Groundwater levels,climate and anthropogenic factors affect the hydrology and water quality of an intermittent and a regulated subtropical stream

Stream hydrology and water quality are highly interconnected and impacted by climate, land use and geology. We examined this connection using monitoring data from 2000 to 2019 for two streams with contrasting hydrological regimes—intermittent and regulated perennial—in subtropical Queensland, Australia. Our main objective was to evaluate relationships between groundwater levels, climate and flow regulation on the hydrology and water quality of an intermittent and a regulated subtropical stream. In intermittently flowing Lockyer Creek, flow was highly dependent on groundwater levels and occurred when the aquifer was recharged to elevations exceeding the upper 90-percentile value. With 9.4% of the catchment area in irrigated horticulture, flow in Lockyer Creek was also likely to be reduced by drawdown of the aquifer for irrigation, with no flow for 30% to 81% of days over the observation period for stations in Lockyer Creek. In contrast, flow in the mid-Brisbane River was continuous, regulated by discharge from a large upstream dam. Nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations in Lockyer Creek were generally higher than in the mid-Brisbane River, likely associated with runoff from agricultural areas adjacent to the stream, while the upstream dam likely reduced the concentration and variability of nutrients and suspended sediment in the mid-Brisbane River. During periods of low flow in the mid-Brisbane River, longitudinal changes in nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations occurred, notably a significant decrease in total and dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations downstream (p < 0.05), indicating a possible effect of in-stream algal uptake and denitrification. This study highlights the impact of human modifications on stream hydrology and water quality in the face of climate change. The findings can inform decision-making on groundwater irrigation or dam release control for water security.     

Behavior of illite and chlorite during pressure solution of shaly limestone of the Kalkberg Formation, Catskill, New York

Textural and chemical changes occurring in illite and chlorite concomitant with pressure solution of limestone were studied in samples from the Kalkberg Formation of Catskill, New York, using XRD and TEM/AEM. Samples on one limb of an anticline are massive shaly limestones, but those on the other have undergone extensive pressure solution and well-developed cleavage is present. Illite and chlorite from the uncleaved shaly limestone are found in small individual packets (100–800 Å thick) dispersed throughout the carbonate matrix with crystal morphologies characteristic of burial diagenesis. Phyllosilicates from the limb more affected by pressure solution occur in larger units (>1 μm thick) as stacks of subparallel packets (150–500 Å thick). Such stacks are inferred to represent coalescence of smaller packets. These data imply that the phyllosilicates are largely passive during pressure solution of limestone; however, localized solution-recrystallization is required by the coherent to semi-coherent packet boundaries and the crystal morphologies present in the pressure solution sample. The largely passive role is in contrast with the more active role of phyllosilicates in many shales and slates.XRD data for illite show an increase in crystallinity in the pressure solution sample under isothermal conditions. Differences in illite crystallinity are adequately explained in large part by differences in crystal size with some contribution due to strain. The data demonstrate that illite crystallinity cannot be unambiguously used in determining absolute or even relative temperatures.     

Human occupation of the continental shelf during the late pleistocene/early Holocene: Methods for site location

Archaeological sites containing significant information not available from terrestrial sites occur along former land surfaces now submerged and buried on the continental shelf. Although sites may occur anywhere along these former land surfaces, factors essential to man's survival, such as fresh water and food resources, make site locations somewhat predictable. Landforms such as rivers, lakes, and bays represent locations where one or more of the basic subsistence factors are provided. These relict landforms on the continental shelf can be detected easily using high-resolution seismic profilers. Physical sampling of landforms targeted as potential site areas is usually the only method for confirming the presence of an archaeological site. Sediment samples from a potential site are subjected to a series of sedimentary analyses which discriminate between archaeological deposits and natural sedimentary deposits. These methods for locating inundated and buried archaeological sites on the continental shelf were tested in a Gulf of Mexico study funded by the United States Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service. The study suggests that at least two locations sampled along the ancient Sabine River Valley represent archaeological deposits dating from the Late Wisconsinan period of lower sea stand.     

New Reference Materials,Analytical Procedures and Data Reduction Strategies for Sr Isotope Measurements in Geological Materials by LA-MC-ICP-MS

Laser ablation multi-collector mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) has emerged as the technique of choice for in situ measurements of Sr isotopes in geological minerals. However, the method poses analytical challenges and there is no widely adopted standardised approach to collecting these data or correcting the numerous potential isobaric inferences. Here, we outline practical analytical procedures and data reduction strategies to help establish a consistent framework for collecting and correcting Sr isotope measurements in geological materials by LA-MC-ICP-MS. We characterise a new set of plagioclase reference materials, which are available for distribution to the community, and present a new data reduction scheme for the Iolite software package to correct isobaric interferences for different materials and analytical conditions. Our tests show that a combination of Kr-baseline subtraction, Rb-peak-stripping using βRb derived from a bracketing glass reference material, and a CaCa or CaAr correction for plagioclase and CaCa or CaAr + REE²⁺ correction for rock glasses, yields the most accurate and precise ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr measurements for these materials. Using the analytical and correction procedures outlined herein, spot analyses using a beam diameter of 100 μm or rastering with a 50–65 μm diameter beam can readily achieve < 100 ppm 2SE repeatability ("internal") precision for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr measurements for materials with < 1000 μg g^-1 Sr.     

Twinned calcite as an indicator of high differential stresses and low shock pressure conditions during impact cratering

Shock-related calcite twins are characterized in calcite-bearing metagranite cataclasites within crystalline megablocks of the Ries impact structure, Germany, as well as in cores from the FBN1973 research drilling. The calcite likely originates from pre-impact veins within the Variscan metagranites and gneisses, while the cataclasis is due to the Miocene impact. Quartz in the metagranite components does not contain planar deformation features, indicating low shock pressures (<7 GPa). Calcite, however, shows a high density (>1/μm) of twins with widths <100 nm. Different types of twins (e-, f-, and r-twins) crosscutting each other can occur in one grain. Interaction of r- and f-twins results in a-type domains characterized by a misorientation relative to the host with a misorientation angle of 35°–40° and a misorientation axis parallel to an a-axis. Such a-type domains have not been recorded from deformed rocks in nature before. The high twin density and activation of different twin systems in one grain require high differential stresses (on the order of 1 GPa). Twinning of calcite at high differential stresses is consistent with deformation during impact cratering at relatively low shock pressure conditions. The twinned calcite microstructure can serve as a valuable low shock barometer.