An experimental study of the grain-scale processes of peridotite melting: implications for major and trace element distribution during equilibrium and disequilibrium melting

The grain-scale processes of peridotite melting were examined at 1,340°C and 1.5 GPa using reaction couples formed by juxtaposing pre-synthesized clinopyroxenite against pre-synthesized orthopyroxenite or harzburgite in graphite and platinum-lined molybdenum capsules. Reaction between the clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene-rich aggregates produces a melt-enriched, orthopyroxene-free, olivine + clinopyroxene reactive boundary layer. Major and trace element abundance in clinopyroxene vary systematically across the reactive boundary layer with compositional trends similar to the published clinopyroxene core-to-rim compositional variations in the bulk lherzolite partial melting studies conducted at similar P–T conditions. The growth of the reactive boundary layer takes place at the expense of the orthopyroxenite or harzburgite and is consistent with grain-scale processes that involve dissolution, precipitation, reprecipitation, and diffusive exchange between the interstitial melt and surrounding crystals. An important consequence of dissolution–reprecipitation during crystal-melt interaction is the dramatic decrease in diffusive reequilibration time between coexisting minerals and melt. This effect is especially important for high charged, slow diffusing cations during peridotite melting and melt-rock reaction. Apparent clinopyroxene-melt partition coefficients for REE, Sr, Y, Ti, and Zr, measured from reprecipitated clinopyroxene and coexisting melt in the reactive boundary layer, approach their equilibrium values reported in the literature. Disequilibrium melting models based on volume diffusion in solid limited mechanism are likely to significantly underestimate the rates at which major and trace elements in residual minerals reequilibrate with their surrounding melt. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Vertical Distribution of Meiobenthos in Bathyal Sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Relationship with Labile Organic Matter and Bacterial Biomasses

Abstract. Quantitative information on the vertical distribution of meiofaunal abundances and biomass were obtained from samples collected at 3 bathyal stations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea located at the same depth but characterized by different food supply. Vertical distribution patterns of nieiofauna were investigated in relation to the biochemical composition of the sediment organic matter (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) and compared to benthic bacterial standing stocks. No significant relationship between bacteria and meiofauna was found, whereas a significant relationship between protein and lipid concentrations and total meiofauna density was observed. These data suggest that labile organic matter. considered as material readily aVdihbk to benthic consumers, may be an important factor regulating meiofaunal abundance and vertical distribution in deep-sea sediments.     

Possible origin of laminated sediments of the anoxic Bannock Basin (eastern Mediterranean)

Quantitative analysis of nannofossils and microfossils in laminated sediments recovered from the Libeccio Basin of the Bannock area and a comparison with similar laminated sediments from anoxic basins in the Black Sea and the Gulf of Mexico suggest that the laminated sediments in this eastern Mediterranean anoxic basin are the result of cyclic productivity changes. It is suggested on the basis of periodicity estimates of 80 yr that the laminae are related to changes in solar activity (Wolf-Gleissberg cycles) that influenced the Nile discharge and thus the nutrient supply in the water masses.     

Inhibition of coral fertilisation and larval metamorphosis by tributyltin and copper

Fertilisation and larval metamorphosis of reef-building corals are important life history events leading to recruitment of juvenile corals to reef populations. Little is known of the sensitivity of these early life phases to pollution, or their relative susceptibility to certain toxicants compared with established coral colonies. Inhibition of fertilisation and larval metamorphosis of the coral Acropora millepora (Ehrenberg, 1834) was assessed in response to solutions of the antifoulants tributyltin (TBT) and copper (Cu) using laboratory-based bioassays. Nominal concentrations that inhibited 50% fertilisation and metamorphosis (IC50) were calculated from 4 h fertilisation and 24 h metamorphosis assays and were based on introduced dose. Cu was most potent towards fertilisation with an IC50 of 17.4 micrograms/l. TBT however, proved more toxic to larval metamorphosis having an IC50 of 2.0 micrograms/l. Inert surfaces coated with either Cu- or TBT-based antifouling paint also inhibited fertilisation and metamorphosis. The degree of inhibition was correlated with surface area of the paint coating. These results indicate fertilisation and metamorphosis of coral can be sensitive to active components of antifouling paints.     

The humin structure of mucilage aggregates in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas: hypothesis about the reasonable causes of mucilage formation

Sixteen mucilages sampled in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas during 1999–2001 were characterised using spectroscopic [Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); colorimetric], chromatographic [thin-layer chromatography (TLC)], and elemental analysis techniques. Most samples contained comparable fractions of organic and inorganic compounds, with the exception of a few samples where the inorganic fraction was greater than the organic fraction. Carbohydrates were important in the samples rich in organic matter, while carbonate and silica (quartz and biogenic silica) were the most important constituents of the inorganic fraction. Carbonate and silica were the only important constituents of the samples with a very low organic content.According to chemical analyses, mucilage aggregates show the typical structure of humin—the insoluble fraction of the humic substance. Classification of mucilage samples as humin-like compounds, together with a reexamination of the factors involved in the formation of organic aggregates in marine environment, has led to the formulation of a reasonable hypothesis for mucilage formation.     

Strain localization due to structural in-homogeneities in the Central European Basin System

The large-scale crustal deformations observed in the Central European Basin System (CEBS) are the result of the interplay between several controlling factors, among which lateral rheological heterogeneities play a key role. We present a finite-element integral thin sheet model of stress and strain distribution within the CEBS. Unlike many previous models, this study is based on thermo-mechanical data to quantify the impact of lateral contrasts on the tectonic deformation. Elasto-plastic material behaviour is used for both the mantle and the crust, and the effects of the sedimentary fill are also investigated. The consistency of model results is ensured through comparisons with observed data. The results resemble the present-day dynamics and kinematics when: (1) a weak granite-like lower crust below the Elbe Fault System is modelled in contrast to a stronger lower crust in the area extending north of the Elbe Line throughout the Baltic region; and (2) a transition domain in the upper mantle is considered between the shallow mantle of the Variscan domain and the deep mantle beneath the East European Craton (EEC), extending from the Elbe Line in the south till the Tornquist Zone. The strain localizations observed along these structural contrasts strongly enhance the dominant role played by large structural domains in stiffening the propagation of tectonic deformation and in controlling the basin formation and the evolution in the CEBS.     

Isotope geochemistry of caliche developed on basalt

Enormous variations in oxygen and carbon isotopes occur in caliche developed on < 3 Ma basalts in 3 volcanic fields in Arizona, significantly extending the range of δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C observed in terrestrial caliche. Within each volcanic field, δ¹⁸O is broadly co-variant with δ¹³C and increases as δ¹³C increases. The most ¹⁸O and ¹³C enriched samples are for subaerial calcite developed on pinnacles, knobs, and flow lobes that protrude above tephra and soil. The most ¹⁸O and ¹³C depleted samples are for pedogenic carbonate developed in soil atmospheres. The pedogenic caliche has δ¹⁸O fixed by normal precipitation in local meteoric waters at ambient temperatures and has low δ¹³C characteristic of microbial soil CO₂. Subaerial caliche has formed from ¹⁸O-rich evapoconcentrated meteoric waters that dried out on surfaces after local rains. The associated ¹³C enrichment is due either to removal of ¹²C by photosynthesizers in the evaporating drops or to kinetic isotope effects associated with evaporation. Caliche on basalt lava flows thus initially forms with the isotopic signature of evaporation and is subsequently over-layered during burial by calcite carrying the isotopic signature of the soil environment. The large change in carbon isotope composition in subsequent soil calcite defines an isotopic biosignature that should have developed in martian examples if Mars had a “warm, wet” early period and photosynthesizing microbes were present in the early soils. The approach can be similarly applied to terrestrial Precambrian paleocaliche in the search for the earliest record of life on land. Large variations reported for δ¹⁸O of carbonate in Martian meteorite ALH84001 do not necessarily require high temperatures, playa lakes, or flood runoff if the carbonate is an example of altered martian caliche.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of the franciscana dolphin,Pontoporia blainvillei,in Southern Buenos Aires,Argentina

The franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, is endemic to the coastal waters of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and the most endangered dolphin in the area. Four Franciscana Management Areas (FMAs) are currently recognised; however, results of genetic studies suggest the requirement for additional FMAs and highlight the need for more detailed studies in the southern extreme of the species distribution. With this aim, we studied the genetic diversity and population structure of the species analysing an mtDNA control region fragment (434?bp) in 44 individuals collected in four sampling sites located in Southern Buenos Aires. Haplotype diversity (H?=?0.75?±?0.05) was mostly higher than the observed in endangered or near threatened odontocetes. Population structure analyses suggest that three different genetic populations should be recognised within FMA IV: Northern, Eastern and Southern Buenos Aires. Altogether, these results should be taken into account in future conservation plans for the species.