Prograde reactions and garnet zoning reversals in staurolite schist, British Columbia: significance for thermobarometric interpretations

Abstract An outcrop of staurolite-bearing pelitic schist from the Solitude Range in the south-western Rocky Mountains, British Columbia, was examined in order to determine the nature of prograde garnet- and staurolite-producing reactions using information from garnet zoning and inclusion mineralogy. Although not present as a matrix phase, chloritoid is present as inclusions in garnet and is interpreted to have participated in the simultaneous growth of garnet and staurolite by a reaction such as chloritoid + quartz = garnet + staurolite + H₂O.
A garnet zoning trend reversal, which is most pronounced with respect to almandine and grossular components, is present in the outer core of garnets. The location of the zoning reversal corresponds to the outer limit of chloritoid inclusions in garnet. As there is no evidence for polymetamorphism, the zoning reversal is interpreted to indicate continued garnet growth by prograde reaction(s) during a single metamorphic event after the exhaustion of chloritoid as a matrix phase.
Metamorphic conditions recorded by mineral rim compositions are 550–600° C at 6–7 kbar. Because there is no evidence for partial resorption of garnet during production of staurolite, we interpret these results to represent peak conditions.     

A provisional map of forest types for the British Isles 5000 years ago

The distributions of seven woodland types, plus unforested areas, are mapped for the British Isles at 5000 BP. The map was compiled using data of modern soil distribution, present-day ecological preferences of the tree taxa present, and the pollen record.     

Multi-proxy evidence of postglacial climate and environmental change at Two Frog Lake,central mainland coast of British Columbia,Canada

Pollen and diatoms preserved in the radiocarbon dated sediments of Two Frog Lake in the Seymour-Belize Inlet Complex of the central mainland coast of British Columbia document postglacial climate change. Two Frog Lake was isolated from the sea prior to 11,040 ± 50 yr BP (13,030 cal. yr BP) when the climate was cool and dry, and open Pinus contorta woodlands covered the landscape. These woodlands were replaced by a mixed conifer forest ca. 10,200 yr BP (ca. 12,300 cal. yr BP) when the climate became moister. A relatively dry and warm early Holocene climate allowed Pseudotsuga menziesii to migrate northward to this site where it grew with Picea, Tsuga heterophylla and Alnus. The climate became cooler and moister at ca. 8,000 yr BP (ca. 9,200 cal. yr BP), approximately 500–1,000 years prior to sites located south of Two Frog Lake and on the Queen Charlotte Islands, but contemporary with sites on the northern mainland coast of British Columbia and south coastal Alaska. Climate heterogeneity in central coastal British Columbia appears to have occurred on a synoptic scale, suggesting that atmospheric dynamics linked to a variable Aleutian Low pressure system may have had an important influence on early Holocene climate change in the Seymour-Belize Inlet Complex. The transition to cooler and moister conditions facilitated the expansion of Cupressaceae and the establishment of a modern-type coastal temperate rainforest dominated by Cupressaceae and T. heterophylla. This was associated with progressive lake acidification. Diatom changes independent of vegetation change during the late Holocene are correlative with the mid-Neoglacial period, when cooler temperatures altered diatom communities.     

Loss of soil and PM10 from agricultural fields associated with high winds on the Columbia Plateau

Winter wheat–summer fallow is the conventional cropping system employed on >1·5 million ha within the Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington and northern Oregon. Wind erosion contributes to poor air quality in the region, yet little is known concerning the magnitude of soil and PM10 (particulate matter of ≤10 µm in aerodynamic diameter) loss from agricultural lands. Therefore, loss of soil and PM10 was assessed from a silt loam in eastern Washington during 2003 and 2004. Field sites were maintained in fallow using conventional tillage practices in 2003 (9 ha field) and 2004 (16 ha field) and instrumented to assess horizontal soil flux and PM10 concentrations at the windward and leeward positions in the field during high‐wind events. Soil flux was measured using creep and airborne sediment collectors while PM10 concentrations were measured using high‐volume PM10 samplers. Aggregate size distribution of parent soil and eroded sediment was characterized by rotary and sonic sieving. Six high‐wind events occurred over the two year period, with soil loss ranging from 43 kg ha^?1 for the 12–22 September 2003 event to 2320 kg ha^?1 for the 27–29 October 2003 event. Suspension‐sized particulates (<100 µm in diameter) comprised ≥90 per cent of the eroded sediment, indicating that direct suspension may be an important process by which the silt loam eroded. The corresponding loss of PM10 for these two events ranged from 5 to 210 kg ha^?1. Loss of PM10 comprised 9–12 per cent of the total soil loss for the six events. This study suggests that the relatively small loss of PM10 from eroding agricultural fields maintained in summer fallow can affect air quality in the Columbia Plateau. Therefore, alternative tillage practices or cropping systems are needed for minimizing PM10 emissions and improving air quality in the region. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sea‐level change in the Irish Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum: constraints from isostatic modelling

Models of glacio‐hydroisostatic sea‐level change have been published for the British Isles that are broadly consistent with the observational evidence, as well as with glaciological constraints. It has been argued, however, that the models fail to represent sea‐level change along the Irish Sea margins and in southern Ireland for the post‐deglaciation period. The argument rests on the interpretation of the depositional environment of the elevated ‘Irish Sea Drift’ on both sides of the Irish Sea: whether this is terrestrial or glaciomarine. The isostatic models for the British Isles are consistent with the former interpretation in that sea‐levels on either side of the Irish Sea, south of about the Isle of Man, are not predicted to have risen above present sea‐level at any time since the deglaciation of the Irish Sea. This implies that ice over both the Irish Sea and Ireland was relatively thin (ca. 600–700 m over Ireland). If the glaciomarine interpretation of the elevated Irish Sea Drift is correct, then the maximum ice thickness over central and southern Ireland would have to reach 2000 m, exceeding that over Scotland. Furthermore, for the resulting sea‐level change to be consistent with the Holocene evidence, this thick ice sheet could not have extended to the eastern side of the Irish Sea. Nor could it have been very thick at its northern and western limits. If such an ice model is extreme and incompatible with glaciological observations then the alternative is to accept the interpretation of the Irish Sea Drift as terrestrial in origin. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of an acid mine drainage effluent on phytoplankton biomass and primary production at Britannia Beach, Howe Sound, British Columbia

We investigated the effect of acid mine drainage (AMD) from an abandoned copper mine at Britannia Beach (Howe Sound, BC, Canada) on primary productivity and chlorophyll a levels in the receiving waters of Howe Sound before, during, and after freshet from the Squamish River. Elevated concentrations of copper (integrated average through the water column >0.050 mg l⁻¹) in nearshore waters indicated that under some conditions a small gyre near the mouth of Britannia Creek may have retained the AMD from Britannia Creek and from a 30-m deep water outfall close to shore. Regression and correlation analyses indicated that copper negatively affected primary productivity during April (pre-freshet) and November (post-freshet). Negative effects of copper on primary productivity were not supported statistically for July (freshet), possibly because of additional effects such as turbidity from the Squamish River. Depth-integrated average and surface chlorophyll a were correlated to copper concentrations in April. During this short study we demonstrated that copper concentrations from the AMD discharge can negatively affect both primary productivity and the standing stock of primary producers in Howe Sound.     

Is there an Insect Signal for the "Little Ice Age"?

The downturn in temperature in the late medieval period is likely to have had significant impact upon insect distribution. Despite the amount of study fossil insect faunas have been afforded, there is presently little convincing evidence of climatic, rather than human impact upon faunas during the "Little Ice Age". This probably reflects as much the paucity of suitable sites, as the overarching scale of habitat destruction by Man.     

华北克拉通中元古代裂解事件:以渣尔泰-白云鄂博-化德裂谷带岩浆与沉积作用研究为例

华北克拉通存在三个主要的中元古代裂谷带,从南到北分别为熊耳裂谷带、燕辽裂谷带以及渣尔泰-白云鄂博-化德裂谷带。其中熊耳群中火山岩的峰期年龄为1780~1750Ma,其上还有形成于被动大陆边缘的五佛山群、汝阳群以及官道口群。中北部的燕辽裂谷带包括长城系、蓟县系和青白口系,其中长城系团山子组和大红峪组火山岩的年龄分别为~1640Ma和1626~1622Ma,蓟县系高于庄组、雾迷山组和铁岭组凝灰岩的年龄分别为1560Ma、1485Ma和1437Ma,而下马岭组凝灰岩年龄为1366~1380Ma。北缘渣尔泰-白云鄂博-化德裂谷带中渣尔泰群书记沟组玄武岩年龄为1743Ma,阿古鲁沟组酸性火山岩年龄为~810Ma,白云鄂博群尖山组中基性火山岩年龄为1728Ma,化德群比鲁特组火山碎屑岩年龄为1515Ma。中元古代岩浆事件除了裂谷带中的火山作用外,还包括三期基性岩墙群(~1780Ma太行-吕梁岩墙群、~1730Ma密云岩墙群和~1620Ma泰山岩墙群)以及1.76Ga到1.65Ga非造山岩浆组合(斜长岩-环斑花岗岩体-A型花岗岩)。中元古代中期,华北克拉通北缘发育了基性岩席(墙)、A型花岗岩以及碳酸岩脉,双峰式岩浆作用说明华北北缘在中元古代中期经历了裂谷作用,与哥伦比亚超大陆的最终裂解有关,并且与白云鄂博巨型REE-Nb-Fe矿床的形成具有成因上的联系。华北克拉通北部两个裂谷带中的地层具有可以对比的层序以及时代,而中元古代中期辉绿岩墙、A型花岗岩以及碳酸岩脉可以与其它克拉通同时期的非造山岩浆作用对比,证明华北克拉通经历了哥伦比亚超大陆的最终裂解。古地磁数据已经证明在哥伦比亚超大陆时期Siberia、Laurentia、Baltica、Amazion以及华北克拉通是连接在一起的,而北缘中元古代中期大陆裂谷相关岩浆岩的发现也说明它是与另一个古大陆相连的。华北克拉通南缘熊耳火山岩的构造背景到底是大陆裂谷还是大陆边缘弧则关系着其是与另一个克拉通相连还是面向大海,这需要我们进一步深入研究。     

华北克拉通南缘1600Ma麻坪A型花岗岩的成因及其地质意义

麻坪花岗岩体产于华北克拉通南缘,岩石类型主要为花岗斑岩,具斑状结构,斑晶主要为钾长石和石英。LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb定年结果表明,岩体的形成时代为1600Ma。所有样品高SiO 2(70.51%~75.69%)、富碱(K2O+Na2O=7.42%~10.27%,K2O/Na2O23),贫MgO(0.24%~0.58%)、CaO(0.06%~0.12%)、P2O5(0.04%~0.08%)和MnO(0.01%),以及Eu、Sr和Ti负异常,表明它们在演化过程中经历了钾长石、斜长石、铁钛氧化物等的分离结晶作用。它们高的铝饱和指数(A/CNK1.11),显示强过铝质特征。然而,麻坪花岗斑岩高的Ga/Al比值以及高的锆石饱和温度(870~953℃),显示典型的A型花岗岩特征。因此,麻坪花岗斑岩为强过铝质A型花岗岩。麻坪花岗斑岩的地球化学特征、锆石Hf同位素组成以及二阶段模式年龄表明其来自太华群高温条件下部分熔融,同时基性岩浆的底侵作用为之提供了相应的热源。麻坪花岗斑岩的产生是裂谷岩浆活动的产物,其形成可能与Columbia超大陆的裂解有关。     

哥伦比亚Magdalena盆地V油田沉积及演化特征

通过岩心、录井、测井等资料分析认为研究区为辫状河三角洲沉积,沉积主体为辫状河三角洲前缘亚相,只在研究区北端为辫状河三角洲平原沉积。研究区Guaduas组经历了两期湖平面的升降旋回,十几个短期旋回。由于辫状河道频繁改道,河漫滩以及水下分流河道间湾沉积形成的隔夹层分布广泛,储层的连通性变差,形成非常复杂的油水系统。储集砂体主要是水下分流河道与河口坝,物性受沉积微相的控制,河口坝砂体储层物性最好,水下分流河道次之,辫状河道最差。