Crustal contamination and crystal entrapment during polybaric magma evolution at Mt. Somma–Vesuvius volcano, Italy: Geochemical and Sr isotope evidence

New major and trace element analyses and Sr-isotope determinations of rocks from Mt. Somma–Vesuvius volcano produced from 25 ky BP to 1944 AD are part of an extensive database documenting the geochemical evolution of this classic region. Volcanic rocks include silica undersaturated, potassic and ultrapotassic lavas and tephras characterized by variable mineralogy and different crystal abundance, as well as by wide ranges of trace element contents and a wide span of initial Sr-isotopic compositions. Both the degree of undersaturation in silica and the crystal content increase through time, being higher in rocks produced after the eruption at 472 AD (Pollena eruption). Compositional variations have been generally thought to reflect contributions from diverse types of mantle and crust. Magma mixing is commonly invoked as a fundamental process affecting the magmas, in addition to crystal fractionation. Our assessment of geochemical and Sr-isotopic data indicates that compositional variability also reflects the influence of crustal contamination during magma evolution during upward migration to shallow crustal levels and/or by entrapment of crystal mush generated during previous magma storage in the crust. Using a variant of the assimilation fractional crystallization model (Energy Conservation–Assimilation Fractional Crystallization; [Spera and Bohrson, 2001. Energy-constrained open-system magmatic processes I: General model and energy-constrained assimilation and fractional crystallization (EC–AFC) formulation. J. Petrol. 999–1018]; [Bohrson, W.A. and Spera, F.J., 2001. Energy-constrained open-system magmatic process II: application of energy-constrained assimilation–fractional crystallization (EC–AFC) model to magmatic systems. J. Petrol. 1019–1041]) we estimated the contributions from the crust and suggest that contamination by carbonate rocks that underlie the volcano (2 km down to 9–10 km) is a fundamental process controlling magma compositions at Mt. Somma–Vesuvius in the last 8 ky BP. Contamination in the mid- to upper crust occurred repeatedly, after the magma chamber waxed with influx of new mantle- and crustal-derived magmas and fluids, and waned as a result of magma withdrawal and production of large and energetic plinian and subplinian eruptions.     

The Geogenic Contamination Handbook: Addressing arsenic and fluoride in drinking water

In some groundwaters, arsenic and fluoride can reach concentrations that are hazardous to human health if geological and geochemical conditions favour the release of these contaminants. This can especially pose a problem in developing countries where water service providers already struggle with the provision of clean water. The Geogenic Contamination Handbook, released in January 2015, aims to provide concise guidelines for practitioners faced with the problem of geogenically contaminated drinking water in low- and middle-income countries. The handbook is a digital resource, with the reader benefitting from numerous weblinks and embedded documents giving additional information where relevant. The necessary steps needed for sustainable mitigation of arsenic or fluoride-contaminated drinking water are outlined. This includes information on water quality testing (e.g. how to plan a field survey), different water treatment options as well as practical guidelines on the integration of technical, institutional and sociological aspects of arsenic and fluoride mitigation.     

Sources of nitrate contamination and age of water in large karstic springs of Florida

In response to concerns about the steady increase in nitrate concentrations over the past several decades in many of Floridas first magnitude spring waters (discharge 2.8 m³/s), multiple isotopic and other chemical tracers were analyzed in water samples from 12 large springs to assess sources and timescales of nitrate contamination. Nitrate-N concentrations in spring waters ranged from 0.50 to 4.2 mg/L, and ¹⁵N values of nitrate in spring waters ranged from 2.6 to 7.9 per mil. Most ¹⁵N values were below 6 per mil indicating that inorganic fertilizers were the dominant source of nitrogen in these waters. Apparent ages of groundwater discharging from springs ranged from 5 to about 35 years, based on multi-tracer analyses (CFC-12, CFC-113, SF₆, ³H/³He) and a piston flow assumption; however, apparent tracer ages generally were not concordant. The most reliable spring-water ages appear to be based on tritium and ³He data, because concentrations of CFCs and SF₆ in several spring waters were much higher than would be expected from equilibration with modern atmospheric concentrations. Data for all tracers were most consistent with output curves for exponential and binary mixing models that represent mixtures of water in the Upper Floridan aquifer recharged since the early 1960s. Given that groundwater transit times are on the order of decades and are related to the prolonged input of nitrogen from multiple sources to the aquifer, nitrate could persist in groundwater that flows toward springs for several decades due to slow transport of solutes through the aquifer matrix.     

Evaluation of metal contamination in coastal sediments of the Bay of Bengal, India: geochemical and statistical approaches

Surface sediment samples collected from the inner shelf region of the Bay of Bengal, were analysed for the major elements and total and acetic acid available trace elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Zn) to evaluate geochemical processes influencing their distribution. Major elemental analysis showed that the sediments had high concentrations of Si and relatively low concentrations of Al and Fe. Both major elemental and trace metal concentrations indicated that the sediments represent weathered products of granite and charnockite. Normalization of metals to Al indicated relatively high enrichment factors for Pb, Cd, Zn and Cr. The higher proportions of nondetrital Pb (66%), Cd (41%) and Co (28%) reveal metal contamination due to anthropogenic inputs. Factor analysis (FA) identified six possible types of sedimentological and geochemical associations. The dominant factor accounting for 26.9% of the total variance identifies an anthropogenic input and accumulation of nondetrital Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb. Association of these metals with CaCO3 reveals that shell fragments in the surface sediments are likely act as a carrier phase for nondetrital metals. The results are discussed in the context of the sources and pathways of elements in the Bay of Bengal.     

自贡市龙潭镇土壤中重金属的地球化学基线及污染状况研究

地球化学基线是区分地球化学背景和异常的重要参数.在采集和测试自贡市龙潭镇内168个表层土壤样品的基础上,采用了地质统计学方法建立了研究区内重金属元素As、Cd、Cr、Pb、Hg、Cu、Ni、Zn的地球化学基线.在此基础上,应用地质累积指数方法评价了表层土壤重金属的污染状况.结果表明:区内各重金属元素基线值为As(3.86 μg/g)、Cd(0.183μg/g)、Cr(66.41 μg/g)、Pb(28.19 μg/g)、Hg(0.037 μg/g)、Cu( 23.1 μg/g)、Ni(24.5 μg/g)、Zn(62μg/g);研究区内Cd和Hg的污染较突出,各重金属元素的地质累积指数排序为:Cd＞H g＞Zn＞Cu＞As＞Cr＞Ni＞Pb.     

Characterizing vertical contaminant distribution in a thick unconfined aquifer,Hanford site,Washington, USA

Drilling-intensive aquifer characterization techniques have been used to obtain depth-discrete water samples from a thick, hydrogeologically continuous unconfined aquifer system; groundwater results indicate that carbon tetrachloride contamination is widespread and extends deeper and at concentrations much higher than detected in monitoring networks at the water table. Carbon tetrachloride, a legacy waste, was used in the plutonium extraction process at the Hanford site in south-central Washington State. Vertical, depth-discrete groundwater samples were collected during well drilling throughout a 28-km² region to determine the concentration of carbon tetrachloride present as a dissolved phase in the aquifer. Results indicate that high concentrations of carbon tetrachloride, three orders of magnitude above the allowable regulatory limit, are present at depths greater than 25 m beneath the water table. In support of future efforts to remediate the carbon tetrachloride contamination, it is imperative to locate the remaining chemical inventory, determine the vertical as well as the lateral distribution of this contaminant and its physical form. Depth-discrete aquifer characterization throughout the uppermost-unconfined aquifer system is providing this information and improving the understanding of the contaminant distribution and the hydrogeologic framework through which it moves.

TRENDS IN THE VARIABILITY OF SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE,CANADIAN ARCTIC

A measure of temperature variability was calculated using annual temperature records obtained from 40 stations in the Canadian Arctic, records beginning between 1929 and 1958, and concluding for this study in 1983. Long-term trends in the frequency of extreme temperature conditions were obtained for eight regions in the Arctic. The results indicate that temperatures in the Canadian Arctic, as a whole, have not become more variable. In the last 15 to 20 years of the period considered in this study, the occurrence of extreme temperature conditions has increased only in three of the eight regions.     

中国地下水污染修复方法和技术应用展望

[研究目的]:中国地下水污染调查和修复日益受到科学界的重视,了解和掌握地下水污染修复方法和技术有助于对污染场地进行科学修复.[研究方法]:本文在系统分析国内外地下水污染修复案例的基础上,对中国地下水污染修复现场实施的技术方法进行总结.[研究结果]:结合中国区域经济发展特征和地下水污染调查评价成果认为,复杂的水文地质条件...     

双基地多普勒天气雷达天线架设高度设计及旁瓣污染分析

在双基地多普勒天气雷达的试验和应用研究中发现, 天线的高度设计和旁瓣污染是双基地天气雷达研究中需要直接面对的两个问题。探测目标的最低高度取决于天线的架设高度, 它的设计具有实用价值, 同时发现旁瓣污染影响探测资料的质量。基于双基地雷达探测原理, 对其进行分析, 给出在一定基线长度和最大探测距离乘积条件下, 以目标探测高度为参数的雷达天线架设的最低高度设计方案; 并分析双基地多普勒天气雷达旁瓣污染的主要原因, 进一步探讨在一定假设条件下减小或消除旁瓣污染的影响, 以控制观测资料质量。