Organic contaminants and characteristics of sediments from Oso Bay,south Texas,USA

The Oso Bay, Texas, sediments from nine sites were analyzed by GC-MS for organics to measure contamination in the bay. In most of the sites sediments contained tetrachloroethene (87–1433 g/kg), bis (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (40–193 g/kg), and aliphatic hydrocarbons, C₈-C₁₃ (720–2491 g/kg). Sources of these contaminants include a landfill, military facilities, and municipal and industrial discharges. Size analysis of the sediments indicates they contain a high percentage of muddy sand (50–75 percent), which suggests that Oso Bay consists of common bay margin sediments.     

The Late Cretaceous Impact of the Trindade Mantle Plume: Evidence from Large-volume, Mafic, Potassic Magmatism in SE Brazil

When the subcontinental lithospheric mantle undergoes heatingand/or extension, some of the earliest mafic melts to be generatedare those rich in volatUes and potassium. In some cases, e.g.when a plume impinges on thick cratonic lithosphere or whenthe amount of extension is very small, K-rich mafic igneousrocks may be the only surface expression of mantle melting.The Alto Paranaiba Igneous Province, in SE Brazil, is one ofthe world's most voluminous mafic potassic provinces (>15000km³),which until recently was relatively unknown. The magmas wereemplaced into a narrow Proterozoic mobile belt close to thesurface margin of the Sao Francisco craton, and it is one ofseveral Cretaceous alkaline igneous provinces that are locatedaround the margin of the Parana sedimentary basin in Braziland Paraguay.Detailed geochemical analyses of samples from throughoutthe Alto Paranaiba Igneous Province show that it is composedof a relatively diverse suite of ultrapotassic-potassic, ultramaficmqfic,silica-undersaturated lavas and hypabyssal intrusions, i.e.kimberlites, madupitic olivine lamproites and kamafugitic rocks.These all have very high concentrations of incompatible traceelements and are all strongly enriched in light rare earth relativeto heavy rare earth elements (e.g. La/Yb=50-230). Wide variationsin major element ratios, which are unrelated to the effectsof crystal fractionation in these magmas (e.g. CaO/Al₂O₃), suggestthat the mafic potassic rocks were derived from a heterogeneousmantle source. They show relatively restricted ranges of initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (070436-070588) and Nd₂₅ values of -4 to -8, intermediatebetween Group I and II South African kimberlites. T_DM Nd isotopemodel ages of 900 Ma suggest that the magmas were derived bythe remobilization of subcontinental lithospheric mantle thathad been enriched by small-volume K-rich melt fractions sincethe Late Proterozoic.New K/Ar ages for mica separates show thatthe kimberlites, madupitic olivine lamproites and kamafugiticrocks were emplaced together with large carbonatite-bearingplutonic complexes at 85 Ma. Reconstructions of plate motionsshow that, at this time, the location of the Alto ParanaibaIgneous Province coincided with the postulated position of thepresent-day Trindade(or Martin Vaz) plume. We propose that thewidespread Late Cretaceous alkaline magmatism in SE Brazil mayhave been caused by impingement of this plume on the base ofthe subcontinental lithosphere. Heat penetrating the lithosphere,both by conduction and advection by asthenospheric-source decompressionmelts, may have caused melting of the readily fusible partsof the lithospheric mantle and the genesis of mafic potassicand (after fractionation) carbonatite magmas. The Proterozoicmobile belt (the Brasilia Belt) appears to have acted as a Hhinspofrelative to the adjacent Sao Francisco craton, allowing greaterupwelling and melting of the asthenosphere. Subsequently, asthe craton passed over the plume, volcanism was switched off'until the Early Tertiary when the plume reemerged from beneaththe westward drifting South America continent and was the magmasource for oceanic-islands and seamounts of the Trindade-Vitriachain. Corresponding author     

Reaction Textures in a Suite of Spinel Granulites from the Eastern Ghats Belt, India: Evidence for Polymetamorphism, a Partial Petrogenetic Grid in the System KFMASH and the Roles of ZnO and Fe2O3

Spinel granulites, with or without sapphirine, occur as lensesin garnetiferous quartzofeldspathic gneisses (leptynites) nearGokavaram in the Eastern Ghats Belt, India. Spinel granulitesare mineralogically heterogeneous and six mineral associationsoccur in closely spaced domains. These are (I) spinel–quartz–cordierite,(II) spinel–quartz–cordierite–garnet–orthopyroxene–sillimanite,(III) spinel–cordierite–orthopyroxene–sillimanite,(IV) spinel–quartz–sapphirine–sillimanite–garnet,(V) spinel–quartz-sapphirine–garnet and (IV) rhombohedral(Fe–Ti) oxide–cordierite–orthopyroxene–sillimanite.Common to all the associations are a porphyroblastic garnet(containing an internal schistosify defined by biotite, sillimaniteand quartz), perthite and plagioclase. Spinel contains variableamounts of exsolved magnetite and is distinctly Zn rich in thesapphirine-absent associations. X_Mg in the coexisting phasesdecreases in the order cordierite–biotite–sapphirine–orthopyroxene–spinel–garnet–(Fe–Ti)oxides. Textural criteria and compositional characteristicsof the phases document several retrograde mineral reactionswhich occurred subsequent to prograde dehydration melting reactionsinvolving biotite, sillimanite, quartz, plagioclase and spinel.The following retrograde mineral reactions are deduced: (1)spinel + quartz cordierite, (2) spinel + quartz garnet + sillimanite,(3) garnet + quartz cordierite + orthopyroxene, (4) garnet+ quartz + sillimanite cordierite, (5) spinel + cordierite orthopyroxene + sillimanite, (6) spinel + sillimanite + quartz sapphirine, (7) spinel + sapphirine + quartz garnet + sillimanite,and (8) spinel + quartz sapphirine + garnet. A partial petrogeneticgrid for the system FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–K₂O–H₂Oat high fo₂, has been constructed and the effects of ZnO andFe₂O₃ on this grid have been explored Combining available experimentaland natural occurrence data, the high fo₂ invariant points inthe partial grid have been located in P–T space. Geothermobarometricdata and consideration of the deduced mineral reactions in thepetrogenetic grid show that the spinel granulites evolved throughan anticlockwise P–T trajectory reaching peak metamorphicconditions >9 kbar and 950C, followed by near-isobaric cooling(dT/dP = 150C/kbar). This was superimposed by an event of near-isothermaldecompression (dT/dP = 15C/kbar). The studied spinel granulites,therefore, preserve relic prograde mineral associations andreaction textures despite being metamorphosed at very high temperatures,and bear evidence of polymetamorphism. KEY WORDS: spinel granulite; Eastern Ghats; India; polymetamorphism; geothermometry; geobarometry Corresponding author     

The solubility of [4H]Si defects in α-quartz and their role in the formation of molecular water and related weakening on heating

The nature of the solubility of water as [4H]_Si defects in quartz, and their role in providing a source of molecular water on heating, is investigated. Existing ab inito energy calculations on the incorporation of water in quartz are used to show that energetically 4H for Si substitution is likely to constitute the most prevalent mode of water uptake on the atomic scale in quartz under equilibrium conditions, and that the planar defects previously observed by a number of different authors by electron microscopy in wet quartz are likely to be planar rafts of aggregated [4H]_Si defects which are formed on supersaturation. These new conclusions call into question the previous identification of the planar defects as high pressure water clusters and require that their role in the production of molecular water in the context of recent theories of hydrolytic weakening be re-assessed. Accordingly the existing ab initio results have been used to establish the characteristics of the phase diagram for the system quartz-water in the temperature and pressure range of interest in hydrolytic weakening. Additional electron-optical experiments on wet quartz show that, on annealing at temperature in the electron microscope, similar planar defects develop in wet quartz by a diffusion process. In the context of existing theories of hydrolytic weakening it is now proposed that the conversion of [4H]_Si defects to molecular water, where this is dictated by the equilibrium phase diagram, leads to a relatively large increase in volume and to the appearance of the bubbles of free water and the nucleation of associated prismatic dislocation loops of Burgers vector b=1/3 a $\langle 11\bar 20\rangle $ as previously observed. Ultimately the development of these loops leads to dislocation-induced plasticity.     

Distribution of moderately volatile trace elements in fine-grained chondrule rims in the unequilibrated CO3 chondrite, ALH A77307

The concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, and Se in five, fine-grained chondrule rims in the highly unequilibrated CO3 chondrite ALH A77307 (3.0) have been determined for the first time by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microprobe at Brookhaven National Laboratory. These elements are especially useful for tracing the role of condensation and evaporation processes which occurred at moderate temperatures in the solar nebula. Understanding the distribution of moderately volatile elements between matrix and chondrules is extremely important for evaluating the different models for the volatile depletions in chondritic meteorites. The data show that the trace element chemistry of rims on different chondrules is remarkably similar, consistent with data obtained for the major and minor elements by electron microprobe. These results support the idea that rims are not genetically related to individual chondrules, but all sampled the same reservoir of homogeneously mixed dust. Of the trace elements analyzed, Zn and Ga show depletions relative to CI chondrite values, but in comparison with bulk CO chondrites all the elements are enriched by approximately 1.5 to 3.5 x CO. The abundance patterns for moderately volatile elements in ALH A77307 chondrule rims closely mimic those observed in the bulk chondrite, indicating that matrix is the major reservoir for these elements. The close matching of the patterns for the volatile depleted bulk chondrite and enriched matrix is especially striking for Na, which is anomalously depleted in ALH A77307 in comparison with average CO chondrite abundances. The depletion in Na is probably attributable to the effects of leaching in Antarctica. With the exception of Na, the volatile elements show a relatively smooth decrease in abundance as a function of condensation temperature, indicating that their behavior is largely controlled by their volatility.     

A Strontium and Neodymium Isotopic Investigation of the Fongen--Hyllingen Layered Intrusion, Norway

The Fongen—Hyllingen Intrusion, situated 60 km SE of Trondheim,Norway, is a synorogenic layered mafic intrusion of Caledonianage . The intrusion is divided into four evolutionary stages based on cryptic variations: StageI—a basal reversal; Stage II—unchanged mineral chemistryor slight normal evolution; Stage III—a gradual regression;Stage IV— a strong normal fractionation trend Magma replenishmentdominated during most of the crystallization, i.e. during StagesI, II and III Replenishing magma was more dense than resident,evolved magma, and continuing influx eventually caused a compositionallystratified magma column to form. Cryptic lateral variation isan important feature in the southern part of the complex andformed by in situ crystallization from a stratified magma alongan inclined floor, where modal layering formed parallel to thecrystallization front. Initial Sr- and Nd-isotopic ratios inthe cumulates vary as a result of assimilation of country rockand subsequent mixing between uncontaminated, replenishing magmaand contaminated, resident magma. The parental magma had a moderatelydepleted isotope composition, relative to Bulk Earth, with _Nd=584and Sr_i=070308, whereas the main contaminant was a partialmelt of metapelitic country rock with _Nd=-874 and Sr_i=07195(Sr_i is the initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr). Sr_i in the analysed cumulatewhole-rock samples ranges from 070308 to 070535 and initial_Nd ranges from. 158 to 584. There is a strong correlationbetween mineralogical composition and isotopic trends in mostof the cumulates: the most primitive samples are the least contaminated,as reflected by relatively high ed and low Sr,, and more evolvedsamples have progressively lower eNi and higher Sry A gradualregression of several hundred metres thickness characterizesStage III; stratigraphically upwards mineral compositions becomemore primitive and isotope compositions more depleted (higher_Nd and lower Sr_i), implying a process of. progressive mixing-inof replenishing, primitive and uncontaminated magma. Magma influxin Stage III took place by fountaining, whereas magma additionwas more tranquil in the earlier stages. The fountaining influxentrained resident, relatively evolved and contaminated magma,resulting in a hybrid magma which ponded at the floor. Duringprolonged magma addition with concomitant crystallization, thelowermost magma layer was replaced by progressively more primitivehybrid magma, creating a gradual regression in the crystallizingcumulate sequence. A detailed two-dimensional study revealslateral variations in mineral compositions both at the baseand top of Stage III, whereas lateral variations in Sr- andNd-isotopic compositions are present at the top, but not atthe base. This implies that the lowest crystallizing part ofthe magma column was essentially isotopically homogeneous, butcompositionally stratified, before influx in Stage III. Isotopicgradients in the magma were strong close to the roof, wheremost of the assimilation occurred, and decreased downwards,merging into isotopically homogeneous magma. This stratifiedsystem was destroyed by turbulent mixing between replenishingand resident magma during fountaining influx in Stage III, anda new stratification was established with both an isotopic anda compositional gradient. After the final influx, crystallizationcontinued in an essentially closed system, in which the remainingmagma column eventually became homogenized, as magma layersmixed when their densities converged owing to release of buoyant,residual liquid during fractional crystallization. Corresponding author     

Oxygen and carbon isotopic study on the genesis of the Steirischer Erzberg siderite deposit (Austria)

The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of Fe-carbonate ore and its calcitic to dolomitic Devonian host rocks at the Steirischer Erzberg siderite deposit (Greywacke zone, Upper Austroalpine Unit) were determined in order to constrain the source and nature of the Fe-rich mineralizing fluid. The ¹⁸O-values obtained for various Fe-carbonate generations and the carbonate host lie within a similar range between + 14.6 and + 21.6 (V-SMOW). No good correlation exists between the relative ages of the carbonate phases and their O isotopic composition. The variation in ¹⁸O-values is due to metamorphic recrystallization with locally variable fluid/rock ratios. The average ¹³C-value of the carbonate host is +0.5 ± 1.2 (PDB) which corresponds well to worldwide Phanerozoic marine carbonate values. The first Fecarbonate generation has slightly lower ¹³C-values, on average -1.4 ± 0.8 (PDB). Recrystallization of both the carbonate host minerals and the ankerite/siderite led to significantly lower ¹³C-values of -4.2 ± 0.6 and-4.7 ± 0.7, respectively. Within the basal breccia of the post-Hercynian transgression series matrix calcite/ dolomite shows an average ¹³C-value of -2.9 ± 0.7, and matrix siderite/ankerite an average value of-4.1 ± 0.4. These data, together with Sr isotope data published previously, strongly support a late-diagenetic or epigenetic first Fe-mineralization from convecting formation waters. They ascended along extension faults and were driven by an increased heat flow caused by crustal thinning during a Devonian rifting phase that initiated the separation of the Noric terrane from Africa. A potential source of the Fe could have been the underlying Ordovician acid volcanics. Regional metamorphism related to collision tectonics in the Late Carboniferous (Hercynian) and later during the Alpine orogeny, caused intensive recrystallization and partial mobilization of the various carbonate phases.     

Structural control of tertiary Au-Ag-bearing breccias in an extensional environment,Nelson area,Southern Nevada,USA

Gold-silver mineralization in the Nelson area of southern Nevada was controlled by structures associated with intrusion of an east-west oriented pluton. Flatlying breccias formed during intrusion have allowed passive flooding of highly permeable zones and deposition of mineralized quartz and calcite. Steep fractures were formed in the pluton and immediate country rock during cooling, and later reactivated by north-south extension. These fractures have channelled fluids, and some have been the sites of hydrothermal eruptions which produced further brecciation and deposition of mineralized quartzcalcite veins. The mineralizing fluid was water which was boiling at or near 100 °C. The calcite deposited by this water has ¹³C = –5.4 to –7.1, and ¹⁸O = +5.8 to +11.3, and the water was probably meteoric in origin. Mineralization had an epithermal style, with strong local structural control, rather than deep-sourced regional detachment-related hydrothermal origin.     

Association of orogenic activity with the Ordovician radiation of marine life

The Ordovician radiation of marine life was among the most substantial pulses of diversification in Earth history and coincided in time with a major increase in the global level of orogenic activity. To investigate a possible causal link between these two patterns, the geographic distributions of 6576 individual appearances of Ordovician vician genera around the world were evaluated with respect to their proximity to probable centers of orogeny (foreland basins). Results indicate that these genera, which belonged to an array of higher taxa that diversified in the Middle and Late Ordovician (trilobites, brachiopods, bivalves, gastropods, monoplacophorans), were far more diverse in, and adjacent to, foreland basins than they were in areas farther removed from orogenic activity (carbonate platforms). This suggests an association of orogeny with diversification at that time.     

Molecular indicators for palaeoenvironmental change in a Messinian evaporitic sequence (Vena del Gesso, Italy). II: High-resolution variations in abundances and 13C contents of free and sulphur-bound carbon skeletons in a single marl bed

The extractable organic matter of 10 immature samples from a marl bed of one evaporitic cycle of the Vena del Gesso sediments (Gessoso-solfifera Fm., Messinian, Italy) was analyzed quantitatively for free hydrocarbons and organic sulphur compounds. Nickel boride was used as a desulphurizing agent to recover sulphur-bound lipids from the polar and asphaltene fractions. Carbon isotopic compositions (delta vs PDB) of free hydrocarbons and of S-bound hydrocarbons were also measured. Relationships between these carbon skeletons, precursor biolipids, and the organisms producing them could then be examined. Concentrations of S-bound lipids and free hydrocarbons and their delta values were plotted vs depth in the marl bed and the profiles were interpreted in terms of variations in source organisms, 13 C contents of the carbon source, and environmentally induced changes in isotopic fractionation. The overall range of delta values measured was 24.7%, from -11.6% for a component derived from green sulphur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae) to -36.3% for a lipid derived from purple sulphur bacteria (Chromatiaceae). Deconvolution of mixtures of components deriving from multiple sources (green and purple sulphur bacteria, coccolithophorids, microalgae and higher plants) was sometimes possible because both quantitative and isotopic data were available and because either the free or S-bound pool sometimes appeared to contain material from a single source. Several free n-alkanes and S-bound lipids appeared to be specific products of upper-water-column primary producers (i.e. algae and cyanobacteria). Others derived from anaerobic photoautotrophs and from heterotrophic protozoa (ciliates), which apparently fed partly on Chlorobiaceae. Four groups of n-alkanes produced by algae or cyanobacteria were also recognized based on systematic variations of abundance and isotopic composition with depth. For hydrocarbons probably derived from microalgae, isotopic variations are well correlated with those of total organic carbon. A resistant aliphatic biomacromolecule produced by microalgae is, therefore, probably an important component of the kerogen. These variations reflect changes in the depositional environment and early diagenetic transformations. Changes in the concentrations of S-bound lipids induced by variations in conditions favourable for sulphurization were discriminated from those related to variations in primary producer assemblages. The water column of the lagoonal basin was stratified and photic zone anoxia occurred during the early and middle stages of marl deposition. During the last stage of the marl deposition the stratification collapsed due to a significant shallowing of the water column. Contributions from anaerobic photoautotrophs were apparently associated with variations in depth of the chemocline.