The geochemistry,geochronology and paleomagnetism of dikes and sills associated with the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift near Thunder Bay,Ontario, Canada

The Midcontinent Rift (MCR) of North America comprises a series of basaltic sheets, flows and intrusive rocks emplaced in the Lake Superior region during the Mesoproterozoic. The mafic rocks preserved on the northern flank of Lake Superior represent the older portions of the rift sequence and offer insights into the early development of the rift. New geochronological, geochemical and paleomagnetic data are presented for the dikes and sills located in and south of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Three sill suites are recognized within the study area; an earlier, spatially restricted ultramafic unit termed the Riverdale sill, the predominant Logan sills and Nipigon sills in the north of the study area. In addition three dike sets are recognized, the north-east trending Pigeon River swarm, the north-west trending Cloud River dikes and the Mt. Mollie dike. The geochemical data demonstrate that the majority of sills south of Thunder Bay are of Logan affinity and distinct from those of broadly similar age in the Nipigon Embayment to the north. The Pigeon River dikes that intrude the sills are geochemically coherent but distinct from the Logan sills and could not be feeders to the sills. The new age of 1109.2 ± 4.2 Ma for the Cloud River dike and its R polarity are consistent with published magnetostratigraphy. The Mt. Mollie dike age (1109.3 ± 6.3 Ma) indicates that it is not coeval with the spatially associated Crystal Lake gabbro as previously thought. The complexity of the dike and sill suites on the northern flank of suggests that the early phases of rifting occurred in distinct and changing stress fields prior to the main extensional rifting preserved in younger rocks to the south. The geochemistry and geochronology of the intrusions suggest a long-lived and complex magmatic history for the Midcontinent Rift.     

Diffusive fractionation of noble gases and helium isotopes during mantle melting

The large differences in He and Ar diffusivities in silicate minerals could result in fractionation of the He/Ar ratio during melting of the mantle, producing He/Ar ratios in the primary mantle melts that are higher than those of the bulk mantle. Modeling noble gas diffusion out of the bulk mantle into fast diffusion pathways (such as fractures or melt channels) suggests that significant (order of magnitude) He/Ar fractionation will occur if the fast diffusion channels are spaced several meters apart and the noble gas residence in these diffusion channels is of the order days to weeks. In addition, the 15% difference in ³He and ⁴He diffusivities could also produce isotopic fractionation between the melt and its solid source. Modeling the behavior of He and Ar during melting shows that small increases (few %) in ³He/⁴He should be correlated with larger variations (factor of 5) in ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar. However, in order to test this hypothesis the effects of subsequent He–Ar fractionation that occur during degassing have to be corrected. I describe a scheme that can separate He/Ar variations in the primary melt from overprinted fractionation during magmatic degassing. Using the degassing-corrected data, there is a correlation between the primary melt’s ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar and ³He/⁴He in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). The slope of the correlation is consistent with the models of preferential diffusion of ³He relative to ⁴He and of ⁴He relative to ⁴⁰Ar from the solid mantle into the melt. Diffusive fractionation of noble gases during melting of the mantle can also account for low ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar ratios commonly found in residual mantle xenoliths: preferential diffusion of He relative to Ar will produce some regions of the mantle with low ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar, the complement of the high ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar ratios in basalts. Diffusive fractionation cannot, however, account for differences between the He and Ne isotopic compositions of MORBs compared with ocean island basalts (OIBs); not only are the extremely high ³He/⁴He ratios of OIBs (up to 50 Ra) difficult to produce at reasonable mantle time and lengthscales, but also the Ne isotopic compositions of MORBs and OIBs do not lie on a single mass fractionation line, therefore cannot result from diffusive fractionation of a single mantle Ne source. If preferential diffusion of He from the solid mantle into primary melts is a significant process during generation of MORBs, then it is difficult to constrain the He concentration of the mantle: He concentrations in basalts and the He flux to the ocean essentially result from extraction of He from a larger (and unknown) volume of mantle than that that produced the basalts themselves. The He concentration of the mantle cannot be constrained until more accurate estimates of the diffusion contribution are available.     

Diagenetic and sedimentary controls on porosity in Lower Carboniferous fine-grained lithologies,Krechba field,Algeria: A petrological study of a caprock to a carbon capture site

Fine-grained siliciclastic lithologies commonly act as sealing caprocks to both petroleum fields and host reservoirs for carbon capture (CO₂ sequestration) projects. Fine-grained lithologies are thus of great importance in controlling fluid flow and storage in the subsurface. However, fine-grained rocks are rarely characterised in terms of primary sedimentary characteristics, diagenesis and how these relate to their flow properties (i.e. sealing or caprock quality). Seventeen samples from Lower Carboniferous estuarine caprock to a gas field (also to be used as a carbon capture site), have been analysed using a range of petrological and petrophysical techniques. The rock unit that represents the caprock to this gas field was found to be predominantly silt grade with porosity values as low as 1.8%. In these rocks, caprock quality (porosity) is controlled by intrinsic and extrinsic factors linked to primary mineralogy and diagenetic processes. Depositional mineralogy was dominated by quartz, detrital mica, detrital clay (likely Fe-rich 7Å clay and illite–smectite) with minor feldspar and oxide phases. Diagenetic processes included compaction, minor feldspar dissolution and kaolinite growth and the more important processes of chlorite, siderite and quartz cementation, as well as the likely transformation of smectite into illite. Caprock quality is controlled by the primary quantity of illite-muscovite in the sediment and also by the localised extent of chlorite and quartz cementation. Deposition in an estuarine environment led to highly heterogeneous distribution of primary and diagenetic minerals, and thus caprock quality, between and within the samples.     

Investigations of subsurface flow constructed wetlands and associated geomaterial resources in the Akumal and Reforma regions,Quintana Roo,Mexico

Subsurface flow constructed wetlands in the village of Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico were surveyed to determine the general status of the wetland systems and provide baseline information for long term monitoring and further study. Twenty subsurface flow wetlands were surveyed and common problems observed in the systems were overloading, poor plant cover, odor, and no secondary containment. Bulk mineral composition of aggregate from two subsurface flow constructed wetlands was determined to consist solely of calcite using bulk powder X-ray diffraction. Some soil structure is developed in the aggregate and aggregate levels in wetlands drop at an estimated rate between 3 and 10 cm/year for overloaded wetlands owing to dissolution. Mineral composition from fresh aggregate samples commonly is a mixture of calcite and aragonite. Trace amounts of Pb, Zn, Co, and Cr were observed in fresh aggregate. Coefficients of permeability (k) varied from 0.006 to 0.027 cm/s with an average values being 0.016 cm/s. Grain size analysis of fresh aggregate samples indicates there are unimodal and multimodal size distributions in the samples with modes in the coarse and fine sand being common. Investigations of other geologic media from the Reforma region indicate that a dolomite with minor amounts of Fe-oxide and palygorskite is abundant and may be a better aggregate source that the current materials used. A Ca-montmorillonite bed was identified in the Reforma region as well and this unit is suitable to serve as a clay liner to prevent leaks for new and existing wetland systems. These newly discovered geologic resources should aid in the improvement of subsurface flow constructed wetlands in the region. Although problems do exist in these wetlands with respect to design, these systems represent a successful implementation of constructed wetlands at a community level in developing regions.     

Infrared observations of supergranule temperature structure

One and two-dimensional observations were made at 1.64 μ, the deepest observable level in the solar atmosphere; at 1.72 μ, representing the chromosphere; and at 1.17 μ, representing the visible photosphere. Structures distributed on a supergranular size scale (30000 km) are apparently present at all levels. These structures in the deep photospheric level (1.64 μ) seem to be a 50K–500K temperature decrease over surrounding photosphere confined to the magnetic field elements with horizontal scales less than 4000 km at supergranular boundaries, rather than a general temperature structure over the entire supergranule cell appropriate to convective energy transport.     

An Evolving Synoptic Magnetic Flux map and Implications for the Distribution of Photospheric Magnetic Flux

We describe a procedure intended to produce accurate daily estimates of the magnetic flux distribution on the entire solar surface. Models of differential rotation, meridional flow, supergranulation, and the random emergence of background flux elements are used to regularly update unobserved or poorly observed portions of an initial traditional magnetic synoptic map that acts as a seed. Fresh observations replace model estimates when available. Application of these surface magnetic transport models gives us new insight into the distribution and evolution of magnetic flux on the Sun, especially at the poles where canopy effects, limited spatial resolution, and foreshortening result in poor measurements. We find that meridional circulation has a considerable effect on the distribution of polar magnetic fields. We present a modeled polar field distribution as well as time series of the difference between the northern and southern polar magnetic flux; this flux imbalance is related to the heliospheric current sheet tilt. We also estimate that the amount of new background magnetic flux needed to sustain the `quiet-Sun' magnetic field is about 1.1×10²³ Mx d^–1 (equivalent to several large active regions) at the spatial resolution and epoch of our maps. We comment on the diffusive properties of supergranules, ephemeral regions, and intranetwork flux. The maps are available on the NSO World Wide Web page.     

Organochlorine and mecury concetrations in eggs of grey plovers (Pluvialis squatarola) breeding in the Lena Dlta, north-east Sibveria, 1997

Seven eggs from four clutches of grey plovers ( Pluvialis squatarola ) breeding in the Lena Delta, Sakha Republic, Yakutia, in 1997 were analysed for persistent organochlorines and mercury. Contamination levels were low and within the same range as found in eggs from waders (Charadriiformes) breeding in north-west Europe. One exception was ∑HCH, averaging 99.2 ng g⁻¹ fresh egg mass, a level about ten times higher than in wader eggs from north-west Europe. β-HCH accounted for 98% of the total HCH concentration. There are indications that the pesticide levels may reflect former local use. ∑PCB level (57.0 ng g⁻¹, 62 congeners) and mercury concentration (68.7 ng g⁻¹) can be considered low.     

Evidence for transverse spread in Leonid meteors

We report here evidence for significant transverse spread of the light production region in bright Leonid meteors. One Leonid meteor has an apparent spread in the light production region of about 600 m perpendicular to the flight path for the meteor, that transverse spread persisting for at least 0.3 s. We have also detected short-duration, jet-like features emanating from a bright Leonid meteor recorded in 1998. These jet-like features have maximum spatial dimensions up to 1.9 km. While we cannot definitively rule out instrumental artefacts as a cause for these jet-like features, they may be evidence of motion contributing to the observed spatial spread in the light production region.     

Calibration of cosmogenic Cl production rates from Ca and K spallation in lava flows from Mt. Etna (38°N, Italy) and Payun Matru (36°S, Argentina)

Published cosmogenic ³⁶Cl production rates from Ca and K spallation differ by almost a factor of 2. In this paper we determine production rates of ³⁶Cl from Ca and K in samples of known age containing little Cl. Ca-rich plagioclases and K-feldspars were separated from a total of 13 samples collected on the surfaces of four basaltic lava flows at Mt. Etna (38°N, Italy) and from a trachyte lava flow at Payun Matru volcano (36°S, Argentina). Eruption ages, determined by independent methods, range between 0.4 and 32 ka. Sample site elevations range between 500 and 2500 m. Corresponding scaling factors were calculated using five different published scaling models, four of which consider paleo-geomagnetic field variations integrated over the exposure durations. The resulting five data sets were then analyzed using a Bayesian statistical model that incorporates the major inherent uncertainties in a consistent way. Spallation production rates from Ca and K, considering all major uncertainties, are 42.2 ± 4.8 atoms ³⁶Cl (g Ca)⁻¹ a⁻¹ and 124.9 ± 8.1 atoms ³⁶Cl (g K)⁻¹ a⁻¹ normalized to sea level and high latitude using the scaling method of Stone (2000). Scaling models that account for paleo-geomagnetic intensity changes yield very similar mean values (at most +4%). If the uncertainties in the independent ages are neglected in the Bayesian model, the calculated element specific production rates would be about 12% higher. Our results are in agreement with previous production rate estimations both for Ca and K if only low Cl (i.e. ?20 ppm) samples are considered.