Deformation,metamorphism, and mobilization of Ni–Cu–PGE sulfide ores at Garson Mine,Sudbury

The Garson Ni–Cu–platinum group element deposit is a deformed, overturned, low Ni tenor contact-type deposit along the contact between the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) and stratigraphically underlying rocks of the Huronian Supergroup in the South Range of the 1.85-Ga Sudbury structure. The ore bodies are coincident with steeply south-dipping, north-over-south D₁ shear zones, which imbricated the SIC, its ore zones, and underlying Huronian rocks during mid-amphibolite facies metamorphism. The shear zones were reactivated as south-over-north, reverse shear zones during D₂ at mid-greenschist facies metamorphism. Syn-D₂ metamorphic titanite yields an age of 1,849?±?6 Ma, suggesting that D₁ and D₂ occurred immediately after crystallization of the SIC during the Penokean Orogeny. The ore bodies plunge steeply to the south parallel to colinear L₁ and L₂ mineral lineations, indicating that the geometry of the ore bodies are strongly controlled by D₁ and D₂. Sulfide mineralization consists of breccia ores, with minor disseminated sulfides hosted in norite, and syn-D₂ quartz–calcite–sulfide veins. Mobilization by ductile plastic flow was the dominant mechanism of sulfide/metal mobilization during D₁ and D₂, with additional minor hydrothermal mobilization of Cu, Fe, and Ni by hydrothermal fluids during D₂. Metamorphic pentlandite overgrows a S₁ ferrotschermakite foliation in D₁ deformed ore zones. Pentlandite was exsolved from recrystallized polygonal pyrrhotite grains after cessation of D₁, which resulted in randomly distributed large pentlandite grains and randomly oriented pentlandite loops along the grain boundaries of polygonal pyrrhotite within the breccia ore. It also overgrows a S₂ chlorite foliation in D₂ shear zones. Pyrrhotite recrystallized and was flattened during D₂ deformation of breccia ore along narrow shear zones. Exsolution of pentlandite loops along the grain boundaries of these flattened grains produced a pyrrhotite–pentlandite layering that is not observed in D₁ deformed ore zones. The overprinting of the two foliations by pentlandite and exsolution of pentlandite along the grain boundaries of flattened pyrrhotite grains suggest that the Garson ores reverted to a metamorphic monosulfide solid solution at temperatures ranging between 550 and 600 °C during D₁ and continued to deform as a monosulfide solid solution during D₂.     

Thermal expansion along the NaAlSi2O6–NaFe3+Si2O6 and NaAlSi2O6–CaFe2+Si2O6 solid solutions

The high temperature volume and axial parameters for six C2/c clinopyroxenes along the NaAlSi₂O₆–NaFe³⁺Si₂O₆ and NaAlSi₂O₆–CaFe²⁺Si₂O₆ joins were determined from room T up to 800°C, using integrated diffraction profiles from in situ high temperature single crystal data collections. The thermal expansion coefficient was determined by fitting the experimental data according to the relation: ln(V/V ₀) = α(T − T ₀). The thermal expansion coefficient increases by about 15% along the jadeite–hedenbergite join, whereas it is almost constant between jadeite and aegirine. The increase is related to the Ca for Na substitution into the M2 site; the same behaviour was observed along the jadeite–diopside solid solution, which presents the same substitution at the M2 site. Strain tensor analysis shows that the major deformation with temperature occurs in all samples along the b axis; on the (010) plane the higher deformation occurs in jadeite and aegirine at a direction almost normal to the tetrahedral–octahedral planes, and in hedenbergite along the projection of the longer M2–O bonds. The orientation of the strain ellipsoid with temperature in hedenbergite is close to that observed with pressure in pyroxenes. Along the jadeite–aegirine join instead the high-temperature and high-pressure strain are differently oriented.     

Sensitivity study and validation of a land surface parameterization using the HAPEX-MOBILHY data set

A simple parameterization of land surface processes, amenable to the structure of a two-layer soil model, including a representation of the vegetation, has been designed for use in meteorological models. Prior to implementation in a mesoscale model, it is necessary to check the components and to verify the good working order of the parameterization as a whole. The aims of this paper then are: (i) evaluation and a sensitivity study of the various components of the model, specifying the needed accuracy for the parameters; (ii) micrometeorological validation of the model against the HAPEX-MOBILHY data set.First, we present the basic scheme. The focus is on the parameterization of surface resistance, and especially on its relationship with soil moisture.A sensitivity study is then performed through a set of one-dimensional simulations which allow a full interaction between the ground and the atmosphere. Above bare ground, it is shown that both soil texture and initial moisture greatly influence the outcome of the simulation. Latent heat flux ranges from that associated with potential evaporation through a switch-like behavior to that of dry soil. Next, the effects of transpiring vegetation canopies on the physical processes involved and the surface energy balance are examined. The sensitivity of the latent heat flux to changes in the soil and canopy parameters is emphazised; the major influence of the initial mean soil moisture and of the vegetation cover is pointed out. Finally, the evolution of the boundary layer in response to various surface conditions is studied.A validation of the land surface scheme is conducted through daily cycles during cloudless days. Simulated turbulent fluxes are successfully compared to micrometeorological measurements over a maize field at different growth stages. Over a pine forest, the correct simulation of the turbulent fluxes is obtained with an adequate parameterization of the surface resistance accounting for the atmospheric moisture deficit.     

Two-mica and tourmaline leucogranites from the Everest–Makalu region (Nepal–Tibet). Himalayan leucogranite genesis by isobaric heating?

In the Higher Himalaya of the region from Cho Oyu to the Arun valley northeast of Makalu, the Miocene leucogranites are not hosted only in the upper High Himalayan Crystallines (HHC); a network of dykes also cuts the lower HHC and the Lesser Himalayan Crystallines (LHC).

The plutons and dykes are mainly composed of two-mica (muscovite+biotite±tourmaline±cordierite±andalusite±sillimanite) leucogranite, with tourmaline≤2.6% and biotite>1.5% modal, and tourmaline (muscovite+tourmaline±biotite±sillimanite ±garnet±kyanite±andalusite±spinel±corundum) leucogranite, with tourmaline>2.2% and biotite<1.5% modal.

Both leucogranite types were produced by partial melting in the andalusite–sillimanite facies series, under LP/HT conditions constrained by the occurrence of peritectic andalusite and cordierite. The geochemical features of the leucogranites suggest that tourmaline leucogranite was produced by muscovite dehydration melting in muscovite-rich metapelites at P350 MPa and T≥640°C, whereas two-mica leucogranite was produced by biotite dehydration melting in biotite-rich metapelites at P300 MPa and T≥660–710 °C.

Melting in fertile muscovite-rich metapelites of the top of both the HHC and LHC produced magmas which were emplaced at the same structural level in which they had been generated. Melting in the biotite-rich gneiss of both the HHC and LHC produced hotter magmas which were transported upwards by dyking and eventually coalesced in the plutons of the upper HHC. A similar process also produced a network of two-mica granite at the top of the LHC in the Ama Drime–Nyönno Ri Range northeast of Makalu.

The prograde character of leucogranite melt-producing reactions in the Everest–Makalu area suggests that, here, the generation of Miocene leucogranites took place in a regime of nearly isobaric heating following nearly adiabatic decompression.     

Raman spectroscopic properties and Raman identification of CaS‐MgS‐MnS‐FeS‐Cr2FeS4 sulfides in meteorites and reduced sulfur‐rich systems

Raman spectra were acquired on a series of natural and synthetic sulfide minerals, commonly found in enstatite meteorites: oldhamite (CaS), niningerite or keilite ((Mg,Fe)S), alabandite (MnS), troilite (FeS), and daubreelite (Cr₂FeS₄). Natural samples come from three enstatite chondrites, three aubrites, and one anomalous ungrouped enstatite meteorite. Synthetic samples range from pure endmembers (CaS, FeS, MgS) to complex solid solutions (Fe, Mg, Ca)S. The main Raman peaks are localized at 225, 285, 360, and 470 cm^?1 for the Mg‐rich sulfides; at 185, 205, and 285 cm^?1 for the Ca‐rich sulfides; at 250, 370, and 580 cm^?1 for the Mn‐rich sulfides; at 255, 290, and 365 cm^?1 for the Cr‐rich sulfides; and at 290 and 335 cm^?1 for troilite with, occasionally, an extra peak at 240 cm^?1. A peak at 160 cm^?1 is present in all Raman spectra and cannot be used to discriminate between the different sulfide compositions. According to group theory, none of the cubic monosulfides oldhamite, niningerite, or alabandite should present first‐order Raman spectra because of their ideal rocksalt structure. The occurrence of broad Raman peaks is tentatively explained by local breaking of symmetry rules. Measurements compare well with the infrared frequencies calculated from first‐principles calculations. Raman spectra arise from activation of certain vibrational modes due to clustering in the solid solutions or to coupling with electronic transitions in semiconductor sulfides.     

Geology and metamorphism of the Ladakh Terrane and Shyok Suture Zone in the Chogo Lungma – Turmik area (northern Pakistan)

Abstract

Metamorphism of the Askore Amphibolite, metabasaltic and metasedimentary medium-grade hornblendebearing schists at the northernmost portion of the Ladakh Terrane and of the Shyok Suture Zone, mainly a low-grade volcano-sedimentary series, has been studied in the area between the Chogo Lungma glacier and the Indus river halfway between Skardu and Rondu.

In the Askore Amphibolite the peak assemblage in the amphibolite facies defines the regional metamorphic foliation, and is overprinted by a later static recrystallization at comparable P-T conditions. In spite of similar peak temperatures (630–650°C), geobarometry based on amphibole composition reveals a marked difference between garnet – epidote – andesine amphibolites exposed just above the Main Mantle Thrust at the head of Turmik valley, which equilibrated at high pressures (about 10 kbar) in late Miocene (Tortonian), and biotite – epidote – oligoclase amphibolites outcropping at the mouth of Turmik valley, which equilibrated at pressures of c. 6 kbar before late Eocene (Priabonian).

The Dasu Ultramafite and other smaller lens-shaped bodies of low- to medium-grade metaperidotite separate the Ladakh Terrane from the Shyok Suture Zone. They are antigorite serpentinites, often with talc and magnesite, in which relict cumulitic structures are locally recognisable. The ultramafites may represent remnants of oceanic lithosphere separating the Ladakh-Kohistan island arc from the Asian plate, or they may be deep crustal rocks stripped from the basement of the arc.

The mostly greenschist-facies Shyok Suture Zone shows the lithology of a calc-alkaline volcano-sedimentary series. It is supposed to be a remnant of a back arc basin of early Cretaceous age, separating the arc from the southern margin of Asia. Chloritoid, kyanite and biotite have been found in individual thrust sheets occurring at different structural levels and totally subordinate in volume to very low- and low-grade rocks. Such sharp differences in mineral paragenesis, together with field evidence of local shear, suggest a complex internal structure for the Shyok Suture Zone. From the head of Chogo Lungma glacier to the Basha valley, close to the contact with the Karakorum Metamorphic Complex, the rocks of the Shyok Suture Zone record a late Miocene metamorphic event at medium pressures and temperatures. Thermobarometric and geochronological evidence suggests that this event can be related to the exhumation and thrusting of the Karakorum metamorphic core over the Shyok Suture Zone.     

Role of wall panel connections on the seismic performance of precast structures

Past seismic events, including the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake and the 2012 Emilia earthquake, clearly demonstrated the inadequacy of the current design approach for the connection system of the cladding wall panels of precast buildings. To clarify this problem the present paper investigates the seismic behaviour of a traditional precast structural frame for industrial buildings with a new type of connection system of cladding panels. This system consists of a statically determined pendulum arrangement of panels, each supported with two hinges to the structure, one at the top and one at the bottom, so to have under seismic action a pure frame behaviour where the wall panels are masses without stiffness. Adding mutual connections between the panels, the wall cladding panels become part of the resisting structure, leading to a dual frame/wall system or to a wall system depending on the stiffness of the connections. The seismic behaviour of this structural assembly is investigated for different degrees of interaction between frame and panels, as well as for an enhanced solution with dissipative connections. The results of nonlinear static (pushover) analyses and nonlinear dynamic analyses under recorded and artificial earthquakes highlight the role of the wall panel connections on the seismic behaviour of the structural assembly and show the effectiveness of the dual frame/wall system with dissipative connections between panels.     

Quantifying successional land cover after clearing of tropical rainforest along forest frontiers in the Congo Basin

State-of-the-art impact-modeling studies in environmental and climatological sciences require detailed future deforestation scenarios that allow forest to be replaced by a mosaic of multiple successional land-cover types, rather than the simple conversion of forest to a single land-cover type, such as bare soil or cropland. Therefore, not only the amount and location of forest removal has to be known (as is typically provided by scenarios), but also knowledge about the successional land-cover types and their relative areal proportions is needed. The main objective of this study was to identify these successional land-cover types and quantify their areal proportions in regions deforested during the past 37 years around the city of Kisangani, D.R. Congo. The fallow vegetation continuum was categorized in different stages, adapted from existing classifications. Ground-truth points describing the present-day vegetation were obtained during a field campaign and used for supervised and validated land-cover classification of these categories, using the Landsat image of 2012. Areal proportions of successional land-cover types were then derived from the resulting land-cover map. The second objective of this study was to relate these areal proportions to time since deforestation, which is expected to influence fallow landscapes. Landsat images of 1975, 1990, and 2001 were analyzed. Present-day mature tree fallow is less abundant on areas deforested during 1975–1990. The relative areal proportions were used to refine a deforestation scenario and apply it to existing data-sets of LAI and canopy height (CH). Assuming a simple conversion of forest to cropland, the deforestation scenario projected a reduction of grid-cell-averaged CH from 25.5 to 7.5 m (within deforested cells), whereas the refined scenarios that we propose show more subtle changes, with a reduced CH of 13 m. This illustrates the importance of taking successional land cover correctly into account in environmental and climatological modeling studies.     

The composition of Titan's stratosphere from Cassini/CIRS mid-infrared spectra

We have analyzed data recorded by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) aboard the Cassini spacecraft during the Titan flybys T0-T10 (July 2004-January 2006). The spectra characterize various regions on Titan from 70° S to 70° N with a variety of emission angles. We study the molecular signatures observed in the mid-infrared CIRS detector arrays (FP3 and FP4, covering roughly the 600-1500 cm⁻¹ spectral range with apodized resolutions of 2.54 or 0.53 cm⁻¹). The composite spectrum shows several molecular signatures: hydrocarbons, nitriles and CO₂. A firm detection of benzene (C₆H₆) is provided by CIRS at levels of about 3.5×¹⁰⁻⁹ around 70° N. We have used temperature profiles retrieved from the inversion of the emission observed in the methane ν₄ band at 1304 cm⁻¹ and a line-by-line radiative transfer code to infer the abundances of the trace constituents and some of their isotopes in Titan's stratosphere. No longitudinal variations were found for these gases. Little or no change is observed generally in their abundances from the south to the equator. On the other hand, meridional variations retrieved for these trace constituents from the equator to the North ranged from almost zero (no or very little meridional variations) for C₂H₂, C₂H₆, C₃H₈, C₂H₄ and CO₂ to a significant enhancement at high northern (early winter) latitudes for HCN, HC₃N, C₄H₂, C₃H₄ and C₆H₆. For the more important increases in the northern latitudes, the transition occurs roughly between 30 and 50 degrees north latitude, depending on the molecule. Note however that the very high-northern latitude results from tours TB-T10 bear large uncertainties due to few available data and problems with latitude smearing effects. The observed variations are consistent with some, but not all, of the predictions from dynamical-photochemical models. Constraints are set on the vertical distribution of C₂H₂, found to be compatible with 2-D equatorial predictions by global circulation models. The D/H ratio in the methane on Titan has been determined from the CH₃D band at 1156 cm⁻¹ and found to be . Implications of this deuterium enrichment, with respect to the protosolar abundance on the origin of Titan, are discussed. We compare our results with values retrieved by Voyager IRIS observations taken in 1980, as well as with more recent (1997) disk-averaged Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) results and with the latest Cassini-Huygens inferences from other instruments in an attempt to better comprehend the physical phenomena on Titan.