A spectrophotometric measurement of soil cation exchange capacity based on cobaltihexamine chloride absorbance

Among numerous methods for cation exchange capacity (CEC) determination for soils and sediments, the cobaltihexamine chloride method is frequently used due to its ability to measure CEC at soil pH. After exchange with Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ ions, CEC is estimated via the measurement of the Co remaining in solution. The modified method proposed allows a more rapid determination of CEC based on the measurement of the absorbance at 472 nm of the cobaltihexamine chloride solution before and after exchange. This method has been applied to various soil's horizons from four sites, selected to cover a wide range of CEC and pH values. The model obtained allows one to calculate CEC from absorbance at 472 nm with 95% confidence intervals. As CEC is of relevant meaning in agronomical and environmental purposes, and more recently in ecotoxicological studies, this modified method can be proposed as a rapid test for CEC evaluation.     

Burial of redox-sensitive metals and organic matter in the equatorial Indian Ocean linked to precession

Authigenic metals (uranium, cadmium, and molybdenum), organic carbon (OC) and total C₃₇ alkenone (totC₃₇) concentrations were measured for the last 350 kyr in core MD900963, located in the eastern equatorial Arabian Sea. Authigenic metal concentrations on a carbonate-free basis range between 1 and 17 ppm, 0.5 and 6 ppm, and 0.5 and 4 ppm for U, Cd, and Mo, respectively. The profiles are characterized by well-defined 23 kyr cycles between oxic and mildly suboxic conditions. The redox-sensitive metal profiles also follow variations in the concentrations of OC (0.2-0.9%) and alkenones (0.2-6.7 ppm). The coupled variations in inorganic and organic constituents are attributed to a 23-kyr cycle in primary production above site MD900963, as suggested by clear correlations with independent micropaleontologic proxies (primary productivity indices based on foraminifera and coccoliths and fragmentation of foraminiferal shells). The 23-kyr cycles do appear to be primarily driven by productivity rather than changes in bottom water oxygen. Comparison with other records indicates that if this interpretation is correct, productivity variations across much of the Indian Ocean have been dominated by precessional forcing, with high productivity in phase with low summer insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. This interpretation contrasts with the traditional attribution of enhanced productivity in the Indian Ocean with periods of high summer insolation.     

An Early-Cambrian UPb apatite cooling age for the high-temperature regional metamorphism in the Piancó area,Borborema Province (NE Brazil): initial conclusions

The Borborema Province (BP) of northeastern Brazil is a complex crustal assemblage, which has undergone a polycyclic evolution during the Proterozoic. In the Piancó-Alto Br??gida belt, a metamorphosed leucosome vein inserted in amphibolites has a trace element pattern suggesting a T-MORB protolith. Apatites yield a REE pattern indicating growth in equilibrium with garnet, thus pointing to its metamorphic origin. UPb analyses yield an age of 540±5 Ma interpreted as a cooling age following amphibolite facies regional metamorphism associated with granitic emplacement at ca. 580 Ma. The resulting slow cooling rates (ranging from ca. 2.5 to 5 °C Ma^?1) are consistent with underplating of mafic magmas, or crustal thickening caused by nappe stacking, as possible processes governing the metamorphic evolution of the BP. To cite this article: B. Dhuime et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Recent Progress and Future Prospects in Solar Physics, and Their Relevance for Planet Earth

Understanding our star, the Sun, is of fundamental interest for life on Earth. In this paper, the status of knowledge in solar physics of roughly two decades ago is summarised, and the most recent developments in this very active field are shown, many of them achieved by means of space based missions. The Sun–Earth connection is described and, finally, an outlook on future solar research is given.     

An Alternative Protocol for Single Zircon Dissolution with Application to (U‐Th‐Sm)/He Thermochronometry

Zircon (U‐Th‐Sm)/He (ZHe) thermochronometry is a powerful tool that has been widely used in geology to constrain the exhumation histories of orogens. In this study, we present an alternative protocol for dissolving zircon grains for determination of parent nuclides. This new alkali fusion procedure developed at the SARM (Service d'Analyse des Roches et des Minéraux) in Nancy, France, is fast (requiring only 2 d, including cleaning steps) and offers several advantages over conventional methods by avoiding: (i) use of HF pressure dissolution and (ii) complete removing of grains from the metal microvials. After dissolution, U, Th and Sm were measured using an ICP‐MS. We tested the new procedure on two different ZHe reference materials, the Fish Canyon Tuff and Buluk Tuff; these provided precision values for ZHe‐age estimations of 9 and 6% (1s), respectively. In addition, using this method, zircons from the Buluk Tuff are shown to be chemically more homogenous and more suitable for assessing the uncertainty of the entire integrated procedure.     

Geodynamic implications of deep mantle upwelling in the source of Tertiary volcanics from the Veneto region (South-Eastern Alps)

Major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopic data for the most primitive Tertiary lavas from the Veneto region (South-Eastern Alps, Italy) show the typical features of HIMU hotspot volcanism, variably diluted by a depleted asthenospheric mantle component (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i=0.70306–0.70378; _Ndi=+3.9 to +6.8; _Hfi=+6.4 to +8.1, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i=18.786–19.574). P-wave seismic tomography of the mantle below the Veneto region shows the presence of low-velocity anomalies at depth, which is consistent with possible upwellings of plume material. Between the depths of 100–250 km the velocity anomalies are approximately 2–2.5% slower than average, implying a temperature excess of about 220–280 K, in agreement with estimates for other mantle plumes in the world. In this context, the Veneto volcanics may represent the shallow expression of a mantle upflow. The presence of a HIMU-DM component in a collision environment has significant geodynamic implications. Slab detachment and ensuing rise of deep mantle material into the lithospheric gap is proposed to be a viable mechanism of hotspot magmatism in a subduction zone setting.