Métabasites de la cordillère occidentale d'Équateur,témoins du soubassement océanique des Andes d'Équateur

The building-up of the Andean Range is linked to the subduction of the Pacific lithosphere beneath the South American plate. However, the formation of the Central Andes is marked by continental crustal shortening, whereas accretion and underplating of exotic oceanic terranes occurred in the northern Andes. The study of various magmatic and metamorphic rocks exhumed in the Western Cordillera of Ecuador by Miocene transpressive faults enables us to constrain the nature and thermal evolution of the crustal root of this part of Ecuador. These rocks are geochemically similar to oceanic plateau basalts. The thermobarometric peak conditions of a granulite and an amphibolite indicate temperatures of 800–850?°C and pressures less than 6–9 kbar (lack of garnet). The abnormally high geothermal gradient (≈40?°C?km^?1) is probably due to the activity of the magmatic arc, which developed on the accreted oceanic terranes after Late Eocene times, and may have provoked the re-mobilisation of deeply underplated oceanic material during the genesis of the Neogene to Recent arc. To cite this article: É. Beaudon et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Comprehensive Chemical and Isotopic Analyses of Basalt and Sediment Reference Materials

Geochemical studies of geological samples require the precise determination of their major and trace element contents and, when measured, of their isotopic compositions. It is now commonly accepted that the accuracy and precision of geochemical analyses are best estimated by the concomitant analysis of international reference materials run as unknown samples. Although the composition of a wide selection of basalts is relatively well constrained, this is far from being the case for sedimentary materials. We present here a comprehensive set of major and trace element data as well as Nd, Hf, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions for thirteen commonly used international reference materials – eight magmatic rocks (BHVO‐2, BR, BE‐N, BR 24, AGV‐1, BIR‐1, UB‐N, RGM‐1) and five sediments (JLk‐1, JSd‐1, JSd‐2, JSd‐3, LKSD‐1). We determined the concentrations of over forty elements in the magmatic rocks together with Sr, Nd, Hf and Pb isotopic compositions. Our trace element results were both accurate (difference ≤ 3%) and precise (reproducibility at 1s ≤ 3%) and the isotopic results were very similar to other published values. In contrast, we observed a significant chemical and isotopic variability in the sedimentary materials, which we attribute to mineral heterogeneities in the powders. Despite the limitation imposed by this heterogeneity, our work presents a complete set of data determined with a precision not yet achieved in the literature for sedimentary material. We also provide the first Nd, Hf and Pb isotopic measurements for the five sediments, which are commonly used by the geochemical community. Our study of both basalt and sediment reference materials represents a comprehensive and self‐consistent set of geochemical data and can therefore be considered as a reference database for the community.     

Elemental Concentrations of Stream Sediments in Southern China

Over 3 million samples were collected from southern China at a density of 1–2 stream sediment samples per square kilometre as part of the Regional Geochemistry National Reconnaissance (RGNR) programme of China initiated in the late 1970s. Approximately 5244 composite samples of stream sediments from twelve provinces of southern China were prepared from the original RGNR samples collected from a territory with an area of 2300000 km² at a density of one composite sample per 1:50000 map sheet (about 400 km²). Seventy‐six elements were determined by the geoanalysis laboratory of Henan Province (platinum‐group elements) and by the Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration (IGGE) laboratory for the remainder. Internal quality and external quality control methods were applied to ensure that the analytical data were comparable. Statistics were used to derive the mean and background values and indicate the average concentrations of the seventy‐six elements. Comparisons were made against the mean values obtained from stream sediments, floodplain sediments, overall sediments and overall soils of the entire territory of China. The concentrations of Hg, Cd, rare earth elements and 24 other elements were higher than their background for the whole of China. In contrast, the concentration of Na₂O, CaO, Ba and Sr were lower in the stream sediments in southern China than their whole China background.     

Ion Implants as Matrix‐Appropriate Calibrators for Geochemical Ion Probe Analyses

Ion microprobe elemental and isotopic determinations can be precise but difficult to quantify. Error is introduced when the reference material and the sample to be analysed have different compositions. Mitigation of such ‘matrix effects’ is possible using ion implants. If a compositionally homogeneous reference material is available which is ‘matrix‐appropriate’ (i.e., close in major element composition to the sample to be analysed, but having an unknown concentration of the element, E, to be determined) then ion implantation can be used to introduce a known amount of an E isotope, calibrating the E concentration and producing a matrix‐appropriate calibrator. Nominal implant fluences (ions cm^?2) are inaccurate by amounts up to approximately 30%. However, ion implantation gives uniform fluences over large areas; thus, it is possible to ‘co‐implant’ an additional reference material of any bulk composition having known amounts of E, independently calibrating the implant fluence. Isotope ratio measurement standards can be produced by implanting two different isotopes, but permil level precision requires postimplant calibration of the implant isotopic ratio. Examples discussed include (a) standardising Li in melilite; (b) calibrating a ²⁵Mg implant fluence using NIST SRM 617 glass and (c) using Si co‐implanted with ²⁵Mg alongside NIST SRM 617 to produce a calibrated measurement of Mg in Si.     

Altitude et géochimie des eaux de source,Nord-Ouest du Massif central,France

In the northwestern Massif Central (France), groundwater chloride concentrations are inversely correlated with elevation, when nitrate-poor. This can be explained by an evolution of the ratio evapotranspiration/rainfall, or of the rainwater composition. Such a relationship may be used for the detection of denitrification phenomena in groundwaters, or nitrate assimilation in surface waters, or for the computation of evapotranspiration, using the chloride mass balance method. However, the main objective will be the selection of groundwaters free of any chloride-bearing contamination, in order to define the natural groundwater quality background. To cite this article: J. Barbier, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Contexte lithostructural, âges 40K40Ar et géochimie du volcanisme calco-alcalin tertiaire de Cap-d'Ail dans le tunnel ferroviaire de Monaco

Lithostratigraphic and structural framework, chronology and geochemistry of the Tertiary calc-alkaline volcanism of Cap-d'Ail (French Maritime Alps) are specified according to the new data collected during the earthworks of the recent railway tunnel built between Cap-d'Ail and Monaco. Two different magmatic events were dated: the first one, to Palaeogene, the other one, to Neogene. To cite this article: J.-P. Ivaldi et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Silica and the cycle of carbon in the ocean

Silicon is a key element whose major role in the control of the cycle of carbon in the ocean has been recently revealed. This is first illustrated through the resolution of the ‘opal paradox’ in the modern Southern Ocean. Second, the ‘silica hypothesis’ explains why, during the Last Glacial Maximum, the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ was about 40 % below that of the interglacial period. Increased deliveries of wind-borne silica to the surface ocean as well as of riverine inputs favoured the dominance of diatoms over coccolithophorids, resulting in a net emission decrease of CO₂ by coccolithophorids from the ocean surface to the atmosphere. To cite this article: P. Tréguer, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 3–11     

Hydrogéochimie et géothermométrie: apports à l'identification du réservoir thermal des sources de Hammam Righa,Algérie

Résumé

Afin d'identifier le système hydrothermal de la région de Hammam Righa (Algérie), une étude hydrogéochimique et géothermométrique a été effectuée. Un tableau détaillé de l'hydrogéochimie des eaux a été dressé à partir des analyses en éléments majeurs. Deux faciès hydrogéologiques ont été ainsi identifiés: HCO₃-Ca et SO₄-Ca. Ceci est contrôlé par, respectivement, les interactions avec les calcaires jurassiques conduisant à la dissolution des carbonates et la présence d'évaporites (Trias) le long du circuit de remontée des eaux. Les eaux émergent à travers un système de fractures profondes et récentes. Les températures des sources varient de 26 à 68°C, caractérisant ainsi un thermalisme de basse enthalpie. L'application de différents géothermomètres donne des températures allant de 70 à 110°C pour le réservoir thermal. L'analyse de ces résultats, confrontée au gradient géothermique de la région, permet l'identification des calcaires jurassiques comme réservoir thermal où les eaux ont circulé à des profondeurs de plus de 1800 m.

Editeur Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Bouchareb-Haouchine, F.Z., Boudoukha, A., et Haouchine, A., 2012. Hydrogéochimie et geothermometrie: apports à l'identification du réservoir thermal des sources de Hammam Righa, Algérie. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (6), 1184–1195.     

Geochemical characteristics of an intracontinental shoshonitic association: the example of the Damavand volcano,IranCaractéristiques géochimiques d'une association shoshonitique intracontinentale : exemple du Damavand,Iran

Lavas of the Quaternary Damavand volcano (Central Alborz, Northern Iran) have been analysed for major and trace elements. The shoshonitic character of this magmatic series is definitively confirmed and most samples correspond to banakites. The Nb, Ta and Ti negative anomalies observed in all lavas suggest that they derive from of a sub-continental lithosphere metasomatised in a subduction setting. Their variable trace element enrichments are explained both by mineral fractionation and by crustal contamination in a shallow magmatic chamber. To cite this article: H. Mehdizadeh et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 111–117.     

L'hétérogénéité du manteau supérieur à l'aplomb du volcan de Nyos (Cameroun) révélée par les enclaves ultrabasiques

Volcanic deposits from the lake Nyos (Cameroon) contain ultrabasic xenoliths: lherzolites, harzburgites and websterites, sometimes containing amphibole. Major and trace element compositions of clinopyroxene and amphibole allow the recognition of an old depletion event followed by two episodes of incompatible-element enrichment. One is high in light rare-earth elements, while the other one is low in these elements, but high in U and Th. Their relative chronology is not yet established. To cite this article: R. Temdjim et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).