Basin filling evolution of the central basins of Mallorca since the Pliocene

A new compilation of data from 436 drill cores using decompaction and backstripping techniques was used to reconstruct the basin filling history from the Pliocene until the present day in the Palma, Inca and Sa Pobla Basins on the island of Mallorca (Spain). Calcareous rocks dominate the source area and provide a limited amount of clastic input to the basins that has resulted in an average accumulation rate of between 5 and 20 m/Ma during the last 5.3 Ma. Carbonate sediment production dominated the basin filling history during early‐mid Pliocene, but during the Quaternary, the sedimentation processes in the Palma Basin were probably enhanced by an evolution in the drainage network that increased the sediment supply and the accumulated thickness caused by stream capture. However, the maximum sedimentation rate filling the depocentres of the three basins has been decreasing since the Pliocene, showing that not only the catchment transport efficiency but also the relative sea level have been controlling the sediment accumulation in these carbonate basins. The isopach cross‐sections support the idea that a palaeorelief was generated during the Messinian sea level drop and that heterogeneities were filled in from the Pliocene to the Quaternary. We conclude that the central basins of Mallorca were filled heterogeneously due to tectonic and geomorphic processes that controlled sediment transport and production, resulting in different average sedimentation thicknesses that decreased since the Pliocene as the accommodation space became filled and the relative sea level dropped.     

Geostatistical estimation of chemical contamination in stream sediments: The case study of Vale das Gatas mine (northern Portugal)

Based on an environmental geochemistry case study carried out in the neighbourhood of a W–Sn abandoned mine, the pollution in stream sediments was modelled through a Global Contamination Index. Such an index permits one to summarize the combination of deleterious elements in a single variable, obtained by the projection of samples onto the first axis of a PCASD (Principal Components Analysis of Standardized Data) applied to the entire n × p matrix containing the available concentrations of p = 16 elements in the set of n = 220 collected samples.In order to provide a sound basis for a coherent planning of the remediation process which will be put in operation in the affected area, it is necessary to balance the costs of reclaiming with the probabilities of exceeding the upper limits accepted for concentrations of environmentally harmful elements in sediments. Given these limits, they are back-transformed in the index values, providing a practical threshold between ‘clean’ and ‘contaminated’ samples. On the other hand, the minimum dimension of the cell to be reclaimed is restrained by the selected remediation process to be applied in the affected area. Hence, to meet the constraints of such a remediation process, it is required to estimate the probabilities of exceeding the index threshold in technologically meaningful sub-areas. For this end, the Indicator Block Kriging technique was applied, producing a series of maps where sub-areas to be reclaimed can be spotted for different probability levels. These maps, on which the decision making remediation agency can rely for its cost-benefit analysis, take into account both the spatial structure of ‘clean’ vs. ‘contaminated’ samples and the constraints of the reclaiming process.     

Erosion rates and sediment budgets in vineyards at 1-m resolution based on stock unearthing (Burgundy, France)

A new and simple method is developed to efficiently quantify erosion and deposition rates based on stock unearthing measurements. This is applicable to spatial scales ranging from plot to hillslopes, and to time scales ranging from single hydrologic events to centennial scales. The method is applied to a plot area on vineyard hillslopes in Burgundy (Monthélie, France), with measurement of 4328 vine plants. A sediment budget established at the plot scale shows a mean soil lowering of 3.44 ± 1 cm over 20 years, involving a minimal erosion rate of 1.7 ± 0.5 mm yr^− 1. Locally, erosion rates can reach up to 8.2 ± 0.5 mm yr^− 1.This approach allows the sediment redistribution to be mapped and analyzed at 1-m resolution. It provides novel insights into the characterization of erosion patterns on pluri-decennial scales and into the analysis of spatial distribution of erosion processes on cultivated hillslopes.     

Talc mineralisation associated with soft hematite ore, Gongo Soco deposit, Minas Gerais, Brazil: petrography, mineral chemistry and boron-isotope composition of tourmaline

Talc mineralisation occurs as hematite–talc schist between soft hematite ore and dolomitic itabirite at Gongo Soco, Quadrilátero Ferrífero of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The hematite–talc schist and soft hematite have a prominent tectonic foliation of tabular hematite. Tabular hematite without preferential orientation is superimposed on the tectonic foliation. The talcose schist is enriched in F and has a constant Fe/S ratio. Electron-microprobe analyses indicate trace amounts of S in different generations of hematite. The whole-rock Fe/S ratio possibly represents sulfate S from hematite-hosted fluid inclusions. Fluid inclusions in foliation-overprinting hematite and chlorite geothermometry from talcose rocks suggest, respectively, temperatures from <200°C to ~300°C. Tourmaline, a rarely observed mineral in the hematite–talc schist, belongs to the alkali group and falls in the dravite compositional field. Boron-isotope determinations of tourmaline crystals, using secondary ion mass spectrometry, vary from −20‰ to −12‰ δ¹¹B. This compositional isotopic range and the tourmaline chemical composition suggest a meta-evaporitic origin. A non-marine evaporitic setting is the most likely source of acidic, highly oxidising fluids, which resulted in the abundant F-bearing talc and the presence of otherwise immobile Ti in hematite. Oxidising brines were channelled along shear zones and converted dolomitic itabirite into the Gongo Soco soft hematite and the talc mineralisation. The latter is envisaged as the hydrothermal wall-rock alteration of dolomitic itabirite, which gave rise to the soft hematite ore.     

Advanced interpretation of interferometric SAR data to detect,monitor and model ground subsidence: outcomes from the ESA-GMES Terrafirma project

Land subsidence is a common natural hazard striking extensive areas worldwide, with severe impacts on economy and environment. Subsidence has been recognized as one of geohazards needing research efforts and knowledge transfer at international level, especially when urban fabrics and infrastructures are directly involved in the land settling. Policies and solutions for land subsidence management can be different. Despite this variability, where mitigation methods need to be adopted, mapping, monitoring and simulation of subsidence have to precede their design and implementation. In this framework, Earth Observation (EO) and remote sensing have a major role to play. Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry, thanks to its wide spatial coverage and its millimeter accuracy, provides a valuable contribution in the management of hazard posed by subsidence-related deformation. The ESA-GMES Terrafirma project (2003–2014) has worked for the promotion of the persistent scatterer interferometry, a family of techniques ideally suited for the assessment of magnitude of surface deformations associated with subsidence phenomena. Within the Terrafirma Project a series of products, based on the integration of EO technologies and in situ data, has been established and delivered to a wide community of end user. Three case studies, outcomes of the Terrafirma project, are presented: the wide area of Rome (Italy), the Anthemountas basin and the Kalochori village (Greece). These case studies have been selected with the purpose of showing the essential contribution of interferometric data during the main activities that must be covered when dealing with geohazard investigations (i.e., mapping, monitoring and modeling). These three case studies are meant to be representative of the suite of services delivered by the Terrafirma project to specific end users with the legal mandated to manage the geohazard.     

Volatile contents of phlogopite micas from South African kimberlite

Phlogopite micas from nodules in South African kimberlites were analyzed for major elements with the electron microprobe and for volatile contents by high temperature mass spectrometry. The micas are from primary- (deformed) and secondary- (undeformed) textured grains in perodotite xenoliths, glimmerites, MARID (mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside) suite nodules and a mica megacryst. The major element and volatile contents of micas exhibiting these modes of occurrence overlap to a greater extent than indicated in previous studies. Concentrations of volatile species occupying structurally defined crystallographic sites (H₂O, F, Cl) are greater for many of the micas than predicted on the basis of the mica formula, particularly for the glimmerite and MARID suite samples. A correlation exists between micas with tetrahedral and octahedral cation deficiencies and those with excess H₂O, F and Cl. Substitution of H⁺ for tetrahedral and possibly octahedral cations may be responsible for the excess H₂O in these micas. Except for one sample, the major element and volatile data for the peridotite, glimmerite and MARID suite micas indicate that they crystallized at oxygen fugacities below the quartz-fayalite-magnetite buffer. F and K₂O are in the correct proportion in the micas to provide the source for these elements in alkali basalts, but not in mid-ocean ridge basalts. Kaersutite amphibole is a more likely source of potassium and fluorine in mid-ocean ridge basalts.     

Developing service-oriented applications in a grid environment

The Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP) software framework has evolved over the last 10 years to become a robust, high performance, service oriented architecture for the access and transport of scientific data from a broad variety of disciplines, over the Internet. Starting with version 4.0 of the server release, Hyrax, has at its core, the Back-End Server (BES). The BES offers ease of programming, extensibility and reliability allowing added functionality especially related to high-performance data Grids, that goes beyond its original goal of distributed data access. We present the fundamentals of the BES server as a component based architecture, as well as our experiences using the BES to distribute data processing in Grid-oriented intensive parallel computational tasks.