Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water, seston and copepods in a harbour area in the Western Mediterranean (Ligurian Sea)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic pollutants that can significantly affect ecosystems and exert an influence on marine planktonic and benthic communities as well as on higher organisms such as fish and mammals, including humans. In this paper the concentrations of six PAHs in water, seston and copepods were examined in a harbour zone of the Genova Gulf (Ligurian Sea) from November 1997 to June 1998. The importance of freshwater inputs coming from a polluted stream and the influence of seasonal and atmospheric factors were also considered. Highest PAH values were recorded during spring. Fluoranthene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene and Benzo[k]fluoranthene were the most abundant PAHs either in water, seston or copepods. The concentration of total PAHs in seawater was often lower than the detection limit: recorded values ranged between 0.001 and 0.06 ppb. In seston, total PAHs ranged between 0.033 and 6.26 ng·g^?1 and in copepods between 0.01 and 2.34 ng·g^?1. With this study, PAH contamination in the harbour zone of Genova Sestri‐Ponente and the importance of inputs of organic pollutants coming from land and freshwaters have been emphasized.     

Fluid Geochemistry as Indicator of Tectonically-Related,Deep Water Circulations in the Sardinian Rift-Campidano Graben (Italy): New Insights from Environmental Isotopes

The EC funded Geochemical Seismic Zonation program (EEC GSZ Project 1996–1998) chose Sardinia as a low-seismicity site, in which the relationships between fluid geochemistry and seismo-tectonics had to be investigated and results compared with outcomes from other selected high-seismicity sites. A first article, examining the role of fault segmentation and seismic quiescence on the geochemical composition of groundwaters and gases, has already been presented (Angelone et al. 2005). This article deals with environmental isotopes which, together with selected hydrochemical data, give hints on tectonically-related fluid circulations. Four water-dominated hydrothermal systems were considered, all located along regional fault systems and discharging groundwaters belonging to the Na–HCO₃ and Na–Cl facies. In the considered systems, groundwater circulation takes place, principally, in the Palaeozoic Crystalline Basement (PCB), with the exception of the Logudoro system, where hydrological circuits develop in the Mesozoic Carbonate Platform (MCP). The high CO₂ contents, the non-attainment of fluid-rock equilibrium and the large lithological variability prevent the construction of a unique hydrogeological–geochemical conceptual model. In this case, stable isotopes provide a useful tool to describe the origin of fluids and their subterranean movements. Stable isotopes of water, integrated with hydrochemical data, indicate that fluids are derived from three main end members. The dominant component is a relatively recent local meteoric water; the second one is marine water; and the third one is a fossil freshwater, depleted in heavy isotopes with respect to modern rains. The latter end member entered the aquifer system in the past, when climatic conditions were greatly different from today. At least two circulation systems can be recognised, namely a shallow cold system and a deep hydrothermal system, as well as two distinct hydrological processes: (1) gravity-controlled descent of cold water towards greater depths and (2) convection linked to a thermal gradient, causing deep fluids to rise up from the hydrothermal reservoir towards the surface. The highly variable δ¹³C_TDIC values suggest the presence of two distinct CO₂ sources, namely, a biogenic one and a thermogenic one. The relation between the isotopic compositions of CO₂ and He indicates an increased mantle signature in uprising CO₂-rich fluids.     

Groundwater flow systems in turbidites of the Northern Apennines (Italy): natural discharge and high speed railway tunnel drainage

Turbidites crop out extensively in the Northern Apennine mountains (Italy). The huge amounts of groundwater drained by tunnels, built for the high speed railway connection between Bologna and Florence, demonstrate the aquifer-like behaviour of these units, up to now considered as aquitards. A conceptual model of groundwater flow systems (GFS) in fractured aquifers of turbidites is proposed, taking into account both system natural state and the perturbation induced by tunnel drainage. Analysis of hydrological data (springs, streams and tunnel discharge), collected over 10 years, was integrated with analysis of hydrochemical and isotopic data and a stream-tunnel tracer test. Hydrologic recession analysis of undisturbed conditions is a key tool in studying turbiditic aquifer hydrogeology, permitting the discrimination of GFS, the estimation of recharge relative to the upstream reach portion and the identification of springs most vulnerable to tunnel drainage impacts. The groundwater budgeting analysis provides evidence that the natural aquifer discharge was stream-focused through GFS, developed downslope or connected to main extensional tectonic lineaments intersecting stream beds; now tunnels drain mainly active recharge groundwater and so cause a relevant stream baseflow deplenishment (approximately two-thirds of the natural value), possibly resulting in adverse effects on local ecosystems.     

Revising macroseismic data in Switzerland: The December 20, 1720 earthquake in the region of Lake Constance

Upgrading the Earthquake Catalog of Switzerland (ECOS) included revising the earthquake of 1720. This change has major importance for history and seismology.Although that quake has been the subject of several publications, none was based on critical methods. This re-evaluation of the event is built upon a new and more reliable database established after investigating archives and libraries. Using data from such historical sources, we assigned new site intensities, adopting the criteria established by the European macroseismic scale EMS 98 (Grünthal, 1998).We discovered that the event had been assigned an overestimated intensity, due to interpretation errors in former earthquake catalogs and compilations. We recommend reducing the intensity from I₀= VIII to I₀= VI (EMS 98). The moment magnitude is given as M_W= 4.6. Since the event had been considered the largest for its respective area, downgrading it now will influence the seismic hazard assessment for this region.     

Neon produced by solar cosmic rays in ordinary chondrites

Solar‐cosmic‐ray‐produced Ne (SCR‐Ne), in the form of low cosmogenic ²¹Ne/²²Ne ratios (²¹Ne/²²Ne_cos <0.8), is more likely to be found in rare meteorite classes, like Martian meteorites, than in ordinary chondrites. This may be the result of a sampling bias: SCR‐Ne is better preserved in meteorites with small preatmospheric radii and these specimens are often only studied if they belong to unusual or rare classes. We measured He and Ne isotopic concentrations and nuclear tracks in 25 small unpaired ordinary chondrites from Oman. Most chondrites have been intensively heated during atmospheric entry as evidenced by the disturbed track records, the low ³He/²¹Ne ratios, the low ⁴He concentrations, and the high peak release temperatures. Concentration depth profiles indicate significant degassing; however, the Ne isotopes are mainly undisturbed. Remarkably, six chondrites have low ²¹Ne/²²Ne_cos in the range 0.711–0.805. Using a new physical model for the calculation of SCR production rates, we show that four of the chondrites contain up to ~20% of SCR‐Ne; they are analyzed in terms of preatmospheric sizes, cosmic ray exposure ages, mass ablation losses, and orbits. We conclude that SCR‐Ne is preserved, regardless of the meteorite class, in specimens with small preatmospheric radii. Sampling bias explains the predominance of SCR‐Ne in rare meteorites, although we cannot exclude that SCR‐Ne is more common in Martian meteorites than it is in small ordinary chondrites.     

Zirconolite,allanite and hoegbomite in a marble skarn from the Bergell contact aureole: implications for mobility of Ti,Zr and REE

Zirconolite, allanite and hoegbomite are present as accessory phases in a metasomatically altered spinel-calcite-marble from the contact with the Bergell intrusives (Switzerland/Italy). Textural relationships indicate a step-wise alteration of spinel to 1) hoegbomite or corundum + magnetite, 2) margarite and 3) chlorite. Replacement of spinel by hoegbomite can be described by the substitution 1.94(Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺)Ti⁴⁺ +0.12(OH^–) where Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ are held constant. The average composition of the Bergell hoegbomites is given by the formula Fe _0.97 ²⁺ Mg_0.69Zn_0.04Ti_0.17Al_3.94Fe _0.06 ³⁺ O_7.98(OH)_0.02 and seems to be imposed by the composition of pre-existing spinel. During the first two steps of spinel alteration, calcite was replaced by anorthite+phlogopite, and the rare earth element(REE)-bearing minerals zirconolite, allanite and sphene were formed. Allanites have characteristic chondrite-normalized REE patterns with enrichment in the light REE. The zirconolite patterns show a marked increase in concentration from La to Ce, followed by an almost constant section. Sphene lacks detectable La, and its REE patterns vary from grain to grain. Contemporaneous formation of phlogopite, REE-bearing minerals and hoegbomite during replacement of the spinel-calcite-marble indicates that the metamorphic fluid introduced potassium along with REE and other high valence cations (Ti⁴⁺, Zr⁴⁺, U⁴⁺, Th^4A3804265, Nb^5A3804265, Y^3A3804265) possibly as polynuclear complexes. The abundance of fluorine-bearing phlogopite and fluor-apatite as well as their close association with REE-bearing minerals and hoegbomite suggests F^– and PO ₄ ^3– as likely ligands for complexing of the above mentioned elements.