Thermal and redox state of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle of NE Spain from thermobarometric data on mantle xenoliths

Mantle xenoliths in within-plate Cenozoic alkaline mafic lavas from NE Spain are used to assess the local subcontinental lithospheric mantle geotherm and the influence of melting and metasomatism on its oxidation state. The xenoliths are mainly anhydrous spinel lherzolites and harzburgites and gradations between, with minor pyroxenites. Most types show protogranular textures, but transitional protogranular–porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites also exist. Different thermometers used in the estimates provide higher subsolidus equilibrium temperatures for harzburgites (1,062 ± 29°C) than for lherzolites (972 ± 89°C), although there is overlap; the lowest temperatures correspond to porphyroclastic lherzolites, whereas pyroxenites give the highest temperatures (up to 1,257°C). Maximum pressures for subsolidus equilibrium of peridotites are at 2.0–1.8 GPa. Later they followed adiabatic decompression and harzburgites registered lower pressures (1.02 ± 0.19 GPa) than lherzolites (1.41 ± 0.27 GPa). One pyroxenite gives values consistent with the spinel lherzolite field (1.08 GPa). The shallowest barometric data are in agreement with the highest local conductive geotherms, which implies that the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is at 70–60 km minimum depth. Higher equilibrium temperatures for the harzburgites could be explained by the existence of mafic magma bodies or dykes at the lower crust–mantle boundary. Paleo-fO₂ conditions during partial melting as inferred from the covariation between V and MgO concentrations are mainly between QFM−1 and QFM−2 in log units. However, most thermobarometric fO₂ estimates are between QFM−1 and QFM+1, suggesting oxidation caused by later metasomatism during uplift and cooling.     

The ability of detainment bunds to decrease sediments transported from pastoral catchments in surface runoff

Erosion leading to sedimentation in surface water may disrupt aquatic habitats and deliver sediment-bound nutrients that contribute to eutrophication. Land use changes causing loss of native vegetation have accelerated already naturally high erosion rates in New Zealand and increased sedimentation in streams and lakes. Sediment-bound phosphorus (P) makes up 71–79% of the 17–19 t P y⁻¹ delivered from anthropogenic sources to Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. Detainment bunds (DBs) were first implemented in the Lake Rotorua catchment in 2010 as a strategy to address P losses from pastoral agriculture. The bunds are 1.5–2 m high earthen stormwater retention structures constructed across the flow path of targeted low-order ephemeral streams with the purpose of temporarily ponding runoff on productive pastures. The current DB design protocol recommends a minimum pond volume of 120 m³ ha⁻¹ of contributing catchment with a maximum pond storage capacity of 10 000 m³. No previous study has investigated the ability of DBs to decrease annual suspended sediment (SS) loads leaving pastoral catchments. Annual SS yields delivered to two DBs with 20 ha and 55 ha catchments were 109 and 28 kg SS ha⁻¹, respectively, during this 12-month study. The DBs retained 1280 kg (59%) and 789 kg (51%) of annual SS loads delivered from the catchments as a result of the bunds' ability to impede stormflow and facilitate soil infiltration and sediment deposition. The results of this study highlight the ability of DBs to decrease SS loads transported from pastures in surface runoff, even during large storm events, and suggests DBs are able to reduce P loading in Lake Rotorua.     

Petrogenesis of Permian alkaline lamprophyres and diabases from the Spanish Central System and their geodynamic context within western Europe

Basic to ultrabasic alkaline lamprophyres and diabases intruded within the Spanish Central System (SCS) during Upper Permian. Their high LREE, LILE and HFSE contents, together with positive Nb–Ta anomalies, link their origin with the infiltration of sublithospheric K-rich fluids. These alkaline dykes may be classified in two distinct groups according to the Sr–Nd isotope ratios: (1) a depleted PREMA-like asthenospheric component, and (2) a BSE-like lithospheric component. A slight enrichment in radiogenic ²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb allows the contribution of a recycled crustal or lithospheric component in the mantle sources. The intrusion of this alkaline magmatism is likely to have occurred due to adiabatic decompression and mantle upwelling in the context of the widespread rifting developed from Carboniferous to Permian in western Europe. The clear differences in the geochemical affinity of Lower Permian basic magmas from north-western and south-western Europe might be interpreted in terms of a more extensive separation of both regions during that period, until they were assembled during Upper Permian. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

U-Pb zircon geochronological evidence for Neoproterozoic events in the Glenfinnan Group (Moine Supergroup): the formation of the Ardgour granite gneiss, north-west Scotland

The age and Precambrian history of the Moine Supergroup within the Caledonide belt of north-west Scotland have long been contentious issues. The Ardgour granite gneiss is essentially an in situ anatectic granite formed during deformation and regional high-grade metamorphism from Moine metasediments. High-precision TIMS and SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating shows that the age of the anatectic Ardgour granite gneiss and its enclosed segregation pegmatites is 873 ± 7 Ma. This demonstrates the reality of a Neoproterozoic episode of high-grade metamorphism in the Glenfinnan Group Moine and, contrary to previous evidence, the absence of Grenvillian-aged metamorphism. This conclusion places constraints on Neoproterozoic palaeogeographic reconstructions of the North Atlantic region, indicating that the Moine rocks cannot be used as a link between the Grenvillian belt of North America and the Sveconorwegian orogen in Scandinavia. SHRIMP ages of between c. 1100 and 1900 Ma were obtained from detrital, inherited zircons and reflect the provenance of the Glenfinnan Group Moine sediments which must, therefore, have been deposited between c. 1100 and 870 Ma. Potential sources are found as relatively minor, tectonically bounded basement inliers within the British Caledonides, although more widespread source areas occur outside Britain in both Laurentia and Baltica. The most important feature of the provenance is the absence of detrital Archaean grains. This suggests that the Archaean Lewisian gneiss complex, which forms the basement component of the western foreland to the Caledonides in Britain, was not a major contributor to the Glenfinnan Group basin. Received: 16 June 1996 / Accepted: 29 January 1997     

Strength of solid pressure media and implications for high pressure apparatus

The stress-strain properties of talc, pyrophyllite, silver chloride, sodium chloride, boron nitride and graphite have been measured under confining pressures up to 8 or 10 kb at room temperature, and, in the case of talc, also at temperatures up to 900° C. The extrapolation and application of these results to solid medium high pressure apparatus of pistoncylinder type is discussed and a calculation made of the correction to nominal pressure (friction correction), taking into account the stress gradients in the medium and the shearing between the medium and the cylinder wall. Correction to the nominal differential stress measured in solid medium stress-strain apparatus is also discussed.     

Climatic soil moisture deficit - climate and soil data integration in a GIS

This paper discusses a GIS based implementation of a model for soil droughtiness assessment evaluating the impact of possible climate change. It focuses, in particular, on the development of a methodology for mapping Available Water Capacity. An assessment of the Soil Drought Susceptibility for Scotland in the year 2030 is made and illustrated with maps and derived statistics.     

Winter mortality risk for American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) in Saskatchewan

North American ginseng is native to the deciduous forest region of eastern North America but is now cultivated in areas well beyond its natural range. In recent years an expanding market has attracted growers in climatically less suitable regions, including the Canadian prairies. The ginseng root requires at least four years to reach marketable size and is sensitive to injury when the temperature drops below about −4°C. Such temperatures are not unusual in the prairies; thus winter kill is a hazard that may limit ginseng production in this region of Canada. This study analyses the risks of winter soil temperatures falling below levels critical for the survival of ginseng in Saskatchewan. It appears that winter conditions may be too severe for reliable production of this lucrative crop, although application of straw mulch and additional benefits of trapped snow could reduce the risk of winter kill.