WIMPs and solar evolution code

The Saclay solar evolution code is used to check the effect of WIMPs on solar evolution. In this paper we study the effects of various types of Cosmion-matter interactions, give constraints on the crosssections compatible with the measured neutrino rate of 2 SNU on chlorine, and relate these constraints to ongoing dark matter detection experiments.Unité associée au CNRS UA 280, F-75251 Paris Cedex 05, France.On leave from LPC, Collège de France.     

Detailed <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of geologic events associated with the Mantos Blancos copper deposit,northern Chile

The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological method was applied to date magmatic and hydrothermal alteration events in the Mantos Blancos mining district in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile, allowing the distinction of two separate mineralization events. The Late Jurassic Mantos Blancos orebody, hosted in Jurassic volcanic rocks, is a magmatic-hydrothermal breccia-style Cu deposit. Two superimposed mineralization events have been recently proposed. The first event is accompanied by a phyllic hydrothermal alteration affecting a rhyolitic dome. The second mineralization event is related to the intrusion of bimodal stocks and sills inside the deposit. Because of the superposition of several magmatic and hydrothermal events, the obtained ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age data are complex; however, with a careful interpretation of the age spectra, it is possible to detect complex histories of successive emplacement, alteration, mineralization, and thermal resetting. The extrusion of Jurassic basic to intermediate volcanic rocks of the La Negra Formation is dated at 156.3 ± 1.4 Ma (2σ) using plagioclase from an andesitic lava flow. The first mineralization event and associated phyllic alteration affecting the rhyolitic dome occurred around 155–156 Ma. A younger bimodal intrusive event, supposed to be equivalent to the bimodal stock and sill system inside the deposit, is probably responsible for the second mineralization event dated at ca. 142 Ma. Other low-temperature alteration events have been dated on sericitized plagioclase at ca. 145–146, 125, and 101 Ma. This is the first time that two distinct mineralization events have been documented from radiometric data for a copper deposit in the metallogenic belt of the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Fault zone geometry of a mature active normal fault: A potential high permeability channel (Pirgaki fault, Corinth rift, Greece)

We present results from petrophysical analysis of a normal fault zone with the aim of defining the flow pathways and their behavior during seismic and interseismic periods. Data are obtained on porosity geometry, strain structure and mineralogy of different domains of a normal fault zone in the Corinth rift. Data point out a close relationship between mineralogy of the clayey minerals, porosity network and strain structures and allow definition of a macroscopic anisotropy of the flow parameters with a strong control by microscopic ultracataclasite structures. The Pirgaki fault zone, developed within pelagic limestone, has a sharp asymmetric porosity profile, with a high porosity volume in the fault core and in the damage zone of the hanging wall. From porosity volumes and threshold measurements, a matrix permeability variation of 6 orders of magnitude could be expected between the protolith and the fault core. Modifications of this pathway during seismic and interseismic phases are depicted. Healing of cracks formed during seismic slip events occurred in the fault core zone and the porous network in the damage zone is sealed in a second step. The lens geometry of the fault core zone is associated with dissolution surfaces and open conduits where dissolved matter could move out of the fault core zone. These elementary processes are developed in particular along Riedel's structures and depend on the orientation of the strain surfaces relative to the local stress and depend also on the roughness of each surface type. P-surfaces are smooth and control shearing process. R-surfaces are rough and present two wavelengths of roughness. The long one controls localization of dissolution surfaces and conduits; the short one is characteristic of dissolution surfaces. The dissolved matter can precipitate in the open structures of the hanging wall damage zone, decreasing the connectivity of the macroscopic conduit developed within this part of the fault zone.     

The Okavango giant mafic dyke swarm (NE Botswana): its structural significance within the Karoo Large Igneous Province

The structural organization of a giant mafic dyke swarm, the Okavango complex, in the northern Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP) of NE Botswana is detailed. This N110°E-oriented dyke swarm extends for 1500 km with a maximum width of 100 km through Archaean basement terranes and Permo-Jurassic sedimentary sequences. The cornerstone of the study is the quantitative analysis of N>170 (exposed) and N>420 (detected by ground magnetics) dykes evidenced on a ca. 80-km-long section lying in crystalline host-rocks, at high-angle to the densest zone of the swarm (Shashe area). Individual dykes are generally sub-vertical and parallel to the entire swarm. Statistical analysis of width data indicates anomalous dyke frequency (few data <5.0 m) and mean dyke thickness (high value of 17 m) with respect to values classically obtained from other giant swarms. Variations of mean dyke thicknesses from 17 (N110°E swarm) to 27 m (adjoining and coeval N70°E giant swarm) are assigned to the conditions hosting fracture networks dilated as either shear or pure extensional structures, respectively, in response to an inferred NNW–SSE extension. Both fracture patterns are regarded as inherited brittle basement fabrics associated with a previous (Proterozoic) dyking event. The Okavango N110°E dyke swarm is thus a polyphase intrusive system in which total dilation caused by Karoo dykes (estimated frequency of 87%) is 12.2% (6315 m of cumulative dyke width) throughout the 52-km-long projected Shashe section. Assuming that Karoo mafic dyke swarms in NE Botswana follow inherited Proterozoic fractures, as similarly applied for most of the nearly synchronous giant dyke complexes converging towards the Nuanetsi area, leads us to consider that the resulting triple junction-like dyke/fracture pattern is not a definitive proof for a deep mantle plume in the Karoo LIP.     

Distinct brief major events in the Karoo large igneous province clarified by new Ar/Ar ages on the Lesotho basalts

Recent mineral separate ages obtained on the Karoo large igneous province (southern Africa) suggest that the province was built by several distinct magmatic pulses over a rather long period on the order of 5–6 Ma concerning the main erupted volume [Jourdan, F., Féraud, G., Bertrand, H., Kampunzu, A.B., Tshoso, G., Watkeys, M.K., Le Gall., B., 2005. The Karoo large igneous province: Brevity, origin, and relation with mass extinction questioned by new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age data, Geology 33, 745–748]. Although this apparently atypical province is dated in more detail compared to many other large igneous provinces, volumetrically important areas still lack sufficient high-quality data. The timing of the Karoo province is crucial as this event is correlated with the breakup activity of the Gondwana supercontinent. The Lesotho basalts represent a major lava sequence of the province, but have not yet been precisely dated by systematic analysis of mineral separates. We analyzed plagioclase separates from five lava flows encompassing the complete 1.4-km-thick Lesotho sequence from top to bottom using the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method. We obtained five plateau and mini-plateau ages statistically indistinguishable and ranging from 182.3 ± 1.6 to 181.0 ± 2.0 Ma (2σ). We derived an apparent maximum duration for this event of  0.8 Ma by neglecting correlated errors embedded in the age uncertainties.

A critical review of previous ages obtained on the Lesotho sequence [Duncan R.A., Hooper, P.R., Rehacek, J., Marsh, J.S., Duncan, A.R., 1997. The timing and duration of the Karoo igneous event, southern Gondwana. Journal of Geophysical Research 102, 18127–18138] shows that groundmass analyses are unreliable for high-resolution geochronology, due to alteration and ³⁹Ar recoil effects. Discrepancy between our ages and a previous plagioclase age at  184 Ma obtained by the later workers is tentatively attributed to the heterogeneity of the monitor used and/or cryptic excess ⁴⁰Ar. The current age database suggests that at least three temporally and spatially distinct brief major events (the Lesotho and southern Botswana lava piles and the Okavango dyke swarm) are so far recognized in the Karoo province. Identification of brief and volumetrically important Karoo magmatic events allows detecting the migration of the Karoo magmatism and potentially the stress regime that affected the southern African lithosphere at this time. A filtered compilation of 60 ages obtained with homogeneous intercalibrated standards suggests a shorter duration for the main pulses of the magmatism between 3 and 4.5 Ma, compared to a whole province duration of  10 Ma, between  182 and  172 Ma.     

North-south transfer zones and paleo-morphological reconstruction of the Xylokastro area (Corinth Gulf, Greece)

A large number of studies have documented the structural and sedimentary architecture of the Corinth Gulf, especially the major E–W trending normal faults important in accommodating the main extensional strain and associated growth of the Gilbert fan deltas. However, the role of several N–S oriented structures that crop out at the surface and are detectable at depth by seismic reflection and gravity surveys are not clearly understood. Based on new geological data, collected near Xylokastro, we describe the N–S oriented tectonic activity of this area. The mapped inland faults correspond to off-shore structures identified in re-interpreted seismic lines and appear to have acted as a major transfer zone during the opening of the Corinth Gulf. Reconstruction of the paleo-topography based on sedimentary facies and the environment of clay mineral formation suggest these transfer zones played an important role in controlling both local structural relief and depositional conditions of the Gilbert fan deltas.     

Time relationships between volcanism–plutonism–alteration–mineralization in Cu-stratabound ore deposits from the Michilla mining district,northern Chile: a <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar geochronological approach

The Michilla mining district comprises one of the most important stratabound and breccia-style copper deposits of the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile, hosted by the Middle Jurassic volcanic rocks of the La Negra Formation. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analyses carried out on igneous and alteration minerals from volcanic and plutonic rocks in the district allow a chronological sequence of several magmatic and alteration events of the district to be established. The first event was the extrusion of a thick lava series of the La Negra Formation, dated at 159.9 ± 1.0 Ma (2σ) from the upper part of the series. A contemporaneous intrusion is dated at 159.6 ± 1.1 Ma, and later intrusive events are dated at 145.5 ± 2.8 and 137.4 ± 1.1 Ma, respectively. Analyzed alteration minerals such as adularia, sericite, and actinolite apparently give valid ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau and miniplateau ages. They indicate the occurrence of several alteration events at ca. 160–163, 154–157, 143–148, and 135–137 Ma. The first alteration event, being partly contemporaneous with volcanic and plutonic rocks, was probably produced in a high thermal gradient environment. The later events may be related either to a regional low-grade hydrothermal alteration/metamorphism process or to plutonic intrusions. The Cu mineralization of the Michilla district is robustly bracketed between 163.6 ± 1.9 and 137.4 ± 1.1 Ma, corresponding to dating of actinolite coexisting with early-stage chalcocite and a postmineralization barren dyke, respectively. More precisely, the association of small intrusives (a dated stock from the Michilla district) with Cu mineralization in the region strongly suggests that the main Michilla ore deposit is related to a magmatic/hydrothermal event that occurred between 157.4 ± 3.6 and 163.5 ± 1.9 Ma, contemporaneous or shortly after the extrusion of the volcanic sequence. This age is in agreement with the Re–Os age of 159 ± 16 Ma obtained from the mineralization itself (Tristá-Aguilera et al., Miner Depos, 41:99–105,2006).     

Physical properties of fault zones within a granite body: Example of the Soultz-sous-Forêts geothermal site

In EGS projects, fault zones are considered as the structures controlling deep flow at the reservoir scale. Using a large set of petrophysical properties (porosity, density, permeability, thermal conductivity [TC]) measured on cores collected along the EPS-1 borehole, a model of fault zone is proposed to describe them. A fault zone is a complex structure, showing different parts with different kinds of deformations and/or materials that could explain chemical and physical processes observed during fluid-rock interactions. The different parts composing the fault zone are: (1) the fault core or gauge zone; (2) the damage zone; (3) and the protolith. They are usually heterogeneous and show different physical properties. The damage zone is a potential high permeability channel and could become the main pathway for fluids if secondary minerals seal the fault core. Porosity is the lowest within the protolith, between 0.5 and 1%, but can go up to 15% in the fault zone. Permeability ranges from 10^?20 m² in the fresh granite to, at least, 10^?15 m² in the fault core, and TC ranges from 2.5 W K^?1m^?1 to 3.7 W K^?1m^?1. Finally, variations in specific surface are set over two orders of magnitude. If the lowest values usually characterize the fresh granite far from fault zones, physical properties could show variations spread over their whole respective ranges within these fault zones.     

Variations of element distribution in ferromanganese nodules and its bearing on growth rates

Mineralogical, chemical, and radiochemical analyses of nodules sampled at various distances from the East Pacific Rise indicate that the mineralogical composition is not clearly linked to distance, but chemical composition seems to be. The pelagic nodules accrete at a lower rate and are, on the whole, richer in manganese, uranium, and thorium and poorer in lead and silicon than nodules from the ridge. The deep-seated nodules display a marked decrease in thorium concentration toward their centers, which can be explained in several ways. One hypothesis involves a decrease in the growth rate as the plate moves away from the ridge and manganese flux diminishes. As suggested in previous studies, some dissolution of the bottom of the nodules may occur and contribute to abnormal element distributions.