Water isotopic and hydrochemical evolution of a lake chain in the northern Great Plains and its paleoclimatic implications

Oxygen isotopes and geochemistry from lake sediments are commonly used as proxies of past hydrologic and climatic conditions, but the importance of present-day hydrologic processes in controlling these proxies are sometimes not well established and understood. Here we use present-day hydrochemical data from 13 lakes in a hydrologically connected lake chain in the northern Great Plains (NGP) to investigate isotopic and solute evolution along a hydrologic gradient. The ¹⁸O and ²H of water from the chain of lakes, when plotted in ²H - ¹⁸O space, form a line with a slope of 5.9, indicating that these waters fall on an evaporation trend. However, 10 of the 13 lakes are isotopically similar (¹⁸O = –6 ± 1 VSMOW) and show no correlation with salinity (which ranges from 1 to 65). The lack of correlation implies that the isotopic composition of various source waters rather than in-lake evaporation is the main control of the ¹⁸O of the lakes. Groundwater, an important input in the water budget of this chain of lakes, has a lower ¹⁸O value (–16.7 in 1998) than that of mean annual precipitation (–11) owing to selective recharge from snow melt. For the lakes in this chain with salinity < 15, the water Mg/Ca ratios are strongly correlated with salinity, whereas Sr/Ca is not. The poor correlation between Sr/Ca and salinity results from uptake of Sr by endogenic aragonite. These new results indicate that ¹⁸O records may not be interpreted simply in term of climate in the NGP, and that local hydrology needs to be adequately investigated before a meaningful interpretation of sedimentary records can be reached.     

Stable Isotope Ratios: Hurricane Olivia

The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions of rains from HurricaneOlivia (1994) in the eastern Pacific were measured. The rains werecollected on 24 and 25 September during airplane flights conducted at anelevation of 3 km. Hurricane Olivia peaked in intensity to a category-4storm between the two dates. Isotope ratios of rains from HurricaneOlivia were markedly lower ( ¹⁸O = –13.9to –28.8) than that of rain collected from a thunderstormat an elevation of 2.3 km outside the influence of Olivia (¹⁸O = –3.8). A distinct decrease in isotoperatios from the first day to the next ( ¹⁸O =–18.4 to –21.9) in Hurricane Olivia wasattributed to decreased updraft velocities and outflow aloft. Thisshifted the isotopic water mass balance so that fewer hydrometeors werelifted and more ice descended to flight level. A decrease in the averagedeuterium excess from the first day to the next (d = 15.5 to 7.1)was attributed to an increase in the relative humidity of the watervapor `source' area. We hypothesize that the `source' region for therain was in the boundary layer near the storm center and that becausethe hurricane was at peak intensity prior to the second day the relative humidity was higher.     

Conceptual problems with remote element synthesis

The notion of remote element synthesis has recently been modified to explain the presence of nucleogenetic isotopic anomalies and decay products of short-lived nuclides by injection of a small amount ofexotic nucleogenetic material. Even with this modification, remote element synthesis seems inconsistent with the following observations:

Palaeomonsoon and palaeoproductivity records of δ18O, δ{13}C and CaCO3 variations in the northern Indian Ocean sedimentsC and CaCO3 variations in the northern Indian Ocean sediments

δ¹⁸ O and δ¹³C of G.sacculifer have been measured in five cores from the northern Indian Ocean. In addition, high resolution analysis (1 to 2 cm) was performed on one core (SK-20-185) for both δ¹⁸O and gd¹³C in five species of planktonic foraminifera. CaCO₃ variation was measured in two cores. The results, presented here, show that

海拉尔盆地西部蚀源区岩石提供铀源能力的研究

利用U-Pb同位素组成演化对海拉尔盆地西部西胡里吐盆地蚀源区火山岩类和克鲁伦凹陷蚀源区花岗岩类岩石的研究表明:蚀源区岩石原始铀含量(U0)较高,火山岩类平均U0为10.061×106,铀变化系数(ΔU)平均为49.57%;花岗岩类平均U0为18.381×106,ΔU平均为80%。这些结果显示了蚀源区岩石能为沉积砂体提供预富集的物质基础,也能提供成矿铀源。岩石的U-Ra平衡系数研究表明,火山岩类存在明显的U-Ra不平衡现象,而花岗岩提供成矿铀源应发生在16000a以前。     

浙江江山灯影组碳、氧同位素特征

通过测试分析了浙江江山灯影组碳酸盐岩的碳、氧同位素特征。结果显示δ^13C值在-2．11‰～2．71‰之间，底、顶部表现为负异常，主体部分比较平稳，变化频率不大。呈微弱的降低趋势；δ^18O值在-3．52‰～-8．76‰之间变化，整体比较平稳，从底到顶呈略降低的变化趋势。浙江江山碳、氧同位素的特征与国内外同期地层非常相似，具有全球可对比性，反映浙江江山地区在灯影初期海平面短暂下降，随后海洋环境相对稳定，直到灯影末期，与全球古环境发生强烈变化一样，本区海洋环境也发生了强烈变化。     

新疆-甘肃北山金矿南带的成矿流体演化和成矿机制

北山金矿南带是西北5省区规模最大的金矿带。选择北山南带的新金厂、老金厂和小西弓金矿床，在矿床地质和岩相学研究的基础上，对脉石英的流体包裹体进行了显微温度计和激光拉曼探针气体成分测定；对石英和矿石黄铁矿的包裹体H2O，CO2和CH4进行了H和C同位素组成测定，对石英和黄铁矿分别做了O和S同位素组成测定。3个金矿床的脉石英含有富CO2＋CH4、H2O溶液以及H2O-CO2＋CH4包裹体。小西弓金矿床流体包裹体的均一化温度主要介于270℃-450℃，一部分H2O溶液包裹体圈闭了高盐度流体（16．43—18．63wt．％NaCl equiv．），大部分H2O溶液包裹体和全部富CO2＋CH。包裹体代表了中-低盐度（2．8％-13．6％）流体。新金厂金矿床流体包裹体的均一化温度主要介于210℃-346℃；一部分流体包裹体圈闭了高盐度（10．98％～14％NaCl equiv．）流体，一部分H2O溶液包裹体和绝大多数富CO2＋CH4包裹体圈闭了中-低盐度（2．9％-8．81％NaCl equiv．）流体。老金厂金矿床H2O溶液包裹体的均一化温度主要分布于141℃-400℃，含盐度介于1．4％-8．28％，属于中-低盐度流体。进行了大气降水-围岩^18O／^16O、D／H交换反应模拟。小西弓矿床早期硫化物-石英脉金矿成矿流体对应较高的水／岩比（=0．01—0．05），其^18O／^16O和D／H组成更受钾长花岗岩者控制，硫化物的δ^34S值也接近钾长花岗岩的黄铁矿者，指示热液流体围绕着钾长花岗岩的对流淋滤。成矿晚期，围绕着花岗岩侵入体的热液对流崩溃，矿区围岩内发育更大尺度的彼此分离的弥漫性流体渗透淋滤；相应地，小西弓矿床晚期蚀变岩金矿成矿流体的8D值对应低水／岩比（0．005-≈0．01），其δ^18O值变化范围较宽，受当地中元古界变质岩控制，蚀变岩型金矿黄铁矿的δ^34S值也接近中元古界长英质片岩的黄铁矿者。新金厂金矿和老金厂金矿成矿流体的δD值和δ^18O值对应的水／岩值分别介于0．004—0．01和0．007～0．02，与岩浆流体或者下二叠统哲斯群辉绿岩和英安岩围岩具有更密切的关系。新金厂金矿和老金厂金矿黄铁矿样品的δ^34S值介于-2．58‰和-6．32‰，指示S来源于下二叠统哲斯群辉绿岩、英安岩和碳质板岩围岩。3个金矿的石英包裹体CO2（δ^13C=-2．20‰--9．14‰），以及石英和黄铁矿包裹体CH4（δ^13C=013．10‰--27．40‰）不平衡；前者来源于幔源岩浆去气，后者来源于哲斯群碳质板岩或者中元古界长英质片岩中的还原碳。3个金矿黄铁矿包裹体的CO（δ^13C=-10．79‰--23．62‰）主要来源于哲斯群碳质板岩或中元古界长英质片岩中的还原碳，但是，也混合了较少的岩浆CO2。包裹体CO2和CH4δ^13C值的系统变化，也反映了从岩浆侵位和去气、流体对流，到围岩中流体大面积弥漫性渗透淋滤的演化过程。CH4介入成矿流体，导致流体不混溶和金的沉淀。北山金矿南带的形成既不同于典型的造山带型金矿床，也不同于与侵入岩有关的金矿床。我们提出北山金矿南带的成矿模式为：岩浆去气和流体对流、岩石挤压破碎、流体弥漫性渗透淋滤。     

Lithium isotope fractionation in the southern Cascadia subduction zone

We present lithium (Li) abundances and isotope compositions for a suite of anhydrous olivine tholeiites (HAOTs) and hydrous basalt-andesitic (BA) lavas from the Mt. Shasta and Medicine Lake regions, California. The values of δ⁷Li vary from + 0.9‰ to + 6.4‰ and correlate inversely with distance from the trench. These data are consistent with continuous isotope fractionation of Li during dehydration of the subducted oceanic lithosphere, an interpretation corroborated by uniformly high pre-eruptive H₂O contents in basaltic andesites accompanied by high Li, Rb, Sr, Ba and Pb abundances. The subduction-derived component that was added to these hydrous magmas is shown to be very similar beneath both Mt. Shasta and Medicine Lake volcanoes despite characteristically distinct Li isotope compositions in the magmas themselves. More evolved andesites and dacites from Mt. Shasta have δ⁷Li from + 2.8 to + 6.9‰ which is identical with the range obtained for HAOTs and BA lavas from Mt. Shasta. Therefore, Li isotopes do not provide evidence for any other crustal component admixed to Mt. Shasta andesites or dacites during magmatic differentiation and magma mixing in the crust.     

Paleoceanographic evolution of the SW Svalbard margin (76°N) since 20,000 C yr BP

Two cores from the southwestern shelf and slope of Storfjorden, Svalbard, taken at 389 m and 1485 m water depth have been analyzed for benthic and planktic foraminifera, oxygen isotopes, and ice-rafted debris. The results show that over the last 20,000 yr, Atlantic water has been continuously present on the southwestern Svalbard shelf. However, from 15,000 to 10,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, comprising the Heinrich event H1 interval, the Bølling-Allerød interstades and the Younger Dryas stade, it flowed as a subsurface water mass below a layer of polar surface water. In the benthic environment, the shift to interglacial conditions occurred at 10,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Due to the presence of a thin upper layer of polar water, surface conditions remained cold until ca. 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP, when the warm Atlantic water finally appeared at the surface. Neither extensive sea ice cover nor large inputs of meltwater stopped the inflow of Atlantic water. Its warm core was merely submerged below the cold polar surface water.     

Environmental change recorded in sediments from the Marmes rockshelter archaeological site, southeastern Washington state, USA

The Marmes Rockshelter archaeological site in southeastern Washington state contains a > 11 kyr stratigraphic record that was excavated in the 1960s but only recently analyzed in detail. We present the results of physical, chemical, and isotopic analyses of archived Marmes sediments from rockshelter, hillslope, and floodplain locations. Multiple lines of evidence including éboulis production, soil chemistry, and δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O signatures in soil organic matter and calcium carbonate suggest that relatively cool, moist conditions 10,600 to 9700 ¹⁴C yr BP were followed by relatively warm and dry conditions as early as 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Warm and dry conditions extended to the late Holocene, followed by a return to cooler and moister climate. The limited range of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values in Marmes paleosols suggests that the magnitude of moisture and temperature shifts was locally buffered in the lower Snake River Canyon but adequate to generate significant changes in sedimentation and soil formation, possibly due to nonlinear geological and pedological processes. These buffered canyon environments were well suited for establishing residential bases associated with foraging and logistical collecting strategies and may have minimized the influence of climate changes in food resource abundance.