Compositional variations in the Mesoarchean chromites of the Nuggihalli schist belt, Western Dharwar Craton (India): potential parental melts and implications for tectonic setting

The chromite deposits in the Archean Nuggihalli schist belt are part of a layered ultramafic–mafic sequence within the Western Dharwar Craton of the Indian shield. The 3.1-Ga ultramafic–mafic units occur as sill-like intrusions within the volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Nuggihalli greenstone belt that are surrounded by the tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) suite of rocks. The entire succession is exposed in the Tagdur mining district. The succession has been divided into the lower and the upper ultramafic units, separated by a middle gabbro unit. The ultramafic units comprise of deformed massive chromitite bodies that are hosted within chromite-bearing serpentinites. The chromitite bodies occur in the form of pods and elongated lenses (~60–500 m by ~15 m). Detailed electron microprobe studies reveal intense compositional variability of the chromite grains in silicate-rich chromitite (~50% modal chromite) and serpentinite (~2% modal chromite) throughout the entire ultramafic sequence. However, the primary composition of chromite is preserved in the massive chromitites (~60–75% modal chromite) from the Byrapur and the Bhaktarhalli mining district of the Nuggihalli schist belt. These are characterized by high Cr-ratios (Cr/(Cr + Al) = 0.78–0.86) and moderate Mg-ratios (Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) = 0.38–0.58). The compositional variability occurs due to sub-solidus re-equilibration in the accessory chromite in the serpentinite (Mg-ratio = 0.01–0.38; Cr-ratio = 0.02–0.99) and in silicate-rich chromitite (Mg-ratio = 0.06–0.48; Cr-ratio = 0.60–0.99). In the massive chromitites, the sub-solidus re-equilibration for chromite is less or absent. However, the re-equilibration is prominent in the co-existing interstitial and included olivine (Fo_96–98) and pyroxene grains (Mg-numbers = 97–99). Compositional variability on the scale of a single chromite grain occurs in the form of zoning, and it is common in the accessory chromite grains in serpentinite and in the altered grains in chromitite. In the zoned grains, the composition of the core is modified and the rim is ferritchromit. In general, ferritchromit occurs as irregular patches along the grain boundaries and fractures of the zoned grains. In this case, ferritchromit formation is not very extensive. This indicates a secondary low temperature hydrothermal origin of ferritchromit during serpentinization. In some occurrences, the ferritchromit rim is very well developed, and only a small relict core appears to remain in the chromite grain. However, complete alteration of the chromite grains to ferritchromit without any remnant core is also present. The regular, well-developed and continuous occurrence of ferritchromit rims around the chromite grain boundaries, the complete alteration of the chromite grains and the modification of the core composition indicate the alteration in the Nuggihalli schist belt to be intense, pervasive and affected by later low-grade metamorphism. The primary composition of chromite has been used to compute the nature of the parental melt. The parental melt calculations indicate derivation from a high-Mg komatiitic basalt that is similar to the composition of the komatiitic rocks reported from the greenstone sequences of the Western Dharwar Craton. Tectonic discrimination diagrams using the primary composition of chromites indicate a supra-subduction zone setting (SSZ) for the Archean chromitites of Nuggihalli and derivation from a boninitic magma. The composition of the komatiitic basalts resembles those of boninites that occur in subduction zones and back-arc rift settings. Formation of the massive chromitites in Nuggihalli may be due to magma mixing process involving hydrous high-Mg magmas or may be related to intrusions of chromite crystal laden magma; however, there is little scope to test these models because the host rocks are highly altered, serpentinized and deformed. The present configurations of the chromitite bodies are related to the multistage deformation processes that are common in Archean greenstone belts.     

The Kinetics of the Interaction Between Iron(III)-Ethylenediaminetetraacetate and Peroxynitrite

The kinetics of the formation of the purple-colored species between Fe^III-EDTA and peroxynitrite were studied as a function of pH (10.4–12.3) at 22°C in aqueous solutions using a stopped-flow technique. A purple-colored species was immediately formed upon mixing, which had an absorbance maximum at 520 nm. The increase in absorbance with time could be fit empirically by a power function with two parameters a and b. The power equation determined was absorbance = a*t ^b , where a increased linearly with pH and the concentration of peroxynitrite, while b almost remained constant with a value of ~0.25. The molar extinction coefficient ε_520 nm for the colored species was determined as 13 M⁻¹cm⁻¹, which is much lower than ε_520 nm = 520 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹ for the [Fe^III(EDTA)O₂]³⁻, a purple species observed in the Fe^III–EDTA–H₂O₂ system. The results of kinetics and spectral measurements of the present study are briefly discussed and compared with those of the reaction between Fe(III)-EDTA and hydrogen peroxide.     

地方自治背景下印度尼西亚空间规划面临的挑战

空间规划通过协调区域活动,合理地利用空间,辅助国家政治、经济和社会等事务的治理。印尼的空间规划由总统制定、落实,它体现着国家政治层面的发展愿景和任务。当国家治理结构改变时,各区域的空间规划及其具体的实施过程也随之改变。分权化和地方自治是2001年以来印尼政府体制的重大变革。通过相关规划法律条文和文献分析,发现空间规划开始面临一系列问题,主要表现为资金和专业人员的缺乏、政策交叉现象和空间规划违规行为等。此外,印尼的地方自治制度对空间规划产生了一定的积极影响：首先,在地方自治的背景下,地方政府通过系统的管理增加了区域收入,以支持空间规划的实施;其次,地方政府开始优先聘用空间规划的专业人员,制定更加有效的空间规划政策;最后,各地区加强了对空间规划违规者的执法力度,增强了区域间团结意识,从而促进地区繁荣发展。目前中央与地方之间在权力和利益分配上仍存在着大量的博弈和冲突,应加强上下级政府之间的沟通与合作,保障地方对地方相关事务决策时的参与权,建立地方利益表达与平衡的机制,提高中央决策的科学化和民主化水平。     

Comparison of soil organic carbon content,hydraulic conductivity,and particle size fractions between a grassland and a nearby black pine plantation of 40 years in two surface depths

In highlands of semiarid Turkey, ecosystems have been significantly transformed through human actions, and today changes are taking place very rapidly, causing harmful consequences such as soil degradation. This paper examines two neighboring land use types in Indagi Mountain Pass, Cankiri, Turkey, to determine effects of the conversion of Blackpine (Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. pallasiana) plantation from grassland 40 years ago on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil erodibility (USLE-K). For this purpose, a total of 302 disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were taken at irregular intervals from two sites and from two soil depths of 0–10 cm (D₁) and 10–20 cm (D₂). In terms of SOC, conversion did not make any statistical difference between grassland and plantation; however, there were statistically significant differences with soil depth within each land use, and SOC contents significantly decreased with the soil depth (P < 0.05) and mostly accumulated in D₁. SOC values were 2.4 and 1.8% for grassland and 2.8 and 1.6% for plantation, respectively, at D₁ and D₂. USLE-K values also statistically differed significantly with the land use, and in contrast to the statistics of SOC, there was no change in USLE-K with the soil depth. Since USLE-K was estimated using SOC, hydraulic conductivity (HC) and soil textural composition––sand (S), silt (Si), and clay (C) contents of soils––as well as SOC did not change with the land use, we ascribed the changes of USLE-K with the land uses to the differences in the HC as strongly affected by the interactions between SOC and contents of S, Si, and C. On an average, the soil of the grassland (USLE-K = 0.161 t ha h ha⁻¹ MJ⁻¹ mm⁻¹) was more erodible than those of the plantation (USLE-K = 0.126 t ha h ha⁻¹ MJ⁻¹ mm⁻¹). Additionally, topographic factors, such as aspect and slope, were statistically effective on spatial distribution of the USLE-K and SOC.     

The combined RUSLE/SDR approach integrated with GIS and geostatistics to estimate annual sediment flux rates in the semi-arid catchment,Turkey

Quantitative evaluation of the spatial distribution of the erosion risk in any watershed or ecosystem is one of the most important tools for environmentalists, conservationists and engineers to plan natural resource management for the sustainable environment in a long term. This study was performed in the semi-arid catchment of the Saraykoy II Irrigation Dam, Cankiri, located in the transition zone between the Central Anatolia Steppe and the Black Sea Forests of Turkey. The total area of the catchment is 262.31 ha. The principal objectives were to quantify both potential and actual soil erosion risks by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and to estimate the amount of sediments to be delivered from the hillslope of the catchment to the reservoir of the dam using the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) in combination with the RUSLE model. All factor and sub-factor calculations required for solving the RUSLE model and SDR in the catchment were made spatially using DEM, GIS and Geostatistics. As the main catchment was divided into twenty-five sub-catchments, the predicted actual soil loss (by the model) was 146,657.52 m³ year^?1 and the weighted average of SDR estimated by areal distribution (%) of the sub-watersheds was 0.344 for whole catchment, resulted in 50,450.19 m³ year^?1 sediment arriving to the reservoir. Since the Dam has a total storage capacity of 509 × 10³ m³, the life expectancy of the Dam is estimated as 10.09 year. This estimation indicated that the dam has a relatively short economic life and there is a need for water-catchment management and soil conservation measures to reduce erosion.     

The ∼1100 Ma Sturgeon Falls paleosol revisited: Implications for Mesoproterozoic weathering environments and atmospheric CO2 levels

During the active rifting stage of the ∼1100 Ma Midcontinental Rift in North America, alluvial sediments were deposited intermittently between basalt flows on the north and south shores of present day Lake Superior. At times of depositional quiescence, paleosols developed in both areas on the alluvial sediments and on the antecedent basalt. New results from the Sturgeon Falls paleosol in Michigan characterizing the weathering processes at the time of its formation indicate moderate maturity, high degrees of hydrolysis and leaching, and a low degree of salinization. Geochemical provenance indices indicate a homogeneous source for the paleosols, and in contrast to earlier work, there is little evidence for K metasomatism. As a result, atmospheric CO₂ levels of 4–6× pre-industrial atmospheric levels were calculated using a mass-balance model. This result is consistent with previous calculations from nearly contemporaneous paleosols from the other side of the Keweenawan Rift and from the ∼100 Ma younger Sheigra paleosol in Scotland. The calculated CO₂ values are also consistent with the calculated weathering environment proxies that indicate weak to moderate weathering at this time frame and suggest that the higher greenhouse gas loads indicated by Paleoproterozoic paleosols had dissipated by the mid-late Mesoproterozoic.