Origin of magnetic highs at ultramafic hosted hydrothermal systems: Insights from the Yokoniwa site of Central Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Masakazu; Okino, Kyoko; Sato, Taichi; Sato, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Kentaro

2016-05-01

High-resolution vector magnetic measurements were performed on an inactive ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal vent field, called Yokoniwa Hydrothermal Field (YHF), using a deep-sea manned submersible Shinkai6500 and an autonomous underwater vehicle r2D4. The YHF has developed at a non-transform offset massif of the Central Indian Ridge. Dead chimneys were widely observed around the YHF along with a very weak venting of low-temperature fluids so that hydrothermal activity of the YHF was almost finished. The distribution of crustal magnetization from the magnetic anomaly revealed that the YHF is associated with enhanced magnetization, as seen at the ultramafic-hosted Rainbow and Ashadze-1 hydrothermal sites of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The results of rock magnetic analysis on seafloor rock samples (including basalt, dolerite, gabbro, serpentinized peridotite, and hydrothermal sulfide) showed that only highly serpentinized peridotite carries high magnetic susceptibility and that the natural remanent magnetization intensity can explain the high magnetization of Yokoniwa. These observations reflect abundant and strongly magnetized magnetite grains within the highly serpentinized peridotite. Comparisons with the Rainbow and Ashadze-1 suggest that in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems, strongly magnetized magnetite and pyrrhotite form during the progression of hydrothermal alteration of peridotite. After the completion of serpentinization and production of hydrogen, pyrrhotites convert into pyrite or nonmagnetic iron sulfides, which considerably reduces their levels of magnetization. Our results revealed origins of the magnetic high and the development of subsurface chemical processes in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems. Furthermore, the results highlight the use of near-seafloor magnetic field measurements as a powerful tool for detecting and characterizing seafloor hydrothermal systems.

Torngat ultramafic lamprophyres and their relation to the North Atlantic Alkaline Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tappe, Sebastian; Jenner, George A.; Foley, Stephen F.; Heaman, Larry; Besserer, Dean; Kjarsgaard, Bruce A.; Ryan, Bruce

2004-09-01

Geological mapping and diamond exploration in northern Quebec and Labrador has revealed an undeformed ultramafic dyke swarm in the northern Torngat Mountains. The dyke rocks are dominated by an olivine-phlogopite mineralogy and contain varying amounts of primary carbonate. Their mineralogy, mineral compositional trends and the presence of typomorphic minerals (e.g. kimzeyitic garnet), indicate that these dykes comprise an ultramafic lamprophyre suite grading into carbonatite. Recognized rock varieties are aillikite, mela-aillikite and subordinate carbonatite. Carbonatite and aillikite have in common high carbonate content and a lack of clinopyroxene. In contrast, mela-aillikites are richer in mafic silicate minerals, in particular clinopyroxene and amphibole, and contain only small amounts of primary carbonate. The modal mineralogy and textures of the dyke varieties are gradational, indicating that they represent end-members in a compositional continuum. The Torngat ultramafic lamprophyres are characterized by high but variable MgO (10-25 wt.%), CaO (5-20 wt.%), TiO2 (3-10 wt.%) and K2O (1-4 wt.%), but low SiO2 (22-37 wt.%) and Al2O3 (2-6 wt.%). Higher SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O and lower CO2 content distinguish the mela-aillikites from the aillikites. Whereas the bulk rock major and trace element concentrations of the aillikites and mela-aillikites overlap, there is no fractional crystallization relation between them. The major and trace element characteristics imply related parental magmas, with minor olivine and Cr-spinel fractionation accounting for intra-group variation. The Torngat ultramafic lamprophyres have a Neoproterozoic age and are spatially and compositionally closely related with the Neoproterozoic ultramafic lamprophyres from central West Greenland. Ultramafic potassic-to-carbonatitic magmatism occurred in both eastern Laurentia and western Baltica during the Late Neoproterozoic. It can be inferred from the emplacement ages of the alkaline complexes and timing of Late Proterozoic processes in the North Atlantic region that this volatile-rich, deep-seated igneous activity was a distal effect of the breakup of Rodinia. This occurred during and/or after the rift-to-drift transition that led to the opening of the Iapetus Ocean.

Ultramafic-derived arsenic in a fractured bedrock aquifer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryan, P.C.; Kim, J.; Wall, A.J.; Moen, J.C.; Corenthal, L.G.; Chow, D.R.; Sullivan, C.M.; Bright, K.S.

2011-01-01

In the fractured bedrock aquifer of northern Vermont, USA, As concentrations in groundwater range from <1 to 327??g/L (<13-4360nm/L) and these elevated occurrences have a general spatial association with ultramafic rock bodies. The ultramafic rocks in this region are comprised mainly of serpentinites and talc-magnesite rocks with average As concentration of 93ppm and a range from 1 to 1105ppm. By comparison, the other main lithologies in the study area are depleted in As relative to the ultramafics: the average As concentration in metabasaltic rocks is 4.1ppm with a range of <1-69ppm, and mean As concentration in meta-sedimentary phyllites and schists is 22ppm with a range of <1-190ppm. In the ultramafic rocks, As is correlated with Sb and light rare earth elements, indicating that As was introduced to the ultramafic rocks during metasomatism by fluids derived from the subducting slab. Evidence from sequential chemical extraction, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and stoichiometric analysis indicates that the majority of the As is located in antigorite and magnesite (MgCO3) with lesser amounts in magnetite (Fe3O4). Hydrochemistry of monitoring wells drilled into fractured ultramafic rock in a groundwater recharge area with no anthropogenic As source reveals above background As (2-9??g/L) and an Mg-HCO3 hydrochemical signature that reflects dissolution of antigorite and magnesite, confirming that As in groundwater can be derived from ultramafic rock dissolution. Arsenic mobility in groundwater affected by ultramafic rock dissolution may be enhanced by alkaline pH values and relatively high HCO3- concentrations. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Biological Potential in Serpentinizing Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoehler, Tori M.

2016-01-01

Generation of the microbial substrate hydrogen during serpentinization, the aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks, has focused interest on the potential of serpentinizing systems to support biological communities or even the origin of life. However the process also generates considerable alkalinity, a challenge to life, and both pH and hydrogen concentrations vary widely across natural systems as a result of different host rock and fluid composition and differing physical and hydrogeologic conditions. Biological potential is expected to vary in concert. We examined the impact of such variability on the bioenergetics of an example metabolism, methanogenesis, using a cell-scale reactive transport model to compare rates of metabolic energy generation as a function of physicochemical environment. Potential rates vary over more than 5 orders of magnitude, including bioenergetically non-viable conditions, across the range of naturally occurring conditions. In parallel, we assayed rates of hydrogen metabolism in wells associated with the actively serpentinizing Coast Range Ophiolite, which includes conditions more alkaline and considerably less reducing than is typical of serpentinizing systems. Hydrogen metabolism is observed at pH approaching 12 but, consistent with the model predictions, biological methanogenesis is not observed.

Cortlandtitic enclaves associated with calc-alkaline granites from Tapia-Asturias (Hercynian Belt, northwestern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galán, G.; Suárez, O.

1989-10-01

Petrographic and mineralogical characteristics of amphibole-olivine- and pyroxene-bearing ultramafic rocks from Asturias (NW Spain) are dealt with in this paper. These rocks are of cortlandtitic type and occur as small rare enclaves in basic rocks related to Hercynian calc-alkaline, post-tectonic epizonal granites, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. These particular ultramafic enclaves are characterized by poikilitic cumulate microtexture. Olivine (Fo 77-81), spinel, from chromite to pleonaste composition, enstatite, subordinated diopside and sulphides are included in large brown calcic amphibole crystals displaying an irregular zonation. Phlogopite and plagioclase are also found, in a much lower proportion, between the large amphibole crystals. Mineral assemblage and chemical composition of minerals indicate formation conditions of 1150°C, 7-8 kbar of Ptotal and PH 2O < Ptotal. These rocks could represent the earlier products of fractional crystallization from a hydrated high-alumina basalt involved in the genesis of the calc-alkaline granites. This basic magma would start crystallizing at a relatively deep level, carrying up the first products of its crystallization during its ascent.

Endolithic microbial communities in carbonate precipitates from serpentinite-hosted hyperalkaline springs of the Voltri Massif (Ligurian Alps, Northern Italy).

PubMed

Quéméneur, Marianne; Palvadeau, Alexandra; Postec, Anne; Monnin, Christophe; Chavagnac, Valérie; Ollivier, Bernard; Erauso, Gaël

2015-09-01

The Voltri Massif is an ophiolitic complex located in the Ligurian Alps close to the city of Genova (Northern Italy) where several springs discharge high pH (up to 11.7), low salinity waters produced by the active serpentinization of the ultramafic basement. Mixing of these hyperalkaline waters with the river waters along with the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide forms brownish carbonate precipitates covering the bedrock at the springs. Diverse archaeal and bacterial communities were detected in these carbonate precipitates using 454 pyrosequencing analyses of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Archaeal communities were dominated by members of potential methane-producing and/or methane-oxidizing Methanobacteriales and Methanosarcinales (Euryarchaeota) together with ammonia-oxidizing Nitrososphaerales (Thaumarchaeota) similar to those found in other serpentinization-driven submarine and terrestrial ecosystems. Bacterial communities consisted of members of the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Verrucomicrobia phyla, altogether accounting for 92.2% of total retrieved bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Amongst Bacteria, potential chemolithotrophy was mainly associated with Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria classes, including nitrogen-fixing, methane-oxidizing or hydrogen-oxidizing representatives of the genera Azospirillum, Methylosinus, and Hydrogenophaga/'Serpentinomonas', respectively. Besides, potential chemoorganotrophy was attributed mainly to representatives of Actinobacteria and Planctomycetales phyla. The reported 16S rRNA gene data strongly suggested that hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen-based chemolithotrophy can sustain growth of the microbial communities inhabiting the carbonate precipitates in the hyperalkaline springs of the Voltri Massif, similarly to what was previously observed in other serpentinite-hosted ecosystems.

Post-collisional alkaline magmatism as gateway for metal and sulfur enrichment of the continental lower crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorentini, Marco L.; LaFlamme, Crystal; Denyszyn, Steven; Mole, David; Maas, Roland; Locmelis, Marek; Caruso, Stefano; Bui, Thi-Hao

2018-02-01

Mafic and ultramafic magmas that intrude into the lower crust can preserve evidence for metal and sulfur transfer from the lithospheric mantle into the lower continental crust. Here we focus on a series of ultramafic, alkaline pipes in the Ivrea Zone (NW Italy), which exposes deeply buried (6-11 kbar), migmatitic metasedimentary rocks intruded by voluminous basaltic magmas of the Mafic Complex, a major crustal underplating event precisely dated via U/Pb CA-IDTIMS on zircon at 286.8 ± 0.4 Ma. The ultramafic pipes postdate the Mafic Complex and from 100 to 300 m wide cumulate-rich conduits. They are hydrated and carbonated, have unusually high incompatible element concentrations and contain blebby and semi-massive Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralisation. The sulfides occur as coarse intergranular nodules (>10 mm) and as small intragranular blebs (<1 mm) hosted in olivine, and have homogeneous, mantle-like δ34S (+1.35 ± 0.25‰). This homogeneity suggests that the pipes reached sulfide supersaturation without addition of crustal sulfur, and that the δ34S signature is representative of the continental lithospheric mantle. One of the pipes, the 249 Ma Valmaggia pipe, carries a very distinctive Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic composition in its core (87Sr/86Sr 0.70250, εNd-18, εHf-18, 206Pb/204Pb 16.0, 207Pb/204Pb 15.16, 208Pb/204Pb 35.87), very different from the margin of this pipe and from other pipes that have higher 87Sr/86Sr, εNd and 206Pb/204Pb. The unusual isotopic composition of the Valmaggia pipe requires a source with long-term (2500-1500 million years) U-, Th- and Rb-depletion and LREE enrichment. Such compositions are found in Late Archean/Early Proterozoic granulites and lower crustal xenoliths. We suggest that the unusual isotopic composition of the Valmaggia pipe reflects contamination of the mantle source of the pipe with a crustal component that is neither represented in the local Paleozoic crust nor in the isotopically anomalous hydrated mantle inferred as the source of the large-volume mafic underplate that formed the Mafic Complex. During post-collisional gravitational collapse of the Variscan Orogen, this source produced the alkaline, metal (Ni, Cu, PGE)- and volatile (H2O, CO2, S)-rich mafic-ultramafic magma that formed the deep-crustal intrusion at Valmaggia. U/Pb dating of other chemically and geologically comparable pipes in the area shows that this process was active over at least 40 Ma. The Ivrea pipes illustrate how the lower continental crust can be fertilised with mantle-derived metals and volatiles, which are available for later remobilisation into upper-crustal ore systems. World-class mineral deposits along the margins of lithospheric blocks may thus be the result of both favourable crustal architecture (focussing of magmas and fluids) and localised volatile and metal enrichment of the lower crust related to mantle-derived hydrous metasomatism.

Southern African Phanerozoic Carbonatites: Perspectives on Their Sources and Petrogeneses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janney, P. E.; Ogungbuyi, P. I.; Marageni, M.; Harris, C.; Reid, D. L.

2017-12-01

Found worldwide, carbonatites are particularly numerous in southern Africa and reflect one expression of abundant intraplate alkaline magmatism of Proterozoic to Paleogene age in the region. Phanerozoic southern African carbonatites tend to be concentrated near the margins of the continent (especially the western margin), and near the East African Rift, and often occur in discrete magmatic lineations also containing kimberlites, melilitites, nephelinites and differentiated silica-undersaturated rocks such as phonolites and syenites. We present a synthesis of geochemical and radiogenic and stable isotope results for southern African carbonatites, including new trace element and isotope data from four Phanerozoic carbonatite complexes in South Africa and Namibia: Marinkas Quellen (MQ; southernmost Namibia, ≈525 Ma), Saltpeterkop (SPK; near Sutherland, South Africa, 74 Ma), Zandkopsdrift (ZKD; near Garies, South Africa, 55 Ma, a major REE deposit in development), and Dicker Willem (DW; near Aus, southern Namibia, 49 Ma). All are located in the Early-mid Proterozoic Namaqua-Natal mobile belt. These carbonatite complexes are each associated with linear, NE-SW oriented magmatic provinces, i.e., the Kuboos-Bremen Line of felsic alkaline intrusions and ultramafic lamprophyres (MQ); the Western Cape olivine melilitite province (SPK); the Namaqualand-Bushmanland-Warmbad province of olivine melilitites and kimberlites (ZKD) and the Schwarzeberg-Klinghardt-Gibeon swarm of nephelinites, phonolites and kimberlites (DW), the latter three provinces are of Paleogene to Late Cretaceous age and are clearly age progressive. Each of the four carbonatite complexes contain silica-undersaturated igneous rocks such as potassic trachyte (MQ, SPK & DW), alkaline lamprophyre (ZKD), ijolite (MQ & DW) and olivine melilitite (ZKD and SPK). Most also contain hybrid silicate-carbonate igneous rocks with <35 wt.% SiO2 and ≥20 wt.% CO2 such as nepheline sövite (DW), aillikite (ZKD) and other carbonated ultramafic lamprophyre types (SPK) that could represent magmas parental to the carbonatites. Like the magmatic provinces that host them, the carbonatites span a range of isotopic compositions from strong HIMU to EM1. We will present a model of carbonatite origin and source evolution related to lithospheric setting.

Geodiversity of hydrothermal processes along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and ultramafic-hosted mineralization: A new type of oceanic Cu-Zn-Co-Au volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fouquet, Yves; Cambon, Pierre; Etoubleau, Joël; Charlou, Jean Luc; Ondréas, Hélène; Barriga, Fernando J. A. S.; Cherkashov, Georgy; Semkova, Tatiana; Poroshina, Irina; Bohn, M.; Donval, Jean Pierre; Henry, Katell; Murphy, Pamela; Rouxel, Olivier

Several hydrothermal deposits associated with ultramafic rocks have recently been found along slow spreading ridges with a low magmatic budget. Three preferential settings are identified: (1) rift valley walls near the amagmatic ends of ridge segments; (2) nontransform offsets; and (3) ultramafic domes at inside corners of ridge transform-fault intersections. The exposed mantle at these sites is often interpreted to be a detachment fault. Hydrothermal cells in ultramafic rocks may be driven by regional heat flow, cooling gabbroic intrusions, and exothermic heat produced during serpentinization. Along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), hydrothermal deposits in ultramafic rocks include the following: (1) sulfide mounds related to high-temperature low-pH fluids (Logatchev, Rainbow, and Ashadze); (2) carbonate chimneys related to low-temperature, high-pH fluids (Lost City); (3) low-temperature diffuse venting and high-methane discharge associated with silica, minor sulfides, manganese oxides, and pervasive alteration (Saldanha); and (4) stockwork quartz veins with sulfides at the base of detachment faults (15°05'N). These settings are closely linked to preferential circulation of fluid along permeable detachment faults. Compared to mineralization in basaltic environments, sulfide deposits associated with ultramafic rocks are enriched in Cu, Zn, Co, Au, and Ni. Gold has a bimodal distribution in low-temperature Zn-rich and in high-temperature Cu-rich mineral assemblages. The Cu-Zn-Co-Au deposits along the MAR seem to be more abundant than in ophiolites on land. This may be because ultramafic-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits on slow spreading ridges are usually not accreted to continental margins during obduction and may constitute a specific marine type of mineralization.

The influence of spreading rate, basement composition, fluid chemistry and chimney morphology on the formation of gold-rich SMS deposits at slow and ultraslow mid-ocean ridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, Robert D.; Roberts, Stephen; Webber, Alexander P.

2018-01-01

Seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposits are variably enriched in precious metals including gold. However, the processes invoked to explain the formation of auriferous deposits do not typically apply to mid-ocean ridge settings. Here, we show a statistically significant, negative correlation between the average gold concentration of SMS deposits with spreading rate, at non-sedimented mid-ocean ridges. Deposits located at slow spreading ridges (20-40 mm/a) have average gold concentrations of between 850 and 1600 ppb; however, with increasing spreading rate (up to 140 mm/a), gold concentrations gradually decrease to between 50 and 150 ppb. This correlation of gold content with spreading rate may be controlled by the degree and duration of fluid-rock interaction, which is a function of the heat flux, crustal structure (faulting) and the permeability of the source rocks. Deposits at ultraslow ridges, including ultramafic-hosted deposits, are particularly enriched in gold. This is attributed to the higher permeability of the ultramafic source rocks achieved by serpentinisation and the inherent porosity of serpentine minerals, combined with relatively high gold concentrations in peridotite compared with mid-ocean ridge basalt. Variations in fluid chemistry, such as reducing conditions and the potential for increased sulphur availability at ultramafic-hosted sites, may also contribute to the high concentrations observed. Beehive chimneys, which offer more favourable conditions for gold precipitation, may be more prevalent at ultramafic-hosted sites due to diffuse low-velocity venting compared with more focussed venting at basalt-hosted sites.

Geothermobarometry for ultramafic assemblages from the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, Southwest China and the Nikos and Zulu Kimberlites, Nunavut, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, D.

2009-05-01

To understand and contrast the origins of ultramafic assemblages from basaltic and kimberlitic rocks and their associated deposits, such as V-Ti magnetite and Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits and diamond, applicable thermobarometers were evaluated and applied to the ultramafic assemblages from the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP), Southwest China and from the Nikos and Zulu Kimberlites of Nunavut, Canada. The ELIP is located in the Yangtze Block, Southwest China and composed of Permian Emeishan Flood basalt (EFB) and associated layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Some of these intrusions host V-Ti magnetite deposits; while others contain Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits. It is not clear why some intrusions host magnetite deposits and others contain sulfide deposits. The P-T conditions for the ultramafic assemblages from the mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the ELIP were calculated in order to understand the origins and the associated mineral deposits. The ultramafic assemblages are peridotite, olivine pyroxenite, pyroxenite in the layered intrusions and the common minerals include spinel, olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and minor magnetite and ilmenite. Using a two pyroxene thermometer and a Ca-Mg exchange barometer between olivine and clinopyroxene, a spinel-olivine-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene assemblage from the Xinjie intrusion yields a T-P of 905°C and 17 kbar; and a similar assemblage from the Jinbaoshan intrusion yields a T-P of 1124°C and 31 kbar. The Nikos kimberlite, near Elwin Bay on Somerset Island, is located at the northeast end of the northeast-southwest kimberlite zone; and the Zulu kimberlite is located on the neighboring Brodeur Peninsula of Baffin Island, Nunavut. The ultramafic assemblages from the Canadian Kimberlites include garnet lherzolite, garnet-spinel lherzolite, spinel lherzolite, dunite, garnet websterite, spinel websterite and garnet clinopyroxenite. The calculated P-T conditions are in the range of 760 to 1180°C and 25 to 60 kbar, follow a continental geotherm, and overlap the stability field of diamond. The ultramafic assemblages from the ELIP, Southwest China and from the Canadian Kimberlites were sampled from different depths in the lithosphere.

Geochemical Analysis for Sedimentary Emerald Mineralization in Western Emerald belt, Colombia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nino Vasquez, Gabriel Felipe; Song, Sheng-Rong

2017-04-01

1Gabriel Felipe Nino Vasquez and 1Sheng-Rong Song 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University Colombia hosts a large quantity of mineral resources due to its complex tectonic arrangement, and emerald deposits are one of the most representatives for the country. Emeralds in Colombia occur mainly in black shale, and are located in eastern Andes Cordillera with two parallel belts separated by approximately 130 Km: the Western belt (WB) and the Eastern belt (EB). The geological, mineralogical and tectonic features from these belts are quite similar (Buenaventura 2002). Previous researchers concluded that emeralds in Colombia came from hydrothermal sedimentary processes without any magmatic influence, and suggested that the source of Cr, V and Be (which are important components of the beryl) was the host rock. According to their results, the process which allowed the shale to release these cations was the metasomatism (albitization and carbonization), which was resulted from the interaction between the rocks and the alkaline brines. Fractures and fault planes originated by these tectonic movements were fulfilled by enriched fluids, which they allowed emeralds and the other minerals precipitation with decreasing alkalinity and pressure (Giuliani et al. 1994). However, there were several pitfalls of conclusions drawn from previous researches. Firstly, Cr and V were widely distributed and come from mafic and ultramafic rocks, and Be was mostly found in pegmatites, finding these elements in sedimentary rocks suggest that probably the ultramafic rocks occurred not far from the deposits. Secondly, there was an inconsistency in the estimated temperatures of emeralds formation, i.e. temperature of hydrothermal sedimentary deposits was only 200° C, while laboratory analysis showed that the formation of emeralds was higher than 300° C. Therefore, there might still be an allocthonus influence on emerald formation that significantly increases the temperature. This research is going to contribute information in order to clarify these inconsistencies, We have done the O and C isotopes in calcite and S isotope in pyrite and shale from different mines along the (WB) in order to determine the main fluid source of the mineralization. Selected samples will also be analyzed with EDS, RAMAN and ICP-MS methods to obtain the exact compositions of elements with extremely low concentrations in host rock, metazomatized host rock and mineralization (productive and not productive veins); the main purpose is to measure how strong were the fluid-rock interaction to leach elements out from the black shale. Thin sections from the altered shale and vein have been analyzed with the purpose of identify paragenesis and microstructures in the mineralization. Finally, we would like to gather the results from different sectors and compare it with the previous studies.

Effect of Hydrochemistry on Mineral Precipitation and Textural Diversity in Serpentinization-driven Alkaline Environments; Insights from Thermal Springs in the Oman Ophiolite.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bach, W.; Giampouras, M.; Garcia-Ruiz, J. M.; Garrido, C. J.; Los, C.; Fussmann, D.; Monien, P.

2017-12-01

Interactions between meteoric water and ultramafic rocks within Oman ophiolite give rise to the formation of thermal spring waters of variable composition and temperature. Discharge of two different types of water forms complex hydrological networks of streams and ponds, in which the waters mix, undergo evaporation, and take up atmospheric CO2. We conducted a pond-by-pond sampling of waters and precipitates in two spring sites within the Wadi Tayin massif, Nasif and Khafifah, and examined how hydrochemistry and associated mineral saturation states affect the variations in mineral phases and textures. Three distinctive types of waters were identified in the system: a) Mg-type (7.9 < pH < 9.5); Mg-HCO3-rich waters, b) Ca-type (pH > 11.6); Ca-OH-rich waters, and c) Mix-type (9.6 < pH < 11.5); waters arising upon mixing of Mg-type and Ca-type. PHREEQC was used to evaluate the role of mixing in aqueous speciation and the evolution of the saturation index value of different mineral phases. Mineral and textural characterization by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were combined with these hydrogeochemical constraints to determine the factors controlling mineralogical and textural diversity in the system. In Ca-type waters, uptake of CO2 during the exposure of the fluids to the atmosphere is the predominant precipitation mechanism of CaCO3. High Mg:Ca ratios and high supersaturation rate of CaCO3 favor the growth of aragonite over calcite in mixed fluids. Changes in morphology and texture of aragonite crystals and crystal aggregates indicate the variations in the values of supersaturation and supersaturation rate of CaCO3 in the different water types. Brucite precipitation is common and driven by fluid mixing, while interaction with air-derived CO2 causes its alteration to hydromagnesite. The proximity of gabbroic lithologies appears to affect the presence of Al-bearing layered double hydroxides (LDHs). Furthermore, transformation of nesquehonite to dypingite in Mg-type waters record a shift towards more alkaline conditions due to occasional mixing. This study demonstrates that water mixing, atmospheric CO2 up-take, and evaporation are the main drivers of precipitation and textural differentiation of minerals occurring in serpentinization-driven alkaline environments.

Oxygen regime of Siberian alkaline-ultramafic magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryabchikov, Igor; Kogarko, Liya

2017-04-01

Regimes of S2 and O2 are decisive factors controlling behavior of chalcophile and siderophile elements in magmatic processes. These parameters play important role during magmagenesis and in the course of crystallization and fluid mass transfer in magma chamber. Alkaline-ultramafic magmatism in Maymecha-Kotuy Province (Polar Siberia) is represented by giant intrusive complexes as well as by volcanics and dyke rocks, which include a well-known variety - meimechites. The latter are considered primary magmas of alkaline-ultramafic plutons in the region like for instance Guli intrusive complex. Sulfur content in primitive magmas estimated from the analyses of melt inclusions in olivine megacrysts from meimechites is close to 0.1 %. fO2 values calculated using olivine+clinopyroxene+spinel and spinel+melt oxygen barometers (1, 2) are 2-3 log units above QFM buffer. The relatively high oxygen potential at the early magmatic stage of alkaline-ultramafic Guli pluton provide predominance of sulfates among other forms of sulfur in the melt. This leads to the almost complete absence of sulfides in highly magnesian rocks. The oxidizing conditions exert important effect on behavior of many ore metals. At the stage of magma generation absence of sulfides in mantle materialresults in the presence of siderophile elements in metallic form and saturation of primary magmas in respect of metallic phases at an early stage of injection of the melt into the magma chamber. Later, under favorable circumstances during magma crystallization nuggets of precious metals may be formed. During further evolution of magmatic system fO2 and activity of oxidized sulfur decrease due to intensive crystallization of magnetite during the formation of koswites, then oxygen fugacity becomes even lower as a result serpentinization at a postmagmatic stage. These serpentization processes are caused by the displacement of reactions in the aqueous phase due to cooling towards the formation of methane and other reduced components and, possibly, with their concentration in the gas phase due to boiling at lowered pressure. This leads to the appearance of late sulfides in the intergranular space of the investigated rocks. Sulfides are represented by pentlandite, monosulfide solid solution and heazlewoodite. Thermodynamic analysis of equilibria involving these minerals has shown that the oxygenpotential in the later stages is significantly reduced (up to three logarithmic units below QFM buffer at 300 ° C). The transition from an oxidizing to a reducing environment will contribute to the mobilization of many ore metals by aqueous fluids and then theirconcentrated deposition. This may be particularly important factor for gold, which is mobilized by fluid under oxidizing environment and precipitated due to the decreasing fO2. Au is present in placers on the territory of the Guli complex. Highly oxidized nature of the early phases of alkaline-ultramafic magmatic systems (high magnetite component of chrome spinel, high concentrations of ferric iron in pyroxene), and signs of the transition to a more reducing environment at a late stage (intensive crystallization of magnetite, occurrence of sulfur-deficient sulfides) can be considered as a potential prognostic signs of gold mineralization. Russian Science Foundation (grant 15-17-30019) has supported this work. 1. I. D. Ryabchikov, Oxygen potential of high-magnesium magmas. Doklady Earth Sciences 448, 149 (Jan, 2013). 2. I. D. Ryabchikov, L. N. Kogarko, A new version of the spinel-olivine-pyroxene oxybarometer and extreme redox differentiation in magmatic systems of mantle sources. Doklady Earth Sciences 430, 248 (Feb, 2010).

Metagenomic Evidence for H2 Oxidation and H2 Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities

PubMed Central

Brazelton, William J.; Nelson, Bridget; Schrenk, Matthew O.

2012-01-01

Ultramafic rocks in the Earth’s mantle represent a tremendous reservoir of carbon and reducing power. Upon tectonic uplift and exposure to fluid flow, serpentinization of these materials generates copious energy, sustains abiogenic synthesis of organic molecules, and releases hydrogen gas (H2). In order to assess the potential for microbial H2 utilization fueled by serpentinization, we conducted metagenomic surveys of a marine serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal chimney (at the Lost City hydrothermal field) and two continental serpentinite-hosted alkaline seeps (at the Tablelands Ophiolite, Newfoundland). Novel [NiFe]-hydrogenase sequences were identified at both the marine and continental sites, and in both cases, phylogenetic analyses indicated aerobic, potentially autotrophic Betaproteobacteria belonging to order Burkholderiales as the most likely H2-oxidizers. Both sites also yielded metagenomic evidence for microbial H2 production catalyzed by [FeFe]-hydrogenases in anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria belonging to order Clostridiales. In addition, we present metagenomic evidence at both sites for aerobic carbon monoxide utilization and anaerobic carbon fixation via the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. In general, our results point to H2-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria thriving in shallow, oxic–anoxic transition zones and the anaerobic Clostridia thriving in anoxic, deep subsurface habitats. These data demonstrate the feasibility of metagenomic investigations into novel subsurface habitats via surface-exposed seeps and indicate the potential for H2-powered primary production in serpentinite-hosted subsurface habitats. PMID:22232619

Metagenomic evidence for h(2) oxidation and h(2) production by serpentinite-hosted subsurface microbial communities.

PubMed

Brazelton, William J; Nelson, Bridget; Schrenk, Matthew O

2012-01-01

Ultramafic rocks in the Earth's mantle represent a tremendous reservoir of carbon and reducing power. Upon tectonic uplift and exposure to fluid flow, serpentinization of these materials generates copious energy, sustains abiogenic synthesis of organic molecules, and releases hydrogen gas (H(2)). In order to assess the potential for microbial H(2) utilization fueled by serpentinization, we conducted metagenomic surveys of a marine serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal chimney (at the Lost City hydrothermal field) and two continental serpentinite-hosted alkaline seeps (at the Tablelands Ophiolite, Newfoundland). Novel [NiFe]-hydrogenase sequences were identified at both the marine and continental sites, and in both cases, phylogenetic analyses indicated aerobic, potentially autotrophic Betaproteobacteria belonging to order Burkholderiales as the most likely H(2)-oxidizers. Both sites also yielded metagenomic evidence for microbial H(2) production catalyzed by [FeFe]-hydrogenases in anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria belonging to order Clostridiales. In addition, we present metagenomic evidence at both sites for aerobic carbon monoxide utilization and anaerobic carbon fixation via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. In general, our results point to H(2)-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria thriving in shallow, oxic-anoxic transition zones and the anaerobic Clostridia thriving in anoxic, deep subsurface habitats. These data demonstrate the feasibility of metagenomic investigations into novel subsurface habitats via surface-exposed seeps and indicate the potential for H(2)-powered primary production in serpentinite-hosted subsurface habitats.

Genesis of the Permian Kemozibayi sulfide-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion in Altay, NW China: Evidence from zircon geochronology, Hf and O isotopes and mineral chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Dongmei; Qin, Kezhang; Xue, Shengchao; Mao, Yajing; Evans, Noreen J.; Niu, Yanjie; Chen, Junlu

2017-11-01

The recently discovered Kemozibayi mafic-ultramafic intrusion and its associated magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide deposits are located at the southern margin of the Chinese Altai Mountain, Central Asian Orogenic Belt in north Xinjiang, NW China. The intrusion is composed of olivine websterite, norite, gabbro and diorite. Disseminated and net-textured Ni-Cu sulfide ores are hosted in the center of the gabbro. In this work, new zircon U-Pb ages, Hf-O isotopic and sulfide S isotopic data, and whole rock and mineral chemical analyses are combined in order to elucidate the characteristics of the mantle source, nature of subduction processes, degree of crustal contamination, geodynamic setting of bimodal magmatism in the region, and the metallogenic potential of economic Cu-Ni sulfide deposit at depth. SIMS zircon U-Pb dating of the gabbro yields Permian ages (278.3 ± 1.9 Ma), coeval with the Kalatongke Cu-Ni deposit and with Cu-Ni deposits in the Eastern Tianshan and Beishan areas. Several lines of evidence (positive εHf(t) from + 7.1 to + 13.3, Al2O3, TiO2 and SiO2 contents in clinopyroxene from olivine websterite, high whole rock TiO2 contents) suggest that the primary magma of the Kemozibayi intrusion was a calc-alkaline basaltic magma derived from depleted mantle, and that the degree of partial melting in the magma source was high. The evolution of the Kemozibayi mafic-ultramafic complex was strongly controlled by fractional crystallization and the crystallization sequence was olivine websterite, norite, and then gabbro. This is evidenced by whole rock Fe2O3 contents that are positively correlated with MgO and negatively correlated with Al2O3, CaO and Na2O, similar LREE enrichment and negative Nb, Ta, Hf anomalies in chondrite and primitive mantle-normalized patterns, and a decrease in total REE and trace elements contents and magnetite content from gabbro through to norite and olivine websterite. Varied and low εHf(t) (+ 7.1 to + 13.3) and high δ18O values (+ 6.4‰ to + 7.2‰) in zircon, high La/Ba, and Rb/Y ratios, and low Nb/La ratios in whole rock samples, suggest 5-10% contamination by subduction related fluid and 10-15% contribution from an upper crustal component. The clinopyroxene TiO2 and Alz values (percentage of tetrahedral sites occupied by Al) in the Kemozibayi intrusion show characteristics of rift cumulate rocks, but minor arc cumulate features, indicating that the mantle source might have experienced a lower degree of subduction metasomatism. A high degree of partial melting of the depleted mantle and subducted oceanic sediments with related fluid metasomatism and crustal contamination in the Kemozibayi mafic-ultramafic intrusion are appropriate for the formation of an economic copper and nickel sulfide deposit. Crustal contamination, crustal S addition and early fractionation of olivine and sulfide induced S saturation and the formation of immiscible sulfide in the Kemozibayi intrusion. With no obvious olivine and Ni-rich sulfide co-crystallization, the Cu grade in the present orebody is higher than the Ni grade, and the proportion of mafic rocks is high in the Kemozibayi mafic-ultramafic complex. Cumulatively, these features suggest that the mafic-ultramafic intrusion underwent early olivine and Ni sulfide segregation, and that deeper or extended portions of the present intrusive body may host Ni mineralization.

Cobalt—Styles of deposits and the search for primary deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hitzman, Murray W.; Bookstrom, Arthur A.; Slack, John F.; Zientek, Michael L.

2017-11-30

Cobalt (Co) is a potentially critical mineral. The vast majority of cobalt is a byproduct of copper and (or) nickel production. Cobalt is increasingly used in magnets and rechargeable batteries. More than 50 percent of primary cobalt production is from the Central African Copperbelt. The Central African Copperbelt is the only sedimentary rock-hosted stratiform copper district that contains significant cobalt. Its presence may indicate significant mafic-ultramafic rocks in the local basement. The balance of primary cobalt production is from magmatic nickel-copper and nickel laterite deposits. Cobalt is present in several carbonate-hosted lead-zinc and copper districts. It is also variably present in Besshi-type volcanogenic massive sulfide and siliciclastic sedimentary rock-hosted deposits in back arc and rift environments associated with mafic-ultramafic rocks. Metasedimentary cobalt-copper-gold deposits (such as Blackbird, Idaho), iron oxide-copper-gold deposits, and the five-element vein deposits (such as Cobalt, Ontario) contain different amounts of cobalt. None of these deposit types show direct links to mafic-ultramafic rocks; the deposits may result from crustal-scale hydrothermal systems capable of leaching and transporting cobalt from great depths. Hydrothermal deposits associated with ultramafic rocks, typified by the Bou Azzer district of Morocco, represent another type of primary cobalt deposit.In the United States, exploration for cobalt deposits may focus on magmatic nickel-copper deposits in the Archean and Proterozoic rocks of the Midwest and the east coast (Pennsylvania) and younger mafic rocks in southeastern and southern Alaska; also, possibly basement rocks in southeastern Missouri. Other potential exploration targets include—The Belt-Purcell basin of British Columbia (Canada), Idaho, Montana, and Washington for different styles of sedimentary rock-hosted cobalt deposits;Besshi-type VMS deposits, such as the Greens Creek (Alaska) deposit and the Ducktown (Tennessee) waste and tailings; andKnown five-element vein districts in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as in the Yukon-Tanana terrane of Alaska; and hydrothermal deposits associated with ultramafic rocks along the west coast, in Alaska, and in the Appalachian Mountains.

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

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

Whole-rock and mineral compositional constraints on the magmatic evolution of the Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide ore-bearing Kevitsa intrusion, northern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luolavirta, Kirsi; Hanski, Eero; Maier, Wolfgang; Santaguida, Frank

2018-01-01

The 2.06 Ga mafic-ultramafic Kevitsa intrusion is located in the Central Lapland greenstone belt. The lower ultramafic part of the intrusion hosts a large disseminated Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposit with Ni tenors ranging widely from < 4 wt% (uneconomic false ore and contact mineralization) to 4-7 wt% (regular ore) and up to 40 wt% (Ni-PGE ore). The stratigraphy of the ultramafic cumulates is divided into the basal pyroxenite-gabbro (Basal series), olivine pyroxenite (OLPX), pyroxenite, and plagioclase-bearing (ol) websterite (pOLWB), of which the latter occurs together with minor microgabbros in the ore-bearing domain of the intrusion. Around the ore domain, the ultramafic cumulate succession records a simple lithological stratigraphy and modest and predictable variations in whole-rock and mineral compositions. The ore-bearing domain, in contrast, is characterized by a complex internal architecture, variations in whole-rock and mineral compositions, and the presence of numerous inclusions and xenoliths. The OLPXs are mainly composed of cumulus olivine (Fo77-89) and clinopyroxene (Mg#81-92) with variable amounts of oikocrystic orthopyroxene (Mg#79-84). They comprise the bulk of the ultramafic cumulates and are the dominant host rocks to the sulfide ore. The host rocks to the regular and false ore type are mineralogically and compositionally similar (Fo 80-83, mostly) and show mildly LREE-enriched REE patterns (CeN/YbN 2), characteristic for the bulk of the Kevitsa ultramafic cumulates. The abundance of orthopyroxene and magnetite is lowest in the host rocks to the Ni-PGE ore type, being in line with the mineral compositions of the silicates, which are the most primitive in the intrusion. However, it contrasts with the LREE-enriched nature of the ore type (CeN/YbN 7), indicating significant involvement of crustal material in the magma. The contrasting intrusive stratigraphy in the different parts of the intrusion likely reflects different emplacement histories. It is proposed that the Kevitsa magma chamber was initially filled by stable continuous flow ("single" input) of basaltic magma followed by differentiation in an at least nearly closed system. In the following stage, new magma pulses were repeatedly emplaced into the interior of the intrusion in a dynamic (open) system forming the sulfide ore bodies. To gain the peculiar compositional and mineralogical characteristics of the Ni-PGE ore type, the related magma probably interacted with different country rocks en route to the Kevitsa magma chamber.

Igneous and Ore-Forming Processes at the Roots of Giant - Ultra-Mafic Pluming System: the Seiland Igneous Comples, Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, R. B.; Iljina, M.; Schanke, M.

2012-12-01

SIP covers an area of 5500 km2 in N. Norway. 50 % of the volume comprises mafic layered or homogenous plg+px+Fe-Ti±ol gabbros. 25 % of the area comprises ultramafic intrusions, mostly peridotite and subsidiary pyroxenite and hornblendite. 25 % comprises calc-alkaline and alkaline plutons, respectively. Ultramafic plutons intersect gabbros and calc-alkaline plutons. Recent zircon U/Pb geochronology imply that SIP formed at 560-570 Ma, with mafic- and ultramafic rocks being emplaced in <4 Ma (Roberts et al., Geol. Mag, 2007). Geothermobarometry of contact metamorphic mineral assemblages, implies minimum depth of 20-30 kilometres. Accordingly, the Seiland province arguably provides a unique cross section through the deep-seated parts of a huge magmatic plumbing system. Sulphide Cu-Ni-(PGE) deposits are intimately associated with the ultramafic rock suite. One deposit from Stjernøy comprises sulphide dissiminations at the floor of a peridotitic pluton, another deposit occur at the floor of the Reinfjord ultramafic layered complex in the far West of SIP and the third deposit comprises vertical sulphide dykes in the interior of a hornblendite on the Øksfjord peninsula. Currently, only the Reinfjord deposit is studied in detail. The Reinfjord intrusions is layered and develops from olivine clinopyroxenites in the Lower Zone to wherlite in the Middle Zone to wehrlites and dunite in the Upper Zone. Earlier studies suggest parental melts with pyroxenitic compositions whereas the dunites and wherlites formed by fractional crystallization (Bennet et al., Bull. NGU, 405, 1-41). During our fieldwork we observed spectacular examples of cumulus structures, not previously reported, and including modally layered and modally graded dunite/wherlite, cross-bedding, slumping and mush-diapirs. Finally we saw an example of magma-replenishment where an olivine pyroxenitic magma was emplaced in to and mixed with the contemporary olivine/wherlite mushes!. The country rock gabbros were unconsolidated and were partially melted during emplacement of the hot peridotitic melts. Previous studies (Søyland Hansen, 1971, unpub. MSc thesis, NTNU) and our preliminary work document dissiminated Cu-Ni sulphides in a 10-20 metres thick and two km's long deposit at the lower contacts of the Reinfjord intrusion. Several analysis imply 0.15 wt% for both Ni and Cu. The sulphide assemblage iincludes pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and minor pyrite. Pentlandite is partially bravoitised. Airborne and ground geophysics done as part of our study implied a bowled shaped conducter c. 100 metres below the surface. Exploratory drilling confirmed two layers of 7 and 9 metres, respectively with 0.3-0.4 wt% Ni and minor Cu. The 9 m's zone included 5 m's with 0.6 ppm PGE+Au. Ni is in pentlandite whereas Cu is in chalcopyrite, cubanite or native Cu that apparently exsolved from Chalcopyrite. All sulphide deposits at Reinfjord has only 0.3 to 0.7 wt% S. The source of S is currently unknown, but new sulphur isotope data will be reported at the AGU-meeting.

Mineralization of atmospheric CO2 via fluid reaction with mafic/ultramafic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westfield, I. T.; Kendall, T. A.; Ries, J. B.

2011-12-01

Atmospheric CO2 has increased nearly 50% since the Industrial Revolution, due primarily to increased fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and deforestation. Although subterranean reservoirs are presently considered the most viable sink for anthropogenically liberated CO2, concerns exist over the stability of these systems and their impacts on regional tectonics, aquifers, and subterranean microbial ecosystems. Direct mineralization of CO2 at the Earth's surface provides an alternative capable of generating useful carbon-negative mineral byproducts that may be used to supplement or replace conventional carbon-positive building materials, like cement. However, mineralization of anthropogenic CO2 requires large sources of alkalinity to convert CO2 to CO32-, and divalent cations (e.g., Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+, etc.) to bond with the aqueous CO32-. Ultramafic and mafic rocks, such as peridotites, serpentinites, and basalts, are globally abundant, naturally occurring sources of the divalent cations, and alkalinity required for CO2 mineralization. Here, we present the results of accelerated reactions between ultramafic/mafic rocks, water, and CO2/N2 gases, aimed at quantifying the carbonation potential of mafic/ultramafic rocks. Rock-fluid-gas batch reactions were carried out in vented 4 L borosilicate glass flasks filled with 3 L DI water and 200 g acetone-washed, 49-180μm-diameter grains of four ultramafic/mafic rock types: peridotite, dunite, websterite and basalt. Each of the four rock-water mixtures was reacted under pure CO2 and pure N2 and at 25 and 200 °C, for a total of 16 reactions. Mixtures were continuously heated and stirred for 14 days. Samples (330 mL) were obtained at 0, 1, 6, 24, 48, 96, 168, and 336 hrs and filtered at 0.4 μm. The pH of filtered samples was measured with a single-junction Ag/AgCl glass electrode, salinity was determined with a conductivity probe, total alkalinity (TA) was determined by closed-cell potentiometric Gran titration, and DIC was determined by coulometry (all calibrated with certified reference materials). [CO32-], [HCO3-], and [OH-] were calculated from TA and DIC. For all reactions, pH (range: 5.5 - 9.7), TA, DIC, [CO32-], and [HCO3-] increased dramatically within the first several hours of the experiment, and then either steadily increased, plateaued, or declined, in some cases increasing again after the decline. After the initial spike, DIC increased with time under 25 °C, but decreased under 200 °C. Salinity and [OH-] increased steadily throughout most reactions. Lack of correlation of abrupt, short-lived declines in pH, TA, DIC, [CO32-], and [HCO3-] with [OH-] between 24 and 48 hrs at 200 °C suggests sudden precipitation of carbonate minerals, rather than production of silicic acid. Temperature generally increased reaction rates to a greater extent under CO2 than under N2, and substantially more OH- ions were liberated from rocks at 200 °C than at 25 °C. Reaction kinetics will be further constrained from mineralogy, elemental composition, and carbonate content of reaction products, enabling more precise quantification of the carbonation potential of the ultramafic/mafic rock types.

Fossil evidence for serpentinization fluids fueling chemosynthetic assemblages

PubMed Central

Lartaud, Franck; Little, Crispin T. S.; de Rafelis, Marc; Bayon, Germain; Dyment, Jerome; Ildefonse, Benoit; Gressier, Vincent; Fouquet, Yves; Gaill, Françoise; Le Bris, Nadine

2011-01-01

Among the deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites discovered in the past 30 years, Lost City on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is remarkable both for its alkaline fluids derived from mantle rock serpentinization and the spectacular seafloor carbonate chimneys precipitated from these fluids. Despite high concentrations of reduced chemicals in the fluids, this unique example of a serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal system currently lacks chemosynthetic assemblages dominated by large animals typical of high-temperature vent sites. Here we report abundant specimens of chemosymbiotic mussels, associated with gastropods and chemosymbiotic clams, in approximately 100 kyr old Lost City-like carbonates from the MAR close to the Rainbow site (36 °N). Our finding shows that serpentinization-related fluids, unaffected by high-temperature hydrothermal circulation, can occur on-axis and are able to sustain high-biomass communities. The widespread occurrence of seafloor ultramafic rocks linked to likely long-range dispersion of vent species therefore offers considerably more ecospace for chemosynthetic fauna in the oceans than previously supposed. PMID:21518892

Fossil evidence for serpentinization fluids fueling chemosynthetic assemblages.

PubMed

Lartaud, Franck; Little, Crispin T S; de Rafelis, Marc; Bayon, Germain; Dyment, Jerome; Ildefonse, Benoit; Gressier, Vincent; Fouquet, Yves; Gaill, Françoise; Le Bris, Nadine

2011-05-10

Among the deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites discovered in the past 30 years, Lost City on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is remarkable both for its alkaline fluids derived from mantle rock serpentinization and the spectacular seafloor carbonate chimneys precipitated from these fluids. Despite high concentrations of reduced chemicals in the fluids, this unique example of a serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal system currently lacks chemosynthetic assemblages dominated by large animals typical of high-temperature vent sites. Here we report abundant specimens of chemosymbiotic mussels, associated with gastropods and chemosymbiotic clams, in approximately 100 kyr old Lost City-like carbonates from the MAR close to the Rainbow site (36 °N). Our finding shows that serpentinization-related fluids, unaffected by high-temperature hydrothermal circulation, can occur on-axis and are able to sustain high-biomass communities. The widespread occurrence of seafloor ultramafic rocks linked to likely long-range dispersion of vent species therefore offers considerably more ecospace for chemosynthetic fauna in the oceans than previously supposed.

Ultramafic Terranes and Associated Springs as Analogs for Mars and Early Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David; Schulte, Mitch; Cullings, Ken; DeVincezi, D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Putative extinct or extant Martian organisms, like their terrestrial counterparts, must adopt metabolic strategies based on the environments in which they live. In order for organisms to derive metabolic energy from the natural environment (Martian or terrestrial), a state of thermodynamic disequilibrium must exist. The most widespread environment of chemical disequilibrium on present-day Earth results from the interaction of mafic rocks of the ocean crust with liquid water. Such environments were even more pervasive and important on the Archean Earth due to increased geothermal heat flow and the absence of widespread continental crust formation. The composition of the lower crust and upper mantle of the Earth is essentially the-same as that of Mars, and the early histories of these two planets are similar. It follows that a knowledge of the mineralogy, water-rock chemistry and microbial ecology of Earth's oceanic crust could be of great value in devising a search strategy for evidence of past or present life on Mars. In some tectonic regimes, cross-sections of lower oceanic crust and upper mantle are exposed on land as so-called "ophiolite suites." Such is the case in the state of California (USA) as a result of its location adjacent to active plate margins. These mafic and ultramafic rocks contain numerous springs that offer an easily accessible field laboratory for studying water/rock interactions and the microbial communities that are supported by the resulting geochemical energy. A preliminary screen of Archaean biodiversity was conducted in a cold spring located in a presently serpentinizing ultramafic terrane. PCR and phylogenetic analysis of partial 16s rRNA, sequences were performed on water and sediment samples. Archaea of recent phylogenetic origin were detected with sequences nearly identical to those of organisms living in ultra-high pH lakes of Africa.

Airborne gamma-ray and magnetic anomaly signatures of serpentinite in relation to soil geochemistry, northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCafferty, A.E.; Van Gosen, B. S.

2009-01-01

Serpentinized ultramafic rocks and associated soils in northern California are characterized by high concentrations of Cr and Ni, low levels of radioelements (K, Th, and U) and high amounts of ferrimagnetic minerals (primarily magnetite). Geophysical attributes over ultramafic rocks, which include airborne gamma-ray and magnetic anomaly data, are quantified and provide indirect measurements on the relative abundance of radioelements and magnetic minerals, respectively. Attributes are defined through a statistical modeling approach and the results are portrayed as probabilities in chart and map form. Two predictive models are presented, including one derived from the aeromagnetic anomaly data and one from a combination of the airborne K, Th and U gamma-ray data. Both models distinguish preferential values within the aerogeophysical data that coincide with mapped and potentially unmapped ultramafic rocks. The magnetic predictive model shows positive probabilities associated with magnetic anomaly highs and, to a lesser degree, anomaly lows, which accurately locate many known ultramafic outcrops, but more interestingly, locate potentially unmapped ultramafic rocks, possible extensions of ultramafic bodies that dip into the shallow subsurface, as well as prospective buried ultramafic rocks. The airborne radiometric model shows positive probabilities in association with anomalously low gamma radiation measurements over ultramafic rock, which is similar to that produced by gabbro, metavolcanic rock, and water bodies. All of these features share the characteristic of being depleted in K, Th and U. Gabbro is the only rock type in the study area that shares similar magnetic properties with the ultramafic rock. The aerogeophysical model results are compared to the distribution of ultramafic outcrops and to Cr, Ni, K, Th and U concentrations and magnetic susceptibility measurements from soil samples. Analysis of the soil data indicates high positive correlation between magnetic susceptibilities and concentration of Cr and Ni. Although the study focused on characterizing the geophysical properties of ultramafic rocks and associated soils, it has also yielded information on other rock types in addition to ultramafic rocks, which can also locally host naturally-occurring asbestos; specifically, gabbro and metavolcanic rocks.

Geochemical behavior of ultramafic waste rocks with carbon sequestration potential: a case study of the Dumont Nickel Project, Amos, Québec.

PubMed

Kandji, El Hadji Babacar; Plante, Benoit; Bussière, Bruno; Beaudoin, Georges; Dupont, Pierre-Philippe

2017-04-01

The geochemical behavior of ultramafic waste rocks and the effect of carbon sequestration by these waste rocks on the water drainage quality were investigated using laboratory-scale kinetic column tests on samples from the Dumont Nickel Project (RNC Minerals, QC, Canada). The test results demonstrated that atmospheric CO 2 dissolution induced the weathering of serpentine and brucite within the ultramafic rocks, generating high concentrations of Mg and HCO 3 - with pH values ranging between 9 and 10 in the leachates that promote the precipitation of secondary Mg carbonates. These alkaline pH values appear to have prevented the mobilization of many metals; Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn were found at negligible concentrations in the leachates. Posttesting characterization using chemical analyses, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations confirmed the precipitation of secondary hydrated Mg carbonates as predicted by thermodynamic calculations. The formation of secondary Mg carbonates induced cementation of the waste particles, resulting in the development of a hardpan.

Performance and application of a fluidized bed limestone reactor designed for control of alkalinity, hardness and pH at the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Springs serving the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center, Warm Springs, Georgia, have pH, alkalinity, and hardness levels that lie under the range required for successful fish propagation while free CO2 is well above allowable targets. We evaluate a pretreatment process that exploits limestone's (...

Hydrothermal Alkalinity in Central Nepal Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, M. J.; Derry, L. A.

2002-12-01

Numerous hot springs flow along the base of the Himalayan front, at or near the Main Central Thrust, in the Narayani drainage of central Nepal. The springs are found in a narrow zone characterized by rapid uplift and high incision rates. In this zone, hot rocks are brought to the near-surface where they interact with meteoric waters to produce the hydrothermal system. Water-rock interaction produces springs with high solute loads (TDS up to 8000 mg/L.) The springs drive significant chemical anomalies (e.g. Cl, Na, K and Ge) in the rivers that flow through the hydrothermal zone In order to quantify the impact the springs have on the river chemistry, the spring discharge must be estimated. Direct measurement of the spring discharge is difficult, as the springs often flow within the stream bed itself or are inaccessible. We take advantage of the wide disparity in stream vs. hydrothermal [Ge] to calculate spring discharge by chemical mass balance. The hot springs have [Ge] up to 684 nmol/kg and Ge/Si ratios from 200 to 1000 μmol/mol while river waters have [Ge] near 0.15 nmol/kg and Ge/Si ratios near 0.5 μmol/mol, typical of non-polluted rivers. The discharge calculated from the Ge mass balance for individual springs ranges from 0.03 x 106 to 5.6 x 106 m3/yr, and accounts for a small percentage of the total river discharge (0.03% to 1.9%). The hot spring discharge for all of central Nepal is around 1.5x108 m3/yr, 0.5% of the Narayani river discharge. Distinguishing between silicate and carbonate sources is important to assessing the role of weathering on atmospheric CO2 levels and the relative contributions of silicate and carbonate alkalinity in central Nepal rivers are still not well resolved. The hot springs derive up to 100% of their alkalinity from silicate sources. Using the discharge estimates for the springs, we find that the sum of the silicate alkalinity fluxes from all the spring systems is 2.8 x 108 mol/yr. This implies that the hot springs deliver around 18% of the silicate alkalinity in the Narayani river, and ca. 2% of the total alkalinity. Geothermal activity in this active orogenic belt is an important geochemical flux, directly coupling chemical fluxes to tectonic processes.

Crystallisation of mela-aillikites of the Narsaq region, Gardar alkaline province, south Greenland and relationships to other aillikitic carbonatitic associations in the province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upton, B. G. J.; Craven, J. A.; Kirstein, L. A.

2006-11-01

Aillikites (carbonated, melilite-free ultramafic lamprophyres grading to carbonatites) are minor components of the Gardar alkaline igneous province. They occur principally as minor intrusions and as clasts in diatremes, but more voluminous aillikitic intrusions crop out near the Ilímaussaq Complex, which they predate by a few million years. These larger intrusions were emplaced at 1160 ± 5 Ma. They are essentially carbonate-free and, consisting almost wholly of ferromagnesian silicate and oxide minerals, are mela-aillikites. Typically the mela-aillikites are fine-grained rocks composed largely of olivine, clinopyroxene, phlogopite and magnetite that crystallised in open systems, permitting loss of volatile-rich residues. The petrography is highly complex, involving at least 28 mineral species. Pyroxenitic veins were emplaced while the host-rocks were still at high temperatures and represent channels through which fluorinated silico-carbonatitic residual melts escaped, with exsolving CO 2 as propellant. Precipitation of Ca-rich minerals including monticellite, perovskite, vesuvianite, wollastonite and cuspidine was a result of dissociation of the calcium carbonate in the residual melts. Late-stage crystallisation was in a highly oxidising environment in which the 'common minerals' attain extreme compositions (almost pure forsterite, ferrian-diopside, highly magnesian ilmenite, Ba-Ti-rich phlogopite and Sr-rich kaersutite). Spatially associated diatremes may be vents through which CO 2-rich gases erupted. The whole-rock compositions are considered to be well removed from those of co-existing melts: compaction and expulsion of highly mobile residual melts is inferred to have left the mela-aillikites as aberrant cumulates. The mela-aillikites are a late-Gardar manifestation of the aillikitic magmatism that occurred intermittently in the province for over 120 Ma. Repetitive formation of metasomite vein systems in the deep lithospheric mantle is postulated. These readily fusible metasomites had short residence histories, experiencing either adiabatic melting or thermal melting as a result of plume activity. The abnormally large volumes of ultramafic lamprophyre magma, from which the mela-aillikites crystallised, may denote the culmination of metasomatic processes in the closing stages of the evolution of the Gardar Province.

Petrogenesis of the Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic complex in the Makkah quadrangle, western Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habtoor, Abdelmonem; Ahmed, Ahmed Hassan; Harbi, Hesham

2016-10-01

The Makkah quadrangle is a part of the Jeddah terrane in the Precambrian basement, Western Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. Gabal Taftafan mafic-ultramafic complex lies within the central part of the Makkah quadrangle. The Taftafan mafic-ultramafic complex is a well-differentiated rock association which comprises of dunite core, hornblende- and plagioclase-bearing peridotites, troctolite, clinopyroxenite and marginal gabbro, in a distinctive zonal structure. The bulk-rock geochemistry of the Taftafan mafic-ultramafic rocks is characterized by a tholeiitic/sub-alkaline affinity with high Mg in the ultramafic core (0.84) and is systematically decreased towards the marginal gabbro (0.60). The patterns of trace elements show enrichment in the fluid-mobile elements (Sr, Ba) and a pronounced negative Nb anomaly which reflect a hydrous parental magma generated in a subduction tectonic setting. The mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Taftafan complex have low total rare earth elements (REE) displaying sub-parallel patterns leading to the assumption that these rocks are comagmatic and are formed by fractional crystallization from a common magma type. The platinum-group elements (PGE) content of all rock types in the Taftafan complex is very low, with ∑ PPGE > ∑ IPGE; displaying slightly positive slopes of the PGE distribution patterns. The chemistry of ferromagnesian minerals is characterized by a high forsterite (Fo) olivine with wide range (Fo91-67), from ultramafic core to the marginal gabbro, Ca-rich diopsidic clinopyroxene, and calcic hornblende. Orthopyroxene is almost absent from all rock types, or very rare when present. Hornblende and Ca-plagioclase possess the longest crystallization history since they are present in almost all rock types of the complex. Spinels in the dunite and hornblende-bearing peridotite core show homogeneous composition with intermediate Cr# (0.53-0.67). Plagioclase-bearing peridotite and troctolite have two exsolved types of spinel; Al-rich and Fe-rich varieties. All spinel varieties in the mafic-ultramafic rocks have high Fe3 + and TiO2 contents. The estimated melt composition in equilibrium with Gabal Taftafan complex is mostly similar to that of the SSZ boninitic magmas. The Taftafan mafic-ultramafic rocks show many similarities with the Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic complexes, including the internal zonal lithology, bulk rock geochemistry, and mineral chemistry. Thus, it is neither related to a fragment of ophiolite sequence nor to the stratiform mafic-ultramafic intrusion. The location of the Taftafan complex along a major fracture zone parallel to the suture between Jeddah and Asir terranes in addition to the aforementioned striking similarities to the Alaskan-type complexes, suggests a formation in subduction-related setting from a common hydrous mafic magma.

Second Projet de Renforcement Institutionnel du Secteur Minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II) Phase V

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.

2015-12-30

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Permissive tracts for sediment-hosted lead-zinc-silver deposits in Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 72): Chapter J1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mauk, Jeffrey L.; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Komatiites and nickel sulphide orebodies of the Black Swan area, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. 1. Petrology and volcanology of host rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, R. E. T.; Barnes, S. J.; Dowling, S. E.; Thordarson, T.

2004-11-01

The Black Swan Succession is a bimodal association of dacitic and komatiitic volcanic rocks located about 50 km NNE of Kalgoorlie, within the 2.7-Ga Eastern Goldfields greenstone province of the Yilgarn Craton. The komatiite stratigraphy comprises a steep dipping, east facing package about 700 m in maximum thickness and about 2.5 km in strike length (Fig. 1), which hosts a number of economically exploitable Ni sulphide orebodies including the Silver Swan massive ore shoot (approximately half a million tonnes at about 10.5% Ni). The sequence can be subdivided into a Lower Felsic Unit, comprising coherent and autobrecciated facies of multiple dacite lava flows; an upper Eastern and lower Western Ultramafic Unit, each showing marked lateral facies variation, and an Upper Felsic Unit coeval with the Eastern Ultramafic Unit. The komatiite sequence has been metamorphosed at sub-greenschist facies in the presence of high proportions of CO2-rich fluid, giving rise to pervasive talc carbonate and talc carbonate quartz assemblages, with extensive preservation of pseudomorphed igneous textures. Cores of lizardite serpentinite are present in the thickest parts of the ultramafic succession. The degree of penetrative deformation is generally very low, and original stratigraphic relationships are largely intact in much of the sequence. The Eastern Ultramafic Unit and Western Ultramafic Unit are interpreted as components of a single large komatiite flow field, representing overlapping stages in the emplacement of a series of distributory lava pathways and flanking sheet flows. The Western Ultramafic Unit which hosts the bulk of the high-grade massive and disseminated ores is a sequence dominated by coarse-grained olivine cumulates, 2 km wide and up to 500 m thick, with major magma pathways represented by thick, homogenous olivine mesocumulate piles at its northern and southern ends: respectively 400 and 200 m thick. The sequence between the two major pathways consists of olivine orthocumulates (oOC) with minor spinifex-textured intervals. The Unit is capped by a persistent spinifex-textured crust less than 1 m thick, and is locally vesicular. The Eastern Ultramafic Unit contains the Black Swan Cumulate Zone, a 500-m thick sequence of very coarse-grained hopper-textured, locally vesicular oOC containing disseminated sulphides in its lower 200 m. The zone is flanked to the north and south by complexly interdigitated sequence of highly irregular, spinifex-capped, olivine cumulate-rich flow lobes between 1 and 100 m thick, and dacitic lavas and tuffs. The complexity of the 3-D spatial relationship of these units suggests a combination of simultaneous eruption of dacite and komatiite, combined with thermal or thermomechanical erosion. The Eastern and Western Units are interpreted as the result of more or less continuous prolonged eruption of olivine charged komatiite lava, which developed localised thermo-mechanical erosion channels in the dacitic substrate. Komatiite and dacite eruption was synchronous, giving rise to complex interdigitation and extensive contamination and hybridisation.

Reassessment of the volume of the Las Aguilas mafic-ultramafic intrusives, San Luis, Argentina, based on an alternative geophysical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claudia, Zaffarana; Silvana, Geuna; Stella, Poma; Alberto, Patiño Douce

2011-10-01

In the Sierra de San Luis, Central Argentina, a belt of small and discontinuous lenses of mafic-ultramafic rocks intrude a polydeformed basement and are thought to be the cause of a local increase of the metamorphic grade from amphibolite to granulite facies conditions. This assumption was especially based on forward modelling of a huge gravity anomaly centered over the Sierra de San Luis, which lead some workers to think that a vast volume of mafic-ultramafic rocks lay in shallow levels. Here, we propose an alternative model to explain this anomaly, in which the mafic-ultramafic intrusion is not the ultimate source. Therefore, there is no need to propose a bigger size than that observed in outcrops for the mafic-ultramafic bodies. The thermal effect of the emplacement of mafic-ultramafic sills and dikes on the host rocks was estimated applying a simple analytical solution (error function) for heating of a semi-infinite half space (the country rocks) in contact with a hotter sheet of finite thickness (the mafic-ultramafic intrusion). Results indicate that the effect of the intrusion of these hot mafic magmas is local, because beyond a few hundred meters from the contact zone temperatures never exceed 600 °C, and a few km from the intrusion they barely increase 50 °C relative to the initial temperature. These results, together with the preservation of primary igneous characteristics (such as rhythmic layering) being overprinted by metamorphic textural changes, indicate that the intrusion occurred before regional deformation. It is suggested that the thermal anomaly in the Pringles Metamorphic Complex could have been mainly caused by factors inherent to their geodynamic setting.

Nickel-tolerant ectomycorrhizal Pisolithus albus ultramafic ecotype isolated from nickel mines in New Caledonia strongly enhance growth of the host plant Eucalyptus globulus at toxic nickel concentrations.

PubMed

Jourand, Philippe; Ducousso, Marc; Reid, Robert; Majorel, Clarisse; Richert, Clément; Riss, Jennifer; Lebrun, Michel

2010-10-01

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) Pisolithus albus (Cooke & Massee), belonging to the ultramafic ecotype isolated in nickel-rich serpentine soils from New Caledonia (a tropical hotspot of biodiversity) and showing in vitro adaptive nickel tolerance, were inoculated to Eucalyptus globulus Labill used as a Myrtaceae plant-host model to study ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Plants were then exposed to a nickel (Ni) dose-response experiment with increased Ni treatments up to 60 mg kg( - )(1) soil as extractable Ni content in serpentine soils. Results showed that plants inoculated with ultramafic ECM P. albus were able to tolerate high and toxic concentrations of Ni (up to 60 μg g( - )(1)) while uninoculated controls were not. At the highest Ni concentration tested, root growth was more than 20-fold higher and shoot growth more than 30-fold higher in ECM plants compared with control plants. The improved growth in ECM plants was associated with a 2.4-fold reduction in root Ni concentration but a massive 60-fold reduction in transfer of Ni from root to shoots. In vitro, P. albus strains could withstand high Ni concentrations but accumulated very little Ni in its tissue. The lower Ni uptake by mycorrhizal plants could not be explained by increased release of metal-complexing chelates since these were 5- to 12-fold lower in mycorrhizal plants at high Ni concentrations. It is proposed that the fungal sheath covering the plant roots acts as an effective barrier to limit transfer of Ni from soil into the root tissue. The degree of tolerance conferred by the ultramafic P. albus isolates to growth of the host tree species is considerably greater than previously reported for other ECM. The primary mechanisms underlying this improved growth were identified as reduced Ni uptake into the roots and markedly reduced transfer from root to shoot in mycorrhizal plants. The fact that these positive responses were observed at Ni concentrations commonly observed in serpentinic soils suggests that ultramafic ecotypes of P. albus could play an important role in the adaptation of tree species to soils containing high concentrations of heavy metals and aid in strategies for ecological restoration.

Controls on the emplacement and genesis of the MKD5 and Sarah's Find Ni Cu PGE deposits, Mount Keith, Agnew Wiluna Greenstone Belt, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorentini, M. L.; Rosengren, N.; Beresford, S. W.; Grguric, B.; Barley, M. E.

2007-11-01

The Mount Keith (MKD5) nickel sulfide deposit is one of the largest komatiite-hosted nickel sulfide deposits in the world; it is hosted by a distinctive spinifex-free, cumulate-rich, ultramafic horizon/unit termed the Mount Keith Ultramafic (MKU). The Mount Keith Ultramafic shows significant variation along its lateral extent. The internal architecture is made up of adcumulate-textured pods and lenses, which are flanked by thinner meso- and orthocumulate-textured units, overlain by pyroxenitic and gabbroic horizons. The lateral and vertical changes in the geometry and internal architecture reflect variations in the lithological association and emplacement conditions along the strike extent of the belt. The chilled margins of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit contain ˜1,200 ppm Ni. Olivine cumulates average ˜2,500 3,500 ppm Ni, with few exceptions (Ni > 4,500 ppm) reflecting occurrence of minor nickel sulfides, whereas pyroxenites and gabbros generally contain, respectively, ˜1,500 2,000 and ˜100 1,000 ppm Ni. Olivine cumulates generally contain low Cr concentrations (<2,500 ppm Cr), with the rare presence of chromite-rich intervals containing anomalously high values (>5,000 ppm Cr). The internal stratigraphy of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit may be subdivided into two groups based on rare earth element distribution. The chilled margins and the internal units of the Main Adcumulate domain display LREE-enriched patterns [(La/Sm) n > 1 3] and negative Eu, Hf, Zr, Nb, and Ti anomalies. The internal units in the Western Mineralized Zone generally display flat chondrite-normalized REE patterns and only minor negative Nb anomalies. The pattern of platinum-group element (PGE) distribution varies greatly along the strike extent of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit. The chilled margins display relatively low absolute concentrations [PGE (excl. Os) ˜16 ppb] and relatively fractionated patterns, with subchondritic Pt/Pd ratios (˜1.5), and superchondritic Pd/Ir ratios (˜3). The PGE trends in the thick adcumulate-textured pods containing widespread nickel sulfide mineralization display positive correlation with sulfide abundance, whereas fractionated pyroxenites and gabbros in the thinner domains display highly depleted PGE concentrations and generally show compatible PGE trends. The nickel sulfide ore typology and style vary greatly along the strike extension of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit. Basal massive nickel sulfide mineralization (e.g., Sarah’s Find) occurs in the thinner meso- and orthocumulate-textured units, whereas stratabound disseminated nickel sulfide mineralization (e.g., MKD5 Ni Deposit) is hosted in the adcumulate-textured pods. We hypothesize that the very low PGE content of the initial liquid of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit indicates that the initial magma pulse that penetrated through the dacite host-rock had already equilibrated with sulfides at depth and/or carried entrained immiscible sulfide blebs. We argue that upon emplacement, the intruding magma experienced a significant thermal shock at the contact with water-saturated volcaniclastic breccias. The sudden chilling would have increased the viscosity of the magma, possibly to the point where it was no longer able to sustain the suspension of the immiscible sulfide liquid. As a result, the sulfide blebs coalesced and formed the basal massive sulfide nickel sulfide mineralization at the base of the sill (i.e., Sarah’s Find). Prolonged focused high volume magma flow within the sill resulted in the emplacement of a thick, lens-shaped accumulation of olivine adcumulate. Local variations in intensive parameters other than crustal assimilation (e.g., T, fO2, fS2) may be principally responsible for sulfide supersaturation and controlled the local distribution of stratabound disseminated nickel sulfide mineralization (e.g., MKD5 Ni Deposit), generally localized within the core of the thicker dunite lenses.

Geothermal activity and hydrothermal mineral deposits at southern Lake Bogoria, Kenya Rift Valley: Impact of lake level changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renaut, Robin W.; Owen, R. Bernhart; Ego, John K.

2017-05-01

Lake Bogoria, a saline alkaline closed-lake in a drainage basin of Neogene volcanic rocks in the central Kenya Rift, is fed partly by ∼200 hot alkaline springs located in three groups along its margins. Hot springs along the midwest shoreline (Loburu, Chemurkeu) and their travertine deposits have been studied, but little is known about the geothermal activity at southern Lake Bogoria. Observations, field measurements and analyses (geochemical and mineralogical) of the spring waters and deposits, spanning three decades, show that the southern spring waters are more saline, the hydrothermal alteration there is more intense, and that most hot spring deposits are siliceous. Geothermal activity at southern Lake Bogoria (Ng'wasis, Koibobei, Losaramat) includes littoral boiling springs and geysers, with fumaroles at slightly higher elevations. Modern spring deposits are ephemeral sodium carbonates, opal-A crusts and silica gels. Local fossil spring deposits include diatomaceous silica-cemented conglomerates that formed subaqueously when the lake was then dilute and higher than today, and outlying calcite tufa deposits. In contrast, mineral deposits around neighbouring fumarole vents and sites of hydrothermal alteration include clays (kaolinite), sulfate minerals (jarosite, alunite), and Fe-oxyhydroxides linked to rising acidic fluids. When lake level falls, the zone of acidity moves downwards and may overprint older alkaline spring deposits. In contrast, rising lake level leads to lake water dilution and vents in the lower parts of the acidic zone may become dilute alkaline springs. The new evidence at Lake Bogoria shows the potential for using the mineralogy of geothermal sediments to indicate former changes in lake level.

Clumped isotopologue constraints on the origin of methane at seafloor hot springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, David T.; Reeves, Eoghan P.; McDermott, Jill M.; Seewald, Jeffrey S.; Ono, Shuhei

2018-02-01

Hot-spring fluids emanating from deep-sea vents hosted in unsedimented ultramafic and mafic rock commonly contain high concentrations of methane. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed for the origin(s) of this methane, ranging from synthesis via reduction of aqueous inorganic carbon (∑CO2) during active fluid circulation to leaching of methane-rich fluid inclusions from plutonic rocks of the oceanic crust. To further resolve the process(es) responsible for methane generation in these systems, we determined the relative abundances of several methane isotopologues (including 13CH3D, a "clumped" isotopologue containing two rare isotope substitutions) in hot-spring source fluids sampled from four geochemically-distinct hydrothermal vent fields (Rainbow, Von Damm, Lost City, and Lucky Strike). Apparent equilibrium temperatures retrieved from methane clumped isotopologue analyses average 310-42+53 °C, with no apparent relation to the wide range of fluid temperatures (96-370 °C) and chemical compositions (pH, [H2], [∑CO2], [CH4]) represented. Combined with very similar bulk stable isotope ratios (13C/12C and D/H) of methane across the suite of hydrothermal fluids, all available geochemical and isotopic data suggest a common mechanism of methane generation at depth that is disconnected from active fluid circulation. Attainment of equilibrium amongst methane isotopologues at temperatures of ca. 270-360 °C is compatible with the thermodynamically-favorable reduction of CO2 to CH4 at temperatures at or below ca. 400 °C under redox conditions characterizing intrusive rocks derived from sub-ridge melts. Collectively, the observations support a model where methane-rich aqueous fluids, known to be trapped in rocks of the oceanic lithosphere, are liberated from host rocks during hydrothermal circulation and perhaps represent the major source of methane venting with thermal waters at unsedimented hydrothermal fields. The results also provide further evidence that water-rock reactions occurring at temperatures lower than 200 °C do not contribute significantly to the quantities of methane venting at mid-ocean ridge hot springs.

Reported industrial minerals occurrences and permissive areas for other occurrences in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V deliverable 88): Chapter R1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langer, William H.; Anderson, Eric D.; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Permissive tracts for iron oxide copper-gold deposits in Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 78 ): Chapter M1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fernette, Gregory; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Geologic map of Mauritania (phase V, deliverables 51a, 51b, and 51c): Chapter A1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight C.; Motts, Holly; Horton, John D.; Giles, Stuart A.; Taylor, Cliff D.

2015-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Permissive tracts for algoma-, superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits in Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 82): Chapter O1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Mineral potential tracts for orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, (phase V, deliverable 68): Chapter H1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldfarb, Richard J.; Marsh, Erin; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Permissive tracts for volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 76): Chapter L1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Structure map of Mauritania (phase V, deliverables 52a and 52b): Chapter A2 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight C.; Horton, John D.; Motts, Holly A.; Taylor, Cliff D.

2015-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II) phase V (phase V, deliverable 92): Chapter T in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horton, John D.; Taylor, Cliff D.

2015-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Permissive tracts for uranium deposits in Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 80): Chapter N1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fernette, Gregory; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Permissive tracts for nickel, copper, platinum group elements (PGE), and chromium deposits of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 66): Chapter G1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Metagenomic identification of active methanogens and methanotrophs in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy.

PubMed

Brazelton, William J; Thornton, Christopher N; Hyer, Alex; Twing, Katrina I; Longino, August A; Lang, Susan Q; Lilley, Marvin D; Früh-Green, Gretchen L; Schrenk, Matthew O

2017-01-01

The production of hydrogen and methane by geochemical reactions associated with the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks can potentially support subsurface microbial ecosystems independent of the photosynthetic biosphere. Methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms are abundant in marine hydrothermal systems heavily influenced by serpentinization, but evidence for methane-cycling archaea and bacteria in continental serpentinite springs has been limited. This report provides metagenomic and experimental evidence for active methanogenesis and methanotrophy by microbial communities in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy. Methanogens belonging to family Methanobacteriaceae and methanotrophic bacteria belonging to family Methylococcaceae were heavily enriched in three ultrabasic springs (pH 12). Metagenomic data also suggest the potential for hydrogen oxidation, hydrogen production, carbon fixation, fermentation, and organic acid metabolism in the ultrabasic springs. The predicted metabolic capabilities are consistent with an active subsurface ecosystem supported by energy and carbon liberated by geochemical reactions within the serpentinite rocks of the Voltri Massif.

Metallogeny of the nikolai large igneous province (LIP) in southern alaska and its influence on the mineral potential of the talkeetna mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, J.M.; Rogers, R.K.

2007-01-01

Recent geologic mapping has identified areas of extrusive basalts of the Middle to Late Triassic Nikolai Greenstone within the Wrangellia terrane that extend at least 80 km southwest of their previously known extent. Abundant dolerite sills of similar composition intrude Paleozoic and Mesozoic stratigraphy below the Nikolai throughout the central Talkeetna Mountains. The Talkeetna Mountains, therefore, have newly identified potential for copper, nickel, and platinum-group elements (PGEs) as disseminated, net-textured, or massive magmatic sulfide deposits hosted in mafic and ultramafic sill-form complexes related to emplacement of the Nikolai. Because of their potential high grades, similar magmatic sulfide targets have been the focus of increasing mineral exploration activity over the last decade in the Amphitheater Mountains and central Alaska Range, 100-200 km to the northeast. The Nikolai Greenstone, associated intrusions, and their metamorphosed equivalents also have potential to host stratabound disseminated "basaltic copper" deposits. Sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks overlying the Nikolai have the potential to host stratabound, disseminated, or massive "reduced-facies" type Cu-Ag deposits. Ultramafic rocks have been identified only in the extreme northeastern Talkeetna Mountains to date. However, coincident gravity and magnetic highs along the leading (northwestern) edge of and within Wrangellia in the Talkeetna and Clearwater Mountains suggest several areas that are highly prospective for ultramafic rocks related to extrusion of Nikolai lavas. In particular, the distribution, geometry, and composition of sills within the pre-Nikolai stratigraphy and the structural and tectonic controls on intrusive versus extrusive rock distribution deserve serious examination. Copyright ?? 2007 The Geological Society of America.

The Production of Methane, Hydrogen, and Organic Compounds in Ultramafic-Hosted Hydrothermal Vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

PubMed Central

Charlou, J.L.; Holm, N.G.; Mousis, O.

2015-01-01

Abstract Both hydrogen and methane are consistently discharged in large quantities in hydrothermal fluids issued from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields discovered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Considering the vast number of these fields discovered or inferred, hydrothermal fluxes represent a significant input of H2 and CH4 to the ocean. Although there are lines of evidence of their abiogenic formation from stable C and H isotope results, laboratory experiments, and thermodynamic data, neither their origin nor the reaction pathways generating these gases have been fully constrained yet. Organic compounds detected in the fluids may also be derived from abiotic reactions. Although thermodynamics are favorable and extensive experimental work has been done on Fischer-Tropsch-type reactions, for instance, nothing is clear yet about their origin and formation mechanism from actual data. Since chemolithotrophic microbial communities commonly colonize hydrothermal vents, biogenic and thermogenic processes are likely to contribute to the production of H2, CH4, and other organic compounds. There seems to be a consensus toward a mixed origin (both sources and processes) that is consistent with the ambiguous nature of the isotopic data. But the question that remains is, to what proportions? More systematic experiments as well as integrated geochemical approaches are needed to disentangle hydrothermal geochemistry. This understanding is of prime importance considering the implications of hydrothermal H2, CH4, and organic compounds for the ocean global budget, global cycles, and the origin of life. Key Words: Hydrogen—Methane—Organics—MAR—Abiotic synthesis—Serpentinization—Ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal vents. Astrobiology 15, 381–399. PMID:25984920

Portrait of a giant deep-seated magmatic conduit system: The Seiland Igneous Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Rune B.; Grant, Thomas; Sørensen, Bjørn E.; Tegner, Christian; McEnroe, Suzanne; Pastore, Zeudia; Fichler, Christine; Nikolaisen, Even; Grannes, Kim R.; Church, Nathan; ter Maat, Geertje W.; Michels, Alexander

2018-01-01

The Seiland Igneous Province (SIP), Northern Norway, contains > 5000 km2 of mafic and ultramafic intrusions with minor alkaline, carbonatite and felsic rocks that were intruded into the lower continental crust at a depth of 25 to as much as 35 km. The SIP can be geochemically and temporally correlated to numerous dyke swarms throughout Scandinavia at 560-610 Ma, and is linked to magmatic provinces in W-Greenland and NE-America that are collectively known as the Central Iapetus Magmatic Province (CIMP). Revised mapping show that the SIP exposes 85-90% layered tholeiitic- alkaline- and syeno-gabbros, 8-10% peridotitic complexes, 2-5% carbonatite, syenite and diorite that formed within a narrow (< 10 Ma) time frame in the Ediacaran (560-570 Ma). Large peridotite complexes were emplaced into the still hot and unconsolidated gabbro (no dating available) and are regarded as the main-conduit systems. Gravimetric data implies an average thickness of igneous rocks of 4-5 km and also features six deep lithospheric roots of ultramafic rocks extending min 9 km into the crust. Together, the root structures represent the main volcanic conduits conveying thousands of km3 of mafic-ultramafic melts from the asthenosphere to the lithosphere. The ultramafic complexes were predominantly emplaced into the layered gabbros at four major igneous centres, respectively, Nordre Brumandsfjord, Melkvann, Kvalfjord and Reinfjord. All complexes are situated in a right-way-up position and are steep sided forming large plugs. A marginal hybrid zone forms at the contact with country-rock and transitions gradually from olivine-mela-gabbro over pyroxenites that grades in to an olivine-clinopyroxenite zone, which is followed by a wehrlite zone and, finally, the centre of the complexes comprises pure dunite. From pyroxenite to dunite, olivine changes from Fo72 to Fo85 and clinopyroxene from Di80 to Di92 i.e. the complexes observe a reverse fractional crystallisation sequence with time. Parental melt compositions modelled from early dykes indicate komatiitic to picritic melts with 16-22 wt% MgO, Cr of 1594 ppm and Ni of 611 ppm, which were emplaced at 1450-1500 °C. Melt compositions calculated from clinopyroxene compositions from Reinfjord are OIB-like with LREE enriched over HREE. The high abundance of carbonatites and lamproites demonstrates the volatile-rich nature of the mantle source region and is further corroborated by the unusually high abundance of magmatic sulphides (0.5-1%) and carbonated and hydrous assemblages (c. 1%) throughout the region. In Reinfjord, they are also closely associated with PGE-Cu-Ni reef deposits. Essentially, the ultramafic complexes in the SIP comprises deep-seated transient magma chambers that facilitated mixing and homogenisation of a rich diversity of fertile asthenospheric melts en route to the upper parts of the continental crust.

Microbial communities and arsenic biogeochemistry at the outflow of an alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhou; Li, Ping; Van Nostrand, Joy D; Zhang, Ping; Zhou, Jizhong; Wang, Yanhong; Dai, Xinyue; Zhang, Rui; Jiang, Dawei; Wang, Yanxin

2016-04-29

Alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs provide a unique environment for microbial community and arsenic (As) biogeochemistry. In this study, a representative alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring, Zimeiquan in the Tengchong geothermal area, was chosen to study arsenic geochemistry and microbial community using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Over 0.26 million 16S rRNA sequence reads were obtained from 5-paired parallel water and sediment samples along the hot spring's outflow channel. High ratios of As(V)/AsSum (total combined arsenate and arsenite concentrations) (0.59-0.78), coupled with high sulfide (up to 5.87 mg/L), were present in the hot spring's pools, which suggested As(III) oxidation occurred. Along the outflow channel, AsSum increased from 5.45 to 13.86 μmol/L, and the combined sulfide and sulfate concentrations increased from 292.02 to 364.28 μmol/L. These increases were primarily attributed to thioarsenic transformation. Temperature, sulfide, As and dissolved oxygen significantly shaped the microbial communities between not only the pools and downstream samples, but also water and sediment samples. Results implied that the upstream Thermocrinis was responsible for the transformation of thioarsenic to As(III) and the downstream Thermus contributed to derived As(III) oxidation. This study improves our understanding of microbially-mediated As transformation in alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs.

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

Renaut, R.W.; Owen, R.B.

An unusual group of cherts found at saline, alkaline Lake Bogoria in the Kenya Rift differs from the Magadi-type cherts commonly associated with saline, alkaline lakes. The cherts are opaline, rich in diatoms, and formed from a siliceous, probably gelatinous, precursor that precipitated around submerged alkaline hot springs during a Holocene phase of high lake level. Silica precipitation resulted from rapid drop in the temperature of the spring waters and, possibly, pH. Lithification began before subaerial exposure. Ancient analogous cherts are likely to be localized deposits along fault lines.

Mineral potential for nickel, copper, platinum group elements(PGE), and chromium deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 67): Chapter G in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.; Marsh, Erin; Anderson, Eric D.

2015-01-01

PRISM-I summary documents mention the presence of mafic-ultramafic igneous intrusive rocks in several areas of Mauritania and a number of chromium (Cr) and copper-nickel (Cu-Ni (±Co, Au)) occurrences associated with them. Permissive geologic settings generally include greenstone belts of any age, layered mafic-ultramafic and unlayered gabbro-anorthosite intrusive complexes in cratonic settings, ophiolite complexes, flood basalt provinces, and fluid-rich shear zones cutting accumulations of mafic-ultramafic rocks. Regions of Mauritania having these characteristics that are discussed in PRISM-I texts include the Mesoarchean greenstone belts of the TasiastTijirit terrane in the southwestern Rgueïbat Shield, two separate layered ultramafic complexes in the Amsaga Complex west of Atar, serpentinized metadunites in Mesoarchean rocks of the Rgueïbat Shield in the Zednes map sheet, several lateritized annular mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Paleoproterozoic northwestern portion of the Rgueïbat Shield, and the serpentinized ophiolitic segments of the Gorgol Noir Complex in the axial portion of the southern Mauritanides. Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) work in the “Extreme Sud” zone also suggests that small copper occurrences associated with the extensive Jurassic microgabbroic intrusive rocks in the Taoudeni Basin of southeastern Mauritania could have potential for magmatic Cu-Ni (PGE, Co, Au) sulfide mineralization. Similarly, Jurassic mafic intrusive rocks in the northeastern Taoudeni Basin may be permissive. Known magmatic Cu-Ni deposits of these types in Mauritania are few in number and some uncertainty exists as to the nature of several of the more important ones.

Evaluation of Heterotrophy in in Serpentinite-Associated Waters from the Coast Range Ophiolite, Northern California, USA and the Zambales Ophiolite, Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, T. J.; Arcilla, C. A.; Cardace, D.; Hoehler, T. M.; McCollom, T. M.; Meyer-Dombard, D. R.; Schrenk, M. O.

2013-12-01

The deep biosphere in cold, dark sub-seafloor ultramafic rocks (i.e., those rocks rich in Fe and Mg) is stressed by exceedingly high pH, transient, if any, inorganic carbon availability, and little known organic carbon inventories. As a test of heterotrophic carbon use, serpentinite-associated waters (from groundwater sampling wells and associated surface seepages in tectonically uplifted mantle units in ophiolites) were tested for differences with respect to aqueous geochemistry and performance in EcoPlates™ - Biolog Inc. .. This work focuses on two field locations for water sampling: the Coast Range Ophiolite, CA, USA, and the Zambales Ophiolite, Philippines. Characteristics of each sampling site are presented (pH, mineral substrate, Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio, aqueous metal loads, etc.). Complementary EcoPlate™ results [prefabricated 96-well plates, seeded with triplicate experiments for determining microbiological community response to difference organic carbon sources; a triplicate control experiment with just water is built in to the plate also] are also presented. We found that waters from selected California [groundwater wells (7 discrete wells) and related surface seeps (5 hydrologically connected sites)] and Philippines [4 Zambales Ophiolite springs/seepages] sourced in serpentinites were analyzed. EcoPlate™ average well-color development (AWCD), which demonstrates microbial activities averaged per plate (as in Garland and Mills, 1991), differs across sites. Correlations of AWCD with environmental data (such as pH, oxidation-reduction potential or ORP, Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio, and Fe contents) are evaluated. Clarifying the geochemical-biological relationships that bear out in these analyses informs discourse on the energetic limits of life in serpentinizing systems, with relevance to ultramafic-hosted life on continents and in the seabed.

Les xénolites ultramafiques du volcanisme alcalin quaternaire d'Oranie (Tell, Algérie occidentale), témoins d'une lithosphère cisaillée et enrichieUltramafic xenoliths from Quaternary alkali volcanism from Oranie (Tell, western Algeria): witnesses of a sheared and enriched lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerka, Mohamed; Cottin, Jean-Yves; Grégoire, Michel; Lorand, Jean-Pierre; Megartsi, M'Hamed; Midoun, Mohamed

Numerous ultramafic xenoliths occur within the Aı̈n-Temouchent volcanic complex (Northwestern Oranie, Algeria). Most of them are type I mantle tectonites (lherzolites and harzburgites) and composite xenoliths (harzburgite/clinopyroxenite) are rare. Only a few samples of spinel lherzolites display relatively fertile compositions when the major part of type I xenoliths have refractory major element compositions but enriched LREE contents showing that they have been affected by mantle metasomatism. The composite xenoliths are witnesses of reactions of alkaline magmas with the upper mantle. An asthenospheric rising, in relation with the large strike slip fault affecting the North African plate margin at Trias time is proposed as a possible geodynamical setting. To cite this article: M. Zerka et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 387-394.

Metagenomic identification of active methanogens and methanotrophs in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy

PubMed Central

Thornton, Christopher N.; Hyer, Alex; Twing, Katrina I.; Longino, August A.; Lang, Susan Q.; Lilley, Marvin D.; Früh-Green, Gretchen L.; Schrenk, Matthew O.

2017-01-01

The production of hydrogen and methane by geochemical reactions associated with the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks can potentially support subsurface microbial ecosystems independent of the photosynthetic biosphere. Methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms are abundant in marine hydrothermal systems heavily influenced by serpentinization, but evidence for methane-cycling archaea and bacteria in continental serpentinite springs has been limited. This report provides metagenomic and experimental evidence for active methanogenesis and methanotrophy by microbial communities in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy. Methanogens belonging to family Methanobacteriaceae and methanotrophic bacteria belonging to family Methylococcaceae were heavily enriched in three ultrabasic springs (pH 12). Metagenomic data also suggest the potential for hydrogen oxidation, hydrogen production, carbon fixation, fermentation, and organic acid metabolism in the ultrabasic springs. The predicted metabolic capabilities are consistent with an active subsurface ecosystem supported by energy and carbon liberated by geochemical reactions within the serpentinite rocks of the Voltri Massif. PMID:28149702

Increasing shallow groundwater CO2 and limestone weathering, Konza Prairie, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macpherson, G.L.; Roberts, J.A.; Blair, J.M.; Townsend, M.A.; Fowle, D.A.; Beisner, K.R.

2008-01-01

In a mid-continental North American grassland, solute concentrations in shallow, limestone-hosted groundwater and adjacent surface water cycle annually and have increased steadily over the 15-year study period, 1991-2005, inclusive. Modeled groundwater CO2, verified by measurements of recent samples, increased from 10-2.05 atm to 10-1.94 atm, about a 20% increase, from 1991 to 2005. The measured groundwater alkalinity and alkaline-earth element concentrations also increased over that time period. We propose that carbonate minerals dissolve in response to lowered pH that occurs during an annual carbonate-mineral saturation cycle. The cycle starts with low saturation during late summer and autumn when dissolved CO2 is high. As dissolved CO2 decreases in the spring and early summer, carbonates become oversaturated, but oversaturation does not exceed the threshold for precipitation. We propose that groundwater is a CO2 sink through weathering of limestone: soil-generated CO2 is transformed to alkalinity through dissolution of calcite or dolomite. The annual cycle and long-term increase in shallow groundwater CO2 is similar to, but greater than, atmospheric CO2. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Redistribution of Iron and Titanium in High-Pressure Ultramafic Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crossley, Rosalind J.; Evans, Katy A.; Reddy, Steven M.; Lester, Gregory W.

2017-11-01

The redox state of iron in high-pressure serpentinites, which host a significant proportion of Fe3+ in subduction zones, can be used to provide an insight into iron cycling and constrain the composition of subduction zone fluids. In this study, we use oxide and silicate mineral textures, interpretation of mineral parageneses, mineral composition data, and whole rock geochemistry of high-pressure retrogressed ultramafic rocks from the Zermatt-Saas Zone to constrain the distribution of iron and titanium, and iron oxidation state. These data provide an insight on the oxidation state and composition of fluids at depth in subduction zones. Oxide minerals host the bulk of iron, particularly Fe3+. The increase in mode of magnetite and observation of magnetite within antigorite veins in the investigated ultramafic samples during initial retrogression is most consistent with oxidation of existing iron within the samples during the infiltration of an oxidizing fluid since it is difficult to reconcile addition of Fe3+ with the known limited solubility of this species. However, high Ti contents are not typical of serpentinites and also cannot be accounted for by simple mixing of a depleted mantle protolith with the nearby Allalin gabbro. Titanium-rich phases coincide with prograde metamorphism and initial exhumation, implying the early seafloor and/or prograde addition and late mobilization of Ti. If Ti addition has occurred, then the introduction of Fe3+, also generally considered to be immobile, cannot be disregarded. We explore possible transport vectors for Ti and Fe through mineral texture analysis.

Magmatic ore deposits in layered intrusions - Descriptive model for reef-type PGE and contact-type Cu-Ni-PGE deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zientek, Michael L.

2012-01-01

Layered, ultramafic to mafic intrusions are uncommon in the geologic record, but host magmatic ore deposits containing most of the world's economic concentrations of platinum-group elements (PGE) (figs. 1 and 2). These deposits are mined primarily for their platinum, palladium, and rhodium contents (table 1). Magmatic ore deposits are derived from accumulations of crystals of metallic oxides, or immiscible sulfide, or oxide liquids that formed during the cooling and crystallization of magma, typically with mafic to ultramafic compositions. "PGE reefs" are stratabound PGE-enriched lode mineralization in mafic to ultramafic layered intrusions. The term "reef" is derived from Australian and South African literature for this style of mineralization and used to refer to (1) the rock layer that is mineralized and has distinctive texture or mineralogy (Naldrett, 2004), or (2) the PGE-enriched sulfide mineralization that occurs within the rock layer. For example, Viljoen (1999) broadly defined the Merensky Reef as "a mineralized zone within or closely associated with an unconformity surface in the ultramafic cumulate at the base of the Merensky Cyclic Unit." In this report, we will use the term PGE reef to refer to the PGE-enriched mineralization, not the host rock layer. Within a layered igneous intrusion, reef-type mineralization is laterally persistent along strike, extending for the length of the intrusion, typically tens to hundreds of kilometers. However, the mineralized interval is thin, generally centimeters to meters thick, relative to the stratigraphic thickness of layers in an intrusion that vary from hundreds to thousands of meters. PGE-enriched sulfide mineralization is also found near the contacts or margins of layered mafic to ultramafic intrusions (Iljina and Lee, 2005). This contact-type mineralization consists of disseminated to massive concentrations of iron-copper-nickel-PGE-enriched sulfide mineral concentrations in zones that can be tens to hundreds of meters thick. The modes and textures of the igneous rocks hosting the mineralization vary irregularly on the scale of centimeters to meters; autoliths and xenoliths are common. Mineralization occurs in the igneous intrusion and in the surrounding country rocks. Mineralization can be preferentially localized along contact with country rocks that are enriched in sulfur-, iron-, or CO2-bearing lithologies. Reef-type and contact-type deposits, in particular those in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, are the world's primary source of platinum and rhodium (tables 2 and 3; fig. 2). Reef-type PGE deposits are mined only in the Bushveld Complex (Merensky Reef and UG2), the Stillwater Complex (J-M Reef), and the Great Dyke (Main Sulphide Layer). PGE-enriched contact-type deposits are only mined in the Bushveld Complex. The other deposits in tables 2 and 3 are undeveloped; some are still under exploration.

Unexpected fungal communities in the Rehai thermal springs of Tengchong influenced by abiotic factors.

PubMed

Liu, Kai-Hui; Ding, Xiao-Wei; Salam, Nimaichand; Zhang, Bo; Tang, Xiao-Fei; Deng, Baiwan; Li, Wen-Jun

2018-05-01

Fungal communities represent an indispensable part of the geothermal spring ecosystem; however, studies on fungal community within hot springs are still scant. Here, we used Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing to detect fungal community diversity in extremely acidic hot springs (pH < 4) and neutral and alkaline springs (pH > 6) of Tengchong-indicated by the presence of over 0.75 million valid reads. These sequences were phylogenetically assigned to 5 fungal phyla, 67 order, and 375 genera, indicating unexpected fungal diversity in the hot springs. The genera such as Penicillium, Entyloma, and Cladosporium dominated the fungal community in the acidic geothermal springs, while the groups such as Penicillium, Engyodontium, and Schizophyllum controlled the fungal assemblages in the alkaline hot springs. The alpha-diversity indices and the abundant fungal taxa were significantly correlated with physicochemical factors of the hot springs particularly pH, temperature, and concentrations of Fe 2+ , NH 4 + , NO 2 -, and S 2- , suggesting that the diversity and distribution of fungal assemblages can be influenced by the complex environmental factors of hot springs.

Using MicroFTIR to Map Mineral Distributions in Serpentinizing Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, A.; Kubo, M. D.; Cardace, D.

2016-12-01

Serpentinization, the water-rock reaction forming serpentine mineral assemblages from ultramafic precursors, can co-occur with the production of hydrogen, methane, and diverse organic compounds (McCollom and Seewald, 2013), evolving water appropriate for carbonate precipitation, including in ophiolite groundwater flow systems and travertine-producing seeps/springs. Serpentinization is regarded as a geologic process important to the sustainability of the deep biosphere (Schrenk et al., 2013) and the origin of life (Schulte et al., 2006). In this study, we manually polished wafers of ultramafic rocks/associated minerals (serpentinite, peridotite, pyroxenite, dunite; olivine, diopside, serpentine, magnetite), and travertine/constituent minerals (carbonate crusts; calcite, dolomite), and observed mineral boundaries and interfaces using µFTIR analysis in reflection mode. We used a Thermo Nicolet iS50 FTIR spectrometer coupled with a Continuum IR microscope to map minerals/boundaries. We identify, confirm, and document FTIR wavenumber regions linked to serpentinite- and travertine-associated minerals by referencing IR spectra (RRUFF) and aligning with x-ray diffraction. The ultramafic and carbonate samples are from the following field localities: McLaughlin Natural Reserve - a UC research reserve, Lower Lake, CA; Zambales, PH; Ontario, CA; Yellow Dog, MI; Taskesti, TK; Twin Sisters Range, WA; Sharon, MA; Klamath Mountains, CA; Dun Mountain, NZ; and Sussex County, NJ. Our goals are to provide comprehensive µFTIR characterization of mineral profiles important in serpentinites and related rocks, and evaluate the resolving power of µFTIR for the detection of mineral-encapsulated, residual organic compounds from biological activity. We report on µFTIR data for naturally occurring ultramafics and travertines and also estimate the limit of detection for cell membrane components in mineral matrices, impregnating increasing mass proportions of xanthan gum in a peridotite sand derived from drilling at the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO, Cardace et al., 2013). Preservation and well resolved description of organic compounds in secondary minerals in ultramafic rocks may allow assessment of changing habitability of past microenvironments fueled by serpentinization.

Ultramafic inclusions and host alkali olivine basalts of the southern coastal plain of the Red Sea, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ghent, Edward D.; Coleman, Robert Griffin; Hadley, Donald G.

1979-01-01

A variety of mafic and ultramafic inclusions occur within the pyroclastic components of the Al Birk basalt, erupted on the southern Red Sea coastal plain of Saudi Arabia from Pleistocene time to the present. Depleted harzburgites are the only inclusions contained within the basalts that were erupted through Miocene oceanic crust (15 km thick) in the vicinity of Jizan, whereas to the north in the vicinity of Al Birk, alkali basalts that were erupted through a thicker Precambrian crust (48 km thick) contain mixtures of harzburgites, cumulate gabbro, and websterite inclusions accompanied by large (> 2 cm) megacrysts of glassy alumina-rich clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and spinel. Microprobe analyses of individual minerals from the harzburgites, websterites, and cumulate gabbros reveal variations in composition that can be related to a complex mantle history during the evolution of the alkali basalts. Clinopyroxene and plagioclase megacrysts may represent early phases that crystallized from the alkali olivine basalt magma at depths less than 35 km. Layered websterites and gabbros with cumulate plagioclase and clinopyroxene may represent continuing crystallization of the alkali olivine basalt magma in the lower crust when basaltic magma was not rapidly ascending. It is significant that the megacrysts and cumulate inclusions apparently form only where the magmas have traversed the Precambrian crust, whereas the harzburgite-bearing basalts that penetrated a much thinner Miocene oceanic crust reveal no evidence of mantle fractionation. These alkali olivine basalts and their contained inclusions are related in time to present-day rifting in the Red Sea axial trough. The onshore, deep-seated, undersaturated magmas are separated from the shallow Red Sea rift subalkaline basalts by only 170 km. The contemporaneity of alkaline olivine and subalkaline basalts requires that they must relate directly to the separation of the Arabian plate from the African plate.

Geochemical models of metasomatism in ultramafic systems: Serpentinization, rodingitization, and sea floor carbonate chimney precipitation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Palandri, J.L.; Reed, M.H.

2004-01-01

In a series of water-rock reaction simulations, we assess the processes of serpentinization of harzburgite and related calcium metasomatism resulting in rodingite-type alteration, and seafloor carbonate chimney precipitation. At temperatures from 25 to 300??C (P = 10 to 100 bar), using either fresh water or seawater, serpentinization simulations produce an assemblage commonly observed in natural systems, dominated by serpentine, magnetite, and brucite. The reacted waters in the simulations show similar trends in composition with decreasing water-rock ratios, becoming hyper-alkaline and strongly reducing, with increased dissolved calcium. At 25??C and w/r less than ???32, conditions are sufficiently reducing to yield H2 gas, nickel-iron alloy and native copper. Hyperalkalinity results from OH- production by olivine and pyroxene dissolution in the absence of counterbalancing OH- consumption by alteration mineral precipitation except at very high pH; at moderate pH there are no stable calcium minerals and only a small amount of chlorite forms, limited by aluminum, thus allowing Mg2+ and Ca2+ to accumulate in the aqueous phase in exchange for H+. The reducing conditions result from oxidation of ferrous iron in olivine and pyroxene to ferric iron in magnetite. Trace metals are computed to be nearly insoluble below 300??C, except for mercury, for which high pH stabilizes aqueous and gaseous Hg??. In serpentinization by seawater at 300??C, Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt may approach ore-forming concentrations in sulfide complexes. Simulated mixing of the fluid derived from serpentinization with cold seawater produces a mineral assemblage dominated by calcite, similar to recently discovered submarine, ultramafic rock-hosted, carbonate mineral deposits precipitating at hydrothermal vents. Simulated reaction of gabbroic or basaltic rocks with the hyperalkaline calcium- and aluminum-rich fluid produced during serpentinization at 300??C yields rodingite-type mineral assemblages, including grossular, clinozoisite, vesuvianite, prehnite, chlorite, and diopside. ?? 2004 Elsevier Ltd.

Magmatic structure and geochemistry of the Luanga Mafic-Ultramafic Complex: Further constraints for the PGE-mineralized magmatism in Carajás, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansur, Eduardo Teixeira; Ferreira Filho, Cesar Fonseca

2016-12-01

The Luanga Complex is part of the Serra Leste Magmatic Suite, a cluster of PGE-mineralized mafic-ultramafic intrusions located in the northeastern portion of the Carajás Mineral Province. The Luanga Complex is a medium-sized layered intrusion consisting of three main zones: i. the lower Ultramafic Zone comprising ultramafic adcumulates (peridotite), ii. the Transition Zone comprising interlayered ultramafic and mafic cumulates (harzburgite, orthopyroxenite and norite) and iii. the upper Mafic Zone comprising a monotonous sequence of mafic cumulates (norite) with minor orthopyroxenite layers. Several PGE-mineralized zones occur in the Transition Zone but the bulk of the PGE resources are hosted within a 10-50 meter thick interval of disseminated sulfides at the contact of the Ultramafic and Transition Zones. The compositional range of cumulus olivine (Fo78.9-86.4) is comparable to those reported for layered intrusions originated from moderate primitive parental magmas. Mantle normalized alteration-resistant trace element patterns of noritic rocks are fractionated, as indicated by relative enrichment in LREE and Th, with negative Nb and Ta anomalies, suggesting assimilation of older continental crust. Ni contents in olivine in the Luanga Complex (up to 7500 ppm) stand among the highest values reported in layered intrusions globally. The highest Ni contents in olivine in the Luanga Complex occur in distinctively PGE enriched (Pt + Pd > 1 ppm) intervals of the Transition Zone, in both sulfide-poor and sulfide bearing (1-3 vol.%) rocks. The origin of the PGE- and Ni-rich parental magma of the Luanga Complex is discussed considering the upgrading of magmas through dissolution of previously formed Ni-rich sulfide melts. Our results suggest that high Ni contents in olivine and/or orthopyroxene provide an additional exploration tool for Ni-PGE deposits, particularly useful for target selection in large magmatic provinces.

Crystalline basement map of Mauritania derived from filtered aeromagnetic data (deliverable 54_1), Aeromagnetic and geological structure map of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 54_2), Maximum depth to basement map of Mauritania derived from Euler analysis of Aeromagnetic data (phase V, deliverable 54_3), and color composite image of radioelement data (added value): Chapter B1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finn, Carol A.; Horton, John D.

2015-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Seismic Reflection Imaging of the Heat Source of an Ultramafic-Hosted Hydrothermal System (Rainbow, Mid-Atlantic Ridge 36° 10-17'N)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canales, J. P.; Dunn, R. A.; Sohn, R. A.; Horning, G.; Arai, R.; Paulatto, M.

2015-12-01

Most of our understanding of hydrothermal systems and the nature of their heat sources comes from models and observations at fast and intermediate spreading ridges. In these settings, hydrothermal systems are mainly located within the axial zone of a spreading segment, hosted in basaltic rock, and primarily driven by heat extracted from crystallization of crustal melt sills. In contrast, hydrothermal systems at slow-spreading ridges like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) show a great variety of venting styles and host-rock lithology, and are located in diverse tectonic settings like axial volcanic ridges, non-transform discontinuities (NTDs), the foot of ridge valley walls, and off-axis inside corner highs. Among MAR systems, the Rainbow hydrothermal field (RHF) stands out as an end-member of this diversity: an ultramafic-hosted system emitting H2 and CH4-rich fluids at high temperatures and high flow rates, which suggests a magmatic heat source despite the lack of evidence for recent volcanism and its location within an NTD with presumably low magma budget. We present 2D multichannel seismic reflection images across the Rainbow massif from the NSF-funded MARINER multidisciplinary geophysical study that reveal, for the first time, the magmatic system driving hydrothermal circulation in an ultramafic setting. Data were acquired in 2013 onboard the RV M. Langseth with an 8-km-long hydrophone streamer. The images have been obtained from pre-stack depth migrations using a regional 3D P-wave velocity model from a coincident controlled-source seismic tomography experiment using ocean bottom seismometers. Our images show a complex magmatic system centered beneath the RHF occupying an areal extent of ~3.7x6 km2, with partially molten sills ranging in depth between ~3.4 km and ~6.9 km below the seafloor. Our data also image high-amplitude dipping reflections within the massif coincident with strong lateral velocity gradients that may arise from detachment fault planes, lithological contacts, and/or alteration boundaries. Our results are an important step towards understanding the interactions of detachment faulting, magmatic intrusion, and hydrothermal circulation.

The Ultramafic Complex of Reinfjord: from the Magnetic Petrology to the Interpretation of the Magnetic Anomalies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastore, Zeudia; McEnroe, Suzanne; Church, Nathan; Fichler, Christine; ter Maat, Geertje W.; Fumagalli, Patrizia; Oda, Hirokuni; Larsen, Rune B.

2017-04-01

A 3D model of the geometry of the Reinfjord complex integrating geological and petrophysical data with high resolution aeromagnetic, ground magnetic and gravity data is developed. The Reinfjord ultramafic complex in northern Norway is one of the major ultramafic complexes of the Neoproterozoic Seiland Igneous Province (SIP). This province, now embedded in the Caledonian orogen, was emplaced deep in the crust (30 km of depth) and is believed to represent a section of the deep plumbing system of a large igneous province. The Reinfjord complex consists of three magmatic series formed during multiple recharging events resulting in the formation of a cylindrically zoned complex with a slightly younger dunite core surrounded by wehrlite and lherzolite units. Gabbros and gneiss form the host rock. The ultramafic complex has several distinct magnetic anomalies which do not match the mapped lithological boundaries, but are correlated with changes in magnetic susceptibilities. In particular, the deviating densities and magnetic susceptibilities at the northern side of the complex are interpreted to be due to serpentinization. Detailed studies of magnetic anomalies and magnetic properties of samples can provide a powerful tool for mapping petrological changes. Samples can have wide range of magnetic properties depending on composition, amount of ferromagnetic minerals, grain sizes and microstructures. Later geological processes such as serpentinization can alter this signal. Therefore a micro-scale study of magnetic anomalies at the thin section scale was carried out to understand better the link between the magnetic petrology and the magnetic anomalies. Serpentinization can significantly enhance the magnetic properties and therefore change the nature of the magnetic anomaly. The detailed gravity and magnetic model here presented shows the subsurface structure of the ultramafic complex refining the geological interpretation of the magnetic sources within it, and the local effects of serpentinization.

Geology and origin of the late Proterozoic Darb Zubaydah ophiolite, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quick, J.E.

1990-01-01

The Darb Zubaydah ophiolite, north-central Arabian Shield, preserves a largely intact section consisting of ultramafic rocks, gabbro, diabase, granodiorite, and interbedded volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Formation of these rocks within or near an island arc is indicated by the absence of pelagic sediments and the abundance of pillow basalt, turbiditic sediments, lahar deposits, and basaltic to rhyolitic tuff. The oldest extrusive rocks formed in a young, relatively unevolved island arc or in a back-arc basin sufficiently close to an arc to receive calc-alkaline lava flows and coarse-grained, arc-derived detritus. Overlying turbidites and lahar deposits of the Kaffan sandstone point to the initiation of a rifting event. High-Ti basalts, which erupted above the Kaffan sandstone, and related diabase are interpreted to be magmatic products of incipient intra-arc rifting. Renewed arc volcanism produced calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that interfingered with the high-Ti basalt and later dominated the section as the volcanic apron of the arc prograded basinward. Extrusion of voluminous calc-alkaline tuff may have been contemporaneous with intrusion of granodiorite and gravity-driven landsliding. -from Author

Lithological architecture and petrography of the Mako Birimian greenstone belt, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, eastern Senegal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabo, Moussa; Aïfa, Tahar; Gning, Ibrahima; Faye, Malick; Ba, Mamadou Fallou; Ngom, Papa Malick

2017-07-01

The new lithological and petrographic data obtained in the Mako sector are analyzed in the light of the geochemical data available in the literature. It consists of ultramaic, mafic rocks of tholeiitic affinities associated with intermediate and felsic rocks of calc-alkaline affinities and with intercalations of sedimentary rocks. The whole unit is intruded by Eburnean granitoids and affected by a greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism related to a high grade hydrothermalism. It consists of: (i) ultramafic rocks composed of a fractional crystallization succession of lherzolites, wehrlites and pyroxenites with mafic rock inclusions; (ii) layered, isotropic and pegmatitic metagabbros which gradually pass to metabasalts occur at the top; (iii) massive and in pillow metabasalts with locally tapered vesicles, completely or partially filled with quartzo-feldspathic minerals; (iv) quarzites locally overlying the mafic rocks and thus forming the top of the lower unit. This ultramafic-mafic lower unit presents a tholeiitic affinity near to the OIB or N-MORB. It represents the Mako Ophiolitic Complex (MOC), a lithospheric fragment of Birimian lithospheric crust. The upper unit is a mixed volcanic complex arranged in the tectonic corridors. From bottom to top it comprises the following: (i) andesitic, and (ii) rhyodacitic and rhyolitic lava flows and tuffs, respectively. They present a calc-alkaline affinity of the active margins. Three generations of Eburnean granitoids are recognized: (i) early (2215-2160 Ma); (ii) syn-tectonics (2150-2100 Ma) and post-tectonics (2090-2040 Ma). The lithological succession, geochemical and metamorphic characteristics of these units point to an ophiolitic supra-subduction zone.

Life detection at a Mars analogue site of present-day serpentinization in the Tablelands Ophiolite of Newfoundland (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrill, P. L.; Szponar, N.; Brazelton, W. J.; Woodruff, Q.; Schrenk, M. O.; Bower, D. M.; Steele, A.

2010-12-01

The Tableland Ophiolite was created during the collision of Laurentia and Gondwana continents ca. 470 million years ago. Ultramafic mantle rocks, from the ancient sea bed that once separated these continents, were thrusted westward onto the old continental margin, which is now Western Newfoundland. Weathering due to recent glaciations has left large areas of ultramafic rock at the surface and created fissures for fluid flow. As a result serpentinization is occurring as fresh water penetrates the unaltered ultramafic rock. Serpentinization is of particular interest because, through hydration of ultramafic rock, this reaction produces H2 and the reducing conditions necessary for abiogenic hydrocarbon synthesis, while also producing conditions amenable for chemolithotrophic life. Therefore sites of active serpentinization can be the source of either abiogenic or biogenic organics, or both. Serpentinization is a suspected (past or present) source of (detected or putative) hydrocarbons on Mars, Titan and Europa, hence these astrobodies may be potentially habitable or once habitable environments. The Tablelands Ophiolite is an analogue site that is ideal for testing methods of life detection in an extreme environment of high pH and low microbial biomass characteristic of sites of serpentinization. Multiple ultrabasic reducing springs characteristic of present-day serpentinization have been identified and characterized based on their geochemistry and microbiology. Field-based instruments were deployed for the detection of microbial activity (ATP), microbial cell wall material, and mineralogy, in yet untested high pH and low biomass environment. In this talk I will give an overview of the in situ measurements of life detection and put these measurements in context of geochemistry, microbiology, carbon source and reaction pathways, and I will discuss what we have learned that will help us plan for future mission measurements.

Historical patterns of acidification and increasing CO2 flux associated with Florida springs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barrera, Kira E.; Robbins, Lisa L.

2017-01-01

Florida has one of the highest concentrations of springs in the world, with many discharging into rivers and predominantly into eastern Gulf of Mexico coast, and they likely influence the hydrochemistry of these adjacent waters; however, temporal and spatial trends have not been well studied. We present over 20 yr of hydrochemical, seasonally sampled data to identify temporal and spatial trends of pH, alkalinity, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), and CO2flux from five first-order-magnitude (springs that discharge greater than 2.83 m3 s−1) coastal spring groups fed by the Floridan Aquifer System that ultimately discharge into the Gulf of Mexico. All spring groups had pCO2 levels (averages 3174.3–6773.2 μatm) that were much higher than atmospheric levels of CO2 and demonstrated statistically significant temporal decreases in pH and increases in CO2 flux, pCO2, and alkalinity. Total carbon flux emissions increased from each of the spring groups by between 3.48 × 107 and 2.856 × 108 kg C yr−1 over the time period. By 2013 the Springs Groups in total emitted more than 1.1739 × 109 kg C yr−1. Increases in alkalinity and pCO2 varied from 90.9 to 347.6 μmol kg−1 and 1262.3 to 2666.7 μatm, respectively. Coastal data show higher CO2 evasion than the open Gulf of Mexico, which suggests spring water influences nearshore waters. The results of this study have important implications for spring water quality, dissolution of the Florida carbonate platform, and identification of the effect and partitioning of carbon fluxes to and within coastal and marine ecosystems.

Source characteristics and tectonic setting of mafic-ultramafic intrusions in North Xinjiang, NW China: Insights from the petrology and geochemistry of the Lubei mafic-ultramafic intrusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bao-Yun; Yu, Jin-Jie; Liu, Shuai-Jie

2018-05-01

The newly discovered Lubei sulfide-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion forms the western extension of the Huangshan-Jin'erquan mafic-ultramafic intrusion belt in East Tianshan, NW China. The Lubei intrusion comprises hornblende peridotite, lherzolite, and harzburgite in its southern portion, gabbro in its middle portion, and hornblende gabbro in its northern portion. Intrusive relationships indicate that three magma pulses were involved in the formation of the intrusion, and that they were likely evolved from a common primitive magma. Estimated compositions of the Lubei primitive magma are similar to those of island arc calc-alkaline basalt except for the low Na2O and CaO contents of the Lubei primitive magma. This paper reports on the mineral compositions, whole-rock major and trace element contents, and Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of the Lubei intrusion, and a zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb age for hornblende gabbro. The Lubei intrusion is characterized by enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, depletion in high-field-strength elements, and marked negative Nb and Ta anomalies, with enrichment in chondrite-normalized light rare earth elements. It exhibits low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.70333-0.70636 and low (143Nd/144Nd)i ratios of 0.51214-0.51260, with positive εNd values of +4.01 to +6.33. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages yielded a weighted-mean age of 287.9 ± 1.6 Ma for the Lubei intrusion. Contemporaneous mafic-ultramafic intrusions in different tectonic domains in North Xinjiang show similar geological and geochemical signatures to the Lubei intrusion, suggesting a source region of metasomatized mantle previously modified by hydrous fluids from the slab subducted beneath the North Xinjiang region in the early Permian. Metasomatism of the mantle was dominated by hydrous fluids and was related to subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic lithosphere during the Paleozoic. Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions suggest that the mantle source was a mixture of depleted mid-ocean-ridge-basalt mantle and enriched-mantle I components. The Permian mafic-ultramafic intrusions in North Xinjiang were formed from tholeiitic basaltic magmas derived from decompression partial melting of the metasomatized mantle in a post-collision extensional tectonic setting. The tholeiitic basaltic magmas are equivalent to the voluminous underplated basaltic magmas that formed during vertical crustal growth of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt in the later Paleozoic.

Field geology, geochronology and geochemistry of mafic-ultramafic rocks from Alxa, China: Implications for Late Permian accretionary tectonics in the southern Altaids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Jianyun; Xiao, Wenjiao; Windley, Brian; Han, Chunming; Wan, Bo; Zhang, Ji'en; Ao, Songjian; Zhang, Zhiyong; Lin, Lina

2013-12-01

The time of termination of orogenesis for the southern Altaids has been controversial. Systematic investigations of field geology, geochronology and geochemistry on newly discriminated mafic-ultramafic rocks from northern Alxa in the southern Altaids were conducted to address the termination problem. The mafic-ultramafic rocks are located in the Bijiertai, Honggueryulin, and Qinggele areas, stretching from west to east for about 100 km. All rocks occur high-grade gneisses as tectonic lenses that are composed of peridotite, pyroxenite, gabbro, and serpentinite, most of which have undergone pronounced alteration, i.e., serpentinization and chloritization. Geochemically, the rocks are characterized by uniform compositional trends, i.e., with low SiO2-contents (42.51-52.21 wt.%) and alkalinity (Na2O + K2O) (0.01-5.45 wt.%, mostly less than 0.8 wt.%), and enrichments in MgO (7.37-43.36 wt.%), with Mg# = 52.75-91.87. As the rocks have been strongly altered and have a wide range of loss-on-ignition (LOI: 0.44-14.07 wt.%) values, they may have been subjected to considerable alteration by either seawater or metamorphic fluids. The REE and trace element patterns show a relatively fractionated trend with LILE enrichment and HFSE depletion, similar to that of T-MORB between N-MORB and E-MORB, indicating that the parental melt resulted from the partial melting of oceanic lithospheric mantle overprinted by fluid alteration of island-arc origin. The ultramafic rocks are relics derived from the magma after a large degree of partial melting of oceanic lithospheric mantle with superposed island arc processes under the influence of mid-ocean-ridge magmatism. LA-ICP MS U-Pb zircon ages of gabbros from three spots are 274 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 0.35), 306 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 0.49), 262 ± 5 Ma (MSWD = 1.2), respectively, representing the formation ages of the mafic-ultramafic rocks. Therefore, considering other previously published data, we suggest that the mafic-ultramafic rocks were products of south-dipping subduction, most probably with a slab window caused by ridge subduction, of the Paleo-Asian Ocean plate beneath the Alxa block in the Late Carboniferous to Late Permian before the Ocean completely closed. This sheds light on the controversial tectonic history of the southern Altaids and supports the concept that the termination of orogenesis was in the end-Permian to Triassic.

Field geology, geochronology and geochemistry of mafic-ultramafic rocks from Alxa, China: Implications for Late Permian accretionary tectonics in the southern Altaids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jianyun, Feng; Wenjiao, Xiao

2013-04-01

The termination of orogenesis for the southern Altaids has been controversial. Systematical investigations of field geology, geochronology and geochemistry on mafic-ultramafic rocks from the northern Alxa of the southern Altaids were conducted to address the termination controversy. The newly discriminated mafic-ultramafic rocks belt is located at Bijiertai, Honggueryulin, and Qinggele areas, stretching from west to east for about 100 km in length. All of the three rock associations contact tectonically with the adjacent metamorphic and deformed Precambrian rocks as tectonic blocks or lenses, and are composed of peridotite, pyroxenite, gabbro, and serpentinite, most of which have subjected to pronounced alteration, i.e., serpentinization and chloritization. Geochemically, the rocks are characterized by a uniform trend of compositional distribution, e.g., with low SiO2-contents (42.51-52.21 wt.%) and alkalinity (Na2O+K2O) (0.01-5.45 wt.%, mostly less than 0.8 wt.%), and enriched in MgO (7.37-43.36 wt.%), with Mg# = 52.75-91.87. As the rocks have had strong alteration and have a wide range of loss-on-ignition (LOI: 0.44-14.07 wt.%), the rocks may be subjected to considerable alteration by either sea-water or metamorphic fluid. The REE and trace element patterns for the rocks show a relatively fractionated trend with LILE enrichment and HFSE depletion, similar to that of T-MORB between N-MORB and E-MORB, indicating that the parental melt resulted from the partial melting of oceanic lithospheric mantle overprinted by fluid alteration of island-arc subsequently. The ultramafic rocks are relics derived from the magma after large degree of partial melting of the oceanic lithospheric mantle with overprinted by island-arc processes under the influence of mid-ocean-ridge magmatism. LA - ICP MS U - Pb zircon ages of gabbros from the three spots are 274 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 0.35), 306 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 0.49), 262 ± 5 Ma (MSWD = 1.2), respectively, representing the formation ages of the mafic-ultramafic rocks. Therefore, considering the other data published previously, we suggest that the mafic-ultramafic rocks are products of a south-dipping subduction, most probably a ridge subduction for the Paleo-Asian Ocean beneath the Alxa block in the Late Carboniferous to Late Permian before the Paleo-Asian Ocean completely closed. This shed light on the controversial tectonic history of the southern Altaids and support that the termination of the orogenesis was in the end Permian to Triassic.

Microbial communities and arsenic biogeochemistry at the outflow of an alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring

PubMed Central

Jiang, Zhou; Li, Ping; Van Nostrand, Joy D.; Zhang, Ping; Zhou, Jizhong; Wang, Yanhong; Dai, Xinyue; Zhang, Rui; Jiang, Dawei; Wang, Yanxin

2016-01-01

Alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs provide a unique environment for microbial community and arsenic (As) biogeochemistry. In this study, a representative alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring, Zimeiquan in the Tengchong geothermal area, was chosen to study arsenic geochemistry and microbial community using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Over 0.26 million 16S rRNA sequence reads were obtained from 5-paired parallel water and sediment samples along the hot spring’s outflow channel. High ratios of As(V)/AsSum (total combined arsenate and arsenite concentrations) (0.59–0.78), coupled with high sulfide (up to 5.87 mg/L), were present in the hot spring’s pools, which suggested As(III) oxidation occurred. Along the outflow channel, AsSum increased from 5.45 to 13.86 μmol/L, and the combined sulfide and sulfate concentrations increased from 292.02 to 364.28 μmol/L. These increases were primarily attributed to thioarsenic transformation. Temperature, sulfide, As and dissolved oxygen significantly shaped the microbial communities between not only the pools and downstream samples, but also water and sediment samples. Results implied that the upstream Thermocrinis was responsible for the transformation of thioarsenic to As(III) and the downstream Thermus contributed to derived As(III) oxidation. This study improves our understanding of microbially-mediated As transformation in alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs. PMID:27126380

Active Serpentinization and the Potential for a Diverse Subsurface Biosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canovas, P. A.; Shock, E.

2013-12-01

The ubiquitous nature of serpentinization and the unique fluids it generates have major consequences for habitat generation, abiotic organic synthesis, and biosynthesis. The production of hydrogen from the anaerobic hydrolysis of ultramafic minerals sets the redox state of serpentinizing fluids to be thermodynamically favorable for these processes. Consequently, a host of specialized microbial populations and metabolisms can be sustained. Active low-temperature serpentinizing systems, such as the Samail ophiolite in Oman, offer an ideal opportunity to investigate biogeochemical processes during the alteration of ultramafic minerals. At the Samail ophiolite in particular, serpentinization may provide the potential for an active subsurface microbial community shielded from potentially unfavorable surface conditions. Support for this assertion comes from geochemical data including Mg, Ca, CH4 (aq), and H2 (aq) abundances indicating that methane is a product of serpentinization. To further investigate viable metabolic strategies, affinity calculations were performed on both the surface waters and the hyperalkaline springs, which may be considered as messengers of processes occurring in the subsurface. Almost all sites yield positive affinities (i.e., are thermodynamically favorable) for a diverse suite of serpentinization metabolisms including methanogenesis, anammox, and carbon monoxide, nitrate, and sulfate reduction with hydrogen, as well as anaerobic methanotrophy coupled to nitrate, nitrite, and sulfate reduction. Reaction path modeling was performed to ascertain the extent to which serpentinization and mixing of surface waters with hyperalkaline spring waters in the subsurface can generate suitable habitats. The serpentinization model simulates the reaction of pristine Oman harzburgite with surface water to quantify the redox state and generation of hyperalkaline spring water. Preliminary results show that water-rock ratios as high as 100 could effectively reduce the system and create a thermodynamic drive sufficient to convert all of the dissolved inorganic carbon into methane. This indicates that the system is poised to create the reducing conditions necessary to support a subsurface biosphere very early in the serpentinizing process, and that the subsurface biosphere could extend upwards to very near the surface. The mixing model simulates the percolation of surface water into the active serpentinization zone. During the mixing process, methane is calculated to be more stable than carbonate species until approximately 100g of surface water have been added to 1 kg of the serpentinizing fluid. These results suggest that unreacted surface water flowing directly into the serpentinizing zone can create the disequilibria necessary for methanogenesis, and possibly other metabolisms, to proceed while still maintaining the low redox state of the system. As long as the recharge to the hyperalkaline reservoir does not exceed ten percent of the reservoir, methanogenesis and other serpentinization metabolisms can thrive off the disequilibria generated through mixing.

Contrasting diversity of testate amoebae communities in Sphagnum and brown-moss dominated patches in relation to shell counts.

PubMed

Lizoňová, Zuzana; Horsák, Michal

2017-04-01

Ecological studies of peatland testate amoebae are generally based on totals of 150 individuals per sample. However, the suitability of this standard has never been assessed for alkaline habitats such as spring fens. We explored the differences in testate amoeba diversity between Sphagnum and brown-moss microhabitats at a mire site with a highly diversified moss layer which reflects the small-scale heterogeneity in groundwater chemistry. Relationships between sampling efficiency and sample completeness were explored using individual-based species accumulation curves and the effort required to gain an extra species was assessed. Testate amoeba diversity differed substantially between microhabitats, with brown mosses hosting on average twice as many species and requiring greater shell totals to reach comparable sample analysis efficiency as for Sphagnum. Thus, for samples from alkaline conditions an increase in shell totals would be required and even an overall doubling up to 300 individuals might be considered for reliable community description. Our small-scale data are likely not robust enough to provide an ultimate solution for the optimization of shell totals. However, the results proved that testate amoebae communities from acidic and alkaline environments differ sharply in both species richness and composition and they might call for different methodological approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Genome Sequence of the Alkaline-Tolerant Cellulomonas sp. Strain FA1

DOE PAGES

Cohen, Michael F.; Hu, Ping; Nguyen, My Vu; ...

2015-06-18

We present the genome of the cellulose-degrading Cellulomonas sp. strain FA1 isolated from an actively serpentinizing highly alkaline spring. Knowledge of this genome will enable studies into the molecular basis of plant material degradation in alkaline environments and inform the development of lignocellulose bioprocessing procedures for biofuel production.

Apparatus measures swelling of membranes in electrochemical cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hennigan, T. J.

1965-01-01

Apparatus consisting of a pressure plate unit, four springs of known spring constant and a micrometer measures the swelling and force exerted by the polymer membranes of alkaline electrochemical cells.

Host Plant Effects on Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in the Whiteflies, Bemisia tabaci Biotype B and Trialeurodes vaporariorum

PubMed Central

Yan, Ying; Peng, Lu; Liu, Wan-Xue; Wan, Fang-Hao; Harris, Marvin K.

2011-01-01

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) B-biotype and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) often coexist on greenhouse-grown vegetable crops in northern China. The recent spread of B. tabaci B-biotype has largely replaced T. vaporariorum, and B-biotype now overlaps with T. vaporariorum where common hosts occur in most invaded areas. The impact of the B-biotype on the agro eco system appears to be widespread, and involves the ability to compete with and perhaps replace other phytophages like T. vaporariorum. An emerging hypothesis is that the B-biotype is physiologically superior due at least in part to an improved ability to metabolically utilize the alkaline phosphatase pathway. To test this hypothesis, alkaline phosphatase activity was studied in the B-biotype and T. vaporariorum after feeding on a number of different hosts for a range of durations, with and without host switching. Alkaline phosphatase activity in T. vaporariorum was 1.45 to 2.53-fold higher than that of the B-biotype when fed on tomato for 4 and 24 h, or switched from tomato to cotton and cabbage for the same durations. However, alkaline phosphatase activity in the B-biotype was 1.40 to 3.35-fold higher than that of T. vaporariorum when the host switching time was ∼72 and ∼120 h on the same plant. Both short-term (4 h) and long-term (72 h) switching of plant hosts can significantly affect the alkaline phosphatase activity in the two species. After ∼120 h, feeding on tomato and cotton alkaline phosphatase activity in the B-biotype was significantly higher than that of T. vaporariorum. It was shown that alkaline phosphatase aids the species feeding on different plant species, and that the B-biotype is physiologically superior to T. vaporariorum in utilizing the enzyme compared to T. vaporariorum over longer periods of feeding. PMID:21521136

Metamorphic assemblages and the direction of flow of metamorphic fluids in four instances of serpentinization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barnes, I.; Rapp, J.B.; O'Neil, J.R.; Sheppard, R.A.; Gude, A.J.

1972-01-01

Fluids related to Serpentinization are of at least three types. The first reported (Barnes and O'Neil, 1969) is a fluid of local meteoric origin, the chemical and thermodynamic properties of which are entirely controlled by olivine, orthopyroxene, brucite, and serpentine reactions. It is a Ca+2-OH-1 type and is shown experimentally to be capable of reacting with albite to yield calcium hydroxy silicates. Rodingites may form where the Ca+2-OH-1 type waters flow across the ultramafic contact and react with siliceous country rock. The second type of fluid has its chemical composition largely controlled before it enters the ultramafic rocks, but reactions within the ultramafic rocks fix the thermodynamic properties by reactions of orthopyroxene, olivine, calcite, brucite, and serpentine. The precipitation of brucite from this fluid clearly shows that fluid flow allows reaction products to be deposited at a distance from the point of solution. Thus, textural evidence for volume relations during Serpentinization may not be valid. The third type of fluid has its chemical properties fixed in part before the reactions with ultramafic rocks, in part by the reactions of orthopyroxene, olivine, and serpentine and in part by reactions with siliceous country rock at the contact. The reactions of the ultramafic rock and country rock with the fluid must be contemporaneous and require flow to be along the contact. This third type of fluid is grossly supersaturated with talc and tremolite, both found along the contact. The occurrence of magadiite, kenyaite, mountainite, and rhodesite along the contact is probably due to a late stage low-temperature reaction of fluids of the same thermodynamic properties as those that formed the talc and tremolite at higher temperatures. Oxygen isotope analyses of some of these minerals supports this conclusion. Rodingites form from Ca+2-rich fluids flowing across the contact; talc and tremolite form from silica-rich fluids flowing along the contact. Isotopic analyses of the fluids indicate varied origins including unaltered local meteoric water and connate water. Complexion Spring water may be a sample of only slightly altered Jurassic or Cretaceous sea water. ?? 1972 Springer-Verlag.

Transition from alkaline to calc-alkaline volcanism during evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Francevillian basin of eastern Gabon (Western Central Africa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiéblemont, Denis; Bouton, Pascal; Préat, Alain; Goujou, Jean-Christian; Tegyey, Monique; Weber, Francis; Ebang Obiang, Michel; Joron, Jean Louis; Treuil, Michel

2014-11-01

We report new geochemical data for the volcanic and subvolcanic rocks associated with the evolution of the Francevillian basin of eastern Gabon during Paleoproterozoic times (c. 2.1-2 Ga). Filling of this basin has proceeded through four main sedimentary or volcano-sedimentary episodes, namely FA, FB, FC and FD. Volcanism started during the FB episode being present only in the northern part of the basin (Okondja sub-basin). This volcanism is ultramafic to trachytic in composition and displays a rather constant alkaline geochemical signature. This signature is typical of a within-plate environment, consistent with the rift-setting generally postulated for the Francevillian basin during the FB period. Following FB, the FC unit is 10-20 m-thick silicic horizon (jasper) attesting for a massive input of silica in the basin. Following FC, the FD unit is a c. 200-400 m-thick volcano-sedimentary sequence including felsic tuffs and epiclastic rocks. The geochemical signatures of these rocks are totally distinct from those of the FB alkaline lavas. High Th/Ta and La/Ta ratios attest for a calc-alkaline signature and slight fractionation between heavy rare-earth suggests melting at a rather low pressure. Such characteristics are comparable to those of felsic lavas associated with the Taupo zone of New Zealand, a modern ensialic back-arc basin. Following FD, the FE detrital unit is defined only in the Okondja region, probably associated with a late-stage collapse of the northern part of the basin. It is suggested that the alkaline to calc-alkaline volcanic transition reflects the evolution of the Francevillian basin from a diverging to a converging setting, in response to the onset of converging movements in the Eburnean Belt of Central Africa.

Contrasted hydrothermal activity along the South-East Indian Ridge (130°E-140°E): From crustal to ultramafic circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulart, Cédric; Briais, Anne; Chavagnac, Valérie; Révillon, Sidonie; Ceuleneer, Georges; Donval, Jean-Pierre; Guyader, Vivien; Barrere, Fabienne; Ferreira, Nicolas; Hanan, Barry; Hémond, Christophe; Macleod, Sarah; Maia, Marcia; Maillard, Agnès.; Merkuryev, Sergey; Park, Sung-Hyun; Ruellan, Etienne; Schohn, Alexandre; Watson, Sally; Yang, Yun-Seok

2017-07-01

Using a combined approach of seafloor mapping, MAPR and CTD survey, we report evidence for active hydrothermal venting along the 130°-140°E section of the poorly-known South-East Indian Ridge (SEIR) from the Australia-Antarctic Discordance (AAD) to the George V Fracture Zone (FZ). Along the latter, we report Eh and CH4 anomalies in the water column above a serpentinite massif, which unambiguously testify for ultramafic-related fluid flow. This is the first time that such circulation is observed on an intermediate-spreading ridge. The ridge axis itself is characterized by numerous off-axis volcanoes, suggesting a high magma supply. The water column survey indicates the presence of at least ten distinct hydrothermal plumes along the axis. The CH4:Mn ratios of the plumes vary from 0.37 to 0.65 denoting different underlying processes, from typical basalt-hosted to ultramafic-hosted high-temperature hydrothermal circulation. Our data suggest that the change of mantle temperature along the SEIR not only regulates the magma supply, but also the hydrothermal activity. The distribution of hydrothermal plumes from a ridge segment to another implies secondary controls such as the presence of fractures and faults along the axis or in the axial discontinuities. We conclude from these results that hydrothermal activity along the SEIR is controlled by magmatic processes at the regional scale and by the tectonics at the segment scale, which influences the type of hydrothermal circulation and leads to various chemical compositions. Such variety may impact global biogeochemical cycles, especially in the Southern Ocean where hydrothermal venting might be the only source of nutrients.

Effects of mother lode-type gold mineralization on 187Os/188Os and platinum group element concentrations in peridotite: Alleghany District, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walker, R.J.; Böhlke, J.K.; McDonough, W.F.; Li, Ji

2007-01-01

Osmium isotope compositions and concentrations of Re, platinum group elements (PGE), and Au were determined for host peridotites (serpentinites and barzburgites) and hydrothermally altered ultramafic wall rocks associated with Mother Lode-type hydrothermal gold-quartz vein mineralization in the Alleghany district, California. The host peridotites have Os isotope compositions and Re, PGE, and Au abundances typical of the upper mantle at their presumed formation age during the late Proterozoic or early Paleozoic. The hydrothermally altered rocks have highly variable initial Os isotope compositions with ??os, values (% deviation of 187OS/188OS from the chondritic average calculated for the approx. 120 Ma time of mineralization) ranging from -1.4 to -8.3. The lowest Os isotope compositions are consistent with Re depletion of a chondritic source (e.g., the upper mantle) at ca. 1.6 Ga. Most of the altered samples are enriched in Au and have depleted and fractionated abundances of Re and PGE relative to their precursor peridotites. Geoehemical characteristics of the altered samples suggest that Re and some PGE were variably removed from the ultramafic rocks during the mineralization event. In addition to Re, the Pt and Pd abundances of the most intensely altered rocks appear to have been most affected by mineralization. The 187Os-depleted isotopic compositions of some altered rocks are interpreted to be a result of preferential 187Os loss via destruction of Re-rich phases during the event. For these rocks, Os evidently is not a useful tracer of the mineralizing fluids. The results do, however, provide evidence for differential mobility of these elements, and mobility of 187Os relative to the initial bulk Os isotope composition during hydrothermal metasomatic alteration of ultramafic rocks. ?? 2007 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Origin of ultramafic-hosted magnesite on Margarita Island, Venezuela

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abu-Jaber, N. S.; Kimberley, M. M.

1992-06-01

Ultramafic-hosted deposits of magnesite (MgCO3) have been studied on Margarita Island, Venezuela, to elucidate the source of carbon and conditions of formation for this type of ore. Petrographic, mineralogic, and δ18O data indicate that magnesite precipitated on Margarita in near-surface environments at low P and T. δ13C ranges from -9 to -16‰ PDB within the magnesite and -8 to -10‰ PDB within some calcite and dolomite elsewhere on the island. The isotopically light dolomite fills karst and the calcite occurs as stock-work veins which resemble the magnesite deposits. These carbon isotopic ratios are consistent with a deep-seated source rather than an overlying source from a zone of surficial weathering. However, there is not much enrichment of precious metals and no enrichment of heavy rare-earth elements, as would be expected if the carbon had migrated upward as aqueous carbonate ions. The carbon probably has risen as a gaseous mixture of CO2 and CH4 which partially dissolved in near-surface water before leaching cations and precipitating as magnesite and other carbonates. The process probably is ongoing, given regional exhalation of carbonaceous gases.

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

Metasomatic processes in the orthogneiss-hosted Archaean peridotites of the Fiskefjord region, SW Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szilas, K.; Cruz, M. F.; Grove, M.; Morishita, T.; Pearson, D. G.

2016-12-01

Field observations and preliminary geochemical data are presented for large (>500x1000m) peridotite enclaves from the Fiskefjord region of SW Greenland. These ultramafic complexes are dominated by dunite, amphibole-harzburgite, lesser amounts of norite and horizons of stratiform chromitite and are therefore interpreted as cumulate rocks[1]. The ultramafic enclaves are hosted by intrusive tonalitic orthogneiss, which provide U-Pb zircon minimum age constraints of ca. 2980 Ma, whereas preliminary Re-Os isotope data on the dunite and chromitite yield TRD ages of ca. 3300 Ma[2]. Dunite has highly forsteritic olivine compositions with Mg# mostly around 92 to 93, which is uncorrelated with the bulk-rock mg# or modal chromite contents. This indicates that the primary olivine records equilibration with a highly magnesian parental magma, which may have been responsible for the strong depletion of the SCLM in this region. Amphibole and phlogopite is mostly associated with granitoid sheets or infiltrating veins in the dunite and appear to replace chromite. Argon dating (40Ar/39Ar) of the phlogopite yields ages ranging from ca. 3400 Ma to ca. 1750 Ma, with most ages clustering around 3000 Ma. This is consistent with formation of the phlogopite and amphibole by metasomatic processes involving reaction between granitoid-derived siliceous fluids and the ultramafic rocks. The older 40Ar/39Ar age plateaus most plausibly represent excess Ar, potentially inherited from the nearby Itsaq Gneiss Complex (3900 to 3600 Ga) based on its proximity. The youngest 40Ar/39Ar age plateaus on the other hand may potentially signify the closure-age for this system, which could have important implications for determining the exhumation history of the North Atlantic craton. References [1] Szilas, K., Kelemen, P. B., & Bernstein, S. (2015). Peridotite enclaves hosted by Mesoarchaean TTG-suite orthogneisses in the Fiskefjord region of southern West Greenland. GeoResJ, 7, 22-34. [2] Szilas, K., van Hinsberg, V. J., McDonald, I., Morishita, T., Pearson, D. G. (2016). Highly depleted peridotites within Mesoarchaean orthogneiss at the Seqi Olivine Mine, SW Greenland - Potential implications for the formation of cratonic keels. Goldschmidt Conference Abstract #3009, Yokohama.

Juxtaposition of Neoproterozoic units along the Baruda - Tulu Dimtu shear-belt in the East African Orogen of western Ethiopia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Braathen, A.; Grenne, Tor; Selassie, M.G.; Worku, T.

2001-01-01

Amalgamation of East and West Gondwanaland during the Neoproterozoic East African Orogen is recorded by several shear-belts or 'suture zones', some of which are associated with ultramafic and mafic complexes that have been interpreted as ophiolite fragments. The Baruda shear-belt is a major structure of this type that belongs to the N-S trending Barka - Tulu Dimtu zone. The significance of this zone has been studied within a transect in western Ethiopia which covers a variety of metasedimentary and metavolcanic sequences, ultramafic rocks and synkinematic intrusive complexes. All rocks participated in the regional D1 event as reflected in a penetrative steep foliation in supracrustal rocks and marginal parts of the intrusions. Highly strained rocks contain a stretching lineation that plunge to the east. The several-km thick Baruda shear-belt, comprising mylonitic supracrustal and plutonic rocks including mafic-ultramafic mega-lenses, is the most prominent expression of this event. Shear-sense indicators demonstrate top-to-the-west shear. Subsequent D2 deformation is recorded in 2-300 m wide, N-S striking, subvertical shear-zones with subhorizontal stretching lineation relatable to sinistral transcurrent movements. Our data indicate that rock units on either side of the Baruda shear-belt are related, rather than being exotic to each other as implied in suture zone models, since there is no major lithologic or metamorphic difference, geochemical data on metavolcanic rocks and pre-tectonic intrusions suggest a paleotectonic link, and style and extent of deformation is similar across the shear-belt. A tentative model for the transect suggests an arc and back-arc setting which experienced later continental collision and tectonic shortening. The initial setting was that of a shallow marine platform characterised by carbonates and sandstones, which covered extensive areas prior to break-up of a pre-existing supercontinent. Continental convergence is first recorded in high-K calc-alkaline volcanism characterised by pyroclastic deposits of andesitic composition, at an active continental margin at about 800 Ma. Subaerial arc volcanism was temporally and spatially overlapping with limited arc rifting, represented by submarine basalts compositionally transitional between enriched MORB and calc-alkaline magmas, and associated dyke swarms in the older carbonate-sandstone platform sequence. It is suggested that the large, mafic-ultramafic, bodies relate to this event and were originally formed as intrusions along one or more propagating rift axis within the arc complex. The regional Baruda shear-belt formed in response to contractional D1 deformation, and its location may have been largely controlled by competence contrasts between the array of rift-related intrusions and the marble-dominated lithologies. Associated shortening of the arc and back-arc region led to crustal thickening and emplacement of synkinematic, composite, batholiths at about 570-550 Ma. These are composed of moderately peraluminous granite and coeval, intermediate to mafic intrusions of shoshonitic affinity. D2 sinistral movements succeeded the contractional deformation. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

Seasonal Alterations in Host Range and Fidelity in the Polyphagous Mirid Bug, Apolygus lucorum (Heteroptera: Miridae)

PubMed Central

Pan, Hongsheng; Liu, Bing; Lu, Yanhui; Wyckhuys, Kris A. G.

2015-01-01

In herbivorous insects, host plant switching is commonly observed and plays an important role in their annual life cycle. However, much remains to be learned about seasonal host switching of various pestiferous arthropods under natural conditions. From 2006 until 2012, we assessed Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) host plant use in successive spring, summer and winter seasons at one single location (Langfang, China). Data were used to quantify changes in host plant breadth and host fidelity between seasons. Host fidelity of A. lucorum differed between seasons, with 87.9% of spring hosts also used in the summer and 36.1% of summer hosts used in winter. In contrast, as little as 25.6% host plant species were shared between winter and spring. Annual herbaceous plants are most often used for overwintering, while perennial woody plants are relatively important for initial population build-up in the spring. Our study contributes to an improved understanding of evolutionary interactions between A. lucorum and its host plants and lays the groundwork for the design of population management strategies for this important pest in myriad crops. PMID:25692969

Petrology and metamorphic evolution of ultramafic rocks and dolerite dykes of the Betic Ophiolitic Association (Mulhacén Complex, SE Spain): evidence of eo-Alpine subduction following an ocean-floor metasomatic process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puga, E.; Nieto, J. M.; Díaz de Federico, A.; Bodinier, J. L.; Morten, L.

1999-10-01

The Betic Ophiolitic Association, cropping out within the Mulhacén Complex (Betic Cordilleras), is made up of numerous metre- to kilometre-sized lenses of mafic and/or ultramafic and meta-sedimentary rocks. Pre-Alpine oceanic metasomatism and metamorphism caused the first stage of serpentinization in the ultramafic sequence of this association, which is characterized by local clinopyroxene (Cpx) breakdown and Ca-depletion, and complementary rodingitization of the basic dykes intruded in them. Subsequent eo-Alpine orogenic metamorphism developed eclogite facies assemblages in ultramafic and basic lithotypes, which were partly retrograded in Ab-Ep-amphibolite facies conditions during a meso-Alpine event. The heterogeneous development of the oceanic metasomatism in the ultramafic rock-types led to the patchy development of highly serpentinized Ca-depleted domains, without gradual transition to the host, and less serpentinized, Cpx-bearing ultramafites, mainly lherzolitic in composition. The high-pressure eo-Alpine recrystallization of these ultramafites in subduction conditions originated secondary harzburgites in the Ca-depleted domains, consisting of a spinifex-like textured olivine+orthopyroxene paragenesis, and a diopside+Ti-clinohumite paragenesis in the enclosing lherzolitic rocks. During the meso-Alpine event, secondary harzburgites were partly transformed into talc+antigorite serpentinites, whereas the diopside and clinohumite-bearing residual meta-lherzolites were mainly transformed into Cpx-bearing serpentinites. Relics of mantle-derived colourless olivine may be present in the more or less serpentinized secondary harzburgites. These relics are overgrown by the eo-Alpine brown pseudo-spinifex olivine, which contains submicroscopic inclusions of chromite, ilmenite and occasional halite and sylvite, inherited from its parental oceanic serpentine. The same type of mantle-derived olivine relics is also preserved within the Cpx-bearing serpentinites, although it has been partly replaced by the eo-Alpine Ti-clinohumite. The dolerite dykes included in the ultramafites were partly rodingitized in an oceanic environment. They were then transformed during the eo-Alpine event into meta-rodingites in their border zones and into eclogites towards the innermost, less-rodingitized portions. Estimated P- T conditions for the high-pressure assemblages in ultramafic and basic lithotypes range from 650 to 750°C and 16-25 kb.

Potential Hydrogen Yields from Ultramafic Rocks of the Coast Range Ophiolite and Zambales Ophiolite: Inferences from Mössbauer Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stander, A.; Nelms, M.; Wilkinson, K.; Dyar, M. D.; Cardace, D.

2013-12-01

The reduced status of mantle rocks is a possible controller and indicator of deep life habitat, due to interactions between water and ultramafic (Fe, Mg-rich) minerals, which, under reducing conditions, can yield copious free hydrogen, which is an energy source for rock-hosted chemosynthetic life. In this work, Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to parameterize the redox status of Fe in altering peridotites of the Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) in California, USA and Zambales Ophiolite (ZO) in the Philippines. Fe-bearing minerals were identified and data were collected for the percentages of Fe(III)and Fe(II)and bulk Fe concentration. Thin section analysis shows that relict primary olivines and spinels generally constitute a small percentage of the ZO and CRO rock, and given satisfactory estimates of the volume of the ultramafic units of the ZO and CRO, a stoichiometric H2 production can be estimated. In addition, ZO serpentinites are ~63,000 ppm Fe in bulk samples; they contain ~41-58% Fe(III)and ~23-34% Fe(II) in serpentine and relict minerals along with ~8-30% of the total Fe as magnetite. CRO serpentinites are ~42,000 ppm Fe in bulk samples; they contain ~15-50% Fe(III), ~22-88% Fe(II) in serpentine and relict minerals, and ~0-52% of total Fe is in magnetite (Fe(II)Fe(III)2O4). Assuming stoichiometric production of H2, and given the following representation of serpentinization 2(FeO)rock + H2O → (Fe2O3)rock +H2, we calculated the maximum quantity of hydrogen released and yet to be released through the oxidation of Fe(II). Given that relatively high Fe(III)/Fetotal values can imply higher water:rock ratios during rock alteration (Andreani et al., 2013), we can deduce that ZO ultramafics in this study have experienced a net higher water:rock ratio than CRO ultramafics. We compare possible H2 yields and contrast the tectonic and alteration histories of the selected ultramafic units. (M. Andreani, M. Muñoz, C. Marcaillou, A. Delacour, 2013, μXANES study of iron redox state in serpentine during oceanic serpentinization, Lithos, Available online 20 April 2013)

Performance and application of a fluidized bed limestone reactor designed for control of alkalinity, hardness and pH at the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watten, Barnaby J.; Mudrak, Vincent A.; Echevarria, Carlos; Sibrell, Philip; Summerfelt, Steven T.; Boyd, Claude E.

2017-01-01

Springs serving the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center, Warm Springs, Georgia, have pH, alkalinity, and hardness levels thatlie under the range required for successful fish propagation while free CO2 is well above allowable targets. We evaluate a pretreatment process that exploits limestone’s (CaCO3) ability to react away hydrogen ions (H+) and carbon dioxide (CO2) while increasing alkalinity (HCO3−) and calcium (Ca2+) concentrations, i.e. CaCO3 + H+ ↔ HCO3− + Ca2+ CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O ↔ Ca2+ + 2HCO3− Limestone sand was tested in both pilot and full scale fluidized bed reactors (CycloBio®). We first established the bed expansion characteristics of three commercial limestone products then evaluated the effect of hydraulic flux and bed height on dissolution rate of a single selected product (Type A16 × 120). Pilot scale testing at 18C showed limestone dissolution rates were relatively insensitive to flux over the range 1.51–3.03 m3/min/m2 but were sensitive (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.881) to changes in bed height (BH, cm) over the range 83–165 cm following the relation: (Alkalinity, mg/L) = 123.51 − (3788.76 (BH)). Differences between filtered and non-filtered alkalinity were small(P > 0.05) demonstrating that limestone was present in the reactor effluent primarily in the form of dissolved Ca(HCO3)2. Effluent alkalinity exceeded our target level of 50 mg/L under most operating conditions evaluated with typical pilot scale values falling within the range of 90–100 mg/L despite influent concentrations of about 4 mg/L. Concurrently, CO2 fell from an average of 50.6 mg/L to 8.3 mg/L (90%), providing for an increase in pH from 5.27 to a mean of 7.71. The ability of the test reactor to provide changes in water chemistry variables that exceeded required changes allowed for a dilution ratio of 0.6. Here, alkalinity still exceeded 50 mg/L, the CO2 concentration remained well below our limit of 20 mg/L (15.4 mg/L) and the pH was near neutral (7.17). Applying the dilution ratio of 0.6 in a full scale treatment plant at the site reduced by 40% the volume of spring water that is directed through each of three parallel reactors that combined react away 49,000 kg of limestone/yr.

Biogeography of serpentinite-hosted microbial ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazelton, W.; Cardace, D.; Fruh-Green, G.; Lang, S. Q.; Lilley, M. D.; Morrill, P. L.; Szponar, N.; Twing, K. I.; Schrenk, M. O.

2012-12-01

Ultramafic rocks in the Earth's mantle represent a tremendous reservoir of carbon and reducing power. Upon tectonic uplift and exposure to fluid flow, serpentinization of these materials generates copious energy, sustains abiogenic synthesis of organic molecules, and releases hydrogen gas (H2). To date, however, the "serpentinite microbiome" is poorly constrained- almost nothing is known about the microbial diversity endemic to rocks actively undergoing serpentinization. Through the Census of Deep Life, we have obtained 16S rRNA gene pyrotag sequences from fluids and rocks from serpentinizing ophiolites in California, Canada, and Italy. The samples include high pH serpentinite springs, presumably representative of deeper environments within the ophiolite complex, wells which directly access subsurface aquifers, and rocks obtained from drill cores into serpentinites. These data represent a unique opportunity to examine biogeographic patterns among a restricted set of microbial taxa that are adapted to similar environmental conditions and are inhabiting sites with related geological histories. In general, our results point to potentially H2-utilizing Betaproteobacteria thriving in shallow, oxic-anoxic transition zones and anaerobic Clostridia thriving in anoxic, deep subsurface habitats. These general taxonomic and biogeochemical trends were also observed in seafloor Lost City hydrothermal chimneys, indicating that we are beginning to identify a core serpentinite microbial community that spans marine and continental settings.

Local Seismicity of the Rainbow Massif on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horning, G.; Sohn, R. A.; Canales, J. P.; Dunn, R. A.

2018-02-01

The Rainbow massif, an oceanic core complex located in a nontransform discontinuity on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (36°N), is notable for hosting high-temperature hydrothermal discharge through ultramafic rocks. Here we report results from a 9 month microearthquake survey conducted with a network of 13 ocean bottom seismometers deployed on and around the Rainbow massif as part of the MARINER experiment in 2013-2014. High rates ( 300 per day) of low-magnitude (average ML 0.5) microearthquakes were detected beneath the massif. The hypocenters do not cluster along deeply penetrating fault surfaces and do not exhibit mainshock/aftershock sequences, supporting the hypothesis that the faulting associated with the exhumation of the massif is currently inactive. Instead, the hypocenters demarcate a diffuse zone of continuous, low-magnitude deformation at relatively shallow (< 3 km) depths beneath the massif, sandwiched in between the seafloor and seismic reflectors interpreted to be magmatic sills driving hydrothermal convection. Most of the seismicity is located in regions where seismic refraction data indicate serpentinized ultramafic host rock, and although the seismic network we deployed was not capable of constraining the focal mechanism of most events, our analysis suggests that serpentinization may play an important role in microearthquake generation at the Rainbow massif.

Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields.

PubMed

McDermott, Jill M; Seewald, Jeffrey S; German, Christopher R; Sylva, Sean P

2015-06-23

Arguments for an abiotic origin of low-molecular weight organic compounds in deep-sea hot springs are compelling owing to implications for the sustenance of deep biosphere microbial communities and their potential role in the origin of life. Theory predicts that warm H2-rich fluids, like those emanating from serpentinizing hydrothermal systems, create a favorable thermodynamic drive for the abiotic generation of organic compounds from inorganic precursors. Here, we constrain two distinct reaction pathways for abiotic organic synthesis in the natural environment at the Von Damm hydrothermal field and delineate spatially where inorganic carbon is converted into bioavailable reduced carbon. We reveal that carbon transformation reactions in a single system can progress over hours, days, and up to thousands of years. Previous studies have suggested that CH4 and higher hydrocarbons in ultramafic hydrothermal systems were dependent on H2 generation during active serpentinization. Rather, our results indicate that CH4 found in vent fluids is formed in H2-rich fluid inclusions, and higher n-alkanes may likely be derived from the same source. This finding implies that, in contrast with current paradigms, these compounds may form independently of actively circulating serpentinizing fluids in ultramafic-influenced systems. Conversely, widespread production of formate by ΣCO2 reduction at Von Damm occurs rapidly during shallow subsurface mixing of the same fluids, which may support anaerobic methanogenesis. Our finding of abiogenic formate in deep-sea hot springs has significant implications for microbial life strategies in the present-day deep biosphere as well as early life on Earth and beyond.

Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields

PubMed Central

McDermott, Jill M.; Seewald, Jeffrey S.; German, Christopher R.; Sylva, Sean P.

2015-01-01

Arguments for an abiotic origin of low-molecular weight organic compounds in deep-sea hot springs are compelling owing to implications for the sustenance of deep biosphere microbial communities and their potential role in the origin of life. Theory predicts that warm H2-rich fluids, like those emanating from serpentinizing hydrothermal systems, create a favorable thermodynamic drive for the abiotic generation of organic compounds from inorganic precursors. Here, we constrain two distinct reaction pathways for abiotic organic synthesis in the natural environment at the Von Damm hydrothermal field and delineate spatially where inorganic carbon is converted into bioavailable reduced carbon. We reveal that carbon transformation reactions in a single system can progress over hours, days, and up to thousands of years. Previous studies have suggested that CH4 and higher hydrocarbons in ultramafic hydrothermal systems were dependent on H2 generation during active serpentinization. Rather, our results indicate that CH4 found in vent fluids is formed in H2-rich fluid inclusions, and higher n-alkanes may likely be derived from the same source. This finding implies that, in contrast with current paradigms, these compounds may form independently of actively circulating serpentinizing fluids in ultramafic-influenced systems. Conversely, widespread production of formate by ΣCO2 reduction at Von Damm occurs rapidly during shallow subsurface mixing of the same fluids, which may support anaerobic methanogenesis. Our finding of abiogenic formate in deep-sea hot springs has significant implications for microbial life strategies in the present-day deep biosphere as well as early life on Earth and beyond. PMID:26056279

Mapping the Oman Ophiolite using TM data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrams, Michael

1987-01-01

Ophiolite terrains, considered to be the onland occurrences of oceanic crust, host a number of types of mineral deposits: volcanogenic massive sulfides, podiform chromite, and asbestos. Thematic Mapper data for the Semail Ophiolite in Oman were used to separate and map ultramafic lithologies hosting these deposits, including identification of the components of the extrusive volcanic sequence, mapping of serpentinization due to various tectonic processes, and direct identification of gossans. Thematic Mapper data were found to be extremely effective for mapping in this terrain due to the excellent spatial resolution and the presence of spectral bands which allow separation of the pertinent mineralogically caused spectral features associated with the rock types of interest.

Assessment of CO2 discharge in a spring using time-variant stable carbon isotope data as a natural analogue study of CO2 leakage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Soonyoung; Chae, Gitak; Jo, Minki; Kim, Jeong-Chan; Yun, Seong-Taek

2015-04-01

CO2-rich springs have been studied as a natural analogue of CO2 leakage through shallow subsurface environment, as they provide information on the behaviors of CO2 during the leakage from geologic CO2 storage sites. For this study, we monitored the δ13C values as well as temperature, pH, EC, DO, and alkalinity for a CO2-rich spring for 48 hours. The water samples (N=47) were collected every hour in stopper bottles without headspace to avoid the interaction with air and the CO2 degassing. The δ13C values of total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) in the water samples were analyzed using a cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) system (Picarro). The values of δ13CTDIC, temperature, pH, EC, DO, and alkalinity were in the range of -9.43 ~ -8.91 o 12.3 ~ 13.2oC, 4.86 ~ 5.02, 186 ~ 189 μS/cm, 1.8 ~ 3.4 mg/L, and 0.74 ~ 0.95 meq/L, respectively. The concentrations of TDIC calculated using pH and alkalinity values were between 22.5 and 34.8 mmol/L. The δ13CTDIC data imply that dissolved carbon in the spring was derived from a deep-seated source (i.e., magmatic) that was slightly intermixed with soil CO2. Careful examination of the time-series variation of measured parameters shows the following characteristics: 1) the δ13CTDIC values are negatively correlated with pH (r = -0.59) and positively correlated with TDIC (r = 0.58), and 2) delay times of the change of pH and alkalinity following the change of δ13CTDIC values are 0 and -3 hours, respectively; the pH change occurs simultaneously with the change of δ13CTDIC, while the alkalinity change happens before 3 hours. Our results indicate that the studied CO2-rich spring is influenced by the intermittent supply of deep-seated CO2. [Acknowledgment] This work was financially supported by the fundamental research project of KIGAM and partially by the "Geo-Advanced Innovative Action (GAIA) Project (2014000530003)" from Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE).

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.

A Hierarchical System for Evaluating the Biogenicity of Metavolcanic- and Ultramafic-Hosted Microalteration Textures in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life.

PubMed

McLoughlin, Nicola; Grosch, Eugene G

2015-10-01

The low-temperature alteration of submarine volcanic glasses has been argued to involve the activity of microorganisms, and analogous fluid-rock-microbial-mediated alteration has also been postulated on Mars. However, establishing the extent to which microbes are involved in volcanic glass alteration has proven to be difficult, and the reliability of resulting textural biosignatures is debated, particularly in the early rock record. We therefore propose a hierarchical scheme to evaluate the biogenicity of candidate textural biosignatures found in altered terrestrial and extraterrestrial basaltic glasses and serpentinized ultramafic rocks. The hierarchical scheme is formulated to give increasing confidence of a biogenic origin and involves (i) investigation of the textural context and syngenicity of the candidate biosignature; (ii) characterization of the morphology and size range of the microtextures; (iii) mapping of the geological and physicochemical variables controlling the occurrence and preservation of the microtextures; (iv) in situ investigation of chemical signatures that are syngenetic to the microtexture; and (v) identification of growth patterns suggestive of biological behavior and redox variations in the host minerals. The scheme results in five categories of candidate biosignature as follows: Category 1 indicates preservation of very weak evidence for biogenicity, Categories 2 through 4 indicate evidence for increasing confidence of a biogenic origin, and Category 5 indicates that biogenic origin is most likely. We apply this hierarchical approach to examine the evidence for a biogenic origin of several examples, including candidate bacterial encrustations in altered pillow lavas, granular and tubular microtextures in volcanic glass from the subseafloor and a Phanerozoic ophiolite, mineralized microtextures in Archean metavolcanic glass, and alteration textures in olivines of the martian meteorite Yamato 000593. The aim of this hierarchical approach is to provide a framework for identifying robust biosignatures of microbial life in the altered oceanic crust on Earth, and in extraterrestrial altered mafic-ultramafic rocks, particularly on Mars.

Ultramafic rocks of the western Idaho suture zone: Asbestos Peak and Misery Ridge

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

Godchaux, M.M.; Bonnichsen, B.

1993-04-01

The Western Idaho Ultramafic Belt extends northward from the town of Weiser to the northern end of Dworshak Reservoir; in its northern portion most of the ultramafic bodies are localized along the suture zone where the Mesozoic oceanic accreted terranes meet the continental craton. Of the twenty bodies investigated, all are small, all are in fault contact with their metavolcanic and metasedimentary host rocks, all have been metamorphosed, and all display deformational fabrics in at least some portion of the outcrop area, suggesting that deformation continued after peak metamorphism. The degree of metamorphism ranges from incipient serpentinization to attainment ofmore » equilibrium in the upper amphibolite facies. Some bodies have been intruded by granitic dikes or pegmatite veins after emplacement, and have locally undergone contact metasomatism. Two particularly complex bodies, Asbestos Peak and Misery Ridge, were chosen for detailed petrographic and chemical study. Asbestos Peak is composed mostly of decussate anthophyllite-talc rock containing isolated patches of harzburgite protolith, and has blackwall border zones. Misery Ridge is composed mostly of coarse-grained sheared tremolite-talc schist without remnant protolith, and lacks true blackwall zones. Both bodies exhibit an unusual and enigmatic hornblende-poikiloblastic garnet-green spinel-skeletal ilmenite assemblage, present in some places as well-defined border zones and in other places as cross-cutting bodies.« less

Early-Season Host Switching in Adelphocoris spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) of Differing Host Breadth

PubMed Central

Pan, Hongsheng; Lu, Yanhui; Wyckhuys, Kris A. G.

2013-01-01

The mirid bugs Adelphocoris suturalis (Jakovlev), Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze) and Adelphocoris fasciaticollis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) are common pests of several agricultural crops. These three species have vastly different geographical distributions, phenologies and abundances, all of which are linked to their reliance on local plants. Previous work has shown notable differences in Adelphocoris spp. host use for overwintering. In this study, we assessed the extent to which each of the Adelphocoris spp. relies on some of its major overwinter hosts for spring development. Over the course of four consecutive years (2009–2012), we conducted population surveys on 77 different plant species from 39 families. During the spring, A. fasciaticollis used the broadest range of hosts, as it was found on 35 plant species, followed by A. suturalis (15 species) and A. lineolatus (7 species). Abundances of the species greatly differed between host plants, with A. fasciaticollis reaching the highest abundance on Chinese date (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), whereas both A. suturalis and A. lineolatus preferred alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The host breadths of the three Adelphocoris spp. differed greatly between subsequent spring and winter seasons. The generalist species exhibited the least host fidelity, with A. suturalis and A. lineolatus using 8 of 22 and 4 of 12 overwinter host species for spring development, respectively. By contrast, the comparative specialist A. fasciaticollis relied on 9 of its 11 overwinter plants as early-season hosts. We highlight important seasonal changes in host breadth and interspecific differences in the extent of host switching behavior between the winter and spring seasons. These findings benefit our understanding of the evolutionary interactions between mirid bugs and their host plants and can be used to guide early-season population management. PMID:23527069

Catchment-wide weathering and erosion rates of mafic, ultramafic, and granitic rock from cosmogenic meteoric 10Be/9Be ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannhaus, N.; Wittmann, H.; Krám, P.; Christl, M.; von Blanckenburg, F.

2018-02-01

Quantifying rates of weathering and erosion of mafic rocks is essential for estimating changes to the oceans alkalinity budget that plays a significant role in regulating atmospheric CO2 levels. In this study, we present catchment-wide rates of weathering, erosion, and denudation measured with cosmogenic nuclides in mafic and ultramafic rock. We use the ratio of the meteoric cosmogenic nuclide 10Be, deposited from the atmosphere onto the weathering zone, to stable 9Be, a trace metal released by silicate weathering. We tested this approach in stream sediment and water from three upland forested catchments in the north-west Czech Republic. The catchments are underlain by felsic (granite), mafic (amphibolite) and ultramafic (serpentinite) lithologies. Due to acid rain deposition in the 20th century, the waters in the granite catchment exhibit acidic pH, whereas waters in the mafic catchments exhibit neutral to alkaline pH values due to their acid buffering capability. The atmospheric depositional 10Be flux is estimated to be balanced with the streams' dissolved and particulate meteoric 10Be export flux to within a factor of two. We suggest a correlation method to derive bedrock Be concentrations, required as an input parameter, which are highly heterogeneous in these small catchments. Derived Earth surface metrics comprise (1) Denudation rates calculated from the 10Be/9Be ratio of the "reactive" Be (meaning sorbed to mineral surfaces) range between 110 and 185 t km-2 y-1 (40 and 70 mm ky-1). These rates are similar to denudation rates we obtained from in situ-cosmogenic 10Be in quartz minerals present in the bedrock or in quartz veins in the felsic and the mafic catchment. (2) The degree of weathering, calculated from the fraction of 9Be released from primary minerals as a new proxy, is about 40-50% in the mafic catchments, and 10% in the granitic catchment. Lastly, (3) erosion rates were calculated from 10Be concentrations in river sediment and corrected for sorting and dissolved loss. These amount to 50% of denudation rates from 10Be/9Be in the mafic and ultramafic catchments, the remainder being mass loss in the dissolved form by weathering. In contrast, erosion comprises most of the mass loss in the granitic catchment. These first results are encouraging, given that we find overall good agreement between in situ and meteoric cosmogenic methods, that our denudation rates are in the range of those published for middle European river catchments, and that degrees of weathering are as expected for these diverse lithologies. This method allows quantifying rates of erosion and weathering in mafic rock over the time scale of weathering that are, unlike in situ cosmogenic 10Be, independent from the presence of quartz. 10Be/9Be therefore offers to quantify Earth surface processes in a wide range of landscapes underlain by mafic rock - rates that are of high importance for exploring climate-weathering feedbacks but that have been inaccessible to date.

Minerals and melt inclusions as keys to understanding magma reservoir processes during formation of volcanic and plutonic mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Maimecha Kotui Province (Polar Siberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonov, Vladimir; Vasiliev, Yurii; Kotlyarov, Alexey; Stupakov, Sergey

2016-04-01

Magmatic complexes in the Maimecha Kotui Province (Polar Siberia) attract attention of researchers because they contain ultramafic volcanic rocks - meimechites, being products of crystallization of the ultrabasic deep mantle melts (Sobolev et al., 1991, 2009, 2011; Ryabchikov et al., 2002; Vasiliev, Gora, 2014). Effusive meimechites together with intrusive dunites of the Guli massif form ancient (253-246 Ma) volcanic and plutonic association, in which also pyroxenites and alkaline rocks are situated. Conditions of formation of this association were established with the help of minerals and melt inclusions study. The cumulative structure of the Guli massif dunites consists of rather large (2-4 mm) olivine crystals and dividing them zones (0.5-0.7 mm), filled with fine grains of clinopyroxenes and ore minerals (magnetite, ilmenite and chromite). The extended forms of well faceted pyroxene crystals testify to their fast growth from melt between cumulative olivines. Thus, crystallization of clinopyroxenes and ore minerals leads to formation between olivines ore pyroxenites, which are presented in the Guli massif by independent bodies. Analysis of olivine, Cr-spinel and clinopyroxene compositions testify to similarity of conditions of the Guli massif dunites crystallization on the one hand with formation of platinum-bearing Uralian-Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic complexes and with another - show participation of meimechite magma. Major element composition of melt inclusions in Cr-spinel has shown that dunites of the Guli massif were crystallized with participation of subalkaline picrite magmatic systems, that are relative to melts, responsible of formation of platinum-bearing mafic-ultramafic complexes and meimechites. Peculiarities of trace and rare-earth elements distribution in melt inclusions in Cr-spinel of dunites are actually similar to inclusions in olivine of meimechites. Overall, data on composition of inclusions directly testify to formation of considered dunites from ultrabasic melt close to meimechite magma. The affinity of melts, forming dunites and meimechites, is confirmed by computer simulations, shown high crystallization temperature of olivines from dunites (1590-1415°C) (Simonov et al., 2014, 2015), actually coinciding with data on olivines from meimechite - 1600-1420°C (Sobolev et al., 1991, 2009). A part of this ultrabasic melts was crystallized in the magma chambers (with formation of cumulative dunites) and another part - came up to a surface with formation of effusive meimechites. Presence in Cr-spinels from Guli massif dunites melt inclusions with rather large (up to 50 μm) well faceted olivine crystals, situated in the quenching fine-grained association of minerals (clinopyroxene, feldspar and nepheline), testifies to change of a quiet mode of crystallization by sharp falling of parameters of magma during olivine cumulation in the magma chamber, that resulted in appearance of alkaline rocks. As a whole, minerals and melt inclusions study testify to formation of volcanic and plutonic complexes in the Maimecha Kotui Province (Polar Siberia) as a result of evolution of primary deep mantle ultrabasic melts (similar by its chemical composition to meimechites) during cumulative processes in the magma chambers.

Rare Mineralogy in Alkaline Ultramafic Rocks, Western Kentucky Fluorspar District

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, W.

2017-12-01

The alkaline ultramafic intrusive dike complex in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District contains unusual mineralogy that was derived from mantle magma sources. Lamprophyre and peridotite petrologic types occur in the district where altered fractionated peridotites are enriched in Rare Earth Elements (REE) and some lamprophyre facies are depleted in incompatible elements. Unusual minerals in dikes, determined by petrography and X-ray diffraction, include schorlomite and andradite titanium garnets, astrophyllite, spodumene, niobium rutile, wüstite, fluoro-tetraferriphlogopite, villiaumite, molybdenite, and fluocerite, a REE-bearing fluoride fluorescent mineral. Mixing of MVT sphalerite ore fluids accompanies a mid-stage igneous alteration and intrusion event consistent with paragenetic studies. The presence of lithium in the spodumene and fluoro-tetraferriphlogopite suggests a lithium phase in the mineral fluids, and the presence of enriched REE in dikes and fluorite mineralization suggest a metasomatic event. Several of these rare minerals have never been described in the fluorspar district, and their occurrence suggests deep mantle metasomatism. Several REE-bearing fluoride minerals occur in the dikes and in other worldwide occurrences, they are usually associated with nepheline syenite and carbonatite differentiates. There is an early and late stage fluoride mineralization, which accompanied dike intrusion and was also analyzed for REE content. One fluorite group is enriched in LREE and another in MREE, which suggests a bimodal or periodic fluorite emplacement. Whole-rock elemental analysis was chondrite normalized and indicates that some of the dikes are slightly enriched in light REE and show a classic fractionation enrichment. Variations in major-element content; high titanium, niobium, and zirconium values; and high La/Yb, Zr/Y, Zr/Hf, and Nb/Ta ratios suggest metasomatized lithospheric-asthenospheric mantle-sourced intrusions. The high La/Yb ratios in some dikes in the titanium garnet facies suggest a magma melt trend toward the carbonation phase of a fractionated peridotite parent magma.

Origin of temporal compositional trends in monogenetic vent eruptions: Insights from the crystal cargo in the Papoose Canyon sequence, Big Pine Volcanic Field, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Ruohan; Lassiter, John C.; Ramirez, Gabrielle

2017-01-01

Many monogenetic vents display systematic temporal-compositional variations over the course of eruption. Previous studies have proposed that these trends may reflect variable degrees of crustal assimilation, or melting and mixing of heterogeneous mantle source(s). Discrimination between these two endmember hypotheses is critical for understanding the plumbing systems of monogenetic volcanoes, which pose a significant volcanic hazard in many areas. In this study, we examine the Papoose Canyon (PC) monogenetic vent in the Big Pine Volcanic Field (BPVF), which had been well characterized for temporal-compositional variations in erupted basalts. We present new major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-O isotopic data from the PC "crystal cargo" (phenocrysts and xenoliths). Comparison of "crystal cargo" and host basalt provides new constraints on the history of magma storage, fractionation, and crustal contamination that are obscured in the bulk basalts due to pre- and syn-eruptive magma mixing processes. The abundances of phenocrysts and ultramafic xenoliths in the PC sequence decrease up-section. Olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts span a wide range of Mg# (77-89). The majority of phenocrysts are more evolved than olivine or clinopyroxene in equilibrium with their host basalts (Mg# = 68- 71, equilibrium Fo ≈ 85- 89). In addition, the ultramafic xenoliths display cumulate textures. Olivine and clinopyroxene from ultramafic xenoliths have Mg# (73-87) similar to the phenocrysts, and lower than typical mantle peridotites. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions of the xenoliths are similar to early PC basalts. Finally, many clinopyroxene phenocrysts and clinopyroxene in xenoliths have trace element abundances in equilibrium with melts that are more enriched than the erupted basalts. These features suggest that the phenocrysts and xenoliths derive from melt that is more fractionated and enriched than erupted PC basalts. Pressure constraints suggest phenocrysts and ultramafic xenoliths crystallized at ∼5-7 kbar, corresponding to mid-crust depths. Correlations between HFSE depletion and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions, high δ18 O values in olivines, and radiogenic Os isotopic compositions in whole rocks also suggest incorporation of a crustally contaminated component. We propose that the phenocrysts and ultramafic xenoliths derive from melts that ponded and fractionated and assimilated continental crust, possibly in mid-crustal sills. These melts were drained and mixed with more primitive melts as the eruption began, and the temporal-compositional trends and decreasing crystal phase abundances reflect gradual deflation and exhaustion of these sills as the eruption progressed. The isotopic variations in the PC sequence span much of the compositional range observed in the BPVF. Evidence for variable crustal contamination of PC basalts suggests that much of the isotopic variation observed in the BPVF may also reflect crustal contamination rather than mantle source heterogeneity as previously proposed. In addition, evidence of pre-eruptive magma ponding and fractionation, if applicable to other monogenetic vents, may have significant implications for monitoring and hazard assessment of monogenetic volcano fields.

Mapping Microbial Populations Relative to Sites of Ongoing Serpentinization: Results from the Tablelands Ophiolite Complex, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrenk, M. O.; Brazelton, W. J.; Woodruff, Q.; Szponar, N.; Morrill, P. L.

2010-12-01

The aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks (serpentinization) has been suggested to be a favorable process for the habitability of astrobodies in our solar system including subsurface environments of Mars and Europa. Serpentinization produces copious quantities of hydrogen and small organic molecules, and leads to highly reducing, highly alkaline conditions (up to pH 12) and a lack of dissolved inorganic carbon, which both stimulates and challenges microbial activities. Several environments on Earth provide insight into the relationships between serpentinization and microbial life including slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, and ophiolite materials emplaced along continental margins. The Tablelands, an ophiolite in western Newfoundland, Canada provides an opportunity to carefully document and map the relationships between geochemical energy, microbial growth, and physiology. Alkaline fluids at the Tablelands originate from 500-million year old oceanic crust and accumulate in shallow pools or seep from beneath serpentinized talus. Fluids, rocks, and gases were collected from the Tablelands during a series of field excursions in 2009 and 2010, and geochemical, microscopic, molecular, and cultivation-based approaches were used to study the serpentinite microbial ecosystem. These samples provide an opportunity to generate a comprehensive map of microbial communities and their activities in space and time. Data indicate that a low but detectable stock of microorganisms inhabit high pH pools associated with end-member serpentinite fluids. Enrichment cultures yielded brightly pigmented colonies related to Alphaproteobacteria, presumably carrying out anoxygenic photosynthesis, and Firmicutes, presumably catalyzing the fermentation of organic matter. Culture-independent analyses of SSU rRNA using T-RFLP indicated low diversity communities of Firmicutes and Archaea in standing alkaline pools, communities of Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria at high pH seeps, and assemblages consisting of diverse taxa at neutral pH background sites. Terrestrial serpentinite-hosted microbial ecosystems with their accessibility, their low phylogenetic diversity, and limited range of energetic resources provide an excellent opportunity to explore the interplay between geochemical energy and life and to elucidate the native serpentinite subsurface biosphere. From the perspective of Mars exploration, studies of serpentinite ecosystems provide the opportunity to pinpoint the organisms and physiological adaptations specifically associated with serpentinization and to directly measure their geochemical impacts. Both of these results will inform modeling and life detection efforts of the Martian subsurface environment.

Microbial community structure of hydrothermal deposits from geochemically different vent fields along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flores, Gilberto E.; Campbell, James H.; Kirshtein, Julie D.; Meneghin, Jennifer; Podar, Mircea; Steinberg, Joshua I.; Seewald, Jeffrey S.; Tivey, Margaret Kingston; Voytek, Mary A.; Yang, Zamin K.; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise

2011-01-01

To evaluate the effects of local fluid geochemistry on microbial communities associated with active hydrothermal vent deposits, we examined the archaeal and bacterial communities of 12 samples collected from two very different vent fields: the basalt-hosted Lucky Strike (37°17'N, 32°16.3'W, depth 1600-1750m) and the ultramafic-hosted Rainbow (36°13'N, 33°54.1'W, depth 2270-2330m) vent fields along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Using multiplexed barcoded pyrosequencing of the variable region 4 (V4) of the 16S rRNA genes, we show statistically significant differences between the archaeal and bacterial communities associated with the different vent fields. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays of the functional gene diagnostic for methanogenesis (mcrA), as well as geochemical modelling to predict pore fluid chemistries within the deposits, support the pyrosequencing observations. Collectively, these results show that the less reduced, hydrogen-poor fluids at Lucky Strike limit colonization by strict anaerobes such as methanogens, and allow for hyperthermophilic microaerophiles, like Aeropyrum. In contrast, the hydrogen-rich reducing vent fluids at the ultramafic-influenced Rainbow vent field support the prevalence of methanogens and other hydrogen-oxidizing thermophiles at this site. These results demonstrate that biogeographical patterns of hydrothermal vent microorganisms are shaped in part by large scale geological and geochemical processes.

Subseafloor microbial communities in hydrogen-rich vent fluids from hydrothermal systems along the Mid-Cayman Rise.

PubMed

Reveillaud, Julie; Reddington, Emily; McDermott, Jill; Algar, Christopher; Meyer, Julie L; Sylva, Sean; Seewald, Jeffrey; German, Christopher R; Huber, Julie A

2016-06-01

Warm fluids emanating from hydrothermal vents can be used as windows into the rocky subseafloor habitat and its resident microbial community. Two new vent systems on the Mid-Cayman Rise each exhibits novel geologic settings and distinctively hydrogen-rich vent fluid compositions. We have determined and compared the chemistry, potential energy yielding reactions, abundance, community composition, diversity, and function of microbes in venting fluids from both sites: Piccard, the world's deepest vent site, hosted in mafic rocks; and Von Damm, an adjacent, ultramafic-influenced system. Von Damm hosted a wider diversity of lineages and metabolisms in comparison to Piccard, consistent with thermodynamic models that predict more numerous energy sources at ultramafic systems. There was little overlap in the phylotypes found at each site, although similar and dominant hydrogen-utilizing genera were present at both. Despite the differences in community structure, depth, geology, and fluid chemistry, energetic modelling and metagenomic analysis indicate near functional equivalence between Von Damm and Piccard, likely driven by the high hydrogen concentrations and elevated temperatures at both sites. Results are compared with hydrothermal sites worldwide to provide a global perspective on the distinctiveness of these newly discovered sites and the interplay among rocks, fluid composition and life in the subseafloor. © 2015 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nucleotide sequences encoding a thermostable alkaline protease

DOEpatents

Wilson, David B.; Lao, Guifang

1998-01-01

Nucleotide sequences, derived from a thermophilic actinomycete microorganism, which encode a thermostable alkaline protease are disclosed. Also disclosed are variants of the nucleotide sequences which encode a polypeptide having thermostable alkaline proteolytic activity. Recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide may be obtained by culturing in a medium a host cell genetically engineered to contain and express a nucleotide sequence according to the present invention, and recovering the recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide from the culture medium.

Unusual metabolic diversity of hyperalkaliphilic microbial communities associated with subterranean serpentinization at The Cedars.

PubMed

Suzuki, Shino; Ishii, Shun'ichi; Hoshino, Tatsuhiko; Rietze, Amanda; Tenney, Aaron; Morrill, Penny L; Inagaki, Fumio; Kuenen, J Gijs; Nealson, Kenneth H

2017-11-01

Water from The Cedars springs that discharge from serpentinized ultramafic rocks feature highly basic (pH=~12), highly reducing (E h <-550 mV) conditions with low ionic concentrations. These conditions make the springs exceptionally challenging for life. Here, we report the metagenomic data and recovered draft genomes from two different springs, GPS1 and BS5. GPS1, which was fed solely by a deep groundwater source within the serpentinizing system, was dominated by several bacterial taxa from the phyla OD1 ('Parcubacteria') and Chloroflexi. Members of the GPS1 community had, for the most part, the smallest genomes reported for their respective taxa, and encoded only archaeal (A-type) ATP synthases or no ATP synthases at all. Furthermore, none of the members encoded respiration-related genes and some of the members also did not encode key biosynthesis-related genes. In contrast, BS5, fed by shallow water, appears to have a community driven by hydrogen metabolism and was dominated by a diverse group of Proteobacteria similar to those seen in many terrestrial serpentinization sites. Our findings indicated that the harsh ultrabasic geological setting supported unexpectedly diverse microbial metabolic strategies and that the deep-water-fed springs supported a community that was remarkable in its unusual metagenomic and genomic constitution.

Slab-derived components in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath Chilean Patagonia: Geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes of mantle xenoliths and host basalt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalowitzki, Tiago; Gervasoni, Fernanda; Conceição, Rommulo V.; Orihashi, Yuji; Bertotto, Gustavo W.; Sumino, Hirochika; Schilling, Manuel E.; Nagao, Keisuke; Morata, Diego; Sylvester, Paul

2017-11-01

In subduction zones, ultramafic xenoliths hosted in alkaline basalts can yield significant information about the role of potential slab-derived components in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Chemical and isotopic heterogeneities in such xenoliths are usually interpreted to reflect melt extraction followed by metasomatic re-enrichment. Here we report new whole-rock major, trace element and isotopic (Sr-Nd-Pb) data for a Proterozoic suite of 17 anhydrous spinel-lherzolites and Eocene (new K-Ar data) host alkaline basalt found near Coyhaique ( 46°S), Aysén Region, Chile. These Patagonian nodules are located in a current back-arc position, 100 km east of the present day volcanic arc and 320 km from the Chile Trench. The mantle xenoliths consist of coarse- to medium-grained spinel-lherzolites with trace element compositions characteristic of a subduction zone setting, such as pronounced negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies coupled with significant enrichment of LILEs (e.g., U) and chalcophile elements (W, Pb and Sn). Most of them are characterized by flat to depleted light-rare earth element (LREE) patterns (Ce/YbN = 0.6-1.1) coupled with less radiogenic Sr-Pb (87Sr/86Sr = 0.702422-0.703479; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.212-18.539) and more radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions (143Nd/144Nd = 0.512994-0.513242), similar to the depleted mantle component (DMM or PREMA). In contrast, samples with slight LREE enrichment (Ce/YbN = 1.3-1.8) show more radiogenic Sr-Pb (87Sr/86Sr = 0.703791-0.704239; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.572-18.703) and less radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions (143Nd/144Nd = 0.512859-0.512934), similar to the EM-2 reservoir. These new geochemical and isotope data suggest that the Coyhaique spinel-lherzolites are derived from a heterogeneous SCLM resulting from mixing between a depleted mantle component and up to 10% of slab-derived components. The enriched component added to the SCLM represents variable extents of melts of both subducted Chile Trench sediments and modified oceanic crust throughout the initial stages of the Farallón-Aluk ridge collision during Paleocene to Eocene time. However, based on the tectonic evolution of southern South America, we cannot exclude the influence of long-lived subduction events beneath south Patagonia. Although we believe that the studied samples were brought to the surface in this geodynamic context, there is no evidence that ocean island basalt (OIB)-like melts related to the Farallón-Aluk asthenospheric slab window affected the peridotite composition. The host alkaline basalt is a single unit with a HIMU-like OIB signature characterized by marked positive Nb-Ta anomalies coupled with negative anomalies in highly incompatible and fluid-mobile elements (Rb, K, Pb, and Sr). The compositional similarity between the HIMU-like OIB mantle source and the host basalt is also evident from trace element ratios [(Ba-Th-K-La-Zr)/Nb] as well as by the low 87Sr/86Sri (0.703039-0.703058) and relatively high 143Nd/144Ndi (0.512880-0.512874) and 206Pb/204Pb (19.333-19.389) isotopic ratios. The low 206Pb/204Pb ratios compared to end-member HIMU lavas (e.g., Sta. Helena and the Cook-Austral Islands) suggest that this region was modified by processes associated with a prolonged period of subduction related to the Andean orogenesis and the recycling of several oceanic plates beneath the continent, following the Mesozoic breakup of Gondwana or an even older subduction-related event with young recycling ages (< 2 Ga).

Nucleotide sequences encoding a thermostable alkaline protease

DOEpatents

Wilson, D.B.; Lao, G.

1998-01-06

Nucleotide sequences, derived from a thermophilic actinomycete microorganism, which encode a thermostable alkaline protease are disclosed. Also disclosed are variants of the nucleotide sequences which encode a polypeptide having thermostable alkaline proteolytic activity. Recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide may be obtained by culturing in a medium a host cell genetically engineered to contain and express a nucleotide sequence according to the present invention, and recovering the recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide from the culture medium. 3 figs.

Distribution of ether lipids and composition of the archaeal community in terrestrial geothermal springs: impact of environmental variables.

PubMed

Xie, Wei; Zhang, Chuanlun L; Wang, Jinxiang; Chen, Yufei; Zhu, Yuanqing; de la Torre, José R; Dong, Hailiang; Hartnett, Hilairy E; Hedlund, Brian P; Klotz, Martin G

2015-05-01

Archaea can respond to changes in the environment by altering the composition of their membrane lipids, for example, by modification of the abundance and composition of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs). Here, we investigated the abundance and proportions of polar GDGTs (P-GDGTs) and core GDGTs (C-GDGTs) sampled in different seasons from Tengchong hot springs (Yunnan, China), which encompassed a pH range of 2.5-10.1 and a temperature range of 43.7-93.6°C. The phylogenetic composition of the archaeal community (reanalysed from published work) divided the Archaea in spring sediment samples into three major groups that corresponded with spring pH: acidic, circumneutral and alkaline. Cluster analysis showed correlation between spring pH and the composition of P- and C-GDGTs and archaeal 16S rRNA genes, indicating an intimate link between resident Archaea and the distribution of P- and C-GDGTs in Tengchong hot springs. The distribution of GDGTs in Tengchong springs was also significantly affected by temperature; however, the relationship was weaker than with pH. Analysis of published datasets including samples from Tibet, Yellowstone and the US Great Basin hot springs revealed a similar relationship between pH and GDGT content. Specifically, low pH springs had higher concentrations of GDGTs with high numbers of cyclopentyl rings than neutral and alkaline springs, which is consistent with the predominance of high cyclopentyl ring-characterized Sulfolobales and Thermoplasmatales present in some of the low pH springs. Our study suggests that the resident Archaea in these hot springs are acclimated if not adapted to low pH by their genetic capacity to effect the packing density of their membranes by increasing cyclopentyl rings in GDGTs at the rank of community. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemistry of a serpentinization-controlled hydrothermal system at the Lost City hydrothermal vent field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludwig, K. A.; Kelley, D. S.; Butterfield, D. A.; Nelson, B. K.; Karson, J. A.

2003-12-01

The Lost City Hydrothermal Field (LCHF), at 30° N near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, is an off-axis, low temperature, high-pH, ultramafic-hosted vent system. Within the field, carbonate chimneys tower up to 60 m above the seafloor, making them the tallest vent structures known. The chemistry of the vent structures and fluids at the LCHF is controlled by reactions between seawater and ultramafic rocks beneath the Atlantis massif. Mixing of warm alkaline vent fluids with seawater causes precipitation of calcium carbonate and growth of the edifaces, which range from tall, graceful pinnacles to fragile flanges and colloform deposits. Geochemical and petrological analyses of the carbonate rocks reveal distinct differences between the active and extinct structures. Actively venting chimneys and flanges are extremely porous, friable formations composed predominantly of aragonite and brucite. These structures provide important niches for well-developed microbial communities that thrive on and within the chimney walls. Some of the active chimneys may also contain the mineral ikaite, an unstable, hydrated form of calcium carbonate. TIMS and ICP-MS analyses of the carbonate chimneys show that the most active chimneys have low Sr isotope values and that they are low in trace metals (e.g., Mn, Ti, Pb). Active structures emit high-pH, low-Mg fluids at 40-90° C. The fluids also have low Sr values, indicating circulation of hydrothermal solutions through the serpentinite bedrock beneath the field. In contrast to the active structures, extinct chimneys are less porous, are well lithified, and they are composed predominantly of calcite that yields Sr isotopes near seawater values. Prolonged lower temperature seawater-hydrothermal fluid interaction within the chimneys results in the conversion of aragonite to calcite and in the enrichment of some trace metals (e.g., Mn, Ti, Co, Zn). It also promotes the incorporation of foraminifera within the outer, cemented walls of the carbonate structures. The Lost City system represents a novel natural laboratory for observing hydrothermal and biological activity in a system controlled by moderate temperature serpentinization reactions. The LCHF is the only vent field of its kind known to date; however, it is likely not unique along the global mid-ocean ridge spreading network.

Petrogenesis of alkaline basalt-hosted sapphire megacrysts. Petrological and geochemical investigations of in situ sapphire occurrences from the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldwin, L. C.; Tomaschek, F.; Ballhaus, C.; Gerdes, A.; Fonseca, R. O. C.; Wirth, R.; Geisler, T.; Nagel, T.

2017-06-01

Megacrystic sapphires are frequently associated with alkaline basalts, most notably in Asia and Australia, although basalt is not generally normative in corundum. Most of these sapphire occurrences are located in alluvial or eluvial deposits, making it difficult to study the enigmatic relationship between the sapphires and their host rocks. Here, we present detailed petrological and geochemical investigations of in situ megacrystic sapphires within alkaline basalts from the Cenozoic Siebengebirge Volcanic Field (SVF) in Germany. Markedly, the sapphires show several micrometer thick spinel coronas at the contact with the host basalt, indicating chemical disequilibrium between the sapphire and the basaltic melt, supporting a xenogenetic relationship. However, in situ U-Pb dating of a Columbite Group inclusion within one Siebengebirge sapphire using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) indicates a close genetic relationship between sapphire crystallization and alkaline mafic volcanism in the SVF. The syngenetic mineral inclusion suite including carbonates, members of the Pyrochlore, Betafite and Columbite Groupe minerals, as well as a high abundance of HFSE and of gaseous low-density CO2 inclusions support a parentage of a highly evolved, MgO and FeO deficient carbonatitic melt. We identified CO2 to be the link between alkaline basaltic volcanism and the xenocrystic sapphires. Only alkaline volcanic suites can build up enough CO2 in this magma chamber upon fractionation so that at high degrees of fractionation a carbonatitic melt exsolves which in turn can crystallize sapphires.

U-Pb dating of large zircons in low-temperature jadeitite from the Osayama serpentinite melange, southwest Japan: insights into the timing of serpentinization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tsujimori, T.; Liou, J.G.; Wooden, J.; Miyamoto, T.

2005-01-01

Crystals of zircon up to 3 mm in length occur in jadeitite veins in the Osayama serpentinite mélange, Southwest Japan. The zircon porphyroblasts show pronounced zoning, and are characterized by both low Th/U ratios (0.2-0.8) and low Th and U abundances (Th = 1-81 ppm; U = 6-149 ppm). They contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals, including jadeite and rutile; such an occurrence indicates that the zircon crystallized during subduction-zone metamorphism. Phase equilibria and the existing fluid-inclusion data constrain P-T conditions to P > 1.2 GPa at T > 350°C for formation of the jadeitite. Most U/Pb ages obtained by SHRIMP-RG are concordant, with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 472 ± 8.5 Ma (MSWD = 2.7, n = 25). Because zircon porphyroblasts contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals, the SHRIMP U-Pb age represents the timing of jadeitite formation, i.e., the timing of interaction between alkaline fluid and ultramafic rocks in a subduction zone. Although this dating does not provide a direct time constraint for serpentinization, U-Pb ages of zircon in jadeitite associated with serpentinite result in new insights into the timing of fluid-rock interaction of ultramafic rocks at a subduction zone and the minimum age for serpentinization.

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.

Trace element partitioning in rock forming minerals of co-genetic, subduction-related alkaline and tholeiitic mafic rocks in the Ural Mountains, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, J.; Brügmann, G. E.; Pushkarev, E. V.

2009-04-01

The partitioning of trace elements between rock forming minerals in igneous rocks is largely controlled by physical and chemical parameters e.g. temperature, pressure and chemical composition of the minerals and the coexisting melt. In the present study partition coefficients for REE between hornblende, orthopyroxene, feldspars, apatite and clinopyroxene in a suite of co-genetic alkaline and tholeiitic mafic rocks from the Ural Mountains (Russia) were calculated. The results give insights to the influence of the chemical composition of the parental melt on the partitioning behaviour of the REE. Nepheline-bearing, alkaline melanogabbros (tilaites) are assumed to represent the most fractionated products of the melt that formed the ultramafic cumulates in zoned mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Ural Mountains. Co-genetic with the latter is a suite of olivine gabbros, gabbronorites and hornblende gabbros formed from a tholeiitic parental melt. Negative anomalies for the HFSE along with low Nb and Ta contents and a positive Sr anomaly indicate a subduction related origin of all parental melts. The nepheline gabbros consist predominantly of coarse-grained clinopyroxene phenocrysts in a matrix of fine grained clinopyroxene, olivine, plagioclase, K-feldspar and nepheline with accessory apatite. The tholeiitic gabbros have equigranular to porphyric textures with phenocrysts of olivine, pyroxene and hornblende in a plagioclase rich matrix with olivine hornblende, pyroxene and accessory apatite. Element concentrations of adjacent matrix grains and rims of phenochrysts were measured with LA-ICPMS. The distribution of REE between hornblende and clinopyroxene in the tholeiitic rocks is similar for most of the elements (DHbl•Cpx(La-Tm) = 2.7-2.8, decreasing to 2.6 and 2.4 for Yb and Lu, respectively). These values are about two times higher than published data (e.g. Ionov et al. 1997). Partition coefficients for orthopyroxene/clinopyroxene systematically decrease from the HREE (DOpx•Cpx(Lu) = 0.31) towards the LREE (DOpx•Cpx(Nd) = 0.01). The partition coefficients for plagioclase/clinopyroxene and K-feldspar/clinopyroxene in the alkaline melanogabbros decrease from the LREE (DPlg•Cpx(La) = 0.91, DK-fs•Cpx(La)=0.26) to the MREE (DPlg•Cpx(Sm) = 0.02, DK-fs•Cpx(Sm) = 0.006), but both mineral pairs have similar DEu (DPlg•Cpx(Eu) = 0.25, DK-fs•Cpx(Eu) = 0.23). Plagioclase/clinopyroxene partition coefficients for all REE in the tholeiitic gabbros are 3-5 times higher, if compared to those of the alkaline gabbros (DPlg•Cpx(La) = 1.7, DPlg•Cpx(Sm) = 0.034). Apatite/clinopyroxene partition coefficients for the REE decrease from the LREE (DAp•Cpx(La) = 65 in alkaline and 120 in tholeiitic gabbro) to the HREE (DAp•Cpx(Lu) = 4.5 in alkaline and 5.3 in tholeiitic gabbro). The lower partition coefficients for apatite/clinopyroxene and plagioclase/clinopyroxene in the alkaline melanogabbros can be explained by higher clinopyroxene/melt partition coefficients in this system. The higher Al2O3-content in clinopyroxene from the alkali gabbros (Al2O3 = 3.5-7 wt.%), if compared to clinopyroxene in the tholeiitic gabbros (Al2O3 = 2.0-4.5 wt.%) can account for a stronger partitioning of the REE into clinopyroxene in the alkaline rocks (e.g. Gaetani and Grove 1995). Experimental data by Gaetani (2004) also indicate a systematic increase of the Cpx/melt partition coefficients for the REE with increasing Al2O3 and Na2O contents of the parental melt in mafic systems. This is in agreement with the assumed compositional differences between the alkaline and the tholeiitic parental melts. Gaetani, G.A., 2004. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 147, 511-527. Gaetani, G.A., Grove, T.L, 1995. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 59, 1951-1962. Ionov, D.A., Griffin, W.L., O'Reily, S.Y., 1997. Chemical Geology, Vol. 141, 153-184.

Geochemical bioenergetics during low-temperature serpentinization: An example from the Samail ophiolite, Sultanate of Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canovas, Peter A.; Hoehler, Tori; Shock, Everett L.

2017-07-01

Various classes of microbial and biomolecular evidence from global studies in marine and continental settings are used to identify a set of reactions that appear to support microbial metabolism during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks. Geochemical data from serpentinizing ecosystems in the Samail ophiolite of Oman are used to evaluate the extent of disequilibria that can support this set of microbial metabolisms and to provide a ranking of potential metabolic energy sources in hyperalkaline fluids that are direct products of serpentinization. Results are used to construct hypotheses for how microbial metabolism may be supported in the subsurface for two cases: ecosystems hosted in rocks that have already undergone significant serpentinization and those hosted by deeper, active serpentinization processes.

Comparative Study on Different Expression Hosts for Alkaline Phytase Engineered in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Chen, Weiwei; Yu, Hongwei; Ye, Lidan

2016-07-01

The application of alkaline phytase as a feed additive is restricted by the poor specific activity. Escherichia coli is a frequently used host for directed evolution of proteins including alkaline phytase towards improved activity. However, it is not suitable for production of food-grade products due to potential pathogenicity. To combine the advantages of different expression systems, mutants of the alkaline phytase originated from Bacillus subtilis 168 (phy168) were first generated via directed evolution in E. coli and then transformed to food-grade hosts B. subtilis and Pichia pastoris for secretory expression. In order to investigate the suitability of different expression systems, the phy168 mutants expressed in different hosts were characterized and compared in terms of specific activity, pH profile, pH stability, temperature profile, and thermostability. The specific activity of B. subtilis-expressed D24G/K70R/K111E/N121S mutant at pH 7.0 and 60 °C was 30.4 U/mg, obviously higher than those in P. pastoris (22.7 U/mg) and E. coli (19.7 U/mg). Moreover, after 10 min incubation at 80 °C, the B. subtilis-expressed D24G/K70R/K111E/N121S retained about 70 % of the activity at pH 7.0 and 37 °C, whereas the values were only about 25 and 50 % when expressed in P. pastoris and E. coli, respectively. These results suggested B. subtilis as an appropriate host for expression of phy168 mutants and that the strategy of creating mutants in one host and expressing them in another might be a new solution to industrial production of proteins with desired properties.

Characterization of novel bacteriochlorophyll-a-containing red filaments from alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.

PubMed

Boomer, S M; Pierson, B K; Austinhirst, R; Castenholz, R W

2000-09-01

Novel red, filamentous, gliding bacteria formed deep red layers in several alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Filaments contained densely layered intracellular membranes and bacteriochlorophyll a. The in vivo absorption spectrum of the red layer filaments was distinct from other phototrophs, with unusual bacteriochlorophyll a signature peaks in the near-infrared (IR) region (807 nm and 911 nm). These absorption peaks were similar to the wavelengths penetrating to the red layer of the mats as measured with in situ spectroradiometry. The filaments also demonstrated maximal photosynthetic uptake of radiolabeled carbon sources at these wavelengths. The red layer filaments displayed anoxygenic photoheterotrophy, as evidenced by the specific incorporation of acetate, not bicarbonate, and by the absence of oxygen production. Photoheterotrophy was unaffected by sulfide and oxygen, but was diminished by high-intensity visible light. Near-IR radiation supported photoheterotrophy. Morphologically and spectrally similar filaments were observed in several springs in Yellowstone National Park, including Octopus Spring. Taken together, these data suggest that the red layer filaments are most similar to the photoheterotroph, Heliothrix oregonensis. Notable differences include mat position and coloration, absorption spectra, and prominent intracellular membranes.

An ostracode based paleolimnologic and paleohydrologic history of Death Valley: 200 to 0 ka

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forester, R.M.; Lowenstein, T.K.; Spencer, R.J.

2005-01-01

Death Valley, a complex tectonic and hydrologic basin, was cored from its lowest surface elevation to a depth of 186 m. The sediments range from bedded primary halite to black muds. Continental ostracodes found in the black muds indicate that those sediments were deposited in a variety of hydrologic settings ranging from deep, relatively fresh water to shallow saline lakes to spring discharge supported wetlands. The alkaline-enriched, calcium-depleted paleolake waters indicate extrabasinal streamflow and basin-margin spring discharge. The alkaline-depleted, calcium-enriched paleowetland waters indicate intrabasinal spring discharge. During Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6, ca. 180-140 ka) the hydrologic settings were highly variable, implying that complex relations existed between climate and basin hydrology. Termination II (MIS 6 to MIS 5E) was a complex multicyclic sequence of paleoenvironments, implying that climates oscillated between high and low effective moisture. MIS 4 (ca. 73-61 ka) was a spring discharge supported wetland complex. During MIS 2 (ca. 20-12 ka) the hydrologic settings were variable, although they are not fully understood because some black muds deposited during that time were lost during coring. ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

Petrology, geochemistry and geochonology of the Jacupiranga ultramafic, alkaline and carbonatitic complex (southern Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chmyz, Luanna; Arnaud, Nicolas; Biondi, João Carlos

2015-04-01

Brazilian carbonatitic complexes are located at the edges of the Paleozoic basins and are usually associated to tectonic crustal flexuring or deep fault zones. The Jacupiranga Complex is a 65 km² ultrabasic-alkaline carbonatitic intrusive body outcroping at the northeastern border of the Paraná Basin, South of São Paulo State (Brazil). The northern portion of the unit is mostly composed of peridotitic rocks, while the southern part contains ijolites, melteigites, clinopyroxenites and carbonatites which host a phosphate deposit, mined since 1966. Even though the carbonatites only represent 1% of the Complex's area, they have concentrated most of the historical petrogenetic studies, leaving almost unknown the petrogenetic and the geochronological characteristics of other rocks. This explains why the few petrogenetic models from the literature are very partial and mostly unsatisfactory. While the peridotitic rocks are largely hindered by the absence of fresh outcrops, the regolith thickness and the high serpentinization degree, field observations and petrographic data notably show a heterogeneous zone around the peridotitic body. That zone is composed of a large variety of lithotypes over a relatively small area (~9 km²), comprising diorites, monzodiorites, alkali feldspar syenites, trachytes, lamprophyres and syenites. Moreover, these rocks present a restricted lateral continuity (decametric) and a lack of the magmatic bedding characteristic of the ijolitic and clinopyroxenitc rocks. The southern clinopyroxenitic zone (~20 km²) is composed of clinopyroxenite and melteigite with prominent magmatic layering, probably of cumulative origin, and a body of carbonatites which outcrops over less than 1 km2 essentially composed of sovite and beforsite, with abundant apatite. The Jacupiranga Complex characteristics indicate that its formation possibly comprises at least five magmatic events which cannot at present be surely ordinated in time: a) the emplacement of the peridotitic unit; b) the intrusion and probable differentiation of the clinopyroxenites and ijolitic rocks; c) intrusions of several lithotypes forming the heterogeneous zone; d) intrusion of lamprophyric dykes into the syenites; e) the carbonatite intrusion. The precise geochronological sequence is still unknown, since only the syenites (134.9 ± 0.65 Ma this study), the carbonatite (131 Ma) and the clinopyroxenite (131 Ma) were dated at present. Our goal is now to investigate the origin and evolution of the magmas which formed the Jacupiranga Complex using geochronology with Ar/Ar, U-Pb and U-Th/He dating, as well as elemental and isotopic geochemistry. Considering that the Jacupiranga Complex is one of the most differentiated alkaline complexes around the world, this contribution will be important not only for the understanding of the unit itself but also for the general comprehension of the forming process, the evolution of the alkaline and carbonatitic magmas and the concentration of apatite in carbonatites, still controversial subjects among the scientific community.

Distribution of cultivated and uncultivated cyanobacteria and Chloroflexus-like bacteria in hot spring microbial mats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruff-Roberts, A. L.; Kuenen, J. G.; Ward, D. M.

1994-01-01

Oligodeoxynucleotide hybridization probes were developed to complement specific regions of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA sequences of cultivated and uncultivated cyanobacteria and Chloroflexus-like bacteria, which inhabit hot spring microbial mats. The probes were used to investigate the natural distribution of SSU rRNAs from these species in mats of Yellowstone hot springs of different temperatures and pHs as well as changes in SSU rRNA distribution resulting from 1-week in situ shifts in temperature, pH, and light intensity. Synechococcus lividus Y-7c-s SSU rRNA was detected only in the mat of a slightly acid spring, from which it may have been initially isolated, or when samples from a more alkaline spring were incubated in the more acid spring. Chloroflexus aurantiacus Y-400-fl SSU rRNA was detected only in a high-temperature mat sample from the alkaline Octopus Spring or when lower-temperature samples from this mat were incubated at the high-temperature site. SSU rRNAs of uncultivated species were more widely distributed. Temperature distributions and responses to in situ temperature shifts suggested that some of the uncultivated cyanobacteria might be adapted to high-, moderate-, and low-temperature ranges whereas an uncultivated Chloroflexus-like bacterium appears to have broad temperature tolerance. SSU rRNAs of all uncultivated species inhabiting a 48 to 51 degrees C Octopus Spring mat site were most abundant in the upper 1 mm and were not detected below a 2.5-to 3.5-mm depth, a finding consistent with their possible phototrophic nature. However, the effects of light intensity reduction on these SSU rRNAs were variable, indicating the difficulty of demonstrating a phototrophic phenotype in light reduction experiments.

Biomarker insights into microbial activity in the serpentinite-hosted ecosystem of the Semail Ophiolite, Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, S. A.; Lincoln, S. A.; Shock, E.; Kelemen, P. B.; Summons, R. E.

2012-12-01

Serpentinization is a process in which ultramafic and mafic rocks undergo exothermic reactions when exposed to water. The products of these reactions, including methane, hydrogen, and hydrogen sulfide, can sustain microbially dominated ecosystems [1,2,3]. Here, we report the lipid biomarker record of microbial activity in carbonate veins of the Semail Ophiolite, a site currently undergoing serpentinization [4]. The ophiolite, located in the Oman Mountains in the Sultanate of Oman, was obducted onto the Arabian continental margin during the closure of the southern Tethys Ocean (~70 Ma) [5]. We detected bacterial and archaeal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids in Semail carbonates. In addition to archaeal isoprenoidal GDGTs with 0-3 cyclopentane moieties, we detected crenarchaeol, an iGDGT containing 4 cyclopentane and 1 cyclohexane moiety. Crenarchaeol biosynthesis is currently understood to be limited to thaumarchaea, representatives of which have been found to fix inorganic carbon in culture. We also analyzed isoprenoidal diether lipids, potentially derived from methanogenic euryarchaea, as well as non-isoprenoidal diether and monoether lipids that may be indicative of methane cycling bacteria. The stable carbon isotopic composition of these compounds is potentially useful in determining both their origin and the origin of methane detected in ophiolite fluids. We compare our results to those found at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, a similar microbially-dominated ecosystem fueled by serpentinization processes [3]. Modern serpentinite-hosted ecosystems such as this can serve as analogs for environments in which ultramafic and mafic rocks were prevalent (e.g. early Earth and other early terrestrial planets). Additionally, an analysis of modern serpentinite systems can help assess conditions promoting active carbon sequestration in ultramafic rocks [6]. References [1] Russell et al. (2010). Geobiology 8: 355-371. [2] Kelley et al. (2005). Science 307: 1428-1434. [3] Bradley et al. (2009). Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta 73 (1): 102-118. [4] Barnes et al. (1978). Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta 42: 144-145. [5] Nasir et al. (2007). Chemie Der Erde-Geochemistry 67(3): 213-228. [6] Kelemen et al. (2008). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 45: 17295-17300.

Occurrence model for magmatic sulfide-rich nickel-copper-(platinum-group element) deposits related to mafic and ultramafic dike-sill complexes: Chapter I in Mineral deposit models for resource assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schulz, Klaus J.; Woodruff, Laurel G.; Nicholson, Suzanne W.; Seal, Robert R.; Piatak, Nadine M.; Chandler, Val W.; Mars, John L.

2014-01-01

The sulfides in magmatic Ni-Cu deposits generally constitute a small volume of the host rock(s) and tend to be concentrated in the lower parts of the mafic and/or ultramafic bodies, often in physical depressions or areas marking changes in the geometry of the footwall topography. In most deposits, the sulfide mineralization can be divided into disseminated, matrix or net, and massive sulfide, depending on a combination of the sulfide content of the rock and the silicate texture. The major Ni-Cu sulfide mineralogy typically consists of an intergrowth of pyrrhotite (Fe7S8), pentlandite ([Fe, Ni]9S8), and chalcopyrite (FeCuS2). Cobalt, PGE, and gold (Au) are extracted from most magmatic Ni-Cu ores as byproducts, although such elements can have a significant impact on the economics in some deposits, such as the Noril’sk-Talnakh deposits, which produce much of the world’s palladium. In addition, deposits may contain between 1 and 15 percent magnetite associated with the sulfides.

SOM guided fuzzy logic prospectivity model for gold in the Häme Belt, southwestern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leväniemi, Hanna; Hulkki, Helena; Tiainen, Markku

2017-04-01

This study investigated gold prospectivity in the Paleoproterozoic Häme Belt, located in southwestern Finland. The Häme Belt comprises calc-alkaline and tholeitic volcanic rocks, migmatites, granitoids, and mafic to ultramafic intrusions. Mineral exploration in the region has resulted in the discovery of several gold occurrences during recent decades; however, no prospectivity modeling for gold has yet been conducted. This study integrated till geochemical and geophysical data to examine and extract data characteristics critical for gold occurrences. Modeling was guided by self-organizing map (SOM) analysis to define essential data associations and to aid in model input data selection and generation. The final fuzzy logic prospectivity model map yielded high predictability values for most known Au or Cu-Au occurrences, but also highlighted new targets for exploration.

Hydrogen Gas from Serpentinite, Ophiolites and the Modern Ocean Floor as a Source of Green Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coveney, R. M.

2008-12-01

Hydrogen gas is emitted by springs associated with serpentinites and extensive carbonate deposits in Oman, The Philippines, the USA and other continental locations. The hydrogen springs contain unusually alkaline fluids with pH values between 11 and 12.5. Other workers have described off-ridge submarine springs with comparably alkaline fluid compositions, serpentinite, abundant free hydrogen gas, and associated carbonate edifices such as Lost City on the Atlantis Massif 15 km west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (D.S. Kelley and associates, Science 2005). The association of hydrogen gas with ultramafites is a consistent one that has been attributed to a redox couple involving oxidation of divalent iron to the trivalent state during serpentinization, although other possibilities exist. Some of the hydrogen springs on land are widespread. For example in Oman dozens of alkaline springs (Neal and Stanger, EPSL 1983) can be found over thousands of sq km of outcropping ophiolite. While the deposits in Oman and the Philippines are well-known to much of the geochemical community, little interest seems to have been displayed toward either the ophiolitic occurrences or the submarine deposits for energy production. This may be a mistake as the showings because they could lead to an important source of green energy. Widespread skepticism currently exists about hydrogen as a primary energy source. It is commonly said that free hydrogen does not occur on earth and that it is therefore necessary to use other sources of energy to produce hydrogen, obviating the general environmental benefit. However the existence of numerous occurrences of hydrogen gas associated with ophiolites and submarine occurrences of hydrogen suggests the likelihood that natural hydrogen gas may be an important source of clean energy for modern society remaining to be tapped. Calculations in progress should establish whether or not this is likely to be the case.

Water quality of streams tributary to Lakes Superior and Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Jerome W.

1968-01-01

Water quality of streams tributary to Lakes Superior and Michigan was analyzed for 142 stations on 99 streams tributary to Lake Superior and 83 stations on 56 streams tributary to Lake Michigan during 1962-65. Concentrations of aluminum, copper, and iron were not affected greatly by flow or season. Magnesium, calcium, chlorides, total alkalinity, total hardness, and conductivity varied with the flow, temperature, and season; the lowest values were during the spring runoff and heavy rains, and the highest were during low water in late summer and the colder periods of winter. Concentrations of nitrate, silica, and sulfates were lowest in the spring and summer. Concentrations of tanninlike and ligninlike compounds were highest during the spring runoff and other high-water periods, and were lowest during freezeup when surface runoff was minimal. The pH values were highest from June to September and lowest during the spring runoff. Phenolphthalein alkalinity was detected primarily in the summer and coincided occasionally with low flows just before the spring thaw. Total hardness usually was lower in streams tributary to Lake Superior than in streams tributary to Lake Michigan. The total hardness was higher in the streams in Wisconsin than in the streams in Michigan along the west shore of Lake Michigan. It was lowest in the northernmost streams. The water quality of the streams in an area was related to the geological characteristics of the land.

Descriptions of mineral occurrences and interpretation of mineralized rock geochemical data in the Stikine geophysical survey area, Southeastern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.

2003-01-01

Detailed descriptions of some of the more significant mineral occurrences in the Stikine Airborne Geophysical Survey Project Area are presented based upon site-specific examinations by the U.S. Geological Survey in May of 1998. Reconnaissance geochemical data on unmineralized igneous and sedimentary host rocks, and mineralized rocks are also presented and are accompanied by a brief analysis of geochemical signatures typical of each occurrence. Consistent with the stated goal of the geophysical survey; to stimulate exploration for polymetallic massive sulfides similar to the Greens Creek deposit, the majority of the described occurrences are possible members of a belt of Late Triassic mineral deposits that are distributed along the eastern edge of the Alexander terrane in southeastern Alaska. Many of the described occurrences in the Duncan Canal-Zarembo Island area share similarities to the Greens Creek deposit. When considered as a whole, the geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of these occurrences help to define a transitional portion of the Late Triassic mineral belt where changes in shallow to deeper water stratigraphy and arc-like to rift-related igneous rocks are accompanied by concomitant changes in the size, morphology, and metal endowments of the mineral occurrences. As a result, Late Triassic mineral occurrences in the area appear as: 1) small, discontinuous, structurally controlled stockwork veins in mafic volcanic rocks, 2) small, irregular replacements and stratabound horizons of diagenetic semi-massive sulfides in dolostones and calcareous shales, and as 3) larger, recognizably stratiform accumulations of baritic, semi-massive to massive sulfides at and near the contact between mafic volcanic rocks and overlying sedimentary rocks. Empirical exploration guidelines for Greens Creek-like polymetallic massive sulfide deposits in southeastern Alaska include: 1) a Late Triassic volcano-sedimentary host sequence exhibiting evidence of succession from tectonic activity to quiescence (such as conglomeratic and/or mafic volcaniclastics or flows overlain by platform carbonate or shale sequences), 2) presence and proximity to Late Triassic mafic-ultramafic intrusions, 3) presence of quartz-carbonate-fuchsite altered ultramafic bodies, 4) pyritic, graphitic shales, 5) presence of barite and/or iron-manganese-rich carbonates, 6) low-iron sphalerite and antimony-rich sulfosalt minerals, 7) a geochemical signature including Fe-Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag-Au-Sb-Hg-As-Cd-Ba-Mn-Mo-Tl and the ultramafic-related suite of elements Ni-Cr-Co, and 8) a geophysical signature characterized by the coincidence of a sharp resistivity contrast with evidence for buried intrusive rocks. Critical factors for the development of larger, economic orebodies are significant thickness of pyritic, graphitic shale indicating that a locally reducing sedimentary setting was established and that accumulation of an insulating shale blank occurred, and proximity to Late Triassic aged hypabyssal mafic-ultramafic intrusive rocks.

Arsenic and antimony in geothermal waters of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stauffer, R.E.; Thompson, J.M.

1984-01-01

A total of 268 thermal spring samples were analyzed for total soluble As using reduced molybdenum-blue; 27 of these samples were also analyzed for total Sb using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. At Yellowstone the Cl As atomic ratio is nearly constant among neutral-alkaline springs with Cl > 100 mg L-1, and within restricted geographic areas, indicating no differential effects of adiabatic vs. conductive cooling on arsenic. The Cl As ratio increases with silica and decreases with decreasing Cl ??CO3; the latter relationship is best exemplified for springs along the extensively sampled SE-NW trend within the Lone Star-Upper-Midway Basin region. The relationship between Cl As and Cl ??CO3 at Yellowstone suggests a possible rock leaching rather than magmatic origin for much of the Park's total As flux. Condensed vapor springs are low in both As and Cl. Very high Cl As ratios ( > 1000) are associated exclusively with highly diluted (Cl < 100 mg L-1) mixed springs in the Norris and Shoshone Basins and in the Upper White Creek and Firehole Lake areas of Lower Basin. The high ratios are associated with acidity and/or oxygen and iron; they indicate precipitation of As following massive dilution of the Asbearing high-Cl parent water. Yellowstone Sb ranged from 0.009 at Mammoth to 0.166 mg L-1 at Joseph's Coat Spring. Within basins, the Cl Sb ratio increases as the Cl ??CO3 ratio decreases, in marked contrast to As. Mixed springs also have elevated Cl Sb ratios. White (1967) and Weissberg (1969) previously reported stibnite (Sb2S3), but not orpiment (As2S3), precipitating in the near surface zone of alkaline geothermal systems. ?? 1984.

Ultramafic clasts from the South Chamorro serpentine mud volcano reveal a polyphase serpentinization history of the Mariana forearc mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahl, Wolf-Achim; Jöns, Niels; Bach, Wolfgang; Klein, Frieder; Alt, Jeffrey C.

2015-06-01

Serpentine seamounts located on the outer half of the pervasively fractured Mariana forearc provide an excellent window into the forearc devolatilization processes, which can strongly influence the cycling of volatiles and trace elements in subduction zones. Serpentinized ultramafic clasts recovered from an active mud volcano in the Mariana forearc reveal microstructures, mineral assemblages and compositions that are indicative of a complex polyphase alteration history. Petrologic phase relations and oxygen isotopes suggest that ultramafic clasts were serpentinized at temperatures below 200 °C. Several successive serpentinization events represented by different vein generations with distinct trace element contents can be recognized. Measured in situ Rb/Cs ratios are fairly uniform ranging between 1 and 10, which is consistent with Cs mobilization from sediments at lower temperatures and lends further credence to the low-temperature conditions proposed in models of the thermal structure in forearc settings. Late veins show lower fluid mobile element (FME) concentrations than early veins, suggesting a decreasing influence of fluid discharge from the subducting slab on the composition of the serpentinizing fluids. The continuous microfabric and mineral chemical evolution observed in the ultramafic clasts may have implications as to the origin and nature of the serpentinizing fluids. We hypothesize that opal and smectite dehydration produce quartz-saturated fluids with high FME contents and Rb/Cs between 1 and 4 that cause the early pervasive serpentinization. The partially serpentinized material may then be eroded from the basal plane of the suprasubduction mantle wedge. Serpentinization continued but the interacting fluids did not carry a pronounced sedimentary signature, either because FMEs were no longer released from the slab, or due to an en route loss of FMEs. Late chrysotile veins that document the increased access of fluids in a now fluid-dominated regime are characterized by reduced trace element contents with a slightly increased Rb/Cs ratio near 10. This lack of sediment-dominated geochemical signatures consistently displayed in all late serpentinization stages may indicate that the sediment-derived fluids have been completely reset (i.e. the FME excesses were removed) by continued water-rock reaction within the subduction channel. The final stage of buoyant rise of matrix and clasts in the conduits is characterized by brucite-dominated alteration of the clasts from the clast rim inward (independent of the intra-clast fabric relations), which corresponds to re-equilibration with alkaline, low-silica activity fluids in the rising mud.

Refugia for Carbonate Producing Organisms in High Carbon Dioxide Environmental Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gfatter, C.; Beckwith, S.; Hallock Muller, P.; Amergian, K. E.

2016-12-01

An interesting paleontological phenomenon following mass extinction events is the reappearance at a later time of a fossilizable taxon thought to have suffered extinction, but in fact survived for an extended period of time without leaving a fossil record. Several studies of larger benthic foraminifera (LBFs) that host algal symbionts have provided evidence for how some fossil taxa, sometimes referred to as "Lazarus" taxa, may have survived ocean acidification events. One study demonstrated that several species were able to live in low pH conditions in which their shells had no preservation potential. An ongoing study has demonstrated that some LBF species can tolerate much lower salinities than previously reported. The key to both observations appears to be very high carbonate alkalinity and high rates of photosynthesis. The LBFs can live and calcify under such conditions, although their shells have little or no preservation potential. Sediment samples from the Springs Coast of Florida, a region with limestone substrata and freshwater input from carbonate aquifers, were used to assess the range of Archaias angulatus, an LBF species more commonly associated with normal marine to slightly hypersaline environmental conditions found elsewhere. Extinctions of LBFs by the end of the century have been predicted due to ocean acidification, but other aspects of water chemistry, such as alkalinity influenced by the underlying substrata, may provide habitable conditions that serve as refugia until more favorable conditions return.

Microbial Diversity, Distribution and Insight into Their Role in S, Fe and N Biogeochemical Cycling in the Hot Springs at Tengchong Geothermal Fields, Southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Peng, X.; Zhang, L.

2014-12-01

Ten sediment samples collected from one acidic and three alkaline high temperature hot springs at Tengchong terrestrial geothermal field, Southwest China, were examined by the mineralogical, geochemical, and molecular biological techniques. The mineralogical and geochemical analyses suggested that these hot springs contain relative high concentrations of S, Fe and N chemical species. Specifically, the acidic hot spring was rich in Fe2+, SO42- and NH4+, while the alkaline hot springs were high in NO3-, H2S and S2O3-. Analyses of 16S rRNA sequences showed their bacterial communities were dominated by Aquificae, Cyanobacteria, Deinococci-Thermus, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Thermodesulfobacteria, while the archeal clone libraries were dominated by Desulfurococcales, Sulfolobales, and Thermoproteales. Among them, the potential S-, N- and Fe-related oxidizing and reducing prokaryote were presenting as a relative high proportion but with a great difference in diversity and metabolic approaches of each sample. These findings provide some significant implications for the microbial function in element biogeochemical cycles within the Tengchong geothermal environments: i). the distinct differences in abundance and diversity of microbial communities of geothermal sediments were related to in situ different physicochemical conditions; ii). the S-, N- and Fe-related prokaryote would take advantage of the strong chemical disequilibria in the hot springs; iii). in return, their metabolic activities can promote the transformation of S, Fe and N chemical species, thus founded the bases of biogeochemical cycles in the terrestrial geothermal environments.

A Comprehensive Census of Microbial Diversity in Hot Springs of Tengchong, Yunnan Province China Using 16S rRNA Gene Pyrosequencing

PubMed Central

Dong, Hailiang; Jiang, Hongchen; Briggs, Brandon R.; Peacock, Joseph P.; Huang, Qiuyuan; Huang, Liuqin; Wu, Geng; Zhi, Xiaoyang; Li, Wenjun; Dodsworth, Jeremy A.; Hedlund, Brian P.; Zhang, Chuanlun; Hartnett, Hilairy E.; Dijkstra, Paul; Hungate, Bruce A.

2013-01-01

The Rehai and Ruidian geothermal fields, located in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China, host a variety of geochemically distinct hot springs. In this study, we report a comprehensive, cultivation-independent census of microbial communities in 37 samples collected from these geothermal fields, encompassing sites ranging in temperature from 55.1 to 93.6°C, in pH from 2.5 to 9.4, and in mineralogy from silicates in Rehai to carbonates in Ruidian. Richness was low in all samples, with 21–123 species-level OTUs detected. The bacterial phylum Aquificae or archaeal phylum Crenarchaeota were dominant in Rehai samples, yet the dominant taxa within those phyla depended on temperature, pH, and geochemistry. Rehai springs with low pH (2.5–2.6), high temperature (85.1–89.1°C), and high sulfur contents favored the crenarchaeal order Sulfolobales, whereas those with low pH (2.6–4.8) and cooler temperature (55.1–64.5°C) favored the Aquificae genus Hydrogenobaculum. Rehai springs with neutral-alkaline pH (7.2–9.4) and high temperature (>80°C) with high concentrations of silica and salt ions (Na, K, and Cl) favored the Aquificae genus Hydrogenobacter and crenarchaeal orders Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales. Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales became predominant in springs with pH much higher than the optimum and even the maximum pH known for these orders. Ruidian water samples harbored a single Aquificae genus Hydrogenobacter, whereas microbial communities in Ruidian sediment samples were more diverse at the phylum level and distinctly different from those in Rehai and Ruidian water samples, with a higher abundance of uncultivated lineages, close relatives of the ammonia-oxidizing archaeon “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii”, and candidate division O1aA90 and OP1. These differences between Ruidian sediments and Rehai samples were likely caused by temperature, pH, and sediment mineralogy. The results of this study significantly expand the current understanding of the microbiology in Tengchong hot springs and provide a basis for comparison with other geothermal systems around the world. PMID:23326417

A comprehensive census of microbial diversity in hot springs of Tengchong, Yunnan Province China using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing.

PubMed

Hou, Weiguo; Wang, Shang; Dong, Hailiang; Jiang, Hongchen; Briggs, Brandon R; Peacock, Joseph P; Huang, Qiuyuan; Huang, Liuqin; Wu, Geng; Zhi, Xiaoyang; Li, Wenjun; Dodsworth, Jeremy A; Hedlund, Brian P; Zhang, Chuanlun; Hartnett, Hilairy E; Dijkstra, Paul; Hungate, Bruce A

2013-01-01

The Rehai and Ruidian geothermal fields, located in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China, host a variety of geochemically distinct hot springs. In this study, we report a comprehensive, cultivation-independent census of microbial communities in 37 samples collected from these geothermal fields, encompassing sites ranging in temperature from 55.1 to 93.6°C, in pH from 2.5 to 9.4, and in mineralogy from silicates in Rehai to carbonates in Ruidian. Richness was low in all samples, with 21-123 species-level OTUs detected. The bacterial phylum Aquificae or archaeal phylum Crenarchaeota were dominant in Rehai samples, yet the dominant taxa within those phyla depended on temperature, pH, and geochemistry. Rehai springs with low pH (2.5-2.6), high temperature (85.1-89.1°C), and high sulfur contents favored the crenarchaeal order Sulfolobales, whereas those with low pH (2.6-4.8) and cooler temperature (55.1-64.5°C) favored the Aquificae genus Hydrogenobaculum. Rehai springs with neutral-alkaline pH (7.2-9.4) and high temperature (>80°C) with high concentrations of silica and salt ions (Na, K, and Cl) favored the Aquificae genus Hydrogenobacter and crenarchaeal orders Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales. Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales became predominant in springs with pH much higher than the optimum and even the maximum pH known for these orders. Ruidian water samples harbored a single Aquificae genus Hydrogenobacter, whereas microbial communities in Ruidian sediment samples were more diverse at the phylum level and distinctly different from those in Rehai and Ruidian water samples, with a higher abundance of uncultivated lineages, close relatives of the ammonia-oxidizing archaeon "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii", and candidate division O1aA90 and OP1. These differences between Ruidian sediments and Rehai samples were likely caused by temperature, pH, and sediment mineralogy. The results of this study significantly expand the current understanding of the microbiology in Tengchong hot springs and provide a basis for comparison with other geothermal systems around the world.

Metasomatic Reaction Zones as Monitors of Trace Element Transfer at the Slab-Mantle Interface: the Case of the Hochwart Peridotite (Ulten Zone, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marocchi, M.; Hermann, J.; Bargossi, G. M.; Mair, V.; Morten, L.

2006-12-01

Ultramafic blocks belonging to the Hochwart peridotite outcrop (Ulten Zone, Italian Alps) preserve a series of metasomatic mineral zones generated by infiltration of Si-rich hydrous fluids which occurred at the gneiss- peridotite interface. The age of the high pressure metamorphism for the Hochwart complex has been constrained at 330 Ma (Tumiati et al., 2003, EPSL, 210, 509-526). The country rocks are stromatic gneisses consisting mainly of quartz, K-feldspar, garnet, kyanite, biotite and muscovite. The ultramafic body consists of strongly serpentinized metaperidotites which are exposed as a hectometre-size lens along a steep gully, associated to monomineralic zones that developed at the contact between the peridotite body and the garnet gneiss country rocks. The composition of the metasomatic zones has been investigated in detail and records an order of metasomatic zoning formed by phlogopite-rich to tremolite-anthophyllite-rich rocks going from the host gneiss towards the peridotite. In some cases, the ultramafics fade into the gneisses developing serpentine and talc which has replaced, presumably at lower temperatures, the serpentine matrix and occurs in association with chlorite. Phlogopite aggregates (phlogopitite) with accessory minerals (quartz + zircon + apatite) and metabasic pods (phlogopite and hornblende) also occur. Black tourmaline (schorl-dravite solid solution) has been found for the first time in the contact near the phlogopite zone, suggesting an external addition of elements (boron and fluorine) to the system at high temperature. The formation of the metasomatic zones composed exclusively of hydrous phases must have involved extensive H2O-metasomatism as already documented for the Ulten peridotites. The source for these fluids can be a system of trondhjemitic-pegmatitic dikes cutting the peridotite that would have channelled aqueous fluids into the ultramafic rocks. Whole-rock geochemistry and trace element (LA ICP-MS) composition of hydrous phases (phlogopite and amphibole) in different metasomatic zones indicate mobility of many elements, including elements such as Ta which are considered to have scarce mobility in fluids. Trace element composition of accessory minerals in the phlogopite-rich zone suggests that the trace element signature of subduction zone fluids may be fractionated in this zone. The progressive depletion in some trace elements (LREE) and enrichment in LILE and Li from the peridotite towards the gneiss suggests a strong influence of bulk composition on the trace element budget of hydrous minerals. Since the ultramafic blocks can be representative of metasomatic processes occurring at the slab-mantle interface, we can infer that metasomatic reactions between slab-derived fluids and ultramafic mantle wedge will follow a specific series of reactions, creating mineral zonation similar to those observed in this study. Our results further favour the evidence that the primary composition of subduction zone fluids is modified substantially by metasomatic reactions occurring in the mantle wedge.

Microbial and Metabolic Diversity of the Alkaline Hot Springs of Paoha Island: A Late Archean and Proterozoic Ocean Analogue Environment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, I. S.; Demirel, C.; Hyde, A.; Motamedi, S.; Frantz, C. M.; Stamps, B. W.; Nunn, H. S.; Oremland, R. S.; Rosen, M.; Miller, L. G.; Corsetti, F. A.; Spear, J. R.

2016-12-01

Paoha Island formed 450 years ago within Mono Lake, California, as a result of magmatic activity in the underlying Long Valley Caldera. Previous studies of Paoha Island hot springs focused on the presence of novel organisms adapted to high levels of arsenic (114-138 µM). However, the microbial community structure, relationship with Mono Lake, and preservation potential of these communities remains largely unexplored. Here, we present water chemistry, 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences, and metagenomic data for spring water and biofilms sampled on a recently exposed mudflat along the shoreline of Paoha Island. Spring waters were hypoxic, alkaline, and saline, had variable temperature (39-70 °C near spring sources) and high concentrations of arsenic, sulfide and reduced organic compounds. Thermodynamic modeling based on spring water chemistry indicated that sulfide and methane oxidation were the most energetically favorable respiratory metabolisms. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed distinct communities in different biofilms: red biofilms were dominated by arsenite-oxidizing phototrophs within the Ectothiorhodospiraceae, while OTUs most closely related to the cyanobacterial genus Arthrospira were present in green biofilms, as well as a large proportion of sequences assigned to sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Metagenomic analysis identified genes related to arsenic resistance, arsenic oxidation/reduction, sulfur oxidation and photosynthesis. Eukaryotic rRNA gene sequencing analyses revealed few detectable taxa in spring biofilms and waters compared to Mono Lake; springs receiving splash from the lake were dominated by the alga Picocystis. The co-occurrence of hypoxia, high pH, and close proximity of anoxygenic and oxygenic phototrophic mats makes this site a potential Archean/Proterozoic analogue environment, but suggests that similar environments if preserved in the rock record, may not preserve evidence for community dynamics or the existence of photosynthetic metabolisms.

Informing geobiology through GIS site suitability analysis: locating springs in mantle units of ophiolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowman, A.; Cardace, D.; August, P.

2012-12-01

Springs sourced in the mantle units of ophiolites serve as windows to the deep biosphere, and thus hold promise in elucidating survival strategies of extremophiles, and may also inform discourse on the origin of life on Earth. Understanding how organisms can survive in extreme environments provides clues to how microbial life responds to gradients in pH, temperature, and oxidation-reduction potential. Spring locations associated with serpentinites have traditionally been located using a variety of field techniques. The aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks to serpentinites is accompanied by the production of very unusual formation fluids, accessed by drilling into subsurface flow regimes or by sampling at related surface springs. The chemical properties of these springs are unique to water associated with actively serpentinizing rocks; they reflect a reducing subsurface environment reacting at low temperatures producing high pH, Ca-rich formation fluids with high dissolved hydrogen and methane. This study applies GIS site suitability analysis to locate high pH springs upwelling from Coast Range Ophiolite serpentinites in Northern California. We used available geospatial data (e.g., geologic maps, topography, fault locations, known spring locations, etc.) and ArcGIS software to predict new spring localities. Important variables in the suitability model were: (a) bedrock geology (i.e., unit boundaries and contacts for peridotite, serpentinite, possibly pyroxenite, or chromite), (b) fault locations, (c) regional data for groundwater characteristics such as pH, Ca2+, and Mg2+, and (d) slope-aspect ratio. The GIS model derived from these geological and environmental data sets predicts the latitude/longitude points for novel and known high pH springs sourced in serpentinite outcrops in California. Field work confirms the success of the model, and map output can be merged with published environmental microbiology data (e.g., occurrence of hydrogen-oxidizers) to showcase patterns in microbial community structure. Discrepancies between predicted and actual spring locations are then used to tune GIS suitability analysis, re-running the model with corrected geo-referenced data. This presentation highlights a powerful GIS-based technique for accelerating field exploration in this area of ongoing research.

Subducted slab-plume interaction traced by magnesium isotopes in the northern margin of the Tarim Large Igneous Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Zhiguo; Zhang, Zhaochong; Xie, Qiuhong; Hou, Tong; Ke, Shan

2018-05-01

Incorporation of subducted slabs may account for the geochemical and isotopic variations of large igneous provinces (LIPs). However, the mechanism and process by which subducted slabs are involved into magmas is still highly debated. Here, we report a set of high resolution Mg isotopes for a suite of alkaline and Fe-rich rocks (including basalts, mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, diabase dykes and mantle xenoliths in the kimberlitic rocks) from Tarim Large Igneous Province (TLIP). We observed that δ26 Mg values of basalts range from -0.29 to - 0.45 ‰, -0.31 to - 0.42 ‰ for mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, -0.28 to - 0.31 ‰ for diabase dykes and -0.29 to - 0.44 ‰ for pyroxenite xenoliths from the kimberlitic rocks, typically lighter than the normal mantle source (- 0.25 ‰ ± 0.04, 2 SD). After carefully precluding other possibilities, we propose that the light Mg isotopic compositions and high FeO contents should be ascribed to the involvement of recycled sedimentary carbonate rocks and pyroxenite/eclogite. Moreover, from basalts, through layered intrusions to diabase dykes, (87Sr/86Sr)i values and δ18OV-SMOW declined, whereas ε (Nd) t and δ26 Mg values increased with progressive partial melting of mantle, indicating that components of carbonate rock and pyroxenite/eclogite in the mantle sources were waning over time. In combination with the previous reported Mg isotopes for carbonatite, nephelinite and kimberlitic rocks in TLIP, two distinct mantle domains are recognized for this province: 1) a lithospheric mantle source for basalts and mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions which were modified by calcite/dolomite and eclogite-derived high-Si melts, as evidenced by enriched Sr-Nd-O and light Mg isotopic compositions; 2) a plume source for carbonatite, nephelinite and kimberlitic rocks which were related to magnesite or periclase/perovskite involvement as reflected by depleted Sr-Nd-O and extremely light Mg isotopes. Ultimately, our study suggests that subducted slabs could make important contributions to LIP generation, and establishes a potential linkage between plate tectonics and mantle plume.

Deportment of PGE and semimetals in the Volspruit deposit: the most ultramafic PGE horizon of the Bushveld Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, D.; McDonald, I.; Harmer, R. E. J.; Hughes, H. S. R.; Muir, D. D.

2017-12-01

The Volspruit deposit is a zone of disseminated magmatic sulphides carrying Ni-PGE (platinum-group element) mineralization in the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. It is one of the few known PGE prospects hosted by the lower ultramafic portion of a layered intrusion and the only known example in the Bushveld Complex. Volspruit therefore provides a unique insight into the processes governing mineralisation early in the Bushveld magmatic system. This study presents a detailed analysis from the northern portion of the Volspruit orebody combining mineralogical and textural observations with sulphide mineral trace element compositions. Electron microscopy reveals a diverse assemblage of Pt-, Pd- and Rh- dominant platinum-group minerals (PGM), electrum, Ag tellurides, Pb-chlorides, Pb-sulphides, U-oxide and monazite. Laser ablation ICP-MS has demonstrated that the Volspruit base metal sulphides have elevated PGE tenors but a range of S/Se values 1414-19319 - greater than other magmatic sulphide deposits in the northern Bushveld. The S/Se values are typical of crustal S and in agreement with previous S isotope data. These data imply a magma with initially high tenor sulphide liquid experienced local contamination from sedimentary S, leading to reduced tenors and elevated S/Se in sulphides coupled with a propensity of Pb- and Zn-bearing minerals (e.g., Pb-sulphide, Pb-chloride and sphalerite) in association with archetypal orthomagmatic sulphide assemblages. Our data demonstrate that assimilation of sedimentary rocks can modify sulphide melt evolution through the addition of metals such as Pb and Zn, not just contamination by sulphur. The Volspruit deposit illustrates the complexity of multi-stage processes governing mineralisation in the ultramafic portions of layered mafic intrusions.

Iron-nickel alloys as canister material for radioactive waste disposal in underground repositories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apps, J. A.

1982-09-01

Canisters containing high-level radioactive waste must retain their integrity in an underground waste repository for at least one thousand years after burial (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1981). Since no direct means of verifying canister integrity is plausible over such a long period, indirect methods must be chosen. A persuasive approach is to examine the natural environment and find a suitable material which is thermodynamically compatible with the host rock under the environmental conditions with the host rock under the environmental conditions expected in a waste repository. Several candidates have been proposed, among them being iron-nickel alloys that are known to occur naturally in altered ultramafic rocks. The following review of stability relations among iron-nickel alloys below 3500 C is the initial phase of a more detailed evaluation of these alloys as suitable canister materials.

Microbial Community Structure in a Serpentine-Hosted Abiotic Gas Seepage at the Chimaera Ophiolite, Turkey

PubMed Central

Sun, Li; Müller, Bettina; Ivarsson, Magnus; Hosgörmez, Hakan; Özcan, Dogacan; Broman, Curt; Schnürer, Anna

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The surface waters at the ultramafic ophiolitic outcrop in Chimaera, Turkey, are characterized by high pH values and high metal levels due to the percolation of fluids through areas of active serpentinization. We describe the influence of the liquid chemistry, mineralogy, and H2 and CH4 levels on the bacterial community structure in a semidry, exposed, ultramafic environment. The bacterial and archaeal community structures were monitored using Illumina sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene. At all sampling points, four phyla, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria, accounted for the majority of taxa. Members of the Chloroflexi phylum dominated low-diversity sites, whereas Proteobacteria dominated high-diversity sites. Methane, nitrogen, iron, and hydrogen oxidizers were detected as well as archaea and metal-resistant bacteria. IMPORTANCE Our study is a comprehensive microbial investigation of the Chimaera ophiolite. DNA has been extracted from 16 sites in the area and has been studied from microbial and geochemical points of view. We describe a microbial community structure that is dependent on terrestrial, serpentinization-driven abiotic H2, which is poorly studied due to the rarity of these environments on Earth. PMID:28389534

Microbial Community Structure in a Serpentine-Hosted Abiotic Gas Seepage at the Chimaera Ophiolite, Turkey.

PubMed

Neubeck, Anna; Sun, Li; Müller, Bettina; Ivarsson, Magnus; Hosgörmez, Hakan; Özcan, Dogacan; Broman, Curt; Schnürer, Anna

2017-06-15

The surface waters at the ultramafic ophiolitic outcrop in Chimaera, Turkey, are characterized by high pH values and high metal levels due to the percolation of fluids through areas of active serpentinization. We describe the influence of the liquid chemistry, mineralogy, and H 2 and CH 4 levels on the bacterial community structure in a semidry, exposed, ultramafic environment. The bacterial and archaeal community structures were monitored using Illumina sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene. At all sampling points, four phyla, Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Chloroflexi , and Acidobacteria , accounted for the majority of taxa. Members of the Chloroflexi phylum dominated low-diversity sites, whereas Proteobacteria dominated high-diversity sites. Methane, nitrogen, iron, and hydrogen oxidizers were detected as well as archaea and metal-resistant bacteria. IMPORTANCE Our study is a comprehensive microbial investigation of the Chimaera ophiolite. DNA has been extracted from 16 sites in the area and has been studied from microbial and geochemical points of view. We describe a microbial community structure that is dependent on terrestrial, serpentinization-driven abiotic H 2 , which is poorly studied due to the rarity of these environments on Earth. Copyright © 2017 Neubeck et al.

Ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity associated with endemic Tristaniopsis spp. (Myrtaceae) in ultramafic and volcano-sedimentary soils in New Caledonia.

PubMed

Waseem, Muhammad; Ducousso, Marc; Prin, Yves; Domergue, Odile; Hannibal, Laure; Majorel, Clarisse; Jourand, Philippe; Galiana, Antoine

2017-05-01

New Caledonian serpentine (ultramafic) soils contain high levels of toxic heavy metals, in particular nickel, (up to 20 g kg -1 ) and are deficient in essential elements like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus while having a high magnesium/calcium ratio. Although previous studies showed that ectomycorrhizal symbioses could play an important role in the adaptation of the endemic plants to ultramafic soils (FEMS Microbiol Ecol 72:238-49, 2010), none of them have compared the diversity of microbial communities from ultramafic vs non-ultramafic soils in New Caledonia. We explored the impact of edaphic characteristics on the diversity of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi associated with different endemic species of Tristaniopsis (Myrtaceae) growing under contrasting soil conditions in the natural ecosystems of New Caledonia. ECM root tips were thus sampled from two different ultramafic sites (Koniambo massif and Desmazures forest) vs two volcano-sedimentary ones (Arama and Mont Ninndo). The molecular characterization of the ECM fungi through partial sequencing of the ITS rRNA gene revealed the presence of different dominant fungal genera including, both soil types combined, Cortinarius (36.1%), Pisolithus (18.5%), Russula (13.4%), Heliotales (8.2%) and Boletellus (7.2%). A high diversity of ECM taxa associated with Tristaniopsis species was found in both ultramafic and volcano-sedimentary soils but no significant differences in ECM genera distribution were observed between both soil types. No link could be established between the phylogenetic clustering of ECM taxa and their soil type origin, thus suggesting a possible functional-rather than taxonomical-adaptation of ECM fungal communities to ultramafic soils.

Petrogenesis of ultramafic xenoliths from Hawaii inferred from Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okano, Osamu; Tatsumoto, Mitsunobu

Isotopic compositions of Nd, Sr, and Pb in xenoliths in the Honolulu volcanic series from the Salt Lake Crater (H-type) are similar to those of the host post-erosional basalts, but are distinct from the magma sources of Koolau shield tholeiites and MORB. In contrast, one spinel Iherzolite (K-type) has isotopic compositions of Nd and Sr that are close to those of Koolau tholeiite rather than to the other Hawaiian basalts. Previous studies have shown that Sr isotopic composition of the xenoliths and the host basalt and that trace element concentrations in minerals of garnet Iherzolites from Honolulu basalt were nearly in equilibrium with the host magma, indicating that Honolulu volcanics were derived from garnet Iherzolite or similar material. However, differences exist among the isotopic compositions (especially Nd) of the xenoliths indicating that they are accidental inclusions from upper layers. The similarity in isotopic compositions between xenoliths and Honolulu basalt suggests that the source areas in the mantle are chemically similar. Correlation of 238U/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb of chrome diopside separated from the H-type spinel Iherzolites indicates that the xenoliths are 80±36 Ma, which corresponds to the lithosphere age of the Hawaiian site. This age is consistent with petrological studies [e.g., Sen and Leeman, 1991] which have found that the spinel Iherzolite inclusions are derived from the lithosphere wall rocks. The ɛNd = ˜+8 of the H-xenoliths is slightly lower than that for the East Pacific Rise MORB indicating that the xenoliths are derived from a trace element depleted source similar to the MORB residue. If the garnet Iherzolite xenoliths are derived from mixture of spinel Iherzolite with intrusive pyroxenite, then the source of the pyroxenite contained little plume component. The one exceptional spinel Iherzolite xenolith may be a residue of Koolau-like tholeiitic magma or may have been metasomatized by Koolau volcanism in the deep lithosphere. Isotopic compositions of gabbro in Kaupulehu are similar to MORB, indicating its derivation from the oceanic crust. The Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of dunite are similar to those of Hualalai alkaline magma, consistent with the theory that the dunite is a cumulate from the Hualalai magma.

Microbial Fossilization in Mineralizing Environments: Relevance for Mars "EXOPALEONTOLOGY"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farmer, Jack D.; DesMarais, David J.; Morrison, David (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The goals of post-Viking exobiology include the search for a Martian fossil record. How can we optimize future exploration efforts to search for fossils on Mars? The Precambrian fossil record indicates that key factors for the long-term preservation of microbial fossils include: 1) the rapid entombment and/or replacement of organisms and organic matter by fine-grained, stable mineral phases (e.g. silica, phosphate, and to a lesser extent, carbonate), 2) low-permeability host sediments (maintaining a closed chemical system during early diagenesis), and 3) shallow burial (maintaining post-depositional temperatures and pressures within the stability range for complex organic molecules). Modem terrestrial environments where early mineralization commonly occurs in association with microbial organisms include: subaerial thermal springs and shallow hydrothermal systems, sub-lacustrine springs and evaporites of alkaline lakes, and subsoil environments where hardpans (e.g. calcretes, silcretes) and duricrusts form. Studies of microbial fossilization in such environments provide important insights preservation patterns in Precambrian rocks, while also playing a role in the development of strategies for Mars exopaleontology. The refinement of site priorities for Mars exopaleontology is expected to benefit greatly from high resolution imaging and altimetry acquired during upcoming orbital missions, and especially infrared and gamma ray spectral data needed for determining surface composition. In anticipation of future orbital missions, constraints for identifying high priority mineral deposits on Mars are being developed through analog remote sensing studies of key mineralizing environments on Earth.

Sr and Nd isotope composition of the metamorphic, sedimentary and ultramafic xenoliths of Lanzarote (Canary Islands): Implications for magma sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aparicio, Alfredo; Tassinari, Colombo C. G.; García, Roberto; Araña, Vicente

2010-01-01

The lavas produced by the Timanfaya eruption of 1730-1736 (Lanzarote, Canary Islands) contain a great many sedimentary and metamorphic (metasedimentary), and mafic and ultramafic plutonic xenoliths. Among the metamorphosed carbonate rocks (calc-silicate rocks [CSRs]) are monomineral rocks with forsterite or wollastonite, as well as rocks containing olivine ± orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene ± plagioclase; their mineralogical compositions are identical to those of the mafic (gabbros) and ultramafic (dunite, wherlite and lherzolite) xenoliths. The 87Sr/ 86Sr (around 0.703) and 143Nd/ 144Nd (around 0.512) isotope ratios of the ultramafic and metasedimentary xenoliths are similar, while the 147Sm/ 144Nd ratios show crustal values (0.13-0.16) in the ultramafic xenoliths and mantle values (0.18-0.25) in some CSRs. The apparent isotopic anomaly of the metamorphic xenoliths can be explained in terms of the heat source (basaltic intrusion) inducing strong isotopic exchange ( 87Sr/ 86Sr and 143Nd/ 144Nd) between metasedimentary and basaltic rocks. Petrofabric analysis also showed a possible relationship between the ultramafic and metamorphic xenoliths.

Characterization of Possible Carbonatites in Southeast Missouri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shavers, E. J.; Wulamu, A.; Encarnacion, J. P.; Luetkemeyer, P. B.

2014-12-01

Carbonatite is an igneous rock containing greater than 50% carbonate minerals. These rocks are the most common host of REE mineralization and may contain other economic deposits such as uranium, fluorine and niobium. Several researchers have mentioned the presence of a carbonatite phase interspersed among the olivine melilitite-alnöite dikes and diatremes of southeast Missouri, yet a comprehensive validation of this occurrence has, so far, remained elusive. Here we present petrographic, cathodoluminescence, stable isotope and Vis-NIR analysis which support the presence of a carbonatite magma. We identify apparently single generation calcite groundmass surrounding country rock xenoliths and olivine-cored mafic spheroids altered to carbonate and opaque minerals. We present stable isotope data for twenty samples of intrusive and country rock from across the study area. δ18O values for all rock types exhibit little variation with values between 21.9 ‰ and 28.1 ‰ (VSMOW), possibly the result of outgassing during emplacement. Measured δ13C values of (1) carbonate country rocks are between -0.1 ‰ and -2.9 ‰ (VPDB), (2) ultramafic and carbonate-rich mafic rocks range from -3.0 ‰ to -4.6 ‰ (VPDB) and (3) carbonate-rich rocks with volcanic textures, as well as carbonate veins within mafic rocks, fall between -5.4 ‰ to -8.2 ‰ (VPDB). We suggest that this data and initial petrographic observations indicate (1) limited fluid-rock interaction as the host rock clasts have retained their original isotopic signature, (2) an initial ultramafic phase enriched in 13C by a small amount of sedimentary rock due to low initial C content, (3) mantle sourced carbonate fluids entraining fragments of the ultramafic phase and xenoliths. However, future electron microprobe studies may allow us to further constrain the causes for the observed isotopic shifts. We compare laboratory reflectance measurements of a dolomitic intrusive and adjacent dolomite country rock. Absorption bands in the 0.42-1.35 and 2.2-2.4 μm regions indicate unique Si, Fe, Mg, Al and possibly Cr mineralization in the intrusive rock. These features may indicate higher chemical content in addition to, or alternately, intrusive specific mineralogy. This data may allow for future carbonatite identification using remote imaging spectroscopy.

Chemical characteristics of the major thermal springs of Montana

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

Mariner, R.H.; Presser, T.S.; Evans, W.C.

1976-07-01

Twenty-one thermal springs in western Montana were sampled for chemical, isotope, and gas compositions. Most of the springs issue dilute to slightly saline sodium-bicarbonate waters of neutral to slightly alkaline pH. A few of the springs issue sodium-mixed anion waters of near neutral pH. Fluoride concentrations are high in most of the thermal waters, up to 18 miligrams per litre, while F/Cl ratios range from 3/1 in the dilute waters to 1/10 in the slightly saline waters. Most of the springs are theoretically in thermodynamic equilibrium with respect to calcite and fluorite. Nitrogen is the major gas escaping from mostmore » of the hot springs; however, Hunters Hot Springs issue principally methane. The deuterium content of the hot spring waters is typical of meteoric water in western Montana. Geothermal calculations based on silica concentrations and Na-K-Ca ratios indicate that most of the springs are associated with low temperature aquifers (less than 100/sup 0/C). Chalcedony may be controlling the silica concentrations in these low temperature aquifers even in ''granitic'' terranes.« less

Evidence for high-temperature in situ nifH transcription in an alkaline hot spring of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.

PubMed

Loiacono, Sara T; Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Havig, Jeff R; Poret-Peterson, Amisha T; Hartnett, Hilairy E; Shock, Everett L

2012-05-01

Genes encoding nitrogenase (nifH) were amplified from sediment and photosynthetic mat samples collected in the outflow channel of Mound Spring, an alkaline thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park. Results indicate the genetic capacity for nitrogen fixation over the entire range of temperatures sampled (57.2°C to 80.2°C). Amplification of environmental nifH transcripts revealed in situ expression of nifH genes at temperatures up to 72.7°C. However, we were unable to amplify transcripts of nifH at the higher-temperature locations (> 72.7°C). These results indicate that microbes at the highest temperature sites contain the genetic capacity to fix nitrogen, yet either do not express nifH or do so only transiently. Field measurements of nitrate and ammonium show fixed nitrogen limitation as temperature decreases along the outflow channel, suggesting nifH expression in response to the downstream decrease in bioavailable nitrogen. Nitrogen stable isotope values of Mound Spring sediment communities further support geochemical and genetic data. DNA and cDNA nifH amplicons form several unique phylogenetic clades, some of which appear to represent novel nifH sequences in both photosynthetic and chemosynthetic microbial communities. This is the first report of in situ nifH expression in strictly chemosynthetic zones of terrestrial (non-marine) hydrothermal systems, and sets a new upper temperature limit (72.7°C) for nitrogen fixation in alkaline, terrestrial hydrothermal environments. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Influence of Molecular Resolution on Sequence-Based Discovery of Ecological Diversity among Synechococcus Populations in an Alkaline Siliceous Hot Spring Microbial Mat ▿ †

PubMed Central

Melendrez, Melanie C.; Lange, Rachel K.; Cohan, Frederick M.; Ward, David M.

2011-01-01

Previous research has shown that sequences of 16S rRNA genes and 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer regions may not have enough genetic resolution to define all ecologically distinct Synechococcus populations (ecotypes) inhabiting alkaline, siliceous hot spring microbial mats. To achieve higher molecular resolution, we studied sequence variation in three protein-encoding loci sampled by PCR from 60°C and 65°C sites in the Mushroom Spring mat (Yellowstone National Park, WY). Sequences were analyzed using the ecotype simulation (ES) and AdaptML algorithms to identify putative ecotypes. Between 4 and 14 times more putative ecotypes were predicted from variation in protein-encoding locus sequences than from variation in 16S rRNA and 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer sequences. The number of putative ecotypes predicted depended on the number of sequences sampled and the molecular resolution of the locus. Chao estimates of diversity indicated that few rare ecotypes were missed. Many ecotypes hypothesized by sequence analyses were different in their habitat specificities, suggesting different adaptations to temperature or other parameters that vary along the flow channel. PMID:21169433

Ponderosa pine progenies: differential response to ultramafic and granitic soils

Treesearch

James L. Jenkinson

1974-01-01

Progenies of nine ponderosa pines native to one granitic and several ultramafic soils in the northern Sierra Nevada were grown on both soil types in a greenhouse. The progenies differed markedly in first-year growth on infertile ultramafic soils, but not on a fertile granitic soil. Growth differences between progenies were primarily related to differences in calcium...

Geophysical delineation of Mg-rich ultramafic rocks for mineral carbon sequestration

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCafferty, Anne E.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Krevor, Sam C.; Graves, Chris R.

2009-01-01

This presentation covers three general topics: (1) description of a new geologic compilation of the United States that shows the location of magnesium-rich ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States; (2) conceptual illustration of the potential ways that ultramafic rocks could be used to sequester carbon dioxide; and (3) description of ways to use geophysical data to refine and extend the geologic mapping of ultramafic rocks and to better characterize their mineralogy.The geophysical focus of this research is twofold. First, we illustrate how airborne magnetic data can be used to map the shallow subsurface geometry of ultramafic rocks for the purpose of estimating the volume of rock material available for mineral CO2 sequestration. Secondly, we explore, on a regional to outcrop scale, how magnetic mineralogy, as expressed in magnetic anomalies, may vary with magnesium minerals, which are the primary minerals of interest for CO2 sequestration. 

Sulfur geochemistry of hydrothermal waters in Yellowstone National Park: I. The origin of thiosulfate in hot spring waters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xu, Y.; Schoonen, M.A.A.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Cunningham, K.M.; Ball, J.W.

1998-01-01

Thiosulfate (S2O2-3), polythionate (SxO2-6), dissolved sulfide (H2S), and sulfate (SO2-4) concentrations in thirty-nine alkaline and acidic springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) were determined. The analyses were conducted on site, using ion chromatography for thiosulfate, polythionate, and sulfate, and using colorimetry for dissolved sulfide. Thiosulfate was detected at concentrations typically less than 2 ??mol/L in neutral and alkaline chloride springs with low sulfate concentrations (C1-/SO2-4 > 25). The thiosulfate concentration levels are about one to two orders of magnitude lower than the concentration of dissolved sulfide in these springs. In most acid sulfate and acid sulfate-chloride springs (Cl-/SO2-4 < 10), thiosulfate concentrations were also typically lower than 2 ??mol/L. However, in some chloride springs enriched with sulfate (Cl-/SO2-4 between 10 to 25), thiosulfate was found at concentrations ranging from 9 to 95 ??mol/L, higher than the concentrations of dissolved sulfide in these waters. Polythionate was detected only in Cinder Pool, Norris Geyser basin, at concentrations up to 8 ??mol/L, with an average S-chain-length from 4.1 to 4.9 sulfur atoms. The results indicate that no thiosulfate occurs in the deeper parts of the hydrothermal system. Thiosulfate may form, however, from (1) hydrolysis of native sulfur by hydrothermal solutions in the shallower parts (<50 m) of the system, (2) oxidation of dissolved sulfide upon mixing of a deep hydrothermal water with aerated shallow groundwater, and (3) the oxidation of dissolved sulfide by dissolved oxygen upon discharge of the hot spring. Upon discharge of a sulfide-containing hydrothermal water, oxidation proceeds rapidly as atmospheric oxygen enters the water. The transfer of oxygen is particularly effective if the hydrothermal discharge is turbulent and has a large surface area.

Presentations - Lande, Lauren and others, 2015 | Alaska Division of

Science.gov Websites

Details Title: A petrological model for emplacement of the ultramafic Ni-Cu-PGE Alpha complex, eastern , Newberry, R.J., and Twelker, Evan, 2015, A petrological model for emplacement of the ultramafic Ni-Cu-PGE Sheets Maps & Other Oversized Sheets Sheet 1 A petrological model for emplacement of the ultramafic

Rock- and Paleomagnetic Properties and Modeling of a Deep Crustal Volcanic System, the Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex, Seiland Igneous Province, Northern Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ter Maat, G. W.; Pastore, Z.; Michels, A.; Church, N. S.; McEnroe, S. A.; Larsen, R. B.

2017-12-01

The Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex is part of the 5000 km2 Seiland Igneous Province (SIP) in Northern Norway. The SIP is argued to be the deep-seated conduit system of a Large Igneous Province and was emplaced at 25-35 km depth in less than 10 Ma (570-560 Ma). The Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex was emplaced during three major successive events at 22-28km depth at pressures of 6-8kb, with associated temperatures 1450-1500°C (Roberts, 2006). The rocks are divided into three formations: the central series (CS) consisting of mainly dunites, upper layered series (ULS) consisting of dunites and wehrlites, a lower layered series (LLS) containing most pyroxene-rich rocks and a marginal zone (MZ) which formed where the ultramafic melts intruded the gabbro-norite and metasedimentary gneisses. Deep exposures such as the Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex are rare, therefore this study gives a unique insight in the rock magnetic properties of a deep ultramafic system. Localised serpentinised zones provide an opportunity to observe the effect of this alteration process on the magnetic properties of deep-seated rocks. Here, we present the results from the rock magnetic properties, a paleomagnetic study and combined potential-fields modeling. The study of the rock magnetic properties provides insight in primary processes associated with the intrusion, and later serpentinization. The paleomagnetic data yields two distinct directions. One direction corresponds to a Laurentia pole at ≈ 532 Ma while the other, though younger, is not yet fully understood. Rock magnetic properties were measured on > 700 specimens and used to constrain the modelling of gravity, high-resolution helicopter, and ground magnetic data. The intrusion is modelled as a cylindrically shaped complex with a dunite core surrounded by wehrlite and gabbro. The ultramafic part of the complex dips to the NE and its maximum vertical extent is modelled to 1400m. Furthermore, modelling allows estimation of relative volumes of ultramafic and mafic rocks below the surface. By integrating different methods this study contributes to the understanding of the magnetization of deep ultramafic rocks in the lithosphere, and to the refinement of the geological interpretation of the Reinfjord ultramafic intrusion.

Orogenic potassic mafic magmatism, a product of alkaline-peraluminous mixing ? Variscan 'calc-alkaline' rocks from the Central Iberian and Ossa Morena Zones, Central Spain.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scarrow, Jane H.; Cambeses, Aitor; Bea, Fernando; Montero, Pilar; Molina, José F.; Moreno, Juan Antonio

2013-04-01

Orogenic magmatic rocks provide information about mantle and crust melt-generation and -interaction processes. In this context, minor potassic mafic stocks which are formed of enriched mantle and crustal components and are common as late-orogenic intrusions in granitic plutons give insight into the timing of new crust formation and crustal recycling. Potassic mafic stocks are prevalent, albeit low volume, constituents of granite batholiths all through the European Variscan (350-280 Ma). In the Central Iberia Zone, Spanish Central System, crustal-melt, S-type, granitoid plutons are intruded by minor concomitant ultramafic-intermediate appinitic-vaugneritic stocks. Notwithstanding their whole-rock calc-alkaline composition, the stocks apparently did not have a subduction-related origin. Recent studies have attributed their genesis to mixing of alkaline mantle and peraluminous crustal melts. Their primary alkaline character, as indicated by amphibole and biotite mineral chemistry data, points, rather, towards an extension-related genesis. In the Ossa Morena Zone, south of the Central Iberian Zone, the igneous rocks also have a whole-rock calc-alkaline composition which has been considered to be the result of northward subduction of the South Portuguese Zone. Nevertheless, identification of a 'sill' of significant volume of mafic magma in the middle crust, the ´IBERSEIS reflective body', in a seismic profile across the Ossa Morena and South Portuguese Zones has cast doubt upon the calc-alkaline magmatism-subduction model; leading, instead, to the magmatism being attributed to intra-orogenic extension related to a mantle plume active from 340 Ma to 330 Ma. The aim here, then, is to reinvestigate the petrogenesis and age of the calc-alkaline rocks of the Ossa Morena Zone to determine their tectonomagmatic context be it subduction-, plume- or extension-related, and establish what they may reveal about mantle-crust interactions. Focussing, initially, on the Valencia del Ventoso pluton, preliminary mineral chemistry, whole-rock and isotope data indicate that rather than a single-stage cogenetic calc-alkaline intrusion, the pluton is a multi-stage composite of compositionally diverse stocks. Including the metaluminous calc-alkaline Medina de las Torres gabbro and Cortijo del Pozuelo granite to the concentrically zone alkaline core though to calk-alkaline border of the main pluton. In addition, an associated older peraluminous La Jineta granite body and younger cross-cutting tholeiitic dykes crop out in the same region. Here we present new U-Pb single zircon IBERSIMS SHRIMP data which indicate that the compositionally diverse main pluton and associated stocks are contemporaneous at 334 ± 2 Ma. So, rather than reflecting reactivation of a zone of lithospheric weakness by successive magmatic events it appears that at Valencia del Ventoso diverse mantle and crustal sources were being tapped simultaneously. We suggest that this is linked to the generation of and thermal anomaly associated with the coeval ´IBERSEIS reflective body'. The question is, then, if other 'calc-alkaline' plutons have similar compositional, and so, possible tectonomagmatic complexity. To test this hypothesis studies are currently underway of the Ossa Morena Zone Burguillos del Cerro and Brovales plutons.

Numerical quantification of habitability in serpentinizing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Som, S.; Alperin, M. J.; Hoehler, T. M.

2012-12-01

The likely presence of liquid water in contact with olivine-bearing rocks on Mars, the detection of serpentine minerals and of methane emissions possibly consistent with serpentinization, and the observation of serpentine-associated methane-cycling communities on Earth have all led to excitement over the potential of such systems to host life on Mars, even into the present day. However, the habitability of subsurface serpentinizing systems on Mars does not necessarily follow from these qualitative observations. In particular, while the production of H2 during serpentinization could provide methanogens with a needed substrate, the alkaline conditions and corresponding potential for carbon limitation that arise in concert are negatives against which H2 supply must be balanced. We considered this balance via a coupled geochemical-bioenergetic model that weighs the outputs of serpentinization against the metabolic requirements of methanogenesis, in an energetic frame of reference. Serpentinization is modeled using the "Geochemist's Workbench" (GWB) whereby ultramafic harzburgite rocks are reacted with oxygen and sulfate depleted seawater. Reaction kinetics are not explicitly considered, but comparable effects of partial reaction are approximated by assuming post-reaction dilution of equilibrated fluids. The output of GWB serves as the input to the bioenergetic model, which calculates methanogenic energy yields based on spherically-symmetrical diffusion of substrates to a cell followed by reaction at the diffusion-limited rate. Membrane selectivity for substrate transport is explicitly considered. Results will be report updates for two scenarios: (i) High temperature serpentinization followed by cooling and transport of equilibrated fluid to a lower temperature regime accessible to biology; (ii) Serpentinization within the biologically-tolerated range of temperatures. Such coupled models demonstrate that environmental variability with respect to both water-rock reaction, temperature, and biologically-mediated methanogenesis drive orders of magnitude variability in the energy available in methanogenic metabolism.

Sources of organic nitrogen at the serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field.

PubMed

Lang, S Q; Früh-Green, G L; Bernasconi, S M; Butterfield, D A

2013-03-01

The reaction of ultramafic rocks with water during serpentinization at moderate temperatures results in alkaline fluids with high concentrations of reduced chemical compounds such as hydrogen and methane. Such environments provide unique habitats for microbial communities capable of utilizing these reduced compounds in present-day and, possibly, early Earth environments. However, these systems present challenges to microbial communities as well, particularly due to high fluid pH and possibly the availability of essential nutrients such as nitrogen. Here we investigate the source and cycling of organic nitrogen at an oceanic serpentinizing environment, the Lost City hydrothermal field (30°N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge). Total hydrolizable amino acid (THAA) concentrations in the fluids range from 736 to 2300 nm and constitute a large fraction of the dissolved organic carbon (2.5-15.1%). The amino acid distributions, and the relative concentrations of these compounds across the hydrothermal field, indicate they most likely derived from chemolithoautotrophic production. Previous studies have identified the presence of numerous nitrogen fixation genes in the fluids and the chimneys. Organic nitrogen in actively venting chimneys has δ(15) N values as low as 0.1‰ which is compatible with biological nitrogen fixation. Total hydrolizable amino acids in the chimneys are enriched in (13) C by 2-7‰ compared to bulk organic matter. The distribution and absolute δ(13) C(THAA) values are compatible with a chemolithoautotrophic source, an attribution also supported by molar organic C/N ratios in most active chimneys (4.1-5.5) which are similar to those expected for microbial communities. In total, these data indicate nitrogen is readily available to microbial communities at Lost City. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Geochemistry of ultramafic xenoliths from Kapfenstein, Austria: evidence for a variety of upper mantle processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurat, G.; Palme, H.; Spettel, B.; Baddenhausen, Hildegard; Hofmeister, H.; Palme, Christl; Wänke, H.

1980-01-01

Major, minor, and trace element contents have been determined in seven ultramafic xenoliths, the host basanite, and some mineral separates from xenoliths from Kapfenstein, Austria. Most of the xenoliths represent residues after extraction of different amounts of basaltic liquid. Within the sequence Iherzolite to harzburgite contents of Al, Ca, Ti, Na, Sc, V, Cr and the HREE decrease systematically with increasing Mg/Fe and decreasing Yb/Sc. Although all samples are depleted in highly incompatible elements, the less depleted end of our suite very closely approaches the chondritic Yb/Sc ratio and consequently the primitive upper mantle composition. Chromium behaved as a non-refractory element. Consequently it should have higher abundances in basalts than observed, suggesting that most basalts experienced Cr fractionation by chromite separation during ascent. Several processes have been active in addition to partial melting within the upper mantle beneath Kapfenstein: (1) a hornblendite has been identified as wet alkali-basaltic mobilisate; (2) an amphibole Iherzolite is the product of alkali-basalt metasomatism of a common depleted Iherzolite; (3) two amphibole Iherzolites contain evidence for rather pure water metasomatism of normal depleted Iherzolites; (4) a garnet-spinel websterite was a tholeiitic liquid trapped within the upper mantle and which suffered a subsequent partial melting event (partial remobilization of a mobilisate). (5) Abundances of highly incompatible elements are generally very irregular, indicating contamination of upper mantle rocks by percolating liquids (in the mantle). Weathering is an important source of contamination: e.g. U mobilization by percolating groundwater. Contamination of the xenoliths by the host basanite liquid can only amount to approximately 5.5 × 10 -4 parts. Distributions of minor and trace elements between different minerals apparently reflect equilibrium and vary with equilibration temperature.

Mineralogical and geochemical evidence for hydrothermal activity at the west wall of 12°50′N core complex (Mid-Atlantic ridge): a new ultramafic-hosted seafloor hydrothermal deposit?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dekov, Vesselin; Boycheva, Tanya; Halenius, Ulf; Billstrom, Kjell; Kamenov, George D.; Shanks, Wayne C.; Stummeyer, Jens

2011-01-01

Dredging along the west wall of the core complex at 12°50′N Mid-Atlantic Ridge sampled a number of black oxyhydroxide crusts and breccias cemented by black and dark brown oxyhydroxide matrix. Black crusts found on top of basalt clasts (rubble) are mainly composed of Mn-oxides (birnessite, 10-Å manganates) with thin films of nontronite and X-ray amorphous FeOOH on their surfaces. Their chemical composition (low trace- and rare earth-element contents, high Li and Ag concentrations, rare earth element distribution patterns with negative both Ce and Eu anomalies), Sr–Nd–Pb-isotope systematic and O-isotope data suggest low-temperature (~ 20 °C) hydrothermal deposition from a diffuse vent area on the seafloor. Mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical investigations of the breccias showed the rock clasts were hydrothermally altered fragments of MORBs. Despite the substantial mineralogical changes caused by the alteration the Sr–Nd–Pb-isotope ratios have not been significantly affected by this process. The basalt clasts are cemented by dark brown and black matrix. Dark brown cement exhibits geochemical features (very low trace- and rare earth- element contents, high U concentration, rare earth element distribution pattern with high positive Eu anomaly) and Nd–Pb-isotope systematics (similar to that of MORB) suggesting that the precursor was a primary, high-temperature Fe-sulfide, which was eventually altered to goethite at ambient seawater conditions. The data presented in this work points towards the possible existence of high- and low-temperature hydrothermal activity at the west wall of the core complex at 12°50′N Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Tectonic setting at the site implies that the proposed hydrothermal field is possibly ultramafic-hosted.

Diverse styles of submarine venting on the ultraslow spreading Mid-Cayman Rise

PubMed Central

German, C. R.; Bowen, A.; Coleman, M. L.; Honig, D. L.; Huber, J. A.; Jakuba, M. V.; Kinsey, J. C.; Kurz, M. D.; Leroy, S.; McDermott, J. M.; de Lépinay, B. Mercier; Nakamura, K.; Seewald, J. S.; Smith, J. L.; Sylva, S. P.; Van Dover, C. L.; Whitcomb, L. L.; Yoerger, D. R.

2010-01-01

Thirty years after the first discovery of high-temperature submarine venting, the vast majority of the global mid-ocean ridge remains unexplored for hydrothermal activity. Of particular interest are the world’s ultraslow spreading ridges that were the last to be demonstrated to host high-temperature venting but may host systems particularly relevant to prebiotic chemistry and the origins of life. Here we report evidence for previously unknown, diverse, and very deep hydrothermal vents along the ∼110 km long, ultraslow spreading Mid-Cayman Rise (MCR). Our data indicate that the MCR hosts at least three discrete hydrothermal sites, each representing a different type of water-rock interaction, including both mafic and ultramafic systems and, at ∼5,000 m, the deepest known hydrothermal vent. Although submarine hydrothermal circulation, in which seawater percolates through and reacts with host lithologies, occurs on all mid-ocean ridges, the diversity of vent types identified here and their relative geographic isolation make the MCR unique in the oceans. These new sites offer prospects for an expanded range of vent-fluid compositions, varieties of abiotic organic chemical synthesis and extremophile microorganisms, and unparalleled faunal biodiversity—all in close proximity. PMID:20660317

Lower continental crust formation through focused flow in km-scale melt conduits: The zoned ultramafic bodies of the Chilas Complex in the Kohistan island arc (NW Pakistan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jagoutz, O.; Müntener, O.; Burg, J.-P.; Ulmer, P.; Jagoutz, E.

2006-02-01

Whole-rock and Sm-Nd isotopic data of the main units of the Chilas zoned ultramafic bodies (Kohistan paleo-island arc, NW Pakistan) indicate that ultramafic rocks and gabbronorite sequences stem from a common magma. However, field observations rule out formation of both ultramafic and mafic sequences in terms of gravitational crystal settling in a large magma chamber. Contacts between ultramafic and gabbronorite sequences show emplacement of the dunitic bodies into a semi-consolidated gabbronoritic crystal-mush, which in turn has intruded and reacted with the ultramafic rocks to produce concentric zoning. Field and petrological observations indicate a replacive origin of the dunite. Bulk Mg#'s of dunitic rocks range from 0.87-0.81 indicating that the dunite-forming melt underwent substantial fractionation-differentiation and that percolative fractional crystallization probably generated the dunitic core. The REE chemistry of clinopyroxene in primitive dunite samples and the Nd isotopic composition of ultramafic rocks are in equilibrium with the surrounding gabbronorite. Accordingly, liquids that formed the dunitic rocks and later the mafic sequence derived from a similar depleted source ( ɛNd˜4.8). We propose a mechanism for the comagmatic emplacement, where km-scale ultramafic bodies represent continuous channels reaching down into the upper mantle. The melt-filled porosity in these melt channels diminishes the mean-depth-integrated density difference to the surrounding rocks. Due to buoyancy forces, melt channels raise into the overlying crustal sequence. In the light of such processes, the ultramafic bodies are interpreted as melt channels through which the Chilas gabbronorite sequence was fed. The estimated basaltic-andesitic, low Mg# (˜0.53) bulk composition of the Chilas gabbronorite sequence closely matches estimates of lower crustal compositions. Since the mafic sequence originated from a primary, high Mg# (> 0.7) basaltic arc magma, differentiation of such high Mg# magmas within km-scale isolated melt conduits may explain the "Mg#-gap" between bulk estimates of the continental crust and primary basaltic magmas, a major paradox in the andesite model of crust formation.

SNS Resonance Control Cooling Systems and Quadrupole Magnet Cooling Systems DIW Chemistry

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

Magda, Karoly

This report focuses on control of the water chemistry for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Resonance Control Cooling System (RCCS)/Quadrupole Magnet Cooling System (QMCS) deionized water (DIW) cooling loops. Data collected from spring 2013 through spring 2016 are discussed, and an operations regime is recommended.It was found that the RCCS operates with an average pH of 7.24 for all lines (from 7.0 to 7.5, slightly alkaline), the average low dissolved oxygen is in the area of < 36 ppb, and the main loop average resistivity of is > 14 MΩ-cm. The QMCS was found to be operating in a similarmore » regime, with a slightly alkaline pH of 7.5 , low dissolved oxygen in the area of < 45 ppb, and main loop resistivity of 10 to 15 MΩ-cm. During data reading, operational corrections were done on the polishing loops to improve the water chemistry regime. Therefore some trends changed over time.It is recommended that the cooling loops operate in a regime in which the water has a resistivity that is as high as achievable, a dissolved oxygen concentration that is as low as achievable, and a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.« less

Chemical, isotopic, and gas compositions of selected thermal springs in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mariner, R.H.; Presser, T.S.; Evans, William C.

1977-01-01

Twenty-seven thermal springs in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah were sampled for detailed chemical and isotopic analysis. The springs issue sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, or sodium mixed-anion waters of near neutral (6.2) to alkaline (9.2) pH. High concentrations of fluoride, more than 8 milligrams per liter, occur in Arizona in waters from Gillard Hot Springs, Castle Hot Springs, and the unnamed spring of Eagle Creek, and in New Mexico from springs along the Gila River. Deuterium compositions of the thermal waters cover the same range as those expected for meteoric waters in the respective areas. The chemical compositions of the thermal waters indicate that Thermo Hot Springs in Utah and Gillard Hot Springs in Arizona represent hydrothermal systems which are at temperatures higher than 125 deg C. Estimates of subsurface temperature based on the quartz and Na-K-Ca geothermometer differ by up to 60 deg C for Monroe, Joseph, Red Hill, and Crater hot springs in Utah. Similar conflicting estimates of aquifer temperature occur for Verde Hot Springs, the springs near Clifton and Coolidge Dam, in Arizona; and the warm springs near San Ysidro, Radium Hot Springs, and San Francisco Hot Springs, in New Mexico. Such disparities could result from mixing, precipitation of calcium carbonate, or perhaps appreciable concentrations of magnesium. (Woodard-USGS)

Application of mineral-solution equilibria to geochemical exploration for sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in two basins in west central Utah.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, W.R.; Wanty, R.B.; McHugh, J.B.

1984-01-01

This study applies mineral-solution equilibrium methods to the interpretation of ground-water chemistry in evaluating the uranium potential of the Beaver and Milford basins in west central Utah. Waters were collected mainly from wells and springs at 100 sites in limited areas in the basins, and in part from mixed sources. The waters were analysed for T, pH, alkalinity, specific conductance, SO4, Cl, F, NO3, Ca, Mg, Na, K, SiO2, Zn, Cu, Mo, As, U, V, Se, Li, Fe, Mn, and Al on different fractions. A computer model (WATEQ3) was used to calculate the redox potential and the state of saturation of the waters with respect to uraninite, coffinite, realgar and arsenopyrite. Mineral saturation studies have reliably predicted the location of known (none given here) U deposits and are more diagnostic of these deposits than are concentrations of indicator elements (U, Mo, As, Se). Several areas in the basins have ground-water environments of reducing redox potential, favourable for precipitation of reduced U minerals, and some of these areas are saturated or near-saturated with respect to uraninite and coffinite. The approach shows only that the environment is favourable locally for precipitation of reduced U minerals, but thereby locates exploration targets for (modern?) sandstone-hosted U deposits.-G.J.N.

Metagenomics of an Alkaline Hot Spring in Galicia (Spain): Microbial Diversity Analysis and Screening for Novel Lipolytic Enzymes.

PubMed

López-López, Olalla; Knapik, Kamila; Cerdán, Maria-Esperanza; González-Siso, María-Isabel

2015-01-01

A fosmid library was constructed with the metagenomic DNA from the water of the Lobios hot spring (76°C, pH = 8.2) located in Ourense (Spain). Metagenomic sequencing of the fosmid library allowed the assembly of 9722 contigs ranging in size from 500 to 56,677 bp and spanning ~18 Mbp. 23,207 ORFs (Open Reading Frames) were predicted from the assembly. Biodiversity was explored by taxonomic classification and it revealed that bacteria were predominant, while the archaea were less abundant. The six most abundant bacterial phyla were Deinococcus-Thermus, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Aquificae, and Chloroflexi. Within the archaeal superkingdom, the phylum Thaumarchaeota was predominant with the dominant species "Candidatus Caldiarchaeum subterraneum." Functional classification revealed the genes associated to one-carbon metabolism as the most abundant. Both taxonomic and functional classifications showed a mixture of different microbial metabolic patterns: aerobic and anaerobic, chemoorganotrophic and chemolithotrophic, autotrophic and heterotrophic. Remarkably, the presence of genes encoding enzymes with potential biotechnological interest, such as xylanases, galactosidases, proteases, and lipases, was also revealed in the metagenomic library. Functional screening of this library was subsequently done looking for genes encoding lipolytic enzymes. Six genes conferring lipolytic activity were identified and one was cloned and characterized. This gene was named LOB4Est and it was expressed in a yeast mesophilic host. LOB4Est codes for a novel esterase of family VIII, with sequence similarity to β-lactamases, but with unusual wide substrate specificity. When the enzyme was purified from the mesophilic host it showed half-life of 1 h and 43 min at 50°C, and maximal activity at 40°C and pH 7.5 with p-nitrophenyl-laurate as substrate. Interestingly, the enzyme retained more than 80% of maximal activity in a broad range of pH from 6.5 to 8.

Mineralogy of Surface Serpentinite Outcrops in the Coast Range Ophiolite: Implications for the Deep Biosphere and Astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mccann, A. R.; Cardace, D.; Carnevale, D.; Ehlmann, B. L.

2011-12-01

California contains a number of ultramafic (Fe- and Mg rich) rock bodies, including the Coast Range Ophiolite, a block of oceanic crust and upper mantle tectonically emplaced onto land. These ultramafic rocks are primarily composed of olivine and pyroxene, both of which are stable at the high temperatures and pressures in the deep subsurface where they crystallize but become unstable at low temperature and low pressure conditions near the surface. They are highly reduced rocks, creating chemical disequilibria, which can theoretically provide energy to chemoautotrophic organisms. Serpentinization (serpentine-forming) reactions between the rocks and water produce hydrogen molecules, which can be metabolized by diverse organisms. Earth and Mars have shown evidence of similar early geologic histories, possibly with widespread reducing habitable environments (Schulte et al., 2006). Recent data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) have shown serpentine-bearing outcrops near Nili Fossae (21 N, 282 W) and elsewhere in Mars' cratered highlands. Serpentine-bearing outcrops are rare, but their presence confirms that such systems involving the aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks were active in the past (specifically during the Noachian epoch (older than ~3.7 billion years), possibly producing aqueous habitats suitable for chemoautotrophic life (Ehlmann et al., 2010). Remotely sensed data cannot confirm whether there is active serpentinization on Mars, however exposed, presently serpentinizing ultramafics in terrestrial ophiolites such as those of the California Coast Range provide points of comparison for similar Martian rocks. Volume expansion during serpentinization fractures the host rock, exposing new reaction surfaces, allowing further serpentinization. If subsurface liquid water is present on Mars, serpentinization may still be occurring. We will provide x-ray diffraction and petrographic data for surface serpentinites from the Coast Range Ophiolite, along with aerial-view maps, which will be compared with imagery and data for recently confirmed serpentinite exposures in the Nili Fossae region of the Martian surface. A summary table of terrestrial microbes (and their metabolisms) detected in serpentinite groundwaters will be provided, to add specificity to candidate subterranean life forms on Mars, be they active presently or in the planet's history. Ehlmann et al. 2010. GRL 37:1-5 Schulte et al. 2006. Astrobiology 6(2):364-376

The Ni-Cu-PGE mineralized Brejo Seco mafic-ultramafic layered intrusion, Riacho do Pontal Orogen: Onset of Tonian (ca. 900 Ma) continental rifting in Northeast Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salgado, Silas Santos; Ferreira Filho, Cesar Fonseca; Caxito, Fabrício de Andrade; Uhlein, Alexandre; Dantas, Elton Luiz; Stevenson, Ross

2016-10-01

The Brejo Seco mafic-ultramafic Complex (BSC) occurs at the extreme northwest of the Riacho do Pontal Orogen Internal Zone, in the northern margin of the São Francisco Craton in Northeast Brazil. The stratigraphy of this medium size (3.5 km wide and 9 km long) layered intrusion consists of four main zones, from bottom to top: Lower Mafic Zone (LMZ; mainly troctolite), Ultramafic Zone (UZ; mainly dunite and minor troctolite); Transitional Mafic Zone (TMZ; mainly troctolite) and an Upper Mafic Zone (UMZ; gabbro and minor anorthosite, troctolite, and ilmenite magnetitite). Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization occurs at the contact of the UZ with the TMZ, consisting of an up to 50 m thick stratabound zone of disseminated magmatic sulfides. An Mg-tholeiitic affinity to the parental magma is indicated by the geochemical fractionation pattern, by the magmatic crystallization sequence and by the elevated Fo content in olivine. A Smsbnd Nd isochron yielded an age of 903 ± 20 Ma, interpreted as the age of crystallization, with initial εNd = 0.8. Evidence of interaction of the BSC parental magma with sialic crust is given by the Rare Earth and trace element patterns, and by slightly negative and overall low values of εNd(900 Ma) in between -0.2 and +3.3. Contrary to early interpretations that it might constitute an ophiolite complex, based mainly on the geochemistry of the host rocks (Morro Branco metavolcanosedimentary complex), here we interpret the BSC as a typical layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion in continental crust, related to an extensional regime. The BSC is chrono-correlated to mafic dyke swarms, anorogenic granites and thick bimodal volcanics of similar age and tectonic setting in the São Francisco Craton and surrounding areas. Intrusion of the BSC was followed by continued lithospheric thinning, which led to the development of the Paulistana Complex continental rift volcanics around 888 Ma and ultimately to plate separation and the generation of new oceanic crust (Monte Orebe Complex) around 820-650 Ma ago. Thus, the BSC provides a benchmark for the onset of Tonian continental rifting in this area, and is an important marker for the processes of Rodinia breakup and dispersion recorded in South America.

Microbiology of Ultrabasic Groundwaters of the Coast Range Ophiolite, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrenk, M. O.; Brazelton, W. J.; Twing, K. I.; Kubo, M.; Cardace, D.; Hoehler, T. M.; McCollom, T. M.

2013-12-01

Upon exposure to water, ultramafic rocks characteristic of the Earth's mantle undergo a process known as serpentinization. These water-rock reactions lead to highly reducing conditions and some of the highest pH values reported in nature. In contrast to alkaline soda lakes, actively serpentinizing environments exposed on land are commonly associated with low salinity freshwaters, imparting unique challenges upon their resident microbial communities. These environments are especially prevalent along continental margins, and cover extensive portions of the west coast of North America. Most studies of serpentinizing environments have focused upon springs that emanate from fractures in the subsurface. Here, we present microbiological data from a series of groundwater wells associated with active serpentinization in the California Coast Range, an ophiolite complex near Lower Lake, California. Waters from ultrabasic wells had lower microbial cell concentrations and diversity than were found in moderate pH wells in the same area. Bacteria consistently made up a higher proportion of the microbial communities compared to Archaea as determined by qPCR. High pH wells were dominated by taxa within the Betaproteobacteria and Clostridia, whereas moderate pH wells predominantly contained common soil taxa related to Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli. Multivariate statistical analyses incorporating key environmental parameters supported these observations and also highlighted correlations between the high-pH taxa and the abundance of hydrogen and methane gas. Similarly, colony forming units of alkaliphilic microorganisms were consistently 1-2 orders of magnitude higher in the ultrabasic wells and were taxonomically distinct from the moderate pH groundwaters. Together, these results show that distinct populations inhabit subsurface environments associated with active serpentinization, consistent with previous observations, and suggest that Betaproteobacteria and Clostridia probably play significant roles in the microbiology of these ecosystems. The low diversity microbial communities of serpentinizing subsurface habitats are likely sustained by the high hydrogen and methane fluxes that emanate from such systems and further investigations will directly test their roles in mediating biogeochemical cycles in these environments.

Systematic variations in sinter mineralogy, microtexture and diagenesis in modern siliceous hot springs: Clues for interpreting depositional conditions in ancient deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, V. W.; Farmer, J. D.; Ruff, S. W.; Nunez, J.; Jahnke, L. L.

2011-12-01

The deposits of siliceous hydrothermal springs are known to capture and preserve a wide range of microbial fossil information. The recent discovery of hydrothermal silica at Home Plate, Columbia Hills, Mars has once again raised interest in the potential importance of ancient spring sinters as targets for future astrobiological mission to Mars. To create additional context information to support future in situ missions to Mars, we have documented systematic changes in the mineralogy and microtexture of modern siliceous hot spring deposits, observed along gradients in temperature, pH and flow velocity. Specific objectives are to: 1) identify chemical and physical factors that promote early diagenetic transformations of amorphous silica (opal-A), to progressively more ordered and crystalline phases (cristobalite, tridymite and quartz); 2) determine the composition and abundance of minor mineral phases, especially clays, in relationship to pH, temperature and paragenesis; and 3) to assess the usefulness of sinter mineralogy and microtexture in reconstructing the paleoenvironmental records preserved in ancient deposits. Study sites for acidic (pH 2-5) sinters included Nymph Creek, located in the Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Active alkaline (pH 7-10) springs included Rabbit Creek, Steep Cone and Mound Spring located in the Lower Geyser Basin, YNP. Field measurements in active springs included pH, temperature and flow velocity, along with general microfacies assignments. To better constrain types and rates of silica diagenesis, the study also sampled older (Holocene-Pleistocene-aged) deposits. Laboratory analyses included X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), thermal infrared spectroscopy (TIR) and thin section petrography for characterizing sinter microtextures and for placing mineral phases (identified by XRPD and TIR) into a time-ordered diagenetic framework. In analyzing the phyllosilicates present in sinters, we applied clay separation and glycolization methods, with XRPD. Results indicate that all of the acidic sinters we studied showed more extensive early diagenetic ordering of silica phases (opal-A to cristobalite and quartz) than the comparable microfacies of alkaline-neutral sinters. Clay analyses showed no evidence for smectitic (expansive) clays, but kaolin family clays (dickite, kaolinite and halloysite) were present in both acidic and alkaline sinters. The microfacies distribution observed for clays suggests: 1) dickite being more abundant in higher temperature (near-vent) microfacies, 2) kaolinite dominating mid-temperature outflow channels, slope and upper distal apron microfacies, and 3) halloysite being restricted to lower distal apron-marsh microfacies transitions. Future work will expand clay analyses to apply near-IR spectroscopy to a broader range of samples to assess the consistency with patterns suggested from XRPD.

OPTIMIZATION OF ALKALINE Α-AMYLASE PRODUCTION BY THERMOPHILIC BACILL US SUBTILIS.

PubMed

Al-Johani, Nuha Bakeet; Al-Seeni, Madeha N; Ahmed, Youssri Mohamed

2017-01-01

Starch-degrading amylase enzyme is important in biotechnological applications as food, fermentation, textile, paper and pharmaceutical purposes. The aim of current study to isolate alkaline thermostable α-amylase bacteria and then study the composition of medium and culture conditions to optimize cells growth and a-amylase production. Thermophilic amylase producing bacterium was isolated from local hot water-springs in Gazan city Saudi Arabia. Phylogenetic analysis of 16 S rRNA sequence for the strain revealed that the strain have the same sequence of Bacillus subtilis . Maximum amylase production was observed, when B. subtilis cultured in medium containing starch at concentration 0.5%, and 10 g/L peptones as nitrogen source at pH 8.5 in when it was incubated for 48 h at 45°C. An amylase-producing bacterium were isolated from hot-spring water and was identified as B. subtilis . Amylase produced from B.subtilis had optimum temperature 45°C and pH 8.5 in shaking media.

Diversity of thermophilic fungi in Tengchong Rehai National Park revealed by ITS nucleotide sequence analyses.

PubMed

Pan, Wen-Zheng; Huang, Xiao-Wei; Wei, Kang-Bi; Zhang, Chun-Mei; Yang, Dong-Mei; Ding, Jun-Mei; Zhang, Ke-Qin

2010-04-01

The geothermal sites near neutral and alkalescent thermal springs in Tengchong Rehai National Park were examined through cultivation-dependent approach to determine the diversity of thermophilic fungi in these environments. Here, we collected soils samples in this area, plated on agar media conducive for fungal growth, obtained pure cultures, and then employed the method of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing combined with morphological analysis for identification of thermophilic fungi to the species level. In total, 102 strains were isolated and identified as Rhizomucor miehei, Chaetomium sp., Talaromyces thermophilus, Talaromyces byssochlamydoides, Thermoascus aurantiacus Miehe var. levisporus, Thermomyces lanuginosus, Scytalidium thermophilum, Malbranchea flava, Myceliophthora sp. 1, Myceliophthora sp. 2, Myceliophthora sp. 3, and Coprinopsis sp. Two species, T. lanuginosus and S. thermophilum were the dominant species, representing 34.78% and 28.26% of the sample, respectively. Our results indicated a greater diversity of thermophilic fungi in neutral and alkaline geothermal sites than acidic sites around hot springs reported in previous studies. Most of our strains thrived at alkaline growth conditions.

Comparative genomics provides evidence for the 3-hydroxypropionate autotrophic pathway in filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and in hot spring microbial mats.

PubMed

Klatt, Christian G; Bryant, Donald A; Ward, David M

2007-08-01

Stable carbon isotope signatures of diagnostic lipid biomarkers have suggested that Roseiflexus spp., the dominant filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria inhabiting microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs, may be capable of fixing bicarbonate via the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway, which has been characterized in their distant relative, Chloroflexus aurantiacus. The genomes of three filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic Chloroflexi isolates (Roseiflexus sp. RS-1, Roseiflexus castenholzii and Chloroflexus aggregans), but not that of a non-photosynthetic Chloroflexi isolate (Herpetosiphon aurantiacus), were found to contain open reading frames that show a high degree of sequence similarity to genes encoding enzymes in the C. aurantiacus pathway. Metagenomic DNA sequences from the microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs also contain homologues of these genes that are highly similar to genes in both Roseiflexus spp. and Chloroflexus spp. Thus, Roseiflexus spp. appear to have the genetic capacity for carbon dioxide reduction via the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway. This may contribute to heavier carbon isotopic signatures of the cell components of native Roseiflexus populations in mats compared with the signatures of cyanobacterial cell components, as a similar isotopic signature would be expected if Roseiflexus spp. were participating in photoheterotrophic uptake of cyanobacterial photosynthate produced by the reductive pentose phosphate cycle.

Stable isotope labeling confirms mixotrophic nature of streamer biofilm communities at alkaline hot springs.

PubMed

Schubotz, Florence; Hays, Lindsay E; Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Gillespie, Aimee; Shock, Everett L; Summons, Roger E

2015-01-01

Streamer biofilm communities (SBC) are often observed within chemosynthetic zones of Yellowstone hot spring outflow channels, where temperatures exceed those conducive to photosynthesis. Nearest the hydrothermal source (75-88°C) SBC comprise thermophilic Archaea and Bacteria, often mixed communities including Desulfurococcales and uncultured Crenarchaeota, as well as Aquificae and Thermus, each carrying diagnostic membrane lipid biomarkers. We tested the hypothesis that SBC can alternate their metabolism between autotrophy and heterotrophy depending on substrate availability. Feeding experiments were performed at two alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park: Octopus Spring and "Bison Pool," using various (13)C-labeled substrates (bicarbonate, formate, acetate, and glucose) to determine the relative uptake of these different carbon sources. Highest (13)C uptake, at both sites, was from acetate into almost all bacterial fatty acids, particularly into methyl-branched C15, C17 and C19 fatty acids that are diagnostic for Thermus/Meiothermus, and some Firmicutes as well as into universally common C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids. (13)C-glucose showed a similar, but a 10-30 times lower uptake across most fatty acids. (13)C-bicarbonate uptake, signifying the presence of autotrophic communities was only significant at "Bison Pool" and was observed predominantly in non-specific saturated C16, C18, C20, and C22 fatty acids. Incorporation of (13)C-formate occurred only at very low rates at "Bison Pool" and was almost undetectable at Octopus Spring, suggesting that formate is not an important carbon source for SBC. (13)C-uptake into archaeal lipids occurred predominantly with (13)C-acetate, suggesting also that archaeal communities at both springs have primarily heterotrophic carbon assimilation pathways. We hypothesize that these communities are energy-limited and predominantly nurtured by input of exogenous organic material, with only a small fraction being sustained by autotrophic growth.

A hydrological and geochemical analysis of chromium mobilization from serpentinized ultramafic rocks and serpentine soils at the McLaughlin Natural Reserve, Lake County, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClain, C.; Maher, K.; Fendorf, S.

2011-12-01

California recently adopted the nation's first Public Health Goal (PHG) for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in drinking water (0.02 μg/L) because recent studies show that Cr(VI) may be carcinogenic through ingestion. Approximately one third of drinking water sources in California tested for Cr(VI) have levels above 1 μg/L and thus may pose a risk to human health. Cr(VI) can enter drinking water directly from anthropogenic sources or from the release of Cr(III) in natural geogenic sources such as rocks, sediments and soils, and subsequent oxidation to Cr(VI) by manganese oxides. Ultramafic rocks and related soils and sediments have elevated Cr and Mn concentrations compared to other rock types. To study the release of Cr(VI) to water from geogenic sources we examined the local hydrology, groundwater, surface water, soils and sediment compositions within a serpentinized ultramafic terrain along Hunting Creek, a tributary to Putah Creek, at the McLaughlin Natural Reserve in the California Coast Ranges. The hydrology of the site is dominated by fracture flow: groundwater wells were screened in fractured serpentinite, and springs emanating from fractured serpentinite bedrock contribute to the baseflow of Hunting Creek. Soil profiles and bedrock were analyzed for major and trace elements by XRF to assess the fate of Cr during weathering and the distribution of manganese oxides. These factors, along with mineral surface areas, microbial activity, water content, and flow dynamics, collectively control the oxidation of Cr(III). The prevalence of Mg-HCO3 waters at this site indicates that waters are primarily interacting with serpentinites. Pyroxenes are slightly to highly undersaturated and amorphous silica is saturated. Smectite clays, chlorite, and hydromagnesite are supersaturated, indicating formation of secondary mineral phases is favorable and could lead to the inclusion of Cr(III). Total Cr concentrations in surface and groundwater vary from 0.1-26 μg/L and Cr(VI) concentrations vary from < 2.5-22 μg/L, where the highest concentrations were found in seeps emanating from fractured serpentinite and in tributaries to Hunting Creek. Aqueous Cr is mostly present as Cr(VI) (likely CrO42- and MgCrO4), which is consistent with the high pH (7.98-8.72). A reactive transport approach, constrained by solid and fluid data, was used to assess the geochemical transformations that occur along flow paths in order to evaluate the coupling between hydrologic and biogeochemical processes. Similar ultramafic rocks and terrains occur in belts along the Coast Range and the Foothills to the Sierra Nevada and in the Klamath Mountains. Creeks and rivers draining these ultramafic terrains have transported Cr-bearing sediments to the Central Valley, (and other densely populated sedimentary basins and alluvial plains) where they are now widely distributed both at the surface and buried underground, interlaced with aquifer materials. This study highlights the importance of using a holistic approach that considers multiple length scales to understand the factors that control Cr distribution and speciation in natural waters.

B, Sr and Pb isotope geochemistry of high-pressure Alpine metaperidotites monitors fluid-mediated element recycling during serpentinite dehydration in subduction mélange (Cima di Gagnone, Swiss Central Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannaò, E.; Agostini, S.; Scambelluri, M.; Tonarini, S.; Godard, M.

2015-08-01

Tectonic mixing of slab- and mantle-derived materials at the interface between converging plates highly enhances fluid-mediated mass transfer from the slab to the overlying mantle. Subduction mélanges can provide information about the interaction among different slices accreted at plate interface domains, with implications on the tectonic and geochemical evolution of the plate-interface itself. At Cima di Gagnone, pelitic schists and gneiss enclose chlorite harzburgite and garnet peridotite lenses, like in subduction mélanges located in-between downgoing slabs and overlying mantle. These peridotites host MORB-type eclogite and metarodingite, and derive from dehydration of serpentinized mantle protoliths. Their enrichment in fluid-mobile B, As, Sb, U, Th is the result of an early-stage oceanic serpentinization, followed by interaction with host metasediments during subduction burial. Here we define the element exchange process in the Gagnone mélange by means of the B, Sr and Pb isotope analysis of its main lithologies (ultramafic, mafic rocks and paragneiss). The 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios of ultramafic rocks (0.7090-0.7124 and 18.292-18.837, respectively) show enrichments in radiogenic Sr and Pb after exchange with the host paraschist (up to 0.7287 87Sr/86Sr; 18.751 206Pb/204Pb). The δ11B values of peridotites (down to -10‰) point to a combined effect of (1) 11B release to deserpentinization fluids (serpentinized protoliths likely had positive δ11B and lower radiogenic Sr, Pb), and of (2) exchange with fluids from the surrounding metasediments. The whole Gagnone rock-suite is finally overprinted by retrograde fluids that essentially bring to an increase in radiogenic Pb (about 19.0 206Pb/204Pb) and to values of 0.710 87Sr/86Sr and of -10‰ δ11B. The recognition of different stages of interaction between mantle rocks and sedimentary/crustal reservoirs allows us to define the geochemical effects related to the early coupling of such rocks along the plate-interface. Our study shows that ultramafic rocks involved in subduction-zone metamorphism and serpentinization uptake radiogenic Pb and Sr released by associated sedimentary reservoirs. The exchange process envisioned here is not only representative of subduction mélanges: it can also be a proxy of mass transfer between slab and serpentinized supra-subduction mantle, as occurs in forearcs. Dehydration of the Gagnone-type serpentinized mantle releases crust-derived components to arcs, without direct involvement of metasediment dehydration and/or melting in subarc environments. The retention of appreciable amounts of fluid-mobile elements, radiogenic Pb and Sr in dehydrated Gagnone peridotites has implications on element recycling in the deep Earth's mantle.

Asphaltene-bearing mantle xenoliths from Hyblean diatremes, Sicily

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scirè, Salvatore; Ciliberto, Enrico; Crisafulli, Carmelo; Scribano, Vittorio; Bellatreccia, Fabio; Ventura, Giancarlo Della

2011-08-01

Microscopic blebs of sulfur-bearing organic matter (OM) commonly occur between the secondary calcite grains and fibrous phyllosilicates in extensively serpentinized and carbonated mantle-derived ultramafic xenoliths from Hyblean nephelinite diatremes, Sicily, Italy. Rarely, coarse bituminous patches give the rock a blackish color. Micro Fourier transform infrared spectra (μ-FTIR) point to asphaltene-like structures in the OM, due to partially condensed aromatic rings with aliphatic tails consisting of a few C atoms. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicates the occurrence of minor S═O (either sulphonyl or sulphoxide) functional groups in the OM. Solubility tests in toluene, thermo-gravimetric (TGA) and differential thermal (DTA) analyses confirm the presence of asphaltene structures. It is proposed that asphaltenes derive from the in situ aromatization (with decrease in H/C ratio) of previous light aliphatic hydrocarbons. Field evidence excludes that hydrocarbon from an external source percolated through the xenolith bearing tuff-breccia. The discriminating presence of hydrocarbon in a particular type of xenolith only and the lack of hydrocarbon in the host breccia matrix, are also inconsistent with an interaction between the ascending eruptive system and a supposed deep-seated oil reservoir. Assuming that the Hyblean unexposed basement consists of mantle ultramafics and mafic intrusive rocks having hosted an early abyssal-type hydrothermal system, one can put forward the hypothesis that the hydrocarbon production was related to hydrothermal activity in a serpentinite system. Although a bacteriogenesis or thermogenesis cannot be ruled out, the coexisting serpentine, Ni-Fe ores and hydrocarbon strongly suggest a Fischer-Tropsch-type (FTT) synthesis. Subsequent variations in the chemical and physical conditions of the system, for example an increase in the water/rock ratio, gave rise to partial oxidation and late carbonation of the serpentinite hosted hydrocarbon. Admitting an authigenic origin for most of the modal calcite (30-50% by volume) in these rocks, one can conclude as a general rule that un-carbonated serpentinites tectonically emplaced at shallow crustal levels are potential reservoir rocks (as well putative source rocks) for exploitable petroleum reserves.

Metabolic and Physiological Characteristics of Novel Cultivars from Serpentinite Seep Fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, B.; Chowdhury, S.; Brazelton, W. J.; Schrenk, M. O.

2011-12-01

Subsurface waters associated with the alteration of ultramafic rocks become highly reducing and alkaline through a process known as serpentinization. As habitat, these fluids are in many ways metabolically constraining but can provide sufficient energy for chemolithotrophy. As part of an ongoing effort to characterize these communities, heterotrophic enrichment cultures and anaerobic microcosms were initiated with alkaline waters found at three geographically and geochemically distinct sites of active serpentinization. These include the Northern Apennine ophiolite in the Ligurian region of Italy, the Tablelands ophiolite at Gros Morne National Park, Canada and the Coast Range ophiolite at McLaughlin Natural Reserve, California. Enrichment cultures at pH 11 yielded numerous isolates related to Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, some of which are closely related to other cultivars from high pH and subsurface environments. Anaerobic water samples were amended with combinations of electron donors (hydrogen, complex organics, acetate) and acceptors (ferric iron, sulfate) in a block design. After several weeks of incubation, DNA was extracted from cell concentrations and community differences were compared by TRFLP. Of particular interest is the isolation of a putative iron reducing Firmicute from samples enriched with complex organic compounds and ferric citrate. Ongoing studies are aimed at characterizing the physiology of these isolates. These data provide important insights into the metabolic potential of serpentinite subsurface ecosystems, and are a complement to culture-independent genomic analyses.

Geochemical evolution of a high arsenic, alkaline pit-lake in the Mother Lode Gold District, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savage, Kaye S.; Ashley, Roger P.; Bird, Dennis K.

2009-01-01

The Harvard orebody at the Jamestown gold mine, located along the Melones fault zone in the southern Mother Lode gold district, California, was mined in an open-pit operation from 1987 to 1994. Dewatering during mining produced a hydrologic cone of depression; recovery toward the premining ground-water configuration produced a monomictic pit lake with alkaline Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4–type pit water, concentrations of As up to 1,200 μg/L, and total dissolved solids (TDS) up to 2,000 mg/L. In this study, pit-wall rocks were mapped and chemically analyzed to provide a context for evaluating observed variability in the composition of the pit-lake waters in relationship to seasonal weather patterns. An integrated hydrogeochemical model of pit-lake evolution based on observations of pit-lake volume, water composition (samples collected between 1998–2000, 2004), and processes occurring on pit walls was developed in three stages using the computer code PHREEQC. Stage 1 takes account of seasonally variable water fluxes from precipitation, evaporation, springs, and ground water, as well as lake stratification and mixing processes. Stage 2 adds CO2fluxes and wall-rock interactions, and stage 3 assesses the predictive capability of the model.Two major geologic units in fault contact comprise the pit walls. The hanging wall is composed of interlayered slate, metavolcanic and metavolcaniclastic rocks, and schists; the footwall rocks are chlorite-actinolite and talc-tremolite schists generated by metasomatism of greenschist-facies mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks. Alteration in the ore zone provides evidence for mineralizing fluids that introduced CO2, S, and K2O, and redistributed SiO2. Arsenian pyrite associated with the alteration weathers to produce goethite and jarosite on pit walls and in joints, as well as copiapite and hexahydrite efflorescences that accumulate on wall-rock faces during dry California summers. All of these pyrite weathering products incorporate arsenic at concentrations from <100 up to 1,200 ppm. In the pit lake, pH and TDS reach seasonal highs in the summer epilimnion; pH is lowest in the summer hypolimnion. Arsenic and bicarbonate covary in the hypolimnion, rising as stratification proceeds and declining during winter rains. The computational model suggests that water fluxes alone do not account for this seasonal variability. Loss of CO2 to the atmosphere, interaction with pit walls including washoff of efflorescent salts during the first flush and seasonal rainfall, and arsenic sorption appear to contribute to the observed pit-lake characteristics.

Experimental Constraints on the Origin of Lunar High-Ti Ultramafic Glasses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagner, T. P.; Grove, T. L.

1996-01-01

Phase equilibria and dissolution rate experiments are used to develop a petrogenetic model for the high-Ti lunar ultramafic glasses. Near-liquidus phase relations of the Apollo 14 black glass, the most Ti-rich lunar ultramafic glass, are determined to 2.2-GPa. The liquidus is saturated with Cr-spinel at 1-atm, olivine between approximately 0.5- and 1.5-GPa, and low-Ca pyroxene + Cr-spinel above 1.5-GPa. Ilmenite does not crystallize near the liquidus and implies that high-Ti ultramafic glasses are not produced by melting of an ilmenite-saturated source. We infer that high-Ti ultramafic magmas are derived from low-Ti ultramafic parent magmas by assimilation of ilmenite +/- clinopyroxene +/- urKREEP +/- pigeonite in the shallow lunar interior. Heat is provided by adiabatic ascent of the low-Ti ultramafic primary magmas from the deeper lunar interior and crystallization of olivine during assimilation. The assimilation reaction is modeled by mass balance and requires that ilmenite and high-Ca pyroxene are assimilated in a approximately 3:1 ratio, a much higher ratio than the proportion in which these minerals are thought to exist in the lunar interior. In an effort to understand the kinetic controls on this reaction, the dissolution of ilmenite is examined experimentally in both low- and high-Ti lunar magmas. We find that ilmenite dissolves incongruently to Cr-spinel and a high-Ti melt. The dissolution reaction proceeds by a diffusion-controlled mechanism. An assimilation model for the origin of high-Ti melts is developed that leaves the magma ocean cumulates in their initial stratigraphic positions and obviates source hybridization models that require lunar overturn.

ET Toxic Metals Replacement Review SEA Spring Face to Face

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pratz, Earl

2007-01-01

The information contained in the presentation covers development work carried out under SDS projects. The intent of the effort is to find chrome(VI) free alternates to our current chromated processing solutions. The information presented reports progress in work aimed to replace our alkaline cleaner (Turco 4215), conversion coat (Iridite 14-2) and chrome (VI) compounds used in LOx tank hydrostatic proof test solution. To date we have found candidates for use in the proof test solution and alkaline cleaner. These candidates are in the final stages of testing. Lab data is reported in the presentation.

What lies beneath: geophysical mapping of a concealed Precambrian intrusive complex along the Iowa–Minnesota border

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drenth, Benjamin J.; Anderson, Raymond R.; Schulz, Klaus J.; Feinberg, Joshua M.; Chandler, Val W.; Cannon, William F.

2015-01-01

Large-amplitude gravity and magnetic highs over northeast Iowa are interpreted to reflect a buried intrusive complex composed of mafic–ultramafic rocks, the northeast Iowa intrusive complex (NEIIC), intruding Yavapai province (1.8–1.72 Ga) rocks. The age of the complex is unproven, although it has been considered to be Keweenawan (∼1.1 Ga). Because only four boreholes reach the complex, which is covered by 200–700 m of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, geophysical methods are critical to developing a better understanding of the nature and mineral resource potential of the NEIIC. Lithologic and cross-cutting relations interpreted from high-resolution aeromagnetic and airborne gravity gradient data are presented in the form of a preliminary geologic map of the basement Precambrian rocks. Numerous magnetic anomalies are coincident with airborne gravity gradient (AGG) highs, indicating widespread strongly magnetized and dense rocks of likely mafic–ultramafic composition. A Yavapai-age metagabbro unit is interpreted to be part of a layered intrusion with subvertical dip. Another presumed Yavapai unit has low density and weak magnetization, observations consistent with felsic plutons. Northeast-trending, linear magnetic lows are interpreted to reflect reversely magnetized diabase dikes and have properties consistent with Keweenawan rocks. The interpreted dikes are cut in places by normally magnetized mafic–ultramafic rocks, suggesting that the latter represent younger Keweenawan rocks. Distinctive horseshoe-shaped magnetic and AGG highs correspond with a known gabbro, and surround rocks with weaker magnetization and lower density. Here, informally called the Decorah complex, the source body has notable geophysical similarities to Keweenawan alkaline ring complexes, such as the Coldwell and Killala Lake complexes, and Mesoproterozoic anorogenic complexes, such as the Kiglapait, Hettasch, and Voisey’s Bay intrusions in Labrador. Results presented here suggest that much of the NEIIC is composed of such complexes, and broadly speaking, may be a discontinuous group of several intrusive bodies. Most units are cut by suspected northwest-trending faults imaged as magnetic lineaments, and one produces apparent sinistral fault separation of a dike in the eastern part of the survey area. The location, trend, and apparent sinistral sense of motion are consistent with the suspected faults being part of the Belle Plaine fault zone, a complex transform fault zone within the Midcontinent rift system that is here proposed to correspond with a major structural discontinuity.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Ria; Mondal, Sisir K.; Rosing, Minik T.; Frei, Robert

2010-12-01

The chromite deposits in the Archean Nuggihalli schist belt are part of a layered ultramafic-mafic sequence within the Western Dharwar Craton of the Indian shield. The 3.1-Ga ultramafic-mafic units occur as sill-like intrusions within the volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Nuggihalli greenstone belt that are surrounded by the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suite of rocks. The entire succession is exposed in the Tagdur mining district. The succession has been divided into the lower and the upper ultramafic units, separated by a middle gabbro unit. The ultramafic units comprise of deformed massive chromitite bodies that are hosted within chromite-bearing serpentinites. The chromitite bodies occur in the form of pods and elongated lenses (~60-500 m by ~15 m). Detailed electron microprobe studies reveal intense compositional variability of the chromite grains in silicate-rich chromitite (~50% modal chromite) and serpentinite (~2% modal chromite) throughout the entire ultramafic sequence. However, the primary composition of chromite is preserved in the massive chromitites (~60-75% modal chromite) from the Byrapur and the Bhaktarhalli mining district of the Nuggihalli schist belt. These are characterized by high Cr-ratios (Cr/(Cr + Al) = 0.78-0.86) and moderate Mg-ratios (Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) = 0.38-0.58). The compositional variability occurs due to sub-solidus re-equilibration in the accessory chromite in the serpentinite (Mg-ratio = 0.01-0.38; Cr-ratio = 0.02-0.99) and in silicate-rich chromitite (Mg-ratio = 0.06-0.48; Cr-ratio = 0.60-0.99). In the massive chromitites, the sub-solidus re-equilibration for chromite is less or absent. However, the re-equilibration is prominent in the co-existing interstitial and included olivine (Fo96-98) and pyroxene grains (Mg-numbers = 97-99). Compositional variability on the scale of a single chromite grain occurs in the form of zoning, and it is common in the accessory chromite grains in serpentinite and in the altered grains in chromitite. In the zoned grains, the composition of the core is modified and the rim is ferritchromit. In general, ferritchromit occurs as irregular patches along the grain boundaries and fractures of the zoned grains. In this case, ferritchromit formation is not very extensive. This indicates a secondary low temperature hydrothermal origin of ferritchromit during serpentinization. In some occurrences, the ferritchromit rim is very well developed, and only a small relict core appears to remain in the chromite grain. However, complete alteration of the chromite grains to ferritchromit without any remnant core is also present. The regular, well-developed and continuous occurrence of ferritchromit rims around the chromite grain boundaries, the complete alteration of the chromite grains and the modification of the core composition indicate the alteration in the Nuggihalli schist belt to be intense, pervasive and affected by later low-grade metamorphism. The primary composition of chromite has been used to compute the nature of the parental melt. The parental melt calculations indicate derivation from a high-Mg komatiitic basalt that is similar to the composition of the komatiitic rocks reported from the greenstone sequences of the Western Dharwar Craton. Tectonic discrimination diagrams using the primary composition of chromites indicate a supra-subduction zone setting (SSZ) for the Archean chromitites of Nuggihalli and derivation from a boninitic magma. The composition of the komatiitic basalts resembles those of boninites that occur in subduction zones and back-arc rift settings. Formation of the massive chromitites in Nuggihalli may be due to magma mixing process involving hydrous high-Mg magmas or may be related to intrusions of chromite crystal laden magma; however, there is little scope to test these models because the host rocks are highly altered, serpentinized and deformed. The present configurations of the chromitite bodies are related to the multistage deformation processes that are common in Archean greenstone belts.

Potentially Habitable Ancient Environments in Gusev Crater, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DesMarais, David J.

2010-01-01

Habitable environments must sustain liquid water at least intermittently and also provide both chemical building blocks and useful sources of energy for life. Observations by Spirit rover indicate that conditions have probably been too dry to sustain life, at least since the emplacement of the extensive basalts that underlie the plains around the Columbia Memorial Station landing site. Local evidence of relatively minor aqueous alteration [1] probably occurred under conditions where the activity of water was too low to sustain biological processes as we know them. In contrast, multiple bedrock units in West Spur and Husband Hill in the Columbia Hills have been extensively altered. Patterns of elemental abundances are consistent with aqueous processes involving migrating fluids [2]. Fe in several of these units has been extensively oxidized [3]. Conceivably any microbiota present during the aqueous alteration of these rocks might have obtained energy from Fe oxidation. Spirit discovered olivine-rich ultramafic rocks during her descent from Husband Hill southward into Inner Basin. Alteration of similar ultramafic rocks on Earth can yield H2 that can provide both energy and reducing power for microorganisms. Spirit's discovery of deposits rich in ferric sulfate is consistent with the aqueous dissolution and/or alteration of olivine under acidic conditions [2] such as those associated with hydrothermal activity. The oxidation of iron and sulfur that can accompany such activity can be an energy source for life. Hydrothermal systems on Earth that sustain either acidic [4] or neutral to alkaline fluids [5] have been shown to provide this energy. Collectively the observations by Spirit rover are consistent with the possibility that habitable environments existed in Gusev crater at least intermittently in the distant geologic past.

Microscale mapping of alteration conditions and potential biosignatures in basaltic-ultramafic rocks on early Earth and beyond.

PubMed

Grosch, Eugene G; McLoughlin, Nicola; Lanari, Pierre; Erambert, Muriel; Vidal, Olivier

2014-03-01

Subseafloor environments preserved in Archean greenstone belts provide an analogue for investigating potential subsurface habitats on Mars. The c. 3.5-3.4 Ga pillow lava metabasalts of the mid-Archean Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa, have been argued to contain the earliest evidence for microbial subseafloor life. This includes candidate trace fossils in the form of titanite microtextures, and sulfur isotopic signatures of pyrite preserved in metabasaltic glass of the c. 3.472 Ga Hooggenoeg Formation. It has been contended that similar microtextures in altered martian basalts may represent potential extraterrestrial biosignatures of microbe-fluid-rock interaction. But despite numerous studies describing these putative early traces of life, a detailed metamorphic characterization of the microtextures and their host alteration conditions in the ancient pillow lava metabasites is lacking. Here, we present a new nondestructive technique with which to study the in situ metamorphic alteration conditions associated with potential biosignatures in mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Hooggenoeg Formation. Our approach combines quantitative microscale compositional mapping by electron microprobe with inverse thermodynamic modeling to derive low-temperature chlorite crystallization conditions. We found that the titanite microtextures formed under subgreenschist to greenschist facies conditions. Two chlorite temperature groups were identified in the maps surrounding the titanite microtextures and record peak metamorphic conditions at 315 ± 40°C (XFe3+(chlorite) = 25-34%) and lower-temperature chlorite veins/microdomains at T = 210 ± 40°C (lower XFe3+(chlorite) = 40-45%). These results provide the first metamorphic constraints in textural context on the Barberton titanite microtextures and thereby improve our understanding of the local preservation conditions of these potential biosignatures. We suggest that this approach may prove to be an important tool in future studies to assess the biogenicity of these earliest candidate traces of life on Earth. Furthermore, we propose that this mapping approach could also be used to investigate altered mafic-ultramafic extraterrestrial samples containing candidate biosignatures.

Occurrence and mineral chemistry of chromite and related silicates from the Hongshishan mafic-ultramafic complex, NW China with petrogenetic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Banxiao; Yu, Yingmin; Lv, Xinbiao; Feng, Jing; Wei, Wei; Wu, Chunming; Wang, Heng

2017-10-01

The Hongshishan mafic-ultramafic complex is located in the western Beishan Terrane, NW China, and hosts an economic Ni-Cu deposit. Chromite as accessory mineral from the complex is divided into three types based on its occurrence and morphology. Quantitative electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) have been conducted on the different types of chromites. Type 1 chromite occurs as inclusions within silicate minerals and has relatively homogeneous composition. Type 2 chromite occurs among serpentine, as interstitial phase. Type 3 chromite is zoned and exhibits a sudden change in compositions from core to rim. Type 1 chromite occurs in olivine gabbro and troctolite showing homogeneous composition. This chromite is more likely primary. Interstitial type 2 and zoned type 3 chromite has compositional variation from core to rim and is more likely modified. Abundant inclusions of orthopyroxene, phlogopite and hornblende occur within type 2 and type 3 chromites. The parental melt of type 1 chromite has an estimated composition of 14.5 wt% MgO, 12.3 wt% Al2O3 and 1.9 wt% TiO2 and is characterized by high temperature, picritic affinity, hydrous nature and high Mg and Ti contents. Compositions of chromite and clinopyroxene are distinct from those of Alaskan-type complexes and imply that the subduction-related environment is not reasonable. Post orogenic extension and the early Permian mantle plume are responsible for the emplacement of mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Beishan Terrane. The cores of zoned chromites are classified as ferrous chromite and the rims as ferrian chromite. The formation of ferrian rim involves reaction of ferrous chromite, forsterite and magnetite to produce ferrian chromite and chlorite, or alternaively, the rim can be simply envisioned as the result of external addition of magnetite in solution to the already formed ferrous chromite.

Si-Metasomatism During Serpentinization of Jurassic Ultramafic Sea-floor: a Comparative Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, M.; Frueh-Green, G. L.; Boschi, C.; Schwarzenbach, E. M.

2014-12-01

The Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex (northwestern Italy) represents one of the largest and better-exposed ophiolitic successions in the Northern Apennines. It is considered to be a fragment of heterogeneous Jurassic lithosphere that records tectono-magmatic and alteration histories similar to those documented along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), such as at the 15°20'N area and the Atlantis Massif at 30°N. Structural and petrological studies on these rocks provide constraints on metamorphic/deformation processes during formation and hydrothermal alteration of the Jurassic oceanic lithosphere. We present a petrological and geochemical study of serpentinization processes and fluid-rock interaction in the Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex and compare these to published data from modern oceanic hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field hosted in serpentinites on the Atlantis Massif. Major element and mineral compositional data allow us to distinguish a multiphase history of alteration characterized by: (1) widespread Si-metasomatism during progressive serpentinization, and (2) multiple phases of veining and carbonate precipitation associated with circulation of seawater in the shallow ultramafic-dominated portions of the Jurassic seafloor, resulting in the formation of ophicalcites. In detail, regional variations in Si, Mg and Al content are observed in zones of ophicalcite formation, indicating metasomatic reactions and Si-Al transport during long-lived fluid-rock interaction and channelling of hydrothermal fluids. Rare earth element and isotopic analysis indicate that the Si-rich fluids are derived from alteration of pyroxenes to talc and tremolite in ultramafic rocks at depth. Comparison with serpentinites from the Atlantis Massif and 15°20'N indicates a similar degree of Si-enrichment in the modern seafloor and suggests that Si-metasomatism may be a fundamental process associated with serpentinization at slow-spreading ridge environments. However, in contrast to metasomatic processes at the MAR, we find no geochemical evidence for a gabbroic source of the fluids, and thus, processes leading to Si-rich fluids can be variable in these environments.

Numerical modelling of erosion and assimilation of sulfur-rich substrate by martian lava flows: Implications for the genesis of massive sulfide mineralization on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgartner, Raphael J.; Baratoux, David; Gaillard, Fabrice; Fiorentini, Marco L.

2017-11-01

Mantle-derived volcanic rocks on Mars display physical and chemical commonalities with mafic-ultramafic ferropicrite and komatiite volcanism on the Earth. Terrestrial komatiites are common hosts of massive sulfide mineralization enriched in siderophile-chalcophile precious metals (i.e., Ni, Cu, and the platinum-group elements). These deposits correspond to the batch segregation and accumulation of immiscible sulfide liquids as a consequence of mechanical/thermo-mechanical erosion and assimilation of sulfur-rich bedrock during the turbulent flow of high-temperature and low-viscosity komatiite lava flows. This study adopts this mineralization model and presents numerical simulations of erosion and assimilation of sulfide- and sulfate-rich sedimentary substrates during the dynamic emplacement of (channelled) mafic-ultramafic lava flows on Mars. For sedimentary substrates containing adequate sulfide proportions (e.g., 1 wt% S), our simulations suggest that sulfide supersaturation in low-temperature (< 1350 °C) flows could be attained at < 200 km distance, but may be postponed in high-temperature lavas flows (> 1400 °C). The precious-metals tenor in the derived immiscible sulfide liquids may be significantly upgraded as a result of their prolonged equilibration with large volumes of silicate melts along flow conduits. The influence of sulfate assimilation on sulfide supersaturation in martian lava flows is addressed by simulations of melt-gas equilibration in the Csbnd Hsbnd Osbnd S fluid system. However, prolonged sulfide segregation and deposit genesis by means of sulfate assimilation appears to be limited by lava oxidation and the release of sulfur-rich gas. The identification of massive sulfide endowments on Mars is not possible from remote sensing data. Yet the results of this study aid to define regions for the potential occurrence of such mineral systems, which may be the large canyon systems Noctis Labyrinthus and Valles Marineris, or the Hesperian channel systems of Mars' highlands (e.g., Kasei Valles), most of which have been periodically draped by mafic-ultramafic lavas.

Carbon dioxide dynamics and community metabolism in the Mississippi River plume

EPA Science Inventory

Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TAlk), pH, and DO were measured in the Mississippi River plume during five cruises conducted in spring, summer and fall. In contrast to many other large rivers, both DIC and TAlk were higher at the river end-member than in seawa...

Linking spring phenology with mechanistic models of host movement to predict disease transmission risk

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merkle, Jerod A.; Cross, Paul C.; Scurlock, Brandon M.; Cole, Eric K.; Courtemanch, Alyson B.; Dewey, Sarah R.; Kauffman, Matthew J.

2018-01-01

Disease models typically focus on temporal dynamics of infection, while often neglecting environmental processes that determine host movement. In many systems, however, temporal disease dynamics may be slow compared to the scale at which environmental conditions alter host space-use and accelerate disease transmission.Using a mechanistic movement modelling approach, we made space-use predictions of a mobile host (elk [Cervus Canadensis] carrying the bacterial disease brucellosis) under environmental conditions that change daily and annually (e.g., plant phenology, snow depth), and we used these predictions to infer how spring phenology influences the risk of brucellosis transmission from elk (through aborted foetuses) to livestock in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.Using data from 288 female elk monitored with GPS collars, we fit step selection functions (SSFs) during the spring abortion season and then implemented a master equation approach to translate SSFs into predictions of daily elk distribution for five plausible winter weather scenarios (from a heavy snow, to an extreme winter drought year). We predicted abortion events by combining elk distributions with empirical estimates of daily abortion rates, spatially varying elk seroprevelance and elk population counts.Our results reveal strong spatial variation in disease transmission risk at daily and annual scales that is strongly governed by variation in host movement in response to spring phenology. For example, in comparison with an average snow year, years with early snowmelt are predicted to have 64% of the abortions occurring on feedgrounds shift to occurring on mainly public lands, and to a lesser extent on private lands.Synthesis and applications. Linking mechanistic models of host movement with disease dynamics leads to a novel bridge between movement and disease ecology. Our analysis framework offers new avenues for predicting disease spread, while providing managers tools to proactively mitigate risks posed by mobile disease hosts. More broadly, we demonstrate how mechanistic movement models can provide predictions of ecological conditions that are consistent with climate change but may be more extreme than has been observed historically.

Geochemical and geochronological constraints on the genesis of Au-Te deposits at Cripple Creek, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kelley, K.D.; Romberger, S.B.; Beaty, D.W.; Pontius, J.A.; Snee, L.W.; Stein, H.J.; Thompson, T.B.

1998-01-01

The Cripple Creek district (653 metric tons (t) of Au) consists of Au-Te veins and disseminated gold deposits that are spatially related to alkaline igneous rocks in an Oligocene intrusive complex. Vein paragenesis includes quartz-biotite-K feldspar-fluorite-pyrite followed by base metal sulfides and telluride minerals. Disseminated deposits consist of microcrystalline native gold with pyrite that are associated with zones of pervasive adularia. New 40Ar/39Ar dates indicate that there was a complex magmatic and hydrothermal history. Relatively felsic rocks (tephriphonolite, trachyandesite, and phonolite) were emplaced into the complex over about 1 m.y., from 32.5 ?? 0.1 (1??) to 31.5 ?? 0.1 Ma. A younger episode of phonolite emplacement outside of the complex is indicated by an age of 30.9 ?? 0.1 Ma. Field relationships suggest that at least one episode of mafic and ultramafic dike emplacement occurred after relatively more felsic rocks and prior to the main gold mineralizing event. Only a single whole-rock date for mafic phonolite (which indicated a maximum age of 28.7 Ma) was obtained. However, constraints on the timing of mineralization are provided by paragenetically early vein minerals and K feldspar from the disseminated gold pyrite deposits. Early vein minerals (31.3 ?? 0.1-29.6 ?? 0.1 Ma) and K feldspar (29.8 ?? 0.1 Ma) from the Cresson disseminated deposit, together with potassically altered phonolite adjacent to the Pharmacist vein (28.8 and 28.2 ?? 0.1 Ma), suggest there was a protracted history of hydrothermal activity that began during the waning stages of phonolite and early mafic-ultramafic activity and continued, perhaps intermittently, for at least 2 m.y. Estimated whole-rock ??18O values of the alkaline igneous rocks range from 6.4 to 8.2 per mil. K feldspar and albite separates from igneous rocks have lead isotope compositions of 206Pb/204Pb = 17.90 to 18.10, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.51 to 15.53, and 208Pb/204Pb = 38.35 to 38.56. These isotopic compositions, together with major and trace element data, indicate that the phonolitic magmas probably evolved by fractional crystallization of an alkali basalt that assimilated lower crustal material. Upper crustal contamination of the magmas was not significant. The 206Pb/204Pb compositions of vein galenas almost entirely overlap those of phonolites, suggesting a genetic relationship between alkaline magmatism and mineralization. However, a trend toward higher 207Pb/204Pb (15.57-15.60) and 208Pb/204Pb ratios (38.94-39.48) of some galenas suggests a contribution to the ore fluid from surrounding Early Proterozoic rocks, probably through leaching by mineralizing fluids. Limited stable isotope compositions of quartz, K feldspar, and biotite from this and previous studies support a largely magmatic origin for the early vein fluids. It is suggested that three features were collectively responsible for generating alkaline magmas and associated mineral deposits: (1) the timing of magmatism and mineralization, which coincided with the transition between subduction-related compression and extension related to continental rifting; (2) the location of Cripple Creek at the junction of four major Precambrian units and at the intersection of major northeast-trending regional structures with northwest-trending faults, which served as conduits for magmas and subsequent hydrothermal fluids; and (3) the complex magmatic history which included emplacement of relatively felsic magmas followed by successively more mafic magmas with time.

Diversity and abundance of the arsenite oxidase gene aioA in geothermal areas of Tengchong, Yunnan, China.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhou; Li, Ping; Jiang, Dawei; Wu, Geng; Dong, Hailiang; Wang, Yanhong; Li, Bing; Wang, Yanxin; Guo, Qinghai

2014-01-01

A total of 12 samples were collected from the Tengchong geothermal areas of Yunnan, China, with the goal to assess the arsenite (AsIII) oxidation potential of the extant microbial communities as inferred by the abundance and diversity of the AsIII oxidase large subunit gene aioA relative to geochemical context. Arsenic concentrations were higher (on average 251.68 μg/L) in neutral or alkaline springs than in acidic springs (on average 30.88 μg/L). aioA abundance ranged from 1.63 × 10(1) to 7.08 × 10(3) per ng of DNA and positively correlated with sulfide and the ratios of arsenate (AsV):total dissolved arsenic (AsTot). Based on qPCR estimates of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene abundance, aioA-harboring organisms comprised as much as ~15% of the total community. Phylogenetically, the major aioA sequences (270 total) in the acidic hot springs (pH 3.3-4.4) were affiliated with Aquificales and Rhizobiales, while those in neutral or alkaline springs (pH 6.6-9.1) were inferred to be primarily bacteria related to Thermales and Burkholderiales. Interestingly, aioA abundance at one site greatly exceeded bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundance, suggesting these aioA genes were archaeal even though phylogenetically these aioA sequences were most similar to the Aquificales. In summary, this study described novel aioA sequences in geothermal features geographically far removed from those in the heavily studied Yellowstone geothermal complex.

Peptide and RNA contributions to iron-sulphur chemical gardens as life's first inorganic compartments, catalysts, capacitors and condensers.

PubMed

McGlynn, Shawn E; Kanik, Isik; Russell, Michael J

2012-06-28

Hydrothermal chimneys and compartments comprising transition metal sulphides and associated minerals have been proposed as likely locations for the beginnings of life. In laboratory simulations of off-axis alkaline springs, it is shown that the interaction of a simulated alkaline sulphide-bearing submarine vent solution with a primeval anoxic iron-bearing ocean leads to the formation of chimney structures reminiscent of chemical gardens. These chimneys display periodicity in their deposition and exhibit diverse morphologies and mineralogies, affording the possibilities of catalysis and molecular sequestration. The addition of peptides and RNA to the alkaline solution modifies the elemental stoichiometry of the chimneys-perhaps indicating the very initial stage of the organic takeover on the way to living cells by charged organic polymers potentially synthesized in this same environment.

Ultrastable α phase nickel hydroxide as energy storage materials for alkaline secondary batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Haili; Guo, Yinjian; Cheng, Yuanhui

2018-03-01

α Phase nickel hydroxide (α-Ni(OH)2) has higher theoretical capacity than that of commercial β phase Ni(OH)2. But the low stability inhibits its wide application in alkaline rechargeable batteries. Here, we propose a totally new idea to stabilize α phase Ni(OH)2 by introducing large organic molecule into the interlayer spacing together with doping multivalent cobalt into the layered Ni(OH)2 host. Ethylene glycol is served as neutral stabilizer in the interlayer spacing. Nickel is substituted by cobalt to increase the electrostatic attraction between layered Ni(OH)2 host and anion ions in the interlayer spacing. Polyethylene glycol (PEG-200) is utilized to design a three-dimensional network structure. This prepared α-Ni(OH)2-20 exhibits specific capacity as high as 334 mAh g-1and good structural stability even after immersing into strong alkaline zincate solution for 20 days. Ni(OH)2 electrode with a specific capacity of 35 mAh cm-2 is fabricated and used as positive electrode in zinc-nickel single flow batteries, which also shows good cycling stability. This result can provide an important guideline for the rational design and preparation of highly active and stable α phase Ni(OH)2 for alkaline secondary battery.

Alkaline phosphatase activity in gingival crevicular fluid during canine retraction.

PubMed

Batra, P; Kharbanda, Op; Duggal, R; Singh, N; Parkash, H

2006-02-01

The aim of the study was to investigate alkaline phosphatase activity in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic tooth movement in humans. Postgraduate orthodontic clinic. Ten female patients requiring all first premolar extractions were selected and treated with standard edgewise mechanotherapy. Canine retraction was done using 100 g sentalloy springs. Maxillary canine on one side acted as experimental site while the contralateral canine acted as control. Gingival crevicular fluid was collected from mesial and distal of canines before initiation of canine retraction (baseline), immediately after initiation of retraction, and on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day and the alkaline phosphatase activity was estimated. The results show significant (p < 0.05) changes in alkaline phosphatase activity on the 7th, 14th and 21st day on both mesial and distal aspects of the compared experimental and control sides. The peak in enzyme activity occurred on the 14th day of initiation of retraction followed by a significant fall in activity especially on the mesial aspect. The study showed that alkaline phosphatase activity could be successfully estimated in the GCF using calorimetric estimation assay kits. The enzyme activity showed variation according to the amount of tooth movement.

Mantle to Surface Fluid Transfer Above a Flat Slab Subduction Zone: Isotopic Evidence from Hot Springs in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newell, D. L.; Jessup, M. J.; Hilton, D. R.; Shaw, C. A.; Hughes, C. A.

2015-12-01

Thermal springs in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, provide geochemical evidence for deeply circulated hydrothermal fluids that carry significant mantle-derived helium. The Cordillera Blanca is a ~200 km-long NNW-SSE trending mountain range in the Peruvian Andes located above an amagmatic flat-slab subduction segment. The west side of the range is bounded by the Cordillera Blanca detachment that preserves a progression of top to the west ductile shear to brittle normal faulting since ~5 Ma. We report aqueous and stable isotope geochemical results from fluid and gas samples collected in 2013 and 2015 from 13 hot springs emanating from the Cordillera Blanca detachment and associated hanging wall faults. Most springs are vigorously bubbling (degassing), and range in temperature, pH, and conductivity from 17-89 °C, 5.95-8.87, and 0.17-21.5 mS, respectively. The hottest springs issue directly from the northern segment of the detachment. Geochemically, springs are CO2-rich, alkaline-chloride to alkaline-carbonate waters, with elevated trace metal contents including Fe, Cu, As, Zn, Sb, and Tl. Notably, As contents are ≤11 ppm, indicating that thermal waters may be adversely impacting local water quality. Water δ18O and δD, trends in elemental chemistry, and cation geothermometry collectively demonstrate mixing of hot (200-260 °C) saline fluid with cold meteoric recharge along the fault. Helium isotope ratios (3He/4He) for dissolved gases in the hot springs range from 0.62 to 1.98 RC/RA, indicating the presence of ~25% mantle-derived helium, assuming mixing of an asthenospheric end-member with the crustal helium reservoir. CO2/3He and carbon stable isotope ratios indicate a carbon source derived from mixing of crustal sources with minor mantle carbon. Overall, the volatile signature overlaps with orogen-wide datasets where crustal overprinting has modified mantle contributions at active arc volcanoes. Given the long duration since active magmatism in the Cordillera Blanca region, we suggest that mantle helium was mobilized from the continental mantle-lithosphere by metasomatic fluids derived from slab dehydration. These spring data thus reveal a mantle to surface connection and highlight the role of detachment faults in compressional orogens for fluid transfer in the crust.

A Single, Plastic Population of Mycosphaerella pinodes Causes Ascochyta Blight on Winter and Spring Peas (Pisum sativum) in France

PubMed Central

Guibert, Michèle; Leclerc, Aurélie; Andrivon, Didier; Tivoli, Bernard

2012-01-01

Plant diseases are caused by pathogen populations continuously subjected to evolutionary forces (genetic flow, selection, and recombination). Ascochyta blight, caused by Mycosphaerella pinodes, is one of the most damaging necrotrophic pathogens of field peas worldwide. In France, both winter and spring peas are cultivated. Although these crops overlap by about 4 months (March to June), primary Ascochyta blight infections are not synchronous on the two crops. This suggests that the disease could be due to two different M. pinodes populations, specialized on either winter or spring pea. To test this hypothesis, 144 pathogen isolates were collected in the field during the winter and spring growing seasons in Rennes (western France), and all the isolates were genotyped using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Furthermore, the pathogenicities of 33 isolates randomly chosen within the collection were tested on four pea genotypes (2 winter and 2 spring types) grown under three climatic regimes, simulating winter, late winter, and spring conditions. M. pinodes isolates from winter and spring peas were genetically polymorphic but not differentiated according to the type of cultivars. Isolates from winter pea were more pathogenic than isolates from spring pea on hosts raised under winter conditions, while isolates from spring pea were more pathogenic than those from winter pea on plants raised under spring conditions. These results show that disease developed on winter and spring peas was initiated by a single population of M. pinodes whose pathogenicity is a plastic trait modulated by the physiological status of the host plant. PMID:23023742

Antarctic ozone - Meteoric control of HNO3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prather, Michael J.; Rodriguez, Jose M.

1988-01-01

Atmospheric circulation leads to an accumulation of debris from meteors in the Antarctic stratosphere at the beginning of austral spring. The major component of meteoric material is alkaline, comprised predominantly of the oxides of magnesium and iron. These metals may neutralize the natural acidity of stratospheric aerosols, remove nitric acid from the gas phase, and bond it as metal nitrates in the aerosol phase. Removal of nitric acid vapor has been previously shown to be a critical link in the photochemical depletion of ozone in the Antarctic spring, by allowing for increased catalytic loss from chlorine and bromine.

Nanoarchaeota, Their Sulfolobales Host, and Nanoarchaeota Virus Distribution across Yellowstone National Park Hot Springs

PubMed Central

Munson-McGee, Jacob H.; Field, Erin K.; Bateson, Mary; Rooney, Colleen; Stepanauskas, Ramunas

2015-01-01

Nanoarchaeota are obligate symbionts with reduced genomes first described from marine thermal vent environments. Here, both community metagenomics and single-cell analysis revealed the presence of Nanoarchaeota in high-temperature (∼90°C), acidic (pH ≈ 2.5 to 3.0) hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) (United States). Single-cell genome analysis of two cells resulted in two nearly identical genomes, with an estimated full length of 650 kbp. Genome comparison showed that these two cells are more closely related to the recently proposed Nanobsidianus stetteri from a more neutral YNP hot spring than to the marine Nanoarchaeum equitans. Single-cell and catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) analysis of environmental hot spring samples identified the host of the YNP Nanoarchaeota as a Sulfolobales species known to inhabit the hot springs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Nanoarchaeota are widespread in acidic to near neutral hot springs in YNP. An integrated viral sequence was also found within one Nanoarchaeota single-cell genome and further analysis of the purified viral fraction from environmental samples indicates that this is likely a virus replicating within the YNP Nanoarchaeota. PMID:26341207

Seasonal Phenology and Life-History of Dendroctonus simplex (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Great Lakes Region of North America.

PubMed

McKee, Fraser R; Aukema, Brian H

2016-08-01

The eastern larch beetle, Dendroctonus simplex LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is distributed throughout the North American boreal forest sympatric with its primary host, the eastern larch or tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch. Outbreaks of eastern larch beetles are typically small and associated with stressed tamaracks. Since 2000, however, an outbreak has killed >90,000 ha of tamarack in Minnesota and surrounding Great Lakes region. Identifying the causes of this epidemic is challenging due to knowledge gaps regarding the insect's biology. We present field data from 2011 to 2014 on degree days associated with spring emergence, dispersal, host colonization, and re-emergence from colonized hosts by mature adult beetles, as well as degree days associated with larval development, and prewinter emergence by adult progeny at study sites in northern Minnesota. After initial host colonization in early spring we found that a second brood was established in early summer by re-emerging parents. In 2012, a third brood was established. Across study years, first broods developed to adults by late summer, with many beetles relocating to the base of the host tree to overwinter. Second broods often reached adulthood and initiated prewinter emergence. The third brood of 2012 overwintered as adults, pupae, and late-instars, resuming development the following spring. Each spring, emergence of adult beetles from all broods established the previous year was highly synchronous. Knowledge of the biology of eastern larch beetles along the southern margin of their range aids in understanding how population dynamics may change with a changing climate. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Magnetic and gravity anomalies in the Sierra del Padre and Sierra del Tala, San Luis Province, Argentina: evidence of buried mafic ultramafic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostadinoff, José; Alfredo Bjerg, Ernesto; Gregori, Daniel; Delpino, Sergio; Dimieri, Luis; Raniolo, Ariel; Mogessie, Aberra; Hoinkes, Georg; Hauzenberger, Christoph; Felfernig, Anja

2001-07-01

This paper presents the results of a geophysical study of the southern portion of the Sierra Grande de San Luis, San Luis Province, Argentina. A 26 mGal amplitude Bouguer anomaly (Charlone anomaly), measuring 40 km long by 7 km wide, between Sierra de los Padres and Zanjitas reflects the presence of high-density rocks located at approximately 2000 m depth. Geophysical models based on more than 300 gravimetric, magnetometric, and geological field measurements and observations suggest that the mafic-ultramafic belt of Sierra Grande de San Luis continues south of San Luis. The low magnitude of the terrestrial magnetic field anomalies indicates that these mafic-ultramafic rocks do not carry a base metal sulfides (BMS) mineralization. The Charlone gravimetric anomaly is generated by a belt of mafic- ultramafic rocks whose amplitude is comparable with that responsible for the Virorco-Las Aguilas gravimetric anomaly.

Mafic/Ultramafic xenoliths from Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat; northwestern Deccan Trap, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naushad, M.; Behera, J. R.; Chakra, M.; Murthy, P. V.

2017-12-01

The crustal growth forming processes at the crust-mantle interface or within the crust due to magma underplating is important for the formation and emplacement of continental flood basalt and large igneous provinces. Mafic/ultramafic xenoliths from lower crust or upper mantle provide clue to characterize the underplated material and magmatic processes. Earlier study of ultramafic xenoliths suggested magma underplating and crustal growth in Kuchchh, Gujarat, northwestern Deccan Trap (NWDT). Absence of such xenoliths in Saurashtra peninsula (SP) of NWDT however could not supplement this. Here, we report the mafic/ultramafic xenoliths entrained in high MgO basaltic lava flows of NWDT of SP in Rajkot district of Gujarat, India. The xenoliths are medium to coarse grained, meso - to melanocratic, elongated to angular pyroxenite (Type-I), two pyroxenes gabbro (Type-II) and anorthosite (Type-III) showing sharp contact with host basalt flows. Type-I xenoliths dominated by clinopyroxene (cpx) (Wo49-45 En49-38) with olivine (ol) (Fo84-78), exhibit cumulate texture, Type-II composed of cpx (core-Wo49-48 En42-41), orthopyroxene (opx) (core- En77-76 Fs23-22) and plagioclase (plag) (Ab35-28 An71-64) and Type-III, composed dominantly of plag (Ab67-29 An68-28) with minor opx (En78-76 Fs20-18) and a grain of hercynite (Al2O3=59%) in close association with plag. The basaltic lavas are porphyritic containing ol (Fo88-75), cpx (Wo50-48 En39-37), plag (Ab43-26 An74-54) and opaques. Whole rock geochemical data of xenolith entrained lava flows indicates high MgO (10-11 wt%) with high Ni (421-430 ppm) and Cr (795-1076 ppm). The equilibration temperature calculated from cpx - opx (adjacent grain of cpx and opx, pair-A; inclusion of cpx within opx, pair-B) for Type-II xenolith indicates 778°C and 789°C (pair-A) and 821°C and 832°C (pair-B) at 5 kbar and 10 kbar pressure respectively. Present study suggests that the possibility of magma underplating at crust-mantle interface or presence of layered igneous sill/dyke complex at sub-crustal level. This is corroborated by seismic and other geophysical studies suggesting the magmatic underplating and presence of high velocity layer (Vp 7.1 km/s) with high Poisson's ratio at lower crustal level or crust-mantle interface beneath the NWDT of SP, Gujarat.

Specifics of geological composition, geochemistry and geochronology of rocks from the Kresty alkaline-ultrabasic massif (Maimecha-Kotui province, Polar Siberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sazonov, A. M.; Zvyagina, E. A.; Gertner, I. F.; Krasnova, T. S.; Lipenkov, G. P.

2017-12-01

In this work, we demonstrate new data that allows us to accurate geochronological ranges of formation of the Kresty alkaline-ultrabasic massif, which is considered to be a satellite of the Gulinian giant pluton. We also interpreted geological, geochemical and isotope-geochemical data obtained earlier for major varieties of this volcanic-plutonic association taking into account new geochronological results, as well as considered new aspects/information on matter source of alkaline-ultrabasic massifs from this province. One of the main aspects is interaction of Siberian super plume matter with hosting substrate of Siberian craton continental crust.

Petrochemistry of Mafic Rocks Within the Northern Cache Creek Terrane, NW British Columbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

English, J. M.; Johnston, S. T.; Mihalynuk, M. G.

2002-12-01

The Cache Creek terrane is a belt of oceanic rocks that extend the length of the Cordillera in British Columbia. Fossil fauna in this belt are exotic with respect to the remainder of the Canadian Cordillera, as they are of equatorial Tethyan affinity, contrasting with coeval faunas in adjacent terranes that show closer linkages with ancestral North America. Preliminary results reported here from geochemical studies of mafic rocks within the Nakina area of NW British Columbia further constrain the origin of this enigmatic terrane. The terrane is typified by tectonically imbricated slices of chert, argillite, limestone, wacke and volcaniclastic rocks, as well as mafic and ultramafic rocks. These lithologies are believed to represent two separate lithotectonic elements: Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic, subduction-related accretionary complexes, and dismembered basement assemblages emplaced during the closure of the Cache Creek ocean in the Middle Jurassic. Petrochemical analysis revealed four distinct mafic igneous assemblages that include: magmatic 'knockers' of the Nimbus serpentinite mélange, metabasalts of 'Blackcaps' Mountain, augite-phyric breccias of 'Laughing Moose' Creek, and volcanic pediments to the reef-forming carbonates of the Horsefeed Formation. Major and trace element analysis classifies the 'Laughing Moose' breccias and the carbonate-associated volcanics as alkaline in nature, whereas the rest are subalkaline. Tectonic discrimination diagrams show that the alkaline rocks are of within-plate affinity, while the 'Blackcaps' basalts and 'knockers' from within the mélange typically straddle the island-arc tholeiite and the mid-ocean ridge boundaries. However, primitive mantle normalized multi-element plots indicate that these subalkaline rocks have pronounced negative Nb anomalies, a characteristic arc signature. The spatial association of alkaline volcanic rocks with extensive carbonate domains points to the existence of seamounts within the Cache Creek ocean. However, the precise origin of the 'Laughing Moose' breccias remains somewhat uncertain and may be related to a subsequent rifting event. To conclude, preliminary data from the Nakina region show it to be dominated by two different petrogenetic components: alkaline volcanic rocks of within-plate affinity, and primitive arc-related, subalkaline mafic rocks. An accretionary complex/ oceanic arc origin may provide a mechanism to explain the lithological diversity within the Nakina area.

A Burst of Spring

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-10

In the winter a layer of carbon dioxide ice dry ice covers the north polar sand dunes as shown by NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In the spring the sublimation of the ice going directly from ice to gas causes a host of uniquely Martian phenomena.

Lithologic mapping of the Mordor, NT, Australia ultramafic complex by using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rowan, L.C.; Mars, J.C.; Simpson, C.J.

2005-01-01

Spectral measurements made in the Mordor Pound, NT, Australia study area using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), in the laboratory and in situ show dominantly Al-OH and ferric-iron VNIR-SWIR absorption features in felsic rock spectra and ferrous-iron and Fe,Mg-OH features in the mafic-ultramafic rock spectra. ASTER ratio images, matched-filter, and spectral-angle mapper processing (SAM) were evaluated for mapping the lithologies. Matched-filter processing in which VNIR + SWIR image spectra were used for reference resulted in 4 felsic classes and 4 mafic-ultramafic classes based on Al-OH or Fe,Mg-OH absorption features and, in some, subtle reflectance differences related to differential weathering and vegetation. These results were similar to those obtained by match-filter analysis of HyMap data from a previous study, but the units were more clearly demarcated in the HyMap image. ASTER TIR spectral emittance data and laboratory emissivity measurements document a wide wavelength range of Si-O spectral features, which reflect the lithological diversity of the Mordor ultramafic complex and adjacent rocks. SAM processing of the spectral emittance data distinguished 2 classes representing the mafic-ultramafic rocks and 4 classes comprising the quartzose to intermediate composition rocks. Utilization of the complementary attributes of the spectral reflectance and spectral emittance data resulted in discrimination of 4 mafic-ultramafic categories; 3 categories of alluvial-colluvial deposits; and a significantly more completely mapped quartzite unit than could be accomplished by using either data set alone. ?? 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproducing early Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure by modeling the formation of Mg-Fe-Ca carbonate identified in the Comanche rock outcrops on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berk, Wolfgang; Fu, Yunjiao; Ilger, Jan-Michael

2012-10-01

The well defined composition of the Comanche rock's carbonate (Magnesite0.62Siderite0.25Calcite0.11Rhodochrosite0.02) and its host rock's composition, dominated by Mg-rich olivine, enable us to reproduce the atmospheric CO2partial pressure that may have triggered the formation of these carbonates. Hydrogeochemical one-dimensional transport modeling reveals that similar aqueous rock alteration conditions (including CO2partial pressure) may have led to the formation of Mg-Fe-Ca carbonate identified in the Comanche rock outcrops (Gusev Crater) and also in the ultramafic rocks exposed in the Nili Fossae region. Hydrogeochemical conditions enabling the formation of Mg-rich solid solution carbonate result from equilibrium species distributions involving (1) ultramafic rocks (ca. 32 wt% olivine; Fo0.72Fa0.28), (2) pure water, and (3) CO2partial pressures of ca. 0.5 to 2.0 bar at water-to-rock ratios of ca. 500 molH2O mol-1rock and ca. 5°C (278 K). Our modeled carbonate composition (Magnesite0.64Siderite0.28Calcite0.08) matches the measured composition of carbonates preserved in the Comanche rocks. Considerably different carbonate compositions are achieved at (1) higher temperature (85°C), (2) water-to-rock ratios considerably higher and lower than 500 mol mol-1 and (3) CO2partial pressures differing from 1.0 bar in the model set up. The Comanche rocks, hosting the carbonate, may have been subjected to long-lasting (>104 to 105 years) aqueous alteration processes triggered by atmospheric CO2partial pressures of ca. 1.0 bar at low temperature. Their outcrop may represent a fragment of the upper layers of an altered olivine-rich rock column, which is characterized by newly formed Mg-Fe-Ca solid solution carbonate, and phyllosilicate-rich alteration assemblages within deeper (unexposed) units.

Redistribution of iron and titanium in subduction zones: insights from high-pressure serpentinites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crossley, Rosalind; Evans, Katy; Reddy, Steven; Lester, Gregory

2017-04-01

The redox state, quantity and composition of subduction zone fluids influence the transport and precipitation of elements including those which are redox-sensitive, of economic importance such as Cu, Au and Ag, and those considered to be immobile, which include Fe3+. However, subduction zone fluids remain poorly understood. The redox state of Fe in high-pressure ultramafic rocks, which host a significant proportion of Fe3+, can be used to provide an insight into Fe cycling and constrain the composition of subduction zone fluids. In this work, a combination of the study of oxide and silicate mineral textures, interpretation of mineral parageneses, mineral composition data, and the whole rock geochemistry of high-pressure retrogressed ultramafic rocks from the Zermatt-Saas Zone constrains the distribution of iron and titanium, and oxidation state of iron, to provide constraints on fluids at depth in subduction zones. Oxide minerals host the bulk of the iron, particularly Fe3+. The increase in mode of magnetite during initial retrogression is most consistent with oxidation of existing iron within the samples during the infiltration of an oxidising fluid since it is difficult to reconcile addition of Fe3+ with the known limited solubility of this species. These fluids may be sourced from hybrid samples and/or serpentinites at greater depths. However, high Ti contents are not typical of serpentinites and additionally cannot be accounted for by simple mixing of a depleted mantle protolith with the nearby Allalin gabbro. Titanium-rich samples are suggested to result from fluid-facilitated hybridisation of gabbro and serpentinite protoliths prior to peak metamorphism, and provides the tantalising possibility that Ti, an element generally perceived as immobile, has been added to the rock during this process. If Ti addition has occurred, then the introduction of Fe3+, also generally considered to be immobile, cannot be disregarded. Aluminosilicate complexing could provide a transport vector for Ti where this mechanism of Ti transport is consistent with the Al-rich nature of the sample.

Temporal and spatial variations in kinetics of alkaline phosphatase in sediments of a shallow Chinese eutrophic lake (Lake Donghu).

PubMed

Yiyong, Zhou; Jianqiu, Li; Min, Zhang

2002-04-01

Monthly sediment and interstitial water samples were collected in a shallow Chinese freshwater lake (Lake Donghu) from three areas to determine if alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) plays an important role, in phosphorus cycling in sediment. The seasonal variability in the kinetics of APA and other relevant parameters were investigated from 1995-1996. The phosphatase hydrolyzable phosphorus (PHP) fluctuated seasonally in interstitial water, peaking in the spring. A synchronous pattern was observed in chlorophyll a contents in surface water in general. The orthophosphate (o-P) concentrations in the interstitial water increased during the spring. An expected negative relationship between PHP and Vmax of APA is not evident in interstitial water. The most striking feature of the two variables is their co-occurring, which can be explained in terms of an induction mechanism. It is argued that phosphatase activity mainly contributes to the driving force of o-P regeneration from PHP in interstitial water, supporting the development of phytoplankton biomass in spring. The Vmax values in sediment increased during the summer, in conjunction with lower Km values in interstitial water that suggest a higher affinity for the substrate. The accumulation of organic matter in the sediment could be traced back to the breakdown of the algal spring bloom, which may stimulate APA with higher kinetic efficiency, by a combination of the higher Vmax in sediments plus lower Km values in interstitial water, in summer. In summary, a focus on phosphatase and its substrate in annual scale may provide a useful framework for the development of novel P cycling, possible explanations for the absence of a clear relationship between PHP and APA were PHP released from the sediment which induced APA, and the presence of kinetically higher APA both in sediment and interstitial water which permitted summer mineralization of organic matter derived from the spring bloom to occur. The study highlighted the need for distinguishing functionally distinct extracellular enzymes between the sediment and interstitial water of lakes.

The magnetic signature of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szitkar, F.; Dyment, J.; Honsho, C.; Horen, H.; Fouquet, Y.

2013-12-01

While the magnetic response of basalt-hosted hydrothermal sites is well known, that of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal sites (UMHS) remains poorly documented. Here we present the magnetic signature of three of the six UMHS investigated to date on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, i.e. sites Rainbow, Ashadze (1 and 2), and Logachev. Two magnetic signatures are observed. Sites Rainbow and Ashadze 1 are both characterized by a positive reduced-to-the-pole magnetic anomaly, i.e. a positive magnetization contrast. Conversely, sites Ashadze 2 and Logachev do not exhibit any clear magnetic signature. Rock-magnetic measurements on samples from site Rainbow reveal a strong magnetization (~30 A/m adding induced and remanent contributions) borne by sulfide-impregnated serpentinites; the magnetic carrier being magnetite. This observation can be explained by three (non exclusive) processes: (1) higher temperature serpentinization at the site resulting in the formation of more abundant / more strongly magnetized magnetite; (2) the reducing hydrothermal fluid protecting magnetite at the site from the oxidation which otherwise affects magnetite in contact with seawater; and (3) the formation of primary (hydrothermal) magnetite. We apply a new inversion method developed by Honsho et al. (2012) to the high-resolution magnetic anomalies acquired 10 m above seafloor at sites Rainbow and Ashadze 1. This method uses the Akaike Bayesian Information Criterion (ABIC) and takes full advantage of the near-seafloor measurements, avoiding the upward-continuation (i.e. loss of resolution) of other inversion schemes. This inversion reveals a difference in the intensity of equivalent magnetization obtained assuming a 100 m thick magnetic layer, ~30 A/m at site Rainbow and only 8A/m at site Ashadze, suggesting a thinner or less magnetized source for the latter. Hydrothermal sites at Ashadze 2 and Logachev are much smaller (of the order of 10 m) than the previous ones (several 100 m). These sites, known as "smoking craters", are episodically affected by explosions. The lack of any significant magnetic signature is explained by their small size and the random orientation of the (possibly magnetized) blocks spread out from the explosions. While basalt-hosted sites are characterized by a lack of magnetization, UMHS are characterized by a positive magnetization contrast, ranging from very strong (at site Rainbow) to negligible (at sites Ashadze 2 and Logachev) as a function of parameters such as the size of the deposit, the mode of discharge, and the fluid temperature, which effects remains to be carefully investigated.

Rare earth elements geochemistry in springs from Taftan geothermal area SE Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakeri, Ata; Ghoreyshinia, Sayedkazem; Mehrabi, Behzad; Delavari, Morteza

2015-10-01

Concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) were determined in springs and andesitic-dacitic rocks of Taftan geothermal field. Hydrochemical results of major ions indicate that thermal springs are Na-SO4-Cl and Ca-SO4-Cl types. Concentrations of REEs are in ranges of 10- 4 to 1.2 and 49 to 62 times of chondrite for springwater and rock samples, respectively. The thermal (STS and TTS) and the cold (APS) springs with low pH values exhibit a very high REE contents (0.64 to 3.15 mg/l). Saturation index indicates that Fe and Al phases can control dissolved REE concentration in FTS and PF cold springs. The speciation of REE complexes indicates dominant presence of LnSO4+ and free ion in the Taftan thermal springs. In APS cold spring with pH 4, fluoride complexes are dominate over the free ion and sulfate species, while in PF and FTS cold springs with pH 6.4 and 7, respectively, carbonate complexes (LnCO3+) are predominant species. Chondrite-normalized pattern for the low-pH waters show very distinctive gull-wing patterns, characteristic feature of acid-sulfate geothermal systems, and are similar to those of the host rocks. Chemical characteristics of rare earth elements in spring and volcanic rock samples indicate that REEs are originated from the andesitic-dacitic host rocks. Whole-rock-normalized REE patterns and petrographic evidences show that rare earth elements leached mainly from marginal alteration of minerals and matrix decomposition in volcanic rocks. In chondrite-normalized REE patterns, significant negative Eu anomaly in the cold springs compare to the thermal and acidic springs indicates that alteration of plagioclase is more intense in the later, corresponding to increasing in temperature and acidic state of reactant water.

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) and carbonatites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, Richard E.; Bell, Keith

2010-03-01

There is increasing evidence that many carbonatites are linked both spatially and temporally with large igneous provinces (LIPs), i.e. high volume, short duration, intraplate-type, magmatic events consisting mainly of flood basalts and their plumbing systems (of dykes, sills and layered intrusions). Examples of LIP-carbonatite associations include: i. the 66 Ma Deccan flood basalt province associated with the Amba Dongar, Sarnu-Dandali (Barmer), and Mundwara carbonatites and associated alkali rocks, ii. the 130 Ma Paraná-Etendeka (e.g. Jacupiranga, Messum); iii. the 250 Ma Siberian LIP that includes a major alkaline province, Maimecha-Kotui with numerous carbonatites, iv. the ca. 370 Ma Kola Alkaline Province coeval with basaltic magmatism widespread in parts of the East European craton, and v. the 615-555 Ma CIMP (Central Iapetus Magmatic Province) of eastern Laurentia and western Baltica. In the Superior craton, Canada, a number of carbonatites are associated with the 1114-1085 Ma Keweenawan LIP and some are coeval with the pan-Superior 1880 Ma mafic-ultramafic magmatism. In addition, the Phalaborwa and Shiel carbonatites are associated with the 2055 Ma Bushveld event of the Kaapvaal craton. The frequency of this LIP-carbonatite association suggests that LIPs and carbonatites might be considered as different evolutionary ‘pathways’ in a single magmatic process/system. The isotopic mantle components FOZO, HIMU, EM1 but not DMM, along with primitive noble gas signatures in some carbonatites, suggest a sub-lithospheric mantle source for carbonatites, consistent with a plume/asthenospheric upwelling origin proposed for many LIPs.

Archaeal and bacterial diversity in two hot spring microbial mats from a geothermal region in Romania.

PubMed

Coman, Cristian; Drugă, Bogdan; Hegedus, Adriana; Sicora, Cosmin; Dragoş, Nicolae

2013-05-01

The diversity of archaea and bacteria was investigated in two slightly alkaline, mesophilic hot springs from the Western Plain of Romania. Phylogenetic analysis showed a low diversity of Archaea, only three Euryarchaeota taxa being detected: Methanomethylovorans thermophila, Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis and Methanococcus aeolicus. Twelve major bacterial groups were identified, both springs being dominated by Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria. While at the phylum/class-level the microbial mats share a similar biodiversity; at the species level the geothermal springs investigated seem to be colonized by specific consortia. The dominant taxa were filamentous heterocyst-containing Fischerella, at 45 °C and non-heterocyst Leptolyngbya and Geitlerinema, at 55 °C. Other bacterial taxa (Thauera sp., Methyloversatilis universalis, Pannonibacter phragmitetus, Polymorphum gilvum, Metallibacterium sp. and Spartobacteria) were observed for the first time in association with a geothermal habitat. Based on their bacterial diversity the two mats were clustered together with other similar habitats from Europe and part of Asia, most likely the water temperature playing a major role in the formation of specific microbial communities that colonize the investigated thermal springs.

Climate forcing of an emerging pathogenic fungus across a montane multi-host community.

PubMed

Clare, Frances C; Halder, Julia B; Daniel, Olivia; Bielby, Jon; Semenov, Mikhail A; Jombart, Thibaut; Loyau, Adeline; Schmeller, Dirk S; Cunningham, Andrew A; Rowcliffe, Marcus; Garner, Trenton W J; Bosch, Jaime; Fisher, Matthew C

2016-12-05

Changes in the timings of seasonality as a result of anthropogenic climate change are predicted to occur over the coming decades. While this is expected to have widespread impacts on the dynamics of infectious disease through environmental forcing, empirical data are lacking. Here, we investigated whether seasonality, specifically the timing of spring ice-thaw, affected susceptibility to infection by the emerging pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) across a montane community of amphibians that are suffering declines and extirpations as a consequence of this infection. We found a robust temporal association between the timing of the spring thaw and Bd infection in two host species, where we show that an early onset of spring forced high prevalences of infection. A third highly susceptible species (the midwife toad, Alytes obstetricans) maintained a high prevalence of infection independent of time of spring thaw. Our data show that perennially overwintering midwife toad larvae may act as a year-round reservoir of infection with variation in time of spring thaw determining the extent to which infection spills over into sympatric species. We used future temperature projections based on global climate models to demonstrate that the timing of spring thaw in this region will advance markedly by the 2050s, indicating that climate change will further force the severity of infection. Our findings on the effect of annual variability on multi-host infection dynamics show that the community-level impact of fungal infectious disease on biodiversity will need to be re-evaluated in the face of climate change.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'. © 2016 The Authors.

Bacterial communities associated with subsurface geochemical processes in continental serpentinite springs.

PubMed

Brazelton, William J; Morrill, Penny L; Szponar, Natalie; Schrenk, Matthew O

2013-07-01

Reactions associated with the geochemical process of serpentinization can generate copious quantities of hydrogen and low-molecular-weight organic carbon compounds, which may provide energy and nutrients to sustain subsurface microbial communities independently of the photosynthetically supported surface biosphere. Previous microbial ecology studies have tested this hypothesis in deep sea hydrothermal vents, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field. This study applied similar methods, including molecular fingerprinting and tag sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, to ultrabasic continental springs emanating from serpentinizing ultramafic rocks. These molecular surveys were linked with geochemical measurements of the fluids in an interdisciplinary approach designed to distinguish potential subsurface organisms from those derived from surface habitats. The betaproteobacterial genus Hydrogenophaga was identified as a likely inhabitant of transition zones where hydrogen-enriched subsurface fluids mix with oxygenated surface water. The Firmicutes genus Erysipelothrix was most strongly correlated with geochemical factors indicative of subsurface fluids and was identified as the most likely inhabitant of a serpentinization-powered subsurface biosphere. Both of these taxa have been identified in multiple hydrogen-enriched subsurface habitats worldwide, and the results of this study contribute to an emerging biogeographic pattern in which Betaproteobacteria occur in near-surface mixing zones and Firmicutes are present in deeper, anoxic subsurface habitats.

Bacterial Communities Associated with Subsurface Geochemical Processes in Continental Serpentinite Springs

PubMed Central

Morrill, Penny L.; Szponar, Natalie; Schrenk, Matthew O.

2013-01-01

Reactions associated with the geochemical process of serpentinization can generate copious quantities of hydrogen and low-molecular-weight organic carbon compounds, which may provide energy and nutrients to sustain subsurface microbial communities independently of the photosynthetically supported surface biosphere. Previous microbial ecology studies have tested this hypothesis in deep sea hydrothermal vents, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field. This study applied similar methods, including molecular fingerprinting and tag sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, to ultrabasic continental springs emanating from serpentinizing ultramafic rocks. These molecular surveys were linked with geochemical measurements of the fluids in an interdisciplinary approach designed to distinguish potential subsurface organisms from those derived from surface habitats. The betaproteobacterial genus Hydrogenophaga was identified as a likely inhabitant of transition zones where hydrogen-enriched subsurface fluids mix with oxygenated surface water. The Firmicutes genus Erysipelothrix was most strongly correlated with geochemical factors indicative of subsurface fluids and was identified as the most likely inhabitant of a serpentinization-powered subsurface biosphere. Both of these taxa have been identified in multiple hydrogen-enriched subsurface habitats worldwide, and the results of this study contribute to an emerging biogeographic pattern in which Betaproteobacteria occur in near-surface mixing zones and Firmicutes are present in deeper, anoxic subsurface habitats. PMID:23584766

Flora and vegetation of the Saint David and Lewis Springs Cienegas, Cochise County, Arizona

Treesearch

Elizabeth Makings

2013-01-01

In the Sky Island region, cienegas are rare marshlands amidst arid surroundings where groundwater perennially intersects the surface. Their unique physical properties give rise to a characteristic plant community dominated by wetland graminoids. Evaporation usually causes the water to be alkaline, and vegetation around a cienega commonly includes halophytes and other...

Radioactive springs geochemical data related to uranium exploration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cadigan, R.A.; Felmlee, J.K.

1977-01-01

Radioactive mineral springs and wells at 33 localities in the States of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States were sampled and studied to obtain geochemical data which might be used for U exploration. The major source of radioactivity at mineral spring sites is 226Ra. Minor amounts of 228Ra, 238U and 232Th are also present. Ra is presumed to have been selectively removed from possibly quite deep uranium-mineralized rock by hydrothermal solutions and is either precipitated at the surface or added to fresh surface water. In this way, the source rocks influence the geochemistry of the spring waters and precipitates. Characteristics of the spring waters at or near the surface are also affected by variations in total dissolved solids, alkalinity, temperature and co-precipitation. Spring precipitates, both hard and soft, consist of four major types: (1) calcite travertine; (2) iron- and arsenic-rich precipitates; (3) manganese- and barium-rich precipitates; and (4) barite, in some instances accompanied by S, Ra and U, if present in the spring water, are co-precipitated with the barite, Mn-Ba and Fe-As precipitates. Using parameters based on U and Ra concentrations in waters and precipitates springsite areas are tentatively rated for favourability as potential uraniferous areas. ?? 1977.

Evidence for the role of synchronicity between host phenology and pathogen activity in the distribution of sudden oak death canker disease.

PubMed

Dodd, Richard S; Hüberli, Daniel; Mayer, Wasima; Harnik, Tamar Y; Afzal-Rafli, Zara; Garbelotto, Matteo

2008-07-01

Variations in synchronicity between colonization rate by the pathogen and host phenology may account for unexplained spatial distribution of canker disease. The hypothesis that synchronous pathogenicity and host development are necessary for incidence of sudden oak death disease was tested by correlating seasonal variations in host cambial phenology and response to inoculation with Phytophthora ramorum. Response to infection was estimated by inoculating branch cuttings from coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) trees at nine dates through a full annual cycle in 2003-2004. Host phenology was estimated from measurements of bud burst and cambial activity in spring 2006. Lesions were largest in the spring soon after the cambium resumed activity. A moderate genetic component to lesion size was detected. Variation among trees in date of largest lesions correlated with variation in timing of bud burst and cambial phenology. The data support the hypothesis that active host cambial tissue is a necessary requisite for successful infection with the pathogen that causes sudden oak death canker disease. Genetic variation in host phenology will buffer coast live oak against epidemics of this disease.

Three-dimensional model of an ultramafic feeder system to the Nikolai Greenstone mafic large igneous province, central Alaska Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glen, J.M.G.; Schmidt, J.M.; Connard, G.G.

2011-01-01

The Amphitheater Mountains and southern central Alaska Range expose a thick sequence of Triassic Nikolai basalts that is underlain by several mafic-ultramafic complexes, the largest and best exposed being the Fish Lake and Tangle (FL-T) mafic-ultramafic sills that flank the Amphitheater Mountains synform. Three-dimensional (3-D) modeling of gravity and magnetic data reveals details of the structure of the Amphitheater Mountains, such as the orientation and thickness of Nikolai basalts, and the geometry of the FL-T intrusions. The 3-D model (50 ?? 70 km) includes the full geographic extent of the FL-T complexes and consists of 11 layers. Layer surfaces and properties (density and magnetic susceptibility) were modified by forward and inverse methods to reduce differences between the observed and calculated gravity and magnetic grids. The model suggests that the outcropping FL-T sills are apparently connected and traceable at depth and reveals variations in thickness, shape, and orientation of the ultramafic bodies that may identify paths of magma flow. The model shows that a significant volume (2000 km3) of ultramafic material occurs in the subsurface, gradually thickening and plunging westward to depths exceeding 4 km. This deep ultramafic material is interpreted as the top of a keel or root system that supplied magma to the Nikolai lavas and controlled emplacement of related magmatic intrusions. The presence of this deep, keel-like structure, and asymmetry of the synform, supports a sag basin model for development of the Amphitheater Mountains structure and reveals that the feeders to the Nikolai are much more extensive than previously known. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Stress of formalin treatment in juvenile spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wedemeyer, Gary; Yasutake, W.T.

1973-01-01

The physiological stress of 200 ppm formalin treatments at 10 C is more severe in the juvenile steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) than in the spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). In the steelhead, a marked hypochloremia follows a 1-hr treatment and recovery requires about 24 hr. During longer treatments, hypercholesterolemia together with reduced regulatory precision, hypercortisolemia, alkaline reserve depletion, and hypocapnia unaccompanied by a fall in blood pH occur — suggestive of compensated respiratory alkalosis. In the spring chinook, hypochloremia and reduced plasma cholesterol regulatory precision are the significant treatment side effects but recovery requires only a few hours.Formalin treatments also cause epithelial separation, hypertrophy, and necrosis in the gills of both fishes but again, consistent with the physiological dysfunctions, these are more severe in the steelhead.

Diverse styles of submarine venting on the ultra-slow spreading Mid-Cayman Rise (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

German, C. R.; Bowen, A.; Coleman, M. L.; Honig, D. L.; Huber, J. A.; Jakuba, M.; Kinsey, J. C.; Kurz, M. D.; Leroy, S.; McDermott, J.; Mercier de Lepinay, B. F.; Nakamura, K.; Seewald, J.; Smith, J.; Sylva, S.; van Dover, C. L.; Whitcomb, L. L.; Yoerger, D. R.

2010-12-01

Thirty years after the first discovery of high-temperature submarine venting, the vast majority of the global Mid Ocean Ridge remains unexplored for hydrothermal activity. Of particular interest are the world’s ultra-slow spreading ridges which were the last to be demonstrated to host high-temperature venting, but may host systems particularly relevant to pre-biotic chemistry and the origins of life. Here we report first evidence for diverse and very deep hydrothermal vents along the ~110 km long, ultra-slow spreading Mid-Cayman Rise collected using a combination of CTD-rosette operations and dives of the Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle (HROV) Nereus in 2009 followed by shore based work-up of samples for geochemical and microbiological analyses. Our data indicate that the Mid-Cayman Rise hosts at least three discrete hydrothermal sites, each representing a different type of water-rock interaction, including both mafic and ultra-mafic systems and, at ~5000 m, the deepest known hydrothermal vent. Although submarine hydrothermal circulation, in which seawater percolates through and reacts with host lithologies, occurs on all mid-ocean ridges, the diversity of vent-types identified here and their relative geographic isolation make the Mid-Cayman Rise unique in the oceans. These new sites offer prospects for: an expanded range of vent-fluid compositions; varieties of abiotic organic chemical synthesis and extremophile microorganisms; and unparalleled faunal biodiversity - all in close proximity.

High cold tolerance through four seasons and all free-living stages in an ectoparasite.

PubMed

Härkönen, Laura; Kaitala, Arja; Kaunisto, Sirpa; Repo, Tapani

2012-06-01

Off-host stages of temperate parasites must cope with low temperatures. Cold tolerance is often highest in winter, as a result of diapause and cold acclimation, and low during the active summer stages. In some blood-feeding ectoparasites, offspring provisioning determines cold tolerance through all the non-feeding, off-host stages. Large size increases survival in the cold, but so far seasonal variation in within-female offspring size has not been associated with offspring cold tolerance. The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) reproduces on cervids from autumn to spring. Newborn pupae drop off the host, facing frosts without any acclimation. We examined cold tolerance through 4 seasons and from birth to adulthood by means of short- and long-term frost exposure. We expected females to produce more tolerant offspring in winter than in spring. Large spring pupae survived prolonged frosts better than did small winter pupae. Thus more tolerant offspring were not produced when the temperature outside the host is at its lowest. Unexpectedly, the freezing points were -20 °C or below all year round. We showed that high cold tolerance is possible without acclimation regardless of life stage, which presumably correlates with other survival characteristics, such as the starvation resistance of free-living ectoparasites.

Bacterial and archeal community composition in hot springs from Indo-Burma region, North-east India.

PubMed

Panda, Amrita Kumari; Bisht, Satpal Singh; De Mandal, Surajit; Kumar, Nachimuthu Senthil

2016-12-01

Bacterial and archaeal diversity of two alkaline Indian hot springs, Jakrem (Meghalaya) and Yumthang (Sikkim), were studied. Thirteen major bacterial phyla were identified of which Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Thermi were dominant in Jakrem and Proteobacteria in Yumthang. The dominant genera were Clostridium, Chloroflexus and Meiothermus at Jakrem (water temperature 46 °C, pH 9) and Thiobacillus, Sulfuritalea at Yumthang (water temperature 39 °C, pH 8) hot springs. The four Euryarchaeota taxa that were observed in both the hot springs were Methanoculleus, Methanosaeta, Methanosarcina and Methanocorposculum. Elstera litoralis, Thiovirga sp., Turneriella sp. were observed for the first time in association with hot springs along with Tepidibacter sp., Ignavibacterium sp., Teribacillus sp. and Dechloromonas sp. Individual bacterial phyla were found to be specifically correlated with certain physico-chemical factors such as temperature, dissolved SiO 2 , elemental S, total sulphide, calcium concentrations in hot spring water. Bacterial reads involved in sulfur cycle were identified in both16S rRNA gene library and sulfur metabolism may play key physiological functions in this hot spring. Members within Desulfobacterales and Thermodesulfovibrionaceae were identified and hypothesized their role in regulating sulfur cycle. The presence of many taxonomically unsolved sequences in the 16S rRNA gene tag datasets from these hot springs could be a sign of novel microbe richness in these less known hot water bodies of Northeastern India.

Identification of Cr-magnetite in Neoproterozoic serpentinites resulting of Cr-Spinel alteration in a past hydrothermal system: Aït Ahmane ultramafic unit (Bou Azzer ophiolite, Anti Atlas, Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodel, Florent; Macouin, Mélina; Carlut, Julie; Triantafyllou, Antoine; Berger, Julien; Trindade, Ricardo; Ennih, Nasser; Rousse, Sonia

2017-04-01

If magnetite is a common serpentinization product, centimetric, massive and almost pure magnetite veins are rarely observed in serpentinites. Unique examples of these, in the Aït Ahmane ultramafic unit (Bou Azzer Neoproterozoic ophiolite, Anti-Atlas, Morocco), offer the opportunity to assess the hydrothermal processes that prevailed at the end of the Precambrian. Pseudomorphic lizardite/chrysotile texture of unaltered serpentinites suggests an oceanic-like first serpentinization stage, under static and low temperature conditions (T <350 °C). Nevertheless, abundance of magnetite (up to 7.86 wt. %) and absence of brucite, attest that serpentinization probably took place over 200 °C. Magnetic measurements reveal a lower magnetite content in hydrothermalized serpentinites hosting the magnetite veins, with lowest values (down to 0.58 wt. %) for bleached serpentinites constituting the wall rock of veins. Fresh serpentinites are characterized by relatively small sized magnetite grains, mainly pseudo-single domain magnetites. Hysteresis parameters and first order reversal curves (FORC) diagram denote a magnetic grains size that increases with the alteration. This well-marked tendency is also reveals by a shift of the isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) components toward lower coercivities for altered serpentinites. This grain size increase is associated with the emergence of a new magnetic phase with the hydrothermal alteration, the Cr-magnetite, evidenced by thermomagnetic measurements with Tc around 540 °C. This ultimate Cr-spinel alteration product is associated with another Cr-spinel alteration mineral, the ferritchromite, also identifiable on thermomagnetic curves by a rapid increase of the magnetite susceptibility at 130 °C due to its transformation during heating. Thermomagnetic curves allow us to propose a proxy, the CrM/M ratio providing a quantification of the Cr-magnetite contribution to the magnetic susceptibility, relatively to the pure magnetite one. This CrM/M ratio increases drastically with the hydrothermal alteration of serpentinites and Cr-spinels, attesting of a change of the magnetic mineralogy. Combined with petrography, mineral and bulk chemistry, these magnetic data allow us to propose that a Cl-rich acidic hydrothermal event, involving temperatures below 350 °C, appears to have been responsible of an intense magnetite leaching in host serpentinite and an advanced Cr-spinel alteration in ferritchromite and Cr-magnetite. Iron provided by this leaching may have conducted to the unique magnetite veins formation in the Aït Ahmane ultramafic unit. Two different settings are proposed concerning the nature of the hydrothermal event: (1) a continental hydrothermal system as advanced for the Co-Ni-As ores in the Bou Azzer inliers or (2) an oceanic black smoker type hydrothermal vent field on the Neoproterozoic sea-floor.

Microbial Source Tracking in Adjacent Karst Springs.

PubMed

Ohad, Shoshanit; Vaizel-Ohayon, Dalit; Rom, Meir; Guttman, Joseph; Berger, Diego; Kravitz, Valeria; Pilo, Shlomo; Huberman, Zohar; Kashi, Yechezkel; Rorman, Efrat

2015-08-01

Modern man-made environments, including urban, agricultural, and industrial environments, have complex ecological interactions among themselves and with the natural surroundings. Microbial source tracking (MST) offers advanced tools to resolve the host source of fecal contamination beyond indicator monitoring. This study was intended to assess karst spring susceptibilities to different fecal sources using MST quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting human, bovine, and swine markers. It involved a dual-time monitoring frame: (i) monthly throughout the calendar year and (ii) daily during a rainfall event. Data integration was taken from both monthly and daily MST profile monitoring and improved identification of spring susceptibility to host fecal contamination; three springs located in close geographic proximity revealed different MST profiles. The Giach spring showed moderate fluctuations of MST marker quantities amid wet and dry samplings, while the Zuf spring had the highest rise of the GenBac3 marker during the wet event, which was mirrored in other markers as well. The revelation of human fecal contamination during the dry season not connected to incidents of raining leachates suggests a continuous and direct exposure to septic systems. Pigpens were identified in the watersheds of Zuf, Shefa, and Giach springs and on the border of the Gaaton spring watershed. Their impact was correlated with partial detection of the Pig-2-Bac marker in Gaaton spring, which was lower than detection levels in all three of the other springs. Ruminant and swine markers were detected intermittently, and their contamination potential during the wet samplings was exposed. These results emphasized the importance of sampling design to utilize the MST approach to delineate subtleties of fecal contamination in the environment. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Unraveling multiple phases of sulfur cycling during the alteration of ancient ultramafic oceanic lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarzenbach, Esther M.; Gill, Benjamin C.; Johnston, David T.

2018-02-01

Ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems - characterized by ongoing serpentinization reactions - exert an important influence on the global sulfur cycle. Extensive water-rock interaction causes elemental exchange between seawater and the oceanic lithosphere, effectively removing sulfate from seawater through both abiogenic and biogenic processes. Here, we use bulk rock multiple sulfur isotope signatures (32S, 33S, 34S) and in situ sulfide analyses together with petrographic observations to track the sulfur cycling processes and the hydrothermal evolution of ancient peridotite-hosted hydrothermal systems. We investigate serpentinized peridotites from the Northern Apennine ophiolite in Italy and the Santa Elena ophiolite in Costa Rica and compare those with the Iberian Margin (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 149 and 173) and the 15°20‧N Fracture Zone along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (ODP Leg 209). In situ measurements of sulfides in the Northern Apennine serpentinites preserve a large range in δ34Ssulfide of -33.8 to +13.3‰ with significant heterogeneities within single sulfide grains and depending on mineralogy. Detailed mineralogical investigation and comparison with bulk rock Δ33Ssulfide and in situ δ34Ssulfide data implies a thermal evolution of the system from high temperatures (∼350 °C) that allowed thermochemical sulfate reduction and input of hydrothermal sulfide to lower temperatures (<120 °C) that permitted microbial activity. The change in temperature regime is locally preserved in individual samples and correlates with the progressive uplift and exposure of mantle rock associated with detachment faulting along a mid-ocean ridge spreading center. The Santa Elena peridotites preserve distinct signatures for fluid circulation at high temperatures with both closed system thermochemical sulfate reduction and input of mafic-derived sulfur. In addition, the peridotites provide strong evidence that low Ca2+ concentrations in peridotite-hosted systems can limit sulfate removal during anhydrite precipitation at temperatures above 150 °C. This may play a central role for the availability of sulfate to microbial communities within these systems. Overall, the combined application of in situ and bulk rock multiple sulfur isotope measurements with petrographic observations allows us to resolve the different episodes of sulfur cycling during alteration of the oceanic lithosphere and the temporal changes between abiogenic and biogenic processes that control the sulfur cycling in these systems.

Microbial carbon cycling in Lost City hydrothermal chimneys and other serpentinite-hosted ecosystems (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazelton, W. J.; Lang, S. Q.; Morrill, P. L.; Twing, K. I.; Crespo-Medina, M.; Morgan-Smith, D.; Früh-Green, G. L.; Schrenk, M. O.

2013-12-01

Ultramafic rocks formed in the Earth's mantle and uplifted into the crust represent an immense but poorly described reservoir of carbon. The biological availability of this rock-hosted carbon reservoir is unknown, but the set of geochemical reactions known as serpentinization can mobilize carbon from the subsurface and trigger the growth of dense microbial communities. Serpentinite-hosted ecosystems such as the chimney biofilms of the Lost City hydrothermal field can support dense populations of bacteria and archaea fueled by the copious quantities of H2 and methane (CH4) released by serpentinization (1-5). The metabolic pathways involved, however, remain unknown, and conventional interpretations of genomic and experimental data are complicated by the unusual carbon speciation in these environments. Carbon dioxide is scarce due to the highly reducing, high pH conditions. Instead, the predominant forms of carbon are CH4 and formate (5). Despite its natural abundance, however, direct evidence for CH4-derived biomass is lacking (1,4,5), and the role of formate is potentially significant but largely unexplored (1,5). To gain a more generalized perspective of carbon cycling in serpentinite-hosted ecosystems, we have recently investigated fluids and rocks collected from serpentinizing ophiolites in California, Canada, and Italy. Our results point to potentially H2-utilizing, autotrophic Betaproteobacteria thriving in shallow, oxic-anoxic transition zones and anaerobic Clostridia inhabiting anoxic, subsurface zones (1,6). The carbon sources utilized by the Clostridia are unknown, but preliminary metagenomic evidence is consistent with a fermentation-style metabolic strategy that may be conducive to an oxidant-limited, subsurface environment. Curiously, despite the abundance of H2 and CH4 in these continental springs, none of the geochemical, genomic, or experimental results obtained thus far contain any evidence for biological methanogenesis (1,6). This is in stark contrast to the dense populations of methanogen-like archaea in Lost City chimneys. Clearly, the role of methanogens must be constrained in order to gain a firm understanding of the carbon flux from serpentinite ecosystems, and future potential investigations of these systems will be discussed. References 1. Schrenk MO, Brazelton WJ, Lang SQ. 2013. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 75:575-606. 2. Schrenk MO, Kelley DS, Bolton SA, Baross JA. 2004. Environ. Microbiol. 6:1086-1095. 3. Brazelton WJ, Schrenk MO, Kelley DS, Baross JA. 2006. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:6257-6270. 4. Brazelton WJ, Mehta MP, Kelley DS, Baross JA. 2011. mBio2:4. doi:10.1128/mBio.00127-11. 5. Lang SQ, Früh-Green GL, Bernasconi SM, Lilley MD, Proskurowski G, Méhay S, Butterfield D a. 2012. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 92:82-99. 6. Brazelton WJ, Morrill PL, Szponar N, Schrenk MO. 2013. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 79:3906.

Geochemistry, Metamorphic Assemblages, and Microstructures in Small Ultramafic Bodies from the Northern Nason Terrane, Washington

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magloughlin, J. F.

2014-12-01

Ultramafic bodies ranging from <1 to 2500 m in length occur in multiple settings across the northern part of the Nason Terrane in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Within the Wenatchee Ridge Orthogneiss (WRO) the bodies are approximately equidimensional, ranging from dm-scale metasomatized lenses up to an exposed diameter of (typically) approximately 40 m. Some bodies are completely serpentinized, but others include dunite, harzburgite, and rare seams of pyroxenite. Many are rimmed by blackwall (talc, phlogopite, tremolite, chlorite, serpentine) coinciding with the Late Cretaceous metamorphism. The Napeequa Ultramafic Body (NUB), cut through and well exposed by the Napeequa River west of Lake Wenatchee, is within the White River Shear Zone (WRSZ, Magloughlin & McEwan, 1988). Though highly variable, it consists of dunite and peridotite and is variably serpentinized with common Mg-amphibole. Assemblages include serp+carb+chl+talc+opq and suggest upper greenschist to low amphibolite facies overprinting. Rare high-strain zones resemble relict pseudotachylyte veins. More common are ultramylonitic zones with olivine grain sizes of <5 microns, suggesting terrane-boundary paleostresses of >250 MPa. The Nine Mile Creek Ultramafic Body (NMCUB) and Grave Ultramafic Body (GUB) are the largest bodies outside of the White River Shear Zone, and are approximately 300 m and 800 long, respectively. Both are characterized by ol+talc+amph along with chlorite pseudomorphs, commonly cut by <40 micron thick ribbons of calcite, and rarely containing Si defined by chromite. These tectonites contain fine-grained olivine, but post-deformational, metamorphic cummingtonite and tremolite. In both bodies, a moderate to strong foliation is developed. It is suggested both bodies are retrogressed garnet peridotites. An interesting problem is why the possible retrogressed garnet peridotite bodies are present south of the WRSZ and surrounded by the metatonalites of the WRO, but none are present within the WRSZ. The extreme variability of the ultramafic bodies south of the WRSZ, and their presence within the WRO pluton, suggests a possible stoping mechanism from a heterogeneous ultramafic-rich sole of the WRSZ, or a possibly now-eroded splay of that shear zone.

Enigmatic diamonds in Archean calc-alkaline lamprophyres of Wawa, southern Ontario, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Stefano, Andrea; Lefebvre, Nathalie; Kopylova, Maya

2006-02-01

A suite of 80 macrodiamonds recovered from volcaniclastic breccia of Wawa (southern Ontario) was characterized on the basis of morphology, nitrogen content and aggregation, cathodoluminescence (CL), and mineral inclusions. The host calc-alkaline lamprophyric breccias were emplaced at 2.68-2.74 Ga, contemporaneously with voluminous bimodal volcanism of the Michipicoten greenstone belt. The studied suite of diamonds differs from the vast majority of diamond suites found worldwide. First, the suite is hosted by calc-alkaline lamprophyric volcanics rather than by kimberlite or lamproite. Second, the host volcanic rock is amongst the oldest known diamondiferous rocks on Earth, and has experienced regional metamorphism and deformation. Finally, most diamonds show yellow-orange-red CL and contain mineral inclusions not in equilibrium with each other or their host diamond. The majority of the diamonds in the Wawa suite are colorless, weakly resorbed, octahedral single crystals and aggregates. The diamonds contain 0-740 ppm N and show two modes of N aggregation at 0-30 and 60-95% B-centers suggesting mantle storage at 1,100-1,170°C. Cathodoluminescence and FTIR spectroscopy shows that emission peaks present in orange CL stones do not likely result from irradiation or single substitutional N, in contrast to other diamonds with red CL. The diamonds contain primary inclusions of olivine (Fo92 and Fo89), omphacite, orthopyroxene (En93), pentlandite, albite, and An-rich plagioclase. These peridotitic and eclogitic minerals are commonly found within single diamonds in a mixed paragenesis which also combines shallow and deep phases. This apparent disequilibrium can be explained by effective small-scale mixing of subducted oceanic crust and mantle rocks in fast “cold” plumes ascending from the top of the slabs in convergent margins. Alternatively, the diamonds could have formed in the pre-2.7-2.9 Ga cratonic mantle and experienced subsequent alteration of syngenetic inclusions related to host magmatism and ensuing metamorphism. Neither orogenic nor cratonic model of the diamond origin fully explains all of the observed characteristics of the diamonds and their host rocks.

Clumped-isotope thermometry of magnesium carbonates in ultramafic rocks

DOE PAGES

Garcia del Real, Pablo; Maher, Kate; Kluge, Tobias; ...

2016-08-19

Here, magnesium carbonate minerals produced by reaction of H 2O–CO 2 with ultramafic rocks occur in a wide range of paragenetic and tectonic settings and can thus provide insights into a variety of geologic processes, including deposition of ore-grade, massive-vein cryptocrystalline magnesite; formation of hydrous magnesium carbonates in weathering environments; and metamorphic carbonate alteration of ultramafic rocks. However, the application of traditional geochemical and isotopic methods to infer temperatures of mineralization, the nature of mineralizing fluids, and the mechanisms controlling the transformation of dissolved CO 2 into magnesium carbonates in these settings is difficult because the fluids are usually notmore » preserved.« less

Clumped-isotope thermometry of magnesium carbonates in ultramafic rocks

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

Garcia del Real, Pablo; Maher, Kate; Kluge, Tobias

Here, magnesium carbonate minerals produced by reaction of H 2O–CO 2 with ultramafic rocks occur in a wide range of paragenetic and tectonic settings and can thus provide insights into a variety of geologic processes, including deposition of ore-grade, massive-vein cryptocrystalline magnesite; formation of hydrous magnesium carbonates in weathering environments; and metamorphic carbonate alteration of ultramafic rocks. However, the application of traditional geochemical and isotopic methods to infer temperatures of mineralization, the nature of mineralizing fluids, and the mechanisms controlling the transformation of dissolved CO 2 into magnesium carbonates in these settings is difficult because the fluids are usually notmore » preserved.« less

Experimental investigation of the reaction between corundum xenocrysts and alkaline basaltic host magma: Constraints on magma residence times of basalt-hosted sapphires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldwin, L. C.; Ballhaus, C.

2018-03-01

Megacrystic sapphires (Fe-Ti-rich corundum) of up to 5 cm in size are well known from alkaline mafic rocks from intra-continental rift-related magmatic fields. There is no doubt that these sapphires represent xenocrysts that were trapped from their original lithology by ascending basaltic magmas carrying them to the Earth's surface. Most studies about basalt-hosted sapphires address the question about the origin of the sapphires, but there is hardly any information available about the time the sapphires resided inside the carrier melt. Sapphires are in reaction relationship with basalt and produce spinel coronas at the sapphire-basalt interface, spatially separating the mutually incompatible phases from one another. Assuming isothermal and isobaric conditions of spinel rim formation, the rim-thickness should be a function of the reaction time with the basaltic melt. In this paper, we report time-series experiments aimed at investigating the kinetics of spinel rim formation due to igneous corrosion of corundum. Therefore, we reacted corundum fragments with alkaline basalt powder at 1250 °C and 1GPa, using a Piston Cylinder Apparatus. The width of the spinel rim was used to estimate a residence time. Extrapolating the experimentally derived reaction rates to the thickness of natural spinel rims as described from the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field, Germany, and from Changle, China, we estimated residence times in the order of a few weeks to months.

Mineral potential for incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 87): Chapter Q in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.; Giles, Stuart A.

2015-01-01

USGS review of PRISM-I data suggests that there is abundant documentation of the Bou Naga alkaline complex and to a lesser degree, the Guelb er Richat carbonatite complex, but that all other occurrences of U, Th, REE, and associated elements are poorly described, and poorly understood (Taylor, 2007)

Abiotic vs biological sources and fates of organic compounds in a low temperature continental serpentinizing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, K.; Noble, S. M.; Shock, E.

2016-12-01

Serpentinization is likely the most common water-rock reaction in our solar system. During this process ultramafic silicates are hydrated, a calcium hydroxide solution is formed, and H2O is reduced to H2 coupled to the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+. The resulting hyper-alkaline, reduced conditions generate thermodynamic drives for numerous carbon compound reactions, including the precipitation of various carbonate minerals and the reduction of inorganic carbonate to organic carbon. Testing the extent to which these thermodynamic drives lead to observable results led to the present study of the flow and transformations of carbon through the active continental serpentinizing system at the Samail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. Water samples were collected from shallow groundwater (representing system input), hyper-alkaline seeps (system output), boreholes (system intermediate), and surface fluid mixing zones, and analyzed for concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC + δ13C), organic carbon (+ δ13C), formate, acetate, H2, methane (+ δ13C), ethane, and an accompanying suite of other geochemical solutes. These analyses indicate that the vast majority of DIC in these serpentinizing fluids precipitates in the subsurface as carbonate minerals; however, a significant amount of DIC is converted into organic acids and light hydrocarbons and expelled at the surface in hyper-alkaline seeps. Based on thermodynamic calculations, it seems most likely that formate last equilibrated with dolomite (CaMg[CO3]2) in the subsurface, acetate last equilibrated with calcite (CaCO3) near the surface, and methane and ethane last equilibrated in a distinct carbon-limited region of the subsurface. As for the fates of these compounds, energetic calculations reveal that a combination of oxidative, reductive, and fermentative metabolisms are thermodynamically favorable. Indeed, δ13C trends record microbial methane oxidation at the surface and cannot rule out methane as biologically sourced from the subsurface.

Linking magnetic fabric and cumulate texture in layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O Driscoll, B.; Stevenson, C.; Magee, C.

2013-12-01

Research on the magnetic fabrics of igneous rocks, pioneered by Balsley and Buddington[1] and Khan[2], has greatly contributed to our understanding of magma dynamics in lava flows, sheet intrusions and plutons over the past five decades. However, considerably few magnetic fabric studies have focused on layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions, particularly ';lopolithic' intrusions, despite the fact that such rocks may preserve a large range of small-scale kinematic structures potentially related to important magma chamber processes. This may be partly due to the fact that mafic-ultramafic cumulates commonly exhibit visible planar fabrics (mineral lamination), as well as compositional layering, in contrast to the frequent absence of such features in granite bodies or fine-grained mafic lava flows. Indeed, debates in the 1970s and 1980s on the development of layering and mineral fabrics in mafic-ultramafic intrusions, focused around the crystal settling versus in situ crystallisation paradigms, are classic in the subject of igneous petrology. Central to these debates is the notion that a wide range of magma chamber processes occur in layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions that are not frequently considered to occur in their relatively viscous granitic counterparts; in essence, the latter have historically been viewed as much more likely to ';freeze-in' a primary magma flow fabric whilst mafic-ultramafic intrusions are subjected to a more protracted solidification history. This wide array of potential initial sources for layering and mineral fabrics in layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions, together with the possible modification of textures at the postcumulus stage, demands a cautious application of any fabric analysis and presents a problem well-suited to interrogation by the AMS technique. The purpose of this contribution is to provide specific context on the application of AMS to elucidating the formation of cumulates in layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Examples of AMS data from a suite of different cumulate textures are discussed and some obstacles and issues surrounding interpretation of these magnetic fabrics are explored. The integration of the AMS technique with several complementary tools, including quantitative measurements of crystal size and shape, is also evaluated with reference to several well-studied layered intrusions. Finally, some perspectives are offered on future applications and directions for the measurement and interpretation of magnetic fabrics in layered intrusions. [1] Balsley and Buddington (1960) American Journal of Science A258, 6-20. [2] Khan (1962) Journal of Geophysical Research 67, 2873-2885

Enrichment of trace elements in garnet amphibolites from a paleo-subduction zone: Catalina Schist, southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorensen, Sorena S.; Grossman, J.N.

1989-01-01

The abundance, P-T stability, solubility, and element-partitioning behavior of minerals such as rutile, garnet, sphene, apatite, zircon, zoisite, and allanite are critical variables in models for mass transfer from the slab to the mantle wedge in deep regions of subduction zones. The influence of these minerals on the composition of subduction-related magmas has been inferred (and disputed) from inverse modelling of the geochemistry of island-arc basalt, or by experiment. Although direct samples of the dehydration + partial-melting region of a mature subduction zone have not been reported from subduction complexes, garnet amphibolites from melanges of circumpacific and Caribbean blueschist terranes reflect high T (>600??C) conditions in shallower regions. Such rocks record geochemical processes that affected deep-seated, high-T portions of paleo-subduction zones. In the Catalina Schist, a subduction-zone metamorphic terrane of southern California, metasomatized and migmatitic garnet amphibolites occur as blocks in a matrix of meta-ultramafic rocks. This mafic and ultramafic complex may represent either slab-derived material accreted to the mantle wedge of a nascent subduction zone or a portion of a shear zone closely related to the slab-mantle wedge contact, or both. The trace-element geochemistry of the complex and the distribution of trace elements among the minerals of garnet amphibolites were studied by INAA, XRF, electron microprobe, and SEM. In order of increasing alteration from a probable metabasalt protolith, three common types of garnet amphibolite blocks in the Catalina Schist are: (1) non-migmatitic, clinopyroxene-bearing blocks, which are compositionally similar to MORB that has lost an albite component; (2) garnet-amphibolite blocks, which have rinds that reflect local interaction between metabasite, metaperidotite, and fluid; and (3) migmatites that are extremely enriched in Th, HFSE, LREE, and other trace elements. These trace-element enrichments are mineralogically controlled by rutile, garnet, sphene, apatite, zircon, zoisite, and allanite. Alkali and alkaline earth elements are much less enriched in the solid assemblage, and thus appear to be decoupled from the other elements in the inferred metasomatic process(es). The compositions of migmatitic garnet amphibolite blocks seem to complement that of "average" island-arc tholeiite. Trace-element metasomatism reflects fluid-solid, rather than melt-solid, interaction. The metasomatic effects indicate that H2O-rich fluid, perhaps with a significant component of Na-Al silicate and alkalis, carried Th, U, Sr, REE, and HFSE. Fractionations of LREE in migmatites resemble those of migmatitic metasedimentary rocks underlying the mafic and ultramafic complex. "Exotic" LREE deposited in allanite in migmatites could have been derived from fluids in equilibrium with subducted sediment. If the paleo-subduction zone represented by the mafic and ultramafic complex of the Catalina Schist had continued its thermal and fluid evolution, a selvage of similarly enriched rocks might have been generated along the slab-mantle wedge contact between ~30 and 85 km depth. Rocks affected by "subduction-zone metasomatism," although rarely recognized at the surface, could be volumetrically significant products of the initiation of subduction and may prove to be geochemical probes of convergent margins that approach the significance of xenoliths in the study of other magmatic environments. ?? 1989.

Conditional estimates of the number of podiform chromite deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, D.A.

1994-01-01

A desirable guide for estimating the number of undiscovered mineral deposits is the number of known deposits per unit area from another well-explored permissive terrain. An analysis of the distribution of 805 podiform chromite deposits among ultramafic rocks in 12 subareas of Oregon and 27 counties of California is used to examine and extend this guide. The average number of deposits in this sample of 39 areas is 0.225 deposits per km2 of ultramafic rock; the frequency distribution is significantly skewed to the right. Probabilistic estimates can be made by using the observation that the lognormal distribution fits the distribution of deposits per unit area. A further improvement in the estimates is available by using the relationship between the area of ultramafic rock and the number of deposits. The number (N) of exposed podiform chromite deposits can be estimated by the following relationship: log10(N)=-0.194+0.577 log10(area of ultramafic rock). The slope is significantly different from both 0.0 and 1.0. Because the slope is less than 1.0, the ratio of deposits to area of permissive rock is a biased estimator when the area of ultramafic rock is different from the median 93 km2. Unbiased estimates of the number of podiform chromite deposits can be made with the regression equation and 80 percent confidence limits presented herein. ?? 1994 Oxford University Press.

Provenance and composition of unusually chrome and nickel-rich bucket-shaped pottery from Rogaland (southwestern Norway)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmermann, Udo; Kristoffersen, Elna Siv; Fredriksen, Per Ditlef; Bertolino, Silvana A. R.; Andò, Sergio; Bersani, Danilo

2016-05-01

We report results from FE-SEM-EDS, geochemical, mineralogical analyses and Raman spectroscopy of pottery of bucket-shaped ceramic from Rogaland (southwestern Norway) dated between the 5th and 6th Century. The study reveals a very rare pottery composition including asbestos-group minerals and an unusual enrichment in compatible elements like Cr (8-27 × Post Archean average shale (PAS), McLennan et al., 2006), Ni (2-8 × normal shale) and Co (2-3 × PAS). X-Rray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy could pinpoint that Ni is introduced by specific Ni-rich talc mineral and chlorite minerals and Cr occurs in a rare Cr-rich talc, and possibly in a Cr-chlorite, these minerals are the most abundant in the pottery, which is supported by strong enrichment in Mg (10-20 × PAS). The addition of Mg, Cr, Ni and Co and other compatible trace elements is to our current knowledge not caused by anthropogenic activity but related to the used materials, which are alteration products of mafic and ultramafic rocks or genetically related to mafic and ultramafic rocks. Rocks of this type are exposed in vicinity of the sampling areas in a region called Karmøy, hosting a world famous ophiolite complex, which is identified as the major source for the mafic and ultramafic component, as the next succession of a similar composition is far further north located in Norway and a number of rock types on Karmøy matches the chemical composition of the pottery. The here reported composition is spectacular and extremely rare - if ever found - in pottery. Our study shows that unusual material sources have been used in pottery production, and this opens for discussion whether the materials were deliberately selected by the manufacturers, thereby expressing a specific social function, in a time period where more functional clay types and additives, and certainly functional and sufficient for use in pottery, where abundant in areas of Rogaland closer to where the pots were found.

In situ strontium and sulfur isotope investigation of the Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide ore-bearing Kevitsa intrusion, northern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luolavirta, Kirsi; Hanski, Eero; Maier, Wolfgang; Lahaye, Yann; O'Brien, Hugh; Santaguida, Frank

2018-01-01

The 2.06-Ga Kevitsa mafic-ultramafic intrusion in northern Finland hosts a large disseminated Ni-Cu-PGE deposit. The deposit occurs in the ultramafic olivine-pyroxene cumulates and shows a range in Ni tenors varying from 4-7 wt% (regular ore) to > 10 wt% (Ni-PGE ore). There are also a metal-poor sulfide mineralization (false ore) and contact mineralization that are uneconomic (Ni tenor < 4 wt%). The obtained 87Sr/86Sr(i) values of the Kevitsa ultramafic cumulates are highly radiogenic (> 0.7045) in comparison to the estimated depleted mantle Sr isotope ratio of 0.702 at 2.06 Ga. The sulfur δ 34S values are generally higher than + 2‰, which together with the Sr isotope data imply involvement of crustal material in the genesis of the Kevitsa intrusion and its ores. The 87Sr/86Sr(i) values obtained from the ore-bearing domain of the intrusion show stratigraphic variation and exceed 0.7050, with the maximum value reaching up to 0.7109. In contrast, in rocks around the ore domain, the initial Sr isotope compositions remain more or less constant (0.7047-0.7060) throughout the intrusive stratigraphy. The isotope data suggest that the ore-bearing domain of the intrusion represents a dynamic site with multiple injections of variably contaminated magma, whereas the surrounding part of the intrusion experienced a less vigorous emplacement history. No correlation is observed between the strontium and sulfur isotope compositions. This is explained by bulk assimilation of the silicate magma in a deeper staging magma chamber and variable assimilation of sulfur during magma transport into the Kevitsa magma chamber. The low level of metals in false ore and the Ni-depleted nature of its olivine suggest that some sulfides may have precipitated and deposited in the feeder conduit during the initial stage of magma emplacement. Cannibalization of early-formed sulfides by later magma injections may have been important in the formation of the economic ore deposit.

Titanium oxidation state and coordination in the lunar high-titanium glass source mantle

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

Krawczynski, M.J.; Sutton, S.R.; Grove, T.L.

2009-03-20

XANES and EXAFS spectra from synthetic HiTi lunar glasses determine coordination of Ti in the HiTi source region. The amount of Ti{sup 3+} present affects the olivine-opx equilibrium, and the total amount of Ti{sup 3+} present requires a pyx bearing source. Lunar high-titanium (HiTi) ultramafic glasses provide us with evidence of the mantle processes that led to the melting of the lunar magma ocean cumulates nearly one billion years after the magma ocean solidified. Constraints on the depth, temperature and melting processes that formed the HiTi glasses are crucial for understanding the melting history of LMO products. The Apollo 17more » orange glass (A17O) and Apollo 15 red glass (A15R) represent two of the HiTi compositions in the spectrum of pristine ultramafic glasses returned from the moon. The difference between these two compositions is that the A15R contains {approx}40% more TiO{sub 2} than the A17O. The low f{sub O2} of the ultramafic glass source regions allows for a certain amount of Ti{sup 3+} in the source mineralogy; however the amount of Ti{sup 3+} in the source and the host mineral for this element remain relatively unconstrained. In addition to the unknown mineralogy of the source region, the high amount of TiO*{sub 2} and FeO* in the HiTi magmas makes the phase relations extremely sensitive to changes in the oxidation state of the source region. We have previously investigated the oxidation state effect on the olivine-orthopyroxene multiple saturations points of the A15R and A17O and shown that the magnitude of the effect is proportional to the amount of Ti in the system. X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements have been made on minerals and glasses in experiments on synthetic analogues to the A17O and A15R. Our results show that Ti{sup 3+} concentration does indeed affect the multiple saturation points, and is an important constituent in the lunar interior.« less

Compound- and position-specific carbon isotopic signatures of abiogenic hydrocarbons from on-land serpentinite-hosted Hakuba Happo hot spring in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suda, Konomi; Gilbert, Alexis; Yamada, Keita; Yoshida, Naohiro; Ueno, Yuichiro

2017-06-01

It has been proposed that serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal/hot spring systems played a significant role in the origin and early evolution of life on early Earth because abiogenic synthesis of organic compounds may accompany serpentinization. However, production mechanisms for apparently abiogenic hydrocarbons that have been observed in the ongoing serpentinizing systems are still poorly constrained. We report a new geochemical study of hydrocarbons in an on-land serpentinite-hosted hot spring in Hakuba Happo, Japan. We have conducted both compound-specific and position-specific carbon isotopic analyses of the observed C1 to C5 hydrocarbons. A positive linear relationship between the δ13C values and the inverse carbon number is found in C1 to C5 straight-chain alkanes in the Happo sample. This isotopic trend is consistent with a simple polymerization model developed in this study. Our model assumes that, for any particular alkane, all of the subsequently added carbons have the same isotopic composition, and those are depleted in 13C with respect to the first carbon in the growing carbon chain. The fit of this model suggests that Happo alkanes can be produced via polymerization from methane with a constant kinetic isotopic fractionation of -8.9 ± 1.0‰. A similar carbon isotopic relationship among alkanes has been observed in some serpentinite-hosted seafloor hydrothermal systems, indicating that the same process is responsible for the abiological hydrocarbon in general serpentinization fields, not only in the Hakuba Happo hot spring. Moreover, our model is also applicable to other potentially abiogenic natural gases and experimentally synthesized hydrocarbon products. For the first time, the intramolecular 13C composition of propane from a natural sample derived from a serpentinite-hosted system was determined. The intramolecular 13C distribution in propane shows the important potential to identify different polymerization mechanisms that cannot be discriminated by compound-specific isotopic analysis.

Methane- and sulfur-metabolizing microbial communities dominate the Lost City hydrothermal field ecosystem.

PubMed

Brazelton, William J; Schrenk, Matthew O; Kelley, Deborah S; Baross, John A

2006-09-01

Hydrothermal venting and the formation of carbonate chimneys in the Lost City hydrothermal field (LCHF) are driven predominantly by serpentinization reactions and cooling of mantle rocks, resulting in a highly reducing, high-pH environment with abundant dissolved hydrogen and methane. Phylogenetic and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of 16S rRNA genes in fluids and carbonate material from this site indicate the presence of organisms similar to sulfur-oxidizing, sulfate-reducing, and methane-oxidizing Bacteria as well as methanogenic and anaerobic methane-oxidizing Archaea. The presence of these metabolic groups indicates that microbial cycling of sulfur and methane may be the dominant biogeochemical processes active within this ultramafic rock-hosted environment. 16S rRNA gene sequences grouping within the Methylobacter and Thiomicrospira clades were recovered from a chemically diverse suite of carbonate chimney and fluid samples. In contrast, 16S rRNA genes corresponding to the Lost City Methanosarcinales phylotype were found exclusively in high-temperature chimneys, while a phylotype of anaerobic methanotrophic Archaea (ANME-1) was restricted to lower-temperature, less vigorously venting sites. A hyperthermophilic habitat beneath the LCHF may be reflected by 16S rRNA gene sequences belonging to Thermococcales and uncultured Crenarchaeota identified in vent fluids. The finding of a diverse microbial ecosystem supported by the interaction of high-temperature, high-pH fluids resulting from serpentinization reactions in the subsurface provides insight into the biogeochemistry of what may be a pervasive process in ultramafic subseafloor environments.

Two Strategies for Microbial Production of an Industrial Enzyme-Alpha-Amylase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernhardsdotter, Eva C. M. J.; Garriott, Owen; Pusey, Marc L.; Ng, Joseph D.

2003-01-01

Extremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in, from an anthropocentric view, extreme environments including hot springs, soda lakes and arctic water. This ability of survival at extreme conditions has rendered extremophiles to be of interest in astrobiology, evolutionary biology as well as in industrial applications. Of particular interest to the biotechnology industry are the biological catalysts of the extremophiles, the extremozymes, whose unique stabilities at extreme conditions make them potential sources of novel enzymes in industrial applications. There are two major approaches to microbial enzyme production. This entails enzyme isolation directly from the natural host or creating a recombinant expression system whereby the targeted enzyme can be overexpressed in a mesophilic host. We are employing both methods in the effort to produce alpha-amylases from a hyperthermophilic archaeon (Thermococcus) isolated from a hydrothermal vent in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as from alkaliphilic bacteria (Bacillus) isolated from a soda lake in Tanzania. Alpha-amylases catalyze the hydrolysis of internal alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages in starch to produce smaller sugars. Thermostable alpha-amylases are used in the liquefaction of starch for production of fructose and glucose syrups, whereas alpha-amylases stable at high pH have potential as detergent additives. The alpha-amylase encoding gene from Thermococcus was PCR amplified using carefully designed primers and analyzed using bioinformatics tools such as BLAST and Multiple Sequence Alignment for cloning and expression in E.coli. Four strains of Bacillus were grown in alkaline starch-enriched medium of which the culture supernatant was used as enzyme source. Amylolytic activity was detected using the starch-iodine method.

Goodenough Spring, Texas, USA: Discharge and water chemistry of a large spring deeply submerged under the binational Amistad Reservoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamps, Ray H.; Tatum, Gregg S.; Gault, Mike; Groeger, Alan W.

2009-06-01

Goodenough Spring (Texas, USA) is a large spring near the border of the American state of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila, discharging into the international Amistad Reservoir on the river Rio Grande (Rio Bravo). Discharge was routinely measured from 1928 until 1968 to partition the flow of the river between the two countries in accordance with water-use treaties. Samples were analyzed for water-quality parameters in 1967-1968 prior to inundation under 45 m of Amistad Reservoir in 1968. Subsequently, discharge has been estimated indirectly by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). For the first direct measurements of the spring in 37 years, velocity and cross-sectional measurements were made and water samples collected in the summer of 2005 using advanced self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) techniques. Spring discharge was calculated at 2.03 m3 s-1, approximately one-half of the historical mean of 3.94 m3 s-1. In situ and laboratory analyses of samples for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, alkalinity, nitrate-nitrogen, dissolved solids, chloride, sulfate, fluoride, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and iron showed the water quality to be very good for human consumption and crop irrigation. Measurement values are relatively unchanged from those reported 37 years prior.

Olivine and chromian spinel in primitive calc-alkaline and tholeiitic lavas from the southernmost cascade range, California: A reflection of relative fertility of the source

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clynne, M.A.; Borg, L.E.

1997-01-01

Chromian spinel and coexisting olivine phenocrysts from a geochemically diverse suite of primitive tholeiitic and calc-alkaline basalts and magnesian andesites from the Lassen region, in the southernmost Cascade Range, in California, show that the sub-arc mantle is zoned. Depleted calc-alkaline basalts and magnesian andesites erupt in the forearc region, and calc-alkaline basalts contain increasing abundances of incompatible elements toward the backarc. High-alumina olivine tholeiites erupt from the arc and backarc areas. Olivine from all these lavas displays a limited compositional range, from Fo86 to Fo91, and crystallized at high temperature, generally 1225-1275??C. Chromian spinel trapped in the olivine phenocrysts displays a large range of composition: Cr# values span the range 9-76. Excess Al in the spinel relative to that in 1-atm spinel suggests that it crystallized at elevated pressure. The phenocrysts in these lavas are in equilibrium with their host liquids. The full range of Cr# of the spinel compositions cannot be explained by differentiation or variable pressure, variations in f(O2), subsolidus equilibration or variations in degree of partial melting of a single peridotitic source. Rather, the systematic compositional differences among phenocrysts in these primitive lavas result from bulk chemical variability in their mantle sources. Correlations between spinel and host-rock compositions support the assertion that the geochemical diversity of Lassen basalts reflects the relative fertility of their mantle sources.

Textural and mineralogical characteristics of microbial fossils associated with modern and ancient iron (oxyhydr)oxides: terrestrial analogue for sediments in Gale Crater.

PubMed

Potter-McIntyre, Sally L; Chan, Marjorie A; McPherson, Brian J

2014-01-01

Iron (oxyhydr)oxide microbial mats in modern to ∼100 ka tufa terraces are present in a cold spring system along Ten Mile Graben, southeastern Utah, USA. Mats exhibit morphological, chemical, and textural biosignatures and show diagenetic changes that occur over millennial scales. The Jurassic Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation in the Four Corners region of the USA also exhibits comparable microbial fossils and iron (oxyhydr)oxide biosignatures in the lacustrine unit. Both the modern spring system and Brushy Basin Member represent alkaline, saline, groundwater-fed systems and preserve diatoms and other similar algal forms with cellular elaboration. Two distinct suites of elements (1. C, Fe, As and 2. C, S, Se, P) are associated with microbial fossils in modern and ancient iron (oxyhydr)oxides and may be potential markers for biosignatures. The presence of ferrihydrite in ∼100 ka fossil microbial mats and Jurassic rocks suggests that this thermodynamically unstable mineral may also be a potential biomarker. One of the most extensive sedimentary records on Mars is exposed in Gale Crater and consists of non-acidic clays and sulfates possibly of lacustrine origin. These terrestrial iron (oxyhydr)oxide examples are a valuable analogue because of similar iron- and clay-rich host rock compositions and will help (1) understand diagenetic processes in a non-acidic, saline lacustrine environment such as the sedimentary rocks in Gale Crater, (2) document specific biomediated textures, (3) demonstrate how biomediated textures might persist or respond to diagenesis over time, and (4) provide a ground truth library of textures to explore and compare in extraterrestrial iron (oxyhydr)oxides, where future explorations hope to detect past evidence of life.

Assessment, water-quality trends, and options for remediation of acidic drainage from abandoned coal mines near Huntsville, Missouri, 2003-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christensen, Eric D.

2005-01-01

Water from abandoned underground coal mines acidifies receiving streams in the Sugar Creek Basin and Mitchell Mine Basin near Huntsville, Missouri. A 4.35-kilometer (2.7-mile) reach of Sugar Creek has been classified as impaired based on Missouri's Water Quality Standards because of small pH values [< (less than) 6.5]. Samples collected from Sugar Creek from July 2003 to June 2004 did not have pH values outside of the specified range of 6.5 to 9.0. However, large concentrations of iron [416 to 2,320 mg/L (milligrams per liter)], manganese (8.36 to 33.5 mg/L), aluminum (0.870 to 428 mg/L), and sulfate (2,990 to 13,700 mg/L) in acidic mine drainage (AMD) from two mine springs as well as small and diffuse seeps were observed to have an effect on water quality in Sugar Creek. Metal and sulfate loads increased and pH decreased immediately downstream from Sugar Creek's confluence with the Calfee Slope and Huntsville Gob drainages that discharge AMD into Sugar Creek. Similar effects were observed in the Mitchell Mine drainage that receives AMD from a large mine spring. Comparisons of water-quality samples from this study and two previous studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1987-1988 and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2000-2002 indicate that AMD generation in the Sugar Creek Basin and Mitchell Mine Basin is declining, but the data are insufficient to quantify any trends or time frame. AMD samples from the largest mine spring in the Calfee Slope subbasin indicated a modest but significant increase in median pH from 4.8 to 5.2 using the Wilcoxan rank-sum test (p <0.05) and a decrease in median specific conductance from 5,000 to 3,540 ?S/cm (microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius) during a 17-year period. AMD samples from the largest mine spring in the Mitchell Mine Basin indicated an increase in median pH values from 5.6 to 6.0 and a decrease in median specific conductance from 3,050 to 2,450 ?S/cm during the same period. Remediation of AMD at or near the sites of the three largest mine springs is geochemically feasible based on alkalinity addition rates and increased pH determined by cubitainer experiments and geochemical mixing experiments using the computer model PHREEQCI. Alkalinity values for seven cubitainer experiments conducted to simulate anoxic treatment options exceeded the targeted value for alkalinity [90 mg/L as calcium carbonate (CaCO3)] specified in Missouri's Total Maximum Daily Load program by 18 percent or more, but maximum pH values were between 6.2 and 6.3, which is less than the targeted pH value of 6.5. Treatment of AMD by mixing with stream water or sewage effluent can further increase pH as indicated by geochemical modeling, but will not totally achieve water-quality goals because of limited discharges. A combination of treatments including settling ponds, oxic or anoxic limestone drains, and possibly successive alkalinity producing systems to remediate AMD will likely be required in the Sugar Creek Basin and Mitchell Mine Basin to consistently meet Missouri's Water Quality Standards.

Generation of Hydrogen and Methane during Experimental Low-Temperature Reaction of Ultramafic Rocks with Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCollom, Thomas M.; Donaldson, Christopher

2016-06-01

Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks is widely recognized as a source of molecular hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) to support microbial activity, but the extent and rates of formation of these compounds in low-temperature, near-surface environments are poorly understood. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the production of H2 and CH4 during low-temperature reaction of water with ultramafic rocks and minerals. Experiments were performed by heating olivine or harzburgite with aqueous solutions at 90°C for up to 213 days in glass bottles sealed with butyl rubber stoppers. Although H2 and CH4 increased steadily throughout the experiments, the levels were very similar to those found in mineral-free controls, indicating that the rubber stoppers were the predominant source of these compounds. Levels of H2 above background were observed only during the first few days of reaction of harzburgite when CO2 was added to the headspace, with no detectable production of H2 or CH4 above background during further heating of the harzburgite or in experiments with other mineral reactants. Consequently, our results indicate that production of H2 and CH4 during low-temperature alteration of ultramafic rocks may be much more limited than some recent experimental studies have suggested. We also found no evidence to support a recent report suggesting that spinels in ultramafic rocks may stimulate H2 production. While secondary silicates were observed to precipitate during the experiments, formation of these deposits was dominated by Si released by dissolution of the glass bottles, and reaction of the primary silicate minerals appeared to be very limited. While use of glass bottles and rubber stoppers has become commonplace in experiments intended to study processes that occur during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks at low temperatures, the high levels of H2, CH4, and SiO2 released during heating indicate that these reactor materials are unsuitable for this purpose.

What can asymmetry tell us? Investigation of asymmetric versus symmetric pinch and swell structures in nature and simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, Robyn; Piazolo, Sandra; Daczko, Nathan

2015-04-01

Pinch and swell structures occur from microscopic to landscape scales where a more competent layer in a weaker matrix is deformed by pure shear, often in rifting environments. The Anita Shear Zone (ASZ) in Fiordland, New Zealand has an example of landscape scale (1 km width) asymmetric pinch and swell structures developed in ultramafic rocks. Field work suggests that the asymmetry is a result of variations in the surrounding 'matrix' flow properties as the ultramafic band is surrounded to the east by an orthogneiss (Milford Orthogneiss) and to the west by a paragneiss (Thurso Paragneiss). In addition, there is a narrow and a much wider shear zone between the ultramafics and the orthogneiss and paragneiss, respectively. Detailed EBSD analysis of samples from a traverse across the pinch and swell structure indicate the ultramafics in the shear zone on the orthogneiss side have larger grain size than the ultramafics in the shear zone on the paragneiss side. Ultramafic samples from the highly strained paragneiss and orthogneiss shear zones show dislocation creep behaviour, and, on the paragneiss side, also significant deformation by grain boundary sliding. To test if asymmetry of pinch and swell structures can be used to derive the rheological properties of not only the pinch and swell lithologies, but also of the matrix, numerical simulations were performed. Numerical modelling of pure shear (extension) was undertaken with (I) initially three layers and then (II) five layers by adding soft high strain zones on both sides of the rheological hard layer. The matrix was given first symmetric, then asymmetric viscosity. Matrix viscosity was found to impact the formation of pinch and swell structures with the weaker layer causing increased tortuosity of the competent layer edge due to increased local differential stress. Results highlight that local, rheologically soft layers and the relative viscosity of matrix both impact significantly the shape and symmetry of developing pinch and swell structures.

Evaluation of ultramafic deposits in the Eastern United States and Puerto Rico as sources of magnesium for carbon dioxide sequestration

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

Fraser Goff; George Guthrie; Bruce Lipin

2000-04-01

In this report, the authors evaluate the resource potential of extractable magnesium from ultramafic bodies located in Vermont, the Pennsylvania-Maryland-District-of-Columbia (PA-MD-DC) region, western North Carolina, and southwestern Puerto Rico. The first three regions occur in the Appalachian Mountains and contain the most attractive deposits in the eastern United States. They were formed during prograde metamorphism of serpentinized peridotite fragments originating from an ophiolite protolith. The ultramafic rocks consist of variably serpentinized dunite, harzburgite, and minor iherzolite generally containing antigorite and/or lizardite as the major serpentine minor phases. Chrysotile contents vary from minor to major, depending on occurrence. Most bodies containmore » an outer sheath of chlorite-talc-tremolite rock. Larger deposits in Vermont and most deposits in North Carolina contain a core of dunite. Magnesite and other carbonates are common accessories. In these deposits, MgO ranges from 36 to 48 wt % with relatively pure dunite having the highest MgO and lowest H{sub 2}O contents. Ultramafic deposits in southwestern Puerto Rico consist of serpentinized dunite and harzburgite thought to be emplaced as large diapirs or as fragments in tectonic melanges. They consist of nearly pure, low-grade serpentinite in which lizardite and chrysotile are the primary serpentine minerals. Chlorite is ubiquitous in trace amounts. Magnesite is a common accessory. Contents of MgO and H{sub 2}O are rather uniform at roughly 36 and 13 wt %. Dissolution experiments show that all serpentinites and dunite-rich rocks are soluble in 1:1 mixtures of 35% HCl and water by volume. The experiments suggest that low-grade serpentinites from Puerto Rico are slightly more reactive than the higher grade, antigorite-bearing serpentinites of the Appalachian Mountains. The experiments also show that the low-grade serpentinites and relatively pure dunites contain the least amounts of undesirable insoluble silicates. Individual ultramafic bodies in the Appalachian Mountains are as great as 7 km{sup 3} although typically they are {le}1 km{sup 3}. In contrast, ultramafic deposits in southwestern Puerto Rico have an estimated volume of roughly 150 km{sup 3}. Based on the few detailed geophysical studies in North Carolina and Puerto Rico, it is evident that volume estimates of any ultramafic deposit would benefit greatly from gravity and magnetic investigations, and from corehole drilling. Nevertheless, the data show that the ultramafic deposits of the eastern United States and southwestern Puerto Rico could potentially sequester many years of annual CO{sub 2} emissions if favorable geotechnical, engineering, and environmental conditions prevail.« less

Low archaeal diversity linked to subseafloor geochemical processes at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

PubMed

Schrenk, Matthew O; Kelley, Deborah S; Bolton, Sheryl A; Baross, John A

2004-10-01

The recently discovered Lost City Hydrothermal Field (LCHF) represents a new type of submarine hydrothermal system driven primarily by exothermic serpentinization reactions in ultramafic oceanic crust. Highly reducing, alkaline hydrothermal environments at the LCHF produce considerable quantities of hydrogen, methane and organic molecules through chemo- and biosynthetic reactions. Here, we report the first analyses of microbial communities inhabiting carbonate chimneys awash in warm, high pH fluids at the LCHF and the predominance of a single group of methane-metabolizing Archaea. The predominant phylotype, related to the Methanosarcinales, formed tens of micrometre-thick biofilms in regions adjacent to hydrothermal flow. Exterior portions of active structures harboured a diverse microbial community composed primarily of filamentous Eubacteria that resembled sulphide-oxidizing species. Inactive samples, away from regions of hydrothermal flow, contained phylotypes related to pelagic microorganisms. The abundance of organisms linked to the volatile chemistry at the LCHF hints that similar metabolic processes may operate in the subseafloor. These results expand the range of known geological settings that support biological activity to include submarine hydrothermal systems that are not dependent upon magmatic heat sources.

Characterization of a novel extremely alkalophilic bacterium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Souza, K. A.; Deal, P. H.

1977-01-01

A new alkalophilic bacterium, isolated from a natural spring of high pH is characterized. It is a Gram-positive, non-sporulating, motile rod requiring aerobic and alkaline conditions for growth. The characteristics of this organism resemble those of the coryneform group of bacteria; however, there are no accepted genera within this group with which this organism can be closely matched. Therefore, a new genus may be warranted.

Volatiles associated with preferred and nonpreferred hosts of the nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana

Treesearch

Christopher Asaro; Brian T. Sullivan; M.J. Dalusky; C. Wayne Berisford

2004-01-01

Ovipositing female Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana, prefer loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., to slash pine, Pinus elliottii Englem. except during the first spring following planting of seedlings. Host discrimination by R. frustrana increases as seedlings develop, suggesting that...

Nature and origin of secondary mineral coatings on volcanic rocks of the Black Mountain, Stonewall Mountain, and Kane Springs Wash volcanic centers, southern, Nevada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taranik, James V.; Hsu, Liang C.; Spatz, David M.; Chenevey, Michael J.

1989-01-01

The following subject areas are covered: (1) genetic, spectral, and LANDSAT Thematic Mapper imagery relationship between desert varnish and tertiary volcanic host rocks, southern Nevada; (2) reconnaissance geologic mapping of the Kane Springs Wash Volcanic Center, Lincoln County, Nevada, using multispectral thermal infrared imagery; (3) interregional comparisons of desert varnish; and (4) airborne scanner (GERIS) imagery of the Kane Springs Wash Volcanic Center, Lincoln County, Nevada.

Spatial greenstone-gneiss relationships: Evidence from mafic-ultramafic xenolith distribution patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glikson, A. Y.

1986-01-01

The distribution patterns of mafic-ultramafic xenoliths within Archaean orthogneiss terrain furnish an essential key for the elucidation of granite-greenstone relations. Most greenstone belts constitute mega-xenoliths rather than primary basin structures. Transition along strike and across strike between stratigraphically low greenstone sequences and xenolith chains demonstrate their contemporaneity. These terrains represent least deformed cratonic islands within an otherwise penetratively foliated deformed gneiss-greenstone crust. Whereas early greenstone sequences are invariably intruded by tonalitic/trondhjemitic/granodioritic gneisses, stratigraphically higher successions may locally overlap older gneiss terrains and their entrained xenoliths unconformably. The contiguity of xenolith patterns suggests their derivation as relics of regional mafic-ultramafic volcanic crustal units and places limits on horizontal movements between individual crustal blocks.

Estimation of continental Os/Os values by using Os/Os and Nd/Nd ratios in marine manganese nodules.

PubMed

Turekian, K K; Luck, J M

1984-12-01

The relationship between (187)Os/(186)Os and (143)Nd/(144)Nd in different manganese nodule fields is used to determine the (187)Os/(186)Os ratio of the continental terrains bounding the major ocean basins. The Atlantic Ocean drainages yield (187)Os/(186)Os of about 11; the Pacific Ocean, between 25 and 36; and the western Indian Ocean, 20. By assuming a two-component continental crust composed of "ultramafic rocks" (high Os concentration, low (187)Os/(186)Os) and "granite" with only radiogenic (187)Os produced in accessory Re-bearing molybdenite, the ultramafic contribution to weathering is about 0.2%. Some or most of this may come from the alteration of oceanic ultramafics.

Alteration minerals in impact-generated hydrothermal systems - Exploring host rock variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwenzer, Susanne P.; Kring, David A.

2013-09-01

Impact-generated hydrothermal systems have been previously linked to the alteration of Mars’ crust and the production of secondary mineral assemblages seen from orbit. The sensitivity of the resultant assemblages has not yet been evaluated as a function of precursor primary rock compositions. In this work, we use thermochemical modeling to explore the variety of minerals that could be produced by altering several known lithologies based on martian meteorite compositions. For a basaltic host rock lithology (Dhofar 378, Humphrey) the main alteration phases are feldspar, zeolite, pyroxene, chlorite, clay (nontronite, kaolinite), and hematite; for a lherzolithic host rock lithology (LEW 88516) the main alteration phases are amphibole, serpentine, chlorite, clay (nontronite, kaolinite), and hematite; and for an ultramafic host rock lithology (Chassigny) the main minerals are secondary olivine, serpentine, magnetite, quartz, and hematite. These assemblages and proportions of phases in each of those cases depend on W/R and temperature. Integrating geologic, hydrologic and alteration mineral evidence, we have developed a model to illustrate the distribution of alteration assemblages that occur in different levels of an impact structure. At the surface, hot, hydrous alteration affects the ejecta and melt sheet producing clay and chlorite. Deeper in the subsurface and depending on the permeability of the rock, a variety of minerals - smectite, chlorite, serpentine, amphiboles and hematite - are produced in a circulating hydrothermal system. These modeled mineral distributions should assist with interpretation of orbital observations and help guide surface exploration by rovers and sample return assets.

Enrichment of Thermophilic Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea from an Alkaline Hot Spring in the Great Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C.; Huang, Z.; Jiang, H.; Wiegel, J.; Li, W.; Dong, H.

2010-12-01

One of the major advances in the nitrogen cycle is the recent discovery of ammonia oxidation by archaea. While culture-independent studies have revealed occurrence of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in nearly every surface niche on earth, most of these microorganisms have resisted isolation and so far only a few species have been identified. The Great Basin contains numerous hot springs, which are characterized by moderately high temperature (40-65 degree C) and circumneutral or alkaline pH. Unique thermophilic archaea have been identified based on molecular DNA and lipid biomarkers; some of which may be ammonia oxidizers. This study aims to isolate some of these archaea from a California hot spring that has pH around 9.0 and temperature around 42 degree C. Mat material was collected from the spring and transported on ice to the laboratory. A synthetic medium (SCM-5) was inoculated with the mat material and the culture was incubated under varying temperature (35-65 degree C) and pH (7.0-10.0) conditions using antibiotics to suppress bacterial growth. Growth of the culture was monitored by microscopy, decrease in ammonium and increase in nitrite, and increases in Crenarchaeota and AOA abundances over time. Clone libraries were constructed to compare archaeal community structures before and after the enrichment experiment. Temperature and pH profiles indicated that the culture grew optimally at pH 9.0 and temperature 45 degree C, which are consistent with the geochemical conditions of the natural environment. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the final OTU was distantly related to all known hyperthermophilic archaea. Analysis of the amoA genes showed two OTUs in the final culture; one of them was closely related to Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis. However, the enrichment culture always contained bacteria and attempts to separate them from archaea have failed. This highlights the difficulty in bringing AOA into pure culture and suggests that some of the AOA may require synergy with bacteria for growth.

Assessment of potable water quality including organic, inorganic, and trace metal concentrations.

PubMed

Nahar, Mst Shamsun; Zhang, Jing

2012-02-01

The quality of drinking water (tap, ground, and spring) in Toyama Prefecture, Japan was assessed by studying quality indicators including major ions, total carbon, and trace metal levels. The physicochemical properties of the water tested were different depending on the water source. Major ion concentrations (Ca(2+), K(+), Si(4+), Mg(2+), Na(+), SO(4)(2-), HCO(3)(-), NO(3)(-), and Cl(-)) were determined by ion chromatography, and the results were used to generate Stiff diagrams in order to visually identify different water masses. Major ion concentrations were higher in ground water than in spring and tap water. The relationship between alkaline metals (Na(+) and K(+)), alkaline-earth metals (Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)), and HCO(3)(-) showed little difference between deep and shallow ground water. Toyama ground, spring, and tap water were all the same type of water mass, called Ca-HCO(3). The calculated total dissolved solid values were below 300 mg/L for all water sources and met World Health Organization (WHO) water quality guidelines. Trace levels of As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Mo, Ni, V, Zn, Sr, and Hg were detected in ground, spring, and tap water sources using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, and their levels were below WHO and Japanese water quality standard limits. Volatile organic carbon compounds were quantified by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the measured concentrations met WHO and Japanese water quality guidelines. Total trihalomethanes (THMs) were the major contaminant detected in all natural drinking water sources, but the concentration was highest in tap water (37.27 ± 0.05 μg/L). Notably, THMs concentrations reached up to 1.1 ± 0.05 μg/L in deep ground water. The proposed model gives an accurate description of the organic, inorganic, and trace heavy metal indicators studied here and may be used in natural clean water quality management. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Mutual independence of alkaline- and calcium-mediated signalling in Aspergillus fumigatus refutes the existence of a conserved druggable signalling nexus.

PubMed

Loss, Omar; Bertuzzi, Margherita; Yan, Yu; Fedorova, Natalie; McCann, Bethany L; Armstrong-James, Darius; Espeso, Eduardo A; Read, Nick D; Nierman, William C; Bignell, Elaine M

2017-12-01

Functional coupling of calcium- and alkaline responsive signalling occurs in multiple fungi to afford efficient cation homeostasis. Host microenvironments exert alkaline stress and potentially toxic concentrations of Ca 2+ , such that highly conserved regulators of both calcium- (Crz) and pH- (PacC/Rim101) responsive signalling are crucial for fungal pathogenicity. Drugs targeting calcineurin are potent antifungal agents but also perturb human immunity thereby negating their use as anti-infectives, abrogation of alkaline signalling has, therefore, been postulated as an adjunctive antifungal strategy. We examined the interdependency of pH- and calcium-mediated signalling in Aspergillus fumigatus and found that calcium chelation severely impedes hyphal growth indicating a critical requirement for this ion independently of ambient pH. Transcriptomic responses to alkaline pH or calcium excess exhibited minimal similarity. Mutants lacking calcineurin, or its client CrzA, displayed normal alkaline tolerance and nuclear translocation of CrzA was unaffected by ambient pH. Expression of a highly conserved, alkaline-regulated, sodium ATPase was tolerant of genetic or chemical perturbations of calcium-mediated signalling, but abolished in null mutants of the pH-responsive transcription factor PacC, and PacC proteolytic processing occurred normally during calcium excess. Taken together our data demonstrate that in A. fumigatus the regulatory hierarchy governing alkaline tolerance circumvents calcineurin signalling. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Microbiology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Geochemistry of fluids from Earth's deepest ridge-crest hot-springs: Piccard hydrothermal field, Mid-Cayman Rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDermott, Jill M.; Sylva, Sean P.; Ono, Shuhei; German, Christopher R.; Seewald, Jeffrey S.

2018-05-01

Hosted in basaltic substrate on the ultra-slow spreading Mid-Cayman Rise, the Piccard hydrothermal field is the deepest currently known seafloor hot-spring (4957-4987 m). Due to its great depth, the Piccard site is an excellent natural system for investigating the influence of extreme pressure on the formation of submarine vent fluids. To investigate the role of rock composition and deep circulation conditions on fluid chemistry, the abundance and isotopic composition of organic, inorganic, and dissolved volatile species in high temperature vent fluids at Piccard were examined in samples collected in 2012 and 2013. Fluids from the Beebe Vents and Beebe Woods black smokers vent at a maximum temperature of 398 °C at the seafloor, however several lines of evidence derived from inorganic chemistry (Cl, SiO2, Ca, Br, Fe, Cu, Mn) support fluid formation at much higher temperatures in the subsurface. These high temperatures, potentially in excess of 500 °C, are attainable due to the great depth of the system. Our data indicate that a single deep-rooted source fluid feeds high temperature vents across the entire Piccard field. High temperature Piccard fluid H2 abundances (19.9 mM) are even higher than those observed in many ultramafic-influenced systems, such as the Rainbow (16 mM) and the Von Damm hydrothermal fields (18.2 mM). In the case of Piccard, however, these extremely high H2 abundances can be generated from fluid-basalt reaction occurring at very high temperatures. Magmatic and thermogenic sources of carbon in the high temperature black smoker vents are described. Dissolved ΣCO2 is likely of magmatic origin, CH4 may originate from a combination of thermogenic sources and leaching of abiotic CH4 from mineral-hosted fluid inclusions, and CO abundances are at equilibrium with the water-gas shift reaction. Longer-chained n-alkanes (C2H6, C3H8, n-C4H10, i-C4H10) may derive from thermal alteration of dissolved and particulate organic carbon sourced from the original seawater source, entrainment of microbial ecosystems peripheral to high temperature venting, and/or abiotic mantle sources. Dissolved ΣHCOOH in the Beebe Woods fluid is consistent with thermodynamic equilibrium for abiotic production via ΣCO2 reduction with H2 at 354 °C measured temperature. A lack of ΣHCOOH in the relatively higher temperature 398 °C Beebe Vent fluids demonstrates the temperature sensitivity of this equilibrium. Abundant basaltic seafloor outcrops and the axial location of the vent field, along with multiple lines of geochemical evidence, support extremely high temperature fluid-rock reaction with mafic substrate as the dominant control on Piccard fluid chemistry. These results expand the known diversity of vent fluid composition, with implications for supporting microbiological life in both the modern and ancient ocean.

77 FR 59357 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding on a Petition To List Spring...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-27

... bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature'' published in volume 40 of the Journal of Research... Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The ITIS is hosted by the United States Geological Survey... potential sites) for the Spring Mountains acastus checkerspot butterfly in 1999. During the 1999 surveys...

Structural correction of paleomagnetic vectors dispersed about two fold axes and application to the Duke Island (Alaska) ultramafic complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogue, Scott W.; Grommé, C. Sherman

2004-11-01

A new analysis of paleomagnetic data from the mid-Cretaceous (˜110 Ma) ultramafic complex at Duke Island (southeast Alaska) supports large poleward transport of the Insular superterrane relative to North America consistent with the Baja British Columbia hypothesis. Previous paleomagnetic work has shown that the characteristic remanence of the ultramafic complex predates kilometer-scale deformation of the very well developed cumulate layering but that the layering was not horizontal everywhere before the folding. It is possible, however, to estimate paleohorizontal for the Duke Island ultramafic complex because the postremanence deformation of the intrusion occurred about two well-defined and spatially separate fold axes. In such a case the tectonically rotated paleomagnetic directions should be distributed along small circles centered on each of the two fold axes. The ancient field direction will lie on both small circles and therefore will be identifiable as one of their two intersection points. Interpreted this way, the tectonically rotated remanence of the Duke Island ultramafic complex defines a mid-Cretaceous (i.e., ancient) field direction that is within 2° of the paleomagnetic direction found by assuming the cumulate layering was initially horizontal (despite the paleomagnetic evidence to the contrary) and performing the standard structure correction. The inferred mid-Cretaceous paleolatitude of Duke Island is 21.2° (2350 km) anomalous with respect to cratonic North America. This result is concordant with southerly paleolatitudes determined by many other workers from bedded rocks of terranes farther inboard in the Insular and Intermontane superterranes.

Origin of spinel lamella and/or inclusions in olivine of harzburgite form the Pauza ultramafic rocks from the Kurdistan region, northeastern Iraq

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammad, Y.; Maekawa, H.; Karim, K.

2009-04-01

Exsolution lamellae and octahedral inclusions of chromian spinel occur in olivine of harzburgite of the Pauza ultramafic rocks, Kurdistan region, northeastern Iraq. The lamella is up to 80μm long and up to 50 μm wide. The lamellae and octahedral inclusions of chromian spinel are distributed heterogeneously in the host olivine crystal. They are depleted in Al2O3 relative to the subhedral spinel grains in the matrix and spinel lamella in orthopyroxene. Olivine (Fo92 - 93) with spinel lamellae occurs as fine-grained crystals around orthopyroxene, whereas olivine (Fo90-91) free from spinel is found in matrix. Based on back-scattered images analyses, enrichments of both Cr # and Fe+3 in the chromian spinel lamella in olivine (replacive olivine) relative to that in adjacent orthopyroxene. As well as the compositions of chromian spinel lamellae host olivine are more Mg-rich than the matrix olivine. Furthermore the restriction of olivine with spinel lamellae and octahedral inclusions on around orthopyroxene, and the similarity of spinel lamella orientations in both olivine and adjacent orthopyroxene. This study concludes that the spinel inclusions in olivine are remnant (inherited from former orthopyroxene) spinel exsolution lamella in orthopyroxene, that has been formed in upper mantle conditions ( T = 1200 °C, P = 2.5 GPa ). Replacive olivine are formed by reaction of ascending silica poor melt and orthopyroxene in harzburgite as pressure decrease the solubility of silica-rich phase (orthopyroxene) in the system increase, therefore ascending melt dissolve pyroxene with spinel exsolution lamella and precipitate replacive olivine with spinel inclusions. We can conclude that the olivines with spinel lamella are not necessary to be original and presenting ultrahigh-pressure and/or ultra deep-mantle conditions as previously concluded. It has been formed by melting of orthopyroxene (orthopyroxene with spinel exsolution lamella = olivine with spinel lamellae and octahedral inclusions + Si-rich melt; 2Mg SiO3= Mg2SiO4+SiO2) in about 700 °C.

Multiple Sulfur Isotopes In The Molopo Farms Complex May Shed Light On Mechanisms Of Mineralization In The Bushveld Igneous Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magalhaes, N.; Feineman, M. D.; Bybee, G. M.; Penniston-Dorland, S.; Farquhar, J.; Draper, C.; Escobar, E.; Gates, M.; Renusch, J.

2016-12-01

The 2.056 Ga Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) is host to the world's largest layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion, the Rustenburg Layered Suite (RLS), which has >80% of the world's known platinum group elements (PGEs) reserves. The BIC results from large-volume melt extraction from the mantle and may provide insight into the formation and compositional evolution of continental crust. Despite its scientific and economic importance, the total magma volume is poorly known. This is in part because the relationship between the BIC and nearby intrusive bodies of similar age remains uncertain. In this study, we present major element, trace element, and multiple sulfur isotope data for a suite of samples spanning the stratigraphy of the Molopo Farms Complex (MFC), a layered mafic intrusion located 200 km west of the Far Western Limb of the RLS. Similar to the RLS, the MFC contains an ultramafic lower zone, a mafic main zone, and an incompatible element enriched granophyric unit near the contact with the roof rocks. However, it has no Critical Zone, and an insignificant concentration of PGEs. Since the PGEs in the RLS are primarily hosted in sulfides, it has been inferred that the mineralization is closely linked to the source and behavior of sulfur. The RLS displays mass independent fractionation of sulfur (S-MIF; denoted by Δ33S), which suggests incorporation of surface-derived materials into the magma prior to or during emplacement. Multiple sulfur isotopes of MFC samples also show non-zero mean Δ33S (0.04±0.02‰, 1sd), although it is lower than the mean for the RLS (0.11±0.02‰, 1sd). Similarities in trace element ratios between the MFC mafic zone and RLS marginal zone suggest the same parental magma contributed to both intrusions. Taken together, these results suggest that both the RLS and the MFC started with similar magmatic compositions, and while both assimilated sulfur with an Archean surface-derived component, the RLS received more of this component in proportion to its volume. The lack of PGE mineralization in the MFC may reflect the lesser addition of Archean sedimentary sulfur.

A textural and compositional investigation on the source and timing of iron oxidation and titanium enrichment in high-pressure serpentinites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crossley, R.; Evans, K. A.; Reddy, S.; Lester, G. W.

2016-12-01

The redox state, quantity and composition of subduction zone fluids influence the transport and precipitation of elements including those which are redox-sensitive, of economic importance such as Cu, Au and Ag, and those considered to be immobile, which include Fe3+. However, subduction zone fluids remain poorly understood. The redox state of Fe in high-pressure ultramafic rocks, which host a significant proportion of Fe3+, can be used to provide an insight into Fe cycling and constrain the composition and possible source of subduction zone fluids. In this work, we use a combination of oxide mineral textures, mineral parageneses, mineral composition data, and whole rock geochemistry of high-pressure retrogressed ultramafic rocks from the Zermatt-Saas Zone to constrain the distribution and oxidation state of iron, and to provide insights on the nature of fluids at depth within subduction zones. Oxide minerals host the bulk of the iron, particularly Fe3+. The increase in mode of magnetite during initial retrogression is most consistent with oxidation of existing iron via the infiltration of an oxidising fluids since it is difficult to reconcile addition of Fe3+ with the known limited solubility of this species. In addition, fluid-mediated or mechanical mixing with other lithologies in the slab could introduce elements and alter the bulk composition of serpentinites. However, the high Ti content of one sample cannot be explained by simple mixing of a depleted mantle protolith with the nearby Allalin gabbros, and provides the tantalising possibility that Ti, an element generally perceived as immobile, has been added to the rock. While we cannot completely exclude the possibility of pre-subduction Ti addition, textural analysis of Ti-rich minerals suggest mobilisation of Ti during subduction on at least a centimetre scale. If Ti addition has occurred, then the introduction of Fe3+, also generally considered to be immobile, cannot be disregarded. The Al-rich nature of the sample may be consistent with aluminosilicate complexing as the transport vector for Ti and/or Fe3+.

Edaphic interactions in first-year growth of California ponderosa pine

Treesearch

James L. Jenkinson

1977-01-01

To investigate local adaptation to soil fertility, seeds were collected from trees in natural stands selected on one fertile and one nearby ultramafic soil in four geographic areas in the northern Sierra Nevada. Germinants from all seed parents in an area were planted in soils dug from the A horizon of both parent stands. Seedling growth on the fertile and ultramafic...

Geophysical methods as mapping tools in a strata-bound gold deposit: Haile mine, South Carolina slate belt.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wynn, J.C.; Luce, R.W.

1984-01-01

The Haile mine is the largest gold producer in the eastern USA. It is postulated to be a strata-bound gold deposit formed by a fumarolic or hot-spring system in felsic tuffs of Cambrian(?) age. Two mineralized zones occur, each composed of a sericitic part overlain by a siliceous part. Au is concentrated in especially silicified horizons and in pyrite horizons in the siliceous part of each mineralized zone. The tuffs are metamorphosed to greenschist facies and intruded by diabase and other mafic dykes. Weathering is deep and the mineralized tuffs are partly covered by coastal-plain sediments. It is suggested that certain geophysical methods may be useful in mapping and exploring Haile-type deposits in the Carolina slate belt. Very low frequency electromagnetic resistivity surveys help define alteration and silicified zones. A magnetic survey found sharp highs that correlate with unexposed mafic and ultramafic dykes. Induced polarization proved useful in giving a two-dimensional view of the structure.-G.J.N.

Foliar nutrient responses of oak saplings to nitrogen treatments on alkaline soils within the Missouri River Floodplain

Treesearch

J.W. Van Sambeek; John M. Kabrick; Daniel C. Dey

2017-01-01

Bottomland afforestation is frequently unsuccessful, partly because of low-quality planting stock and low soil fertility following row cropping. In autumn 1999, two 16.2-ha fields at two conservation areas in central Missouri were seeded to redtop grass or allowed to revegetate from the seedbank. In spring 2004, one of five nitrogen (N) treatments was applied to one...

Geologic map of the Vigo NE quadrangle, Lincoln County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scott, Robert B.; Harding, Anne E.

2006-01-01

This map of the Vigo NE quadrangle, Lincoln County, Nevada records the distribution, stratigraphy, and structural relationships of Tertiary intracaldera lavas and tuffs in the southeastern part of the Kane Springs Wash caldera, extracaldera Tertiary and upper Paleozoic rocks, and late Cenozoic surficial deposits both within and outside the caldera. The alkaline to peralkaline Kane Springs Wash caldera is the youngest (14 Ma) of three chemically related metaluminous to peralkaline calderas (Boulder Canyon caldera, 15 Ma; Narrow Canyon caldera, 16 Ma) of the nested Kane Springs Wash caldera complex. The chemistry of this caldera complex became progressively more alkalic with time, in contrast to the older calc-alkalic calderas and caldera complexes to the north that migrated progressively southward in eastern Nevada. The increasingly peralkaline eruptions from the Kane Springs Wash caldera complex reached a climax that was simultaneous with the end of both rapid extension and magmatism in this part of the Basin and Range. Using the assumption that degree of tilting is related to the degree of extension, the rate of extension increased until the abrupt halt at about 14 Ma. Silicic volcanism terminated at the Kane Springs Wash caldera followed only by local sporadic basaltic eruptions that ended by about 8 Ma. The northern boundary of an east-west-trending amagmatic corridor appears in the Vigo NE quadrangle south of the Kane Springs Wash caldera.

Biofilm exopolymers control microbialite formation at thermal springs discharging into the alkaline Pyramid Lake, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arp, Gernot; Thiel, Volker; Reimer, Andreas; Michaelis, Walter; Reitner, Joachim

1999-07-01

Calcium carbonate precipitation and microbialite formation at highly supersaturated mixing zones of thermal spring waters and alkaline lake water have been investigated at Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Without precipitation, pure mixing should lead to a nearly 100-fold supersaturation at 40°C. Physicochemical precipitation is modified or even inhibited by the properties of biofilms, dependent on the extent of biofilm development and the current precipitation rate. Mucus substances (extracellular polymeric substances, EPS, e.g., of cyanobacteria) serve as effective Ca 2+-buffers, thus preventing seed crystal nucleation even in a highly supersaturated macroenvironment. Carbonate is then preferentially precipitated in mucus-free areas such as empty diatom tests or voids. After the buffer capacity of the EPS is surpassed, precipitation is observed at the margins of mucus areas. Hydrocarbon biomarkers extracted from (1) a calcifying Phormidium-biofilm, (2) the stromatolitic carbonate below, and (3) a fossil `tufa' of the Pleistocene pinnacles, indicate that the cyanobacterial primary producers have been subject to significant temporal changes in their species distribution. Accordingly, the species composition of cyanobacterial biofilms does not appear to be relevant for the formation of microbial carbonates in Pyramid Lake. The results demonstrate the crucial influence of mucus substances on carbonate precipitation in highly supersaturated natural environments.

Asynchrony in host and parasite phenology may decrease disease risk in livestock under climate warming: Nematodirus battus in lambs as a case study.

PubMed

Gethings, Owen J; Rose, Hannah; Mitchell, Siân; Van Dijk, Jan; Morgan, Eric R

2015-09-01

Mismatch in the phenology of trophically linked species as a result of climate warming has been shown to have far-reaching effects on animal communities, but implications for disease have so far received limited attention. This paper presents evidence suggestive of phenological asynchrony in a host-parasite system arising from climate change, with impacts on transmission. Diagnostic laboratory data on outbreaks of infection with the pathogenic nematode Nematodirus battus in sheep flocks in the UK were used to validate region-specific models of the effect of spring temperature on parasite transmission. The hatching of parasite eggs to produce infective larvae is driven by temperature, while the availability of susceptible hosts depends on lambing date, which is relatively insensitive to inter-annual variation in spring temperature. In southern areas and in warmer years, earlier emergence of infective larvae in spring was predicted, with decline through mortality before peak availability of susceptible lambs. Data confirmed model predictions, with fewer outbreaks recorded in those years and regions. Overlap between larval peaks and lamb availability was not reduced in northern areas, which experienced no decreases in the number of reported outbreaks. Results suggest that phenological asynchrony arising from climate warming may affect parasite transmission, with non-linear but predictable impacts on disease burden. Improved understanding of complex responses of host-parasite systems to climate change can contribute to effective adaptation of parasite control strategies.

Phenocrysts and megacrysts of olivines from ultramafic lamprophyres of the Chadobets and Il'bokich uplifts, Southwestern Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnova, Maria; Sazonova, Lyudmila; Nosova, Anna; Kargin, Alexey; Shcherbakov, Vasiliy

2017-04-01

The study of composition and zoning of olivines from ultramafic lamprophyres of the SW Siberian craton allowed us to distinguish their main types (phenocrysts and megacrysts) and to estimate the possible P-T conditions of phenocryst crystallization. The studied rocks occur as sills and dikes in the Chadobets and Il'bokich uplifts of the Irkeneeva-Chadobets trough. The ultramafic lamprophyres of these uplifts are spaced around 80 km apart and differ in age by more than 150 Ma. The rocks of the Il'bokich Uplift are dated at Devonian, while the age of the Chadobets Complex is restricted to the Triassic. The episodes of these complexes formation were separated by the large flood basalt event. According to classification (Tappe et al., 2005), the studied rocks are aillikite and damtjernite. Olivine phenocrysts from the rocks of the Il'bokich and Chadobets complexes are represented by sub- and euhedral grains. They are composed of core, transitional zone, and rim. Olivine cores in the aillikites of the Il'bokich Complex are characterized by Mg# 89; CaO - 0.13-0.14 wt %; TiO2 around 0.03 wt %, Al - 200-380 ppm, and Cr - 130-340 ppm. The cores of phenocrysts from the Chadobets lamprophyres have Mg# 85-87, CaO varying within 0.1-0.2 wt %, and TiO2 - 0.02-0.05 wt %. The megacrysts differ from the phenocrysts of these rocks in the lower Mg# 83-84 and CaO - 0.08-0.14 wt % at higher TiO2 - 0.04-0.05 wt %. Al - 100-700 ppm, Cr - 20-65 ppm. The most striking difference between olivines of the two complexes is observed between their Mg#-Ni relations. The cores of olivine phenocrysts from the Il'bokich lamprophyres are characterized by the high Mg number (Mg# = 89) and Ni content (2800-3000 ppm), whereas olivine cores of the Chadobets aillikites have higher contents of Ni (3000-3500 ppm) at lowered (Mg# = 86-88). These characteristics reflect the compositions of their protolith. The temperature was estimated using monomineral olivine thermometer based on the contents of Cr and Al in olivine (De Hooge et al., 2010). This geothermometer was calibrated for a wide compositional range, including kimberlites, and correspondingly, may be used for alkaline-ultrabasic lamprophyres. At pressures above 4 GPa, olivine phenocrysts fall in the field of olivine-kimberlite melt equilibrium (Girnis et al., 1995). The Il'bokich olivine phenocrysts were formed at higher temperature than the Chadobets phenocrysts: from 1240 to 1340oC for the Il'bokich rocks and from 1080 to 1225oC for the Chadobets rocks. In the P-T diagram showing the geotherm of 40 mV/m2, olivines from the Il'bokich and Chadobets lamprophyres lie to the right of the geotherm, which excludes the presence of xenogenic lithospheric mantle olivine in these rocks. De Hoog J.C.M., Gall L., Cornell D.H. 2010. Trace-element geochemistry of mantle olivine and application to mantle petrogenesis and geothermobarometry // Chem. Geol. 270.1: 196-21. Girnis A.V., Brey G.P., Ryabchikov I.D. 1995. Origin of group 1A kimberlites: fluid-saturated melting experiments at 45-55 kbar // EPSL. 134.3: 283-296. Tappe S., Foley S.F., Jenner G.A. et al. 2006. Genesis of Ultramafic Lamprophyres and Carbonatites at Aillik Bay, Labrador: a Consequence of Incipient Lithospheric Thinning beneath the North Atlantic Craton // J. Petrology. 47 (7). 1261-1315.

Biomimetic mineral self-organization from silica-rich spring waters.

PubMed

García-Ruiz, Juan Manuel; Nakouzi, Elias; Kotopoulou, Electra; Tamborrino, Leonardo; Steinbock, Oliver

2017-03-01

Purely inorganic reactions of silica, metal carbonates, and metal hydroxides can produce self-organized complex structures that mimic the texture of biominerals, the morphology of primitive organisms, and that catalyze prebiotic reactions. To date, these fascinating structures have only been synthesized using model solutions. We report that mineral self-assembly can be also obtained from natural alkaline silica-rich water deriving from serpentinization. Specifically, we demonstrate three main types of mineral self-assembly: (i) nanocrystalline biomorphs of barium carbonate and silica, (ii) mesocrystals and crystal aggregates of calcium carbonate with complex biomimetic textures, and (iii) osmosis-driven metal silicate hydrate membranes that form compartmentalized, hollow structures. Our results suggest that silica-induced mineral self-assembly could have been a common phenomenon in alkaline environments of early Earth and Earth-like planets.

Estimation of continental 187Os/186Os values by using 187Os/186Os and 143Nd/144Nd ratios in marine manganese nodules

PubMed Central

Turekian, Karl K.; Luck, Jean-Marc

1984-01-01

The relationship between 187Os/186Os and 143Nd/144Nd in different manganese nodule fields is used to determine the 187Os/186Os ratio of the continental terrains bounding the major ocean basins. The Atlantic Ocean drainages yield 187Os/186Os of about 11; the Pacific Ocean, between 25 and 36; and the western Indian Ocean, 20. By assuming a two-component continental crust composed of “ultramafic rocks” (high Os concentration, low 187Os/186Os) and “granite” with only radiogenic 187Os produced in accessory Re-bearing molybdenite, the ultramafic contribution to weathering is about 0.2%. Some or most of this may come from the alteration of oceanic ultramafics. PMID:16578780

Characterization of the Sukinda and Nausahi ultramafic complexes, Orissa, India by platinum-group element geochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Page, N.J.; Banerji, P.K.; Haffty, J.

1985-01-01

Samples of 20 chromitite, 14 ultramafic and mafic rock, and 9 laterite and soil samples from the Precambrian Sukinda and Nausahi ultramafic complexes, Orissa, India were analyzed for platinum-group elements (PGE). The maximum concentrations are: palladium, 13 parts per billion (ppb); platinum, 120 ppb; rhodium, 21 ppb; iridium, 210 ppb; and ruthenium, 630 ppb. Comparison of chondrite-normalized ratios of PGE for the chromitite samples of lower Proterozoic to Archean age with similar data from Paleozoic and Mesozoic ophiolite complexes strongly implies that these complexes represent Precambrian analogs of ophiolite complexes. This finding is consistent with the geology and petrology of the Indian complexes and suggests that plate-tectonic and ocean basin developement models probably apply to some parts of Precambrian shield areas. ?? 1985.

Spectral engineering of optical fiber through active nanoparticle doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindstrom-James, Tiffany

The spectral engineering of optical fiber is a method of intentional doping of the core region in order to absorb/emit specific wavelengths of light therby providing enhanced performance over current fibers. Efforts here focused on developing an understanding of optically active nanoparticles based on alkaline earth fluorides that could be easily and homogeneously incorporated into the core of a silica based optical fiber preform and result in efficient and tailorable spectral emissions. Doped and undoped calcium, strontium and barium fluoride nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and characterized for their physical, chemical, and optical behavior. Distinct spectroscopic differences as a result of different host materials, varying rare earth doping levels and processing conditions, indicated the ability to influence the spectral behavior of the doped nanoparticle. By using photoluminescence to predict diffusion behavior, the application of a simple one dimensional model for diffusion provided a method for predicting the diffusion coefficient of europium ions in alkaline earth fluorides with order of magnitude accuracy. Modified chemical vapor deposition derived silica preforms were individually solution doped with europium doped alkaline earth fluoride nanoparticles. By using the rare earth doped alkaline earth fluoride nanoparticles as the dopant materials in the core of optical fiber preforms, the resultant optical properties of the glass were significantly influenced by their presence in the core. The incorporation of these rare earth doped alkaline earth fluoride nanoparticles was found to significantly influence the local chemical and structural environment about the rare earth ion, demonstrated homogeneity and uniform distribution of the rare earth dopant and resulted in specifically unique spectral behavior when compared to conventional doping methods. A more detailed structural model of the doped core glass region has been developed based on the spectral behavior of these active fiber preforms. It has been shown that rare earth doping of alkaline earth fluoride nanoparticles provides a material which can be 'tuned' to specific applications through the use of different host materials, processing conditions and doping levels of the rare earth and when used as dopant materials for active optical fibers, provides a means to tailor the optical behavior.

Autotrophic Ecosystems on the Early Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulte, M.

2003-01-01

Ophiolite sequences, sections of lower oceanic crust and upper mantle that have been thrust onto continental craton, are located in northern and central California and provide easily accessible areas that serve as good analogs for similar, more extensive areas of the early Earth. We have begun investigating and characterizing these sites in order to understand better the processes that may be responsible for the water chemistry, mineralogy and biology of similar environments on the early Earth. The geophysical and geochemical processes in these terranes provide niches for unique communities of extremeophiles and likely provide a good analog to the location that first gave rise to life on Earth. The ophiolites found in northern and central California include the Trinity, Josephine, Coast Range and Point Sal, all of which are approximately 160 million years old. Fluids from serpentinizing springs are generally alkaline with high pH and H2 contents, indicating that the mafic rock compositions control the fluid composition through water-rock reactions during relatively low-grade hydrothermal processes. There are significant amounts of primary mineralogy remaining in the rocks, meaning that substantial alteration processes are still occurring in these terranes. The general reaction for serpentinization of olivine is given by one of the authors. olivine + H2O = serpentine + brucite + magnetite + H2. We have analyzed the mineralogical composition of several rock samples collected from the Coast Range Ophiolite near Clear Lake, CA by electron microprobe. The remnant primary mineralogy is fairly urnform in composition, with an olivine composition of Fo(sub 90), and with pyroxene compositions of En(sub 90) for orthopyroxene and En(sub 49)Wo(sub 48)Fs(sub 03) for the clinopyroxene. Other primary phases observed include chromites and other spinels. Examination of petrographic thin sections reveals that serpentinization reactions have occurred in these locations. The serpentine resulting from aqueous alteration of olivine resides in veins that are see to cross cut the primary mineral grains. There are several generations of alteration products, comprised mostly of serpentines that are magnesium rich, with magnetite, brucite and carbonates observed as accessory minerals. The formation of carbonates can be taken to indicate the presence of CO2 in the altering fluids. We collected samples from a spring in the Coast Range Ophiolite in order to determine whether the geochemical environment serves as a habitat for chemotrophic microorganisms. DNA was extracted from the sediment samples and the 16s rRNA gene was PCR amplified using universal Archaeal primers. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to determine the community of Archaea thriving in these samples. Our results indicate that there were 8 different genera of Archaea from a single sample. A sequence was obtained from one of these eight. The sequence is of an organism similar to Halorubrum tibetense, and alkalophilic Archaeon. This result suggests that these environments are likely hosts for communities of organisms that are adapted for the unique chemistry provided by the alkaline spring.

Aposematism in Archips cerasivoranus not linked to the sequestration of host-derived cyanide.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, T D; Stevens, M A; Miller, S; Jeffers, P

2008-10-01

This study addressed the question of how caterpillars of Archips cerasivoranus feeding upon Prunus virginiana cope with the cyanogenic compounds of their food. Analysis by ion chromatography showed that young and aged leaves of P. virginiana consumed by the caterpillars during spring have hydrogen cyanide potentials (HCN-ps) of 2,473 +/- 130 ppm and 1,058 +/- 98 ppm, respectively. Although less than 3% of the cyanide released as the caterpillars feed escapes into the atmosphere, the larva's bright-yellow aposematic coloration and conspicuous activity can not be attributed to the sequestration of cyanide. Only six of 25 samples of the caterpillars' defensive regurgitants collected from 12 field colonies contained cyanide (17.6 +/- 6.54 ppm), less than 5% of the quantity previously reported to occur in the regurgitant of the tent caterpillar M. americanum. Only seven of 13 caterpillars assayed had detectable quantities of cyanide in their bodies (3.9 +/- 0.9 ppm). The fecal pellets that encase the cocoon contained no cyanide, nor did the frass that litters the leaf shelters. The small quantities of cyanide that occur in the caterpillar compared to the HCN-p of ingested plant material appear attributable to paced bouts of feeding and the maintenance of a highly alkaline foregut that inhibits cyanogenesis.

The Serpentinite Subsurface Microbiome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrenk, M. O.; Nelson, B. Y.; Brazelton, W. J.

2011-12-01

Microbial habitats hosted in ultramafic rocks constitute substantial, globally-distributed portions of the subsurface biosphere, occurring both on the continents and beneath the seafloor. The aqueous alteration of ultramafics, in a process known as serpentinization, creates energy rich, high pH conditions, with low concentrations of inorganic carbon which place fundamental constraints upon microbial metabolism and physiology. Despite their importance, very few studies have attempted to directly access and quantify microbial activities and distributions in the serpentinite subsurface microbiome. We have initiated microbiological studies of subsurface seeps and rocks at three separate continental sites of serpentinization in Newfoundland, Italy, and California and compared these results to previous analyses of the Lost City field, near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In all cases, microbial cell densities in seep fluids are extremely low, ranging from approximately 100,000 to less than 1,000 cells per milliliter. Culture-independent analyses of 16S rRNA genes revealed low-diversity microbial communities related to Gram-positive Firmicutes and hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria. Interestingly, unlike Lost City, there has been little evidence for significant archaeal populations in the continental subsurface to date. Culturing studies at the sites yielded numerous alkaliphilic isolates on nutrient-rich agar and putative iron-reducing bacteria in anaerobic incubations, many of which are related to known alkaliphilic and subsurface isolates. Finally, metagenomic data reinforce the culturing results, indicating the presence of genes associated with organotrophy, hydrogen oxidation, and iron reduction in seep fluid samples. Our data provide insight into the lifestyles of serpentinite subsurface microbial populations and targets for future quantitative exploration using both biochemical and geochemical approaches.

Exploration of gold occurrences in alteration zones at Dungash district, Southeastern Desert of Egypt using ASTER data and geochemical analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, S. M.; El Sharkawi, M.; El-Alfy, Z.; Soliman, N. M.; Ahmed, S. E.

2016-05-01

The present study aims at exploration of new gold occurrences in the alteration zones at Dungash district. Processed ASTER images band ratios 7/6 × 4/6 and (7 + 9/8), field geology and mineralogical and geochemical data help characterize three types of alterations in three areas 1 to 3 that may be targeted for Au exploration. Area1 confined to the metavolcanics located in the SE of Dungash gold mine and revealed silicified and sericitized type alterations, composed of quartz, epidote, chlorite, biotite and opaque minerals mainly pyrite and chalcopyrite. Area2 occurs in the gabbro-diorite rocks at Abu Meraiwa area NE of Dungash gold mine, which are rich in kaolinite, illite, sericite, pyrite, arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite that record kaolinitized alteration. Area3 is hosted in carbonaceous listwaenized serpentinite thus indicating the role of listwaenitization type alteration in ore genesis. It is composed of calcite, chromite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and Ni-bearing sulphides. Au contents in area 1 range between 0.12 and 14.91 ppm, and between 6.1 and 16.3 ppm in area 2, while gold values in area 3 vary from <0.01 to 0.03 ppm. Dungash district is comprised of Pan-African assemblages of ophiolitic ultramafics thrusted over the island arc metavolcanics of dacitic- andesite composition. Gabbro-diorite rocks are intruded in the ultramafics and the acidic metavolcanics as well as diorite-quartz diorite suite intruded in the intermediate metavolcanics. Several acidic dykes, granitic dykes and quartz veins cut through the different rocks types.

Remote sensing of selected winter and spring host plants of tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) and herbicide use strategies as a management tactic

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Remote sensing was used in a series of experiments over a three-year period to obtain spectral reflectance data for use in studying differences in vegetation indices between grasses, broadleaf plants, and grass/broadleaf plant mixtures. Empirical simulations of selected non-crop winter and spring h...

Ultramafics-Hydrothermalism-Hydrogenesis-HyperSLiME (UltraH3) Linkage is a key for Occurrence of Last Universal Common Ancestral (LUCA) Community: Where is it, Lost City or Kairei (Rainbow)?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takai, K.; Inagaki, F.; Nakamura, K.; Suzuki, K.; Kumagai, H.

2005-12-01

Deep-sea hydrothermal system has been recognized one of the most plausible places for origin of life in this planet. This hypothesis has been supported by evidences from multidisciplinary scientific fields. In geology, it has been demonstrated that the potentially most ancient microbial fossils are retrieved from the paleoenvironment, that might be related with deep-sea hydrothermal systems in the Archean. Chemical reactions suggesting prebiotic chemical evolution (synthesis of amino acids, nucleic acids and hydrocarbon, and polymerization of these molecules) are observed under the simulated physical and chemical conditions of the deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the laboratory. In addition, phylogenetic analyses of all the lives in this planet have clearly revealed that hyperthermophiles inhabiting deep-sea hydrothermal systems represent the deepest lineage of the life. Supposed that the Archean deep-sea hydrothermal system hosted the origin of life, what was the first life? We are pursuing the energy metabolism of our last universal common ancestor (LUCA) and the environmental settings hosting the LUCA. It is definitely expected that the genesis of LUCA occurred at high temperatures of locally organics-rich microenvironment around deep-sea hydrothermal field and the first energy metabolism depended on fermentation of simple amino acids, organic acids and sugars. However, these organics were immediately consumed by the hyperthermophilic LUCA activity. Inheritance of the LUCA needed to evolve the energy and carbon acquisitions to more stable and efficient mode. Chemolithoautotrophy might be the best because a plenty of reductive gas components were always provided by the hydrothermal activity. Hyperthermophilic chemolithoautotrophs could serve as the primary producers and could foster the heterotrophic fellows. This was the genesis of the last universal common ancestral (LUCA) community of life. We hypothesize that the LUCA community was metabolically approximated to hyperthermophilic subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystem (HyperSLiME) currently discovered beneath the Central Indian Ridge hydrothermal field. The environmental settings for the occurrence of HyperSLiME are now being characterized and an important linkage among the occurrence of HyperSLiME, extraordinary amount of hydrogen in the hydrothermal fluids and ultramfics-hosted hydrothermal systems is proposed. This ultramafics-hydrothermalism-hydrogen-HyperSLiME (UltraH3) linkage is very likely a key for the genesis of the LUCA community. We would like to discuss the possible UltraH3 linkage in the Archean earth. In addition, we would like to discuss which of modern deep-sea hydrothermal systems is the most plausible proxy for the Archean LUCA habitats.

Biological Sources of Branched Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers (brGDGTs) in Terrestrial Hot Springs: A Possible Link Between Nitrogen-cycling Bacteria and brGDGT Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J. X.; Xie, W.; Boyd, E. S.; Hedlund, B. P.; Zhang, C.

2014-12-01

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are common in peat, soil, lakes, rivers and hot springs. To seek the potential biological sources of brGDGTs in geothermal environments, we investigated 65 hot springs in the Yellowstone National Park (USA) and Tengchong (China). Together with previously published data from hot springs in the Great Basin (USA) and Tibet (China), we found that the abundance of brGDGTs tended to peak in springs with pH > 8. This contrasts with previous observations indicating an abundance of brGDGTs in acidic soils and peat bogs, suggesting a different biological source and function for lipids in these environments. In support of this hypothesis, a comparison of Cyclization ratios of Branched Tetraethers (CBT) between hot springs and surrounding soils indicated that more brGDGTs with cyclopentane moieties were produced in alkaline hot springs than in nearby low-temperature soils. Since Acidobacteria (the likely source of brGDGTs in peat bog environments) tend to have low CBT ratios, these data suggest a different source for brGDGTs in hot spring environments. RDA and regression analysis integrating brGDGT compounds and nitrogen species indicate that Bacteria involved in the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle (ammonia oxidation and nitrite reduction) may be related to the production of brGDGTs in terrestrial hot springs. However, direct evidence showing the link between nitrogen-cycling bacteria and brGDGT production has yet to be demonstrated under laboratory conditions. Nevertheless, our study expands the possibility of brGDGT sources into bacterial communities in terrestrial geothermal systems where Acidobacteria are absent or only a minor component.

Portrait of a Geothermal Spring, Hunter's Hot Springs, Oregon.

PubMed

Castenholz, Richard W

2015-01-27

Although alkaline Hunter's Hot Springs in southeastern Oregon has been studied extensively for over 40 years, most of these studies and the subsequent publications were before the advent of molecular methods. However, there are many field observations and laboratory experiments that reveal the major aspects of the phototrophic species composition within various physical and chemical gradients of these springs. Relatively constant temperature boundaries demark the upper boundary of the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechococcus at 73-74 °C (the world-wide upper limit for photosynthesis), and 68-70 °C the upper limit for Chloroflexus. The upper limit for the cover of the filamentous cyanobacterium, Geitlerinema (Oscillatoria) is at 54-55 °C, and the in situ lower limit at 47-48 °C for all three of these phototrophs due to the upper temperature limit for the grazing ostracod, Thermopsis. The in situ upper limit for the cyanobacteria Pleurocapsa and Calothrix is at ~47-48 °C, which are more grazer-resistant and grazer dependent. All of these demarcations are easily visible in the field. In addition, there is a biosulfide production in some sections of the springs that have a large impact on the microbiology. Most of the temperature and chemical limits have been explained by field and laboratory experiments.

Portrait of a Geothermal Spring, Hunter’s Hot Springs, Oregon

PubMed Central

Castenholz, Richard W.

2015-01-01

Although alkaline Hunter’s Hot Springs in southeastern Oregon has been studied extensively for over 40 years, most of these studies and the subsequent publications were before the advent of molecular methods. However, there are many field observations and laboratory experiments that reveal the major aspects of the phototrophic species composition within various physical and chemical gradients of these springs. Relatively constant temperature boundaries demark the upper boundary of the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechococcus at 73–74 °C (the world-wide upper limit for photosynthesis), and 68–70 °C the upper limit for Chloroflexus. The upper limit for the cover of the filamentous cyanobacterium, Geitlerinema (Oscillatoria) is at 54–55 °C, and the in situ lower limit at 47–48 °C for all three of these phototrophs due to the upper temperature limit for the grazing ostracod, Thermopsis. The in situ upper limit for the cyanobacteria Pleurocapsa and Calothrix is at ~47–48 °C, which are more grazer-resistant and grazer dependent. All of these demarcations are easily visible in the field. In addition, there is a biosulfide production in some sections of the springs that have a large impact on the microbiology. Most of the temperature and chemical limits have been explained by field and laboratory experiments. PMID:25633225

Generation of Hydrogen and Methane during Experimental Low-Temperature Reaction of Ultramafic Rocks with Water.

PubMed

McCollom, Thomas M; Donaldson, Christopher

2016-06-01

Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks is widely recognized as a source of molecular hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) to support microbial activity, but the extent and rates of formation of these compounds in low-temperature, near-surface environments are poorly understood. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the production of H2 and CH4 during low-temperature reaction of water with ultramafic rocks and minerals. Experiments were performed by heating olivine or harzburgite with aqueous solutions at 90°C for up to 213 days in glass bottles sealed with butyl rubber stoppers. Although H2 and CH4 increased steadily throughout the experiments, the levels were very similar to those found in mineral-free controls, indicating that the rubber stoppers were the predominant source of these compounds. Levels of H2 above background were observed only during the first few days of reaction of harzburgite when CO2 was added to the headspace, with no detectable production of H2 or CH4 above background during further heating of the harzburgite or in experiments with other mineral reactants. Consequently, our results indicate that production of H2 and CH4 during low-temperature alteration of ultramafic rocks may be much more limited than some recent experimental studies have suggested. We also found no evidence to support a recent report suggesting that spinels in ultramafic rocks may stimulate H2 production. While secondary silicates were observed to precipitate during the experiments, formation of these deposits was dominated by Si released by dissolution of the glass bottles, and reaction of the primary silicate minerals appeared to be very limited. While use of glass bottles and rubber stoppers has become commonplace in experiments intended to study processes that occur during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks at low temperatures, the high levels of H2, CH4, and SiO2 released during heating indicate that these reactor materials are unsuitable for this purpose. Serpentinization-Hydrogen generation-Abiotic methane synthesis. Astrobiology 16, 389-406.

Diversity of Rare and Abundant Prokaryotic Phylotypes in the Prony Hydrothermal Field and Comparison with Other Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystems.

PubMed

Frouin, Eléonore; Bes, Méline; Ollivier, Bernard; Quéméneur, Marianne; Postec, Anne; Debroas, Didier; Armougom, Fabrice; Erauso, Gaël

2018-01-01

The Bay of Prony, South of New Caledonia, represents a unique serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal field due to its coastal situation. It harbors both submarine and intertidal active sites, discharging hydrogen- and methane-rich alkaline fluids of low salinity and mild temperature through porous carbonate edifices. In this study, we have extensively investigated the bacterial and archaeal communities inhabiting the hydrothermal chimneys from one intertidal and three submarine sites by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We show that the bacterial community of the intertidal site is clearly distinct from that of the submarine sites with species distribution patterns driven by only a few abundant populations, affiliated to the Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria phyla. In contrast, the distribution of archaeal taxa seems less site-dependent, as exemplified by the co-occurrence, in both submarine and intertidal sites, of two dominant phylotypes of Methanosarcinales previously thought to be restricted to serpentinizing systems, either marine (Lost City Hydrothermal Field) or terrestrial (The Cedars ultrabasic springs). Over 70% of the phylotypes were rare and included, among others, all those affiliated to candidate divisions. We finally compared the distribution of bacterial and archaeal phylotypes of Prony Hydrothermal Field with those of five previously studied serpentinizing systems of geographically distant sites. Although sensu stricto no core microbial community was identified, a few uncultivated lineages, notably within the archaeal order Methanosarcinales and the bacterial class Dehalococcoidia (the candidate division MSBL5) were exclusively found in a few serpentinizing systems while other operational taxonomic units belonging to the orders Clostridiales, Thermoanaerobacterales , or the genus Hydrogenophaga , were abundantly distributed in several sites. These lineages may represent taxonomic signatures of serpentinizing ecosystems. These findings extend our current knowledge of the microbial diversity inhabiting serpentinizing systems and their biogeography.

The Behaviour of Fe Stable Isotopes Accompanying Fluid Migration in Subducted Serpentinite from the Zermatt-Saas Ophiolite of the Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inglis, E.; Bouilhol, P.; Burton, K. W.; Debret, B.; Millet, M. A.; Williams, H. M.

2016-12-01

During subduction the destabilisation of hydrous serpentine group phases can generate significant fluid fluxes between the subducting slab and the overlying mantle wedge. Despite our knowledge of this, the exact process and nature of the fluids released during serpentinite devolatilisation remain poorly understood. This study presents new field observations alongside petrographic and geochemical data for metamorphic veins and host serpentinite from the Zermatt-Saas ophiolite from the Swiss Alps, which underwent high-pressure metamorphism during the Alpine orogeny. Samples were collected from the serpentinised ultramafic section of the Zermatt-Saas ophiolite, which is mainly comprised of variably foliated and sheared antigorite serpentine. High-pressure metamorphic veins hosted within the antigorite serpentinite, are observed within the least deformed part of the massif, occurring as cm scale laterally continuous channels or mm scale interconnected anastomosing networks. Preliminary high-precision Fe isotope data for the host antigorite serpentine yield a mean δ56Fe value of -0.09‰ ± 0.04‰ (n=3), notably lighter than previously measured Alpine and abyssal serpentinites (Debret et al., 2016). In contrast, samples of cm scale olivine-bearing veins display a mean δ56Fe value of 0.07 ± 0.05‰ (n=3), resolvably heavier than that of the host serpentinite. These preliminary results suggest preferential mobility of isotopically heavy Fe within the vein forming fluids, but at this stage it is unclear if this fluid is related to local devolatilisation of the host serpentinite or input from an external source. Debret et al., 2016. Isotopic evidence for iron mobility during subduction. Geology, v. 44, no. 3, pp. 215 -218.

Carbonate saturation state of surface waters in the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean: controls and implications for the onset of aragonite undersaturation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeJong, H. B.; Dunbar, R. B.; Mucciarone, D. A.; Koweek, D.

2016-02-01

Predicting when surface waters of the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean will become undersaturated with respect to biogenic carbonate minerals is challenging in part due to the lack of baseline high resolution carbon system data. Here we present 1700 surface total alkalinity measurements from the Ross Sea and along a transect between the Ross Sea and southern Chile from the austral autumn (February-March 2013). We calculate the saturation state of aragonite (ΩAr) and calcite (ΩCa) using measured total alkalinity and pCO2. In the Ross Sea and south of the Polar Front, variability in carbonate saturation state (Ω) is mainly driven by algal photosynthesis. Freshwater dilution and calcification have minimal influence on Ω variability. We estimate an early spring surface water ΩAr value of 1.2 for the Ross Sea using a total alkalinity-salinity relationship and historical pCO2 measurements. Our results suggest that the Ross Sea is not likely to become undersaturated with respect to aragonite until the year 2070.

Abiogenic and Microbial Controls on Volatile Fatty Acids in Precambrian Crustal Fracture Waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDermott, J. M.; Heuer, V.; Tille, S.; Moran, J.; Slater, G.; Sutcliffe, C. N.; Glein, C. R.; Hinrichs, K. U.; Sherwood Lollar, B.

2015-12-01

Saline fracture waters within the Precambrian Shield rocks of Canada and South Africa have been sequestered underground over geologic timescales up to 1.1-1.8 Ga [1, 2]. These fluids are rich in H2 derived from radiolysis and hydration of mafic and ultramafic rocks [1, 2, 3] and host a low-biomass, low-diversity microbial ecosystem at some sites [2]. The abiogenic or biogenic nature of geochemical processes has important implications for bioavailable carbon sources and the role played by abiotic organic synthesis in sustaining a chemosynthetic deep biosphere. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are simple carboxylic acids that may support microbial communities in such environments, such as those found in terrestrial [4] and deep-sea [5] hot springs. We present abundance and δ13C analysis for VFAs in a spectrum of Canadian Shield fluids characterized by varying dissolved H2, CH4, and C2+ n-alkane compositions. Isotope mass balance indicates that microbially mediated fermentation of carbon-rich graphitic sulfides may produce the elevated levels of acetate (39-273 μM) found in Birchtree and Thompson mine. In contrast, thermodynamic considerations and isotopic signatures of the notably higher acetate (1.2-1.9 mM), as well as formate and propionate abundances (371-816 μM and 20-38 μM, respectively) found at Kidd Creek mine suggest a role for abiogenic production via reduction of dissolved inorganic carbon with H2 for formate, and oxidation of C2+ n-alkanes for acetate and propionate, along with possible microbial cycling. VFAs comprise the bulk of dissolved and total organic carbon in the mines surveyed, and as such represent a potential key substrate for life. [1] Holland et al. (2013) Nature 497: 367-360. [2] Lin et al. (2006) Science 314: 479-482. [3] Sherwood Lollar et al. (2014) Nature 516: 379-382. [4] Windman et al. (2007) Astrobiology 7(6): 873-890. [5] Lang et al. (2010) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 92: 82-99.

Hydrothermal Alteration in an Acid-Sulphate Geothermal Field: Sulphur Springs, Saint Lucia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, E. P.; Barrett, T. J.

2017-12-01

Sulphur Springs is a vigorous geothermal field associated with the Soufrière Volcanic Centre in southern Saint Lucia. Bubbling hydrothermal pools are rich in sodium-calcium sulphate, with pHs of 3-7 and temperatures of 41-97ºC. Fumaroles have temperatures up to, and at times above, 100°C. Gases from bubbling pools and fumaroles have high contents of CO2 (601-993 mmol/mol) and H2S (3-190 mmol/mol). To investigate the nature and extent of hydrothermal alteration, detailed chemical analysis was carried out on 25 altered rocks, 10 sediments from pools and creeks in the main discharge area, and 15 little-altered rocks up to 2 km away from geothermal field. Eight altered samples were also analysed for stable isotope compositions, with mineralogy determined by X-ray diffraction and mineral liberation analysis. Least-altered host rocks comprise calc-alkaline feldspar-quartz-porphyritic dacites of near-uniform composition that form massive domes and volcaniclastic units. These rocks were emplaced 10-30 Ka ago (Lindsay et al. 2013). Within the geothermal field, the dacites have been highly altered to kaolinite, quartz, cristobalite, alunite, natroalunite, smectite, native sulphur, jarosite, gypsum and amorphous compounds. Muds from grey to blackish hydrothermal pools additionally contain iron sulphides, mainly pyrite. Despite intense alteration of the original dacites, Zr and Ti have remained essentially immobile, allowing the calculation of mass changes. Major depletions of Fe, Mg, Ca, Na and commonly Si occur over an area of at least 200 x 400 m. The most altered rocks also show losses of Al, light REE and Y, implying leaching by highly acidic waters. A few altered rocks have, however, gained Al together with Si and P. Also present are m-scale zones of silica + native sulphur, wherein the silica appears to represent a residue from the leaching of dacite, rather than a hydrothermal addition. Delta-34S values of samples containing mixtures of sulphates, native sulphur and iron sulphides are all notably negative (-5 to -16 ‰), consistent with derivation of sulphur from acidic magmatic gases that reacted with oxidized groundwater. Despite the strongly acidic alteration of the host rocks, most hydrothermal pools are neutral or only mildly acidic, suggesting that they contain a notable component of meteoric water.

Placer and lode platinum-group minerals in south Kalimantan, Indonesia: evidence for derivation from Alaskan-type ultramafic intrusions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zientek, M.L.

1992-01-01

Platinum-group minerals occur in significant proportions in placer deposits in several localities in South Kalimantan. They consist of Pt-Fe alloy that may be intergrown with or contain inclusions of Ir-Os-Ru alloy, laurite and chromite. Alluvial PGM found along Sungai Tambanio are in part derived from chromatite schlieren in dunitic bodies intruded into clinopyroxene cumulates that may be part of an Alaskan-type ultramafic complex. A chromitite schlieren in serpentinite from one of these dunitic bodies is anomalous in PGE. The chondrite-normalized PGE pattern for this rock, pan concentrates from this area, and PGM concentrates from diamond-Au-PGM placer deposits have an "M'-shaped pattern enriched in Ir and Pt that is typical of PGE-mineralization associated with Alaskan-type ultramafic complexes. -Authors

Spring Research Festival Theme Explores Host­–Microbe Interactions | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Andrea Frydl, Contributing Writer The 18th annual Spring Research Festival (SRF) will take place May 5–8 at the NCI Campus at Frederick and Fort Detrick.  This is the second year that the event is sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR), an interagency committee made up of various research entities located within Fort Detrick. Theme

Spring Research Festival Theme Explores Host­–Microbe Interactions | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Andrea Frydl, Contributing Writer The 18th annual Spring Research Festival (SRF) will take place May 5–8 at the NCI Campus at Frederick and Fort Detrick.  This is the second year that the event is sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR), an interagency committee made up of various research entities located within Fort Detrick.

North Qorveh volcanic field, western Iran: eruption styles, petrology and geological setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asiabanha, Abbas; Bardintzeff, Jacques-Marie; Veysi, Sara

2017-11-01

In the metamorphic Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone of western Iran, the "North Qorveh Volcanic Field" is constituted by Pleistocene scoria cones and associated deposits. Most scoria cones in the area display a simple structure resulted by Strombolian eruptions. Some of them are more complex, such as the Kuh-e Qarineh cone in where basaltic scoriaceous falls are underlain by felsic pyroclastic density-current deposits due to gas streaming at the base of eruption columns and are overlain by basaltic lava flows linked to basaltic fire fountains. Thus, it seems that the latter cones have been likely constructed by more or less violent Strombolian and then Hawaiian activities. Two types of enclaves have been found: gneissic xenoliths scavenged from the metamorphic basement and ultramafic-mafic (37-47 wt% SiO2) cumulates with the same paragenesis as the basaltic scoriaceous falls and lava flows. Three classes of cumulates were identified: (1) apatite mica hornblendite; (2) apatite hornblendite; and (3) olivine biotitite. Moreover, the mineral assemblage of basaltic rocks in the area (olivine (Fo79 - 83) + diopside + pargasite + phlogopite + Fe-Ti oxides ± plagioclase ± apatite) is very similar to lamprophyric facies. So, it seems that the parental magma was originated by mantle metasomatism. Although the felsic pyroclastic density-current deposits show a calcalkaline trend, the whole-rock and mineral chemistry of the basaltic rocks in the area imply an alkaline affinity. Also, the samples show subduction and continental collision signatures. Thus, the alkaline composition of this young volcanic centre in a metamorphic terrain could be explained by descending slab-break off and reactivation of small-scale convection at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary.

Relationship between foliar chemistry and insect performance: the forest tent caterpillar

Treesearch

Francois Lorenzetti; Yves Mauffette; Eric Bauce

1999-01-01

Forest tent caterpillar (FTC) feeds on several species of deciduous trees (Stehr and Cook 1968), in northeastern North America, quaking aspen is the preferred host of this spring-feeding insect. FTC commonly defoliates several thousands of hectares of aspen stands each year in Quebec (Bordeleau 1990), although its secondary hosts seldom are attacked.

Metamorphosed ultramafic rocks in east Greenland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kays, M. A.; Dorais, M. J.

1986-01-01

The compositional and mineralogical characteristics of Archean ultramafic rocks in Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord are summarized: the first provides information important to understanding the primary character of the rock suite, whereas the latter provides data necessary to determine the conditions of their equilibrium during the latest metamorphism. This information will be of value in determining the affinity of the suite to similar Archean rocks in other areas of the North Atlantic craton.

Pyroclastic rocks: another manifestation of ultramafic volcanism on Gorgona Island, Colombia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echeverría, Lina M.; Aitken, Bruce G.

1986-04-01

Tertiary ultramafic volcanism on Gorgona Island, Colombia, is manifested not only by komatiite flows, but also by a more voluminous sequence of tuff breccias, which is cut by comagmatic picrite dikes. The ultramafic pyroclastic rocks are chaotic to stratified mixtures of angular to subrounded glassy picritic blocks and a fine grained volcaniclastic matrix that consists primarily of plastically-deformed, glassy globules. The entire deposit is interpreted to have formed by an explosive submarine eruption of phenocryst-laden picritic magma. MgO contents of tuff breccias and picrite dikes range from 21 to 27 wt%. Relative to nearby komatiite flows, these rocks are MgO-rich, and FeO-, TiO2- and Ni-poor. HREE concentrations are very low (

Delineation of Magnesium-rich Ultramafic Rocks Available for Mineral Carbon Sequestration in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krevor, S.C.; Graves, C.R.; Van Gosen, B. S.; McCafferty, A.E.

2009-01-01

The 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage suggested that a major gap in mineral carbon sequestration is locating the magnesium-silicate bedrock available to sequester CO2. It is generally known that silicate minerals with high concentrations of magnesium are suitable for mineral carbonation. However, no assessment has been made covering the entire United States detailing their geographical distribution and extent, or evaluating their potential for use in mineral carbonation. Researchers at Columbia University and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a digital geologic database of ultramafic rocks in the continental United States. Data were compiled from varied-scale geologic maps of magnesium-silicate ultramafic rocks. These rock types are potentially suitable as source material for mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration. The focus of the national-scale map is entirely on suitable ultramafic rock types, which typically consist primarily of olivine and serpentine minerals. By combining the map with digital datasets that show non-mineable lands (such as urban areas and National Parks), estimates on potential depth of a surface mine, and the predicted reactivities of the mineral deposits, one can begin to estimate the capacity for CO2 mineral sequestration within the United States. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lower crustal xenoliths, Chinese Peak lava flow, central Sierra Nevada.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodge, F.C.W.; Calk, L.C.; Kistler, R.W.

1986-01-01

This assemblage of pyroxenite, peridotite and mafic granulite xenoliths in the toe of a 10 m.y. trachybasalt flow remnant overlying late Cretaceous granitic rocks, indicates the presence of a mafic-ultramafic complex beneath this part of central California; orthopyroxenites, websterites and clinopyroxenites are dominant. A few of the xenoliths contain ovoid opaque patches that are apparently pseudomorphs after garnet and have pyralspite garnet compositions; using a garnet-orthopyroxene geobarometer, they indicate a lower crustal depth of approx 40 km. Abundant mafic granulites can be subdivided into those with Al2O3 = or 15% and showing considerable scatter on oxide variation diagrams. The high-alumina granulite xenoliths have relatively low 87Rb/86Sr but high 87Sr/86Sr, whereas the low-alumina and ultramafic xenoliths have a wide range of 87Rb/86Sr, but lower 87Sr/86Sr; the isotopic data indicate roughly the same age as that of overlying granitic plutons (approx 100 m.y.). However, the granitic rocks have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios intermediate between those of the high-alumina and ultramafic xenoliths, suggesting that they result from the mixing of basaltic magma (represented by the ultramafic rocks) and crustal materials, with subsequent crystal fractionation.-R.A.H.

Constraints on hydrocarbon and organic acid abundances in hydrothermal fluids at the Von Damm vent field, Mid-Cayman Rise (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDermott, J. M.; Seewald, J.; German, C. R.; Sylva, S. P.

2013-12-01

The generation of organic compounds in vent fluids has been of interest since the discovery of seafloor hydrothermal systems, due to implications for the sustenance of present-day microbial populations and their potential role in the origin of life on early Earth. Possible sources of organic compounds in hydrothermal systems include microbial production, thermogenic degradation of organic material, and abiotic synthesis. Abiotic organic synthesis reactions may occur during active circulation of seawater-derived fluids through the oceanic crust or within olivine-hosted fluid inclusions containing carbon-rich magmatic volatiles. H2-rich end-member fluids at the Von Damm vent field on the Mid-Cayman Rise, where fluid temperatures reach 226°C, provide an exciting opportunity to examine the extent of abiotic carbon transformations in a highly reducing system. Our results indicate multiple sources of carbon compounds in vent fluids at Von Damm. An ultramafic-influenced hydrothermal system located on the Mount Dent oceanic core complex at 2350 m depth, Von Damm vent fluids contain H2, CH4, and C2+ hydrocarbons in high abundance relative to basalt-hosted vent fields, and in similar abundance to other ultramafic-hosted systems, such as Rainbow and Lost City. The CO2 content and isotopic composition in end-member fluids are virtually identical to bottom seawater, suggesting that seawater DIC is unchanged during hydrothermal circulation of seawater-derived fluids. Accordingly, end-member CH4 that is present in slightly greater abundance than CO2 cannot be generated from reduction of aqueous CO2 during hydrothermal circulation. We postulate that CH4 and C2+ hydrocarbons that are abundantly present in Von Damm vent fluids reflect leaching of fluids from carbon- and H2-rich fluid inclusions hosted in plutonic rocks. Geochemical modeling of carbon speciation in the Von Damm fluids suggests that the relative abundances of CH4, C2+ hydrocarbons, and CO2 are consistent with thermodynamic equilibrium at higher temperatures and more reducing conditions than those observed in the Von Damm vent fluids. These findings are consistent with a scenario in which n-alkanes form abiotically within a high-H2, carbon-rich olivine-hosted fluid inclusion, and are subsequently liberated and transported to the seafloor during hydrothermal alteration of the lower crustal rocks exposed at the Mount Dent oceanic core complex. Mixed fluids at Von Damm show depletions in CO2 and H2, relative to conservative mixing. Multiple S isotope measurements indicate that the H2 sink cannot be attributed to sulfate reduction. Thermodynamic constraints indicate that high-H2 conditions support the active formation of formate via reduction of dissolved CO2 during hydrothermal circulation - a process that has also been described at the Lost City vent field - and could account for the concurrent depletions in CO2 and H2. The transformation of inorganic carbon to organic compounds via two distinct pathways in modern seafloor hydrothermal vents validates theoretical and experimental conceptual models regarding processes occurring in the crust and during hydrothermal circulation, and is relevant to supporting life in vent ecosystems.

Insect symbionts as valuable grist for the biotechnological mill: an alkaliphilic silkworm gut bacterium for efficient lactic acid production.

PubMed

Liang, Xili; Sun, Chao; Chen, Bosheng; Du, Kaiqian; Yu, Ting; Luang-In, Vijitra; Lu, Xingmeng; Shao, Yongqi

2018-06-01

Insects constitute the most abundant and diverse animal class and act as hosts to an extraordinary variety of symbiotic microorganisms. These microbes living inside the insects play critical roles in host biology and are also valuable bioresources. Enterococcus mundtii EMB156, isolated from the larval gut (gut pH >10) of the model organism Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), efficiently produces lactic acid, an important metabolite for industrial production of bioplastic materials. E. mundtii EMB156 grows well under alkaline conditions and stably converts various carbon sources into lactic acid, offering advantages in downstream fermentative processes. High-yield lactic acid production can be achieved by the strain EMB156 from renewable biomass substrates under alkaline pretreatments. Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology revealed its 3.01 Mbp whole genome sequence. A total of 2956 protein-coding sequences, 65 tRNA genes, and 6 rRNA operons were predicted in the EMB156 chromosome. Remarkable genomic features responsible for lactic acid fermentation included key enzymes involved in the pentose phosphate (PP)/glycolytic pathway, and an alpha amylase and xylose isomerase were characterized in EMB156. This genomic information coincides with the phenotype of E. mundtii EMB156, reflecting its metabolic flexibility in efficient lactate fermentation, and established a foundation for future biotechnological application. Interestingly, enzyme activities of amylase were quite stable in high-pH broths, indicating a possible mechanism for strong EMB156 growth in an alkaline environment, thereby facilitating lactic acid production. Together, these findings implied that valuable lactic acid-producing bacteria can be discovered efficiently by screening under the extremely alkaline conditions, as exemplified by gut microbial symbionts of Lepidoptera insects.

Prebiotic Synthesis of Glycine from Ethanolamine in Simulated Archean Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xianlong; Tian, Ge; Gao, Jing; Han, Mei; Su, Rui; Wang, Yanxiang; Feng, Shouhua

2017-12-01

Submarine hydrothermal vents are generally considered as the likely habitats for the origin and evolution of early life on Earth. In recent years, a novel hydrothermal system in Archean subseafloor has been proposed. In this model, highly alkaline and high temperature hydrothermal fluids were generated in basalt-hosted hydrothermal vents, where H2 and CO2 could be abundantly provided. These extreme conditions could have played an irreplaceable role in the early evolution of life. Nevertheless, sufficient information has not yet been obtained for the abiotic synthesis of amino acids, which are indispensable components of life, at high temperature and alkaline condition. This study aims to propose a new method for the synthesis of glycine in simulated Archean submarine alkaline vent systems. We investigated the formation of glycine from ethanolamine under conditions of high temperature (80-160 °C) and highly alkaline solutions (pH = 9.70). Experiments were performed in an anaerobic environment under mild pressure (0.1-8.0 MPa) at the same time. The results suggested that the formation of glycine from ethanolamine occurred rapidly and efficiently in the presence of metal powders, and was favored by high temperatures and high pressures. The experiment provides a new pathway for prebiotic glycine formation and points out the phenomenal influence of high-temperature alkaline hydrothermal vents in origin of life in the early ocean.

Mutual independence of alkaline‐ and calcium‐mediated signalling in Aspergillus fumigatus refutes the existence of a conserved druggable signalling nexus

PubMed Central

Loss, Omar; Bertuzzi, Margherita; Yan, Yu; Fedorova, Natalie; McCann, Bethany L.; Armstrong‐James, Darius; Espeso, Eduardo A.; Read, Nick D.; Nierman, William C.

2017-01-01

Summary Functional coupling of calcium‐ and alkaline responsive signalling occurs in multiple fungi to afford efficient cation homeostasis. Host microenvironments exert alkaline stress and potentially toxic concentrations of Ca2+, such that highly conserved regulators of both calcium‐ (Crz) and pH‐ (PacC/Rim101) responsive signalling are crucial for fungal pathogenicity. Drugs targeting calcineurin are potent antifungal agents but also perturb human immunity thereby negating their use as anti‐infectives, abrogation of alkaline signalling has, therefore, been postulated as an adjunctive antifungal strategy. We examined the interdependency of pH‐ and calcium‐mediated signalling in Aspergillus fumigatus and found that calcium chelation severely impedes hyphal growth indicating a critical requirement for this ion independently of ambient pH. Transcriptomic responses to alkaline pH or calcium excess exhibited minimal similarity. Mutants lacking calcineurin, or its client CrzA, displayed normal alkaline tolerance and nuclear translocation of CrzA was unaffected by ambient pH. Expression of a highly conserved, alkaline‐regulated, sodium ATPase was tolerant of genetic or chemical perturbations of calcium‐mediated signalling, but abolished in null mutants of the pH‐responsive transcription factor PacC, and PacC proteolytic processing occurred normally during calcium excess. Taken together our data demonstrate that in A. fumigatus the regulatory hierarchy governing alkaline tolerance circumvents calcineurin signalling. PMID:28922497

Prebiotic Synthesis of Glycine from Ethanolamine in Simulated Archean Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents.

PubMed

Zhang, Xianlong; Tian, Ge; Gao, Jing; Han, Mei; Su, Rui; Wang, Yanxiang; Feng, Shouhua

2017-12-01

Submarine hydrothermal vents are generally considered as the likely habitats for the origin and evolution of early life on Earth. In recent years, a novel hydrothermal system in Archean subseafloor has been proposed. In this model, highly alkaline and high temperature hydrothermal fluids were generated in basalt-hosted hydrothermal vents, where H 2 and CO 2 could be abundantly provided. These extreme conditions could have played an irreplaceable role in the early evolution of life. Nevertheless, sufficient information has not yet been obtained for the abiotic synthesis of amino acids, which are indispensable components of life, at high temperature and alkaline condition. This study aims to propose a new method for the synthesis of glycine in simulated Archean submarine alkaline vent systems. We investigated the formation of glycine from ethanolamine under conditions of high temperature (80-160 °C) and highly alkaline solutions (pH = 9.70). Experiments were performed in an anaerobic environment under mild pressure (0.1-8.0 MPa) at the same time. The results suggested that the formation of glycine from ethanolamine occurred rapidly and efficiently in the presence of metal powders, and was favored by high temperatures and high pressures. The experiment provides a new pathway for prebiotic glycine formation and points out the phenomenal influence of high-temperature alkaline hydrothermal vents in origin of life in the early ocean.

A fluorometric assay for alkaline phosphatase activity based on β-cyclodextrin-modified carbon quantum dots through host-guest recognition.

PubMed

Tang, Cong; Qian, Zhaosheng; Huang, Yuanyuan; Xu, Jiamin; Ao, Hang; Zhao, Meizhi; Zhou, Jin; Chen, Jianrong; Feng, Hui

2016-09-15

A convenient, reliable and highly sensitive assay for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the real-time manner is developed based on β-cyclodextrin-modified carbon quantum dots (β-CD-CQDs) nanoprobe through specific host-guest recognition. Carbon quantum dots were first functionalized with 3-aminophenyl boronic acid to produce boronic acid-functionalized CQDs, and then further modified with hydropropyl β-cyclodextrins (β-CD) through B-O bonds to form β-CD-CQDs nanoprobe. p-Nitrophenol phosphate disodium salt is used as the substrate of ALP, and can hydrolyze to p-nitrophenol under the catalysis of ALP. The resulting p-nitrophenol can enter the cavity of β-CD moiety in the nanoprobe due to their specific host-guest recognition, where photoinduced electron transfer process between p-nitrophenol and CQDs takes place to efficiently quench the fluorescence of the probe. The correlation between quenched fluorescence and ALP level can be used to establish quantitative evaluation of ALP activity in a broad range from 3.4 to 100.0U/L with the detection limit of 0.9U/L. This assay shows a high sensitivity to ALP even in the presence of a very high concentration of glucose. This study demonstrates a good electron donor/acceptor pair, which can be used to design general detection strategy through PET process, and also broadens the application of host-guest recognition for enzymes detection in clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling hot spring chemistries with applications to martian silica formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marion, G. M.; Catling, D. C.; Crowley, J. K.; Kargel, J. S.

2011-04-01

Many recent studies have implicated hydrothermal systems as the origin of martian minerals across a wide range of martian sites. Particular support for hydrothermal systems include silica (SiO 2) deposits, in some cases >90% silica, in the Gusev Crater region, especially in the Columbia Hills and at Home Plate. We have developed a model called CHEMCHAU that can be used up to 100 °C to simulate hot springs associated with hydrothermal systems. The model was partially derived from FREZCHEM, which is a colder temperature model parameterized for broad ranges of temperature (<-70 to 25 °C), pressure (1-1000 bars), and chemical composition. We demonstrate the validity of Pitzer parameters, volumetric parameters, and equilibrium constants in the CHEMCHAU model for the Na-K-Mg-Ca-H-Cl-ClO 4-SO 4-OH-HCO 3-CO 3-CO 2-O 2-CH 4-Si-H 2O system up to 100 °C and apply the model to hot springs and silica deposits. A theoretical simulation of silica and calcite equilibrium shows how calcite is least soluble with high pH and high temperatures, while silica behaves oppositely. Such influences imply that differences in temperature and pH on Mars could lead to very distinct mineral assemblages. Using measured solution chemistries of Yellowstone hot springs and Icelandic hot springs, we simulate salts formed during the evaporation of two low pH cases (high and low temperatures) and a high temperature, alkaline (high pH) sodic water. Simulation of an acid-sulfate case leads to precipitation of Fe and Al minerals along with silica. Consistency with martian mineral assemblages suggests that hot, acidic sulfate solutions are plausibility progenitors of minerals in the past on Mars. In the alkaline pH (8.45) simulation, formation of silica at high temperatures (355 K) led to precipitation of anhydrous minerals (CaSO 4, Na 2SO 4) that was also the case for the high temperature (353 K) low pH case where anhydrous minerals (NaCl, CaSO 4) also precipitated. Thus we predict that secondary minerals associated with massive silica deposits are plausible indicators on Mars of precipitation environments and aqueous chemistry. Theoretical model calculations are in reasonable agreement with independent experimental silica concentrations, which strengthens the validity of the new CHEMCHAU model.

Modeling hot spring chemistries with applications to martian silica formation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marion, G.M.; Catling, D.C.; Crowley, J.K.; Kargel, J.S.

2011-01-01

Many recent studies have implicated hydrothermal systems as the origin of martian minerals across a wide range of martian sites. Particular support for hydrothermal systems include silica (SiO2) deposits, in some cases >90% silica, in the Gusev Crater region, especially in the Columbia Hills and at Home Plate. We have developed a model called CHEMCHAU that can be used up to 100??C to simulate hot springs associated with hydrothermal systems. The model was partially derived from FREZCHEM, which is a colder temperature model parameterized for broad ranges of temperature (<-70 to 25??C), pressure (1-1000 bars), and chemical composition. We demonstrate the validity of Pitzer parameters, volumetric parameters, and equilibrium constants in the CHEMCHAU model for the Na-K-Mg-Ca-H-Cl-ClO4-SO4-OH-HCO3-CO3-CO2-O2-CH4-Si-H2O system up to 100??C and apply the model to hot springs and silica deposits.A theoretical simulation of silica and calcite equilibrium shows how calcite is least soluble with high pH and high temperatures, while silica behaves oppositely. Such influences imply that differences in temperature and pH on Mars could lead to very distinct mineral assemblages. Using measured solution chemistries of Yellowstone hot springs and Icelandic hot springs, we simulate salts formed during the evaporation of two low pH cases (high and low temperatures) and a high temperature, alkaline (high pH) sodic water. Simulation of an acid-sulfate case leads to precipitation of Fe and Al minerals along with silica. Consistency with martian mineral assemblages suggests that hot, acidic sulfate solutions are plausibility progenitors of minerals in the past on Mars. In the alkaline pH (8.45) simulation, formation of silica at high temperatures (355K) led to precipitation of anhydrous minerals (CaSO4, Na2SO4) that was also the case for the high temperature (353K) low pH case where anhydrous minerals (NaCl, CaSO4) also precipitated. Thus we predict that secondary minerals associated with massive silica deposits are plausible indicators on Mars of precipitation environments and aqueous chemistry. Theoretical model calculations are in reasonable agreement with independent experimental silica concentrations, which strengthens the validity of the new CHEMCHAU model. ?? 2011 Elsevier Inc.

Pho4 Is Essential for Dissemination of Cryptococcus neoformans to the Host Brain by Promoting Phosphate Uptake and Growth at Alkaline pH

PubMed Central

Kaufman-Francis, Keren; Desmarini, Desmarini; Juillard, Pierre G.; Li, Cecilia; Stifter, Sebastian A.; Feng, Carl G.; Sorrell, Tania C.; Grau, Georges E. R.; Bahn, Yong-Sun

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Phosphate acquisition by fungi is regulated by the phosphate-sensing and acquisition (PHO) signaling pathway. Cryptococcus neoformans disseminates from the lung to the brain and is the commonest cause of fungal meningitis worldwide. To investigate the contribution of PHO signaling to cryptococcal dissemination, we characterized a transcription factor knockout strain (hlh3Δ/pho4Δ) defective in phosphate acquisition. Despite little similarity with other fungal Pho4 proteins, Hlh3/Pho4 functioned like a typical phosphate-responsive transcription factor in phosphate-deprived cryptococci, accumulating in nuclei and triggering expression of genes involved in phosphate acquisition. The pho4Δ mutant strain was susceptible to a number of stresses, the effect of which, except for alkaline pH, was alleviated by phosphate supplementation. Even in the presence of phosphate, the PHO pathway was activated in wild-type cryptococci at or above physiological pH, and under these conditions, the pho4Δ mutant had a growth defect and compromised phosphate uptake. The pho4Δ mutant was hypovirulent in a mouse inhalation model, where dissemination to the brain was reduced dramatically, and markedly hypovirulent in an intravenous dissemination model. The pho4Δ mutant was not detected in blood, nor did it proliferate significantly when cultured with peripheral blood monocytes. In conclusion, dissemination of infection and the pathogenesis of meningitis are dependent on cryptococcal phosphate uptake and stress tolerance at alkaline pH, both of which are Pho4 dependent. IMPORTANCE Cryptococcal meningitis is fatal without treatment and responsible for more than 500,000 deaths annually. To be a successful pathogen, C. neoformans must obtain an adequate supply of essential nutrients, including phosphate, from various host niches. Phosphate acquisition in fungi is regulated by the PHO signaling cascade, which is activated when intracellular phosphate decreases below a critical level. Induction of phosphate acquisition genes leads to the uptake of free phosphate via transporters. By blocking the PHO pathway using a Pho4 transcription factor mutant (pho4Δ mutant), we demonstrate the importance of the pathway for cryptococcal dissemination and the establishment of brain infection in murine models. Specifically, we show that reduced dissemination of the pho4Δ mutant to the brain is due to an alkaline pH tolerance defect, as alkaline pH mimics the conditions of phosphate deprivation. The end result is inhibited proliferation in host tissues, particularly in blood. Podcast: A podcast concerning this article is available. PMID:28144629

Host sensitized near-infrared emission in Nd3+ doped different alkaline-sodium-phosphate phosphors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakrishna, A.; Swart, H. C.; Kroon, R. E.; Ntwaeaborwa, O. M.

2018-04-01

Near-infrared (NIR) emitting phosphors of different alkaline based sodium-phosphate (MNa[PO4], where M = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba were prepared by a conventional solution combustion method with fixed doping concentration of Nd3+ (1.0 mol%). The phosphors were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and fluorescent spectrophotometry. The optical properties including reflectance, excitation and emission were investigated. The excitation spectra of the phosphors were characterized by a broadband extending from 450 to 900 nm. Upon excitation with a wavelength of 580 nm, the phosphor emits intensely infrared region at 872 nm, 1060 nm and 1325 nm which correspond to the 4F3/2 → 4I9/2, 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 and 4F3/2 → 4I13/2 transitions of Nd3+ ions and were found to vary for the different hosts. The strongest emission wavelength reaches 1060 nm. The most intense emission of Nd3+ was observed from Ca2+ incorporated host. The down conversion emissions of the material fall in the NIR region suggesting that the prepared phosphors have potential application in the development of photonic devices emitting in the NIR.

Behavior of major and trace elements upon weathering of peridotites in New Caledonia : A possible site on ultramafic rocks for the Critical Zone Exploration Network (CZEN) ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juillot, Farid; Fandeur, D.; Fritsch, E.; Morin, G.; Ambrosi, J. P.; Olivi, L.; Cognigni, A.; Hazemann, J. L.; Proux, O.; Webb, S.; Brown, G. E., Jr.

2010-05-01

Ultramafic rocks cover about 1% of the continental surfaces and are related to ophiolitic bodies formed near convergent plate boundaries (Coleman, 1977). The most typical ultramafic rocks are dunite and harzburgite, which are composed of easily weatherable ferromagnesian mineral species (olivines and pyroxenes), but also of more resistant spinels (chromite and magnetite). Oceanic serpentinization of these ultramafic rocks usually lead to partial transformation of these initial mineral assemblages by forming hydrous layer silicates such as serpentine (lizardite, chrysotile and antigorite) talc, chlorite and actinolite (Malpas, 1992). It also lead to the formation of highly sheared textures, which favor meteoric weathering through preferential water flows. Compared to their crystalline rock counterpart that covers most of the continental surfaces, these ultramafic rocks mainly differ by their lower SiO2, Al2O3 and K2O contents (less than 50%, 10% and 1%, respectively) and, on the opposite, much higher MgO content (more than 18%). Moreover, they commonly have higher concentrations in FeO and other trace elements, such as Ni, Cr, Mn and Co. Weathering of these rocks is then at the origin of major geochemical anomalies on continental surfaces, especially when they occur in tropical and subtropical regions. Such conditions are encountered in New Caledonia where one third of the surface is covered with peridotites (mainly harzburgite with small amounts of dunite) obducted about 35 millions years ago during large tectonic events in the Southwest Pacific at the Late Eocene (Cluzel et al., 2001). Tropical weathering of these ultramafic rocks lead to the development of thick lateritic regoliths where almost all Mg and Si have been leached out and Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr and Co have been relatively concentrated. In these oxisols, Ni, Cr and Co can exhibit concentration up to several wt%, which make them good candidates for ore mining (New Caledonia is the third Ni producer in the world). However, these high concentration of potentially toxic elements can represent a serious hazard for the environmental quality of the Caledonian ecosystem which is a '' biodiversity hotspot' (Myers, 2000), which emphasize the strong need for characterizing the natural cycling of these elements upon weathering of ultramafic rocks. To reach this goal, we have studied the mineralogical distribution, crystal-chemistry and mass balance modelling of major (Si, Mg, Al, Fe, Mn) and trace elements (Ni, Cr and Co) in the freely-drained weathering profile developed in the serpentinized harzburgites of Mt Koniambo (West Coast of New Caledonia). Results show that both hydrothermal and meteoric processes contributed to the vertical differentiation of this freely drained weathering profiles in serpentinized ultramafic rocks. Finally, they also emphasize the importance of both redox reactions and interactions with Mn- and Fe-oxyhydroxydes (Fandeur et al., 2009a; 2009b) to explain the opposite behavior observed between very mobile Ni and almost immobile Cr (Fandeur et al., 2010). These results bring new insights on the geochemical behavior of trace elements upon weathering of ultramafic rocks under tropical conditions leading to the formation of supergene ore deposits. They also emphasize the interest of such a weathering site on ultramafic rocks under tropical climate to complemente the reference sites of the Critical Zone Exploration Network (CZEN). References Cluzel D., Aitchinson J.C. and Picard C. (2001) Tectonic accretion and underplating of mafic terranes in the Late Eocene intraoceanic fore-arc of New-Caledonia (Southwest Pacific): geodynamic implications. Tectonophysics, 340, 23-59. Coleman, R.G. (1977) Ophiolites: Ancient oceanic lithosphere?: Berlin, Germany, Springer-Verlag, 229p. Fandeur D., Juillot F., Morin G., Olivi L., Cognigni A., Fialin M., Coufignal F., Ambrosi J.P., Guyot F. and Fritsch E. (2009a). Synchrotron-based speciation of chromium in an Oxisol from New-Caledonia : Importance of secondary Fe-oxyhydroxydes. American Mineralogist, 94, 710-719. Fandeur D., Juillot F., Morin G., Olivi L., Cognigni A., Webb S., Ambrosi J.P., Fritsch E. and Brown Jr. G.E. (2009b). XANES evidence for oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) by Mn-oxides in a lateritic regolith developed on serpentinized ultramafic rocks in New Caledonia. Environmental Science and Technology, 43, 7384-7390. Fandeur D., Fritsch E., Juillot F., Morin G., and Ambrosi J.P. (2010). Influence of mineralization and weathering on the distribution and mobility of major and trace elements along a freely-drained lateritic regolith developed in ultramafic rocks in New-Caledonia. Chemical Geology, submitted. Malpas J. (1992) Serpentine and the geology of serpentinized rocks. In The ecology of aeras with serpentinized rocks, Roberts B.A. and Proctor J (eds), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherland. Myers, N., R. A. Mittermeier, C. G. Mittermeier, G. A. B. da Fonseca, J. Kent (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853-858.

Cobalt and scandium partitioning versus iron content for crystalline phases in ultramafic nodules

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glassley, W.E.; Piper, D.Z.

1978-01-01

Fractionation of Co and Sc between garnets, olivines, and clino- and orthopyroxenes, separated from a suite of Salt Lake Crater ultramafic nodules that equilibrated at the same T and P, is strongly dependent on Fe contents. This observation suggests that petrogenetic equilibrium models of partial melting and crystal fractionation must take into account effects of magma composition, if they are to describe quantitatively geochemical evolutionary trends. ?? 1978.

Some investigations of the deposition of travertine from Hot Springs-I. The isotopic chemistry of a travertine-depositing spring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedman, I.

1970-01-01

The isotopic compositions of the travertine and of the hot spring solutions were studied at Main Springs and New Highland Terrace in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone Park. The springs issue at 74??C and a pH of 6.65 and the carbon isotopic composition of the travertine depositing at the orifice is +2%.??C13 (PDB). As the water travels out from the orifice, it cools and loses CO2. The travertine depositing at lower temperature is enriched in C13, reaching values of +4.8%. and the solution has a pH of 8.2 at 27??C. The ??C13 of the carbon species in solution is about -2.3%. at 74?? and about +4.3 at 27??C. Therefore, the difference in ??C13 between the solid and solution is approximately 4%. at 74?? and decreases to zero at about 20??C. These differences are shown to be due to kinetic (non-equilibrium) factors. The ??O18 contents of the travertine and water show that in most samples the carbonate oxygen is in equilibrium with the water O18 at the temperatures of deposition. This is especially true for travertine depositing slowly and at temperatures above about 50??C. Calculations based on pH and alkalinity titrations of the hot spring waters in situ show that at the spring orifice the water is very high in free CO2, which is quickly lost in transit. The springs are supersaturated with respect to both aragonite and calcite during most of their travel in the open air. The carbon isotopic composition of the travertine is similar to that in the marine carbonates that are adjacent to the springs and that are the probable source of the calcium carbonate. The travertine from inactive prehistoric springs near Mammoth has similar ??C13 and O18 to that from the active springs. Soda Butte, an inactive center 25 miles east of Mammoth, contains heavier carbon and oxygen than the springs near Mammoth. ?? 1970.

Carbonate control of H2 and CH4 production in serpentinization systems at elevated P-Ts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, L. Camille; Rosenbauer, Robert; Goldsmith, Jonas I.; Oze, Christopher

2010-01-01

Serpentinization of forsteritic olivine results in the inorganic synthesis of molecular hydrogen (H2) in ultramafic hydrothermal systems (e.g., mid-ocean ridge and forearc environments). Inorganic carbon in those hydrothermal systems may react with H2 to produce methane (CH4) and other hydrocarbons or react with dissolved metal ions to form carbonate minerals. Here, we report serpentinization experiments at 200°C and 300 bar demonstrating Fe2+ being incorporated into carbonates more rapidly than Fe2+ oxidation (and concomitant H2 formation) leading to diminished yields of H2 and H2-dependent CH4. In addition, carbonate formation is temporally fast in carbonate oversaturated fluids. Our results demonstrate that carbonate chemistry ultimately modulates the abiotic synthesis of both H2 and CH4 in hydrothermal ultramafic systems and that ultramafic systems present great potential for CO2-mineral sequestration.

A fossil venting system in the Feragen Ultramafic Body, Norway?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunkel, Kristina G.; Jamtveit, Bjørn; Austrheim, Håkon

2017-04-01

Carbonation of ultramafic rocks in ophiolites and on the seafloor has recently been the focus of extensive research, as this alteration reaction not only influences the carbon flux between hydro- and lithosphere, but also provides natural analogues for industrial CO2 sequestration. It is a significant part of the hydrothermal circulation in the oceanic crust, as demonstrated by carbonate precipitation at hydrothermal vents. We provide microstructural and geochemical data from a previously little known ophicarbonate occurrence in the Feragen Ultramafic Body, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Along the northern edge of the Feragen Ultramafic Body, strongly serpentinised peridotites are carbonated. In places, the carbonation took place pervasively, leading to the formation of soapstones consisting mainly of talc and magnesite. More common is the carbonation of serpentinite breccias. Within the clasts, some of the serpentine mesh centres are replaced by magnesite, and, subordinately, dolomite or calcium carbonate. Four types of matrix have been identified in different localities: fine-grained magnesite, coarse-grained calcium carbonate, brucite occurring in large fans (up to 1 mm in diameter), and dolomite. Inclusion trails in the coarse-grained calcium carbonates record botryoidal growth, indicating crystallisation from a fluid in open space, and a hexagonal precursor phase, suggesting that aragonite was replaced by calcite. Brucite-cemented serpentinite breccias occur very locally in two outcrops with a size less than 10 m2. Many of the brucite fans have a similar arrangement of inclusions, with an area rich in dolomite inclusions in the centre of the brucite crystals, and magnetite inclusions concentrated in the tips. Dolomite as a matrix phase often grows inwards from hexagonal, rectangular, rhomboidal, or irregular pores. Many dolomite grains are probably cast pseudomorphs after (calcitised) aragonite. Some carbonate crystals are crosscut or replaced by serpentine. The carbonated serpentinites are discordantly overlain by carbonate-cemented ultramafic conglomerates. The clasts comprise variably serpentinised and carbonated peridotites as well as some fine-grained magnesite. The matrix phase is dominantly dolomite. Oxygen isotopes ratios record significantly lower temperatures for the cementation of the conglomerates than for the underlying in situ carbonated serpentinites and the carbonated ultramafic clasts in the conglomerate. The ophicarbonates in the Feragen Ultramafic Body record strong variations in fluid chemistry and/or pressure and temperature conditions, both spatially and temporally. The occurrence of different carbonate minerals in close proximity indicates heterogeneous alteration conditions and focussed fluid flow. Inclusions and replacement reactions record fluctuating alteration conditions. While the formation of magnesite is consistent with a fluid influenced by the dissolution of serpentinite, the growth of calcium carbonate and particularly of brucite may indicate a special fluid formed by the mixing of serpentinising fluids and seawater, as observed at hydrothermal venting systems.

Bacillus licheniformis SA03 Confers Increased Saline–Alkaline Tolerance in Chrysanthemum Plants by Induction of Abscisic Acid Accumulation

PubMed Central

Zhou, Cheng; Zhu, Lin; Xie, Yue; Li, Feiyue; Xiao, Xin; Ma, Zhongyou; Wang, Jianfei

2017-01-01

Soil saline-alkalization is a major abiotic stress that leads to low iron (Fe) availability and high toxicity of sodium ions (Na+) for plants. It has recently been shown that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can enhance the ability of plants to tolerate multiple abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and nutrient deficiency. However, the possible involvement of PGPR in improving saline–alkaline tolerance of plants and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bacillus licheniformis (strain SA03) on the growth of Chrysanthemum plants under saline–alkaline conditions. Our results revealed that inoculation with SA03 alleviated saline–alkaline stress in plants with increased survival rates, photosynthesis and biomass. The inoculated plants accumulated more Fe and lower Na+ concentrations under saline–alkaline stress compared with the non-inoculated plants. RNA-Sequencing analyses further revealed that SA03 significantly activated abiotic stress- and Fe acquisition-related pathways in the stress-treated plants. However, SA03 failed to increase saline–alkaline tolerance in plants when cellular abscisic acid (ABA) and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis were inhibited by treatment with fluridone (FLU) and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (c-PTIO), respectively. Importantly, we also found that NO acted downstream of SA03-induced ABA to activate a series of adaptive responses in host plants under saline–alkaline stress. These findings demonstrated the potential roles of B. licheniformis SA03 in enhancing saline–alkaline tolerance of plants and highlighted the intricate integration of microbial signaling in regulating cellular Fe and Na+ accumulation. PMID:28706529

Bacillus licheniformis SA03 Confers Increased Saline-Alkaline Tolerance in Chrysanthemum Plants by Induction of Abscisic Acid Accumulation.

PubMed

Zhou, Cheng; Zhu, Lin; Xie, Yue; Li, Feiyue; Xiao, Xin; Ma, Zhongyou; Wang, Jianfei

2017-01-01

Soil saline-alkalization is a major abiotic stress that leads to low iron (Fe) availability and high toxicity of sodium ions (Na + ) for plants. It has recently been shown that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can enhance the ability of plants to tolerate multiple abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and nutrient deficiency. However, the possible involvement of PGPR in improving saline-alkaline tolerance of plants and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bacillus licheniformis (strain SA03) on the growth of Chrysanthemum plants under saline-alkaline conditions. Our results revealed that inoculation with SA03 alleviated saline-alkaline stress in plants with increased survival rates, photosynthesis and biomass. The inoculated plants accumulated more Fe and lower Na + concentrations under saline-alkaline stress compared with the non-inoculated plants. RNA-Sequencing analyses further revealed that SA03 significantly activated abiotic stress- and Fe acquisition-related pathways in the stress-treated plants. However, SA03 failed to increase saline-alkaline tolerance in plants when cellular abscisic acid (ABA) and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis were inhibited by treatment with fluridone (FLU) and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (c-PTIO), respectively. Importantly, we also found that NO acted downstream of SA03-induced ABA to activate a series of adaptive responses in host plants under saline-alkaline stress. These findings demonstrated the potential roles of B. licheniformis SA03 in enhancing saline-alkaline tolerance of plants and highlighted the intricate integration of microbial signaling in regulating cellular Fe and Na + accumulation.

Acid-base properties of Baltic Sea dissolved organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, Karoline; Schneider, Bernd; Kuliński, Karol; Schulz-Bull, Detlef E.

2017-09-01

Calculations related to the marine CO2 system that are based on alkalinity data may be strongly biased if the contributions of organic compounds are ignored. In coastal seas, concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are frequently high and alkalinity from inorganic compounds is low. In this study, based on measurements of total alkalinity, total CO2, and pH, we determined the organic alkalinity, Aorg, in water from the central Baltic Sea. The maximum Aorg measured in the surface mixed layer during the spring bloom was > 50 μmol/kg-SW but the Aorg decreased with depth and approached zero below the permanent halocline. This behavior could be attributed to the decreased pH of deeper water layers. The data were used to calculate the bulk dissociation constant, KDOM, for marine DOM and the fraction f of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that acts as a carrier for acid-base functional groups. The p KDOM (7.27) agreed well with the value (7.34) previously estimated in a preliminary study of organic alkalinity in the Baltic Sea. The fraction of carbon atoms carrying acid-base groups was 17% and was somewhat higher than previously reported (12%). Spike experiments performed using artificial seawater and three different humic/fulvic substances tested whether the acid-base properties of these substances explain the results of our field study. Specifically, Aorg was determined at different concentrations (DOC) of the added humic/fulvic substances. The relationship between Aorg and the DOC concentrations indicated that humic/fulvic substances are more acidic (p KDOM < 6.5) than the bulk DOC natural occurring in the Baltic Sea.

Loparite-(Ce) from the Khibiny Alkaline Pluton, Kola Peninsula, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konopleva, N. G.; Ivanyuk, G. Yu.; Pakhomovsky, Ya. A.; Yakovenchuk, V. N.; Mikhailova, Yu. A.

2017-12-01

Data on the occurrence, morphology, anatomy, composition, and formation conditions of loparite-(Ce) in the Khibiny alkaline pluton are given. Loparite-(Ce), (Na,Ce,Sr)(Ce,Th)(Ti,Nb)2O6, resulted from metasomatic alteration and assimilation of metamorphic host rocks at the contact with foyaite as well as foyaite on the contact with foidolite. This alteration was the highest in pegmatite, and albitite developed there. A decrease in temperature resulted in enrichment of the perovskite and tausonite endmembers in loparite-(Ce) owing to a decrease in the loparite and lueshite endmembers. La and Ce sharply predominate among rare earth elements in the composition of loparite-(Ce).

Hydrology and Alkalinity Regulation of Soft Florida Waters: An Integrated Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stauffer, Robert E.; Canfield, Daniel E., Jr.

1992-06-01

Natural waters in ridge provinces of Florida and southeast Georgia were classified geographically, by degrees of cultural disturbance, and according to the dominant hydrologic and biogeochemical processes controlling chemistry. The ionic composition of lakes, upland streams, and surficial aquifer (water table) springs in relatively undeveloped catchments reflects the geographic variations in bulk deposition corrected for evapotranspiration (Na, Cl), plus a slight gain (net watershed mobilization) of Mg, and partial to nearly complete losses (net retention) of nitrate, sulfate, Ca, and K. Recharge to the Floridan aquifer in infertile, forested, sandy ridge provinces of northern Florida contains 360-580 μmol CO2. On the basis of indirect geochemical evidence, sulfate retention appears less important in lake sediments than in the region's highly weathered, ferruginous, kaolinitic, sand soils. Silica concentrations in upland streams and water table springs closely reflect the predicted equilibrium between kaolinite and gibbsite. Along with other evidence, the Si concentrations in ridge lakes indicate that seepage inflow is much more important than assumed in Baker et al.'s (1988) regional model. Lakes and streams are acidified either by humic acids or nonmarine sulfate but rarely by both, as reflected by the significant inverse correlation between these two components. Contrary to previous reports, there is no significant difference in alkalinity for culturally undisturbed lakes in the northern Trail versus southern Highlands Ridge areas.

Spatial distribution of microbial communities in the shallow submarine alkaline hydrothermal field of the Prony Bay, New Caledonia.

PubMed

Quéméneur, Marianne; Bes, Méline; Postec, Anne; Mei, Nan; Hamelin, Jérôme; Monnin, Christophe; Chavagnac, Valérie; Payri, Claude; Pelletier, Bernard; Guentas-Dombrowsky, Linda; Gérard, Martine; Pisapia, Céline; Gérard, Emmanuelle; Ménez, Bénédicte; Ollivier, Bernard; Erauso, Gaël

2014-12-01

The shallow submarine hydrothermal field of the Prony Bay (New Caledonia) discharges hydrogen- and methane-rich fluids with low salinity, temperature (< 40°C) and high pH (11) produced by the serpentinization reactions of the ultramafic basement into the lagoon seawater. They are responsible for the formation of carbonate chimneys at the lagoon seafloor. Capillary electrophoresis single-strand conformation polymorphism fingerprinting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed changes in microbial community structure, abundance and diversity depending on the location, water depth, and structure of the carbonate chimneys. The low archaeal diversity was dominated by few uncultured Methanosarcinales similar to those found in other serpentinization-driven submarine and subterrestrial ecosystems (e.g. Lost City, The Cedars). The most abundant and diverse bacterial communities were mainly composed of Chloroflexi, Deinococcus-Thermus, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Functional gene analysis revealed similar abundance and diversity of both Methanosarcinales methanoarchaea, and Desulfovibrionales and Desulfobacterales sulfate-reducers in the studied sites. Molecular studies suggest that redox reactions involving hydrogen, methane and sulfur compounds (e.g. sulfate) are the energy driving forces of the microbial communities inhabiting the Prony hydrothermal system.

Determination of free CO2 in emergent groundwaters using a commercial beverage carbonation meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vesper, Dorothy J.; Edenborn, Harry M.

2012-05-01

SummaryDissolved CO2 in groundwater is frequently supersaturated relative to its equilibrium with atmospheric partial pressure and will degas when it is conveyed to the surface. Estimates of dissolved CO2 concentrations can vary widely between different hydrochemical facies because they have different sources of error (e.g., rapid degassing, low alkalinity, non-carbonate alkalinity). We sampled 60 natural spring and mine waters using a beverage industry carbonation meter, which measures dissolved CO2 based on temperature and pressure changes as the sample volume is expanded. Using a modified field protocol, the meter was found to be highly accurate in the range 0.2-35 mM CO2. The meter provided rapid, accurate and precise measurements of dissolved CO2 in natural waters for a range of hydrochemical facies. Dissolved CO2 concentrations measured in the field with the carbonation meter were similar to CO2 determined using the pH-alkalinity approach, but provided immediate results and avoided errors from alkalinity and pH determination. The portability and ease of use of the carbonation meter in the field made it well-suited to sampling in difficult terrain. The carbonation meter has proven useful in the study of aquatic systems where CO2 degassing drives geochemical changes that result in surficial mineral precipitation and deposition, such as tufa, travertine and mine drainage deposits.

Mapping the Mariana Seismogenic Zone Through the Measurement of Geochemical Tracers in Serpentinite Seamounts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulme, S. M.; Wheat, C. G.; Mottl, M. J.; Fryer, P.

2003-12-01

The Mariana forearc contains tens of seamounts up to 2 km high and 20-50 km in diameter. These seamounts were formed by serpentinite mud volcanism, sometimes in combination with uplift of serpentinized forearc mantle blocks, in which fluids driven off of the subducting slab infiltrated the overlying mantle and serpentinized the harzburgite and dunite rocks creating a density imbalance within the mantle. The resulting fluid-rock matrix flows along faults and exposes mantle-sourced serpentinite muds, blueschist facies metamorphosed mafic clasts, and slab-sourced fluids at the seafloor. The protrusion of these materials allows direct observation of active subduction zone components that are elsewhere buried beneath kilometers of rock and sediment. A multi-disciplinary survey of the Mariana Forearc was conducted in the spring of 2003 to study the biogeochemical properties of this mud volcanism. Seven different seamounts were sampled using shipboard and subsea coring techniques employing RV Thomas G. Thompson and ROV Jason II, respectively. Pore waters were extracted from these sediment cores and analyzed for several chemical constituents at sea. The measured values were consistent with preliminary work from 1997. Systematic trends in chemical composition of these high pH fluids (up to 12.3) are observed with distance from the trench (proxy for the depth to slab). These trends include low alkalinity and high Ca near the trench (e.g., Blue Moon Seamount; 0.26 mmol alkalinity/kg and 55 mmol Ca/kg), and high alkalinity and low Ca further from the trench (e.g., Big Blue Seamount; 69 mmol alkalinity/kg and 0.14 mmol Ca/kg) consistent with carbonate dissolution at the top of the plate between depths of 17 km and 22 km. Here we report results from trace element analyses that similarly show trends across the forearc region. For example, fluids upwelling at Baby Blue Seamount have; 58 μ mol Sr/kg, 31 μ mol Li/kg, 1.4 μ mol Rb/kg, 10 nmol Cs/kg, 0.2 μ mol Ba/kg, 0.1 μ mol Mo/kg, 0.6 nmol U/kg, and 5 nmol Y/kg. In contrast, fluids from Big Blue Seamount, only 23 km away, have; 10 μ mol Sr/kg, 0.7 μ mol Li/kg, 6 μ mol Rb/kg, 0.2 μ mol Cs/kg, 60 nmol Ba/kg, 0.1 μ mol Mo/kg, 0.2 μ mol U/kg, and 0.1 nmol Y/kg.Trace element analyses for a host of chemical species and for each of the sampled seamounts offer insight into the conditions and interactions currently occurring within the Mariana seismogenic zone.

Serpentinization and carbonation of pristine continental ultramafic rocks and applications to the oceanic crust; H2O-CO2 alteration of dunites and re-distribution of Ni-Cu-PGE in sulphide deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, Thomas; McEnroe, Suzanne; Eske Sørensen, Bjørn; Larsen, Rune; Pastore, Zeudia; Rune Grannes, Kim; Nikolaisen, Even

2017-04-01

Here, we document carbonation and serpentinization within a suite of ultramafic rocks from a continental setting. These ultramafic rocks vary from pristine dunites to varying degrees of serpentinization which locally penetrates the ultramafic complex. Hence, it allows us to observe a number of delicate serpentinization and carbonation reactions, otherwise lost during more extensive alteration or tectonic events. We use a multi-disciplinary approach using petrographic, EPMA, thermodynamic modelling and geophysical data to reveal how the initial stages of serpentization and carbonation in dunites affects the distribution of economic to sub-economic deposits of Ni-Cu and PGE. The data can then be applied to oceanic crust. The samples are dunites and poikilitic wehrlites from the Reinfjord Ultramafic complex, Seiland Igneous Province Northern Norway. The complex formed through crystallization of picritic melts in the lower continental crust. The dunites contain small amounts of interstitial clinopyroxene, sulphides and spinel, with local enrichments in Ni, Cu and PGE. Late magmatic CO2-H2O-S fluids reacted with the dunite forming clots of amphibole + dolomite + sulphides + enstatite, reaction rims of enstatite + dolomite, and inclusions trails of dolomite + enstatite + magnetite + CO2 fluid. Thermodynamic modelling reveals that these textures formed at pressures of >12 kbar and temperatures 850-950 °C, which would be consistent with the late magmatic history of the Reinfjord complex. The clots and reactions have local association with enrichments in gold-rich PGMs. A second stage of alteration involved H2O-dominated fluids. These formed predominantly lizardite serpentinization, as is often concentrated within highly localized fracture zones. Thermodynamic modelling shows that these formed <400°C, after the complex had been exhumed towards the surface of the crust. Local and more pervasive serpentinization interacted with the earlier formed carbonate bearing assemblages leading to the formation of serpentinite, native copper and symplectites of brucite + calcite. The two processes of carbonation and serpentinization re-distribute key economic elements. Understanding these processes will be vital for understanding the formation of ocean floor ore deposits. Density, magnetic and geophysical data, combined with petrographic and chemical data, show variations in serpentinization, which can be locally intense. The combination of these data sets may help resolve km scale anomalies within the Reinfjord intrusion and potentially in offshore ultramafic rocks.

Formation of an ultramafic seafloor at the Southwest Indian Ridge 62°-65°E : internal structure of detachment faults and sparse volcanism documented by sidescan sonar and dredges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannat, M.; Sauter, D.; Rouméjon, S.

2012-12-01

In october 2010, the Smoothseafloor cruise (RV Marion Dufresne ) documented the continuous exposure, for the past 10 myrs, of mantle-derived ultramafic rocks in the seafloor of the ultra-slow Southwest Indian Ridge in two 50 to 100 km-wide magma-poor corridors centered respectively at 62°30'E and 64°35'E. The proposed interpretation (Sauter et al., AGU abstract 2011) involves successive large offset normal faults (or detachments) that expose ultramafic rocks alternatively in the southern (Antarctic), then in the northern (African) plates. In this presentation we focus on the most recent, near axis regions in these two ultramafic seafloor corridors. We show details of the sidescan sonar images with smooth, non-corrugated exposed detachment surfaces, and an intriguing pattern of pluridecameter-thick and locally anastomozing reflective and less reflective layers in the detachments footwall. Based on preliminary microstructural observations made on samples dredged in the same region, we tentatively interpret these layers as due to contrasted patterns of deformation in the ultramafics next to the fault. Testing this interpretation would be an attractive goal for future submersible and drilling cruises. Deformation types documented in the dredge samples range from heterogeneous plastic to semi-brittle deformation of the primary peridotite mineralogy, to brittle deformation of serpentinized ultramafic rocks. Magmatic rocks make less than 5% of the overal volume of our near axis dredges. These include variably sheared metagabbros, and unmetamorphosed balsalts. Sidescan sonar images show that these basalts form a thin (<200 m) highly discontinuous carapace over the exposed detachments. We show that these basalts are preferentially located along moderate offset normal faults that cut the detachments, or next to inferred breakaways. This observation leads us to propose a link between axial faulting and volcanism in these magma-poor sections of the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge. The SmoothSeafloor Scientific Party : Daniel Sauter, Mathilde Cannat, Muriel Andreani, Dominique Birot, Adrien Bronner, Daniele Brunelli, Julie Carlut, Adelie Delacour, Vivien Guyader, Veronique Mendel, Bénédicte Ménez, Christopher MacLeod, Valerio Pasini, Stéphane Rouméjon, Etienne Ruellan and Roger Searle

Modelling wetland-groundwater interactions in the boreal Kälväsvaara esker, Northern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaros, Anna; Rossi, Pekka; Ronkanen, Anna-Kaisa; Kløve, Bjørn

2016-04-01

Many types of boreal peatland ecosystems such as alkaline fens, aapa mires and Fennoscandia spring fens rely on the presence of groundwater. In these ecosystems groundwater creates unique conditions for flora and fauna by providing water, nutrients and constant water temperature enriching local biodiversity. The groundwater-peatland interactions and their dynamics are not, however, in many cases fully understood and their measurement and quantification is difficult due to highly heterogeneous structure of peatlands and large spatial extend of these ecosystems. Understanding of these interactions and their changes due to anthropogenic impact on groundwater resources would benefit the protection of the groundwater dependent peatlands. The groundwater-peatland interactions were investigated using the fully-integrated physically-based groundwater-surface water code HydroGeoSphere in a case study of the Kälväsvaara esker aquifer, Northern Finland. The Kälväsvaara is a geologically complex esker and it is surrounded by vast aapa mire system including alkaline and springs fens. In addition, numerous small springs occur in the discharge zone of the esker. In order to quantify groundwater-peatland interactions a simple steady-state model was built and results were evaluated using expected trends and field measurements. The employed model reproduced relatively well spatially distributed hydrological variables such as soil water content, water depths and groundwater-surface water exchange fluxes within the wetland and esker areas. The wetlands emerged in simulations as a result of geological and topographical conditions. They could be identified by high saturation levels at ground surface and by presence of shallow ponded water over some areas. The model outputs exhibited also strong surface water-groundwater interactions in some parts of the aapa system. These areas were noted to be regions of substantial diffusive groundwater discharge by the earlier studies. In contrast, the simulations were not able to capture small scale point groundwater discharge i.e. springs. This reflects that modelling small scale groundwater input to wetland ecosystems can be challenging without detailed information on the aquifer and wetland geology. Overall, the good consistency between simulations and observations demonstrated that wetland-groundwater interactions can be studied using fully-integrated physically-based groundwater-surface water models.

Microbial Fe biomineralization in mafic and ultramafic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Templeton, A. S.; Mayhew, L.; McCollom, T.; Trainor, T.

2011-12-01

Fluid-filled microfractures within mafic and ultramafic rocks, such as basalt and peridotite, may be one of the most ubiquitous microbial habitats on the modern and ancient earth. In seafloor and subseafloor systems, one of the dominant energy sources is the oxidation of Fe by numerous potential oxidants under aerobic to anaerobic conditions. In particular, the oxidation of Fe may be directly catalyzed by microbial organisms, or result in the production of molecular hydrogen which can then fuel diverse lithotrophic metabolisms. However, it remains challenging to identify the dominant metabolic activities and unravel the microscale biogeochemical processes occuring within such rock-hosted systems. We are investigating the mechanisms of solid-state Fe-oxidation and biomineralization in basalt, olivine, pyroxenes and basalts, in the presence and absence of microbial organisms that can thrive across the full stability range of water. In this talk we will present synchrotron-based x-ray scattering and spectroscopic analyses of Fe speciation within secondary minerals formed during microbially-mediated vs. abiotic water-rock interactions. Determining the valence state and mineralogy of Fe-bearing phases is critical for determining the water-rock reaction pathways and identifying potential biominerals that may form; therefore, we will highlight new approaches for identifying key Fe transformations within complex geological media. In addition, many of our experimental studies involve the growth of lithotrophic biofilms on well-characterized mineral surfaces in order to determine the chemistry of the microbe-mineral interface during progressive electron-transfer reactions. By coupling x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and electron-microscopy measurements, we will also contrast the evolution of mineral surfaces that undergo microbially-mediated oxidative alteration against minerals surfaces that produce H2 to sustain anaerobic microbial communities.

Mantle Recycling of Crustal Materials through Study of Ultrahigh-Pressure Minerals in Collisional Orogens, Ophiolites, and Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, J. G.; Tsujimori, T.; Yang, J.; Zhang, R. Y.; Ernst, W. G.

2014-12-01

Newly recognized ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) mineral occurrences including diamonds in ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) felsic granulites of orogenic belts, in chromitites associated with ophiolitic complexes, and in mafic/ultramafic xenoliths suggest the recycling of crustal materials through profound subduction, mantle upwelling, and return to the Earth's surface. Recycling is supported by unambiguously crust-derived mineral inclusions in deep-seated zircons, chromites, and diamonds from collision-type orogens, from eclogitic xenoliths, and from ultramafic bodies of several Alpine-Himalayan and Polar Ural ophiolites; some such phases contain low-atomic number elements typified by crustal isotopic signatures. Ophiolite-type diamonds in placer deposits and as inclusions in chromitites together with numerous highly reduced minerals and alloys appear to have formed near the mantle transition zone. In addition to ringwoodite and stishovite, a wide variety of nanometric minerals have been identified as inclusions employing state-of-the-art analysis. Reconstitution of now-exsolved precursor UHP phases and recognition of subtle decompression microstructures produced during exhumation reflect earlier UHP conditions. Some podiform chromitites and associated peridotites contain rare minerals of undoubted crustal origin, including Zrn, corundum, Fls, Grt, Ky, Sil, Qtz, and Rtl; the zircons possess much older U-Pb ages than the formation age of the host ophiolites. These UHP mineral-bearing chromitites had a deep-seated evolution prior to extensional mantle upwelling and its partial melting at shallow depths to form the overlying ophiolite complexes. These new findings plus stable isotopic and inclusion characteristics of diamonds provide compelling evidence for profound underflow of both oceanic and continental lithosphere, recycling of biogenic carbon into the lower mantle, and ascent to the Earth's surface through deep mantle ascent.

Petrology and Rock Magnetism of the peridotites of Pindos Ophiolite (Greece), insights into the serpentinization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnemains, D.; Carlut, J. H.; Mevel, C.; Andreani, M.; Escartin, J.; Debret, B.

2015-12-01

We present a petrological and magnetic study of a suite of serpentinized peridotites from the Pindos ophiolite spanning a wide range in the degree of serpentinization (from ~10 to 100%). The Pindos ophiolite, in Northern Greece, is a portion of Late Triassic oceanic lithosphere obducted during the convergence of the Apulian and Pelagonian micro-continents. This ophiolite is interpreted mainly as the result of a supra-subduction zone spreading process but its complete history remains largely unknown. Therefore, it is not clear when the ultramafic section was exposed to fluid circulation that resulted in its serpentinization. Element partitioning during serpentinization reactions is dependent on parameters such as temperature and water-rock ratio. In particular, they affect the behavior of the iron released by olivine, which can be taken up either by magnetite, serpentine and/or brucite. Analyses of the reaction products are therefore a key to constrain the conditions during the main stage of the alteration. Our study was designed to gain insight on the conditions prevailing during hydration. Our results indicate that even fully serpentinized samples have a very low magnetization and magnetite content. Moreover, microprobe and μXanes results show that serpentine is the main host of iron in the divalent but also trivalent form. These results are compared with a set of data from serpentinized ultramafics sampled from the ocean floors, as well as from various other ophiolites. We suggest that serpentinization at Pindos occurred at relatively low-temperature (less than 200 °C), therefore not at a ridge environment. In addition, we stress that the presence of trivalent iron in serpentine indicates that serpentinization may remain a producer of hydrogen even when very little magnetite is formed.

Nanodiamond finding in the hyblean shallow mantle xenoliths.

PubMed

Simakov, S K; Kouchi, A; Mel'nik, N N; Scribano, V; Kimura, Y; Hama, T; Suzuki, N; Saito, H; Yoshizawa, T

2015-06-01

Most of Earth's diamonds are connected with deep-seated mantle rocks; however, in recent years, μm-sized diamonds have been found in shallower metamorphic rocks, and the process of shallow-seated diamond formation has become a hotly debated topic. Nanodiamonds occur mainly in chondrite meteorites associated with organic matter and water. They can be synthesized in the stability field of graphite from organic compounds under hydrothermal conditions. Similar physicochemical conditions occur in serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal systems. Herein, we report the first finding of nanodiamonds, primarily of 6 and 10 nm, in Hyblean asphaltene-bearing serpentinite xenoliths (Sicily, Italy). The discovery was made by electron microscopy observations coupled with Raman spectroscopy analyses. The finding reveals new aspects of carbon speciation and diamond formation in shallow crustal settings. Nanodiamonds can grow during the hydrothermal alteration of ultramafic rocks, as well as during the lithogenesis of sediments bearing organic matter.

Delineation of geochemical anomalies based on stream sediment data utilizing fractal modeling and staged factor analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afzal, Peyman; Mirzaei, Misagh; Yousefi, Mahyar; Adib, Ahmad; Khalajmasoumi, Masoumeh; Zarifi, Afshar Zia; Foster, Patrick; Yasrebi, Amir Bijan

2016-07-01

Recognition of significant geochemical signatures and separation of geochemical anomalies from background are critical issues in interpretation of stream sediment data to define exploration targets. In this paper, we used staged factor analysis in conjunction with the concentration-number (C-N) fractal model to generate exploration targets for prospecting Cr and Fe mineralization in Balvard area, SE Iran. The results show coexistence of derived multi-element geochemical signatures of the deposit-type sought and ultramafic-mafic rocks in the NE and northern parts of the study area indicating significant chromite and iron ore prospects. In this regard, application of staged factor analysis and fractal modeling resulted in recognition of significant multi-element signatures that have a high spatial association with host lithological units of the deposit-type sought, and therefore, the generated targets are reliable for further prospecting of the deposit in the study area.

Modeling low-temperature serpentinization reactions to estimate molecular hydrogen production with implications for potential microbial life on Saturn's moon Enceladus.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwicker, Jennifer; Smrzka, Daniel; Taubner, Ruth-Sophie; Bach, Wolfgang; Rittmann, Simon; Schleper, Christa; Peckmann, Jörn

2017-04-01

Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks attracts much interest in research on the origin of life on Earth and the search for life on extraterrestrial bodies including icy moons like Enceladus. Serpentinization on Earth occurs in peridotite-hosted systems at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, and produces large amounts of molecular hydrogen and methane. These reduced compounds can be utilized by diverse chemosynthetic microbial consortia as a metabolic energy source. Although many hydrothermal vents emit hot and acidic fluids today, it is more likely that life originated in the Archean at sites producing much cooler and more alkaline fluids that allowed for the synthesis and stability of essential organic molecules necessary for life. Therefore, a detailed understanding of water-rock interaction processes during low-temperature serpentinization is of crucial importance in assessing the life-sustaining potential of these environments. In the course of serpentinization, the metasomatic hydration of olivine and pyroxene produces various minerals including serpentine minerals, magnetite, brucite, and carbonates. Hydrogen production only occurs if ferrous iron within iron-bearing minerals is oxidized and incorporated as ferric iron into magnetite. The PHREEQC code was used to model the pH- and temperature-dependent dissolution of olivine and pyroxene to form serpentine, magnetite and hydrogen under pressure and temperature conditions that may exist on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. Various model setups at 25 and 50°C were run to assess the influence of environmental parameters on hydrogen production. The results reveal that hydrogen production rates depend on the composition of the initial mineral assemblage and temperature. The current assumption is that there is a gaseous phase between Enceladus' ice sheet and subsurface ocean. To test various scenarios, model runs were conducted with and without the presence of a gas phase. The model results show that hydrogen production is further dependent on carbon dioxide partial pressure within the gas phase. Moreover, no other gases apart from hydrogen, such as methane, were produced in any of the model runs. The combined results offer a constraint on hydrogen production over time, and may aid habitability assessments of extraterrestrial bodies where serpentinization could occur.

Atmospheric Deposition and Surface-Water Chemistry in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, U.S.A., Water Years 2000 and 2005-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clow, David W.; Campbell, Donald H.

2008-01-01

High-elevation aquatic ecosystems in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks are highly sensitive to atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur. Thin, rocky soils promote fast hydrologic flushing rates during snowmelt and rain events, limiting the ability of basins to neutralize acidity and assimilate nitrogen deposited from the atmosphere. Potential effects of nitrogen and sulfur deposition include episodic or chronic acidification of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, nitrogen deposition can cause eutrophication of water bodies and changes in species composition in lakes and streams. This report documents results of a study performed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, of the effects of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur on surface-water chemistry in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks. Inorganic nitrogen in wet deposition was highest in the vicinity of North Cascades National Park, perhaps due to emissions from human sources and activities in the Puget Sound area. Sulfur in wet deposition was highest near the Pacific coast, reflecting the influence of marine aerosols. Dry deposition generally accounted for less than 30 percent of wet plus dry inorganic nitrogen and sulfur deposition, but occult deposition (primarily fog) represents a potentially substantial unmeasured component of total deposition. Trend analyses indicate inorganic nitrogen in wet deposition was relatively stable during 1986-2005, but sulfur in wet deposition declined substantially during that time, particularly after 2001, when emissions controls were added to a large powerplant in western Washington. Surface-water sulfate concentrations at the study site nearest the powerplant showed a statistically significant decrease between 2000 and 2005-06, but there was no statistically significant change in alkalinity, indicating a delayed response in surface-water alkalinity. Seasonal patterns in surface-water chemistry and streamflow are strongly influenced by melting of seasonal snowpacks, which release large amounts of dilute, slightly acidic water to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems during spring snowmelt. Concentrations of sulfate, alkalinity, and base cations in surface water declined rapidly during snowmelt, then gradually recovered during summer and fall. Preferential elution of acidic solutes from the snowpack at the beginning of snowmelt may cause episodic acidification in small alpine streams; evidence is provided by a stream sample collected at one of the sites during spring 2006 that was acidic (pH = 4.8, alkalinity = -18 microequivalents per liter) and had high concentrations of nitrate and sulfate and low concentrations of weathering products. Rain-on-snow events caused sharp declines in specific conductance, which was measured continuously using an in-stream sensor. A strong correlation was observed between measured specific conductance and measured alkalinity (r2 = 0.76), permitting estimation of alkalinity from specific-conductance data using a regression equation. Estimated alkalinity declined by an order of magnitude during the rain-on-snow events, in one case to 8 microequivalents per liter. Actual declines in alkalinity might be greater because the regression equation accounts only for dilution effects; at low concentrations, the relation between specific conductance and alkalinity is likely to be nonlinear and have a negative intercept (negative alkalinity). Thus, episodic acidification is possible during rain-on-snow events. The scale of episodic acidification is unknown, but if it occurs, it could have detrimental effects on aquatic life and amphibians. Historical lake-survey data indicate that most lakes are oligotrophic and have low nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Nitrogen limitation is more common in lakes in Mount Rainier National Park than in North Cascades National Park due to higher nitrate concentrations at North Cascades. T

Zircon and baddeleyite from the economic ultramafic-mafic Noril'sk-1 intrusion (Russia): Hf-isotope constraints on source composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malitch, K. N.; Belousova, E. A.; Badanina, I. Yu.; Griffin, W. L.

2012-04-01

The ultramafic-mafic Noril'sk-1 intrusion in the northwestern part of the Siberian Craton (Russia) represents one of three known Noril'sk-type, ore-bearing intrusions, which host one of the world's major economic sulphide platinum-group-element (PGE)-Cu-Ni deposits. Zircon and baddeleyite dated previously both by SHRIMP (i.e. 248.0 ± 3.7 Ma, Campbell et al. 1992) and ID-TIMS (251.1 ± 3.6 Ma, Kamo et al. 1996) have been restricted to one lithology (e.g. leucogabbro) of the Noril'sk-1 intrusion. To better constrain the age of igneous event and sources involved in its generation our multi-technique study utilized ten rock samples characteristic of unmineralized and mineralized lithologies. The rocks investigated comprise (from top to bottom) gabbro-diorite (sample N1-1), leucogabbro (N1-3), olivine-free gabbro (N1-2 and N1-4), olivine-bearing gabbro (N1-5), olivine gabbro (N1-6), plagiowehrlite and plagiodunite (N1-7), taxitic-textured rocks comprising melanotroctolite, olivine gabbro with relics of ultramafic rocks (N1-8, N1-9) and contact fine-grained gabbro (N1-10). Sulphide PGE-Cu-Ni ores occur in ultramafic (N1-7) and taxitic-textured rocks (N1-8 and N1-9), which have thickness of about 17 m, whereas the low-sulphide horizon of about 1 m thick occurs in the upper part of intrusion (N1-3). In situ U-Pb analyses of zircon from these rocks, combined with detailed study of crystal morphology and internal structure, identify four zircon populations (Malitch et al. 2012). The U-Pb ages of baddeleyite and the defined zircon populations cover a significant time span, from Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic (e.g., 290 ± 2.8; 261.3 ± 1.6; 245.7 ± 1.1; 236.5 ± 1.8 and 226.7 ± 0.9 Ma). The established distribution of U-Pb ages implies that crystallization of baddeleyite and zircon corresponds to several stages of protracted evolution of ultramafic-mafic magmas at deep-seated staging chambers and/or probably characterizes interaction of distinct magmas during formation of the Noril'sk-1 intrusion, which served as the favorable factor for accumulation of ores of unique scales and concentrations, To test this hypothesis, in situ Hf-isotope data were collected on the dated spots within single zircon grains. The analysis used a New Wave LUV213 laser-ablation microprobe attached to a Nu plasma MC-ICP-MS at GEMOC (Griffin et al. 2002). Hf-isotope results grouped on the basis of lithology show notable differences. Zircons from the unmineralized 'layered rock sequence' (e.g., olivine-free gabbro, olivine-bearing gabbro and olivine gabbro) are characterized by the most 'radiogenic' initial 176Hf/177Hf and some of ɛHf values close to those of the Depleted Mantle. Irrespective of zircon population most radiogenic Hf-isotope compositions are typical for olivine-free gabbro (mean ɛHf 7.3 ± 1.1 for sample N1-4), olivine-bearing gabbro (9.2 ± 3.8, sample N1-5) and olivine gabbro (8.3 ± 2.0, sample N1-6). In contrast, zircons from the leucogabbro that encloses the low-sulphide horizon (N1-3), and plagiowehrlite (N1-7) and taxitic-textured rocks (N1-8 and N1-9) with disseminated sulphide ores have less radiogenic Hf-isotope values (e.g., mean ɛHf6.2 ± 1.4, 5.9 ± 2.3, 6.4 ± 1.2 and 4.9±1.4, respectively). The least radiogenic values (ɛHffrom -2.9 to +2.3, mean ɛHf = 0.1 ± 1.9) are recorded in gabbro-diorite from the upper part of intrusion. The baddeleyite from olivine-free gabbro has the narrowest range of ɛHf values (e.g. 6.8-8.4), with a mean of ɛHfof 7.6 ± 0.8, closely matching that of zircon (mean ɛHf= 7.3 ± 1.1). Zircons from the leucogabbro that hosts the low-sulphide horizon (N1-3), and ultramafic and taxitic-textured lithologies with disseminated sulphide ores (N1-7, N1-8 and N1-9) have less radiogenic ɛHf values than those in barren lithologies. The Hf-isotope data for zircons from ore-bearing rocks thus suggest that the Noril'sk magmas represent mixing between a juvenile source equivalent to the Depleted Mantle and a subcontinental lithospheric source probably at least Neoproterozoic in age. We propose that the SCLM component is especially prominent in the mineralized portions of the intrusion. This is consistent with the suggestion of Zhang et al (2008) that ancient cratonic lithospheric mantle may have contributed significantly to the PGE and Ni budget of the "fertile" Siberian Large Igneous Province. Small population of zircons from the gabbro-diorite show the least 'radiogenic' Hf-isotope values, indicating the input of a distinctly older lithospheric, possibly crustal, component, being consistent with a hybrid nature of this lithology. Our approach for deciphering the origin of zircon and baddeleyite from mafic and ultramafic rocks provides a unique set of U-Pb and Hf-isotope constraints on temporal evolution and petrologic history of the Noril'sk-1 intrusion. The study was supported by Uralian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (12-U-5-1038). Refereneces: Campbell I.H., Czamanske G.K., Fedorenko V.A., Hill R.I., Stepanov V. (1992) Synchronism of the Siberian traps and the Permian-Triassic boundary. Science 255, 1760-1763. Griffin W.L., Wang X., Jackson S.E., Pearson N.J., O'Reilly S.Y., Xu X., Zhou X. (2002) Zircon chemistry and magma genesis, SE China: in-situ analysis of Hf isotopes, Pingtan and Tonglu igneous complexes. Lithos 61, 237-269. Kamo S.L., Czamanske G.K., Krogh T.E. (1996) A minimum U-Pb age for Siberian flood-basalt volcanism. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60, 3505-3511. Malitch K.N., Badanina I.Yu., Belousova E.A., Tuganova E.V. (2012) Results of U-Pb dating of zircon and baddeleyite from the Noril'sk-1 ultramafic-mafic intrusion (Russia). Russian Geology and Geophysics 53(2), 123-130. Zhang M., O'Reilly S.Y., Wang K-L., Hronsky J., Griffin W.L. (2008) Flood basalts and metallogeny: The lithospheric connection. Earth-Science Reviews 86, 145-174.

The Cedars ultramafic mass, Sonoma County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blake, M. Clark; Bailey, Edgar H.; Wentworth, Carl M.

2012-01-01

The Cedars ultramafic mass is a mantle fragment that consists of partially serpentinized spinel harzburgite and dunite. Compositional layering and a chromite lineation define a penetrative metamorphic foliation that almost certainly formed in the upper mantle. Although detailed petrofabric and mineral chemistry are presently lacking, it seems reasonable that the Cedars peridotite represents a slice of mantle tectonite that once formed the base of the Coast Range ophiolite, and not an abyssal peridotite tectonically emplaced within the Franciscan accretionary prism.

Alkaline magmatism in the Amambay area, NE Paraguay: The Cerro Sarambí complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes, C. B.; Velázquez, V. F.; Azzone, R. G.; Paula, G. S.

2011-07-01

The Early Cretaceous alkaline magmatism in the northeastern region of Paraguay (Amambay Province) is represented by stocks, plugs, dikes, and dike swarms emplaced into Carboniferous to Triassic-Jurassic sediments and Precambrian rocks. This magmatism is tectonically related to the Ponta Porã Arch, a NE-trending structural feature, and has the Cerro Sarambí and Cerro Chiriguelo carbonatite complexes as its most significant expressions. Other alkaline occurrences found in the area are the Cerro Guazú and the small bodies of Cerro Apuá, Arroyo Gasory, Cerro Jhú, Cerro Tayay, and Cerro Teyú. The alkaline rocks comprise ultramafic-mafic, syenitic, and carbonatitic petrographic associations in addition to lithologies of variable composition and texture occurring as dikes; fenites are described in both carbonatite complexes. Alkali feldspar and clinopyroxene, ranging from diopside to aegirine, are the most abundant minerals, with feldspathoids (nepheline, analcime), biotite, and subordinate Ti-rich garnet; minor constituents are Fe-Ti oxides and cancrinite as the main alteration product from nepheline. Chemically, the Amambay silicate rocks are potassic to highly potassic and have miaskitic affinity, with the non-cumulate intrusive types concentrated mainly in the saturated to undersaturated areas in silica syenitic fields. Fine-grained rocks are also of syenitic affiliation or represent more mafic varieties. The carbonatitic rocks consist dominantly of calciocarbonatites. Variation diagrams plotting major and trace elements vs. SiO 2 concentration for the Cerro Sarambí rocks show positive correlations for Al 2O 3, K 2O, and Rb, and negative ones for TiO 2, MgO, Fe 2O 3, CaO, P 2O 5, and Sr, indicating that fractional crystallization played an important role in the formation of the complex. Incompatible elements normalized to primitive mantle display positive spikes for Rb, La, Pb, Sr, and Sm, and negative for Nb-Ta, P, and Ti, as these negative anomalies are considerably more pronounced in the carbonatites. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns point to the high concentration of these elements and to the strong LRE/HRE fractionation. The Amambay rocks are highly enriched in radiogenic Sr and have TDM model ages that vary from 1.6 to 1.1 Ga, suggesting a mantle source enriched in incompatible elements by metasomatic events in Paleo-Mesoproterozoic times. Data are consistent with the derivation of the Cerro Sarambí rocks from a parental magma of lamprophyric (minette) composition and suggest an origin by liquid immiscibility processes for the carbonatites.

High-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism in central Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica): Implications for Gondwana assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmeri, Rosaria; Godard, Gaston; Di Vincenzo, Gianfranco; Sandroni, Sonia; Talarico, Franco M.

2018-02-01

Central Dronning Maud Land (DML; East Antarctica) is located in a key region of the Gondwana supercontinent. The Conradgebirge area (central DML) consists of orthogneisses, derived from both volcanic and plutonic protoliths, and minor metasedimentary rocks, intruded by Cambrian syn- to post-metamorphic plutons and dykes. Mafic-ultramafic boudins in the metavolcanic and metaplutonic gneisses from Conradgebirge consist of amphibolites and high-grade garnet-bearing pyroxene- and amphibole-rich granofels. They occur either as discontinuous levels or as pods boudinaged within highly-strained and strongly-migmatized gneisses. Bulk-rock major and trace-element compositions, together with geochemical discriminant diagrams (e.g., Th/Yb versus Ta/Yb and V versus Ti), suggest derivation from enriched mantle source for the mafic rocks boudinaged in metaplutonic gneisses, whereas a calc-alkaline signature is common for the mafic boudins in metavolcanic rocks. The microstructural study and P-T modelling of an ultramafic metagabbroic rock reveal a prograde metamorphic evolution from amphibolite-facies (ca. 0.5 GPa; 500 °C) up to high-P granulite-facies conditions (ca. 1.5-1.7 GPa; 960-970 °C). Partial melting is testified by "nanogranitoid" inclusions enclosed in garnet. An almost isothermal decompression down to ca. 0.4 GPa and 750-850 °C produced well-developed An + Opx-bearing symplectites around garnet. A final isobaric cooling at nearly 0.4 GPa is testified by Grt coronas around high-T symplectites. The above reconstruction traces a clockwise loading-heating P-T evolution with a peak metamorphism at high-P granulite-facies conditions suggesting crustal thickening at nearly 570 Ma, followed by a tectonically assisted rapid exhumation, and then, by an isobaric cooling. 40Ar-39Ar dating of amphibole and biotite at 505-480 Ma testify mineral re-equilibration at upper crustal level (T < 650 °C) during the isobaric cooling. This tectono-metamorphic scenario seems representative of the evolution resulting from the Neoproterozoic/Early Palaeozoic (600-500 Ma) collision between parts of East- and West-Gondwana blocks that led to the final assembly of Gondwana.

Earliest signs of life on land preserved in ca. 3.5 Ga hot spring deposits

PubMed Central

Djokic, Tara; Van Kranendonk, Martin J.; Campbell, Kathleen A.; Walter, Malcolm R.; Ward, Colin R.

2017-01-01

The ca. 3.48 Ga Dresser Formation, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, is well known for hosting some of Earth’s earliest convincing evidence of life (stromatolites, fractionated sulfur/carbon isotopes, microfossils) within a dynamic, low-eruptive volcanic caldera affected by voluminous hydrothermal fluid circulation. However, missing from the caldera model were surface manifestations of the volcanic-hydrothermal system (hot springs, geysers) and their unequivocal link with life. Here we present new discoveries of hot spring deposits including geyserite, sinter terracettes and mineralized remnants of hot spring pools/vents, all of which preserve a suite of microbial biosignatures indicative of the earliest life on land. These include stromatolites, newly observed microbial palisade fabric and gas bubbles preserved in inferred mineralized, exopolymeric substance. These findings extend the known geological record of inhabited terrestrial hot springs on Earth by ∼3 billion years and offer an analogue in the search for potential fossil life in ancient Martian hot springs. PMID:28486437

Chemical and boron isotopic composition of tourmaline from the Mariinsky emerald deposit, Central Urals, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baksheev, Ivan A.; Trumbull, Robert B.; Popov, Mikhail P.; Erokhin, Yuri V.; Kudryavtseva, Olesya E.; Yapaskurt, Vasily O.; Khiller, Vera V.; Vovna, Galina M.; Kiselev, Vladimir I.

2018-04-01

Tourmaline is abundant at the Mariinsky schist-hosted emerald deposit in the Central Urals, Russia, both in emerald-bearing phlogopite veins (type 1) and later, emerald-free pockets, lenses, and veinlets cutting the phlogopite veins (type 2). The Ca content in tourmaline is influenced by the host rocks (ultramafic and mafic rocks), associated minerals, and minerals crystallized before tourmaline (amphibole, fluorite, margarite). The Na concentration in tourmaline depends on the presence or absence of paragonite, and the association with micas also strongly influences the contents of Li, Zn, Ni, and Co in tourmaline. Type 1 tourmalines associated with phlogopite are relatively depleted in these elements, whereas type 2 tourmalines associated with margarite or paragonite are enriched. Some differences in isomorphic substitutions along with the trace element composition (Zn, V, Sr, Co, REE) may have value in exploration of emerald-bearing and emerald-free veins in schist-hosted emerald deposits. The δ11B values in tourmaline of all types fall in a narrow total range from -11.3 to -8.4‰. These values, combined with a mineralization temperature of 420-360 °C, yield an estimated δ11B fluid composition of -7.4 to -6.8‰ suggesting a mixed source of boron, likely dominated from the granitic rocks surrounding the emerald belt. The narrow range of B-isotope compositions in tourmaline from throughout the Mariinsky deposit suggests a well-mixed hydrothermal system.

Earthquakes in the Mantle? Insights from Ultramafic Pseudotachylytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meado, A.; Ferre, E. C.; Ueda, T.; Ashwal, L. D.; Deseta, N.

2015-12-01

Deep earthquakes in subduction/collision zones may originate from mechanical failure of ultramafic rocks at mantle depths. Fault pseudotachylytes in peridotites have been attributed to seismic slip at depths >30 km. However, the possibility of frictional melting at shallower depths still exist. While pristine mantle rocks typically lack magnetite, postseismic serpentinization would likely involve formation of abundant multi-domain (MD) magnetite. Single-domain (SD) to pseudo-single domain (PSD) magnetite may also form in pseudotachylytes through breakdown of mafic silicates. Magnetite has a large magnetic susceptibility (Km). MD magnetite shows low magnetic remanence / magnetic saturation ratios (Mr/Ms) compared to SD-PSD magnetite. The formation of coseismic magnetite however would depend on fO2. Hence, in unserpentinized ultramafic pseudotachylytes, magnetite would form preferentially under shallow, high fO2 conditions. Coseismically deformed magnetite would result in a high anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). Here, we present a predictive model of the magnetic properties and magnetic fabrics of ultramafic pseudotachylytes formed under four conditions: i) deep seismic slip and no syn- or postseismic serpentinization: low Km (<600 . 10^-6 [SI]), low Mr/Ms (<0.1), and low AMS (<1.1) ii) deep seismic slip followed by static serpentinization: high Km (>3,000 . 10^-6 [SI]), low Mr/Ms (<0.1), low AMS (<1.1) iii) deep or shallow seismic slip in previously serpentinized peridotites: high Km (>3,000 . 10^-6 [SI]), moderate Mr/Ms (0.1-0.5), high AMS (>1.5) iv) shallow seismic slip with no serpentinization: moderate Km (600-3,000 . 10^-6 [SI]), high Mr/Ms (>0.5), moderate AMS (1.1-1.5) We test these models using samples from the Balmuccia Massif (Italy) and the Schistes Lustrés (Corsica). These models may provide new constrains for ultramafic pseudotachylytes regarding their depth of formation and the timing of serpentinization.

Petrogenesis of the Dalongkai ultramafic-mafic intrusion and its tectonic implication for the Paleotethyan evolution along the Ailaoshan tectonic zone (SW China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Huichuan; Wang, Yuejun; Zi, Jian-Wei

2017-06-01

Layered ultramafic-mafic intrusions are usually formed in an arc/back-arc or intra-plate tectonic environment, or genetically related to a mantle plume. In this paper, we report on an ultramafic-mafic intrusion, the Dalongkai intrusion in the Ailaoshan tectonic zone (SW China), whose occurrence is closely associated with arc/back-arc magmatic rocks. The Dalongkai intrusion is composed of plagioclase-lherzolite, hornblende-peridotite, lherzolite and wehrlite at the bottom, cumulate plagioclase-pyroxenite at the middle part, changing to fine-grained gabbro towards the upper part of the intrusion, forming layering structure. Zircons from the plagioclase-pyroxenites and gabbros yielded U-Pb ages of 272.1 ± 1.7 Ma and 266.4 ± 5.8 Ma, respectively. The plagioclase-pyroxenites show cumulate textures, and are characterized by high MgO (25.0-28.0 wt.%; mg# = 80.6-82.3), Cr (1606-2089 ppm) and Ni (893-1203 ppm) contents, interpreted as early cumulate phases. By contrast, the gabbros have relatively lower mg# values (56.3-62.7), and Cr (157-218 ppm) and Ni (73-114 ppm) concentrations, and may represent frozen liquids. The plagioclase-pyroxenites and gabbros share similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns and primitive mantle-normalized trace element profiles which are analogous to those of typical back-arc basin basalts. The εNd(t) values for both rock types range from +2.20 to +4.22. These geochemical and isotopic signatures suggest that the Dalongkai ultramafic-mafic rocks originated from a MORB-like mantle source metasomatized by subduction-related, sediment-derived fluids. Our data, together with other geological evidence, indicate that the emplacement of the Dalongkai ultramafic-mafic intrusion most likely occurred in a back-arc extensional setting associated with subduction of the Ailaoshan Paleotethyan branch ocean during the Middle Permian, thus ruling out the previously speculated linkage to the Emeishan mantle plume, or to an intra-continental rift.

Some Speculations Concerning The Abitibi Greenstone Belt As A Possible Analog To The Early Martian Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, M.; Allwood, A.; Anderson, R. B.; Atkinson, B.; Beaty, D.; Bristow, T. F.; Ehlmann, B. L.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Hand, K. P.; Halevy, I.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Knoll, A.; McCleese, D. J.; Milliken, R.; Stolper, D. A.; Stolper, E. M.; Tosca, N. J.; Agouron Mars Simulation Field Team

2011-12-01

The Noachian crust of Mars comprises basaltic and, potentially, komatiitic lavas derived from a hot mantle slightly more reducing and sulfur-rich than that of the Earth. Ultramafic volcanic sequences of the ~2.7Ga Tisdale Group of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Ontario, provide a potential analog to these early martian lavas. The Abitibi rocks are a possible source of quartz veins carrying, in places, pyrite, carbonate and gold. These were hydrothermally introduced into volcanic and sedimentary rocks during greenschist metamorphism. Kilometer-scale talc-magnesite zones, resulting from the carbonation of serpentinized ultramafics, may have been the source and seawater, with some magmatic addition, was probably responsible for the pervasive alteration, although the chemical nature of hydrothermal fluids circulating in such piles depends upon the temperature of wall-rock interactions and is largely independent of fluid origin. Any sulfides and gold in unaltered ultramafic putative source rocks may have been lost to the invasive convective fluids. Given high heat flow and the presence of a hydrosphere, hydrothermal convection cells were probably the main mechanism of heat transfer through the crust on both planets. Exploration of the Abitibi belt provides a template for possible martian exploration strategies. Orbital remote sensing indicates that some ultramafic rocks on Mars have also been serpentinized and isolated areas of magnesite have been recently discovered, overlying altered mafic crust, with characteristic ridges at scales of a few hundred meters. While cogent arguments have been made favoring sedimentary exhalative accumulations of hydrothermal silica of the kind that are known to harbor bacteria on our own planet, no in situ siliceous sinters or even quartz veins have been identified with certainty on Mars. Here, we report on the mineralogic and visible to infrared spectral characteristics of mafic and ultramafic lithologies at Abitibi for comparison to locations on Mars where hydrothermal activity has been proposed.

Early onset of magma ocean crystallization revealed by coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd systematics of Nulliak ultramafics (3.78 Ga, Labrador)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morino, P.; Caro, G.; Reisberg, L. C.

2015-12-01

Early onset of magma ocean crystallization revealed by coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd systematics of Nulliak ultramafics (3.78 Ga, Labrador) Precillia Morino1, Guillaume Caro1, Laurie Reisberg 1 1CRPG-CNRS, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France Coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd systematics provides constraints on the timing of magma ocean crystallization on Mars, the Moon and Vesta. Estimates for the Earth's mantle, however, are less accurate owing to the sparsity of Eoarchean mantle-derived rocks with undisturbed 147Sm-143Nd systematics. This study attempts to establish a coherent 142,143Nd dataset for the Eoarchean mantle using well-preserved ultramafic rocks from the Nulliak assemblage (Labrador). Samples include meta-dunites, -pyroxenites and -peridotites exhibiting only minor serpentinization and limited element mobility. The presence of "Barberton type" komatiitic compositions (low Al/Ti, HREE depletion) is suggestive of a deep mantle source. 146,147Sm-142,143Nd and 187Re-187Os analyses yield a crystallization age of 3.78±0.09 Ga with ɛ143Ndi=1.5±0.2 and ɛ142Nd=8.6±2 ppm. This 142,143Nd signature yields a model age of mantle differentiation of 4.43±0.05 Ga (assuming a BSE with chondritic Sm/Nd and ɛ142Nd=0). Superchondritic Sm/Nd compositions for the BSE would translate into older model ages. Irrespective of the choice of primitive mantle composition, Nulliak ultramafics provide differentiation ages 100 Ma older than those estimated from Akilia tonalites but remarkably similar to that estimated from the 2.7 Ga Theo's flow (Abitibi). If Nulliak ultramafics originated from deep melting of a hot plume, their model age could reflect the early onset of magma ocean crystallization in the lowermost mantle.

Deformation associated with the denudation of mantle-derived rocks at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 13°-15°N: The role of magmatic injections and hydrothermal alteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picazo, Suzanne; Cannat, Mathilde; Delacour, AdéLie; EscartíN, Javier; RouméJon, StéPhane; Silantyev, Sergei

2012-09-01

Outcrops of deeply derived ultramafic rocks and gabbros are widespread along slow spreading ridges where they are exposed in the footwall of detachment faults. We report on the microstructural and petrological characteristics of a large number of samples from ultramafic exposures in the walls of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) axial valley at three distinct locations at lat. 13°N and 14°45'N. One of these locations corresponds to the footwall beneath a corrugated paleo-fault surface. Bearing in mind that dredging and ROV sampling may not preserve the most fragile lithologies (fault gouges), this study allows us to document a sequence of deformation, and the magmatic and hydrothermal history recorded in the footwall within a few hundred meters of the axial detachment fault. At the three sampled locations, we find that tremolitic amphiboles have localized deformation in the ultramafic rocks prior to the onset of serpentinization. We interpret these tremolites as hydrothermal alteration products after evolved gabbroic rocks intruded into the peridotites. We also document two types of brittle deformation in the ultramafic rocks, which we infer could produce the sustained low magnitude seismicity recorded at ridge axis detachment faults. The first type of brittle deformation affects fresh peridotite and is associated with the injection of the evolved gabbroic melts, and the second type affects serpentinized peridotites and is associated with the injection of Si-rich hydrothermal fluids that promote talc crystallization, leading to strain localization in thin talc shear zones. We also observed chlorite + serpentine shear zones but did not identify samples with serpentine-only shear zones. Although the proportion of magmatic injections in the ultramafic rocks is variable, these characteristics are found at each investigated location and are therefore proposed as fundamental components of the deformation in the footwall of the detachment faults associated with denudation of mantle-derived rocks at the MAR.

Diversity of dsDNA Viruses in a South African Hot Spring Assessed by Metagenomics and Microscopy.

PubMed

Zablocki, Olivier; van Zyl, Leonardo Joaquim; Kirby, Bronwyn; Trindade, Marla

2017-11-18

The current view of virus diversity in terrestrial hot springs is limited to a few sampling sites. To expand our current understanding of hot spring viral community diversity, this study aimed to investigate the first African hot spring (Brandvlei hot spring; 60 °C, pH 5.7) by means of electron microscopy and sequencing of the virus fraction. Microscopy analysis revealed a mixture of regular- and 'jumbo'-sized tailed morphotypes ( Caudovirales ), lemon-shaped virions ( Fuselloviridae- like; salterprovirus-like) and pleiomorphic virus-like particles. Metavirome analysis corroborated the presence of His1-like viruses and has expanded the current clade of salterproviruses using a polymerase B gene phylogeny. The most represented viral contig was to a cyanophage genome fragment, which may underline basic ecosystem functioning provided by these viruses. Furthermore, a putative Gemmata -related phage was assembled with high coverage, a previously undocumented phage-host association. This study demonstrated that a moderately thermophilic spring environment contained a highly novel pool of viruses and should encourage future characterization of a wider temperature range of hot springs throughout the world.

The ecology and diversity of microbial eukaryotes in geothermal springs.

PubMed

Oliverio, Angela M; Power, Jean F; Washburne, Alex; Cary, S Craig; Stott, Matthew B; Fierer, Noah

2018-04-16

Decades of research into the Bacteria and Archaea living in geothermal spring ecosystems have yielded great insight into the diversity of life and organismal adaptations to extreme environmental conditions. Surprisingly, while microbial eukaryotes (protists) are also ubiquitous in many environments, their diversity across geothermal springs has mostly been ignored. We used high-throughput sequencing to illuminate the diversity and structure of microbial eukaryotic communities found in 160 geothermal springs with broad ranges in temperature and pH across the Taupō Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. Protistan communities were moderately predictable in composition and varied most strongly across gradients in pH and temperature. Moreover, this variation mirrored patterns observed for bacterial and archaeal communities across the same spring samples, highlighting that there are similar ecological constraints across the tree of life. While extreme pH values were associated with declining protist diversity, high temperature springs harbored substantial amounts of protist diversity. Although protists are often overlooked in geothermal springs and other extreme environments, our results indicate that such environments can host distinct and diverse protistan communities.

Development of high energy micro-tomography system at SPring-8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uesugi, Kentaro; Hoshino, Masato

2017-09-01

A high energy X-ray micro-tomography system has been developed at BL20B2 in SPring-8. The available range of the energy is between 20keV and 113keV with a Si (511) double crystal monochromator. The system enables us to image large or heavy materials such as fossils and metals. The X-ray image detector consists of visible light conversion system and sCMOS camera. The effective pixel size is variable by changing a tandem lens between 6.5 μm/pixel and 25.5 μm/pixel discretely. The format of the camera is 2048 pixels x 2048 pixels. As a demonstration of the system, alkaline battery and a nodule from Bolivia were imaged. A detail of the structure of the battery and a female mold Trilobite were successfully imaged without breaking those fossils.

Microbial mat of the thermal springs Kuchiger Republic of Buryatia: species composition, biochemical properties and electrogenic activity in biofuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleksandrovich Yuriev, Denis; Viktorovna Zaitseva, Svetlana; Olegovna Zhdanova, Galina; Yurievich Tolstoy, Mikhail; Dondokovna Barkhutova, Darima; Feodorovna Vyatchina, Olga; Yuryevna Konovalova, Elena; Iosifovich Stom, Devard

2018-02-01

Electrogenic, molecular and some other properties of a microbial mat isolated from the Kuchiger hot spring (Kurumkansky District, Republic of Buryatia) were studied. Molecular analysis showed that representatives of Proteobacteria (85.5 % of the number of classified bacterial sequences) prevailed in the microbial mat of the Kuchiger springs, among which sulfur bacteria of the genus Thiothrix were the most numerous. In the microbial mat there were bacteria from the families Rhodocyclaceae, Comamonadaceae and Flavobacteriaceae. Phylum Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria/Chloroplast, Fusobacteria, Fibrobacteres, Acidobacteria, Chlorobi, Spirochaetes, Verrucomicrobia, Firmicutes, Deinococcus-Thermus, Chloroflexi and Actinobacteria are also noted in the composition of the microbial mat. Under the experimental conditions using Kuchiger-mat 16 as bioagents, glucose and peptone as substrates, the power of BFC was 240 and 221 mW / m2, respectively. When replacing the substrate with sodium acetate, the efficiency of the BFC was reduced by a factor of 10 (20 mW / m2). The prospects of using a microbial mat “Kuchiger-16” as an electrogen in BFC when utilizing alkaline waste water components to generate electricity are discussed.

Textural and Mineralogical Characteristics of Microbial Fossils Associated with Modern and Ancient Iron (Oxyhydr)Oxides: Terrestrial Analogue for Sediments in Gale Crater

PubMed Central

Chan, Marjorie A.; McPherson, Brian J.

2014-01-01

Abstract Iron (oxyhydr)oxide microbial mats in modern to ∼100 ka tufa terraces are present in a cold spring system along Ten Mile Graben, southeastern Utah, USA. Mats exhibit morphological, chemical, and textural biosignatures and show diagenetic changes that occur over millennial scales. The Jurassic Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation in the Four Corners region of the USA also exhibits comparable microbial fossils and iron (oxyhydr)oxide biosignatures in the lacustrine unit. Both the modern spring system and Brushy Basin Member represent alkaline, saline, groundwater-fed systems and preserve diatoms and other similar algal forms with cellular elaboration. Two distinct suites of elements (1. C, Fe, As and 2. C, S, Se, P) are associated with microbial fossils in modern and ancient iron (oxyhydr)oxides and may be potential markers for biosignatures. The presence of ferrihydrite in ∼100 ka fossil microbial mats and Jurassic rocks suggests that this thermodynamically unstable mineral may also be a potential biomarker. One of the most extensive sedimentary records on Mars is exposed in Gale Crater and consists of non-acidic clays and sulfates possibly of lacustrine origin. These terrestrial iron (oxyhydr)oxide examples are a valuable analogue because of similar iron- and clay-rich host rock compositions and will help (1) understand diagenetic processes in a non-acidic, saline lacustrine environment such as the sedimentary rocks in Gale Crater, (2) document specific biomediated textures, (3) demonstrate how biomediated textures might persist or respond to diagenesis over time, and (4) provide a ground truth library of textures to explore and compare in extraterrestrial iron (oxyhydr)oxides, where future explorations hope to detect past evidence of life. Key Words: Biogeochemistry—Mars—Biosignatures—Diagenesis—Iron oxides. Astrobiology 14, 1–14. PMID:24380534

Structure et cinématique des peridotites feldspathiques du Cap Bougaroun (Algérie)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misseri, M.

The Bougaroun Cape ultramafic body (Algeria) is located in the internal zone of the Maghrebine range. This body is similar to the ultramafic bodies of the Betico-Rifan range. Peridotites are associated with kinzigites. Observed structures and deformations correspond to a horizontal asthenospheric flow direction along a vertical plane. This could have been produced in the asthenosphere below a north-south rift or an incipient ocean spreading centre. The opening age is uncertain, hercynian or alpine.

Geochemistry of reduced gas related to serpentinization of the Zambales ophiolite, Philippines

USGS Publications Warehouse

Abrajano, T.A.; Sturchio, N.C.; Kennedy, B.M.; Lyon, G.L.; Muehlenbachs, K.; Böhlke, J.K.

1990-01-01

Methane-hydrogen gas seeps with mantle-like C and noble gas isotopic characteristics issue from partially serpentinized ultramafic rocks in the Zambales ophiolite, Philippines. New measurements of noble gas and 14C isotope abundances, rock/mixed-volatile equilibrium calculations, and previous chemical and isotopic data suggest that these reduced gases are products of periodotite hydration. The gas seeps are produced in rock-dominated zones of serpentinization, and similar gases may be ubiquitous in ultramafic terranes undergoing serpentinization.

Accessory minerals and subduction zone metasomatism: a geochemical comparison of two mélanges (Washington and California, U.S.A.)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorensen, Sorena S.; Grossman, Jeffrey N.

1993-01-01

Data from the Gee Point and Catalina mélanges suggest that the accessory minerals titanite, rutile, apatite, zircon and REE-rich epidote play a significant role in the enrichment of trace elements in both mafic and ultramafic rocks during subduction-related fluid-rock interaction. Mobilization of incompatible elements, and deposition of such elements in the accessory minerals of mafic and ultramafic rocks may be fairly common in fluid-rich metamorphic environments in subduction zones.

Midgut GPI-anchored proteins with alkaline phosphatase activity from the cotton boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) are putative receptors for the Cry1B protein of Bacillus thuringiensis.

PubMed

Martins, Erica Soares; Monnerat, Rose Gomes; Queiroz, Paulo Roberto; Dumas, Vinicius Fiuza; Braz, Shélida Vasconcelos; de Souza Aguiar, Raimundo Wagner; Gomes, Ana Cristina Menezes Mendes; Sánchez, Jorge; Bravo, Alejandra; Ribeiro, Bergmann Morais

2010-02-01

Cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are used for insect control. They interact with specific receptors located on the host cell surface and are activated by host proteases following receptor binding resulting in midgut epithelial cells lysis. In this work we had cloned, sequenced and expressed a cry1Ba toxin gene from the B thuringiensis S601 strain which was previously shown to be toxic to Anthonomus grandis, a cotton pest. The Cry1Ba6 protein expressed in an acrystaliferous B. thuringiensis strain was toxic to A. grandis in bioassays. The binding of Cry1Ba6 toxin to proteins located in the midgut brush border membrane of A. grandis was analyzed and we found that Cry1Ba6 binds to two proteins (62 and 65kDa) that showed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. This work is the first report that shows the localization of Cry toxin receptors in the midgut cells of A. grandis. 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Hydrogeology and quality of ground water in the Boone Formation and Cotter Dolomite in karst terrain of northwestern Boone County, Arkansas

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

Leidy, V.A.; Morris, E.E.

1991-01-01

Shallow groundwater flow systems in karst terrain of northwestern Boone County, Arkansas, are particularly susceptible to contamination. The potential for groundwater contamination probably is greater in the northern one-half of the study area where there are more photolineaments and presumably subsurface fractures. Groundwater samples from 17 springs discharging from the Boone Formation and 17 wells completed in the Cotter Dolomite were analyzed to determine ambient groundwater quality and to document water quality variations. The chemical constituents in groundwater generally did not exceed US Environmental Protection Agency primary or secondary maximum contaminant levels. However, fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria weremore » detected in most springs and in three wells. One spring, located near an abandoned wood-treatment plant (a designated Superfund site), had maximum iron, manganese, lead, and pentachlorophenol concentration that exceeded US Environmental Protection Agency's primary or secondary maximum contamination levels for drinking water. Water samples collected from selected springs emerging from the Boone Formation exhibited an overall decrease in specific conductance and total alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride concentrations and an overall increase in nitrate, fecal coliform, and fecal streptococcus bacteria concentrations 3 to 8 hours after a rainstorm.« less

Microbial impacts on 99mTc migration through sandstone under highly alkaline conditions relevant to radioactive waste disposal.

PubMed

Smith, Sarah L; Boothman, Christopher; Williams, Heather A; Ellis, Beverly L; Wragg, Joanna; West, Julia M; Lloyd, Jonathan R

2017-01-01

Geological disposal of intermediate level radioactive waste in the UK is planned to involve the use of cementitious materials, facilitating the formation of an alkali-disturbed zone within the host rock. The biogeochemical processes that will occur in this environment, and the extent to which they will impact on radionuclide migration, are currently poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of biogeochemical processes on the mobility of the radionuclide technetium, in column experiments designed to be representative of aspects of the alkali-disturbed zone. Results indicate that microbial processes were capable of inhibiting 99m Tc migration through columns, and X-ray radiography demonstrated that extensive physical changes had occurred to the material within columns where microbiological activity had been stimulated. The utilisation of organic acids under highly alkaline conditions, generating H 2 and CO 2 , may represent a mechanism by which microbial processes may alter the hydraulic conductivity of a geological environment. Column sediments were dominated by obligately alkaliphilic H 2 -oxidising bacteria, suggesting that the enrichment of these bacteria may have occurred as a result of H 2 generation during organic acid metabolism. The results from these experiments show that microorganisms are able to carry out a number of processes under highly alkaline conditions that could potentially impact on the properties of the host rock surrounding a geological disposal facility for intermediate level radioactive waste. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Volatile Contents in Mafic Magmas from two Aleutian volcanoes: Augustine and Makushin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmer, M. M.; Plank, T.; Hauri, E. H.; Nye, C.; Faust Larsen, J.; Kelemen, P. B.

2004-12-01

There are several competing theories for the origin of tholeiitic (TH) vs. calc-alkaline (CA) fractionation trends in arc magmas. One relates to water (TH-dry magma, CA-wet magma), another to pressure (TH-low pressure crystallization, CA-high pressure), and a third to primary magma composition (TH-low Si/Fe#, CA-hi Si/Fe#) These theories have been difficult to test without quantitative measures of the water contents and pressures of crystallization of arc magmas. We are in the process of studying several Aleutian arc tephra suites (phenocrysts and melt inclusions) with the aim of obtaining volatile element concentrations (by SIMS), major and trace element concentrations and thermobarometric data (by EMP and laser-ICPMS). We report preliminary results on olivine-hosted melt inclusions from Augustine and Makushin volcanoes that support the role of water in calc-alkaline fractionation. Basaltic melt inclusions from Augustine, a low-K2O, calc-alkaline volcano, are hosted in Fo80-82 olivine. The inclusions yield high water contents, up to 5 wt%, and contain 60-90 ppm CO2, 3000-4500 ppm S, and 3000-6000 ppm Cl. Inclusions record vapor-saturation pressures near 2 kbar. Cl/K2O ratios in Augustine inclusions (ave. 1.9) are among the highest documented in an arc setting, and likely record a Cl- and H2O- rich fluid from the subducting plate. High water contents in Augustine primary melts may have contributed to the strong calc-alkaline trend observed at this volcano. Basaltic melt inclusions from Pakushin, a medium-K2O, tholeiitic cone on the flanks of Makushin volcano, are hosted in Fo80-86 olivine. These inclusions have low water contents (<0.15 wt%) and low CO2 contents (<125 ppm), and record shallow vapor saturation pressures (<300 bars). The high sulfur (2000-4000 ppm) and Cl (>2000 ppm) in Pakushin melt inclusions, however, indicate that degassing was minimal. The low water contents and low vapor saturation pressures recorded in Pakushin melt inclusions are consistent with development of its tholeiitic trend, but we cannot distinguish whether the low water contents at Pakushin reflect a difference in the primary magma, or in crustal stresses that favor low pressure fractionation and degassing. These questions will be addressed with further work on the trace element contents of the melt inclusions and on phenocryst-melt geobarometers.

Host fish suitability for glochidia of Ligumia recta

USGS Publications Warehouse

Khym, J.R.; Layzer, J.B.

2000-01-01

In the early 1900s several hosts were identified for the black sandshell Ligumia recta. Recent attempts to propagate juvenile L. recta with two of the reported hosts (bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides) have produced inconsistent results and few juveniles. We conducted this study to determine which of the reported hosts or other fish hosts were the most suitable for glochidial metamorphosis. The duration of glochidial metamorphosis varied among seasons. Despite similar water temperatures, juveniles metamorphosed sooner and over a shorter period of time in the spring than early fall; the modal day of metamorphosis differed by 78 d. Relatively few juveniles were recovered from bluegill and largemouth bass in three trials. White crappie Pomoxis annularis and black crappie P. nigromaculatus were marginally suitable hosts. Although glochidia encysted on all hosts, >10x more juveniles metamorphosed on sauger Stizostedion canadense compared to other hosts tested.

Climate change, phenology, and butterfly host plant utilization.

PubMed

Navarro-Cano, Jose A; Karlsson, Bengt; Posledovich, Diana; Toftegaard, Tenna; Wiklund, Christer; Ehrlén, Johan; Gotthard, Karl

2015-01-01

Knowledge of how species interactions are influenced by climate warming is paramount to understand current biodiversity changes. We review phenological changes of Swedish butterflies during the latest decades and explore potential climate effects on butterfly-host plant interactions using the Orange tip butterfly Anthocharis cardamines and its host plants as a model system. This butterfly has advanced its appearance dates substantially, and its mean flight date shows a positive correlation with latitude. We show that there is a large latitudinal variation in host use and that butterfly populations select plant individuals based on their flowering phenology. We conclude that A. cardamines is a phenological specialist but a host species generalist. This implies that thermal plasticity for spring development influences host utilization of the butterfly through effects on the phenological matching with its host plants. However, the host utilization strategy of A. cardamines appears to render it resilient to relatively large variation in climate.

Aqueous Geochemical Dynamics at the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory and The Case for Subsurface Mixing of Regional Groundwaters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

Serpentinization is the aqueous alteration (or hydration) of olivine and pyroxene minerals in ultramafic rocks, occurring in the seabed and ultramafic units on continents, such as at the Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) in northern California, USA. Mineral products of serpentinization include serpentine, magnetite, brucite, talc, oxyhydroxides, carbonates, and diverse clay minerals. Such mineral transformations generate extremely high pH solutions with characteristic cation and dissolved metal loads, transmitting CH4, H2, and CO gas mixtures from depth; deep life in ultramafic terrains is thought to be fueled by chemical energy derived from these geochemical reactions. The installation of 8 groundwater monitoring wells in the CRO has allowed frequent monitoring since 2011. Influx of deeply sourced, serpentinization-influenced waters is evidenced by related geochemical shifts (e.g., pH, oxidation-reduction potential), but is apparently mixing with other, regionally important groundwater types. Evaluation salinity loads in concert with other parameters, we model the mixing scenario of this site of ongoing scientific study and experimentation.

Microclimate and the zoonotic cycle of tick-borne encephalitis virus in Switzerland.

PubMed

Burri, C; Bastic, V; Maeder, G; Patalas, E; Gern, L

2011-05-01

The focal distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) appears to depend mainly on cofeeding transmission between infected Ixodes ricinus L. nymphs and uninfected larvae. To better understand the role of cofeeding ticks in the transmission of TBEV, we investigated tick infestation of rodents and the influence of microclimate on the seasonality of questing I. ricinus ticks. A 3-yr study was carried out at four sites, including two confirmed TBEV foci. Free-living ticks and rodents were collected monthly, and microclimatic data were recorded. A decrease in questing nymph density was observed in 2007, associated with low relative humidity and high temperatures in spring. One site, Thun, did not show this decrease, probably because of microclimatic conditions in spring that favored the questing nymph population. During the same year, the proportion of rodents carrying cofeeding ticks was lower at sites where the questing nymph density decreased, although the proportion of infested hosts was similar among years. TBEV was detected in 0.1% of questing ticks, and in 8.6 and 50.0% of larval ticks feeding on two rodents. TBEV was detected at all but one site, where the proportion of hosts with cofeeding ticks was the lowest. The proportion of hosts with cofeeding ticks seemed to be one of the factors that distinguished a TBEV focus from a non-TBEV focus. The enzootic cycle of TBEV might be disrupted when dry and hot springs occur during consecutive years.

Rhizosphere bacteria of Costularia spp. from ultramafic soils in New Caledonia: diversity, tolerance to extreme edaphic conditions, and role in plant growth and mineral nutrition.

PubMed

Gonin, Mathieu; Gensous, Simon; Lagrange, Alexandre; Ducousso, Marc; Amir, Hamid; Jourand, Philippe

2013-03-01

Rhizosphere bacteria were isolated from Costularia spp., pioneer sedges from ultramafic soils in New Caledonia, which is a hotspot of biodiversity in the South Pacific. Genus identification, ability to tolerate edaphic constraints, and plant-growth-promoting (PGP) properties were analysed. We found that 10(5) colony-forming units per gram of root were dominated by Proteobacteria (69%) and comprised 21 genera, including Burkholderia (28%), Curtobacterium (15%), Bradyrhizobium (9%), Sphingomonas (8%), Rhizobium (7%), and Bacillus (5%). High proportions of bacteria tolerated many elements of the extreme edaphic conditions: 82% tolerated 100 μmol·L(-1) chromium, 70% 1 mmol·L(-1) nickel, 63% 10 mmol·L(-1) manganese, 24% 1 mmol·L(-1) cobalt, and 42% an unbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio (1/16). These strains also exhibited multiple PGP properties, including the ability to produce ammonia (65%), indole-3-acetic acid (60%), siderophores (52%), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase (39%); as well as the capacity to solubilize phosphates (19%). The best-performing strains were inoculated with Sorghum sp. grown on ultramafic substrate. Three strains significantly enhanced the shoot biomass by up to 33%. The most successful strains influenced plant nutrition through the mobilization of metals in roots and a reduction of metal transfer to shoots. These results suggest a key role of these bacteria in plant growth, nutrition, and adaptation to the ultramafic constraints.

Characterizing the Effects of Inorganic Acid and Alkaline Shock on the Staphylococcus aureus Transcriptome and Messenger RNA Turnover

PubMed Central

Anderson, Kelsi L.; Roux, Christelle M.; Olson, Matthew W.; Luong, Thanh T.; Lee, Chia Y.; Olson, Robert; Dunman, Paul M.

2010-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis can be partially attributed to its ability to adapt to otherwise deleterious host-associated stresses. Here, Affymetrix GeneChips® were used to examine the S. aureus responses to inorganic acid and alkaline shock and to assess whether stress dependent changes in mRNA turnover are likely to facilitate the organism’s ability to tolerate pH challenge. Results indicate that S. aureus adapts to pH shock by eliciting responses expected of cells coping with pH alteration, including neutralizing cellular pH, DNA repair, amino acid biosynthesis and virulence factor expression. Further, the S. aureus response to alkaline conditions is strikingly similar to that of stringent response induced cells. Indeed, we show that alkaline shock stimulates accumulation of the stringent response activator (p)ppGpp. Results also revealed that pH shock significantly alters the mRNA properties of the cell. A comparison of the mRNA degradation properties of transcripts whose titers either increased or decreased in response to sudden pH change revealed that alterations in mRNA degradation may, in part, account for the changes in the mRNA levels of factors predicted to mediate pH tolerance. A set of small stable RNA molecules were induced in response to acid or alkaline shock conditions and may mediate adaptation to pH stress. PMID:21039920

Cold-active alkaline phosphatase is irreversibly transformed into an inactive dimer by low urea concentrations.

PubMed

Hjörleifsson, Jens Guðmundur; Ásgeirsson, Bjarni

2016-07-01

Alkaline phosphatase is a homodimeric metallo-hydrolase where both Zn(2+) and Mg(2+) are important for catalysis and stability. Cold-adapted alkaline phosphatase variants have high activity at low temperatures and lower thermal stability compared with variants from mesophilic hosts. The instability, and thus inactivation, could be due to loose association of the dimers and/or loosely bound Mg(2)(+) in the active site, but this has not been studied in detail for the cold-adapted variants. Here, we focus on using the intrinsic fluorescence of Trp in alkaline phosphatase from the marine bacterium Vibrio splendidus (VAP) to probe for dimerization. Trp→Phe substitutions showed that two out of the five native Trp residues contributed mostly to the fluorescence emission. One residue, 15Å away from the active site (W460) and highly solvent excluded, was phosphorescent and had a distant role in substrate binding. An additional Trp residue was introduced to the dimer interface to act as a possible probe for dimerization. Urea denaturation curves indicated that an inactive dimer intermediate, structurally equivalent to the native state, was formed before dimer dissociation took place. This is the first example of the transition of a native dimer to an inactive dimer intermediate for alkaline phosphatase without using mutagenesis, ligands, or competitive inhibition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

REE controls in ultramafic hosted MOR hydrothermal systems: An experimental study at elevated temperature and pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Douglas E.; Seyfried, W. E.

2005-02-01

A hydrothermal experiment involving peridotite and a coexisting aqueous fluid was conducted to assess the role of dissolved Cl - and redox on REE mobility at 400°C, 500 bars. Data show that the onset of reducing conditions enhances the stability of soluble Eu +2 species. Moreover, Eu +2 forms strong aqueous complexes with dissolved Cl - at virtually all redox conditions. Thus, high Cl - concentrations and reducing conditions can combine to reinforce Eu mobility. Except for La, trivalent REE are not greatly affected by fluid speciation under the chemical and physical condition considered, suggesting control by secondary mineral-fluid partitioning. LREE enrichment and positive Eu anomalies observed in fluids from the experiment are remarkably similar to patterns of REE mobility in vent fluids issuing from basalt- and peridotite-hosted hydrothermal systems. This suggests that the chondrite normalized REE patterns are influenced greatly by fluid speciation effects and secondary mineral formation processes. Accordingly, caution must be exercised when using REE in hydrothermal vent fluids to infer REE sources in subseafloor reaction zones from which the fluids are derived. Although vent fluid patterns having LREE enrichment and positive Eu anomalies are typically interpreted to suggest plagioclase recrystallization reactions, this need not always be the case.

Subseafloor microbial communities in hydrogen‐rich vent fluids from hydrothermal systems along the Mid‐Cayman Rise

PubMed Central

Reveillaud, Julie; Reddington, Emily; McDermott, Jill; Algar, Christopher; Meyer, Julie L.; Sylva, Sean; Seewald, Jeffrey; German, Christopher R.

2016-01-01

Summary Warm fluids emanating from hydrothermal vents can be used as windows into the rocky subseafloor habitat and its resident microbial community. Two new vent systems on the Mid‐Cayman Rise each exhibits novel geologic settings and distinctively hydrogen‐rich vent fluid compositions. We have determined and compared the chemistry, potential energy yielding reactions, abundance, community composition, diversity, and function of microbes in venting fluids from both sites: Piccard, the world's deepest vent site, hosted in mafic rocks; and Von Damm, an adjacent, ultramafic‐influenced system. Von Damm hosted a wider diversity of lineages and metabolisms in comparison to Piccard, consistent with thermodynamic models that predict more numerous energy sources at ultramafic systems. There was little overlap in the phylotypes found at each site, although similar and dominant hydrogen‐utilizing genera were present at both. Despite the differences in community structure, depth, geology, and fluid chemistry, energetic modelling and metagenomic analysis indicate near functional equivalence between Von Damm and Piccard, likely driven by the high hydrogen concentrations and elevated temperatures at both sites. Results are compared with hydrothermal sites worldwide to provide a global perspective on the distinctiveness of these newly discovered sites and the interplay among rocks, fluid composition and life in the subseafloor. PMID:26663423

Assessment of ground water quality for drinking purpose, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.

PubMed

Jain, C K; Bandyopadhyay, A; Bhadra, A

2010-07-01

The ground water quality of District Nainital (Uttarakhand, India) has been assessed to see the suitability of ground water for drinking and irrigation applications. This is a two-part series paper and this paper examines the suitability of ground water including spring water for drinking purposes. Forty ground water samples (including 28 spring samples) were collected during pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analyzed for various water quality constituents. The hydrochemical and bacteriological data was analyzed with reference to BIS and WHO standards and their hydrochemical facies were determined. The concentration of total dissolved solids exceeds the desirable limit of 500 mg/L in about 10% of the samples, alkalinity values exceed the desirable limit of 200 mg/L in about 30% of the samples, and total hardness values exceed the desirable limit of 300 mg/L in 15% of the samples. However, no sample crosses the maximum permissible limit for TDS, alkalinity, hardness, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride. The concentration of chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride are well within the desirable limit at all the locations. The bacteriological analysis of the samples does not show any sign of bacterial contamination in hand pump and tube-well water samples. However, in the case of spring water samples, six samples exceed the permissible limit of ten coliforms per 100 ml of sample. It is recommended that water drawn from such sources should be properly disinfected before being used for drinking and other domestic applications. Among the metal ions, the concentration of iron and lead exceeds the permissible limit at one location whereas the concentration of nickel exceeds the permissible limit in 60 and 32.5% of the samples during pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The grouping of samples according to their hydrochemical facies indicates that majority of the samples fall in Ca-Mg-HCO(3) hydrochemical facies.

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

Wheat, C.G.; Mottl, M.J.

Warm hydrothermal springs were discovered on Baby Bare, which is an isolated basement outcrop on 3.5 Ma-old crust on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The authors have sampled these spring waters from a manned submersible, along with associated sediment pore waters from 48 gravity and piston cores. Systematic variations in the chemical composition of these waters indicate that hydrothermal reactions in basement at moderate temperatures remove Na, K, Li, Rb, Mg, TCO{sub 2}, alkalinity, and phosphate from the circulating seawater and leach Ca, Sr, Si, B, and Mn from the oceanic crust; and that reactions withmore » the turbidite sediment surrounding Baby Bare remove Na, Li, Mg, Ca, Sr, and sulfate from the pore water while producing ammonium and Si and both producing and consuming phosphate, nitrate, alkalinity, Mn, and Fe. K, Rb, and B are relatively unreactive in the sediment column. The composition of altered seawater in basement at Baby Bare is similar to the inferred composition of 58 C formation water from crust nearly twice as old (5.9 Ma) on the southern flank of the Costa Rica Rift. The Baby Bare fluids also exhibit the same directions of net elemental transfer between basalt and seawater as solutions produced in laboratory experiments at a similar temperature, and complement compositional changes form seawater observed in seafloor basalts altered at cool to moderate temperatures. The common parameter among the two ridge flanks and experiments is temperature, suggesting that the residence time of seawater in the two ridge-flank sites is sufficiently long for the solutions to equilibrate with altered basalt. The authors use the Baby Bare spring water to estimate upper limits on the global fluxes of 14 elements at warm ridge-flank sites such as Baby Bare. Maximum calculated fluxes of Mg, Ca, sulfate, B, and K may equal or exceed 25% of the riverine flux, and such sites may represent the missing, high K/Rb sink required for the K budget.« less

Polyphase serpentinization history of Mariana forearc mantle: observations on the microfabric of ultramafic clasts from ODP Leg 195, Site 1200

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahl, Wolf-Achim; Jöns, Niels; Bach, Wolfgang; Klein, Frieder

2013-04-01

In the forearc of the Mariana subduction zone system, a number of seamounts form from extrusion of blueschist and serpentine mud. Ocean Drilling Program Leg 195 drilled the South Chamorro seamount, where ultramafic clasts occur within the mud matrix. These clasts show a complex serpentinization history, which bears the potential for tracking the alteration history during uplift and cooling of mantle wedge rocks to the seafloor. Moreover, the microfabrics of the highly serpentinized harzburgite and dunite clasts exhibit evidence for multiple fracturing events in the forearc mantle. These, in turn, lead to fluid influx and varied styles of serpentinization of harzburgite and dunite. The serpentinized ultramafic clasts exhibit a variety of microfabrics that range from virtually undeformed to strongly deformed samples. Pervasively serpentinized harzburgites feature either an equigranular fabric of serpentinized olivine and orthopyroxene crystals, or different vein generations related to multiple stages of serpentinization. Several types of fluid pathways in harzburgites are present: (i) veins containing brucite and iron oxides, developed linearly without marked conformance with the rock fabric. In places, these veins developed mm-cm wide halos with finger-shaped serpentinization fronts. Veins of type (i) are either developed as syntaxial veins from a single crack-seal event with large magnetite crystals growing from one wall to the other (as confirmed with high-resolution X-ray microtomography), or formed by multiple fluid events. (ii) serpentine veins that encompass regions of marginally serpentinized, microgranular olivine and large orthopyroxene crystals. (iii) extensional serpentine veins (known as "Frankenstein" type). In the clasts studied, their occurrence is restricted to the halo region of type (i) veins. (iv) as a late-stage feature, extensional veins documenting multiple crack-seal events can be present in the serpentinites (either in undeformed regions with preserved equigranular fabric, or in serpentinites of type (i) and (ii) where they crosscut and offset earlier vein generations). In addition, serpentinized dunites can host syntaxial serpentine veins (ribbons). The ribbons separate regions, where recrystallization of serpentine and brucite can be observed. Presumably the lack of orthopyroxene locally influences the rheology and thus enable ribbon formation. The serpentine and/or brucite assemblages formed during these different stages show distinct trace element patterns suggesting a diminished influence of slab-related fluids during later stages of serpentinization. Ongoing work is aimed at reconciling textural and geochemical co-evolution during serpentinization of the mantle wedge. In particular, deciphering deformation-related pathways for serpentinizing fluids and identifying their geochemical signatures may foster our understanding of shallow subduction-related mass transfer in supra-subduction zones.

Serpentinization and fluid-rock interaction in Jurassic mafic and ultramafic sea-floor: constraints from Ligurian ophiolite sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, Monica; Früh-Green, Gretchen L.; Boschi, Chiara; Schwarzenbach, Esther M.

2014-05-01

The Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex (Eastern Liguria) represents one of the largest and better-exposed ophiolitic successions in the Northern Apennines. It is considered to be a fragment of heterogeneous Jurassic lithosphere that records tectono-magmatic and alteration histories similar to those documented along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, such as at the 15°20'N area and the Atlantis Massif at 30°N. Structural and petrological studies on these rocks provide constraints on metamorphic/deformation processes during formation and hydrothermal alteration of the Jurassic oceanic lithosphere. We present a petrological and geochemical study of deformation processes and fluid-rock interaction in the Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex and compare these to modern oceanic hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City Hydrothermal Field hosted in ultramafic rocks on the Atlantis Massif. A focus is on investigating mass transfer and fluid flow paths during high and low temperature hydrothermal activity, and on processes leading to hydrothermal carbonate precipitation and the formation of ophicalcites, which are characteristic of the Bracco-Levanto sequences. Major element and mineral compositional data allow us to distinguish a multiphase history of alteration characterized by: (1) widespread SiO2 metasomatism during progressive serpentinization, and (2) multiple phases of veining and carbonate precipitation associated with circulation of seawater and high fluid-rock ratios in the shallow ultramafic-dominated portions of the Jurassic seafloor. We observe regional variations in MgO, SiO2 and Al2O3, suggesting Si-flux towards stratigraphically higher units. In general, the ophicalcites have higher Si, Al and Fe concentrations and lower Mg than the serpentinite basement rocks or serpentinites with minimal carbonate veins. Bulk rock trace element data and Sr isotope ratios indicate seawater reacting with rocks of more mafic composition, then channeled towards stratigraphically higher units, leading to Si metasomatism in the serpentinites and ophicalcites. Channelling of Si-rich fluids is also indicated by amphibole and talc growth in shear zones and wall rock around the ophicalcites. δ18O-values of the carbonate veins indicate temperatures up to 150°C and document a decrease in temperature with ongoing serpentinization. Comparison with serpentinites from the Atlantis Massif and 15°20'N indicates a similar degree of Si enrichment in the modern seafloor and suggests that Si-metasomatism may be a fundamental process associated with serpentinization at slow-spreading ridge environments.

Local equilibrium of mafic enclaves and granitoids of the Turtle pluton, southeast California: Mineral, chemical, and isotopic evidence

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

Allen, C.M.

Major element and trace element compositions of whole rocks, mineral compositions, and Rb-Sr isotopic compositions of enclave and host granitoid pairs from the Early Cretaceous, calc-alkaline Turtle pluton of southeastern California suggest that the local environmental profoundly affects some enclave types. In the Turtle pluton, where the source of fine-grained, mafic enclaves can be deduced to be magmatic by the presence of partially disaggregated basaltic dikes, mineral chemistry suggests partial or complete local equilibrium among mineral species in the enclave and its host granitoid. Because of local Rb-Sr isotopic equilibration between fine-grained enclaves and host granitoid, one cannot use Srmore » isotopes to distinguish an enclave source independent of its host rocks from an enclave source related to the enclosing pluton. However, preliminary Nd isotopic data suggest an independent, mantle source for enclaves.« less

Spring, 1980, DECUS symposium review

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

Allen, M.J.; Duffy, J.M.; McDonald, W.M.

1980-10-24

The Digital Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS) holds biannual symposia where its membership and the host company can exchange ideas, problems, and solutions. This report by the newly formed DECUS Local User Group at LLL collects information gathered at the Spring '80 symposium in Chicago on April 22-25. Information is presented for the following special interest groups (SIGs): RSX/IAS SIG, VAX/VSM SIG, PASCAL (languages) SIG, networks SIG, TECO SIG, LSI-11 SIG, RT-11 SIG, site manager SIG, and database SIG. (RWR)

U-Pb SHRIMP II age and origin of zircon from lhertzolite of the bug Paleoarchean complex, Ukrainian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobach-Zhuchenko, S. B.; Baltybaev, Sh. K.; Glebovitsky, V. A.; Sergeev, S. A.; Lokhov, K. O.; Egorova, Yu. S.; Balagansky, V. V.; Skublov, S. G.; Galankina, O. L.; Stepanyuk, L. M.

2017-12-01

Complex study of the U-Pb and Lu-Hf systems of zircon from a lhertzolite lens of Archean gneiss enderbites of the Bug complex, Ukrainian Shield, showed that ultramafic magma was contaminated by the material of the country gneiss enderbites. The age of the zircons of 2.81 ± 0.05 Ga corresponds to the period of ultramafic magmatism within the Bug complex. Previously, this peak of endogenic activity was considered the stage of manifestation of metamorphism and magmatism of mafic composition.

Al-augite and Cr-diopside ultramafic xenoliths in basaltic rocks from western United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilshire, H.G.; Shervais, J.W.

1975-01-01

Ultramafic xenoliths in basalts from the western United States are divided into Al-augite and Cr-diopside groups. The Al-augite group is characterized by Al, Ti-rich augites, comparatively Fe-rich olivine and orthopyroxene, and Al-rich spinel, the Cr-diopside group by Cr-rich clinopyroxene and spinel and by Mg-rich olivine and pyroxenes. Both groups have a wide range of subtypes, but the Al-augite group is dominated by augite-rich varieties, and the Cr-diopside group by olivine-rich lherzolites. ?? 1975.

The solubility and stabilization of ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) from 0° to 25°C: environmental and paleoclimatic implications for thinolite tufa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bischoff, James L.; Fitzpatrick, John A.; Rosenbauer, Robert J.

1993-01-01

We determined the solubility of ikaite from 0?? to 25??C to model its saturation state in natural waters and test the hypothesis that it is the precursor of the calcite pseudomorphs in thinolite tufa of Quaternary Lake Lahonta. Its precipitation in near-freezing marine sediments requires large additions of HCO3 to pore fluids from the diagenetic decomposition of organic matter. Its crystallization in tufas of alkaline lakes, however, requires only small additions of Ca from springs. Ikaite is stabilized in natural environments by orthophosphate. The presence of ikaite or its pseudomorphs is an indicator of near-freezing comditions in environments with high concentrations of orthophosphate. If ikaite is the precursor of thinolite tufa, then the thinolite likely grew below the sediment-water interface at the site of sublacustrine springs during prolonged cold periods. -from Authors

Ultramafic xenoliths from the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana, USA: Evidence for multiple metasomatic events in the lithospheric mantle beneath the Wyoming craton

USGS Publications Warehouse

Downes, H.; Macdonald, R.; Upton, B.G.J.; Cox, K.G.; Bodinier, J.-L.; Mason, P.R.D.; James, D.; Hill, P.G.; Hearn, B.C.

2004-01-01

Ultramafic xenoliths in Eocene minettes of the Bearpaw Mountains volcanic field (Montana, USA), derived from the lower lithosphere of the Wyoming craton, can be divided based on textural criteria into tectonite and cumulate groups. The tectonites consist of strongly depleted spinel lherzolites, harzbugites and dunites. Although their mineralogical compositions are generally similar to those of spinel peridotites in off-craton settings, some contain pyroxenes and spinels that have unusually low Al2O3 contents more akin to those found in cratonic spinel peridotites. Furthermore, the tectonite peridotites have whole-rock major element compositions that tend to be significantly more depleted than non-cratonic mantle spinel peridotites (high MgO, low CaO, Al2O3 and TiO2) and resemble those of cratonic mantle. These compositions could have been generated by up to 30% partial melting of an undepleted mantle source. Petrographic evidence suggests that the mantle beneath the Wyoming craton was re-enriched in three ways: (1) by silicate melts that formed mica websterite and clinopyroxenite veins; (2) by growth of phlogopite from K-rich hydrous fluids; (3) by interaction with aqueous fluids to form orthopyroxene porphyroblasts and orthopyroxenite veins. In contrast to their depleted major element compositions, the tectonite peridotites are mostly light rare earth element (LREE)-enriched and show enrichment in fluid-mobile elements such as Cs, Rb, U and Pb on mantle-normalized diagrams. Lack of enrichment in high field strength elements (HFSE; e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf) suggests that the tectonite peridotites have been metasomatized by a subduction-related fluid. Clinopyroxenes from the tectonite peridotites have distinct U-shaped REE patterns with strong LREE enrichment. They have 143Nd/144Nd values that range from 0??5121 (close to the host minette values) to 0??5107, similar to those of xenoliths from the nearby Highwood Mountains. Foliated mica websterites also have low 143Nd/144Nd values (0??5113) and extremely high 87Sr/86Sr ratios in their constituent phlogopite, indicating an ancient (probably mid-Proterozoic) enrichment. This enriched mantle lithosphere later contributed to the formation of the high-K Eocene host magmas. The cumulate group ranges from clinopyroxene-rich mica peridotites (including abundant mica wehrlites) to mica clinopyroxenites. Most contain >30% phlogopite. Their mineral compositions are similar to those of phenocrysts in the host minettes. Their whole-rock compositions are generally poorer in MgO but richer in incompatible trace elements than those of the tectonite peridotites. Whole-rock trace element patterns are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE; Rb, Cs, U and Pb) and depleted in HFSE (Nb, Ta Zr and Hf as in the host minettes, and their Sr-Nd isotopic compositions are also identical to those of the minettes. Their clinopyroxenes are LREE-enriched and formed in equilibrium with a LREE-enriched melt closely resembling the minettes. The cumulates therefore represent a much younger magmatic event, related to crystallization at mantle depths of minette magmas in Eocene times, that caused further metasomatic enrichment of the lithosphere. ?? Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.

Assessing phenological synchrony between the Chinese sawfly, Cephus fumipennis, its egg-larval parasitoid, Collyria catoptron, and the North American sawfly, Cephus cinctus: Implications for biological control

Treesearch

Tatyana A. Rand; Wendell L. Morrill; Justin B. Runyon; Kim A. Hoelmer; Thomas G. Shanower; Jeffrey L. Littlefield; David K. Weaver

2016-01-01

Many pest and beneficial insects overwinter as larvae in a state of diapause, with development resuming in the spring. In these cases, rates of post-diapause development of parasitoids must be synchronised with the vulnerable life stages of their hosts. Phenological asynchrony between introduced parasitoids and their targeted hosts has limited the success of some...

Clumped isotope thermometry in deeply buried sedimentary carbonates: The effects of C-O bond reordering and recrystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passey, B. H.; Shenton, B.; Grossman, E. L.; Henkes, G. A.; Laya, J. C.; Perez-Huerta, A.

2014-12-01

Constraining the thermal histories of sedimentary basins is fundamental to a range of geologic applications including tectonics, petroleum system analysis, and the genesis of ore deposits. Carbonate rocks can serve as archives of basin thermal histories through solid-state reordering of their 13C-18O, or 'clumped isotope', bonds at elevated burial temperatures. Here we present one of the first applied studies of carbonate clumped isotope reordering to explore the diagenetic and thermal histories of exhumed brachiopods, crinoids, cements, and host rock in the Permian Palmarito Formation, Venezuela and the Carboniferous Bird Spring Formation, Nevada, USA. Carbonate components in the Palmarito Formation, buried to ~4 km depth, yield statistically indistinguishable clumped isotope temperatures (T(Δ47)) ranging from 86 to 122 °C. Clumped isotope temperatures of components in the more deeply buried Bird Spring Formation (>5 km), range from ~100 to 165 °C and differ by component type, with brachiopods and pore-filling cements yielding the highest T(Δ47) (mean = 153 and 141 °C, respectively) and crinoids and host rock yielding significantly cooler T(Δ47) (mean = 103 and 114 °C). New high-resolution thermal histories are coupled with kinetic models to predict the extent of solid-state C-O bond reordering during burial and exhumation for both sites. Application of these models suggests that brachiopods in the Palmarito Formation experienced partial bond reordering without complete equilibration of clumped isotopes at maximum burial temperature. In contrast, clumped isotope bonds of brachiopods from the Bird Spring Formation appear to have completely equilibrated at maximum burial temperature, and now reflect blocking temperatures 'locked-in' during cooling. The 40-50 °C cooler clumped isotope temperatures measured in Bird Spring Formation crinoids and host rock can be explained by both recrystallization and cementation during shallow burial and a greater inherent resistance to solid-state reordering than brachiopods.

Extensional faulting in the southern Klamath Mountains, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schweickert, R.A.; Irwin, W.P.

1989-01-01

Large northeast striking normal faults in the southern Klamath Mountains may indicate that substantial crustal extension occurred during Tertiary time. Some of these faults form grabens in the Jurassic and older bedrock of the province. The grabens contain continental Oligocene or Miocene deposits (Weaverville Formation), and in two of them the Oligocene or Miocene is underlain by Lower Cretaceous marine formations (Great Valley sequence). At the La Grange gold placer mine the Oligocene or Miocene strata dip northwest into the gently southeast dipping mylonitic footwall surface of the La Grange fault. The large normal displacement required by the relations at the La Grange mine is also suggested by omission of several kilometers of structural thickness of bedrock units across the northeast continuation of the La Grange fault, as well as by significant changes in bedrock across some northeast striking faults elsewhere in the Central Metamorphic and Eastern Klamath belts. The Trinity ultramafic sheet crops out in the Eastern Klamath terrane as part of a broad northeast trending arch that may be structurally analogous to the domed lower plate of metamorphic core complexes found in eastern parts of the Cordillera. The northeast continuation of the La Grange fault bounds the southeastern side of the Trinity arch in the Eastern Klamath terrane and locally cuts out substantial lower parts of adjacent Paleozoic strata of the Redding section. Faults bounding the northwestem side of the Trinity arch generally trend northeast and juxtapose stacked thrust sheets of lower Paleozoic strata of the Yreka terrane against the Trinity ultramafic sheet. Geometric relations suggest that the Tertiary extension of the southern Klamath Mountains was in NW-SE directions and that the Redding section and the southern part of the Central Metamorphic terrane may be a large Tertiary allochthon detached from the Trinity ultramafic sheet. Paleomagnetic data indicate a lack of rotation about a vertical axis during the extension. We propose that the Trinity ultramafic sheet is structurally analogous to a metamorphic core complex; if so, it is the first core complex to be described that involves ultramafic rocks. We infer that Mesozoic terrane accretion produced a large gravitational instability in the crust that spread laterally during Tertiary extension

Intrusive rocks northeast of Steamboat Springs, Park Range, Colorado, with a section on geochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snyder, George L.; Hedge, Carl E.

1978-01-01

Major Precambrian and minor Tertiary intrusive rocks northeast of Steamboat Springs in the Park Range between 40?30' and 40?45' N. lat. are described and compared with related rocks elsewhere in Colorado and Wyoming. The Precambrian intrusives were emplaced in a sequence of high-grade interlayered felsic gneisses, amphibolites, and pelitic schists of sedimentary and volcanic origin. These rocks are cut by a major northeast-trending Precambrian shear zone where mainly left lateral movement of 1/ 2 to 1 mile is certain. Cumulative movement of many miles is possible. The Precambrian intrusives consist of a batholith, the Mount Ethel pluton, a smaller Buffalo Pass pluton, and small dikes or lenses of fine-grained porphyry, pegmatites, and ultramafics. The Mount Ethel pluton is an oval shaped body 7 miles wide by about 40 miles long (shown by geophysical data to extend beneath younger sediments in North Park). Outer batholithic contacts are sharp and dip steeply outward at about 85?. Five mappable internal variants consist, in order of decreasing age, of granodiorite, quartz monzonite porphyry of Rocky Peak, quartz monzonite of Roxy Ann Lake, granite and quartz monzonite, and. leucogranite. Internal contacts between these plutonic variants are sharp, and evidence of liquid-solid relationships abounds; despite this, all rocks except the granodiorite contribute to an Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron indicating emplacement about 1.4 b.y. (billion years) ago. The most important variants volumetrically are: the quartz monzonite porphyry of Rocky Peak, which forms an irregular 2-mile-thick carapace or mapped band around the west edge of the pluton and is lithologically similar to nearby Sherman Granite, and the quartz monzonite of Roxy Ann Lake, which forms most of the rest of the pluton and is lithologically similar to Silver Plume Granite. An apparent Sherman -Silver Plume dichotomy with similar rock types and similar relative ages is noted throughout Colorado plutons of that age. The Buffalo Pass pluton consists of the quartz monzonite and gra- nodiorite augen gneiss of Buffalo Mountain and equigranular quartz monzonite gneiss. Internal contacts are not exposed. These rocks contribute to an Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron indicating syntectonic emplacement 1.7-1.8 b.y. ago, essentially the same as the metamorphism of the felsic gneiss wallrocks in the area of this report, and of rocks of Boulder Creek age elsewhere in Colorado. The fine-grained porphyry dikes cut the Buffalo Pass pluton, the ultramafics, and some pegmatites. The dikes are within the age range of the Mount Ethel pluton and are older than the mylonite and shear zones. They occur in both an older northwest-trending and a somewhat younger northeast-trending set but do not appear to change compositionally from one set to the other. Regional considerations indicate that they were emplaced between about 1.1 and 1.5 b.y. ago, a time when intermediate to mafic dikes were commonly emplaced throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and southwestern Montana. The pegmatite and ultramafic bodies are not dated directly, but clustering of many pegmatites outside the contacts of the Mount Ethel pluton may indicate a genetic relation of the pegmatites to the Mount Ethel rocks. Fluorite is a common accessory mineral in the rocks of the Mount Ethel pluton; it has not been observed in this area in the petrographically similar rocks of the Buffalo Pass pluton. Fluorite was precipitated most abundantly from the Precambrian magma that formed the quartz monzonite of Roxy Ann Lake. In 70 percent of these rocks fluorite is observed in amounts as great as 2 percent and is successively less abundant in both older and younger plutonic phases. Textural evidence indicates that, although most fluorite is intergrown with and contemporaneous with other magmatic minerals, some fluorite is associated with alteration minerals in a manner demonstrating its mobility since its initial deposition. Five areas of ec

Pore water colloid properties in argillaceous sedimentary rocks.

PubMed

Degueldre, Claude; Cloet, Veerle

2016-11-01

The focus of this work is to evaluate the colloid nature, concentration and size distribution in the pore water of Opalinus Clay and other sedimentary host rocks identified for a potential radioactive waste repository in Switzerland. Because colloids could not be measured in representative undisturbed porewater of these host rocks, predictive modelling based on data from field and laboratory studies is applied. This approach allowed estimating the nature, concentration and size distributions of the colloids in the pore water of these host rocks. As a result of field campaigns, groundwater colloid concentrations are investigated on the basis of their size distribution quantified experimentally using single particle counting techniques. The colloid properties are estimated considering data gained from analogue hydrogeochemical systems ranging from mylonite features in crystalline fissures to sedimentary formations. The colloid concentrations were analysed as a function of the alkaline and alkaline earth element concentrations. Laboratory batch results on clay colloid generation from compacted pellets in quasi-stagnant water are also reported. Experiments with colloids in batch containers indicate that the size distribution of a colloidal suspension evolves toward a common particle size distribution independently of initial conditions. The final suspension size distribution was found to be a function of the attachment factor of the colloids. Finally, calculations were performed using a novel colloid distribution model based on colloid generation, aggregation and sedimentation rates to predict under in-situ conditions what makes colloid concentrations and size distributions batch- or fracture-size dependent. The data presented so far are compared with the field and laboratory data. The colloid occurrence, stability and mobility have been evaluated for the water of the considered potential host rocks. In the pore water of the considered sedimentary host rocks, the clay colloid concentration is expected to be very low (<1ppb, for 10-100nm) which restricts their relevance for radionuclide transport. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Developing a thermal characteristic index for lithology identification using thermal infrared remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jiali; Liu, Xiangnan; Ding, Chao; Liu, Meiling; Jin, Ming; Li, Dongdong

2017-01-01

In remote sensing petrology fields, studies have mainly concentrated on spectroscopy remote sensing research, and methods to identify minerals and rocks are mainly based on the analysis and enhancement of spectral features. Few studies have reported the application of thermodynamics for lithology identification. This paper aims to establish a thermal characteristic index (TCI) to explore rock thermal behavior responding to defined environmental systems. The study area is located in the northern Qinghai Province, China, on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where mafic-ultramafic rock, quartz-rich rock, alkali granite rock and carbonate rock are well exposed; the pixel samples of these rocks and vegetation were obtained based on relevant indices and geological maps. The scatter plots of TCI indicate that mafic-ultramafic rock and quartz-rich rock can be well extracted from other surface objects when interference from vegetation is lower. On account of the complexity of environmental systems, three periods of TCI were used to construct a three-dimensional scatter plot, named the multi-temporal thermal feature space (MTTFS) model. Then, the Bayes discriminant analysis algorithm was applied to the MTTFS model to extract rocks quantitatively. The classification accuracy of mafic-ultramafic rock is more than 75% in both training data and test data, which suggests TCI can act as a sensitive indicator to distinguish rocks and the MTTFS model can accurately extract mafic-ultramafic rock from other surface objects. We deduce that the use of thermodynamics is promising in lithology identification when an effective index is constructed and an appropriated model is selected.

Chromium isotope variations (δ53/52Cr) in mantle-derived sources and their weathering products: Implications for environmental studies and the evolution of δ53/52Cr in the Earth’s mantle over geologic time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farkaš, Juraj; Chrastný, Vladislav; Novák, Martin; Čadkova, Eva; Pašava, Jan; Chakrabarti, Ramananda; Jacobsen, Stein B.; Ackerman, Lukáš; Bullen, Thomas D.

2013-12-01

Here we report chromium isotope compositions, expressed as δ53/52Cr in per mil (‰) relative to NIST 979, measured in selected Cr-rich minerals and rocks formed by the primary magmatic as well as the secondary metamorphic and weathering processes. The main objectives of this study were: (i) to further constrain the isotope composition of the Earth’s mantle Cr inventory and its possible variation during geological history, based on the analysis of globally distributed and stratigraphically constrained mantle-derived chromites; and (ii) to investigate the magnitude and systematics of Cr isotope fractionation during oxidative weathering and secondary alteration (i.e., hydration, serpentinization) of the magmatic Cr sources. Specifically, we analyzed δ53/52Cr in a set of globally distributed mantle-derived chromites (FeMgCr2O4, n = 30) collected from various locations in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, and our results confirm that a chromite-hosted Earth’s mantle Cr inventory is uniform at -0.079 ± 0.129‰ (2SD), which we named here as a ‘canonical’ mantle δ53/52Cr signature. Furthermore our dataset of stratigraphically constrained chromites, whose crystallization ages cover most of the Earth’s geological history, indicate that the bulk Cr isotope composition of the chromite-hosted mantle inventory has remained uniform, within about ±0.100‰, since at least the Early Archean times (∼3500 million years ago, Ma). To investigate the systematics of Cr isotope fractionation associated with alteration processes we analyzed a number of secondary Cr-rich minerals and variably altered ultramafic rocks (i.e., serpentinized harzburgites, lherzolites) that revealed large positive δ53/52Cr anomalies that are systematically shifted to higher values with an increasing degree of alteration and serpentinization. The degree of aqueous alteration and serpentinization was quantified by the abundances of fluid-mobile (Rb, K) elements, and by the Loss On Ignition (LOI) parameter, which determines the amount of structurally bound water (OH/H2O) present in secondary hydrated minerals like serpentine. Overall, we observed that altered ultramafic rocks that yielded the highest LOI values, and the lowest amounts of fluid mobile elements, also yielded the heaviest δ53/52Cr signatures. Therefore, we conclude that secondary alteration (i.e., hydration, serpentinization) of ultramafic rocks in near-surface oxidative environments tend to shift the bulk Cr isotope composition of the weathered products to isotopically heavier values, pointing to a dynamic redox cycling of Cr in the Earth’s crustal and near-surface environments. Hence, if validated by future studies, this would suggest that Cr isotopes could be used to trace the recycling of altered oceanic lithosphere through subduction zones, and to detect the sources of dehydrated and previously serpentinized oceanic crust carrying ‘heavy’ δ53/52Cr signatures in island arc systems. Finally, the fact that the geogenic Cr sources may locally exhibit anomalous (non-canonical) δ53/52Cr signatures has also implications for environmental studies that use δ53/52Cr as a tracer to quantify the amount of the hexavalent Cr reduction in waters.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Tartai massif, East Siberian metallogenic province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podlipsky, M. Yu.; Mekhonoshin, A. S.; Tolstykh, N. D.; Vishnevskiy, A. V.; Polyakov, G. V.

2015-05-01

The Tartai ultramafic-mafic massif is located in the central part of the East Siberian metallogenic (PGE-Cu-Ni) province (728-712 Ma), which constitutes part of the southern margin of the Siberian craton. This dunite-peridotite-pyroxenite-gabbro massif is the host to low-sulfide PGE-Cu-Ni mineralization. The massif was formed by fractional crystallization of picritic magmas and is composed of wehrlite, dunite, plagiowehrlite, and olivine melanogabbro. The composition of olivine varies from Fo89.9 in dunite to Fo83 in melanocratic olivine gabbro; clinopyroxene is esentially augite. Chrome-spinels crystallized at a low degree of oxidation and have a high iron content. Disseminated sulfide mineralization (pentlandite and heazlewoodite) with high PGE concentrations was identified in wehrlites. Pentlandite is enriched in Fe and Co and depleted in S. These features and the association pentlandite with heazlewoodite suggest that the sulfide mineralization was formed over a wide temperature range (600-400°C) at low sulfur activity (log fS2 from -16 to -9). PGM are represented by Ir-bearing sperrylite, Pd-Cu-Sb panning compounds of variable compositions, Pt-Fe-Cu and Pt-Cu alloys. The evolutionary trend of the ore system was from essentially Ni compositions at the early magmatic stage during formation of disseminated mineralization toward Cu-rich composition at the post-magmatic stage. The PGM assemblage from heavy concentrate haloes differs from bedrock-hosted mineralization in its wider variety of mineral species and the presence of refractory platinoids. Sperrylite from heavy concentrate haloes of the Tartai massif serves as a reliable prospecting guide for bedrock-hosted sulfide Cu-Ni deposits.

The geology of asbestos in the United States and its practical applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Gosen, B. S.

2007-01-01

Recently, naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) has drawn the attention of numerous health and regulatory agencies and citizen groups. NOA can be released airborne by (1) the disturbance of asbestos-bearing bedrocks through human activities or natural weathering, and (2) the mining and milling of some mineral deposits in which asbestos occurs as an accessory mineral(s). Because asbestos forms in specific rock types and geologic conditions, this information can be used to focus on areas with the potential to contain asbestos, rather than devoting effort to areas with minimal NOA potential. All asbestos minerals contain magnesium, silica, and water as essential constituents, and some also contain major iron and/or calcium. Predictably, the geologic environments that host asbestos are enriched in these components. Most asbestos deposits form by metasomatic replacement of magnesium-rich rocks. Asbestos-forming environments typically display shear or evidence for a significant influx of silica-rich hydrothermal fluids. Asbestos-forming processes can be driven by regional metamorphism, contact metamorphism, or magmatic hydrothermal systems. Thus, asbestos deposits of all sizes and styles are typically hosted by magnesium-rich rocks (often also iron-rich) that were altered by a metamorphic or magmatic process. Rock types known to host asbestos include serpentinites, altered ultramafic and some mafic rocks, dolomitic marbles and metamorphosed dolostones, metamorphosed iron formations, and alkalic intrusions and carbonatites. Other rock types appear unlikely to contain asbestos. These geologic insights can be used by the mining industry, regulators, land managers, and others to focus attention on the critical locales most likely to contain asbestos.

Dismembered Archaean ophiolite in the southeastern Wind River Mountains, Wyoming: Remains of Archaean oceanic crust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harper, G. D.

1986-01-01

Archean mafic and ultramafic rocks occur in the southeastern Wind River Mountains near Atlantic City, Wyoming and are interpreted to represent a dismembered ophiolite suite. The ophiolitic rocks occur in a thin belt intruded by the 2.6 Ga Louis Lake Batholith on the northwest. On the southeast they are in fault contact with the Miners Delight Formation comprised primarily of metagraywackes with minor calc-alkaline volcanics. The ophiolitic and associated metasedimentry rocks (Goldman Meadows Formation) have been multiply deformed and metamorphosed. The most prominant structures are a pronounced steeply plunging stretching lineation and steeply dipping foliation. These structural data indicate that the ophiolitic and associated metasedimentary rocks have been deformed by simple shear. The ophiolitic rocks are interpreted as the remains of Archean oceanic crust, probably formed at either a mid-ocean ridge or back-arc basin. All the units of a complete ophiolite are present except for upper mantle periodotities. The absence of upper mantle rocks may be the result of detactment within the crust, rather than within the upper mantle, during emplacement. This could have been the result of a steeper geothermal gradient in the Archean oceanic lithosphere, or may have resulted from a thicker oceanic crust in the Archean.

Hydrogeochemical, Stable Isotopes and Hydrology of Fogo Volcano Perched Aquifers: São Miguel Island, Azores (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antunes, P. C.; Boutt, D. F.; Martini, A. M.; Ferstad, J.; Rodrigues, F. C.

2012-12-01

Fogo Volcano is located at central part of São Miguel Island and corresponds to a polygenetic volcano with a caldera made by an intercalated accumulation of volcaniclastic deposits and lava flows. São Miguel Island is one of the nine volcanic islands that form the Azores Archipelago. The volcano is 950 meters high, with a caldera diameter of 3.2 Km, which holds a lake inside. The last eruption occurred in 1563-1564, as one of a group of seven traquitic eruptions occurring within the last 5000 years. The volcanic activity is related to hydrothermal activity in a geothermal field located in the volcanoes North flank. The hydrology of Fogo Volcano is characterized by a series of perched-water bodies drained by a large number of springs grouped at different altitudes on the volcano flanks. It is possible to identify three types of water (1) Fresh water, cold temperature (12 - 17 C) with low dissolved solids contents (average conductivity of 179 μS/cm), pH range between 6.60 and 7.82, dominated by the major ions Na, K, HCO3, and Cl, and correspond mainly to sodium bicarbonate type water. (2) Mineral water, cold temperature (12.5 - 19.4 C) with low dissolved solids contents (average conductivity of 261 μS/cm), acid pH range between 4.62 and 6.79, and correspond mainly to sodium bicarbonate type water. (3) Thermal water, with temperature of 32 C, high dissolved solids content (4.62 mS/cm), with a pH around 4.50 and belongs to sodium sulfate type water. South Fogo volcano have only fresh water springs and at high elevation, springs drained from pumice fall deposits near 700 m of altitude. Water dissolved solids contents increased slightly with springs at lower altitude due to water-rock interaction. Springs sampled around 700 m high have a conductivity average of 85 μS/cm, at 520 m an average of 129 μS/cm, at 430 m an average of 182 μS/cm, at 200 m an average of 192 μS/cm and at 12 m high sea level and average of 472 μS/cm. This trend is observed at North Fogo volcano flank for fresh water springs. Mineral and thermal waters show an influence of magmatic input, a natural water pollution source in areas with volcanic activity. Rainwater isotopic composition showed elevation effect variation with lighter δ18O and δD values and recharge appear to be at highest altitudes with influence of sea salt from atmospheric contamination. Evaporation is clearly associated with mineral and thermal waters. Hydrogeochemistry differentiates the low altitude springs at South volcano flank where they are separated by ultramafic intrusions supporting the existence of dike impounded aquifers as Peterson (1972) proposed with the Hawaiian conceptual model for volcanic islands.

Temporal patterns in Homalodisca spp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) oviposition on southern California citrus and jojoba.

PubMed

Al-Wahaibi, Ali K; Morse, Joseph G

2010-02-01

A detailed study of the distribution of egg masses of Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) and H. liturata Ball was done across a 2-yr period (2001-2003) on six host plants in southern California (Marsh grapefruit, Lisbon lemon, Washington navel, Dancy tangerine, rough lemon, and jojoba in Riverside; jojoba in Desert Center). The majority of egg masses in Riverside belonged to H. vitripennis (84-100%), whereas in Desert Center, all Homalodisca egg masses were H. liturata. Oviposition in Riverside occurred in two discrete periods, a late winter and spring period (mid-February to late May), followed by a short interval of very low oviposition during most of June, and then a summer period (late June to late September) followed by a relatively long period of very low oviposition in fall and early winter (October to mid-February). Levels of oviposition during the late winter-spring period were similar to those during the summer despite an observed larger population of adults during the latter period. Moreover, egg clutch size for H. vitripennis was generally greater in spring than during summer and was generally higher than that for H. liturata, especially on Riverside jojoba. Larger egg clutch size was seen on grapefruit than on lemon, navel, and tangerine during summer. There appeared to be temporal host shifts in oviposition; most evident was the shift from relatively high rates of oviposition on lemon and tangerine in late winter-early spring to relatively higher rates of oviposition on grapefruit and navel during summer.

Coastal acidification induced by tidal-driven submarine groundwater discharge in a coastal coral reef system.

PubMed

Wang, Guizhi; Jing, Wenping; Wang, Shuling; Xu, Yi; Wang, Zhangyong; Zhang, Zhouling; Li, Quanlong; Dai, Minhan

2014-11-18

We identified a barely noticed contributor, submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), to acidification of a coastal fringing reef system in Sanya Bay in the South China Sea based on time-series observations of Ra isotopes and carbonate system parameters. This coastal system was characterized by strong diel changes throughout the spring to neap tidal cycle of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity, partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and pH, in the ranges of 1851-2131 μmol kg(-1), 2182-2271 μmol kg(-1), 290-888 μatm and 7.72-8.15, respectively. Interestingly, the diurnal amplitudes of these parameters decreased from spring to neap tides, governed by both tidal pumping and biological activities. In ebb stages during the spring tide, we observed the lowest salinities along with the highest DIC, pCO2 and Ra isotopes, and the lowest pH and aragonite saturation state. These observations were consistent with a concurrent SGD rate up to 25 and 44 cm d(-1), quantified using Darcy's law and (226)Ra, during the spring tide ebb, but negligible at flood tides. Such tidal-driven SGD of low pH waters is another significant contributor to coastal acidification, posing additional stress on coastal coral systems, which would be even more susceptible in future scenarios under higher atmospheric CO2.

Analysis of fractures from borehole televiewer logs in a 500m deep hole at Xiaguan, Yunnan province, Southwest China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhai, Qingshan; Springer, J.E.; Zoback, M.D.

1990-01-01

Fractures from a 500 m deep hole in the Red River fault zone were analyzed using an ultrasonic borehole televiewer. Four hundred and eighty individual fractures were identified between 19 m and 465 m depth. Fracture frequency had no apparent relation to the major stratigraphic units and did not change systematically with depth. Fracture orientation, however, did change with stratigraphic position. The borehole intersected 14 m of Cenozoic deposits, 363 m of lower Ordovician clastic sediments, and 106 m of older ultramafic intrusions. The clastic sequence was encountered again at a depth of 484 m, suggesting a large fault displacement. Fractures in the top 162 m of the sedimentary section appear randomly distributed. Below that depth, they are steeply dipping with northerly and north-westerly strikes, parallel to the major active faults in the region. Fractures in the ultramafic section strike roughly eastwest and are steeply dipping. These orientations are confined to the ultramafic section and are parallel to an older, inactive regional fault set. ?? 1990.

Massive production of abiotic methane during subduction evidenced in metamorphosed ophicarbonates from the Italian Alps

PubMed Central

Vitale Brovarone, Alberto; Martinez, Isabelle; Elmaleh, Agnès; Compagnoni, Roberto; Chaduteau, Carine; Ferraris, Cristiano; Esteve, Imène

2017-01-01

Alteration of ultramafic rocks plays a major role in the production of hydrocarbons and organic compounds via abiotic processes on Earth and beyond and contributes to the redistribution of C between solid and fluid reservoirs over geological cycles. Abiotic methanogenesis in ultramafic rocks is well documented at shallow conditions, whereas natural evidence at greater depths is scarce. Here we provide evidence for intense high-pressure abiotic methanogenesis by reduction of subducted ophicarbonates. Protracted (≥0.5–1 Ma), probably episodic infiltration of reduced fluids in the ophicarbonates and methanogenesis occurred from at least ∼40 km depth to ∼15–20 km depth. Textural, petrological and isotopic data indicate that methane reached saturation triggering the precipitation of graphitic C accompanied by dissolution of the precursor antigorite. Continuous infiltration of external reducing fluids caused additional methane production by interaction with the newly formed graphite. Alteration of high-pressure carbonate-bearing ultramafic rocks may represent an important source of abiotic methane, with strong implications for the mobility of deep C reservoirs. PMID:28223715

A Multifactor Analysis of Fungal and Bacterial Community Structure in the Root Microbiome of Mature Populus deltoides Trees

PubMed Central

Shakya, Migun; Gottel, Neil; Castro, Hector; Yang, Zamin K.; Gunter, Lee; Labbé, Jessy; Muchero, Wellington; Bonito, Gregory; Vilgalys, Rytas; Tuskan, Gerald; Podar, Mircea; Schadt, Christopher W.

2013-01-01

Bacterial and fungal communities associated with plant roots are central to the host health, survival and growth. However, a robust understanding of the root-microbiome and the factors that drive host associated microbial community structure have remained elusive, especially in mature perennial plants from natural settings. Here, we investigated relationships of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and root endosphere of the riparian tree species Populus deltoides, and the influence of soil parameters, environmental properties (host phenotype and aboveground environmental settings), host plant genotype (Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers), season (Spring vs. Fall) and geographic setting (at scales from regional watersheds to local riparian zones) on microbial community structure. Each of the trees sampled displayed unique aspects to its associated community structure with high numbers of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) specific to an individual trees (bacteria >90%, fungi >60%). Over the diverse conditions surveyed only a small number of OTUs were common to all samples within rhizosphere (35 bacterial and 4 fungal) and endosphere (1 bacterial and 1 fungal) microbiomes. As expected, Proteobacteria and Ascomycota were dominant in root communities (>50%) while other higher-level phylogenetic groups (Chytridiomycota, Acidobacteria) displayed greatly reduced abundance in endosphere compared to the rhizosphere. Variance partitioning partially explained differences in microbiome composition between all sampled roots on the basis of seasonal and soil properties (4% to 23%). While most variation remains unattributed, we observed significant differences in the microbiota between watersheds (Tennessee vs. North Carolina) and seasons (Spring vs. Fall). SSR markers clearly delineated two host populations associated with the samples taken in TN vs. NC, but overall host genotypic distances did not have a significant effect on corresponding communities that could be separated from other measured effects. PMID:24146861

Hydrologic reconnaissance of western Arctic Alaska, 1976 and 1977

USGS Publications Warehouse

Childers, Joseph M.; Kernodle, Donald R.; Loeffler, Robert M.

1979-01-01

Reconnaissance water-resource investigations were conducted on the western Alaskan Arctic Slope during April 1976 and August 1977; these months are times of winter and summer low flow. The information gathered is important for coordinated development in the area. Such development has been spurred by oil and gas discoveries on the North Slope, most notably at Prudhoe Bay. Little water resources information is currently available. The study area extended from the Colville River to the vicinity of Kotzebue. It included the western Arctic Slope and the western foothills of the Brooks Range. Nine springs, nine lakes and eleven rivers were sampled during the April 1976 reconnaissance trip. Its purpose was to locate winter flow and describe its quantity and quality. Field water-quality measurements made at these sites were: ice thickness, water depth, discharge (spring and streams), specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity (bicarbonate, HOC3), and pH. A followup summer trip was made in August 1977 to determine flood characteristics of twenty selected streams. Bankfull and maximum evident flood-peak discharges were determined by measuring channel geometry and estimating channel roughness. Aquatic invertebrate samples were collected at springs and flood survey sites visited during both reconnaissance trips. (Woodard-USGS)

Characterizing the effects of inorganic acid and alkaline shock on the Staphylococcus aureus transcriptome and messenger RNA turnover.

PubMed

Anderson, Kelsi L; Roux, Christelle M; Olson, Matthew W; Luong, Thanh T; Lee, Chia Y; Olson, Robert; Dunman, Paul M

2010-12-01

Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis can be attributed partially to its ability to adapt to otherwise deleterious host-associated stresses. Here, Affymetrix GeneChips® were used to examine the S. aureus responses to inorganic acid and alkaline shock and to assess whether stress-dependent changes in mRNA turnover are likely to facilitate the organism's ability to tolerate a pH challenge. The results indicate that S. aureus adapts to pH shock by eliciting responses expected of cells coping with pH alteration, including neutralizing cellular pH, DNA repair, amino acid biosynthesis, and virulence factor expression. Further, the S. aureus response to alkaline conditions is strikingly similar to that of stringent response-induced cells. Indeed, we show that alkaline shock stimulates the accumulation of the stringent response activator (p)ppGpp. The results also revealed that pH shock significantly alters the mRNA properties of the cell. A comparison of the mRNA degradation properties of transcripts whose titers either increased or decreased in response to a sudden pH change revealed that alterations in mRNA degradation may, in part, account for the changes in the mRNA levels of factors predicted to mediate pH tolerance. A set of small stable RNA molecules were induced in response to acid- or alkaline-shock conditions and may mediate adaptation to pH stress. © 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low pressure ion chromatography with a low cost paired emitter-detector diode based detector for the determination of alkaline earth metals in water samples.

PubMed

Barron, Leon; Nesterenko, Pavel N; Diamond, Dermot; O'Toole, Martina; Lau, King Tong; Paull, Brett

2006-09-01

The use of a low pressure ion chromatograph based upon short (25 mm x 4.6 mm) surfactant coated monolithic columns and a low cost paired emitter-detector diode (PEDD) based detector, for the determination of alkaline earth metals in aqueous matrices is presented. The system was applied to the separation of magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium in less than 7min using a 0.15M KCl mobile phase at pH 3, with post-column reaction detection at 570 nm using o-cresolphthalein complexone. A comparison of the performance of the PEDD detector with a standard laboratory absorbance detector is shown, with limits of detection for magnesium and calcium using the low cost PEDD detector equal to 0.16 and 0.23 mg L(-1), respectively. Finally, the developed system was used for the determination of calcium and magnesium in a commercial spring water sample.

The Khoy ophiolite: new field observations, geochemistry and geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lechmann, Anna; Burg, Jean-Pierre; Mohammadi, Ali; Faridi, Mohammad

2017-04-01

The tectonic assemblage at the junction of the Bitlis-Zagros and Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zones is exposed in the region of the Khoy Ophiolitic Complex, in the Azerbaijan Province of NW Iran. We present new petrography, major and trace element analyses, LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data of mantle and crustal suites together with field observations and stratigraphic ages obtained from foraminifera-bearing sediments. Ultramafic rocks crop out as mappable (km-scale) continuous units with fault bounded contacts to neighbouring lithologies and as blocks (m-scale) within an olistostrome. They vary from fresh lherzolite, harzburgite and dunite tectonites with primary mantle structures to completely serpentinized and metasomatized (with metamorphic olivine) samples. Rodingite dikes with MORB-REE signatures are common. Gabbros, also with MORB signature, occur only in small volumes. Pillow basalts have either a MORB or a calc-alkaline signature depending on sample location. First results show that the Khoy Ophiolitic Complex formed during the Jurassic (152-159 Ma) and came in a supra-subduction position, with calc-alkaline magmatism showing negative Nb-Ta and Ti anomalies, in Albian (105-109 Ma) times. Heavy minerals including Cr-spinel and serpentine within the turbidites of the region indicate that the ophiolites were being eroded as early as the Late Cretaceous. An Early Miocene olistostrome, containing blocks of the ophiolitic sequences unconformably covers the ophiolitic complex and the Late-Cretaceous to Eocene turbiditic sequences. A tuff layer dated at 43 Ma within a fine-grained and thin-bedded sandstone block within the olistostrome witnesses continuing volcanic activity in Eocene times. The Khoy Ophiolite compares well with the Inner Zagros and North Makran ophiolites, recording Jurassic extension in the Iranian continental margin followed by Late Cretaceous subduction. This work is supported by SNF Research Grant (project 200021_153124/1).

Fast Abiotic Production of Methane at Temperatures Below 100°C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Etiope, G.; Ionescu, A.

2015-12-01

Fischer-Tropsch Type (FTT) reactions, e.g., the Sabatier synthesis between H2 and CO2, are considered a main source of abiotic methane on Earth and likely on other planets. Several laboratory FTT experiments demonstrated abiotic CH4 production at temperatures above 200°C, by using Fe, Ni or Cr catalysts, simulating hydrothermal conditions in peridotite-hosted systems in mid-ocean ridges. Nevertheless, at least on laboratory experiment time-scale, Fe-Ni-Cr catalysts do not support CH4 generation at T<100°C, such as those of land-based serpentinization systems. We have recently reported rapid production of considerable amounts of CH4 (>800 ppmv in 155 mL bottles after 1 day) via Sabatier reaction at 90, 50 and 25°C, using small concentrations of non-pretreated ruthenium (Ru) equivalent to those occurring in chromitites in continental ultramafic rocks (Etiope & Ionescu, 2014; Geofluids, doi:10.1111/gfl.12106). We have repeated the experiments by using 13C-enriched CO2 and we confirm fast production of CH4at percentage levels. The experiments performed so far show that: 1. considerable amounts of CH4can be produced in dry conditions below 100°C with small quantities of Ru; 2. under the same experimental conditions (<100°C), Fe, Ni and Cr oxides do not produce CH4; 3. low T Sabatier reaction can produce CH4 with a large C isotope fractionation between CO2 and CH4, leading to relatively " light" (13C-depleted) CH4, resembling microbial gas; 4. the CO2-CH4isotope separation decreases over time and by increasing the temperature; 5. minor amounts of C2-C6hydrocarbons are also generated. Our laboratory data are compatible with the isotopic patterns of CH4 naturally occurring in land-based seeps and springs. Our experiments suggest that Ru-enriched chromitites could potentially generate CH4 at low T. Since Ru is reported in Martian meteorites, low T abiotic CH4 production on Mars via Sabatier reaction cannot be excluded (Etiope et al. 2013, Icarus, 224, 276-285).

Were the world's youngest eclogites (NW D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Papua New Guinea) exhumed in rising gneiss domes or by shear on a deep-seated fault?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, T. A.; Hacker, B.; Seward, G.

2008-12-01

The up to ~2.5 km-high gneiss domes of the NW D'Entrecasteaux Islands of Papua New Guinea host the world's youngest terrane of HP (eclogite-facies, ~2-4 Ma) to UHP (coesite-bearing) gneissic rocks (~8 Ma). Previous models for their exhumation at >2 cm/yr have called upon: 1) buoyant rise of crustal diapers, or 2) normal-slip on deeply penetrating faults. A recent variant of the latter suggests that a paleo- subduction zone near the southern edge of the Solomon Sea has been inverted as a result of microplate tectonics. We present structural, microstructural, and electron back-scatter diffraction data of lattice preferred orientations (LPO's) from gneisses of Goodenough and Fergusson Islands to further explore mechanisms of exhumation. Relict eclogite-facies assemblages occur in mafic dikes and boudins, but most HP deformational fabrics are overprinted. The enclosing felsic gneisses are pervaded by amphibolite-facies ductile fabrics formed during their exhumation from the lower crust. These migmatitic rocks (metatexites) were partially molten during their deformation at temperatures of 570-730°C and pressures of 7-11 kb, but today are dominated by solid-state fabrics. The gneisses are capped by remnants of an ultramafic sheet that did not experience HP metamorphism. Below the ultramafics is a ~1 km-thick carapace zone. These high-strain gneisses generally have domal fabrics parallel to, and gradational to, those in the underlying core zone, which they locally rework. Active NE-dipping normal faults on the NE flank of the domes cut across the ultramafic contact and are underlain by a m-thick zone of pseudotachylite-bearing S/C fabrics. A sweeping pattern of stretching lineations reveals a 3-D pattern of ductile flow. In both the carapace and upper core zone, lineations are mostly EW: subparallel to the long dimension of the domes and perpendicular to plate motion in the Woodlark Rift. At greater structural depth, within the core zone, they deflect to become more nearly plate-motion parallel. Shear indicators diverge across the dome crests, suggesting of an inward flow of deeper rocks into the dome; or are locally variable, consistent with bulk irrotational deformation. In the gneisses (both core and carapace), conjugate shear-band microstructures and near-orthorhombic quartz LPOs, and back-rotation of mantled porphyroclasts indicate that ductile strain in domes was near plane, but that it was not simple shear (and included significant vertical shortening). The LPO's of the deepest rocks record activity of the high-T prism-[c] and prism- slip systems, whereas the outermost carapace rocks record basal- and rhomb- slip. The data reveal that deformational temperatures increased toward the dome centers, rather than outwardly into the carapace. Quartz LPO's in both dome and carapace are of uniformly modest intensity (~2-3 times random). Feldspar LPO's suggest slip on the (010)[001] or (010)[100] systems, and in some cases a shear sense opposite to quartz. While we cannot resolve how the eclogitic rocks ascended isothermally from the mantle into the lower crust, the simplest model invokes diapiric ascent (with decompression melting), ponding and lateral spreading along the Moho during early Woodlark Basin rifting. Subsequent exhumation of these rocks from the lower crust involved continued upward movement and vertical shortening of the gneisses combined with subhorizontal rift-parallel flow. Finally, normal faulting and minor erosion exhumed these rocks through the ultramafic cover to their present levels.

U–Pb geochronology documents out-of-sequence emplacement of ultramafic layers in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa

PubMed Central

Mungall, James E.; Kamo, Sandra L.; McQuade, Stewart

2016-01-01

Layered intrusions represent part of the plumbing systems that deliver vast quantities of magma through the Earth's crust during the formation of large igneous provinces, which disrupt global ecosystems and host most of the Earth's endowment of Pt, Ni and Cr deposits. The Rustenburg Layered Suite of the enormous Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa has been presumed to have formed by deposition of crystals at the floor of a subterranean sea of magma several km deep and hundreds of km wide called a magma chamber. Here we show, using U–Pb isotopic dating of zircon and baddeleyite, that individual chromitite layers of the Rustenburg Layered Suite formed within a stack of discrete sheet-like intrusions emplaced and solidified as separate bodies beneath older layers. Our U–Pb ages and modelling necessitate reassessment of the genesis of layered intrusions and their ore deposits, and challenge even the venerable concept of the magma chamber itself. PMID:27841347

Fossil black smoker yields oxygen isotopic composition of Neoproterozoic seawater.

PubMed

Hodel, F; Macouin, M; Trindade, R I F; Triantafyllou, A; Ganne, J; Chavagnac, V; Berger, J; Rospabé, M; Destrigneville, C; Carlut, J; Ennih, N; Agrinier, P

2018-04-13

The evolution of the seawater oxygen isotopic composition (δ 18 O) through geological time remains controversial. Yet, the past δ 18 O seawater is key to assess past seawater temperatures, providing insights into past climate change and life evolution. Here we provide a new and unprecedentedly precise δ 18 O value of -1.33 ± 0.98‰ for the Neoproterozoic bottom seawater supporting a constant oxygen isotope composition through time. We demonstrate that the Aït Ahmane ultramafic unit of the ca. 760 Ma Bou Azzer ophiolite (Morocco) host a fossil black smoker-type hydrothermal system. In this system we analyzed an untapped archive for the ocean oxygen isotopic composition consisting in pure magnetite veins directly precipitated from a Neoproterozoic seawater-derived fluid. Our results suggest that, while δ 18 O seawater and submarine hydrothermal processes were likely similar to present day, Neoproterozoic oceans were 15-30 °C warmer on the eve of the Sturtian glaciation and the major life diversification that followed.

U-Pb geochronology documents out-of-sequence emplacement of ultramafic layers in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa.

PubMed

Mungall, James E; Kamo, Sandra L; McQuade, Stewart

2016-11-14

Layered intrusions represent part of the plumbing systems that deliver vast quantities of magma through the Earth's crust during the formation of large igneous provinces, which disrupt global ecosystems and host most of the Earth's endowment of Pt, Ni and Cr deposits. The Rustenburg Layered Suite of the enormous Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa has been presumed to have formed by deposition of crystals at the floor of a subterranean sea of magma several km deep and hundreds of km wide called a magma chamber. Here we show, using U-Pb isotopic dating of zircon and baddeleyite, that individual chromitite layers of the Rustenburg Layered Suite formed within a stack of discrete sheet-like intrusions emplaced and solidified as separate bodies beneath older layers. Our U-Pb ages and modelling necessitate reassessment of the genesis of layered intrusions and their ore deposits, and challenge even the venerable concept of the magma chamber itself.

Accidental contamination during hydrocarbon exploitation and the rapid transfer of heavy-mineral fines through an overlying highly karstified aquifer (Paradiso Spring, SE Sicily)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggieri, Rosario; Forti, Paolo; Antoci, Maria Lucia; De Waele, Jo

2017-03-01

The area around Ragusa in Sicily is well known for the exploration of petroleum deposits hosted in Mesozoic carbonate rocks. These reservoirs are overlain by less permeable rocks, whereas the surface geology is characterized by outcrops of Oligo-Miocene carbonate units hosting important aquifers. Some of the karst springs of the area are used as drinking water supplies, and therefore these vulnerable aquifers should be monitored and protected adequately. In the early afternoon (14:00) of 27 May until the late evening (19:30) of 28 May 2011, during the construction of an exploitation borehole (Tresauro 2), more than 1000 m3 of drilling fluids were lost in an unknown karst void. Two days later, from 06:30 on 30 May, water flowing from Paradiso Spring, lying some 13.7 km SW of the borehole and 378 m lower, normally used as a domestic water supply, was so intensely coloured that it was unfit for drinking. Bulk chemical analyses carried out on the water have shown a composition that is very similar to that of the drilling fluids lost at the Tresauro borehole, confirming a hydrological connection. Estimations indicate that the first signs of the drilling fluids took about 59 h to flow from their injection point to the spring, corresponding to a mean velocity of ∼230 m/h. That Paradiso Spring is recharged by a well-developed underground drainage system is also confirmed by the marked flow rate changes measured at the spring, ranging from a base flow of around 10-15 l/s to flood peaks of 2-3 m3/s. Reflecting the source and nature of the initial contamination, the pollution lasted for just a few days, and the water returned to acceptable drinking-water standards relatively quickly. However, pollution related to heavy-mineral fines continues to be registered during flooding of the spring, when the aqueducts are normally shut down because of the high turbidity values. This pollution event offers an instructive example of how hydrocarbon exploitation in intensely karstified areas, where natural springs provide domestic water supplies, should be controlled effectively to prevent such disasters occurring. This pollution incident is also a useful example of how such "accidental" tracer tests can identify rapid karstic flowpaths over long distances.

Two sides of a coin: host-plant synchrony fitness trade-offs in the population dynamics of the western spruce budworm.

PubMed

Régnière, Jacques; Nealis, Vincent G

2018-02-01

Conifer-feeding budworms emerge from overwintering sites as small larvae in early spring, several days before budburst, and mine old needles. These early-emerging larvae suffer considerable mortality during this foraging period as they disperse in search of available, current-year buds. Once buds flush, surviving budworms construct feeding shelters and must complete maturation before fresh host foliage senesces and lignifies later in the summer. Late-developing larvae suffer greater mortality and survivors have lower fecundity when feeding on older foliage. Thus, there is a seasonal trade-off in fitness associated with host synchrony: early-emerging budworms have a greater risk of mortality during spring dispersal but gain better access to the most nutritious foliage, while, on the other hand, late-emerging larvae incur a lower risk during the initial foraging period but must contend with rapidly diminishing resource quality at the end of the feeding period. We investigate the balance that results from these early-season and late-season synchrony fitness trade-offs using the concept of the phenological window. Parameters associated with the variation in the phenological window are used to estimate generational fitness as a function of host-plant synchrony. Because defoliation modifies these relationships, it is also included in the analysis. We show that fitness trade-offs characterizing the phenological window result in a robust synchrony relationship between budworm and host plant over a wide geographic range in southern British Columbia, Canada. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Insect Science © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Inspire Day

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohach, Barbara M.; Meade, Birgitta

2014-01-01

The authors collaborated on hosting a "Spring Inspire Day." planned and delivered by preservice elementary teachers as a social studies/science methods project. Projects that have authentic application opportunities can make learning meaningful for prospective teachers as well as elementary students. With the impetus for an integrated…

Hints of Habitable Environments on Mars Challenge Our Studies of Mars-Analog Sites on Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

desMarais, David J

2009-01-01

Life as we know it requires water with a chemical activity (alpha) >or approx.0.6 and sources of nutrients and useful energy. Some biota can survive even if favorable conditions occur only intermittently, but the minimum required frequency of occurrences is poorly understood. Recent discoveries have vindicated the Mars exploration strategy to follow the water. Mars Global Surveyor s Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) found coarse-grained hematite at Meridiani Planum. Opportunity rover confirmed this and also found evidence of ancient sulfate-rich playa lakes and near-surface groundwater. Elsewhere, TES found evidence of evaporitic halides in topographic depressions. But alpha might not have approached 0.6 in these evaporitic sulfate- and halide-bearing waters. Mars Express (MEX) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) found extensive sulfate evaporites in Meridiani and Valles Marineris. MEX found phyllosilicates at several sites, most notably Mawrth Valles and Nili Fossae. MRO's CRISM near-IR mapper extended the known diversity and geographic distribution of phyllosilicates to include numerous Noachian craters. Phyllosilicates typically occur at the base of exposed ancient rock sections or in sediments in early Hesperian craters. It is uncertain whether the phyllosilicates developed in surface or subsurface aqueous environments and how long aqueous conditions persisted. Spirit rover found remarkably pure ferric sulfate, indicating oxidation and transport of Fe and S, perhaps in fumaroles or hot springs. Spirit also found opaline silica, consistent with hydrothermal activity. CRISM mapped extensive silica deposits in the Valles Marineris region, consistent with aqueous weathering and deposition. CRISM also found ultramafic rocks and magnesite at Nili Fossae, consistent with serpentinization, a process that can sustain habitable environments on Earth. The report of atmospheric methane implies subsurface aqueous conditions. A working hypothesis is that aqueous environments persisted in the near-subsurface for hundreds of millions of years and might exist even today. Studies of Mars-analog environments must better understand subsurface nonphotosynthetic ecosystems and their biosignatures in mafic and ultramafic terranes. Studies must determine minimum needs for water activity and energy and also establish survival limits when conditions that support active metabolism and propagation become progressively less frequent over time.

Transgenic Petunia with the Iron(III)-Phytosiderophore Transporter Gene Acquires Tolerance to Iron Deficiency in Alkaline Environments

PubMed Central

Murata, Yoshiko; Itoh, Yoshiyuki; Iwashita, Takashi; Namba, Kosuke

2015-01-01

Iron is an essential nutrient for all plants. However, terrestrial plants often suffer from iron deficiency in alkaline soil due to its extremely low solubility. Alkaline soil accounts for about 30% of all cultivated ground in the world. Plants have evolved two distinct strategies, I and II, for iron uptake from the soil. Dicots and non-graminaceous monocots use Strategy I, which is primarily based on the reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) and the uptake of iron(II) by the iron-regulated transporter, IRT1. In contrast, graminaceous plants use Strategy II to efficiently acquire insoluble iron(III). Strategy II comprises the synthesis and secretion of iron-chelating phytosiderophores, such as mugineic acids and the Yellow Stripe 1 transporter proteins of the iron(III)-phytosiderophore complex. Barley, which exhibits the highest tolerance to iron deficiency in alkaline soil among graminaceous plants, utilizes mugineic acids and the specific iron(III)-mugineic acids transporter, HvYS1. In this study, we established the transgenic plant Petunia hybrida, which originally had only Strategy I, by introducing the HvYS1 transporter gene derived from barley. When the transgenic plants were grown hydroponically in media containing the iron(III)-2′-deoxymugineic acid complex, free 2′-deoxymugineic acid and its iron(III) complex were detected in the root extract of the transgenic plant by electrospray ionization-Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The growth of the transgenic petunia was significantly better than that of the control host in alkaline conditions. Consequently, the transgenic plant acquired a significantly enhanced tolerance to alkaline hydroponic media in the presence of the iron(III)-2′-deoxymugineic acid complex. Furthermore, the flower color of the transgenic plant deepened. The results showed that iron-phytosiderophore complexes and their transporters can potentially be utilized to overcome the worldwide iron uptake problems to diverse plant species that are found in areas with alkaline conditions. PMID:25781941

Transgenic petunia with the iron(III)-phytosiderophore transporter gene acquires tolerance to iron deficiency in alkaline environments.

PubMed

Murata, Yoshiko; Itoh, Yoshiyuki; Iwashita, Takashi; Namba, Kosuke

2015-01-01

Iron is an essential nutrient for all plants. However, terrestrial plants often suffer from iron deficiency in alkaline soil due to its extremely low solubility. Alkaline soil accounts for about 30% of all cultivated ground in the world. Plants have evolved two distinct strategies, I and II, for iron uptake from the soil. Dicots and non-graminaceous monocots use Strategy I, which is primarily based on the reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) and the uptake of iron(II) by the iron-regulated transporter, IRT1. In contrast, graminaceous plants use Strategy II to efficiently acquire insoluble iron(III). Strategy II comprises the synthesis and secretion of iron-chelating phytosiderophores, such as mugineic acids and the Yellow Stripe 1 transporter proteins of the iron(III)-phytosiderophore complex. Barley, which exhibits the highest tolerance to iron deficiency in alkaline soil among graminaceous plants, utilizes mugineic acids and the specific iron(III)-mugineic acids transporter, HvYS1. In this study, we established the transgenic plant Petunia hybrida, which originally had only Strategy I, by introducing the HvYS1 transporter gene derived from barley. When the transgenic plants were grown hydroponically in media containing the iron(III)-2'-deoxymugineic acid complex, free 2'-deoxymugineic acid and its iron(III) complex were detected in the root extract of the transgenic plant by electrospray ionization-Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The growth of the transgenic petunia was significantly better than that of the control host in alkaline conditions. Consequently, the transgenic plant acquired a significantly enhanced tolerance to alkaline hydroponic media in the presence of the iron(III)-2'-deoxymugineic acid complex. Furthermore, the flower color of the transgenic plant deepened. The results showed that iron-phytosiderophore complexes and their transporters can potentially be utilized to overcome the worldwide iron uptake problems to diverse plant species that are found in areas with alkaline conditions.

Screening and characterization of the alkaline protease isolated from PLI-1, a strain of Brevibacillus sp. collected from Indonesia's hot springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shuai; Lin, Xuezheng; Huang, Xiaohang; Zheng, Li; Zilda, Dewi Seswita

2012-06-01

A total of 69 strains of thermophilic bacteria were isolated from water, soil and sediment samples from three Indonesia's hot spring areas (Pantai cermin, Kalianda and Banyu wedang) by using Minimal Synthetic Medium (MSM). The extreme thermophile Brevibacillus sp. PLI-1 was found to produce extracellular thermophilic alkaline protease with optimal activity at 70° and pH 8.0-9.0. The molecular weight of the protease was estimated to be around 56 kD by SDS-PAGE. The maximum activity of the protease was 26.54 U mL-1. The protease activity did not decrease after 30 min and still retained more than 70% of relative activity after 60 min at 70°C and pH 8.0. The ion Mg2+ was found to promote protease activity at both low and high concentrations, whereas Cu2+ and Zn2+ could almost completely inhibit the activity. Divalent cation chelator EDTA inhibited the enzyme activity by 55.06% ± 0.27%, while the inhibition caused by PMSF, Leupeptin, Pepstain A and Benzamidine were 66.78% ± 3.25%, 52.37% ± 0.25%, 62.47% ± 2.96% and 50.99% ± 0.24%, respectively. Based on these observations, the enzyme activity was conspicuously sensitive to the serine and cysteine protease inhibitors. All these results indicated that the protease isolated from the strain PLI-1 was a thermophilic protease and had a high-temperature stability and a pH stability.

Estimation of deepwater temperature and hydrogeochemistry of springs in the Takab geothermal field, West Azerbaijan, Iran.

PubMed

Sharifi, Reza; Moore, Farid; Mohammadi, Zargham; Keshavarzi, Behnam

2016-01-01

Chemical analyses of water samples from 19 hot and cold springs are used to characterize Takab geothermal field, west of Iran. The springs are divided into two main groups based on temperature, host rock, total dissolved solids (TDS), and major and minor elements. TDS, electrical conductivity (EC), Cl(-), and SO4 (2-) concentrations of hot springs are all higher than in cold springs. Higher TDS in hot springs probably reflect longer circulation and residence time. The high Si, B, and Sr contents in thermal waters are probably the result of extended water-rock interaction and reflect flow paths and residence time. Binary, ternary, and Giggenbach diagrams were used to understand the deeper mixing conditions and locations of springs in the model system. It is believed that the springs are heated either by mixing of deep geothermal fluid with cold groundwater or low conductive heat flow. Mixing ratios are evaluated using Cl, Na, and B concentrations and a mass balance approach. Calculated quartz and chalcedony geothermometer give lower reservoir temperatures than cation geothermometers. The silica-enthalpy mixing model predicts a subsurface reservoir temperature between 62 and 90 °C. The δ(18)O and δD (δ(2)H) are used to trace and determine the origin and movement of water. Both hot and cold waters plot close to the local meteoric line, indicating local meteoric origin.

The three-dimensional structure of CFA/I adhesion pili: traveler's diarrhea bacteria hang on by a spring.

PubMed

Mu, Xiang-Qi; Savarino, Stephen J; Bullitt, Esther

2008-02-22

To survive the harsh environment of a churning intestinal tract, bacteria attach to the host epithelium via thin fibers called pili (or fimbriae). Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli bacteria expressing colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) pili and related pili are the most common known bacterial cause of diarrheal disease, including traveler's diarrhea. CFA/I pili, assembled via the alternate chaperone pathway, are essential for binding and colonization of the small bowel by these pathogenic bacteria. Herein, we elucidate unique structural features of CFA/I pili that appear to optimize their function as bacterial tethers in the intestinal tract. Using transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained samples in combination with iterative three-dimensional helical reconstruction methods for image processing, we determined the structure of the CFA/I pilus filament. Our results indicate that strong end-to-end protein interactions and weak interactions between the coils of a sturdy spring-like helix provide the combination of strength, stability, and flexibility required to sustain bacterial adhesion and incite intestinal disease. We propose that CFA/I pili behave like a spring to maintain attachment to the gut lining during vortex mixing and downward flow of the intestinal contents, thereby persisting long enough for these bacteria to colonize the host epithelium and cause enteric disease.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in sediment at Sukinda ultramafic complex using HAADF-STEM analysis.

PubMed

Equeenuddin, Sk Md; Pattnaik, Binaya Kumar

2017-10-01

The Sukinda ultramafic complex in Odisha has the largest chromite reserve in India. Sediment derived from ultramafic rocks has been enriched with various metals. Further, mining activities enhance the influx of metals into sediment by dumping mine overburden and tailings in the open area. Metal concentration in sediment is found in order of Cr Total (Cr) > Mn > Ni > Co > Zn > Cu with average concentration 26,778 mg/kg, 3098 mg/kg, 1813 mg/kg, 184 mg/kg, 116 mg/kg and 44 mg/kg respectively. Concentration of Cr(VI) varies from 5.25 to 26.47 mg/L with an average of 12.27 mg/L. Based on various pollution indices, it is confirmed that the area is severely contaminated. Nano-scale goethite, kaolinite, clinochlore and chromite have been identified and have high concentration of Cr, Co and Ni. Goethite has shown maximum metal retention potential as deciphered by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The HAADF-STEM mapping and principal component analysis indicate that Cr and Co mostly derived from chromite whereas Ni and Zn are derived from serpentine. Later, these metals co-precipitate and/or adsorbed onto the goethite and clay minerals. Fractionation study of metals confirms that Cu is the most mobile element followed by Zn. However, at low pH condition Ni is mobilized and likely to be bioavailable. Though Cr mostly occurs in residual fraction but as its concentration is very high, a small proportion of exchangeable fraction contributes significantly in terms of its bioavailability. Thus bioavailable Cr can pose severe threat to the environment in the Sukinda ultramafic complex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping the Mineral Resource Base for Mineral Carbon-Dioxide Sequestration in the Conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krevor, S.C.; Graves, C.R.; Van Gosen, B. S.; McCafferty, A.E.

2009-01-01

This database provides information on the occurrence of ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States that are suitable for sequestering captured carbon dioxide in mineral form, also known as mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration. Mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration is a proposed greenhouse gas mitigation technology whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) is disposed of by reacting it with calcium or magnesium silicate minerals to form a solid magnesium or calcium carbonate product. The technology offers a large capacity to permanently store CO2 in an environmentally benign form via a process that takes little effort to verify or monitor after disposal. These characteristics are unique among its peers in greenhouse gas disposal technologies. The 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage suggested that a major gap in mineral CO2 sequestration is locating the magnesium-silicate bedrock available to sequester the carbon dioxide. It is generally known that silicate minerals with high concentrations of magnesium are suitable for mineral carbonation. However, no assessment has been made in the United States that details their geographical distribution and extent, nor has anyone evaluated their potential for use in mineral carbonation. Researchers at Columbia University and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a digital geologic database of ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States. Data were compiled from varied-scale geologic maps of magnesium-silicate ultramafic rocks. The focus of our national-scale map is entirely on ultramafic rock types, which typically consist primarily of olivine- and serpentine-rich rocks. These rock types are potentially suitable as source material for mineral CO2 sequestration.

The Wenquan ultramafic rocks in the Central East Kunlun Fault zone, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—crustal relics of the Paleo-Tethys ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Lihui; Meng, Fancong; Feng, Huibin

2018-06-01

The Wenquan ultramafic rocks, located in the East Kunlun Orogenic belt in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, consist of dunite, wehrlite, olivine-clinopyroxenite and clinopyroxenite, and exhibit cumulate textures. Olivine from dunite has high Fo (forsterite, 90.0-91.8 wt%) and NiO content (0.15-0.42 wt%). Cr-spinels from all of the rocks in this suite are characterized by high Cr# (100×[Cr/(Cr + Al)], 67-91), low Mg# (100×[Mg/(Mg + Fe2+)], 17-35) and low TiO2 contents (mostly < 0.5 wt%). Clinopyroxene displays high Mg# (92-98) and low TiO2 content (0.002-0.099 wt%), similar to those in ophiolitic cumulates. Geochemically, the Wenquan ultramafic rocks show enrichment of LILE, Sr, and Ba, and depletion of Nb and Th. High-Mg# (mostly > 80) and low-CaO (< 0.08 wt%) olivine, high-Cr# (up to 91) spinel, and low Ti contents of clinopyroxene and Cr-spinel indicate that the Wenquan cumulates were generated by high-degree partial melting of a depleted oceanic lithosphere mantle. The ultramafic intrusion most likely evolved from high-Mg basaltic magmas (Mg# = 77.5) that underwent fractional crystallization and crustal contamination. Zircon grains from clinopyroxenites yield a U-Pb weighted mean age of 331 ± 2 Ma, which is nearly coeval with the formation age of the A'nyemaqen ophiolites. The Wenquan Carboniferous ophiolites are confirmed to exist in the Central East Kunlun Fault zone, whereas previous studies have considered them to be the Proterozoic ophiolites. The Wenquan ophiolite might be a relict of the Paleotethyan ocean, indicating that there were two cycles of oceanic-continental evolution along the Central East Kunlun Fault zone.

The Easternmost Southwest Indian Ridge: A Laboratory to Study MORB and Oceanic Gabbro Petrogenesis in a Very Low Melt Supply Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paquet, M.; Cannat, M.; Hamelin, C.; Brunelli, D.

2014-12-01

Our study area is located at the ultra-slow Southwest Indian Ridge, east of the Melville Fracture Zone, between 61 and 67°E. The melt distribution in this area is very heterogeneous, with corridors of ultramafic seafloor where plate separation is accommodated by large offset normal faults [Sauter, Cannat et al., 2013]. These ultramafic corridors also expose rare gabbros and basalts. We use the major and trace elements composition of these magmatic rocks to document the petrogenesis of MORB in this exceptionnally low melt supply portion of the MOR system. Basalts from the easternmost SWIR represent a global MORB end-member for major element compositions [Meyzen et al., 2003], with higher Na2O and Al2O3 wt%, and lower CaO and FeO wt% at a given MgO. Within this group, basalts from the ultramafic corridors have particularly high Na2O, low CaO and FeO wt%. Best fitting calculated liquid lines of descent are obtained for crystallization pressures of ~8 kbar. Gabbroic rocks recovered in the ultramafic corridors include gabbros, oxide-gabbros and variably impregnated peridotites. This presentation focuses on these impregnated samples, where cpx have high Mg#, yet are in equilibrium with the nearby basalts in terms of their trace element compositions. Plagioclase An contents vary over a broad range, and there is evidence for opx resorption. These characteristics result from melt-mantle interactions in the axial lithosphere, which may explain several peculiar major element characteristics of the basalts. Similar interactions probably occur beneath ridges at intermediate to slow and ultraslow spreading rates. We propose that they are particularly significant in our study area due to its exceptionnally low integrated melt-rock ratio.

Influence of geology on arsenic concentrations in ground and surface water in central Lesvos, Greece.

PubMed

Aloupi, Maria; Angelidis, Michael O; Gavriil, Apostolos M; Koulousaris, Michael; Varnavas, Soterios P

2009-04-01

The occurrence of As was studied in groundwater used for human consumption and irrigation, in stream water and sediments and in water from thermal springs in the drainage basin of Kalloni Gulf, island of Lesvos, Greece, in order to investigate the potential influence of the geothermal field of Polichnitos-Lisvori on the ground and surface water systems of the area. Total dissolved As varied in the range <0.7-88.3 microg L(-1) in groundwater, 41.1-90.7 microg L(-1) in thermal spring water and 0.4-13.2 microg L(-1) in stream water, whereas As concentrations in stream sediments varied between 2.0-21.9 mg kg(-1). Four out of 31 groundwater samples exceeded the EC standard of 10 microg L(-1). The survey revealed an enrichment in both surface and groundwater hydrological systems in the northern part of the area (average concentrations of As in groundwater, stream water and stream sediment: 8.0 microg L(-1), 8.8 microg L(-1) and 15.0 mg kg(-1) respectively), in association with the volcanic bedrocks, while lower As concentrations were found in the eastern part (average concentrations in groundwater, stream water and stream sediment: 2.9 microg L(-1), 1.7 microg L(-1) and 5.9 mg kg(-1) respectively), which is dominated by ophiolitic ultramafic formations. The variation of As levels between the different parts of the study area suggests that local geology exerts a determinant influence on As geochemical behaviour. On the other hand, the geothermal activity manifested in the area of Polichnitos-Lisvori does not affect the presence of As in groundwater and streams.

The fate of carbonates along a subducting slab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouilhol, P.; Debret, B.; Inglis, E.

2017-12-01

Carbon long-term cycling is a subject of recent controversy as new mass balance calculations suggest that most carbon is transferred from the slab to the mantle wedge by fluids during subduction, limiting the efficiency of carbon recycling to the deep mantle. Here, we examine the mobility of carbon at large scale during subduction through field, petrographic and geochemical studies on exhumed portion of the alpine slab that have recorded different metamorphic conditions during subduction. We studied serpentinite samples, metasomatic horizon between serpentinites and sediments, as well as veins hosted in serpentinites. Samples are from the Western Alps (Queyras and Zermatt) and have recorded a prograde metamorphic history from low temperature blueshist to eclogite facies P-T conditions. We show that during subduction there are several stages of carbonate precipitation and dissolution at metasomatic interfaces between metasedimentary and ultramafic rocks in the slab, as well as within the serpentinites. The early stage of subduction sees carbonate precipitation from the sediment derived fluids into the serpentnites. At higher temperature, when the dehydration shift from sediment to serpentinite dominated, the carbonates are dissolved, inducing the release of CO2 rich fluids. This occurs before the eclogite facies is attained, providing strong evidence for the mobility of carbon in fluids during the early stages of subduction. These fluids are a potential metasomatic agent for the fore-arc mantle wedge, corroborating the observation of carbonate bearing veins in sub-arc mantle ultramafic rocks. In eclogite facies conditions, olivine and carbonate veins within the serpentinites witness the mobility of CO2 during serpentinite dehydration, and may provide clues about the large scale recycling of CO2 within the deep mantle, as well as secondary precipitation associated with exhumation. Trace elements, Fe and Zn isotopic composition of the different samples provides evidence for a large scale transfer of both sulfate and carbonate bearing fluids during the early stages of subduction, and could imply an overlooked role of the fore-arc in melt genesis.

pH-induced change in cell susceptibility to butanol in a high butanol-tolerant bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis strain CM4A.

PubMed

Kanno, Manabu; Tamaki, Hideyuki; Mitani, Yasuo; Kimura, Nobutada; Hanada, Satoshi; Kamagata, Yoichi

2015-01-01

Though butanol is considered as a potential biofuel, its toxicity toward microorganisms is the main bottleneck for the biological butanol production. Recently, butanol-tolerant bacteria have been proposed as alternative butanol production hosts overcoming the end product inhibition. One remaining key issue to be addressed is how physicochemical properties such as pH and temperature affect microbial butanol tolerance during cultivation and fermentation. We investigated the pH effect on butanol tolerance of a high butanol-tolerant bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis strain CM4A. The strain grew over a broad pH range (pH 4.0 to 12.0) and preferred alkaline pH (pH 8.0 and 10.0) in the absence of butanol. However, in the presence of butanol, strain CM4A grew better under acidic and neutral pH conditions (pH 6.0 and 6.8). Membrane fatty acid analysis revealed that the cells exposed to butanol exhibited increased cyclopropane and saturated fatty acids, which contribute to butanol tolerance of the strain by decreasing membrane fluidity, more evidently at acidic and neutral pH than at alkaline pH. Meanwhile, the strain grown under alkaline pH without butanol increased short chain fatty acids, which is involved in increasing membrane fluidity for alkaline adaptation. Such a change was not observed in the cells grown under alkaline pH with butanol. These results suggested that strain CM4A simultaneously exposed to butanol and alkali stresses was not likely able to properly adjust membrane fluidity due to the opposite response to each stress and thereby showed low butanol tolerance under alkaline pH. Indeed, the cells exposed to butanol at alkaline pH showed an irregular shape with disrupted membrane structure under transmission electron microscopy observation, which also indicated the impact of butanol and alkali stresses on functioning of cellular membrane. The study clearly demonstrated the alkaline pH-induced increase of cell susceptibility to butanol in the tested strain. Our findings indicate the non-negligible impact of pH on microbial butanol tolerance, providing a new insight into efficient butanol production.

Alkaline hydrolysis of dimethyl terephthalate in the presence of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl.2H{sub 2}O

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

Lei Lixu; Zhang Weifeng; Hu Meng

2006-11-15

The alkaline hydrolysis of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) in the presence of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl has been investigated to demonstrate a possible application of anion exchange facility of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) to control chemical reactions. The results show that (i) in the alkaline hydrolysis of DMT in the presence of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl, most of the interlayer Cl{sup -} of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl is quickly replaced by OH{sup -} in the alkaline solution because the LDH host favors OH{sup -} more; (ii) the alkaline hydrolysis of DMT in the presence of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl is faster than the reaction ofmore » DMT and [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]OH; (iii) The hydrolysis of DMT in a buffer solution of pH{approx}8 takes longer time to reach equilibrium than the alkaline hydrolysis of DMT in the presence of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl. It is believed that the selective anion exchange chemistry of the LDH plays a key role in storage and controlled release of active reactant, that is, OH{sup -}, thus make the hydrolysis proceeds in a controlled way. - Graphical abstract: XRD patterns of the solid products of the alkaline hydrolysis of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) in the presence of [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl at 70 deg. C halted at different time, which shows that [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl turns out to be [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]OH, and [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]{sub 2}TP forms gradually. In this reaction, the alkaline hydrolysis of DMT is controlled by replacement of Cl{sup -} in [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]Cl by OH{sup -}, and subsequent replacement of OH{sup -} in [LiAl{sub 2}(OH){sub 6}]OH by terephthalate anion.« less

Allochthonous 2.78 Ga oceanic plateau slivers in a 2.72 Ga continental arc sequence: Vizien greenstone belt, northeastern Superior Province, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skulski, T.; Percival, J. A.

1996-04-01

Embedded within the vast granitoid terrane of the Minto block of northeastern Superior Province are Late Archean greenstone belts of the Goudalie domain that preserve a long-lived record of continent-ocean interaction. The Vizien greenstone belt is one such belt and it contains four fault-bounded structural panels. The 2786 Ma mafic-ultramafic sequence is an allochthonous package of pillowed basaltic andesite, komatiite and volcaniclastic rocks cut by peridotite and gabbro sills. The mafic rocks are LREE-depleted tholeiites which have primitive mantle (PRIM)-normalized abundances of Th < Nb < La, and ɛNd values of +1.5 to + 3.2 reflecting extraction from a depleted mantle source. The 2724 Ma lac Lintelle continental calc-alkaline volcanic sequence consists of massive basalt, plagioclase-porphyritic andesite, dacite, rhyolite, capped by quartz-rich sandstones/conglomerates with 2.97 Ga Nd model ages. Lac Lintelle volcanic rocks are LREE enriched, with low TiO 2 (< 1%) and Zr (< 200 ppm), PRIM-normalized enrichment in Th > La > Nb, and a range of ɛNd values from -0.1 to +1.7. The ~ 2722 Ma lac Serindac bimodal, subaerial tholeiitic volcanic sequence contains andesite (locally with tonalite xenoliths), basalt, gabbro sills, lenses of quartz-rich sedimentary rocks and a thick, upper rhyolite sequence. The lac Serindac tholeiites are LREE-enriched, have PRIM-normalized Th > La > Nb, high Zr (to 300 ppm) and Ti contents, and low ɛNd values from +0.8 in basalt to -1.4 in rhyolite. The < 2718 Ma basement-cover sequence comprises 2.94 Ga tonalitic gneiss unconformably overlain by clastic sediments and a thin upper sequence of 2700 Ma gabbro, siliceous high-Mg basalt (SHMB) and andesite. The SHMB are characterised by LREE depletion and ɛNd values of +2.6, whereas the andesite is LREE-enriched and has ɛNd values of -0.3. The 2786 Ma mafic-ultramafic sequence is interpreted as a sliver of plume-related oceanic plateau crust. The 2724 lac Lintelle sequence represents a continental arc formed on the eastern protocraton. The ~ 2722 Ma lac Serindac volcanic sequence represents late continental rift deposits. The various 2.8-2.7 Ga supracrustal sequences were accreted, deformed and metamorphosed to mid-amphibolite facies during late-stage assembly of the Minto block between 2.718 and 2.693 Ga.

Laboratory investigations of the effects of nitrification-induced acidification on Cr cycling in vadose zone material partially derived from ultramafic rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mills, Christopher T.; Goldhaber, Martin B.

2012-01-01

Sacramento Valley (California, USA) soils and sediments have high concentrations of Cr(III) because they are partially derived from ultramafic material. Some Cr(III) is oxidized to more toxic and mobile Cr(VI) by soil Mn oxides. Valley soils typically have neutral to alkaline pH at which Cr(III) is highly immobile. Much of the valley is under cultivation and is both fertilized and irrigated. A series of laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to assess how cultivation might impact Cr cycling in shallow vadose zone material from the valley. The first experiments employed low (7.1 mmol N per kg soil) and high (35 mmol N kg− 1) concentrations of applied (NH4)2SO4. Initially, Cr(VI) concentrations were up to 45 and 60% greater than controls in low and high incubations, respectively. After microbially-mediated oxidation of all NH4+, Cr(VI) concentrations dropped below control values. Increased nitrifying bacterial populations (estimated by measurement of phospholipid fatty acids) may have increased the Cr(VI) reduction capacity of the vadose zone material resulting in the observed decreases in Cr(VI). Another series of incubations employed vadose zone material from a different location to which low (45 meq kg− 1) and high (128 meq kg− 1) amounts of NH4Cl, KCl, and CaCl2 were applied. All treatments, except high concentration KCl, resulted in mean soil Cr(VI) concentrations that were greater than the control. High concentrations of water-leachable Ba2 + (mean 38 μmol kg− 1) in this treatment may have limited Cr(VI) solubility. A final set of incubations were amended with low (7.1 mmol N kg− 1) and high (35 mmol N kg− 1) concentrations of commercial liquid ammonium polyphosphate (APP) fertilizer which contained high concentrations of Cr(III). Soil Cr(VI) in the low APP incubations increased to a concentration of 1.8 μmol kg− 1 (5 × control) over 109 days suggesting that Cr(III) added with the APP fertilizer was more reactive than naturally-occurring soil Cr(III).

Hydrological response and thermal effect of karst springs linked to aquifer geometry and recharge processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Mingming; Chen, Zhihua; Zhou, Hong; Zhang, Liang; Han, Zhaofeng

2018-03-01

To be better understand the hydrological and thermal behavior of karst systems in South China, seasonal variations in flow, hydrochemistry and stable isotope ratios of five karst springs were used to delineate flow paths and recharge processes, and to interpret their thermal response. Isotopic data suggest that mean recharge elevations are 200-820 m above spring outlets. Springs that originate from high elevations have lower NO3 - concentrations than those originating from lower areas that have more agricultural activity. Measured Sr2+ concentrations reflect the strontium contents of the host carbonate aquifer and help delineate the spring catchment's saturated zone. Seasonal variations of NO3 - and Sr2+ concentrations are inversely correlated, because the former correlates with event water and the latter with baseflow. The mean annual water temperatures of springs were only slightly lower than the local mean annual surface temperature at the outlet elevations. These mean spring temperatures suggest a vertical gradient of 6 °C/vertical km, which resembles the adiabatic lapse rate of the Earth's stable atmosphere. Seasonal temperature variations in the springs are in phase with surface air temperatures, except for Heilongquan (HLQ) spring. Event-scale variations of thermal response are dramatically controlled by the circulation depth of karst systems, which determines the effectiveness of heat exchange. HLQ spring undergoes the deepest circulation depth of 820 m, and its thermal responses are determined by the thermally effective regulation processes at higher elevations and the mixing processes associated with thermally ineffective responses at lower elevations.

Exploration of dysprosium: the most critical element for Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Y.

2012-04-01

Dysprosium (Dy), one of the heavy rare earth elements, is used mainly as an additive for NdFeB permanent magnets which are installed in various modern industrial products such as voice coil motors in computers, factory automation machinery, hybrid and electric vehicles, home electronics, and wind turbine, to improve heat resistance of the magnets. Dy has been produced about 2,000t per year from the ores from ion adsorption type deposits in southern China. However, the produced amount of Dy was significantly reduced in 2011 in China due to reservation of heavy rare earth resources and protection of natural environment, resulting in soaring of Dy price in the world. In order to respond the increasing demand of Dy, unconventional supply sources are inevitably developed, in addition to heavy rare earth enriched ion adsorption type deposits outside China. Heavy rare earth elements including Dy are dominantly hosted in xenotime, fergusonite, zircon, eudialyte, keiviite, kainosite, iimoriite, etc. Concentration of xenotime is found in placer deposits in Malaysia and India, hydrothermal deposits associated with unconformity-type uranium mineralization (Athabasca basin in Canada, Western Australia), iron-oxide fluorite mineralization (South Africa) and Sn-bearing alkaline granite (Brazil). Zircon and fergusontie concentration is found as igneous and hydrothermal products in peralkaline syenite, alkaline granite and pegmatite (e.g., Nechalacho in Canada). Eudialyte concentration is found in some peralkaline syenite bodies in Greenland, Canada, Sweden and Russia. Among these sources, large Dy resources are estimated in the deposits hosted in peralkaline rocks (Nechalacho: 79,000t, Kvanefjeld: 49,000t, Norra Karr: 15,700t, etc.) compared to the present demand of Dy. Thus, Dy will be supplied from the deposits associated with peralkaline and alkaline deposits in future instead of ion adsorption type deposits in southern China.

Diamond and moissanite in ophiolitic mantle rocks and podiform chromitites: A deep carbon source?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Xu, X.; Wiedenbeck, M.; Trumbull, R. B.; Robinson, P. T.

2010-12-01

Diamonds are known from a variety of occurreces, mainly from mantle-derived kimberlites, meteorite impact craters, and continental deep subduction and collision zones. Recently, an unusual mineral group was discovered in the Luobusa ophiolitic chromitites from the Yarlung Zangbu suture, Tibet, which probably originated from a depth of over 300 km in the mantle. Minerals of deep origin include coesite apparently pseudomorphing stishovite, and diamond as individual grains or inclusions in OsIr alloy. To determine if such UHP and unusual minerals occur elsewhere, we collected about 1.5 t of chromitite from two orebodies in an ultramafic body in the Polar Urals. Thus far, more than 60 different mineral species have been separated from these ores. The most exciting discovery is the common occurrence of diamond, a typical UHP mineral in the Luobusa chromitites. These minerals are very similar in composition and structure to those reported from the Luobusa chromitites. So far diamond and/or moissanite have been discovered from many different ophiolitic ultramafic rocks, including in-situ grains in polished chromitite fragments. These discoveries demonstrate that the Luobusa ophiolite is not a unique diamond-bearing massif. Secondary ion mass spectrometric (SIMS) analysis shows that the ophiolite-hosted diamond has a distinctive 13C-depleted isotopic composition (δ13C from -18 to -28‰, n=70), compatible to the ophiolite-hosted moissanite (δ13C from -18 to -35‰, n=36), both are much lighter than the main carbon reservoir in the upper mantle (δ13C near -5‰). The compiled data from moissanite from kimberlites and other mantle settings share the characteristic of strongly 13C-depleted isotopic composition. This suggests that diamond and moissanite originates from a separate carbon reservoir in the mantle or that its formation involved strong isotopic fractionation. Subduction of biogenic carbonaceous material could potentially satisfy both the unusual isotopic and redox constraints on diamond and moissanite formation, but this material would need to stay chemically isolated from the upper mantle until it reached the high-T stability field of diamond and moissanite. The origin of diamond and moissanite in the mantle is still unsolved, but all evidence from the upper mantle indicates that they cannot have formed there, except under special and local redox conditions. We suggest, alternatively, that diamond and moissanite may have formed in the lower mantle, where the existence of 13C-depleted carbon is strongly suspected.

Discovery of composite diopside-magnetite lamellae in discrete olivine crytals from Colorado Plateau diatremes: indication of former hydrous ringwoodite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamaki, K.; Sato, Y.; Marshall, E. W., IV; Ogasawara, Y.

2016-12-01

We investigate composite diopside (Di) + magnetite (Mt) lamellae in olivine crystals from Oligocene diatremes of serpentinized ultramafic microbreccia located at Buell Park (AZ) and Green Knobs (NM) in the Colorado Plateau, and propose their genesis as breakdown products of precursor hydrous ringwoodite (γ-olivine) lamellae coexisting with α-olivine host. Among a hundred olivines (2-5 mm across, Fo89-93 in mol%) from both localities, the Di + Mt composite lamellae are recognized in only 15 of relatively Fe-rich grains (Fo89-91.5). The olivine host contains minor amounts of Ca (< 0.01 wt% CaO), Mn, Ni, and Co. Lamellar Di (Di95) contains minor amounts of Al, Na, Cr, Mn, and Ni. Lamellar Mt contains Cr (5.0-43.0 wt% Cr2O3) with minor amounts of Si, Ti, Al, Mn, Ni, and Co. The area fractions of olivine host and the lamellae in a typical grain (sample no. BP02-3) were measured at 98.8 % of the host and 1.2 % of the lamellae that are composed of Di:Mt = 85:15 to 53:47, average 66:34. The estimated average CaO content in a lamella reaches 17 wt% and the reintegrated CaO in the host and the lamellae is 0.22 wt%.We propose that Fe3+ in lamellar Mt was produced by dehydration of hydrous precursor phase via the reaction, Fe2+ + OH- = Fe3+ + O2- + 1/2H2. Converting Fe3+ into Fe2+ in the precursor phase based on this reaction, the composition satisfies the stoichiometry of olivine (X2TO4). Thus, the pre-existing phase certainly is of hydrous and contains Ca and other components with olivine stoichiometry. The most likely phase is lamellar hydrous ringwoodite. The precursor phase, hydrous ringwoodite, might have occurred as lamellae with α-olivine host and have probably decomposed by the following reaction, (1+X+Y+Z) hydrous ringwoodite → α-olivine + X Di + Y Mt + Z H2 (where X:Y:Z=2:1:1). The composite Di-Mt lamellae after hydrous ringwoodite lamellae in α-olivine host certainly suggest the materials originated from a deep mantle setting at least 300 km.

Vesta Evolution from Surface Mineralogy: Mafic and Ultramafic Mineral Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeSanctis, M. C.; Ammannito, E.; Palomba, E.; Longobardo, A.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.; McSween, H. Y; Marchi, S.; Capria, M. T.; Capaccioni, F.; Frigeri, A.;

Climate change effects on migration phenology may mismatch brood parasitic cuckoos and their hosts.

PubMed

Saino, Nicola; Rubolini, Diego; Lehikoinen, Esa; Sokolov, Leonid V; Bonisoli-Alquati, Andrea; Ambrosini, Roberto; Boncoraglio, Giuseppe; Møller, Anders P

2009-08-23

Phenological responses to climate change vary among taxa and across trophic levels. This can lead to a mismatch between the life cycles of ecologically interrelated populations (e.g. predators and prey), with negative consequences for population dynamics of some of the interacting species. Here we provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that climate change might disrupt the association between the life cycles of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), a migratory brood parasitic bird, and its hosts. We investigated changes in timing of spring arrival of the cuckoo and its hosts throughout Europe over six decades, and found that short-distance, but not long-distance, migratory hosts have advanced their arrival more than the cuckoo. Hence, cuckoos may keep track of phenological changes of long-distance, but not short-distance migrant hosts, with potential consequences for breeding of both cuckoo and hosts. The mismatch to some of the important hosts may contribute to the decline of cuckoo populations and explain some of the observed local changes in parasitism rates of migratory hosts.

New U Pb SHRIMP zircon age for the Schurwedraai alkali granite: Implications for pre-impact development of the Vredefort Dome and extent of Bushveld magmatism, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, I. T.; De Waal, S. A.; Armstrong, R. A.

2005-12-01

The Schurwedraai alkali granite is one of a number of prominent ultramafic-mafic and felsic intrusions in the Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic sub-vertical supracrustal collar rocks of the Vredefort Dome, South Africa. The alkali granite intruded the Neoarchaean Witwatersrand Supergroup and has a peralkaline to peraluminous composition. A new zircon SHRIMP crystallization age of 2052 ± 14 Ma for the Schurwedraai alkali granite places it statistically before the Vredefort impact event at 2023 ± 4 Ma and within the accepted emplacement interval of 2050-2060 Ma of the Bushveld magmatic event. The presence of the alkali granite and associated small ultramafic-mafic intrusions in the Vredefort collar rocks extends the southern extremity of Bushveld-related intrusions to some 120 km south of Johannesburg and about 150 km south of the current outcrop area of the Bushveld Complex. The combined effect of these ultramafic-mafic and felsic bodies may have contributed to a pronouncedly steep pre-impact geothermal gradient in the Vredefort area, and to the amphibolite-grade metamorphism observed in the supracrustal collar rocks of the Vredefort Dome.

The mafic-ultramafic complex of Aniyapuram, Cauvery Suture Zone, southern India: Petrological and geochemical constraints for Neoarchean suprasubduction zone tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yellappa, T.; Venkatasivappa, V.; Koizumi, T.; Chetty, T. R. K.; Santosh, M.; Tsunogae, T.

2014-12-01

Several Precambrian mafic-ultramafic complexes occur along the Cauvery Suture Zone (CSZ) in Southern Granulite Terrain, India. Their origin, magmatic evolution and relationship with the associated high-grade rocks have not been resolved. The Aniyapuram Mafic-Ultramafic Complex (AMUC), the focus of the present study in southern part of the CSZ, is dominantly composed of peridotites, pyroxenites, gabbros, metagabbros/mafic granulites, hornblendites, amphibolites, plagiogranites, felsic granulites and ferruginous cherts. The rock types in the AMUC are structurally emplaced within hornblende gneiss (TTG) basement rocks and are highly deformed. The geochemical signature of the amphibolites indicates tholeiitic affinity for the protolith with magma generation in island arc-setting. N-MORB normalized pattern of the amphibolites show depletion in HFS-elements (P, Zr, Sm, Ti, and Y) and enrichment of LIL-elements (Rb, Ba, Th, Sr) with negative Nb anomalies suggesting involvement of subduction component in the depleted mantle source and formation in a supra-subduction zone tectonic setting. Our new results when correlated with the available age data suggest that the lithological association of AMUC represent the remnants of the Neoarchean oceanic lithosphere.

Map showing the potential for mineral deposits associated with Precambrian mafic and ultramafic rocks in the Blacktail and Henrys Lake mountains and the Greenhorn and Ruby ranges of southwestern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hammarstrom, Jane M.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Carlson, Robert R.; Kulik, Dolores M.

1998-01-01

In response to requests from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a mineral resource assessment in the Dillon BLM Resource Area in Beaverhead and Madison Counties, southwestern Montana. These agencies use mineral resource data in creating and updating land-use management plans for federal lands for the reasonably foreseeable future. Mineral resources that have not been developed in the past may be developed in the future, based on changing commodity demands and market conditions. Therefore, federal land managers need geologic information on known mineral occurrences as well as on areas that are permissive for the occurrence of undiscovered mineral resources. This map was prepared to provide this type of geologic information for mineral deposits that can be associated with ultramafic rocks. Areas of exposed Precambrian ultramafic rocks are labeled with uppercase letters (A-F). Sources of geologic maps used to compile this map are shown on the smaller index map ("Index to Geologic Mapping"); lowercase letters (a-m) on the index map are keyed to the reference list.

Geology and economic potential for chromite in the Zhob Valley ultramafic rock complex, Hindubagh, Quetta division, West Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rossman, D.L.; Ahmad, Zaki; Rahman, Hamidur

1971-01-01

The ultramafic rocks making up the Zhob Valley igneous complex have yielded small amounts of metallurgical-grade chromite since the early part of the century. From 1968-1970 a cooperative study undertaken by the Geological Survey of Pakistan and the U. S. Geological Survey, under the auspices of the Government of Pakistan and the Agency for International Development, evaluated the chromite potential of the Zhob Valley area and provided data for effective exploration. The Jung Tor Ghar ultramafic rock mass, covering an area of about 45 square miles, is a thrust-fault block completely surrounded and underlain (?) by sedimentary rocks as young as Late Cretaceous in age. The igneous rocks were thrust from the northwest along an east-trending, north-dipping fault in Late Cretaceous or Paleocene time and were peneplaned, dissected, and deeply laterized by mid-Eocene time. The ultramafic rocks consist of interlayered harzburgite and dunite and a cross-cutting dunite here called transgressive dunite. Layered structure passes without discernible deviation from the interlayered harzburgite-dunite through the transgressive dunite. The lowest rocks in the mass, composed mainly of transgressive dunite, grade upward into the interlayered rock about 3,000 feet above the fault block base. The upper transgressive dunites tend to form interconnecting linear networks and probably a few pipe-like structures. The transgressive dunite is thought to have formed by action of water derived from the underlying sedimentary rocks; the water heated by the hot ultramafic rock (at the time of emplacement) altered the pyroxene to olivine and talc, and, with lowering temperature, to serpentine. Other interpretations are possible. Virtually all the chromite in the Jung Tor Ghar lies in or immediately above the masses of transgressive dunite. This fact provides a key to chromite exploration: The most favorable zone for prospecting lies in the vicinity of the upper contacts of the transgressive dunite masses where they. are flatly dipping; if the transgressive dunite masses are steeply dipping or pipe-like, the chromite tends to be more centrally located. The Jung Tor Ghar is believed to contain enough unmined chromite at practical minable depths to equal or exceed that mined to date but the individual deposits are likely to be small.

Hyperspectral analysis of the ultramafic complex and adjacent lithologies at Mordor, NT, Australia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rowan, L.C.; Simpson, C.J.; Mars, J.C.

2004-01-01

The Mordor Complex consists of a series of potassic ultramafic rocks which were intruded into Proterozoic felsic gneisses and amphibolite and are overlain by quartzite and unconsolidated deposits. In situ and laboratory 0.4 to 2.5 ??m reflectance spectra show Al-OH absorption features caused by absorption in muscovite, kaolinite, and illite/smectite in syenite, granitic gneiss, quartzite and unconsolidated sedimentary deposits, and Fe,Mg-OH features due to phlogopite, biotite, epidote, and hornblende in the mafic and ultramafic rocks. Ferrous-iron absorption positioned near 1.05 ??m is most intense in peridotite reflectance spectra. Ferric-iron absorption is intense in most of the felsic lithologies. HyMap data were recorded in 126 narrow bands from 0.43 to 2.5 ??m along a 7-km-wide swath with approximately 6-m spatial resolution. Correction of the data to spectral reflectance was accomplished by reference to in situ measurements of an extensive, alluvial plain. Spectral classes for matched filter processing were selected by using the pixel purity index procedure and analysis of in situ and laboratory spectra. Considering the spatial distribution of the resulting 14 classes, some classes were combined, which produced eight classes characterized by Al-OH absorption features, and three Fe,Mg-OH absorption-feature classes. Comparison of the distribution of these 11 spectral classes to a generalized lithologic map of the study area shows that the spectral distinction among the eight Al-OH classes is related to variations in primary lithology, weathering products, and vegetation density. Quartzite is represented in three classes, syenite corresponds to a single scattered class, quartz-muscovite-biotite schist defines a single very coherent class, and unconsolidated sediments are portrayed in four classes. The three mafic-ultramafic classes are distinguished on the basis of generally intense Fe,Mg-OH and ferrous-iron absorption features. A single class represents the main Mordor ultramafic mass. Epidote-bearing rocks define another class, which corresponds to biotite gneiss and, in the southern part of the area, to fracture zones. The third class, which exhibits Al-OH, as well as Fe,Mg-OH features, represents hornblende gneiss and other mafic gneisses. These results indicate the importance of analyzing the VNIR and SWIR spectral shape and albedo, as well as analyzing specific spectral features, for mapping lithologic units in this weathered terrain. ?? 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fissured Rocks and Water Reservoirs in Eastern Thessaly Mountain Range, Greece (Olympus, Ossa, Maurovouni and Pelion): The Role of Tectonic Deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papanikolaou, I.; Migiros, G.; Stamatis, G.; Yoxas, G.

2009-04-01

The storage capacity of fractured hard rocks is lower than porous media and karst formations, though they can yield groundwater of sufficiently good quality for drinking purposes and may host important water resources, even if they are often of low permeability. In particular, for countries like Greece, where water needs for the local population and the tourist industry are excessive and waterfall limited, these reservoirs are of strategic importance. The mountain Range in Eastern Thessaly comprises an extensive nappe of metamorphic rocks, consisting of schists, gneisses, involving partly some ophiolithic rocks and marble intercalations. The thickness of the nappe exceeds 600 m in Ossa, whereas in the area of Pelion is estimated up to 3.000 m. This nappe rests on top of the Autochthonous Olympus- Ossa unit, which forms a massive Mesozoic carbonate sequence. Extensive fieldwork data supported by the analysis of the physical and chemical properties of a large number of springs and combined by the study of the geological structure both local and regional, resulted in important outcomes regarding the fissured rocks permeability, water flow and springs distribution. Schists are characterized by heterogeneity regarding their permeability features. They are divided into hard-rocks where quartz, epidote and amphiboles prevail, displaying higher permeability and soft-rocks where clay minerals prevail, exhibiting low permeability features, because the presence of clay blocks the fissures and prevent any infiltration process. The marbles are of high permeability, but are of limited extent. A few springs are located in marbles, but the vast majority of the springs are associated to the hard-rock schists, are scattered and characterized by high seasonal discharges. In the area of Ossa in particular, the most important reservoirs exist at the bordering zones of the metamorphic and the post-alpine formations due to the enrichment of the sedimentary post-alpine formations. In the area of NE Pelion, 93 springs were recorded and 47 have been analyzed regarding their hydrochemical properties, whereas in the area of Ossa 126 springs have been recorded and 49 have been sampled. The large number of springs implies that water recharge and percolation occurs mainly via the fracture network, forming preferential flow paths. Tectonic deformation has proved to have a fundamental role in the hydrogeological pattern in both localities, because water flow either follows or is severely influenced by the major tectonic structures, such as mega-anticlines and faults. It is interesting to note that this fracturing pattern does vary spatially and in all scales, involving the microscopic (foliation, lineation), the mesoscopic (fractures) and the macroscopic scale (faults). In the microscopic scale the clay/platy minerals in the schists recrystalized perpendicular to the applied stresses, forming foliation features towards the NE, promoting flow parallel to foliation. In the mesoscopic scale, two main set of fractures were observed. The intrabedded longintudinal NE-SW fractures and the transverse NW-SE trending fractures, which are highly penetrative. In the macroscopic scale, faults are several km in length and dominate the groundwater flow, forming preferential pathways. Springs are aligned to the faults and in the area of Pelion, three dominant sets of faults are observed. Two of them are NE-SW trending (N 030o ± 10o and N 050o ± 10o), forming a 20o angle of tectonic wedge, whereas the third set is NW-SE trending (N 320o ± 5o). The geometry of faults in the area of Ossa (striking at N 035o ± 25o and N 325o ± 5o) is similar to the area of Pelion and exerts a similar influence to the distribution of springs. This should be the case in other domains of the Hellenic region with similar lithology that experienced the same deformation phase and features. In the area of Pelion the low conductivity values (90% of the springs display less than 300 µS/cm) and the substantial variability in the discharge rates throughout the year are attributed to a decrease in fracture connectivity with depth, indicating that the aquifers are surficial, of limited capacity and have short residence times. Water physical properties also show that as elevation decreases, conductivity and water temperature values gradually increase. Water in lower altitudes is getting warmer as it flows from higher elevations so that is enriched by the constant input of warmer surficial waters. Moreover, it follows a longer path within the metamorphic rocks, obtaining also higher number of dissolved solids, increasing its conductivity values. Moreover, springs in higher elevations experience a significantly higher drop in the discharge rates during summer, compared to springs in lower elevations, suggesting that there is a time delay mechanism, so that springs in higher elevations recharge the ones in lower elevations. PH values range from slightly acid 6.7 up to alkaline 8.8. The relatively high values of Na+ (0.01 up to 3.94 meq) and Cl- (0.3 to 1.00meq) indicate the influence from sea aerosols. Hydrochemical analysis has also revealed the host rocks. Two hydrochemical types are extracted in Pelion, the Mg-Ca-HCO3 (indicating schists and gneisses influence) and Ca-HCO3 (Marbles influence), and three types in Ossa, Mg-Ca- HCO3 (Schists), Ca-Mg-HCO3 (Marbles) and Mg-HCO3 (mainly peridotites). In conclusion, the thickness, the hydraulic gradient, the physical and chemical properties and the overall pattern of these heterogeneous aquifers change spatially over short distances not only due to lithology, but also due to the tectonic deformation.

New Isotopic Constraints on the Sources of Methane at Sites of Active Continental Serpentinization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, D. T.; Gruen, D.; Morrill, P. L.; Rietze, A.; Nealson, K. H.; Kubo, M. D.; Cardace, D.; Schrenk, M. O.; Hoehler, T. M.; McCollom, T. M.; Etiope, G.; Hosgormez, H.; Schoell, M.; Ono, S.

2014-12-01

At continental sites of serpentinization, high concentrations of reduced gases (e.g., H2, CH4) are frequently found in association with highly-alkaline groundwater. Identification of the process(es) responsible for the generation of methane—as well as the source(s) of C & H—in these environments has been challenging. The difficulty is due to both the wide range of processes (microbial, thermal, abiotic) that could be involved, and the limited number of parameters that are accessible to currently-available analytical technologies (e.g., δ13C, δD). The recent development of a new technique based on tunable infrared laser spectroscopy [1] has enabled the fully-resolved quantification of four isotopologues of methane: 12CH4, 13CH4, 12CH3D, and 13CH3D, a doubly-substituted ("clumped") isotopologue. We used this technique to measure 13CH3D in gases sampled from continental sites of serpentinization, in order to provide independent constraints on C-H bond-forming processes involved in the generation of the methane found in these systems. Our study sites are hosted in ultramafic units that are presently undergoing serpentinization. These include The Cedars peridotite body (Calif., USA) [2], the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (Calif., USA) [3], and the Chimaera seep (Tekirova Ophiolite, Turkey) [4]. Preliminary measurements indicate that Δ13CH3D (the deviation of the abundance of 13CH3D from the stochastic distribution) in methane sampled from these sites spans nearly the entire range of thermodynamically-predicted values, from >+5‰ (13CH3D-based apparent equilibrium temperature < 45 °C) to ~0‰ (Tapparent → ∞). The new 13CH3D data is complemented by conventional geochemical analyses (e.g., dissolved ions/organics, δ13C, δD) on samples collected during the same field campaigns. Our study demonstrates that the measurement of 13CH3D provides a new dimension of isotopic constraints for unraveling the complex processes controlling the distribution of methane, and the flow of energy and carbon, in areas of active continental serpentinization. [1] Ono et al. (2014) Anal. Chem. 86, 6487. [2] Morrill et al. (2013) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 109, 222. [3] Cardace et al. (2013) Sci. Dril. 16, 45. [4] Etiope et al. (2011) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 310, 96.

Trace-element fingerprints of chromite, magnetite and sulfides from the 3.1 Ga ultramafic-mafic rocks of the Nuggihalli greenstone belt, Western Dharwar craton (India)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Ria; Mondal, Sisir K.; González-Jiménez, José M.; Griffin, William L.; Pearson, Norman J.; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.

2015-06-01

The 3.1 Ga Nuggihalli greenstone belt in the Western Dharwar craton is comprised of chromitite-bearing sill-like ultramafic-mafic rocks that are surrounded by metavolcanic schists (compositionally komatiitic to komatiitic basalts) and a suite of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite gneissic rocks. The sill-like plutonic unit consists of a succession of serpentinite (after dunite)-peridotite-pyroxenite and gabbro with bands of titaniferous magnetite ore. The chromitite ore-bodies (length ≈30-500 m; width ≈2-15 m) are hosted by the serpentinite-peridotite unit. Unaltered chromites from massive chromitites (>80 % modal chromite) of the Byrapur and Bhaktarhalli chromite mines in the greenstone belt are characterized by high Cr# (100Cr/(Cr + Al)) of 78-86 and moderate Mg# (100 Mg/(Mg + Fe2+)) of 45-55. In situ trace-element analysis (LA-ICPMS) of unaltered chromites indicates that the parental magma of the chromitite ore-bodies was a komatiite lacking nickel-sulfide mineralization. In the Ga/Fe3+# versus Ti/Fe3+# diagram, the Byrapur chromites plot in the field of suprasubduction zone (SSZ) chromites while those from Bhaktarhalli lie in the MOR field. The above results corroborate our previous results based on major-element characteristics of the chromites, where the calculated parental melt of the Byrapur chromites was komatiitic to komatiitic basalt, and the Bhaktarhalli chromite was derived from Archean high-Mg basalt. The major-element chromite data hinted at the possibility of a SSZ environment existing in the Archean. Altered and compositionally zoned chromite grains in our study show a decrease in Ga, V, Co, Zn, Mn and enrichments of Ni and Ti in the ferritchromit rims. Trace-element heterogeneity in the altered chromites is attributed to serpentinization. The trace-element patterns of magnetite from the massive magnetite bands in the greenstone belt are similar to those from magmatic Fe-Ti-V-rich magnetite bands in layered intrusions, and magnetites from andesitic melts, suggesting that magnetite crystallized from an evolved gabbroic melt. Enrichments of Ni, Co, Te, As and Bi in disseminated millerite and niccolite occurring within chromitites, and in disseminated bravoite within magnetites, reflect element mobility during serpentinization. Monosulfide solid solution inclusions within pyroxenes (altered to actinolite) in pyroxenite, and interstitial pyrites and chalcopyrites in magnetite, retain primary characteristics except for Fe-enrichment in chalcopyrite, probably due to sub-solidus re-equilibration with magnetite. Disseminated sulfides are depleted in platinum-group elements (PGE) due to late sulfide saturation and the PGE-depleted nature of the mantle source of the sill-like ultramafic-mafic plutonic rocks in the Nuggihalli greenstone belt.

Petrological significance of high-pressure ultramafic xenoliths from ultrapotassic rocks of Central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conticelli, Sandro; Peccerillo, Angelo

1989-08-01

Two suites of ultramafic xenoliths have been found in ultrapotassic lavas from the 0.9 Ma old Torre Alfina volcano sited at the northern border of the Vulsinian district (Central Italy). One group of Xenoliths consists of spinel-bearing lherzolites, harzburgites, minor wherlites and dunites with a maximum size of 3-4 cm. Some samples contain discrete laths of phlogopite. A second class consists of phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing peridotites. The first suite displays textural characteristics such as triple points, deformed olivine with well developed kink banding and porphyroclastic textures indicating equilibration at high pressure. Pressure estimates give values in the range 1.3-2.5 GPa, corresponding to mantle depths in the area, where the present-day Moho is about 25 km deep. Equilibration temperatures have been estimated in the range between 950-1000°C. The chemical composition of some phases, such as the very high Fo contents of olivines (up to Fo 94 in harzburgites), Mg content of orthopyroxenes and {Cr}/{Cr}+Al ratios of clinopyroxenes and spinels, suggest that these xenoliths represent peridotites which suffered different degrees of partial melting before being incorporated into the Torre Alfina magma. On the other hand, the occurrence of phlogopite speaks for metasomatic events. The phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing xenoliths consist of phlogopite, olivine, clinopyroxene, rare orthopyroxene and glass. Apatite is the most common accessory. Olivine is present in both euhedral and strained crystals. A few relics of protogranular textures are also observed. Textural and chemical evidence suggests that these xenoliths represent mica-rich peridotites which have undergone phlogopite breakdown during rapid rise to the surface with the development of a K-rich liquid which reacted with mafic phases producing a rapid growth of olivine and, to a lower extent, pyroxene. Originally, these xenoliths may have represented intensively metasomatized upper mantle. However, a cumulitic origin from previous potassic magmatic events cannot be excluded. The host lavas have compositions intermediate between high-silica lamproite and Roman-type ultrapotassic rock. They have high abundances of incompatible elements and radiogenic Sr, coupled with high Mg content, {MgO}/{CaO}, Ni and Cr. These features support a genesis in a residual upper mantle which has suffered partial melting with the extraction of basaltic liquids, followed by metasomatic events which caused an enrichment in incompatible elements and radiogenic Sr. The presence of mantle-derived ultramafic xenoliths in the torre Alfina lavas testifies for a rapid uprise of the magma which reached the surface without suffering fractional crystallization and significant interaction with the upper crust. Accordingly, the Torre Alfina lavas represent an unique example of primitive potassic liquid in Central Italy.

Petrological significance of high-pressure ultramafic xenoliths from ultrapotassic rocks of Central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conticelli, Sandro; Peccerillo, Angelo

1990-08-01

Two suites of ultramafic xenoliths have been found in ultrapotassic lavas from the 0.9 Ma old Torre Alfina volcano sited at the northern border of the Vulsinian district (Central Italy). One group of Xenoliths consists of spinel-bearing lherzolites, harzburgites, minor wherlites and dunites with a maximum size of 3-4 cm. Some samples contain discrete laths of phlogopite. A second class consists of phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing peridotites. The first suite displays textural characteristics such as triple points, deformed olivine with well developed kink banding and porphyroclastic textures indicating equilibration at high pressure. Pressure estimates give values in the range 1.3-2.5 GPa, corresponding to mantle depths in the area, where the present-day Moho is about 25 km deep. Equilibration temperatures have been estimated in the range between 950-1000°C. The chemical composition of some phases, such as the very high Fo contents of olivines (up to Fo94 in harzburgites), Mg content of orthopyroxenes and {Cr}/{Cr}+Al ratios of clinopyroxenes and spinels, suggest that these xenoliths represent peridotites which suffered different degrees of partial melting before being incorporated into the Torre Alfina magma. On the other hand, the occurrence of phlogopite speaks for metasomatic events. The phlogopite-rich, glass-bearing xenoliths consist of phlogopite, olivine, clinopyroxene, rare orthopyroxene and glass. Apatite is the most common accessory. Olivine is present in both euhedral and strained crystals. A few relics of protogranular textures are also observed. Textural and chemical evidence suggests that these xenoliths represent mica-rich peridotites which have undergone phlogopite breakdown during rapid rise to the surface with the development of a K-rich liquid which reacted with mafic phases producing a rapid growth of olivine and, to a lower extent, pyroxene. Originally, these xenoliths may have represented intensively metasomatized upper mantle. However, a cumulitic origin from previous potassic magmatic events cannot be excluded. The host lavas have compositions intermediate between high-silica lamproite and Roman-type ultrapotassic rock. They have high abundances of incompatible elements and radiogenic Sr, coupled with high Mg content, {MgO}/{CaO}, Ni and Cr. These features support a genesis in a residual upper mantle which has suffered partial melting with the extraction of basaltic liquids, followed by metasomatic events which caused an enrichment in incompatible elements and radiogenic Sr. The presence of mantle-derived ultramafic xenoliths in the torre Alfina lavas testifies for a rapid uprise of the magma which reached the surface without suffering fractional crystallization and significant interaction with the upper crust. Accordingly, the Torre Alfina lavas represent an unique example of primitive potassic liquid in Central Italy.

Petrology and geochemistry of the Tasse mantle xenoliths of the Canadian Cordillera: A record of Archean to Quaternary mantle growth, metasomatism, removal, and melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polat, Ali; Frei, Robert; Longstaffe, Fred J.; Thorkelson, Derek J.; Friedman, Eyal

2018-07-01

Mantle xenoliths hosted by the Quaternary Tasse alkaline basalts in the Canadian Cordillera, southeastern British Columbia, are mostly spinel lherzolite originating from subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The xenoliths contain abundant feldspar veins, melt pockets and spongy clinopyroxene, recording extensive alkaline metasomatism and partial melting. Feldspar occurs as veins and interstitial crystal in melt pockets. Melt pockets occur mainly at triple junctions, along grain boundaries, and consist mainly of olivine, cpx, opx and spinel surrounded by interstitial feldspar. The Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of the xenoliths indicate that their sources are characterized by variable mixtures of depleted MORB mantle and EM1 and EM2 mantle components. Large variations in εNd values (-8.2 to +9.6) and Nd depleted mantle model ages (TDM = 66 to 3380 Ma) are consistent with multiple sources and melt extraction events, and long-term (>3300 Ma) isolation of some source regions from the convecting mantle. Samples with Archean and Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages are interpreted as either have been derived from relict Laurentian mantle pieces beneath the Cordillera or have been eroded from the root of the Laurentian craton to the east and transported to the base of the Cordilleran lithosphere by edge-driven convection currents. The oxygen isotope compositions of the xenoliths (average δ18O = +5.1 ± 0.5‰) are similar to those of depleted mantle. The average δ18O values of olivine (+5.0 ± 0.2‰), opx (+5.9 ± 0.6‰), cpx (+6.0 ± 0.6‰) and spinel (+4.5 ± 0.2‰) are similar to mantle values. Large fractionations for olivine-opx, olivine-cpx and opx-cpx pairs, however, reflect disequilibrium stemming from metasomatism and partial melting. Whole-rock trace element, Nd, Sr, Pb and O isotope compositions of the xenoliths and host alkaline basalts indicate different mantle sources for these two suites of rocks. The xenoliths were derived from shallow lithospheric sources, whereas the alkaline basalts originated from a deeper asthenospheric mantle source.

Epoxide-mediated differential packaging of Cif and other virulence factors into outer membrane vesicles.

PubMed

Ballok, Alicia E; Filkins, Laura M; Bomberger, Jennifer M; Stanton, Bruce A; O'Toole, George A

2014-10-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that contain a number of secreted bacterial proteins, including phospholipases, alkaline phosphatase, and the CFTR inhibitory factor (Cif). Previously, Cif, an epoxide hydrolase, was shown to be regulated at the transcriptional level by epoxides, which serve as ligands of the repressor, CifR. Here, we tested whether epoxides have an effect on Cif levels in OMVs. We showed that growth of P. aeruginosa in the presence of specific epoxides but not a hydrolysis product increased Cif packaging into OMVs in a CifR-independent fashion. The outer membrane protein, OprF, was also increased under these conditions, but alkaline phosphatase activity was not significantly altered. Additionally, we demonstrated that OMV shape and density were affected by epoxide treatment, with two distinct vesicle fractions present when cells were treated with epibromohydrin (EBH), a model epoxide. Vesicles isolated from the two density fractions exhibited different protein profiles in Western blotting and silver staining. We have shown that a variety of clinically or host-relevant treatments, including antibiotics, also alter the proteins packaged in OMVs. Proteomic analysis of purified OMVs followed by an analysis of transposon mutant OMVs yielded mutants with altered vesicle packaging. Finally, epithelial cell cytotoxicity was reduced in the vesicles formed in the presence of EBH, suggesting that this epoxide alters the function of the OMVs. Our data support a model whereby clinically or host-relevant signals mediate differential packaging of virulence factors in OMVs, which results in functional consequences for host-pathogen interactions. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Spatiotemporal distributions of intestinal helminths in female lesser scaup Aythya affinis during spring migration from the upper Midwest, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

England, J. C.; Levengood, J.M.; Osborn, J. M.; Yetter, A. P.; Kinsella, J.M.; Cole, Rebecca A.; Cory D. Suski,; Hagy, Heath M.

2017-01-01

We examined the associations between intestinal helminth infracommunity structure and infection parameters and the age, size, and year and region of collection of 130 female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) during their 2014–2015 spring migrations through the upper Midwest, USA. We identified a total of 647,174 individual helminths from 40 taxa, including 20 trematodes, 14 cestodes, 4 nematodes and 2 acanthocephalans parasitizing lesser scaup within the study area. Lesser scaup were each infected with 2–23 helminth taxa. One digenean, Plenosoma minimum, is reported for the first time in lesser scaup and in the Midwest. Mean trematode abundance and total helminth abundance was significantly less in 2015 than 2014, and we suspect that colder weather late in 2015 impacted the intermediate host fauna and caused the observed differences. Brillouin's species diversity of helminths was greatest in the northernmost region of the study area, which coincides with the range of a non-indigenous snail that indirectly causes annual mortality events of lesser scaup. While host age and size were not determined to be influential factors of helminth infracommunity structure, non-parametric ordination and permutational analysis of co-variance revealed that year and region of collection explained differences in helminth infracommunities. Our results suggest that spatiotemporal variations play an important role in the structure of intestinal helminth infracommunities found in migrating lesser scaup hosts, and may therefore impact host ability to build endogenous reserves at certain stopover locations in the Midwest.

Spatiotemporal distributions of intestinal helminths in female lesser scaup Aythya affinis during spring migration from the upper Midwest, USA.

PubMed

England, J C; Levengood, J M; Osborn, J M; Yetter, A P; Kinsella, J M; Cole, R A; Suski, C D; Hagy, H M

2017-07-01

We examined the associations between intestinal helminth infracommunity structure and infection parameters and the age, size, and year and region of collection of 130 female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) during their 2014-2015 spring migrations through the upper Midwest, USA. We identified a total of 647,174 individual helminths from 40 taxa, including 20 trematodes, 14 cestodes, 4 nematodes and 2 acanthocephalans parasitizing lesser scaup within the study area. Lesser scaup were each infected with 2-23 helminth taxa. One digenean, Plenosoma minimum, is reported for the first time in lesser scaup and in the Midwest. Mean trematode abundance and total helminth abundance was significantly less in 2015 than 2014, and we suspect that colder weather late in 2015 impacted the intermediate host fauna and caused the observed differences. Brillouin's species diversity of helminths was greatest in the northernmost region of the study area, which coincides with the range of a non-indigenous snail that indirectly causes annual mortality events of lesser scaup. While host age and size were not determined to be influential factors of helminth infracommunity structure, non-parametric ordination and permutational analysis of co-variance revealed that year and region of collection explained differences in helminth infracommunities. Our results suggest that spatiotemporal variations play an important role in the structure of intestinal helminth infracommunities found in migrating lesser scaup hosts, and may therefore impact host ability to build endogenous reserves at certain stopover locations in the Midwest.

Distribution and solubility limits of trace elements in hydrothermal black smoker sulfides: An in-situ LA-ICP-MS study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohlgemuth-Ueberwasser, Cora C.; Viljoen, Fanus; Petersen, Sven; Vorster, Clarisa

2015-06-01

The key for understanding the trace metal inventory of currently explored VHMS deposits lies in the understanding of trace element distribution during the formation of these deposits on the seafloor. Recrystallization processes already occurring at the seafloor might liberate trace elements to later hydrothermal alteration and removement. To investigate the distribution and redistribution of trace elements we analyzed sulfide minerals from 27 black smoker samples derived from three different seafloor hydrothermal fields: the ultramafic-hosted Logatchev hydrothermal field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the basaltic-hosted Turtle Pits field on the mid-atlantic ridge, and the felsic-hosted PACMANUS field in the Manus basin (Papua New Guinea). The sulfide samples were analyzed by mineral liberation analyser for the modal abundances of sulfide minerals, by electron microprobe for major elements and by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for As, Sb, Se, Te, and Au. The samples consist predominantly of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, pyrite, galena and minor isocubanite as well as inclusions of tetrahedrite-tennantite. Laser ablation spectra were used to evaluate the solubility limits of trace elements in different sulfide minerals at different textures. The solubility of As, Sb, and Au in pyrite decreases with increasing degree of recrystallization. When solubility limits are reached these elements occur as inclusions in the different sulfide phases or they are expelled from the mineral phase. Most ancient VHMS deposits represent felsic or bimodal felsic compositions. Samples from the felsic-hosted PACMANUS hydrothermal field at the Pual ridge (Papua New Guinea) show high concentrations of Pb, As, Sb, Bi, Hg, and Te, which is likely the result of an additional trace element contribution derived from magmatic volatiles. Co-precipitating pyrite and chalcopyrite are characterized by equal contents of Te, while chalcopyrite that replaced pyrite (presumably during black smoker growth) is enriched in Te relative to pyrite. These higher Te concentrations may be related to higher fluid temperature.

CO2 Uptake and Fixation by a Thermoacidophilic Microbial Community Attached to Precipitated Sulfur in a Geothermal Spring▿ †

PubMed Central

Boyd, Eric S.; Leavitt, William D.; Geesey, Gill G.

2009-01-01

Carbon fixation at temperatures above 73°C, the upper limit for photosynthesis, is carried out by chemosynthetic thermophiles. Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Wyoming possesses many thermal features that, while too hot for photosynthesis, presumably support chemosynthetic-based carbon fixation. To our knowledge, in situ rates of chemosynthetic reactions at these high temperatures in YNP or other high-temperature terrestrial geothermal springs have not yet been reported. A microbial community attached to precipitated elemental sulfur (So floc) at the source of Dragon Spring (73°C, pH 3.1) in Norris Geyser Basin, YNP, exhibited a maximum rate of CO2 uptake of 21.3 ± 11.9 μg of C 107 cells−1 h−1. When extrapolated over the estimated total quantity of So floc at the spring's source, the So floc-associated microbial community accounted for the uptake of 121 mg of C h−1 at this site. On a per-cell basis, the rate was higher than that calculated for a photosynthetic mat microbial community dominated by Synechococcus spp. in alkaline springs at comparable temperatures. A portion of the carbon taken up as CO2 by the So floc-associated biomass was recovered in the cellular nucleic acid pool, demonstrating that uptake was coupled to fixation. The most abundant sequences in a 16S rRNA clone library of the So floc-associated community were related to chemolithoautotrophic Hydrogenobaculum strains previously isolated from springs in the Norris Geyser Basin. These microorganisms likely contributed to the uptake and fixation of CO2 in this geothermal habitat. PMID:19429558

Hydrothermal exploration and astrobiology: oases for life in distant oceans?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

German, Christopher R.

2004-04-01

High-temperature submarine hydrothermal fields on Earth's mid-ocean ridges play host to exotic ecosystems with fauna previously unknown to science. Because these systems draw significant energy from chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis, it has been postulated that the study of such systems could have relevance to the origins of life and, hence, astrobiology. A major flaw to that argument, however, is that modern basalt-hosted submarine vents are too oxidizing and lack the abundant free hydrogen required to drive abiotic organic synthesis and/or the energy yielding reactions that the most primitive anaerobic thermophiles isolated from submarine vent-sites apparently require. Here, however, the progress over the past decade in which systematic search strategies have been used to identify previously overlooked venting on the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the ultra-slow spreading Arctic and SW Indian Ridges is described. Preliminary identification of fault-controlled venting in a number of these sites has led to the discovery of at least two high-temperature hydrothermal fields hosted in ultramafic rocks which emit complex organic molecules in their greater than 360 °C vent-fluids. Whether these concentrations represent de novo organic synthesis within the hydrothermal cell remains open to debate but it is probable that many more such sites exist throughout the Atlantic, Arctic and SW Indian Oceans. One particularly intriguing example is the Gakkel Ridge, which crosses the floor of the Arctic Ocean. On-going collaborations between oceanographers and astrobiologists are actively seeking to develop a new class of free-swimming autonomous underwater vehicle, equipped with appropriate chemical sensors, to conduct long-range missions that will seek out, locate and investigate new sites of hydrothermal venting at the bottom of this, and other, ice-covered oceans.

The Pioneer Ultramafic Complex of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, M. R.; Byerly, G. R.; Lowe, D. R.; Thompson, M. E.

2005-12-01

The 3.55-3.22 Ga Barberton Greenstone Belt is an approximately 100km x 30km northeast trending, isoclinally folded, volcanic and sedimentary succession surrounded by intrusive granitic rocks. It is perhaps Earth's best preserved mid-Archean supracrustal sequence and also among the most magnesian, making it an ideal location for studying compositionally distinct rocks of the Archean, such as komatiites. The Pioneer Ultramafic Complex has been interpreted as a komatiitic intrusion but we argue that it is a sequence of layered komatiitic flows and interbedded tuffs correlative with other komatiitic extrusive units of the 3.29 Ga Weltevreden Formation, the uppermost formation of the Onverwacht Group. The Pioneer Ultramafic Complex contains at least 900m of section in the study area, including at least 5 flow sets, with individual flows up to 100 m thick, sections of tuff up to 100m thick and additional thinner tuff units. The base of the sequence is in fault contact with the Sawmill Ultramafic Complex, which is similar to and perhaps correlative with the Pioneer. The top of the sequence is bounded by the Moodies Fault and slightly younger sedimentary rocks of the Fig Tree and Moodies Groups. Typical flows of the Pioneer have highly serpentinized olivine-rich cumulate bases, fresh olivine bearing peridotitic lithologies in central portions, and increasing pyroxene content, pyroxene size, and elongation of grains toward the flow tops. Three of the five flows are capped with random and/or oriented spinifex layers. The tuffs within this and other layered ultramafic complexes of the Barberton Greenstone Belt are mostly fine grained, slaty serpentinites that were previously interpreted as bedding horizontal zones of shearing. However, rare preservation of angular and vesicular lapilli, and more commonly cross-stratification in finer grained layers, provide strong evidence that these layers represent tuffs. High chromium and other trace element contents suggest they are komatiitic tuffs likely co-magmatic with the interbedded komatiitic lava flows. Compositions of fresh olivines range between 91 to 93 percent forsterite, indicating a komatiitic melt composition. In addition to olivine phenocrysts, fresh chromite, orthopyroxene, pigeonite, and augite are all present as smaller intercumulus crystals or microphenocrysts. The pyroxenes have Mg numbers up to 89 and Al/Ti ratios approximately 10-15. The latter are consistent with the Al/Ti ratios of 20-30 found within the komatiites and tuffs analyzed thus far. These ratios indicate the flows belong to the aluminium undepleted group of komatiites. The rock and mineral chemistry of these flows allow us to determine melt compositions and explore correlations and relationships with other komatiitic flows and layered ultramafic complexes of the Barberton Greenstone Belt. Field studies of these flows help characterize an Archean igneous complex believed to represent shallow marine deposition of komatiitic tuffs and coeval emplacement of thick vertically differentiated komatiitic flows.

Geochemistry of thermal fluids in NW Honduras: New perspectives for exploitation of geothermal areas in the southern Sula graben

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capaccioni, Bruno; Franco, Tassi; Alberto, Renzulli; Orlando, Vaselli; Marco, Menichetti; Salvatore, Inguaggiato

2014-06-01

The results of a geochemical survey on thermal waters and, for the first time for this site, gas discharges in five geothermal sites (Azacualpa "La Cueva", Río Ulua, Río Gualcarque, El Olivar and Laguna de Agua Caliente) in NW Honduras are here presented and discussed. El Olivar and Laguna de Agua Caliente, in the southern part of the Sula graben are very close to a Quaternary basaltic field, whereas Azacualpa "La Cueva", Río Ulua and Río Gualcarque, located to the southwest of the Yojoa Lake, direcly emerge from the Cretaceous limestone deposits. The measured temperatures range between 37.5 and 104.8 °C. "Mature", alkaline, Na-SO4 thermal waters discharge from Azacualpa "La Cueva", while those from El Olivar and Laguna de Agua Caliente are "immature" and show a Na-HCO3 composition. Chemical equilibria of waters and gases from the Azacualpa "La Cueva" thermal springs indicate temperatures ranging from 150 to 200 °C. Conversely, gas discharges from El Olivar and Laguna de Agua Caliente have attained a partial chemical equilibrium in the liquid phase at slightly higher temperatures (200-250 °C), although gas-gas faster reactions involving CO seem to be adjusted in an isothermally separated vapor phase. Unlike Azacualpa, SiO2 geothermometer at El Olivar and Laguna de Agua Caliente indicates equilibrium temperatures for the liquid phase much lower than those calculated for the gas phase (≤ 120 °C). We conclude that thermal waters from the Azacualpa area likely represent the direct emergence of a water dominated reservoir having temperatures ≤ 150-200 °C. By contrast, at El Olivar and Laguna de Agua Caliente hot springs are supplied by a boiling shallow aquifer fed by a vapor phase rising from a steam-dominated zone. The above geochemical model is consistent with a geothermal reservoir hosted within the Cretaceous carbonate sequences of the Yojoa Group in the whole investigated sites. The reservoir extensively crops out in the Azacualpa area whereas the geothermal sites of the southern Sula graben (Laguna de Agua Caliente and El Olivar) are covered by the Oligocene-Miocene volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Matagalpa formation, possibly acting as efficient impermeable cap rocks. These results significantly differ from those reported by previous studies and emphasize that the southern Sula graben, in particular the El Olivar area, can represent among the investigated thermal springs, the most promising site for the exploitation of a high-enthalpy geothermal field.

A multifactor analysis of fungal and bacterial community structure of the root microbiome of mature Populus deltoides trees

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

Shakya, Migun; Gottel, Neil R; Castro Gonzalez, Hector F

2013-01-01

Bacterial and fungal communities associated with plant roots are central to the host- health, survival and growth. However, a robust understanding of root-microbiome and the factors that drive host associated microbial community structure have remained elusive, especially in mature perennial plants from natural settings. Here, we investigated relationships of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and root endosphere of the riparian tree species Populus deltoides, and the influence of soil parameters, environmental properties (host phenotype and aboveground environmental settings), host plant genotype (Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers), season (Spring vs. Fall) and geographic setting (at scales from regional watershedsmore » to local riparian zones) on microbial community structure. Each of the trees sampled displayed unique aspects to it s associated community structure with high numbers of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) specific to an individual trees (bacteria >90%, fungi >60%). Over the diverse conditions surveyed only a small number of OTUs were common to all samples within rhizosphere (35 bacterial and 4 fungal) and endosphere (1 bacterial and 1 fungal) microbiomes. As expected, Proteobacteria and Ascomycota were dominant in root communities (>50%) while other higher-level phylogenetic groups (Chytridiomycota, Acidobacteria) displayed greatly reduced abundance in endosphere compared to the rhizosphere. Variance partitioning partially explained differences in microbiome composition between all sampled roots on the basis of seasonal and soil properties (4% to 23%). While most variation remains unattributed, we observed significant differences in the microbiota between watersheds (Tennessee vs. North Carolina) and seasons (Spring vs. Fall). SSR markers clearly delineated two host populations associated with the samples taken in TN vs. NC, but overall genotypic distances did not have a significant effect on corresponding communities that could be separated from other measured effects.« less

Supercoiled circular DNA of an insect granulosis virus

PubMed Central

Tweeten, Kathleen A.; Bulla, Lee A.; Consigli, Richard A.

1977-01-01

The DNA of the granulosis virus of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, was characterized by physical chemical and electron microscopic techniques. Twenty-five percent of the DNA extracted from purified virus was isolated as supercoiled circular molecules. The remaining 75% consisted of relaxed circular molecules. These molecular forms were indicated by the production of two radioactive bands during sedimentation of 3H-labeled granulosis virus DNA in alkaline sucrose gradients or in equilibrium density gradients of neutral cesium chloride/propidium iodide. Electron microscopic visualization of the DNA that banded at the higher density in the latter gradients revealed supercoiled structures whereas that of DNA that banded at the lower density demonstrated relaxed circular molecules. The superhelical molecules were converted to relaxed circles by treatment with pancreatic DNase. The molecular weight of the viral DNA was calculated to be 81 × 106 by sedimentation in neutral sucrose and 78 × 106 by sedimentation in alkaline sucrose. The molecular weight estimated from length measurements in electron micrographs was 76 × 106. The buoyant density of the granulosis virus DNA was 1.703 g/cm3 and that of its insect host DNA was 1.697 g/cm3. Equilibrium sedimentation in cesium chloride and thermal denaturation indicated G + C contents of 44% and 39% for the viral and host DNA, respectively. Images PMID:198791

Distinct signals from the microbiota promote different aspects of zebrafish gut differentiation.

PubMed

Bates, Jennifer M; Mittge, Erika; Kuhlman, Julie; Baden, Katrina N; Cheesman, Sarah E; Guillemin, Karen

2006-09-15

All animals exist in intimate associations with microorganisms that play important roles in the hosts' normal development and tissue physiology. In vertebrates, the most populous and complex community of microbes resides in the digestive tract. Here, we describe the establishment of the gut microbiota and its role in digestive tract differentiation in the zebrafish model vertebrate, Danio rerio. We find that in the absence of the microbiota, the gut epithelium is arrested in aspects of its differentiation, as revealed by the lack of brush border intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity, the maintenance of immature patterns of glycan expression and a paucity of goblet and enteroendocrine cells. In addition, germ-free intestines fail to take up protein macromolecules in the distal intestine and exhibit faster motility. Reintroduction of a complex microbiota at later stages of development or mono-association of germ-free larvae with individual constituents of the microbiota reverses all of these germ-free phenotypes. Exposure of germ-free zebrafish to heat-killed preparations of the microbiota or bacterial lipopolysaccharide is sufficient to restore alkaline phosphatase activity but not mature patterns of Gal alpha1,3Gal containing glycans, indicating that the host perceives and responds to its associated microbiota by at least two distinct pathways.

Magnetotransport study of Dirac fermions in YbMnBi2 and CaMnBi2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Aifeng; Zaliznyak, Igor; Graf, David; Ren, Weijun; Wang, Kefeng; Wu, Lijun; Garlea, Ovidiu; Warren, John; Bozin, Emil; Zhu, Yimei; Petrovic, Cedomir

It is well known that AMnBi2 (A = alkaline earth) with two dimensional (2D) bismuth layer host quasi-2D Dirac states similar to graphene and topological insulators. The Dirac state is significantly affected by the alkaline earth in the block layer. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) indicates that YbMnBi2 could be the first Weyl semimetal with time-reversal symmetry breaking, whereas the anisotropic Dirac state in SrMnBi2 can host a valley-polarized interlayer current through magnetic valley control. Here, we study in-plane magnetotransport in YbMnBi2, and interlayer magnetotransport in CaMnBi2. The angular-dependent magnetoresistance, nonzero Berry phase, and small cyclotron mass confirm the presence of Dirac fermion and quasi-2D fermi surface in YbMnBi2. The interlayer electronic transport in CaMnBi2 suggest valley polarized conduction and a Dirac state on the side wall of the warped cylindrical Fermi surface of CaMnBi2. Work at BNL was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy-BES, Division of Materials Science and Engineering, under Contract No. DE-SC0012704. Work at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory is supported by the NSF Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-06541.

Supercoiled circular DNA of an insect granulosis virus.

PubMed

Tweeten, K A; Bulla, L A; Consigli, R A

1977-08-01

The DNA of the granulosis virus of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, was characterized by physical chemical and electron microscopic techniques. Twenty-five percent of the DNA extracted from purified virus was isolated as supercoiled circular molecules. The remaining 75% consisted of relaxed circular molecules. These molecular forms were indicated by the production of two radioactive bands during sedimentation of (3)H-labeled granulosis virus DNA in alkaline sucrose gradients or in equilibrium density gradients of neutral cesium chloride/propidium iodide. Electron microscopic visualization of the DNA that banded at the higher density in the latter gradients revealed supercoiled structures whereas that of DNA that banded at the lower density demonstrated relaxed circular molecules. The superhelical molecules were converted to relaxed circles by treatment with pancreatic DNase. The molecular weight of the viral DNA was calculated to be 81 x 10(6) by sedimentation in neutral sucrose and 78 x 10(6) by sedimentation in alkaline sucrose. The molecular weight estimated from length measurements in electron micrographs was 76 x 10(6). The buoyant density of the granulosis virus DNA was 1.703 g/cm(3) and that of its insect host DNA was 1.697 g/cm(3). Equilibrium sedimentation in cesium chloride and thermal denaturation indicated G + C contents of 44% and 39% for the viral and host DNA, respectively.

Multiheteromacrocycles that Complex Metal Ions. Sixth Progress Report, 1 May 1979-30 April 1980

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Cram, D. J.

1980-01-15

Objective is to design synthesize, and evaluate cyclic and polycyclic host organic compounds for their abilities to complex and lipophilize guest metal ions, their complexes, and their clusters. Host organic compounds consist of strategically placed solvating, coordinating, and ion-pairing sites tied together by covalent bonds through hydrocarbon units around cavities shaped to be occupied by guest metal ions or by metal ions plus their ligands. Specificity in complexation is sought by matching the following properties of host and guest: cavity and metal ion sizes; geometric arrangements of binding sites; number of binding sites; character of binding sites; and valences. During this period, hemispherands based on an aryloxy or cyclic urea unit, spherands based on aryloxyl units only, and their complexes with alkali metals and alkaline earths were investigated. An attempt to separate {sup 6}Li and {sup 7}Li by gel permeation chromatography of lithiospherium chloride failed. (DLC)

Incidence of plague associated with increased winter-spring precipitation in New Mexico.

PubMed

Parmenter, R R; Yadav, E P; Parmenter, C A; Ettestad, P; Gage, K L

1999-11-01

Plague occurs episodically in many parts of the world, and some outbreaks appear to be related to increased abundance of rodents and other mammals that serve as hosts for vector fleas. Climate dynamics may influence the abundance of both fleas and mammals, thereby having an indirect effect on human plague incidence. An understanding of the relationship between climate and plague could be useful in predicting periods of increased risk of plague transmission. In this study, we used correlation analyses of 215 human cases of plague in relation to precipitation records from 1948 to 1996 in areas of New Mexico with history of human plague cases (38 cities, towns, and villages). We conducted analyses using 3 spatial scales: global (El Niño-Southern Oscillation Indices [SOI]); regional (pooled state-wide precipitation averages); and local (precipitation data from weather stations near plague case sites). We found that human plague cases in New Mexico occurred more frequently following winter-spring periods (October to May) with above-average precipitation (mean plague years = 113% of normal rain/ snowfall), resulting in 60% more cases of plague in humans following wet versus dry winter-spring periods. However, we obtained significant results at local level only; regional state-wide precipitation averages and SOI values exhibited no significant correlations to incidence of human plague cases. These results are consistent with our hypothesis of a trophic cascade in which increased winter-spring precipitation enhances small mammal food resource productivity (plants and insects), leading to an increase in the abundance of plague hosts. In addition, moister climate conditions may act to promote flea survival and reproduction, also enhancing plague transmission. Finally, the result that the number of human plague cases in New Mexico was positively associated with higher than normal winter-spring precipitation at a local scale can be used by physicians and public health personnel to identify and predict periods of increased risk of plague transmission to humans.

Foreign Language Day--A Living Language Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Paul W.

St. Bonaventure University holds a Language Day each spring, hosting some 3,900 area junior high and high school students. The buildings and facilities of the university campus are used, and activities include language competitions (exhibits, interpretative readings, language productions, audio-visual presentations and essays); a fiesta; foreign…

Fall armyworm: Management of a genetically complicated migratory pest

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a neotropical pest that migrates each spring from locations in south Texas and south Florida to the central and eastern U.S. Management of this pest in Florida sweet corn involves tactics such as chemical control, host plant manageme...

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.

Water quality and quantity of selected springs and seeps along the Colorado River corridor, Utah and Arizona: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Grand Canyon National Park, 1997-98

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Howard E.; Spence, John R.; Antweiler, Ronald C.; Berghoff, Kevin; Plowman, Terry I.; Peart, Dale B.; Roth, David A.

2004-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service conducted an intensive assessment of selected springs along the Colorado River Corridor in Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Grand Canyon National Park in 1997 and 1998, for the purpose of measuring and evaluating the water quality and quantity of the resource. This study was conducted to establish baseline data for the future evaluation of possible effects from recreational use and climate change. Selected springs and seeps were visited over a study period from 1997 to 1998, during which, discharge and on-site chemical measurements were made at selected springs and seeps, and samples were collected for subsequent chemical laboratory analysis. This interdisciplinary study also includes simultaneous studies of flora and fauna, measured and sampled coincidently at the same sites. Samples collected during this study were transported to U.S. Geological Survey laboratories in Boulder, Colorado, where analyses were performed using state-of-the-art laboratory technology. The location of the selected springs and seeps, elevation, geology, aspect, and onsite measurements including temperature, discharge, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance, were recorded. Laboratory analyses include determinations for alkalinity, aluminum, ammonium (nitrogen), antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromide, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chloride, chromium, cobalt, copper, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluoride, gadolinium, holmium, iodine, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, nitrate (nitrogen), nitrite (nitrogen), phosphate, phosphorus, potassium, praseodymium, rhenium, rubidium, samarium, selenium, silica, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfate, tellurium, terbium, thallium, thorium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, yttrium, ytterbium, zinc, and zirconium in these springs and seeps. Biological observations include physical setting, vegetation, invertebrate habitats, and invertebrate microhabitats.

Fungi on the skin: dermatophytes and Malassezia.

PubMed

White, Theodore C; Findley, Keisha; Dawson, Thomas L; Scheynius, Annika; Boekhout, Teun; Cuomo, Christina A; Xu, Jun; Saunders, Charles W

2014-08-01

Several human skin diseases and disorders are associated with two groups of fungi, the dermatophytes and Malassezia. Although these skin-related problems are not generally life threatening, they are among the most common diseases and disorders of mankind. These fungi are phylogenetically divergent, with the dermatophytes within the Ascomycota and Malassezia within Basidiomycota. Genome analysis indicates that the adaptations to the skin environment are different in these two groups of fungi. Malassezia are dependent on host lipids and secrete lipases and phospholipases that likely release host fatty acids. The dermatophytes encode multiple enzymes with potential roles in modulating host interactions: polyketide synthases, nonribosomal peptide synthetases, LysM, proteases, kinases, and pseudokinases. These two fungal groups have maximized their interactions with the host using two very different mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

A comparative ToF-SIMS and GC—MS analysis of phototrophic communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring

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

Siljestrom, S.; Parenteau, M. N.; Jahnke, L. L.

One of few techniques that is able to spatially resolve chemical data, including organic molecules, to morphological features in modern and ancient geological samples, is time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The ability to connect chemical data to morphology is key for interpreting the biogenicity of preserved remains in ancient samples. However, due to the lack of reference data for geologically relevant samples and the ease with which samples can be contaminated, ToF-SIMS data may be difficult to interpret. In this project, we aimed to build a ToF-SIMS spectral database by performing parallel ToF-SIMS and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysesmore » of extant photosynthetic microbial communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA. We built the library by analyzing samples of increasing complexity: pure lipid standards commonly found in thermophilic phototrophs, solvent extracts of specific lipid fractions, total lipid extracts, pure cultures of dominant phototrophic community members, and unsilicified phototrophic streamer communities. The results showed that important lipids and pigments originating from phototrophs were detected by ToF-SIMS (e.g., wax esters, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, sufloquinovosyldiaglycerol, alkanes, etc.) in the streamer lipid extracts. Many of the lipids were also detected in situ in the unsilicified streamer, and could even be spatially resolved to individual cells within the streamer community. Together with the ToF-SIMS database, this mapping ability will be used to further explore other microbial mats and their fossilized counterparts in the geological record. This is likely to expand the geochemical understanding of these types of samples.« less

A comparative ToF-SIMS and GC—MS analysis of phototrophic communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring

DOE PAGES

Siljestrom, S.; Parenteau, M. N.; Jahnke, L. L.; ...

2017-04-03

One of few techniques that is able to spatially resolve chemical data, including organic molecules, to morphological features in modern and ancient geological samples, is time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The ability to connect chemical data to morphology is key for interpreting the biogenicity of preserved remains in ancient samples. However, due to the lack of reference data for geologically relevant samples and the ease with which samples can be contaminated, ToF-SIMS data may be difficult to interpret. In this project, we aimed to build a ToF-SIMS spectral database by performing parallel ToF-SIMS and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysesmore » of extant photosynthetic microbial communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA. We built the library by analyzing samples of increasing complexity: pure lipid standards commonly found in thermophilic phototrophs, solvent extracts of specific lipid fractions, total lipid extracts, pure cultures of dominant phototrophic community members, and unsilicified phototrophic streamer communities. The results showed that important lipids and pigments originating from phototrophs were detected by ToF-SIMS (e.g., wax esters, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, sufloquinovosyldiaglycerol, alkanes, etc.) in the streamer lipid extracts. Many of the lipids were also detected in situ in the unsilicified streamer, and could even be spatially resolved to individual cells within the streamer community. Together with the ToF-SIMS database, this mapping ability will be used to further explore other microbial mats and their fossilized counterparts in the geological record. This is likely to expand the geochemical understanding of these types of samples.« less

A comparative ToF-SIMS and GC–MS analysis of phototrophic communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring

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

Siljeström, S.; Parenteau, M. N.; Jahnke, L. L.

One of few techniques that is able to spatially resolve chemical data, including organic molecules, to morphological features in modern and ancient geological samples, is time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The ability to connect chemical data to morphology is key for interpreting the biogenicity of preserved remains in ancient samples. However, due to the lack of reference data for geologically relevant samples and the ease with which samples can be contaminated, ToF-SIMS data may be difficult to interpret. In this project, we aimed to build a ToF-SIMS spectral database by performing parallel ToF-SIMS and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysesmore » of extant photosynthetic microbial communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA. We built the library by analyzing samples of increasing complexity: pure lipid standards commonly found in thermophilic phototrophs, solvent extracts of specific lipid fractions, total lipid extracts, pure cultures of dominant phototrophic community members, and unsilicified phototrophic streamer communities. The results showed that important lipids and pigments originating from phototrophs were detected by ToF-SIMS (e.g., wax esters, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, sufloquinovosyldiaglycerol, alkanes, etc.) in the streamer lipid extracts. Many of the lipids were also detected in situ in the unsilicified streamer, and could even be spatially resolved to individual cells within the streamer community. Together with the ToF-SIMS database, this mapping ability will be used to further explore other microbial mats and their fossilized counterparts in the geological record. This is likely to expand the geochemical understanding of these types of samples.« less

Seasonal and high-frequency measurements of pH, oxygen and aragonite saturation state in a coral reef: Cabo Pulmo, Mexico.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norzagaray, O.; Martin Hernandez-Ayon, J. M.; Calderon Aguilera, L. E.; Reyes-Bonilla, H.; Castro, R.; Trasviña, A.

2016-02-01

Cabo Pulmo reef is located in the coastal area within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), which has been reported as shallow as 70m, and characterized by CO2-rich waters (>2200 μmolkg-1) and low pH (<7.7). To date it is unknown whether the OMZ waters influence these coral reef at any point of the year, or during certain oceanographic episodes, therefore, it is important to know the temporal variability of these parameters. This study presents high frequency data series from November 2013 to June 2014 from a SeapHOX sensor deployed at 15 m depth and 1.5 km from shore. The pH series was calibrated with discrete samples (total carbon and alkalinity measurements). A high-resolution aragonite saturation state (< Ωar) series was calculated from pH series and total alkalinity. Discrete and continuous measurements showed the seasonal influence of two water masses, the Gulf of California water during winter (GCW), and the surface Tropical water (TSW) during spring-summer. From December to April the conditions with the lowest pH were found (<Ωar), related to GCW, and two months with TSW; the highest pH values (> Ωar) were from May to June. During winter-spring (mostly-TSW) were present the most optimal conditions for coral calcification (>Ωar). Dissolved oxygen (OD) was always up to 3.4 mlL-1. However, two events (5-10 days length) arose in winter (February/TSW) and summer (June/GCW) with low pH (<7.9), low Ωar (<2.6), low temperature (<22oC), and low DO (<4 mlL-1), threshold values reported to cause negative effects on coral calcification and with exposure times on the order of days.

Occupancy Modeling for Improved Accuracy and Understanding of Pathogen Prevalence and Dynamics

PubMed Central

Colvin, Michael E.; Peterson, James T.; Kent, Michael L.; Schreck, Carl B.

2015-01-01

Most pathogen detection tests are imperfect, with a sensitivity < 100%, thereby resulting in the potential for a false negative, where a pathogen is present but not detected. False negatives in a sample inflate the number of non-detections, negatively biasing estimates of pathogen prevalence. Histological examination of tissues as a diagnostic test can be advantageous as multiple pathogens can be examined and providing important information on associated pathological changes to the host. However, it is usually less sensitive than molecular or microbiological tests for specific pathogens. Our study objectives were to 1) develop a hierarchical occupancy model to examine pathogen prevalence in spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and their distribution among host tissues 2) use the model to estimate pathogen-specific test sensitivities and infection rates, and 3) illustrate the effect of using replicate within host sampling on sample sizes required to detect a pathogen. We examined histological sections of replicate tissue samples from spring Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha collected after spawning for common pathogens seen in this population: Apophallus/echinostome metacercariae, Parvicapsula minibicornis, Nanophyetus salmincola/ metacercariae, and Renibacterium salmoninarum. A hierarchical occupancy model was developed to estimate pathogen and tissue-specific test sensitivities and unbiased estimation of host- and organ-level infection rates. Model estimated sensitivities and host- and organ-level infections rates varied among pathogens and model estimated infection rate was higher than prevalence unadjusted for test sensitivity, confirming that prevalence unadjusted for test sensitivity was negatively biased. The modeling approach provided an analytical approach for using hierarchically structured pathogen detection data from lower sensitivity diagnostic tests, such as histology, to obtain unbiased pathogen prevalence estimates with associated uncertainties. Accounting for test sensitivity using within host replicate samples also required fewer individual fish to be sampled. This approach is useful for evaluating pathogen or microbe community dynamics when test sensitivity is <100%. PMID:25738709

Occupancy modeling for improved accuracy and understanding of pathogen prevalence and dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colvin, Michael E.; Peterson, James T.; Kent, Michael L.; Schreck, Carl B.

2015-01-01

Most pathogen detection tests are imperfect, with a sensitivity < 100%, thereby resulting in the potential for a false negative, where a pathogen is present but not detected. False negatives in a sample inflate the number of non-detections, negatively biasing estimates of pathogen prevalence. Histological examination of tissues as a diagnostic test can be advantageous as multiple pathogens can be examined and providing important information on associated pathological changes to the host. However, it is usually less sensitive than molecular or microbiological tests for specific pathogens. Our study objectives were to 1) develop a hierarchical occupancy model to examine pathogen prevalence in spring Chinook salmonOncorhynchus tshawytscha and their distribution among host tissues 2) use the model to estimate pathogen-specific test sensitivities and infection rates, and 3) illustrate the effect of using replicate within host sampling on sample sizes required to detect a pathogen. We examined histological sections of replicate tissue samples from spring Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha collected after spawning for common pathogens seen in this population:Apophallus/echinostome metacercariae, Parvicapsula minibicornis, Nanophyetus salmincola/metacercariae, and Renibacterium salmoninarum. A hierarchical occupancy model was developed to estimate pathogen and tissue-specific test sensitivities and unbiased estimation of host- and organ-level infection rates. Model estimated sensitivities and host- and organ-level infections rates varied among pathogens and model estimated infection rate was higher than prevalence unadjusted for test sensitivity, confirming that prevalence unadjusted for test sensitivity was negatively biased. The modeling approach provided an analytical approach for using hierarchically structured pathogen detection data from lower sensitivity diagnostic tests, such as histology, to obtain unbiased pathogen prevalence estimates with associated uncertainties. Accounting for test sensitivity using within host replicate samples also required fewer individual fish to be sampled. This approach is useful for evaluating pathogen or microbe community dynamics when test sensitivity is <100%.

The composition and morphology of amphiboles from the Rainy Creek complex, near Libby, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meeker, G.P.; Bern, A.M.; Brownfield, I.K.; Lowers, H.A.; Sutley, S.J.; Hoefen, T.M.; Vance, J.S.

2003-01-01

Thirty samples of amphibole-rich rock from the largest mined vermiculite deposit in the world in the Rainy Creek alkaline-ultramafic complex near Libby, Montana, were collected and analyzed. The amphibole-rich rock is the suspected cause of an abnormally high number of asbestos-related diseases reported in the residents of Libby, and in former mine and mill workers. The amphibole-rich samples were analyzed to determine composition and morphology of both fibrous and non-fibrous amphiboles. Sampling was carried out across the accessible portions of the deposit to obtain as complete a representation of the distribution of amphibole types as possible. The range of amphibole compositions, determined from electron probe microanalysis and X-ray diffraction analysis, indicates the presence of winchite, richterite, tremolite, and magnesioriebeckite. The amphiboles from Vermiculite Mountain show nearly complete solid solution between these end-member compositions. Magnesio-arfvedsonite and edenite may also be present in low abundance. An evaluation of the textural characteristics of the amphiboles shows the material to include a complete range of morphologies from prismatic crystals to asbestiform fibers. The morphology of the majority of the material is intermediate between these two varieties. All of the amphiboles, with the possible exception of magnesioriebeckite, can occur in fibrous or asbestiform habit. The Vermiculite Mountain amphiboles, even when originally present as massive material, can produce abundant, extremely fine fibers by gentle abrasion or crushing.

Geochemistry of Archean shales from the Pilbara Supergroup, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLennan, Scott M.; Taylor, S. R.; Eriksson, K. A.

1983-07-01

Archean clastic sedimentary rocks are well exposed in the Pilbara Block of Western Australia. Shales from turbidites in the Gorge Creek Group ( ca. 3.4 Ae) and shales from the Whim Creek Group ( ca. 2.7 Ae) have been examined. The Gorge Creek Group samples, characterized by muscovite-quartzchlorite mineralogy, are enriched in incompatible elements (K, Th, U, LREE) by factors of about two, when compared to younger Archean shales from the Yilgarn Block. Alkali and alkaline earth elements are depleted in a systematic fashion, according to size, when compared with an estimate of Archean upper crust abundances. This depletion is less notable in the Whim Creek Group. Such a pattern indicates the source of these rocks underwent a rather severe episode of weathering. The Gorge Creek Group also has fairly high B content (85 ± 29 ppm) which may indicate normal marine conditions during deposition. Rare earth element (REE) patterns for the Pilbara samples are characterized by light REE enrichment ( La N/Yb N ≥ 7.5 ) and no or very slight Eu depletion ( Eu/Eu ∗ = 0.82 - 0.99 ). A source comprised of about 80% felsic igneous rocks without large negative Eu-anomalies (felsic volcanics, tonalites, trondhjemites) and 20% mafic-ultramafic volcanics is indicated by the trace element data. Very high abundances of Cr and Ni cannot be explained by any reasonable provenance model and a secondary enrichment process is called for.

Platinum-group element geochemistry of zoned ultramafic intrusive suites, Klamath Mountains, California and Oregon.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, F.; Page, N.J.; Carlson, C.A.; Wilson, S.A.; Carlson, R.R.

1986-01-01

Analyses for platinum-group elements of the varied rock suites of three Alaskan-type ultramafic to mafic multi-intrusive bodies are reported. Ir and Ru are less than analytical sensitivities of 100 and 20 ppb; Rh is less than or near 1 ppb. Average Pd assays vary among the rocks within intrusive complexes and between the three complexes (6.3, 13.7, 36.4 ppb); average Pt assays vary little among the same samples (27.9, 60.9, 34.0 ppb). Statistically adjusted Pt/(Pt + Pd) ratios increase in each suite from gabbro through clinopyroxenite to olivine-rich rocks, possibly owing to Pd fractionation.-G.J.N.

Phase Equilibrium Investigations of Planetary Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grove, T. L.

2005-01-01

This grant provided funds to carry out phase equilibrium studies on the processes of chemical differentiation of the moon and the meteorite parent bodies, during their early evolutionary history. Several experimental studies examined processes that led to the formation of lunar ultramafic glasses. Phase equilibrium studies were carried out on selected low-Ti and high-Ti lunar ultramafic glass compositions to provide constraints on the depth range, temperature and processes of melt generation and/or assimilation. A second set of experiments examined the role of sulfide melts in core formation processes in the earth and terrestrial planets. The major results of each paper are discussed, and copies of the papers are attached as Appendix I.

Recycling of lower continental crust through foundering of cumulates from contaminated mafic intrusions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arndt, Nicholas T.; Goldstein, Steven L.

1988-01-01

A mechanism is presented for recycling of lower continental material back into the mantle. Picritic magmas, possible parental to volumious continental volcanics such as the Karoo and Deccan, became trapped at the Moho, where they interacted with and become contaminated by lower crustal materials. Upon crystallization, the magmas differentiated into lower ultramafic cumulate zones and upper gabbroic-anorthositic zones. The ultramafic cumulates are denser than underlying mantle and sink, carrying lower crustal components as trapped liquid, as xenoliths or rafts, and as constituents of cumulate minerals. This model provides a potentially significant crust-mantle differentiation mechanism, and may also represent a contributing factor in crustal recycling, possibly important in producing some OIB reservoirs.

The Ivrea zone as a model for the distribution of magnetization in the continental crust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasilewski, P.; Fountain, D. M.

1982-01-01

Units are identified within the Ivrea zone of northern Italy exhibiting magnetic susceptibilities greater than 0.0005 cgs, saturation magnetization values above 0.009 emu/cu cm, and Curie points as high as 570-580 C. Amphibolites from the granulite-amphibolite facies transition, and the mafic-ultramafic granulite facies lithologies exhibit high values of initial susceptibility and saturation remanence, are laterally continuous, and may be considered as a deep crustal source for long-wavelength anomalies in low-geothermal gradient areas. Evidence is presented which suggests that such mafic-ultramafic bodies as those exposed in the Toce valley were synmetamorphic additions to the base of the crust.

Chemical analyses of hot springs, pools, geysers, and surface waters from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and vicinity, 1974-1975

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ball, James W.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Jenne, Everett A.; Vivit, Davison V.

1998-01-01

This report presents all analytical determinations for samples collected from Yellowstone National Park and vicinity during 1974 and 1975. Water temperature, pH, Eh, and dissolved O2 were determined on-site. Total alkalinity and F were determined on the day of sample collection. Flame atomic-absorption spectrometry was used to determine concentrations of Li, Na, K, Ca, and Mg. Ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry was used to determine concentrations of Fe(II), Fe(III), As(III), and As(V). Direct-current plasma-optical-emission spectrometry was used to determine the concentrations of B, Ba, Cd, Cs, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, and Zn. Two samples collected from Yellowstone Park in June 1974 were used as reference samples for testing the plasma analytical method. Results of these tests demonstrate acceptable precision for all detectable elements. Charge imbalance calculations revealed a small number of samples that may have been subject to measurement errors in pH or alkalinity. These data represent some of the most complete analyses of Yellowstone waters available.