Morphology and structure of the Galapagos Rise

Geophysical data collected on three U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office cruises to the Galapagos Rise are presented. These data allow definition of the morphology and structure of the Galapagos Rise.A postulated “hot spot” beneath the Galapagos platform is suggested as the cause of: (1) decreased seismicity along the spreading center for a 400 km E—W distance from the islands; (2) distinctive petro-chemistry of tholeiites from the islands and adjacent oceanic crust generated by the Galapagos Rise; (3) high-amplitude magnetic anomalies in a 1,000 km E—W band including and just north of the Galapagos platform; and (4) morphologic shape and the regionally elevated sea floor of the Galapagos Rise as it approaches the insular platform.     

Sediment records as archives of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene hydrological change in the alluvial Narmada River basin, western India

The rivers of western India are monsoon dominated and have been so throughout the late Quaternary. Sediment accumulation in these river basins has been controlled by climatic and tectonic changes over a time span from the Late Pleistocene to the recent. The lithofacies assemblages associated with the various sediment archives in the Narmada basin range from the boulders of the alluvial fans to overbank fines on the alluvial plains. Estimates, based on clast size, of stream power and competence, bed shear stress and discharge reveal that hydrological conditions during the Late Pleistocene (∼90 ka) were comparable to the present day. The size of the transported clasts and the thickness of the accumulated sediment indicate the influence of basin subsidence rather than an increase in discharge. Discharge estimates based on sedimentary structures preserved in the alluvial-plain facies suggest that the channel had a persistent flow, with a low width-depth ratio and large meander wavelength. The hydrological changes during the Holocene are more pronounced where the early Holocene is marked by a high-intensity hydrological regime that induced erosion and incision of the earlier sediments. The mid-Holocene stream channel was less sinuous and had a higher width-depth ratio and a higher meander amplitude in comparison with the present-day channel. Palaeo-fluvial reconstructions based on the sediment archives in the alluvial reach of the river basin are important tools in understanding the long-term hydrological changes and the intricate fluvial architecture preserved in the Narmada River basin ensures scope for detailed studies to identify phases of weak and enhanced hydrological regimes.     

Interaction of the Atmosphere and Lithosphere in the Minute Range of Periods

Doklady Earth Sciences - The interaction between the atmosphere and the lithosphere in the minute range of periods is considered. The technique of assessment of the influence of atmospheric...     

Olivine in ultramafic lamprophyres: chemistry,crystallisation, and melt sources of Siberian Pre- and post-trap aillikites

We studied olivines from the Devonian pre-trap (the Ilbokich occurrence) and the Triassic post-trap (the Chadobets occurrence) carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (UMLs) in the southwestern portion of the Siberian craton. On the basis of detailed investigations of major, minor, and trace-element distributions, we have reconstructed the main processes that control the origins of these olivines. These include fractional crystallisation from melt, assimilation, and fractional crystallisation processes with orthopyroxene assimilation, melt-reaction diffusive re-equilibration, alkali enrichment, and CO₂ degassing of the melt. Furthermore, we inferred the composition of the sources of the primary UML melt and their possible correlations with proto-kimberlitic melts, as well as the influence of the Triassic Siberian plume on the composition of the lithospheric mantle. The main differences between olivines from the Ilbokich and the Chadobets aillikites were that the olivines from the former had more magnesium-rich cores (Mg# = 89.2?±?0.2), had Mg- and Cr-rich transition zones (Mg# = 89.7?±?0.2 and 300–500 ppm Cr), had lower Ni (up to 3100 ppm) and Li (1.4–1.5 ppm), and had higher B (0.8–2.6 ppm) contents, all at higher Fo values (90–86), relative to the olivines from the latter (Mg# = 88–75; 200–300 ppm Cr; up to 3400 ppm Ni; 1.4–2.4 ppm Li; 0.4–2.2 ppm B). The Siberian aillikite sources contained a significant amount of metasomatic material. Phlogopite-rich MARID-type veins provided the likely metasomatic component in the pre-trap Devonian Ilbokich aillikite source, whereas the Triassic Chadobets aillikitic post-trap melts were derived from a source with a significant carbonate component. A comparison of UML olivines with olivines from the pre-trap and post-trap Siberian kimberlites shows a striking similarity. This suggests that the carbonate component in the aillikitic source could have been produced by evolved kimberlite melts. The differences in the lithospheric metasomatic component that contributed to pre-trap and post-trap aillikitic melts can be interpreted as reflections of the thermal impact of the Siberian Traps, which reduced phlogopite-bearing metasomes within the southwestern Siberian sub-continental lithospheric mantle.     

Tectonometamorphic Evolution of the Eastern Tibet Plateau: Evidence from the Central Songpan-Garze Orogenic Belt, Western China

The Songpan–Garzê Orogenic Belt (northeastern TibetPlateau) experienced polyphase deformation and metamorphismthat is best developed in the Danba Domal Metamorphic Terrane(DDMT), in which three tectonometamorphic events can be identified.The first event (D₁–M₁) is characterized by prograde sericite-to kyanite-grade Barrovian metamorphism during late Indosinian(     

Observations of the Ushant tidal front in September 2007

The Ushant tidal front is the dominant feature of the summer season hydrological structure of the Iroise Sea. It separates tidally mixed coastal waters from thermally stratified open Celtic Sea waters. This article reports on observations made in September 2007 during two short cruises that took place aboard R/V “Côtes de la Manche”, and gives a general account of the physical structure of the front along one cross-frontal transect. The data set comprises data from a 4 month ADCP mooring, short CTD/fluorescence/nutrients transects, Lagrangian drifter trajectories, and HF radar surface current measurements. One finding is that the surface and bottom fronts, being affected by different dynamical influences, are not necessarily coincident in the vertical. This entails that the opposite density gradients located above and below the thermocline depth do not necessarily compensate, and can each be associated with a significant surface geostrophic expression. A second finding is that mixing effects bear a very strong influence on the thermal structure of the warm-water intrusions associated with frontal cyclonic eddies of the kind described by Pingree [1978. Cyclonic eddies and cross-frontal mixing. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 58 (4), 955–963].     

Interaction of internal waves with a horizontally inhomogeneous density field area overlying a ridge

In the context of the general linear theory, we consider the propagation of an internal tide across a frontal zone overyling an oceanic ridge. For a uniformly stratified ocean, the solution was derived using Riemann's technique. The dependences of the generated internal wave amplitudes on the stratification parameters and bottom topography were determined. We have found that wave disturbances of high intensity inside and in the neighbourhood of the ridge may be concentrated in raytype areas. An increase of the horizontal density gradient in the frontal zone results in a perceptible deformation of these areas.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

The stable aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist potency of United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) offshore produced water effluents

The in vitro aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist potency of offshore produced water effluents, collected from the United Kingdom Continental Shelf, was determined using the dioxin responsive (DR)-chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX) assay. Octadecylsilane (C18) solid phase extraction (SPE) extracts of produced water were exposed to DR-CALUX cells for 24 h in order to investigate the contribution in potency from compounds that are stable to metabolism by the CALUX cells during exposure. The stable AhR agonist potency determined over 24 h was highly variable and ranged from 1 to 430 ng TCDD TEQ_CALUX l⁻¹. These data reflect the highly variable composition of produced water discharges from different production fields. It is recommended that further work be performed to characterise the full range of stable dioxin like AhR agonists present in offshore produced water discharges using techniques such as bioassay-directed analysis.     

TRANSFORMATION OF THE LINE LENGTHS OF CARTOGRAPHIC MODELS IN ACCORDANCE WITH FUNCTIONAL UNITS

A paper devoted to the transformation of cartographic images based on nontraditional systems of scaling (travel time, transport effort, cost, etc.) describes the results of work to develop a more effective algorithm for such transformations, i.e., one which the authors claim provides for the more accurate determination of “transformed” line lengths than possible with earlier methods. Translated from: Izvestiya AN SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1987, No. 4, pp. 105-111.     

Equation of state of Fe3+-bearing phase-X

We investigated the high-pressure behaviour of Fe³⁺-bearing hydrous phase-X, (K_1.307Na_0.015)(Mg_1.504Fe _0.373 ³⁺ Al_0.053Ti _0.004 ⁴⁺ )Si₂O₇H_0.36, up to 34?GPa at room temperature by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. The lattice parameters behave anisotropically, with the [001] direction stiffer than [100]. In the 10^?4 to 22?GPa pressure range, the axial bulk moduli are K _0a ?=?112(3) GPa and K′?=?4, and K _0c ?=?158(2) GPa and K′?=?4, and the anisotropy of the lattice parameters is β_0c :β_0a ?=?0.71:1. The cell volumes are fitted by a second-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state giving a bulk modulus of K ₀?=?127(1) GPa and K′?=?4 in the same pressure range. After 22?GPa, a discontinuity in volume and lattice parameters can be recognized. Sample did not become amorphous up to 34?GPa. The coupled substitution K?+?Mg?=?[]?+?Fe³⁺ has only a limited influence on the bulk modulus and structural stability of phase-X.