Geochronological constraints on the Legs Lake shear zone with implications for regional exhumation of lower continental crust, western Churchill Province, Canadian Shield

The Legs Lake shear zone marks the southeastern boundary of an extensive region (>20,000 km²) of high-pressure (0.8–1.5+ GPa) granulite-facies rocks in the western Churchill Province, Canada. The shear zone is one of the largest exhumation-related structures in the Canadian Shield and coincides with the central segment of the ∼2,800 km long Snowbird tectonic zone. The movement history of this shear zone is critical for the development of models for the exhumation history of the high-pressure region. We used electron microprobe U–Th–Pb dating of monazite with supplemental ID-TIMS U–Pb geochronology to place constraints on the timing of shear zone activity. Combining these and other data, we suggest that regional exhumation occurred during at least three distinct phases over an ∼150 million year period. The first phase involved high temperature decompression from ∼1.0 to 0.8–0.7 GPa shortly following 1.9 Ga peak metamorphism, possibly under an extensional regime. The second phase involved rock uplift and decompression of the hanging wall to 0.5–0.4 GPa during east-vergent thrusting across the Legs Lake shear zone at ca. 1.85 Ga. This phase was likely driven by early collision-related convergence in the Trans-Hudson orogen. The final phase of regional exhumation, involving the removal of 15–20 km of overburden from both footwall and hanging wall, likely occurred after ∼1.78 Ga and may have been related to regional extensional faulting.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .     

Environmental and health risk assessment in abandoned mining area, Zlata Idka, Slovakia

The Zlata Idka village is a typical mountainous settlement. As a consequence of more than 500 years of mining activity, its environment has been extensively affected by pollution from potentially toxic elements. This paper presents the results of an environmental-geochemical and health research in the Zlata Idka village, Slovakia. Geochemical analysis indicates that arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are enriched in soils, groundwater, surface water and stream sediments. The average As and Sb contents are 892 mg/kg and 818 mg/kg in soils, 195 mg/kg and 249 mg/kg in stream sediments, 0.028 mg/l and 0.021 mg/l in groundwater and 0.024 mg/l and 0.034 mg/l in surface water. Arsenic and Sb concentrations exceed upper permissible limits in locally grown vegetables. Within the epidemiological research the As and Sb contents in human tissues and fluids have been observed (blood, urine, nails and hair) in approximately one third of the village’s population (120 respondents). The average As and Sb concentrations were 16.3 μg/l and 3.8 μg/l in blood, 15.8 μg/l and 18.8 μg/l in urine, 3,179 μg/kg and 1,140 μg/kg in nails and 379 μg/kg and 357 μg/kg in hair. These concentrations are comparatively much higher than the average population. Health risk calculations for the ingestion of soil, water, and vegetables indicates a very high carcinogenic risk (>1/1,000) for as content in soil and water. The hazard quotient [HQ=average daily dose (ADD)/reference dose (RfD)] calculation method indicates a HQ>1 for groundwater As and Sb concentrations.     

Centrifuge modelling-based verification of response spectra design methods for some vulnerable structures

Residential RC framed structures suffered heavily during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India. These types of structures also saw severe damage in other earthquakes such as the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey and 921 Ji-Ji earthquake in Taiwan. In this paper the seismic response of residential structures was investigated using physical modelling. Idealised soft storey and top heavy, two degrees of freedom (2DOF) portal frame structures were developed and tested on saturated and dry sand models at 25 g using the Schofield Centre 10-m Beam Centrifuge. It was possible to recreate observed field behaviour using these models. As observed in many of the recent earthquakes, soft storey structures were found to be particularly vulnerable to seismic loads. Elastic response spectra methods are often used in the design of simple portal frame structures. The seismic risk of these structures can be significantly increased due to modifications such as removal of a column or addition of heavy water tanks on the roof. The experimental data from the dynamic centrifuge tests on such soft storey or top-heavy models was used to evaluate the predictions obtained from the response spectra. Response spectra were able to predict seismic response during small to moderate intensity earthquakes, but became inaccurate during strong earthquakes and when soil structure interaction effects became important. Re-evaluation of seismic risk of such modified structures is required and time domain analyses suggested by building codes such as IBC, UBC or NEHRP may be more appropriate.     

Hydrothermal sulfide deposits of the Lucky Strike vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Several hydrothermal sulfide structures were sampled using Mir manned submersibles in the relatively shallow Lucky Strike vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge; the bathymetric position of these structures varies by approximately 100 m. The investigation of the chemical and mineral compositions of hydrothermal ore occurrences led to the conclusion that the initial high-temperature ore-bearing solution ascending toward the surface became unstable and experienced phase separation beneath the ocean floor. The phase separation was responsible for the bathymetric control of hydrothermal ore formation in the ocean.     

Interpreting tracer breakthrough tailing in a conduit-dominated karstic aquifer

Breakthrough tailing has been observed during dye-tracing recovery tests in the Norville aquifer system (chalk), France. Karst-conduit flow and transport parameters were assessed using two different interpretative methods: the linear graphical method and the Chatwin method (implemented in the Qtracer2 program). The linear graphical method was used to model the observed tailing effects, which was explained by a second smaller delayed breakthrough curve. By comparing the results of tracer-test interpretation for the two methods, it was possible to relate the area of this second curve to the importance of turbulent flow in spring discharge. The more turbulent the flow, the less important the contribution of the second breakthrough curve and the tailing effect. The observed tailing could possibly be controlled by hydrodynamics to a greater extent than usually expected, the tailing effects being mostly attributed to diffusion phenomena. Tailing effects were expected to increase with discharge and the piezometric level, which would have resulted in overpressure in conduits, fissure flooding, etc. Instead, breakthrough tailing tended to disappear with increasing aquifer discharge, which would support the hypothesis of there being mostly hydrodynamic-controlled tailing effects instead of matrix- or fissure-diffusion.An erratum to this article can be found at