High‐temperature gold‐copper extraction with chloride flux in lava tubes of Tolbachik volcano (Kamchatka)

Subvolcanic environments in supra‐subduction zones are renowned for hosting epithermal deposits that often contain electrum and native gold, including bonanza examples. This study examined mineral assemblages and processes occurring in shallow‐crust volcanic settings using recent eruption (2012–2013) of the basaltic Tolbachik volcano in the Kamchatka arc. The Tolbachik eruptive system is characterized by an extensive system of lava tubes. After cessation of magma input, the tubes maintained the flow of hot oxidized gases that episodically interacted with the lava surfaces and sulphate‐chloride precipitates from volcanic gases on these surfaces. The gas‐rock interaction had strong pyrometamorphic effects that resulted in the formation of molten salt, oxidized (tenorite, hematite, Cu‐rich magnesioferrite) and skarn‐like silicate mineral assemblages. By analogy with experimental studies, we propose that a combination of these processes was responsible for extraction of metals from the basaltic wall rocks and deposition of Cu‐, Fe‐ and Cu‐Fe‐oxides and native gold.     

Biogeochemistry of dissolved carbon,major, and trace elements during spring flood periods on the Ob River

Detailed knowledge of the flood period of Arctic rivers remains one of the few factors impeding rigorous prediction of the effect of climate change on carbon and related element fluxes from the land to the Arctic Ocean. In order to test the temporal and spatial variability of element concentration in the Ob River (western Siberia) water during flood period and to quantify the contribution of spring flood period to the annual element export, we sampled the main channel year round in 2014–2017 for dissolved C, major, and trace element concentrations. We revealed high stability (approximately ≤10% relative variation) of dissolved C, major, and trace element concentrations in the Ob River during spring flood period over a 1‐km section of the river channel and over 3 days continuous monitoring (3‐hr frequency). We identified two groups of elements with contrasting relationship to discharge: (a) DIC and soluble elements (Cl, SO₄, Li, B, Na, Mg, Ca, P, V, Cr, Mn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba, W, and U) negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with discharge and exhibited minimal concentrations during spring flood and autumn high flow and (b) DOC and particle‐reactive elements (Al, Fe, Ti, Y, Zr, Nb, Cs, REEs, Hf, Tl, Pb, and Th), some nutrients (K), and metalloids (Ge, Sb, and Te), positively correlated (p < 0.05) with discharge and showed the highest concentrations during spring flood. We attribute the decreased concentration of soluble elements with discharge to dilution by groundwater feeding and increased concentration of DOC and particle‐reactive metals with discharge to leaching from surface soil, plant litter, and suspended particles. Overall, the present study provides first‐order assessment of fluxes of major and trace elements in the middle course of the Ob River, reveals their high temporal and spatial stability, and characterizes the mechanism of river water chemical composition acquisition.     

Simulation of subsurface heat and water dynamics, and runoff generation in mountainous permafrost conditions, in the Upper Kolyma River basin, Russia

The Hydrograph model (a distributed process-based model) was applied to the simulation of soil freeze-thaw and runoff processes, to assess the viability of the model approach and the influence of specific environmental factors in a permafrost environment. Three mountainous permafrost watersheds were studied, at the Kolyma Water Balance Station in north-eastern Russia. The watersheds include rocky talus, mountainous tundra and moist larch-forest landscape regimes, and they were modelled at daily time-steps for the period 1971–1984. Simulated results of soil freeze-thaw depth and runoff showed reasonable agreement with observed values. This study reveals and mathematically describes the dependence of surface and subsurface flow on thawing depth and landscape characteristics. Process analysis and modelling in permafrost regions, including ungauged basins, is suggested, with observable properties of landscapes being used as model parameters, combined with an appropriate level of physically based conceptualization.     

Meso‐Cenozoic Evolution of Earth Surface System under the East Asian Tectonic Superconvergence

The East Asian geological setting has a long duration related to the superconvergence of the Paleo‐Asian, Tethyan and Paleo‐Pacific tectonic domains. The Triassic Indosinian Movement contributed to an unified passive continental margin in East Asia. The later ophiolites and I‐type granites associated with subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate in the Late Triassic, suggest a transition from passive to active continental margins. With the presence of the ongoing westward migration of the Paleo‐Pacific Subduction Zone, the sinistral transpressional stress field could play an important role in the intraplate deformation in East Asia during the Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic, being characterized by the transition from the E‐W‐trending structural system controlled by the Tethys and Paleo‐Asian oceans to the NE‐trending structural system caused by the Paleo‐Pacific Ocean subduction. The continuously westward migration of the subduction zones resulted in the transpressional stress field in East Asia marked by the emergence of the Eastern North China Plateau and the formation of the Andean‐type active continental margin from late Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (160‐135 Ma), accompanied by the development of a small amount of adakites. In the Late Cretaceous (135‐90 Ma), due to the eastward retreat of the Paleo‐Pacific Subduction Zone, the regional stress field was replaced from sinistral transpression to transtension. Since a large amount of late‐stage adakites and metamorphic core complexes developed, the Andean‐type active continental margin was destroyed and the Eastern North China Plateau started to collapse. In the Late Cretaceous, the extension in East Asia gradually decreased the eastward retreat of the Paleo‐Pacific subduction zones. Futhermore, a significant topographic inversion had taken place during the Cenozoic that resulted from a rapid uplift of the Tibet Plateau resulting from the India‐Eurasian collision and the formation of the Bohai Bay Basin and other basins in the East Asian continental margin. The inversion caused a remarkable eastward migration of deformation, basin formation and magmatism. Meanwhile, the basins that mainly developed in the Paleogene resulted in a three‐step topography which typically appears to drop eastward in altitude. In the Neogene, the basins underwent a rapid subsidence in some depressions after basin‐controlled faulting, as well as the intracontinental extensional events in East Asia, and are likely to be a contribution to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.     

Correction to: Characteristics of topographic submesoscale eddies off the Crimea coast from high-resolution satellite optical measurements

Ocean Dynamics - A Correction to this paper has been published: https: doi.org/10.1007/s10236-021-01463-y     

The 2010 European Venus Explorer (EVE) mission proposal

The European Venus Explorer (EVE) mission described in this paper was proposed in December 2010 to ESA as an ‘M-class’ mission under the Cosmic Vision programme. It consists of a single balloon platform floating in the middle of the main convective cloud layer of Venus at an altitude of 55?km, where temperatures and pressures are benign (～25°C and ～0.5 bar). The balloon float lifetime would be at least 10 Earth days, long enough to guarantee at least one full circumnavigation of the planet. This offers an ideal platform for the two main science goals of the mission: study of the current climate through detailed characterization of cloud-level atmosphere, and investigation of the formation and evolution of Venus, through careful measurement of noble gas isotopic abundances. These investigations would provide key data for comparative planetology of terrestrial planets in our solar system and beyond.     

Using Mg Isotopes to Trace Cyanobacterially Mediated Magnesium Carbonate Precipitation in Alkaline Lakes

This study assesses the potential use of Mg isotopes to trace Mg carbonate precipitation in natural waters. Salda Lake (SW Turkey) was chosen for this study because it is one of the few modern environments where hydrous Mg carbonates are the dominant precipitating minerals. Stromatolites, consisting mainly of hydromagnesite, are abundant in this lake. The Mg isotope composition of incoming streams, groundwaters, lake waters, stromatolites, and hydromagnesite-rich sediments were measured. Because Salda Lake is located in a closed basin, mass balance requires that the Mg isotopic offset between Lake Salda water and precipitated hydromagnesite be comparable to the corresponding offset between Salda Lake and its water inputs. This is consistent with observations; a ??²⁶Mg offset of 0.8?C1.4??? is observed between Salda Lake water and it is the incoming streams and groundwaters, and precipitated hydromagnesite has a ??²⁶Mg 0.9?C1.1??? more negative than its corresponding fluid phase. This isotopic offset also matches closely that measured in the laboratory during both biotic and abiotic hydrous Mg carbonate precipitation by cyanobacteria (Mavromatis, V., Pearce, C., Shirokova, L. S., Bundeleva, I. A., Pokrovsky, O. S., Benezeth, P. and Oelkers, E.H.: Magnesium isotope fractionation during inorganic and cyanobacteria-induced hydrous magnesium carbonate precipitation, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2012a. 76, 161?C174). Batch reactor experiments performed in the presence of Salda Lake cyanobacteria and stromatolites resulted in the precipitation of dypingite (Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·5(H₂O)) and hydromagnesite (Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·4H₂O) with morphological features similar to those of natural samples. Concurrent abiotic control experiments did not exhibit carbonate precipitation demonstrating the critical role of cyanobacteria in the precipitation process.     

Artemia cyst production in Russia

In Western Siberia(Russia) there are about 100 Artemia lakes with total area over 1 600 km 2.Geographically these lakes are located between 51°–56°N and 61°–82°E.In general these lakes are shallow(depth less than 1.5 m),small or medium size(0.1 to 10 km 2);they are chloride;their total salinity is from 40 to 250 g/L.The harvesting of cysts per year is only in 20–40 lakes.In Russia 550 tons of dry Artemia cysts(14%–18% of the world production) were harvested annually.This includes about 350 tons in the Altai region and 200 tons in other regions.During our regular 20-year study period the cyst harvest was:95 tons in Kurgan;65 tons in Omsk,20 tons in Novosibirsk,20 tons in Tyumen.Ways of increasing cyst harvest in Russia are considered in this article.During the last 30 years the harvest of cysts in Russia has increased from 7–20 to 500–600 tons.A significant influence of dryness of the year was found on productivity in selected lakes,but taken for all the lakes together,the relationship was not significant.The optimal salinity for productivity of cysts in the lakes was determined.Analysis of productivity of the lakes and the harvesting results showed that the stocks of cysts are underutilized by approximately 1.7 times.     

Characteristics of topographic submesoscale eddies off the Crimea coast from high-resolution satellite optical measurements

Ocean Dynamics - Long-term arrays of satellite optical measurements of Landsat-5,7,8 and Sentinel-2 were used to describe the characteristics of submesoscale eddy (SE) dynamics in different parts...