Surface area, porosity and water adsorption properties of fine volcanic ash particles

Our understanding on how ash particles in volcanic plumes react with coexisting gases and aerosols is still rudimentary, despite the importance of these reactions in influencing the chemistry and dynamics of a plume. In this study, six samples of fine ash (<100 m) from different volcanoes were measured for their specific surface area, a_s, porosity and water adsorption properties with the aim to provide insights into the capacity of silicate ash particles to react with gases, including water vapour. To do so, we performed high-resolution nitrogen and water vapour adsorption/desorption experiments at 77 K and 303 K, respectively. The nitrogen data indicated a_s values in the range 1.1–2.1 m²/g, except in one case where a a_s of 10 m²/g was measured. This high value is attributed to incorporation of hydrothermal phases, such as clay minerals, in the ash surface composition. The data also revealed that the ash samples are essentially non-porous, or have a porosity dominated by macropores with widths >500 Å. All the specimens had similar pore size distributions, with a small peak centered around 50 Å. These findings suggest that fine ash particles have relatively undifferentiated surface textures, irrespective of the chemical composition and eruption type. Adsorption isotherms for water vapour revealed that the capacity of the ash samples for water adsorption is systematically larger than predicted from the nitrogen adsorption a_s values. Enhanced reactivity of the ash surface towards water may result from (i) hydration of bulk ash constituents; (ii) hydration of surface compounds; and/or (iii) hydroxylation of the surface of the ash. The later mechanism may lead to irreversible retention of water. Based on these experiments, we predict that volcanic ash is covered by a complete monolayer of water under ambient atmospheric conditions. In addition, capillary condensation within ash pores should allow for deposition of condensed water on to ash particles before water reaches saturation in the plume. The total mass of water vapour retained by 1 g of fine ash at 0.95 relative water vapour pressure is calculated to be ~10^–2 g. Some volcanic implications of this study are discussed.Editorial responsibility: J. Gilbert     

滇西墨江西部石炭、二叠纪火山岩

墨江西部出露有石炭纪和晚二叠世两套火山岩,它们呈平行的两条带分布。石炭纪火山岩以拉斑玄武岩为主,少量流纹岩,它们是由上地幔源区10%部分熔融形成的原始岩浆,经橄榄石、辉石和斜长石不同程度结晶分异作用形成。其喷发环境可能是一个发育在大陆边缘的张性海盆地。晚二叠世火山岩较为复杂,熔岩与火山碎屑岩交互发育,熔岩主要属于拉斑系列,还含有少量钙碱性系列岩石;形成于陆缘火山弧环境。     

Determination of the origin of the Helvadere drinking springs by means of hydrochemical and isotopic techniques, Aksaray, Central Anatolia, Turkey

The main aquifer of the Helvadere springs that emerges on the strike-slip of the Hasanda?? fault set alongside the Tuzgölü (salt lake) fault zone, and trends in a NW–SE direction of Aksaray city, in the western part of Central Anatolia, is the exposed rocks of Hasanda?? which are volcanics that have distinct hydrogeological properties. The meteoric origin of the spring waters is deduced from hydrochemical and environmental isotope (¹⁸O, ²H, ³H) studies. The springs have high discharge (Q>100?l/s) and low ion concentrations because of fast circulation along the groundwater flow path in the aquifer. Furthermore, because it has Ca-Na-Mg-HCO₃ hydrochemical facies, it conforms to high standards of drinking and irrigation water.     

阿尔泰南缘麦兹盆地萨吾斯铅锌矿床控矿铁闪石矽卡岩的40Ar/39Ar年代学研究

萨吾斯矿床位于麦兹盆地东部,是一个新近发现和勘探的铅锌矿床。萨吾斯铅锌矿床赋存于下泥盆统康布铁堡组上亚组凝灰岩、流纹岩及其沉积碳酸盐夹层,矿（化）体直接受石榴黑云矽卡岩和铁闪石矽卡岩控制,表现出火山喷流-沉积成矿和矽卡岩矿床的双重特征。这两类矿床的重要区别之一是同生和后生成矿。对主要矽卡岩矿物铁闪石进行精确的Ar-Ar年龄测定,将其与康布铁堡组流纹岩的年龄对比,有助于确定萨吾斯铅锌矿床的成因。高精度、高灵敏度激光⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar测年方法,为解决闪石类低K矿物的定年提供了新的手段。岩芯样品SW85中,铁闪石晶粒较大、晶形发育,与闪锌矿、碳酸盐矿物和石榴子石都具有平直的边界,而不是复杂交生,不含矿物和流体包裹体,代表了相对简单均一的系统。对SW85的铁闪石做了激光⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar测年,其结果为412±15Ma,与康布铁堡组流纹岩的SIMS锆石U-Pb年龄（401±2.7Ma）和别斯萨拉玢岩的SIMS锆石U-Pb年龄（401±3.1Ma）在误差范围内一致,表明矽卡岩和铅锌矿的形成与康布铁堡组流纹质火山岩的喷发及其碎屑岩的沉积是同时的,成因上密切相关。其次,矽卡岩呈层状产出,局限于康布铁堡组凝灰岩及其铁锰钙质碳酸盐夹层的范围内;石榴子石为铁铝榴石、锰铝榴石,闪石为铁闪石,缺失透辉石、钙铁辉石。上述特征与接触交代矽卡岩不同,后者以钙铝榴石、钙铁榴石、透辉石/钙铁辉石为特征,闪石为角闪石。接触交代矽卡岩矿床是后成矿床,它晚于岩浆侵入体的围岩。综上所述,萨吾斯铅锌矿是一个与康布铁堡组火山喷发和浅成侵入有关的喷流-沉积矿床。麦兹盆地的控盆断裂巴寨断裂从北西端向南东发展而成。阿巴宫-库尔提断裂和琼库尔断裂是克兰盆地的控盆断裂,它们在北西撒开、向南东收敛,具有羽状张剪性断裂的特征。因此,阿尔泰南缘在早泥盆世具有活动陆缘的局部拉张性质。西伯利亚板块与哈萨克斯坦-准噶尔板块的推错,在阿尔泰南缘产生局部张剪性应力场,从而形成了上述断裂以及早泥盆世火山-沉积盆地。     

重复利用的城市垃圾炉渣无侧限抗压强度实验

以江苏某城市的垃圾炉渣为实验材料,通过标准分析筛得到粒径小于等于2mm的颗粒,将制样重复利用后的炉渣颗粒配比成不同含水率后,通过分层击实实验制成不同干密度的试样,制样干密度为d=1.4、1.5和1.6的试样,制样模具为高80mm、直径39.1mm。不同干密度的试样分别做龄期为3d、7d、14d、28d无侧限抗压强度试验,其中一种干密度试样在某一龄期做5组实验以降低离散性的影响。通过大量的实验数据,研究重复利用后炉渣颗粒制成试样的强度随龄期、干密度的变化趋势,并与炉渣初次使用时制成的试样强度进行对比,得出炉渣的强度具有一定的离散性,但总体上随龄期和干密度的增加而增加,且炉渣颗粒重复利用后制成的试样强度有很明显的降低。对炉渣材料做XRD分析,以获得炉渣的主要组成成分来更好的理解炉渣试样的强度特性。文中得出的结论为更好的将炉渣应用到具体的工程中提供参考意见。     

Age and impacts of the caldera-forming Aniakchak II eruption in western Alaska

The mid-Holocene eruption of Aniakchak volcano (Aniakchak II) in southwest Alaska was among the largest eruptions globally in the last 10,000 years (VEI-6). Despite evidence for possible impacts on global climate, the precise age of the eruption is not well-constrained and little is known about regional environmental impacts. A closely spaced sequence of radiocarbon dates at a peatland site over 1000 km from the volcano show that peat accumulation was greatly reduced with a hiatus of approximately 90–120 yr following tephra deposition. During this inferred hiatus no paleoenvironmental data are available but once vegetation returned the flora changed from a Cyperaceae-dominated assemblage to a Poaceae-dominated vegetation cover, suggesting a drier and/or more nutrient-rich ecosystem. Oribatid mites are extremely abundant in the peat at the depth of the ash, and show a longer-term, increasingly wet peat surface across the tephra layer. The radiocarbon sample immediately below the tephra gave a date of 1636–1446 cal yr BC suggesting that the eruption might be younger than previously thought. Our findings suggest that the eruption may have led to a widespread reduction in peatland carbon sequestration and that the impacts on ecosystem functioning were profound and long-lasting.     

滇西马登地区晚二叠世-早三叠世地层组合及年代学:火山岩锆石U-Pb定年证据

在西南"三江"造山带中段的兰坪盆地内,由于露头状况不好,盆地基底岩石出露状况不详,导致地层划分、归属相当混乱。详细的野外地质调查揭示,盆地东缘马登地区出露的基底岩石主要由2个构造地层单元组成,上部为火山-沉积序列,下部为浅海相泥岩、灰岩及生物碎屑灰岩。上部火山-沉积序列出露厚约1200m,可分为4个喷发-沉积韵律,由英安质熔岩、流纹质熔岩与晶屑凝灰岩、火山集块岩、火山角砾岩、流纹质凝灰岩、火山碎屑岩及少量泥岩相间组成。火山岩锆石LAICP-MS U-Pb法测年数据显示,岩浆活动始于250Ma,持续至244Ma,总体处于早三叠世,构成江达-维西-云县弧火山岩带的一部分。强烈变形的海相地层与火山岩二者呈断层接触,其时代老于250Ma。结合砂岩中碎屑锆石年龄结果(大于260Ma)判定,这套沉积岩应属于晚二叠世,其与早三叠世-中三叠世火山岩一起组成兰坪盆地的基底岩石。     

Geochemical characteristics of a pre-Middle Jurassic oceanic crust fragment from the Central Pontides in northern Turkey: Geodynamic implications on intra-oceanic subduction initiation

The Central Pontides (northern Turkey) is one of the key localities to understand the geodynamic evolution of the Palaeo- and Neotethyan oceans. It consists of the pre-Jurassic basement units, the Early Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous accretionary complexes, the widespread Middle Jurassic continental arc magmatics and the Late Jurassic to Tertiary cover units. The Early Cretaceous accretionary complex is represented by the Central Pontide Structural Complex and includes the Middle Jurassic oceanic units, which were metamorphosed during the Early Cretaceous. Apart from these oceanic units, a few metaophiolite and serpentinite fragments have been recognized within the basement units, which may represent the remnants of an older ocean. The pre-Middle Jurassic Devrekani Metaophiolite is the largest oceanic fragment and tectonically intercalated within/between the Devrekani Metamorphics and the Çangaldağ Metamorphic Complex. It is mainly composed of harzburgites, dunites with chromite veins and metagabbros, and cut by metabasaltic andesites and metadacites. Petrographically, the gabbro consists mainly of plagioclase and clinopyroxene, and displays phaneritic/porphyritic texture. In contrast, the metabasaltic andesite includes plagioclase and mica phenocrysts within a fine-grained groundmass. Also, the metadacite is composed predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and mica minerals. Two different magmatic groups belonging to completely different tectono-magmatic settings have been geochemically determined based on the immobile trace element systematics. The metadacites and metabasaltic andesites are akin to continental arc magmatics and characterized by negative Nb and Ta anomalies and depleted HFSE relative to Th and La contents. However, the metagabbro samples display the geochemical signatures of boninitic rocks and characterized by highly depletion in HFSEs and REEs relative to N-MORB. The Devrekani Metaophiolite in the Central Pontides may represent another remnant of pre-Middle Jurassic oceanic crust generation and can be north-eastward continuation of the Permian-aged Almacık complex and the Boğazköy Metaophiolite fragment in the western Sakarya Composite Terrane. It may have been cut by intrusions of the extensive Middle Jurassic continental arc magmatism after its imbrication within the basement unit. The presence of pre-Middle Jurassic oceanic units may indicate that the Paleozoic ocean may have survived as the Jurassic Intra-Pontide Ocean between the Scythian Platform and Sakarya Composite Terrane during the Mesozoic time. Thus, the Intra-Pontide Suture may normally include the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic remnants of the long-lived northward subducting Tethyan ocean.     

塔里木盆地二叠系划分对比与火山岩分布

根据全盆地钻井与露头剖面对比和地震剖面追踪解释,探讨了塔里木盆地覆盖区二叠系岩石地层的划分对比。二叠系自下而上由一个自然伽玛曲线加积段、三个自然伽玛曲线退积段组成,加积段为南闸组、退积段分别为库普库兹曼组、开派雷兹克组和沙井子组。南闸组是塔里木盆地最后一次海侵形成的滨浅海灰岩泥岩薄互层为主的沉积。库普库兹曼组和开派雷兹克组是两个基性火山岩-酸性火山岩的旋回或基性火山岩-砂泥岩的旋回。沙井子组是一个与区域构造运动有关的冲积扇、辫状河-曲流河沉积的异旋回。二叠系火山岩在和田河、塔中西部和顺托果勒地区厚度较大,库普库兹曼组火山岩一般0~60m,开派雷兹克组火山岩一般0~200m,局部可超过400m。与库普库兹满组火山岩相比,开派雷兹克组火山岩分布范围由塔西南朝塔东北方向有所迁移。中西部的库普库兹曼组火山岩可能喷发于水下。火山通道多沿着古隆起上的断背斜、断鼻构造分布。火山岩可形成油气藏遮挡,或本身形成储层,但火山活动改造或不同程度地破坏了早期已有油气藏。     

Explosive volcanic eruptions triggered by cosmic rays: Volcano as a bubble chamber

Volcanoes with silica-rich and highly viscous magma tend to produce violent explosive eruptions that result in disasters in local communities and that strongly affect the global environment. We examined the timing of 11 eruptive events that produced silica-rich magma from four volcanoes in Japan (Mt. Fuji, Mt. Usu, Myojin-sho, and Satsuma-Iwo-jima) over the past 306 years (from AD 1700 to AD 2005). Nine of the 11 events occurred during inactive phases of solar magnetic activity (solar minimum), which is well indexed by the group sunspot number. This strong association between eruption timing and the solar minimum is statistically significant to a confidence level of 96.7%. This relationship is not observed for eruptions from volcanoes with relatively silica-poor magma, such as Izu-Ohshima. It is well known that the cosmic-ray flux is negatively correlated with solar magnetic activity, as the strong magnetic field in the solar wind repels charged particles such as galactic cosmic rays that originate from outside of the solar system. The strong negative correlation observed between the timing of silica-rich eruptions and solar activity can be explained by variations in cosmic-ray flux arising from solar modulation. Because silica-rich magma has relatively high surface tension (~ 0.1 Nm^?1), the homogeneous nucleation rate is so low that such magma exists in a highly supersaturated state without considerable exsolution, even when located relatively close to the surface, within the penetration range of cosmic-ray muons (1–10 GeV). These muons can contribute to nucleation in supersaturated magma, as documented by many authors studying a bubble chamber, via ionization loss. This radiation-induced nucleation can lead to the pre-eruptive exsolution of H₂O in the silica-rich magma. We note the possibility that the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption was triggered by the same mechanism: an increase in cosmic-ray flux triggered by Typhoon Yunya, as a decrease in atmospheric pressure results in an increase in cosmic-ray flux. We also speculate that the snowball Earth event was triggered by successive large-scale volcanic eruptions triggered by increased cosmic-ray flux due to nearby supernova explosions.