Depositional fabrics in basal till reflect alignments during transportation

The fabrics of tills deposited by continental glaciers are usually assumed to reflect clast orientation during transportation and yet might only be imprinted during depositional processes. However, the striated surfaces of clasts must be acquired during transportation and by relating striation patterns to clast shape one can deduce the positions most frequently maintained by each group of clasts. Comparison of these orientations with the actual depositional fabrics of the same shape groups, demonstrates that dast orientations are maintained from transportation through deposition. Therefore subglacial transportation processes grade smoothly into those of deposition. The favoured interpretation is that bottom melting is the dominant mechanism leading to final deposition and that lodgement and smearing are likely restricted more to preliminary cycles of redeposition and re-erosion.     

Impact of a Fluorine-Rich Granite Intrusion on Levels and Distribution of Fluoride in a Small Boreal Catchment

This paper explores the influence of a fluorine-rich granite on fluoride concentration in a small boreal catchment in northern Europe. The materials include stream water and shallow groundwater sampled in spatial and temporal dimensions, and analytical data on fluoride and a number of ancillary variables. Fluoride increased strongly towards the lower reaches of the catchment—at the stream outlet the concentrations were up to 4.2 mg L⁻¹ and 1.6–4.7 times higher than upstream. Additionally, fluoride concentrations were particularly high in groundwater and small surface-water bodies (including quarries) above or in direct contact with the granite and showed a strong inverse correlation with water discharge in the stream. Taken together, these data and patterns pin-point the granite intrusion as the ultimate source, explaining the abundance and distribution of dissolved fluoride within the catchment. The granite most likely deliver fluoride to the stream by three mechanisms: (1) weathering of the fine fraction of glacial deposits, derived from the granite and associated fluorine-rich greisen alterations, (2) large relative input of baseflow, partially originating in the granite and greisen, into the lower reaches during low flow in particular, and (3) water-conducting fractures or fracture zones running through the fluorine-rich granite and greisen.     

The near-term risk of climate uncertainty among the U.S. states

This article describes a study employing a risk-assessment methodology for evaluating uncertain future climatic conditions. To understand the implications of uncertainty on risk and to provide a near-term rationale for policy interventions, the study estimated the impacts from responses to climate change on U.S. state- and national-level economic activity. The study used results of the climate-model CMIP3 dataset developed for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report to 1) estimate a proxy for representing climate uncertainty over the next 40 years, 2) map the simulated weather from the climate models hydrologically to the county level to determine the physical consequences on economic activity at the state level, and 3) perform a detailed, economy-wide, 70-industry analysis of economic impacts among the interdependent lower-48 states for the years 2010 through 2050. The analysis determined the interacting industry-level effects, employment impacts at the state level, interstate population migration, consequences to personal income, and ramifications for the U.S. trade balance. When compared to a baseline economic forecast, the calculations produced an average risk of damage of $1 trillion to the U.S. economy from climate change over the next 40 years, with losses in employment equivalent to nearly 7 million full-time jobs. Added uncertainty would increase the estimated risk.     

A comparison of rainfall estimation techniques for sub-Saharan Africa

Interpolated rain-gauge data were compared to Meteosat-based precipitation estimates for sub-Saharan Africa. Validation was carried out using a dataset from a very dense gauge network in South Africa, on a point-to-pixel (PO–PI) as well as on a pixel-to-pixel (PI–PI) basis. Error criteria computed at the gauged pixels indicate that overall the interpolated estimates perform similarly to the satellite-based data: they provide good estimates of lower but underestimate larger precipitation amounts. It is concluded that the satellite estimates are more fitted for the operational modelling of processes such as surface runoff and soil erosion, especially in the developing areas where resources are scarce.     

Prominence condensation and magnetic levitation in a coronal loop

We describe the results of a model dynamic simulation of the formation and support of a narrow prominence at the apex of a coronal magnetic loop or arcade. The condensation process proceeds via an initial radiative cooling and pressure drop, and a secondary siphon flow from the dense chromospheric ends. The anti-buoyancy effect as the prominence forms causes a bending of the confining magnetic field, which propagates toward the semi-rigid ends of the magnetic loop. Thus, a wide magnetic hammock or well (of the normal-polarity Kippenhahn-Schlüter-type) is formed, which supports the prominence at or near the field apex. The simplicity of this 1.5-dimensional model, with its accompanying diagnostics, allows one to comprehend the various contributions to the nonlinear dynamics of prominence condensation and levitation.     

Sr and Nd isotopic compositions, age and petrogenesis of A-type granitoids of the Vernon Supersuite, New Jersey Highlands, USA

Voluminous late Mesoproterozoic monzonite through granite of the Vernon Supersuite underlies an area of approximately 1300 km² in the Highlands of northern New Jersey. The Vernon Supersuite consists of hastingsite±biotite-bearing granitoids of the Byram Intrusive Suite (BIS) and hedenbergite-bearing granitoids of the Lake Hopatcong Intrusive Suite (LHIS). These rocks have similar major and trace element abundances over a range of SiO₂ from 58 to 75 wt.%, are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, and have a distinctive A-type chemistry characterized by high contents of Y, Nb, Zr, LREE, and Ga/Al ratios, and low MgO, CaO, Sr and HREE. Whole-rock Rb–Sr isochrons of BIS granite yield an age of 1116±41 Ma and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70389, and of LHIS granite an age of 1095±9 Ma and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70520. Both suites have similar initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of 0.511267 to 0.511345 (BIS) and 0.511359 to 0.511395 (LHIS). Values of _Nd are moderately high and range from +1.21 to +2.74 in the BIS and +2.24 to +2.95 in the LHIS. Petrographic evidence, field relationships, geochemistry, and isotopic data support an interpretation of comagmatism and the derivation of both suites from a mantle-derived or a juvenile lower crustal parent with little crustal assimilation. Both suites crystallized under overlapping conditions controlled by P–T–f_H2O. Lake Hopatcong magma crystallized at a liquidus temperature that approached 900°C and a pressure of about 6 kbar, and remained relatively anhydrous throughout its evolution. Initial P–T conditions of the Byram magma were ≥850°C and about 5.5 kbar. BIS magma was emplaced contemporaneous with, or slightly preceding LHIS magma, and both magmas were emplaced during a compressional tectonic event prior to granulite facies metamorphism that occurred in the Highlands between 1080 and 1030 Ma.     

The Luna 20 lithic fragments,and the composition and origin of the lunar highlands

Luna 20 soil 22003,1 (250–500 μ) is similar to Apollo 16 soil 61501,47 (250–500 μ) in terms of the percentage of different types of particles. However, among the lithic fragments, the Apollo 16 sample contains a greater percentage of fragments with more than 70 wt. % modal plagioclase and a significantly greater proportion of KREEP-rich particles. Modal analyses of non-mare lithic fragments in Luna 20 and Apollo 11, 14, 15 and 16 indicate that the KREEP-poor highland regions (the bulk of the lunar terrae), though relatively feldspathic, are compositionally inhomogeneous, ranging in plagioclase content from approximately 35 to 100 wt. %. The average plagioclase content lies in the range 45–70 wt.%. Luna 20 pyroxene analyses cluster in two groups, one more magnesian than the other. The groups persist when pyroxene analyses from KREEP-poor noritic, troctolitic and anorthositic lithic fragments from Apollo 11, 14, 15 and 16 and Luna 20 are included. Olivine compositions mimic these pyroxene groups.Within each pyroxene group Cr₂O₃ and TiO₂ decrease as $\text{Fe}\text{(Fe + Mg)}$ increases, suggesting a relationship by fractional crystallization. The two groups suggest that at least two magma compositions were involved. To account for these observations we envisage a Moon-wide magma system in which initial accretionary heterogeneities were imperfectly erased by diffusion and convection. During the cooling of this magma system fractional crystallization was effected by the flotation of plagioclase and sinking of pyroxene, olivine and perhaps ilmenite. The endproduct was an upper layer enriched in plagioclase and a lower layer enriched in mafic silicates. KREEP-rich rocks, which are predominantly noritic in major element composition, may be mechanical mixtures of KREEP-poor norite and material residual after fractional crystallization of the surface magma system.     

Marine-like potash evaporite formation on a continental playa: case study from Chott el Djerid, southern Tunisia

An exceptional flood in January 1990 led to the formation of a large ephemeral lake on the Chott el Djerid, a salt playa in southern Tunisia. Repeated observations made during 1990 show that the ephemeral lake underwent four evolutionary stages: (1) initial flooding, (2) evaporative concentration of lake waters, (3) the movement of concentrated brine pools over the playa surface as a result of wind action, and (4) total desiccation of the lake by September 1990. During all four stages the brine chemistry of the lake was monitored. Water inflow into the Chott el Djerid basin was found to have a consistent Ca-SO₄-Cl-rich and HCO₃-CO₃-poor chemistry, reflecting the recycling of homogeneous assemblages of Cretaceous, Mio—Pliocene and Quaternary evaporites within the catchment. As the ephemeral lake shrank, these waters produced an Na-Mg-K-Cl-SO₄ brine which was similar to modern sea water. Mineral saturation data show that, during the desiccation of the lake, saturation with respect to both gypsum and halite was achieved and that the most concentrated brines were ultimately saturated with respect to potash phases. After the desiccation of the lake the main mineral phases found on the Chott included gypsum and halite. In addition, ephemeral deposits of carnallite (observed as carnallitite,3KMgCl_3·6H₂0 + NaCl) were found. This assemblage is that which would be expected to form if the waters had undergone salt norm evaporation at 1 bar pressure at 25°C (SNORM) in the evaporation model proposed by Jones and Bodine (1987). The nature of both the brine chemistry and evaporite mineralogy provides a new and rare example of marine-like potash-bearing evaporites being formed in a contemporary continental playa.     

Evolution of major mineral compositions and trace element abundances during fractional crystallization of a model lunar composition

The evolution of major mineral compositions and trace element abundances during fractional crystallization of a model lunar magma ocean have been calculated. A lunar bulk composition consistent with petrological constraints has been selected. Major mineral compositions have been calculated using published studies of olivine-melt, plagioclase-melt, and pyroxene-olivine equilibria. Trace element abundances have been calculated using experimentally-determined partition coefficients where possible. In the absence of experimental determinations, published partition coefficients obtained by analyzing phase separates from porphyritic volcanic rocks have been used. Trace elements studied are La, Sm, Eu, Lu, Rb, Sr( Eu²⁺), Ni, Co, and Cr.The first mineral to crystallize is olivine, which varies in composition from Fo₉₈ at the liquidus to Fo₉₅ at 50% solidification. Orthopyroxene crystallizes from 50 to 60% solidification with a restricted composition range of En₉₅-En₉₃. Plagioclase and Ca-rich clinopyroxene (X_Wo arbitrarily set equal to 0.5) co-crystallize during the final 40% solidification. Plagioclase changes in composition from An₉₇ to approximately An₉₃, while clinopyroxene evolves from En₄₆ to approximately En₄₀. The concomitant evolution of major element abundances in the melt is also discussed.The concentration of Ni in the melt decreases rapidly because solid-melt partition coefficients are significantly greater than unity at all stages of crystallization. The concentration of Cr in the melt increases slowly during olivine crystallization, then drops precipitously during the crystallization of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The concentration of Co in the melt decreases slowly during olivine and orthopyroxene crystallization, after which it returns slowly to its initial concentration. Rubidium and Sr are not fractionated relative to one another until the onset of plagioclase crystallization. Ratios of Rb/Sr, normalized to their initial concentrations in the magma, do not rise above 10 until 95% of the magma has solidified. The ratios of Eu/Sm and La/Lu, normalized to their initial concentrations in the magma, remain essentially unfractionated until the onset of crystallization of clinopyroxene plus plagioclase, at which point the normalized La/Lu ratio increases to approximately 1.3 at 100% solidification and the normalized Eu/Sm ratio decreases to approximately 0.2 at 100% solidification.The model calculations are used to place approximate constraints on the bulk composition of the primitive Moon. Consideration of the effect on plagioclase composition of the activities of NaO_0.5 and SiO₂ in the melt suggests that the primitive Moon contained less than 0.4 wt % NaO_0.5 and approximately 42–43 wt % SiO₂. Concentrations of the REE in model lunar anorthosites are consistent with the returned samples. Concentrations of the REE in several model ‘highland basalts’ (considered to be representative of the average lunar terrae) are too low when compared with returned samples. Several possible explanations of this discrepancy are considered. The possible role of spinel in a twostage geochemical evolution of mare basalt liquids is discussed.