The development of subgrain misorientations with strain in dry synthetic NaCl measured using EBSD

The development of subgrain boundary misorientations with strain in dry, synthetic NaCl polycrystals, deformed at elevated temperature, has been investigated using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). At low natural strains, up to 0.5, average misorientations of subgrain boundaries increase with strain and a power law relationship exists between strain and average misorientations. The average misorientations are strongly influenced by grain orientation, suggesting that the misorientation–strain relationship may also be texture dependent in materials with high plastic anisotropy, like NaCl. A slight grain size dependency of the average misorientations was observed. The results indicate that with suitable calibration, average subgrain boundary misorientations may offer a method for estimating the strain accommodated by dislocation creep in NaCl and thus perhaps in other geological materials, although current theories for polycrystalline plasticity imply that misorientations may also depend on stress in some situations.     

西天山喇嘛苏铜矿成矿斑岩的岩石学、地球化学特征及成因探讨

位于西天山别珍套-科古琴晚古生代岛弧西段的喇嘛苏铜矿床是区内最大的铜矿床,与成矿作用有着密切关系的斑岩体为英云闪长斑岩、花岗闪长斑岩,是同源岩浆分异演化的产物,且花岗闪长斑岩可能属于岩浆演化晚期的产物。本区成矿斑岩的主量、微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素地球化学特征表明,其富集大离子亲石元素,而相对亏损高场强元素,出现了较为明显的Ta、Nb负异常,初始锶同位素ISr和εNd(t=390Ma)值分别为0.7072～0.7076和-0.32～0.17,显示壳幔混合源的特征,利用Sr和Nd同位素估算其源区物质约有50%来源于地壳。岩石地球化学特征指示了其为典型钙碱性火山弧花岗岩,暗示其形成于大陆弧环境。结合区域地质背景,推测本区成矿斑岩是在洋壳俯冲作用下发生部分熔融,交代原先的地幔楔,并混合了部分下地壳的物质,经历分离结晶作用的产物,其形成可能与晚古生代准噶尔洋板块向南的俯冲作用有关。结合东西天山的成矿斑岩的地球化学特征对比研究,岩浆源区的差别可能导致不同类型斑岩型矿床的形成,斑岩型铜矿床的形成较斑岩型钼矿床可能有更少的地壳物质贡献。     

Frictional Properties and Microstructure of Calcite-Rich Fault Gouges Sheared at Sub-Seismic Sliding Velocities

We report an experimental and microstructural study of the frictional properties of simulated fault gouges prepared from natural limestone (96 % CaCO₃) and pure calcite. Our experiments consisted of direct shear tests performed, under dry and wet conditions, at an effective normal stress of 50 MPa, at 18–150 °C and sliding velocities of 0.1–10 μm/s. Wet experiments used a pore water pressure of 10 MPa. Wet gouges typically showed a lower steady-state frictional strength (μ = 0.6) than dry gouges (μ = 0.7–0.8), particularly in the case of the pure calcite samples. All runs showed a transition from stable velocity strengthening to (potentially) unstable velocity weakening slip above 80–100 °C. All recovered samples showed patchy, mirror-like surfaces marking boundary shear planes. Optical study of sections cut normal to the shear plane and parallel to the shear direction showed both boundary and inclined shear bands, characterized by extreme grain comminution and a crystallographic preferred orientation. Cross-sections of boundary shears, cut normal to the shear direction using focused ion beam—SEM, from pure calcite gouges sheared at 18 and 150 °C, revealed dense arrays of rounded, ~0.3 μm-sized particles in the shear band core. Transmission electron microscopy showed that these particles consist of 5–20 nm sized calcite nanocrystals. All samples showed evidence for cataclasis and crystal plasticity. Comparing our results with previous models for gouge friction, we suggest that frictional behaviour was controlled by competition between crystal plastic and granular flow processes active in the shear bands, with water facilitating pressure solution, subcritical cracking and intergranular lubrication. Our data have important implications for the depth of the seismogenic zone in tectonically active limestone terrains. Contrary to recent claims, our data also demonstrate that nanocrystalline mirror-like slip surfaces in calcite(-rich) faults are not necessarily indicative of seismic slip rates.     

Relationships between molecular bacterial diversity and chemistry of groundwater in the Wairarapa Valley,New Zealand

Groundwater plays an important role in New Zealand water supplies and hence monitoring activities are conducted regularly. Most monitoring programmes aim to evaluate groundwater chemistry and almost completely overlook the microbial component in this ecosystem. In our present study, the bacterial community structure of groundwater in the Wairarapa Valley was examined using the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), and relationships between bacterial community structure and groundwater chemistry, aquifer confinement and groundwater usage were explored. In addition, the results from this study were compared with a previous T-RFLP survey of the same area in an attempt to detect changes in bacterial community structure over time. The data obtained suggested that bacterial community structure was related to groundwater chemistry, especially to redox conditions. Species composition showed minimal variation over time if groundwater chemistry remained unchanged. These findings reflect the potential of using bacterial communities as biological indicators to evaluate the health of groundwater ecosystems. We suggest that it is important to include this type of broad bacterial diversity assessment criteria into regular groundwater monitoring activities.     

Temperature dependent grain boundary migration in deformed-then-annealed material: Observations from experimentally deformed synthetic rocksalt

Grain boundary migration between strained, substructured grains and newly appearing, strain free grains has been observed during static in-situ annealing of pre-deformed rocksalt in the SEM. With increasing temperature (T) the migration velocity increases and the character of grain boundary migration changes. As temperature increases there is an increase in the length of individual migrating boundary segments that move at similar rates. In addition, the frequency of migrating boundaries that form traces of a {100} boundary plane of at least one of the crystals involved increases, and moving grain boundaries between new and old grains change from highly irregular to smooth, straight boundaries. At the same time there is a decrease in the influence of the substructure of pre-existing strained grains on the grain boundary movement. Resultant microstructures reflect these changes. At  325–350 °C, the deformed-then-annealed microstructure is characterized by very irregular grain boundaries, a high abundance of 5–50 m scale remnants of old, substructured grains within new grains, giving a poikilitic microstructure. At  350–400 °C, grain boundaries often exhibit elongate embayments into the strained grains and most remnants of old, strained grains are located at former grain boundaries. At > 400 °C, grain boundaries between new and old, strained grains are straight to smoothly curved.The grain boundary velocity observations are explained by the effect of temperature on mobility coupled with local driving force variations. Additionally, at low annealing temperature, impurity (solute) drag and driving-force variations are influential, while at high temperature the anisotropy in grain boundary energy with crystallographic orientation becomes more important. Transferring the knowledge from our experiments to geological samples enables us to recognize and interpret similar microstructures in rocks, thereby making it is possible to relate microstructural characteristics to the pre-annealing and post-deformational annealing history.     

南天山川乌鲁碱性杂岩体的岩石学和地球化学特征及其岩石成因

位于中国南天山西侧阔克萨彦岭一带的川乌鲁碱性杂岩体,与该区川乌鲁铜金多金属矿床有着直接的成因联系,该杂岩体由早期的辉长岩—闪长岩岩、主期的二长岩—正长岩和晚期的正长花岗斑岩脉组成,各期岩石在矿物组成和化学成分上有明显的变化。从早到晚,SiO2含量增加,变化范围是50.52%～70.64%;全碱含量先增后减,在SiO2含量小于61.69%时,随SiO2含量增加而增加,而当SiO2含量大于61.69%时,与SiO2含量负相关。在AR-SiO2图解上,大多样品落入碱性区间,在A/CNK-A/NK图解上表现出由准铝质向过碱性演化的趋势。微量元素表现为大离子亲石元素相对高场强元素富集,Rb、Ba、Th、Sr等元素的相对富集和Nb、Ta、P、Ti等元素的负异常。稀土元素表现为轻稀土相对富集的特征,其(La/Yb)N为14.13～25.09,具有Eu的正异常或极微弱的Eu负异常。一些元素比值的线性关系暗示了该杂岩体为岩浆混合成因,基性岩浆的源区为富水的岩石圈地幔,而酸性岩浆是中下地壳中性火成岩在含饱和水条件下部分熔融的产物。这些性质指示川乌鲁杂岩体是在后碰撞拉张环境中由岩石圈地幔熔融的基性岩浆的底侵作用导致地壳的熔融以及后期的岩浆混合作用有关。     

Grain size reduction by dynamic recrystallization: can it result in major rheological weakening?

It is widely believed that grain size reduction by dynamic recrystallization can lead to major rheological weakening and associated strain localization by bringing about a switch from grain size insensitive dislocation creep to grain size sensitive diffusion creep. Recently, however, we advanced the hypothesis that, rather than a switch, dynamic recrystallization leads to a balance between grain size reduction and grain growth processes set up in the neighborhood of the boundary between the dislocation creep field and the diffusion creep field. In this paper, we compare the predictions implied by our hypothesis with those of other models for dynamic recrystallization. We also evaluate the full range of models against experimental data on a variety of materials. We conclude that a temperature dependence of the relationship between recrystallized grain size and flow stress cannot be neglected a priori. This should be taken into account when estimating natural flow stresses using experimentally calibrated recrystallized grain size piezometers. We also demonstrate experimental support for the field boundary hypothesis. This support implies that significant weakening by grain size reduction in localized shear zones is possible only if caused by a process other than dynamic recrystallization (such as syntectonic reaction or cataclasis) or if grain growth is inhibited.     

Effects of orientation on the diffusive properties of fluid-filled grain boundaries during pressure solution

An unresolved issue in the study of pressure solution in rock materials is the dependence of grain boundary structure and diffusive properties on the mutual orientation of neighbouring grain lattices. We report electrical measurements yielding the diffusivity of differently oriented halite–glass and halite–halite contacts loaded in the presence of brine. The halite–glass contact experiments show pressure solution of the halite and an effect of halite lattice orientation on grain boundary transport. Post-mortem observations show an orientation-dependent grain boundary texture controlled by the periodic bond chains in the halite structure. It is inferred that this texture determines the internal grain boundary structure and properties during pressure solution. In the halite–halite experiments neck-growth occurred, its rate depending on twist-misorientation. The results imply that deformation by pressure solution may lead to lattice-preferred orientation development, and that polymineralic rocks may deform faster at lower stresses than monomineralic rocks.