Geochemistry of the Adamello massif (northern Italy)

The Tertiary Adamello massif, outcropping over an area of more than 550 km² in the southern Alps (northern Italy) is composed mainly of granitoid rocks (granodiorite, tonalite, quartz diorite) with minor amounts of diorite and gabbro. The major and trace element composition of these rocks is comparable to calc-alkaline volcanic rocks of continental margins. The granitoid rocks display spatial and temporal variations in their composition, particularly in Na, P, Sr, La, Nb and Y contents and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. The variations were probably produced by concurrent contamination/wall-rock assimilation and fractional crystallization of high-alumina basaltic magma.     

Structural control of Au–Pd mineralization (Jacutinga): An example from the Cauê Mine, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil

Precambrian banded iron formations (BIFs) in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero host a special kind of Au–Pd mineralization known as Jacutinga. The main orebodies are hosted within the Cauê Syncline, a SW-verging fold that involves Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the Itabira District, a regional synclinorium with BIFs in the core of synclinal folds in the northeastern part of Quadrilatéro Ferrífero, Minas Gerais. Structural analysis reveals two important features of the district: the polydeformed character of the rocks and the importance of brittle structures in the control of the orebodies. Two deformational events are recognized in this area. The first event developed the main foliation, S1, that is the enveloping surface of the Cauê Syncline. The second event is better defined in the northern boundary of the structure where it is represented by a right-lateral wrench fault zone that has developed a foliation, S2, that truncates S1. This wrench fault was also responsible for the development of a system of fractures (Frm) that host the Au–Pd mineralization. The auriferous bodies of Cauê Syncline (Y, X, Área Central, Aba Norte, Noroeste and Aba Leste/Aba Leste Inferior) were generated during this second event. Shear fractures (R, R′ and P) and tension fractures (T) developed in response to the wrench fault system under brittle conditions. The best-developed, and most commonly mineralized fractures are R and T in all auriferous bodies. Elsewhere, the best mineralization occurs in the contacts of hematite bodies (soft/hard) and intrusive rocks with fractured itabirites. Other mineralization (Aba Norte, Área Central and X) is hosted on the contacts of other units.A system of fractures, as well as their intersections, thus represents the structural control on Jacutinga bodies and is responsible for the geometry of the orebodies. Of importance, there is no control by mineral/stretching lineations, fold axes and other ductile structure on the geometry and plunge of the orebodies.     

Stable isotope studies of fluid inclusions in speleothems and their paleoclimatic significance

Fluid inclusions found trapped in speleothems (cave deposited travertine) are interpreted as samples of seepage water from which enclosing calcium carbonate was deposited. The inclusions are assumed to have preserved their D/H ratios since the time of deposition. Initial ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios can be inferred from δD because rain- and snow-derived seepage waters fall on the meteoric water line (δD = 8δ¹⁸O + 10). Estimates of temperature of deposition of the carbonate can be calculated from inclusion D/H ratios and δ¹⁸O of enclosing calcite in Pleistocene speleothems. For most speleothems investigated (0–200,000 yr old) δ¹⁸O of calcite appears to have decreased with increasing temperature of deposition indicating that the dominant cause of climate-dependent change in δ¹⁸O of calcite was the change in K_cw, the isotope fractionation equilibrium constant, with temperature; δ¹⁸O of meteoric precipitation generally increased with increasing temperature, but not sufficiently to compensate for the decrease in K_cw.     

Thermal structure of a fossil subduction wedge in the Western Alps

New peak metamorphic temperatures are obtained by Raman spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Material to document the thermal structure of the central Western Alps with high sampling resolution. We show that peak metamorphic T gradually increases eastward from <330 to 350 °C (ultra-Dauphinois to subbriançonnais units), ∼350 to more than 400 °C (Briançonnais domain including the Zone Houillère where metamorphic index minerals are rare) and from 350 to more than 500 °C (Liguro–Piemontese domain). Combined with other constraints on the metamorphic evolution, this dataset reveals a good preservation of the overall thermal structure of the fossil subduction wedge, with no particular thermal overprint during collision. However, local confrontation with P – T estimates and radiometric ages reveals more subtle variations within tectonic units and across the main contacts that are linked to the past activity of the major thrusts and extensional shear zones during subduction and exhumation.     

Inelastic displacement demands in steel structures and their relationship with earthquake frequency content parameters

This paper deals with the estimation of peak inelastic displacements of SDOF systems, representative of typical steel structures, under constant relative strength scenarios. Mean inelastic deformation demands on bilinear systems (simulating moment resisting frames) are considered as the basis for comparative purposes. Additional SDOF models representing partially‐restrained and concentrically‐braced (CB) frames are introduced and employed to assess the influence of different force‐displacement relationships on peak inelastic displacement ratios. The studies presented in this paper illustrate that the ratio between the overall yield strength and the strength during pinching intervals is the main factor governing the inelastic deformations of partially‐restrained models and leading to significant differences when compared with predictions based on bilinear structures, especially in the short‐period range. It is also shown that the response of CB systems can differ significantly from other pinching models when subjected to low or moderate levels of seismic demand, highlighting the necessity of employing dedicated models for studying the response of CB structures. Particular attention is also given to the influence of a number of scalar parameters that characterise the frequency content of the ground motion on the estimated peak displacement ratios. The relative merits of using the average spectral period T_aver, mean period T_m, predominant period T_g, characteristic period T_c and smoothed spectral predominant period T_o of the earthquake ground motion, are assessed. This paper demonstrates that the predominant period, defined as the period at which the input energy is maximum throughout the period range, is the most suitable frequency content scalar parameter for reducing the variability in displacement estimations. Finally, noniterative equivalent linearisation expressions based on the secant period and equivalent damping ratios are presented and verified for the prediction of peak deformation demands in steel structures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A tracer study in an Alaskan gravel beach and its implications on the persistence of the Exxon Valdez oil

Despite great efforts including bioremediation, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spills persist in many gravel beaches in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. To explore this mystery, a lithium tracer study was conducted along two transects on one of these beaches. The tracer injections and transports were successfully simulated using the 2-dimensional numerical model MARUN. The tracer stayed much longer in the oil-persisting, right transect (facing landwand) than in the clean, left transect. If the tracer is approximately regarded as oils, oils in the upper layer would have more opportunities to enter the lower layer in the right transect than in the left one. This may qualitatively explain the oil persistence within the right transect. When the tracer is regarded as nutrients, the long stay of nutrients within the right transect implies that the oil persistence along the right transect was not due to the lack of nutrients during the bioremediation.     

Observed intra-seasonal to interannual variability of the upper ocean thermal structure in the southeastern Arabian Sea during 2002–2008

The southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS), located in the Indian Ocean warm pool, is a key-region of the regional climate system. It is suspected to play an important role in the dynamics of the Asian summer monsoon system. The present study reports the salient features derived from a newly harvested observational dataset consisting of repeated fortnightly XBT transects in the SEAS over the period 2002–2008. The fortnightly resolution of such a multi-year record duration is unprecedented in this part of the world ocean and provides a unique opportunity to examine the observed variability of the near-surface thermal structure over a wide spectrum, from intra-seasonal to interannual timescales. We find that most of the variability is trapped in the thermocline, taking the form of upwelling and downwelling motions of the thermal stratification. The seasonal variations are consistent with past studies and confirm the role of the monsoonal wind forcing through linear baroclinic waves (coastally-trapped Kelvin and planetary Rossby waves). Sub-seasonal variability takes the form of anomalous events lasting a few weeks to a few months and occurs at two preferred timescales: in the 30–110 day band, within the frequency domain of the Madden–Julian oscillation and in the 120–180 day band. While this sub-seasonal variability appears fairly barotropic in the offshore region, the sign of the anomaly in the upper thermocline is opposite to that in its lower part on many occasions along the coast. Our dataset also reveals relatively large interannual temperature variations of about 1 °C from 50 to 200 m depth that reflect a considerable year-to-year variability of the magnitude of both upwelling and downwelling events. This study clearly demonstrates the necessity for sustained long-term temperature measurements in the SEAS.     

Morphology and tectonics of the Galapagos Triple Junction

We describe the results of GLORIA and SEABEAM surveys, supplemented by other marine geophysical data, of the Galapagos Triple Junction where the Pacific, Cocos and Nazca plates meet. The data allowed detailed topographic and tectonic maps of the area to be produced. We located each spreading axis with a precision of about 1 km. All three plate boundaries change character as the triple junction is approached to take on morphologies typical of slower spreading axes: the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise develops the morphology of a medium-spreading rise, and the medium-spreading Cocos-Nazca Rise takes on the appearance of a slow-spreading ridge. The axis of the East Pacific Rise was found to be completely continuous throughout the survey area, where it runs along the 102°05 W meridian. The Cocos-Nazca axis, however, fails to meet it, leaving a 20-km-wide band of apparently normal East Pacific Rise crust between its tip and the East Pacific Rise axis. As a consequence there must be considerable intra-plate deformation within the Cocos and Nazca plates. A further 40 km of the Cocos-Nazca axis is characterised by oblique faulting that we interpret to be a sign of rifting of pre-existing East Pacific Rise crust. We infer that true sea-floor spreading on the Cocos-Nazca axis does not begin until 60 km east of the East Pacific Rise axis. Other areas of similar oblique faulting occur on the Pacific plate west of the triple junction and along the rough-smooth boundaries of the Galapagos Gore. We present a model involving intermittent rifting, rift propagation, and sea-floor spreading, to explain these observations.