The significance of the Vredefort Dome for the thermal and structural evolution of the Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa

Summary The Vredefort Dome represents an area of significant ( 10 km) structural uplift within the central parts of the economically important Witwatersrand Basin. Its rocks experienced higher grades of metamorphism than the equivalent stratigraphic horizons exposed around the periphery of the basin. Recent studies of this medium- to high-grade metamorphism, as well as new evidence concerning the origin of the dome, have contributed to a metamorphic model for the Witwatersrand Basin as a whole. This evidence shows that the gold-bearing strata experienced at least two metamorphic events at ca. 2 Ga. The unusually high strain rate and shock deformation features exposed in the rocks of the dome rule out an endogenous origin by tectonic or diapiric processes. Recent work on these features has shown that the dome is best explained as the central uplift of a large, 250–300 km diameter, 2023±44 Ma old meteorite impact structure, the extent of which closely correlates with the present-day limits of the Witwatersrand Basin. Impact-related deformation features in the Vredefort rocks facilitate the separation of metamorphic textures developed during a pre-impact event associated with the 2.05–2.06 Ga Bushveld magmatism, and textures developed during a slightly lower-grade, post-impact, static overprint. The post-impact overprint decreases in intensity outwards from the dome. It is attributed to the massive disturbance of the thermal structure of the crust by impact-induced exhumation, and to shock heating of the rocks as a consequence of the impact event.

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Die Bedeutung des Vredefort-Domes für die thermische und strukturelle Entwicklung des Witwatersrand-Beckens, Südafrika

Zusammenfassung Der Vredefort Dom ist ein Gebiet von signifikantem (ca. 10 km), strukturellem Uplift im Zentralbereich des wirtschaftlich bedeutungsvollen Witwatersrand-Beckens. Die Ges-teine des Doms haben höhere Metamorphosebedingungen erfahren als die stratigraphisch äquivalenten Lagen, die im Randbereich des Beckens aufgeschlossen sind. Kürzlich durchgeführte Untersuchungen dieser mittel-bis hochgradigen Metamorphose und neueste Ergebnisse zur Entstehung des Domes haben einen Beitrag zu einem Metamorphose-Modell für das gesamte Witwatersrand-Becken geleistet. Diese neuen Befunde zeigen, daß die Gold-hältigen Gesteinsschichten zumindest zwei metamorphe Ereignisse vor ca. 2 Ga erfahren haben. Die ungewöhnlich hohen Beanspruchungsraten und die Stoßwellendeformationsstrukturen, die in den Gesteinen des Doms belegt sind, sprechen gegen einen endogenen Ursprung durch tektonische oder diapirische Prozesse. Neuere Arbeiten an diesen Phänomenen haben gezeigt, daß der Dom am besten als die zentrale Struktureinheit (Zentralberg) einer sehr grossen, 250–300 km weiten und 2023±4 Ma alten Meteoriteneinschlagsstruktur verstanden werden kann, deren Ausmaß eng mit den jetzigen Grenzen des Witwatersrand-Beckens übereinstimmt. Die Gegenwart von Impakt-bezogenen Deformationsstrukturen in Vredefort-Gesteinen erlaubt es, die metamorphen Texturen, die während eines hochgradigen, mit dem 2.05–2.06 Ga Bushveld Magmatismus korrelierten, metamorphen Stadiums vor dem Impaktereignis entstanden sind, von den Texturen zu trennen, die ein statisch metamorphes Ereignis von etwas geringerer Stärke, das nach dem Impakt stattfand, produzierte. Die Spuren des post-Impakt Ereignisses nehmen in ihrer Stärke zum Rand des Domes ab. Dieser Effekt wird durch eine massive Störung der thermischen Krusten-Struktur erklärt, die als Resultat einer Kombination von Impakt-induzierter Exhumierung, von Schock-Aufheizung der Krustengesteine, und von Erwärmung durch einen gewaltigen, jetzt erodierten Impaktschmelzgesteinskörper gesehen wird.

     

Elemental mobility during zeolite facies metamorphism of the Tertiary basalts of eastern Iceland

Major and trace element analyses are reported for 70 lavas from the Tertiary succession of eastern Iceland. The low grade regional metamorphism responsible for the zeolite zones appears to have caused significant mobilization of some elements, particularly Si, Mg, K, Rb, Sr and light rare earth elements (LREE). In contrast, values for Ti, P, Zr, Y, Nb, Ta, Hf and some of the rare earth elements show a high degree of correlation and this is taken to imply that these elements have been relatively unaffected by metasomatic transport. The demonstrated mobility of Sr and LREE suggest that Sr isotopic and rare earth data obtained from the eastern Iceland lavas must be interpreted with caution.     

The geology and petrology of the Hannington Trachyphonolite formation,Kenya Rift Valley

Field, petrographical and geochemical studies of a group of late Pleistocene, alkaline and mildly peralkaline trachytic and trachyphonolitic lavas from the northern Kenya Rift have been undertaken. A large number of flows were erupted from widely dispersed centres to form an extensive volcanic shield within the floor of the rift. The major element composition of most rocks was substantially modified during crystallisation, but other data show that differentiation within the suite was the result of protracted feldspar fractionation of a trachytic magma with intially very low abundances of residual trace elements.     

Tardigrade remains from lake sediments

Remains of tardigrades have rarely been reported to preserve in sediments, resulting in the absence of important ecological and biogeographic information that they could provide. However, a study of faunal microfossils in Antarctic lake sediment cores has shown that tardigrade eggs and occasionally exuvia can be abundant. Eggs from at least five tardigrade species were identified in sediment cores from six lakes from across the continent, with abundances up to 6,000 (g⁻¹ dry wt.). It is likely that the cold temperatures and absence of benthic grazers in Antarctic lakes results in particularly good preservation conditions, though it may also be a function of population density. The conservation of tardigrade eggs and exuvia in lake sediments enables a better understanding of paleodistributions and effects of environmental changes for this phylum that cannot otherwise be obtained.     

SULFUR IN ACHONDRITIC METEORITES

Total sulfur abundances have been measured for 48 achondrites. For twenty eucrites they ranged from 370 to 3700 μgS/g with a median sulfur content of 1180 μgS/g. Sulfur abundances for howardites ranged from 1490 to 3240 μgS/g and had a median sulfur concentration of 2340 μgS/g. Diogenites' sulfur abundances ranged from 130 to 3170 μgS/g, with a median value of 1280 μgS/g. Four shergottites had a median sulfur content of 1940 μgS/g and ranged from 740 to 2540 μgS/g. Enstatite achondrites contained the greatest sulfur abundances of any achondrite group. They ranged from 2450 to 8580 μgS/g and had a median sulfur content of 6020 μgS/g. A single Chassignite had a sulfur concentration of 360 μgS/g. The wide variations in sulfur concentrations for the achondrites reflect the small scale heterogeneous nature of these unique extraterrestrial materials due in large part to discrete sulfide mineral grains.     

CHEMICAL ALTERATIONS OF THE HOLBROOK CHONDRITE RESULTING FROM TERRESTRIAL WEATHERING

The effects of chemical weathering on the Holbrook, Arizona chondrite were studied via major, minor, and trace element analysis along with noble gas measurements. Three samples of Holbrook were studied: a fresh specimen which fell in 1912, a specimen collected in 1931 and a specimen collected in 1968. The weathering of the meteorite produced changes in the Fe and Mg concentrations. The amount of metallic iron decreases with increasing degree of weathering. The MgO content decreases and the total iron content increases slightly with increasing weathering of the specimen, but these concentration differences are not necessarily due to weathering. Elemental concentrations for Ti, Ca, Al, P, Mn, Ni and Cr did not change significantly during weathering. Sodium may have been lost during weathering, whereas K showed a slight enrichment in abundance with terrestrial age. Trace elements C, Rb and Sr increased at least two-fold during weathering of the meteorite. Abundances of the radiogenic and cosmogenic noble gases decreased with increasing terrestrial age. Concentration ratios of certain cosmogenic noble gas nuclides which are commonly used as indicators of gas loss and shielding in chondrites show unpredictable behavior in the weathered chondrite.     

Seasonal fluctuations and compositions of two populations of small demersal fishes on the west coast of Scotland

The soft sediment fish communities below 20 m depth were studied at two sites on the west coast of Scotland (Irvine Bay, Firth of Clyde and the Lynn of Lorne) using small meshed beam trawls. In both cases the emphasis was on the small demersal fish (<15 cm) within these communities. The Irvine Bay community was studied between May 1978 and December 1979 and the Lynn of Lorne community between February 1975 and October 1976.Twenty-seven fish species were recorded in Irvine Bay and 32 in the Lynn of Lorne. In both communities four species constituted more than 78% of the total annual abundance, two gobies (Lesueurigobius friesii and Pomatoschistus norvegicus) were high in the dominance ranking for both sites. The species abundance lists were similar for both sites (0·62 level of similarity) but the species lists for each site were different (0·36 level of similarity). The overall mean density of small demersal fish was similar for both sites (Irvine Bay = 0·045 individuals m^?2 and the Lynn of Lorne = 0·047 individuals m^?2). There were two periods of high abundance for both communities (late autumn to winter and late spring). There was, however, a low repeatability between successive years. The species richness (D) was relatively high (Irvine Bay = 1·5-3·08, Lynn of Lorne = 1·4-3·34) as was the species diversity (H′) (Irvine Bay = 1·17-1·97, Lynn of Lorne = 1·23-1·95). The proportional representation ($\text{J′}$) of each species within the community was greater in Irvine Bay ($\text{J′}$ = 0·57-0·77) than in the Lynn of Lorne ($\text{J′}$ = 0·50-0·72). Therefore these two communities of small demersal fish appeared to be similar at the community level but the way in which this was achieved was different.