Partial Melting and Counterclockwise P T Path of Subducted Oceanic Crust (Sierra del Convento Melange, Cuba)

Partial melting of subducted oceanic crust has been identifiedin the Sierra del Convento mélange (Cuba). This serpentinite-matrixmélange contains blocks of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-derivedplagioclase-lacking epidote ± garnet amphibolite intimatelyassociated with peraluminous trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocks.Field relations, major element bulk-rock compositions, mineralassemblages, peak metamorphic conditions (c. 750°C, 14–16kbar), experimental evidence, and theoretical phase relationssupport formation of the trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocksby wet melting of subducted amphibolites. Phase relations andmass-balance calculations indicate eutectic- and peritectic-likemelting reactions characterized by large stoichiometric coefficientsof reactant plagioclase and suggest that this phase was completelyconsumed upon melting. The magmatic assemblages of the trondhjemitic–tonaliticmelts, consisting of plagioclase, quartz, epidote, ±paragonite, ± pargasite, and ± kyanite, crystallizedat depth (14–15 kbar). The peraluminous composition ofthe melts is consistent with experimental evidence, explainsthe presence of magmatic paragonite and (relict) kyanite, andplaces important constraints on the interpretation of slab-derivedmagmatic rocks. Calculated P–T conditions indicate counterclockwiseP–T paths during exhumation, when retrograde blueschist-faciesoverprints, composed of combinations of omphacite, glaucophane,actinolite, tremolite, paragonite, lawsonite, albite, (clino)zoisite,chlorite, pumpellyite and phengite, were formed in the amphibolitesand trondhjemites. Partial melting of subducted oceanic crustin eastern Cuba is unique in the Caribbean realm and has importantconsequences for the plate-tectonic interpretation of the region,as it supports a scenario of onset of subduction of a youngoceanic lithosphere during the early Cretaceous (c. 120 Ma).The counterclockwise P–T paths were caused by ensuingexhumation during continued subduction. KEY WORDS: amphibolite; Cuba; exhumation; partial melting; trondhjemite; subduction     

External controls on the distribution,fabrics and mineralization of modern microbial mats in a coastal hypersaline lagoon,Cayo Coco (Cuba)

Active, carbonate‐mineralizing microbial mats flourish in a tropical, highly evaporative, marine‐fed lagoonal network to the south of Cayo Coco Island (Cuba). Hypersaline conditions support the development of a complex sedimentary microbial ecosystem with diverse morphologies, a variable intensity of mineralization and a potential for preservation. In this study, the role of intrinsic (i.e. microbial) and extrinsic (i.e. physicochemical) controls on microbial mat development, mineralization and preservation was investigated. The network consists of lagoons, forming in the interdune depressions of a Pleistocene aeolian substratum; they developed due to a progressive increase in sea‐level since the Holocene. The hydrological budget in the Cayo Coco lagoonal network changes from west to east, increasing the salinity. This change progressively excludes grazers and increases the saturation index of carbonate minerals, favouring the development and mineralization of microbial mats in the easternmost lagoons. Detailed mapping of the easternmost lagoon shows four zones with different flooding regimes. The microbial activity in the mats was recorded using light–dark shifts in conjunction with microelectrode O₂ and HS^? profiles. High rates of O₂ production and consumption, in addition to substantial amounts of exopolymeric substances, are indicative of a potentially strong intrinsic control on mineralization. Seasonal, climate‐driven water fluctuations are key for mat development, mineralization, morphology and distribution. Microbial mats show no mineralization in the permanently submersed zone, and moderate mineralization in zones with alternating immersion and exposure. It is suggested that mineralization is also driven by water‐level fluctuations and evaporation. Mineralized mats are laminated and consist of alternating trapping and binding of grains and microbially induced magnesium calcite and dolomite precipitation. The macrofabrics of the mats evolve from early colonizing Flat mats to complex Cerebroid or Terrace structures. The macrofabrics are influenced by the hydrodynamic regime: wind‐driven waves inducing relief terraces in windward areas and flat morphologies on the leeward side of the lagoon. Other external drivers include: (i) storm events that either promote (for example, by bioclasts covering) or prevent (for example, by causing erosion) microbial mat preservation; and (ii) subsurface degassing, through mangrove roots and desiccation cracks covered by Flat mats (i.e. forming Hemispheroids and Cerebroidal structures). These findings provide in‐depth insights into understanding fossil microbialite morphologies that formed in lagoonal settings.     

Palaeomagnetism of the Guaniguanico Cordillera, western Cuba: a pilot study

A palaeo- and rock-magnetic study was carried out on the Jurassic–Cretaceous Guaniguanico Cordillera (15 sites, 112 oriented cores) in order to define a preliminary magnetostratigraphy and to obtain some constraints on the tectonic evolution of western Cuba. Rock-magnetic experiments indicate Ti-poor titanomagnetites as principal remanence carriers. Two magnetic phases seem to be present in a few samples: some spinels, which saturate at moderate magnetic fields and goethite, with higher coercivity. The presence of hematite (or mixture of spinels and hematite) is apparent in two units. In most cases the characteristic palaeodirections could be determined above 300°C. Eleven sites yield normal magnetic polarity and four reverse. The polarity zones can be tentatively correlated to chrons CM29–C24 in the reference geomagnetic polarity time scale. The mean palaeodirection calculated from all sites is Dm=335.7°, Im=43.1°, K=11, α₉₅=12.3 and N=15. The corresponding palaeopole is Plat=66.4°, Plong=205.8°, K=13, and A₉₅=11.1. This pole is not significantly different from North American Jurassic–Cretaceous poles. This suggests that no major latitudinal displacements and deformation have occurred since the Jurassic, in contrast to some previously proposed tectonic models.     

The contested spaces of Cuban development: Post-socialism, post-colonialism and the geography of transition

The experience of the (post)socialist South has been marginal to the study of transition, despite the many similarities between processes of transition and development. This paper tries to better understand this overlap by exploring some empirical and conceptual connections between processes of development and processes of transition in Cuba. In doing so it makes two sets of arguments. The first set of arguments concerns the nature of ‘transition’ itself. I use the ‘contested spaces’ of the Cuban (socialist) biotech sector, and specifically its attempts to attract foreign (capitalist) investment as a case study. As a high profile industry, biotechnology functioned in Cuba as a political space within which questions of transition and development could be reconfigured by blurring the boundaries between them. In turn, this has enabled the Cuban State to legitimise responses to transition that would otherwise have appeared contradictory. The second set of arguments try to explain how this was possible. I argue that the slippage between nationalist and socialist visions of development allowed biotechnology (as a specifically developmentalist project) to be variously understood as, for example, a post-colonial socialist, or anti-colonial nationalist project in ways that suited the needs of transition at any one time. Such recombinations in many ways account for the non-linear and reversible nature of transition in Cuba. I speculate as to whether Bruno Latour’s work on the way capitalist societies understand themselves to be ‘modern’, helps explain how, in (post)socialist countries, processees of transition can be shaped through different historical constructions of modernisation and development.     

Palaeomagnetism of the central Cuban Cretaceous Arc sequences and geodynamic implications

A detailed palaeomagnetic study of Cretaceous age volcanic and sedimentary arc rocks from central Cuba has been carried out. Samples from 32 sites (12 localities) were subjected to detailed demagnetisation experiments. Nineteen sites from the Los Paso, Mataguá, Provincial and Cabaiguán Formations yielded high unblocking temperature, dual polarity directions of magnetisation which pass the fold tests with confidence levels of 95% or more and are considered to be primary in origin. The palaeomagnetic inclinations are equivalent to palaeolatitudes of 9°N for the Aptian, 18°N for the Albian. A synfolding remanence identified in 5 sites from the younger Hilario Formation indicates a late Cretaceous remagnetisation at a palaeolatitude of 16°N. Our results are in good agreement with previous palaeogeographic models and provide the first high quality palaeomagnetic data demonstrating the gradual northward movement of the Cretaceous Volcanic Arc throughout the Cretaceous. The declination values obtained all indicate significant and similar amounts of anticlockwise rotation from the oldest sequences studied through to the late Cretaceous remagnetisation. This rotation is most likely related to collision of the arc with the North American plate and transpressional strike slip movement along the northern margin of the Caribbean plate as it progressed eastwards into the large Proto-Caribbean basin.     

Contesting culture: a case study of commodification in Cuban music

After more than three decades of isolation from the West and a paralyzing economic crisis in the early 1990s, Cuba is increasingly globally active in both cultural and economic realms. In this paper I use Bourdieu’s (The fields of cultural production, 1993) fields of cultural production as a general frame through with to inspect the commercialization of Cuban music. Through a case study with Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, the creator of the Buena Vista Social Club, I explore the dialectical relationship of music as an expression of cultural and a cultural asset, and at the same time a commodity for the international market. I show that de Marcos uses his position between the international music industry and the local music scene in order to preserve cultural authenticity and survive economically. In doing so he challenges the all-to-typical place of the artist in the contested space of cultural production between the West and the Third World.

Crustal structure of eastern Cuba,derived by constrained 3D gravity inversion

A three-dimensional crustal model for Eastern Cuba, obtained through a process of gravity data inversion is presented. The study area cover a rectangular area of 64 600 km². The initial model for the inversion was constrained by surface geology, seismic and drilling data. The inversion algorithm uses gravity data to estimate 3-D topographies from the main geological units. The model provides quantitative information on the depths and thicknesses of the geological formations. The resulting model provides new information about the regional composition of the crust. Alien sequences are observed with different compositions and origin over the basement of Bahamas carbonate platform. Most of the maximum gravity anomalies are associated with presence of dense shallow ophiolite sheets. The most remarkable detail is the gravity “southwest” maximum, related to the presence of denser oceanic crust generated in the Cayman spreading center.     

古巴前陆盆地三区块油气成藏条件及有利区带预测

古巴前陆盆地三区块是2005年中国石油化工股份有限公司登记的风险勘探开发合同区块,位于墨西哥湾西南部,属古巴西部前陆盆地中租赁区块之一。结合该盆地的勘探现状及盆地内的钻井、物探以及地球化学等相关资料,分析了该盆地的油气成藏条件及其勘探潜力,预测了有利区带。三区块主要发育上侏罗统—下白垩统泥灰岩、泥质灰岩和中—下侏罗统泥页岩两套主要烃源岩,储层以泥晶灰岩、灰岩和砂砾岩为主,区内早期形成的圈闭在造山期基本遭到破坏,有效的圈闭主要形成于古近纪晚期,圈闭类型以背斜、断鼻、断块为主,推测可能发育多套储盖组合。盆地内有两大潜力勘探区域:北部前陆冲断带发育古近系盖层,是下一步勘探的首选区域;南部盆地北缘发育较厚的古近系和新近系,属南部盆地系统,推测是有利远景区。     

Geology,fluid inclusion and sulphur isotope characteristics of the El Cobre VHMS deposit,Southern Cuba

The El Cobre deposit is located in eastern Cuba within the volcanosedimentary sequence of the Sierra Maestra Paleogene arc. The deposit is hosted by tholeiitic basalts, andesites and tuffs and comprises thick stratiform barite and anhydrite bodies, three stratabound disseminated up to massive sulphide bodies produced by silicification and sulphidation of limestones or sulphates, an anhydrite stockwork and a siliceous stockwork, grading downwards to quartz veins. Sulphides are mainly pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite; gold occurs in the stratabound ores. Fluid inclusions measured in sphalerite, quartz, anhydrite and calcite show salinities between 2.3 and 5.7 wt% NaCl eq. and homogenisation temperatures between 177 and 300°C. Sulphides from the stratabound mineralisation display δ ³⁴S values of 0‰ to +6.0‰, whilst those from the feeder zone lie between −1.4‰ and +7.3‰. Sulphides show an intra-grain sulphur isotope zonation of about 2‰; usually, δ ³⁴S values increase towards the rims. Sulphate sulphur has δ ³⁴S in the range of +17‰ to +21‰, except two samples with values of +5.9‰ and +7.7‰. Sulphur isotope data indicate that the thermochemical reduction of sulphate from a hydrothermal fluid of seawater origin was the main source of sulphide sulphur and that most of the sulphates precipitated by heating of seawater. The structure of the deposit, mineralogy, fluid inclusion and isotope data suggest that the deposit formed from seawater-derived fluids with probably minor supply of magmatic fluids.     

THE SPINY-LOBSTER FISHERY IN CUBA*

ABSTRACT. The spiny-lobster fishery, the most valuable fishery in Cuba, is unique among those in major lobster-producing countries because of its combination of strong central control and absence of standardization and mechanization in fishing gear. Cooperation rather than competition among fishing vessels is promoted by exclusive fishing zones and fleet organization. These measures, along with the use of storage centers, simple vessels, and inexpensively constructed fishing gear, have promoted spatial rationality and cost reduction in the fishery and made it one of the most successful spiny-lobster fisheries in the world.