Stratigraphical correlation of the Late Jurassic Lourinhã Formation in the Consolação Sub‐basin (Lusitanian Basin), Portugal

The c. 700 m thick succession of continental–brackish‐marine deposits forming the Lourinhã Formation, cropping out along the coast of western Portugal between Baleal and Santa Cruz, has been correlated using laterally persistent shelly marker beds. Three shelly units record the episodic establishment of relatively short‐lived, brackish‐marine embayments, transgressing from the southwest, onto a low‐lying coastal plain. The succession displays systematic changes in facies types and stacking patterns reflecting differences in fluvial style, bedload character and palaeontological content. Based on these observations, four new members for the Lourinhã Formation are proposed: the Sáo Bernardino, Porto de Barças, Areia Branca and Ferrel members. New biostratigraphical data indicate that the Lourinhã Formation is Late Kimmeridgian to earliest Early Tithonian in age. This age has also been obtained from the underlying mixed carbonate and clastic deposits of the Abadia Formation at Consolação. As a result, these latter sediments are now re‐assigned to the Alcobaça Formation, a lithostratigraphical term currently in use in other areas of the Lusitanian Basin. Improved regional mapping of the Lourinhã Formation has established a new sub‐basin within the western parts of the Lusitanian Basin. This sub‐basin, now named the Consolação Sub‐basin, is bounded to the east by the Lourinhã–Caldas de Rainha (L–C) fault zone and to the west by the Berlengas Horst. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temporal variability in summertime bottom hypoxia in shallow areas of Mobile Bay,Alabama

This paper addresses temporal variability in bottom hypoxia in broad shallow areas of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Time-series data collected in the summer of 2004 from one station (mean depth of 4 m) exhibit bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) variations associated with various time scales of hours to days. Despite a large velocity shear, stratification was strong enough to suppress vertical mixing most of the time. Bottom DO was closely related to the vertical salinity gradient (ΔS). Hypoxia seldom occurred when ΔS (over 2.5 m) was <2 psu and occurred almost all the time when ΔS was >8 psu in the absence of extreme events like hurricanes. Oxygen balance between vertical mixing and total oxygen demand was considered for bottom water from which oxygen demand and diffusive oxygen flux were estimated. The estimated decay rates at 20°C ranging between 0.175–0.322 d⁻¹ and the corresponding oxygen consumption as large as 7.4 g O₂ m⁻² d⁻¹ fall at the upper limit of previously reported ranges. The diffusive oxygen flux and the corresponding vertical diffusivity estimated for well mixed conditions range between 8.6–9.5 g O₂ m⁻² d⁻¹ and 2.6–2.9 m² d⁻¹, respectively. Mobile Bay hypoxia is likely to be associated with a large oxygen demand, supported by both water column and sediment oxygen demands, so that oxygen supply from surface water during destratification events would be quickly exhausted to return to hypoxic conditions within a few hours to days after destratification events are terminated.     

Orbital elements of GSC 0114401023, a new eclipsing binary

We present Strömgrenuvby photometric observations and a series of radial velocities obtained with the Coravel scanner for the 11th magnitude star catalogued in the Guide Star Catalogue as GSC 0114401023. This star was serendipitously identified on UV frames taken with the Very-Wide-Field-Camera aboard Spacelab-1. Radial velocities show the star to be binary and we have determined accurate orbital elements. Photometric data and orbital elements are consistent with the system being a previously-unrecognized eclipsing binary, with period = 33.8766 days and eccentricity = 0.262.Based on observations collected at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP), CNRS, Saint-Michel l'Observatoire, France, and at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), La Silla, Chile.     

Rare earth element geochemistry of dolomites in the Middle Devonian Presqu'ile barrier, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin: implications for fluid-rock ratios during dolomitization

Rare earth elements (REE) were determined in fine, medium and coarse crystalline replacement dolomites, and for saddle dolomite cements from the Middle Devonian Presqu'ile barrier from Pine Point and the subsurface of the Northwest Territories and north-eastern British Columbia. REE patterns of the fine crystalline dolomite are similar to those of Middle Devonian limestones from the Presqu'ile barrier. Fine crystalline dolomite occurs in the back-barrier facies and may represent penecontemporaneous dolomitization at, or just below, the sea floor. Medium crystalline dolomite is widespread in the lower southern and lower central barrier. Medium crystalline dolomite is slightly depleted in heavy REE compared with Devonian marine limestones and fine crystalline dolomite, and has negative Ce and Eu anomalies. Medium crystalline dolomites replaced pre-existing limestones or were recrystallized from earlier fine crystalline dolomites. During these processes, the REE patterns of their precursors were modified. Late stage, coarse crystalline replacement dolomite and saddle dolomite cements occur together in the upper barrier and have similar geochemical signatures. Coarse crystalline dolomites have negative Eu anomalies, and those from the Pine Point area also have positive La anomalies. Saddle dolomites are enriched in light REE and have positive La anomalies. The REE patterns of coarse crystalline dolomite and saddle dolomite differ from those of marine limestones and fine and medium crystalline dolomites, suggesting that different diagenetic fluids were responsible for these later dolomites. Although massive dolomitization requires relatively large volumes of fluids in order to provide the necessary amounts of Mg^2-. dolomitization and subsequent recrystallization may not necessarily modify the REE signatures of the precursor limestones because of the low concentrations of REE in most natural fluids. Thus, relative fluid-rock ratios during diagenesis may be estimated from REE patterns in the diagenetic and precursor minerals. Fine crystalline dolomites retain the REE patterns of their limestone precursors. In the medium and coarse crystalline dolomites the precursor REE patterns were apparently altered by large volumes of fluids involved during dolomitization. This study suggests that REE compositions of dolomites and their limestone precursors may provide important information about the relative amounts of fluids involved during diagenetic processes, such as dolomitization.     

High-resolution ion-microprobe measurement of lead isotopes: Variations within single zircons from Lac Seul,northwestern Ontario

Selected-area measurements of lead-isotope ratios in zircons have been made at high mass resolution using a modified A.E.I. IM20 ion-microprobe. At a working resolution of 3200 it is shown that the important interfering molecular peaks generated from the zircon matrix may be separated from atomic lead peaks. Corrections for overlapping peaks, which are necessary in measurements of lead isotopes at low mass resolution, are then only required for ²⁰⁸Pb.Measurements on N.B.S. standards show no isotope discrimination within counting statistics. Determination of ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb on 29 single zircon grains from a tonalite gneiss and a granite from Lac Seul, northwestern Ontario, give very variable ratios with mean values close to those of bulk separates. Peaks in the distribution of 207/206 ratios obtained from the tonalite gneiss may be interpreted as evidence for two stages of lead loss. High 207/206 ratios are shown to be significant for at least two zircons and probably record a minimum age of formation of 3.3 ± 0.1 b.y. for the gneiss.     

THE STABILITY OF ROCK-VENEERED HILLSLOPES

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The variation of tetrahedral bond lengths in sodic plagioclase feldspars

Multiple linear regression analysis has been applied to the geometric and chemical variables in sodic plagioclases in order to determine their relative effects on individual T-O bond lengths in the Al_1+xSi_3?xO₈ tetrahedral framework. Using data from crystal structure analyses of low and high albite, An₁₆ and An₂₈, and assuming that low albite is completely ordered, 1 $$\begin{gathered} {\text{T}} - {\text{O = 1}}{\text{.568}} + {\text{[(0}}{\text{.122) x (Al content of the T site)]}} \hfill \\ {\text{ }} - {\text{[(0}}{\text{.037) x (}}\Delta {\text{{\rm A}l}}_{{\text{br}}} )] + [0.063){\text{ x }}(\Sigma {\text{[}}q{\text{/(Na,Ca}} - {\text{O)}}^{\text{2}} ])] \hfill \\ {\text{ }} + {\text{[(0}}{\text{.029) x (}} - {\text{1/cosT}} - {\text{O}} - {\text{T)]}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ where the Al content of a particular tetrahedral (T) site can be estimated from empirically-derived determinative curves, where Δ Al_br is a linkage factor to account for the Al content of adjacent tetrahedral sites, where the formal charge on the (Na_1?xCa_x) atom is q=1+x, and where T-O-T is the inter-tetrahedral angle involving the T-O bond. For sodic plagioclases it is essential to know only the anorthite content and the 2Θ₁₃₁-2Θ_1¯31 spacing (CuK _α radiation) in order to determine the independent variables in this equation and thus to evaluate the individual T-O distances. The 64 individual T-O distances predicted for the four sodic plagioclases by this equation agree well with the observed T-O bond lengths (σ=0.004 Å; r=0.994), and the method has been used by way of example to rationalize the T-O bond lengths in analcime (cf. Ferraris, Jones and Yerkess, 1972).     

Microstructure and micromotion in recrystallization flow of octachloropropane: A first look

Advance of the genetic theory of metamorphic fabric depends in part on improved understanding of dynamic recrystallization processes, and the effects of these processes upon various fabric elements. This paper describes aspects of the microstructural evolution and associated small-scale motion in a dynamically recrystallizing sheet of octachloropropane. The material was deformed in progressive pure shear, at 2×10^?3 sec^?1 (with interruptions for photography and U-stage measurement), at 70 % of its absolute melting temperature. The dominant recrystallization process is migration of grain boundaries, with consequent major adjustment of the shapes and sizes of grains, but no marked change in the average grain size and no creation of new grains. Typical grains in the fully deformed material (30% bulk shortening) have a composite structure with primitive, high-strain regions inherited directly from the undeformed state, rimmed by successively younger regions of lower strain accreted behind outwardmoving boundaries. An array of second-phase marker particles permits distinction between grain boundary motion with and through the material, and reveals an unexpected ability of grains as a whole to migrate short distances up a bulk strain gradient. The markers also show that the only important deformation process is intragranular deformation and that it is proceeding at somewhat different rates in different grains. The central problem posed by the observations is to explain the direction and speed of each migrating boundary. Two hypotheses were tested, neither with outstanding success. One of these hypotheses is that grain boundary migration is part of a strain accomodation process, that operates between grains stretching or shortening at different rates parallel to their mutual boundary.     

Improving conveyance of uncertainties in the findings of the IPCC

Authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) received guidance on reporting understanding, certainty and/or confidence in findings using a common language, to better communicate with decision makers. However, a review of the IPCC conducted by the InterAcademy Council (2010) found that “the guidance was not consistently followed in AR4, leading to unnecessary errors . . . the guidance was often applied to statements that are so vague they cannot be falsified. In these cases the impression was often left, quite incorrectly, that a substantive finding was being presented.” Our comprehensive and quantitative analysis of findings and associated uncertainty in the AR4 supports the IAC findings and suggests opportunities for improvement in future assessments.