and satellite data. The third eddy-permitting simulation is forced with a different dataset, based on the ERA-40 re-analysis data. Inter-comparison of these simulations in the North Atlantic clarifies the relative importance of resolution and choice of forcing dataset, for simulating the mean state and recent variability of the basin-scale circulation in that region. Differences between the first and second eddy-permitting simulations additionally reveal an erroneous influence of sea ice on surface salinity, dense water formation, and the meridional overturning circulation. Simulations are further evaluated in terms of long-term mean ocean heat transport at selected latitudes (for which hydrographic estimates are available) and sea surface temperature errors (relative to observations). By these criteria, closest agreement with observations is obtained for the eddy-resolving simulation. In this simulation, there is also a weak decadal variation in mid-latitudes, with heat transport strongest, by around 0.2 PW, in the mid-1990s. In two of the eddy-permitting simulations, by contrast, heat transport weakens through the study period, by up to 0.4 PW in mid-latitudes. The most notable changes of heat transport in all simulations are linked to a weakening of the subpolar gyre, rather than changes in the meridional overturning circulation. It is concluded that recent changes in the structure of mid-latitude heat transport in the North Atlantic are more accurately represented if eddies are explicitly resolved.     

Combined classifier–quantifier model: A 2-phases neural model for prediction of wave overtopping at coastal structures

A 2-phases neural prediction method for wave overtopping is developed. The ‘classifier’ predicts whether overtopping occurs or not, i.e. q = 0 or q > 0. If the classifier predicts overtopping q > 0, then the ‘quantifier’ is used to determine the mean overtopping discharge. The overtopping database set up within the EC project CLASH (De Rouck, J., Geeraerts, J., 2005. CLASH Final Report, Full Scientific and Technical Report, Ghent University, Belgium) is used to train the networks of the prediction method.