UTOPIA,DYSTOPIA, AND SUBLIME APOCALYPSE IN MONTANA'S CHURCH UNIVERSAL AND TRIUMPHANT

ABSTRACT. The search for a perfected place on earth is rarely easy or forgiving. Utopias and dystopias demonstrate the practical frailties of attempts to build better human associations, whether as literary efforts or in actual, on‐the‐ground experiments. With a proprietary interest in evaluating the dimensions of place making, geographers can lay claim to be frontline critics of efforts that attempt to craft a better world. The catalog of personality cultists, charismatically murderous leaders, and apocalyptic mass death is long. The Church Universal and Triumphant, currently of Paradise Valley, Montana, is examined as the home for twenty‐five years of an ongoing effort to “improve” lives. If its dilemmas and apparent failures are in keeping with the history of past utopian ventures, geographical lessons remain to be learned about the costs of planning for perfection.     

Lithologic, structural, and geomorphic controls on ribbon forest patterns in a glaciated mountain environment

So-called “ribbon forests” have been attributed to snowdrift patterns and fire history without reference to geomorphology [Vegetatio 19 (1969) 192.]. This paper illustrates how site conditions of geomorphology and geology explain the origin of ribbon forests. In Glacier National Park, MT (USA), regional tectonic uplift associated with the Laramide Orogeny produced structural features that amplify lithologic differences. Pleistocene glaciation scoured deeply along the strike of bedding planes, highlighting this pattern and in some cases producing fine-scale parallel finger lakes between forested ribbon strips.Twelve ribbon forest sites on both sides of the Continental Divide were closely studied on stereoscopic aerial photographs, and several of these sites were examined in the field or from helicopter overflights. In all cases, geologic and geomorphic conditions explain the location and distribution of the ribbon forests. Change-detection of the distribution of trees versus nontree-covered surfaces in an area of ribbon forest on Flattop Mountain, a complex uplifted synclinal structure, was undertaken using panchromatic, low-altitude aerial photographs from 1966 to 1991. Areas changed from forest to meadow and from meadow to forest in roughly equal amounts in a generally random spatial pattern. No evidence was seen to suggest that the creation of one ribbon eventually created another downwind, as suggested by Billings. Aerial photograph interpretation, field examination and soils analyses of forest ribbons and adjacent unforested meadows clearly illustrated that trees occupy higher, parallel to subparallel, well-drained sites where the spatial pattern is in turn a distinct reflection of the spatial pattern of structure and stratigraphy. Meadows occupy topographically lower positions between ridges where erosion along bedding plane strike was concentrated. Topography sets conditions that allow tree growth in certain locations while precluding it in immediately adjacent areas. Ribbon forests there are thus a spatial manifestation of the interaction between structure, lithology, and topography.     

Glacial Lake Musselshell: Late Wisconsin slackwater on the Laurentide ice margin in central Montana, USA

Cosmogenic surface exposure ages of glacial boulders deposited in ice-marginal Lake Musselshell suggest that the lake existed between 20 and 11.5 ka during the Late Wisconsin glacial stage (MIS 2), rather than during the Late Illinoian stage (MIS 6) as traditionally thought. The altitude of the highest ice-rafted boulders and the lowest passes on the modern divide indicate that glacial lake water in the Musselshell River basin reached at least 920–930 m above sea level and generally remained below 940 m. Exposures of rhythmically bedded silt and fine sand indicate that Lake Musselshell is best described as a slackwater system, in which the ice-dammed Missouri and Musselshell Rivers rose and fell progressively throughout the existence of the lake rather than establishing a lake surface with a stable elevation. The absence of varves, deltas and shorelines also implies an unstable lake. The changing volume of the lake implies that the Laurentide ice sheet was not stable at its southernmost position in central Montana. A continuous sequence of alternating slackwater lake sediment and lacustrine sheetflood deposits indicates that at least three advances of the Laurentide ice sheet occurred in central Montana between 20 and 11.5 ka. Between each advance, it appears that Lake Musselshell drained to the north and formed two outlet channels that are now occupied by extremely underfit streams. A third outlet formed when the water in Lake Musselshell fully breached the Larb Hills, resulting in the final drainage of the lake. The channel through the Larb Hills is now occupied by the Missouri River, implying that the present Missouri River channel east of the Musselshell River confluence was not created until the Late Wisconsin, possibly as late as 11.5 ka.     

Ultramafic Xenoliths from the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana, USA: Evidence for Multiple Metasomatic Events in the Lithospheric Mantle beneath the Wyoming Craton

Ultramafic xenoliths in Eocene minettes of the Bearpaw Mountainsvolcanic field (Montana, USA), derived from the lower lithosphereof the Wyoming craton, can be divided based on textural criteriainto tectonite and cumulate groups. The tectonites consist ofstrongly depleted spinel lherzolites, harzburgites and dunites.Although their mineralogical compositions are generally similarto those of spinel peridotites in off-craton settings, somecontain pyroxenes and spinels that have unusually low Al₂O₃contents more akin to those found in cratonic spinel peridotites.Furthermore, the tectonite peridotites have whole-rock majorelement compositions that tend to be significantly more depletedthan non-cratonic mantle spinel peridotites (high MgO, low CaO,Al₂O₃ and TiO₂) and resemble those of cratonic mantle. Thesecompositions could have been generated by up to 30% partialmelting of an undepleted mantle source. Petrographic evidencesuggests that the mantle beneath the Wyoming craton was re-enrichedin three ways: (1) by silicate melts that formed mica websteriteand clinopyroxenite veins; (2) by growth of phlogopite fromK-rich hydrous fluids; (3) by interaction with aqueous fluidsto form orthopyroxene porphyroblasts and orthopyroxenite veins.In contrast to their depleted major element compositions, thetectonite peridotites are mostly light rare earth element (LREE)-enrichedand show enrichment in fluid-mobile elements such as Cs, Rb,U and Pb on mantle-normalized diagrams. Lack of enrichment inhigh field strength elements (HFSE; e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf)suggests that the tectonite peridotites have been metasomatizedby a subduction-related fluid. Clinopyroxenes from the tectoniteperidotites have distinct U-shaped REE patterns with strongLREE enrichment. They have ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values that range from0·5121 (close to the host minette values) to 0·5107,similar to those of xenoliths from the nearby Highwood Mountains.Foliated mica websterites also have low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values (0·5113)and extremely high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in their constituent phlogopite,indicating an ancient (probably mid-Proterozoic) enrichment.This enriched mantle lithosphere later contributed to the formationof the high-K Eocene host magmas. The cumulate group rangesfrom clinopyroxene-rich mica peridotites (including abundantmica wehrlites) to mica clinopyroxenites. Most contain >30%phlogopite. Their mineral compositions are similar to thoseof phenocrysts in the host minettes. Their whole-rock compositionsare generally poorer in MgO but richer in incompatible traceelements than those of the tectonite peridotites. Whole-rocktrace element patterns are enriched in large ion lithophileelements (LILE; Rb, Cs, U and Pb) and depleted in HFSE (Nb,Ta Zr and Hf) as in the host minettes, and their Sr–Ndisotopic compositions are also identical to those of the minettes.Their clinopyroxenes are LREE-enriched and formed in equilibriumwith a LREE-enriched melt closely resembling the minettes. Thecumulates therefore represent a much younger magmatic event,related to crystallization at mantle depths of minette magmasin Eocene times, that caused further metasomatic enrichmentof the lithosphere. KEY WORDS: ultramafic xenoliths; Montana; Wyoming craton; metasomatism; cumulates; minette     

美国蒙大拿州冰川国家公园冰缘条带形地表植物功能属性和土壤微生物随坡位变化（英文）

The retreating snowfields and glaciers of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, present alpine plants with changes in habitat and hydrology. The adjacent and relic periglacial patterned ground consists of solifluction terraces of green, vegetation-rich stripes alternating with sparsely vegetated brown stripes. We established georeferenced transects on striped periglacial patterned ground for long-term monitoring and data collection on species distribution and plant functional traits at Siyeh Pass and at Piegan Pass at Glacier National Park. We documented species distribution and calculated the relative percent cover(RPC) of qualitative functional traits and used 16 S rRNA from soil samples to characterize microbial distribution on green and brown stripes. Plant species distribution varied significantly and there were key differences in microbial distribution between the green and brown stripes. The rare arctic-alpine plants Draba macounii, Papaver pygmaeum, and Sagina nivalis were restricted to brown stripes, where the RPC of xeromorphic taprooted species was significantly higher at the leading edge of the Siyeh Pass snowfield. Brown stripes had a higher percentage of the thermophilic bacteria Thermacetogenium and Thermoflavimicrobium. Green stripes were co-dominated by the adventitiously-rooted dwarf shrubs Salix arctica and the possibly N-fixing Dryas octopetala. Green stripes were inhabited by Krummholz and seedlings of Abies lasiocarpa and Pinus albicaulus. Prosthecobacter, a hydrophilic bacterial genus, was more abundant on the green stripes, which had 6,524 bacterial sequences in comparison to the 1,183 sequences from the brown stripes. While further research can determine which functional traits are critical for these plants, knowledge of the current distribution of plant species and their functional traits can be used in predictive models of the responses of alpine plants to disappearing snowfields and glaciers. This research is important in conservation of rare arctic-alpine species on periglacial patterned ground.     

Place‐Making Through Beer‐Drinking: A Case Study of Montana's Craft Breweries

Montana's craft brewing industry has grown astronomically in the last few decades and has spawned many breweries with local names and themes. Using Montana's craft breweries as a case study, this paper demonstrates that craft breweries play a significant role in contemporary place‐making. First, brewery and beer names are analyzed to extract several place‐based themes, and it is argued that these perpetuate a particular New West identity for the state. Then, through the lens of tourism and the quest for “authenticity,” surveys of brewery visitors are used to identify the various attractions that drinking craft beer and visiting breweries offer their patrons. Besides the taste of the beer, the local nature of breweries and their community focus prove to be an important draw for brewery visitors and provide the chance to experience the community in a more authentic way, and thus, offer an opportunity to make a meaningful connection with place. This research proves that craft breweries have become an important venue for place‐making, not only in Montana, but in other cities and states with a significant craft‐brewing industry     

Isotopic evolution and climate paleorecords: modeling boundary effects in groundwater-dominated lakes

We used an isotopic mass-balance model to examine how the hydrogeologic setting of lakes influences isotopic response of evaporating lake water to idealized hydroclimatic changes. The model uses a monthly water and isotope balance approach with simplified water-column structure and groundwater exchanges. The framework for comparative simulations is provided by lakes in a region of the Northern Rocky Mountains that display high interlake geochemical variability, thought to be controlled by groundwater hydraulics. Our analysis highlights several isotopic effects of flow between aquifers and lakes, leading to possible divergence of isotopic paleorecords formed under a common climate. Amplitude of isotopic variation resulting from simulated climate forcing was greatly damped when high groundwater fluxes and/or low lake volume resulted in low lake fluid residence time. Differing precipitation and evaporation scenarios that are equivalent in annual fluid balance (P−E) resulted in different isotopic signatures, interpreted as a result of evaporation kinetics. Concentrating low-δ groundwater inflow during spring months raised springtime lake δ values, a counterintuitive result of coincidence between times of high groundwater inflow and the evaporation season. Transient effects of reduced fluid balance caused excursions opposite in sign from eventual steady-state isotopic shifts resulting from enhanced groundwater inflow dominance. Lags in response between climate forcing and isotopic signals were shortened by high groundwater fluxes and resulting short lake residence times. Groundwater-lake exchange exerts control over patterns of lake isotopic response to evaporation through effects on lake residence time, inflow composition, and seasonal timing of inflow and outflow. Sediments from groundwater-linked lakes, often used for paleoenvironmental analysis, should be expected to reflect isotopic complexities of the type shown here. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Heavy metal contamination in the Arieş river catchment, western Romania: Implications for development of the Roşia Montană gold deposit

The Abrud–Arieş river system, western Romania, is subject to ongoing mining activity associated with Cu, Pb and Zn ore extraction. The catchment contains what is believed to be Europe's largest unutilized Au deposit at Roşia Montană that is planned to be exploited by open-cast mining techniques. The magnitude and environmental significance of metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in surface water and river channel sediment have been investigated along a 140 km reach of the Rivers Abrud and Arieş and 9 tributaries affected by mining. The speciation of sediment-bound metals was established using a 4-stage sequential extraction procedure (SEP) that identified four chemical phases: (1) exchangeable, (2) Fe/Mn oxides, (3) organic matter/sulphides and (4) residual. Peak solute and sediment-bound metal concentrations were found to occur in the River Abrud downstream of the EM Bucium mine and in mining-affected tributaries, with up to 71% of sites containing sediment metal concentrations in excess of Dutch intervention values. The River Arieş was found to be much less polluted than the River Abrud, with only Cu showing concentrations above guideline values, as a consequence of porphyry Cu mineralization in the catchment. The magnitude and spatial extent of metal pollution is influenced by local physico-chemical conditions and hydrological linkages between mining and local river systems. Sediment-bound Cd and Zn were found to be predominantly associated with the exchangeable phase of the sediment (9–74% and 6–65%, respectively), whilst Fe/Mn oxides (5–76%) and organic matter/sulphides (1–45%) generally accounted for a majority of Pb and Cu partitioning, respectively. Sites of environmentally significant sediment-metal pollution were identified in the Rivers Abrud and Arieş where exchangeable metal concentrations exceeded Dutch intervention values. The implications of metal contamination in the Arieş river basin to the proposed mining development at Roşia Montana are discussed in relation to other contaminated Romanian catchments and with the EU Water Framework Directive.     

Tertiary fluvial gravels and evolution of the Western Canadian Prairie Landscape

The early Tertiary of Western Canada and northern United States was marked by a change from compressional to extensional tectonics. The result was regional uplift and magmatic events. The uplift resulted in a major unconformity and deposition of extensive regional sheets of gravel and sand, of which only isolated remnants remain. These units are the Eocene to Miocene Cypress Hills Formation, the Miocene Wood Mountain Formation, Miocene Flaxville Formation and preglacial Souris River gravels, All four stratigraphic units consist of gravel and sand with lesser amounts of clay. The formations were largely deposited as laterally continuous sheets of braided river gravels, with some occurrences of meandering-river sedimentation. The sediment was deposited several hundred kilometres downstream of their source areas. Paleocurrent data for the Cypress Hills and Wood Mountain formations indicate that regional paleoslope dipped towards the north–northeast. The modern prairie landscape of western Canada began to evolve with the deposition of these gravels during the Eocene with creation of a basin-wide unconformity followed by deposition of an extensive braidplain system that was subsequently uplifted, incised, and molded into its present form.     

On the timing and causes of illite formation and remagnetization in the Cretaceous Marias River Shale, Disturbed Belt, Montana

In this study, we test a burial model for diagenetic illite and whether illitization is related to the acquisition of a chemical remanent magnetization (CRM). A prefolding, reversed polarity, secondary magnetization is found in carbonate concretions in diagenetically altered Upper Cretaceous rocks in the disturbed belt of Montana. Stratigraphically equivalent unaltered rocks to the east do not contain the magnetization. The magnetization could be a CRM or a thermoviscous remagnetization. The pole position is generally consistent with the Early Tertiary K–Ar ages of diagenetic illite–smectite formed under thrust loading, but it is not constrained well enough for a precise age comparison. If this magnetization is a CRM, it could be related to illitization. Alternatively, if the prefolding CRM had been acquired prior to thrust loading then the magnetization is not related to illitization. Geochemical studies are currently underway to test if the magnetization could be related to fluid alteration.