La ligne du Tonale (Alpes centrales et orientales): sens de décrochement et prolongements

This work discusses the state of knowledge (mainly tectonic and geophysical data) about the Tonale line and other “peri-Adriatic” lines in the Central and Eastern Alps. The chain is here cut into a mosaic of independent blocs, separated by faults with basic injections in some places. The Tonale fault had a dextral movement in Oligo-Miocene times; it is connected with the Austrian “Thermenlinie”, and not to the Pusteria—Gail line. An attempt at chronology is presented.

Résumé

Ce travail fait le point des connassiances, principalement tectoniques et géophysiques, sur la linge du Tonale et les accidents “péri-adriatiques” récents des Alpes centrales et Orientales. Dans cette région, la chaine est découpée en une mosaïque de blocs indépendants, séparés par des accidents injectés ça et là de masses basiques. L'accident du Tonale, Qui a joué en décrochement dextre à l'Oligo-Miocéne, est relié à la Thermenlinie d'Autriche Et non à la linge Pusteria—Gail. Un essai de chronologie est présenté.     

Seamount gravity anomaly modelling with variably thick sediment cover

Inversion modelling of marine gravity anomalies to derive predicted seafloor topography has provided significant advance in delineating deep-ocean bathymetry where the seafloor both conforms to the half-space cooling model of seafloor spreading, and largely sediment-free. Similar modelling for elevated ridges and seamounts, that are formed by processes other than seafloor spreading and/or have proximal sediment sources (e.g., continental margins and volcanic arcs), have significantly higher errors when validated against modern shipborne echo-sounding data. A three-dimensional, five-layer gravity model is emulated for the cases of both synthetic and real seamounts, with varying degrees of sediment burial, to establish the sensitivity of variable sediment cover as a source of error. A simple `Gaussian' seamount with base radius of 30 km, 2000 m of relief, has a maximum 140–160 mGal anomaly, that decreases to 50 mGal with the addition of 1 km of sediment cover with simple `flood' geometry. Complete burial, with a typical sediment density of 2300 kg m^–3, results in a 120 mGal difference from a sediment-free seamount model. Increasing sediment density results in an exponential decay of the seamount anomaly. More complex synthetic geometries of varying basement relief and sediment thickness show that the anomaly amplitude remains significant, especially where the latter is >700–800 m thick. For the real case, seamounts of the Three Kings Ridge (northern New Zealand) imaged with seismic reflection data, with varying degrees of sediment cover of up to 1 km, when modelled both with and with-out the inclusion of a sediment layer, typically have rms differences of 30 mGal between observed and modelled gravity anomalies. Significantly, the rms errors are reduced by 50% with the inclusion of a sediment layer that corresponds to a reduction of predicted seafloor topography rms errors of 192–684 m to 78–360 m.     

Decoupling of arsenic and iron release from ferrihydrite suspension under reducing conditions: a biogeochemical model

High levels of arsenic in groundwater and drinking water are a major health problem. Although the processes controlling the release of As are still not well known, the reductive dissolution of As-rich Fe oxyhydroxides has so far been a favorite hypothesis. Decoupling between arsenic and iron redox transformations has been experimentally demonstrated, but not quantitatively interpreted. Here, we report on incubation batch experiments run with As(V) sorbed on, or co-precipitated with, 2-line ferrihydrite. The biotic and abiotic processes of As release were investigated by using wet chemistry, X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption and genomic techniques. The incubation experiments were carried out with a phosphate-rich growth medium and a community of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria under strict anoxic conditions for two months. During the first month, the release of Fe(II) in the aqueous phase amounted to only 3% to 10% of the total initial solid Fe concentration, whilst the total aqueous As remained almost constant after an initial exchange with phosphate ions. During the second month, the aqueous Fe(II) concentration remained constant, or even decreased, whereas the total quantity of As released to the solution accounted for 14% to 45% of the total initial solid As concentration. At the end of the incubation, the aqueous-phase arsenic was present predominately as As(III) whilst X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that more than 70% of the solid-phase arsenic was present as As(V). X-ray diffraction revealed vivianite Fe(II)₃(PO₄)₂.8H₂O in some of the experiments. A biogeochemical model was then developed to simulate these aqueous- and solid-phase results. The two main conclusions drawn from the model are that (1) As(V) is not reduced during the first incubation month with high Eh values, but rather re-adsorbed onto the ferrihydrite surface, and this state remains until arsenic reduction is energetically more favorable than iron reduction, and (2) the release of As during the second month is due to its reduction to the more weakly adsorbed As(III) which cannot compete against carbonate ions for sorption onto ferrihydrite. The model was also successfully applied to recent experimental results on the release of arsenic from Bengal delta sediments.     

Variabilité isotopique des précipitations sahéliennes à différentes échelles de temps à Niamey (Niger) entre 1992 et 1999 : implication climatiqueIsotopic variability of Sahelian rainfall at different time steps in Niamey (Niger, 1992–1999): climatic implications

The isotopic content of rainfall was measured in Niamey (Niger) over a period of eight years (1992–1999). Seasonal distribution of rainy events depends on the monsoon movement over the region. At the beginning and at the end of the rainy season, low rainfall, high temperatures and low relative humidity favour isotopic enrichment. In the middle of the rainy season, heavy rainfall, low temperatures and relative humidity close to saturation lead to isotopically depleted contents because of the mass effect; moreover, in the case of low rainfall, marked vertical convective development favours high altitude condensation. How far the Intertropical Front moves north, determines the quality of the rainy season and influences the isotopic contents. Thus the isotopic contents of rainfall are good climatic indicators. To cite this article: J.-D. Taupin et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 43–50     

Lateral extrusion along the Altyn Tagh Fault,Qilian Shan (NE Tibet): insight from a 3D crustal budget

The lithospheric strike‐slip Altyn Tagh Fault has accommodated hundreds of kilometres of displacement between the Qaidam and Tarim blocks since its Eocene reactivation. However, the way the deformation is accommodated in the Qilian Shan and further east remains uncertain. Based on 360 km of north‐eastward migration of the relatively rigid Qaidam block along the Altyn Tagh Fault and 3D isovolumetric balancing of the crustal deformation within the Altyn Tagh Fault–Qilian Shan system, we demonstrate that 250 ± 28 km (43.8–49.4%) of N20E directed crustal shortening and an additional ~250–370 km of eastward motion of the Qilian Shan crust must be accounted for by strike‐slip faulting in the Qilian Shan and crustal thickening in the Qinling area, as well as by extension in the adjoining North China block graben systems.     

Balancing deformation in NW Borneo: Quantifying plate-scale vs. gravitational tectonics in a delta and deepwater fold-thrust belt system

Recent GPS measurements demonstrate that NW Borneo undergoes 4–6 mm of plate-scale shortening a year, which is not accommodated by plate-scale structures. The only geological structure in NW Borneo described to accommodate on-going shortening is the Baram Delta System located on the outer shelf to basin floor. Delta toe fold-thrust belts are commonly thought to be caused by margin-normal compressional stresses generated by margin-parallel upslope gravitational extension.     

Late Devonian OIB alkaline gabbro in the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone: Remnants of the Paleo-Tethys?

The Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) is believed to be composed of material largely derived from the destruction of the Neo-Tethys that occurred from early Mesozoic to early Cenozoic. We report here geochronological and petrological data obtained for newly discovered alkaline gabbro blocks embedded in a mélange zone of the western YZSZ. Single zircon U–Pb analyses from one representative gabbro sample by SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) yielded a combined crystallization age of about 363.7 ± 1.7 Ma (1σ). In situ Hf isotopic analyses yielded ε_Hf(t) values of + 2.6 to + 5.5, suggesting an enriched mantle source. All of the gabbro samples show typical Ocean Island Basalt (OIB) affinity with little or no continental crust contamination. They also display strong geochemical similarities with the Hawaii basalts and the Xigaze seamount basalts suggestive of their intra-oceanic setting. These observations, in combination with the Early Carboniferous layered gabbros reported at Luobusa, indicate that these rocks could represent remnants of the Paleo-Tethys. We propose that a branch ocean separating the Western Qiangtang terrane and the Lhasa terrane from the Gondwana continent might have been present during the Late Devonian and the Early Carboniferous, providing new constrains on the configuration of Paleo-Tethys in Tibetan Plateau during early Late Paleozoic.     

Trend analysis of extreme thermal indices in south Brazil (1971 to 2014)

Southern Brazil has recently been the subject of many major natural hazards from weather and climatic origin, including violent floods in 2016 caused by very heavy rains. It has also experienced episodes of droughts and heat waves in recent years. The state of Paraná, located at the climatic transition zone, has densely populated urban areas, vast cultivation areas, and hydro-electric reservoirs (more than 20), so those extreme events are letting local populations vulnerable to the vagaries of the climate and their impacts on community, infrastructure, and ecosystem. This study analyzes climatic variability and trends of about ten climatic indices (with RClimDex), calculated by using daily thermal data of ten stations spread mainly in two geographic regions of Paraná. The Mann-Kendall and Pettitt tests were applied for trends analysis and determine the presence of breakpoints in the time series (1971–2014). Our results showed that for the various thermal indices, there is a reduction of the cold days on all the stations, indicating a more pronounced increase of the indices based on the maximum temperatures (TX), especially in the north. On the other hand, the indexes based on minimum temperatures (TN) show a more modest and partial increase, varying accordingly to the location of the stations. Regionally, the trends calculated were similar, that is, North region presents a more expressive increase of the indices of heat whereas in the east predominates a reduction.