Madeira Island alkaline lava spinels: petrogenetic implications

Summary Four groups of spinels have been identified in Madeira Island alkaline basalts: 1) Al-rich chromian-spinels (Cr#<0.15; 51<Mg#<62) characteristic of olivine xenocrysts from dismembered, high-pressure, cognate, ultramafic xenoliths; 2) Al-poor chromian-spinel/magnesiochromite/chromite (Cr#>31; 30<Mg#<61) included in olivine phenocryst cores; 3) chromian-titanomagnetites included in olivine phenocryst rims (11<Mg#<34) and chromian-titanomagnetites to titanomagnetites in clinopyroxene phenocrysts (6<Mg#<25) and in the groundmass (3<Mg#<36); 4) rare, TiO₂-poor, MnO-rich titanomagnetite inclusions in green-core clinopyroxene xenocrysts, derived from metasomatized upper mantle xenoliths. Chemical variations among spinel groups 1) to 3) largely reflect physical conditions and the extent of fractionation of crystallising magmas. Extensive solid solution among chromian-spinel – ulvospinel – magnetite and the ulvospinel enrichment exhibited by titanomagnetite evolutionary trends are attributed to the combined effects of low-a_SiO2 and oxidizing conditions (0.2log(fO₂)_NNO1.8) during crystallisation from Madeira alkaline magmas. Pressure does not seem to have a direct influence on the stability of high-Al spinels; however, Cr/Al contrasts between spinels in high-pressure olivine xenocrysts and those in olivine phenocryst cores are envisaged as reflecting compositional effects of distinct crystallisation sequences during polibaric fractionation of Madeira magmas.     

Geomagnetic field intensity in the first millennium BC from data on ceramics of the Los Villares archaeological monument (Spain)

The geomagnetic field variation pattern in the second and third quarters of the first millennium BC is obtained from data on ceramic material sampled in the Los Villares multilayer archaeological monument (Spain). The analysis of available data on the geomagnetic field variation in Spain over the last seven millennia shows that it is similar to the geomagnetic variation pattern observed in other Eurasian regions. The amplitude of the “fundamental” (8000-yr) oscillation (≈20 μT) estimated from the Spain data exceeds significantly its amplitudes in other regions, which supports the previously noted tendency to a westward increase in the amplitude of the fundamental oscillation.     

Effects of galvanic distortion on magnetotelluric data over a three-dimensional regional structure

Although the galvanic distortion due to local, near-surface inhomogeneities is frequency-independent, its effect on the magnetotelluric data becomes, in a 3-D structure, frequency-dependent. Therefore, both the apparent resistivity and the phase responses are disturbed, and a correction should be carried out prior to the 3-D interpretation in order to retrieve the 3-D regional impedance tensor. In many cases, the structure is 2-D for depths corresponding to a first range of periods and 3-D for longer periods (called 2-D/3-D). For these cases, a simple method which allows us to retrieve the 3-D regional impedance tensor (except the static shift) is presented. The method proposed uses the Groom & Bailey decomposition of the distortion matrix for the short periods. Three examples are presented: two using synthetic data and one employing real data. These examples show the effect of the galvanic distortion over a regional 2-D/3-D model and the retrieval of the regional transfer functions from the distorted ones.     

Lateral and topographic effects in geoelectric soundings

Several two-dimensional structures are modelled for vertical electrical soundings in arrays parallel and perpendicular to the strike of the structure. The models are a horst and a graben within a three-layer medium, a cliff over two layers, and heterogeneities around the electrodes. Apparent resistivity curves are shown for different model parameters and different distances to the two-dimensional structures. Some of the features on the shape of these curves are inflections that may be misinterpreted as fictitious layers, of slopes greater than 45°; some features are simply anomalous peaks. One-dimensional interpretation of a two-dimensional graben model has been performed, in order to show typical errors when 2D structures are interpreted as one-dimensional. A real case corresponding to a landfill near Barcelona and showing strong lateral and topographic effects is presented. This represents combined effects of the above theoretical 2D models.     

Analyse Multielementaire de Six Echantillons de Reference "d' United States Geological Survey" GXR-1 a 6 par Spectrometrie d'Emission Atomique a Plasma Conductif

Une méthode spectrométrique d'émission atomique à plasma conductif a été appliquée pour l'analyse multiélementaire des échantillons USGS GXR-1 à 6. Cette méthode permet de déterminer simultanément 22 éléments: Ag, As, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Sn, V, W, Y et Zn, au niveau de traces (ppm) et le Fe en (%). Les résultats obtenus démontrent une bonne concordance avec les valeurs préalablement publiées.     

Volcanic-sedimentary features in the Serra Geral Fm., Paraná Basin,southern Brazil: Examples of dynamic lava-sediment interactions in an arid setting

The formation of volcanic–sedimentary interaction features in extreme arid environments is not a commonly described process. Specifically the occurrence of dynamically mixed sediments and juvenile igneous clasts as peperites, for water has been considered one major important factor in the processes of magma dismantling and mingling with unconsolidated sediment to form such deposits. The study area, located in south Brazil, shows a sequence of lava flows and intertrapic sandstone layers from the Paraná Basin, associated with the formation of clastic dykes, flow striations, peperite and ‘peperite-like’ breccias. Four processes are suggested for the genesis of the peperites: (a) fragmentation of the flow front and base; (b) sand injection; (c) dune collapse; (d) magma cascade downhill. The continued flow of a lava, while its outer crust is already cooling, causes it to break, especially in the front and base, fragments falling in the sand and getting mixed with it, generating the flow front ‘peperite-like’ breccia. The weight of the lava flow associated to shear stress at the base cause sand to be injected inwards the flow, forming injection clastic dykes in the cooled parts and injection peperite in the more plastic portions. The lava flow may partially erode the dune, causing the dune to collapse and forming the collapse ‘peperite-like’ breccia. The shear stress at the base of a flowing lava striates the unconsolidated sand, forming the flow striations. The sand that migrates over a cooled, jointed lava flow may get caught in the cavities and joints, forming the filling clastic dykes. These deposits are analogous to those found in the Etendeka, NW Namibia, and show that sediment–lava interactions in arid settings are widespread throughout the Paraná-Etendeka province during the onset of flood volcanism.