Late Hesperian plains formation and degradation in a low sedimentation zone of the northern lowlands of Mars

The plains materials that form the martian northern lowlands suggest large-scale sedimentation in this part of the planet. The general view is that these sedimentary materials were transported from zones of highland erosion via outflow channels and other fluvial systems. The study region, the northern circum-polar plains south of Gemini Scopuli on Planum Boreum, comprises the only extensive zone in the martian northern lowlands that does not include sub-basin floors nor is downstream from outflow channel systems. Therefore, within this zone, the ponding of fluids and fluidized sediments associated with outflow channel discharges is less likely to have taken place relative to sub-basin areas that form the other northern circum-polar plains surrounding Planum Boreum. Our findings indicate that during the Late Hesperian sedimentary deposits produced by the erosion of an ancient cratered landscape, as well as via sedimentary volcanism, were regionally emplaced to form extensive plains materials within the study region. The distribution and magnitude of surface degradation suggest that groundwater emergence from an aquifer that extended from the Arabia Terra cratered highlands to the northern lowlands took place non-catastrophically and regionally within the study region through faulted upper crustal materials. In our model the margin of the Utopia basin adjacent to the study region may have acted as a boundary to this aquifer. Partial destruction and dehydration of these Late Hesperian plains, perhaps induced by high thermal anomalies resulting from the low thermal conductivity of these materials, led to the formation of extensive knobby fields and pedestal craters. During the Early Amazonian, the rates of regional resurfacing within the study region decreased significantly; perhaps because the knobby ridges forming the eroded impact crater rims and contractional ridges consisted of thermally conductive indurated materials, thereby inducing freezing of the tectonically controlled waterways associated with these features. This hypothesis would explain why these features were not completely destroyed. During the Late Amazonian, high-obliquity conditions may have led to the removal of large volumes of volatiles and sediments being eroded from Planum Boreum, which then may have been re-deposited as thick, circum-polar plains. Transition into low obliquity ∼5 myr ago may have led to progressive destabilization of these materials leading to collapse and pedestal crater formation. Our model does not contraindicate possible large-scale ponding of fluids in the northern lowlands, such as for example the formation of water and/or mud oceans. In fact, it provides a complementary mechanism involving large-scale groundwater discharges within the northern lowlands for the emplacement of fluids and sediments, which could have potentially contributed to the formation of these bodies. Nevertheless, our model would spatially restrict to surrounding parts of the northern plain either the distribution of the oceans or the zones within these where significant sedimentary accumulation would have taken place.     

Lava flow simulations using discharge rates from thermal infrared satellite imagery during the 2006 Etna eruption

Techniques capable of measuring lava discharge rates during an eruption are important for hazard prediction, warning, and mitigation. To this end, we developed an automated system that uses thermal infrared satellite MODIS data to estimate time-averaged discharge rate. MODIS-derived time-varying discharge rates were used to drive lava flow simulations calculated using the MAGFLOW cellular automata model, allowing us to simulate the discharge rate-dependent spread of lava as a function of time. During the July 2006 eruption of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy), discharge rates were estimated at regular intervals (i.e., up to 2 times/day) using the MODIS data. The eruption lasted 10 days and produced a ~3-km-long lava flow field. Time-averaged discharge rates extracted from 13 MODIS images were utilized to produce a detailed chronology of lava flow emplacement, demonstrating how infrared satellite data can be used to drive numerical simulations of lava flow paths during an ongoing eruptive event. The good agreement between simulated and mapped flow areas indicates that model-based inundation predictions, driven by time-varying discharge rate data, provide an excellent means for assessing the hazard posed by ongoing effusive eruptions.     

Pedogenetic and diagenetic fabrics in the Upper Proterozoic Sarnyëré formation (Gourma, Mali)

Several diagenetic fabrics are described in the uppermost member of the Sarnyéré formation, an Upper Proterozoic dolomite (700-600 Ma). Micronodular micrite, microsparite showing nodulisation processes, orbicular crusts and oncoids are thought to be due to the pedogenetic alteration of an algal (Porostromata) boundstone. Further evolution in a vadose zone creates a network of cavities which are later filled by “cave stromatolites”, micropopcorn micrite and multilayered cements. A rhythmical repetition of facies evidences a polyphased pedogenetic history, leading to a 30 m thick highly complex section. Such numerous and diversified structures are rarely preserved, especially in Proterozoic rocks, but each of them have equivalents in recent examples of caliche soil profiles.     

Modelling the Mixing Function to Constrain Coseismic Hydrochemical Effects: An Example from the French Pyrénées

Groundwater coseismic transient anomalies are evidenced and characterized by modelling the mixing function F characteristic of the groundwater dynamics in the Ogeu (western French Pyrénées) seismic context. Investigations of water-rock interactions at Ogeu indicate that these mineral waters from sedimentary environments result from the mixing of deep waters with evaporitic signature with surficial karstic waters. A 3-year hydrochemical monitoring of Ogeu springwater evidences that using arbitrary thresholds constituted by the mean ± 1 or 2σ, as often performed in such studies, is not a suitable approach to characterize transient anomalies. Instead, we have used a mixing function F calculated with chemical elements, which display a conservative behavior not controlled by the precipitation of a mineral phase. F is processed with seismic energy release (E_s) and effective rainfalls (R). Linear impulse responses of F to E_s and R have been calculated. Rapid responses (10 days) to rainwater inputs are evidenced, consisting in the recharge of the shallow karstic reservoir by fresh water. Complex impulse response of F to microseismic activity is also evidenced. It consists in a 2-phase hydrologic signal, with an inflow of saline water in the shallow reservoir with a response delay of 10 days, followed by an inflow of karstic water with a response delay of 70 days, the amount being higher than the saline inflow. Such a process probably results from changes in volumetric strain with subsequent microfracturation transient episodes allowing short inflow of deep salted water in the aquifer. This study demonstrates that groundwater systems in such environments are unstable systems that are highly sensitive to both rainfall inputs and microseismic activity. Impulse responses calculation of F to E_s is shown to be a powerful tool to identify transient anomalies. Similar processing is suggested to be potentially efficient to detect precursors of earthquakes when long time-series (5 years at least) are available in areas with high seismicity.     

Creating a conceptual framework to improve the re‐usability of open geographic data in cities

Open data has a profound effect on the working environment within which information is created and shared at all levels. At the local government level, open data initiatives have resulted in higher transparency in policy, a greater engagement between decision‐makers and citizens, and have changed the culture about how data analysis and evidence are used to support local governance. This article, based on data collected through an on‐line survey, participatory workshops with data user communities in four cities (in Colombia and Spain), and interviews with Valencia good‐government office, identifies four elements for a conceptual framework to improve the re‐usability of open geographic data in cities. The essential elements defined in this research are the definition of data user communities and their needs, the creation of the community of reuse, user‐focused metadata, and reuse‐focused legal terms. The definition of these indicators provides a framework for authorities to re‐shape their current open data strategy to include data user requirements. At the end of this article, a roadmap for future research and implementation is presented, considering some reflections on the conceptual framework.     

In Situ Oxygen Isotope Determination in Serpentine Minerals by SIMS: Addressing Matrix Effects and Providing New Insights on Serpentinisation at Hole BA1B (Samail ophiolite,Oman)

The ability to constrain the petrogenesis of multiple serpentine generations recorded at the microscale is crucial for estimating the extent and conditions of modern versus fossil serpentinisation in ophiolites. To address matrix bias effects during oxygen isotope analysis by SIMS, we present the first investigation analysing antigorite in the compositional range Mg# = 77.5–99.5 mole %, using a CAMECA IMS‐1280 secondary ion mass spectrometer. Spot‐to‐spot homogeneity is ≤ 0.5‰ (2s) for the new antigorite reference materials. The relative bias between antigorite reference materials with different Mg/Fe ratios is described by a second‐order polynomial, and a maximum difference in bias of ~ 1.8‰ was measured for Mg# ~ 78 to 100. We observed a bias up to ~ 1.0‰ between lizardite and antigorite attributed to their different crystal structures. Orientation effects up to ~ 1‰ were observed in chrysotile. The new analytical protocol allowed the identification of oxygen isotope zoning up to ~ 7‰ in serpentine minerals from two serpentinites recovered from an area of active serpentinisation in the Samail ophiolite. Thus, in situ analysis is capable of resolving isotopic heterogeneity that may directly reflect changes in the physical and chemical conditions of multiple serpentinisation events in the Samail ophiolite.     

Lode–gold mineralization in the Tanami region, northern Australia

The Tanami region of northern Australia has emerged over the last two decades as the largest gold-producing region in the Northern Territory. Gold is hosted by epigenetic quartz veins in sedimentary and mafic rocks, and by sulfide-rich replacement zones within iron formation. Although limited, geochronological data suggest that most mineralization occurred at about 1,805–1,790 Ma, during a period of extensive granite intrusion, although structural relationships suggest that some deposits predate this period. There are three main goldfields in the Tanami region: the Dead Bullock Soak goldfield, which hosts the world-class Callie deposit; The Granites goldfield; and the Tanami goldfield. In the Dead Bullock Soak goldfield, deposits are hosted by carbonaceous siltstone and iron formation where a late (D₅) structural corridor intersects an early F₁ anticlinorium. In The Granites goldfield, deposits are hosted by highly sheared iron formation and are interpreted to predate D₅. The Tanami goldfield consists of a large number of small, mostly basalt-hosted deposits that probably formed at a high structural level during D₅. The D₅ structures that host most deposits formed in a convergent structural regime with σ ₁ oriented between E–W and ENE–WSW. Structures active during D₅ include NE-trending oblique thrust (dextral) faults and ESE-trending (sinistral) faults that curve into N- to NNW-trending reverse faults localized in supracrustal belts between and around granite complexes. Granite intrusions also locally perturbed the stress field, possibly localizing structures and deposits. Forward modeling and preliminary interpretations of reflection seismic data indicate that all faults extend into the mid-crust. In areas characterized by the N- to NW-trending faults, orebodies also tend to be N- to NW-trending, localized in dilational jogs or in fractured, competent rock units. In areas characterized by ESE-trending faults, the orebodies and veins tend to strike broadly east at an angle consistent with tensional fractures opened during E–W- to ENE–WSW-directed transpression. Many of these deposits are hosted by reactive rock units such as carbonaceous siltstone and iron formation. Ore deposition occurred at depths ranging from 1.5 to 11 km from generally low to moderate salinity carbonic fluids with temperatures from 200 to 430°C, similar to lode–gold fluids elsewhere in the world. These fluids are interpreted as the product of metamorphic dewatering caused by enhanced heat flow, although it is also possible that the fluids were derived from coeval granites. Lead isotope data suggest that lead in the ore fluids had multiple sources. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope data are consistent with both metamorphic and magmatic origins for ore fluids. Gold deposition is interpreted to be caused by fluid unmixing and sulfidation of host rocks. Fluid unmixing is caused by three different processes: (1) CO₂ unmixing caused by interaction of ore fluids with carbonaceous siltstone; (2) depressurization caused by pressure cycling in shear zones; and (3) boiling as ore fluids move to shallow levels. Deposits in the Tanami region may illustrate the continuum model of lode–gold deposition suggested by Groves (Mineralium Deposita 28:366–374, 1993) for Archean districts.     

A Non-Homogeneous Model for Kriging Dosimetric Data

Mathematical Geosciences - This paper deals with kriging-based interpolation of dosimetric data. Such data typically show some inhomogeneities that are difficult to take into account by means of...     

Ecophysiological differences between vesicomyid species and metabolic capabilities of their symbionts influence distribution patterns of the deep‐sea clams

This study provides an analysis of vesicomyid bivalve–symbiont community distribution across cold seep and hydrothermal vent areas in the Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico). Using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and electronic microscopy observations, vesicomyid clam species and their associated symbionts were characterized and results were analyzed in light of geochemical conditions and other on‐site observations. A greater diversity of vesicomyids was found at cold seep areas, where three different species were present (Phreagena soyoae [syn. kilmeri], Archivesica gigas, and Calyptogena pacifica). In contrast, A. gigas was the only species sampled across the hydrothermal vent area. The same haplotype of A. gigas was found in both hydrothermal vent and cold seep areas, highlighting possible contemporary exchanges among neighboring vents and seeps. In either ecosystem, molecular characterization of the symbionts confirmed the specificity between symbionts and hosts and supported the hypothesis of a predominantly vertical transmission. In addition, patterns of clams could reflect potential niche preferences for each species. The occurrence of numerous traces of vesicomyid movements on sediments in the sites colonized by A. gigas seemed to indicate that this species might have a better ability to move. Furthermore, variation in gill sulfur content could reveal a higher plasticity and sulfur storage capacity in A. gigas. Thus, the distribution of vesicomyid species across the chemosynthetic areas of the Guaymas Basin could be explained by differences in biological traits of the vesicomyid species that would allow A. gigas to more easily exploit transient and punctual sources of available sulfide than P. soyoae.