Carlin-type Gold Prospects in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Philippines: Their Geology and Mineralization Potential

Abstract. Three calcareous sedimentary rock-hosted Carlin type-like gold prospects were mapped in a mineral production sharing agreement area of Philex Gold Philippines Inc. in Taganaan municipality, Surigao del Norte province in Mindanao island in the Philippines. They occur along a 20–25 km long trend of known epigenetic gold and porphyry copper deposits that lie close to several splays of the Philippine Fault Zone. The gold district forms part of the Late Cretaceous Eastern Mindanao Range that hosts early Paleogene and late Pliocene to Quaternary intrusive rocks.
Gold is invisible in the jasperoid outcrops in Lascogon, Napo, and Danao prospects. The jasperoids occur in lenses of marls belonging to the Taganaan Marl Member that is associated to a turbiditic member of the Middle Miocene Mabuhay Formation. The marl lenses include gently dipping interbedded silty limestones and calcareous shales. The "invisible gold" mineralization in silicified calcareous rocks resembles Carlin-type deposits. Based on the mapped igneous and sedimentary rocks, a possible heat source for the gold mineralization is either or both of the two main phases of intrusion, Mabuhay An-desite or Alipao Andesite Porphyry. Forty-eight rock samples, fifteen stream sediment samples, and one soil sample were critical in delineating the general features of the potential Carlin-type prospects. The gold grades of jasperoids in the three prospects range from trace amounts to 20 g/t Au. Regional studies of gold and porphyry copper mineralization in the Surigao del Norte mineral district are important in delineating ore targets for drilling in the three prospects.     

Holocene environmental change in southern Spain deduced from the isotopic record of a high-elevation wetland in Sierra Nevada

Small lakes and wetlands from high elevation within the Sierra Nevada Range (southern Spain) preserve a complete post-glacial Holocene record. Isotopic, TOC and C/N analyses, carried out on a sediment core, show various stages in the evolution of the Borreguiles de la Virgen, which today constitute a small bog at about 2,950?m above sea level. Glacial erosion generated a cirque depression, which became a small lake during the first phase of infilling (from?8,200 to 5,100?cal?yr BP), as suggested by sedimentary evidence, including an atomic C/N ratio generally below 20, low TOC values and the highest ??¹³C and ??¹⁵N values of the record. These results imply significant algal productivity, which is confirmed by the microscopic algal remains. Drier conditions became established progressively in this area from?5,100 to 3,700?cal?yr BP. Subsequently, the lake evolved into a bog as shown by geochemical evidence (C/N ratios above 20, high TOC content and low ??¹³C values). Unstable conditions prevailed from?3,600 to 700?cal?yr BP; an extremely low sedimentation rate and scarcity of data from this period do not allow us to make a coherent interpretation. Fluctuating conditions were recorded during the last?~700?cal?yr BP, with wetter conditions prevailing during the first part of the interval (with C/N rate below 20) up to 350?years ago. In general, a gradual trend toward more arid conditions occurred since?~6,900?cal?yr BP, with a further increase in aridity since?~5,100?cal?yr BP. This evidence is consistent with other contemporaneous peri-Mediterranean records.     

European blocking and Atlantic jet stream variability in the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and the CMCC-CMS climate model

The relationship between atmospheric blocking over Europe and the Atlantic eddy-driven jet stream is investigated in the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis and in a climate model. This is carried out using a bidimensional blocking index based on geopotential height and a diagnostic providing daily latitudinal position and strength of the jet stream. It is shown that European Blocking (EB) is not decoupled from the jet stream but it is mainly associated with its poleward displacements. Moreover, the whole blocking area placed on the equatorward side of the jet stream, broadly ranging from Azores up to Scandinavia, emerges as associated with poleward jet displacements. The diagnostics are hence applied to two different climate model simulations in order to evaluate the biases in the jet stream and in the blocking representation. This analysis highlights large underestimation of EB, typical feature of general circulation models. Interestingly, observed blocking and jet biases over the Euro-Atlantic area are consistent with the blocking-jet relationship observed in the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis. Finally, the importance of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) is investigated showing that realistic SSTs can reduce the bias in the jet stream variability but not in the frequency of EB. We conclude highlighting that blocking-related diagnostics can provide more information about the Euro-Atlantic variability than diagnostics simply based on the Atlantic jet stream.     

Soil-water behaviour of sandy soils under semi-arid conditions in the Duero Basin (Spain)

This paper examines the soil-water behaviour of sandy soils representative of a broad area in the Duero river basin (Spain), with semi-arid bioclimatic characteristics. Soil-moisture measurements of the first 25 cm of soil profile were taken using time domain reflectometry (TDR) methodology. The infiltration process was studied by means of field experiments combining rainfall simulations and TDR techniques. Finally, a set of hydrodynamic variables was calculated in the laboratory (i.e. available soil-water content, soil-water-retention curves and hydraulic conductivity).The average available soil-water content is 0·07 cm³ cm⁻³, in accordance with the predominance of the sandy textural fraction (85%). The rainfall simulation experiments show that infiltration prevails over overland flow, with a steady-state infiltration rate higher than rainfall application (40mmh⁻¹) in most cases; a low water-retention capacity was also observed. The evolution of soil-moisture over time indicates a close dependence on intra-annual rainfall variability due to the low water-retention capacity of sandy soils. With a maximum water-storage capacity of around 0·18 cm³ cm⁻³, the soils studied show high sensitivity to dry spells and may remain with <50% of the available soil-water content for several months during the year.     

Application of the Mussel Watch concept in studies of the distribution of hydrocarbons in the coastal zone of the Ebro Delta

The Mussel Watch concept was applied in a study of man-induced chemical changes in the Ebro Delta on the Catalonian coast to obtain a preliminary assessment of the distribution of synthetic organic compounds, petroleum and biogenic hydrocarbons in the local coastal zone. Mussels, oysters and clams were selected as the indicator organisms. Levels of petroleum accumulated by mussels were generally high, in the order of 100–800 μg^?1 dry weight, equivalent to those in mussels in the most polluted harbours and bays of California. The relative distributions of the steranes and pentacyclic triterpanes in the mussels were significantly different from those found in petroleum from a local field, indicating that local petroleum was not contributing to the present contamination. The composition of biogenic compounds was variable, probably reflecting differences in the composition of local plankton communities, PCB levels were high in relation to current levels in mussels from US sites, reflecting continuing PCB use in Spain. The Delta appears to be a point source of a number of organochlorine compounds, including HCB, the DDT compounds, endrin and γ-chlordane. Levels of the DDT compound o,p′-DDD, a pharmacologically active substance, were unexpectedly high; identification was confirmed by GS/MS. Many unidentified peaks were present on EC chromatograms, indicating a more complex pattern of contamination than might be suggested by printed summaries of data.     

A spatio-temporal hierarchical Markov switching model for the early detection of influenza outbreaks

Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment - Rapidly detecting the beginning of influenza outbreaks helps health authorities to reduce their impact. Accounting for the spatial...     

Pleistocene–Holocene environmental change in the Canary Archipelago as inferred from the stable isotope composition of land snail shells

The isotopic composition of land snail shells was analyzed to investigate environmental changes in the eastern Canary Islands (28–29°N) over the last ~ 50 ka. Shell δ¹³C values range from −8.9‰ to 3.8‰. At various times during the glacial interval (~ 15 to ~ 50 ka), moving average shell δ¹³C values were 3‰ higher than today, suggesting a larger proportion of C₄ plants at those periods. Shell δ¹⁸O values range from −1.9‰ to 4.5‰, with moving average δ¹⁸O values exhibiting a noisy but long-term increase from 0.1‰ at ~ 50 ka to 1.6–1.8‰ during the LGM (~ 15–22 ka). Subsequently, the moving average δ¹⁸O values range from 0.0‰ at ~ 12 ka to 0.9‰ at present. Calculations using a published snail flux balance model for δ¹⁸O, constrained by regional temperatures and ocean δ¹⁸O values, suggest that relative humidity at the times of snail activity fluctuated but exhibited a long-term decline over the last ~ 50 ka, eventually resulting in the current semiarid conditions of the eastern Canary Islands (consistent with the aridification process in the nearby Sahara). Thus, low-latitude oceanic island land snail shells may be isotopic archives of glacial to interglacial and tropical/subtropical environmental change.     

Isotopic and hydrochemistry spatial variation of sulfate for groundwater characterization in karstic aquifers

The Sierra Gorda aquifer is one of the most extensive of southern Spain. The main groundwater discharge is produced at its northern boundary through several high‐flow springs. In this study, stable isotopes of dissolved sulfate (δ³⁴S and δ¹⁸O) and groundwater chemistry were used to determine the origin of the sulfate and to characterize the groundwater flow. We sampled the main springs, as well as other minor outlets related to perched water tables, in order to determine the different sources of SO₄^2? (e.g., dissolution of evaporites and atmospheric deposition). The substantial difference in the amount of dissolved SO₄^2? between the springs located in its northwestern part (≈25 mg/L) and those elsewhere in the northern part (≈60 mg/L) suggests zones with separate groundwater flow systems. A third group of springs, far from the northeastern boundary of the permeable outcrops, shows higher SO₄^2? content than the rest (≈125 mg/L). The isotopic range of sulfate (?0.3‰ to 14.82‰ V‐CTD) points to several sources, including dissolution of Triassic or Miocene evaporites, atmospheric deposition, and decomposition of organic material in the soil. Among these, the dissolution of Triassic gypsum—which overlies the saturated zone as a consequence of the folds and faults that deform the aquifer—is the main source of SO₄^2? (range from 12.79‰ to 14.82‰ V‐CTD). This range is typical for Triassic gypsum. The higher karstification in the western sector, together with important differences in the saturated thickness between the western and eastern sectors, would also be due to the tectonic structure and could explain the difference in SO₄^2? contents in the water. This singular arrangement may cause a higher residence time of groundwater in the eastern sector; thus, a higher contact time with Triassic evaporitic rocks is inferred. Accordingly, the stable isotopes of SO₄^2? are found to be a valuable tool for identifying areas with different flow systems in the saturated zone of karstic aquifers, as well as for evaluating aspects such as the degree of karstification .     

Sea-state contributions to sea-level variability in the European Seas

Ocean Dynamics - The contribution of sea-state-induced processes to sea-level variability is investigated through ocean-wave coupled simulations. These experiments are performed with a...     

Seismological constraints on the 2018 Mt. Etna (Italy) flank eruption and implications for the flank dynamics of the volcano

3D earthquake locations, focal mechanisms and stress tensor distribution in a 16‐month interval covering the 2018 Mt. Etna flank eruption, enabled us to investigate the relationship between magma intrusion and structural response of the volcano and shed light on the dynamic processes affecting the instability of Mt. Etna. The magma intrusion likely caused tension in the flanks of the volcano, leading to significant ground deformation and redistribution of stress on the neighbouring faults at the edge of Mt. Etna's unstable sector, encouraging the ESE sliding of the eastern flank of the volcano. Accordingly, FPSs of the post‐eruptive events show strike slip faulting mechanisms, under a stress regime characterized by a maximum compressive σ₁, NE‐SW oriented. In this perspective, any flank eruption could temporarily enhance the sliding process of both the southern and eastern flanks of the volcano.