Seismites in Quaternary sediments of southeastern Altai

We study earthquake-induced soft-sediment deformation (seismites) in reference Quaternary sections of southeastern Altai. Sediments in the sections bear signature of liquefaction and fluidization and deformation is localized in thin (few centimeters to 0.5–1.0 m) continuously striking and frequently repeated layers sandwiched between undeformed sediments. The soft-sediment deformation records coseismic motion of different slip geometries. Seismic origin is also inferred for layers and lenses of coarse colluvium slid into the lake bottom from the slopes, which intrude plane-bedded silt and sand and vary in thickness from a few centimeters to one meter. The occurrence of seismic soft-sediment deformation at different stratigraphic levels of the Quaternary and in the Upper Pliocene Beken Formation confirms the high seismicity of southeastern Altai in Quaternary time.     

Manifestation of the gothenburg geomagnetic field excursion in sediments on the northwestern Central Russian Upland

A paleomagnetic study of sediments at the Baranova Gora and Podol III/1 archaeological sites, located near Lake Volgo on the northwestern Central Russian Upland (56.9°N, 33.2°E), was performed. The paleomagnetic studies at both sites for the first time revealed the development of the Gothenburg geomagnetic excursion (dated 13000-12350 BP) in this region. This made it possible to specify the time interval when the Alleroed climatic phase started developing on the Central Russian Upland.     

Geochemical Fingerprint and Iron Ore Potential of the Siliceous Itabirite from Palaeoproterozoic Nyong Series,Zambi Area,Southwestern Cameroon

The study area forms part of an emerging iron ore province of southern Cameroon. Geochemistry analyses reveal that the siliceous itabirite has a very simple chemical composition, with Fe₂O₃ and SiO₂ representing more than 96 wt.% of the average composition; suggesting chemical precipitates of silica and iron. Low Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ concentrations and a weak positive correlation between them point to a minor detrital component in the precipitated marine sediments. The Si/Al ratio (average 52.7) indicates the hydrothermal origin of the studied itabirite. The Al–Si discrimination diagram supports this interpretation through the plot of all data in the hydrothermal field. The studied samples have low iron content (about 39.32% Fe), high gangue content (40.97% SiO₂ and 1.3 % Al₂O₃) and low concentration of the deleterious elements (0.16 % P and < 0.01% S). The main gangue mineral is silica which can be efficiently removed from iron ores during preparation of raw materials for the blast furnace process. According to commercial standards for crude iron ores, it may be concluded that the Zambi iron ores are a low‐grade magnetic ore that can be profitably exploited for the production of iron for steel production.     

Paleomagnetic data on the sedimentation rate near the Mendeleev Rise (Arctic Ocean)

Seven cores of bottom sediments were collected during the cruise of R/V Akademik Fedorov in 2000 along the latitudinal profile crossing the Mendeleev Rise near 82° N, and then studied. The length of cores varies from 240 to 334 cm. In all cores, the boundary of the changing remanent magnetization vector corresponding to the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary was established reliably. In five cores, this boundary is at a depth of 86–102 cm; in two cores, collected to the west of the Mendeleev Rise, at depth levels of 188 and 208 cm. The correlation of paleomagnetic and lithological data demonstrates that the upper boundary of a bench of speckled pelites, overlapped by a bench of variegated pelites, is confined to the Olduvai episode or horizons lying slightly below. The average sedimentation rate of sediments from the Mendeleev Rise during the last 2–2.5 Ma have not exceeded 1–1.3 mm/ka, increasing towards the shelf seas of northeast Russia.