Formation of intracratonic basins by lithospheric shortening and phase changes: a case study from the ultra‐deep East Barents Sea basin

The origin of large subsidence in intracratonic basins is still under debate. We propose a new and self‐consistent model for the formation of those basins, where lithospheric shortening/buckling triggers metamorphism and densification of crustal mafic heterogeneities. We use a forward thermo‐mechanical finite element technique to evaluate this mechanism for the typical example of the East Barents Sea basin (EBB) where a very large and compensated subsidence, accommodating an up to 20‐km‐thick sediment succession, is observed. The lower crust in the dynamic model is modelled with petrologic‐consistent densities for a wet mafic gabbroic composition that depend on pressure and temperature taking into account dehydration at high PT conditions. The model successfully explains the main characteristics of the EBB, notably the large anomalous and fast subsidence during the Late Permian–Early Triassic, its present‐day geometry and the absence of a significant gravity anomaly.     

Resource depletion,peak minerals and the implications for sustainable resource management

Today's global society is economically, socially and culturally dependent on minerals and metals. While metals are recyclable, terrestrial mineral deposits are by definition ‘non-renewable’ over human timescales and their stocks are thus finite. This raises the spectre of ‘peak minerals’ – the time at which production from terrestrial ores can no longer rise to meet demand and where a maximum (peak) production occurs. Peak minerals prompts a focus on the way minerals can be sustainably used in the future to ensure the services they provide to global society can be maintained.As peak minerals approaches (and is passed in some cases), understanding and monitoring the dynamics of primary mineral production, recycling and dematerialisation, in the context of national and global discussions about mineral resources demand and the money earned from their sale, will become essential for informing and establishing mechanisms for sustainable mineral governance and use efficiency into the future. Taking a cross-scale approach, this paper explores the economic and productivity impacts of peak minerals, and how changes in the mineral production profile are influenced not only by technological and scarcity factors, but also by environmental and social constraints. Specifically we examine the impacts of peak minerals in Australia, a major global minerals supplier, and the consequences for the Asia-Pacific region, a major destination for Australia's minerals.This research has profound implications for local and regional/global sustainability of mineral and metal use. The focus on services is useful for encouraging discussion of transitions in how such services can be provided in a future more sustainable economy, when mineral availability is constrained. The research also begins to address the question of how we approach the development of strategies to maximise returns from mineral wealth over generations.     

Thermodynamics of plagioclase III: Spontaneous strain at the I\overline 1 - P\overline 1 phase transition in Ca-rich plagioclase

The lattice parameters of anorthites An₉₈Ab₂ and An₁₀₀ have been measured from 22 to 1100 K. The spontaneous strain arising from the \(I\overline 1 - P\overline 1\) displacive transition in An₉₈ follows second order Landau behaviour. The spontaneous strain (? _s) couples quadratically to the order parameter (Q ⁰) with ? _s∝Q ⁰²∝(T _c ^* ?T) and T _c ^* =530 K in An₉₈. This is in contrast to the tricritical behaviour observed in pure anorthite. These observations are consistent with a Landau model for the free energy of Ca-rich plagioclases in which Al/Si order and Na content renormalize the fourth order coefficient.     

Observations of mid-troposhheric circulation from water vapour radiances of polar orbiting satellites

Water vapour tracers can provide useful information on winds at ≈ 500mb by observing the 6·7μ radiances. This fills the data gap in the cloud motion winds provided by conventional meteorological geostationary satellites. There is no geostationary satellite at present over the Indian Ocean with 6·7μ imaging capability to provide mid-tropospheric winds. The potentials of 6·7μ radiances, available from polar orbiting satellites, for mid-tropospheric circulation features have been examined in this study. Tiros-N satellite data of May 1979 and ECMWF level-IIIb wind data were analysed to relate the radiances with the streamlines. We find that the radiances of 6·7μ from orbiting satellites agree well with the wind field.     

Ultraviolet absorption cross-sections of chloro and chlorofluoro-methanes at stratospheric temperatures

Absorption cross-sections of nine halomethanes (CCl₄, CHCl₃, CH₂Cl₂, CH₃Cl, CFCl₃, CF₂Cl₂, CF₃Cl, CHFCl₂, and CHF₂Cl), measured between 174 and 250 nm for temperatures ranging from 225 to 295 K, are presented with uncertainties ranging from 2 to 4% and compared with previous determinations made for comparable temperature ranges.The largest temperature effect which takes place near the absorption threshold, decreases the absorption cross-section up to 50% for highly chlorinated methanes, but is negligible for molecules highly stabilized by hydrogen and/or fluorine. Extrapolated values for temperatures of aeronomical interest are presented, as well as parametrical formulas which give absorption cross-section values for given wavelength and temperature ranges.     

The reserves of extracted resources: Historical data

The available data on known reserves of extracted resources have not previously been tabulated and graphed. In this article we compile the reserves data in one place for the first time. This serves to (1) show the trends in the reserves series, (2) make the series available to others, and (3) place the reserves data in the context of price data for which longer series have been available, and with which they can now be seen to be consistent in both showing increasing availability rather than increasing scarcity.     

The Batu Hijau porphyry copper-gold deposit, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia

The Batu Hijau porphyry Cu---Au deposit lies in southwest Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. It is a world-class porphyry Cu deposit in an island are setting, and is typical of this deposit type in most features, including igneous association, morphology, hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation style.The region was not previously recognised as a porphyry Cu province; disseminated Cu sulphides were first recognised in float samples in southwest Sumbawa in 1987. Associated stream sediment sampling identified a broad area of anomalous Au and Cu in an area of greater than 5 km² around Batu Hijau, including 169 ppb Au in BLEG samples and 580 ppm Cu in stream silts 1 km from the deposit. Mineralisation in bedrock at surface contains > 0.1 wt % Cu and > 0.1 ppm Au over an area of 0.6 km × 1.2 km, including a zone 300 m × 900 m containing > 0.3 wt % Cu. Areas with elevated Mo (> 30 ppm) form a distinctive annulus around this Cu-rich zone.Batu Hijau mineralisation is hosted in a tonalite intrusive complex, and diorite and metavolcanic wallrocks. There are no post-mineralisation igneous intrusions or breccia pipes within the deposit. The main tonalite intrusion forms a stock in the centre of the deposit, where it generally displays intensely pervasive potassic (biotite with magnetite-quartz) alteration and hosts most of the higher grade mineralisation. Younger tonalite dykes intruding the centre of this stock are generally less altered and mineralised than the older tonalite.The core zone of potassic alteration grades outward into extensive propylitic alteration (chlorite-epidote), with both variably overprinted by widespread fracture controlled intermediate argillic alteration (sericite-chlorite), and minor phyllic (sericite-pyrite) and sodic (albite) alteration. Argillic (sericite-kaolinite) and advanced argillic (kaolinite-alunite-pyrophyllite) assemblages occur near surface.Copper and Au grades within the orebody show a positive correlation with quartz stockwork intensity, although disseminated Cu sulphides are also common. Chalcopyrite and bornite are the principle hypogenal minerals, with minor chalcocite. Oxidation extends to a depth of 5 m to 85 m below surface across the deposit, and is underlain by weak supergene mineralisation. Drill testing of the deposit down to 650 m below surface reveals a single cylindrical to conical orebody of 334 million tonnes grading 0.8 wt % Cu and 0.69 gm per tonne Au; the depth extent of mineralisation is unknown.     

Relationships between marginal thrusting and movement on major,internal shear zones in the Northern Highland Caledonides,Scotland

The development of the syn-metamorphic Sgurr Beag slide zone, a major ductile shear zone of initially low dip, caused at least 50 km north-western thrust displacement of part of the internal metamorphic complex of the Northern Highland Caledonides of Scotland. Initiation of the zone, and movements upon it, were earlier than formation of the marginal Moine Thrust zone. Movement on the zone followed but overlapped the peak Caledonian metamorphism and the mid to high amphibolite facies mineral assemblages, fabrics and structures produced during the development of the slide zone and those surviving from earlier events, were reworked under greenschist facies conditions during mylonitization associated with initiation of the Moine Thrust zone. Displacements on the slide zone and thrust movements were separated by emplacement of a regional suite of pegmatites and a considerable change of metamorphic grade. Thus, they may not constitute members of a progressive sequence of Caledonian thrusts formed over a short time interval. Rather, preliminary isotopic data may imply an interval of c. 25 Ma between movement on the slide zone and final, ductile translation along the Moine Thrust zone.     

Equatorial Indian Ocean evaporation estimates from operational meteorological satellites and some inferences in the context of monsoon onset and activity

The estimation of evaporation from the sea surface is not yet achieved adequately by remote sensing techniques, in general. However, for approximate averaged estimates over moderate space and time scales over a specific tropical region, e.g., weekly values over the Indian Ocean as needed in monsoon moisture diagnosis, it may be possible to extrapolate satellite wind and humidity data to the ocean surface and then use bulk aerodynamic parameterization for estimating evaporation. In the present investigation, GOES low-level cloud winds and TIROS-N moisture profiles over the Indian Ocean are extrapolated to the ocean surface. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) wind shear is obtained over different sub-regions and periods during the monsoon season, by reference to objectively analysed fields. These shear values are applied to GOES satellite winds to obtain sea-surface winds. The humidity extrapolation was based on (i) an exponential fit for water vapour density and (ii) a vertical distribution of relative humidity approximately proportional to atmospheric pressure. The exchange coefficient is varied slightly depending on wind speed and boundary-layer stability inferred approximately from TIROS-N sea surface temperatures and temperature profiles. The evaporation estimate as based on these satellite parameters is assessed by comparison with ships' surface observations. Sensible heat exchange is also estimated and assessed. Some inferences based on these estimates are also presented, in relation to monsoon onset and activity.     

Biological marker compounds as indicators of the depositions! history of the Maoming oil shale

The Eocene Maoming oil shale from Guangdong Province occurs as a laterally uniform stratigraphic section, typically 20–25 m thick, from which the aliphatic hydrocarbon constituents of six representative samples were investigated using GC and C-GC-MS. The sediments evaluated included the basal lignite, a vitrinite lens from the overlying claystone, and four intervals from the massive oil shale bed. As expected, the lignite and vitrinite differ markedly from the oil shales. The lignite is dominated by bacterial hopanoids and components of higher plant origin, including C₂₉ steroids and triterpenoids such as oleanenes. Visually, the oil shale samples show corroded and degraded phytoclasts, spores, wispy particles of fluorescent organic material attributable to dinoflagellates and, especially in the uppermost sample, colonial algal bodies. The distributions of biological markers in the oil shales show many features in common, notably a dominance of dinoflagellate-derived 4-methylsteroids, and a significant proportion of higher-plant derived n-alkanes with marked odd-over-even carbon number predominance. Overall, they exhibit several features that resemble characteristics of the Messel shale. The hydrocarbons of the lowest shale horizon suggest that there may have been a gradual transition between deposition of the original peat and the subsequent oil shales. The aliphatic hydrocarbons of the uppermost shale are dominated by a number of C₃₁ and C₃₃ botryococcane homologues and other unusual branched alkanes possibly derived from green algae. All of the samples are immature. Overall, molecular and microscopic examination of the stratigraphic succession of the Maoming oil shale suggests a shallow, lacustrine environment within which peats were deposited. This lake subsequently deepened to support abundant algal populations, especially dinoflagellates, culminating in a dominance of botryococcoid algae.