High pressure metamorphism in the Scourian of NW Scotland: Evidence from garnet granulites

Ultramafic and mafic granulites from Archaean gneisses in N.W. Scotland (the Scourian) show evidence of two periods of granulite facies mineral growth. The first produced a high pressure clinopyroxene +garnet±plagioclase assemblage at an estimatedP-T of 12–15 kb and 1,000° C. Uplift of the complex caused partial breakdown of the garnet by reaction with clinopyroxene to produce orthopyroxene +plagioclase ±spinel±amphibole symplectites, at an estimatedP-T of 10–14 kb and 800°–900° C. Garnet stability is shown to depend on both whole-rock Fe/Mg ratios and onP-T conditions. The pressures imply crustal thicknesses in the Archaean of least 35–45 km.     

Weathering of Valle Ricca stiff and jointed clay

The study proposes a weathering model of Pliocene–Pleistocene stiff and jointed blue-grey clay transforming into yellow clay. Physical, mineralogical, chemical and textural changes, as well as the weathering profile were investigated in a quarry of central Italy. Based on geological records and inferences, these changes are likely to have occurred within a time-span of about 50,000 years BP, upon overburden stress unloading and in a stress regime that is locally controlled by suction. Weathering propagated into the clay at a rate of about 0.3 mm/year and was enhanced by the enlargement of the pre-existing tectonic discontinuities and by the formation of new joints. A mass loss of about 22–25 wt.% was calculated. Considering Fe and P as immobile elements, the individual oxides contribute to mass loss in the following order: SiO₂ > CaO = CO₂ > Al₂O₃ > MgO > K₂O > S > Na₂O > TiO₂ > MnO. The Fe₂O₃ / (Fe₂O₃ + FeO) ratio varies from 9–29% in the blue-grey clay to 75–82% in the yellow one. Oxidation and/or dissolution of 7 Å-Fe²⁺-bearing clay minerals, mica-like minerals and calcite and parallel increase of smectite and Fe-hydroxides play a critical role in the chemical changes and explain the higher plasticity of the yellow clay with respect to the blue-grey one. The role of water during the weathering process was inferred to occur in cyclical steps: 1) seepage of meteoric water; 2) dissemination of highly oxidizing meteoric water; 3) triggering of oxidation and dissolution of minerals; 4) water evaporation; 5) partial migration of the elements contained in the aqueous solution and consequent deposition of minerals in the joints.     

Chemical characteristics of laboratory produced tarballs

Artificial tarballs were made in the laboratory from four crude petroleums. Relative to the parent petroleum, a decrease in aromatic hydrocarbon content for all samples was observed, as was a decrease in saturate content for three of four samples and an increase in compounds containing nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen for three samples. The asphaltene content also increased for three samples. The saturate, aromatic and asphaltic content of the artificial tarballs was compared to values for natural tarballs reported in the literature.     

Reconstruction of the Sunspot Number Source Database and the 1947 Zurich Discontinuity

Solar Physics - The final version (V.19) of the total solar irradiance data from the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) Total Irradiance Monitor has been released. This version includes...     

Anhysteretic remanent magnetization: model of grain size distribution of spherical magnetite grains

A phenomenological model based on a linear relationship between the magnetic coercivity field and the reciprocal of the grain diameter is applied to explain the anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) imparted to artificial samples with different concentrations of a very well characterized magnetite powder. By analyses of scanning electron microscopy images, the spherically shaped single domain synthetic magnetite is found to follow a lognormal grain size distribution with ~86 nm of mean diameter. The proposed model, fitted to ARM measurements up to a peak alternating field of 100 mT, yields a very good agreement. The coercivity behaviour predicted by micromagnetism theory disagrees with the experimental results of this work. A likely explanation for the discrepancy is that the magnetite particles, which consist of a mixture of grains in coherent rotation and curling modes, produce similar observations as domain processes.     

Localizing and quantifying groundwater-surface water interactions at different scales: A tracer approach at the River Moselle,Germany

Groundwater-surface water interactions (GSI) connect rivers and streams with riparian areas and the adjacent aquifer. Although these interactions exert a substantial control of quantity and quality of both groundwater and surface water, knowledge on GSI along rivers at the regional scale, particularly for inland waterways, is still limited. We investigated GSI along the river Moselle, an important federal inland waterway in Germany, by using radon and tritium to identify gaining (water flux from the aquifer to the surface water) and losing (water flux from the surface water to the aquifer) stream conditions, respectively. Gaining stream conditions were identified by continuously measuring radon along the river during boat surveys with a high spatial resolution (every 2 km) during intermediate (October 2020) and near low flow conditions (August/September 2021). The tritium concentrations in surface water and groundwater and the resulting tritium inventories were used to characterize losing stream conditions Monthly tritium inventories from 2017 to 2022 revealed a mean loss for the whole period of 20.3 % and a mean gain of 21.8%. Both were probably triggered by a combination of losing stream conditions and flood-induced mass transfer of water from the aquifer back into the river as well as discharge fluctuations. At the investigated site Lehmen there were direct indications of an influence of surface water due to elevated tritium concentrations in the groundwater (up to 13.3 Bq L⁻¹). Using radon mass balance modelling, good agreements of simulated versus measured radon data with respect to two groundwater end-member scenarios were obtained during intermediate flow (Spearman's ρ: 0.97 and 0.99; MAE: 10.1 and 3.4 Bq L⁻¹) and near low flow (Spearman's ρ: 0.97 and 0.99; MAE: 11 and 6.5 Bq L⁻¹). Considerable groundwater inflow was limited to the meander of Detzem, where cumulated groundwater inflow of about 19 m³ s⁻¹ (9.5% of total discharge) and 4.2 m³ s⁻¹ (3.8% of total discharge) was simulated during intermediate and near low flow, respectively. However, the groundwater inflow was relatively low compared to alpine streams, for example. The study will help to better identify and quantify GSI at the regional scale and provide methodological guidance for future studies focusing on inland waterways.