Reaction overstepping and re-evaluation of peak P‒T conditions of the blueschist unit Sifnos,Greece: implications for the Cyclades subduction zone

ABSTRACT

Equilibrium thermodynamic modelling, quartz in garnet (QuiG) Raman geobarometry, and modelling of garnet nucleation at overstepped conditions were applied to three garnet-bearing blueschists from a 1.5 km-long transect across the eclogite-blueschist unit in Sifnos, Greece, in order to evaluate the accuracy of P?T conditions calculated via equilibrium thermodynamics. QuiG barometry uses the Raman shift of quartz inclusions in garnet to estimate the pressure of garnet nucleation and is independent of chemical equilibrium. Garnet nucleation temperatures were estimated by determining the stability field of the palaeo-assemblage inferred from garnet inclusion suites on mineral assemblage diagrams calculated in the MnNCKFMASH system and on temperatures obtained from Zr in rutile thermometry. These conditions were then compared to P?T conditions calculated at the equilibrium garnet isograd, and the method of intersecting isopleths. The P?T conditions calculated with intersecting garnet isopleths over- and underestimated the temperature of nucleation in samples SPH99-1a and SPH99-7, respectively, whereas they significantly underestimated nucleation pressure in SPH99-5. Nucleation of garnet in SPH99-1a at 12 kbar and ~484°C requires overstepping of ~6 kbar and a reaction affinity of 2.2 kJ mol^?1 O. SPH99-5 requires overstepping of ~8 kbar with garnet reaction affinities of at least 2.0 kJ mol^?1 O at 15 kbar and ~520°C. SPH99-7 requires overstepping of approximately 15 kbar and affinities of about 2.0–2.4 kJ mol^?1 O at ~23 kbar and ~530°C. The geotherms calculated from SPH99-7 (~6.7°C km^?1) and SPH99-5 (9.8°C km^?1) are in accordance with previous studies. The geotherm calculated from SPH99-1a, however, is warmer (11.3°C km^?1), and could reflect changes in the rate of subduction or differences in structural position within the down-going slab. The 10 kbar pressure difference between SPH99-7 and SPH99-1a can be explained by thrusting and accretion of thin slices of underplated wedge material facilitated by slab rollback and gravitational collapse.     

Changes in tourmaline composition during magmatic and hydrothermal processes leading to tin-ore deposition: The Cornubian Batholith,SW England

To investigate the potential of tourmaline as a geochemical monitor, a comprehensive dataset on major, minor and trace element concentrations as well as Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratios of tourmaline is presented. The dataset includes samples from five plutonic complexes related to diverse magmatic to hydrothermal stages of the Cornubian Batholith (SW England). Tourmaline composition found in barren and cassiterite-bearing samples include all three primary tourmaline groups and tourmaline species with the general endmembers schorl, dravite, elbaite, uvite, feruvite, foitite and Mg-foitite.Based on textures and compositions, it is possible to distinguish not only between late-magmatic and hydrothermal tourmaline, but also between several formation stages. Hence, tourmaline monitors late-magmatic processes and the partitioning of elements during exsolution of an aqueous phase. For example, in hydrothermal tourmaline Sn is strongly enriched, while Ti, Cr, V and Sc are depleted compared to late-magmatic tourmaline of the same sample. Several tourmaline generations that precipitated from magmatic fluids can be distinguished with differing major and minor elements and REE patterns depending on the composition of the melt from which they were expelled from. Strongly zoned tourmaline allows for unraveling the hydrothermal history of a distinct location including ore precipitation. The precipitation of SnO₂ in the study area was probably caused by mixing between acidic, reduced, Sn-bearing magmatic fluids and oxidized meteoric fluids, which is in agreement with London and Manning (1995) and Williamson et al. (2000). Hence, the ability of tourmaline composition to monitor changes in Sn concentration and redox conditions in hydrothermal fluids has potential as an exploration tool.     

NAHUAL: a near‐infrared high‐resolution spectrograph for the GTC optimized for studies of ultracool dwarfs

We present the status of an ongoing study for a high‐resolution near‐infrared echelle spectrograph for the 10.4‐m GTC (Gran Telescopio de Canarias) which will soon start operating at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma. The main science driver of this instrument, which we have baptized NAHUAL, is to carry out a high precision radial velocity survey of exoplanets around ultracool dwarfs. NAHUAL is being especially designed to achieve the highest possible accuracy for radial velocity measurements. The goal is to reach an accuracy of a few m/s. It is thus required that the instrument is cross‐dispersed and that it covers simultaneously a wide wavelength range. Absorption cells will be placed in front of the slit which will allow a simultaneous self‐reference similar to an iodine‐cell in the optical regime. It is planned to place the instrument at one of the Nasmyth platform of the GTC behind the Adaptive Optics system. Our current design reaches a maximum spectral resolution of λ/Δλ = 50000 with a slit width of 0.175 arcsec, and gives nearly complete spectral coverage from 900 to 2400 nm. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

不同胶结情况下套管井中声场激发谱的研究

采用实轴积分法计算套管刻度井中的声场激发谱,分析了第一、第二界面的胶结情况以及模拟地层的厚度等对井内声场的影响。数值结果显示：在套管刻度井中,模拟地层厚度的增大或第一、第二界面的胶结状况变差,该地层的外边界对井中激发谱的影响变小,在低频（小于3 kHz）情况下,当外边界半径大于0.2 m时,不管第一、第二界面胶结状况如何,该边界面对井中激发谱的影响基本可以忽略;在设计套管刻度井时,为减小模拟地层的外边界对井内声场的影响,既要考虑不同胶结情况下模拟地层的厚度问题,还应考虑声源测量频率的影响问题。     

Influence of cation distribution on the optical absorption spectra of Fe3+-bearing spinel s.s.–hercynite crystals: evidence for electron transitions in VIFe2+–VIFe3+ clusters

Flux-grown Fe³⁺-bearing spinel s.s.–hercynite solid-solution crystals, (Mg _1-y Fe²⁺ _y )Al₂O₄ (0 < y≤ 1), have been investigated by means of electron microprobe technique and Mössbauer and electronic spectroscopy. Obtained results show that different electronic processes cause intense optical absorption bands in the near-infrared spectral region. In addition to an electronic d–d transition in single-ion ^IVFe²⁺, observed at 5200 cm^?1, intense and broad bands at 9500 and 14 500 cm^?1 are assigned to exchange-coupled pair (ECP) and intervalence charge-transfer (IVCT) transitions in ^VI Fe ^{2+ VI} Fe³⁺clusters, respectively. The net linear extinction coefficients of these bands (α) were calibrated against Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ concentrations and site distributions previously defined by combined microchemical, Mössbauer, and XRD structural refinement data. The following expressions were obtained: where α is measured in cm^?1 and concentrations are expressed in mol?l^?1. The present results show that optical absorption spectroscopy may be used as a probe to obtain high spatial resolution (?～ 10 μm) information on Fe²⁺ ordering as well as on Fe³⁺ concentrations in minerals belonging to the spinel group.     

Turbulence in clusters of galaxies and X-ray line profiles

Large-scale bulk motions and hydrodynamic turbulence in the intergalactic gas that fills clusters of galaxies significantly broaden X-ray emission lines. For lines of heavy ions (primarily helium-like and hydrogen-like iron ions), the hydrodynamic broadening is appreciably larger than the thermal broadening. Since clusters of galaxies have a negligible optical depth for resonant scattering in the forbidden and intercombination lines of these ions, these lines are not additionally broadened. At the same time, they are very intense, which allows deviations of the spectrum from the Gaussian spectrum in the line wings to be investigated. The line shape proves to be an important indicator of bulk hydrodynamic processes. Doppler probing of turbulence becomes possible, because the cryogenic detectors of the X-ray observatories now ready for launch and being planned will have a high energy resolution (from 5 eV for ASTRO-E2 to 1–2 eV for Constellation-X and XEUS). We use the spectral representation of a Kolmogorov cascade in the inertial range to calculate the characteristic shapes of radiation lines. Significant deviations in the line profiles from the Gaussian profile (shape asymmetry, additional peaks, sharp breaks in the exponential tails) are expected for large-scale turbulence. The kinematic SZ effect and the X-ray line profiles carry different information about the hydrodynamic velocity distribution in clusters of galaxies and complement each other, allowing the redshift, the peculiar velocity of the cluster, and the bulk velocity dispersion to be separated.     

Spectroscopy of the W Virginis star V1 (K 307 ) in the globular cluster M12

High-resolution CCD spectra have been obtained for the first time for the W Virginis star V1 (K 307) in the globular cluster M12 and its closest neighbor K 307b (m _pg=14^m; the angular distance from the W Vir star is δ<1 arcsec). We determined the fundamental parameters (T _eff=5600 K, logg=1.3, and T _eff=4200 K, logg=1.0 for the W Vir star and the neighboring star, respectively) and their detailed chemical composition. The derived metallicities of the two stars ([Fe/H]=?1.27 and ?1.22 relative to the solar value) are in good agreement with the metallicities of other cluster members. Changed CNO abundances were found in the atmosphere of the W Vir star: a small carbon overabundance, [C/Fe]=+0.30 dex, and a large nitrogen overabundance, [N/Fe]=+1.15 dex, with oxygen being underabundant, [O/Fe]≈?0.2 dex. The C/O ratio is ≥1. Na and the α-process elements Mg, Al, Si, Ca, and Ti are variously enhanced with respect to iron. We found an enhanced abundance of s-process metals relative to iron: [X/Fe]=+0.34 for Y, Zr, and Ba. The overabundance of the heavier metals La, Ce, and Nd with respect to iron is larger: [X/Fe]=+0.49. The largest overabundance was found for the r-process element europium, [Eu/Fe]=+0.82. The spectrum of the W Vir star exhibits the Hα and Hβ absorption-emission profiles and the He I λ5876 Å emission line, which are traditionally interpreted as a result of shock passage in the atmosphere. However, the radial velocities determined from absorption and emission features are in conflict with the formation pattern of a strong shock. The high luminosity log L/L _⊙ = 2.98, the chemica peculiarities, and the spectral peculiarity are consistent with the post-AGB evolution in the instability strip. The pattern of relative elemental abundances [X/Fe]in the atmosphere of the neighboring star K 307b is solar. Statistically significant differences were found only for sodium and α-process elements: the mean overabundance of light metals is [X/Fe]=+0.35.     

Gain calibration of CCD systems at VBO

The system gain of two CCD systems in regular use at the Vainu Bappu Observatory, Kavalur, is determined at a few gain settings. The procedure used for the determination of system gain and base-level noise is described in detail. The Photometrics CCD system at the 1-m reflector uses a Thomson-CSF TH 7882 CDA chip coated for increased ultraviolet sensitivity. The gain is programme-selected through the parameter ‘cgain’ varying between 0 and 4095 in steps of 1. The inverse system gain for this system varies almost linearly from 27.7 electrons DN^-1 at cgain = 0 to 1.5 electrons DN^-1 at cgain = 500. The readout noise is ≲ 11 electrons at cgain = 66. The Astromed CCD system at 2.3-m Vainu Bappu Telescope uses a GEC P8603 chip which is also coated for enhanced ultraviolet sensitivity. The amplifier gain is selected in discrete steps using switches in the controller. The inverse system gain is 4.15 electrons DN^-1 at the gain setting of 9.2, and the readout noise ∼ 8 electrons.