Hydrogen incorporation in enstatite in the system MgO–SiO2–H2O–NaCl

The incorporation of hydrogen in enstatite in a hydrous system containing various amounts of NaCl was investigated at 25 kbar. The hydrogen content in enstatite shows a clear negative correlation to the NaCl-concentration in the system. The most favourable explanation is the reduction of water fugacity due to dilution. Other reasons for the limited hydrogen incorporation at high NaCl levels, such as a significant influence of Na⁺ on the defect chemistry or an exchange between OH^- and Cl⁻in enstatite, appear much less important. A partition coefficient D _Na ^En/Fluid = 0.0013 could be determined, demonstrating that Na is less incompatible in enstatite than H. The new results support the idea that dissolved components have to be considered when the total hydrogen storage capacity in nominally anhydrous minerals is estimated, especially in geological settings with high levels of halogens, such as subduction zones.     

Heavy metal contamination in the vicinity of the Daduk Au–Ag–Pb–Zn mine in Korea

The heavy metal contamination and seasonal variation of the metals in soils, plants and waters in the vicinity of an abandoned metalliferous mine in Korea were studied. Elevated levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in tailings with averages of 8.57, 481, 4,450 and 753 mg/kg, respectively. These metals are continuously dispersed downstream and downslope from the tailings by clastic movement through wind and water. Thus, significant levels of the elements in waters and sediments were found up to 3.3 km downstream from the mining site, especially for Cd and Zn. Enriched concentrations of heavy metals were also found in various plants grown in the vicinity of the mining area, and the metal concentrations in plants increased with those in soils. In a study of seasonal variation on the heavy metals in paddy fields, relatively high concentrations of heavy metals were found in rice leaves and stalks grown under oxidizing conditions rather than a reducing environment (P<0.05).     

Anthropogenic Transformation in Engineering–Geological Megastructures in Russia

Engineering activities lead to the anthropogenic transformation of engineering–geological conditions in different areas of Russia. A differential estimate has been made for changes in individual components of engineering–geological structures: relief, upper section soils, underground waters, depth of seasonal soil freezing and thawing, and current geological processes. The general integrated evaluation of the anthropogenic transformation of engineering–geological megastructures in Russia has been made on the basis of differential estimates of the components.     

Freak Waves in 2011–2018

Doklady Earth Sciences - Cases of “freak waves” that occurred in the period from 2011 to 2018 and information on which is currently available are analyzed. In total, 210 cases of...     

Origin of epithermal Ag–Au–Cu–Pb–Zn mineralization in Guanajuato, Mexico

The Guanajuato epithermal district is one of the largest silver producers in Mexico. Mineralization occurs along three main vein systems trending dominantly northwest–southeast: the central Veta Madre, the La Luz system to the northwest, and the Sierra system to the east. Mineralization consists dominantly of silver sulfides and sulfosalts, base metal sulfides (mostly chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and pyrite), and electrum. There is a broad zonation of metal distribution, with up to 10 % Cu+Pb+Zn in the deeper mines along the northern and central portions of the Veta Madre. Ore occurs in banded veins and breccias and as stockworks, with gangue composed dominantly of quartz and calcite. Host rocks are Mesozoic sedimentary and intrusive igneous rocks and Tertiary volcanic rocks. Most fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures are between 200 and 300 °C, with salinities below 4 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Fluid temperature and salinity decreased with time, from 290 to 240 °C and from 2.5 to 1.1 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Relatively constant fluid inclusion liquid-to-vapor ratios and a trend of decreasing salinity with decreasing temperature and with increasing time suggest dilution of the hydrothermal solutions. However, evidence of boiling (such as quartz and calcite textures and the presence of adularia) is noted along the Veta Madre, particularly at higher elevations. Fluid inclusion and mineralogical evidence for boiling of metal-bearing solutions is found in gold-rich portions of the eastern Sierra system; this part of the system is interpreted as the least eroded part of the district. Oxygen, carbon, and sulfur isotope analysis of host rocks, ore, and gangue minerals and fluid inclusion contents indicate a hydrothermal fluid, with an initial magmatic component that mixed over time with infiltrating meteoric water and underwent exchange with host rocks. Mineral deposition was a result of decreasing activities of sulfur and oxygen, decreasing temperature, increasing pH, and, in places, boiling.     

Low-Nitrogen Diamond Growth in the Fe–C–S System

Doklady Earth Sciences - The first results on diamond growth in the Fe–С–S system with 1 wt % S (relative to Fe) at 6 GPa and 1450°C have been reported. The diamonds obtained...     

Cold–wet spells in mainland China during 1951–2011

Two types of persistent extreme weather events, the cold–wet spell (CWS) and the persistent wet-freezing event (PWFE), are defined by considering the persistence of both extreme low temperature (ELT) and precipitation. Regional CWS and PWFE are identified based on temporal persistence and spatial contiguity of single-station-based CWS event and PWFE, respectively. Relevant factors are further discussed to reveal the features of spatial distribution and temporal variability of such events. The results indicate that: (1) station-based CWSs are mostly observed in southern China, especially in eastern part of southwest China and south China. PWFEs are relatively frequently observed immediate south of middle reach of the Yangtze River. Both CWS and PWFE of longer duration are frequently observed in the northern part of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. Further analyses indicate that the occurrence of these events in southern China is positively related to elevation. (2) A total of 48 regional CWSs and 21 regional PWFEs are identified during cold season over 1951–2011 in China. The long-lasting ELT and rainy (snowy)/freezing condition render the event in southern China in 2008, the most severe one in the last five decades. (3) Precipitation is the limitation condition for the occurrence of CWS and PWFE in northern China, while ELT is the dominant factor for CWS and PWFE in southern China.     

Anti-Semitism in German geography 1900–1945

The number of Anti-Semitic opinions found in geographical and geopolitical literature gives evidence of a wide-spread hostility towards Jews before 1945. Only very few critical dissidents branded Anti-Semitism as propaganda of political rightists. The extent to which Anti-Semitism served as an ideological bridge between geography and geopolitics in Germany till 1945 must be established. But independent from geopolitics, there are lots of proof for an autochthonously developed Anti-Semitism among German university geographers long before geopolitics was created. All in all geopolitics had no innovative effect on the research and the theory of political geography in Germany till 1945. Its main topics, epistemological premises and methodological apparatus grew on the substratum of authochthonous traditions created in the 19th century. Geopolitics only takes up basic reflections that already exist.     

Thermo-mechanical ratcheting in soil–structure interfaces

Acta Geotechnica - This paper proposes and validates a thermo-mechanical ratcheting mechanism that explains the cumulative displacement of soil–continuum interfaces when subjected to...     

Wildfire evacuations in Canada 1980–2007

Evacuations represent an integral aspect of protecting public safety in locations where intense, fast-spreading forest fires co-occur with human populations. Most Canadian fire management agencies have as their primary objective the protection of people and property, and all fire management agencies in Canada recommend evacuations when public safety is in question. This study provides the first national assessment of wildfire-related evacuations in Canada and documents the loss of homes that coincided with evacuation events. The most striking finding is that despite the intensity and abundance of wildfire in Canada, wildfires have displaced a relatively small number of people. Between 1980 and 2007, the median number of evacuees and home losses per year in Canada were 3,590 and 2, respectively. Evacuees’ homes survived in 99.3% of cases. Patterns of evacuations and home losses reflected the distributions of forests, wildfire, and people across the Canadian landscape. Most evacuations occurred in boreal areas, which have relatively low population densities but among the highest percent annual area burned in Canada. Evacuations were less common in southern parts of the country, where most Canadians reside, but individual wildfires in these areas had significant impacts. Interactions between wildfire and people in Canada exhibited a unique regional pattern, and within the most densely populated regions of the country they can be considered ‘low-probability, high-consequence’ events. This Canadian context is fundamentally different from places such as California, where concentrations of fires and people overlap across large areas and therefore calls for a fundamentally different fire management response.     

Geochemical Characteristics and LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb Dating of Amphibolites in the Songshugou Ophiolite in the Eastern Qinling

Geochemical studies on the arnphibolites in the Songshugou ophiolite from Shangnan County, Shaanxi Province demonstrate that the protolith of the amphibolites is tholeiitic. The arnphibolites can be classified into two groups according to their REE patterns and trace element features. Rocks of the first group are depleted in LREE while rocks of the second group are slightly depleted in LREE or flat from LREE to HREE without significant Eu anomaly. The first group of rocks have (La/Yb)N=0.33-0.55, (La/Sm)N= 0.45-0.65, and their La/Nb, Ce/Zr, Zr/Nb, Zr/Y and Ti/Y ratios are averaged at 1.20, 0.12, 31.02, 2.92 and 198, respectively, close to those of typical N-MORB. The second group of rocks have (La/Yb)N=0.63-0.95, (La/ Sm)N = 0.69--0.90, and their average La/Nb, Ce/Zr, Zr/Nb, Zr/Y and Ti/Y ratios are 0.82, 0.83, 1.15, 0.16, 19.00, 2.58 and 225, respectively, which lie between those of typical N-MORB and E-MORB but closer to the former. The two groups of rocks both exhibit flat patterns from Th to Yb in th     

Variably evolved gabbroic intrusions within the Xigaze ophiolite (Tibet): new insights into the origin of ophiolite diversity

Ophiolites worldwide show striking diversities in their rock assemblage and structure (i.e., ophiolite diversity), raising a question whether ophiolites are originally similar before intense tectonic dismemberment. Comparison between ophiolites and oceanic lithospheres at modern mid-ocean ridges may provide key constraints on the origin of ophiolite diversity, because oceanic lithospheric structures are inherently controlled by spreading rates. Here, we present a case study of the Xigaze ophiolite in southern Tibet focusing on its gabbroic intrusions outcropping in three localities, i.e., Dazhuqu, Baigang and Jiding. Compared to the Jiding sequence, the Dazhuqu and Baigang gabbroic rocks are less evolved, characterized by higher Cr₂O₃ contents but lower contents of TiO₂ and rare earth element in both clinopyroxene and bulk compositions. It is evident, hence, that the Xigaze ophiolite is characterized by variably evolved and discontinuously distributed gabbroic intrusions, rather by a continuous lower oceanic crust between the mantle and sheeted dike complex as the Penrose-type ophiolites. Our study, along with the identification in previous studies of oceanic detachment faults within the Xigaze ophiolite, demonstrates that the Xigaze ophiolite shows close similarities to oceanic lithospheres at modern slow- and ultraslow-spreading ridges. Hence, the significant structural distinctions between the Xigaze ophiolite and the Penrose-type ophiolites (e.g., the Oman ophiolite) may be inherently associated with different spreading rates of paleo-ridges. Considering the limited scale of the Xigaze gabbroic rocks, here we suggest the Xigaze ophiolite as a typical representative of fossil ultraslow-spreading ridges.     

西准噶尔早泥盆世马拉苏组火山岩岩石成因研究

新疆西准噶尔北部地区的早泥盆世马拉苏组出露有少量富钠低钾的拉斑质中基性熔岩,这些分布于谢米斯台断裂北侧的玄武安山岩和玄武岩多呈夹层状断续产出于火山碎屑岩之中。马拉苏中基性熔岩的Mg#与主、微量元素协变关系及Th-Th/Nd图反映了其并非同源岩浆演化的结果。马拉苏火山岩中的玄武安山岩富集LILE、亏损HFSE,具有较高的Th含量及较低的Hf/Th和(Nb/Th)PM比值,显示出弧火山岩的地球化学特征。其中的玄武岩则具有略为平坦的稀土元素分配样式,较低的Th含量及较高的Hf/Th和(Nb/Th)PM比值,此同MORB地球化学特征极为相似;虽然其也显示有轻微的LILE富集、HFSE亏损,但是较高的La/Nb比值则暗示这同地壳或俯冲物质组分的卷入有关,且一系列构造环境判别图解也进一步印证了马拉苏组内的玄武岩应属似MORB基性熔岩。此外,两类岩石的高场强元素比值Zr/Nb、Hf/Ta同全球平均大洋中脊玄武岩的相应比值极为接近,反映了马拉苏组中基性火山岩的物质源区主体均为MORB地幔物质源区。La/Yb-Gd/Yb原始地幔标准化比值的模拟计算进一步显示了马拉苏组玄武安山岩与受改造(俯冲沉积物或地壳物质的混染)的石榴子石或尖晶石-石榴子石地幔橄榄岩物质源区的部分熔融作用有关,而似MORB型玄武岩则源自尖晶石地幔橄榄岩源区的部分熔融。结合区内同期的蛇绿岩、火山岩和碱性花岗岩的地球化学研究,我们可以进一步推断此类兼具有似MORB和弧火山岩地球化学特征的早泥盆世马拉苏火山岩应当是西准噶尔地块北部在早古生代受后期俯冲作用影响下经历弧后扩张形成的火山-岩浆地质记录。     

西藏日喀则地区雅鲁藏布蛇绿岩地球化学特征及其源区性质

日喀则地区的蛇绿岩是西藏南部雅鲁藏布蛇绿岩带出露较好的蛇绿岩之一。对日喀则地区白朗蛇绿岩的主量、微量元素及Sr-Nd同位素研究表明,其基性岩石为钙碱性系列,主要氧化物具有低钛(0.6%~1.1%)和富镁(6.6%~8.7%)、高铝(15.3%~16.0%),以及烧失量普遍较高(2.8%~4.6%)的特征。岩石微量元素配分型式与N-MORB类似,又具有岛弧玄武岩的地球化学特征,表明蛇绿岩受到了俯冲作用的影响。Sr-Nd同位素特征表明源区为略富集的MORB型地幔。白朗蛇绿岩所代表的特提斯地幔域与印度洋地幔域具有相似的地球化学性质,进一步证实了现今的印度洋继承了特提斯地幔域的地球化学特征。     

Platinum-group elemental geochemistry of mafic and ultramafic rocks from the Xigaze ophiolite, southern Tibet

The Xigaze ophiolite in the central part of the Yarlung–Zangbo suture zone, southern Tibet, has a well-preserved sequence of sheeted dykes, basalts, cumulates and mantle peridotites at Jiding and Luqu. Both the basalts and diabases at Jiding have similar compositions with SiO₂ ranging from 45.9 to 53.5 wt%, MgO from 3.1 to 6.8 wt% and TiO₂ from 0.87 to 1.21 wt%. Their Mg^#s [100Mg/(Mg + Fe)] range from 40 to 60, indicating crystallization from relatively evolved magmas. They have LREE-depleted, chondrite-normalized REE diagrams, suggesting a depleted mantle source. These basaltic rocks have slightly negative Nb- and Ti-anomalies, suggesting that the Xigaze ophiolite represents a fragment of mature MORB lithosphere modified in a suprasubduction zone environment. The mantle peridotites at Luqu are high depleted with low CaO (0.3–1.2 wt%) and Al₂O₃ (0.04–0.42 wt%). They display V-shaped, chondrite-normalized REE patterns with (La/Gd)_N ratios ranging from 3.17 to 64.6 and (Gd/Yb)_N from 0.02 to 0.20, features reflecting secondary metasomatism by melts derived from the underlying subducted slab. Thus, the geochemistry of both the basaltic rocks and mantle peridotites suggests that the Xigaze ophiolite formed in a suprasubduction zone.Both the diabases and basalts have Pd/Ir ratios ranging from 7 to 77, similar to MORB. However, they have very low PGE abundances, closely approximating the predicted concentration in a silicate melt that has fully equilibrated with a fractionated immiscible sulfide melt, indicating that the rocks originated from magmas that were S-saturated before eruption. Moderate degrees of partial melting and early precipitation of PGE alloys explain their high Pd/Ir ratios and negative Pt-anomalies. The mantle peridotites contain variable amounts of Pd (5.99–13.5 ppb) and Pt (7.92–20.5 ppb), and have a relatively narrow range of Ir (3.47–5.01 ppb). In the mantle-normalized Ni, PGE, Au and Cu diagram, they are relatively rich in Pd and depleted in Cu. There is a positive correlation between CaO and Pd. The Pd enrichment is possibly due to secondary enrichment by metasomatism. Al₂O₃ and Hf do not correlate with Ir, but show positive variations with Pt, Pd and Au, indicating that some noble metals can be enriched by metasomatic fluids or melts carrying a little Al and Hf. We propose a model in which the low PGE contents and high Pd/Ir ratios of the basaltic rocks reflect precipitation of sulfides and moderate degrees of partial melting. The high Pd mantle peridotites of Xigaze ophiolites were formed by secondary metasomatism by a boninitic melt above a subduction zone.     

蛇绿岩生成构造环境的Ba-Th-Nb-La判别图

Pearce的Ti-Zr-Y图不能很好区分洋脊和岛弧玄武岩,Ti对岩浆分离结晶作用很敏感,因此用这个图判别蛇绿岩生成构造环境效果不好,本文利用分配系数相近的Ba,Th,Nb,La四个非常不相容元素的(Ba/Nb)-Ba,(Nb/Th)-Nb,(La/Nb)-La和(Ba/Nb)-(Th/Nb)图解很好区分了洋脊、岛弧、洋岛玄武岩。弧后盆玄武岩同时具有洋脊和岛弧玄武岩的特征。这些元素在海水蚀变中较稳定,它们的比值在分离结晶过程中保持不变,因此这些图解有利于判别蛇绿岩(包括熔岩和均质辉长岩)生成的构造环境。     

Geochemistry of hornblende gabbros from Sonidzuoqi,Inner Mongolia,North China: implications for magmatism during the final stage of suprasubduction‐zone ophiolite formation

Allochthonous hornblende‐rich gabbroic rocks at Sonidzuoqi constitute important components of the early to middle Palaeozoic orogen, which forms the southeastern part of the Central Asian orogenic belt in Inner Mongolia. Limited hornblende K–Ar and SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages document the Late Silurian to Early Devonian gabbroic emplacement. The rocks are tholeiitic and are characterized by moderate large‐ion‐lithophile‐element (e.g. Th, U) abundances, high‐field‐strength‐element (e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr, Ti) depletions, high Ti/V ratios, and MORB‐like isotopic signatures [(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i≈0.7030 to 0.7042; ε_Nd(t)≈+4.35 to +7.80, (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i≈17.46 to 17.61]. These features argue for a hydrous basaltic parental magma. We postulate that the melt formed through the coupling of MORB‐type mantle upwelling with aqueous fluid influx derived from slab devolatilization. This petrogenetic scenario suggests that an active spreading centre entered the trench during ridge subduction, bringing to a close an episode of suprasubduction‐zone ophiolite formation. The Siluro‐Devonian hornblende gabbros, together with a pre‐490 Ma ophiolitic mélange of MORB‐OIB affinity, ～483–471 Ma arc intrusions, ～498–461 Ma trondhjemite‐tonalite‐granodiorite plutons, and ～427–423 Ma calc‐alkaline granites from the same area, provide documentation of multistage crustal generation processes during the life cycle of this suprasubduction‐zone ophiolite.     

Study on the Tectonic Setting for the Ophiolites in Xigaze, Tibet

The Xigaze ophiolite is located in the middle section of the Yarlung Zangbo River ophiolite belt and includes a well-preserved sequence section of seven ophiolite blocks. The relatively complete ophiolitic sequence sections are represented by Jiding, Dejixiang, Baigang, and Dazhuqu ophiolites and consist of three–four units. The complete ophiolite sequence in order from the bottom to top consists of mantle peridotite, cumulates, sheeted sill dike swarms, and basic lavas±radiolarian chert. These cumulates are absent in the remaining blocks of Dejixiang and Luqu. The age of radiolaria in the radiolarian chert is Late Jurassic–Cretaceous. The basalt and ultramafic rock of the ophiolite also are overlaid by Tertiary Liuqu conglomerate, which contains numerous pebble components of ophiolite, indicating that the Tethys Ocean began to close at the end of Cretaceous Period. The isotopic data of gabbro, diabase, and albite granite in the Xigaze ophiolite are approximately 126–139 Ma, which indicates that the ophiolite formed in the Early Cretaceous. The K–Ar age of amphibole in garnet amphibolite in the ophiolite mélange is 81 Ma, indicating that tectonic ophiolite emplacement occurred at the end of Late Cretaceous.     

微量元素和Pb同位素对西藏雅鲁藏布构造带日喀则蛇绿岩形成环境的制约

西藏南部雅鲁藏布构造带分布有一系列蛇绿岩体。人们对这些蛇绿岩体的形成环境仍然存在较大的争议。雅鲁藏布构造带中段日喀则蛇绿岩路曲和大竹曲岩体镁铁质岩石的微量元素和Pb同位素特征指示其母岩浆起源于亏损地幔源区。这些镁铁质岩石的La/Sm和Sm/Yb比值显示其岩浆产生于尖晶石二辉橄榄岩地幔经过大约10%部分熔融作用。综合岩相学和全岩主量元素特征暗示这些镁铁质岩石形成于无水玄武质岩浆。而且这些镁铁质岩石的微量元素和REE元素配分模式均非常相似于N-MORB,除了弱Nb-Ta负异常。这些特征表明路曲和大竹曲岩体形成于大洋中脊环境。此外,路曲和大竹曲镁铁质岩石的Pb同位素结果指示其地幔源区与印度洋MORB地幔域具有相似的地球化学特征。这些镁铁质岩石N-MORB标准化微量元素模式显示弱Nb-Ta负异常可能是由于其地幔源区交代了古老的俯冲带物质。     

Geochemistry of late Paleozoic mafic igneous rocks from the Kuerti area,Xinjiang, northwest China: implications for backarc mantle evolution

The composition of Kuerti mafic rocks in the Altay Mountains in northwest China ranges from highly geochemically depleted, with very low La, Ta and Nb and high ε_Nd(t) values, to slightly enriched, arc lava-like composition. They display flat to light rare earth element (REE)-depleted patterns and have variable depletions in high field-strength elements (HFSE). These mafic rocks were most probably derived from a variably depleted mantle source containing a subduction component beneath an ancient intra-oceanic backarc basin. Together with the slightly older arc volcanic rocks in the Altay region, the Kuerti mafic rocks display generally positive correlations of their key elemental ratios (e.g., Th/Nb, La/Yb and Th/Yb). These indicate that the more mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) component was contained in these magmas, the less arc component was present in their mantle source. Therefore, we propose a two-stage melting evolution model to interpret the compositional evolution of the Kuerti mafic rocks and associated arc volcanic rocks. First, arc basaltic melts were extracted from the hydrated arc mantle wedge beneath Kuerti, leaving behind a mantle source that is variably depleted in incompatible trace elements. Then, mafic rocks were erupted during seafloor spreading in the Kuerti backarc basin from the upwelling asthenospheric mantle. The variably depleted mantle source produced mafic rocks with composition ranging from arc lava-like to more geochemically depleted than MORB. The recognition of Kuerti mafic rocks as backarc basin basalts (BABB) is consistent with the proposed tectonic model that an active backarc basin–island arc system along the paleo-Asian ocean margin was formed in the Altay region during Devonian–Early Carboniferous. New data further indicate that the final orogenic event in the Altay Mountains, i.e. the collision of the north and south continental plates in the region, most probably took place in Late Carboniferous and Permian.