Infrared spectroscopic investigation of hydroxyl in β-(Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and coexisting olivine: Implications for mantle evolution and dynamics

Wadsleyite (β-(Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) is a major constituent of the Earth's transition zone and is known to accommodate OH. The portion of the transition zone between 400–550 km could be an important source or sink for hydroxyl in plumes and slabs intersecting this region. Micro-infrared spectroscopy has been carried out on the β-phase and coexisting metastable olivine synthesized in a multianvil apparatus at 14 GPa and 1550–1650 K under hydrous conditions. Single-crystal and polycrystal specimens of both phases were analyzed in the 1800–8500 cm^?1 frequency region to determine the speciation, abundances, and partitioning behavior of the hydrous components in coexisting β-phase and olivine. β-phase spectra consistently show three distinct OH bands at 3329, 3580, and 3615 cm^?1. OH concentrations range from 10000–65000 H/10⁶ Si. A strong positive correlation of grain size and extent of transformation with OH concentration in the β-phase indicates that grain-growth and transformation rates are enhanced in a hydrous environment. Olivine spectra are variable, but consistently show a prominent broad-band absorbance representing molecular H₂O, consistent with the infrared signature of the starting material. OH concentrations in olivine range from <300–1400 H/10⁶ Si. The highest OH concentrations measured for olivine and the β-phase may represent solubility limits, in which case the OH solubility ratio between these two phases is approximately 1∶40. Where both phases coexist and are undersaturated with OH, the partitioning ratio of OH between them is about 1∶100. The large solubility contrast between olivine and the β-phase suggests a mechanism for hydrating the transition zone via olivine carried down in subducting slabs. Plumes impinging on an OH-rich upper transition region could cause H₂ or H₂O to be released upon transformation of the β-phase to olivine, resulting in initiation of secondary upwellings. If dissolution of OH weakens the β-phase, and if OH is present in the mantle, the region between 400–550 km could be a zone of low viscosity.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Geographic Systems: Developments and Applications, Edited by Les Worrall, New York: Belhaven Press, 1990.
The Urge to Clear the 'Bush': A Study of Native Forest Clearance on Farms in the Catlins District of New Zealand 1861–1990 By G.A. Wilson
Southeast Asia. A Region in Transition By Johnathan Rigg.
Greater Cook Strait -Form and Flow By T.F. W. Harris
Neotectonics and Resources By J. Cosgrove & M. Jones
New Zealand and International Migration: A Digest and Bibliography Number 2 Edited by Andrew D. Trlin and Paul Spoonley, Palmerston North: Department of Sociology, Massey University
Mining, Indigenous Peoples and Development in Australasia By J. Connell and R. Howitt, Sydney University Press, Sydney, NSW, 1991.
Pacific Asia By David Drakakis-Smith.
Plains of Promise, Rivers of Destiny, Water Management and The Development of Queensland 1824–1990 By J.M. Powell, Boolanong, Bowen Hills, Queensland
Dictionary of Environmental Science By G. Jones, A. Robertson, J. Forbes and G. Hollier.
Land Use Change in Modern Japan (Nihon No Kindaika To Tochi Riyo Henka) By Yukio Himiyama
Inventing Places: Studies in Cultural Geography By Kay Anderson and Fay Gale     

Last interglacial sea levels on the south coast of New South Wales

Remnants of the Last Interglacial shoreline occur at Middle Lagoon on the far south coast of New South Wales. Relict beach sediments can be traced to a height of at least +4.8 m and are indicative of a former mean sea level of about +3 m. Thermoluminescence (TL) ages of 126 ± 13 ka and 114 ± 15 ka were determined for beach and aeolian facies respectively. Sands in the lower part of an exposure on the adjacent Gillards Beach gave TL ages of 108 ± 13 ka, but sands in the upper part of that exposure gave an age of 19.9 ± 3.5 ka. This chronological evidence of a stratigraphic unconformity in what was initially taken as pedogenic differentiation at Gillards Beach is supported by contrasting electron traps and colour centres in crystal lattices of quartz grains in these two samples. No tectonic displacement is apparent. This site provides the first evidence of the Last Interglacial sea level for 1000 km along the coast between Gippsland and Newcastle.     

A generalized probabilistic approach for slope analysis: practical application to an open pit iron ore mine

Summary An example of the generalized probabilistic approach to slope analysis is given through a case study on an iron ore mine. A step by step engineering procedure is described, so that a practical application can be made to other structures under different field conditions.     

A synthesis of the geologic evolution of Taiwan

The island arc of Taiwan is composed of Cenozoic geosynclinal sediments more than 10,000 m thick, lying on a pre-Tertiary metamorphic basement. Pleistocene to Miocene andesitic islands surround the main island and are related mostly to arc magmatism. The Penghu Island Group in the Taiwan Strait is covered with Pleistocene flood basalt. Neogene shallow marine clastic sediments are exposed mainly in the western foothills with Pleistocene andesitic extrusives at the northern tip and the northeastern offshore islands. A thick sequence of Paleogene to Miocene argillitic to slaty metaclastic rocks underlies the western Central Range and forms the immediate sedimentary cover on the pre-Tertiary metamorphic complex to the east, which represents an older Mesozoic arc-trench system. The Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan is a Neogene andesitic magmatic arc, including also a large variety of volcaniclastic and turbiditic sediments. Cenozoic Taiwan is the site of arc-continent collision where the Luzon arc on the Philippine Sea plate overrides the Chinese continental margin on the Eurasian plate. East and northeast of Taiwan, the polarity of subduction changes whereby the oceanic Philippine Sea plate is subducting beneath the Ryukyu arc system on the Eurasian plate. Continent-arc collision in Taiwan island is anomalous and may occur in a broad belt of deformation rather than along a well-defined plate boundary or subduction zone.     

Orbital forced frequencies in the 975 000 year pollen record from Tenagi Philippon (Greece)

Frequency analysis was applied to different time series obtained from the 975 ka pollen record of Tenagi Philippon (Macedonia, Greece). These time series are characteristic of different vegetation types related to specific climatic conditions. Time control of the 196 m deep core was based on 11 finite 14C dates in the upper 17 m, magnetostratigraphy and correlation with the marine oxygen isotope stratigraphy. Maximum entropy spectrum analyses and thomson multitaper spectrum analysis were applied using the complete time series. Periods of 95–99, 40–45, 24.0–25.5 and 19–21 ka which can be related to orbital forcing, as well as periods of about 68, 30 ka and of about 15.5, 13.5, 12 and 10.5 ka were detected. The detected periods of about 68, 30 ka and 16, 14, 12, 10.5 ka are likely to be harmonics and combination tones of the periods related to orbital forcing. The period of around 30 ka is possibly a secondary peak of obliquity. To study the stability of the detected periods through time, analysis with a moving window was employed. Signals in the eccentricity band were detected clearly during the last 650 ka. In the precession band, detected periods of about 24 ka show an increase in amplitude during the last 650 ka. The evolution of orbital frequencies during the last 1.0 Ma is in general agreement with the results of other marine and continental time series. Time series related to different climatic settings showed a different response to orbital forcing. Time series of vegetational elements sensitive to changes in net precipitation were forced in the precession and obliquity bands. changes in precession caused changes in the monsoon system, which indirectly had a strong influence on the climatic history of Greece. Time series of vegetational elements which are more indicative of changes in annual temperature are forced in the eccentricity band.     

Field survey of the 1994 Mindoro Island,Philippines tsunami

This is a report of the field survey of the November 15, 1994 Mindoro Island, Philippines, tsunami generated by an earthquake (M=7.0) with a strike-slip motion. We will report runup heights from 54 locations on Luzon, Mindoro and other smaller islands in the Cape Verde passage between Mindoro and Luzon. Most of the damage was concentrated along the northern coast of Mindoro. Runup height distribution ranged 3–4 m at the most severely damaged areas and 2–4 in neighboring areas. The tsunami-affected area was limited to within 10 km of the epicenter. The largest recorded runup value of 7.3 m was measured on the southwestern coast of Baco Island while a runup of 6.1 m was detected on its northern coastline. The earthquake and tsunami killed 62 people, injured 248 and destroyed 800 houses. As observed in other recent tsunami disasters, most of the casualties were children. Nearly all eyewitnesses interviewed described the first wave as a leading-depression wave. Eyewitnesses reported that the main direction of tsunami propagation was SW in Subaang Bay, SE in Wawa and Calapan, NE on Baco Island and N on Verde Island, suggesting that the tsunami source area was in the southern Pass of Verde Island and that the wave propagated rapidly in all directions. The fault plane extended offshore to the N of Mindoro Island, with its rupture originating S of Verde Island and propagating almost directly south to the inland of Mindoro, thereby accounting for the relatively limited damage area observed on the N of Mindoro.     

DDT,PCB and benzo(a)pyrene levels in white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) from southern California

In 1978 the California Department of Fish and Game carried out a major, independent sportfishing survey in southern California. The results of that survey indicated that approximately one million angler-trip hours per year were spent fishing and that one in three fish caught was a white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus). There was no attempt by the Department of Fish and Game to determine the disposition of caught fish. We conducted a subsequent survey in 1980 which included 12 popular sportfishing sites in the Los Angeles area. Our results also indicated that one in three fish caught was a white croaker. In addition our survey showed that 82% of the sportfishermen ate the white croaker they caught and the median consumption was 14.8 g day^?1 person^?1. White croaker were then sampled by hook-and-line from 11 of the 12 survey sites plus two control sites and analysed for PCB, DDT and BaP. Median PCB levels ranged from 0.014 to 0.41 mg wet kg^?1; median DDT from 0.059 to 7.5 mg wet kg^?1 and BaP was below detectable limits of 1 ng for all sites.