Stratigraphy and Petrology of the Mulcahy Lake Layered Gabbro: An Archean Intrusion in the Wabigoon Subprovince, Ontario

The Mulcahy Lake gabbro is an Archean layered intrusion of tholeiiticbulk composition located in the Wabigoon subprovince. The intrusionis 6 km thick at the thickest and is exposed over an area of63 km². It intrudes basaltic to siliceous volcanics of the CrowLake-Savant Lake greenstone belt and is intruded by the Atikwabatholith. Zircon U-Pb data indicate crystallization at 27322+1·0/–0·9m·y. Principal phases are plagioclase, orthopyroxene, augite (andpigeonite in iron-rich rocks), olivine, hornblende and magnetite.Olivine is confined to several horizons. Apatite and then zirconare prominent accessory phases at advanced stages of fractionation.Plagioclase, pyroxenes and olivine are cumulate phases. Hornblendeis invariably an intercumulus phase. Magnetite is ubiquitousthroughout the intrusion, generally as a cumulate phase, andforms centimeter thick layers in fractionated rocks. Fractionationfollowed a tholeiitic trend with iron enrichment in the liquid. The intrusion is divided into lower, mixed, middle, upper andmarginal zones. The lower and middle zones are 2·0 and2·5 km thick respectively. The upper zone is approximately1 km thick, and the marginal zone is measured in hundreds ofmeters. A 200 m thick mixed zone is interposed between the lowerand middle zones. The base of the lower zone consists of ultramaficunits containing olivine of Fo₈₂. The top of the zone has olivineof Fo₂₈. Fractionation of the lower zone, from the floor up,was interrupted by the introduction of pristine liquid whichmixed with more dense and cooler residual liquid in the chamberto form the mixed zone. Further introduction of several minorpulses of liquid constructed the lower part of the middle zone.The upper part of the middle zone was constructed from a majorpulse of liquid plus several minor pulses each of which is representedby reversals in cryptic layering. The upper zone consists ofultramafic to iron-rich gabbro cumulates formed by cooling throughthe roof plus horizons formed by influx of pristine liquid.Marginal zone rocks represent cooling through the walls of theintrusion. Rhythmic layering is well developed in lower and middle zonecumulates. Petrofabric data show that orthopyroxene has a lineationin the plane of layering and parallel to structures suggestiveof flow. Plagioclase laths also have a preferred orientationin many cumulates and in unlayered gabbros as well. Flow, possiblylaminar, of liquid-crystal material is suggested and may belinked to the ultimate development of layering. Pressure during the course of crystallization probably was greaterthan 2 and less than 5 kb. Temperatures estimated from pyroxenesvaried from approximately 1200 to 1000 °C.f_o², is not wellconstrained but was sufficient to allow the formation of thinlocal magnetite cumulates late in the crystallization. The primarymelt was hydrous as indicated by the presence of hornblende.It is very unlikely that the melt was saturated with water duringcrystallization of the cumulate phases.     

Comment on ' ... Magmatic Conditions of the Fish Canyon Tuff, Central San Juan Volcanic Field, Colorado ' by Whitney & Stormer (1985)

Magmatic conditi ons inferred from the composition of the FishCanyon Tuff by Whitney &Stormer (J. Petrology, 26, 726–62(1985)) and Stormer & Whitney (Am. Miner. 70, 52–64(1985)) differ from studies of other ash-flow tuff and calderasystems, in that they consider the magma to have been unzonedand to have resided at {small tilde}9 kb pressure just priorto eruption. We find these conclusions unconvincing becauseof incomplete sampling of the Fish Canyon Tuff, alteration ofthe tuff after emplacement, and, in particular, serious limitationsof coupled Fe-Ti oxide and two-feldspar geothermobarometry.     

Glauconitization of detrital silica substrates in the Barton Formation (upper Eocene) of the Hampshire Basin, southern England

Upper Eocene detrital silica grains (chert and quartz) of the Hampshire Basin display alteration and replacement fabrics by glauconite. Silica grains have etched surfaces due to glauconitization which appear green in reflected light and thin section. Quartz grains were glauconitized by surface nucleation and replacement, which spreads from the margin with progressive glauconitization, replacing the quartz grain interior. Chert grains were glauconitized by surface replacement and nucleation internally along cracks and in pores. Different forms of glauconite are associated with the two minerals; glauconite associated with quartz is generally highly-evolved whereas glauconite associated with chert is of the evolved variety. This is interpreted as being due to different surface-reaction control mechanisms associated with the two forms of silica. There is no evidence to suggest that glauconite evolved in stages from a nascent form. Two crystalline morphological forms of glauconite are found associated with both quartz and chert. Glauconite growing within a confined space has a laminated morphology whilst glauconite occurring on the surface has a rosette morphology.     

The role and value of local knowledge in Jamaican agriculture: adaptation and change in small-scale farming

Local knowledge has played an active role in the lives of rural communities in virtually every part of the world. In Jamaica, traditional cropping systems based on local informal knowledge have been practiced since the days of slavery and play a vital role in meeting food security. Yet, some negative attitudes remain about the legitimacy and relevance of small-scale farmers' local and traditional knowledge. This paper discusses some conceptual and empirical issues related to the application of local knowledge among small-scale food farmers in central Jamaica. The paper argues that contextually speaking, local and traditional knowledge is valuable, adaptable and necessary in coping with risk and uncertainty in a changing world, while cautioning against a misguided notion of traditional knowledge as a panacea to all the ills of local agriculture.     

Peridotite Melting at 1 GPa: Reversal Experiments on Partial Melt Compositions Produced by Peridotite-Basalt Sandwich Experiments

One of the goals of igneous petrology is to use the subtle andmore obvious differences in the geochemistry of primitive basaltsto place constraints on mantle composition, melting conditionsand dynamics of mantle upwelling and melt extraction. For thisgoal to be achieved, our first-order understanding of mantlemelting must be refined by high-quality, systematic data oncorrelated melt and residual phase compositions under knownpressures and temperatures. Discrepancies in earlier data onmelt compositions from a fertile mantle composition [MORB (mid-oceanridge basalt) Pyrolite mg-number 87] and refractory lherzolite(Tinaquillo Lherzolite mg-number 90) are resolved here. Errorsin earlier data resulted from drift of W/Re thermocouples at1 GPa and access of water, lowering liquidus temperatures by30–80°C. We demonstrate the suitability of the ‘sandwich’technique for determining the compositions of multiphase-saturatedliquids in lherzolite, provided fine-grained sintered oxidemixes are used as the peridotite starting materials, and thechanges in bulk composition are considered. Compositions ofliquids in equilibrium with lherzolitic to harzburgitic residueat 1 GPa, 1300–1450°C in the two lherzolite compositionsare reported. Melt compositions are olivine + hypersthene-normative(olivine tholeiites) with the more refractory composition producinga lower melt fraction (7–8% at 1300°C) compared withthe model MORB source (18–20% at 1300°C). KEY WORDS: mantle melting; sandwich experiments; reversal experiments; anhydrous peridotite melting; thermocouple oxidation; olivine geothermometry     

Volatiles in Basaltic Glasses from Loihi Seamount, Hawaii: Evidence for a Relatively Dry Plume Component

New H₂O, CO₂ and S concentration data for basaltic glasses fromLoihi seamount, Hawaii, allow us to model degassing, assimilation,and the distribution of major volatiles within and around theHawaiian plume. Degassing and assimilation have affected CO₂and Cl but not H₂O concentrations in most Loihi glasses. Waterconcentrations relative to similarly incompatible elements inHawaiian submarine magmas are depleted (Loihi), equivalent (Kilauea,North Arch, Kauai–Oahu), or enriched (South Arch). H₂O/Ceratios are uncorrelated with major element composition or extentor depth of melting, but are related to position relative tothe Hawaiian plume and mantle source region composition, consistentwith a zoned plume model. In front of the plume core, overlyingmantle is metasomatized by hydrous partial melts derived fromthe Hawaiian plume. Downstream from the plume core, lavas tapa depleted source region with H₂O/Ce similar to enriched Pacificmid-ocean ridge basalt. Within the plume core, mantle components,thought to represent subducted oceanic lithosphere, have waterenrichments equivalent to (KEA) or less than (KOO) that of Ce.Lower H₂O/Ce in the KOO component may reflect efficient dehydrationof the subducting oceanic crust and sediments during recyclinginto the deep mantle. KEY WORDS: basalt; Hawaii; mantle; plumes; volatiles     

U-series Isotope Data on Lau Basin Glasses: the Role of Subduction-related Fluids during Melt Generation in Back-arc Basins

New thermal ionization mass spectrometry U-series disequilibriumdata are presented for 24 basaltic to dacitic glasses from activespreading centres in the back-arc Lau Basin (SW Pacific), togetherwith additional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometrytrace element analyses and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data.Valu Fa Ridge samples, adjacent to the arc front, have highU/Th and (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) <1, implying a recent (<<350ka) addition of a U-rich slab-derived fluid. The Valu Fa datacan be combined with existing ²³⁰Th–²³⁸U data for theCentral Tonga arc to infer a fluid addition event at     

Composition and genesis of glacial hummocks, western Wisconsin, USA

Glacial hummocks associated with the Superior Lobe in western Wisconsin are stagnant-ice features composed of melt-out till, meltwater-stream sediment, and flow till. The greater proportion of melt-out till in these hummocks than in hummocks described elsewhere suggests that a model of extensive, supraglacial reworking of supraglacially released debris does not apply to the western Wisconsin hummocks. Interpretation of melt-out till in hummock exposures is based on its strong fabric oriented parallel to regional ice-flow direction. Other features of this melt-out till include poorly developed stratification (color banding and discontinuous thin sandy lenses), and minor faulting, both of which support a melt-out origin. We suggest that as stagnant, debris-rich ice began to melt, supraglacially released debris was deposited as flow till and meltwater-stream sediment (with some debris-flow sediment and lake sediment), but as the thickness of supraglacial debris increased, debris melting out at depth was stabilized, allowing features characteristic of melt-out till to be retained. Because the supraglacial debris was sandy and the stagnant ice was likely at the pressure-melting point, the supraglacial debris was well drained and did not readily fail and flow. Debris volume in the glacier generally was greater at the glacier margin, but lateral and longitudinal variations within this zone were caused by thrusting, freezing-on, or ice-margin fluctuations, which in turn resulted in variations in hummock relief. Ice-walled-lake plains are commonly associated with the hummocks and developed where debris volume was small.