Amphiboles and biotites of the hornblende gneisses in an area to the North-East of the fjord Qagssit,Frederikshåb district,South-West Greenland

Summary The chemical characteristics of coexisting biotites and hornblendes and host rocks are examined and discussed. The field data indicate that biotite derives from hornblende at decreasing metamorphism. A chemical equilibrium has been reached for Fe²⁺, Mg and Mn and approached, but not reached, for tetrahedral ions, Fe³⁺, Al^vi and Ti. The disequilibrium is mainly dependent on biotite and is tentatively ascribed to the oxidizing conditions of the environment, at the time of biotite crystallization. The composition of biotite is thus partly related to that of hornblende and partly to the environment, while intracrystalline variations of hornblende are related to the chemical composition of the host rock and to varying metamorphic grade.

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Amphibole und Biotite der Hornblendegneise in einem Gebiet nordöstlich des Qagssit-Fjordes, Frederikshåb-Distrikt, Südwest-Grönland

Zusammenfassung Der Chemismus koexistierender Biotite und Hornblenden sowie von deren Muttergesteinen wird untersucht und diskutiert. Die Felddaten weisen darauf hin, daß der Biotit aus Hornblende bei abnehmender Metamorphose entsteht. Ein chemisches Gleichgewicht wurde für Fe²⁺, Mg und Mn erreicht; für die tetraedrisch koordinierten Ionen sowie Fe³⁺, Al^vi und Ti fand eine Annäherung in seine Richtung statt, es wurde aber nicht erreicht. Das Ungleichgewicht hängt im wesentlichen mit dem Biotitgehalt zusammen, und es wird versuchsweise den Oxidationsbedingungen der Umgebung bei der Biotitkristallisation zugeschrieben. Die Zusammensetzung des Biotits hängt folglich teilweise mit jener der Hornblende und teilweise mit der Umgebung zusammen, während die intrakristallinen Variationen der Hornblende von der chemischen Zusammensetzung des Muttergesteins und dem variierenden Metamorphosegrad abhängen.

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With 7 Figures     

The role of tidal,wave and river currents in the evolution of mixed‐energy deltas: Example from the Lajas Formation (Argentina)

Many modern deltas show complex morphologies and architectures related to the interplay of river, wave and tidal currents. However, methods for extracting the signature of the individual processes from the stratigraphic architecture are poorly developed. Through an analysis of facies, palaeocurrents and stratigraphic stacking patterns in the Jurassic Lajas Formation, this paper: (i) separates the signals of wave, tide and river currents; (ii) illustrates the result of strong tidal reworking in the distal reaches of deltaic systems; and (iii) discusses the implications of this reworking for the evolution of mixed‐energy systems and their reservoir heterogeneities. The Lajas Formation, a sand‐rich, shallow‐marine, mixed‐energy deltaic system in the Neuquén Basin of Argentina, previously defined as a tide‐dominated system, presents an exceptional example of process variability at different scales. Tidal signals are predominantly located in the delta front, the subaqueous platform and the distributary channel deposits. Tidal currents vigorously reworked the delta front during transgressions, producing intensely cross‐stratified, sheet‐like, sandstone units. In the subaqueous platform, described for the first time in an ancient outcrop example, the tidal reworking was confined within subtidal channels. The intensive tidal reworking in the distal reaches of the regressive delta front could not have been predicted from knowledge of the coeval proximal reaches of the regressive delta front. The wave signals occur mainly in the shelf or shoreface deposits. The fluvial signals increase in abundance proximally but are always mixed with the other processes. The Lajas system is an unusual clean‐water (i.e. very little mud is present in the system), sand‐rich deltaic system, very different from the majority of mud‐rich, modern tide‐influenced examples. The sand‐rich character is a combination of source proximity, syndepositional tectonic activity and strong tidal‐current reworking, which produced amalgamated sandstone bodies in the delta‐front area, and a final stratigraphic record very different from the simple coarsening‐upward trends of river‐dominated and wave‐dominated delta fronts.     

Vertical deformation partitioning across a collapsing large and hot orogen

Featuring 3 000-km-long large and hot orogen, the Mantiqueira Province provides a rare opportunity to study the process of gravitational collapse at mid to deep crustal levels. Distinct but contemporary (~500 Ma) post-collisional intrusions show structures and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) fabrics related to their emplacements, recording different flow patterns. In southern deep-seated intrusions, ellipsoidal-shaped roots with gabbroic-to-hybrid cores surrounded by granitic rocks show concentric patterns of AMS fabrics that cut across the NE-trending regional foliation. In contrast, northern intrusions, exposed as the upper sections of batholith-size bodies of coarse-grained granite emplaced at the shallow to mid-crust, show general NS-trending magnetic fabrics roughly parallel to strike of the orogen and the regional foliation of host rocks. These contrasting magnetic patterns from shallow to deeper crust suggest vertical magma migration from the overthickened orogenic core to be emplaced across its thinner stretched flanks during the gravitational collapse of the orogenic edifice.     

A preliminary archaeological and environmental study of pre‐Columbian burial towers at Huachacalla,Bolivian Altiplano

Chullpas are pre‐Columbian burial towers built by indigenous Aymaras on the Bolivian Altiplano. Bolivian chullpas date back to the Late Intermediate Period (A.D. 1000–1476) and the Late Horizon (A.D. 1476–1532). We recorded 228 chullpas among 84 sites in the Huachacalla region of west‐central Bolivia. In our study area, the chullpas are on debris flows and coarse alluvium in the proximal and medial segments of alluvial fans at the foot of two volcanoes. Grain‐size, element, and mineralogical analysis of chullpa wall material and local sediment revealed that the burial towers are composed of calcareous sand that is readily available in alluvial fan deposits near the sites. Our data suggest that the Aymaras considered environmental factors, such as drainage and stability of the soil, when they selected the locations of chullpas, whereas cultural factors played a significant role in chullpa architecture. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.