Columnar microbialites of the upper Miocene of Mallorca (Spain): A new morphogenetic model based on concurrent accretion and bioturbation – uncommon or overlooked?

Bioturbation has long been considered an antagonist of microbialite development and preservation, because metazoan grazing and burrowing destroy benthic microbial communities. However, metazoan bioturbation, in conjunction with microbial accretion, may have had a significant role in the morphogenesis of some columnar microbialites, as suggested by the case study presented and by some Phanerozoic and Upper Proterozoic analogues discussed here. Late Miocene in age, the studied microbial biostrome developed in a western Mediterranean restricted shallow-water platform dominated by grainy sediments and with a notable influence of bioturbation. This study is focused on the complex accretionary history of the columnar microbialite biostrome and on its striking dark grey colour, which is attributed to Mn-oxyhydroxides precipitated during meteoric diagenesis linked to subaerial exposure. The characteristic columnar structure of the microbialite biostrome has features consistent with an accretionary origin of the columns, but also has features suggesting metazoan disruption. Therefore, a new morphogenetic model for columnar microbialites is presented, highlighting the concomitant roles of microbial accretion, bioturbation and grainy sediment infill of the intercolumn space. Whether this model is an exception or a rule, should be tested on other examples of Phanerozoic and Upper Proterozoic columnar microbialites. Nevertheless, this model is a step forward in understanding the complex microbe–metazoan interactions as constructive coexistence rather than just as destructive competition.     

Understanding spatial and temporal dynamics of key environmental characteristics in a mesotidal Atlantic estuary (Douro,NW Portugal)

Ecosystem management and decision making process are dependent of a good knowledge of ecosystem functioning. Conceptual models allow knowledge organization through representation of relationships between variables and processes, facilitating management decisions. In this study, spatial and temporal characterization of key environmental variables, as well as relationships between them, was studied aiming the design of a conceptual model of the Douro estuary. This temperate mesotidal estuary is limited upstream by a hydroelectric power dam that controls freshwater inflow and prevents the propagation of the tide upstream, which, in turn, influences water circulation and biogeochemical dynamics of the system. During one year, from December 2002 to December 2003, water column data were collected monthly at 10 stations along the estuary, during ebb and flood tides. Spatial and temporal variability of water column salinity, temperature, nutrients, phytoplankton biomass, total particulate matter (TPM), phytoplankton primary production (PP), faecal coliform bacteria (FC) and community respiration (CR) were analysed. Salinity stratification was assessed by means of the Estuary Number (Ne) and variation of this index as well as other key characteristics with river flow was analysed. Freshwater discharge controlled salinity stratification and freshwater residence time. Ne indicated that the Douro was stratified for river flows <300 m³ s⁻¹, and freshwater residence time was >1 day for the same conditions. A decaying exponential relationship between PP and river flow was found, whereas nitrate and TPM increased logarithmically and linearly, respectively, with river flow. Regarding spatial distribution, nitrate and PP decreased downstream, showing that the river was a source of nutrients and phytoplankton, while the opposite trend was found for TPM, FC, ammonium and CR. The latter increase was probably due to untreated sewage discharge in the urbanized middle and lower estuarine stretches. Reduction of nitrate coming from the watershed and of bacterial contamination in the urban stretches of this highly modified water body, according to the European Water Framework Directive, emerges as the main water quality issues for this estuarine ecosystem.     

Petrographic and geochemical evidence for multiphase formation of carbonates in the Martian orthopyroxenite Allan Hills 84001

Martian meteorites can provide valuable information about past environmental conditions on Mars. Allan Hills 84001 formed more than 4 Gyr ago, and owing to its age and long exposure to the Martian environment, and this meteorite has features that may record early processes. These features include a highly fractured texture, gases trapped during one or more impact events or during formation of the rock, and spherical Fe‐Mg‐Ca carbonates. In this study, we have concentrated on providing new insights into the context of these carbonates using a range of techniques to explore whether they record multiple precipitation and shock events. The petrographic features and compositional properties of these carbonates indicate that at least two pulses of Mg‐ and Fe‐rich solutions saturated the rock. Those two generations of carbonates can be distinguished by a very sharp change in compositions, from being rich in Mg and poor in Fe and Mn, to being poor in Mg and rich in Fe and Mn. Between these two generations of carbonate is evidence for fracturing and local corrosion.     

Secondary resonances and the boundary of effective stability of Trojan motions

One of the most interesting features in the libration domain of co-orbital motions is the existence of secondary resonances. For some combinations of physical parameters, these resonances occupy a large fraction of the domain of stability and rule the dynamics within the stable tadpole region. In this work, we present an application of a recently introduced ‘basic Hamiltonian model’ \(H_\mathrm{b}\) for Trojan dynamics (Páez and Efthymiopoulos in Celest Mech Dyn Astron 121(2):139, 2015; Páez et al. in Celest Mech Dyn Astron 126:519, 2016): we show that the inner border of the secondary resonance of lowermost order, as defined by \(H_\mathrm{b}\), provides a good estimation of the region in phase space for which the orbits remain regular regardless of the orbital parameters of the system. The computation of this boundary is straightforward by combining a resonant normal form calculation in conjunction with an ‘asymmetric expansion’ of the Hamiltonian around the libration points, which speeds up convergence. Applications to the determination of the effective stability domain for exoplanetary Trojans (planet-sized objects or asteroids) which may accompany giant exoplanets are discussed.     

Depth influence on biochemical performance and thallus size of the red alga Gelidium corneum

Recent declines in the foundation species Gelidium corneum (Hudson) J.V. Lamouroux in pristine coastal stretches of the Southeastern Bay of Biscay have been documented in which individuals showed a high bleaching incidence. Among the potential factorsthat may be responsible for these changes in G. corneum abundance, it has been suggested that high levels of irradiance may be imposing stressful environmental conditions for shallow populations. Given that light is reduced exponentially as depth increases, in this investigation we examined the influence of depth on the stress of G. corneum by comparing the performance of several biochemical parameters and thallus size in plants collected at three different depths. The results revealed that plants growing in shallow waters showed lower antioxidant activity, lower concentrations of photosynthetic pigments (Chl‐a, total carotenoids, phycoerythrin), lower internal nitrogen levels (higher C:N ratio) and shorter thallus lengths than those living in deeper waters. Some of these results may be an expression of photoacclimation, but the low antioxidant activity and total carotenoid concentration detected in plants living in shallow waters suggest that the photoprotective mechanisms of G. corneum may have failed to offset photodamage. If so, our findings support previous studies that suggest that recent changes in solar radiation are partially responsible for G. corneum declines. Nevertheless, given that the metabolic performance of macroalgae is determined by the inter‐play of irradiance with other factors, including temperature and nutrient availability, further research is needed to reach a better understanding of the factors causing stress in G. corneum.     

Understanding acquisition and processing error in microseismic data: An example from Pouce Coupe Field,Canada

A challenge in microseismic monitoring is quantification of survey acquisition and processing errors, and how these errors jointly affect estimated locations. Quantifying acquisition and processing errors and uncertainty has multiple benefits, such as more accurate and precise estimation of locations, anisotropy, moment tensor inversion and, potentially, allowing for detection of 4D reservoir changes. Here, we quantify uncertainty due to acquisition, receiver orientation error, and hodogram analysis. Additionally, we illustrate the effects of signal to noise ratio variances upon event detection. We apply processing steps to a downhole microseismic dataset from Pouce Coupe, Alberta, Canada. We use a probabilistic location approach to identify the optimal bottom well location based upon known source locations. Probability density functions are utilized to quantify uncertainty and propagate it through processing, including in source location inversion to describe the three-dimensional event location likelihood. Event locations are calculated and an amplitude stacking approach is used to reduce the error associated with first break picking and the minimization with modelled travel times. Changes in the early processing steps have allowed for understanding of location uncertainty of the mapped microseismic events.     

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction from chemical and isotopic compositions of Permo-Pennsylvanian pedogenic minerals

Mineralogical and chemical analysis of Late Pennsylvanian and Early Permian paleosols from the eastern shelf of the Midland basin, north-central Texas, USA, are used to test hypothesized climate change in Late Paleozoic western equatorial Pangea, previously defined independently on the bases of sedimentologic and paleontologic proxies and climate models. The <0.2-μm size phyllosilicate fraction in the studied paleosols exhibits down-profile trends in mineralogy and chemical composition that are consistent with modern weathering profiles suggesting a dominantly pedogenic origin. A stratigraphic trend from kaolinite-dominated profiles in Upper Pennsylvanian paleosols to profiles dominated by smectite and hydroxy-interlayered 2:1 phyllosilicates in Lower Permian paleosols indicates a relatively rapid decrease in soil weathering and leaching in the latest Pennsylvanian followed by a more gradual decrease in leaching throughout the Early Permian. The chemical composition (cation ratios and exchange capacity) of these phyllosilicates further corroborates this shift toward less intensive leaching, presumably in response to climate change from humid to progressively more arid conditions.The phyllosilicates in the <0.2-μm size fraction and contemporaneous pedogenic calcites from the Permo-Pennsylvanian paleosols exhibit a long-term stratigraphic increase in their δ¹⁸O values of as much as ∼3.2‰ and ∼5.2‰, respectively. This long-term trend is consistent with a transition throughout the latest Pennsylvanian through Early Permian toward progressively more evaporatively enriched soil waters. Superimposed on the long-term trend is an apparent rapid enrichment (1.5 to 2‰) in phyllosilicate δ¹⁸O values immediately above the Pennsylvanian-Permian boundary. Observed oxygen isotope fractionation between the phyllosilicates and calcites within individual paleosols indicate isotopic disequilibrium between mineral pairs. This is attributed to a minor detrital component in the pedogenic clay-dominated phyllosilicate fraction coupled with the effects of seasonality of mineral formation. Inferred δ¹⁸O compositions of Late Paleozoic meteoric water (−2‰ to +4‰) are compatible with less intensive soil leaching under conditions of increasing aridity, possibly coupled with a shift in local precipitation from a continental source to a marine source.     

Imaging and modelling the subsurface structure of volcanic calderas with high-resolution aeromagnetic data at Vulcano (Aeolian Islands,Italy)

In this paper, we present a magnetic model of the subsurface structure of Vulcano island based on high-resolution aeromagnetic data. Three profiles across the most intense magnetic anomalies over the Piano and Fossa calderas were selected for the magnetic modelling, which was constrained by structural and volcanological data, previous geophysical models, paleomagnetic data, and borehole stratigraphy obtained from two deep wells. The interpretation of the magnetic sources represents a significant contribution to the understanding of the Piano and Fossa calderas’ underlying structure, providing us with evidence of the lateral discontinuity between them at depth. We propose that the positive magnetic anomalies in the Piano caldera area are caused by: (a) the remnants of an early submarine volcano; (b) an outcropping dyke swarm related to the feeding system of the Primordial Vulcano phase (beneath Mt. Saraceno); and (c) the presence of a non-outcropping dyke system intruded along a NE–SW-oriented intra-caldera fault (beneath the eastern part of the Piano caldera). Offshore, to the west, the magnetic anomaly map suggests the presence of a submarine volcanic structure, not revealed by bathymetric data, which could represent the eruptive centre, the presence of which has been indirectly deduced from the outcrop of eastern-dipping lavas on the western seashore. Magnetic modelling of the Fossa caldera points to the presence of a highly magnetized cone-like body inside the Fossa cone, centred beneath the oldest crater rims. We interpret this body as a pile of tephritic lavas emplaced in an early phase of activity of the Fossa cone, suggesting that the volume of mafic lavas that erupted at the beginning of the construction of the Fossa edifice was more significant than has previously been deduced. Furthermore, the presence of a magnetized body inside the Fossa cone implies that high temperatures are contained in very limited spaces, do not affect its bulk inner structure, and are restricted to fumarolic conduits and vents. In addition, structures beneath the western and northern part of the Fossa caldera are revealed to have null or low magnetization, which can be ascribed to the presence of pyroclasts and hyaloclastites in this area as well as to a large volume of hydrothermally altered materials. This suggests that the hydrothermal system, with a very limited extension at present, affected a larger area in the past, especially beneath the western part of the caldera.