Natural-abundance radiocarbon as a tracer of assimilation of petroleum carbon by bacteria in salt marsh sediments

The natural abundance of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) provides unique insight into the source and cycling of sedimentary organic matter. Radiocarbon analysis of bacterial phospholipid lipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in salt-marsh sediments of southeast Georgia (USA)—one heavily contaminated by petroleum residues—was used to assess the fate of petroleum-derived carbon in sediments and incorporation of fossil carbon into microbial biomass. PLFAs that are common components of eubacterial cell membranes (e.g., branched C₁₅ and C₁₇, 10-methyl-C₁₆) were depleted in ¹⁴C in the contaminated sediment (mean Δ¹⁴C value of +25 ± 19‰ for bacterial PLFAs) relative to PLFAs in uncontaminated “control” sediment (Δ¹⁴C = +101 ± 12‰). We suggest that the ¹⁴C-depletion in bacterial PLFAs at the contaminated site results from microbial metabolism of petroleum and subsequent incorporation of petroleum-derived carbon into bacterial membrane lipids. A mass balance calculation indicates that 6-10% of the carbon in bacterial PLFAs at the oiled site could derive from petroleum residues. These results demonstrate that even weathered petroleum may contain components of sufficient lability to be a carbon source for biomass production by marsh sediment microorganisms. Furthermore, a small but significant fraction of fossil carbon is assimilated even in the presence of a much larger pool of presumably more-labile and faster-cycling carbon substrates.     

Some Observations on the Determination of Gold and the Platinum-Group Elements in Black Shales

This research compares various ways of applying oxidative chemical decomposition to the analysis of gold-bearing black shale ores from the Russian Natalka and Sukhoj Log deposits. This study was conducted as part of the certification program for the Russian candidate black shale reference materials SLG-1 and SCHS-1 and also because of the paucity of data available on the determination of the platinum group elements (PGE) in analogous sample types. We report direct evidence of PGE volatilisation from black shale materials when processed in the presence of oxygen. We also developed a comprehensive analytical scheme for the quantitative determination of PGE in all phases (gaseous and ash) produced during slow combustion of carbonaceous materials in oxygen.
This study has shown that during combustion in oxygen at 600 °C, PGE contained in the Natalka black shale ores are lost as gaseous reaction products. Thus, the volatilized PGE (recovered in traps) account for up to 14% Pt, 40% Pd, 40% Ru and 10 % Ir relative to their total concentrations in a carbonaceous concentrate. It was also established that in the process of combustion, Au quantitatively remains in the ash cake.
In order to avoid the deleterious effects of oxygen on the volatility of the PGE, we propose a new comprehensive sample decomposition method based on the application of fluoroxidants such as BrF₃ and KBrF₄. This method was validated using samples of black shale ores and their processing products by comparing our results with those obtained independently using sealed autoclave processing of the same materials. It was shown that PGE in black shale ores and their processing products not only exist in commercially exploitable quantities but that a small proportion of PGE compounds are soluble in alcohol. We propose that in gold-bearing black shale ores, PGE are present as organometallic compounds.     

Arsenic Speciation in a Contaminated Gold Processing Tailings Dam

Gold recovery in ores containing arsenopyrite releases significant amounts of arsenic into the environment due to mineral processing and oxidation during storage. The extent of arsenic weathering in a tailings dam has been investigated. Speciation of As in surface and pore waters and pond sediments showed that for gold tailings in the dam, As enrichment took place in the pore water relative to the surface water. In pond sediments As was predominantly present as residual arsenopyrite and partly as a substance co-precipitated with iron hydroxide. The arsenic release from the sediment results from a reductive dissolution of the arsenopyrite and Fe oxides. In the surface water, arsenate and arsenite are the main arsenic species (arsenate is dominant), but in the pore waters methylation processes play a significant role. Arsenic transport is accompanied by the transformation of As into the less toxic compounds (methylated species) co-existing with the most toxic species (arsenite).     

Microphytobenthic primary production as C uptake in sublittoral sediments of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea): Methodological aspects and data analyses

From January 2003 to December 2004 microphytobenthic primary production was estimated both from in situ (MPPs) and in the laboratory (MPPp) ¹⁴C-incubation of slurries collected in a coastal site of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea). MPPs values varied from −7.54 ± 3.12 to 34.59 ± 7.66 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ over the whole period. The lowest MPPs were observed in November 2003 and August 2004, while the highest MPPs in July 2003 and May 2004, in correspondence with high PAR at the bottom. Significant correlations between MPPs and the microphytobenthic biomass (BIOM) (r = 0.75, p < 0.001), between MPPs and PAR at the bottom (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) and between MPPs and OXY (r = 0.50, p < 0.05) were revealed. MPPp values were higher than MPPs ones in 15 out of 23 observations, with the highest MPPp recorded in July 2003. At 17 m depth a seasonal pattern of sampling months was revealed by the cluster analysis. The role of abiotic parameters in determining this seasonal pattern was highlighted by the PCA, with the first axis correlated with MPPs and PAR, and the second one with temperature. Applying the fuzzy sets it resulted that spring months showed a higher degree of membership with MPPs, summer months with temperature and autumn–winter months with OXY. The microphytobenthic community did not seem to be photosynthetically active throughout the study period. From August–September to December low or negative MPPs values were recorded. We infer that during these months a shift from the autotrophic to heterotrophic metabolism of the benthic microalgae occurred in correspondence with low PAR and/or high temperature at the bottom. Despite the progressive lowering of the trophy of the study area occurred during the last 20 years, we found higher primary production values than those estimated two decades earlier.     

New insights into the nature of the Late Riphean Eosolenides

Studies of a morphologically diverse population of Eosolenides, organic-walled macrofossils from the Upper Mesoproterozoic (1015–1025 Ma) Lakhanda Group of southeastern Siberia, suggest that these elongate fossils may be remains of soft-bodied organisms having tube-grade organization. The compressed, originally cylindrical fossils, of more or less constant diameter along their length, are subdivided by transverse membranes into a regular series of distinct chamber-like segments. The lateral walls of the segmented tubes are double-layered, the outer sheath- or cuticle-like layer of which was originally flexible and commonly exhibits very fine and closely spaced transverse striations. The presence of structures inferred to be basal attachment disks suggests a benthic habit, whereas the morphological variability of the population can be interpreted as showing that their body shape changed as the organisms grew and increased markedly in length. Reproduction may have been by budding. An important peculiarity exhibited by these tubular fossils is the presence within many specimens of small spherical unicells, interpreted possibly to be algal endosymbionts. Although in some respects these fossils resemble cnidarians, the biological affinities of Eosolenides tubes remain enigmatic.     

Zircon from historic eruptions in Iceland: reconstructing storage and evolution of silicic magmas

Zoning patterns, U-Th disequilibria ages, and elemental compositions of zircon from eruptions of Askja (1875 AD), Hekla (1158 AD), ?r?faj?kull (1362 AD) and Torfaj?kull (1477 AD, 871 AD, 3100 BP, 7500 BP) provide insights into the complex, extended, histories of silicic magmatic systems in Iceland. Zircon compositions, which are correlated with proximity to the main axial rift, are distinct from those of mid-ocean ridge environments and fall at the low-Hf edge of the range of continental zircon. Morphology, zoning patterns, compositions, and U-Th ages all indicate growth and storage in subvolcanic silicic mushes or recently solidified rock at temperatures above the solidus but lower than that of the erupting magma. The eruptive products were likely ascending magmas that entrained a zircon ??cargo?? that formed thousands to tens of thousands of years prior to the eruptions.     

Ensemble reconstruction of the atmospheric column from surface pressure using analogues

We present a statistical method to reconstruct continuous atmospheric fields on various pressure levels, given a constraint at the surface. The method is based on analogues of circulation and taking into consideration the time sequence of the analogues. The method is tested on the 2001–2011 period, with an emphasis on the year 2010. We base the atmospheric reconstruction on reanalysis data from 1948 to 2000, and use a constraint of sea-level pressure for 2001–2011. The pattern correlation scores appear to be significant most of the time, although score flaws are occasionally detected. Those flaws are mainly due to the time continuity constraint that is imposed on the reconstruction, which lowers the possibility of finding matching analogues. This method offers an ensemble of atmospheric reconstructions, and presents a computationally cheap alternative to data assimilation for a climate model, although with lower scores.     

Surface abundances of light elements for a large sample of early B-type stars – II. Basic parameters of 107 stars

Effective temperatures T _eff, surface gravities log  g and interstellar extinctions A _V are found for 107 B stars. Distances d of the stars, which are based on the derived T _eff, log  g and A _V values, show good agreement with those obtained from the Hipparcos parallaxes. Comparing the T _eff and log  g values with evolutionary computations, we infer masses, radii, luminosities, ages and relative ages of the stars. Empirical relations between the T _eff and log  g parameters, on the one hand, and the photometric indices Q , [ c ₁] and β , on the other hand, are constructed; these relations give a fast method for the T _eff and log  g estimation of early and medium B stars. Inclusion of the infrared J , H and K colours into the T _eff, log  g and A _V determination shows that (i) the T _eff and log  g parameters are altered only slightly; (ii) the A _V value is rather sensitive to these colours, so an accuracy better than 0.05 mag in the JHK data is necessary for precise A _V evaluation.     

The Erzincan earthquake of 13 March 1992 in Eastern Turkey: tectonic aspects

The tectonic significance of the Erzincan earthquake of 13 March, 1992 in Eastern Turkey is discussed. The intersection of the North Anatolian and The East Anatolian strike-slip fault zones has resulted in formation of the Erzincan pull-apart basin and new seismically active fault branches on its northeastern side. Local concentrations of surface ruptures strike along the most active branches of the North Anatolian fault zone (N300W) for 62 km. They are usually open fractures with northeastern sides uplifted up to 20 cm and rarely with dextral offset up to 10 cm. These secondary ruptures manifest indirectly oblique seismic fault displacement corresponding to the Late Quaternary motion on the fault zone, although at the surface the dextral component has been suppressed relative to the vertical one.