Geochemical Evidence for Subduction Fluxes, Mantle Melting and Fractional Crystallization Beneath the South Sandwich Island Arc

The volcanoes of the South Sandwich island arc follow threedistinct series: low-K tholeiitic (followed by Zavodovski, Candlemas,Vindication, Montagu and Bristol), tholeiitic (followed by Visokoi,Saunders and Bellinghausen) and calcalkaline (followed by Leskov,Freehand and part of Cook and Thule). Flux calculations indicatethat the percentage contribution of the subduction componentto the mantle source of all three series varies from undetectable(e.g. Zr) through small (e.g. Nd=20%) and moderate (e.g. La,Ce, Sr=50–80%) to dominant (e.g. Pb, K, Ba, Rb, Cs >90%)with little change along the arc. Isotope systematics (Pb, Nd,Sr) show that this subduction component obtains a greater contributionfrom altered oceanic crust than from pelagic sediment. Elementsfor which the subduction contribution is small show that themantle is already depleted relative to N-MORB mantle (equivalentto loss of an 2•5% melt fraction) before melting beneaththe arc. After addition of the subduction component, dynamicmelting of this depleted mantle then causes the variations inK that distinguish the three series. The estimated degree ofpartial melting (20%) is slightly greater than that beneathocean ridges, though geothermometry suggests that the primarymagma temperature (1225C) is similar to that of primary MORB.About half of the melting may be attributed to volatile addition,and half to decompression. Dynamic melting involving three-dimensional,two-phase flow may be needed to explain fully the inter-islandvariations. KEY WORDS: geochemistry; petrology; fluxes; melting; subduction ^*Corresponding author     

Size distribution of quartz in mudrocks

Sixteen penecontemporaneously deposited mudrock-sandstone pairs ranging in age from Devonian to Cretaceous were treated chemically to isolate the quartz and chert fraction from the other constituents of the rocks. The amount of crystalline silica was determined from the chemical treatments; its size distribution was determined using a combination of normal and Micro Mesh sieving and settling tube analysis; the crystalline silica coarser than 10 μu was examined petrographically to determine the amount of chert. Percentages of crystalline silica in the mudrocks range from 6·7 to 46·7 % and average 27·6 (σ= 10·7). Mean grain size ranges from 4·4 φ to 7·3 φ and averages 6·1 φ. The crystalline silica fraction is a poorly sorted medium to fine silt consisting of one-eighth sand, six-eighths silt, and one-eighth clay size sediment. Percentage of crystalline silica and mean size of crystalline silica in the thirty-two mudrocks and sandstones are positively correlated; r= 0·685, which is significant at the 99 % level. The best fit linear regression line is: Y= 102·7–11·3X. Extrapolation of the regression line indicates that, on the average, crystalline silica is lacking in mudrocks in grain sizes finer than 9·1 φ (1·μm), a result consistent with observations by clay mineralogists. The crystalline silica fraction of both the mudrocks and associated sandstones averages 4% chert in the >10 μm portion. There is no correlation between the mean grain size of the crystalline silica and the percentage of chert in it.     

A tectonic model for the metamorphic evolution of the Basal Gneiss Complex, Western South Norway

A review of currently available information relevant to the Basal Gneiss Complex (BGC) of Western South Norway, combined with the authors'own observations, leads to the following conclusions.
1. Most of the BGC consists of Proterozoic crystalline rocks and probably subordinate Lower Palaeozoic cover.
2. The last major deformation of these rocks was during the Caledonian orogeny and involved large-scale thrusting, recumbent folding and doming. The structural development of the BGC is closely tied in with that of the Caledonian allochthon.
3. The whole eclogite-bearing part of the BGC has suffered a high pressure metamorphism with conditions of between 550°C, 12.5 kbar (Sunnfjord) and about 750°C, 20 kbar (Møre og Romsdal) at the metamorphic climax.
4. This metamorphism was of Caledonian age, probably rather early in the Caledonian tectonic history of the BGC and is considered to have been a rather transient event.
By setting these conclusions in a framework provided by geophysical evidence for the deep structure of the crust in southern Norway we have constructed a geotectonic model to explain the recorded metamorphic history of the BGC. It is suggested that considerable crustal thickening was caused by imbrication of the Baltic plate margin during continental collision with the Greenland plate. This resulted in high pressure metamorphism in the resulting nappe stack. Progradation of the suture caused underthrusting of the Baltic foreland below the eclogite-bearing terrain causing it to emerge at the Earth's surface, aided by tectonic stripping and erosion.
Application of isostacy equations to the model shows that eclogites can be formed by in-situ metamorphism in crustal rocks and reappear at the land surface above a normal thickness of crust in a single orogenic episode of approximately 65-70 Ma duration.     

THE PARLOR IN THE WILDERNESS: DOMESTICATING AN ICONIC AMERICAN LANDSCAPE*

ABSTRACT. Thirty years ago D. W. Meinig argued that certain landscapes “are part of the iconography of nationhood.” From the earliest European settlement, the North American “wilderness” forged the crucible that shaped U.S. culture. By the early nineteenth century romantic aesthetic theories and nationalistic patriotism influenced American perspectives on the emerging cultural landscape. Artists, writers, and travelers sought out places for their healthful and scenic qualities as well as for moral instruction from nature. The locus of this confluence of politics, philosophy, and art was the Hudson River Valley of New York State. Guesthouses and hotels, especially in and around the Catskill Mountains, accommodated these travelers. This article examines the cultural basis of the mountain resort in its appropriation and marketing of a regional landscape and its incorporation as a national icon, with a specific history of the development of Mohonk Mountain House by the Smiley family from 1869 to 2008.     

Numbers,types, and compositions of an unbiased collection of cosmic spherules

Abstract— Micrometeorites collected from the bottom of the South Pole water well (SPWW) may represent a complete, well‐preserved sample of the cosmic dust that accreted on Earth from 1100–1500 A.D. We classified 1588 cosmic spherules in the size range 50–800 μm. The collection has 41% barred olivine spherules, 17% glass spheres, 12% cryptocrystalline spherules, 11% porphyritic olivine spherules, 12% relicgrain‐bearing spherules, 3% scoriaceous spherules, 2% I‐type spherules, 1% Ca‐AI‐Ti‐rich (CAT) spherules, and 1% G‐type spherules. We also found bubbly glass spherules, spherules with glass caps, and ones with sulfide coatings—particles that are absent from other collections. A classification sequence of the stony spherules (scoriaceous, relic‐grain‐bearing, porphyritic, barred olivine, cryptocrystalline, glass, and CAT) is consistent with progressive heating and evaporation of Fe from chondritic materials. The modern‐day accretion rate and size distribution measured at the SPWW can account for the stony spherules present in deep‐sea collection through preferential dissolution of glass and small stony spherules. However, weathering alone cannot account for the high accretion rate of I‐type spherules determined for two deep‐sea collections. The SPWW collection provides data to constrain models of atmospheric‐entry heating and to assess the effects of terrestrial weathering.     

MEASUREMENT OF THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS SECTION IN SELECTED GEOCHEMICAL REFERENCE MATERIALS

The thermal neutron absorption cross-section () of a sample is a measure of its ability to absorb neutrons and is a linear function of its total chemistry. is measured automatically by some downhole logging tools and is an important parameter for the lithological characterisation of formations. As part of a programme to accurately determine the of lithologies commonly encountered in the Ocean Drilling Program, it was necessary to evaluate the measurement of and this was, in part, achieved by measuring on a number of geochemical reference standards. Computed and measured values are reported here for thirteen geochemical reference standards.     

Microbial alteration of Bahamian deep-sea carbonates

An analysis of microborings within sediment and hardground samples collected from the Northwest Providence Channel and the western margin of the Little Bahama Bank was conducted to characterize the endolithic assemblage present, to examine the role of microboring organisms in the alteration of deep-sea carbonates, and to evaluate the palaeoecologic potential of the aphotic microboring assemblage found. Samples examined in this study were collected at depths ranging from 210 to 1450 m. The microboring assemblage was found to contain: (a) filamentous fungal borings of five distinct types, (b) a 1.0 × 2.5 μm vermicular form of fungal or bacterial origin, (c) an 8-12 μm tubular, branching form of probably fungal origin, (d) a subapically branched form considered to be fungal, (e) a spinate form of uncertain affinity and (f) sponge borings. Three of these forms are known only from the deep-marine environment; the remainder are also known from shallow-marine sediments found well within the photic zone. Both carbonate sediments and lithified hardgrounds are highly altered through the activity of endolithic organisms. Infestation of individual skeletal fragments by microborers may be so extensive as to produce heavily bored envelopes resembling those previously reported to occur only under shallow-marine conditions. Although the geological ranges of these microborings remain to be established, the presence of such an aphotic assemblage, coupled with the absence of photosynthetic algal borings, could provide a valuable tool in palaeoecological studies. Other potential applications include the determination of turbidite sediment sources and the establishment of relative water depths for the formation of hardground surfaces.