Groundwaters of the Central Ethiopian Rift: diagnostic trends in trace elements, δ<Superscript>18</Superscript>O and major elements

The Ethiopian Rift (a major portion of the Great East African Rift) is characterized by a narrow elongated depression bounded by highlands from both sides. This topographic configuration leads to a monsoon redistribution which resulted in an arid rift floor and humid high rainfall highlands. The rifting and associated volcanism also caused a thinning of the crust and facilitates influx of CO₂ and other mantle gases as diffuse sources or along faults from deeper sources. Groundwaters in the rift floor are usually of high mineral content (high F, U, As and salinity) while those on the plateau are of low mineral content. Among many factors, groundwater availability and quality in the rift floor aquifers is the function of their connection to the aquifers in the high rainfall plateau and the residence time of groundwater prior to reaching the rift floor. This entails the need for addressing one basic hydrologic question in such a setting: at what depth and rate does recharge from the high rainfall highland reach the lowland rift aquifers? This study uses spatial variations in trace elements and relates them to ¹⁴C variations, thereby investigating the suitability of using trace elements as proxies for residence time estimation of groundwaters of relatively short (1,000–2,000 years) residence time. This work also investigates the behavior of trace element trends along the groundwater flow path in a rifted setting and compares them with such trends in sedimentary aquifers elsewhere. The comparison shows a clear difference in behavior of trace elements along the groundwater flow path when compared with such variations in big sedimentary basins with no prominent rifting and volcanism, suggesting the need of calibrating the relation between trace elements and any direct residence time indicators. An integrated use of major elements, trace elements, and environmental isotopes reveals that the main recharge of the aquifers originates from mountain blocks and that recharge takes place via fractures with no evidence of evaporation prior to recharge. Redox processes appear to play a limited role in trace element geochemistry of groundwaters in the region. Progressive trends in trace element composition along the groundwater flow path suggest continuous groundwater flow from the plateau.     

Metasomatism of ferroan granites in the northern Aravalli orogen,NW India: geochemical and isotopic constraints,and its metallogenic significance

The late Palaeoproterozoic (1.72–1.70 Ga) ferroan granites of the Khetri complex, northern Aravalli orogen, NW India, were extensively metasomatised ~900 Ma after their emplacement, at around 850–830 Ma by low-temperature (ca. 400 °C) meteoric fluids that attained metamorphic character after exchanging oxygen with the surrounding metamorphic rocks. Albitisation is the dominant metasomatic process that was accompanied by Mg and Ca metasomatism. A two-stage metasomatic model is applicable to all the altered ferroan intrusives. The stage I is represented by a metasomatic reaction interface that developed as a result of transformation of the original microcline–oligoclase (An_12–14) granite to microcline–albite (An_1–3) granite, and this stage is rarely preserved. In contrast, the stage II metasomatic reaction front, where the microcline-bearing albite granite has been transformed to microcline-free albite granite, is readily recognisable in the field and present in most of the intrusives. Some of them lack an obvious reaction interface due to the presence of stage II albite granites only. When studied in isolation, these intrusives were incorrectly classified and their tectonic setting was misinterpreted. Furthermore, our results show that the mafic mineralogy of metasomatised granites has a significant impact on the characterisation of such rocks in the magmatic classification and discrimination diagrams. Nevertheless, the stage I metasomatised granites can be appropriately characterised in these diagrams, whereas the characterisation of the stage II granites will lead to erroneous interpretations. The close spatial association of these high heat producing ferroan granites with iron oxide–copper–gold (IOCG), U and REE mineralisation in the region indicates a genetic link between the metasomatism and the mineralisation. World-class IOCG, U and REE deposits are associated with metasomatised ferroan granites, suggesting that such a relationship may act as a critical first-order exploration target for undiscovered mineral deposits.     

Urban and suburban storm water runoff as a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to Massachusetts estuarine and coastal environments

Urban and suburban storm water runoff from ten locations in eastern Massachusetts was analyzed for 39 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compounds. Similar profiles in PAH composition were observed for groups of samples and appear to reflect land use. The largest group includes, urban storm water from areas with a mix of industrial, commercial, and residential use. Fluoranthene, phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, and benzo (b) fluoranthene were the predominant compounds in this group, but lighter molecular weight PAHs were also present. Sources of PAHs to storm water include a combination of petroleum and combustion. The profile of PAH compounds in local atmospheric deposition was similar to urban storm water, but differed in several of the predominant compounds. PAHs in storm water could increase the levels of these compounds in nearshore sediments and may be the most important source of high molecular weight PAHs to these environments.