Tracking past mining activity using trace metals,lead isotopes and compositional data analysis of a sediment core from Longemer Lake,Vosges Mountains,France

A 157-cm-long sediment core from Longemer Lake in the Vosges Mountains of France spans the past two millennia and was analyzed for trace metal content and lead isotope composition. Trace metal accumulation rates highlight three main input phases: Roman Times (cal. 100 BC–AD 400), the Middle Ages (cal. AD 1000–1500), and the twentieth century. Atmospheric contamination displays a pattern that is similar to that seen in peat bogs from the region, at least until the eighteenth century. Thereafter, the lake sediment record is more precise than peat records. Some regional mining activity, such as that in archaeologically identified eighteenth-century mining districts, was detected from the lead isotope composition of sediment samples. Compositional data analysis, using six trace metals (silver, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc), enabled us to distinguish between background conditions, periods of mining, and of other anthropogenic trace metal emissions, such as the recent use of leaded gasoline.     

SPICES: spectro-polarimetric imaging and characterization of exoplanetary systems

SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image and characterize long-period extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks in the visible (450?C900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/2022, present and near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5?C10?AU) from nearby stars (<25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super Earths (??2 Earth radii, ??10 M_??) as well as circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System.     

Montagne Pelée volcano (Martinique,in the French Lesser Antilles) hydrogeological system revealed by high-resolution helicopter-borne electromagnetic imagery

Montagne Pelée, on the French island of Martinique, eastern Caribbean Sea, has been one of the deadliest volcanoes in the world, with 30,000 victims following the 1902 eruption. Thousands of people still live nearby, and this volcano is a strategic “water tank” for Martinique Island, providing 40% of the island’s water supply. This research aimed to better understand its hydrogeological functioning and the relationship with its complex volcanological evolution, taking advantage of a high-resolution helicopter-borne geophysical survey correlated with hydrogeological data from the boreholes and springs databases. Electromagnetic data, correlated with hydrogeological data, allowed for the identification of unsaturated zones, aquifers, and seawater intrusions, as well as the main geological units. In addition, data synthesised from pumping tests revealed that the older the unconsolidated pyroclastic deposits, the lower their hydraulic conductivity. The structural asymmetry between the northeastern and southwestern volcano flanks impacts its hydrogeological functioning. Consequently, the Montagne Pelée hydrogeological conceptual model is marked by several distinguishable aquifers. The upper perched aquifer within recent lava domes is directly involved in, and impacted by, phreatic eruptions, and it supports low flowrate springs. The remaining effective rainfall infiltrates to depth and recharges the hydrothermal system through vertical fractures. The other aquifers are categorized into three groups: northeastern, southeastern and southwestern flank aquifers. This research is a new step toward a better understanding of the Lesser Antilles volcanoes and more broadly of the central and proximal parts of the andesitic active volcanoes.

     

A multi-proxy record of abrupt cooling events during the Windermere Interstadial at Crudale Meadow,Orkney, UK

Three clearly defined abrupt cooling events (ACEs) can be observed within Greenland Interstadial (GI)-1 in the Greenland ice-core records. However, the spatial variation in amplitude and timing of these ACEs is poorly understood due to the paucity of well-dated records with quantified temperature reconstructions. This study presents high-resolution chironomid-inferred July air temperature (T_Jul) and oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) records from Crudale Meadow (Orkney Isles, UK). Three centennial-scale ACEs punctuate the Windermere Interstadial at Crudale Meadow. The largest ACE shows an amplitude of 5.4 °C and a 1% isotopic decline and is centred on ~14.0 ka bp , consistent with the timing of the GI-1d event in the Greenland stratigraphy. The two other observed ACEs are of smaller magnitude and are centred on ~13.6 ka bp and ~13.2 ka bp , with these smaller magnitude events tentatively correlated with the GI-1cii and GI-1b events, respectively, but lack sufficient chronological constraint to fully assess their timing. When comparing the Crudale Meadow record with other locations in the British Isles a strong relationship can be observed between the magnitude of T_Jul cooling and latitude, with a reduced signal in more southerly locations, indicating that oceanic forcing may be a key driver of the ACEs.