He, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic constraints on the origin of the Marquesas and other linear volcanic chains

The classic hotspot hypothesis [Morgan, W. J., 1971. Convection plumes in the lower mantle. Nature 230, 42–43], which posits that linear volcanic chains are traces of fixed plumes in the mantle on moving lithospheric plates, was instrumental in elevating the plate tectonics paradigm in the 1960s into a modern Earth Science theory. The hypothesis itself, however, remains conjectural because many of its predictions, particularly the simple age-progressive type of volcanism, are not observed in many linear volcanic chains. As an alternative explanation, it is proposed that linear volcanic chains are formed through magmatism along pre-existing lines of weakness such as transform zones and old sutures, or along cracks created by stresses on lithospheric plates. The Marquesas linear volcanic chain in south-central Pacific has geologic features that are consistent with some of the predictions of both hypotheses. To better constrain the origin of this volcanic chain, we collected major and trace element and Sr, Nd, Pb, and He isotopic data from several Marquesan lavas. Our new analyses combined with literature data classify the samples into the well established tholeiitic to mildly alkalic, low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, shield-building volcanic phase lava group and highly alkalic, high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, post-shield phase group. Lead isotopes show generally higher ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios and suggest evidence of crustal assimilation for the shield-building phase lavas, consistent with the argument that the shield-building phase volcanism has a lithospheric source component. On the other hand, post-shield phase lavas that are predicted to represent the true composition of the mantle source by the hotspot hypothesis have higher ³He/⁴He ratios and these are coupled to other geochemical tracers. Thus our results show that the Marquesas volcanic chain, similar to many other linear volcanic chains, has a high ³He/⁴He component in its mantle source. The presence of such a distinct source component cannot be easily explained by dispersed upper mantle heterogeneities, but provides a powerful constraint for the hotspot origin of many linear volcanic chains.     

Examination and parameterization of the root water uptake model from stem water potential and sap flow measurements

A simple field‐based method for directly parameterizing root water uptake models is proposed. Stem psychrometers and sap flow meters are used to measure stem water potential and plant transpiration rate continuously and simultaneously. Predawn stem water potential is selected as a surrogate for root zone soil water potential to examine and parameterize the root water uptake–water stress response functions. The method is applied to two drooping sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) trees for a period of 80 days, covering both a dry season and a wet season. The results indicate that the S‐shape function is more appropriate than the Feddes piecewise linear function for drooping sheoak to represent the effect of soil moisture stress on its root water uptake performance. Besides, the water stress function is found to be not only a function of soil moisture but also dependent of the atmospheric demand. As a result, the water stress function is corrected for the effect of atmospheric conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Including Vertical Fault Structures in Layered Groundwater Flow Models

Accurate representation of groundwater flow and solute transport requires a sound representation of the underlying geometry of aquifers. Faults can have a significant influence on the structure and connectivity of aquifers, which may allow permeable units to connect, and aquifers to seal when juxtaposed against lower permeability units. Robust representation of groundwater flow around faults remains challenging despite the significance of faults for flow and transport. We present a methodology for the inclusion of faults utilizing the unstructured grid features of MODFLOW-USG and MODFLOW 6. The method focuses on the representation of fault geometries using non-neighbor connections between juxtaposed layers. We present an illustration of the method for a synthetic fluvial aquifer. The combined impact of the heterogeneous aquifer and fault offset is clearly visible where channel features at different depths in the aquifer were connected at the fault. These results highlight the importance of representing fault features in groundwater flow models.     

Aquifer geochemistry at potential aquifer storage and recovery sites in coastal plain aquifers in the New York city area,USA

The effects of injecting oxic water from the New York city (NYC) drinking-water supply and distribution system into a nearby anoxic coastal plain aquifer for later recovery during periods of water shortage (aquifer storage and recovery, or ASR) were simulated by a 3-dimensional, reactive-solute transport model. The Cretaceous aquifer system in the NYC area of New York and New Jersey, USA contains pyrite, goethite, locally occurring siderite, lignite, and locally varying amounts of dissolved Fe and salinity. Sediment from cores drilled on Staten Island and western Long Island had high extractable concentrations of Fe, Mn, and acid volatile sulfides (AVS) plus chromium-reducible sulfides (CRS) and low concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and U. Similarly, water samples from the Lloyd aquifer (Cretaceous) in western Long Island generally contained high concentrations of Fe and Mn and low concentrations of other trace elements such as As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and U, all of which were below US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and NY maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). In such aquifer settings, ASR operations can be complicated by the oxidative dissolution of pyrite, low pH, and high concentrations of dissolved Fe in extracted water.     

Clearing enhances dust devil formation

In the southwest of Western Australia, the large scale replacement of native perennial vegetation with agriculture based on winter growing annual species leads to a significant change in the surface albedo and roughness. Whilst the redistribution of the surface energy balance impacts on cloud climatology, the reduced roughness of the agricultural area has enhanced the injection of aerosols into the atmosphere through the increased potential for dust devils. Although the native vegetation experiences a higher sensible heat flux, it is the reduced frictional drag of the cleared agricultural lands that enhances the potential for dust devil formation and thus provides an additional source of atmospheric aerosols.     

Notes on fecundity in the Marine spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae)

Fecundity in the New Zealand spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton) has been investigated by a detailed examination of 14 selected females “in berry” (i.e. carrying external eggs), ranging in carapace lengths from 9.5 cm to 17.0 cm. The following data were obtained for each specimen: (a) the total weight of eggs carried, (b) the average number of eggs per 1 g sample, and (c) the total number of eggs carried.

A positive correlation was noted between the total weight of eggs carried and increase in carapace length. The total weight of eggs carried ranged from 26.9 g in a small specimen of 9.5 cm C.L., to 123.9 g in a large female of 16.0 cm C.L. No relation was found between the average number of eggs per 1 g sample and increase in carapace length. A low count of 3,541 eggs per 1 g sample was recorded, and a high count of 5,005 eggs. A direct relation was noted between the total number of eggs carried by J edwardsii and increase in carapace length. The number of eggs carried ranged from a low figure of about 124,278 in a small specimen of 9.5 cm C.L., to a high figure of about 538,242 in a large female of 17.0 cm C.L. The rate of increase in fecundity was found to be greater in smaller than in larger females of J. edwardsii     

Cladding influence on dynamics response of tall buildings

Precast concrete panels form attractive facades for steel frame buildings and are generally regarded as non-structural by structural engineers. However, panels have been found to add lateral stiffness until their capacity or that of their connections is exceeded. Consequently, the computed dynamic response based on a model of the structural framing alone may be quite different from that experienced by the actual structure. As a case study, the influence of precast concrete panels on lateral and torsional stiffness of a 25-storey building was investigated. The effect of cladding on dynamic properties and linear seismic response was explored by varying panel stiffness. Cladding stiffness was added to the bare frame model until analytical frequency values matched vibration test results. Then, using the cladding stiffness values obtained, an accidental eccentricity between centres of mass and rigidity at each floor level was imposed and linear seismic response computed. Torsional response effects were increased substantially. Finally, a modified cladding panel connection was developed based on previously-reported studies for panelized construction. The influence of the proposed connection on overall structural response was determined for different ground motion inputs.     

Structural and geochronological studies on the Liba goldfield of the West Qinling Orogen, Central China

The Liba goldfield, located to the northeast of the Zhongchuan Granite in the West Qinling Orogen (WQO) of mainland China, contains the largest known gold resource of 2.8 Moz in the Zhongchuan area. Devonian metasedimentary rocks host the structurally controlled gold mineralization, which is associated with silica–sericite–chlorite–carbonate alteration. Two major styles of mineralization occurred at the goldfield, which are disseminated sediment-hosted and quartz vein hosted types. Pyrite, arsenopyrite, and arsenian pyrite are major gold carriers and gold also occurs as native gold grains and electrum spatially associated with the sulfides. Numerous felsic/intermediate dykes have a similar structural control as the mineralization, and their contacts with host rocks are recognized as favorable zones for mineralization. Detailed fieldwork in conjunction with geochronological studies has helped to define the deformation history and gold metallogenesis of the goldfield. Three major phases of deformation have been recognized in the Zhongchuan area. The first deformation (D₁) event was compressional in broadly a N–S orientation, the second (D₂) event was also compressional and orientated in a NE–SW direction, and the third (D₃) event was post-mineralization and was associated with the emplacement of barren calcite and anhydrite veins. Compression related to D₂ is the key process that controlled the distribution of igneous dykes and gold mineralization in the Liba goldfield. Both igneous and hydrothermal fluids preferentially focused along dilational jogs under local trans-extension, which took place during the late stage of D₂. Precise dating with high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb on zircon and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on muscovite, biotite, hornblende, and plagioclase of crosscutting pre-mineralization granitic porphyry and diorite dykes have constrained the mineralization age to after ca. 227 Ma. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analysis of minerals formed in hydrothermal alteration zones associated with gold mineralization indicates that there was a widespread ca. 216 Ma hydrothermal event that affected almost all lithologies in the area. This detailed investigation is the first study to tightly constrain the timing of gold mineralization in the WQO. The broadly overlapping timing and similar structural control of the mineralization and igneous dykes show a promising correlation, which could be potentially used to map this Late Triassic gold mineralization event in the WQO.     

Middle to Late Ordovician age for the Jindalee Group of the Lachlan Fold Belt,New South Wales: Conodont evidence and some tectonic implications

The first definitive evidence for a late Middle to early Late Ordovician age for the Jindalee Group comes from identification of conodonts, including Periodon aculeatus, preserved in chert from an exposure northeast of Cootamundra, New South Wales. In the Grenfell area, the Hoskins Chert, a constituent formation of the Jindalee Group, also yields conodonts of the same general age, although no diagnostic species have been recognised. Conodonts found in the Jindalee Group, along with a distinctive fossil flora of probable cyanobacterial filaments, are similar to those of the Mugincoble Chert in the vicinity of Parkes. Age correlation of the Jindalee Group with the Girilambone Group is confirmed by the newly found conodonts, but at a much more precise level than previously inferred. However, the tectonic settings of the Jindalee and Girilambone Groups might have been quite distinct, with the Jindalee Group forming in an intra‐arc rift and the Girilambone Group depositing in the backarc Wagga Marginal Basin.     

Deeply buried ancient volcanoes control hydrocarbon migration in the South China Sea

Seismic reflection data image now-buried and inactive volcanoes, both onshore and along the submarine portions of continental margins. However, the impact that these volcanoes have on later, post-eruption fluid flow events (e.g., hydrocarbon migration and accumulation) is poorly understood. Determining how buried volcanoes and their underlying plumbing systems influence subsurface fluid or gas flow, or form traps for hydrocarbon accumulations, is critical to de-risk hydrocarbon exploration and production. Here, we focus on evaluating how buried volcanoes affect the bulk permeability of hydrocarbon seals, and channel and focus hydrocarbons. We use high-resolution 3D seismic reflection and borehole data from the northern South China Sea to show how ca. <10 km wide, ca. <590 m high Miocene volcanoes, buried several kilometres (ca. 1.9 km) below the seabed and fed by a sub-volcanic plumbing system that exploited rift-related faults: (i) acted as long-lived migration pathways, and perhaps reservoirs, for hydrocarbons generated from even more deeply buried (ca. 8–10 km) source rocks; and (ii) instigated differential compaction and doming of the overburden during subsequent burial, producing extensional faults that breached regional seal rocks. Considering that volcanism and related deformation are both common on many magma-rich passive margins, the interplay between the magmatic products and hydrocarbon migration documented here may be more common than currently thought. Our results demonstrate that now-buried and inactive volcanoes can locally degrade hydrocarbon reservoir seals and control the migration of hydrocarbon-rich fluids and gas. These fluids and gases can migrate into and be stored in shallower reservoirs, where they may then represent geohazards to drilling and impact slope stability.