Large ion lithophile elements in rocks from high-pressure granulite facies terrains

A comparison of K, Rb, Th and U concentrations in granulite facies rocks with those of unmetamorphosed common rock types shows that depletion of these elements in granulites is variable. K/Rb ratios for granulites are generally higher than unmetamorphosed rocks, but K/Rb ratios only reach extreme values when K < 1%. The covariation of K/Rb ratio with K concentration suggests that protolith composition, hence mineralogy, is very important in controlling the degree of Rb depletion in granulites. Felsic granulites exhibiting extreme K/Rb ratios are mainly Archean, reflecting the high abundance of low K felsic rocks in Archean terrains. The Scourian granulites of Scotland all have very high K/Rb ratios and cannot be considered to be representative of granulite facies terrains. It is impossible from this data set to state conclusively whether K is depleted in granulites; K/La ratios of granulites show complete overlap with igneous rocks. Th/U ratios in many granulites are greater than 4, indicating U loss relative to Th. Felsic granulites with low Th/U ratios also have high La/Th ratios, indicating that these granulites have been depleted in Th. The low Th/U ratios of these rocks may reflect retention of Th and U in resistant accessory phases.     

Realizing User-Relevant Conceptual Model for the Ski Jump Venue of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

As was the case for most other Olympic competitions, providing weather guidance for the ski jump and Nordic combined events involved its own set of unique challenges. The extent of these challenges was brought to light before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics during a series of outflow wind events in the 2008/2009 winter season. The interactions with the race officials during the difficult race conditions brought on by the outflows provided a new perspective on the service delivery requirements for the upcoming Olympic Games. In particular, the turbulent nature of the winds and its impact on the ski jump practice events that season highlighted the need of race officials for nowcasting advice at very short time scales (from 2 min to 1 h) and forecast products tailored to their decision-making process. These realizations resulted in last minute modifications to the monitoring strategy leading up to the Olympic Games and required forecasters’ conceptual models for flow within the Callaghan Valley to be downscaled further to reflect the evolution of turbulence at the ski jump site. The SNOW-V10 (Science of Nowcasting Olympic Weather for Vancouver 2010) team provided support for these efforts by supplying diagnostic case analyses of important events using numerical weather data and by enhancing the real-time monitoring capabilities at the ski jump venue.     

Shaping and Sharing Responsibility: Social Memory and Social Learning in the Australian Rural Bushfire Landscape

Responding to increased frequency and severity of bushfires, Australian governments called for “shared responsibility” for bushfire preparation and mitigation. This requires engagement between all sectors of community—government agencies, businesses, not-for-profit, and residents. Fire management agencies remain concerned about whether all communities in fire-prone landscapes are equally equipped to participate in sharing responsibility. A related question is how experience of bushfire influences subsequent community fire management practices. This paper addresses social learning and social memory in a landscape that has experienced repeat bushfires between 2006 and 2013. It examines the relationships between memory, learning and practice among a farming community in western Victoria and government agencies with bushfire management responsibility. Findings suggest that social learning and social memory interact and new practices emerge as the participants embrace “shared responsibility.” However, ambiguities remain about “what” is being shared and what being “responsible” means at different points in preparation and response.     

An astrobiological perspective on Meridiani Planum

Sedimentary rocks exposed in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars record aqueous and eolian deposition in ancient dune and interdune playa-like environments that were arid, acidic, and oxidizing. On Earth, microbial populations have repeatedly adapted to low pH and both episodic and chronic water limitation, suggesting that, to a first approximation, the Meridiani plain may have been habitable during at least part of the interval when deposition and early diagenesis took place. On the other hand, the environmental conditions inferred for Meridiani deposition would have posed a challenge for prebiotic chemical reactions thought to have played a role in the origin of life on Earth. Orbital observations suggest that the combination of sulfate minerals and hematite found in Meridiani rocks may be unusual on the martian surface; however, there is reason to believe that acidity, aridity, and oxidizing conditions were broadly distributed on ancient Mars. When these conditions were established and how much environmental heterogeneity existed on early Mars remain to be determined. Because sulfates and iron oxides can preserve detailed geochemical records of environmental history as well as chemical, textural and microfossil signatures of biological activity, Meridiani Planum is an attractive candidate for Mars sample return.     

Geochemistry of the Archean Yellowknife Supergroup

The Archean Yellowknife Supergroup (Slave Structural Province. Canada) is composed of a thick sequence of supracrustal rocks, which differs from most Archean greenstone belts in that it contains a large proportion ( ~ 80%) of sedimentary rocks. Felsic volcanics of the Banting Formation are characterized by HREE depletion without Eu-anomalies, indicating an origin by small degrees of partial melting of a mafic source, with minor garnet in the residua. Granitic rocks include synkinematic granites [HREE-depleted; low (${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$)_I], post-kinematic granites [negative Eu-anomalies, high (${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$)_I] and granitic gneisses with REE patterns similar to the post-kinematic granites. Sedimentary rocks (turbidites) of the Burwash and Walsh Formations have similar chemical compositions and were derived from 20% mafic-intermediate volcanics, 55% felsic volcanics and 25% granitic rocks. Jackson Lake Formation lithic wackes can be divided into two groups with Group A derived from 50% mafic-intermediate volcanics and 50% felsic volcanics and Group B, characterized by HREE depletion, derived almost exclusively from felsic volcanics.REE patterns of Yellowknife sedimentary rocks are similar to other Archean sedimentary REE patterns, although they have higher $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{N}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{N}}$. These patterns differ significantly from typical post-Archean sedimentary REE patterns, supporting the idea that Archean exposed crust had a different composition than the present day exposed crust.