Highly fractionated I-type granites in NE China (II): isotopic geochemistry and implications for crustal growth in the Phanerozoic

NE China is the easternmost part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The area is distinguished by widespread occurrence of Phanerozoic granitic rocks. In the companion paper (Part I), we established the Jurassic ages (184–137 Ma) for three granitic plutons: Xinhuatun, Lamashan and Yiershi. We also used geochemical data to argue that these rocks are highly fractionated I-type granites. In this paper, we present Sr–Nd–O isotope data of the three plutons and 32 additional samples to delineate the nature of their source, to determine the proportion of mantle to crustal components in the generation of the voluminous granitoids and to discuss crustal growth in the Phanerozoic.

Despite their difference in emplacement age, Sr–Nd isotopic analyses reveal that these Jurassic granites have common isotopic characteristics. They all have low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7045±0.0015), positive _Nd(T) values (+1.3 to +2.8), and young Sm–Nd model ages (720–840 Ma). These characteristics are indicative of juvenile nature for these granites. Other Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic granites in this region also show the same features. Sr–Nd and oxygen isotopic data suggest that the magmatic evolution of the granites can be explained in terms of two-stage processes: (1) formation of parental magmas by melting of a relatively juvenile crust, which is probably a mixed lithology formed by pre-existing lower crust intruded or underplated by mantle-derived basaltic magma, and (2) extensive magmatic differentiation of the parental magmas in a slow cooling environment.

The widespread distribution of juvenile granitoids in NE China indicates a massive transfer of mantle material to the crust in a post-orogenic tectonic setting. Several recent studies have documented that juvenile granitoids of Paleozoic to Mesozoic ages are ubiquitous in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, hence suggesting a significant growth of the continental crust in the Phanerozoic.     

The Balance Between Capturing Phosphorus from Manure and Wastewater and the Demand for Crop Fertilizer in Italy

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient required for plant growth and at the same time a costly pollutant, which can cause eutrophication of water bodies. Modern agriculture relies heavily on mineral fertilisers, which contain phosphorus derived from phosphate rock, because, without regular applications, crop yields would be limited. Since phosphate rock is a non-renewable resource, there are growing concerns regarding future phosphorus scarcity and the sustainability of modern agriculture. For many farmers, animal manure was once a means of maintaining soil fertility, but now it presents a major operational problem. This study evaluated the possibility of recycling phosphorus on a national and regional scale in Italy, using major sources of manure and wastewater. These results were successively compared with an estimate of the agricultural demand for phosphorus. Considering the quantity of phosphorus fertilizer that was applied to the soil–plant system, for the years 2001–2010, the annual phosphorus requirement of Italian crops was about 101,000 t of P. Therefore, the phosphorus source comprising animal manure and civil/industrial waste (117,500 t of P and 40,000 t of P, respectively) could potentially satisfy the average annual agronomic phosphorus demand. Regarding the geographical distribution of phosphorus supply and demand on a regional scale, areas with a large deficit of phosphorus included Calabria, Puglia and Marche. However, when only livestock waste was considered, Sicily, Umbria and Friuli could also be considered to be regions experiencing a phosphorus deficit.

     

gLucifer: next generation visualization framework for high-performance computational geodynamics

High-performance computing provides unprecedented capabilities to produce higher resolution 4-D models in a fraction of time. Thus, the need exists for a new generation of visualization systems able to maintain parity with the enormous volume of data generated. In attempting to write this much data to disk, each computational step introduces a significant performance bottleneck, yet most existing visualization software packages inherently rely on reading data in from a dump file. Available packages make this assumption of postprocessing at quite a fundamental level and are not very well suited for plotting very large numbers of specialized particles. This necessitates the creation of a new visualization system that meets the needs of large-scale geodynamic modeling. We have developed such a system, gLucifer, using a software framework approach that allows efficient reuse of our efforts in other areas of research. gLucifer is capable of producing movies of a 4-D data set “on the fly” (simultaneously with running the parallel scientific application) without creating a performance bottleneck. By eliminating most of the human efforts involved in visualizing results through postprocessing, gLucifer reconnects the scientist to the numerical experiment as it unfolds. Data sets that were previously very difficult to even manage may be efficiently explored and interrogated without writing to disk, and because this approach is based entirely on memory distributed across as many processors as are being utilized by the scientific application, the visualization solution is scalable into terabytes of data being rendered in real time.     

The Cathedral of S. Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla (Italy): characterization of construction materials and their chromatic alteration

The Cathedral of St. Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla (Sicily) is one of the most important Baroque monuments of eastern Sicily. The restoration of the monument underway has put forward notable questions regarding the stone materials used and their state of degradation. The façade appears to be made mainly of a creamy white calcarenite, and of mortars and plasters. However, detailed analysis has highlighted a more complex use of the raw material. The mortar and plaster have a different composition in regards to their architectural use while the natural stone material is distinguished not only by a creamy-white calcarenite but also by a dark coloured bituminous calcarenite (pitch rock), which now appears whiter because of superficial chromatic alterations. This process was reproduced in the laboratory using an accelerated aging technique on samples of bituminous calcarenite, which allowed the cause of the alternation to be identified as photo-oxidation of the asphaltenes. Following this process of photo-oxidation, other forms of chromatic alterations affected the façade (brown–orange-coloured patinas). FTIR, Scanning Electron Microscope and thin section microscopic observation allowed the characterization of also the products of this process to be carried out, highlighting the complex mechanism which the processes underwent.     

On the role of roughness lengths in flux parameterizations of boundary-layer models

Flux-profile relationships based on surface-layer similarity theory are used to derive relationships between the Monin-Obukhov stability parameter = z/L and the bulk Richardson number Ri _b . In contrast to previous studies, the roughness length for heat, z _0h ,is assumed unequal to the roughness length for momentum, z _0m .For the stable case, an analytic expression of in terms of Ri _b can be derived and in the unstable case, the solution is obtained through a simple iterative process.Errors introduced from the simplification of z _0h = z _0m are evaluated and are shown to be very significant in most cases. Thus, this error in many practical applications may invalidate the intended solution.     

Die Bedeutung des elektromagnetischen Erdfeldes in der Bioklimatologie

Zusammenfassung Viele meteorobiologische Untersuchungen lassen vermuten, daß kolloidelektrische Vorgänge im Übertragungsmechanismus zwischen Umwelt und Organismen eine bedeutsame Rolle spielen. Diese Hinweise werden diskutiert und insbesondere die geoelektrischen Faktoren besprochen, die hierin von Einfluß sein können; als Indikatoren erscheinen Erdströme besonders geeignet. An speziellen Erdstromregistrierungen werden eine Anzahl atmosphärischer Einflüsse nachgewiesen. Registrierungen von elektromagnetischen Feldstörungen können aber darüber hinaus auch für die allgemeine Meteorologie und die Wettervorhersage bedeutungsvoll sein.

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Summary A great number of meteorobiological investigations induce to suppose that colloido-electric processes are of great importance for the mechanism of transmission between environment and organism. These aspects are discussed and especially the geo-electric factors which therein may have a considerable influence, whereof earth-currents are especially qualified as indicators. Different atmospheric influences are showed by special records of earth-currents; beyond it, the records of electromagnetic field perturbations seem to be important for general meteorology and for weather-forecasting.

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Résumé De nombreuses recherches météorobiologiques conduisent à l'hypothèse que des processus colloido-électriques jouent un rôle important dans le mécanisme de translation entre milieu et organisme. Ces aspects sont discutéet et surtout les facteurs géoélectriques qui peuvent y avoir une influence; comme indicateurs les courants telluriques paraissent être au premier plan. Certaines influences atmosphériques sont démontrées par des enregistrements spéciaux de courant tellurique. Par-dessus cela, des enregistrements des perturbations du champs électromagnétique peuvent être de grande importance pour la météorologie générale et pour les prévisions du temps.

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Mit 4 Textabbildungen.     

Monitoring of a methane-seeping pockmark by cabled benthic observatory (Patras Gulf, Greece)

A new seafloor observatory, the gas monitoring module (GMM), has been developed for continuous and long-term measurements of methane and hydrogen sulphide concentrations in seawater, integrated with temperature (T), pressure (P) and conductivity data at the seafloor. GMM was deployed in April 2004 within an active gas-bearing pockmark in the Gulf of Patras (Greece), at a water depth of 42 m. Through a submarine cable linked to an onshore station, it was possible to remotely check, via direct phone connection, GMM functioning and to receive data in near-real time. Recordings were carried out in two consecutive campaigns over the periods April–July 2004, and September 2004–January 2005, amounting to a combined dataset of ca. 6.5 months. This represents the first long-term monitoring ever done on gas leakage from pockmarks by means of CH₄+H₂S+T+P sensors. The results show frequent T and P drops associated with gas peaks, more than 60 events in 6.5 months, likely due to intermittent, pulsation-like seepage. Decreases in temperature in the order of 0.1–1°C (up to 1.7°C) below an ambient T of ca. 17°C (annual average) were associated with short-lived pulses (10–60 min) of increased CH₄+H₂S concentrations. This seepage “pulsation” can either be an active process driven by pressure build-up in the pockmark sediments, or a passive fluid release due to hydrostatic pressure drops induced by bottom currents cascading into the pockmark depression. Redundancy and comparison of data from different sensors were fundamental to interpret subtle proxy signals of temperature and pressure which would not be understood using only one sensor.     

The effect of air-bubble barriers in containing oil-slick movement

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the performance of an air-bubble barrier and to determine the oil volume passage rate through such a barrier under various oil sample, wind, wave and current conditions. Two empirical equations were derived based on the laboratory data. The first equation determines the relationship between current velocity and the minimum airflow rate required to avoid oil flow through the barrier from the surface. The second equation predicts the dimensionless oil volume passage rate through the barrier under the surface per unit width when the required minimum airflow rate is given in order to prevent oil flow through the barrier from the surface. If the current and wind speed are given, both the minimum required airflow rate for avoiding oil flow through the barrier from the surface, and the dimensionless oil volume passage rate through the barrier under the surface per unit width can be determined.