Sur trois principes généraux de la Métallogénie et de la recherche minérale

Des publications récentes conduisent à insister sur trois démarches, ou trois principes fondamentaux sans lesquels la Métallogénie (comme la Pétrologie) et la recherche minérale ne peuvent progresser. 1. Sortons des «types» connus et posons en principe que tout élément chimique peut se concentrer à diverses étapes du cycle géologique et géochimique; recherchons donc ces concentrations et traquons les par tous les moyens minéralogiques et géochimiques à notre disposition. 2. Récusons la confusion des concepts chronologiques et des concepts spatiaux, et en particulier la superposition totalement erronée d'«épigénétique» et d'«étranger». 3. Tout est hérité d'un passé plus ou moins lointain; principe qui rejoint le premier et nous conduira, dans certains cas favorables, vers des concentrations antérieures.

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Recent publications lead to three steps without which metallogenic and thus petrologic investigations are impossible: 1. We should depart from known types in ore genesis and assume that any element can be enriched during various stages of the geological and geochemical cicle. These enrichments should thus be investigated with all possible methods of mineralogy and geochemistry. 2. We should reject the confusion of terms referring to time and space of ore genesis, especially the completely confused superposition of the terms epigenetic and introduced from the outside. 3. All deposits show signs of inheritance; this leads us back to point one which involves economic accumulations under certain favorable conditions.

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Neuere Veröffentlichungen zeigen die Notwendigkeit, drei Umstände anzuerkennen, ohne die eine petrologische Forschung nicht mehr möglich ist: 1. Wir müssen davon Abstand nehmen, von den bekannten Lagerstätten-Typen zu reden. Richtig ist vielmehr, daß jedes chemische Element in den verschiedenen Etappen des geologischen und geochemischen Geschehens angereichert werden kann; forschen wir also nach diesen Anreicherungen und verfolgen wir sie mit allen mineralogischen und geochemischen Mitteln, die uns zur Verfügung stehen. 2. Wir müssen die Verwirrung der chronologischen und räumlichen Vorstellungen vermeiden, vor allem die vollkommen falsche Überlagerung von epigenetisch und fremd. 3. Alles was wir beobachten, ist das Erbe einer mehr oder weniger fernen Vergangenheit. Nur wenn wir uns ständig über dieses Faktum klar sind, dann können wir unter günstigen Umständen zu frühen Anreicherungen hingeführt werden.

     

An ecological grading of human settlements

This paper attempts to place within an ecological framework the way in which man has appropriated and changed landscape. The ecosystem concept is used in order to facilitate a realistic examination of the ever changing relationship of man and nature. The resultant ecological grading of human settlements covers the full range of environments from “wild” to “urban”. It is hoped that such an approach will help to alert, educate, and instruct planners and decision makers as to the ecological cost of a number of problems which are normally viewed in economic, political, or social terms.     

Sedimentary inputs and oxygen uptake by the sediment in Lake Geneva (Switzerland)

Sediment cores and sediment traps were collected twice a month in two 35 m deep stations of Lake Geneva (Switzerland). The organic input sedimenting to the bottom is equal to 157 g C m⁻²y⁻¹ in station 1, to 214 g C in station 2. In spite of this difference, the oxygen uptake by the sediment (OUS) is similar in both locations (46–47 g C m⁻²y⁻¹). The oxygen uptake by the matter sedimenting to the bottom (OUSM) is respectively 45 g C m⁻²y⁻¹ and 41 g C in stations 1 and 2. The equivalence between OUS and OUSM implies that most of the sedimented matter arriving to the bottom is directly oxidized at the sediment surface. In station 1, OUS is positively correlated to OUSM, and OUSM is positively correlated to chlorophyll-a concentrations in the water column (0–20 m) one week before sediment sampling. In location 2, OUS is positively correlated to the percentage of organic carbon and nitrogen in the sedimented matter, negatively to its C:N ratio. Increasing allochthonous inputs have a negative influence on benthic respiration. At both sites, OUS is not directly related to macrobenthic biomass or to temperature of bottom water.     

Mössbauer studies of synthetic and natural micas on the polylithionite-siderophyllite join

Mössbauer studies of micas on the polylithionite-side-rophyllite join show the existence of a relation between the quadrupole splitting (ΔE _Q) values of Fe²⁺ high spin doublets and both cationic and anionic composition of micas. This linear relation is positive as Li₂O content increases and negative as F content increases. In the lithium iron micas, the inner ferrous quadrupole doublet is assigned to the cis-site M(2), while the outer doublet is assigned to the trans-site M(1). A random distribution of Fe²⁺ is observed in fluorine-rich compositions, while slight enrichment of the M(1) site is noticed in hydroxyl compositions, perhaps due to a more sensitive oxidation in situ in M(2) than M(1) sites. The Mössbauer spectrum of siderophyllite K₂(Fe ₄ ²⁺ Al₂)(Si₄Al₄)O₂₀(OH)₄ shows the presence of only one ferrous doublet, which is assigned to M(2) sites. Hence from Mössbauer data we must consider a clintonite (“xanthophyllite”) structure for this mica. The ordered octahedral layer has two distorted ferrous cis-sites and one, more symmetrical, aluminum trans-site.     

Traces d'un pergélisol villafranchien dans les alluvions du sundgau

Evidence of villafranchian permafrost has been found at the southern end of the Rhine graben, 20km west of Basel. Two syngenetic ice-wedge casts were discovered in the “alluvions du Sundgau”. From a stratigraphical point of view, these coarse gravels were deposited after the Miocene and before the Günz glaciation. The occurrence of syngenetic periglacial structures shows that they must be of Pleistocene (Villafranchian) age. A SEM study of sand from the infilling of one of the cryogenic structures showed numerous marks of glacial origin on the quartz grains. They are indicative of a pre-Günz glaciation in the Alps. It is suggested that permafrost in villafranchian time developed only on the fringe of the alpine glaciation, but further studies will be needed for a better picture of villafranchian palaeogeography.     

Cosmic ray exposure ages of chondrites,pre-irradiation and constancy of cosmic ray flux in the past

A systematic calibration of the production rate of one specific cosmic-ray-produced nuclide in chondrites, that of²¹Ne, was achieved by using four independent methods:P₂₁(1.11) = 0.507 ± 0.039, 0.302 ± 0.013, 0.312 ± 0.017and0.292 ± 0.019 (in units of 10^?8 cm³ STP/g My) based on²⁶Al-age,⁵³Mn-age,⁸¹Kr-⁸³Kr and²²Na-²²Ne methods, respectively. These production rates are all normalized to a shielding parameter ratio²²Ne/²¹Ne= 1.11 and to the chemical composition of L chondrites. The results obtained by the latter three methods are in good agreement, but they disagree in a systematic way with the²⁶Al-age calibration. Based on these results, we recommend a valueP₂₁(1.11) = 0.31 and a production rate equation:P₂₁ = 4.845 P₂₁ (1.11) F[21.77(²²Ne/²¹Ne) ? 19.32]^?, whereF = 1.00 for L and LL, andF = 0.93 for H chondrites, for the calculation of cosmic ray exposure ages on the basis of Ne concentrations. In an attempt to assess possible causes for this discrepancy, we discuss the²⁶Al half-life measurements, we evaluate effects resulting from pre-irradiation of meteorites, and we discuss the evidence regarding the constancy of the cosmic ray flux in the past, in the light of some recent astronomical observations.     

A critical discussion of numerical models for multiaquifer systems

Leaky aquifers constitute complicated hydrological structures, whose inclusion in numerical models of hydrological systems is difficult, because of their three-dimensional nature. Methods for treating such systems can be classified as fully three-dimensional and quasi-three-dimensional. The latter have clear numerical advantages when applicable. In this paper a critical discussion of existing quasi-three-dimensional models is presented.