Geochemistry and origin of regional dolomites. Technical progress report, July 26, 1991--April 21, 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanson, G.N.; Meyers, W.J.

1992-07-01

This grant supports research on the origins and geochemical aspects of regional dolomites. Eight graduate students are involved in research on dolomite allowing a diverse range of studies. This report outlines their work in the field. (JL)

Geothermal Geodatabase for Rico Hot Springs Area and Lemon Hot Springs, Dolores and San Miguel Counties, Colorado

DOE Data Explorer

Richard Zehner

2012-11-01

This geodatabase was built to cover several geothermal targets developed by Flint Geothermal in 2012 during a search for high-temperature systems that could be exploited for electric power development. Several of the thermal springs have geochemistry and geothermometry values indicative of high-temperature systems. In addition, the explorationists discovered a very young Climax-style molybdenum porphyry system northeast of Rico, and drilling intersected thermal waters at depth. Datasets include: 1. Structural data collected by Flint Geothermal 2. Point information 3. Mines and prospects from the USGS MRDS dataset 4. Results of reconnaissance shallow (2 meter) temperature surveys 5. Air photo lineaments 6. Areas covered by travertine 7. Groundwater geochemistry 8. Land ownership in the Rico area 9. Georeferenced geologic map of the Rico Quadrangle, by Pratt et al. 10. Various 1:24,000 scale topographic maps

MODELING OF HEAVY METAL MOVEMENT IN VEGETATED, UNSATURATED SOILS WITH EMPHASIS ON GEOCHEMISTRY. (R825549C046)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Favorable Geochemistry from Springs and Wells in Colorado

DOE Data Explorer

Richard E. Zehner

2012-02-01

This layer contains favorable geochemistry for high-temperature geothermal systems, as interpreted by Richard "Rick" Zehner. The data is compiled from the data obtained from the USGS. The original data set combines 15,622 samples collected in the State of Colorado from several sources including 1) the original Geotherm geochemical database, 2) USGS NWIS (National Water Information System), 3) Colorado Geological Survey geothermal sample data, and 4) original samples collected by R. Zehner at various sites during the 2011 field season. These samples are also available in a separate shapefile FlintWaterSamples.shp. Data from all samples were reportedly collected using standard water sampling protocols (filtering through 0.45 micron filter, etc.) Sample information was standardized to ppm (micrograms/liter) in spreadsheet columns. Commonly-used cation and silica geothermometer temperature estimates are included.

Progress in 1988 1990 with computer applications in the ``hard-rock'' arena: Geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, and volcanology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rock, Nicholas M. S.

This review covers rock, mineral and isotope geochemistry, mineralogy, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and volcanology. Crystallography, exploration geochemistry, and mineral exploration are excluded. Fairly extended comments on software availability, and on computerization of the publication process and of specimen collection indexes, may interest a wider audience. A proliferation of both published and commercial software in the past 3 years indicates increasing interest in what traditionally has been a rather reluctant sphere of geoscience computer activity. However, much of this software duplicates the same old functions (Harker and triangular plots, mineral recalculations, etc.). It usually is more efficient nowadays to use someone else's program, or to employ the command language in one of many general-purpose spreadsheet or statistical packages available, than to program a specialist operation from scratch in, say, FORTRAN. Greatest activity has been in mineralogy, where several journals specifically encourage publication of computer-related activities, and IMA and MSA Working Groups on microcomputers have been convened. In petrology and geochemistry, large national databases of rock and mineral analyses continue to multiply, whereas the international database IGBA grows slowly; some form of integration is necessary to make these disparate systems of lasting value to the global "hard-rock" community. Total merging or separate addressing via an intelligent "front-end" are both possibilities. In volcanology, the BBC's videodisk Volcanoes and the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Project use the most up-to-date computer technology in an exciting and innovative way, to promote public education.

From extreme pH to extreme temperature: An issue in honor of the geochemical contributions of Kirk Nordstrom, USGS hydrogeochemist

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, Kate M.; Verplanck, Philip L.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; Alpers, Charles N.

2015-01-01

This special issue of Applied Geochemistry honors Dr. D. Kirk Nordstrom, and his influential career spent primarily at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This issue does not herald his retirement or other significant career milestone, but serves as a recognition of the impact his work has had on the field of geochemistry in general. This special issue grew from a symposium in Kirk’s honor (affectionately dubbed “Kirkfest”) at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA, during October 2013. At GSA, 27 talks and 35 posters showed how Kirk’s work has influenced a wide range of current hydrogeochemical research, from geothermal processes to acid mine drainage to geochemical modeling. The breadth of his knowledge and his many contributions to the published literature have left an indelible mark on the field of geochemistry, and this special issue is a tribute to his experience and contributions.

Active Layer and Water Geochemistry Dynamics throughout the Yukon River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutter, E. A.; Toohey, R.; Herman-Mercer, N. M.; Schuster, P. F.

2017-12-01

The hydrology of the Yukon River Basin has changed over the last several decades as evidenced by a variety of discharge, gravimetric, and geochemical analyses. The Indigenous Observation Network (ION), a community-based project, was initiated by the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council and USGS. Capitalizing on existing USGS monitoring and research infrastructure and supplementing USGS collected data, ION investigates changes in surface water geochemistry and active layer dynamics throughout the Yukon River Basin. Over 1600 samples of surface water geochemistry (i.e., major ions, dissolved organic carbon, and 18O and 2H) have been collected at 35 sites throughout the Yukon River and its major tributaries over the past 15 years. Active layer dynamics (maximum thaw depth, soil temperature and moisture) have been collected at 20 sites throughout the Yukon River Basin for the past eight years. Important regional differences in geochemistry and active layer parameters linked to permafrost continuity and tributaries will be highlighted. Additionally, annual trends and seasonal dynamics describing the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the watershed will be presented in the context of observed hydrological changes. These data assist the global effort to characterize arctic river fluxes and their relationship to the carbon cycle, weathering and permafrost degradation.

Zincian dolomite related to supergene alteration in the Iglesias mining district (SW Sardinia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boni, M.; Mondillo, N.; Balassone, G.; Joachimski, M.; Colella, A.

2013-01-01

One of the main effects of supergene alteration of ore-bearing hydrothermal dolomite in areas surrounding secondary zinc orebodies ( Calamine-type nonsulfides) in southwestern Sardinia (Italy) is the formation of a broad halo of Zn dolomite. The characteristics of supergene Zn dolomite have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy and qualitative energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermodifferential analysis, and stable isotope geochemistry. The supergene Zn dolomite is characterized by variable amounts of Zn, and low contents of Pb and Cd in the crystal lattice. It is generally depleted in Fe and Mn relative to precursor hydrothermal dolomite ( Dolomia Geodica), which occurs in two phases (stoichiometric dolomite followed by Fe-Mn-Zn-rich dolomite), well distinct in geochemistry. Mg-rich smithsonite is commonly associated to Zn dolomite. Characterization of Zn-bearing dolomite using differential thermal analysis shows a drop in temperature of the first endothermic reaction of dolomite decomposition with increasing Zn contents in dolomite. The supergene Zn dolomites have higher δ18O but lower δ13C values than hydrothermal dolomite. In comparison with smithsonite-hydrozincite, the supergene Zn dolomites have higher δ18O, but comparable δ13C values. Formation of Zn dolomite from meteoric waters is indicated by low δ13C values, suggesting the influence of soil-gas CO2 in near-surface environments. The replacement of the dolomite host by supergene Zn dolomite is interpreted as part of a multistep process, starting with a progressive "zincitization" of the dolomite crystals, followed by a patchy dedolomitization s.s. and potentially concluded by the complete replacement of dolomite by smithsonite.

Geochemistry driven trends in microbial diversity and function across a temperature transect of a shallow water hydrothermal system off Milos (Greece)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bühring, Solveig I.; Amend, Jan P.; Gómez Sáez, Gonzalo V.; Häusler, Stefan; Hinrichs, Kai-Uwe; Pichler, Thomas; Pop Ristova, Petra; Price, Roy E.; Santi, Ioulia; Sollich, Miriam

2014-05-01

The shallow water hydrothermal vents off Milos Island, Greece, discharge hot, slightly acidic, reduced fluids into colder, slightly alkaline, oxygenated seawater. Gradients in temperature, pH, and geochemistry are established as the two fluids mix, leading to the formation of various microbial microniches. In contrast to deep-sea hydrothermal systems, the availability of sun light allows for a combination of photo- and chemotrophic carbon fixation. Despite the comparably easy accessibility of shallow water hydrothermal systems, little is known about their microbial diversity and functioning. We present data from a shallow hydrothermal system off Milos Island, one of the most hydrothermally active regions in the Mediterranean Sea. The physico-chemical changes from ambient seafloor to hydrothermal area were investigated and documented by in situ microsensor profiling of temperature, pH, total reduced sulfur and dissolved oxygen alongside porewater geochemistry. The spatial microbial diversity was determined using a combination of gene- and lipid-based approaches, whereas microbial functioning was assessed by stable isotope probing experiments targeting lipid biomarkers. In situ microprofiles indicated an extreme environment with steep gradients, offering a variety of microniches for metabolically diverse microbial communities. We sampled a transect along a hydrothermal patch, following an increase in sediment surface temperature from background to 90°C, including five sampling points up to 20 cm sediment depth. Investigation of the bacterial diversity using ARISA revealed differences in the community structure along the geochemical gradients, with the least similarity between the ambient and highly hydrothermally impacted sites. Furthermore, using multivariate statistical analyses it was shown that variations in the community structure could be attributed to differences in the sediment geochemistry and especially the sulfide content, and only indirectly to shifts in temperature. Results from intact polar lipid analyses were consistent with the ARISA data and clearly differentiated those samples located close to the vent from those found in less affected areas. Changes from phospho- and betaine lipids within the top layer of the unaffected area to glyco- and ornithine lipids in the hydrothermally influenced sediment layers reflected a change from photoautotrophic algae to a bacteria-dominated community as predominant lipid sources. A clear dominance of archaeal lipids indicated archaea as key players in the deeper, hotter layers of the hydrothermal sediment. We performed stable isotope probing experiments with 13C-bicarbonate in the dark to investigate if chemolithotrophy, as opposed to phototrophy, plays any significant role for carbon fixation in shallow vent systems. Different amendments revealed that not only chemolithotrophy represents an important pathway for carbon fixation in these ecosystems, but that diverse ways of dark CO2 fixation exist, with hydrogen being the most effective electron donor under high temperature conditions.

Field testing of aquifer thermal energy storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kannberg, L. D.; Allen, R. D.

1984-03-01

Results of field and laboratory studies of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) indicate both the problems and promise of the concept. Geohydrothermal modeling and field testing demonstrated the ability to recover substantial quantities of aquifer stored energy. However, the local hydrologic conditions play an important role in determining the recovery temperature and storage efficiency. Geochemistry is also an important factor, particularly for higher temperature ATES systems.

Methane clumped isotopes: Progress and potential for a new isotopic tracer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Douglas, Peter M. J.; Stolper, Daniel A.; Eiler, John M.

The isotopic composition of methane is of longstanding geochemical interest, with important implications for understanding hydrocarbon systems, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, the global carbon cycle, and life in extreme environments. Recent analytical developments focusing on multiply substituted isotopologues (‘clumped isotopes’) are opening a potentially valuable new window into methane geochemistry. When methane forms in internal isotopic equilibrium, clumped isotopes can provide a direct record of formation temperature, making this property particularly valuable for identifying different methane origins. However, it has also become clear that in certain settings methane clumped isotope measurements record kinetic rather than equilibrium isotope effects. Here wemore » present a substantially expanded dataset of methane clumped isotope analyses, and provide a synthesis of the current interpretive framework for this parameter. We review different processes affecting methane clumped isotope compositions, describe the relationships between conventional isotope and clumped isotope data, and summarize the types of information that this measurement can provide in different Earth and planetary environments.« less

Geochemistry of highly basic calcium hydroxide groundwater in Jordan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barnes, I.; Presser, T.S.; Saines, M.; Dickson, P.; Van Groos, A. F. K.

1982-01-01

Highly-alkaline (pH > 12.5) meteoric waters of a Ca2+OH--type issue from naturally calcined bituminous marl. The cold (16.5 ??? T(??C) ??? 19.1) waters are super-saturated with minerals thought to be of high-temperature origin. ?? 1982.

Thermodynamics of Aqueous Organic Sulfur Compounds: A Key to the Organic Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Systems?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulte, Mitchell; Rogers, Karyn L.; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Hydrothermal environments are locations of varied geochemistry due to the disequilibrium between vent fluids and seawater. The disequilibrium geochemistry has been hypothesized to include reactions to synthesize organic compounds. Observations of the organic geochemistry of hydrothermal vent sites has received little attention. Experimental simulations of these environments, however, indicate that organic compounds may have difficulty forming in a purely aqueous environment. On the other hand, thiols. thioesters and disulfides have been implicated as reaction intermediates between CO or CO2 in experiments of carbon reduction in hydrothermal environments as well as in a variety of biological processes and other abiotic reactions (Wachtershauser, 1990, OLEB 20, 173; Heinen and Lauwers, 1996, OLEB 26, 13 1, Huber and Wachtershauser, 1997, Science 276, 245; Russell et al., 1998, in Thermophiles: The keys to molecular evolution and the origin of life?). The reduction of CO2 to thiols, for example, is observed using the FeS-H2S/FeS2 couple to provide the reducing power (see Schoonen et al., 1999, OLEB 29, 5). In addition, the enzyme involved in final stage of methanogenesis, coenzyme-M, is itself a thiol. Thus, organic sulfur compounds may hold the key to the organic chemistry leading to the origin of life at high temperatures. Understanding the biochemical processes of microorganisms that can live to temperatures at least as high as 113 C (Blochl et al., 1996, Extremophiles 1, 14) requires knowledge of the properties of the chemical reactions involved. In order to assess the role of aqueous organic sulfur compounds in hydrothermal organic geochemistry, we have been attempting to determine their thermodynamic properties. We have culled the literature to obtain the properties of organic sulfur compounds. We are able to calculate a number of essential properties, such as free energies of formation, from solubility data available in the literature together with standard properties of organic sulfur gases. However, a number of the properties for aqueous organic sulfur compounds have not been experimentally determined. Furthermore, most of thermodynamic data that are available are for 25 C and 1 bar. In order to determine reaction properties to temperatures and pressures appropriate to the hydrothermal conditions in which thermophilic organisms actually live, we use equations of state developed by Helgeson and co-workers (Helgeson et al., 1981, AJS 281, 1249). A key piece of information needed to go up in temperature is the partial molal heat capacity, which is one of the properties for which experimental data are unavailable for nearly all organic sulfur compounds. We have used correlation methods to determine the partial molal heat capacities and volumes of many organic solutes. These estimates allow us to asses the role of organic sulfur compounds during the reduction of carbon in hydrothermal settings. We will present these data, along with examples of the thermodynamic properties of reactions involving aqueous organic sulfur compounds.

"THE DYNAMICS OF ARSENIC IN SATURATED POROUS MEDIA: FATE AND TRANSPORT MODELING FOR DEEP-WATER SEDIMENTS, WETLAND SEDIMENTS, AND GROUNDWATER ENVIRONMENTS," WATER ROCK INTERACTIONS, ORE DEPOSITS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY: A TRIBUTE TO DAVID CRERAR. (R827288)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Chemical environments of submarine hydrothermal systems. [supporting abiogenetic theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shock, Everett L.

1992-01-01

The paper synthesizes diverse information about the inorganic geochemistry of submarine hydrothermal systems, provides a description of the fundamental physical and chemical properties of these systems, and examines the implications of high-temperature, fluid-driven processes for organic synthesis. Emphasis is on a few general features, i.e., pressure, temperature, oxidation states, fluid composition, and mineral alteration, because these features will control whether organic synthesis can occur in hydrothermal systems.

Anatomy of a cluster IDP. Part 2: Noble gas abundances, trace element geochemistry, isotopic abundances, and trace organic chemistry of several fragments from L2008#5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, K. L.; Clemett, S. J.; Flynn, G. J.; Keller, L. P.; Mckay, David S.; Messenger, S.; Nier, A. O.; Schlutter, D. J.; Sutton, S. R.; Walker, R. M.

1994-01-01

The topics discussed include the following: noble gas content and release temperatures; trace element abundances; heating summary of cluster fragments; isotopic measurements; and trace organic chemistry.

Acropora interbranch skeleton Sr/Ca ratios: Evaluation of a potential new high-resolution paleothermometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadler, James; Nguyen, Ai D.; Leonard, Nicole D.; Webb, Gregory E.; Nothdurft, Luke D.

2016-04-01

The majority of coral geochemistry-based paleoclimate reconstructions in the Indo-Pacific are conducted on selectively cored colonies of massive Porites. This restriction to a single genus may make it difficult to amass the required paleoclimate data for studies that require deep reef coring techniques. Acropora, however, is a highly abundant coral genus in both modern and fossil reef systems and displays potential as a novel climate archive. Here we present a calibration study for Sr/Ca ratios recovered from interbranch skeleton in corymbose Acropora colonies from Heron Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef. Significant intercolony differences in absolute Sr/Ca ratios were normalized by producing anomaly plots of both coral geochemistry and instrumental water temperature records. Weighted linear regression of these anomalies from the lagoon and fore-reef slope provide a sensitivity of -0.05 mmol/mol °C-1, with a correlation coefficient (r2 = 0.65) comparable to those of genera currently used in paleoclimate reconstructions. Reconstructions of lagoon and reef slope mean seasonality in water temperature accurately identify the greater seasonal amplitude observed in the lagoon of Heron Reef. A longer calibration period is, however, required for reliable reconstructions of annual mean water temperatures.

Ostracod Geochemistry as a Proxy for Paleoenvironmental Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrier, A.; Herrmann, A. D.

2016-02-01

Recent studies in the field of paleoceanography suggest that the geochemistry of ostracods, through their uptake of elements from their environment, has the potential to act as proxies for paleoenvironmental change. For example, pH-sensitive elements such as Boron and Uranium potentially record changes in the environment's pH, while temperature sensitive elements Magnesium and Strontium record temperature changes. If this is the case, a random sample of ostracods taken from the same environment should have very little variation in their elemental concentration. This hypothesis was tested using a group of ostracods of the genus Cyprideis taken from a horizon in a hypersaline lake in the southwest of Big Darby Island, Bahamas. Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) was used in order to measure the elemental concentrations from each ostracod carapace. Despite differences in size and species, the ostracods showed very little variations in Boron and Uranium concentrations. However, Magnesium and Strontium showed more elemental variation in each ostracod. This data suggests that ostracod carapaces do have the potential to act as proxies for environmental pH change; however, their potential to record temperature changes is inconclusive based on these results.

SEAGRASS STRESS RESPONSE MODEL: THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHT, TEMPERATURE, SEDIMENTATION AND GEOCHEMISTRY

EPA Science Inventory

Our objective is to define interactions between seagrass and water-column and sediment stressors. The model was developed and optimized for sediments in Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds of Lower Laguna Madre, Texas, USA and is composed of a plant sub-model and a sediment diagen...

STRESS RESPONSE MODEL FOR THE TROPICAL SEAGRASS THALASSIA TESTUDINUM: THE INTERACTIONS OF LIGHT, TEMPERATURE, SEDIMENTATION AND GEOCHEMISTRY

EPA Science Inventory

Our modeling objective was to better define the relationship between a tropical seagrass and water-column and sediment stressors (i.e., light, organic and particle sedimentation, sediment nutrients and sulfides). The model was developed and optimized for sediments in Thalassia t...

History of the recognition of organic geochemistry in geoscience

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.

2002-01-01

The discipline of organic geochemistry is an outgrowth of the application of the principles and methods of organic chemistry to sedimentary geology. Its origin goes back to the last part of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth century concurrent with the evolution of the applied discipline of petroleum geochemistry. In fact, organic geochemistry was strongly influenced by developments in petroleum geochemistry. Now, however, organic geochemistry is considered an umbrella geoscience discipline of which petroleum geochemistry is an important component.

Geochemistry for Chemists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hostettler, John D.

1985-01-01

A geochemistry course for chemists is described. Includes: (1) general course information; (2) subject matter covered; and (3) a consideration of the uses of geochemistry in a chemistry curriculum, including geochemical "real world" examples, geochemistry in general chemistry, and geochemistry as an elective. (JN)

Geochemistry of Slow-Growing Corals: Reconstructing Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity and the North Atlantic Oscillation

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

foraminifera, gastropods , and scaphopods) has been expressed as [Grossman and Ku, 1986]: 21 60 - 60w = -0.23 * (SST) +4.75 Eqn. (1) Slow growing corals...along the southeastern edge of the platform off John Smith’s Bay at 16m depth. (Figure adapted from World Ocean Circulation Experiment Newsletter...Atlantic Oscillation - Regional Temperatures and Precipitation, Science, 269, 676-679, 1995. Huybers, P., Multi-taper method coherence using adaptive

Foraminiferal Stable Isotope Geochemistry At The Micrometer Scale: Is It A Dream Or Reality?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, S.; Shuttleworth, S.; Lloyd, N. S.; Sadekov, A.; Elderfield, H.

2012-12-01

Over last few decades trace metals and stable isotope compositions of foraminiferal shells became one of the major tools to study past oceans and associated climate change. Empirical calibrations of δ11B, δ18O, Mg/Ca, Cd/Ca, Ba/Ca shells compositions have linked them to various environmental parameters such as seawater pH, temperature, salinity and productivity. Despite their common use as proxies, little is known about mechanisms of trace metals incorporation into foraminiferal calcite. Trace metals partition coefficients for foraminiferal calcite is significantly different from inorganic calcite precipitates underlining strong biological control on metal transport to the calcification sites and their incorporation into the calcite. Microscale distribution of light elements isotopes (e.g. Li, B, Mg) could potentially provide unique inside into these biomineralization processes improving our understanding of foraminiferal geochemistry. In this work we explore potentials of using recent advances in analytical geochemistry by employing laser ablation and multi-collector ICP-MS to study microscale distribution of Mg isotopes across individual foraminiferal shells and δ11B, and δ7Li analyses of individual shell chambers. The analytical setup includes an Analyte.G2 193nm excimer laser ablation system with two volume ablation cell connected to a Thermo Scientific NEPTUNE Plus MC-ICP-MS with Jet Interface option. We will discuss method limitations and advantages for foraminiferal geochemistry as well as our data on Mg isotopes distribution within shells of planktonic foraminifera.

A History of Warming Sea Surface Temperature and Ocean Acidification Recorded by Planktonic Foraminifera Geochemistry from the Santa Barbara Basin, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborne, E.; Thunell, R.; Bizimis, M.; Buckley, W. P., Jr.; benitez-Nelson, C. R.; Chartier, C. J.

2015-12-01

The geochemistry of foraminiferal shells has been widely used to reconstruct past conditions of the ocean and climate. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenically produced CO2 has resulted in an increase in global temperatures and a decline in the mean pH of the world's oceans. The California Current System is a particularly susceptible region to ocean acidification due to natural upwelling processes that also cause a reduction in seawater pH. The trace element concentration of magnesium and boron in planktonic foraminiferal shells are used here as proxies for temperature and carbonate ion concentration ([CO32-]), respectively. Newly developed calibrations relating Mg/Ca ratios to temperature (R2 0.91) and B/Ca ratios to [CO32-] (R2 0.84) for the surface-mixed layer species Globogerina bulloides were generated using material collected in the Santa Barbara Basin sediment trap time-series. Using these empirical relationships, temperature and [CO32-] are reconstructed using a 0.5 meter long multi-core collected within the basin. 210Pb activities were used to determine a sedimentation rate for the core to estimate ages for core samples (sedimentation rate: 0.341 cm/yr). A spike in 137Cs activity is used as a tie-point to the year 1965 coinciding with the peak of nuclear bomb testing. Our down-core record extends through the mid-19th century to create a history of rising sea surface temperatures and declining [CO32-] as a result of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

Organic geochemistry of core samples from an ultradeep hot well (300°C, 7 km)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price, Leigh C.

1982-01-01

Concepts prevelant among petroleum organic geochemists concerning the thermal fate of hydrocarbons, with subsequent graphite formation, and greenschist metamorphism, are in sharp contradiction to these data. Conventional concepts of the distribution of heavy hydrocarbons with increasing temperature and depth apparently require further review and revision.

Fallon, Nevada Geophysics and Geochemistry

DOE Data Explorer

Doug Blankenship

2016-05-23

The data is associated to the Fallon FORGE project and includes mudlogs for all wells used to characterize the subsurface, as wells as gravity, magnetotelluric, earthquake seismicity, and temperature data from the Navy GPO and Ormat. Also included are geologic maps from the USGS and Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology for the Fallon, NV area.

Experimental study of boron geochemistry: implications for fluid processes in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, C. F.; Spivack, A. J.; Gieskes, J. M.; Rosenbauer, R.; Bischoff, J. L.

1995-06-01

A comprehensive experimental study, utilizing an autoclave hydrothermal apparatus with a 10B isotopic tracer, has been conducted to monitor the geochemical behavior of sediment B during early subduction zone processes. The partition coefficient of exchangeable B ( K D) was determined over a temperature range of 25-350°C, at 800 bars and a water/rock ratio of 3-1.5 w/w. These K D are shown to be a complex function of temperature, pH, and possibly mineralogy. At low temperatures, K D is significantly high at ˜4 in contrast to the value of essentially zero at temperatures higher than ˜100°C. A K D of zero represents no B adsorption, implying efficient mobilization of exchangeable B at shallow depths during sediment subduction. Our experimental results demonstrate high mobilization of bulk B in sediments (both exchangeable and lattice bound) at elevated temperatures (200-350°C), in good agreement with previous observations of B in metasediments indicating progressive depletion during metamorphism. In addition, this study emphasizes the importance of a possible water/rock ratio dependence of B mobilization. In other words, the degree of sedimentary B mobilization in subduction zones strongly depends on the local thermal structure and porosity distribution. In low geothermal gradient areas, large amounts of porewater are expelled before significant B mobilization has occurred, so that some sedimentary B will survive and get into the deeper parts of the subduction zone. Our results imply that efficient mobilization of B from the subducted slab must occur and that arc magmatism recycles most of the remaining subducted B back to surface reservoirs. A reconsideration of the B budget in subduction zones provides critical information with respect to B sources and sinks in the ocean.

Rock geochemistry related to mineralization processes in geothermal areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausar, A. Al; Indarto, S.; Setiawan, I.

2018-02-01

Abundant geothermal systems in Indonesia suggest high heat and mass transfer associated with recent or paleovolcanic arcs. In the active geothermal system, the upflow of mixed fluid between late stage hydrothermal and meteoric water might contain mass of minerals associated with epithermal mineralisation process as exemplified at Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea. In Indonesia, there is a lack of study related to the precious metals occurrence within active geothermal area. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate the possibility of mineralization process in active geothermal area of Guci, Central Java by using geochemical analysis. There are a lot of conducted geochemical analysis of water, soil and gas by mapping the temperature, pH, Hg and CO2 distribution, and estimating subsurface temperature based on geothermometry approach. Then we also apply rock geochemistry to find minerals that indicate the presence of mineralization. The result from selected geothermal area shows the presence of pyrite and chalcopyrite minerals on the laharic breccias at Kali Putih, Sudikampir. Mineralization is formed within host rock and the veins are associated with gold polymetallic mineralization.

Volatile transport on Venus and implications for surface geochemistry and geology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brackett, Robert A.; Fegley, Bruce; Arvidson, Raymond E.

1995-01-01

The high vapor pressure of volatile metal halides and chalcogenides (e.g., of Cu, Zn, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi) at typical Venus surface temperatures, coupled with the altitude-dependent temperature gradient of approximately 8.5 K/km, is calculated to transport volatile metal vapors to the highlands of Venus, where condensation and accumulation will occur. The predicted geochemistry of volatile metals on Venus is supported by observations of CuCl in volcanic gases at Kilauea and Nyiragongo, and large enrichments of these and other volatile elements in terrestrial volcanic aerosols. A one-dimensional finite difference vapor transport model shows the diffusive migration of a thickness of 0.01 to greater than 10 microns/yr of moderately to highly volatile phases (e.g., metal halides and chalcogenides) from the hot lowlands (740 K) to the cold highlands (660 K) on Venus. The diffusive transport of volatile phases on Venus may explain the observed low emissivity of the Venusian highlands, hazes at 6-km altitude observed by two Pioneer Venus entry probes, and the Pioneer Venus entry probe anomalies at 12.5 km.

The data of geochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clarke, Frank Wigglesworth

1924-01-01

Upon the subject of geochemistry a vast literature exists, but it is widely scattered and portions of it are difficult of access. The general treatises, like the classical works of Bischof and of Koth, are not recent, and great masses of modern data are as yet uncorrelated. The American material alone is singularly rich, but most of it has been accumulated since Roth's treatise was published. The science of chemistry, moreover, has undergone great changes during the last 25 years, and many subjects now appear under new and generally unfamiliar aspects. The methods and principles of physical chemistry are being more and more applied to the solution of geochemical problems,1 as is shown by the well-known researches of Van't Hoff upon the Stassfurt salts and the magmatic studies of Vogt, Doelter, and others. The great work in progress at the geophysical laboratory of the Carnegie Institution is another illustration of the change now taking place in geochemical investigation. To bring some of the data together, to formulate a few of the problems and to present certain general conclusions in their modern form are the purposes of this memoir. It is not an exhaustive monograph upon geochemistry, but rather a critical summary of what is now known, and a guide to the more important literature of the subject. If it does no more than to make existing data available to the reader, its preparation will be justified.

Recommended Maximum Temperature For Mars Returned Samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaty, D. W.; McSween, H. Y.; Czaja, A. D.; Goreva, Y. S.; Hausrath, E.; Herd, C. D. K.; Humayun, M.; McCubbin, F. M.; McLennan, S. M.; Hays, L. E.

2016-01-01

The Returned Sample Science Board (RSSB) was established in 2015 by NASA to provide expertise from the planetary sample community to the Mars 2020 Project. The RSSB's first task was to address the effect of heating during acquisition and storage of samples on scientific investigations that could be expected to be conducted if the samples are returned to Earth. Sample heating may cause changes that could ad-versely affect scientific investigations. Previous studies of temperature requirements for returned mar-tian samples fall within a wide range (-73 to 50 degrees Centigrade) and, for mission concepts that have a life detection component, the recommended threshold was less than or equal to -20 degrees Centigrade. The RSSB was asked by the Mars 2020 project to determine whether or not a temperature requirement was needed within the range of 30 to 70 degrees Centigrade. There are eight expected temperature regimes to which the samples could be exposed, from the moment that they are drilled until they are placed into a temperature-controlled environment on Earth. Two of those - heating during sample acquisition (drilling) and heating while cached on the Martian surface - potentially subject samples to the highest temperatures. The RSSB focused on the upper temperature limit that Mars samples should be allowed to reach. We considered 11 scientific investigations where thermal excursions may have an adverse effect on the science outcome. Those are: (T-1) organic geochemistry, (T-2) stable isotope geochemistry, (T-3) prevention of mineral hydration/dehydration and phase transformation, (T-4) retention of water, (T-5) characterization of amorphous materials, (T-6) putative Martian organisms, (T-7) oxidation/reduction reactions, (T-8) (sup 4) He thermochronometry, (T-9) radiometric dating using fission, cosmic-ray or solar-flare tracks, (T-10) analyses of trapped gasses, and (T-11) magnetic studies.

Organic geochemistry - A retrospective of its first 70 years

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.

2006-01-01

Organic geochemistry had its origin in the early part of the 20th century when organic chemists and geologists realized that detailed information on the organic materials in sediments and rocks was scientifically interesting and of practical importance. The generally acknowledged "father" of organic geochemistry is Alfred E. Treibs (1899-1983), who discovered and described, in 1936, porphyrin pigments in shale, coal, and crude oil, and traced the source of these molecules to their biological precursors. Thus, the year 1936 marks the beginning of organic geochemistry. However, formal organization of organic geochemistry dates from 1959 when the Organic Geochemistry Division (OGD) of The Geochemical Society was founded in the United States, followed 22 years later (1981) by the establishment of the European Association of Organic Geochemists (EAOG). Organic geochemistry (1) has its own journal, Organic Geochemistry (beginning in 1979) which, since 1988, is the official journal of the EAOG, (2) convenes two major conferences [International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG), since 1962, and Gordon Research Conferences on Organic Geochemistry (GRC), since 1968] in alternate years, and (3) is the subject matter of several textbooks. Organic geochemistry is now a widely recognized geoscience in which organic chemistry has contributed significantly not only to geology (i.e., petroleum geochemistry, molecular stratigraphy) and biology (i.e., biogeochemistry), but also to other disciplines, such as chemical oceanography, environmental science, hydrology, biochemical ecology, archaeology, and cosmochemistry.

Mineralogy of Rock Flour in Glaciated Volcanic Terrains: An Analog for a Cold and Icy Early Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rampe, E. B.; Horgan, B.; Scudder, N.; Smith, R. J.; Rutledge, A. M.

2017-01-01

Geomorphological and mineralogical data from early Martian surfaces indicate liquid water was present on ancient Mars. The relative surface temperatures, however, remain a subject of debate. Was early Mars warm and wet or cold and icy with punctuated periods of warmth and ice melt? By characterizing the mineralogy and geochemistry of modern icy mafic terrains on Earth, we can search for these characteristics in early Martian terrains to better constrain the early Martian climate. Here, we describe the mineralogy of glacial flour in a modern glaciated volcanic terrain in Oregon, USA. We are particularly interested in secondary phases that form in these environments, and we hypothesize that poorly crystalline phases may preferentially form in these terrains because of the low temperatures and the seasonality of melt water production. A description of the mineralogy of the moraines, the composition of the amorphous materials, and the geochemistry of the glacial melt waters are presented elsewhere. Glacial flour is made up of silt- and clay-sized particles that form from the physical weathering of rock underlying a wet-based glacier as the glacier slides over it. Flour is usually transported from underneath a glacier by melt water streams. The geochemistry of glacial melt water streams has been studied extensively and has been used to infer weathering reactions within glacial systems. However, the mineralogy of these environments, especially on mafic volcanic terrains, is not well studied. Rock flour is a ubiquitous physical weathering product in glaciated terrains and, therefore, affects microbial habitats, stream and lake chemistry, and chemical weathering processes. and by studying the mineralogy of glacial flour, we can better understand geochemical and microbiological processes in subglacial and proglacial terrains.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of vanadium in the Colorado Plateau

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weeks, A.D.

1961-01-01

The chief domestic source of vanadium is uraniferous sandstone in the Colorado Plateau. Vanadium is 3-, 4-, or 5-valent in nature and, as oxides or combined with other elements, it forms more than 40 minerals in the Plateau ores. These ores have been studied with regard to the relative amounts of vanadium silicates and oxide-vanadates, uranium-vanadium ratios, the progressive oxidation of black low-valent ores to high-valent carnotite-type ores, and theories of origin. ?? 1961.

Progress Towards an Open Data Ecosystem for Australian Geochemistry and Geochronology Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McInnes, B.; Rawling, T.; Brown, W.; Liffers, M.; Wyborn, L. A.; Brown, A.; Cox, S. J. D.

2016-12-01

Technological improvements in laboratory automation and microanalytical methods are producing an unprecedented volume of high-value geochemical data for use by geoscientists in understanding geological and planetary processes. In contrast, the research infrastructure necessary to systematically manage, deliver and archive analytical data has not progressed much beyond the minimum effort necessary to produce a peer-reviewed publication. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the majority of publically funded data is underreported, and what is published is relatively undiscoverable to experienced researchers let alone the general public. Government-funded "open data" initiatives have a role to play in the development of networks of data management and delivery ecosystems and practices allowing access to publically funded data. This paper reports on progress in Australia towards creation of an open data ecosystem involving multiple academic and government research institutions cooperating to create an open data architecture linking researchers, physical samples, sample metadata, laboratory metadata, analytical data and consumers.

Mineral-Resource Assessment of Northern Nye County, Nevada - A Progress Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ludington, Steve; John, David A.; Muntean, John L.; Hanson, Andrew D.; Castor, Stephen B.; Henry, Christopher D.; Wintzer, Niki; Cline, Jean S.; Simon, Adam C.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG), which is a part of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), have completed the first year of data collection and analysis in preparation for a new mineral- and energy-resource assessment of northern Nye County, Nevada. This report provides information about work completed before October 1, 2009. Existing data are being compiled, including geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and mineral-deposit information. Field studies are underway, which are primarily designed to address issues raised during the review of existing information. In addition, new geochemical studies are in progress, including reanalyzing existing stream-sediment samples with modern methods, and analyzing metalliferous black shales.

Geochemistry of Woranso-Mille Pliocene basalts from west-central Afar, Ethiopia: Implications for mantle source characteristics and rift evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alene, Mulugeta; Hart, William K.; Saylor, Beverly Z.; Deino, Alan; Mertzman, Stanley; Haile-Selassie, Yohannes; Gibert, Luis B.

2017-06-01

The Woranso-Mille (WORMIL) area in the west-central Afar, Ethiopia, contains several Pliocene basalt flows, tuffs, and fossiliferous volcaniclastic beds. We present whole-rock major- and trace-element data including REE, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios from these basalts to characterize the geochemistry, constrain petrogenetic processes, and infer mantle sources. Six basalt groups are distinguished stratigraphically and geochemically within the interval from 3.8 to 3 Ma. The elemental and isotopic data show intra- and inter-group variations derived primarily from source heterogeneity and polybaric crystallization ± crustal inputs. The combined Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data indicate the involvement of three main reservoirs: the Afar plume, depleted mantle, and enriched continental lithosphere (mantle ± crust). Trace element patterns and ratios further indicate the basalts were generated from spinel-dominated shallow melting, consistent with significantly thinned Pliocene lithosphere in western Afar. The on-land continuation of the Aden rift into western Afar during the Pliocene is reexamined in the context of the new geochemistry and age constraints of the WORMIL basalts. The new data reinforce previous interpretations that progressive rifting and transformation of the continental lithosphere to oceanic lithosphere allows for increasing asthenospheric inputs through time as the continental lithosphere is thinned. Accepted trace element values for BHVO-2 are those recently recommended by Jochum et al. (2016) rounded to provide the same significant figures as the data. Ternary model after Schilling et al. (1992); Endmembers from Rooney et al. (2012).

Solute geochemistry of the Snake River plain regional aquifer system, Idaho and eastern Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, Warren W.; Low, Walton H.

1988-01-01

Geothermometry calculations of selected ground-water samples from known geothermal areas throughout the basin suggest that the geother- mal system is large in areal extent but has relatively low temperatures. Approximately half of the silica-quartz calculated water temperatures are greater than 90 °C. Radiocarbon dating of geothermal water in the Salmon Falls and Bruneau-Grand View areas in the south central part of the Snake River basin suggests that residence time of the geother- mal water is about 17,700 years.

The performance and capabilities of terrestrial organisms in extreme and unusual gaseous and liquid environments. Performance of fungi in exotic and harsh environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siegel, S. M.

1975-01-01

The growth of Penicillium in saline and low temperature conditions during a 15 month incubation period was studied. Data are also given on the potential 1f fungu for modification of the surface geochemistry of the earth and the capacity of these fungi to solubilize and concentrate metals.

Trace element geochemistry of zircons from mineralizing and non-mineralizing igneous rocks related to gold ores at Yanacocha, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koleszar, A. M.; Dilles, J. H.; Kent, A. J.; Wooden, J. L.

2012-12-01

Zircons record important details about the evolution of magmatic systems, are relatively insensitive to alteration, and have been used to investigate the geochemistry, temperature, and oxidation state of volcanic and plutonic system. We examine zircons that span 6-7 m.y. of calc-alkaline volcanic activity in the Yanacocha district of northern Peru, where dacitic intrusions are associated with high-sulfidation gold deposits. The 14.5-8.4 Ma Yanacocha Volcanics include cogenetic lavas and pyroclastic rocks and are underlain by the andesites and dacites of the Calipuy Group, the oldest Cenozoic rocks in the region. We present data for magmatic zircons from the Cerro Fraile dacitic pyroclastics (15.5-15.1 Ma) of the Calipuy Group, and multiple eruptive units within the younger Yanacocha Volcanics: the Atazaico Andesite (14.5-13.3 Ma), the Quilish Dacite (~14-12 Ma), the Azufre Andesite (12.1-11.6 Ma), the San Jose Ignimbrite (11.5-11.2 Ma), and the Coriwachay Dacite (11.1-8.4 Ma). Epithermal high sulfidation (alunite-bearing) gold deposits are associated with the dacite intrusions of the Coriwachay and Quilish Dacites. Zircons from the non-mineralizing rocks typically have lower Hf concentrations and record Ti-in-zircon temperatures that are ~100°C hotter than zircons from the mineralizing intrusions. Temperatures recorded by zircons from the mineralizing intrusions are remarkably similar to those of the underlying Cerro Fraile dacite pyroclastics, but the zircons discussed here generally record SHRIMP-RG 206Pb/238U ages within error of previously published Ar-Ar eruption ages (eliminating antecrystic or xenocrystic origins). These observations suggest that zircons in the mineralizing intrusions form after greater extents of crystallization (and thus record elevated Hf concentrations and lower temperatures) than do zircons in the non-mineralized deposits. Unlike zircons from mineralized units associated with the porphyry Cu(Mo) deposits in Yerington, Nevada, which generally have Eu/Eu* ratios approaching 1 (i.e., Eu-anomalies that decrease in magnitude) with increasing Hf (and thus increasing crystallization), zircons associated with mineralized deposits in the Coriwachay and Quilish intrusions at Yanacocha typically have Eu-anomalies that are highly variable but do not vary systematically during magma evolution. These Eu/Eu* versus Hf trends are inconsistent with observations from the porphyry Cu-Mo(Au) deposit at El Salvador, Chile, where zircons from all porphyry intrusions have Eu-anomalies that become systematically more negative during magma evolution but with highest Eu/Eu* occurring in mineralized intrusions. We explore a variety of scenarios to explain the Eu/Eu* systematics of zircons from Yanacocha, including changes to the magmatic oxidation state as a consequence of anhydrite breakdown and progressive degassing.

Progressive enrichment of arc magmas caused by the subduction of seamounts under Nishinoshima volcano, Izu-Bonin Arc, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Takashi; Shirao, Motomaro; Tani, Kenichiro; Tsutsumi, Yukiyasu; Kiyokawa, Shoichi; Fujii, Toshitsugu

2016-06-01

The chemical composition of intraplate seamounts is distinct from normal seafloor material, meaning that the subduction of seamounts at a convergent margin can cause a change in the chemistry of the mantle wedge and associated arc magmas. Nishinoshima, a volcanic island in the Izu-Bonin Arc of Japan, has been erupting continuously over the past 2 years, providing an ideal opportunity to examine the effect of seamount subduction on the chemistry of arc magmas. Our research is based on the whole-rock geochemistry and the chemistry of minerals within lavas and air-fall scoria from Nishinoshima that were erupted before 1702, in 1973-1974, and in 2014. The mineral phases within the analyzed samples crystallized under hydrous conditions (H2O = 3-4 wt.%) at temperatures of 970 °C-990 °C in a shallow (3-6 km depth) magma chamber. Trace element data indicate that the recently erupted Nishinoshima volcanics are much less depleted in the high field strength elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf) than other volcanics within the Izu-Bonin Arc. In addition, the level of enrichment in the Nishinoshima magmas has increased in recent years, probably due to the addition of material from HIMU-enriched (i.e., high Nb/Zr and Ta/Hf) seamounts on the Pacific Plate, which is being subducted westwards beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. This suggests that the chemistry of scoria from Nishinoshima volcano records the progressive addition of components derived from subducted seamounts.

Regional and temporal variability of melts during a Cordilleran magma pulse: Age and chemical evolution of the jurassic arc, eastern mojave desert, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barth, A.P.; Wooden, J.L.; Miller, David; Howard, Keith A.; Fox, Lydia; Schermer, Elizabeth R.; Jacobson, C.E.

2017-01-01

Intrusive rock sequences in the central and eastern Mojave Desert segment of the Jurassic Cordilleran arc of the western United States record regional and temporal variations in magmas generated during the second prominent pulse of Mesozoic continental arc magmatism. U/Pb zircon ages provide temporal control for describing variations in rock and zircon geochemistry that reflect differences in magma source components. These source signatures are discernible through mixing and fractionation processes associated with magma ascent and emplacement. The oldest well-dated Jurassic rocks defining initiation of the Jurassic pulse are a 183 Ma monzodiorite and a 181 Ma ignimbrite. Early to Middle Jurassic intrusive rocks comprising the main stage of magmatism include two high-K calc-alkalic groups: to the north, the deformed 183–172 Ma Fort Irwin sequence and contemporaneous rocks in the Granite and Clipper Mountains, and to the south, the 167–164 Ma Bullion sequence. A Late Jurassic suite of shoshonitic, alkali-calcic intrusive rocks, the Bristol Mountains sequence, ranges in age from 164 to 161 Ma and was emplaced as the pulse began to wane. Whole-rock and zircon trace-element geochemistry defines a compositionally coherent Jurassic arc with regional and secular variations in melt compositions. The arc evolved through the magma pulse by progressively greater input of old cratonic crust and lithospheric mantle into the arc magma system, synchronous with progressive regional crustal thickening.

Elemental geochemistry of sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars.

PubMed

McLennan, S M; Anderson, R B; Bell, J F; Bridges, J C; Calef, F; Campbell, J L; Clark, B C; Clegg, S; Conrad, P; Cousin, A; Des Marais, D J; Dromart, G; Dyar, M D; Edgar, L A; Ehlmann, B L; Fabre, C; Forni, O; Gasnault, O; Gellert, R; Gordon, S; Grant, J A; Grotzinger, J P; Gupta, S; Herkenhoff, K E; Hurowitz, J A; King, P L; Le Mouélic, S; Leshin, L A; Léveillé, R; Lewis, K W; Mangold, N; Maurice, S; Ming, D W; Morris, R V; Nachon, M; Newsom, H E; Ollila, A M; Perrett, G M; Rice, M S; Schmidt, M E; Schwenzer, S P; Stack, K; Stolper, E M; Sumner, D Y; Treiman, A H; VanBommel, S; Vaniman, D T; Vasavada, A; Wiens, R C; Yingst, R A

2014-01-24

Sedimentary rocks examined by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay, Mars, were derived from sources that evolved from an approximately average martian crustal composition to one influenced by alkaline basalts. No evidence of chemical weathering is preserved, indicating arid, possibly cold, paleoclimates and rapid erosion and deposition. The absence of predicted geochemical variations indicates that magnetite and phyllosilicates formed by diagenesis under low-temperature, circumneutral pH, rock-dominated aqueous conditions. Analyses of diagenetic features (including concretions, raised ridges, and fractures) at high spatial resolution indicate that they are composed of iron- and halogen-rich components, magnesium-iron-chlorine-rich components, and hydrated calcium sulfates, respectively. Composition of a cross-cutting dike-like feature is consistent with sedimentary intrusion. The geochemistry of these sedimentary rocks provides further evidence for diverse depositional and diagenetic sedimentary environments during the early history of Mars.

Publications - GMC 279 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

DGGS GMC 279 Publication Details Title: Geochemistry of oil show intervals from ARCO Alaska Inc. Fiord #3 and Fiord #3A Authors: Piggott, Neil, and LGC Geochemistry Publication Date: 1998 Publisher , and LGC Geochemistry, 1998, Geochemistry of oil show intervals from ARCO Alaska Inc. Fiord #3 and

Zircon ages in granulite facies rocks: decoupling from geochemistry above 850 °C?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, Barbara E.; Regis, Daniele; Engi, Martin

2018-03-01

Granulite facies rocks frequently show a large spread in their zircon ages, the interpretation of which raises questions: Has the isotopic system been disturbed? By what process(es) and conditions did the alteration occur? Can the dates be regarded as real ages, reflecting several growth episodes? Furthermore, under some circumstances of (ultra-)high-temperature metamorphism, decoupling of zircon U-Pb dates from their trace element geochemistry has been reported. Understanding these processes is crucial to help interpret such dates in the context of the P-T history. Our study presents evidence for decoupling in zircon from the highest grade metapelites (> 850 °C) taken along a continuous high-temperature metamorphic field gradient in the Ivrea Zone (NW Italy). These rocks represent a well-characterised segment of Permian lower continental crust with a protracted high-temperature history. Cathodoluminescence images reveal that zircons in the mid-amphibolite facies preserve mainly detrital cores with narrow overgrowths. In the upper amphibolite and granulite facies, preserved detrital cores decrease and metamorphic zircon increases in quantity. Across all samples we document a sequence of four rim generations based on textures. U-Pb dates, Th/U ratios and Ti-in-zircon concentrations show an essentially continuous evolution with increasing metamorphic grade, except in the samples from the granulite facies, which display significant scatter in age and chemistry. We associate the observed decoupling of zircon systematics in high-grade non-metamict zircon with disturbance processes related to differences in behaviour of non-formula elements (i.e. Pb, Th, U, Ti) at high-temperature conditions, notably differences in compatibility within the crystal structure.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The purpose of this report is to: (a) review the extensive published and unpublished literature on the geochemistry, hydrology and geology of Lake Magadi, Kenya, and its associated hot springs; (b) based on this review of field visits, estimate the temperature in the geothermal reservoir beneath the lake; and (c) from this, develop a plan to determine the potential for the development of geothermal electric power at Lake Magadi. 6 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

Principles and Applications of Geochemistry, 2nd Edition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcantonio, Franco

Many academic geology departments do not include geochemistry in their undergraduate core curriculums. The second edition of Principles and Applications of Geochemistry demonstrates why this should change. Gunter Faure's book clearly shows the important role played by quantitative geochemical analysis in our understanding of Earth processes, both natural and anthropogenic. Intended as an introductory inorganic geochemistry text for senior undergraduates or first-year graduate students, the book makes even the most difficult concepts readily understandable. Beyond its lucid technical explanations, it also includes engaging discussions of the history of geochemistry as a science.

NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY RESEARCH AT CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 1962-1963. Progress Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1963-06-01

Progress is reported on: nuclear reaction studies of cross sections of iron and stone meteoritic elements for 130- to 400-Mev protons, simulated cosmic- ray irradiations of thick iron and stone targets with 100-Mev to 3-Bev protons, and induced alpha-activity in short half-life ranges; nuclear geochemistry and cosmochemistry studies of nuclide dating of sediments, pseudo-diffusion in ocean and Maria sediments, cosmogenic radionuclides in iron and stone meteorites, cosmogenic radionuclides in Bondoc Achondrite and Bogou iron, half life of Mn/sup 53/, cosmogenic radioactivity in fragments of Sputnik N, Be/sup 10/ occurrence in tektites, and conversion of sealed anticoincidence shield counters to flow,more » counters; and the search for natural radioactivity in Ca/sup 48/. (B.O.G.)« less

Assessment of geothermal resources at Newcastle, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blackett, Robert E.; Shubat, Michael A.; Chapman, David S.; Forster, Craig B.; Schlinger, Charles M.

1989-01-01

Integrated geology, geophysics, and geochemistry studies in the Newcastle area of southwest Utah are used to develop a conceptual geologic model of a blind, moderate-temperature hydrothermal system. Studies using 12 existing and 12 new, thermal gradient test holes, in addition to geologic mapping, gravity surveys, and other investigations have helped define the thermal regime. Preliminary results indicate that the up-flow region is located near the west-facing escarpment of an adjacent mountain range, probably related to the bounding range-front fault. Chemical geothermometers suggest equilibration temperatures ranging from 140??C to 170??C. The highest temperature recorded in the system is 130??C from an exploration well drilled by the Unocal Corporation.

KSC-04pd1453

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-07-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, check the progress of the Boeing Delta II Heavy second-stage engine as it descends toward the first stage. The Delta is the launch vehicle for the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft, scheduled to lift off Aug. 2. Bound for Mercury, the spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

Anthropophile elements in river sediments: Overview from the Seine River, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jiu-Bin; Gaillardet, Jérôme; Bouchez, Julien; Louvat, Pascale; Wang, Yi-Na

2014-11-01

In contrast to larger river systems that drain relatively pristine basins, little is known about the sediment geochemistry of rivers impacted by intense human activities. In this paper, we present a systematic investigation of the anthropogenic overprints on element geochemistry in sediments of the human-impacted Seine River, France. Most elements are fractionated by grain size, as shown by the comparison between suspended particulate matter (SPM) and riverbank deposits (RBD). The RBD are particularly coarse and enriched in carbonates and heavy minerals and thus in elements such as Ba, Ca, Cr, Hf, Mg, Na, REEs, Sr, Ti, Th, and Zr. Although the enrichment/depletion pattern of some elements (e.g., K, REEs, and Zr) can largely be explained by a binary mixture between two sources, other elements such as Ag, Bi, Cr, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, W, and Zn in SPM in Paris show that a third end-member having anthropogenic characteristics is needed to account for their enrichment at low water stage. These "anthropophile" elements, with high enrichment factors (EFs) relative to the upper continental crust (UCC), display a progressive enrichment downstream and different geochemical behaviors with respect to the hydrodynamic conditions (e.g., grain size) compared to elements having mainly a natural origin. Our findings emphasize the need for systematic studies of these anthropophile elements in other human-impacted rivers using geochemical normalization techniques, and stress the importance of studying the chemical variability associated with hydrodynamic conditions when characterizing riverine element geochemistry and assessing their flux to the ocean.

Deep Magnetic Diagenesis in Sediments: Progressive and Punctuated Processes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musgrave, R. J.; Kars, M. A. C.; Vega, M. E.

2017-12-01

Magnetic diagenesis in the tuffaceous muds, mudstones and volcaniclastic rocks cored at IODP Site U1437 is a product of progressive processes that continue throughout the 1800-m-thick sequence, punctuated by superimposed features corresponding to a series of influxes of fluids and concentrations of hydrocarbons. XRD, visual examination and SEM images indicate the presence of both magnetite and the magnetic sulfide greigite. Inferences from high values of saturation isothermal remanence normalised by magnetic susceptibility (SIRM/χ), distribution of hysteresis data near a diagenetic greigite curve on a Day plot, and 'humping' of low-temperature cycles of SIRM suggest that detrital magnetite and diagenetic greigite are both significant contributors to the magnetic assemblage, with greigite constituting a higher proportion in shallower samples. Progressive magnetic diagenesis is expressed as a continuing background decrease in SIRM/χ. FORC curves indicate an initial diagenetic growth of one or more higher-coercivity phases, followed downhole by increasing loss of all but low-coercivity material. The downhole pattern is consistent with progressive loss of fine-grained magnetite, initial authigenesis of greigite, and progressive pyritisation of the greigite. Some coarse-grained samples from the base of the sequence buck the trend, exhibiting SD behavior probably related to surviving magnetite inclusions in silicates. Shipboard fluid analysis revealed a complex profile of interstitial-water geochemistry, marked by several fluid influxes, including inputs of sulfate-rich water at about 275 and 460 meters below seafloor (mbsf). Methane concentrations, mostly low, markedly increase in the interval between 750 and 1460 mbsf, and ethane appears below an inferred fault at 1104 mbsf. Each of these fluid events is marked by offsets in the rock magnetic parameters SIRM/χ, S-0.3T, and DJH, representing repeated phases of late diagenetic growth of greigite in response to supplies of sulfate, intervals of enhanced pyritisation of greigite where concentrations of deeply sourced methane may be accompanied by H2S, and a more enigmatic response to the thermogenic ethane interval which seems to both dissolve any remaining fine-grained magnetite and grow a new generation of greigite.

Coal emissions adverse human health effects associated with ultrafine/nano-particles role and resultant engineering controls.

PubMed

Oliveira, Marcos L S; Navarro, Orlando G; Crissien, Tito J; Tutikian, Bernardo F; da Boit, Kátia; Teixeira, Elba C; Cabello, Juan J; Agudelo-Castañeda, Dayana M; Silva, Luis F O

2017-10-01

There are multiple elements which enable coal geochemistry: (1) boiler and pollution control system design parameters, (2) temperature of flue gas at collection point, (3) feed coal and also other fuels like petroleum coke, tires and biomass geochemistry and (4) fuel feed particle size distribution homogeneity distribution, maintenance of pulverisers, etc. Even though there is a large number of hazardous element pollutants in the coal-processing industry, investigations on micrometer and nanometer-sized particles including their aqueous colloids formation reactions and their behaviour entering the environment are relatively few in numbers. X-ray diffraction (XRD), High Resolution-Transmission Electron microscopy (HR-TEM)/ (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) EDS/ (selected-area diffraction pattern) SAED, Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM)/EDS and granulometric distribution analysis were used as an integrated characterization techniques tool box to determine both geochemistry and nanomineralogy for coal fly ashes (CFAs) from Brazil´s largest coal power plant. Ultrafine/nano-particles size distribution from coal combustion emissions was estimated during the tests. In addition the iron and silicon content was determined as 54.6% of the total 390 different particles observed by electron bean, results aimed that these two particles represent major minerals in the environment particles normally. These data may help in future investigations to asses human health actions related with nano-particles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of picro-dolerite dykes from the central Deccan Traps flood basaltic province, India, and their geodynamic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dongre, Ashish; Viljoen, K. S.; Rathod, A.

2018-04-01

Constituent mineral compositions and whole rock major element geochemistry of picro-dolerite dykes from the central part of the Deccan flood basalt province are presented and discussed. The dykes are characterized by an MgO content of about 13 wt%, coupled with 13-16 modal percents of olivine. A high whole rock molar Mg# value of 71 and the presence of magnesian olivine phenocrysts ( Fo78) are consistent with a primitive (i.e. unevolved) geochemistry. The nature and composition of clinopyroxene (augite and pigeonite), plagioclase feldspar (labradorite) and Fe-Ti oxides (mostly ilmenite and magnetite) are also discussed, with implications drawn with respect to the geodynamics. High MgO magmas and rocks such as picrites are generally considered to be indicative of plume magmatism, formed by high degrees of partial melting in, e.g. the high-temperature region of a plume head. Recent age data is consistent with a model in which the Deccan LIP picritic magmatism is associated with the main phase of Deccan Trap activity at 66 Ma, as a result of a syn- to post rifting phase associated with the impact of the Rèunion mantle plume. It is speculated that the differentiation of primary olivine basaltic magma of picritic composition, may have been the mechanism for the generation of alkalic basalts which occurs in the Deccan Trap basaltic sequence.

Geochemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fyfe, William S.

1979-01-01

Techniques in geochemistry continue to improve in sensitivity and scope. The exciting areas of geochemistry still include the classical fields of the origin of the elements and objects in space, but environmental crisis problems are important as well. (Author/BB)

Aqueous organic geochemistry at high temperature/high pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simoneit, Bernd R. T.

1992-01-01

A description of the fate and chemical alterations of organic matter under hydrothermal conditions is given, with a brief overview of the geographic localities where these processes have been investigated to date. Two major aspects are examined: (1) alteration and degradation processes and reactions, both reductive and oxidative; and (2) synthesis processes and reactions which are primarily reductive. Examples of industrial applications of the related supercritical fluid technology are discussed.

Earth Sciences Division

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1991-06-01

This Annual Report presents summaries of selected representative research activities grouped according to the principal disciplines of the Earth Sciences Division: Reservoir Engineering and Hydrogeology, Geology and Geochemistry, and Geophysics and Geomechanics. Much of the Division's research deals with the physical and chemical properties and processes in the earth's crust, from the partially saturated, low-temperature near-surface environment to the high-temperature environments characteristic of regions where magmatic-hydrothermal processes are active. Strengths in laboratory and field instrumentation, numerical modeling, and in situ measurement allow study of the transport of mass and heat through geologic media -- studies that now include the appropriate chemical reactions and the hydraulic-mechanical complexities of fractured rock systems. Of particular note are three major Division efforts addressing problems in the discovery and recovery of petroleum, the application of isotope geochemistry to the study of geodynamic processes and earth history, and the development of borehole methods for high-resolution imaging of the subsurface using seismic and electromagnetic waves. In 1989, a major DOE-wide effort was launched in the areas of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. Many of the methods previously developed for and applied to deeper regions of the earth will, in the coming years, be turned toward process definition and characterization of the very shallow subsurface, where man-induced contaminants now intrude and where remedial action is required.

Radioecology of natural systems in Colordao. Fourteenth annual progress report, May 1, 1975--July 31, 1976. [Pu diffusion in terrestrial ecosystems at Rocky Flats Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whicker, F.W.

1976-08-01

This report summarizes project activities during the period May 1, 1975 through July 31, 1976. The major study on the distribution and levels of Pu in major components of the terrestrial ecosystem at Rocky Flats was completed. Supportive studies on the ecology and pathology of small mammals and their role in Pu transport were essentially completed as well. Detailed studies on mule deer food habits, population dynamics, and movements at Rocky Flats are progressing. These studies are designed to measure the potential of mule deer in transporting Pu to uncontrolled areas. Alpha autoradiographic studies designed to measure Pu particle sizemore » and distribution and spatial patterns in soil were initiated. Field and greenhouse transport pathways from soil to vegetation are in progress and some early results reported. The status of studies on seasonal kinetics of Cs in a montane lake and stable lead geochemistry in an alpine lake watershed are also reported.« less

Eleventh Annual V. M. Goldschmidt Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This CD-ROM contains the abstracts and associated files for the Eleventh Annual V.M Goldschmidt Conference. Topics include: Organic Geochemistry; Metamorphic Processes; Igneous Processes; Stable and Radiogenic Isotopes; Planetary Geochemistry and Mineralogy; Mineralogy and Crystallography; Ore Deposits; and Aqueous Geochemistry.

Surface Temperature Anomalies Derived from Night Time ASTER Data Corrected for Solar and Topographic Effects, Archuleta County

DOE Data Explorer

Khalid Hussein

2012-02-01

This map shows areas of anomalous surface temperature in Alamosa and Saguache Counties identified from ASTER thermal data and spatial based insolation model. The temperature is calculated using the Emissivity Normalization Algorithm that separate temperature from emissivity. The incoming solar radiation was calculated using spatial based insolation model developed by Fu and Rich (1999). Then the temperature due to solar radiation was calculated using emissivity derived from ASTER data. The residual temperature, i.e. temperature due to solar radiation subtracted from ASTER temperature was used to identify thermally anomalous areas. Areas that had temperature greater than 2o were considered ASTER modeled "very warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in red on the map. Areas that had temperatures between 1o and 2o were considered ASTER modeled "warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in yellow on the map. This map also includes the locations of shallow temperature survey points, locations of springs or wells with favorable geochemistry, faults, transmission lines, and areas of modeled basement weakness "fairways." Note: 'o' is used in this description to represent lowercase sigma.

Surface Temperature Anomalies Derived from Night Time ASTER Data Corrected for Solar and Topographic Effects, San Miguel County, Colorado

DOE Data Explorer

Khalid Hussein

2012-02-01

This map shows areas of anomalous surface temperature in Alamosa and Saguache Counties identified from ASTER thermal data and spatial based insolation model. The temperature is calculated using the Emissivity Normalization Algorithm that separate temperature from emissivity. The incoming solar radiation was calculated using spatial based insolation model developed by Fu and Rich (1999). Then the temperature due to solar radiation was calculated using emissivity derived from ASTER data. The residual temperature, i.e. temperature due to solar radiation subtracted from ASTER temperature was used to identify thermally anomalous areas. Areas that had temperature greater than 2o were considered ASTER modeled "very warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in red on the map. Areas that had temperatures between 1o and 2o were considered ASTER modeled "warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in yellow on the map. This map also includes the locations of shallow temperature survey points, locations of springs or wells with favorable geochemistry, faults, transmission lines, and areas of modeled basement weakness "fairways." Note: 'o' is used in this description to represent lowercase sigma.

Surface Temperature Anomalies Derived from Night Time ASTER Data Corrected for Solar and Topographic Effects, Fremont County, Colorado

DOE Data Explorer

Khalid Hussein

2012-02-01

This map shows areas of anomalous surface temperature in Alamosa and Saguache Counties identified from ASTER thermal data and spatial based insolation model. The temperature is calculated using the Emissivity Normalization Algorithm that separate temperature from emissivity. The incoming solar radiation was calculated using spatial based insolation model developed by Fu and Rich (1999). Then the temperature due to solar radiation was calculated using emissivity derived from ASTER data. The residual temperature, i.e. temperature due to solar radiation subtracted from ASTER temperature was used to identify thermally anomalous areas. Areas that had temperature greater than 2o were considered ASTER modeled "very warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in red on the map. Areas that had temperatures between 1o and 2o were considered ASTER modeled "warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in yellow on the map. This map also includes the locations of shallow temperature survey points, locations of springs or wells with favorable geochemistry, faults, transmission lines, and areas of modeled basement weakness "fairways." Note: 'o' is used in this description to represent lowercase sigma.

Surface Temperature Anomalies Derived from Night Time ASTER Data Corrected for Solar and Topographic Effects, Routt County, Colorado

DOE Data Explorer

Khalid Hussein

2012-02-01

This map shows areas of anomalous surface temperature in Alamosa and Saguache Counties identified from ASTER thermal data and spatial based insolation model. The temperature is calculated using the Emissivity Normalization Algorithm that separate temperature from emissivity. The incoming solar radiation was calculated using spatial based insolation model developed by Fu and Rich (1999). Then the temperature due to solar radiation was calculated using emissivity derived from ASTER data. The residual temperature, i.e. temperature due to solar radiation subtracted from ASTER temperature was used to identify thermally anomalous areas. Areas that had temperature greater than 2o were considered ASTER modeled "very warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in red on the map. Areas that had temperatures between 1o and 2o were considered ASTER modeled"warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in yellow on the map. This map also includes the locations of shallow temperature survey points, locations of springs or wells with favorable geochemistry, faults, transmission lines, and areas of modeled basement weakness "fairways." Note: 'o' is used in this description to represent lowercase sigma.

Surface Temperature Anomalies Derived from Night Time ASTER Data Corrected for Solar and Topographic Effects, Alamosa and Saguache Counties, Colorado

DOE Data Explorer

Khalid Hussein

2012-02-01

This map shows areas of anomalous surface temperature in Alamosa and Saguache Counties identified from ASTER thermal data and spatial based insolation model. The temperature is calculated using the Emissivity Normalization Algorithm that separate temperature from emissivity. The incoming solar radiation was calculated using spatial based insolation model developed by Fu and Rich (1999). Then the temperature due to solar radiation was calculated using emissivity derived from ASTER data. The residual temperature, i.e. temperature due to solar radiation subtracted from ASTER temperature was used to identify thermally anomalous areas. Areas that had temperature greater than 2o were considered ASTER modeled "very warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in red on the map. Areas that had temperatures between 1o and 2o were considered ASTER modeled "warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in yellow on the map. This map also includes the locations of shallow temperature survey points, locations of springs or wells with favorable geochemistry, faults, transmission lines, and areas of modeled basement weakness "fairways." Note: 'o' is used in this description to represent lowercase sigma.

Surface Temperature Anomalies Derived from Night Time ASTER Data Corrected for Solar and Topographic Effects, Dolores County

DOE Data Explorer

Khalid Hussein

2012-02-01

This map shows areas of anomalous surface temperature in Alamosa and Saguache Counties identified from ASTER thermal data and spatial based insolation model. The temperature is calculated using the Emissivity Normalization Algorithm that separate temperature from emissivity. The incoming solar radiation was calculated using spatial based insolation model developed by Fu and Rich (1999). Then the temperature due to solar radiation was calculated using emissivity derived from ASTER data. The residual temperature, i.e. temperature due to solar radiation subtracted from ASTER temperature was used to identify thermally anomalous areas. Areas that had temperature greater than 2o were considered ASTER modeled "very warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in red on the map. Areas that had temperatures between 1o and 2o were considered ASTER modeled "warm modeled surface temperature" are shown in yellow on the map. This map also includes the locations of shallow temperature survey points, locations of springs or wells with favorable geochemistry, faults, transmission lines, and areas of modeled basement weakness "fairways." Note: 'o' is used in this description to represent lowercase sigma.

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry of zeolites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karlsson, Haraldur R.; Clayton, Robert N.

1990-01-01

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios for natural samples of the zeolites analcime, chabazite, clinoptilolite, laumontite, mordenite, and natrolite have been obtained. The zeolite samples were classified into sedimentary, hydrothermal, and igneous groups. The ratios for each species of zeolite are reported. The results are used to discuss the origin of channel water, the role of zeolites in water-rock interaction, and the possibility that a calibrated zeolite could be used as a low-temperature geothermometer.

Self-gravity, self-consistency, and self-organization in geodynamics and geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Don L.

The results of seismology and geochemistry for mantle structure are widely believed to be discordant, the former favoring whole-mantle convection and the latter favoring layered convection with a boundary near 650 km. However, a different view arises from recognizing effects usually ignored in the construction of these models, including physical plausibility and dimensionality. Self-compression and expansion affect material properties that are important in all aspects of mantle geochemistry and dynamics, including the interpretation of tomographic images. Pressure compresses a solid and changes physical properties that depend on volume and does so in a highly nonlinear way. Intrinsic, anelastic, compositional, and crystal structure effects control seismic velocities; temperature is not the only parameter, even though tomographic images are often treated as temperature maps. Shear velocity is not a good proxy for density, temperature, and composition or for other elastic constants. Scaling concepts are important in mantle dynamics, equations of state, and wherever it is necessary to extend laboratory experiments to the parameter range of the Earth's mantle. Simple volume-scaling relations that permit extrapolation of laboratory experiments, in a thermodynamically self-consistent way, to deep mantle conditions include the quasiharmonic approximation but not the Boussinesq formalisms. Whereas slabs, plates, and the upper thermal boundary layer of the mantle have characteristic thicknesses of hundreds of kilometers and lifetimes on the order of 100 million years, volume-scaling predicts values an order of magnitude higher for deep-mantle thermal boundary layers. This implies that deep-mantle features are sluggish and ancient. Irreversible chemical stratification is consistent with these results; plausible temperature variations in the deep mantle cause density variations that are smaller than the probable density contrasts across chemical interfaces created by accretional differentiation and magmatic processes. Deep-mantle features may be convectively isolated from upper-mantle processes. Plate tectonics and surface geochemical cycles appear to be entirely restricted to the upper ˜1,000 km. The 650-km discontinuity is mainly an isochemical phase change but major-element chemical boundaries may occur at other depths. Recycling laminates the upper mantle and also makes it statistically heterogeneous, in agreement with high-frequency scattering studies. In contrast to standard geochemical models and recent modifications, the deeper layers need not be accessible to surface volcanoes. There is no conflict between geophysical and geochemical data, but a physical basis for standard geochemical and geodynamic mantle models, including the two-layer and whole-mantle versions, and qualitative tomographic interpretations has been lacking.

Impact of Phosphogypsum waste on the Geochemistry of the coastal water of Ghannouche -Gabes (SE of Tunisia).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Amor, R.; Fathallah, S.; Gueddari, M.

2009-04-01

Impact of Phosphogypsum waste on the Geochemistry of the coastal water of Ghannouche -Gabes (SE of Tunisia). R. Ben Amor, S. Fathallah, M. Gueddari (R.U. of Geochemistry and of Environmental Geology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Department of Geology, 2092 Manar I) Corresponding author: R. Ben Amor; E-mail:magba_rim@yahoo.fr The littoral Ghannouche - Gabes (SE of Tunisia), has been known since the 1970's, an important industrialization especially after the installation of the chemical complex for the treatment of phosphates. These industries are at the origin of various waste materials, the most significant one is phosphogypsum (PG) which is released into the sea. The aim of this paper is to identify and to analyze the different entropic and natural factors, which govern the chemical composition in major elements, dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature of Ghannouche -Gabes coastal water, while studying, in particular, the impact of PG waste on the spatial distribution of these parameters. The result of the chemical analyses of the samples taken in June 2003, show that Na, K and Cl are conserved in solution and they evolve with constant Na/Cl and K/Cl ratio. The values of these ratios are similar to sea water average. The concentration of the other elements are controlled, first, by processes of precipitation or dissolution of the carbonated (Ca, Mg and HCO3) or sulphated (Ca and SO4) minerals, and second, by dilution or evaporation phenomena and by the phosphogypsum waste. The spatial distribution of these elements, of the pH, the dissolved oxygen and the temperature and the result of the saturation index with respect to calcite, gypsum and fluorite, by using of the PhreeqC program, show that the zone, located at north of the study area, between the commercial and the fishing port, is highly influenced by the PG waste. In this area, where the PG is released and which is relatively sheltered by the dams of the commercial and fishing port, waters are characterised by the highest temperatures values, and the lowest pH and the dissolved oxygen values. This water is supersaturated with respect to the fluorite, under saturated with respect to CaCO3 and gypsum. In this zone, the poured gypsum undergoes a quasi-total dissolution. This dissolution would be supported by the acidity of water and the highest temperature values. Keywords: Major ions - Sea water - Phosphogypsum - Saturation indices - Gulf of Gabes - Tunisia.

The mineral resource potential of the Wadi Habawnah and Najran quadrangles, sheets 17/44A and 17/44C, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fenton, Michael D.

1983-01-01

The metallic resource potential of the Wadi Habawnah and Najran quadrangles in the southern Precambrian Arabian Shield has been determined primarily by reconnaissance rock geochemistry, limited wadi-sediment and colluvium geochemistry, and gossanous and ferruginous outcrop geochemistry. These surveys were guided by geological information acquired during previous reconnaissance mapping. Locally anomalous areas in alkalic and calc-alkalic granitic terrane are possible sources of niobium-zirconiumthorium-fluorite, tin-tungsten, and copper-molybdenum, although the potential of these areas does not appear to be outstanding. The reconnaissance geochemistry of the layered volcanic terrane and the geochemistry of gossanous and ferruginous outcrops indicate that the potential for stratiform base metal sulfide deposits is low.

Nitrogen isotope geochemistry of basaltic glasses: implications for mantle degassing and structure?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Exley, R. A.; Boyd, S. R.; Mattey, D. P.; Pillinger, C. T.

1987-01-01

The nitrogen isotope geochemistry of 15 basaltic glasses has been investigated using stepped heating and high sensitivity static vacuum mass spectrometry. At low temperature (< 600°C) the glasses release small amounts of nitrogen with δ 15N AIR, averaging -0.3‰, suggesting surficial adsorption of atmospheric nitrogen. At high temperature, usually with a maximum at 1000°C, indigenous nitrogen with a concentration ranging from 0.2 to 2.1 ppm is released. The δ 15N values of this high temperature release show a wide range from -4.5‰ to +15.5‰. There is no correlation between N ppm and δ 15N, and the samples apparently form 3 groups with distinctive δ 15N. Six MORB glasses from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, East Pacific Rise and Juan de Fuca Ridge define a group with δ 15N = +7.5 ± 1.3‰. In contrast two Indian Ocean MORB glasses (Carlsberg Ridge and Gulf of Aden) gave negative δ 15N averaging -3.2‰. Glasses from Loihi Seamount have high δ 15N averaging +14.0 ± 1.0‰. Comparison of the δ 15N data with the mantle models derived from helium and argon isotope studies suggests that the wide range in δ 15N may reflect in part heterogeneities in the mantle related to its degassing history. It is possible, however, that magmatic degassing processes have also affected nitrogen isotopic compositions, and the data cannot yet be unambiguously interpreted in terms of source variations.

Alpine thermal events in the central Serbo-Macedonian Massif (southeastern Serbia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antić, Milorad D.; Kounov, Alexandre; Trivić, Branislav; Wetzel, Andreas; Peytcheva, Irena; von Quadt, Albrecht

2016-07-01

The Serbo-Macedonian Massif (SMM) represents a crystalline belt situated between the two diverging branches of the Eastern Mediterranean Alpine orogenic system, the northeast-vergent Carpatho-Balkanides and the southwest-vergent Dinarides and the Hellenides. We have applied fission-track analysis on apatites and zircons, coupled with structural field observations in order to reveal the low-temperature evolution of the SMM. Additionally, the age and geochemistry of the Palaeogene igneous rocks (i.e. Surdulica granodiorite and dacitic volcanic rocks) were determined by the LA-ICPMS U-Pb geochronology of zircons and geochemical analysis of main and trace elements in whole-rock samples. Three major cooling stages have been distinguished from the late Early Cretaceous to the Oligocene. The first stage represents rapid cooling through the partial annealing zones of zircon and apatite (300-60 °C) during the late Early to early Late Cretaceous (ca. 110-ca. 90 Ma). It is related to a post-orogenic extension following the regional nappe-stacking event in the Early Cretaceous. Middle to late Eocene (ca. 48-ca. 39 Ma) cooling is related to the formation of the Crnook-Osogovo-Lisets extensional dome and its exhumation along low-angle normal faults. The third event is related to regional cooling following the late Eocene magmatic pulse. During this pulse, the areas surrounding the Surdulica granodiorite (36 ± 1 Ma) and the slightly younger volcanic bodies (ca. 35 Ma) have reached temperatures higher than the apatite closure temperature (120 °C) but lower than ca. 250 °C. The geochemistry of the igneous samples reveals late- to post-orogenic tectonic setting during magma generation.

10 CFR 960.4-2-2 - Geochemistry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Geochemistry. 960.4-2-2 Section 960.4-2-2 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE PRELIMINARY SCREENING OF POTENTIAL SITES FOR A NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Postclosure Guidelines § 960.4-2-2 Geochemistry. (a) Qualifying condition. The present and...

An Investigation of the Marine Geochemistry of Gold

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-01

platinum group elements both in the water column and in the sediments. This study represents an initial effort towards characterizing the behavior of Au inl...mechanisms of Au remain, the 198Au studies do raise issues pertinent to the preservation of natural water samples: 1) Indiscriminate acid additions can...chamber was chilled to 15’C throughout this work. Studies have clearly shown that lowering the temperature of the spray chamber to 2’C reduces the water

Earth Sciences Division annual report 1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1991-06-01

This Annual Report presents summaries of selected representative research activities grouped according to the principal disciplines of the Earth Sciences Division: Reservoir Engineering and Hydrogeology, Geology and Geochemistry, and Geophysics and Geomechanics. Much of the Division`s research deals with the physical and chemical properties and processes in the earth`s crust, from the partially saturated, low-temperature near-surface environment to the high-temperature environments characteristic of regions where magmatic-hydrothermal processes are active. Strengths in laboratory and field instrumentation, numerical modeling, and in situ measurement allow study of the transport of mass and heat through geologic media -- studies that now include the appropriatemore » chemical reactions and the hydraulic-mechanical complexities of fractured rock systems. Of particular note are three major Division efforts addressing problems in the discovery and recovery of petroleum, the application of isotope geochemistry to the study of geodynamic processes and earth history, and the development of borehole methods for high-resolution imaging of the subsurface using seismic and electromagnetic waves. In 1989 a major DOE-wide effort was launched in the areas of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. Many of the methods previously developed for and applied to deeper regions of the earth will in the coming years be turned toward process definition and characterization of the very shallow subsurface, where man-induced contaminants now intrude and where remedial action is required.« less

Plate tectonics and continental basaltic geochemistry throughout Earth history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, Brenhin; Schoene, Blair

2018-01-01

Basaltic magmas constitute the primary mass flux from Earth's mantle to its crust, carrying information about the conditions of mantle melting through which they were generated. As such, changes in the average basaltic geochemistry through time reflect changes in underlying parameters such as mantle potential temperature and the geodynamic setting of mantle melting. However, sampling bias, preservation bias, and geological heterogeneity complicate the calculation of representative average compositions. Here we use weighted bootstrap resampling to minimize sampling bias over the heterogeneous rock record and obtain maximally representative average basaltic compositions through time. Over the approximately 4 Ga of the continental rock record, the average composition of preserved continental basalts has evolved along a generally continuous trajectory, with decreasing compatible element concentrations and increasing incompatible element concentrations, punctuated by a comparatively rapid transition in some variables such as La/Yb ratios and Zr, Nb, and Ti abundances approximately 2.5 Ga ago. Geochemical modeling of mantle melting systematics and trace element partitioning suggests that these observations can be explained by discontinuous changes in the mineralogy of mantle partial melting driven by a gradual decrease in mantle potential temperature, without appealing to any change in tectonic process. This interpretation is supported by the geochemical record of slab fluid input to continental basalts, which indicates no long-term change in the global proportion of arc versus non-arc basaltic magmatism at any time in the preserved rock record.

New 40Ar / 39Ar age and geochemical data from seamounts in the Canary and Madeira volcanic provinces: Support for the mantle plume hypothesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geldmacher, J.; Hoernle, K.; Bogaard, P. v. d.; Duggen, S.; Werner, R.

2005-08-01

The role of mantle plumes in the formation of intraplate volcanic islands and seamount chains is being increasingly questioned. Particular examples are the abundant and somewhat irregularly distributed island and seamount volcanoes off the coast of northwest Africa. New 40Ar / 39Ar ages and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of volcanic rocks from seamounts northeast of the Madeira Islands (Seine and Unicorn) and northeast of the Canary Islands (Dacia and Anika), however, provide support for the plume hypothesis. The oldest ages of shield stage volcanism from Canary and Madeira volcanic provinces confirm progressions of increasing age to the northeast. Average volcanic age progression of ∼1.2 cm/a is consistent with rotation of the African plate at an angular velocity of ∼0.20° ± 0.05 /Ma around a common Euler pole at approximately 56° N, 45° W computed for the period of 0-35 Ma. A Euler pole at 35° N, 45° W is calculated for the time interval of 35-64 Ma. The isotope geochemistry further confirms that the Madeira and Canary provinces are derived from different sources, consistent with distinct plumes having formed each volcanic group. Conventional hotspot models, however, cannot easily explain the up to 40 m.y. long volcanic history at single volcanic centers, long gaps in volcanic activity, and the irregular distribution of islands and seamounts in the Canary province. A possible explanation could involve interaction of the Canary mantle plume with small-scale upper mantle processes such as edge-driven convection. Juxtaposition of plume and non-plume volcanism could also account for observed inconsistencies of the classical hotspot concept in other volcanic areas.

Geochemical evidence for African dust and volcanic ash inputs to terra rossa soils on carbonate reef terraces, northern Jamaica, West Indies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.; Budahn, J.R.

2009-01-01

The origin of red or reddish-brown, clay-rich, "terra rossa" soils on limestone has been debated for decades. A traditional qualitative explanation for their formation has been the accumulation of insoluble residues as the limestone is progressively dissolved over time. However, this mode of formation often requires unrealistic or impossible amounts of carbonate dissolution. Therefore, where this mechanism is not viable and where local fluvial or colluvial inputs can be ruled out, an external source or sources must be involved in soil formation. On the north coast of the Caribbean island of Jamaica, we studied a sequence of terra rossa soils developed on emergent limestones thought to be of Quaternary age. The soils become progressively thicker, redder, more Fe- and Al-rich and Si-poor with elevation. Furthermore, although kaolinite is found in all the soils, the highest and oldest soils also contain boehmite. Major and trace element geochemistry shows that the host limestones and local igneous rocks are not likely source materials for the soils. Other trace elements, including the rare earth elements (REE), show that tephra from Central American volcanoes is not a likely source either. However, trace element geochemistry shows that airborne dust from Africa plus tephra from the Lesser Antilles island arc are possible source materials for the clay-rich soils. A third, as yet unidentified, source may also contribute to the soils. We hypothesize that older, more chemically mature Jamaican bauxites may have had a similar origin. The results add to the growing body of evidence of the importance of multiple parent materials, including far-traveled dust, to soil genesis.

DOE workshop: Sedimentary systems, aqueous and organic geochemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-07-01

A DOE workshop on sedimentary systems, aqueous and organic geochemistry was held July 15-16, 1993 at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Papers were organized into several sections: Fundamental Properties, containing papers on the thermodynamics of brines, minerals and aqueous electrolyte solutions; Geochemical Transport, covering 3-D imaging of drill core samples, hydrothermal geochemistry, chemical interactions in hydrocarbon reservoirs, fluid flow model application, among others; Rock-Water Interactions, with presentations on stable isotope systematics of fluid/rock interaction, fluid flow and petotectonic evolution, grain boundary transport, sulfur incorporation, tracers in geologic reservoirs, geothermal controls on oil-reservoir evolution, and mineral hydrolysis kinetics; Organic Geochemistry covered new methodsmore » for constraining time of hydrocarbon migration, kinetic models of petroleum formation, mudstones in burial diagenesis, compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of petroleums, stability of natural gas, sulfur in sedimentary organic matter, organic geochemistry of deep ocean sediments, direct speciation of metal by optical spectroscopies; and lastly, Sedimentary Systems, covering sequence stratigraphy, seismic reflectors and diagenetic changes in carbonates, geochemistry and origin of regional dolomites, and evidence of large comet or asteroid impacts at extinction boundaries.« less

Geobiochemistry: Placing Biochemistry in Its Geochemical Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shock, E.; Boyer, G. M.; Canovas, P. A., III; Prasad, A.; Dick, J. M.

2014-12-01

Goals of geobiochemistry include simultaneously evaluating the relative stabilities of microbial cells and minerals, and predicting how the composition of biomolecules can change in response to the progress of geochemical reactions. Recent developments in theoretical geochemistry make it possible to predict standard thermodynamic properties of proteins, nucleotides, lipids, and many metabolites including the constituents of the citric acid cycle, at all temperatures and pressures where life is known to occur, and beyond. Combining these predictions with constraints from geochemical data makes it possible to assess the relative stabilities of biomolecules. Resulting independent predictions of the environmental occurrence of homologous proteins and lipid side-chains can be compared with observations from metagenomic and metalipidomic data to quantify geochemical driving forces that shape the composition of biomolecules. In addition, the energetic costs of generating biomolecules from within a diverse range of habitable environments can be evaluated in terms of prevailing geochemical variables. Comparisons of geochemical bioenergetic calculations across habitats leads to the generalization that the availability of H2 determines the cost of autotrophic biosynthesis relative to the aquatic environment external to microbial cells, and that pH, temperature, pressure, and availability of C, N, P, and S are typically secondary. Increasingly reduced conditions, which are determined by reactions of water with mineral surfaces and mineral assemblages, allow many biosynthetic reactions to shift from costing energy to releasing energy. Protein and lipid synthesis, as well as the reverse citric acid cycle, become energy-releasing processes under these conditions. The resulting energy balances that determine habitability contrast dramatically with assumptions derived from oxic surface conditions, such as those where human biochemistry operates.

Quantity and quality of black carbon molecular markers as obtained by two chromatographic methods (GC-FID and HPLC-DAD) - How do results compare?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, M. P. W.; Smittenberg, R. H.; Dittmar, T.; Schmidt, M. W. I.

2009-04-01

Chars produced by wildfires are an important source of black carbon (BC) in the environment. After their deposition on the soil surface they can be distributed into rivers, marine waters and sediments. The analysis of benzenepolycarboxylic acids (BPCAs) as a quantitative measure for black carbon (BC) in soil and sediment samples is a well-established method (Glaser et al., 1998; Brodowski et al., 2005). Briefly, the nitric acid oxidation of fused aromatic ring systems in BC forms eight molecular markers (BPCAs), which can be assigned to BC, and which subsequently can be quantified by GC-FID (gas chromatography with flame ionization detector). Recently, this method was modified for the quantification of BC in seawater samples using HPLC-DAD (High performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector) for the determination of individual BPCAs (Dittmar, 2008). A direct comparison of both analytical techniques is lacking but would be important for future data comparison aimed at the calculation of global BC budgets. Here we present a systematic comparison of the two BPCA quantification methods. We prepared chars under well-defined laboratory conditions. In order to cover a broad spectrum of char properties we used two sources of biomass and a wide range of pyrolysis temperatures. Chestnut hardwood chips (Castanea sativa) and rice straw (Oryza sativa) were pyrolysed at temperatures between 200 and 1000°C under a constant N2 stream. The maximum temperatures were held constant for 5 hours (Hammes et al., 2006). The BC contents of the chars have been analysed using the BPCA extraction method followed by either GC-FID or HPLC-DAD quantification. Preliminary results suggest that both methods yield similar total quantities of BPCA, and also the proportions of the individual markers are similar. Ongoing experiments will allow for a more detailed comparison of the two methods. The BPCA composition of chars formed at different temperatures and from different precursor biomass is being used for this purpose. We seek to establish a conversion factor between both methods, if required. Results show that both the GC and the HPLC method can be used for organic samples containing some silica, such as grass char. Further tests include silica-rich materials, such as soils. Ongoing methodological work aims at carbon isotope analysis (13C and 14C) on individual BPCAs isolated via HPLC. At present the HPLC method employs tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) as a modifier for the liquid phase. TBAB is not volatile and contains carbon, it therefore prevents carbon isotopic analysis on isolated BPCAs. References Brodowski, S., Rodionov, A., Haumeier, L., Glaser, B., Amelung, W. (2005) Revised black carbon assessment using benzene polycarboxylic acids. Organic Geochemistry, 36(9), 1299-1310. Dittmar, T. (2008) The molecular level determination of black carbon in marine dissolved organic matter. Organic Geochemistry, 39(4). 396-407. Glaser, B., Haumeier, L., Guggenberger, G., Zech, W. (1998) Black carbon in soils: the use of benzenecarboxylic acids as specific markers. Organic Geochemistry, 29(4), 811-819. Hammes, K. Smernik, R. J., Skjemstad, J. O., Herzog, A., Vogt, U. F., Schmidt, M. W. I. (2006) Synthesis and characterisation of laboratory-charred grass straw (Oryza saliva) and chestnut wood (Castanea sativa) as reference materials for black carbon quantification Organic Geochemistry 37(11). 1629-1633

Incorporating Cutting Edge Scientific Results from the Margins-Geoprisms Program into the Undergraduate Curriculum: The Subduction Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penniston-Dorland, S.; Stern, R. J.; Edwards, B. R.; Kincaid, C. R.

2014-12-01

The NSF-MARGINS Program funded a decade of research on continental margin processes. The NSF-GeoPRISMS Mini-lesson Project, funded by NSF-TUES, is designed to integrate fundamental results from the MARGINS program into open-source college-level curriculum. Three Subduction Factory (SubFac) mini-lessons were developed as part of this project. These include hands-on examinations of data sets representing 3 key components of the subduction zone system: 1) Heat transfer in the subducted slab; 2) Metamorphic processes happening at the plate interface; and 3) Typical magmatic products of arc systems above subduction zones. Module 1: "Slab Temperatures Control Melting in Subduction Zones, What Controls Slab Temperature?" allows students to work in groups using beads rolling down slopes as an analog for the mathematics of heat flow. Using this hands-on, exploration-based approach, students develop an intuition for the mathematics of heatflow and learn about heat conduction and advection in the subduction zone environment. Module 2: "Subduction zone metamorphism" introduces students to the metamorphic rocks that form as the subducted slab descends and the mineral reactions that characterize subduction-related metamorphism. This module includes a suite of metamorphic rocks available for instructors to use in a lab, and exercises in which students compare pressure-temperature estimates obtained from metamorphic rocks to predictions from thermal models. Module 3: "Central American Arc Volcanoes, Petrology and Geochemistry" introduces students to basic concepts in igneous petrology using the Central American volcanic arc, a MARGINS Subduction Factory focus site, as an example. The module relates data from two different volcanoes - basaltic Cerro Negro (Nicaragua) and andesitic Ilopango (El Salvador) including hand sample observations and major element geochemistry - to explore processes of mantle and crustal melting and differentiation in arc volcanism.

Dust emission thresholds from sodic playas with varying geochemistry and environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nield, J. M.; McKenna Neuman, C.; O'Brien, P.

2014-12-01

Sodic playa surfaces can be major sources of dust emission but their erodibility depends on the surface salt crust characteristics. Here we determine dust emission thresholds in a wind tunnel for 22 different crusts with varying concentrations of sodium sulphate and sodium chloride. Crusts mimic those on Sua Pan, in the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana, which is one of the biggest dust hot spots in the Southern Hemisphere. Crusts were grown by encouraging capillary processes and subjected to several weeks of diurnal temperature variation to enable the development of hydrated and dehydrated salt crystals, along with low density, 'fluffy' sediment beneath the primary (and in some cases, secondary) crust. Spray on crusts and liquefied crusts were also developed for response comparison. Using laser scanning we tracked surface change and crystal growth, which we link to crust type and evaporation rates. We found that under pre-dawn and early morning Sua Pan conditions, crusts were typically non-emissive, but during mid-day temperature and humidity conditions typical of Sua Pan in August and September (dry and peak dust emission season), several crusts became friable and highly emissive above wind velocities of 7 m/s, which agrees with in-situ field observations. Thenardite capillary crusts were the most emissive, in contrast to supply limited, halite liquefied crusts which were relatively stable. Disturbances, or small crust fractures, common on polygonal surface patterns decreased the dust emission threshold values and enabled emission from more stable crusts. Our study confirms the potential of playa surfaces to emit dust without the presence of saltation, and highlights the sensitivity of emission thresholds to crust geochemistry, evaporation rates and temperature and humidity conditions.

Climatic Constraints on Growth Rate and Geochemistry (Sr/Ca and U/Ca) of the Coral Siderastrea stellata in the Southwest Equatorial Atlantic (Rocas Atoll, Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evangelista, H.; Sifeddine, A.; Corrège, T.; Servain, J.; Dassié, E. P.; Logato, R.; Cordeiro, R. C.; Shen, C.-C.; Le Cornec, F.; Nogueira, J.; Segal, B.; Castagna, A.; Turcq, B.

2018-03-01

Although relatively rare compared to similar latitudes in the Pacific or Indian Oceans, massive coral colonies are present in the Tropical/Equatorial Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. However, detailed geochemical compositions of these corals are still largely unknown. In this work, we present growth rates, Sr/Ca, and U/Ca ratios of the coral colony (Siderastrea stellata) sampled at Rocas Atoll, off the Brazilian coast. These variables are primarily affected by sea surface temperature (SST) at seasonal scale, and by wind stress at interannual scale, these results represent a broad new finding. A lower significance at the interannual time scale between Sr/Ca and U/Ca with respect to SST is attributed to the low SST amplitude closed to Equator. An investigation on the dependence of coral growth rates with respect to the "cloud shading effect" promoted by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) does not show significant influence. Additionally, rain seems to act on local geochemistry of Sr/Ca ratios and growth rate at the decadal scale.

Geochemistry of extremely alkaline (pH>12) ground water in slag-fill aquifers.

PubMed

Roadcap, George S; Kelly, Walton R; Bethke, Craig M

2005-01-01

Extremely alkaline ground water has been found underneath many shuttered steel mills and slag dumps and has been an impediment to the cleanup and economic redevelopment of these sites because little is known about the geochemistry. A large number of these sites occur in the Lake Calumet region of Chicago, Illinois, where large-scale infilling of the wetlands with steel slag has created an aquifer with pH values as high as 12.8. To understand the geochemistry of the alkaline ground water system, we analyzed samples of ground water and the associated slag and weathering products from four sites. We also considered several potential remediation schemes to lower the pH and toxicity of the water. The principal cause of the alkaline conditions is the weathering of calcium silicates within the slag. The resulting ground water at most of the sites is dominated by Ca2+ and OH- in equilibrium with Ca(OH)2. Where the alkaline ground water discharges in springs, atmospheric CO2 dissolves into the water and thick layers of calcite form. Iron, manganese, and other metals in the metallic portion of the slag have corroded to form more stable low-temperature oxides and sulfides and have not accumulated in large concentrations in the ground water. Calcite precipitated at the springs is rich in a number of heavy metals, suggesting that metals can move through the system as particulate matter. Air sparging appears to be an effective remediation strategy for reducing the toxicity of discharging alkaline water.

What's in the mud?: Water-rock-microbe interactions in thermal mudpots and springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlquist, G. R.; Cox, A. D.

2016-12-01

Limited aspects of mudpot geochemistry, mineralogy, and microbiology have been previously investigated in a total of 58 mudpots in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Kamchatka, Iceland, Italy, Valles Caldera, New Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Stefanos hydrothermal crater, Greece (Allen and Day, 1935; Raymahashay, 1968; Shevenell, 1987; Bradley, 2005; Prokofeva, 2006; Bortnikova, 2007; Kaasalainen, 2012; Szynkiewicz, 2012; Hynek, 2013; Pol, 2014; Kanellopoulos, 2016). The composition of 35 mudpots was analyzed for aqueous geochemistry of filtrate and solid phase characterization. Here mudpots are defined as thermal features with viscosities between 5 and 100 centipoise at the approximate temperature of the mudpot, which was measured by an Ofite hand cranked viscometer. Analogous samples of nearby hot springs provide comparisons between mudpots and non-viscous thermal features. Aqueous geochemistry from mudpots was obtained by a novel two-step filtration process consisting of gravity prefiltration by a 100 or 50 micron trace metal cleaned polyethylene bag filter followed by syringe filtration with 0.8/0.2 Supor membrane filters. This filtered sample water was preserved and analyzed for water isotopes, major anions and cations, dissolved organic carbon, and trace metals. Mudpot meter readings show dissolved oxygen values ranging from below the detection limit of 0.156 to 22.5uM, pH values ranging from 1.41 to 6.08, and temperatures ranging from 64.8 to 92.5°C. Mudpots and turbid hot springs exhibited an inverse relationship between dissolved rare earth element concentrations and dissolved calcium concentrations (where calcium concentrations > 0.4mM). Mudpots altered existing surficial geology to form clays, primarily kaolinite, montmorillionite, and alunite. This hydrothermal alteration leaches metals, allowing mudpots to concentrate metals. DNA was extracted from mudpot solids and amplified with eukaryotic, bacterial, archaeal, and universal primers, which yielded only bacterial and archaeal amplicons. Water, rock, and microbial communities interact to form diverse mudpots. The range of chemical conditions surveyed in YNP mudpots suggests varying underlying rock units, seasonal water variations, and sources of organic matter drastically affect geobiochemical characteristics.

Linking the climatic and geochemical controls on global soil carbon cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doetterl, Sebastian; Stevens, Antoine; Six, Johan; Merckx, Roel; Van Oost, Kristof; Casanova Pinto, Manuel; Casanova-Katny, Angélica; Muñoz, Cristina; Boudin, Mathieu; Zagal Venegas, Erick; Boeckx, Pascal

2015-04-01

Climatic and geochemical parameters are regarded as the primary controls for soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover. However, due to the difference in scale between climate and geochemical-related soil research, the interaction of these key factors for SOC dynamics have rarely been assessed. Across a large geochemical and climatic transect in similar biomes in Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula we show how abiotic geochemical soil features describing soil mineralogy and weathering pose a direct control on SOC stocks, concentration and turnover and are central to explaining soil C dynamics at larger scales. Precipitation and temperature had an only indirect control by regulating geochemistry. Soils with high SOC content have low specific potential CO2 respiration rates, but a large fraction of SOC that is stabilized via organo-mineral interactions. The opposite was observed for soils with low SOC content. The observed differences for topsoil SOC stocks along this transect of similar biomes but differing geo-climatic site conditions are of the same magnitude as differences observed for topsoil SOC stocks across all major global biomes. Using precipitation and a set of abiotic geochemical parameters describing soil mineralogy and weathering status led to predictions of high accuracy (R2 0.53-0.94) for different C response variables. Partial correlation analyses revealed that the strength of the correlation between climatic predictors and SOC response variables decreased by 51 - 83% when controlling for geochemical predictors. In contrast, controlling for climatic variables did not result in a strong decrease in the strength of the correlations of between most geochemical variables and SOC response variables. In summary, geochemical parameters describing soil mineralogy and weathering were found to be essential for accurate predictions of SOC stocks and potential CO2 respiration, while climatic factors were of minor importance as a direct control, but are important through governing soil weathering and geochemistry. In conclusion, we pledge for a stronger implementation of geochemical soil properties to predict SOC stocks on a global scale. Understanding the effects of climate (temperature and precipitation) change on SOC dynamics also requires good understanding of the relationship between climate and soil geochemistry.

Integration of 3 Consecutive Years of Aqueous Geochemistry Monitoring Serpentinization at the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO), Northern California, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardace, D.; Hoehler, T. M.; McCollom, T. M.; Schrenk, M. O.; Kubo, M. D.

2014-12-01

In August 2011, a set of 8 groundwater monitoring wells were established in actively serpentinizing ultramafic rocks of the Coast Range Ophiolite near Lower Lake, CA, as a NASA Astrobiology Institute project (Cardace et al., 2013). These wells have enabled repeated sampling and analysis of aqueous geochemistry, which we now present in an integrated model of the progress of serpentinization at this locality. The Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO) plumbs groundwaters percolating through a tectonic mélange of Jurassic-aged oceanic crust, with blocks of metabasalt and metagabbro, variably serpentinized ultramafics, Great Valley Sequence sedimentary rocks including the Jurassic Knoxville formation and the Cretaceous Crack Canyon formation, as well as rocks resulting from silica-carbonate alteration of serpentinites (marginal listvenites). All of these rock units are accessible in the McLaughlin Natural Reserve (administered by the University of California-Davis). In this work, we report on persistent geochemical trends in CROMO waters, which are gas-rich, high pH (11+), Ca2+-OH- type waters, contrast their characteristics with other continental sites of serpentinization and deep sea serpentinizing vent systems, and place the evolution of these waters in a water-rock reaction context based on geochemical modeling.

Long-Term Geochemical and Geodynamic Segmentation of the Paleo-Pacific Margin of Gondwana: Insight From the Antarctic and Adjacent Sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, D. A.; Cottle, J. M.

2017-12-01

Combined zircon geochemistry and geochronology of Mesozoic volcaniclastic sediments of the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, yield a comprehensive record of both the timing and geochemical evolution of the magmatic arc along the Antarctic sector of the paleo-Pacific margin of Gondwana. Zircon age populations at 266-183 Ma, 367-328 Ma, and 550-490 Ma correspond to episodic arc activity from the Ediacaran to the Jurassic. Zircon trace element geochemistry indicates a temporal shift from granitoid-dominated source(s) during Ediacaran to Early Ordovician times to mafic sources in the Devonian through Early Jurassic. Zircon initial ɛHf shifts to more radiogenic Hf isotope compositions following the Ross Orogeny and is inferred to reflect juvenile crustal growth within an extensional arc system during progressive slab rollback. These new ages and Hf isotopic record are similar to those from the Australian sector, indicating that these regions constituted an 3,000 km laterally continuous extensional arc from at least the Carboniferous to the Permian. Conversely, the South American sector records enriched zircon Hf isotopic compositions and compressional/advancing arc tectonics during the same time period. Our new data constrain the location of this profound along-arc geochemical and geodynamic "switch" to the vicinity of the Thurston Island block of West Antarctica.

Geochemistry and the understanding of ground-water systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glynn, Pierre D.; Plummer, Niel

2005-01-01

Geochemistry has contributed significantly to the understanding of ground-water systems over the last 50 years. Historic advances include development of the hydrochemical facies concept, application of equilibrium theory, investigation of redox processes, and radiocarbon dating. Other hydrochemical concepts, tools, and techniques have helped elucidate mechanisms of flow and transport in ground-water systems, and have helped unlock an archive of paleoenvironmental information. Hydrochemical and isotopic information can be used to interpret the origin and mode of ground-water recharge, refine estimates of time scales of recharge and ground-water flow, decipher reactive processes, provide paleohydrological information, and calibrate ground-water flow models. Progress needs to be made in obtaining representative samples. Improvements are needed in the interpretation of the information obtained, and in the construction and interpretation of numerical models utilizing hydrochemical data. The best approach will ensure an optimized iterative process between field data collection and analysis, interpretation, and the application of forward, inverse, and statistical modeling tools. Advances are anticipated from microbiological investigations, the characterization of natural organics, isotopic fingerprinting, applications of dissolved gas measurements, and the fields of reaction kinetics and coupled processes. A thermodynamic perspective is offered that could facilitate the comparison and understanding of the multiple physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting ground-water systems.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of a Late Permian coal in the Dafang Coalfield, Guizhou, China: Influence from siliceous and iron-rich calcic hydrothermal fluids

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dai, S.; Chou, C.-L.; Yue, M.; Luo, K.; Ren, D.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the influence of siliceous and iron-rich calcic low-temperature hydrothermal fluids (LTHF) on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the Late Permian No. 11 Coal (anthracitic, Rr =2.85%) in the Dafang Coalfield in northwestern Guizhou Province, China. The No. 11 Coal has high contents of vein ankerite (10.2 vol.%) and vein quartz (11.4 vol.%), with formation temperatures of 85 and 180 ??C, respectively, indicating that vein ankerite and vein quartz were derived from low-temperature calcic and siliceous hydrothermal fluids in two epigenetic episodes. The vein quartz appears to have formed earlier than vein ankerite did, and at least three distinct stages of ankerite formation with different Ca/Sr and Fe/Mn ratios were observed. The two types of mineral veins are sources of different suites of major and trace metals. Scanning electron microscope and sequential extraction studies show that, in addition to Fe, Mg, and Ca, vein ankerite is the dominant source of Mn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the coal, and the contents of these five elements are as high as 0.09% and 74.0, 33.6, 185, and 289 ??g/g, respectively. In contrast, vein quartz is the main carrier mineral for platinum-group elements (PGEs) Pd, Pt, and Ir in the coal, and the contents of Pd, Pt, and Ir are 1.57, 0.15, and 0.007 ??g/g, respectively. Sequential extraction showed a high PGE content in the silicate fraction, up to 10.4 ??g/g Pd, 1.23 ??g/g Pt, and 0.05 ??g/g Ir, respectively. It is concluded that the formation of ankerite and quartz and the anomalous enrichment of trace elements in the No. 11 Coal in the Dafang Coalfield, Guizhou, result from the influx of calcic and siliceous low-temperature hydrothermal fluids. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Age, geochemistry and melt flux variations for the Hawaiian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M. O.; Weis, D. A.; Greene, A. R.; Wessel, P.; Harrison, L.; Tree, J.

2012-12-01

The Hawaiian Ridge portion of the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain, the classic example of a mantle plume produced linear island chain, is 6000 km in length, active for 80+ Myr, and tectonically simple. Despite its importance to our understanding of mantle plumes and Cenozoic plate motion, there are large data gaps for the age and geochemistry of lavas from volcanoes along the Hawaiian Ridge (HR) portion of the Chain. Ages: Only volcanoes near the Hawaiian-Emperor bend and in the Hawaiian Islands have modern Ar-Ar ages, leaving a gap of 2000 km where existing K-Ar ages suggest synchronous volcanism over a 1000 km section. Geochemistry: There is a 2900 km gap in high precision geochemical data for the HR. The Emperor Seamounts (>45 Ma) have better regional coverage of recent isotopic data and show a correlation of Sr isotope composition with age of the underlying oceanic lithosphere (Regelous et al. 2003). The HR has an unexplained, exponential increase in magma flux over the last 30 Myr (Vidal & Bonneville 2004). Potential explanations for the increase in magma flux include: changes in melting conditions (temperature and/or pressure), change in source fertility related to rock type (pyroxenite vs. peridotite) or previous melting history, and/or changes in plate stresses resulting from reconfigurations of plate motion. Our new multi-disciplinary project will: 1) Determine 40Ar/39Ar ages, and whole-rock major, trace element, and Pb, Sr, Nd and Hf isotopic geochemistry for lavas from 20 volcanoes spanning ~2150 km of the HR (NW of the Hawaiian Islands). 2) Use the geochemical data to determine the long-term evolution of the Hawaiian mantle plume source components and to evaluate whether there have been systematic variations in mantle potential temperature, melting pressure, and/or source lithology during the creation of the HR. If so, are they responsible for the 300% variation in melt production along the Ridge? Also, we will assess when the more fertile Loa source component appeared. 3) Reassess models for the origin of the HR using the new 40Ar/39Ar ages. 4) Recompute and compare the magma flux rate for the Hawaiian and Louisville Ridges using our new HR ages and IODP results for Louisville Ridge, and updated bathymetric data for both chains. 5) Utilize the new ages to revise Cenozoic Pacific plate motions and to compute differential motions as proxies for stress changes along the HR with time to evaluate the effects of plate motion on magma flux rate. These studies will have fundamental implications for mantle plume sources, plume dynamics, and plate kinematics. Vidal V, Bonneville A, 2004. J. Geophys. Res., 109, B03104, doi:10.1029/2003JB002559 Regelous M, Hofmann AW, Abouchami W, Galer SJG, 2003. Jour. Petrol. 44, 113-140

Geochemistry of groundwater in the Beaver and Camas Creek drainage basins, eastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rattray, Gordon W.; Ginsbach, Michael L.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, is studying the fate and transport of waste solutes in the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in eastern Idaho. This effort requires an understanding of the natural and anthropogenic geochemistry of groundwater at the INL and of the important physical and chemical processes controlling the geochemistry. In this study, the USGS applied geochemical modeling to investigate the geochemistry of groundwater in the Beaver and Camas Creek drainage basins, which provide groundwater recharge to the ESRP aquifer underlying the northeastern part of the INL. Data used in this study include petrology and mineralogy from 2 sediment and 3 rock samples, and water-quality analyses from 4 surface-water and 18 groundwater samples. The mineralogy of the sediment and rock samples was analyzed with X-ray diffraction, and the mineralogy and petrology of the rock samples were examined in thin sections. The water samples were analyzed for field parameters, major ions, silica, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, trace elements, tritium, and the stable isotope ratios of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. Groundwater geochemistry was influenced by reactions with rocks of the geologic terranes—carbonate rocks, rhyolite, basalt, evaporite deposits, and sediment comprised of all of these rocks. Agricultural practices near and south of Dubois and application of road anti-icing liquids on U.S. Interstate Highway 15 were likely sources of nitrate, chloride, calcium, and magnesium to groundwater. Groundwater geochemistry was successfully modeled in the alluvial aquifer in Camas Meadows and the ESRP fractured basalt aquifer using the geochemical modeling code PHREEQC. The primary geochemical processes appear to be precipitation or dissolution of calcite and dissolution of silicate minerals. Dissolution of evaporite minerals, associated with Pleistocene Lake Terreton, is an important contributor of solutes in the Mud Lake-Dubois area. Oxidation-reduction reactions are important influences on the chemistry of groundwater at Camas Meadows and the Camas National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, mixing of different groundwaters or surface water with groundwater appears to be an important physical process influencing groundwater geochemistry in much of the study area, and evaporation may be an important physical process influencing the groundwater geochemistry of the Camas National Wildlife Refuge. The mass-balance modeling results from this study provide an explanation of the natural geochemistry of groundwater in the ESRP aquifer northeast of the INL, and thus provide a starting point for evaluating the natural and anthropogenic geochemistry of groundwater at the INL.

Evolution of fluid geochemistry at the Turrialba volcano (Costa Rica) from 1998 to 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaselli, O.; Tassi, Franco; Duarte, E.; Fernandez, E.; Poreda, R. J.; Huertas, A. Delgado

2010-05-01

Turrialba (10°02'N, 83°45'W) is a 3,349-m high stratovolcano belonging to the Holocene “Cordillera Central” volcanic belt of Costa Rica. The summit consists of three EW-oriented craters (East, Central, and West). Since its last eruptive phase (1864-1866), the Central and West craters have displayed modest fumarolic activity, with outlet temperatures clustering around 90°C. In 2001, seismic swarms, ground deformation, and increasing fumarolic activity occurred. From 2005 to 2008, new fumarolic vents opened between and within the Central and West craters, and along the western and southwestern outer flanks of the volcanic edifice. These physical changes were accompanied by a drastic modification in the gas chemistry that can be divided in three stages: (1) hydrothermal (from 1998 to autumn 2001), characterized by the presence of H2O, CO2, H2S, and, to a very minor extent, HCl and HF; (2) hydrothermal/magmatic (autumn 2001-2007), with the appearance of SO2 and a significant increase of HCl and HF; and (3) magmatic-dominated (2007-2008), characterized by increased SO2 content, SO2/H2S > 100, and temperatures up to 282°C. Accordingly, gas equilibrium in the CO2-CH4-H2 system suggests a progressive evolution of the deep fluid reservoir toward higher temperatures and more oxidizing conditions. The chemical-physical modifications of Turrialba in the last decade can be interpreted as part of a cyclic mechanism controlling the balance between the hydrothermal and the magmatic systems. Nevertheless, the risk of rejuvenation of the volcanic activity cannot be excluded, and an appropriate seismic, ground deformation, and geochemical monitoring program is highly recommended. Turrialba lies at a distance of 35 and 15 km from San José and Cartago, respectively, the two largest cities in Costa Rica.

Small scale changes of geochemistry and flow field due to transient heat storage in aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, S.; Boockmeyer, A.; Li, D.; Beyer, C.

2013-12-01

Heat exchangers in the subsurface are increasingly installed for transient heat storage due to the need of heating or cooling of buildings as well as the interim storage of heat to compensate for the temporally fluctuating energy production by wind or solar energy. For heat storage to be efficient, high temperatures must be achieved in the subsurface. Significant temporal changes of the soil and groundwater temperatures however effect both the local flow field by temperature dependent fluid parameters as well as reactive mass transport through temperature dependent diffusion coefficients, geochemical reaction rates and mineral equilibria. As the use of heat storage will be concentrated in urban areas, the use of the subsurface for (drinking) water supply and heat storage will typically coincide and a reliable prognosis of the processes occurring is needed. In the present work, the effects of a temporal variation of the groundwater temperature, as induced by a local heat exchanger introduced into a groundwater aquifer, are studied. For this purpose, the coupled non-isothermal groundwater flow, heat transport and reactive mass transport is simulated in the near filed of such a heat exchanger. By explicitly discretizing and incorporating the borehole, the borehole cementation and the heat exchanger tubes, a realistic geometrical and process representation is obtained. The numerical simulation code OpenGeoSys is used in this work, which incorporates the required processes of coupled groundwater flow, heat and mass transport as well as temperature dependent geochemistry. Due to the use of a Finite Element Method, a close representation of the geometric effects can be achieved. Synthetic scenario simulations for typical settings of salt water formations in northern Germany are used to investigate the geochemical effects arising from a high temperature heat storage by quantifying changes in groundwater chemistry and overall reaction rates. This work presents the simulation approach used and results obtained for the synthetic scenarios. The model simulations show that locally in the direct vicinity of the borehole heat exchanger the flow field is changed, causing a ground water convergence and thus a mixing of water in the case of high temperatures. Also, geochemical reactions are induced due to shifting of temperature dependent mineral equilibria. Due to the moving groundwater, the changes are not reversible, and small impacts remain downstream of the borehole heat exchanger. However, the changes depend strongly on the mineral composition of the formation and the formation water present.

Al-in-olivine thermometry evidence for the mantle plume origin of the Emeishan large igneous province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Rong; Liu, Yongsheng

2016-12-01

The Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) is renowned for its world-class Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits and its link with the Capitanian mass extinction. The ELIP is generally thought to be associated with a deep mantle plume; however, evidence for such a model has been challenged through geology, geophysics and geochemistry. In many large igneous province settings, olivine-melt equilibrium thermometry has been used to argue for or against the existence of plumes. However, this method involves large uncertainties such as assumptions regarding melt compositions and crystallisation pressures. The Al-in-olivine thermometer avoids these uncertainties and is used here to estimate the temperatures of picrites in the ELIP. The calculated maximum temperature (1440 °C) is significantly ( 250 °C) higher than the Al-in-olivine temperature estimated for the average MORB, thus providing compelling evidence for the existence of thermal mantle plumes in the ELIP.

Geochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ailin-Pyzik, Iris B.; Sommer, Sheldon E.

1977-01-01

Enumerates some of the research findings in geochemistry during the last year, including X-ray analysis of the Mars surface, trace analysis of fresh and esterarine waters, and analysis of marine sedements. (MLH)

Origins of organic geochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.

2008-01-01

When organic geochemistry actually began as a recognized geoscience is a matter of definition and perspective. Constraints on its beginning are placed by the historical development of its parent disciplines, geology and organic chemistry. These disciplines originated independently and developed in parallel, starting in the latter half of the 18th century and flourishing thereafter into the 21st century. Organic geochemistry began sometime between 1860 and 1983; I argue that 1930 is the best year to mark its origin.

Geochemistry of coalbed gas - a review

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clayton, J.L.

1998-01-01

Coals are both sources and reservoirs of large amounts of gas that has received increasing attention in recent years as a largely untapped potential energy resource. Coal mining operations, such as ventilation of coalbed gas from underground mines, release coalbed CH4 into the atmosphere, an important greehouse gas whose concentration in the atmosphere is increasing. Because of these energy and environmental issues, increased research attention has been focused on the geochemistry of coalbed gas in recent years. This paper presents a summary review of the main aspects of coalbed gas geochemistry and current research advances.Coals are both sources and reservoirs of large amounts of gas that has received increasing attention in recent years as a largely untapped potential energy resource. Coal mining operations, such as ventilation of coalbed gas from underground mines, release coalbed CH4 into the atmosphere, an important greenhouse gas whose concentration in the atmosphere is increasing. Because of these energy and environmental issues, increased research attention has been focused on the geochemistry of coalbed gas in recent years. This paper presents a summary review of the main aspects of coalbed gas geochemistry and current research advances.

Insights into Igneous Geochemistry from Trace Element Partitioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, J. H.; Hanson, B. Z.

2001-01-01

Partitioning of trivalent elements into olivine are used to explore basic issues relevant to igneous geochemistry, such as Henry's law. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Temporal Geochemistry Data from Five Springs in the Cement Creek Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Raymond H.; Wirt, Laurie; Leib, Kenneth J.

2008-01-01

Temporal data from five springs in the Cement Creek watershed, San Juan County, Colorado provide seasonal geochemical data for further research in the formation of ferricretes. In addition, these data can be used to help understand the ground-water flow system. The resulting data demonstrate the difficulty in gathering reliable seasonal data from springs, show the unique geochemistry of each spring due to local geology, and provide seasonal trends in geochemistry for Tiger Iron Spring.

Carbon isotope geochemistry of hydrocarbons in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field, Baja California Norte, Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Des Marais, D. J.; Stallard, M. L.; Nehring, N. L.; Truesdell, A. H.

1988-01-01

Hydrocarbon abundances and stable-isotopic compositions were measured in wells M5, M26, M35 and M102, which represent a range of depths (1270-2000 m) and temperatures (275-330 degrees C) in the field. In order to simulate the production of the geothermal hydrocarbons, gases were collected from the pyrolysis of lignite in the laboratory. This lignite was obtained from a well which sampled rock strata which are identical to those occurring in the field, but which have experienced much lower subsurface temperatures. In both the well and the laboratory observations, high-temperature environments favored higher relative concentrations of methane, ethane and benzene and generally higher delta 13C-values in the individual hydrocarbons. The best correlation between the laboratory and well data is obtained when laboratory-produced gases from experiments conducted at lower (400 degrees C) and higher (600 degrees C) temperatures are mixed. This improved correlation suggests that the wells are sampling hydrocarbons produced from a spectrum of depths and temperatures in the sediments.

Modeling Low-temperature Geochemical Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordstrom, D. K.

2003-12-01

Geochemical modeling has become a popular and useful tool for a wide number of applications from research on the fundamental processes of water-rock interactions to regulatory requirements and decisions regarding permits for industrial and hazardous wastes. In low-temperature environments, generally thought of as those in the temperature range of 0-100 °C and close to atmospheric pressure (1 atm=1.01325 bar=101,325 Pa), complex hydrobiogeochemical reactions participate in an array of interconnected processes that affect us, and that, in turn, we affect. Understanding these complex processes often requires tools that are sufficiently sophisticated to portray multicomponent, multiphase chemical reactions yet transparent enough to reveal the main driving forces. Geochemical models are such tools. The major processes that they are required to model include mineral dissolution and precipitation; aqueous inorganic speciation and complexation; solute adsorption and desorption; ion exchange; oxidation-reduction; or redox; transformations; gas uptake or production; organic matter speciation and complexation; evaporation; dilution; water mixing; reaction during fluid flow; reaction involving biotic interactions; and photoreaction. These processes occur in rain, snow, fog, dry atmosphere, soils, bedrock weathering, streams, rivers, lakes, groundwaters, estuaries, brines, and diagenetic environments. Geochemical modeling attempts to understand the redistribution of elements and compounds, through anthropogenic and natural means, for a large range of scale from nanometer to global. "Aqueous geochemistry" and "environmental geochemistry" are often used interchangeably with "low-temperature geochemistry" to emphasize hydrologic or environmental objectives.Recognition of the strategy or philosophy behind the use of geochemical modeling is not often discussed or explicitly described. Plummer (1984, 1992) and Parkhurst and Plummer (1993) compare and contrast two approaches for modeling groundwater chemistry: (i) "forward modeling," which predicts water compositions from hypothesized reactions and user assumptions and (ii) "inverse modeling," which uses water, mineral, and isotopic compositions to constrain hypothesized reactions. These approaches simply reflect the amount of information one has to work with. With minimal information on a site, a modeler is forced to rely on forward modeling. Optimal information would include detailed mineralogy on drill cores or well cuttings combined with detailed water analyses at varying depths and sufficient spatial distribution to follow geochemical reactions and mixing of waters along defined flow paths. With optimal information, a modeler will depend on inverse modeling.This chapter outlines the main concepts and key developments in the field of geochemical modeling for low-temperature environments and illustrates their use with examples. It proceeds with a short discussion of what modeling is, continues with concepts and definitions commonly used, and follows with a short history of geochemical models, a discussion of databases, the codes that embody models, and recent examples of how these codes have been used in water-rock interactions. An important new stage of development seems to have been reached in this field with questions of reliability and validity of models. Future work will be obligated to document ranges of certainty and sources of uncertainty, sensitivity of models and codes to parameter errors and assumptions, propagation of errors, and delineation of the range of applicability.

Tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Chinese Altai, central Asia: new insights from microstructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yingde; Zhang, Jian; Schulmann, Karel; Sun, Min; Zhao, Guochun

2013-04-01

The Altai Orogen, extending from Russia, through northeast Kazakhstan and northwest China, to western and southern Mongolia, occupies a pivotal position in understanding the accretionary process of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and has drawn much attention in recent years. However, its orogenic evolution remains poorly constrained, because previous studies were mainly focused on the geochronological and geochemical signatures and much less work has been done on metamorphic and structural studies. Metamorphic rocks widely occur in the southern Altai Range and have previously been separated into high-T/low-P and medium-P types. Recent studies demonstrated that these two kinds of rocks may have similar protoliths, i.e. early Paleozoic arc-related assemblages, but experienced different metamorphic histories. The development of biotite, garnet, staurolite and kyanite metamorphic zonal sequences in the low- to medium- grade rocks, demonstrate typical medium-pressure metamorphism that has been suggested as a major consequence of the orogenesis. The high-T/low-P metamorphism, represented by the growth of garnet+cordierite+sillimanite+k-feldspar and was accompanied by extensive anatexis, remains its tectonic significance poorly constrained. Field structural investigation in the Chinese Altai reveals that the high-T/low-P metamorphic rocks have major S-L fabrics (defined by the strongly aligned biotite and sillimanite) exactly in the same orientations as those developed in the associated medium-P grade rocks. Geochronological studies constrain the major fabrics in both kinds of rocks developed during mid-Devonian, coeval with the strong magmatism in the region. Micro-structural investigation on both kinds of rocks show similar prograde metamorphic history featured by clockwise P-T path evolution. Phase equilibrium modeling in the MnNCKFMASH system indicates that the development of major fabrics in the medium-P metamorphic rocks mainly recorded the notable increase of pressure and that in the high-T rocks was featured by the significant increase of temperature. The pressure increase could attribute to the progressive crustal thickening that may be correlated to the accretionary regime of the southern Altai in the mid-Devonian and the high temperature conditions most likely imply a significant heat input from the deep depth, consistent with the syn-chronologically emplacement of juvenile magmas on a large scale. Our study indicates the development of high-T metamorphism was genetically linked with that of the medium-P metamorphism and suggests that the crustal thickening during the orogenic process of the Altai region was accompanied by large heat input. This study is supported by Hong Kong Research Grant Council (HKU705311P and HKU704712P), National Science Foundation of China (41273048), IGCP #592 Project "Continental construction in Central Asia" and Research grant of State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SKLIG-KF-12-06) .

Laminae development in opal-A precipitates associated with seasonal growth of the form-genus Calothrix (Cyanobacteria), Rehai geothermal area, Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Brian; Peng, Xiaotong

2015-04-01

The western discharge apron at Meinuquan (Rehai geothermal area, Yunnan Province, China), which incorporates the upper terrace, terrace front, and lower terrace, is covered with laminated opal-A precipitates that have formed from the spring waters that flow across its surface. Laminae are formed of silicified Calothrix mats or featureless opal-A that contains no microbes, scattered spherical and rod-shaped microbes, and/or rare Calothrix. Rapid silicification of the Calothrix led to preservation of their basal heterocysts, vegetative cells, trichomes, tapering filaments, and laminated and splayed sheaths. The Calothrix mats grew during the dry season when there was maximum sunlight because of low cloud cover. During this time, the mats grew under stable conditions because the water that flowed across the discharge apron was sourced from the springs, and temperature and water geochemistry was more or less constant. Growth of the Calothrix mats decreased during the wet season (April to late September) when sunlight is reduced due to the extensive cloud cover associated with the monsoonal rains. During the wet season, water flowing over the discharge apron is a mixture of rainwater, runoff from the surrounding hillsides, and spring water. Such variable flow conditions, water temperatures, and water geochemistry curtailed microbe growth and impacted silica precipitation. The precipitates at Meinuquan are like those associated with some Icelandic hot springs. Although growth of Calothrix is controlled by sunlight in both settings, the periods of maximum sunlight in China (October-March) and Iceland (June-August) are at different times of the year because of their geographic locations.

An electrochemical series of redox couples in silicate melts - A review and applications to geochemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schreiber, Henry D.

1987-01-01

An electrochemical series for redox couples in a glass-forming oxide melt is developed. This series is a quantitative numerical scale of reference reduction potentials of the redox couples in a silicate melt that is a model for basaltic magmas. The redox couples are ordered in terms of their reference reduction potentials; the order appears to be relatively independent of the exact melt composition and temperature. Thus, upon calibration to a desired composition, oxygen fugacity, and temperature, this electrochemical series can provide estimates of redox state proportions in basaltic magmas on different planetary bodies. The geochemical electrochemical series can also be used to understand the interrelationship of the redox state of the magma and the presence of volatile species such as oxygen, water, sulfur gases, and carbon gases.

Microbial ecology of two hot springs of Sikkim: Predominate population and geochemistry.

PubMed

Najar, Ishfaq Nabi; Sherpa, Mingma Thundu; Das, Sayak; Das, Saurav; Thakur, Nagendra

2018-10-01

Northeastern regions of India are known for their floral and faunal biodiversity. Especially the state of Sikkim lies in the eastern Himalayan ecological hotspot region. The state harbors many sulfur rich hot springs which have therapeutic and spiritual values. However, these hot springs are yet to be explored for their microbial ecology. The development of neo generation techniques such as metagenomics has provided an opportunity for inclusive study of microbial community of different environment. The present study describes the microbial diversity in two hot springs of Sikkim that is Polok and Borong with the assist of culture dependent and culture independent approaches. The culture independent techniques used in this study were next generation sequencing (NGS) and Phospholipid Fatty Acid Analysis (PLFA). Having relatively distinct geochemistry both the hot springs are thermophilic environments with the temperature range of 50-77 °C and pH range of 5-8. Metagenomic data revealed the dominance of bacteria over archaea. The most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes although other phyla were also present such as Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Parcubacteria and Spirochaetes. The PLFA studies have shown the abundance of Gram Positive bacteria followed by Gram negative bacteria. The culture dependent technique was correlative with PLFA studies. Most abundant bacteria as isolated and identified were Gram-positive genus Geobacillus and Anoxybacillus. The genus Geobacillus has been reported for the first time in North-Eastern states of India. The Geobacillus species obtained from the concerned hot springs were Geobacillus toebii, Geobacillus lituanicus, Geobacillus Kaustophillus and the Anoxybacillus species includes Anoxybacillus gonensis and Anoxybacillus Caldiproteolyticus. The distribution of major genera and their statistical correlation analyses with the geochemistry of the springs predicted that the temperature, pH, alkalinity, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Cl 2+ , and sulfur were main environmental variables influencing the microbial community composition and diversity. Also the piper diagram suggested that the water of both the hot springs are Ca-HCO 3- type and can be predicted as shallow fresh ground waters. This study has provided an insight into the ecological interaction of the diverse microbial communities and associated physicochemical parameters, which will help in determining the future studies on different biogeochemical pathways in these hot springs. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Petrology and Geochemistry of the NWA 3368 Eucrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, K. G.; Lauretta, D. S.; Hill, D. H.; Goreva, J. S.; Domanik, K. J.; Franchi, I. A.; Drake, M. J.

2006-03-01

We report the petrology and geochemistry of NWA 3368, a new non-cumulate, monomict eucrite breccia with a variety of clast sizes and a pink-tinted matrix. Analytical techniques include electron microprobe, INAA, and ICP-MS.

Radioecology of Natural Systems Sixteenth Technical Progress Report, Aug 1, 1977 - July 31, 1978

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whicker, F. W.

1978-07-31

Major effort during the contract year was devoted to publication of results, with only limited data collection activities. The studies concerning the behavior of plutonium in the terrestrial environs of the Rocky Flats Plant were largely completed one year ago. During the past year, several papers were prepared for publication and several others were either accepted for publication or appeared in print. Three masters theses were completed. Some new data were collected on the food habits of mule deer at the Rocky Flats Plant and on the geochemistry of stable lead in an alpine lake watershed. Some of these datamore » are summarized herein. Miscellaneous activities related to the funded program are also reported.« less

Under the sea: microbial life in volcanic oceanic crust.

PubMed

Edwards, Katrina J; Wheat, C Geoffrey; Sylvan, Jason B

2011-09-06

Exploration of the microbiology in igneous, 'hard rock' oceanic crust represents a major scientific frontier. The igneous crust harbours the largest aquifer system on Earth, most of which is hydrologically active, resulting in a substantial exchange of fluids, chemicals and microorganisms between oceanic basins and crustal reservoirs. Study of the deep-subsurface biosphere in the igneous crust is technically challenging. However, technologies have improved over the past decade, providing exciting new opportunities for the study of deep-seated marine life, including in situ and cross-disciplinary experimentation in microbiology, geochemistry and hydrogeology. In this Progress article, we describe the recent advances, available technology and remaining challenges in the study of the marine intraterrestrial microbial life that is harboured in igneous oceanic crust.

Further analyses of Rio Cuarto impact glass

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, Peter H.; Bunch, T. E.; Koeberl, C.; Collins, W.

1993-01-01

Initial analyses of the geologic setting, petrology, and geochemistry of glasses recovered from within and around the elongate Rio Cuarto (RC) craters in Argentina focused on selected samples in order to document the general similarity with impactites around other terrestrial impact craters and to establish their origin. Continued analysis has surveyed the diversity in compositions for a range of samples, examined further evidence for temperature and pressure history, and compared the results with experimentally fused loess from oblique hypervelocity impacts. These new results not only firmly establish their impact origin but provide new insight on the impact process.

Relating salt marsh pore water geochemistry patterns to vegetation zones and hydrologic influences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moffett, Kevan B.; Gorelick, Steven M.

2016-03-01

Physical, chemical, and biological factors influence vegetation zonation in salt marshes and other wetlands, but connections among these factors could be better understood. If salt marsh vegetation and marsh pore water geochemistry coorganize, e.g., via continuous plant water uptake and persistently unsaturated sediments controlling vegetation zone-specific pore water geochemistry, this could complement known physical mechanisms of marsh self-organization. A high-resolution survey of pore water geochemistry was conducted among five salt marsh vegetation zones at the same intertidal elevation. Sampling transects were arrayed both parallel and perpendicular to tidal channels. Pore water geochemistry patterns were both horizontally differentiated, corresponding to vegetation zonation, and vertically differentiated, relating to root influences. The geochemical patterns across the site were less broadly related to marsh hydrology than to vegetation zonation. Mechanisms contributing to geochemical differentiation included: root-induced oxidation and nutrient (P) depletion, surface and creek-bank sediment flushing by rainfall or tides, evapotranspiration creating aerated pore space for partial sediment flushing in some areas while persistently saturated conditions hindered pore water renewal in others, and evapoconcentration of pore water solutes overall. The concentrated pore waters draining to the tidal creeks accounted for 41% of ebb tide solutes (median of 14 elements), including being a potentially toxic source of Ni but a slight sink for Zn, at least during the short, winter study period in southern San Francisco Bay. Heterogeneous vegetation effects on pore water geochemistry are not only significant locally within the marsh but may broadly influence marsh-estuary solute exchange and ecology.

POLLUTION PREVENTION OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT - GEOCHEMISTRY LABORATORY AT SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES

EPA Science Inventory

These reports summarize pollution prevention opportunity assessments conducted jointly by EPA and DOE at the Geochemistry Laboratory and the Manufacturing and Fabrication Repair Laboratory at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories facility in Albuquerque, New Mex...

Exploration Geochemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Closs, L. Graham

1983-01-01

Contributions in mineral-deposit model formulation, geochemical exploration in glaciated and arid environments, analytical and sampling problems, and bibliographic research were made in symposia held and proceedings volumes published during 1982. Highlights of these symposia and proceedings and comments on trends in exploration geochemistry are…

Publications - PDF 98-39 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

content DGGS PDF 98-39 Publication Details Title: Rock geochemistry from the Manley mining district ., Bundtzen, T.K., Newberry, R.J., Dover, J.H., and Blodgett, R.B., 1998, Rock geochemistry from the Manley

Teaching Environmental Geochemistry: An Authentic Inquiry Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koretsky, Carla M.; Petcovic, Heather L.; Rowbotham, Katherine L.

2012-01-01

A field-based environmental geochemistry course was developed at Western Michigan University for undergraduate geosciences and environmental studies students to (1) improve student understanding of complex environmental systems, specifically targeting lake systems; (2) facilitate student development of professional-level, field- and…

Publications - PDF 97-29G | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

content DGGS PDF 97-29G Publication Details Title: Rock geochemistry from the Rampart mining district , K.H., Bundtzen, T.K., Newberry, R.J., Dover, J.H., and Blodgett, R.B., 1997, Rock geochemistry from

Monitoring Subsurface Fluid Flow Using Perfluorocarbon Tracers: Another Tool Potentially Available for Subsurface Fluid Flow Assessments

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Perfluorocarbon Tracers (PFTs) Complement stable Isotopes and Geochemistry for Verifying, Assessing or Modeling Fluid Flow. Geochemistry, Isotopes and PFT’s complement Geophysics to monitor and verify plume movement, leakage to shallow aquifers or surface

GEOCHEMISTRY OF SULFUR IN IRON CORROSION SCALES FOUND IN DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

Iron-sulfur geochemistry is important in many natural and engineered environments, including drinking water systems. In the anaerobic environment beneath scales of corroding iron drinking water distribution system pipes, sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) produce sulfide from natu...

Progress report (1953) on the revision of Washington's Chemical analyses of igneous rocks (U.S.G.S. Prof. Paper 99), presented at the First International Symposium on Geochemistry, under the auspices of the International Union of Chemistry, in Zurich, August 11-13, 1953

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hooker, Marjorie

1954-01-01

In October of last year, vhen I was here in Zurich, it was my privilege to talk with Professor Niggli about the revision of Washington's "Chemical analysis of igneous rocks" which the United States Geological Survey is undertaking. It was then that he suggested the possibility of a progress report at this meeting in order that information about the revision would be available to those who are most interested. At the time that I talked with Professor Niggli the place or this meeting had not bean decided, but I think he hoped that it would be in Zurich,, Today, we must proceed without him, but I am sure that you must feel, as I do, that he is here sn spirit and that he expects us to continue the work as he would have, - with enthusiasm, with strength, and with happiness.

Origin of the lunar highlands Mg-suite: An integrated petrology, geochemistry, chronology, and remote sensing perspective

DOE PAGES

Shearer, C. K.; Elardo, S. M.; Petro, N. E.; ...

2014-12-23

The Mg-suite represents an enigmatic episode of lunar highlands magmatism that presumably represents the first stage of crustal building following primordial differentiation. This review examines the mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, chronology, and the planetary-scale distribution of this suite of highlands plutonic rocks, presents models for their origin, examines petrogenetic relationships to other highlands rocks, and explores the link between this style of magmatism and early stages of lunar differentiation. Of the models considered for the origin of the parent magmas for the Mg-suite, the data best fit a process in which hot (solidus temperature at ≥2 GPa = 1600 to 1800more » °C) and less dense (r ~3100 kg/m3) early lunar magma ocean cumulates rise to the base of the crust during cumulate pile overturn. Some decompressional melting would occur, but placing a hot cumulate horizon adjacent to the plagioclase-rich primordial crust and KREEP-rich lithologies (at temperatures of <1300 °C) would result in the hybridization of these divergent primordial lithologies, producing Mg-suite parent magmas. As urKREEP (primeval KREEP) is not the “petrologic driver” of this style of magmatism, outside of the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), Mg-suite magmas are not required to have a KREEP signature. Evaluation of the chronology of this episode of highlands evolution indicates that Mg-suite magmatism was initiated soon after primordial differentiation (<10 m.y.). Alternatively, the thermal event associated with the mantle overturn may have disrupted the chronometers utilized to date the primordial crust. Petrogenetic relationships between the Mg-suite and other highlands suites (e.g., alkali-suite and magnesian anorthositic granulites) are consistent with both fractional crystallization processes and melting of distinctly different hybrid sources.« less

Climate and geochemistry as drivers of eucalypt diversification in Australia.

PubMed

Bui, E N; Thornhill, A H; González-Orozco, C E; Knerr, N; Miller, J T

2017-05-01

Eucalypts cover most of Australia. Here, we investigate the relative contribution of climate and geochemistry to the distribution and diversity of eucalypts. Using geostatistics, we estimate major element concentrations, pH, and electrical conductivity at sites where eucalypts have been recorded. We compare the median predicted geochemistry and reported substrate for individual species that appear associated with extreme conditions; this provides a partial evaluation of the predictions. We generate a site-by-species matrix by aggregating observations to the centroids of 100-km-wide grid cells, calculate diversity indices, and use numerical ecology methods (ordination, variation partitioning) to investigate the ecology of eucalypts and their response to climatic and geochemical gradients. We find that β-diversity coincides with variations in climatic and geochemical patterns. Climate and geochemistry together account for less than half of the variation in eucalypt species assemblages across Australia but for greater than 80% in areas of high species richness. Climate is more important than geochemistry in explaining eucalypts species distribution and change in assemblages across Australia as a whole but there are correlations between the two sets of environmental variables. Many individual eucalypt species and entire taxonomic sections (Aromatica, Longistylus of subgenus Eucalyptus, Dumaria, and Liberivalvae of subgenus Symphyomyrtus) have distributions affected strongly by geochemistry. We conclude that eucalypt diversity is driven by steep geochemical gradients that have arisen as climate patterns have fluctuated over Australia over the Cenozoic, generally aridifying since the Miocene. The diversification of eucalypts across Australia is thus an excellent example of co-evolution of landscapes and biota in space and time and challenges accepted notions of macroecology. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Zircon evidence for incorporation of terrigenous sediments into the magma source of continental basalts.

PubMed

Xu, Zheng; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Zhao, Zi-Fu

2018-01-09

Crustal components may be incorporated into continental basalts by either shallow contamination or deep mixing. While the former proceeds at crustal depths with common preservation of refractory minerals, the latter occurs at mantle depths with rare survival of relict minerals. Discrimination between the two mechanisms has great bearing to subcontinental mantle geochemistry. Here we report the occurrence of relict zircons in Cenozoic continental basalts from eastern China. A combined study of zircon U-Pb ages and geochemistry indicates that detrital zircons were carried by terrigenous sediments into a subcontinental subduction zone, where the zircon were transferred by fluids into the magma sources of continental basalts. The basalts were sampled from three petrotectonic units with distinct differences in their magmatic and metamorphic ages, making the crustal contamination discernible. The terrigenous sediments were carried by the subducting oceanic crust into the asthenospheric mantle, producing both soluble and insoluble materials at the slab-mantle interface. These materials were served as metasomatic agents to react with the overlying mantle wedge peridotite, generating a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that contain the relict zircons. Therefore, the occurrence of relict zircons in continental basalts indicates that this refractory mineral can survive extreme temperature-pressure conditions in the asthenospheric mantle.

Effect of Hydration State of Martian Perchlorate Salts on Their Decomposition Temperatures During Thermal Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royle, Samuel H.; Montgomery, Wren; Kounaves, Samuel P.; Sephton, Mark A.

2017-12-01

Three Mars missions have analyzed the composition of surface samples using thermal extraction techniques. The temperatures of decomposition have been used as diagnostic information for the materials present. One compound of great current interest is perchlorate, a relatively recently discovered component of Mars' surface geochemistry that leads to deleterious effects on organic matter during thermal extraction. Knowledge of the thermal decomposition behavior of perchlorate salts is essential for mineral identification and possible avoidance of confounding interactions with organic matter. We have performed a series of experiments which reveal that the hydration state of magnesium perchlorate has a significant effect on decomposition temperature, with differing temperature releases of oxygen corresponding to different perchlorate hydration states (peak of O2 release shifts from 500 to 600°C as the proportion of the tetrahydrate form in the sample increases). Changes in crystallinity/crystal size may also have a secondary effect on the temperature of decomposition, and although these surface effects appear to be minor for our samples, further investigation may be warranted. A less than full appreciation of the hydration state of perchlorate salts during thermal extraction analyses could lead to misidentification of the number and the nature of perchlorate phases present.

Radioecology of natural systems. Fifteenth annual progress report, August 1, 1976--July 31, 1977. [Plutonium transport in terrestrial ecosystems at Rocky Flats Plant with emphasis on biological effects on mule deer and coyotes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whicker, F.W.

1977-08-01

This report summarizes project activities during the period August 1, 1976 through July 31, 1977. Four major areas of effort are reported, namely plutonium behavior in a terrestrial ecosystem at Rocky Flats, mule deer and coyote studies at Rocky Flats, ecological consequences of transuranics in the terrestrial environment, and lead geochemistry of an alpine lake ecosystem. Much of the first area of effort involved the synthesis of data and preparation of manuscripts, although some new data are reported on plutonium levels in small mammals, plant uptake of plutonium from contaminated soil, and plutonium deposition rates on macroplot 1. The mulemore » deer studies generated a substantial body of new information which will permit quantitative assessment of plutonium dispersion by deer that utilize contaminated areas. These studies involve population dynamics, movement and use patterns, food habits, ingestion rates of contaminated soil and vegetation and plutonium burdens of deer tissues. A related study of coyote food habits in summer at Rocky Flats is reported. A manuscript dealing with the question of ecological effects of transuranics was prepared. This manuscript incorporates data from Rocky Flats on characteristics of natural populations which occupy ecologically similar areas having differing levels of plutonium contamination. The lead geochemistry studies continued to generate new data but the data are not yet reported.« less

10 CFR 960.4-2-2 - Geochemistry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REPOSITORY Postclosure Guidelines § 960.4-2-2 Geochemistry. (a) Qualifying condition. The present and... future, not affect or would favorably affect the ability of the geologic repository to isolate the waste... subjected to expected repository conditions, would remain unaltered or would alter to mineral assemblages...

Geochemical constraints on the temperature and timing of carbonate formation and lithification in the Nankai Trough, NanTroSEIZE transect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sample, James C.; Torres, Marta E.; Fisher, Andrew; Hong, Wei-Li; Destrigneville, Christine; Defliese, William F.; Tripati, Aradhna E.

2017-02-01

Information about diagenetic processes and temperatures during burial of sediments entering the subduction zone is important for understanding changes in physical properties and seismic behavior during deformation. The geochemistry of authigenic carbonates from accretionary prisms can serve as proxies for conditions during carbonate cementation and resultant lithification. We report results from the Nankai accretionary prism recovered from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) sites C0011 and C0012 and we document continued cementation of deep sediment sections prior to subduction. Elemental and isotope data provide evidence for complex mixing of different isotopic reservoirs in pore waters contributing to carbonate chemical signatures. Carbon stable isotope values exhibit a broad range (δ13CV-PDB = +0.1‰ to -22.5‰) that corresponds to different stages of cement formation during burial. Carbonate formation temperatures from carbonate-clumped isotope geochemistry range from 16 °C to 63 °C at Site C0011 and 8.7 °C to 68 °C at Site C0012. The correspondence between the clumped-isotope temperatures and extrapolations of measured in situ temperatures indicate the carbonate is continuing to form at present. Calculated water isotopic compositions are in some cases enriched in 18O relative to measured interstitial waters suggesting a component of inherited seawater or input from clay-bound water. Low oxygen isotope values and the observed Ba/Ca ratios are also consistent with carbonate cementation at depth. Strontium isotopes of interstitial waters (87Sr/86Sr of 0.7059-0.7069) and carbonates (87Sr/86Sr of 0.70715-0.70891) support formation of carbonates from a mixture of strontium reservoirs including current interstitial waters and relic seawater contemporaneous with deposition. Collectively our data reflect mixed sources of dissolved inorganic carbon and cations that include authigenic phases driven by organic carbon and volcanic alteration reactions. Physical properties of input sediments continue to undergo modification by carbonate cementation at present. Due to ongoing recrystallization, temperatures from carbonate-clumped isotopes reflect the modern geothermal gradient and may serve as useful measures of geothermal gradients in other siliciclastic basins where carbonate cementation occurs. We conclude that clumped-isotope signatures in authigenic carbonates from accretionary prisms are important proxies for the timing and conditions of cementation in active margins. Our results highlight the importance of using multi-proxy approaches to elucidate the history of carbonate cementation, particularly to establish carbonate precipitation at depth and its potential impact on the physical and mechanical properties of the sediment prior to subduction.

Lunar carbon chemistry - Relations to and implications for terrestrial organic geochemistry.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eglinton, G.; Maxwell, J. R.; Pillinger, C. T.

1972-01-01

Survey of the various ways in which studies of lunar carbon chemistry have beneficially affected terrestrial organic geochemistry. A lunar organic gas-analysis operating system is cited as the most important instrumental development in relation to terrestrial organic geochemistry. Improved methods of analysis and handling of organic samples are cited as another benefit derived from studies of lunar carbon chemistry. The problem of controlling contamination and minimizing organic vapors is considered, as well as the possibility of analyzing terrestrial samples by the techniques developed for lunar samples. A need for new methods of analyzing carbonaceous material which is insoluble in organic solvents is indicated.

U.S. National Committee for Geochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geotimes, 1974

1974-01-01

Reports highlights of the April, 1973 meeting of the U.S. National Committee for Geochemistry. Some of the topics reported on were: The Geophysics Research Board, deep drilling, exchange of geochemists with China and the activities of the Subcommittee on Geochemical Environment in Relation to Health and Disease. (BR)

Geochemistry in Action: Watch a Dripstone Grow!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidkonz, Bertram

2017-01-01

Learning how cave formations, such as dripstone, take shape can be a valuable pedagogical tool in chemistry and geochemistry. Grasping the underlying processes requires students to synthesize knowledge of several different topical areas. The activity presented here uses an innovative experiment to connect chemistry concepts with an interesting…

MICROFRACTURE SURFACE GEOCHEMISTRY AND ADHERENT MICROBIAL POPULATION METABOLISM IN TCE-CONTAMINATED COMPETENT BEDROCK

EPA Science Inventory

A TCE-contaminated competent bedrock site in Portsmouth, NH was used to determine if a relation existed between microfracture (MF) surface geochemistry and the ecology and metabolic activity of attached microbes relative to terminal electron accepting processes (TEAPs) and TCE bi...

Model for the Evolution of an Oceanic Core Complex and its Hydrothermal Vent on the Ultraslow-Spreading Mid Cayman Spreading Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, J.; Van Avendonk, H. J.; Hayman, N. W.; Grevemeyer, I.; Peirce, C.

2016-12-01

The Mid Cayman Spreading Center (MCSC) is an ultraslow-spreading center (15 mm yr-1 full rate) along the Caribbean-North American plate boundary. Despite the paradigm that ultraslow-spreading centers are amagmatic and cold, two hydrothermal vent fields have recently been discovered along the MCSC. The Beebe Vent Field is a black smoker in the northern axial deep, and the Von Damm Vent Field (VDVF) is a moderate-temperature, talc precipitating vent found atop an oceanic core complex (OCC). This OCC, "Mt. Dent", is a large (3 km high) massif that formed beneath a detachment fault, which exhumed lower crustal and upper mantle material. The CaySeis Experiment was conducted in April, 2015 in order to collect wide-angle refraction data of the MCSC crust and upper mantle. We modeled the across-axis crustal structure of Mt. Dent as well as the surrounding lithosphere using 2.5D P-wave tomography. Using this tomographic model, along with geochemistry, we propose a model for the formation and evolution of the OCC Mt. Dent and the VDVF. A detachment fault formed in a magma-poor environment due to a pulse of magmatism, producing a large gabbro body that was then exhumed and rotated into the OCC footwall. Once magmatism waned and the gabbroic body cooled, the OCC was faulted and fractured due to plate flexure and increased tectonic extensional stress in the naturally cold and thick lithosphere. These faults provide a permeable and deep network of hydrothermal pathways that mine deep lithospheric heat and expose gabbro and fresh mantle peridotite. This model is consistent with the basalt geochemistry, hydrothermal fluid geochemistry, and the distribution of brittle vs. ductile structures along the detachment shear zone. The VDVF is therefore a product of a pulse of magmatism in an overall melt-poor environment, conditions that may be found at other ultraslow-spreading ridges.

Do Skeletal Density Changes Within the Tissue Layer of Corals Affect Paleoclimate Reconstructions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, J. S.; DeLong, K. L.; Quinn, T.; Taylor, F. W.; Kilbourne, K. H.; Wagner, A. J.

2016-02-01

Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions from coral geochemistry provide information on past climate variability; however, not all coral studies agree on a common calibration slope. Therefore, understanding the impacts of coral skeletal growth on strontium-to-calcium ratios (Sr/Ca) and oxygen isotopic ratios (δ18O) is necessary to ensure accurate calibrations. The study of Gagan et al. (2012) suggests that for the Pacific coral genera Porites, SST calibrations for coral Sr/Ca and δ18O need to be adjusted to account for skeletal density changes in the tissue layer, which may attenuate the seasonal cycle in coral geochemistry. We attempt to duplicate those results and density patterns in several Porites lutea colonies from two locations, yet our results do not show an increase in density in the tissue layer. Another study with Montastraea faveolata reveals reduced seasonality in coral Sr/Ca compared to slower-growing Siderastrea siderea in close proximity and same water depth, suggesting the faster growing M. faveolata geochemistry may be attenuated. By measuring skeletal density changes by micromilling a standard volume throughout the tissue layer and immediately below, we find no pattern of skeletal accumulation in the tissue layer of multiple colonies of M. faveolata and S. siderea from different locations. We conclude that these species lay down all of their skeletal material at the skeleton surface, thus skeletal density changes in the tissue layer do not account for reduced seasonality. We propose that time averaging occurs in M. faveolata as a result of the coral polyp's deep calyces mixing time intervals in the adjacent thecal wall in which micromilling for geochemical analysis produces a sample area that contains several growth increments. Our results show that skeletal density growth effects cannot be applied to all coral genera and paves the way for new research on calyx depth as an alternative explanation for differences in coral calibration slopes.

Distinguishing the Source of Natural Gas Accumulations with a Combined Gas and Co-produced Formation Water Geochemical Approach: a Case Study from the Appalachian Basin

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The purpose of this study is to discuss the use of gas and co-produced formation water geochemistry for identifying the source of natural gas and present gas geochemistry for the northern Appalachian Basin.

Sulphur isotope applications in two Philippine geothermal systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bayon, F.E.B.

1996-12-31

A general and very preliminary study of sulphur isotope geochemistry is presented in this paper. Data from the Mt. Apo and Palinpinon geothermal fields are used to demonstrate the use of sulphur isotopes in geothermometry and correlation of sulphur species. Sulphur and oxygen isotope geothermometers applied to Mt. Apo data show very good agreement with temperatures estimated using other established geothermometers, as well as bore measured temperatures. This signifies that sulphur isotopes in S-species in fluids of the Mt. Apo hydrothermal system are in equilibrium at drilled depths. In Palinpinon, on the other hand, temperature estimates from fluid and mineralmore » sulphur isotope geothermometry calculations do not agree with, and are commonly higher than, well measured temperatures and temperatures estimated from other geothermometers. Sulphur isotopes in the presently-exploited Palinpinon fluid are not in equilibrium, and sulphur isotope geothermometry may be reflective of isotopic equilibrium of the deeper portions of the hydrothermal system. Dissolved sulphate in both the Palinpinon and Mt. Apo geothermal fluids appear to originate from the disproportionation of magmatic SO{sub 2} at temperatures below 400{degrees}C. Hydrogen sulphide in well discharge fluids are dominantly directly derived from the magma, with a minor amount coming from SO{sub 2} disproportionation.« less

Greater temporal changes of sediment microbial community than its waterborne counterpart in Tengchong hot springs, Yunnan Province, China

PubMed Central

Wang, Shang; Dong, Hailiang; Hou, Weiguo; Jiang, Hongchen; Huang, Qiuyuan; Briggs, Brandon R.; Huang, Liuqin

2014-01-01

Temporal variation in geochemistry can cause changes in microbial community structure and diversity. Here we studied temporal changes of microbial communities in Tengchong hot springs of Yunnan Province, China in response to geochemical variations by using microbial and geochemical data collected in January, June and August of 2011. Greater temporal variations were observed in individual taxa than at the whole community structure level. Water and sediment communities exhibited different temporal variation patterns. Water communities were largely stable across three sampling times and dominated by similar microbial lineages: Hydrogenobaculum in moderate-temperature acidic springs, Sulfolobus in high-temperature acidic springs, and Hydrogenobacter in high-temperature circumneutral to alkaline springs. Sediment communities were more diverse and responsive to changing physicochemical conditions. Most of the sediment communities in January and June were similar to those in waters. However, the August sediment community was more diverse and contained more anaerobic heterotrophs than the January and June: Desulfurella and Acidicaldus in moderate-temperature acidic springs, Ignisphaera and Desulfurococcus in high-temperature acidic springs, the candidate division OP1 and Fervidobacterium in alkaline springs, and Thermus and GAL35 in neutral springs. Temporal variations in physicochemical parameters including temperature, pH, and dissolved organic carbon may have triggered the observed microbial community shifts. PMID:25524763

Development of Tandem, Double-Focusing, Electron Impact, Gas Source Mass Spectrometer for Measurement of Rare Double-Substituted Isotoplogues in Geochemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Young, Edward D.

This project culminated in construction and delivery of the world’s first large-radius gas-source isotope ratio mass spectrometer that permits unparalleled analyses of the stable isotopic composition of methane gas. The instrument, referred to as the “Panorama” and installed at UCLA in March 2015, can now be used to determine the relative abundances of rare isotopic species of methane that serve as tracers of temperature of formation and/or subsequent processing of gas. With this technology we can begin to delineate different sources and sinks of methane isotopically in ways not possible until now.

Experimental geochemistry of Pu and Sm and the thermodynamics of trace element partitioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, John H.; Burnett, Donald S.

1987-01-01

An experimental study of the partitioning of Pu and Sm between diopside/liquid and whitlockite/liquid supports the hypothesis that Pu behaves as a light rare earth element during igneous processes in reducing environments. D-Pu/D-Sm is found to be about 2 for both diopsidic pyroxene and whitlockite, and the amount of fractionation would be decreased further if Pu were compared to Ce or Nd. Data indicate that temperature, rather than melt composition, is the most important control on elemental partitioning, and that P2O5 in aluminosilicate melts serves as a complexing agent for the actinides and lanthanides.

Soda Geyser Geochemistry

DOE Data Explorer

Neupane, Ghanashyam; McLing, Travis

2017-04-01

These brine samples are collected from the Soda Geyser (a thermal feature, temperature ~30 C) in Soda Springs, Idaho. These samples also represent the overthrust brines typical of oil and gas plays in western Wyoming. Samples were collected from the source and along the flow channel at different distances from the source. By collecting and analyzing these samples we are able to increase the density and quality of data from the western Wyoming oil and gas plays. Furthermore, the sampling approach also helped determine the systematic variation in REE concentration with the sampling distance from the source. Several geochemical processes are at work along the flow channels, such as degassing, precipitation, sorption, etc.

CRYOCHEM, Thermodynamic Model for Cryogenic Chemical Systems: Solid-Vapor and Solid-Liquid-Vapor Phase Equilibria Toward Applications on Titan and Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, S. P.; Kargel, J. S.; Adidharma, H.; Marion, G. M.

2014-12-01

Until in-situ measurements can be made regularly on extraterrestrial bodies, thermodynamic models are the only tools to investigate the properties and behavior of chemical systems on those bodies. The resulting findings are often critical in describing physicochemical processes in the atmosphere, surface, and subsurface in planetary geochemistry and climate studies. The extremely cold conditions on Triton, Pluto and other Kuiper Belt Objects, and Titan introduce huge non-ideality that prevents conventional models from performing adequately. At such conditions, atmospheres as a whole—not components individually—are subject to phase equilibria with their equilibrium solid phases or liquid phases or both. A molecular-based thermodynamic model for cryogenic chemical systems, referred to as CRYOCHEM, the development of which is still in progress, was shown to reproduce the vertical composition profile of Titan's atmospheric methane measured by the Huygens probe (Tan et al., Icarus 2013, 222, 53). Recently, the model was also used to describe Titan's global circulation where the calculated composition of liquid in Ligeia Mare is consistent with the bathymetry and microwave absorption analysis of T91 Cassini fly-by data (Tan et al., 2014, submitted). Its capability to deal with equilibria involving solid phases has also been demonstrated (Tan et al., Fluid Phase Equilib. 2013, 360, 320). With all those previous works done, our attention is now shifting to the lower temperatures in Titan's tropopause and on Pluto's surface, where much technical development remains for CRYOCHEM to assure adequate performance at low temperatures. In these conditions, solid-vapor equilibrium (SVE) is the dominant phase behavior that determines the composition of the atmosphere and the existing ices. Another potential application is for the subsurface phase equilibrium, which also involves liquid, thus three-phase equilibrium: solid-liquid-vapor (SLV). This presentation will discuss the current state of CRYOCHEM in representing the SVE and SLV of chemical systems at temperatures and pressures relevant to Titan's tropopause and Pluto and the upper crusts of these objects.

Characterization of transpressive deformation in shear zones of the Archean North Caribou greenstone belt (NW Superior Province) and the relationship with regional metamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnon, Émilie; Schneider, David A.; Kalbfleisch, Tash; Habler, Gerlinde; Biczok, John

2016-12-01

The 2.7-3.0 Ga North Caribou greenstone belt (NCGB), host to the Musselwhite BIF-hosted gold deposit, possesses abundant shear zones on its northern margins, which appear to have formed under amphibolite facies conditions. Protracted deformation and regional metamorphism are coeval with widespread magmatism and accretion events during crustal amalgamation of the Western Superior Province, and are responsible for folding the ore-hosting BIF and channeling fluids. The importance of shear zones in behaving as conduits for fluids during the tectonic evolution of the NCGB is not well known and their relationship with metamorphism is equivocal, yet higher-grade, syn- to post-tectonic metamorphic minerals seem to correlate with loci of higher strain. Structural analyses support oblique transpressive collision that produced steeply-dipping planar and shallowly-plunging linear fabrics with dominant dextral kinematics, that trend broadly parallel to the doubly arcuate shape of the belt. Electron backscatter diffraction analyses were conducted on strategic samples across one shear zone in order to characterize crustal conditions during transpressive deformation. The Dinnick Lake shear zone cuts through mafic metavolcanics and at its core is an L-tectonite granite composed of recrystallized quartz. Whole rock geochemistry shows little variation in Ca, Na, Mg and K (often used as indicators of hydrothermal alteration) from surrounding less deformed units, suggesting deformation in a dry environment. Microstructural analysis indicates subgrain rotation recrystallization and deformation by prism a- and c-slip in quartz, as well as aligned hornblende that suggest deformation temperatures above 500 °C. Quartz in mafic rocks along the margins of the shear zone also exhibits a basal a-slip component, indicating a slight decrease in strain or temperature. Although the NCGB exhibits some first-order evidence of vertical tectonism (dome and keel geometries), the dominant strain record within shear zones is that of horizontal (oblique transpressive) displacement. This is in agreement with other greenstone belts in the Western Superior Province where vertical tectonism and horizontal tectonism were coeval. Table A1. Whole rock geochemistry of basalts. Table A2. Whole rock geochemistry of granites. Table B.1. Parameters and conditions of machine during EBSD data collection. Table D1. Table of corresponding probability and critical d values of the K-S test. Fig. E1. Feldspar pole figures. Fig. E2. Hornblende pole figures. Fig. F1. Grain boundary misorientation histograms of feldspars. Fig. F2. Grain boundary misorientation histograms of hornblende.

Scientific Communication of Geochemical Data and the Use of Computer Databases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Le Bas, M. J.; Durham, J.

1989-01-01

Describes a scheme in the United Kingdom that coordinates geochemistry publications with a computerized geochemistry database. The database comprises not only data published in the journals but also the remainder of the pertinent data set. The discussion covers the database design; collection, storage and retrieval of data; and plans for future…

Fallon, Nevada FORGE Fluid Geochemistry

DOE Data Explorer

Blankenship, Doug; Ayling, Bridget

2018-03-13

Fluid geochemistry analysis for wells supporting the Fallon FORGE project. Samples were collected from geothermal wells using standard geothermal water sampling techniques, including filtration and acidification of the cation sample to pH < 2 prior to geochemical analysis. Analyses after 2005 were done in reputable commercial laboratories that follow standard protocols for aqueous chemistry analysis.

Mass transfer and fluid evolution in late-metamorphic veins, Rhenish Massif (Germany): insight from alteration geochemistry and fluid-mineral equilibria modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsala, Achille; Wagner, Thomas

2016-08-01

Element mobility and fluid-rock interaction related to the formation of late-metamorphic quartz veins have been studied by combination of mineral chemistry, whole-rock geochemistry, mass balance analysis and fluid-mineral equilibria modeling. The quartz veins are hosted by very low-grade metasedimentary rocks of the fold-and-thrust belt of the Rhenish Massif (Germany). The veins record two stages of evolution, a massive vein filling assemblage with elongate-blocky quartz, chlorite, apatite and albite, and a later open space filling assemblage with euhedral crystals of quartz, ankerite-dolomite and minor calcite and sulfides. Detailed mass balance analysis of an alteration profile adjacent to a representative quartz vein demonstrates that element mobility is restricted to the proximal zone. The most important element changes are gain of Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, P and CO2, and loss of Si, K and Na. The data demonstrate that wall-rock carbonation is one of the main alteration features, whereas mobility of Si, K and Na are related to dissolution of quartz and destruction of detrital feldspar and muscovite. The whole-rock geochemical data, in conjunction with fluid composition data and pressure-temperature estimates, were used as input for fluid-mineral equilibria modeling in the system Si-Al-Fe-Mg-Ca-Na-K-C-S-O-H-B-F-Cl. Modeling involved calculation of rock-buffered fluid compositions over the temperature interval 100-500 °C, and reaction-path simulations where a rock-buffered high-temperature fluid reacts with fresh host-rocks at temperatures of 400, 300 and 200 °C. Calculated rock-buffered fluid compositions demonstrate that retrograde silica solubility is a strong driving force for quartz leaching in the temperature-pressure window of 380-450 °C and 0.5 kbar. These conditions overlap with the estimated temperatures for the initial stage of vein formation. Reaction-path models show that high-temperature alteration can produce the observed silica leaching, suggesting that fast advection of external hot fluids from deeper crustal levels was essential for the early stage of vein formation. Fluid advection must have occurred as multiple pulses, which allowed for periods of influx of fluids that leached quartz, alternating with periods of cooling and quartz precipitation in the veins. Reaction-path models at high temperatures (300-400 °C) do not produce carbonate alteration, whereas fluid-rock reaction at 200 °C produces carbonate alteration, consistent with the temperature estimates for the late-stage vein carbonate assemblage. Comparison between modeling results and geochemical data suggests that the observed alteration features are the product of fluid-rock reaction under conditions where the external fluid gradually cooled down and evolved with time. The results of this study highlight the importance of late-orogenic fluid migration for the formation of quartz vein arrays in fold-and-thrust belts.

Electrical Resistance Tomography to Monitor Mitigation of Metal-Toxic Acid-Leachates Ruby Gulch Waste Rock Repository Gilt Edge Mine Superfund Site, South Dakota USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Versteeg, R.; Heath, G.; Richardson, A.; Paul, D.; Wangerud, K.

2003-12-01

At a cyanide heap-leach open-pit mine, 15-million cubic yards of acid-generating sulfides were dumped at the head of a steep-walled mountain valley, with 30 inches/year precipitation generating 60- gallons/minute ARD leachate. Remediation has reshaped the dump to a 70-acre, 3.5:1-sloped geometry, installed drainage benches and runoff diversions, and capped the repository and lined diversions with a polyethylene geomembrane and cover system. Monitoring was needed to evaluate (a) long-term geomembrane integrity, (b) diversion liner integrity and long-term effectiveness, (c) ARD geochemistry, kinetics and pore-gas dynamics within the repository mass, and (d) groundwater interactions. Observation wells were paired with a 600-electrode resistivity survey system. Using near-surface and down-hole electrodes and automated data collection and post-processing, periodic two- and three-dimensional resistivity images are developed to reflect current and changed-conditions in moisture, temperature, geochemical components, and flow-direction analysis. Examination of total resistivity values and time variances between images allows direct observation of liner and cap integrity with precise identification and location of leaks; likewise, if runoff migrates from degraded diversion ditches into the repository zone, there is an accompanying and noticeable change in resistivity values. Used in combination with monitoring wells containing borehole resistivity electrodes (calibrated with direct sampling of dump water/moisture, temperature and pore-gas composition), the resistivity arrays allow at-depth imaging of geochemical conditions within the repository mass. The information provides early indications of progress or deficiencies in de-watering and ARD- mitigation that is the remedy intent. If emerging technologies present opportunities for secondary treatment, deep resistivity images may assist in developing application methods and evaluating the effectiveness of any reagents introduced into the repository mass to further effect changes in oxidation/reduction reactions.

Fluid-rock geochemical interaction for modelling calibration in geothermal exploration in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deon, Fiorenza; Barnhoorn, Auke; Lievens, Caroline; Ryannugroho, Riskiray; Imaro, Tulus; Bruhn, David; van der Meer, Freek; Hutami, Rizki; Sibarani, Besteba; Sule, Rachmat; Saptadij, Nenny; Hecker, Christoph; Appelt, Oona; Wilke, Franziska

2017-04-01

Indonesia with its large, but partially unexplored geothermal potential is one of the most interesting and suitable places in the world to conduct geothermal exploration research. This study focuses on geothermal exploration based on fluid-rock geochemistry/geomechanics and aims to compile an overview on geochemical data-rock properties from important geothermal fields in Indonesia. The research carried out in the field and in the laboratory is performed in the framework of the GEOCAP cooperation (Geothermal Capacity Building program Indonesia- the Netherlands). The application of petrology and geochemistry accounts to a better understanding of areas where operating power plants exist but also helps in the initial exploration stage of green areas. Because of their relevance and geological setting geothermal fields in Java, Sulawesi and the sedimentary basin of central Sumatra have been chosen as focus areas of this study. Operators, universities and governmental agencies will benefit from this approach as it will be applied also to new green-field terrains. By comparing the characteristic of the fluids, the alteration petrology and the rock geochemistry we also aim to contribute to compile an overview of the geochemistry of the important geothermal fields in Indonesia. At the same time the rock petrology and fluid geochemistry will be used as input data to model the reservoir fluid composition along with T-P parameters with the geochemical workbench PHREEQC. The field and laboratory data are mandatory for both the implementation and validation of the model results.

Thiols in Hydrothermal Solution: Standard Partial Molal Properties and Their Role in the Organic Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulte, Mitchell D.; Rogers, Karyn L.; DeVincenzi, D. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Modern seafloor hydrothermal systems are locations where great varieties of geochemistry occur due to the enormous disequilibrium between vent fluids and seawater. The disequilibrium geochemistry has been hypothesized to include reactions to synthesize organic compounds. Despite the incomplete understanding of the carbon budget in hydrothermal systems, the organic geochemistry of these sites has received little attention. Experimental simulations of these environments, however, indicate that organic compounds may have difficulty forming in a purely aqueous environment. On the other hand, thiols, thioesters and disulfides have been implicated as reaction intermediates between CO or CO2 in experiments of carbon reduction in hydrothermal environments, as well as in a variety of biological processes and other abiotic reactions. The reduction of CO2 to thesis, for example, is observed using the FeS-H2S/FeS2 couple to provide the reducing power. We have used recent advances in theoretical geochemistry to estimate the standard partial moral thermodynamic properties and parameters for the revised Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers equation of state for aqueous straight-chain alkyl thesis. With these data and parameters we have evaluated the role that organic sulfur compounds may play as reaction intermediates during organic compound synthesis. We conclude that organic sulfur compounds may hold the key to the organic chemistry leading to the origin of life in hydrothermal settings. These results may also explain the presence of sulfur in a number of biomolecules present in ancient thermophilic microorganisms.

Springwater geochemistry at Honey Creek State Natural Area, central Texas: Implications for surface water and groundwater interaction in a karst aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musgrove, M.; Stern, L. A.; Banner, J. L.

2010-06-01

SummaryA two and a half year study of two adjacent watersheds at the Honey Creek State Natural Area (HCSNA) in central Texas was undertaken to evaluate spatial and temporal variations in springwater geochemistry, geochemical evolution processes, and potential effects of brush control on karst watershed hydrology. The watersheds are geologically and geomorphologically similar, and each has springs discharging into Honey Creek, a tributary to the Guadalupe River. Springwater geochemistry is considered in a regional context of aquifer components including soil water, cave dripwater, springwater, and phreatic groundwater. Isotopic and trace element variability allows us to identify both vadose and phreatic groundwater contributions to surface water in Honey Creek. Spatial and temporal geochemical data for six springs reveal systematic differences between the two watersheds. Springwater Sr isotope values lie between values for the limestone bedrock and soils at HCSNA, reflecting a balance between these two primary sources of Sr. Sr isotope values for springs within each watershed are consistent with differences between soil compositions. At some of the springs, consistent temporal variability in springwater geochemistry (Sr isotopes, Mg/Ca, and Sr/Ca values) appears to reflect changes in climatic and hydrologic parameters (rainfall/recharge) that affect watershed processes. Springwater geochemistry was unaffected by brush removal at the scale of the HCSNA study. Results of this study build on previous regional studies to provide insight into watershed hydrology and regional hydrologic processes, including connections between surface water, vadose groundwater, and phreatic groundwater.

Zn/Cd ratios and cadmium isotope evidence for the classification of lead-zinc deposits

PubMed Central

Wen, Hanjie; Zhu, Chuanwei; Zhang, Yuxu; Cloquet, Christophe; Fan, Haifeng; Fu, Shaohong

2016-01-01

Lead-zinc deposits are often difficult to classify because clear criteria are lacking. In recent years, new tools, such as Cd and Zn isotopes, have been used to better understand the ore-formation processes and to classify Pb-Zn deposits. Herein, we investigate Cd concentrations, Cd isotope systematics and Zn/Cd ratios in sphalerite from nine Pb-Zn deposits divided into high-temperature systems (e.g., porphyry), low-temperature systems (e.g., Mississippi Valley type [MVT]) and exhalative systems (e.g., sedimentary exhalative [SEDEX]). Our results showed little evidence of fractionation in the high-temperature systems. In the low-temperature systems, Cd concentrations were the highest, but were also highly variable, a result consistent with the higher fractionation of Cd at low temperatures. The δ114/110Cd values in low-temperature systems were enriched in heavier isotopes (mean of 0.32 ± 0.31‰). Exhalative systems had the lowest Cd concentrations, with a mean δ114/110Cd value of 0.12 ± 0.50‰. We thus conclude that different ore-formation systems result in different characteristic Cd concentrations and fraction levels and that low-temperature processes lead to the most significant fractionation of Cd. Therefore, Cd distribution and isotopic studies can support better understanding of the geochemistry of ore-formation processes and the classification of Pb-Zn deposits. PMID:27121538

Geochemical characterisation of Taal volcano-hydrothermal system and temporal evolution during continued phases of unrest (1991-2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maussen, Katharine; Villacorte, Edgardo; Rebadulla, Ryan R.; Maximo, Raymond Patrick; Debaille, Vinciane; Bornas, Ma. Antonia; Bernard, Alain

2018-02-01

Taal volcano (Luzon Island, Philippines) has last erupted in 1977 but has known some periods of increased activity, characterised by seismic swarms, ground deformation, increased carbon dioxide flux and in some cases temperature anomalies and the opening of fissures. We studied major, trace element and sulphur and strontium isotopic composition of Taal lake waters and hot springs over a period of 25 years to investigate the geochemical evolution of Taal volcano's hydrothermal system and its response to volcanic unrest. Long-term evolution of Main Crater Lake (MCL) composition shows a slow but consistent decrease of acidity, SO4, Mg, Fe and Al concentrations and a trend from light to heavy sulphate, consistent with a general decrease of volcanic gases dissolving in the hydrothermal system. Na, K and Cl concentrations remain constant indicating a non-volcanic origin for these elements. Sulphate and strontium isotopic data suggest this neutral chloride-rich component represents input of geothermal water into Taal hydrothermal system. A significant deviation from the long-term baseline can be seen in two samples from 1995. That year, pH dropped from 2.6 to 2.2, F, Si and Fe concentrations increased and Na, K and Cl concentrations decreased. Sulphate was depleted in 34S and temperature was 4 °C above baseline level at the time of sampling. We attribute these changes to the shallow intrusion of a degassing magma body during the unrest in 1991-1994. More recent unrest periods have not caused significant changes in the geochemistry of Taal hydrothermal waters and are therefore unlikely to have been triggered by shallow magma intrusion. A more likely cause for these events is thus pressurisation of the hydrothermal reservoir by increasing degassing from a stagnant magma reservoir. Our study indicates that new magmatic intrusions that might lead to the next eruption of Taal volcano are expected to change the geochemistry of MCL in the same way as in 1994-1995, with the most notable effects being changes in temperature, pH, F and Si concentrations.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of a superhigh-organic-sulfur coal, Yanshan Coalfield, Yunnan, China: Evidence for a volcanic ash component and influence by submarine exhalation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dai, S.; Ren, D.; Zhou, Y.; Chou, C.-L.; Wang, X.; Zhao, L.; Zhu, Xudong

2008-01-01

The mineralogy and geochemistry of a superhigh-organic-sulfur (SHOS) coal of Late Permian age from the Yanshan Coalfield, Yunnan Province, southwestern China, have been studied using optical microscope, low-temperature ashing plus X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, a sequential chemical extraction procedure, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The M9 Coal from the Yanshan Coalfield is a SHOS coal that has a total sulfur content of 10.12%-11.30% and an organic sulfur content of 8.77%-10.30%. The minerals in the coal consist mainly of high-temperature quartz, sanidine, albite, muscovite, illite, pyrite, and trace amounts of kaolinite, plagioclase, akermanite, rutile, and dawsonite. As compared with ordinary worldwide (bituminous coals and anthracite) and Chinese coals, the M9 Coal is remarkably enriched in B (268????g/g), F (841????g/g), V (567????g/g), Cr (329????g/g), Ni (73.9????g/g), Mo (204????g/g), and U (153????g/g). In addition, elements including Se (25.2????g/g), Zr (262????g/g), Nb (20.1????g/g), Cd (2.07????g/g), and Tl (2.03????g/g) are also enriched in the coal. Occurrence of high-temperature quartz, sanidine, muscovite, and illite in the M9 Coal is evidence that there is a volcanic ash component in the coal that was derived from acid volcanic ashes fallen into the swamp during peat accumulation. Occurrence of albite and dawsonite in the coal and strong enrichment of some elements, including F, S, V, Cr, Ni, Mo and U, are attributed to the influence by submarine exhalation which invaded along with seawater into the anoxic peat swamp. Abundances of lithophile elements, including rare earth elements, Nb, Y, Zr, and TiO2, indicate that the silicate minerals in the coal were derived from the northern Vietnam Upland to the south of the basin. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isotope Geochemistry for Comparative Planetology of Exoplanets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandt, K. E.; Atreya, S.; Luspay-Kuti, A.; Mousis, O.; Simon, A.; Hofstadter, M. D.

2017-01-01

Isotope geochemistry has played a critical role in understanding processes at work in and the history of solar system bodies. Application of these techniques to exoplanets would be revolutionary and would allow comparative planetology with the formation and evolution of exoplanet systems. The roadmap for comparative planetology of the origins and workings of exoplanets involves isotopic geochemistry efforts in three areas: (1) technology development to expand observations of the isotopic composition of solar system bodies and expand observations to isotopic composition of exoplanet atmospheres; (2) theoretical modeling of how isotopes fractionate and the role they play in evolution of exoplanetary systems, atmospheres, surfaces and interiors; and (3) laboratory studies to constrain isotopic fractionation due to processes at work throughout the solar system.

Hydrogen generation during serpentinisation in ophiolite complexes: A comparison of H2-rich gases from Oman, Philippines and Turkey.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaumont, Valérie; Vacquand, Christèle; Deville, Eric; Prinzhofer, Alain

2013-04-01

H2-rich gas seepages in ultrabasic to basic contexts both in marine and continental environment are by-products of serpentinisation. Hydrothermal systems at MOR expose ultrabasic rocks to thermodynamic conditions favouring oxidation of FeII bearing minerals and water reduction. In continental context such thermodynamic conditions do not exist although active serpentinisation occurs in all known ophiolitic complexes (Barnes et al., 1978; Bruni et al., 2002; Cipolli et al., 2004; Boschetti and Toscani, 2008; Marques et al., 2008). Hyperalkaline springs are reported in these contexts as evidence of this active serpentinisation (Barnes et al., 1967) and are often associated with seepages of reduced gases (Neal and Stanger, 1983; Sano et al., 1993). Dry gas seepages are also observed (Abrajano et al., 1988, 1990; Hosgörmez, 2007; Etiope et al., 2011) Such H2-rich gases from ophiolite complexes were sampled in the Sultanate of Oman, the Philippines and Turkey and were analysed for chemical composition, noble gases contents, stable isotopes of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. The conditions for present-day serpentinisation in ophiolites were recognised as low temperature processes in Oman with high rock/water ratios (Neal and Stanger, 1985), while the origin of gases is not as univocal for Philippines and Turkey gas seepages. Although, H2 generation is directly linked with FeII oxidation, different reactions can occur during peridotite hydration (McCollom and Bach, 2009; Marcaillou et al., 2011) and serpentine weathering. Produced H2 can react with carbonate species to produce methane via processes that could be biological or abiotic, while carbon availability depends on water recharge chemistry. In the present study, the geochemical properties of gases sampled from three different ophiolite complexes are compared and provide evidence that weathering reactions producing H2 depend on structural, geological, geomorphologic and hydrological local features. REFERENCES Abrajano, T. A., et al. (1988). Chemical Geology, 71(1-3), 211-222. Abrajano, T. A, et al. (1990). Applied Geochemistry, 5(5-6), 625-630. Barnes, I., et al. (1967). Science (New York, N.Y.), 156(3776), 830-2. Barnes, I., et al. (1978). Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 42(1), 144-145. Boschetti, T., & Toscani, L. (2008). Chemical Geology, 257(1-2), 76-91. Bruni, J., et al. (2002). Applied Geochemistry, 17, 455-474. Cipolli, F., et al. (2004). Applied Geochemistry, 19(5), 787-802. Etiope, G., et al. (2011). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 310(1-2), 96-104. Hosgörmez, H. (2007). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 30(1), 131-141. Marcaillou, C., et al. (2011). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 303(3-4), 281-290. Marques, J. M., et al. (2008). Applied Geochemistry, 23(12), 3278-3289. McCollom, T. M. & Bach, W. (2009). Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 73(3), 856-875. Neal, C. & Stanger, G. (1983). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 66(66), 315-320. Neal, C. & Stanger, G. (1985). In J. I. Dever (Ed.), The Chemistry of Weathering (pp. 249-275). D. Reidel Publishing Company. Sano, Y., et al. (1993). Applied Geochemistry, 8(1), 1-8.

Regional studies of dolomites and their included fluids: recognizing multiple chemically distinct fluids during the complex diagenetic history of Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) rocks of the Irish Zn-Pb ore field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Aaron W.; Shelton, Kevin L.; Gregg, Jay M.; Somerville, Ian D.; Wright, Wayne R.; Nagy, Zsolt R.

2009-05-01

This study provides a regional framework within which studies of ore-related dolomite and dolomite cements may be placed. Fluid inclusion data indicate the presence of three distinct fluids following early dolomitization: 1) a ubiquitous low-temperature, higher salinity fluid found in saddle dolomite; 2) a low-temperature, lower salinity fluid limited to sub-Waulsortian and Waulsortian carbonates; and 3) a higher temperature, lower salinity fluid found in Waulsortian and supra-Waulsortian rocks. Similar fluids have been reported in ore-associated minerals and postmineralization dolomite (Type 1) and in ore-stage carbonates and sphalerite (Types 2 and 3). The halogen geochemistry of included fluids indicates genesis from evaporated seawater. Type 1 fluids are enriched in chloride relative to bromide, reflecting a component of salinity derived via dissolution of halite or from dehydration of seawater. These data suggest that dolomitization and mineralization of Mississippian rocks in the Midlands requires both regionally extensive and localized fluid flow.

Spectral, mineralogical, and geochemical variations across Home Plate, Gusev Crater, Mars indicate high and low temperature alteration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, M.E.; Farrand, W. H.; Johnson, J. R.; Schroder, C.; Hurowitz, J.A.; McCoy, T.J.; Ruff, S.W.; Arvidson, R. E.; Des Marais, D.J.; Lewis, K.W.; Ming, D. W.; Squyres, S. W.; De Souza, P.A.

2009-01-01

Over the last ~ 3??years in Gusev Crater, Mars, the Spirit rover observed coherent variations in color, mineralogy, and geochemistry across Home Plate, an ~ 80??m-diameter outcrop of basaltic tephra. Observations of Home Plate from orbit and from the summit of Husband Hill reveal clear differences in visible/near-infrared (VNIR) colors between its eastern and western regions that are consistent with mineralogical compositions indicated by M??ssbauer spectrometer (MB) and by Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES). Pyroxene and magnetite dominate the east side, while olivine, nanophase Fe oxide (npOx) and glass are more abundant on the western side. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) observations reveal that eastern Home Plate has higher Si/Mg, Al, Zn, Ni, and K, while Cl and Br are higher in the west. We propose that these variations are the result of two distinct alteration regimes that may or may not be temporally related: a localized, higher temperature recrystallization and alteration of the east side of Home Plate and lower temperature alteration of the western side that produced npOx.

Hydrothermal barite mineralization at Chenarvardeh deposit, Markazi Province, Iran: Evidences from REE geochemistry and fluid inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehya, Farhad; Mazraei, Shaghayegh Moalaye

2017-10-01

Barite mineralization occurs at Chenarvardeh deposit as layers and lenses in Upper Eocene volcanic and pyroclastic rocks. The host rocks are intensely saussuritized in most places. Barite is accompanied by calcite, Mn-oxides, galena and malachite as subordinate minerals. The amount of Sr in barites is low and varies between 0.11 and 0.30 wt%. The concentration of Rb, Zr, Y, Ta and Hf is also low (<5 ppm) in barite samples. The amount of total REEs (∑REE) is low in barites, ranging from 7.51 to 30.50 ppm. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns reveal LREE enrichment with respect to HREE, and positive Ce anomalies. Fluid inclusions are common in barite samples, being dominantly from liquid-rich two phase (L + V) type. Salinity values in fluid inclusions range from 9.41 to 18.69 wt% NaCl equivalent with most frequent salinities falling in the range of 10-15 wt% NaCl equivalent. Homogenization temperatures (Th) range between 160 and 220 °C, being the 180-200 °C range as the most common Th interval. A combination of factors, including geologic setting, host rock, mineral assemblages, REE geochemistry and fluid inclusion data are consistent with a submarine volcanic hydrothermal model for barite formation at the Chenarvardeh deposit. Mineral-forming fluids originated from solutions related to submarine hydrothermal activities deposited barite on seafloor as they encountered sulfate-bearing seawater.

Research of Helium Isotopes in Taiwan: The Legacy of Dr. Tsanyao Frank Yang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Tsanyao Frank; Lan, Tefang; Lee, Hsiao-Fen; Fu, Ching-Chou; Chuang, Pei-Chuan; Hong, Wei-Li; Walia, Vivek; Chen, Hsuan-Wen; Wen, Hsin-Yi; Chen, Ai-Ti; Chen, Hsiao-Chi; Chiu, Chun-Ming; Cheng, Chun-Yuan; Wu, Nian-Ru; Cheng, Yu-Chen; Chuang, Jin-Lun; Kao, Li-Hsin; Chen, Cheng-Hong; Sano, Yuji

2016-04-01

Helium isotope systematics is a powerful proxy to distinguish fluid origins and conveys fruitful geological information. In the past several decades, this robust isotope systematics had offered pivotal knowledge on many key issues in Earth and planetary sciences. It revealed essential geological information of Taiwan as well. Taiwan is located on the junction of two subduction systems-Ryukyu Arc and Luzon Arc. The geotectonic setting is complex and intriguing. Dr. Tsanyao Frank Yang was the pioneer of gas geochemistry studies in Taiwan. He established the first gas geochemistry laboratory in National Taiwan University in 1998 and started exploring all possible research topics on and around this tectonic-active island. In the past two decades, his research covered volcanic/hydrothermal gas studies, volcanic activity monitoring, gas hydrate exploration, soil gas as a tool to locate fault traces, soil gas flux measurement, earthquake precursory, mud volcanoes, low-temperature geochronology and many more. He died of pancreas cancer in March 2015. He was a warm and enthusiastic mentor, a prolific scientist and a great friend. He will always be remembered. Here we present Dr. Yang's achievement on helium isotopes studies in Taiwan throughout his research career. We integrate all the research results from his team and summarize the observations. We will show the distribution of helium isotope ratios in Taiwan and its implications on tectonic settings.

Bedrock composition regulates mountain ecosystems and landscape evolution

PubMed Central

Hahm, W. Jesse; Riebe, Clifford S.; Lukens, Claire E.; Araki, Sayaka

2014-01-01

Earth’s land surface teems with life. Although the distribution of ecosystems is largely explained by temperature and precipitation, vegetation can vary markedly with little variation in climate. Here we explore the role of bedrock in governing the distribution of forest cover across the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California. Our sites span a narrow range of elevations and thus a narrow range in climate. However, land cover varies from Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), the largest trees on Earth, to vegetation-free swaths that are visible from space. Meanwhile, underlying bedrock spans nearly the entire compositional range of granitic bedrock in the western North American cordillera. We explored connections between lithology and vegetation using measurements of bedrock geochemistry and forest productivity. Tree-canopy cover, a proxy for forest productivity, varies by more than an order of magnitude across our sites, changing abruptly at mapped contacts between plutons and correlating with bedrock concentrations of major and minor elements, including the plant-essential nutrient phosphorus. Nutrient-poor areas that lack vegetation and soil are eroding more than two times slower on average than surrounding, more nutrient-rich, soil-mantled bedrock. This suggests that bedrock geochemistry can influence landscape evolution through an intrinsic limitation on primary productivity. Our results are consistent with widespread bottom-up lithologic control on the distribution and diversity of vegetation in mountainous terrain. PMID:24516144

The Surtsey Magma Series.

PubMed

Schipper, C Ian; Jakobsson, Sveinn P; White, James D L; Michael Palin, J; Bush-Marcinowski, Tim

2015-06-26

The volcanic island of Surtsey (Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland) is the product of a 3.5-year-long eruption that began in November 1963. Observations of magma-water interaction during pyroclastic episodes made Surtsey the type example of shallow-to-emergent phreatomagmatic eruptions. Here, in part to mark the 50(th) anniversary of this canonical eruption, we present previously unpublished major-element whole-rock compositions, and new major and trace-element compositions of sideromelane glasses in tephra collected by observers and retrieved from the 1979 drill core. Compositions became progressively more primitive as the eruption progressed, with abrupt changes corresponding to shifts between the eruption's four edifices. Trace-element ratios indicate that the chemical variation is best explained by mixing of different proportions of depleted ridge-like basalt, with ponded, enriched alkalic basalt similar to that of Iceland's Eastern Volcanic Zone; however, the systematic offset of Surtsey compositions to lower Nb/Zr than other Vestmannaeyjar lavas indicates that these mixing end members are as-yet poorly contained by compositions in the literature. As the southwestern-most volcano in the Vestmannaeyjar, the geochemistry of the Surtsey Magma Series exemplifies processes occurring within ephemeral magma bodies on the extreme leading edge of a propagating off-axis rift in the vicinity of the Iceland plume.

Trace element geochemistry in archaeological sites.

PubMed

Jenkins, D A

1989-06-01

Man can leave a geochemical imprint on an archaeological site in several ways. In common with other components of the biosphere, there is a selective enrichment of elements in his body tissues which, upon death and burial, may lead to detectable anomalies. Of elements concentrated in this way P is the most obvious, but Sn could be another possibility worth further investigation. There has been particular geochemical impact due to the progressive use of such metals as Ag, Au, Cu, Pb and Zn during successive cultural stages. Anomalies may thus arise due to recognisable transported ore, slags or artefacts, although there has also often been cryptic redispersion of the metals within a site. Charcoal is one of the commoner finds during excavations, and it has the ability to adsorb and concentrate metals progressively from percolating solutions since the time of its burial: with careful interpretation its analysis may thus provide a valuable historical record, as is illustrated by material from several sites in North Wales. Providing care is taken to interpret results in their particular geochemical and pedochemical context, trace element analysis may thus offer a useful insight into the history of man's activities in an archaeological site.

Making Connections to Real Data and Peer-Review Literature: A Short Soil Exercise in a Geochemistry Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutiérrez, Mélida; Baker, Becky

2013-01-01

A class exercise was designed for a college-level geochemistry class to promote inquiry and student participation. In this exercise, real soil data available online was analyzed to evaluate geochemical associations among different soil orders and as a screening tool for anthropogenic metal contamination. Students were asked to read a peer-reviewed…

Geochemistry and geophysics field maps used during the USGS 2011 field season in southwest Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giles, Stuart A.

2013-01-01

The US Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying a variety of geochemical and geophyscial assessment techniques for concealed mineral deposits. The 2011 field season for this project took place in southwest Alaska, northeast of Bristol Bay between Dillingham and Iliamna Lake. Four maps were created for the geochemistry and geophysics teams to use during field activities.

Stable isotopes in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems: Interactions between fluids, minerals, and organisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shanks, W. C., III; Böhlke, J. K.; Seal, R. R., II

Studies of abundance variations of light stable isotopes in nature have had a tremendous impact on all aspects of geochemistry since the development, in 1947, of a gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometer capable of measuring small variations in stable isotope ratios [Nier, 1947] Stable isotope geochemistry is now a mature field, as witnessed by the proliferation of commercially available mass spectrometers installed at virtually every major academic, government, and private-sector research geochemistry laboratory. A recent search of a literature database revealed over 3,000 articles that utilized stable isotope geochemistry over the last 20 years. Nonetheless, many exciting new technical developments are leading to exciting new discoveries and applications. In particular, micro analytical techniques involving new generations of laser- and ion-microprobes are revolutionizing the types of analyses that can be done on spot sizes as small as a few tens of micrometers [Shanks and Criss, 1989]. New generations of conventional gas source and thermal ionization mass spectrometers, with high levels of automation and increased sensitivity and precision, are allowing analyses of large numbers of samples, like those needed for stable isotope stratigraphy in marine sediments, and are enabling the development and application of new isotopic systems.

Stable isotopes in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems: Interactions between fluids, minerals, and organisms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shanks, Wayne C.; Böhlke, John Karl; Seal, Robert R.; Humphries, S.D.; Zierenberg, Robert A.; Mullineaux, Lauren S.; Thomson, Richard E.

1995-01-01

Studies of abundance variations of light stable isotopes in nature have had a tremendous impact on all aspects of geochemistry since the development, in 1947, of a gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometer capable of measuring small variations in stable isotope ratios (Nice, 1947]. Stable isotope geochemistry is now a mature field, as witnessed by the proliferation of commercially available mass spectrometers installed at virtually every major academic, government, and private-sector research geochemistry laboratory. A recent search of a literature database revealed over 3,000 articles that utilized stable isotope geochemistry over the last 20 years. Nonetheless, many exciting new technical developments are leading to exciting new discoveries and applications. In particular, micro-analytical techniques involving new generations of laser- and ion-microprobes are revolutionizing the types of analyses that can be done on spot sizes as small as a few tens of micrometers [Shanks and Criss, 1989]. New generations of conventional gas source and thermal ionization mass spectrometers, with high levels of automation and increased sensitivity and precision, are allowing analyses of large numbers of samples, like those needed for stable isotope stratigraphy in marine sediments, and are enabling the development and application of new isotopic systems.

Geochemical and physical drivers of microbial community structure in hot spring ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Havig, J. R.; Hamilton, T. L.; Boyd, E. S.; Meyer-Dombard, D. R.; Shock, E.

2012-12-01

Microbial communities in natural systems are typically characterized using samples collected from a single time point, thereby neglecting the temporal dynamics that characterize natural systems. The composition of these communities obtained from single point samples is then related to the geochemistry and physical parameters of the environment. Since most microbial life is adapted to a relatively narrow ecological niche (multiplicity of physical and chemical parameters that characterize a local habitat), these assessments provide only modest insight into the controls on community composition. Temporal variation in temperature or geochemical composition would be expected to add another dimension to the complexity of niche space available to support microbial diversity, with systems that experience greater variation supporting a greater biodiversity until a point where the variability is too extreme. . Hot springs often exhibit significant temporal variation, both in physical as well as chemical characteristics. This is a result of subsurface processes including boiling, phase separation, and differential mixing of liquid and vapor phase constituents. These characteristics of geothermal systems, which vary significantly over short periods of time, provide ideal natural laboratories for investigating how i) the extent of microbial community biodiversity and ii) the composition of those communities are shaped by temporal fluctuations in geochemistry. Geochemical and molecular samples were collected from 17 temporally variable hot springs across Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Temperature measurements using data-logging thermocouples, allowing accurate determination of temperature maximums, minimums, and ranges for each collection site, were collected in parallel, along with multiple geochemical characterizations as conditions varied. There were significant variations in temperature maxima (54.5 to 90.5°C), minima (12.5 to 82.5°C), and range (3.5 to 77.5°C) for the hot spring environments that spanned ranges of pH values (2.2 to 9.0) and geochemical compositions. We characterized the abundance, composition, and phylogenetic diversity of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene assemblages in sediment/biofilm samples collected from each site. 16S data can be used as proxy for metabolic dissimilarity. We predict that temporally fluctuating environments should provide additional complexity to the system (additional niche space) capable of supporting additional taxa, which should lead to greater 16S rRNA gene diversity. However, systems with too much variability should collapse the diversity. Thus, one would expect an optimal system for variability, with respect to 16S phylogenetic diversity. Community ecology tools were then applied to model the relative influence of physical and chemical characteristics (including temperature dynamics) on the local biodiversity. The results reveal unique insight into the role of temporal environmental variation in the development of biodiverse communities and provide a platform for predicting the response of an ecosystem to temperature perturbation.

Progress integrating ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology with accessory mineral geochemistry: towards better accuracy and higher precision time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoene, B.; Samperton, K. M.; Crowley, J. L.; Cottle, J. M.

2012-12-01

It is increasingly common that hand samples of plutonic and volcanic rocks contain zircon with dates that span between zero and >100 ka. This recognition comes from the increased application of U-series geochronology on young volcanic rocks and the increased precision to better than 0.1% on single zircons by the U-Pb ID-TIMS method. It has thus become more difficult to interpret such complicated datasets in terms of ashbed eruption or magma emplacement, which are critical constraints for geochronologic applications ranging from biotic evolution and the stratigraphic record to magmatic and metamorphic processes in orogenic belts. It is important, therefore, to develop methods that aid in interpreting which minerals, if any, date the targeted process. One promising tactic is to better integrate accessory mineral geochemistry with high-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology. These dual constraints can 1) identify cogenetic populations of minerals, and 2) record magmatic or metamorphic fluid evolution through time. Goal (1) has been widely sought with in situ geochronology and geochemical analysis but is limited by low-precision dates. Recent work has attempted to bridge this gap by retrieving the typically discarded elution from ion exchange chemistry that precedes ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology and analyzing it by ICP-MS (U-Pb TIMS-TEA). The result integrates geochemistry and high-precision geochronology from the exact same volume of material. The limitation of this method is the relatively coarse spatial resolution compared to in situ techniques, and thus averages potentially complicated trace element profiles through single minerals or mineral fragments. In continued work, we test the effect of this on zircon by beginning with CL imaging to reveal internal zonation and growth histories. This is followed by in situ LA-ICPMS trace element transects of imaged grains to reveal internal geochemical zonation. The same grains are then removed from grain-mount, fragmented, and analyzed by U-Pb TIMS-TEA. In situ trace element transects are used to model predicted TIMS-TEA trace element concentrations to test whether complicated trace element profiles undermine U-Pb TIMS-TEA data. We find good agreement between predicted and measured TIMS-TEA data, and can argue that the measured ID-TIMS U-Pb date corresponds to the time at which the geochemical signature measured by TIMS-TEA was acquired. Thus, in a hypothetical magma that is differentiating through AFC processes on timescales resolvable by geochronology, U-Pb TIMS-TEA should usually be a robust indicator of magma evolution through time. We present data from two ca. 40-30 Ma alpine intrusions from northern Italy: the southern Adamello batholith and the Bergell intrusion. The relatively young age of these intrusions permits uncertainties on individual zircon or zircon fragments as good as 10 ka, while zircon populations from individual hand samples often record zircon growth of >200 ka. Using the methodologies described above, we explore whether these zircons record in situ magmatic differentiation or introduction of antecrystic zircon to magma batches, and integrate these data to gain a better understanding of magma storage, differentiation and emplacement as a function of pressure, temperature, and time. These methods are a promising step towards interpreting complicated geochronologic data in ashbed samples as well through a better understanding of magmatic processes that precede eruption.

Indoor radon measurements in south west England explained by topsoil and stream sediment geochemistry, airborne gamma-ray spectroscopy and geology.

PubMed

Ferreira, Antonio; Daraktchieva, Zornitza; Beamish, David; Kirkwood, Charles; Lister, T Robert; Cave, Mark; Wragg, Joanna; Lee, Kathryn

2018-01-01

Predictive mapping of indoor radon potential often requires the use of additional datasets. A range of geological, geochemical and geophysical data may be considered, either individually or in combination. The present work is an evaluation of how much of the indoor radon variation in south west England can be explained by four different datasets: a) the geology (G), b) the airborne gamma-ray spectroscopy (AGR), c) the geochemistry of topsoil (TSG) and d) the geochemistry of stream sediments (SSG). The study area was chosen since it provides a large (197,464) indoor radon dataset in association with the above information. Geology provides information on the distribution of the materials that may contribute to radon release while the latter three items provide more direct observations on the distributions of the radionuclide elements uranium (U), thorium (Th) and potassium (K). In addition, (c) and (d) provide multi-element assessments of geochemistry which are also included in this study. The effectiveness of datasets for predicting the existing indoor radon data is assessed through the level (the higher the better) of explained variation (% of variance or ANOVA) obtained from the tested models. A multiple linear regression using a compositional data (CODA) approach is carried out to obtain the required measure of determination for each analysis. Results show that, amongst the four tested datasets, the soil geochemistry (TSG, i.e. including all the available 41 elements, 10 major - Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Si, Ti - plus 31 trace) provides the highest explained variation of indoor radon (about 40%); more than double the value provided by U alone (ca. 15%), or the sub composition U, Th, K (ca. 16%) from the same TSG data. The remaining three datasets provide values ranging from about 27% to 32.5%. The enhanced prediction of the AGR model relative to the U, Th, K in soils suggests that the AGR signal captures more than just the U, Th and K content in the soil. The best result is obtained by including the soil geochemistry with geology and AGR (TSG + G + AGR, ca. 47%). However, adding G and AGR to the TSG model only slightly improves the prediction (ca. +7%), suggesting that the geochemistry of soils already contain most of the information given by geology and airborne datasets together, at least with regard to the explanation of indoor radon. From the present analysis performed in the SW of England, it may be concluded that each one of the four datasets is likely to be useful for radon mapping purposes, whether alone or in combination with others. The present work also suggest that the complete soil geochemistry dataset (TSG) is more effective for indoor radon modelling than using just the U (+Th, K) concentration in soil. Copyright © 2016 Natural Environment Research Council. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Biogeoscience from a Metallomic and Proteomic Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anbar, A. D.; Shock, E.

2004-12-01

In the wake of the genomics revolution, life scientists are expanding their focus from the genome to the "proteome" - the assemblage of all proteins in a cell - and the "metallome" - the distribution of inorganic species in a cell. The proteome and metallome are tightly connected because proteins and protein products are intimately involved in the transport and homeostasis of inorganic elements, and because many enzymes depend on inorganic elements for catalytic activity. Together, they are at the heart of metabolic function. Unlike the relatively static genome, the proteome and metallome are extremely dynamic, changing rapidly in response to environmental cues. They are substantially more complex than the genome; for example, in humans, some 30,000 genes code for approximately 500,000 proteins. Metaphorically, the proteome and metallome constitute the complex, dynamic "language" by which the genome and the environment communicate. Therefore biogeochemists, like life scientists, are moving beyond a strictly genomic perspective. Research guided by proteomic and metallomic perspectives and methodologies should provide new insights into the connections between life and the inorganic Earth in modern environments, and the evolution of these connections through time. For example, biogeochemical research in modern environments, such as Yellowstone hot springs, is hindered by the gap between genomic determinations of metabolic potential in ecosystems and geochemical characterizations of the energetic boundary conditions faced by these ecosystems; genomics tells us "who is there" and geochemistry tells us "what they might be doing", but neither genomics nor geochemistry easily provide quantitative information about which metabolisms are actually active or a framework for understanding why ecosystems do not fully exploit the energy available in their surroundings. Such questions are fundamentally kinetic rather than thermodynamic and therefore demand that we characterize and understand the proteins and inorganic elements used by organisms to catalyze reactions and capture energy from their surroundings. Similar challenges are faced when attempting to map the evolutionary relationships inferred from phylogenetic analyses of genomes to ecological histories determined by geochemists and paleobiologists - for example, ongoing efforts to understand the evolutionary history of eukaryotes and metazoa - because the driving forces for the evolution and ecological radiation of organisms lie at the intersection of metabolism and environment, and hence in the gap between genomes and geochemistry. Future progress in understanding the biogeochemistry of modern and ancient environments will be spurred by integrating proteomic and metallomic methods and perspectives.

Does sediment geochemistry (based on selective extractions of Al and Fe and REE) provide a record of soil evolution?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mourier, B.; Poulenard, J.; Blarquez, O.; Williamson, D.; Arnaud, F.; Carcaillet, C.

2009-04-01

Soil is a natural body occurring at the interface between the lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. As a result, the physical and chemical properties of soils evolve with time, and the reconstruction of their history represents a key to understand past environmental changes. Palaeolimnological techniques such as sediment geochemistry can be used to investigate changes in catchment history by providing information about soil development. However, due to the lack of conservative pedosignatures (soil proxies), only few paleoecological studies have attempted to reconstruct the history of soil genesis using geochemical analyses of lacustrine sediments. Here we present a multidisciplinary study which aims to use pedosignatures, defined by a previous soil study, in order to characterize the history of soil genesis, podzolization and chemical weathering processes in two sediment sequences. Moreover, we aim to compare the timing of soil evolution with other paleoenvironmental markers (macroremains, charcoals…) in order to infer the role of climate, vegetation and possible human activities as forcing factors. In a first step, the geochemical investigation of eight subalpine soil profiles from the inner Alps allowed to define relevant proxies of two major soil processes. Parent material normalized REE patterns provide a precise tracer of chemical weathering whereas the proportions of secondary Al- and Fe-bearing phases provide a tracer of the podzolisation process. Then, the same tracers were assessed on two lacustrine and peat sediment sequences (Loup and Thyl lakes) from the subalpine domain. The proxy records, spanning ca. 4.500 yr at the Thyl lake and ca. 13.500 yr at the Loup lake, indicate that both progressive and regressive pedogenesis occurred after the deglaciation. The Thyl record is highly contrasted: the progressive setting of the mixed cembra pine ecosystem is associated to the podzolisation process (secondary Al- and Fe-bearing phases are maximal) and the increase of chemical weathering (enrichments of specific REE's fractions) that lasted totally ca. 1500 to 2000 years. Then, these progressive pathways are followed by abrupt and rapid secondary processes that could result from drastic transformation of the plant cover. The flat normalized REE patterns associated with low secondary Al and Fe values suggest a decrease of chemical weathering and podzolization. Moreover, the higher variability in cembra pine and the enrichment in sedge and other herbs remains in the lake suggest the setting of semi-open vegetation associated to the evidence of regressive soil processes. On the other hand, Loup environment and soil history are characterized by a progressive and stable evolution leading to present day old growing forests and Podzol soil type. Whereas the major sedimentological changes are sensitive to climate, the soil proxy records may be more triggered by the natural dynamic of the plant cover. At this site, human disturbances seem to have lower importance than at the Thyl site.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, USSR: Science & Technology Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-07

technologies. —The restoration of the biosphere and its return to an ecologically clean, healthy state; the preservation and reproduction of soils and the...and Geochemistry of Combustible Materials Institute, Casting Problems Institute, Technical Thermal Physics Institute, Gas Insti- tute, Social and...academician, honorary director of the Institute of Geochemistry imeni A.P. Vinogradov of the Siberian Department of the USSR Academy of Sciences

Microfracturing and fluid pathways in serpentinizing abyssal peridotites along the Southwest Indian Ridge (62°-65°E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouméjon, S.; Cannat, M.; Agrinier, P.; Godard, M.; Andreani, M.

2013-12-01

At slow spreading ridges, axial detachment faults exhume mantle-derived peridotites. Their interaction with seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids causes serpentinization down to 2-3km from the fault, as inferred from seismic velocity models. It is commonly proposed that fractures allow penetration of seawater into the fault's footwall. At the microscopic scale, the hydration front progresses from a microfracture network toward the center of olivine relicts and forms the serpentine mesh texture. The origin of these microfractures is a matter of debate: tectonic, anisotropic thermal contraction of olivine during peridotite cooling or hierarchical fracturing of the olivine due to volume increase during serpentinization. In this presentation we use petrology and geochemistry to analyze the links between microfractures and serpentinization in a set of highly serpentinized peridotites dredged along the melt-starved easternmost part of the Southwest Indian Ridge (Smoothseafloor cruise). Our observations suggest that thermal contraction of olivine combines with tectonic stresses to fracture fresh peridotite in the brittle lithosphere. These ~60μm-spaced microfractures constitute the initial sample-scale permeability network for fluid penetration, onset of serpentinization and formation of additional hierarchical fractures. As serpentinization proceeds, the volume increase closes the least-developed planes and preferential pathways for fluid circulation become more distant, forming the 200-500μm-wide polygonal pattern typical of the serpentine mesh texture. In about 20% of the recovered samples the mesh serpentine is partially recrystallized forming rims next to later microfractures and serpentine veins. The spacing of these rims, and the limited proportion of affected samples suggest that the scales of the efficient permeability network in the serpentinites at this stage had increased to decimetric and greater scales. We use geochemical constrains to derive temperature conditions associated with this serpentinization history and to discuss the nature of serpentinizing fluids, based on a comparison with published work on serpentinites from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. δ18O values decrease from 5.98‰ to 1.91‰, from mesh texture serpentine to the later recrystallized serpentines. These values probably correspond to temperatures on the order of 200-300°C and to a progressive equilibration with serpentinizing fluid values due to increasing water-rock ratios. Fluid-rock interactions produce serpentine minerals that are enriched in fluid-mobile elements (B, As, Sb, U, Cu) compared to primary minerals in the peridotites and present occasional Eu anomalies that may reflect variable redox conditions during serpentinization.

Mineralogical anomalies and their influences on elemental geochemistry of the main workable coal beds from the Dafang Coalfield, Guizhou, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dai, S.; Ren, D.; Li, D.; Chou, C.-L.; Luo, K.

2006-01-01

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the No. 11 Coal bed were investigated by using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), sequential chemical extraction procedure (SCEP), and optical microscopy. The results show that the No. 11 Coal bed has very high contents of veined quartz (Vol. 11.4%) and veined ankerite (Vol. 10.2 %). The veined ankerite was generally coated by goethite and the veined quartz embraced chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and selenio-galena. In addition, a trace amount of kaolinite was filled in the veins. These seven minerals often occur in the same veins. The formation temperatures of the veined ankerite and quartz are 85??C and 180??C respectively, indicating their origins of iron-rich calcic and siliceous low-temperature hydrothermal fluids in different epigenetic periods. Studies have also found that the veined quartz probably formed earlier than the veined ankerite, and at least three distinct ankerite formation stages were observed by the ration of Ca/Sr and Fe/Mn of ankerite. The mineral formation from the early to late stage is in order of sulfide, quartz, kaolinite, ankerite, and goethite. The veined ankerite is the dominant source of Mn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn, which are as high as 0.09%, 74.0 ??g/g, 33.6 ??g/g, 185 ??g/g, and 289 ??g/g in this coal seam, respectively. However, the veined quartz is the main carrier of Pd, Pt, and Ir, which are 1.57 ??g/g, 0.15 ??g/g, and 0.007 ??g/g in this coal seam, respectively. In addition, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and selenio-galena of hydrothermal origin were determined in the veined quartz, and these three sulfide minerals are also important carriers of Cu, Zn and Pb in the No. 11 Coal bed.

Unraveling the Alteration History of Serpentinites and Associated Ultramafic Rocks from the Kampos HPLT Subduction Complex, Syros, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooperdock, E. H. G.; Stockli, D. F.

2016-12-01

Serpentinization, hydration of peridotite, has a profound effect on fundamental tectonic and petrologic processes such as deformation of the lithosphere, bulk rheology, fluid-mobile element cycling and deep earth carbon cycling. Though numerous studies have investigated the petrology, structure and geochemistry of serpentinites, the absolute chronology of serpentinization remains elusive due to a lack of accessory minerals that can be dated using established geochronological techniques. Magnetite forms as a common secondary mineral in serpentinites from the fluid-induced breakdown reaction of primary peridotite minerals. Magnetite (U-Th)/He chronometry provides the potential to directly date the cooling of exhumed ultramafic bodies and the low-temperature fluid alteration of serpentinites. We present the first application of magnetite (U-Th)/He chronometry to date stages of alteration in ultramafic rocks from the Kampos mélange belt, a high-pressure low-temperature (HP-LT) subduction complex that experienced exhumation in the Miocene on the island of Syros, Greece. Two generations of magnetite are distinguishable by grain size, magnetite trace element geochemistry and (U-Th)/He age. Large magnetite grains (mm) from a chlorite schist and a serpentinite schist have distinct geochemical signatures indicative of formation during blackwall-related fluid alteration and record Mid-Miocene exhumation-related cooling ages, similar to zircon (U-Th)/He ages from northern Syros. Smaller grains (µm) from the serpentinite schist lack blackwall-related fluid signatures and record post-exhumation mineral formation associated with widespread high-angle Pliocene normal faulting. These results reveal evidence for multiple episodes of fluid-rock alteration, which has implications for the cooling history and local geochemical exchanges of this HP-LT terrane. Given the fundamental impact of serpentinizaton on a vast array of tectonic, petrological, and geochemical processes, the ability to differentiate and date these alteration events can be used to address significant questions related to serpentinization in exhumed subduction complexes, continental margins, or obducted ophiolites.

Progress in advanced high temperature materials technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freche, J. C.; Ault, G. M.

1976-01-01

Significant progress has recently been made in many high temperature material categories pertinent to such applications by the industrial community. These include metal matrix composites, superalloys, directionally solidified eutectics, coatings, and ceramics. Each of these material categories is reviewed and the current state-of-the-art identified, including some assessment, when appropriate, of progress, problems, and future directions.

Geological and Geochemical Controls on Subsurface Microbial Life in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman.

PubMed

Rempfert, Kaitlin R; Miller, Hannah M; Bompard, Nicolas; Nothaft, Daniel; Matter, Juerg M; Kelemen, Peter; Fierer, Noah; Templeton, Alexis S

2017-01-01

Microbial abundance and diversity in deep subsurface environments is dependent upon the availability of energy and carbon. However, supplies of oxidants and reductants capable of sustaining life within mafic and ultramafic continental aquifers undergoing low-temperature water-rock reaction are relatively unknown. We conducted an extensive analysis of the geochemistry and microbial communities recovered from fluids sampled from boreholes hosted in peridotite and gabbro in the Tayin block of the Samail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. The geochemical compositions of subsurface fluids in the ophiolite are highly variable, reflecting differences in host rock composition and the extent of fluid-rock interaction. Principal component analysis of fluid geochemistry and geologic context indicate the presence of at least four fluid types in the Samail Ophiolite ("gabbro," "alkaline peridotite," "hyperalkaline peridotite," and "gabbro/peridotite contact") that vary strongly in pH and the concentrations of H 2 , CH 4 , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], trace metals, and DIC. Geochemistry of fluids is strongly correlated with microbial community composition; similar microbial assemblages group according to fluid type. Hyperalkaline fluids exhibit low diversity and are dominated by taxa related to the Deinococcus-Thermus genus Meiothermus , candidate phyla OP1, and the family Thermodesulfovibrionaceae. Gabbro- and alkaline peridotite- aquifers harbor more diverse communities and contain abundant microbial taxa affiliated with Nitrospira , Nitrosospharaceae, OP3, Parvarcheota, and OP1 order Acetothermales. Wells that sit at the contact between gabbro and peridotite host microbial communities distinct from all other fluid types, with an enrichment in betaproteobacterial taxa. Together the taxonomic information and geochemical data suggest that several metabolisms may be operative in subsurface fluids, including methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and fermentation, as well as the oxidation of methane, hydrogen and small molecular weight organic acids utilizing nitrate and sulfate as electron acceptors. Dynamic nitrogen cycling may be especially prevalent in gabbro and alkaline peridotite fluids. These data suggest water-rock reaction, as controlled by lithology and hydrogeology, constrains the distribution of life in terrestrial ophiolites.

Geological and geochemical controls on subsurface microbial life in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rempfert, Kaitlin R.; Miller, Hannah M.; Bompard, Nicolas

Microbial abundance and diversity in deep subsurface environments is dependent upon the availability of energy and carbon. However, supplies of oxidants and reductants capable of sustaining life within mafic and ultramafic continental aquifers undergoing low-temperature water-rock reaction are relatively unknown. We conducted an extensive analysis of the geochemistry and microbial communities recovered from fluids sampled from boreholes hosted in peridotite and gabbro in the Tayin block of the Samail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. The geochemical compositions of subsurface fluids in the ophiolite are highly variable, reflecting differences in host rock composition and the extent of fluid-rock interaction. Principal component analysis of fluid geochemistry and geologic context indicate the presence of at least four fluid types in the Samail Ophiolite (“gabbro,” “alkaline peridotite,” “hyperalkaline peridotite,” and “gabbro/peridotite contact”) that vary strongly in pH and the concentrations of H 2, CH 4, Ca 2+, Mg 2+, NO 3 more » $-$, SO$$2-\\atop{4}$$, trace metals, and DIC. Geochemistry of fluids is strongly correlated with microbial community composition; similar microbial assemblages group according to fluid type. Hyperalkaline fluids exhibit low diversity and are dominated by taxa related to the Deinococcus-Thermus genus Meiothermus, candidate phyla OP1, and the family Thermodesulfovibrionaceae. Gabbro- and alkaline peridotite- aquifers harbor more diverse communities and contain abundant microbial taxa affiliated with Nitrospira, Nitrosospharaceae, OP3, Parvarcheota, and OP1 order Acetothermales. Wells that sit at the contact between gabbro and peridotite host microbial communities distinct from all other fluid types, with an enrichment in betaproteobacterial taxa. Together the taxonomic information and geochemical data suggest that several metabolisms may be operative in subsurface fluids, including methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and fermentation, as well as the oxidation of methane, hydrogen and small molecular weight organic acids utilizing nitrate and sulfate as electron acceptors. Dynamic nitrogen cycling may be especially prevalent in gabbro and alkaline peridotite fluids. As a result, these data suggest water-rock reaction, as controlled by lithology and hydrogeology, constrains the distribution of life in terrestrial ophiolites.« less

Geological and Geochemical Controls on Subsurface Microbial Life in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman

PubMed Central

Rempfert, Kaitlin R.; Miller, Hannah M.; Bompard, Nicolas; Nothaft, Daniel; Matter, Juerg M.; Kelemen, Peter; Fierer, Noah; Templeton, Alexis S.

2017-01-01

Microbial abundance and diversity in deep subsurface environments is dependent upon the availability of energy and carbon. However, supplies of oxidants and reductants capable of sustaining life within mafic and ultramafic continental aquifers undergoing low-temperature water-rock reaction are relatively unknown. We conducted an extensive analysis of the geochemistry and microbial communities recovered from fluids sampled from boreholes hosted in peridotite and gabbro in the Tayin block of the Samail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. The geochemical compositions of subsurface fluids in the ophiolite are highly variable, reflecting differences in host rock composition and the extent of fluid-rock interaction. Principal component analysis of fluid geochemistry and geologic context indicate the presence of at least four fluid types in the Samail Ophiolite (“gabbro,” “alkaline peridotite,” “hyperalkaline peridotite,” and “gabbro/peridotite contact”) that vary strongly in pH and the concentrations of H2, CH4, Ca2+, Mg2+, NO3-, SO42-, trace metals, and DIC. Geochemistry of fluids is strongly correlated with microbial community composition; similar microbial assemblages group according to fluid type. Hyperalkaline fluids exhibit low diversity and are dominated by taxa related to the Deinococcus-Thermus genus Meiothermus, candidate phyla OP1, and the family Thermodesulfovibrionaceae. Gabbro- and alkaline peridotite- aquifers harbor more diverse communities and contain abundant microbial taxa affiliated with Nitrospira, Nitrosospharaceae, OP3, Parvarcheota, and OP1 order Acetothermales. Wells that sit at the contact between gabbro and peridotite host microbial communities distinct from all other fluid types, with an enrichment in betaproteobacterial taxa. Together the taxonomic information and geochemical data suggest that several metabolisms may be operative in subsurface fluids, including methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and fermentation, as well as the oxidation of methane, hydrogen and small molecular weight organic acids utilizing nitrate and sulfate as electron acceptors. Dynamic nitrogen cycling may be especially prevalent in gabbro and alkaline peridotite fluids. These data suggest water-rock reaction, as controlled by lithology and hydrogeology, constrains the distribution of life in terrestrial ophiolites. PMID:28223966

Advances in authigenic silicate geochemistry: Evidence for Precessional Control of Pleistocene Lake Salinity at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deocampo, D.; Simpson, A. J.; Cuadros, J.; Beverly, E.; Ashley, G. M.; Delaney, J. S.; Longstaffe, F. J.

2017-12-01

Magnesium enrichment of authigenic clays is an indicator of elevated salinity in hydrologically closed lake basins. Studies at Olduvai Gorge over the last four decades have shown that chemically-precipitated clay minerals form a substantial portion of the sedimentary succession, in some intervals even dominating the sediment. Outcrops of lacustrine mud in two localities near the depocenter were examined using a new geochronological framework based on Ar/Ar dating of volcaniclastic sanidine (Deino, 2012). Olduvai's clay mineralogy is dominated by 2:1 clays, including smectite, illite, and interstratified illite-smectite. Previous work has shown that clay alteration includes octahedral Mg-enrichment, Fe-reduction, K-fixation, and low-temperature illitization. Here we show that long term environmental conditions in Paleolake Olduvai indicated by sub-micron clay geochemistry were generally saline and alkaline between 1.78 and 1.92 Ma, but 6 episodes of freshened paleolake water are indicated by intervals of lower Mg content. Five of these freshening episodes occurred at peak climatic precession. The sub-micron clay geochemistry agrees with infrared spectroscopy and whole-rock geochemical compositions, and the same stratigraphic variation is observed at both localities, separated laterally by 330m. Preliminary analyses show that the <0.1µm clay mineral δ18Oclay suggest a δ18OH2O range of about -4 to +3‰ (SMOW) through this stratigraphic interval. No significant correlation is found with elemental composition, but lighter isotopic values are associated stratigraphically with geochemically defined freshening events. This suggests that isotopic and elemental equilibrium may not be reached at the same time, or that diagenetic events may have differentially altered the isotopic record. The environmental changes recorded in the Olduvai sediments occurred at a time when zonal Walker circulation increasingly affected global climate, new stone technologies emerged, and the genus Homo spread beyond Africa. Unraveling the details of mineralogical records such as those at Olduvai will be important in characterizing details of continental Quaternary environmental change, particularly in stratigraphic intervals where biotic proxies are unavailable.

Tomography & Geochemistry: Precision, Repeatability, Accuracy and Joint Interpretations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foulger, G. R.; Panza, G. F.; Artemieva, I. M.; Bastow, I. D.; Cammarano, F.; Doglioni, C.; Evans, J. R.; Hamilton, W. B.; Julian, B. R.; Lustrino, M.; Thybo, H.; Yanovskaya, T. B.

2015-12-01

Seismic tomography can reveal the spatial seismic structure of the mantle, but has little ability to constrain composition, phase or temperature. In contrast, petrology and geochemistry can give insights into mantle composition, but have severely limited spatial control on magma sources. For these reasons, results from these three disciplines are often interpreted jointly. Nevertheless, the limitations of each method are often underestimated, and underlying assumptions de-emphasized. Examples of the limitations of seismic tomography include its ability to image in detail the three-dimensional structure of the mantle or to determine with certainty the strengths of anomalies. Despite this, published seismic anomaly strengths are often unjustifiably translated directly into physical parameters. Tomography yields seismological parameters such as wave speed and attenuation, not geological or thermal parameters. Much of the mantle is poorly sampled by seismic waves, and resolution- and error-assessment methods do not express the true uncertainties. These and other problems have become highlighted in recent years as a result of multiple tomography experiments performed by different research groups, in areas of particular interest e.g., Yellowstone. The repeatability of the results is often poorer than the calculated resolutions. The ability of geochemistry and petrology to identify magma sources and locations is typically overestimated. These methods have little ability to determine source depths. Models that assign geochemical signatures to specific layers in the mantle, including the transition zone, the lower mantle, and the core-mantle boundary, are based on speculative models that cannot be verified and for which viable, less-astonishing alternatives are available. Our knowledge is poor of the size, distribution and location of protoliths, and of metasomatism of magma sources, the nature of the partial-melting and melt-extraction process, the mixing of disparate melts, and the re-assimilation of crust and mantle lithosphere by rising melt. Interpretations of seismic tomography, petrologic and geochemical observations, and all three together, are ambiguous, and this needs to be emphasized more in presenting interpretations so that the viability of the models can be assessed more reliably.

Geological and geochemical controls on subsurface microbial life in the Samail Ophiolite, Oman

DOE PAGES

Rempfert, Kaitlin R.; Miller, Hannah M.; Bompard, Nicolas; ...

2017-02-07

Microbial abundance and diversity in deep subsurface environments is dependent upon the availability of energy and carbon. However, supplies of oxidants and reductants capable of sustaining life within mafic and ultramafic continental aquifers undergoing low-temperature water-rock reaction are relatively unknown. We conducted an extensive analysis of the geochemistry and microbial communities recovered from fluids sampled from boreholes hosted in peridotite and gabbro in the Tayin block of the Samail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. The geochemical compositions of subsurface fluids in the ophiolite are highly variable, reflecting differences in host rock composition and the extent of fluid-rock interaction. Principal component analysis of fluid geochemistry and geologic context indicate the presence of at least four fluid types in the Samail Ophiolite (“gabbro,” “alkaline peridotite,” “hyperalkaline peridotite,” and “gabbro/peridotite contact”) that vary strongly in pH and the concentrations of H 2, CH 4, Ca 2+, Mg 2+, NO 3 more » $-$, SO$$2-\\atop{4}$$, trace metals, and DIC. Geochemistry of fluids is strongly correlated with microbial community composition; similar microbial assemblages group according to fluid type. Hyperalkaline fluids exhibit low diversity and are dominated by taxa related to the Deinococcus-Thermus genus Meiothermus, candidate phyla OP1, and the family Thermodesulfovibrionaceae. Gabbro- and alkaline peridotite- aquifers harbor more diverse communities and contain abundant microbial taxa affiliated with Nitrospira, Nitrosospharaceae, OP3, Parvarcheota, and OP1 order Acetothermales. Wells that sit at the contact between gabbro and peridotite host microbial communities distinct from all other fluid types, with an enrichment in betaproteobacterial taxa. Together the taxonomic information and geochemical data suggest that several metabolisms may be operative in subsurface fluids, including methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and fermentation, as well as the oxidation of methane, hydrogen and small molecular weight organic acids utilizing nitrate and sulfate as electron acceptors. Dynamic nitrogen cycling may be especially prevalent in gabbro and alkaline peridotite fluids. As a result, these data suggest water-rock reaction, as controlled by lithology and hydrogeology, constrains the distribution of life in terrestrial ophiolites.« less

Sulfur and carbon geochemistry of the Santa Elena peridotites: Comparing oceanic and continental processes during peridotite alteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarzenbach, Esther M.; Gill, Benjamin C.; Gazel, Esteban; Madrigal, Pilar

2016-05-01

Ultramafic rocks exposed on the continent serve as a window into oceanic and continental processes of water-peridotite interaction, so called serpentinization. In both environments there are active carbon and sulfur cycles that contain abiogenic and biogenic processes, which are eventually imprinted in the geochemical signatures of the basement rocks and the calcite and magnesite deposits associated with fluids that issue from these systems. Here, we present the carbon and sulfur geochemistry of ultramafic rocks and carbonate deposits from the Santa Elena ophiolite in Costa Rica. The aim of this study is to leverage the geochemistry of the ultramafic sequence and associated deposits to distinguish between processes that were dominant during ocean floor alteration and those dominant during low-temperature, continental water-peridotite interaction. The peridotites are variably serpentinized with total sulfur concentrations up to 877 ppm that is typically dominated by sulfide over sulfate. With the exception of one sample the ultramafic rocks are characterized by positive δ34Ssulfide (up to + 23.1‰) and δ34Ssulfate values (up to + 35.0‰). Carbon contents in the peridotites are low and are isotopically distinct from typical oceanic serpentinites. In particular, δ13C of the inorganic carbon suggests that the carbon is not derived from seawater, but rather the product of the interaction of meteoric water with the ultramafic rocks. In contrast, the sulfur isotope data from sulfide minerals in the peridotites preserve evidence for interaction with a hydrothermal fluid. Specifically, they indicate closed system abiogenic sulfate reduction suggesting that oceanic serpentinization occurred with limited input of seawater. Overall, the geochemical signatures preserve evidence for both oceanic and continental water-rock interaction with the majority of carbon (and possibly sulfate) being incorporated during continental water-rock interaction. Furthermore, there is evidence for microbial activity that was possibly stimulated by carbon sourced from water-rock interaction with adjacent sediments or fluid inclusions. This study provides detailed insight into the complex hydrothermal history of continental serpentinization systems and adds to our understanding of the carbon and sulfur cycling within peridotite-hosted hydrothermal systems.

Precambrian organic geochemistry - Preservation of the record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayes, J. M.; Wedeking, K. W.; Kaplan, I. R.

1983-01-01

A review of earlier studies is presented, and new results in Precambrian organic geochemistry are discussed. It is pointed out that two lines of evidence can be developed. One is based on structural organic chemistry, while the other is based on isotopic analyses. In the present investigation, the results of both structural and isotopic investigations of Precambrian organic matter are discussed. Processes and products related to organic geochemistry are examined, taking into account the carbon cycle, an approximate view of the principal pathways of carbon cycling associated with organic matter in the present global ecosystem, processes affecting sedimentary organic matter, and distribution and types of organic matter. Attention is given to chemical fossils in Precambrian sediments, kerogen analyses, the determination of the structural characteristics of kerogen, and data concerning the preservation of the Precambrian organic geochemical record.

Continental-scale patterns in soil geochemistry and mineralogy: results from two transects across the United States and Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodruff, L.G.; Cannon, W.F.; Eberl, D.D.; Smith, D.B.; Kilburn, J.E.; Horton, J.D.; Garrett, R.G.; Klassen, R.A.

2009-01-01

In 2004, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) initiated a pilot study that involved collection of more than 1500 soil samples from 221 sites along two continental transects across Canada and the United States. The pilot study was designed to test and refine protocols for a soil geochemical survey of North America. The two transects crossed a wide array of soil parent materials, soil ages, climatic conditions, landforms, land covers and land uses. Sample sites were selected randomly at approximately 40-km intervals from a population defined as all soils of the continent. At each site, soils representing 0 to 5 cm depth, and the O, A, and C horizons, if present, were collected and analyzed for their near-total content of over 40 major and trace elements. Soils from 0–5 cm depth were also collected for analysis of organic compounds. Results from the transects confirm that soil samples collected at a 40-km spacing reveal coherent, continental- to subcontinental-scale geochemical and mineralogical patterns that can be correlated to aspects of underlying soil parent material, soil age and climate influence. The geochemical data also demonstrate that at the continental-scale the dominance of any of these major factors that control soil geochemistry can change across the landscape. Along both transects, soil mineralogy and geochemistry change abruptly with changes in soil parent materials. However, the chemical influence of a soil’s parent material can be obscured by changing climatic conditions. For the transects, increasing precipitation from west to east and increasing temperature from north to south affect both soil mineralogy and geochemistry because of climate effects on soil weathering and leaching, and plant productivity. Regional anomalous metal concentrations can be linked to natural variations in soil parent materials, such as high Ni and Cr in soils developed on ultramafic rocks in California or high P in soils formed on weathered Ordovician limestones in central Kentucky. On local scales, anomalous metal concentrations recognized in soil profiles, such as high P in soils from animal confinement sites, are consistent with local anthropogenic disturbances. At a larger scale, the distribution of Hg across the west to east transect demonstrates that it can be difficult to distinguish between natural or anthropogenic contributions and that many factors can contribute to an element’s spatial distribution. Only three samples in a subset of seventy-three 0–5 cm depth soil samples from the north to south transect had organochlorine pesticides values above the method detection limit, apparently related to historic usage of the pesticides DDT and dieldrin.

Experimental correlation of melt structures, nucleation rates, and thermal histories of silicate melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boynton, W. V.; DRAKE; HILDEBRAND; JONES; LEWIS; TREIMAN; WARK

1987-01-01

The theory and measurement of the structure of liquids is an important aspect of modern metallurgy and igneous petrology. Liquid structure exerts strong controls on both the types of crystals that may precipitate from melts and on the chemical composition of those crystals. An interesting aspect of melt structure studies is the problem of melt memories; that is, a melt can retain a memory of previous thermal history. This memory can influence both nucleation behavior and crystal composition. This melt memory may be characterized quantitatively with techniques such as Raman, infrared and NMR spectroscopy to provide information on short-range structure. Melt structure studies at high temperature will take advantage of the microgravity conditions of the Space Station to perform containerless experiments. Melt structure determinations at high temperature (experiments that are greatly facilitated by containerless technology) will provide invaluable information for materials science, glass technology, and geochemistry. In conjunction with studies of nucleation behavior and nucleation rates, information relevant to nucleation in magma chambers in terrestrial planets will be acquired.

Radioactive nuclear waste stabilization - Aspects of solid-state molecular engineering and applied geochemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haggerty, S. E.

1983-01-01

Stabilization techniques for the storage of radioactive wastes are surveyed, with emphasis on immobilization in a primary barrier of synthetic rock. The composition, half-life, and thermal-emission characteristics of the wastes are shown to require thermally stable immobilization enduring at least 100,000 years. Glass materials are determined to be incapable of withstanding the expected conditions, average temperatures of 100-500 C for the first 100 years. The geological-time stability of crystalline materials, ceramics or synthetic rocks, is examined in detail by comparing their components with similar naturally occurring minerals, especially those containing the same radioactive elements. The high-temperature environment over the first 100 years is seen as stabilizing, since it can recrystallize radiation-induced metamicts. The synthetic-rock stabilization technique is found to be essentially feasible, and improvements are suggested, including the substitution of nepheline with freudenbergite and priderite for alkaline-waste stabilization, the maintenance of low oxygen fugacity, and the dilution of the synthetic-rock pellets into an inert medium.

A DTA/GC for the in Situ Identification of the Martian Surface Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mancinelli, R. L.; White, M. R.; Orenberg, J. B.

1993-01-01

The composition and mineralogy of the Martian surface material remain largely unknown. To determine its composition and mineralogy, several techniques are being considered for in situ analyses of the Martian surface material during missions to Mars. We have successfully developed, constructed, and tested a laboratory DTA/GC. The DTA is a Dupont model 1600 high temperature DTA coupled with a GC equipped with a MID detector. The system is operated by a Sun Sparc 11 workstation. When gas evolves during a thermal chemical event, it is shunted into the GC and the temperature is recorded in association with the specific thermal event. We have used this laboratory instrument to define experimental criteria necessary for determining the composition and mineralogy of the Martian surface in situ (e.g., heating of sample to 1100 C to distinguish clays). Our studies indicate that DTA/GC will provide a broad spectrum of mineralogical and evolved gas data pertinent to exobiology, geochemistry, and geology.

The compact AMS facility at Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Sanyuan; Ding, Ping; Wang, Ning; Shen, Chengde; Jia, Guodong; Zhang, Gan

2015-10-01

A compact 14C AMS facility manufactured by the National Electrostatics Corporation (NEC) has been installed at Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS). The system is based on a Model 1.5SDH-1 Pelletron accelerator with a maximum terminal volt 0.6 MV. This paper reports the performance and the operation of this machine in the first several months after installation.

Isotopic fractionation of nitrogen and carbon in Paleoarchean cherts from Pilbara craton, Western Australia: Origin of 15N-depleted nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinti, Daniele L.; Hashizume, Ko; Sugihara, Akiyo; Massault, Marc; Philippot, Pascal

2009-07-01

Nitrogen and carbon isotopic compositions, together with mineralogy and trace element geochemistry, were studied in a few kerogen-rich Paleoarchean cherts, a barite and a dolomitic stromatolite belonging to the eastern (Dixon Island Formation) and western (Dresser and Strelley Pool Chert Formations; North Pole Dome and Marble Bar) terranes of Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. The aim of the study was to search for 15N-depleted isotopic signatures, often found in kerogens of this period, and explain the origin of these anomalies. Trace elements suggest silica precipitation by hydrothermal fluids as the main process of chert formation with a contamination from volcanoclastic detritus. This is supported by the occurrence of hydrothermal-derived minerals in the studied samples indicating precipitation temperatures up to 350 °C. Only a dolomitic stromatolite from Strelley Pool shows a superchondritic Y/Ho ratio of 72 and a positive Eu/Eu * anomaly of 1.8, characteristic of chemical precipitates from the Archean seawater. The bulk δ 13C vs. δ 15N values measured in the cherts show a roughly positive co-variation, except for one sample from the North Pole (PI-85-00). The progressive enrichment in 15N and 13C from a pristine source having δ 13C ⩽ -36‰ and δ 15N ⩽ -4‰ is correlated with a progressive depletion in N content and to variations in Ba/La and Co/As ratios. These trends have been interpreted as a progressive hydrothermal alteration of the cherts by metamorphic fluids. Isotopic exchange at 350 °C between NH 4+(rock) and N 2(fluid) may explain the isotopic and elemental composition of N in the studied cherts. However, we need to assume isotopic exchange at 350 °C between carbonate C and graphite to explain the large 13C enrichment recorded. Only sample PI-85-00 shows a large N loss (90%) with a positive δ 15N value (+11‰), while C (up to 120 ppm and δ 13C -38‰) seems to be unaffected. This pattern has been interpreted as the result of devolatilization and alteration (oxidation) of graphite by low-temperature fluids. The 15N- 13C-depleted pristine source has δ 15N values from -7‰ to -4‰ and 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios from 30,000 to 60,000, compatible with an inorganic mantle N source, although the elemental abundance ratios N/C and 40Ar/C are not exactly the same with the mantle source. The component alternatively could be explained by elemental fractionation from metabolic activity of chemolithoautotrophs and methanogens at the proximity to the hydrothermal vents. However, ambiguities between mantle vs organic sources of N subsist and need further experimental work to be fully elucidated.

Instrumenting caves to collect hydrologic and geochemical data: case study from James Cave, Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schreiber, Madeline E.; Schwartz, Benjamin F.; Orndorff, William; Doctor, Daniel H.; Eagle, Sarah D.; Gerst, Jonathan D.

2015-01-01

Karst aquifers are productive groundwater systems, supplying approximately 25 % of the world’s drinking water. Sustainable use of this critical water supply requires information about rates of recharge to karst aquifers. The overall goal of this project is to collect long-term, high-resolution hydrologic and geochemical datasets at James Cave, Virginia, to evaluate the quantity and quality of recharge to the karst system. To achieve this goal, the cave has been instrumented for continuous (10-min interval) measurement of the (1) temperature and rate of precipitation; (2) temperature, specific conductance, and rate of epikarst dripwater; (3) temperature of the cave air; and (4) temperature, conductivity, and discharge of the cave stream. Instrumentation has also been installed to collect both composite and grab samples of precipitation, soil water, the cave stream, and dripwater for geochemical analysis. This chapter provides detailed information about the instrumentation, data processing, and data management; shows examples of collected datasets; and discusses recommendations for other researchers interested in hydrologic and geochemical monitoring of cave systems. Results from the research, briefly described here and discussed in more detail in other publications, document a strong seasonality of the start of the recharge season, the extent of the recharge season, and the geochemistry of recharge.

Geochemistry of siliciclastic rocks in the Peninsular, Chugach, and Prince William terranes: Implications for the tectonic evolution of south central Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbert, S.A.; Casey, J.F.; Bradley, D.

1992-01-01

According to some interpretations, south-central Alaska consists of a series of unrelated terranes juxtaposed by dominantly strike-slip motions some time after formation. Alternatively, these so-called terranes may be related components of a seaward-facing arc, forearc, and accretionary prism. To shed new light on the tectonic history of this area, 150 samples of siliciclastic rocks were analyzed for major, trace, and rare earth elements (REE). Shales were sampled from the Upper Cretaceous Matanuska and Paleogene Chickaloon Fms. of the Peninsular Terrane (forearc basin); argillaceous melange matrix from the Mesozoic McHugh Complex and slate from turbidites of the Upper Cretaceous Valdez Groupmore » of the Chugach Terrane (landward part of accretionary prism); and slate from turbidites of the Paleogene Orea Group of the Prince William Terrane (seaward part of accretionary prism). One tectonic model that may fit these geochemical data requires an early linkage between the Peninsular and Chugach-Prince William composite terranes. The geochemical signatures suggest that the McHugh Complex was derived from a mafic volcanic source and may represent an early accretionary stage of sediments derived from an oceanic arc. The progressive continental enrichment of the Valdez and Orca Groups may reflect later accretionary processes during and/or after the collision of the Talkectna arc with the North American continent. The similar increasingly continental source documented in the geochemistry of the forearc basin shales of the Matanuska and Chickaloon Fms. may suggest: that the presently defined Peninsular, Chugach, and Prince William terranes collectively represent one continuously evolving, seaward facing arc, forearc, and accretionary prism complex.« less

Methane monooxygenase gene expression mediated by methanobactin in the presence of mineral copper sources

PubMed Central

Knapp, Charles W.; Fowle, David A.; Kulczycki, Ezra; Roberts, Jennifer A.; Graham, David W.

2007-01-01

Methane is a major greenhouse gas linked to global warming; however, patterns of in situ methane oxidation by methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs), nature's main biological mechanism for methane suppression, are often inconsistent with laboratory predictions. For example, one would expect a strong relationship between methanotroph ecology and Cu level because methanotrophs require Cu to sustain particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the most efficient enzyme for methane oxidation. However, no correlation has been observed in nature, which is surprising because methane monooxygenase (MMO) gene expression has been unequivocally linked to Cu availability. Here we provide a fundamental explanation for this lack of correlation. We propose that MMO expression in nature is largely controlled by solid-phase Cu geochemistry and the relative ability of Cu acquisition systems in methanotrophs, such as methanobactins (mb), to obtain Cu from mineral sources. To test this hypothesis, RT-PCR expression assays were developed for Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b (which produces mb) to quantify pMMO, soluble MMO (the alternate MMO expressed when Cu is “unavailable”), and 16S-rRNA gene expression under progressively more stringent Cu supply conditions. When Cu was provided as CuCl2, pMMO transcript levels increased significantly consistent with laboratory work. However, when Cu was provided as Cu-doped iron oxide, pMMO transcript levels increased only when mb was also present. Finally, when Cu was provided as Cu-doped borosilicate glass, pMMO transcription patterns varied depending on the ambient mb:Cu supply ratio. Cu geochemistry clearly influences MMO expression in terrestrial systems, and, as such, local Cu mineralogy might provide an explanation for methane oxidation patterns in the natural environment. PMID:17615240

The role of temperature in determining species' vulnerability to ocean acidification: a case study using Mytilus galloprovincialis.

PubMed

Kroeker, Kristy J; Gaylord, Brian; Hill, Tessa M; Hosfelt, Jessica D; Miller, Seth H; Sanford, Eric

2014-01-01

Ocean acidification (OA) is occurring across a backdrop of concurrent environmental changes that may in turn influence species' responses to OA. Temperature affects many fundamental biological processes and governs key reactions in the seawater carbonate system. It therefore has the potential to offset or exacerbate the effects of OA. While initial studies have examined the combined impacts of warming and OA for a narrow range of climate change scenarios, our mechanistic understanding of the interactive effects of temperature and OA remains limited. Here, we use the blue mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, as a model species to test how OA affects the growth of a calcifying invertebrate across a wide range of temperatures encompassing their thermal optimum. Mussels were exposed in the laboratory to a factorial combination of low and high pCO2 (400 and 1200 µatm CO2) and temperatures (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 24°C) for one month. Results indicate that the effects of OA on shell growth are highly dependent on temperature. Although high CO2 significantly reduced mussel growth at 14°C, this effect gradually lessened with successive warming to 20°C, illustrating how moderate warming can mediate the effects of OA through temperature's effects on both physiology and seawater geochemistry. Furthermore, the mussels grew thicker shells in warmer conditions independent of CO2 treatment. Together, these results highlight the importance of considering the physiological and geochemical interactions between temperature and carbonate chemistry when interpreting species' vulnerability to OA.

[In Situ Analysis of Element Geochemistry in Submarine Basalt in Hydrothermal Areas from Ultraslow Spreading Southwest Indian Ridge].

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Sun, Xiao-ming; Xu, Li; Liang, Ye-heng; Wu, Zhong-wei; Fu, Yu; Huang, Yi

2015-03-01

In this study, we analyze element geochemistry of submarine basalt in situ, which is sampled in hydrothermal areas from ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge, including the fresh basalt rocks (B19-9, B15-13) and altered basalt (B5-2). And we can confirm that altered mineral in B5-2 is celadonite by microscope and Raman Spectrum. Furthermore, amygdaloidal celadonites are analyzed by electron microprobe (EPMA) and EDS-line scanning. The results show that K-contents decrease and Na-contents increase from the core to the edge in these altered minerals, indicating the transition from celadonite to saponite. Celadonite is an altered minerals, forming in low temperature (< 50 degrees C) and oxidizing condition, while saponite form in low water/rock and more reducing condition. As a result, the transition from celadonite to saponite suggests environment change from oxidizing to reducing condition. Using the result of EPMA as internal standard, we can analyze rare earth elements (REE) in altered mineral in situ. Most of result show positive Eu anomaly (Δ(Eu)), indicating hydrothermal fluid transform from oxidizing to reducing, and reducing fluid rework on the early altered minerals. Comparison with REE in matrix feldspar both in altered and unaltered zoning, we find that reducing fluid can leach REE from the matrix feldspar, leading to lower total REE concentrations and positive Eu anomaly. So leaching process play an important role in hydrothermal system.

Do fossil vertebrate biominerals hold the key to the Palaeozoic climate?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žigaitė, Ž.

2012-04-01

Fossil vertebrate hard tissues - teeth and dermoskeleton - are considered among the most geochemically stable biominerals, and therefore are widely used for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions. Elemental and isotopic compositions of fossil dental tissues may provide unique palaeoenvironmental information, ranging from the diet and trophic positions on a food chain, to the palaeosalinity and water temperatures of ancient seas. However, the post-mortem alteration and re-crystallisation of fossil hard tissues may hamper these interpretations. Chemical composition and isotopic equilibrium of the biomineral change readily at any time from the earliest diagenesis to the final laboratory acid treatment during the fossil preparation. This is why particular attention shall be given to the preservation of fossil tissues, evaluating carefully the level of possible alteration in the primary geochemical composition. Pre-evaluation of fossil preservation can be made by semi-quantitative spot geochemistry analyses on fine polished teeth and scale thin sections using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and help to preview the chemical composition of biomineral. The Electron Backscatter Diffractometry (EBSD) is useful to examine the cristallinity and possible structural alterations. In addition, rare earth element (REE) abundances can be measured in situ within the fine fossil tissues (such as enamel) using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass-spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), giving evidence on the selective geochemical resilience between separate vertebrate hard tissues. Therefore, in order to decipher the geochemical signal correctly, the evaluation of preservation is a necessary starting point to any further studies of fossil biomineral geochemistry.

Research Coordination Network: Geothermal Biology and Geochemistry in Yellowstone National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inskeep, W. P.; Young, M. J.; Jay, Z.

2006-12-01

The number and diversity of geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) represent a fascinating array of high temperature geochemical environments that host a corresponding number of unique and potentially novel organisms in all of the three recognized domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. The geothermal features of YNP have long been the subject of scientific inquiry, especially in the fields of microbiology, geochemistry, geothermal hydrology, microbial ecology, and population biology. However, there are no organized forums for scientists working in YNP geothermal areas to present research results, exchange ideas, discuss research priorities, and enhance synergism among research groups. The primary goal of the YNP Research Coordination Network (GEOTHERM) is to develop a more unified effort among scientists and resource agencies to characterize, describe, understand and inventory the diverse biota associated with geothermal habitats in YNP. The YNP RCN commenced in January 2005 as a collaborative effort among numerous university scientists, governmental agencies and private industry. The YNP RCN hosted a workshop in February 2006 to discuss research results and to form three working groups focused on (i) web-site and digital library content, (ii) metagenomics of thermophilic microbial communities and (iii) development of geochemical methods appropriate for geomicrobiological studies. The working groups represent one strategy for enhancing communication, collaboration and most importantly, productivity among the RCN participants. If you have an interest in the geomicrobiology of geothermal systems, please feel welcome to join and or participate in the YNP RCN.

Thallium-rich pyrite ores from the Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy:constraints for their origin and environmental concerns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Orazio, Massimo; Biagioni, Cristian; Dini, Andrea; Vezzoni, Simone

2017-06-01

The southern sector of the Apuan Alps (AA) massif, Tuscany, Italy, is characterized by the occurrence of a series of baryte-pyrite-iron oxide orebodies whose Tl-rich nature was recognized only recently. The geochemistry of the pyrite ore was investigated through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In addition, lead isotope data for selected pyrite ores from AA were collected. Pyrite ores are characterized by a complex geochemistry, with high concentrations of Tl (up to 1100 μg/g) coupled with high As and Sb contents; the Co/Ni ratio is always <1. Geochemical data of pyrite and marcasite ore samples from other mining districts of Tuscany have been collected in order to compare them with those from the AA. These samples usually have very low Tl content (less than 2 μg/g) and high to very high Co/Ni and As/Sb ratios. Only some samples from the Sb-Hg ore deposits showed very high Tl concentrations (up to 3900 μg/g). Another difference is related to the lead isotope composition, with pyrite ores from AA markedly less radiogenic than those from the other deposits from Tuscany. Geochemical data of pyrite ores from AA give new insights on the genesis of the baryte-pyrite-iron oxide orebodies, relating their formation to low-temperature hydrothermal systems active during early Paleozoic; in addition, these data play a fundamental role in assessing the environmental impact of these deposits.

Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2006-10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Littin, Gregory R.

2012-01-01

The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer approximately 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have been conducting a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water quality of the aquifer since 1992. Cooperative reports between the City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have documented hydrologic and water-quality data, geochemistry, and groundwater models. Water-quality samples were collected for studies involving well field monitoring, trends, source-water protection, groundwater geochemistry, surface-water-groundwater interaction, and pesticides in groundwater and surface water. Water-quality analyses were conducted for major ions (boron, bromide, calcium, chloride, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, silica, sodium, and sulfate), nutrients (ammonia as nitrogen, nitrite as nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, and orthophosphate as phosphorus), dissolved organic carbon, and selected pesticides including two degradates of the herbicide atrazine. Physical characteristics (alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance and water temperature) were measured in the field and recorded for each water sample collected. This report presents the results of routine water-quality data-collection activities from January 2006 through December 2010. Methods of data collection, quality-assurance, and water-quality analyses are presented. Data include the results of water-quality analyses from quarterly sampling from monitoring wells, municipal wells, and the Cedar River.

Spatial and historical distribution of organic phosphorus driven by environment conditions in lake sediments.

PubMed

Lü, Changwei; He, Jiang; Wang, Bing

2018-02-01

The chemistry of sedimentary organic phosphorus (OP) and its fraction distribution in sediments are greatly influenced by environmental conditions such as terrestrial inputs and runoffs. The linkage of OP with environmental conditions was analyzed on the basis of OP spatial and historical distributions in lake sediments. The redundancy analysis and OP spatial distribution results suggested that both NaOH-OP (OP extracted by NaOH) and Re-OP (residual OP) in surface sediments from the selected 13 lakes reflected the gradient effects of environmental conditions and the autochthonous and/or allochthonous inputs driven by latitude zonality in China. The lake level and salinity of Lake Hulun and the runoff and precipitation of its drainage basin were reconstructed on the basis of the geochemistry index. This work showed that a gradient in weather conditions presented by the latitude zonality in China impacts the OP accumulation through multiple drivers and in many ways. The drivers are mainly precipitation and temperature, governing organic matter (OM) production, degradation rate and transportation in the watershed. Over a long temporal dimension (4000years), the vertical distributions of Re-OP and NaOH-OP based on a dated sediment profile from HLH were largely regulated by the autochthonous and/or allochthonous inputs, which depended on the environmental and climate conditions and anthropogenic activities in the drainage basin. This work provides useful environmental geochemistry information to understand the inherent linkage of OP fractionation with environmental conditions and lake evolution. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Culturing Fundamentals Used To Design And Execute A Long-Term Multi-stressor Experiment To Assess Impact Of Deoxygenation, Ocean Acidification, And Warming On Benthic Foraminiferal Community Composition, Growth, And Carbonate Yield: Design And Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhard, J. M.; Wit, J. C.

2015-12-01

The geochemistry recorded in carbonate foraminiferal tests (shells) is often used as proxy for past oceanographic events and environments. By understanding past oceanic and climatic conditions, we can better predict future climate scenarios, a relevant ability in these times of global change. The fact that foraminifera are biological entities can be pivotal for understanding their geochemical records. Thus, growing foraminifera under known physicochemical conditions and analyzing the geochemistry of their cultured carbonate can yield insightful perspectives for proxy refinement and development. Because parameters often co-vary in nature, proper proxy calibration can only be done with materials grown in strictly controlled and known environments. This presentation will review the various crucial aspects of foraminiferal maintenance and culturing, especially from the perspective of proxy development. These fundamentals were used to design a long-term multi-stressor experiment with oxygen, pCO2 (pH), and temperature as variables to test the single, double or triple threats of deoxygenation, ocean acidification, and oceanic warming. Results on assemblage composition, survivorship and growth of a continental shelf benthic foraminiferal community will be presented. Although one agglutinated morphospecies grew in each of the five treatments, growth of individual calcareous species was more restricted. Initial results indicate that pCO2 was not the factor that impacted communities most. Supported in part by NSF OCE-1219948.

The hydrothermal system associated with the Kilauea East Rift Zone, Hawaii

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, D.M.; Conrad, M.E.

1997-12-31

During the last twenty years drilling and fluid production on the Kilauea East Rift Zone (KERZ) has shown that an active hydrothermal system is associated with much of the rift. Well logging and fluid geochemistry indicate that reservoir temperatures exceed 360 C but are highly variable. Although neither well testing nor pressure decline data have clearly demonstrated the lateral limits of the reservoir, divergent fluid compositions over short distances suggest that the larger hydrothermal system is strongly compartmentalized across the rift zone. The chemical compositions of production fluids indicate that recharge is derived from ocean water and meteoric recharge andmore » isotopic data suggest that the latter may be derived from subsurface inflow from the flanks of Mauna Loa.« less

CONTRIBUTION TO THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF TANTALUM AND NIOBIUM IN THE HYDROTHERMAL-PNEUMATHOLYTIC PROCESS (in Russian)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beus, A.A.; Sitnin, A.A.

1961-01-01

S>Data obtained as a result of geochemical investigations show that tantalum and niobium are typical elements of high-temperature postmagmatic processes (early albitization, greysening) connected with granites. The separation of tantalum and niobium in the hydrothermal-pneumatholytic process (greysening stage), which leads to the concentration of tantalum in albitized and greysenized granites (40 to 100 times compared to the average content in granites) is connected with the different mobility and stability of their acido- complex compounds (in particular fluor- and oxyfluorcomplexes), the existence of which in greysening solutions is suggested. A natural analogy in the behavior of both elements in the processesmore » of postmagmatic metasomatose in granites and granitic pegmatites is suggested. (tr-auth)« less

The Isotope Geochemistry of Abyssal Peridotites and Related Rocks

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-01

object of several cruises, including a combined geophysics and petrology cruise (R/V Robert Conrad 27-09: Dick, et al., 1991) and an ocean drilling ...al. (1991) Proceed- ings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results Vol. 118. Snow, J., Hart, S.R. and Dick, H.J.B. (1991) "Os isotopic...the geology, petrology , and geochemistry of mantle rocks, as well as their physical and acoustic properties. The first indications that the oceanic

Rethinking early Earth phosphorus geochemistry

PubMed Central

Pasek, Matthew A.

2008-01-01

Phosphorus is a key biologic element, and a prebiotic pathway leading to its incorporation into biomolecules has been difficult to ascertain. Most potentially prebiotic phosphorylation reactions have relied on orthophosphate as the source of phosphorus. It is suggested here that the geochemistry of phosphorus on the early Earth was instead controlled by reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds such as phosphite (HPO32−), which are more soluble and reactive than orthophosphates. This reduced oxidation state phosphorus originated from extraterrestrial material that fell during the heavy bombardment period or was produced during impacts, and persisted in the mildly reducing atmosphere. This alternate view of early Earth phosphorus geochemistry provides an unexplored route to the formation of pertinent prebiotic phosphorus compounds, suggests a facile reaction pathway to condensed phosphates, and is consistent with the biochemical usage of reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in life today. Possible studies are suggested that may detect reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in ancient Archean rocks. PMID:18195373

Hydrocarbon Reservoir Identification in Volcanic Zone by using Magnetotelluric and Geochemistry Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firda, S. I.; Permadi, A. N.; Supriyanto; Suwardi, B. N.

2018-03-01

The resistivity of Magnetotelluric (MT) data show the resistivity mapping in the volcanic reservoir zone and the geochemistry information for confirm the reservoir and source rock formation. In this research, we used 132 data points divided with two line at exploration area. We used several steps to make the resistivity mapping. There are time series correction, crosspower correction, then inversion of Magnetotelluric (MT) data. Line-2 and line-3 show anomaly geological condition with Gabon fault. The geology structure from the resistivity mapping show the fault and the geological formation with the geological rock data mapping distribution. The geochemistry information show the maturity of source rock formation. According to core sample analysis information, we get the visual porosity for reservoir rock formation in several geological structure. Based on that, we make the geological modelling where the potential reservoir and the source rock around our interest area.

Rethinking early Earth phosphorus geochemistry.

PubMed

Pasek, Matthew A

2008-01-22

Phosphorus is a key biologic element, and a prebiotic pathway leading to its incorporation into biomolecules has been difficult to ascertain. Most potentially prebiotic phosphorylation reactions have relied on orthophosphate as the source of phosphorus. It is suggested here that the geochemistry of phosphorus on the early Earth was instead controlled by reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds such as phosphite (HPO(3)(2-)), which are more soluble and reactive than orthophosphates. This reduced oxidation state phosphorus originated from extraterrestrial material that fell during the heavy bombardment period or was produced during impacts, and persisted in the mildly reducing atmosphere. This alternate view of early Earth phosphorus geochemistry provides an unexplored route to the formation of pertinent prebiotic phosphorus compounds, suggests a facile reaction pathway to condensed phosphates, and is consistent with the biochemical usage of reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in life today. Possible studies are suggested that may detect reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in ancient Archean rocks.

Geochemistry, petrology, and palynology of the Pond Creek coal bed, northern Pike and southern Martin counties, Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hower, J.C.; Ruppert, L.F.; Eble, C.F.; Clark, W.L.

2005-01-01

The geochemistry, petrology, and palynology of the Duckmantian-age Pond Creek coal bed were investigated in northern Pike and southern Martin counties, eastern Kentucky. The coal bed exhibits significant vertical variation in the investigated geochemical parameters, with many diagenetic overprints of the original geochemistry. Included in the range of geochemical signatures are the presence of elements, particularly TiO2 and Zr, suggesting the detrital influences at the time of deposition of a low-vitrinite durain; a high CaO zone with elevated B/Be, both suggesting marine influence, in a lithotype in the middle of the coal bed; and the postdepositional emplacement of pyrite in the uppermost lithotype. Individual lithotypes, each representing distinct depositional environments, all complicated to some degree by diagentic overprints, comprise the complex history of the coal bed. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen and bioenergetics in the Yellowstone geothermal ecosystem

PubMed Central

Spear, John R.; Walker, Jeffrey J.; McCollom, Thomas M.; Pace, Norman R.

2005-01-01

The geochemical energy budgets for high-temperature microbial ecosystems such as occur at Yellowstone National Park have been unclear. To address the relative contributions of different geochemistries to the energy demands of these ecosystems, we draw together three lines of inference. We studied the phylogenetic compositions of high-temperature (>70°C) communities in Yellowstone hot springs with distinct chemistries, conducted parallel chemical analyses, and carried out thermodynamic modeling. Results of extensive molecular analyses, taken with previous results, show that most microbial biomass in these systems, as reflected by rRNA gene abundance, is comprised of organisms of the kinds that derive energy for primary productivity from the oxidation of molecular hydrogen, H2. The apparent dominance by H2-metabolizing organisms indicates that H2 is the main source of energy for primary production in the Yellowstone high-temperature ecosystem. Hydrogen concentrations in the hot springs were measured and found to range up to >300 nM, consistent with this hypothesis. Thermodynamic modeling with environmental concentrations of potential energy sources also is consistent with the proposed microaerophilic, hydrogen-based energy economy for this geothermal ecosystem, even in the presence of high concentrations of sulfide. PMID:15671178

Geochemistry of zircons from basic rocks of the Korosten anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite complex, north-western region of the Ukrainian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shumlyanskyy, Leonid; Belousova, Elena; Petrenko, Oksana

2017-09-01

The concentrations of 26 trace elements have been determined by laser ablation ICP-MS in zircons from four samples of basic rocks of the Korosten anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite plutonic complex, the Ukrainian Shield. Zircons from the Fedorivka and Torchyn gabbroic intrusions and Volynsky anorthosite massif have distinctive abundances of many trace elements (REE, Sr, Y, Mn, Th). Zircons from the gabbroic massifs are unusually enriched in trace elements, while zircons from pegmatites in anorthosite are relatively depleted in trace elements. High concentrations of trace elements in zircons from gabbroic intrusions can be explained by their crystallization from residual interstitial melts enriched in incompatible elements. The zircons studied demonstrate a wide range of Ti concentrations, which reflects their temperature of crystallization: the zircons most enriched in Ti, from mafic pegmatites of the Horbuliv quarry (20-40 ppm), have the highest temperature of crystallization (845 ± 40 °C). Lower (720-770 °C) temperatures of zircon crystallization in gabbroic rocks are explained by its crystallization from the latest portions of the interstitial melt or by simultaneous crystallization of ilmenite. The Ce anomaly in zircons correlates with the degree of oxidation of the coexisting ilmenite.

Geochemical investigation of the hydrothermal system on Akutan Island, Alaska, July 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bergfeld, D.; Lewicki, Jennifer L.; Evans, William C.; Hunt, Andrew G.; Revesz, Kinga; Huebner, Mark

2014-01-01

We have studied the geochemistry of the hot springs on Akutan Island in detail for the first time since the early 1980s. Springs in four discrete groups (A-D) along Hot Springs Creek showed generally higher temperatures and substantially higher Na, Ca, and Cl concentrations than previously reported, and total hot-spring discharge has also increased markedly. The springs now account for a heat output of ~29 MW, about an order of magnitude more than in 1981. Gas samples from the hot springs and from a fumarolic area on the flank of Akutan Volcano show high 3He/4He ratios (>6.4 RA) after correction for air contamination and reveal a common magmatic heat source. Hot-spring gases are unusually rich in N2, Ar, and CH4, suggesting that the water has boiled and lost CO2 during upflow beneath the flank fumarole field. Gas geothermometry calculations applied to the flank fumarole field implies temperatures of 200–240 °C for the reservoir, and Na-K-Ca geothermometry implies temperatures near 180 °C for the outflow waters that feed the hot springs. The results of our study confirm the existence of a substantial geothermal resource on the island.

Mercury's Seasonal Sodium Exosphere: MESSENGER Orbital Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cassidy, Timothy A.; Merkel, Aimee W.; Burger, Matthew H.; Sarantos, Menelaos; Killen, Rosemary M.; McClintock, William E.; Vervack, Ronald J., Jr.

2014-01-01

The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft now orbiting Mercury provides the first close-up look at the planet's sodium exosphere. UVVS has observed the exosphere from orbit almost daily for over 10 Mercury years. In this paper we describe and analyze a subset of these data: altitude profiles taken above the low-latitude dayside and south pole. The observations show spatial and temporal variation but there is little or no year-to-year variation; we do not see the episodic variability reported by ground-based observers. We used these altitude profiles to make estimates of sodium density and temperature. The bulk of the exosphere is about 1200 K, much warmer than Mercury's surface. This value is consistent with some ground-based measurements and suggests that photon-stimulated desorption is the primary ejection process. We also observe a tenuous energetic component but do not see evidence of the predicted thermalized (or partially thermalized) sodium near Mercury's surface temperature. Overall we do not see the variable mixture of temperatures predicted by most Monte Carlo models of the exosphere.

Mercury's Seasonal Sodium Exosphere: MESSENGER Orbital Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cassidy, Timothy A.; Merkel, Aimee W.; Burger, Matthew H.; Killen, Rosemary M.; McClintock, William E.; Vervack, Ronald J., Jr.; Sarantos, Menelaos

2014-01-01

The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft now orbiting Mercury provides the first close-up look at the planet's sodium exosphere. UVVS has observed the exosphere from orbit almost daily for over 10 Mercury years. In this paper we describe and analyze a subset of these data: altitude profiles taken above the low-latitude dayside and south pole. The observations show spatial and temporal variations, but there are no obvious year-to-year variations in most of the observations. We do not see the episodic variability reported by some ground-based observers. We used these altitude profiles to make estimates of sodium density and temperature. The bulk of the exosphere, at about 1200 K, is much warmer than Mercury's surface. This value is consistent with some ground-based measurements and suggests that photon-stimulated desorption is the primary ejection process. We also observe a tenuous energetic component but do not see evidence of the predicted thermalized (or partially thermalized) sodium near Mercury's surface temperature. Overall we do not see the variable mixture of temperatures predicted by most Monte Carlo models of the exosphere.

Characteristics of the Ahmadabad hematite/barite deposit, Iran - studies of mineralogy, geochemistry and fluid inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babaei, Amir Haji; Ganji, Alireza

2018-03-01

The Ahmadabad hematite/barite deposit is located to the northeast of the city of Semnan, Iran. Geostructurally, this deposit lies between the Alborz and the Central Iran zones in the Semnan Subzone. Hematite-barite mineralisation occurs in the form of a vein along a local fault within Eocene volcanic host rocks. The Ahmadabad deposit has a simple mineralogy, of which hematite and barite are the main constituents, followed by pyrite and Fe-oxyhydroxides such as limonite and goethite. Based on textural relationships between the above-mentioned principal minerals, it could be deduced that there are three hydrothermal mineralisation stages in which pyrite, hematite and barite with primary open space filling textures formed under different hydrothermal conditions. Subsequently, in the supergene stage, goethite and limonite minerals with secondary replacement textures formed under oxidation surficial conditions. Microthermometric studies on barite samples show that homogenisation temperatures (TH) for primary fluid inclusions range from 142 to 256°C with a temperature peak between 200 and 220°C. Salinities vary from 3.62 to 16.70 NaCl wt% with two different peaks, including one of 6 to 8 NaCl wt% and another of 12 to 14 NaCl wt%. This indicates that two different hydrothermal waters, including basinal and sea waters, could have been involved in barite mineralisation. The geochemistry of the major and trace elements in the samples studied indicate a hydrothermal origin for hematite and barite mineralisation. Moreover, the Fe/Mn ratio (>10) and plots of hematite samples of Ahmadabad ores on Al-Fe-Mn, Fe-Mn-(Ni+Co+ Cu)×10, Fe-Mn-SiX2 and MnO/TiO2 - Fe2O3/TiO2 diagrams indicate that hematite mineralisation in the Ahmadabad deposit occurred under hydrothermal conditions. Furthermore, Ba and Sr enrichment, along with Pb, Zn, Hg, Cu and Sb depletion, in the barite samples of Ahmadabad ores are indicative of a low temperature hydrothermal origin for the deposit. A comparison of the ratios of LaN/YbN, CeN/YbN, TbN/LaN, SmN/NdN and parameters of Ce/Ce* and La/La* anomalies of the hematite, barite, host volcanic rocks and quartz latite samples to each other elucidate two important points: 1) the barite could have originated from volcanic host rocks, 2) the hematite could have originated from a quartz latite lithological unit. The chondrite normalised REE patterns of samples of hematite barite, volcanic host rocks and quartz latite imply that two different hydrothermal fluids could be proposed for hematite and barite mineralisation. The comparison between chondrite normalised REE patterns of Ahmadabad barite with oceanic origin barite and low temperature hydrothermal barite shows close similarities to the low temperature hydrothermal barite deposits.

Development of Genetic Occurrence Models for Geothermal Prospecting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, J. D.; Sabin, A.; Unruh, J.; Monastero, F. C.; Combs, J.

2007-12-01

Exploration for utility-grade geothermal resources has mostly relied on identifying obvious surface manifestations of possible geothermal activity, e.g., locating and working near steaming ground or hot springs. This approach has lead to the development of over 130 resources worldwide, but geothermal exploration done in this manner is akin to locating hydrocarbon plays by searching for oil seeps. Confining exploration to areas with such features will clearly not discover a blind resource, that is, one that does not have surface expression. Blind resources, however, constitute the vast majority of hydrocarbon plays; this may be the case for geothermal resources as well. We propose a geothermal exploration strategy for finding blind systems that is based on an understanding of the geologic processes that transfer heat from the mantle to the upper crust and foster the conditions for hydrothermal circulation or enhanced geothermal exploration. The strategy employs a genetically based screening protocol to assess potential geothermal sites. The approach starts at the plate boundary scale and progressively focuses in on the scale of a producing electrical-grade field. Any active margin or hot spot is a potential location for geothermal resources. Although Quaternary igneous activity provides a clear indication of active advection of hot material into the upper crust, it is not sufficient to guarantee a potential utility-grade resource. Active faulting and/or evidence of high strain rates appear to be the critical features associated with areas of utility-grade geothermal potential. This is because deformation on its own can advect sufficient heat into the upper crust to create conditions favorable for geothermal exploitation. In addition, active deformation is required to demonstrate that open pathways for circulation of geothermal fluids are present and/or can be maintained. The last step in the screening protocol is to identify any evidence of geothermal activity, including high heat flow, anomalous temperature water wells, high-temperature indications from aqueous geothermometry and geochemistry, Pliocene or younger ages from low-temperature thermochronometers, as well as more obvious factors such as geysers and fumaroles (which by definition will be missing for blind resources). Our occurrence-model strategy inverts the current approach that relies first on obvious evidence of geothermal activity. We evaluated our approach by retrospectively applying the protocol to the characteristics of producing geothermal fields, and in all cases, known resource areas fit the parameters identified from a genetic perspective.

Efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training in reducing anxiety in patients with acute schizophrenia.

PubMed

Chen, Wen-Chun; Chu, Hsin; Lu, Ru-Band; Chou, Yuan-Hwa; Chen, Chung-Hua; Chang, Yue-Cune; O'Brien, Anthony Paul; Chou, Kuei-Ru

2009-08-01

The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training on anxiety in patients with acute schizophrenia. Many empirical studies have found progressive muscle relaxation training beneficial in reducing the psychological effects of anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation training is also effective in reducing the distress symptoms associated with the symptomatology of schizophrenia. An experimental randomised controlled trial using repeated measures. The study was designed to examine the effects of progressive muscle relaxation training on patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Study participants were acute psychiatric inpatients in Taiwan. Eighteen patients were block randomised and then assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group received progressive muscle relaxation training and the control group received a placebo intervention. Results from the Beck anxiety inventory were compared between groups as a pretest before intervention, on day 11 of intervention and one week post-test after the intervention was completed. Changes in finger temperature were measured throughout the experiment. The degree of anxiety improvement was significantly higher in the progressive muscle relaxation training group than in the control group after progressive muscle relaxation training intervention (p < 0.0001) and at follow-up (p = 0.0446; the mean BAI score fell from 16.4 pretest to -5.8 post-test. After adjusting for the change in patient finger temperature, the mean change in temperature was significantly different between the two patient groups. The average body temperature increased significantly after applying the progressive muscle relaxation training to patients with schizophrenia. This study demonstrated that progressive muscle relaxation training can effectively alleviate anxiety in patients with schizophrenia. Progressive muscle relaxation training is potentially an effective nursing intervention in the reduction of anxiety in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depending on the quality of their mental status at the time of intervention. Progressive muscle relaxation training is a useful intervention as it is proven to reduce anxiety levels across a spectrum of psychiatric disorders.

Factors affecting the geochemistry of a thick, subbituminous coal bed in the Powder River Basin: volcanic, detrital, and peat-forming processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crowley, S.S.; Ruppert, L.F.; Belkin, H.E.; Stanton, R.W.; Moore, T.A.

1993-01-01

The inorganic geochemistry and mineralogy of three cores from the Anderson-Dietz 1 coal bed, a 15.2-m-thick subbituminous coal bed in the Tongue River Member (Paleocene) of the Fort Union Formation, were examined (1) to determine if the cores could be correlated by geochemical composition alone over a total distance of 2 km and (2) to identify the major factors that influenced the geochemistry of the coal bed. Chemical data (46 elements on a coal-ash basis) for 81 coal samples and 4 carbonaceous rock samples, with most samples representing a 0.6-m-thick (2-ft) interval of core, were grouped into compositional clusters by means of cluster analysis. Seven major clusters were produced; two of these clusters can be used to correlate the coal bed throughout the study area. Data from scanning electron and optical microscope analyses indicate that several factors influenced the geochemistry of the Anderson-Dietz 1 coal bed. The majority of mineral grains in the coal bed are interpreted to be detrital (water borne); evidence includes the presence of rounded to subrounded quartz grains having two-phase, aqueous fluid inclusions characteristic of hydrothermal or low-to-moderate grade metamorphic quartz. These quartz grains are found throughout the coal bed but are most abundant in samples from the midpart of the bed, which was influenced by detrital input associated with the deposition of the clastic rocks that form the split between the Anderson and Dietz 1 coal beds 900 m to the east of the study area. In addition to the detrital minerals mentioned above, volcanic ash that was fluvially transported to the sites of peat deposition or possibly deposited as air-fall volcanic ash also affected the geochemistry of the coal bed. For example, crandallite(?), a mineral reported to form as an alteration product of volcanic ash, is found in seven samples from the coal bed. The presence of quartz grains containing silicate-melt inclusions in eight samples from the coal bed.provides further support for a volcanic ash component. Other factors that probably affected the geochemistry of the coal bed include (1) detrital input associated with the deposition of the roof rocks of the coal bed, (2) peat-forming processes and plant material, and (3) epigenetic ground-water flow. ?? 1993.

The Surtsey Magma Series

PubMed Central

Ian Schipper, C.; Jakobsson, Sveinn P.; White, James D.L.; Michael Palin, J.; Bush-Marcinowski, Tim

2015-01-01

The volcanic island of Surtsey (Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland) is the product of a 3.5-year-long eruption that began in November 1963. Observations of magma-water interaction during pyroclastic episodes made Surtsey the type example of shallow-to-emergent phreatomagmatic eruptions. Here, in part to mark the 50th anniversary of this canonical eruption, we present previously unpublished major-element whole-rock compositions, and new major and trace-element compositions of sideromelane glasses in tephra collected by observers and retrieved from the 1979 drill core. Compositions became progressively more primitive as the eruption progressed, with abrupt changes corresponding to shifts between the eruption’s four edifices. Trace-element ratios indicate that the chemical variation is best explained by mixing of different proportions of depleted ridge-like basalt, with ponded, enriched alkalic basalt similar to that of Iceland’s Eastern Volcanic Zone; however, the systematic offset of Surtsey compositions to lower Nb/Zr than other Vestmannaeyjar lavas indicates that these mixing end members are as-yet poorly contained by compositions in the literature. As the southwestern-most volcano in the Vestmannaeyjar, the geochemistry of the Surtsey Magma Series exemplifies processes occurring within ephemeral magma bodies on the extreme leading edge of a propagating off-axis rift in the vicinity of the Iceland plume. PMID:26112644

Chemical and isotopic characteristics of geothermal fluids from Sulphur Springs, Saint Lucia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Erouscilla P.; Fournier, Nicolas; Lindsay, Jan M.; Robertson, Richard; Beckles, Denise M.

2013-03-01

Sulphur Springs is a vigorous, geothermal field associated with the active Soufrière Volcanic Centre in southern Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles island arc. The 'Sulphur Springs Park' is an important tourist attraction (touted as the 'world's only drive-through volcano') with some of the hot pools being developed into recreational pools. Some 200,000 people visit the park each year. Since 2001, the hydrothermal fluids of Sulphur Springs have been sampled as part of an integrated volcanic monitoring programme for the island. Gas and water samples were analysed to characterise the geochemistry of the hydrothermal system, and to assess the equilibrium state and subsurface temperatures of the reservoir. This has also enabled us, for the first time, to establish baseline data for future geochemical monitoring. The gases are of typical arc-type composition, with N2 excess and low He and Ar content. The dry gas composition is dominated by CO2 (ranging from 601-993 mmol/mol), with deeper magmatic sourced H2S-rich vapour undergoing boiling and redox changes in the geothermal reservoir to emerge with a hydrothermal signature in the fumarolic gases. Fluid contributions from magmatic degassing are also evident, mainly from the moderate to high contents of HCl and deeply-sourced H2S gas, respectively. Sulphur Springs hydrothermal waters have acid-sulphate type compositions (SO4 = 78-4008 mg/L; pH = 3-7), and are of primarily meteoric origin which have been affected by evaporation processes based on the enrichment in both δ18O and δD (δ18O = - 1 to 15‰ and δD = - 9 to 14‰ respectively) in relation to the global meteoric water line (GMWL). These waters are steam-heated water typically formed by absorption of H2S-rich gases in the near surface oxygenated groundwaters. Reservoir temperatures calculated from the evaluation of gas equilibria in the CO2-CH4-H2 system reveal higher temperatures (190 to 300 °C) than those derived from quartz geothermometry (95 to 169 °C), which appeared to be affected by dilution with meteoric waters. Generally, no significant variations in fluid geochemistry of the hydrothermal system were observed between 2001 and 2006, and we propose that there were no changes in the state of volcanic activity during this period.

Evaluating an impact origin for Mercury's high-magnesium region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Elizabeth A.; Potter, Ross W. K.; Abramov, Oleg; James, Peter B.; Klima, Rachel L.; Mojzsis, Stephen J.; Nittler, Larry R.

2017-03-01

During its four years in orbit around Mercury, the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft's X-ray Spectrometer revealed a large geochemical terrane in the northern hemisphere that hosts the highest Mg/Si, S/Si, Ca/Si, and Fe/Si and lowest Al/Si ratios on the planet. Correlations with low topography, thin crust, and a sharp northern topographic boundary led to the proposal that this high-Mg region is the remnant of an ancient, highly degraded impact basin. Here we use a numerical modeling approach to explore the feasibility of this hypothesis and evaluate the results against multiple mission-wide data sets and resulting maps from MESSENGER. We find that an 3000 km diameter impact basin easily exhumes Mg-rich mantle material but that the amount of subsequent modification required to hide basin structure is incompatible with the strength of the geochemical anomaly, which is also present in maps of Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer data. Consequently, the high-Mg region is more likely to be the product of high-temperature volcanism sourced from a chemically heterogeneous mantle than the remains of a large impact event.