Global travertine deposition modulated by oscillations in climate

Travertine deposits are important records of past fluid flow in the Earth's crust, and document fluid migration through both tectonic activity and changes in climate. While many studies hint at possible relationships between travertine formation and global climate, none have investigated these connections on a global scale. Here we compile 1649 published travertine ages from six continents to test the hypothesis that global and/or regional changes in climate regulate travertine deposition. Peaks in bedded travertine ages occur with main frequencies that correspond to 100‐kyr changes in global climate, where most peaks occur during glacial terminations or interglacial periods, including a large peak that coincides with the Early Holocene climatic optimum. Time–series analysis also suggests a possible connection with 41‐kyr obliquity cycles. At regional scales, many peaks also correspond with local times of high precipitation or wet conditions. This can be attributed to higher groundwater recharge rates, providing the necessary water to form travertine. Many bedded travertine‐depositing systems may therefore be water‐limiting and sufficient CO₂ may be present even during times of no travertine deposition. Exceptions to this conclusion are banded vein travertine deposits, which typically form during times of dry climate when water tables are low. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘Box‐Profile’ Ion Implants as Geochemical Reference Materials for Electron Probe Microanalysis and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Although electron probe microanalysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry are widely used analytical techniques for geochemical and mineralogical applications, metrologically rigorous quantification remains a major challenge for these methods. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in particular is a matrix‐sensitive method, and the use of matrix‐matched reference materials (RMs) is essential to avoid significant analytical bias. A major problem is that the number of available RMs for SIMS is extremely small compared with the needs of analysts. One approach for the production of matrix‐specific RMs is the use of high‐energy ion implantation that introduces a known amount of a selected isotope into a material. We chose the more elaborate way of implanting a so‐called ‘box‐profile’ to generate a quasi‐homogeneous concentration of the implanted isotope in three dimensions, which allows RMs not only to be used for ion beam analysis but also makes them suitable for EPMA. For proof of concept, we used the thoroughly studied mineralogically and chemically ‘simple’ SiO₂ system. We implanted either ⁴⁷Ti or ⁴⁸Ti into synthetic, ultra‐high‐purity silica glass. Several ‘box‐profiles’ with mass fractions between 10 and 1000 μg g^?1 Ti and maximum depths of homogeneous Ti distribution between 200 nm and 3 μm were produced at the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research of Helmholtz‐Zentrum Dresden‐Rossendorf. Multiple implantation steps using varying ion energies and ion doses were simulated with Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software, optimising for the target concentrations, implantation depths and technical limits of the implanter. We characterised several implant test samples having different concentrations and maximum implantation depths by means of SIMS and other analytical techniques. The results show that the implant samples are suitable for use as reference materials for SIMS measurements. The multi‐energy ion implantation technique also appears to be a promising procedure for the production of EPMA‐suitable reference materials.     

Late Quaternary vegetation and climate dynamics in central-eastern Brazil: insights from a ~35k cal a bp peat record in the Cerrado biome

The late Quaternary evolution of central-eastern Brazil has been under-researched. Questions remain as to the origin of the Cerrado, a highly endangered biome, and other types of vegetation, such as the Capões – small vegetation islands of semi-deciduous and mountain forests. We investigated the factors that influenced the expansion and contraction of the Cerrado and Capões during the late Quaternary (last ~35 ka), using a multi-proxy approach: stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N), geochemistry, pollen and multivariate statistics derived from a peat core (Pinheiro mire, Serra do Espinhaço Meridional). Five major shifts in precipitation, temperature, vegetation and landscape stability occurred at different timescales. Our study revealed that changes in the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) seem to have been coeval with these shifts: from the Late Glacial Maximum to mid-Holocene the SACZ remained near (~29.6 to ~16.5k cal a bp ) and over (~16.5 to ~6.1 k cal a bp ) the study area, providing humidity to the region. This challenges previous research which suggested that climate was drier for this time period. At present, the Capões are likely to be a remnant of a more humid climate; meanwhile, the Cerrado biome seems to have stablished in the late Holocene, after ~3.1 k cal a bp .     

Stability analysis of shotcrete supported crown of NATM tunnels with discontinuity layout optimization

For tunnel constructed by New Austrian Tunnelling Method, the crown is the upper part of tunnel section, constructed during excavation process and supported by shotcrete. The stability of the crown has great influence on the safety of tunnel itself and the buildings above, which correlates, among others, with geometrical setup of tunnel and material properties of shotcrete and soil/rock. In this paper, aiming at analyzing the stability of shotcrete supported crown, a recently presented numerical method discontinuity layout optimization is adopted, which introduces a great amount of potential discontinuities cross over one another and provides a wide search space for efficient upper limit analysis. In the analysis, a well‐established hydration model of cementitious material is implemented for accounting the hydration of shotcrete. Then assumptions based on convergence‐confinement method are used for accounting the 3‐dimensional effect in 2‐dimensional analysis, finally providing time‐space–dependent assessments of stability of shotcrete supported crown.     

Urban forest loss using a GIS-based approach and instruments for integrated urban planning:A case study of Jo(a)o Pessoa,Brazil

Urban forests play an important role in the thermal comfort and overall life of local populations in large-and medium-sized cities.This study analyzes urban forest loss and maps land use and land cover (LULC) changes between 1991 and 2018 by evaluating the use of urban planning instruments for the mitigation of urban forest loss in Jo～o Pessoa,Brazil.For this purpose,satellite-derived LULC images from 1991,2006,2010 and 2018 and data on urban forest loss areas obtained using the Google Earth Engine were used.In addi-tion,this paper also discusses the instruments used for integrated urban planning,which are(a) the legal sector,responsibility and nature;(b) the urban expansion process;and (c) the elements of urban infrastructure.The results show a clear shift in land use in the study area.The major changes in LULC classes occurred in urban areas and herbaceous vegetation,while the greatest loss was in arboreal/shrub vegetation.Thus,an increase in the pressure to occupy zones intended for environmental preservation could be estimated.Our results showed similar accuracies with other studies and more spatial details.The characteristics of the patterns,traces,and hotspots of urban expansion and forest cover loss were explored.We highlighted the potential use of this proposed framework to be applied and validated in other parts of the world to help better understand and quantify various aspects of ur-ban-related problems such as urban forest loss mapping using instruments for integrated urban planning and low-cost approaches.     

The integrated use of GPS/GLONASS observations in network code differential positioning

GPS Solutions - We present the methodology and results of GPS/GLONASS integration in network code differential positioning for regional coverage across Poland using single frequency. Previous...     

Modeling the environmental susceptibility of landfill sites in California

??The proper management of solid waste (SW) is a global environmental challenge. A major issue is the proper disposal of SW while balancing a wide range of criteria and working with different spatial data. In this study, we used geographic information system as a tool to perform multi-criteria decision analysis with an analytical hierarchy process to develop an environmental impact susceptibility model (EISM) for landfills. The model was applied to the state of California, USA and results are presented herein. In particular, the EISM considers factors such as geology, pedology, geomorphology, water resources, and climate as represented by 13 associated environmental indicators. The results of the EISM indicate that more than 75% of California’s territory is situated in areas with very low, low, and medium environmental impact susceptibility categories. However, in the remaining 25% of the state’s land, 61 landfills are located in the high and very high categories. These results are alarming because during the period from 2000 to 2015, these 61 landfills received approximately 308 million tons of SW, which corresponds to more than 57% of all SW disposed in California. The model results can be used toward mitigating the environmental impacts of these facilities.     

Cretaceous deformation of the southern Central Andes: synorogenic growth strata in the Neuquén Group (35° 30′–37° S)

The Neuquén Group is an Upper Cretaceous continental sedimentary unit exhumed during the latest Miocene contractional phase occurred in the southern Central Andes, allowing a direct field observation and study of the depositional geometries. The identification of growth strata on these units surrounding the structures of the frontal parts of the Andes, sedimentological analyses and U–Pb dating of detrital components, allowed the definition of a synorogenic unit that coexisted with the uplift of the early Andean orogen since ca. 100 Ma, maximum age obtained in this work, compatible with previous assignments and constrained in the top by the deposition of the Malargüe Group, in the Maastrichtian (ca. 72 Ma). The definition of a wedge top area in this foreland basin system, where growth strata were described, permitted to identify a Late Cretaceous orogenic front and foredeep area, whose location and amplitude contrast with previous hypotheses. This wedge top area was mostly fed from the paleo‐Andes with small populations coming from sources in the cratonic area that are interpreted as a recycling in Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sections, which contrasts with other analyses performed at the foredeep zone that have mixed sources. In particular, Permian sources are interpreted as coming directly from the cores of the basement structures, where Neopaleozoic sections are exposed, next to the synorogenic sedimentation, implying a strong incision in Late Cretaceous times with an exhumation structural level similar to the present. The maximum recognised advance for this Late Cretaceous deformation in the study area is approximately 500 km east of the Pacific trench, which constitutes an anomaly compared with neighbour segments where Late Cretaceous deformations were found considerably retracted. The geodynamic context of the sedimentation of this unit is interpreted as produced under the westward fast moving of South America, colliding with two consecutive mid‐ocean ridges during a period of important plate reorganisation. The subduction of young, anhydrous, buoyant lithosphere would have produced changes in the subduction geometry, reflected first by an arc waning/gap and subsequently by an arc migration that coexisted with synorogenic sedimentation. These magmatic and deformational processes would be the product of a shallow subduction regime, following previous proposals, which occurred in Late Cretaceous times, synchronous to the sedimentation of the Neuquén Group.