New paleomagnetic result from the Ethiopian flood basalts in the Abbay (Blue Nile) and Kessem gorges

New paleomagnetic investigations on the Ethiopian trap series have been undertaken at the Abbay and Kessem gorges in an attempt to better constrain the 30 Ma paleomagnetic pole of Africa. We sampled six thick massive basaltic lava flows, totaling 230 m, from Abbay Gorge and 10 lava flows, 180 m in thickness, from Kessem Gorge. Detailed paleomagnetic analyses disclosed that the carriers of the characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) are different in different lava flows. These are mostly titanomagnetites, titanomaghemites, and magnetite minerals with a broad range of coercive force and blocking temperatures. The heating and cooling susceptibility vs. temperature curves, many of which are irreversible, may indicate chemical remagnetization, notably low temperature maghemitization. Only one flow (KS04) with a clear 580°C Curie temperature was apparently unaffected by chemical remagnetization. The ChRM direction of this flow is identical to that in other flows, which suggests that if and when remagnetization occurred, this was shortly after emplacement of the lava flows. All of the flows sampled have normal polarity. However, a reversed component of low to medium coercive force and low to medium unblocking temperature occurs in flow KS01 at Kessem Gorge. The ChRM directions for the 16 sites are D=3.1°, I=5.8° (α₉₅=12.7°). The paleomagnetic pole obtained from these is at λ=83.0°N, φ=193.3°E (A₉₅=9.0°). Comparison with three previous studies of the traps shows remarkable consistency and a number of means are derived and discussed. Two final preferred poles for the traps are at λ=79.0°N, φ=196.9°E (A₉₅=2.8°) when all 112 published flows are used, and λ=78.7°N, φ=209.4°E (A₉₅=3.4°) when only the 76 flows from the four more recently analyzed sections are included. Both are compatible with the recent reference synthetic pole for Africa of Courtillot and Besse [J. Geophys. Res. (2002) in press]. In that sense, the Ethiopian trap pole is not anomalous and does not require more of a non-dipolar contribution than indicated by analyses of the global paleomagnetic data base covering the last few million years.     

The Role of Pre-existing Structures in the Origin, Propagation and Architecture of Faults in the Main Ethiopian Rift

Four major fault systems oriented N–S to NNE–SSW, NE–SW, E–W and NW–SE are identified from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images and a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM) over the Ethiopian Rift Valley and the surrounding plateaus. Most of these faults are the result of Cenozoic - extensional reactivation of pre-existing basement structures. These faults interacted with each other at different geological times under different geodynamic conditions. The Cenozoic interaction under an extensional tectonic regime is the major cause of the actual volcano-tectonic landscape in Ethiopia. The Wonji Fault Belt (WFB), which comprises the N–S to NNE–SSW striking rift floor faults, displays peculiar propagation patterns mainly due to interaction with the other fault systems and the influence of underlying basement structures. The commonly observed patterns are: curvilinear oblique-slip faults forming lip-horsts, sinusoidal faults, intersecting faults and locally splaying faults at their ends. Fault-related open structures such as tail-cracks, releasing bends and extensional relay zones and fault intersections have served as principal eruption sites for monogenetic Plio-Quaternary volcanoes in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER).     

The role of climate change and human interventions in affecting watershed runoff responses

Identifying the role of the two main driving factors—climate change and human interventions—in influencing runoff processes is essential for sustainable water resources management. For this purpose, runoff regime change detection methods were used to divide the available hydroclimatic variables into a baseline and a disturbed period. We applied hydrological modelling and the climate elasticity of runoff method to determine the contribution of climate change and human interventions to changes in runoff. The hydrological model, SWAT, was calibrated during the baseline period and used to simulate the naturalized runoff pattern for the disturbed period. Significant changes in runoff in the study watershed were detected from 1982, suggesting that human interventions play a dominant role in influencing runoff. The combined effects of climate change and human interventions resulted in a 41.3 mm (23.9%) decrease in runoff during the disturbed period, contributing about 40% and 60% to the total runoff change, respectively. Furthermore, analysis of changes in land cover dynamics in the watershed over the past four decades supported these changes in runoff. Contrary to other decades, the discrepancy between naturalized and observed runoff was small in the 2010s, likely due to increased baseflow as a result of storage and/or release of excess water during the dry season. This study contributes to our understanding of how climate change and human interventions affect hydrological responses of watersheds, which is important for future sustainable water management and drought adaptation.     

Oxygen isotopic variations of snowfall from winter storms in the central Sierra Nevada; Relation to ice growth microphysics and mesoscale structure

Observations have been made of the ice-crystal morphology of snow which fell at two sampling sites during a warm front followed by a cold front in the Sierra Nevada of the western United States. The snow sampling and ice crystal observations were conducted at Kingvale (KV) and Hobart Mills (HM), California, which are located at almost identical elevations on the upwind and down wind sides of the Sierra Nevada crest, respectively.These observations and several mesoscale features of one of the storms, have been used to study the substantial changes which occurred in the stable oxygen isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O) of the precipitation at the two sites.At the beginning of the period of observation, a low level warm front lay across the region and its elevation lowered with time from 2.5 km to 1.7 km. This decrease of the frontal surface height was accompanied by a steady increase in the δ¹⁸O values.In the pre-cold frontal passage time periods, the δ¹⁸O values at the upwind site signified warmer origin ice crystal morphology than the downwind site. This is explained by orographic effects and the production of supercooled liquid water at low elevations on the upslope side of the Sierra Nevada.During the passage of the surface cold front, the differences in δ¹⁸O at the two sites were quite small probably because the orography plays a less significant role in the precipitation production process during such events.The δ¹⁸O peaked around −13% which translates to an “equivalent temperature” of −10.7°C for ice phase water capture at the upwind site KV. At site HM downwind of the Sierra crest, and 25 km east of KV, the weighted mean ice phase water capture occurred at elevations some 5 to 6°C colder than at KV, because of subsidence and loss of supercooled liquid water in the lower elevations on the lee side.     

Geology, geochemistry and petrogenesis of intrusive rocks of the Wallagga area, western Ethiopia

Crystalline rocks from the western Ethiopian Precambrian terrain comprise two major rock groups: (1) the often migmatised eastern and western high-grade gneisses; and (2) the central low-grade metavolcanosedimentary rocks. Granitoid bodies of different ages and compositions intrude these rocks. Field observations, petrographic investigations, and geochemical features support a two-fold classification of the granitoid rocks. The volcanic arc granitoids (VAG) are most common and include the Ujjukka granite and granodiorite, and the Dhagaa Booqa and Guttin K-feldspar megacrystic granites. The second and geographically more restricted group represents within-plate or anorogenic (A-type) granitoids, typified by the Tullu Kapii syenite. Geochemically, the Tullu Kapii syenite is characterised by moderate to high contents of SiO₂, total alkalis, Y, Nb, Ta, Hf, Zn, Zr, Ga, ΣREE, higher ratios of Fe₂O_3(total)/MgO, , , and lower contents of CaO, MgO, Sr, and Ba, compared to the other granitoids. The VAG group shows chondrite-normalised REE patterns with slightly enriched LREE and flat HREE patterns without significant Eu anomalies. In contrast, the Tullu Kapii A-type granitoid is characterised by a nearly horizontal REE pattern with variable negative Eu anomalies. The Ujjukka granite and granodiorite; and the Dhagaa Booqa and Guttin K-feldspar megacrystic granites originated in a two-step process, which involves batch equilibrium melting of basaltic or andesitic material producing tonalitic magma, followed by fractional crystallisation. The Tullu Kapii syenite was the product of partial melting of source rocks enriched in high field strength elements.     

Willingness and Participation of Local Communities to Manage Communal Grazing Lands in the Lake Tana Biosphere,Ethiopia

Sustainable management of communal grazing lands in Ethiopia is crucial to sustain livestock productivity and reduce land degradation. This study was conducted in Dera district, Ethiopia, to assess local communities’ perceptions of the degradation and their attitudes on the management of communal grazing lands. Household surveys, group discussions, and the contingent valuation method were used to gather data. Results indicated that local communities are aware of the degradation and are willing to participate in the management of communal grazing lands by contributing labor and cash. Labor contribution is positively and significantly correlated to total livestock units (TLU) and credit, and negatively correlated with household size and extension service. Significant correlation between the willingness to contribute cash and TLU was also detected. Community participation and discussions, demarcation of boundaries, equity in benefit sharing, and engaging both formal and informal institutions are crucial to sustain and enhance the effectiveness of grazing land management.     

Basin hydrogeological characterization using remote sensing,hydrogeochemical and isotope methods (the case of Baro-Akobo,Eastern Nile,Ethiopia)

Hydrogeochemical and isotopic signatures of the waters of the Baro-Akobo River Basin show deviation from signatures in other Ethiopian river basins. In this study, hydrogeochemical and isotope methods were employed to determine regional and local hydrogeology and characteristics of the basin. Optical, thermal and radar remote sensing products were used to update geological and structural maps of the basin and determine sampling points using the judgment sampling method. A total of 363 samples from wells, springs, rivers, lakes, swamps and rain were collected for this study, and an additional 270 water quality data sets were added from previous studies. These data were analyzed for their hydrogeochemical characteristics and isotope signatures. Analysis of the oxygen, deuterium and tritium isotopes shows the groundwater of the basin is modern water. Among all basins in Ethiopia, the Baro-Akobo Basin shows the highest enrichment. This indicates the proximity of the rainfall sources, which presumably are the Sudd and other wetlands in South Sudan. The hydrochemical properties of the waters show evapotranspiration is the dominant hydrologic process in the basin and explains the large amount of water that is lost in the lowland plain. Analysis of radon-222 shows no significant groundwater flux over the wetlands, which are part of Machar Marshes. This shows evaporation to be dominant hydrologic process in this zone. Results from all analyses help explain the limited holding capacity of the aquifers in the recharge zone and their vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts and climate variability. There is a trend of decreasing surface flow and rainfall and increasing water soil erosion.     

Evaluation of the real-time TRMM-based multi-satellite precipitation analysis for an operational flood prediction system in Nzoia Basin,Lake Victoria,Africa

Many researchers seek to take advantage of the recently available and virtually uninterrupted supply of satellite-based rainfall information as an alternative and supplement to the ground-based observations in order to implement a cost-effective flood prediction in many under-gauged regions around the world. Recently, NASA Applied Science Program has partnered with USAID and African-RCMRD to implement an operational water-hazard warning system, SERVIR-Africa. The ultimate goal of the project is to build up disaster management capacity in East Africa by providing local governmental officials and international aid organizations a practical decision-support tool in order to better assess emerging flood impacts and to quantify spatial extent of flood risk, as well as to respond to such flood emergencies more expediently. The objective of this article is to evaluate the applicability of integrating NASA’s standard satellite precipitation product with a flood prediction model for disaster management in Nzoia, sub-basin of Lake Victoria, Africa. This research first evaluated the TMPA real-time rainfall data against gauged rainfall data from the year 2002 through 2006. Then, the gridded Xinanjiang Model was calibrated to Nzoia basin for period of 1985–2006. Benchmark streamflow simulations were produced with the calibrated hydrological model using the rain gauge and observed streamflow data. Afterward, continuous discharge predictions forced by TMPA 3B42RT real-time data from 2002 through 2006 were simulated, and acceptable results were obtained in comparison with the benchmark performance according to the designated statistic indices such as bias ratio (20%) and NSCE (0.67). Moreover, it is identified that the flood prediction results were improved with systematically bias-corrected TMPA rainfall data with less bias (3.6%) and higher NSCE (0.71). Although the results justify to suggest to us that TMPA real-time data can be acceptably used to drive hydrological models for flood prediction purpose in Nzoia basin, continuous progress in space-borne rainfall estimation technology toward higher accuracy and higher spatial resolution is highly appreciated. Finally, it is also highly recommended that to increase flood forecasting lead time, more reliable and more accurate short- or medium-range quantitative precipitation forecasts is a must.     

Ore-microscopic and geochemical characteristics of gold-tellurides-sulfide mineralization in the Macassa Gold Mine,Abitibi Belt,Canada

The Macassa Gold Mine is the only operational mine (Lac-Minerals Ltd., Macassa Division) of seven original gold producers in the Kirkland Lake camp of northern Ontario, Canada. The gold deposit is in Archaean volcanic and sedimentary rocks which have been intruded by a composite syenite stock. The mineralization has taken place in two stages. The first stage is not gold bearing but involves pyritization and concomitant development of titanium phase minerals (leucoxene, rutile) and hematite. It is mainly associated with carbonatization, silicification and hematitization marked by Ba, Sr and Rb enrichment. In contrast to this, the quartz vein-type mineralization is associated mainly with later silicification and enrichment with tellurium, lead, silver, gold and copper. It is relatively depleted in Sr, Ba and Rb. The ore mineralogical assemblages in the second stage include pyrite, chalcopyrite, petzite, altaite and native gold. Geochemical and petrographic evidence indicate that the reddened wall rocks (hematitized) and reddened fragments are neither related with nor contain any gold. Therefore, hematitization and the presence of barium, in this case in K-feldspars, could not be considered as the sole evidence to suggest a magmatic oxidizing fluid model for the genesis of Macassa gold deposit. Regarding the metals transport, tellurides and thiocomplexes are considered as the important carriers of gold and silver. Hence, fugacity of tellurium and sulphur controlled the precipitation of gold in the Macassa gold deposit.