Formation of weathering-derived magnesite deposits in the New England Orogen, New South Wales, Australia: Implications from mineralogy, geochemistry and genesis of the Attunga magnesite deposit

Nodular, cryptocrystalline, weathering-derived magnesite deposits in the New England Orogen, Australia, provide a significant source of high-purity magnesite. Common textural features and related isotopic fingerprints indicate a close genetic relationship between weathering-derived magnesite deposits hosted by ultramafic rocks at Attunga and by sediments at Kunwarara while silica-carbonate rock alteration and rare hydrothermal magnesite vein deposits reflect contrasting conditions of formation. Localised weathering of carbonates in a soil environment shifts stable isotopic composition towards low δ ¹³C and high δ ¹⁸O typical for weathering-derived magnesites while intrusion-related fluids do not significantly change the isotopic composition of affected carbonates. At Attunga, magnesite consists of irregular, nodular veins and masses filling faults and cracks in the weathered serpentinite host rock as well as soft powdery magnesite in pervasive serpentinite alteration zones. The high-grade magnesite at Attunga can be contaminated by amorphous silica and serpentine relicts but does not contain dolomite or ferroan magnesite as observed for its hydrothermal equivalent, the Piedmont magnesite deposit, or other widespread deposits of silica-carbonate rock in the Great Serpentinite Belt. Heavy δ ¹⁸O values are compatible with a supergene formation from meteoric waters while low δ ¹³C suggests C3-photosynthetic plants as the predominant source of carbon for the Attunga magnesites. We infer that weathering-derived, nodular magnesite deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks like the Attunga magnesite deposit have formed in a two-step process involving the hypogene formation of a pre-cursor magnesite deposit and complete supergene overprinting by meteoric waters that acquired carbon from percolation through soil.     

Catchment scale geostatistical simulation and uncertainty of soil erodibility using sequential Gaussian simulation

Soil erodibility (K) affects sediment delivery to streams and needs to be appropriately quantified and interpolated as a fundamental geographic variable for implementing suitable catchment management and conservation practices. The spatial distribution of K for erosion modelling at non-sampling grid locations has traditionally been estimated using interpolation algorithms such as kriging which do not adequately represent the uncertainty of estimates. These methods cause smoothing effects through overestimating the low values and underestimating the large values. In this study observed values were used to implement a sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) procedure to evaluate the certainty of modelled data. Soil erodibility values were computed using 41 soil samples taken from the top 10 cm soil layer regularly distributed across four catchments, 367–770 ha in area, within Kangaroo River State forest, New South Wales (NSW). One hundred realisations were applied in the simulation process to provide spatial uncertainty and error estimates of soil erodibility. The results indicated that values simulated by the SGS algorithm produced similar K values for the neighbouring cells. At the pixel level, the SGS approach generated a reliable estimation of soil erodibility in most areas. Spatial variation of the K factor in this study was strongly related to soil landscape differences across the catchments; within catchments slope gradient did not have a substantial impact on the numerical values of the K factor using pixel-by-pixel comparisons of raster grid maps.     

Titan under a red dwarf star and as a rogue planet: requirements for liquid methane

Titan has a surface temperature of 94 K and a surface pressure of 1.4 atmospheres. These conditions make it possible for liquid methane solutions to be present on the surface. Here, we consider how Titan could have liquid methane while orbiting around an M4 red dwarf star, and a special case of Titan orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581. Because light from a red dwarf star has a higher fraction of infrared than the Sun, more of the starlight will reach the surface of Titan because its atmospheric haze is more transparent to infrared wavelengths. If Titan was placed at a distance from a red dwarf star such that it received the same average flux as it receives from the Sun, we calculate the increased infrared fraction, which will warm surface temperatures by an additional ∼10 K. Compared to the Sun, red dwarf stars have less blackbody ultraviolet light but can have more Lyman α and particle radiation associated with flares. Thus depending on the details, the haze production may be much higher or much lower than for the current Titan. With the haze reduced by a factor of 100, Titan would have a surface temperature of 94 K at a distance of 0.23 AU from an M4 star and at a distance of 1.66 AU, for Gliese 581. If the haze is increased by a factor of 100 the distances become 0.08 and 0.6 AU for the M4-star and Gliese 581, respectively. As a rogue planet, with no incident stellar flux, Titan would need 1.6 W/m² of geothermal heat to maintain its current surface temperature, or an atmospheric opacity of 20× its present amount with 0.1 W/m² of geothermal heat. Thus Titan-like worlds beyond our solar system may provide environment supporting surface liquid methane.     

Two occurrences of ultramafic hornfels in the Biggenden Beds,southeastern Queensland

Ultramafic hornfelses containing the assemblages hornblende + olivine + spinel + magnetite, and clinopyroxene + olivine + spinel + magnetite, are reported from two localities in the Biggenden Beds in southeastern Queensland. They are associated with mafic hornfelses in the contact metamorphic aureoles of the Mungore Adamellite and the Wateranga Gabbro. Chemical composition and minerology of the olivine + amphibole + spinel + magnetite hornfelses suggest that they represent metamorphosed picritic rocks, or possibly, altered serpentinites (blackwall rocks), whereas the clinopyroxene + olivine + spinel + magnetite hornfelses are interpreted as metamorphosed altered clinopyroxene‐rich picritic rocks. Cr‐Fe spinel relations in the hornfelses indicate partial homogenisation of primary chromian spinel with secondary magnetite ± ferrichromite during contact metamorphism.     

Heavy-metal loadings related to urban contamination in the Kooloonbung Creek catchment,Port Macquarie,New South Wales

Urbanisation and industrial development lead to contamination of estuaries and streams with dispersed loadings of heavy metals and metalloids. Contributions of these elements also occur from natural sources. This study provides baseline geochemical data on the respective natural and anthropogenic inputs of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Sb, Cr, Ni, Mn and S to estuarine, fluvial and wetland sediments, and adjacent soils, in the Kooloonbung Creek catchment that drains the Port Macquarie urban area in north coastal New South Wales. There have been anthropogenic additions of Cu, Pb, Zn and As from dispersed urban sources at Port Macquarie, but they are restricted to the local catchment and do not impact on the adjacent Hastings River estuary. The most contaminated sediments display enrichment factors up to 20 × for Cu and Pb, 9 × for Zn and 5 × for As relative to local background values. However, only one value (for Pb) exceeds National Water Quality Management Strategy interim sediment quality guideline (high) values. On the other hand, sediments and local soils are commonly strongly enriched in Cr, Ni and Mn, reflecting adjacent ultramafic and mafic rock substrate and lateritic regolith. Concentrations of Cr and Ni are commonly well above interim sediment quality guideline (high) values for sediments, but are in mineralogical forms that are not readily bioavailable. Sediment and soil quality guideline values consequently need to recognise natural enrichments and the mineralogical siting of heavy metals. Although dissolved concentrations of heavy metals in stream waters are commonly low, there is evidence for mobility of Cu, Zn, Fe and Al. Parts of the Kooloonbung Creek wetland area lie on sulfidic estuarine sediments (potential acid sulfate soils). Experimental oxidation of uncontaminated and contaminated sulfidic sediments leads to substantial dissolution of heavy metals under acid conditions, with subsequent aquatic mobility. The results warn about disturbance and oxidation of potential acid sulfate soils that have been contaminated by urban and natural heavy-metal sources.     

An unusual manganese silicate occurrence at the Hoskins mine,Grenfell district,New South Wales

Stratiform manganese silicate rocks overlie jasper and metabasah in the ?Middle Silurian Hoskins Formation at the Hoskins manganese mine near Grenfell, NSW. Two dominant mineral assemblages occur in the Mn silicate rocks: (1) a “reduced’ assemblage, probably gradational into underlying jasper, containing abundant rhodonite and/or tephroite, plus subordinate carbonates, quartz, hausmannite, spessartine and Ba minerals, and (2) a well‐laminated ‘oxidized’ assemblage rich in red Mn‐rich alkali pyroxene and amphibole, braunite, manganoan pectolite and minor Mn‐rich mica, alkali feldspars, carbonates, quartz and barite. Several Mn silicates implicitly contain trivalent Mn. The Mn silicate rocks are rich in Mn, Ba and Sr, and also contain anomalously high Co, Cu, As and W; oxidized assemblages are alkali‐rich. Bulk compositions and geological setting suggest a submarine volcanic exhalative origin for the precursors of the Mn silicate rocks and jasper. Metamorphism has occurred at upper greenschist facies with original high oxygen fugacity conditions in the exhalative sediments being largely reflected in the resulting assemblages. Although analogues of the reduced Mn silicate rocks are widespread in metamorphosed Mn deposits, equivalents of the oxidized assemblages appear to be particularly uncommon.     

Removing vessels from the water for biofouling treatment has the potential to introduce mobile non-indigenous marine species

Vessels found contaminated with biofouling non-indigenous marine species are predominantly removed from the water and treated in vessel maintenance facilities (i.e., slipways, travel lifts and dry-docks). Using pre-fouled settlement plates to simulate a vessel’s removal from the water for treatment, we demonstrate that a range of mobile organisms (including non-indigenous marine species) may be lost to the marine environment as a consequence of this process. We also determined that different levels of biofouling (primary, secondary and tertiary) and emersion durations (0.5, 5 and 15 min) affected the abundance and composition of mobile taxa lost to the marine environment. Primary biofouling plates lost 3.2% of total animals, secondary plates lost 19.8% and tertiary plates lost 8.2%, while hanging duration had only minor effects. The results suggest that removing vessels contaminated with biofouling non-indigenous marine species from the water for treatment may not be as biosecure as is currently recognised.     

Marine biodiversity and ethnobiodiversity of Bellona (Mungiki) Island, Solomon Islands

This paper reports on the marine biodiversity and ethnobiodiversity of Bellona, a small island in Solomon Islands inhabited by Polynesians who have, for centuries, depended on biodiversity for their own sustainability. The Bellonese have names for at least 8 whales and dolphins, 7 reptiles, over 500 finfish, 191 molluscs, 48 crustaceans, 29 echinoderms and a range of corals, other invertebrates and marine plants, most of which have commercial, subsistence or cultural value. If conserved, this inheritance will continue to provide a foundation for continuing sustainability in a rapidly globalizing world. The paper highlights the importance of the preservation, and application to development, of ethnobiodiversity for food and subsistence security, and contingent issues of conservation and sustainability in small island developing states. As the current extinction crisis escalates globally, the rate of attrition of the intangible indigenous knowledge that has coevolved with this threatened biodiversity is probably far greater. In itself, the recording of information on biodiversity and related sustainable livelihoods is not sufficient to ensure sustainability. There is a vital need to integrate this into the formal education system and applied scientific activities at all levels to achieve the right balance between agriculture, wild harvest and trade, upon which sustainability and subsistence affluence still depend.     

Oyster and Macroalgae Bioindicators Detect Elevated δ<Superscript>15</Superscript>N in Maryland’s Coastal Bays

Nitrogen loading from anthropogenic sources, including fertilizer, manure, and sewage effluents, has been linked with declining water quality in coastal lagoons worldwide. Freshwater inputs to mid-Atlantic coastal lagoons of the USA are from terrestrially influenced sources: groundwater and overland flow via streams and agricultural ditches, with occasional precipitation events. Stable nitrogen isotopes ratios (δ¹⁵N) in bioindicator species combined with conventional water quality monitoring were used to assess nitrogen sources and provide insights into their origins. Water quality data revealed that nutrients derived from terrestrial sources increased after precipitation events. Tissues from two bioindicator species, a macroalgae (Gracilaria sp.) and the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) were analyzed for δ¹⁵N to determine spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen sources. A broad-scale survey assessment of deployed macroalgae (June 2004) detected regions of elevated δ¹⁵N. Macroalgal δ¹⁵N (7.33 ± 1.15‰ in May 2006 and 6.76 ± 1.15‰ in July 2006) responded quickly to sustained June 2006 nutrient pulse, but did not detect spatial patterns at the fine scale. Oyster δ¹⁵N (8.51 ± 0.89‰) responded slowly over longer time periods and exhibited a slight gradient at the finer spatial scale. Overall, elevated δ¹⁵N values in macroalgae and oysters were used to infer that human and animal wastes were important nitrogen sources in some areas of Maryland’s coastal bays. Different nitrogen integration periods across multiple organisms may be used to indicate nitrogen sources at various spatial and temporal scales, which will help focus nutrient management.     

Population biology of coral trout species in eastern Torres Strait: Implications for fishery management

Coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) are the main target species for commercial fishers in the eastern Torres Strait Reef Line Fishery (ETS RLF). The four species of coral trout known to occur in Torres Strait: Plectropomus leopardus, Plectropomus maculatus, Plectropomus areolatus and Plectropomus laevis are currently managed as a single species in Torres Strait, as there is no species-specific biological information available for the region which could be used to assess whether species differ in their response to fishing pressure. The aim of our study was to determine whether it is appropriate (biologically) to manage coral trout in the ETS RLF as a single species group or whether different management arrangements are required for some species. We used catch data and biological data from samples collected by commercial fishers to examine the distribution within Torres Strait and estimate a range of biological parameters for P. leopardus, P. maculatus and P. areolatus. Insufficient P. laevis samples were collected to reliably examine this species. Results indicated that the population biology, particularly the reproductive biology, of P. areolatus was substantially different to both P. leopardus and P. maculatus. Although it is difficult to predict the response to fishing, P. areolatus may be more vulnerable to fishing than P. leopardus and P. maculatus, due to the larger size at sex change observed for this species and the very low proportion of males protected by the current minimum size limit. Therefore, while the common management arrangements for P. leopardus and P. maculatus appear to be adequate for these species, separate management arrangements are needed for the sustainable harvest of P. areolatus populations in the ETS. Specifically, we recommend the introduction of a maximum size limit for P. areolatus, in addition to the current minimum size limit, which may allow a proportion of males some protection from fishing.