Water and sediment outbursts from advanced Franz Josef Glacier,New Zealand

The Franz Josef Glacier, Westland, New Zealand, has a history of catastrophic sediment‐laden outburst ?oods associated with extreme rainfall events when the glacier toe is advanced over its own sediments. Consideration of these events and inspection of recent sediment deposits suggest that there are three distinct modes of outburst. The ?rst is associated with fans fed by over?ow along the glacier margin. As the glacier has advanced across its own fore?eld gravels, it is inferred that the primary drainage conduit has developed a reach of negative slope. In high ?ows massive boulders can block the conduit, trapping lesser clasts. The resulting backup of water causes over?ows through marginal moulins, producing the fan type of deposit. The second type of outburst deposits massive imbricated boulders at a greater or lesser distance from the glacier portal. In this case, pressure buildup drives the blockage out of the portal where the boulders deposit. Smaller materials are generally carried away. The third type consists of very shallow ?ows, and produces massive gravel deposits of uncertain provenance. In this condition, the excess pressure in the conduit results in slight uplift of the glacier and widespread discharge of water and sediment below the glacier snout; gravels and smaller sediments are laid down in a massive deposit across the fore?eld. The massive, boulder‐veneered deposit from the December 1995 outburst is interpreted in the light of the above mechanisms as a hyperconcentrated ?ow deposit from hydraulic jacking, overlain by boulders emplaced by a subsequent conduit outburst. A possible association of outbursts with the present advanced position of the glacier is suggested. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Engineering geology of loess and loess-like deposits: a commentary on the Russian literature

Loess and loess-like deposits were much studied in the Soviet Union, and are currently under investigation in Russia and surrounding countries. There is a vast literature in Russian, which touches on all aspects of loess science and technology. In particular, the studies of the origin of collapsibility are almost totally in Russian, and of course studies on the various regions of Russia and the countries of the Former Soviet Union FSU appear in Russian. This review looks at the literature in Russian and attempts to pick out key contributors, major topics and works and to identify the critical regions and zones of investigation. Because so many regions of the FSU had people living on loess ground, there is a vast literature on engineering geology and ground engineering topics, and this tends to dominate all the literature on loess in Russian. Following Russian practice, the fine-grained deposits under consideration are divided into loess and loess-like deposits. Three main topics are recognised across the whole spectrum of loess research: formation and distribution of loess deposits; stratigraphy, cyclicity and palaeoclimatology; and engineering topics, in particular hydrocollapse and subsidence, and we concentrate on the engineering geology topics. An attempt is made, based on the map of Abelev and Abelev [Abelev, Yu.M., Abelev, M.Yu., 1968. Fundamentals of design and construction on collapsible macroporous soils, 2nd ed. Stroiizdat, Moscow, 431 pp. (in Russian)] of collapsing loess deposits, to define seven loess regions within the geographical limits of the old USSR. The seven regions are those where geotechnical problems might be expected.     

Classification of artificial (man-made) ground

The legacy inherited from anthropogenic processes needs to be addressed in order to provide reliable and up-to-date ground information relevant to development and regeneration in the urban environment. The legacy includes voids as well as anthropogenic deposits (artificial ground). Their characteristics derive from former quarrying and mining activities industrial processes creating derelict ground, variably consolidated made ground, and contaminated groundwater and soils. All need to be systematically assessed to inform the planning process and provide the basis for engineering solutions. Site-specific investigation needs to be conducted on the back of good quality geoscientific data. This comes from ‘field’ survey, remotely sensed data interpretation, historical maps, soil geochemical sampling, and geotechnical investigation. Three-dimensional and, in the future, four dimensional, characterization of superficial deposits is required to reach an understanding of the potential spatial lithological variability of artificial ground and the geometry of important surfaces, i.e. the boundary conditions. The classification scheme for artificial ground outlined in this paper and adopted by the British Geological Survey, will help in achieving this understanding.     

Sedimentary facies during early stages of flooding in an extensional basin: the Brèche Rouge de Carboneras (Late Miocene, Almería/SE Spain)

The intramontane basins of the Betic Cordilleras (SE Spain) formed subsequent to the main phase of orogenic deformation during the middle Miocene in a close genetic relation to the Trans-Alboran Shear zone. Left lateral movements along a local branch (Carboneras fault zone, CF; strike NE–SW) of this zone played a major role in controlling the formation and dynamics of the Nijar-Carboneras Basin. To the south of the fault, a major phase of strike-slip faulting is recorded during the late Tortonian. The expression of this event is the Brèche Rouge de Carboneras (BRC), which seals a deep denudational surface on top of dislocated fault blocks formed by volcanics of the Cabo de Gata complex and early Tortonian shallow marine calcarenite. The sedimentary facies of this widely distributed unit in the Carboneras-Subbasin mirror the submarine topography and the distribution of the fault zones. Along strike-slip fault zones, autoclastic breccias and neptunian dikes preferentially oriented NW–SE and NE–SW occur, which are interpreted to represent the near-surface expression of the faults. Red limestone forms the groundmass of the autoclastic breccia and infills of neptunian dikes, which exhibit multiple phases of opening of fissures, gravitational sedimentary infill, lithification, and renewed creation of cracks. Steep relief, probably along fault scarps, was mantled by epiclastic volcanic conglomerate with a red carbonate matrix. Well-lithified coarse skeletal limestone rich in planktonic foraminifera formed pavements along sediment starved rocky surfaces in deep water. Laterally, within topographic depressions, the pavement limestone grades into thick accumulations of skeletal rudstone composed of fragmented azooxanthellate corals and stylasterid hydrozoans, which were concentrated by powerful bottom currents and gravitiy flows. Within the shallow water zone of dip slope ramps, cross-bedded calcarenite and calcirudite formed. Based on textures, fabrics and biota, rocks of the BRC were grouped into nine genetic lithofacies which document cryptic, deep-aphotic and shallow-photic environments typical of a sediment starved extensional basin.     

Provenance analysis and tectonic setting of the Ordovician clastic deposits in the southern Puna Basin, NW Argentina

Provenance studies on Early to Middle Ordovician clastic formations of the southern Puna basin in north-western Argentina indicate that the sedimentary detritus is generally composed of reworked crustal material. Tremadoc quartz-rich turbidites (Tolar Chico Formation, mean composition Q_t89 F7 L4) are followed by volcaniclastic rocks and greywackes (Tolillar Formation, mean Q_t33 F42 L25). These are in turn overlain by volcaniclastic deposits (mean Q_t24 F30 L46) of the Diablo Formation (late Arenig–early Llanvirn) that are intercalated by lava flows. All units were deformed in the Oclóyic Orogeny during the Middle and Late Ordovician. Sandstones of the Tolar Chico Formation are characterized by Th/Sc ratios > 1, La/Sc ratios ≈ 10, whereas associated fine-grained wackes show slightly lower values for both ratios. LREE (light rare earth elements) enrichment of the arenites is ≈ 50× chondrite, Eu/Eu* values are between 0·72 and 0·92, and flat HREE (heavy rare earth elements) patterns indicate a derivation from mostly felsic rocks of typical upper crustal composition. The ε_{Nd(t = sed)} values scatter around −11 to −9. The calculated Nd-T_DM residence ages vary between 1·8 and 2·0 Ga indicating contribution by a Palaeoproterozoic crustal component. The Th/Sc and La/Sc ratios of the Tolillar Formation are lower than those of the Tolar Chico Formation. Normalized REE (rare earth elements) patterns display a similar shape to PAAS (post-Archaean average Australian shale) but with higher abundances of HREEs. Eu/Eu* values range between 0·44 and 1·17, where the higher values reflect the abundance of plagioclase and feldspar-bearing volcanic lithoclasts. Average ε_{Nd(t = sed)} values are less negative at −5·1, and Nd-T_DM are lower at 1·6 Ga. This is consistent with characteristics of regional rocks of upper continental crust composition, which most probably represent the sources of the studied detritus. The rocks of the Diablo Formation have the lowest Th/Sc and La/Sc ratios, lower LREE abundances than the average continental crust and are slightly enriched in HREEs. Eu/Eu* values are between 0·63 and 1·17. The Nd isotopes (ε_{Nd(t = sed)} = −3 to −1; T_DM = 1·2 Ga) indicate that one source component was less fractionated than both the underlying Early Ordovician and the overlying Middle Ordovician units. Synsedimentary vulcanites in the Diablo Formation show the same isotopic composition. Our data indicate that the sedimentary detritus is generally composed of reworked crustal material, but that the Diablo Formation appears to contain ≈ 80% of a less fractionated component, derived from a contemporaneous continental volcanic arc. There are no data indicating an exotic detrital source or the accretion of an exotic block at this part of the Gondwana margin during the Ordovician.     

A mineral equilibria study of the hydrothermal alteration in mafic greenschist facies rocks at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

The influx of a H₂O–CO₂‐dominated fluid into actinolite‐bearing metabasic rocks during greenschist facies metamorphism in the Kalgoorlie area of Western Australia resulted in a zoned alteration halo around inferred fluid conduits that contain gold mineralisation. The alteration halo is divided into two outer zones, the chlorite zone and the carbonate zone, and an inner pyrite zone adjacent to the inferred fluid conduits. Reaction between the fluid and the protolith resulted in the breakdown of actinolite and the development of chlorite, dolomite, calcite and siderite. In addition, rocks in the pyrite zone developed muscovite‐bearing assemblages as a consequence of the introduction of potassium by the fluid. Mineral equilibria calculations undertaken using the computer software thermocalc in the model system Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–CO₂ show that mineral assemblages in the outer zones of the alteration halo are consistent with equilibrium of the protoliths with a fluid of composition X_CO2 = CO₂/(CO₂ + H₂O) = 0.1–0.25 for temperatures of 315–320 °C. The inner zone of the alteration halo reflect equilibrium with a fluid of composition X_CO2≈ 0.25. Fluid‐rock buffering calculations show that the alteration halo is consistent with interaction with a single fluid composition and that the zoned structure of the halo reflects the volume of this fluid with which the rocks reacted. This fluid is likely to have also been the one responsible for the gold mineralisation at Kalgoorlie.     

Oscillatory zoning in garnet from the Willsboro Wollastonite Skarn, Adirondack Mts, New York: a record of shallow hydrothermal processes preserved in a granulite facies terrane

Oscillatory zoning in low δ¹⁸O skarn garnet from the Willsboro wollastonite deposit, NE Adirondack Mts, NY, USA, preserves a record of the temporal evolution of mixing hydrothermal fluids from different sources. Garnet with oscillatory zoning are large (1–3 cm diameter) euhedral crystals that grew in formerly fluid filled cavities. They contain millimetre‐scale oscillatory zoning of varying grossular–andradite composition (X_Adr = 0.13–0.36). The δ¹⁸O values of the garnet zones vary from 0.80 to 6.26‰ VSMOW and correlate with X_Adr. The shape, pattern and number of garnet zones varies from crystal to crystal, as does the magnitude of the correlated chemistry changes, suggesting fluid system variability, temporal and/or spatial, over the time of garnet growth. The zones of correlated Fe content and δ¹⁸O indicate that a high Fe³⁺/Al, high δ¹⁸O fluid mixed with a lower Fe³⁺/Al and δ¹⁸O fluid. The high δ¹⁸O, Fe enriched fluids were likely magmatic fluids expelled from crystallizing anorthosite. The low δ¹⁸O fluids were meteoric in origin. These are the first skarn garnet with oscillatory zoning reported from granulite facies rocks. Geochronologic, stable isotope, petrologic and field evidence indicates that the Adirondacks are a polymetamorphic terrane, where localized contact metamorphism around shallowly intruded anorthosite was followed by a regional granulite facies overprint. The growth of these garnet in equilibrium with meteoric and magmatic fluids indicates an origin in the shallow contact aureole of the anorthosite prior to regional metamorphism. The zoning was preserved due to the slow diffusion of oxygen and cations in the large garnet and protection from deformation and recrystallization in zones of low strain in thick, rigid, garnetite layers. The garnet provide new information about the hydrothermal system adjacent to the shallowly intruded massif anorthosite that predates regional metamorphism in this geologically complex, polymetamorphic terrane.     

Geology and Genesis of the Ta'ergou Skarn - Quartz Vein Tungsten Deposit in the North Qilian Caledonian Orogenic Belt, Northwest China

Abstract. The Ta'ergou tungsten deposit in Gansu province, northwestern China, is located in the western part of the North Qilian Caledonian orogen, and consists of scheelite skarn bodies and wolframite quartz veins. The tungsten‐bearing skarn developed by the replacement of carbonate layers intercalated in the Precambrian schist and amphibolite whereas wolframite‐quartz ore veins developed along a group of fractures that cut through horizontal skarns. The Ta'ergou tungsten deposit is genetically related to the Caledonian Yeniutan granodiorite intrusion and occurs ca. 500 m wide in the exo‐contact zone 300 ～ 500 m apart from the intrusion. The granodiorite displays a lower grade of differentiation, low content of SiO₂ and high contents of mafic components. There are three types of fluid inclusions in the wolframite‐quartz vein systems, i. e. aqueous, CO₂‐H₂O and CO₂‐rich. The homogenization temperature of aqueous inclusion ranges from 140 to 380d?C and their salinities from 6.4 to 17.4 equivalent wt% NaCl. Laser Raman spectroscopy shows that the inclusions contain a relatively high content of CO₂. The δ³⁴S values of skarn type sulfides range from +8.1 to +12.7 per mil and those of quartz vein sulfides from +9.3 to +14.9 per mil, similar to sulfides of the granodiorite with from +6.0 to +11.7 per mil. The δ¹⁸O values of quartz are between +10.5 and +13.3 per mil and those of wolframite between +3.4 and +5.1 per mil. The δ¹⁸O water values of ore forming fluids range from +0.6 to +6.4 per mil and suggest the mixture of magmatic fluids with meteoric water formed the ore‐forming fluids. It has been proved that Precambrian strata in the west sector of North Qilian region are enriched in tungsten. We propose the strata were remelted to be tungsten‐granitoid during subduction. The polymetallic tungsten was gradually accumulated into the roof pendants of the granite intrusion by fractional crystallization and then was deposited by hydrothermal fluids during metasomatism and infilling along fractures. On the other hand, the granite intrusion also acted as “heating machine” to make hydrothermal fluids leach out the metals from Precambrian strata and these metals joined the ore‐forming hydrothermal system.     

Chemical, Isotopic, and Fluid Inclusion Evidence for the Hydrothermal Alteration of the Footwall Rocks of the BIF-Hosted Iron Ore Deposits in the Hamersley District, Western Australia

Abstract. The petrography, chemical, fluid inclusion and isotope analyses (O, Rb-Sr) were conducted for the shale samples of the Mount McRae Shale collected from the Tom Price, Newman, and Paraburdoo mines in the Hamersley Basin, Western Australia. The Mount McRae Shale at these mines occurs as a footwall unit of the secondary, hematite-rich iron ores derived from the Brockman Iron Formation, one of the largest banded iron formations (BIFs) in the world. Unusually low contents of Na, Ca, and Sr in the shales suggest that these elements were leached away from the shale after deposition. The δ¹⁸O (SMOW) values fall in the range of + 15.0 to +17.9 per mil and show the positive correlation with calculated quartz/sericite ratios of the shale samples. This suggests that the oxygen isotopic compositions of shale samples were homogenized and equilibrated by postdepositional event. The pyrite nodules hosted by shales are often rimmed by thin layers of silica of varying crystallinity. Fluid inclusions in quartz crystals rimming a pyrite nodule show homogenization temperatures ranging from 100 to 240C for 47 inclusions and salinities ranging from 0.4 to 12.3 wt% NaCl equivalent for 18 inclusions. These fluid inclusion data give direct evidence for the hydrothermal activity and are comparable to those of the vein quartz collected from the BIF-derived secondary iron ores (Taylor et al, 2001). The Rb-Sr age for the Mount McRae Shale is 1,952 ± 289 Ma and at least 200 million years younger than the depositional age of the Brockman Iron Formation of ∼ 2.5 Ga in age. All the data obtained in this study are consistent with the suggestion that high temperature hydrothermal fluids were responsible for both the secondary iron ore formation and the alteration of the Mount McRae Shale.     

热带森林生态系统气象观测铁塔的设计

讨论了西双版纳地区原始热带雨林和人工林气象观测铁塔的选择与设计，扼要地介绍了气象观测铁塔的塔形，结构及春功能，并提出了在高湿多雷热带雨林地区设计，安装铁塔应注意的事项及解决途径。