Green Lake Landslide and other giant and very large postglacial landslides in Fiordland,New Zealand

Green Lake Landslide is an ancient giant rock slide in gneiss and granodiorite located in the deeply glaciated Fiordland region of New Zealand. The landslide covers an area of 45 km² and has a volume of about 27 km³. It is believed to be New Zealand's largest landslide, and possibly the largest landslide of its type on Earth. It is one of 39 known very large (10⁶–10⁷ m³) and giant (≥10⁸ m³) postglacial landslides in Fiordland discussed in the paper. Green Lake Landslide resulted in the collapse of a 9 km segment of the southern Hunter Mountains. Slide debris moved up to 2.5 km laterally and 700 m vertically, and formed a landslide dam about 800 m high, impounding a lake about 11 km long that was eventually infilled with sediments. Geomorphic evidence supported by radiocarbon dating indicates that Green Lake Landslide probably occurred 12 000–13 000 years ago, near the end of the last (Otira) glaciation. The landslide is described, and its geomorphic significance, age, failure mechanism, cause, and relevance in the region are discussed, in relation to other large landslides and recent earthquake-induced landslides in Fiordland. The slope failure occurred on a low-angle fault zone undercut by glacial erosion, and was probably triggered by strong shaking (MM IX–X) associated with a large (≥ M 7.5–8) earthquake, on the Alpine Fault c. 80 km to the northwest. Geology was a major factor that controlled the style and size of Green Lake landslide, and in that respect it is significantly different from most other gigantic landslides. Future large earthquakes on the Alpine Fault in Fiordland are likely to trigger more very large and giant landslides across the region, causing ground damage and devastation on a scale that has not occurred during the last 160 years, with potentially disastrous effects on towns, tourist centres, roads, and infrastructure. The probability of such an event occurring within the next 50 years may be as high as 45%.     

A comparison of theoreticalCIV emission line strengths with active region observations obtained with the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS)

Theoretical line ratios involving 2s ² S - 3p ² P, 2p ² P - 3s ² S, and 2p ² S - 3d ² D transitions inCiv between 312 and 420 Å are presented. A comparison of these with solar active region observational data obtained during a rocket flight by the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) reveals good agreement between theory and experiment, with discrepancies that average only 22%. This provides experimental support for the accuracy of the atomic data adopted in the line ratio calculations, and also resolves discrepancies found previously when the theoretical results were compared with solar data from the S082A instrument on boardSkylab. The potential usefulness of theCIV line ratios as electron temperature diagnostics for the solar transition region is briefly discussed.     

Release into the environment of metals by two vascular salt marsh plants

Metals in contaminated salt marshes are mainly locked in the anaerobic layer of sediments, where they are tightly bound as sulfides and organic complexes. Vascular plants survive in saturated soils in part by pumping O2 into their root zones, changing their microenvironment to an oxic one. This, along with chelating exudates, mobilizes metals, allowing uptake by the roots. We compared the common reed Phragmites australis and cordgrass Spartina alterniflora in lab and field studies for ways in which they handle trace metals. Both plants store most of their metal burden in their roots, but some is transported to aboveground tissues. Spartina leaves contain approximately 2-3 x more Cr, Pb, and Hg than Phragmites leaves, but equivalent Cu and Zn. Furthermore, Spartina leaves have salt glands, so leaf excretion of all metals is twice that of Phragmites. In-depth studies with Hg indicate that Hg excretion correlates with Na release but not with transpiration, which is 2.2 x higher in Phragmites; and that more Hg accumulates in early-appearing leaves than in upper (i.e. later) leaves in both species. Spartina thus makes more metals available to salt marsh ecosystems than Phragmites by direct excretion and via dead leaves which will enter the food web as detritus.     

Evidence of magmatic CO2-rich fluids in peraluminous graphite-bearing leucogranites from Deep Freeze Range (northern Victoria Land,Antarctica)

Fine-grained peraluminous synkinematic leuco-monzogranites (SKG), of Cambro-Ordovician age, occur as veins and sills (up to 20–30 m thick) in the Deep Freeze Range, within the medium to high-grade metamorphics of the Wilson Terrane. Secondary fibrolite + graphite intergrowths occur in feldspars and subordinately in quartz. Four main solid and fluid inclusion populations are observed: primary mixed CO₂+H₂O inclusions + Al₂SiO₅ ± brines in garnet (type 1); early CO₂-rich inclusions (± brines) in quartz (type 2); early CO₂+CH₄ (up to 4 mol%)±H₂O inclusions + graphite + fibrolite in quartz (type 3); late CH₄+CO₂+N₂ inclusions and H₂O inclusions in quartz (type 4). Densities of type 1 inclusions are consistent with the crystallization conditions of SKG (750°C and 3 kbar). The other types are post-magmatic: densities of type 2 and 3 inclusions suggest isobaric cooling at high temperature (700–550°C). Type 4 inclusions were trapped below 500°C. The SKG crystallized from a magma that was at some stage vapour-saturated; fluids were CO₂-rich, possibly with immiscible brines. CO₂-rich fluids (±brines) characterize the transition from magmatic to post-magmatic stages; progressive isobaric cooling (T<670°C) led to a continuous decrease off _{O 2} can entering in the graphite stability field; at the same time, the feldspars reacted with CO₂-rich fluids to give secondary fibrolite + graphite. Decrease ofT andf _{O 2} can explain the progressive variation in the fluid composition from CO₂-rich to CH₄ and water dominated in a closed system (in situ evolution). The presence of N₂ the late stages indicates interaction with external metamorphic fluids.Contribution within the network Hydrothermal/metamorphic water-rock interactions in crystalline rocks: a multidisciplinary approach on paleofluid analysis. CEC program: Human Capital and Mobility