Phylogeny of the Sepia officinalis species complex in the eastern Atlantic extends the known distribution of Sepia vermiculata across the Benguela upwelling region

Accurate species identification and biogeographic characterisation are fundamental for appropriate management of expanding cephalopod fisheries. This study addresses this topic within the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis species complex (S. officinalis, S. hierredda and S. vermiculata), with an emphasis on occurrence in African waters. Tissue samples from the currently presumed distributions of S. vermiculata and S. hierredda (from South Africa and Ghana/Angola, respectively) were sequenced for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the cytochrome b (cytb) genes of the mitochondrial genome and then compared to existing S. officinalis sequences. Three highly divergent and reciprocally monophyletic clades, corresponding to S. officinalis, S. hierredda and S. vermiculata, were resolved, representing the first molecular confirmation of the distinct species status of S. hierredda and S. vermiculata. The sequences also revealed that, contrary to expectations based on presently published information, all samples from southern Angola were S. vermiculata. These results indicate that the range of S. vermiculata extends beyond the currently described northern limit and that S. hierredda and S. vermiculata may be indiscriminately harvested in Angolan waters. Finer-scale patterns within S. vermiculata phylogeography also indicate that the Benguela Current System and/or other environmental factors serve to isolate northern and southern stocks.     

Isotopic and elemental analysis of uraninite concentrates using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is capable of measuring isotopic and elemental abundances in geologic materials easily and rapidly. Although the precision of isotope ratio data obtained by ICP-MS is inferior to that by thermal ionization mass spectrometry, it is adequate for application to a number of geochemical exploration problems.National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Pb metal standard reference material 981 (NBS981), was used as the isotopic standard to correct the measured isotope intensities for mass discrimination. The mean relative standard deviation (RSD) of the determinations of the abundances of ²⁰⁶Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb in the two other NIST Pb isotope reference materials, NBS981 and NBS982, was better than 0.3%, whereas the RSD for the determination of the less abundant ²⁰⁴Pb was 0.4%. Accuracy was demonstrated by repeated analysis of NBS981, NBS982, and NBS983. The Student t-statistic ranged between −1.75 and 2.04 for the abundances of the 4 Pb isotopes in the three NIST materials.Data from a suite of 13 uraninite-rich samples from Labrador demonstrate the ability of ICP-MS to determine age and geochemical information sufficient for regional interpretations. The determined radiogenic ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ratios of 12 of the samples give ages between 1697 and 1805 Ma with average uncertainties (one standard deviation) of 4 Ma, whereas one of the samples has an age of 495 ± 4 Ma. The average age of the 12 samples was 1752 ± 27 Ma. Along with the Pb isotope intensities, ²³²Th and ²³⁸U were measured and the U-Pb age determined from a fit of the ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U vs. ²⁰⁷Pb/²³⁵U for 9 of the samples. The concordia intercept age of 1740 Ma for the best-fit line is in good agreement with the mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 1752 Ma.     

Volatile control of contrasting trace element distributions in peralkaline granitic and volcanic rocks

Anomalous enrichments of Zr (>500 ppm), Zn (> 100 ppm), Nb (>25 ppm), Y (>60 ppm), Th (>20 pm), U (> 5 ppm), LREE (>230 ppm) and HREE (>35ppm), and high Rb/Sr (>5) characterize peralkaline granites, in contrast to their peraluminous and calc-alkaline equivalents. Within the peralkaline suite, comenditic and pantelleritic volcanics exhibit two- to five-fold increases in the concentrations of these trace elements over comagmatic granites. These cannot be explained by crystal- liquid fractionation processes, and require the evolution of a sodium-enriched fluid. Corresponding trace element increases in the granites in areas of alkali metasomatism support this argument, and reflect the partial confinement of this volatile phase within the high-level magma chambers. REE studies in particular might eventually allow an evaluation of the role of Cl⁻ versus F⁻ and CO₃-complexing in the evolution of the volatile fluid.     

The geochemistry of repetitive cyclical volcanism from basalt through rhyolite in the uchi-confederation greenstone belt,canada

Archean volcanic rocks in the Confederation Lake area, northwestern Ontario, Canada, are in three mafic to felsic cycles collectively 8,500 to 11,240 m thick. Each cycle begins with pillowed basalt and andesite flows and is capped with andesitic to rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks and minor flows. Seventy five samples from this succession were analyzed for major and trace elements including the rare earth elements. In two cycles, tholeiitic basalts are overlain by calcalkaline andesite to rhyolite. In the third, cycle, the tholeiitic basalts are overlain by tholeiitic rhyolites. Fe enrichment in basalts is accompanied by depletion of Ca, Al, Cr, Ni, and Sr, and enrichment in Ti, P, the rare earth elements, Nb, Zr, and Y. This is interpreted as open system fractionation of olivine, plagioclase, and clinopyroxene. Si enrichment in dacites and rhyolites is attributed to fractional crystallization of plagioclase, K-feldspar, and biotite. Tholeiitic basalt liquids are believed to be mantle-derived. Intercalated andesites with fractionated rare earth patterns appear to be products of mixing of tholeiitic basalt and rhyolite liquids and, andesites with flat rare earth patterns are probably produced by melting of previously depleted mantle. Felsic magmas are partial melts of tholeiitic basalt or products of liquid immiscibility in a tholeiitic system perhaps involving extreme fractionation in a high level magma chamber, and assimilation of sialic crust. It is concluded that Archean cyclical volcanism in this area involves the interplay of several magmatic liquids in processes of fractional crystallization, magma mixing, liquid immiscibility, and the probable existence of compositionally zoned magma chambers in the late stages of each cycle. The compositionally zoned chambers existed over the time period represented by the upper felsic portion of each cycle.     

On the Induced Gravitational Collapse: SPH Simulations

The Induced Gravitational Collapse (IGC) paradigm points to a binary origin for the longduration gamma-ray burst (GRBs) associated with supernovae (SN). In this one, a carbon-oxygen core (CO_core) explodes in a Type Ib/c SN in presence of a close neutron star (NS) companion. The SN triggers a hypercritical accretion into the NS and depending on the initial binary parameters, two outcomes are possible givimg place to two family of long GRBs: binary-driven hypernova (BdHNe), where the NS reaches its critical mass, and collapses to a black hole (BH), emitting a GRB; and x-ray flashes (XRFs) where the hypercritical accretion onto the NS is not sufficient to induce its gravitational collapse. We perform 3-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations of the IGC paradigm with the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique. We determine whether the star gravitational collapse is possible and assess if the binary holds gravitationally bound or it becomes unbound by the SN explosion.     

Three-dimensional visualisation of brooding behaviour in two distantly related brittle stars from South African waters

Brooding in ophiuroids (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) is a highly-developed reproduction strategy and has evolved independently several times. In South African waters, brooding occurs both in the very small amphiurid Amphipholis squamata, which is hermaphroditic, and in the large ophiodermatid Ophioderma wahlbergii, which is gonochoric. For the first time, microcomputed tomography was applied to visualise and compare brooding and brooded young of these two brittle star species from two distantly related families. The scanned A. squamata brooded six young, whereas O. wahlbergii brooded 13 young. Volume measurements of the adults revealed that A. squamata dedicated about 25% of its disc volume to brooding and O. wahlbergii about 14%. Although the brooded young of O. wahlbergii are thought to be among the largest of all known ophiuroids, young of A. squamata were four times larger in relation to adult body disc volume. Other than differences in the sizes of brooded young, these distantly related species have evolved very similar brooding adaptations. All juveniles were found lying with the mouth upward, pressed against the mother's bursal wall, strengthening the hypothesis that the bursal wall acts as a nutritive organ. In both species, the large size of the young can only be explained by maternal nutrient supply. Both brittle star species, therefore, are regarded as truly viviparous.     

Spatial variation in meristic and morphometric characteristics of sardine Sardinops sagax around the coast of southern Africa

Spatial variability in phenotypic characteristics within a fish population may be used to infer the existence of multiple stocks, and knowledge of the population structure of exploited species is important for their sustainable management. In this study we investigated geographic variability in meristic (vertebral count) and morphometric (body shape) characteristics of sardine Sardinops sagax from three southern African regions: Namibia, the South African west coast, and the South African south coast. There were significant regional differences in vertebral counts, with Namibian fish tending to have more vertebrae than South African fish, but with no difference between sardine off the South African west and south coasts. Body shape was characterised using morphometric landmarks, and shape changes were investigated using geometric morphometrics, with influences on fish shape assessed using multivariate regressions. To remove the effects of allometry, the 22 shape variables (represented by Procrustes coordinates) were regressed against fish size (represented by centroid size). There was a significant allometric effect, which was removed by using the residuals of these regressions in further analyses. A multivariate multiple regression was applied to the 22 size-corrected shape variables and to three covariates: condition factor, stomach fullness and fat stage. The significant influence of these covariates was removed by using the residuals from this regression in a canonical variate analysis, where corrected shape variables were classified in relation to region, year and sex. The Mahalanobis distances from the canonical variate analysis differed significantly for most combinations of classifier variables, with clear separations among the three regions. Sardinops sagax off Namibia had thicker bodies and more contracted tail regions than South African fish, whereas S. sagax off the South African south coast had thinner bodies and smaller heads than those off the west coast. These results support the hypothesis of multiple sardine stocks around southern Africa.     

北祁连早古生代花岗质岩浆作用及构造演化

北祁连山中段花岗岩锆石SHRIMP定年结果表明,柯柯里岩体的斜长花岗岩和石英闪长岩的年龄分别为512Ma和501 Ma,野马咀和金佛寺花岗岩的年龄分别为508Ma和424Ma。结合区内其它花岗岩体的定年资料,根据花岗岩的岩石地球化学特征及岩体产出的构造位置、区域地质资料等,我们认为,早古生代北祁连洋板块向南俯冲,至少引发了两期花岗质岩浆作用,第一次岩浆作用形成柯柯里斜长花岗岩(512Ma)、野马咀花岗岩(508Ma)和柯柯里石英闪长岩(501 Ma),第二次花岗质岩浆作用形成牛心山花岗岩(477Ma)。由于往南俯冲的板块受到柴达木板块向北俯冲的影响,俯冲受阻,继而俯冲极性发生变化,转向北俯冲,形成了民乐窑沟(463Ma)等花岗岩侵入体。大约440Ma之后,洋盆闭合,柴达木陆块和阿拉善陆块对接碰撞,形成北祁连造山带。由于造山带根部岩石圈发生折沉作用,造山带上不同的块体伸展、滑塌,形成一系列碰撞后花岗岩如金佛寺花岗岩(424Ma)及牛心山岩体的石英闪长岩(435Ma)等。