Late quaternary evolution of a subantarctic paleofjord, Tierra del Fuego

Lago Roca-Lapataia valley (54°50′S, 68°34′W) is a paleofjord that was occupied by a valley-glacier system during the glacial maximum of the late Pleistocene (estimated ca. 18–20 ka BP). Deglaciation began before 10,080 ± 270 BP. The marine fauna in several marine terraces found in the area shows that early-middle Holocene climatic conditions were basically the same as at present. Species found are characteristic of cold and shallow waters, although minor temperature fluctuations cannot be ruled out for this period. A recent radiocarbon date of 7518 ± 58 BP on Chlamys patagonica (NZ # 7730) confirms that Lago Roca was transformed into a fjord ca. 7500–8000 BP. The sea reached its maximum level of 8–10 m a.s.l. around 6000 BP and at 4000–4500 BP was at least above 6 ± 1 m a.s.l. Later, when sea level fell, Lago Roca was occupied by fresh water and was no longer tidal. The relative land-sea positions during this period are a consequence of combined eustatic and neotectonic processes.     

A simple photometer for precise determination of dissolved oxygen concentration by the Winkler method with recommendations for improving respiration rate measurements in aquatic organisms

A simple inexpensive photometer designed for Winkler titration end-point detection is described. The precision of replicate dissolved oxygen measurements using this instrument was 0.06–0.22%. This high precision is needed to measure the small changes in dissolved oxygen concentration for determining the respiration rate of small aquatic organisms. Other recommendations for improving precision are also presented.     

The stable isotopic composition of coral skeletons: control by environmental variables

The reef corals Pocillopora damicornis and Montipora verrucosa were cultured under various controlled temperature and light conditions. The corals were analyzed for growth rate, tissue pigment content and skeletal ¹³C and ¹⁸O. Coral skeletal δ¹³C values varied with light dose and correlated with changes in zooxanthellar pigment. The δ¹³C values of skeletal aragonite seem to be modified by oxidation of photosynthetically produced organic matter.Functionally significant relationships between coral skeletal δ¹⁸O values and temperature have been determined. The temperature coefficients of the δ¹⁸O values [?4.4°C (%.)^?1] are similar to the first order coefficient in the equilibrium paleotemperature equation, but the δ¹⁸O values have taxonomically consistent offsets from equilibrium. The offsets may be attributed to the coral metabolism with slight but statistically significant differences between the two genera. Environmental and metabolic variables other than temperature have little or no effect on skeletal δ¹⁸O.     

Bimodal early proterozoic volcanism in the Grythytte field and associated volcano-plutonic complexes,Bergslagen, Central Sweden

The Grythytte field sequence forms a NNW belt of acid-basic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. The geology shows characteristics of a dynamic process of trough-forming and infilling which to a large extent post-dates the Hjulsjö volcanoplutonic complex situated to the east. In the latter complex acid metapyroclastics strike around a centre of granite and granophyre, which cut and are cut by basic sills and dykes. Field and petrochemical evidence points to a distinct bimodal magmatism that ist manifested during one short phase of a rifting period.

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Zusammenfassung Die Grythytte Schichtenfolge bildet einen NNW verlaufenden Gürtel aus sauren und basischen Metavulkaniten und Metasedimenten. Die geologischen Befunde weisen auf einen dynamischen Entstehungsprozeß von Grabenbildung und Füllung hin. Im weiter östlich gelegenen vulkanisch-plutonischen Hjulsjö-Komplex streichen älteren metamorphen pyroklastischen Gesteine rund ein Granit-Granophyr Zentrum. Dieser Komplex durchschneidet und wird durchschnitten von basischen Sills und Gängen. Feldgeologische und geochemische Untersuchungen weisen deutlich auf einen bimodalen Magmatismus hin, der während einer kurzen Phase der Grabenbildung stattfand.

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Résumé La séquence de Grythytte forme une ceinture de roches métavolcaniques et métasédimentaires de direction NNO. La géologie fait apparaître les caractéristiques d'un processus dynamique de formation de fosse et de remplissage, qui s'est produit, pour la plus grande partie, après la formation du complexe volcano-plutonique de Hjulsjö situé à l'Est. Dans ce dernier complexe des produits pyroclastiques acides sont disposés autour d'un centre granitoïde et granophyrique, qui à son tour recoupe et est recoupé par des sills et des dykes basiques. Les observations de terrain et les faits pétrochimiques indiquent un procèssus magmatique distinctement bimodal qui s'est manifesté pendant une phase courte dans une période de «rifting».

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Statistical analysis of the largest possible earthquake magnitudes on the Ecuadorian coast for selected return periods

ABSTRACT

In this work, we have studied the largest earthquake magnitudes on the Ecuadorian coast by using the principles of Extreme Value Analysis based on its two approaches: Block Maxima and Peaks-over-Threshold. First, before modelling the recorded earthquakes, the K-means clustering technique was applied to determine a classification according to the level of magnitude of the earthquakes. Then, models based on the Extreme Value theory of earthquake magnitudes were developed for each of the four clusters that were found, and finally, the best-fitted models were those known as Fréchet and Gumbel ones. The zone with the greatest earthquake magnitudes on the Ecuadorian coast is located between the north of the province of Manabí and the south of the province of Esmeraldas, with a return period of 50 years for an earthquake with magnitude greater than 7.7 M_W.     

Carbonate dissolution in the guts of benthic deposit feeders: A numerical model

We present a numerical model to quantify calcite dissolution in the guts of deposit feeding invertebrates. Deposit feeder guts were modeled as constantly stirred reactors (CSTRs) following terminology from digestion theory. Saturation state and dissolution of calcium carbonate were calculated from changes in total dissolved carbon dioxide and alkalinity resulting from sediment passage through the digestive tract, while accounting for dissolution of calcite and respiration of organic carbon. Typical dissolution rates for a gut volume of 1 ml ranged between 0.5-4 mg calcite d⁻¹. Sensitivity analysis revealed gut pH, sediment organic matter (OM) content and OM reactivity to be the critical parameters determining calcite dissolution rate. Carbonate dissolution rate was inversely related to gut pH. However, calcite dissolution was found to be possible even at alkaline gut pH due to respiration by intestinal microbes. The kinetics of calcite dissolution had only marginal influence on daily calcite dissolution rates: Varying the calcite dissolution rate constant κ by six orders of magnitude affected calcite dissolution rates by less than a factor of 10. Calcite dissolution rates were calculated for 4 different hydrographic regimes that differed in their content of sedimentary calcite and OM and furthermore in their OM reactivity. Highest dissolution rates were calculated for the shallow water setting, where relatively high OM content facilitated high microbial respiration rates depressing gut pH. However, dissolution rates for the deep sea setting were only slightly lower, due to greatly elevated ingestion rates resulting from low OM content. As a consequence of much higher faunal abundances, shallow-water benthos is likely to contribute the vast majority of gut-mediated carbonate dissolution. Nevertheless, the fraction of sedimentary calcite that dissolves during one gut passage is probably too small to be observable by simple gravimetric analysis. This may explain the notable scarcity of evidence for gut-mediated carbonate dissolution in the literature to date. Assuming depth-dependent calcite dissolution rates and deposit feeder abundances, we estimate gut-mediated carbonate dissolution to contribute approximately 5% of the annual global sedimentary carbonate dissolution rate, which corresponds to an average calcite dissolution rate of approximately 0.5 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ for the entire ocean floor.     

The carbon isotopic distribution of Murchison amino acids

The δ¹³C values of thirty-four individual amino acids and two pyridine carboxylic acids have been obtained fromthe Murchison meteorite. They were found to range from +4.9 to +52.8‰, with statistically significant differences observed both within and between amino acid subgroups. The ¹³C content of α-amino acids declines with increasing chain length, a trend similar to the ones previously observed for carboxylic acids and alkanes. Also 2-methyl-2-amino acids were found to be heavier in ¹³C than the corresponding 2-H homologues. The3-, 4-, and 5-amino acids do not show a comparable declining trend in δ¹³C values and neither do the amino dicarboxylic acids. This variability in δ ¹³C values can be interpreted as to indicate that the synthetic histories of soluble organics in meteorites may have been diverse even within groups of compounds with very similar functional group composition.     

Coarse sediment transport in mountain streams in Colorado and Wyoming,USA

Since the early 1990s, US Forest Service researchers have made thousands of bedload measurements in steep, coarse‐grained channels in Colorado and Wyoming, USA. In this paper we use data from 19 of those sites to characterize patterns and rates of coarse sediment transport for a range of channel types and sizes, including step–pool, plane‐bed, pool–riffle, and near‐braided channels. This effort builds upon previous work where we applied a piecewise regression model to (1) relate flow to rates of bedload transport and (2) define phases of transport in coarse‐grained channels. Earlier, the model was tested using bedload data from eight sites on the Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado. The analysis showed good application to those data and to data from four supplementary channels to which the procedure was applied. The earlier results were, however, derived from data collected at sites that, for the most part, have quite similar geology and runoff regimes. In this paper we evaluate further the application of piecewise regression to data from channels with a wider range of geomorphic conditions. The results corroborate with those from the earlier work in that there is a relatively narrow range of discharges at which a substantial change in the nature of bedload transport occurs. The transition from primarily low rates of sand transport (phase I) to higher rates of sand and coarse gravel transport (phase II) occurs, on average, at about 80 per cent of the bankfull (1·5‐year return interval) discharge. A comparison of grain sizes moved during the two phases showed that coarse gravel is rarely trapped in the samplers during phase I transport. Moreover, the movement and capture of the D₁₆ to D₂₅ grain size of the bed surface seems to correspond with the onset of phase II transport, particularly in systems with largely static channel surfaces. However, while there were many similarities in observed patterns of bedload transport at the 19 studied sites, each had its own ‘bedload signal’ in that the rate and size of materials transported largely reflected the nature of flow and sediment particular to that system. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The deuterium enrichment of individual amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites: A case for the presolar distribution of biomolecule precursors

The δD values of over 40 amino acids and two pyridine carboxylic acids of the Murchison and Murray meteorites have been obtained by compound-specific isotopic analyses. For compounds with no known terrestrial distribution, these values range from approximately +330‰ (for cyclic leucine) to +3600‰ (for 2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid). The latter value is the highest ever recorded for a soluble organic compound in meteorites and nears deuterium to hydrogen ratios observed remotely in interstellar molecules. Deuterium content varies significantly between molecular species and is markedly higher for amino acids having a branched alkyl chain. The δD value of Murray l-isovaline, with an enantiomeric excess of ∼ 6% in the meteorite, was within experimental error of that determined for the combined dl-isovaline enantiomers. Overall, the hydrogen isotope composition of meteoritic amino acids is relatively simple and their δD values appear to vary more with the structure of their carbon chains than with the number and relative distribution of their functionalities or ¹³C content. The magnitude and extent of deuterium enrichment shared by many and varied amino acids in meteorites indicate that cosmic regimes such as those found in the interstellar medium were capable of producing, if not all the amino acids directly, at least a suite of their direct precursors that was abundant, varied, and considerably saturated.