Melt/biotite B/B isotopic fractionation and the boron local environment in the structure of volcanic glasses

This paper is focused on the role of boron coordination in determining the ¹¹B/¹⁰B isotopic fractionation between melt/glass and biotite at magmatic temperatures. For this purpose, three evolved volcanic rocks from Roccastrada, Mt. Amiata, and Mt. Cimini belonging to the Neogene-Quaternary magmatism of central Italy were studied. In these samples, the measured boron biotite-glass partition coefficient ranges between 0.004 and 0.011, indicating that boron behaves as an incompatible element during biotite crystallization. The ¹¹B magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra reveal the presence of trigonal BO_3/2 units, tetrahedral BO_4/2⁻ sites, and three-coordinated BO_2/2O⁻ species containing one nonbridging oxygen. The relative contributions of these different boron sites were estimated by spectral deconvolution, and it was observed that the fraction of trigonally coordinated boron decreases with increasing K₂O concentration in the glass. The ¹¹B/¹⁰B isotopic fractionation between biotite and melt/glass was observed to be large even at magmatic temperatures and was found to be 1.0066 (Roccastrada sample), 1.00535 (Mt. Amiata sample), and 1.00279 (Mt. Cimini sample). Fractionation is mostly related to the relative amount of trigonal and tetrahedral boron sites in the glass network rather than to other processes, including the speciation of hydrous species in the glass structure. The measured α values are significantly higher than the calculated ones obtained using the reduced partition function ratios (RPFRs) for B(OH)₃ and B(OH)₄⁻ as reported by Kakihana et al. (1977) and the abundance of trigonal and tetrahedral boron obtained by ¹¹B NMR spectra. Furthermore, a nonlinear relationship is observed between the percentage of BO₄ in the glass structure and the measured 1000lnα, suggesting that the approximation of monomeric B(OH)₃ and B(OH)₄⁻ species contributions through ideal mixing in calculating the RPFRs in polyanions (Oi et al., 1989) probably does not apply to silicate glasses.The large B isotopic fractionation measured between glass and biotite and its dependence on the boron coordination in the glass are a limitation to the use of δ¹¹B in the mineral to characterize magmas. Nonetheless, the high incompatible behavior of boron in the most common magmatic minerals rules out that fractional crystallization significantly modified the B isotopic composition of the melt.     

A three-dimensional hydrogeological–geophysical model of a multi-layered aquifer in the coastal alluvial plain of Sarno River (southern Italy)

The coastal alluvial plain of Sarno River (Campania Region, southern Italy) is a very rich environment that has experienced a long history of changes due to both natural phenomena such as eustatic sea-level variations and deposition of volcanoclastic sediments, and human civilizations who populated this area since historical times. As a result, it is characterized by complex stratigraphic sequences and groundwater flow systems. The architecture of the multi-layered aquifer system in a sample area, located in a densely urbanized sector at the mouth of Sarno River, was reconstructed. Starting from the analysis of stratigraphic log data and laboratory geotechnical measurements, the lithostratigraphical-unit sequence was retrieved and a realistic three-dimensional (3D) model of the hydrogeological heterogeneity was obtained. The results of a detailed 2D electrical resistivity tomography survey were used to support the analysis of the spatial heterogeneity of the aquifer system in a sector characterized by lack of log data. The integration of hydrogeological and geophysical data allowed for the reconstruction of a 3D hydrogeophysical model of the multi-layered system, which electrically characterizes and geometrically identifies two aquifers. Finally, piezometric-level measurements validated the hydrogeological–geophysical model and showed the effectiveness of the methodology.     

A peak acceleration threshold for soil liquefaction: lessons learned from the 2012 Emilia earthquake (Italy)

National and international seismic codes and recommendations provide criteria for liquefaction exclusion based on a peak ground acceleration (PGA) threshold value. In this paper, after a brief review of the procedures and the values suggested in those documents, a database of liquefaction case histories was created, exploiting the background data used in the most relevant verification charts, currently employed in research and professional practice. This dataset was used to identify, on the basis of simple statistical analyses, a PGA threshold on the free ground surface below which liquefaction is unlikely to occur, regardless of the geological site conditions. The calculated value, which is on the order of 0.07–0.1 g, based on the model employed to fit the data, was analyzed in light of information collected during the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence in Italy, which produced many liquefaction events triggered by low acceleration values. The case history of the Emilia earthquake advises setting a PGA threshold for code and recommendations at the lower probability level of occurrence, in the order of 1 %.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000905

Although there has been significant progress in the seismic imaging of mantle heterogeneity,the outstanding issue that remains to be resolved is the unknown distribution of mantle temperature anomalies in the distant geological past that give rise to the present-day anomalies inferred by global tomography models.To address this question,we present 3-D convection models in compressible and self-gravitating mantle initialised by different hypothetical temperature patterns.A notable feature of our forward convection modelling is the use of self-consistent coupling of the motion of surface tectonic plates to the underlying mantle flow,without imposing prescribed surface velocities(i.e.,plate-like boundary condition).As an approximation for the surface mechanical conditions before plate tectonics began to operate we employ the no-slip(rigid) boundary condition.A rigid boundary condition demonstrates that the initial thermally-dominated structure is preserved,and its geographical location is fixed during the evolution of mantle flow.Considering the impact of different assumed surface boundary conditions(rigid and plate-like) on the evolution of thermal heterogeneity in the mantle we suggest that the intrinsic buoyancy of seven superplumes is most-likely resolved in the tomographic images of present-day mantle thermal structure.Our convection simulations with a plate-like boundary condition reveal that the evolution of an initial cold anomaly beneath the Java-Indonesian trench system yields a long-term,stable pattern of thermal heterogeneity in the lowermost mantle that resembles the presentday Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces(LLSVPs),especially below the Pacific.The evolution of subduction zones may be,however,influenced by the mantle-wide flow driven by deeply-rooted and longlived superplumes since Archean times.These convection models also detect the intrinsic buoyancy of the Perm Anomaly that has been identified as a unique slow feature distinct from the two principal LLSVPs.We find there is no need for dense chemical ’piles’ in the lower mantle to generate a stable distribution of temperature anomalies that are correlated to the LLSVPs and the Perm Anomaly.Our tomography-based convection simulations also demonstrate that intraplate volcanism in the south-east Pacific may be interpreted in terms of shallow small-scale convection triggered by a superplume beneath the East Pacific Rise.     

The globular clusters–stellar haloes connection in early-type galaxies

This paper explores if, and to what an extent, the stellar populations of early-type galaxies can be traced through the colour distribution of their globular cluster (GC) systems. The analysis, based on a galaxy sample from the Virgo Advanced Camera for Surveys data, is an extension of a previous approach that has been successful in the cases of the giant ellipticals NGC 1399 and NGC 4486, and assumes that the two dominant GC populations form along diffuse stellar populations sharing the cluster chemical abundances and spatial distributions. The results show that (a) integrated galaxy colours can be matched to within the photometric uncertainties and are consistent with a narrow range of ages; (b) the inferred mass to luminosity ratios and stellar masses are within the range of values available in the literature; (c) most GC systems occupy a thick plane in the volume space defined by the cluster formation efficiency, total stellar mass and projected surface mass density. The formation efficiency parameter of the red clusters shows a dependency with projected stellar mass density that is absent for the blue globulars. In turn, the brightest galaxies appear clearly detached from that plane as a possible consequence of major past mergers; (d) the stellar mass–metallicity relation is relatively shallow but shows a slope change at   M _*≈ 10¹⁰ M_⊙  . Galaxies with smaller stellar masses show predominantly unimodal GC colour distributions. This result may indicate that less massive galaxies are not able to retain chemically enriched interstellar matter.